Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 21
“Are you not dizzy? You have a bruise on the back of your head, so it will be uncomfortable for a while. Fortunately, it’s not a concussion.”
Just like Yeon-woo did a little while ago, Ki-won thoroughly examined Yeon-woo. He carefully asked if he felt nauseous, if he wanted to throw up right away, or if he had any symptoms of dizziness or tinnitus.
“Yes… I’m fine except for some muscle pain.”
Clearly, right after getting hurt, his vision was shaking and the dizziness was severe, making it difficult, but now he was okay. With the IV inserted and all, it seemed he had recovered to some extent through drug treatment while he was asleep. Yeon-woo, gently grabbing Ki-won’s wrist, carefully opened his mouth.
“Um, hyung…. What happened to the director? And also…. You must have known about my debt….”
Embarrassment was evident in the timidly flowing voice. Feelings of shame and humiliation were mixed together with feelings of apology. If it weren’t for him, something that Ki-won didn’t have to experience happened. He couldn’t raise his head at the incident that wouldn’t have occurred if he hadn’t deceived him from the beginning and proceeded with the contract marriage.
All the faults he had been hiding until now were exposed. Yeon-woo swallowed his dry saliva at the situation where it wouldn’t be strange to get divorced or pay a penalty right away. Although he was scared, he was ready to take responsibility for anything. No, even if he wasn’t ready, it was something he had to take responsibility for.
“Yeon-woo.”
At his low voice, Yeon-woo’s shoulders trembled slightly. He was afraid that Ki-won would pour out resentment or criticism at him. However, contrary to Yeon-woo’s expectations, what came back was a kind voice.
“You can talk slowly, so you don’t have to be nervous.”
It must have shown. Yeon-woo wiped his sweaty palms on the hem of his clothes.
“I prepared some porridge, do you want to eat it? You must not have any energy after lying down for two days.”
Two days? Yeon-woo looked up at Ki-won with rabbit-like eyes. It did seem like he had been lying down for a long time, but he didn’t expect it to be two days. No wonder his knees ached a bit and his joints felt stiff.
Yeon-woo slowly nodded his head. He thought regaining his strength first was the priority. Supported by Ki-won, Yeon-woo headed to the kitchen table.
After sitting in the chair for a while, steaming porridge was placed in front of Yeon-woo.
Ki-won, who Yeon-woo thought would sit across from him as usual, pulled out the chair next to Yeon-woo and sat down. The puzzled Yeon-woo put down his spoon and looked at Ki-won.
“This will be uncomfortable for you, so I’m going to feed you.”
“…I, I can do it. It’s okay.”
“Really?”
What Ki-won pointed to was the IV line. The long line was connected to Yeon-woo’s arm. His words that it would be uncomfortable were not wrong. Unfortunately, the part where the IV was inserted was his right arm, so he couldn’t comfortably hold the spoon. With his arm feeling stiffer and heavier than usual, Yeon-woo tried to grip the spoon several times and eventually used his left hand.
Ki-won just watched Yeon-woo without saying anything special. There was no situation more burdensome than eating while someone was watching him. Yeon-woo, who was eating the porridge with an uncomfortably gripped spoon, finally dropped the spoon.
“I told you I’d help you.”
As if he was waiting, Ki-won’s words came back. Yeon-woo looked down at the porridge splattered on his thigh with a confused gaze. Either way, it would be just as uncomfortable, so he decided to just leave it to Ki-won. Ki-won smiled faintly as he pushed the moderately scooped porridge into Yeon-woo’s mouth.
“Yeon-woo, since when have they been doing this to you?”
Yeon-woo pondered the question the moment the warm porridge went down his throat. He didn’t know exactly what was included in the question “doing this”. Assault or threat? Yeon-woo focused on the threat and answered.
“Since I was in high school. That was around the time when my dad disappeared without paying off his debt. They occasionally came and urged me to pay back the money. It got worse after my dad died, but….”
Yeon-woo let out a small sigh. In the end, he was embarrassed by this situation where he had to reveal everything himself.
“I’m sorry…. For not saying anything until now… and doing this, it’s the worst, right? I’d be angry too if I were you.”
Even if it was a contract marriage, they were a married couple who had actually completed the marriage registration. As it was not a contract entered into lightly, Yeon-woo was careful not to expose his identity to the media. Because a record of him shouldn’t remain in his life. Although it was inevitable for the three letters of “Seo Yeon-woo” to be left on the marriage certificate, Yeon-woo paid attention to not having his face circulate on online media.
There was one reason. Because Ki-won was a person in a high position. Just like politicians or celebrities, businessmen were also targets for people to tear apart. If the fact that his spouse was a debtor spread, it would only take a moment for Ki-won’s image to take a hit. Yeon-woo had hidden this important secret all this time. A secret that if Ki-won had found out before the marriage, he wouldn’t have entered into a contract with him.
