The Unscripted Reality
The photo session continued with Noah's closest friends and relatives. They were all beaming with joy; finally, the little boy who used to whine for his mother's food had found himself a partner.
"You said this was just a contract... why is almost your entire family here?" Emma whispered through a forced smile as they posed for the guests.
"Don't blame me. I only told my mom and dad... I asked them to keep it between us, but this happened. They invited my whole extended family," Noah whispered back, his smile never wavering for the cameras.
"You're going to be in big trouble if they ever find out the truth," Emma murmured.
"I know. So please, cooperate with me, 'wifey'," Noah replied, his lips twitching as he maintained his smile.
"You said only one year. Won't they have a heart attack if we get a divorce in the future?" Emma countered.
"Relax, I have a plan for the future. Just live a long life, wifey," Noah teased, arching a single eyebrow.
Emma's jaw dropped at the phrase "live a long life." What did that even mean?
"DO YOU MEAN I'M GOING TO BE POISONED OR SOM—MMPHH!!" Before Emma could finish, Noah's large palm clamped over her mouth.
"Not like that! Good grief, you've got it all wrong! Ssshh!" Noah whispered pleadingly, emphasizing every word.
The guests looked a bit startled by Emma's sudden outburst on the podium. Emma was fuming; a one-year plan was one thing, but Noah's words made her overthink. What kind of person wouldn't?
The Luxury of the "Gorilla's" Den
Exhaustion and soreness kicked in. Both of them leaned against the car window, drained by the tiring scenario. They thought the event would only last a few minutes; instead, it dragged on from morning until night.
Upon arriving at Noah's apartment, they were followed by building staff carrying a mountain of wedding gifts.
"You live here?" Emma asked.
"Sorry, is it too small? But it's comfortable... and I've prepared your room," Noah said, feeling a bit insecure.
He suspected his hunch was right—that women always looked at a man's finances first.
However, when the door opened, Emma's eyes widened. The apartment was massive. Noah's kitchen alone was as big as her entire rental house.
"Oh my god, I'm crying over my own finances. How embarrassing!" Emma cursed internally, clutching her chest at the "pain" of the realization.
"Um... Sir, Madam, where should we put all these gifts?" a staff member asked.
The question snapped them out of their respective thoughts.
"Ah, just put them in the living room. Thank you. Here's a tip," Noah said, handing some cash to the three staff members who had helped.
Emma thanked them too, but her gaze was immediately drawn to the wide window showing a stunning city view.
"Whoa... I never knew the city at night was this beautiful." Emma was mesmerized by the twinkling building lights. She could see the tiny vehicles and city lights from high above.
"Um... Emma, he... help," Noah's voice broke her trance. He was struggling to hold several gifts he wanted to move to the room he had prepared for her.
"Oh, sorry!"
Emma immediately helped Noah open the door to her new room.
"Ada~ turn on the lights," Noah called out to the smart AI installed in every room. No need to look for a switch.
"This is truly mocking my poverty, hiks!" Emma groaned. Was Noah's house this high-tech, or was she just hopelessly behind the times?
But the sight of the room—themed in warm pastels—stunned her. She couldn't believe Noah had actually prepared the scenario in such detail.
"I'm sorry if the colors aren't your taste. I don't really know what girls like. Or do you want to change it? I can have it repainted tomorrow," Noah asked.
#EMMA'S HEART CRACKED
"Am I really that poor??!!" she cursed again. Noah was casually offering to repaint a room he had clearly put a lot of effort into.
"Emma? You really don't like it? You've been quiet for a while..." Noah started to worry. He was afraid Emma might cancel this fake marriage in a heartbeat.
"Eh! No, not at all! I love it! Pastel is actually my favorite color. Thank you, Noah," Emma replied politely with a smile.
"Thank goodness..."
"..........SILENCE......."
"SAY SOMETHING!!!" they both screamed in their heads.
They stood there like statues for nearly 15 minutes after talking about the wall color.
"In that case, goodnight Emma... sweet dreams," Noah said.
"Wow, great. What did I just say? Goodnight?? Calm down, Liam!!" Noah scolded himself, keeping a deadpan face to hide his embarrassment.
"Umm... goodnight Noah, sweet dreams to you too," Emma replied.
The door shut tight. Both slumped against their respective doors, covering their faces which were glowing red with shame. For Noah, this was the first time living under one roof with a woman—and it was the same for Emma.
Domestic Bliss and A Sudden Heart-Throb
Emma's bedside lamp was on, but she couldn't sleep. She wondered how she had agreed to this fake marriage so easily. Moreover, her idol turned out to be so kind—unlike the media's portrayal of Noah Liam Beu as an arrogant and indifferent athlete. Perhaps Noah was just extremely private and didn't care what the media said.
"Mrs. Noah... kya!" Emma giggled, burying her face in the blanket. The blush on her face wouldn't go away. She just realized she was married to a man two years younger than her.
"Calm down, Emma... this only lasts for a year. Just stay calm."
The next morning, Emma woke up early to tidy up her room and their new apartment. She neatly arranged the gifts in the corner of the room.
"Whoa... Noah's mother prepared so much." She was impressed by her "mother-in-law" who had provided all the household necessities.
