Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 30

After having lunch together with Ki-won, Yeon-woo headed towards the car he had called to go back home. Although Ki-won said there was no need to see him off, he walked past the first floor lobby all the way outside the building. As always, Ki-won was kind to Yeon-woo regardless of the place. 

“Hey hyung…”

“Yes, what is it?”

Ki-won’s response to being called was in a gentle voice. As Yeon-woo abruptly stopped in his tracks, Ki-won also retracted the steps he was taking. Ki-won looked down at Yeon-woo with an affectionate face.

‘Should I say this or not…’ 

Yeon-woo briefly recalled what happened during lunch. He couldn’t forget Ki-won’s reaction when he called him “Vice President-nim”. Reflecting on it in his mind, Yeon-woo once again resolved not to call Ki-won “Vice President-nim”. It was because he broke out in a cold sweat after calling him that as the secretary was going in and out of the vice president’s office.

– Vice President-nim, I will get going now. You seem busy, so if I’m here…

– What? 

While the secretary was putting documents on the desk and leaving, the corners of Ki-won’s mouth, which were always smiling, stiffened. Yeon-woo found the change in his expression strange, but didn’t stop continuing his words.  

– Lunchtime is over, so I should go. Seeing the secretaries coming in and out leaving documents, you seem busy.

– No, Yeon-woo… 

With a pale complexion, he brushed his thin face. He also asked why he was calling him “Vice President-nim” instead of hyung, creating a barrier between them. Yeon-woo couldn’t understand his question.

Of course, a very small number of employees would know that Yeon-woo was married to him. Especially if the other person was Ki-won’s exclusive secretary. 

However, Yeon-woo was in a state where he didn’t know exactly which employees knew the truth. So he was just trying to be careful with his words and actions. It would be troublesome if strange rumors started circulating in the company due to a mistake.

People were always curious about which family’s omega Ki-won had married. The sight of reporters running around trying to speculate about the other family after the wedding announcement was still vivid. It quieted down after Ki-won drew a line asking them to respect his private life.

Yeon-woo wanted to stay by his side as quietly as possible and then disappear. He didn’t want Ki-won to be followed by talk of “a chaebol married to an ordinary person” or “the partner is even an omega in heat”.

‘Even if not now, hyung will remarry someone after the divorce… There’s nothing good about revealing what kind of person the ex-spouse was…’

One never knows what will happen. Even if he says he has no intention of remarrying right now, he could consider remarriage at any time if he meets his destined partner or has a change of heart. So Yeon-woo was just being careful with his actions, but it seemed Ki-won’s intentions were different.

– Yeon-woo, it’s hyung not Vice President-nim.

– But… this is a space where employees come and go… 

– I know what you’re worried about. But Yeon-woo, the employees won’t think it’s strange if you call me hyung.

Of course, people wouldn’t immediately see Yeon-woo as a spouse just by calling Ki-won hyung. It was a very common way to address someone, and it wasn’t an intimate term like “dear” or “honey”. Yeon-woo slowly nodded his head, pausing in between. Was the way of addressing him the only problem? Lukewarm sentences were floating around in his head.

– Is that so…? 

In response to Yeon-woo’s answer, Ki-won nodded his head with a faint smile. Then he pulled out a tissue and wiped the corners of Yeon-woo’s mouth himself. Yes, perhaps these kind actions of Ki-won’s were the problem. The term “hyung” can be used between close friends, but even if you’re close, you don’t usually cling to someone’s side or wipe their mouth.

– Yeah, so don’t ever call me that again.

When Yeon-woo was slowly taking steps, Ki-won’s words, which he had said with a strange emphasis, were ringing in his ears.

‘If hyung is okay with it, there’s no need to agonize over it this much…’ 

There was no need to think so hard when the person himself said it was okay. Yeon-woo also knew this well, but he kept feeling stuffy in one corner of his heart.

‘Is it really okay to act so carelessly like this…? Really…?’

The question became a Mobius strip and messed up Yeon-woo’s mind. Even now, Ki-won was walking closely next to Yeon-woo and not putting away his affectionate demeanor. It was to the extent that even a young child could tell that the two were personally close.

Yeon-woo’s gaze turned to his toes. He felt strange being the only one feeling complicated. It might be excessive self-consciousness. Maybe he was struggling alone with a problem that no one else would care about. While feeling that he was the weird one for being concerned about every little thing, Yeon-woo couldn’t stop his head from drooping.

“Why aren’t you answering when you called for me?”

