Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 24
Just as he was about to undo his belt, a question popped into Yeon-woo’s mind.
‘Wait a minute… how did he put on his clothes?’
If the injured area was uncomfortable, he should have asked for help from the morning when going to work. However, Ki-won didn’t say anything special until right before leaving for work. It was Yeon-woo who voluntarily offered to help with the necktie he had clumsily tied, not Ki-won who asked him to do it.
Yeon-woo’s eyes repeatedly disappeared and reappeared beneath his eyelids. Belatedly grasping the situation, Yeon-woo covered his reddening cheeks with his palms. He was completely toying with him. Yeon-woo, whose realization came too late, inhaled a false breath with a disbelieving face.
“Hyung is… Hyung is a fool! How could you tease me like that!”
How could he toy with someone so much younger than him in this way? Kwon Ki-won might be used to it, but he wasn’t accustomed to other people’s bodies. Unable to contain his anger, Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes and headbutted Kwon Ki-won’s chest. He couldn’t bear to hit him and pushing him wouldn’t budge Ki-won, so it was a timid revenge.
The one who headbutted was him, but the one hurting was also him. His body was so solid that Yeon-woo held his forehead and ran out of the room, snorting through his nose. Since he ran away without looking up at Ki-won’s face, he couldn’t see his reaction.
‘He was probably laughing, right?’
Yeon-woo rubbed his bright red cheeks and pouted his lips. The anger didn’t subside. Although it was a joke for Ki-won, Yeon-woo had to put effort into calming his pounding heart.
‘If he noticed, he would have seen me as a weird kid…’
It would have been embarrassing if the abnormally beating pulse reached Ki-won’s ears. Yeon-woo struggled to pull his protruding lips back in and took out a pot to prepare dinner. Since the food was already cooked, he just needed to warm it up and place it on the table.
When Yeon-woo was setting up the shabu-shabu, Kwon Ki-won walked out. As expected, it seemed he was able to change into comfortable clothes without Yeon-woo’s help.
“Yeon-woo-ya.”
Even though he heard Ki-won’s call, Yeon-woo swiftly turned his head to avoid his gaze. How embarrassing it was to have improper thoughts in front of a patient… Yeon-woo couldn’t forgive his misdeeds.
“Are you upset?”
As Yeon-woo moved the bubbling shabu-shabu pot, Kwon Ki-won followed behind him. He was peering so much it made Yeon-woo dizzy.
“Hm? Yeon-woo-ya. You have to look at me.”
Kwon Ki-won was more persistent than Yeon-woo expected. Was this hyung always like this? Startled and flustered, Yeon-woo stopped setting down the plates and looked at Kwon Ki-won.
“Hyung teased me first.”
It was painful that the muscles settled beneath the clothes were still vividly coming to mind.
“Teased you?”
Hearing Yeon-woo’s words, Kwon Ki-won tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what he meant. Yeon-woo’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t tell if he really didn’t know his mistake, or if he was feigning ignorance. Yeon-woo coughed a few times and replied in a deliberately lowered, stiff voice.
“You didn’t ask for help even when going to work this morning…”
“That’s right.”
“But why did you ask me to undress you after work? You were teasing me, right!”
“Ah, I used my hands a bit at the company and I think the wound got worse. I was trying not to move as much as possible.”
Yeon-woo’s movements, hastily placing water glasses, abruptly stopped. There was no lie in Kwon Ki-won’s tone, so it was calm. Yeon-woo’s lips quivered and stopped repeatedly at the reliable cadence.
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Disappointment clouded Yeon-woo’s expression that had perked up. Then was it really because he was in pain that he asked for help? If it was true, then Yeon-woo’s actions would have been an arbitrary reaction and tyranny to Kwon Ki-won.
‘Then… did I headbutt and leave hyung who asked for help because he was hurting? I totally… seem to have personality issues…’
Yeon-woo groaned, worrying that Ki-won might see him as a violent person. His face, flushed with embarrassment, showed no signs of calming down. He shouldn’t have headbutted him.
“But what do you mean by teasing, Yeon-woo-ya.”
The time had come. What he had done was coming back to him. Yeon-woo, fidgeting with his hands, noticeably avoided Kwon Ki-won’s gaze.
“No… Just ignore it please. I can’t understand myself either…”
He couldn’t bear to reveal the misunderstanding that he thought Ki-won was pretending to be in pain. Come to think of it, there was no reason for Ki-won to show off his body to him. Yeon-woo wiggled his toes like he would run into a mouse hole right away if there was one.
“Okay, if that’s how you feel then that’s how it is.”
Hearing Ki-won’s answer, Yeon-woo sat on the dining chair with a liberated face. Ki-won, who sat across from him, rubbed his chest with an ambiguous expression. It was the spot Yeon-woo had headbutted before running away. Did it hurt? Yeon-woo couldn’t raise his drooped head.
“So, this is the divorce papers?”
