Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 37

“Why on earth did I do such a thing…?”

It would have been less embarrassing if he had just shown an unsightly side of himself while drunk. However, this incident went beyond mere drunken behavior. Why did the heat cycle have to hit at that time? Since the heat cycle had recently occurred, he had completely let his guard down. No, it was unfair to use the term “let his guard down.” Who would have known that the heat cycle, which sometimes occurred once a year and other times once every six months, would happen again in just a few weeks?

“Right, this is an accident.”

It’s an accident. It must be an accident. An accident that occurred in a moment when self-control was lost. Yeon-woo closed his eyes tightly, repeatedly muttering the word “accident.” Even if it was a mistake with emotions involved, this incident had to be concluded as an accident no matter what.

‘If it’s not an accident, then what…?’

The divorce was already scheduled, and Ki-won had an arranged marriage partner. Yes, after experiencing a noisy incident, his mind became calmer and he was even more convinced. There was no way Ki-won would keep him by his side without having that partner, whom he had once rejected, as his remarriage partner.

To Ki-won, the existence of Seo Yeon-woo was someone who couldn’t provide any strength. It would be better for Ki-won to form ties with Sugang Corporation instead. Yeon-woo closed his eyelids tightly as he felt his eyes becoming hot.

This was not something to cry about. Wasn’t it a contract marriage in the first place, not a real marriage? Although he made the mistake of losing his reason for a moment and sleeping with Ki-won, nothing should change. Once he firmly made up his mind, it felt like the blocked feeling in his throat was clearing up.

‘I’ll be the first to say it was a mistake.’

Ki-won was the type of person who would say he would take responsibility even if it was left unsaid. With only a few days left until the divorce papers were submitted, if any lingering feelings remained, the parting wouldn’t be clean. Yeon-woo, who had decided to draw the line first, slowly got up from his seat.

“Ah, come to think of it…”

When he finally stood in front of the door to go out, his feet wouldn’t move, making him hesitate. Yeon-woo trailed off as if he had remembered something. He had tried not to recall the incident that he had decided to dismiss as a “mistake,” but one strange point stuck with him.

‘Didn’t hyung say his hand hurt…?’

The image of Ki-won appearing fine despite saying he was in too much pain to change clothes came to mind. He had lifted Yeon-woo’s body with ease, and his posture was just… Yeon-woo’s face turned bright red as he recalled that moment, and he quickly buried his face in his hands. Yes, let’s not ask about it. I guess it didn’t hurt much at that time.

It wasn’t really a problem that needed to be brought up anyway. Sigh, nothing but sighs came out every time he opened his mouth. Yeon-woo repeatedly placed his hand on the doorknob and then withdrew it several times.

Should I go out? I should go out. He couldn’t stay cooped up in the room forever. Nothing would be solved by just standing around hesitating.

Yeon-woo’s fingertips applied force, and the doorknob slowly turned. At the same time, the tightly closed bedroom door smoothly opened, and Yeon-woo’s field of vision expanded. Yeon-woo rolled his eyes back and forth to follow Ki-won’s traces with his gaze. Fortunately or unfortunately, he seemed to be absent from the living room, so Yeon-woo felt relieved and took a step forward. Only then could he check the time.

“A whole day has passed?”

He spoke in a loud voice out of surprise. Yeon-woo, who coughed hollowly as he felt a sting rising from inside his throat, rubbed the area around his Adam’s apple. Even if he tried not to recall the events of that time, the traces remained all over his body, making every moment dizzying.

‘Did hyung go to work?’

He thought he hadn’t slept much, but it seemed he had slept through an entire day. Yeon-woo, who faced this unbelievable reality, pounded his own head.

Yeon-woo crossed the center of the living room and headed towards the terrace. The floor, which should have been wet due to the rain that had fallen earlier, was fluffy and dry, and the sky was sunny. Even if he wanted to insist that a day hadn’t passed, even the weather didn’t help Yeon-woo.

“I’m really going crazy…”

Yeon-woo, whose head was aching, pressed his temples and found his cell phone on the living room table, shoving it into his pocket. He had been wondering where it went, but it seemed he had left it in the living room.

‘Should I call…?’

He was conflicted about whether he should contact Ki-won to let him know he was awake or not. If he had slept through an entire day, it seemed proper to report his survival, but he couldn’t easily make a decision because the reason for fainting belonged to an embarrassing category that was difficult to bring up.

It would have been better if he hadn’t realized it. Yeon-woo, whose legs had lost strength, plopped down and groaned. If he mentioned the heat cycle, the excuse of it being a mistake sounded plausible. It was a well-known fact that rational judgment was difficult during a mating season.

However, Yeon-woo’s case was a bit different. It wasn’t that he had simply pounced on Ki-won due to sexual desire, but rather a sudden acceleration that occurred in the process of realizing his feelings for him. It was hard to view the intercourse committed due to feelings of liking someone as a pure accident.

Should I just run away?