"Good grief..." Emma was shocked when she saw the state of Noah's fridge. Milk caps were separated from the bottles, vegetables were wilting, and there were scraps of bread that looked like they had been there forever.
Emma organized the fridge, throwing out the useless stuff and restocking it with fresh ingredients.
"Um...? Hoaaam~ I'm hungry..."
Just as he blinked his eyes open, Noah's nose worked faster than his giant body. The aroma of delicious food wafted into his messy room. He stretched before getting up, remembering he was now living with a woman. He peeked through a crack in the door—not out of arrogance, but because he was shy. An "acute introvert" like him had no idea how to start a conversation.
His deep grey eyes followed the movement in the kitchen where his "wife" was busy cooking.
"She's pretty, and she can cook too, eh?" Noah blurted out.
"Seems like I've been tamed by the smell of home cooking. How cheap of me," Noah cursed, realizing he might accidentally blurt out more things in front of Emma.
"Noah? You're awake? Come here, let's eat together," Emma called out as she saw his door open.
Meanwhile, Noah's stomach was like: "HOORAY!! FOOD!!"
"Of course, I'm easily bought with home-cooked meals," Noah rubbed his face gently. He pretended to stretch and yawn, facing a meal that was a rare sight in his apartment.
"Thank you, 'Aunty'," Noah teased.
"You're welcome. Go wash your face and brush your teeth first."
Noah obeyed immediately. He went to the kitchen sink, splashed some water on his face, and sat at the dining table.
"Sit down, let's eat," Noah invited.
"Wait a second, let me cut some apples first. It's good for your fi—Ack!!"
Noah jumped as he heard Emma wince in pain. In a flash, he grabbed Emma's finger and sucked the wound to stop the bleeding. Emma was stunned by his sudden reaction.
"Don't! That's dirty, Noah!" Emma tried to pull her finger away.
"Stay still. Don't push yourself next time..." Noah reached for the first aid kit in the cabinet above his head.
It's true what they say: don't judge a book by its cover, and don't believe everything in the media. The Noah she saw was attentive and sweet.
"Done. Now eat, don't just focus on preparing food for me," Noah said.
"Okay..." Emma nodded, feeling shy at his gentle tone.
"CALM DOWN, EMMA!!!" she screamed internally.
As they ate, Noah noticed Emma was struggling to hold her spoon because of the bandage.
#Sliding Emma's chair closer
Emma was startled by his sudden move.
"Aunty... say aaaa~ open your mouth, let me help," Noah's instincts moved faster than his brain.
"I can do it myself, it's fine," Emma declined softly.
"No, you can't... say aaaa~" Noah insisted, holding out a spoonful of food.
Emma sighed and let Noah feed her. They ended up eating while helping each other. It turned out that two people of different genders could grow close without even realizing it.
The Accidental Goodbye
That afternoon, Emma prepared a bento for Noah in a small lunch bag.
"Here... eat this with your friends," Emma said.
"Good grief, I'm becoming a burden," Noah said shyly as he accepted the lunch.
Since Emma took a day off, she could clean the apartment at her own pace. Noah, ready in his training gear, turned to say goodbye.
"I'm heading out. Take care of yourself at home," Noah said.
"Oh, okay. You too—"
#Kiss on Emma's forehead.
"Thanks for the food, Aunty. Your cooking is delicious... I love it."
Noah reflexively kissed her forehead as a sign of gratitude, gently ruffling her hair.
"Hey, my hair! Noah! Ugh!" Emma's cheeks were flushed, but she was also annoyed at being teased by her "husband."
"I'm off~" Noah chuckled softly as he left the apartment.
As soon as the door closed...
"NOOOOOOO!!! I'M GOING TO GET K.O.!!!" Emma screamed inside the apartment. Noah, still outside the door, chuckled to himself before walking away.
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The Drama and the Return
That night, while waiting for Noah to come home...
"No, Sakura! I can't! Listen to me, you have to stay here! Please, for me??" Sasuke pleaded.
"No! I want to go with you! I beg you, Sasuke!!" Sakura burst into tears.
"Naruto will watch over you. I trust him, please," Sasuke asked again as he hugged Sakura, who was trembling and crying over his departure to the land of MaDaru (The mafia legend Orochimaru, who was both beautiful and handsome at the same time).
"Live with him, Hubby? I don't want to!" Sakura flatly refused, wanting nothing to do with Naruto.
To be continued! Next episode! Don't miss the drama serial "Sasuke, the Hubby who Rarely Comes Home." Every Wednesday and Friday!!
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Meanwhile, Emma was sobbing while watching her favorite melodrama.
"Sasuke... why are you such a jerk??? But you're handsome, so I forgive you, hiks..." Emma sobbed.
A girl's logic: "Handsome faces heal the soul."
"Good grief, Aunty... you like cheesy dramas like this?"
"Noah??!!"
Emma was shocked beyond belief to find Noah standing behind the sofa, laughing at her as she cried over Sasuke leaving the village for a living.
"When did you get home?? I haven't even warmed up the food yet!" Emma scrambled, realizing she'd forgotten about dinner.
#Thud
"I brought food. Let's eat together." Noah set down some snacks perfect for late-night munching.
They watched TV together while snacking, laughing at the shows they found funny.
#To be continued...