Chapter 4: A Married Man's First Day Back at College

Waving goodbye to Ji-yu, I headed off to college. My first day attending as a married man. Just thinking about it made me cringe. How did my life flip upside down so fast? One minute, I was single, and the next, I had a wife. I shook my head, trying to focus. Problems would come and go—this was just another hurdle. Or so I thought.

When I arrived at college, I saw Annie walking toward me. Annie... now there's someone from my past. For those who don't know, Annie was my childhood crush. And yes, I know what you're thinking—didn't I say I swore off relationships? Well, that's because Annie never gave me the time of day. After years of one-sided admiration, I gave up on love and declared myself a permanent bachelor. But, as you all know, fate had other plans, and now here I am, a married man.

Annie, who rarely spoke to me, suddenly started a conversation.

"Hey, Jun-ho! It's been a while. How's everything going?" she asked, flashing a smile that could melt glaciers.

My brain short-circuited for a moment. Why is she talking to me?

"Uh, yeah... good. How about you?" I replied, trying to act natural.

"I'm throwing a party after college today. You should come! It's going to be a blast."

A party? Me? I never get invited to these things. My first instinct was to say no. After all, I have a wife waiting for me at home. Oh boy, that word still feels so weird.

"Ah, I'm not sure... I've got, um, stuff to take care of." I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.

Annie's smile widened as if she took my hesitation as a sign of interest. She leaned in slightly, "Come on, it'll be fun! It's been ages since we've hung out."

Hung out? Since when did we ever "hang out"? I looked at her, puzzled. Was it just me, or did she never pay this much attention to me before? I couldn't help but wonder: Is this what happens when your crush senses that you've moved on and someone else has claimed you? Do they suddenly become interested?

Either way, I had to decline. I wasn't about to walk into that kind of drama, especially with Ji-yu in the picture now.

"I appreciate the invite, but I really can't make it. Maybe some other time."

Annie looked a little disappointed but quickly recovered, giving me a quick nod before heading off.

As I watched her walk away, I shook my head. No use thinking about the what-ifs, Jun-ho. You're married now. Time to move on.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. After classes ended, I headed straight home. When I walked through the front door, I stopped dead in my tracks. The entire house was filled with shopping bags and food delivery boxes. My heart immediately sank. I pulled out my phone and checked my bank balance. Phew! Everything seems fine.

Cautiously, I walked further inside, trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever disaster was waiting for me. Ji-yu was lounging on the couch, watching TV and eating chocolate. The moment she saw me, she stopped munching and sat up straight.

"Uh... what's with all the shopping and food?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

She looked up at me, completely unfazed. "I was bored, so I ordered a few things online."

I blinked. "A few things? The house looks like a department store threw up in here!"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I had some savings and thought, why not? It's fun to see what you can get delivered."

I stared at her, dumbfounded. She acted like this was no big deal. Meanwhile, I was still wrapping my head around the fact that she wasn't even phased by how much stuff she had ordered.

"Are you, like, super rich or something?" I finally asked.

She laughed. "No, just had some extra cash saved up. Don't worry, I didn't touch your account."

Thank goodness.

We sat there in awkward silence for a moment. I didn't know what to say. This girl... no, my wife... was an enigma. After everything that happened, it still felt like I was living in someone else's life.

"So... what are we supposed to do with all this stuff?" I asked, gesturing toward the mountain of boxes.

She shrugged. "I'll figure it out. Don't worry about it."

Don't worry about it? Easier said than done. I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the whole situation.

Later that evening, as I sat down for dinner, I couldn't help but glance over at Ji-yu. She was still sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone. I cleared my throat and called out to her.

"Dinner's ready, by the way."

She glanced up but didn't move. "I'm not hungry right now. I'll eat later."

I nodded, though it felt strange. I'd cooked dinner, and she wasn't even going to join me? I didn't know how to feel about that. Still, I tried to remind myself that this was all new for both of us. We were essentially strangers, thrown into this weird marriage. Of course, things were going to be awkward.

After finishing my meal, I packed away her portion and left it on the table.

"I've left your food on the table. Eat when you're ready," I said before heading to my room.

That night, as I lay in bed, I couldn't help but reflect on the bizarre turn my life had taken. This morning, I was a newlywed, feeling awkward about it. By the afternoon, I was turning down a party invite from my childhood crush. And now, here I was, wondering how I was going to survive in this upside-down world of unexpected marriage and impulse shopping sprees.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of something burning. My heart immediately raced. Is there a fire? I bolted out of bed and ran into the kitchen, only to find Ji-yu standing there, looking utterly defeated as smoke billowed from the stove.

"What happened?" I asked, coughing as I waved the smoke away.

"I was trying to cook breakfast..." she said, frowning at the charred remains of what I assume was supposed to be eggs.

"Well, at least you tried," I said, trying to sound positive. "But, um, I think we'll have to stick to something simpler for now."

She pouted, clearly disappointed in herself. I couldn't help but feel a little bad. It was obvious that she wasn't used to doing things like cooking.

"You go sit down. I'll take care of it," I said, stepping in to salvage what I could.

As we sat down to eat a breakfast I had quickly whipped up, I realized something. I didn't even know her name.

"By the way... what's your name?" I asked, breaking the silence.

She looked up at me, surprised. "Wait, you don't know my name?"

I shook my head. "No, you never told me."

She blinked a few times before laughing. "Wow, I guess we skipped that part, huh? I'm Ji-yu."