‘Hyung must have been disappointed.’
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and his chest ached.
“Yeon-woo, not that.”
Ki-won, who had been listening quietly, tapped Yeon-woo’s neck. It was a part where a green bruise had formed.
“I’m asking since when they’ve been laying hands on you.”
Unlike the trembling Yeon-woo, Ki-won’s attention was focused elsewhere. Yeon-woo awkwardly rubbed the part where the man’s hand had touched.
“That’s… just….”
What came out between his teeth were words that were neither this nor that. His lips wouldn’t part to easily spill out the shameful past.
“Yeon-woo.”
Yeon-woo, who was hesitating at the call, shrank back.
“You know you can’t make secrets anymore, right? Hmm?”
Unlike his kind tone, Ki-won’s gaze turned cold. Yeon-woo, who had been biting his lower lip, finally opened his mouth. He said it started from his father’s funeral, when they directly began using violence. At first, it was at the level of getting slapped on the cheek lightly, but as the days went by, the intensity of the assault increased. He even revealed without hiding that when he was called to the office, he was beaten for hours in the warehouse.
Ki-won’s face gradually hardened, and the fingers that had been stroking Yeon-woo’s hair also lost their composure. It seemed like he was trying not to show that he was angry.
“If the director tries to sue hyung, I’ll respond too, so don’t worry. I don’t know if you’ll help, but…. The neighbors who used to live in my old house might be able to be witnesses. When the loan sharks came and caused trouble, they sometimes reported it to the police.”
Above all, he added that he would use his current medical records as evidence of the assault to sue. Of course, the director’s condition was not good, so self-defense might not work, but he wanted to somehow reduce the damage that would come to Ki-won.
“You don’t need to worry about the director’s issue. It’s already been taken care of.”
“…What?”
“If you want to sue the director, I can help. But there won’t be a situation where the director sues us. Of course, not even a police investigation.”
It didn’t make sense. The director wasn’t someone who would stay still even after being beaten…. Yeon-woo muttered and drew the situation at that time in his mind again. The director was in a state where it wouldn’t be strange even if he died soon.
“Is that person… dead?”
“No way.”
Ki-won, who laughed softly, gently stroked the back of Yeon-woo’s head.
“But Yeon-woo.”
Yeon-woo, who had a mouthful of the porridge Ki-won was feeding him, turned his gaze to him.
“Now you really can’t lie anymore.”
“……”
“Everything else is fine. But you can’t keep secrets from me. You know that, right?”
The usual voice sounded somewhat persistent, so Yeon-woo hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.
***
In the end, Yeon-woo couldn’t fall asleep easily. Yeon-woo, who had been tossing and turning until dawn, quietly slipped out to the terrace.
The air was cold, so white breath escaped. Yeon-woo, wearing thin pajamas, didn’t go back inside even though he was hugging his arms from the cold. He just stood still, hoping the complicated feelings inside would be soothed by the cold wind.
He had a long conversation with Ki-won. The core of the conversation was the director. He said the director admitted his fault and declared that he would not hold Ki-won or the bodyguards responsible for anything. It was strange. The loan sharks who had terribly tormented him all this time suddenly backed down.
‘Is power that scary….’
If they were going to back down this easily, they shouldn’t have threatened Ki-won.
‘Where did the guts to call hyung go.’
Ki-won said he went to the office after receiving a call from the loan sharks. They even pushed an arbitrary interest rate to Ki-won and acted arrogantly, but he was so embarrassed while listening to it. Above all, he said the loan sharks got on Ki-won’s nerves by mentioning Yeon-woo.
‘How dare they threaten using me….’
Yeon-woo, who swept his thin face, smiled bitterly. Ki-won seemed different to that extent as well.
‘Am I clouding hyung’s judgment.’
He knows well that Ki-won tried to help him. He also knows it’s something he should be grateful for. However, this incident was too dangerous. It was fortunate that the director backed down, but he almost saw Ki-won’s name appear on the news.
Yeon-woo liked Ki-won’s kind aspects. But now, his kindness was so thick that he was rather worried. Although the debt problem had virtually disappeared and there was no reason to terminate the contract, Yeon-woo’s thoughts hadn’t changed. The determination to disappear from Ki-won’s side remained deep in Yeon-woo’s heart.
‘Because there’s no law that this kind of thing won’t be repeated.’
He learned the hard way that if something happens to him, Ki-won tries to help. Even if the other person was a contract spouse, Ki-won was someone who did his best. So…. Yeon-woo now resolved to finally pull out.