Quietly looking at Yeon-woo’s round head, Ki-won asked in a languid tone. It seemed the conversation topic was about to change. Thinking now was the time, Yeon-woo showed an intense reaction with a strong nod. Kwon Ki-won took out the agreement divorce intention confirmation application from the envelope. Yeon-woo peeked at him examining the document and reached out for the well-cooked beef.
‘It would have been better if there was a burner.’
Yeon-woo, stuffing his mouth full of meat dipped in soy sauce, glanced at the pot. The cooked beef was sticking its head out as if begging to be eaten. It was a pity that he couldn’t enjoy the fun of adding raw meat when it was boiling, but the shabu-shabu bought from a famous restaurant tasted good no matter how it was eaten.
“Shall we sign today?”
After chewing and swallowing all the meat and taking a sip of water, Yeon-woo asked as usual. They had to go together to submit it, but he was worried if Ki-won could make time.
“Why, are you going to submit it tomorrow as soon as I sign it?”
Was it his imagination that there were barbs in Ki-won’s question? Yeon-woo, who was slurping the broth, looked at Ki-won’s face. It must have been his imagination after all. Kwon Ki-won had a kind face from beginning to end.
“Of course, it would be best to submit it tomorrow if hyung has time. I heard it takes about a month for the divorce to be finalized.”
“Hm, I see.”
Kwon Ki-won gave a small nod.
“Eat this too, Yeon-woo-ya.”
Putting down the paper he was looking at near the rice bowl, Ki-won held out tofu to Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo, putting everything Ki-won offered into his mouth, completely emptied a glass of water. It was because he cooled the heat with cold water every time he chewed tofu or shiitake mushrooms and hot broth came out. Holding the empty glass, Yeon-woo got up from his seat.
“Shall I pour you more water too, hyung?”
“No, I’m fine.”
As he said he was fine, Ki-won’s water didn’t decrease. Yeon-woo headed to the water purifier to fill his own glass.
Yeon-woo’s shoulders suddenly twitched as he was filling the cup full of ice with purified water. It was because of the noise that suddenly rang out. It seemed like tableware fell, making a loud clanging sound.
“Oh no, are you okay hyung?”
“Ah… Oops, I made a mistake.”
When he hurriedly returned to the dining table, the sight was miserable. The ladle had fallen to the floor and the soup bowl was tilted to the side. It seemed he dropped the ladle while scooping the shabu-shabu. Worried he might have gotten burned, Yeon-woo quickly held out the kitchen towel placed nearby to wipe the broth.
“I’m fine but… this got wet.”
Receiving the towel, Ki-won turned his gaze to the side and spoke. The divorce papers he had placed next to him had turned into a mess when the soup bowl tipped over.
“What should we do when you brought the documents with effort?”
Kwon Ki-won’s voice was full of apology, so Yeon-woo hurriedly waved his hands.
“Is that the issue right now? You almost got hurt. We can bring the documents again tomorrow.”
“Hm… You’re right.”
For a brief moment, the corners of Kwon Ki-won’s mouth went up crookedly.
“I’ll clean the floor. Keep eating!”
The broth wetting the table legs and flowing down to the floor was abundant. He tried to wipe it before it got dirtier, but Ki-won shook his head.
“I’m done eating. You can just clean it with gloves on, so don’t worry about it.”
“Ah, then I’ll bring you gloves!”
Yeon-woo glanced at Ki-won’s spilled bowl and handed him vinyl gloves. Unlike Yeon-woo who was busily eating, Ki-won didn’t seem to have eaten much, so he was concerned. He also worried if Ki-won bought it because of him even though he didn’t like shabu-shabu.
“It seems like you didn’t eat much… Do you have no appetite?”
“No, it’s not that.”
When Yeon-woo handed him the gloves, Ki-won replied in a slow tone while cleaning the floor. Watching him, Yeon-woo raised his eyebrows as if a good idea occurred to him.
“If it’s hard for you to eat because your hands are uncomfortable… Shall I feed you?”
Just like Ki-won did for him. Before the man could answer, Yeon-woo scurried over and sat next to him. Ki-won, who finished cleaning the floor, looked down at Yeon-woo with an absurd expression.
“Hmm.”
Ki-won’s throat made a short sound. It was because Yeon-woo’s desire to play around was clearly showing. Did he want to feed him? Yesterday’s event flashed through Ki-won’s mind. It was when he fed porridge to Yeon-woo who seemed to have no energy.
‘That memory must have been quite intense for him.’
It was rather cute that he seemed to think it wasn’t obvious.
After a brief contemplation, Ki-won sat down and a smile bloomed on Yeon-woo’s face. As if in a hurry, Yeon-woo picked up the man’s spoon and neatly piled beef and vegetables on top of it.
“Here, ah!”
Yeon-woo held the spoon in front of Kwon Ki-won’s mouth and urged the man. Ki-won let out a short breath as if it was absurd and slowly opened his mouth.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yeah, it is.”
Whenever Ki-won obediently ate, Yeon-woo’s voice also became brighter. He even slightly leaned his upper body towards the man, and each time Ki-won was busy straightening Yeon-woo, saying he would fall over.