He pondered whether he should pack his bags and disappear like this, but then shook his head sideways. If he disappeared without fulfilling his duties while there were still days left on the contract, it would be a clear breach of contract. There was only one thing left. Enduring it with a poker face. There was also the option of lying that he didn’t remember, but it would surely be revealed as a lie through his expression.

“I’ll… contact him later.”

Yeon-woo, who rubbed his face, slowly nodded his head and stood up. First, he needed to calm down. Thinking of taking a half-body bath, he was about to head to the bathroom when suddenly the front door opened.

What? Wasn’t he supposed to be at work? Yeon-woo, who shrugged his shoulders, was about to hurriedly return to the bedroom. The muscle pain started from his thighs and reached his lower back, making his feet tangle. Yeon-woo couldn’t avoid the fate of collapsing on the marble floor with a thud.

“…Ah.”

A small sigh leaked out, belonging to who knows whom. It was probably a sound that came from my mouth. Yeon-woo, whose eyes had turned into rotten pollack’s, let out a hopeless laugh. Even timing didn’t help him. The moment he fell on the floor, what were the chances of running into Ki-won?

“You’re awake.”

Ki-won, who had taken off his shoes, placed a paper bag on the table and spoke as usual. It seemed like he was treating Yeon-woo no differently than usual to avoid embarrassing him, but that made it even more humiliating. Yeon-woo, whose neck had turned red in an instant, quickly got up and nodded his head.

Ki-won, who had taken off his outer coat, took a bold step towards Yeon-woo. Ki-won gently touched Yeon-woo’s forehead and neck, as if checking for a fever. His skinship, which would have been nothing unusual, felt burdensome because of the sin he had committed. Yeon-woo, who took a step back, awkwardly pulled the corners of his mouth and forced a smile.

“Um… Hyung.”

He wanted to tell Ki-won to forget about yesterday, but his lips wouldn’t move. It was because he recalled the disgraceful behavior he had shown to Ki-won, who had tried to bring him suppressants.

– I won’t regret it, so have bad intentions….

He had completely lost his mind. He wanted to curse at his past self. Maybe he had been possessed by a ghost. Yeon-woo, who had turned into a ripe persimmon, only moved his lips while standing in front of Ki-won.

“Yeah, Yeon-woo.”

Unlike Yeon-woo, who was stuttering like a broken machine, Ki-won was infinitely calm. So much so that if it weren’t for the muscle pain, he might have thought yesterday was a dream.

‘Was it nothing to hyung…?’

Strangely, his heart was churning even though he was the one who had tried to make the excuse of it being a mistake. Perhaps Ki-won had already forgotten. It couldn’t be helped. His mouth felt bitter, and he wanted to gulp down some cold water.

But thanks to that, his thumping heart calmly settled down, and the complicated feelings inside him began to unravel. As if the invisible stone that had been blocking him had disappeared, Yeon-woo looked up at him with a relieved face.

“Hyung, please forget about yesterday.”

“What?”

As soon as he started speaking, the tip of his tongue felt numb. He was spitting it out with a brazen face, but he didn’t have the confidence to make eye contact with Ki-won. Yeon-woo rolled his eyes back and forth and awkwardly scratched his cheek. Before he knew it, his gaze was directed towards the floor.

“It was a mistake… between us. A kind of accident.”

As soon as he uttered the word “mistake,” his pulse raced as if it were a lie. Even though he was just standing still, he was out of breath as if he had sprinted at full speed. Yeon-woo clenched his fists and held his breath, fearing that his heartbeat would be heard by the man. He foolishly did that even though he knew it couldn’t be resolved by stopping his breathing.

“A mistake, huh.”

Ki-won gave a response that was neither an answer nor anything else. He also seemed to be deeply contemplating something.

“A mistake…”

It felt like a crack had formed in his gentle voice. Ki-won also seemed to be desperately suppressing some kind of emotion. Yeon-woo was curious about what emotion Ki-won was hiding, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. He had no right to do so.

“I was drunk, so I didn’t even know the heat cycle was coming. If I had known, I would have taken suppressants. I don’t know why it suddenly hit in a short cycle, but…”

He resolved to go to the hospital today. He absolutely couldn’t cause trouble for Ki-won with the same incident again.

“Why did you drink alcohol then?”

“Pardon?”

“You never even touched it before. No, you weren’t even interested, were you?”

“That’s…”

He didn’t expect such a question in this situation. Yeon-woo, who was rubbing his fingertips, racked his brain to find a reason. He couldn’t say he drank because he was feeling troubled after thinking about Kwon Ki-won’s arranged marriage partner, could he?

“Just… Just because. There was no particular reason.”

He hoped it didn’t sound too strange. He judged that it would be better to say this rather than suddenly attaching an absurd reason.

“Okay, an accident is fine too. An accident… Not bad.”

“…Pardon?”

What does this mean? At Ki-won’s voice repeating the incomprehensible words, Yeon-woo’s gaze, which had been fixed on the floor, was raised. Ki-won’s expression, which he finally faced, was completely different from what he had expected. He neither had a serene face nor was he smiling.