That’s when it happened. As Yeon-woo’s thoughts became busy, Ki-won gently touched the back of his hand. Only then did Yeon-woo raise his head that he had lowered and met Ki-won’s eyes.

“No, I just… I just called out to you.”

Yeon-woo had no choice but to give a vapid answer. The corners of his mouth that were smiling brightly trembled. A contract marriage with a set end. Furthermore, not much time was left until the divorce. He seemed to have become sensitive as he was facing a big change called divorce.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good, are you sick somewhere?”

The back of Ki-won’s hand touched Yeon-woo’s forehead. It seemed he was trying to take his temperature, and Yeon-woo’s eyes became flustered. Again. The area around his face was about to become flushed again.

“No, it’s because it’s cold… I think it’s because it’s cold.”

Yeon-woo feigned composure and hugged his own arm. Ki-won took off his coat as if it was a very natural thing to do and placed it on Yeon-woo’s shoulders. The coat, which still had Ki-won’s body heat, was quite warm. Yeon-woo held onto the coat tightly so it wouldn’t slip off and muttered.

“It’s okay… The driver is waiting anyway.”

“I’m about to go back into the company soon anyway.”

“Hyung, if you catch a cold like that…” 

“It’s better for me to catch it than you.”

Yeon-woo’s heart squirmed with a strange feeling at Ki-won’s words. What was this feeling? Yeon-woo clenched his fists inconspicuously and chewed on his lower lip. After rummaging through his mind for a while for words to respond, Yeon-woo finally let out a hot breath.

“I… um… Oh! The car has arrived. I’ll get going now!”

What Yeon-woo chose to do was to get in the car as if running away. Yeon-woo, who approached the vehicle stopped on the side of the road, glanced back. Ki-won’s gaze was still on Yeon-woo. He lightly waved his hand as if to say go in safely. Yeon-woo also slightly raised his hand with a flushed face. 

It’s strange. Today the temperature was lower than usual. It was cold enough for fingertips to turn red due to the harsh wind and low temperature, but strangely it didn’t feel cold. On the contrary, it was perplexing that heat was rising all over his body and his neck and ears were turning red. It must be because it’s cold. Yeon-woo rubbed his ears as if fixing his hair that was blowing in the wind.

‘I hope it didn’t look strange.’

It was cold enough for his ears to turn red. Yeon-woo let out a small sigh of relief and got into the car.

“Contact me when you get home, Yeon-woo.”

“Yes, I will.”

Yeon-woo responded to Ki-won’s words that were heard right before the door completely closed. Closing the car door with a click, Yeon-woo surrendered his body to the warm heated air.

‘The scent…’

Ki-won’s scent, which he couldn’t smell outside, was coming from the coat. Yeon-woo put more strength into his fingertips that were holding onto the coat so it wouldn’t slip off. It felt as if Ki-won was hugging him from behind.

“I will take you to your residence.”

The driver spoke softly while checking the backseat situation through the rearview mirror, and Yeon-woo nodded. Yeon-woo’s eyes were still focused beyond the car window. Ki-won seemed to be watching the vehicle Yeon-woo was riding, still standing still. Yeon-woo, who was about to wave goodbye, belatedly realized that tinted film was attached to the window. Even if he waved, Ki-won wouldn’t be able to see it.

‘It’s cold, hurry and go inside…’ 

Ki-won’s coat had been passed on to Yeon-woo, so his outfit was light compared to the weather. As the car was about to start, Yeon-woo lowered the window. He was about to tell Ki-won to hurry inside.

“Hey, Kwon Ki-won!” 

When the window was about half open, an unfamiliar voice was heard from afar. It was a voice casually calling for Ki-won. At the same time, the vehicle Yeon-woo was riding in gained speed.

‘What’s that?’

As the car started, Yeon-woo’s body naturally turned back. Some man approached Ki-won with a bright smile. He was doing playful actions like patting Ki-won’s shoulder. Yeon-woo’s lips parted slightly. Who on earth… was he? It was a somewhat familiar face, but no name immediately came to mind.

“The person who approached hyung just now… do you know who he is?”

When they became so far that the two were no longer visible, Yeon-woo straightened his body that had been sitting turned around. The driver mixed a strange silence into Yeon-woo’s question.

“Well, I don’t really…”

A lie. Yeon-woo easily noticed. The driver clearly knew the identity of the man who approached Ki-won. The driver’s strangely restless gaze was visible through the rearview mirror. 

Plip, plop. The wind seemed unusual, and the rain that seemed to have stopped began to pour down. Yeon-woo quietly stared at the rain streaks blurring the car window, then took his eyes off.