Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 39

“Well, I wonder how it ended up like this. Don’t you think?”

He must have a sly fox sitting inside him. Yeon-woo was startled by Ki-won’s brazen expression and tone. Yeon-woo, who stumbled for a while trying to change the subject somehow, raised his eyebrows at the crooked idea that came to mind. The place Yeon-woo’s eyes were directed at was near Ki-won’s palm. Yeon-woo, who was smiling more awkwardly than ever, slowly opened his mouth.

“Haha… Hyung, are you okay here? The stitched wound must hurt… You look like it doesn’t bother you at all.”

Yeon-woo’s face as he blurted out the question was subtle. Now that he said it, it was hard to say it had no connection at all with the incident he wanted to forget. Yeon-woo, who wanted to show that he said it without much thought, quickly put on an innocent expression.

After a brief moment of watching Ki-won’s reaction while suffering from the awkward atmosphere, a breath mixed with relief burst out between his soft lips. Unlike the complicated Yeon-woo, it was thanks to Ki-won who showed no particular signs. He raised his arm as if to show the wound.

“Ah, it’s all healed.”

“What…?”

Ki-won’s flesh looked clean beyond the bandage. Yeon-woo blinked his large eyes and made a puzzled face. Didn’t he say it seemed to be festering and hurting until a few days ago? Yeon-woo’s mouth corners naturally pulled down as he recalled when Ki-won was hurt.

The considerable amount of blood and the glass shards that dug into the flesh. Just remembering that time made his flesh tremble. Well, if it’s all healed, that’s fortunate. Yeon-woo just nodded his head without adding any words.

In the meantime, Ki-won, who had finished changing clothes, glanced at the wall clock. Yeon-woo secretly looked at Ki-won as if he wasn’t and opened his mouth casually.

“Why? Do you have to go out?”

If Ki-won left the house, the awkward atmosphere would disappear and he would gain freedom for a while, so it was welcome for Yeon-woo.

“I just finished changing clothes.”

He answered, slightly pulling on his t-shirt as if to emphasize. If he was planning to go out, he wouldn’t have changed clothes, so it was a foolish question. Just as Yeon-woo’s face was about to turn slightly red, a faint smile bloomed on Ki-won’s face.

“Why, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“What? Uncomfortable… you say.”

It would be a lie if there wasn’t a bit of discomfort, but it was not something he could reveal his true feelings as they were. The main culprit who caused the incident was none other than himself. A mixture of embarrassment, shame, and apologetic feelings kept poking at Yeon-woo’s chest.

‘At least if I have a conscience.’

There were reasons for Kwon Ki-won to avoid Seo Yeon-woo, but the opposite situation didn’t make sense. Yeon-woo, who was biting the inside of his cheek, moved his two wandering eyes towards the bathroom. He also didn’t forget to subtly step forward to show that he had something to do.

“I’ll take a quick shower and come out.”

There was a sense that he was hastily wrapping up the conversation, but it wasn’t an abrupt action. Isn’t it natural to wash up briefly after going out? Yeon-woo, who kept attaching reasons to his actions, moved his steps in a hurry. At the end, he even sped up as if hiding his body in a mouse hole.

Ki-won, who was leisurely watching his back, rubbed his upturned mouth corners as if it was hard to hold back his laughter.

***

Ki-won, who quietly left the bedroom, looked around the living room where Yeon-woo’s warmth had not reached. Perhaps because he was standing alone in the center, the space felt unnecessarily wide, which was strange.

Ki-won closed the terrace window that was half open for ventilation and arranged the disarrayed curtains. There were traces of the managers coming and going when the aftermath of the heat cycle passed and Yeon-woo fell asleep.

Although the color was changed to a similar one to avoid a sense of alienation, the new curtains showed subtle wrinkles here and there as they were hurriedly replaced. It was a trace of being pulled out of the packaging and replaced without time to iron.

Ki-won, who was meaninglessly rubbing the marks that would not be noticed unless looked at closely, lowered his head and examined the gap in the door. The curtains, floor, and door gaps that were dirtied by the wind had all been cleaned by the hands of the managers.

Should I have left it alone? Yeon-woo’s attitude of pretending not to and completely denying the memory of the previous day confused his mind. What if he hadn’t called the managers? What if he had preserved the scene that Yeon-woo had messed up as it was? The corners of Ki-won’s mouth were pulled to an ambiguous position.

He would surely be at a loss alone and groan in pain. The thought also came to mind that he would hide his pain and roll up his sleeves, saying he would clean it up himself. Ki-won, who was absorbed in envisioning the scene, soon turned around. Although he found Yeon-woo annoying for trying to make it as if it never happened, he had no desire to torment him.

Ki-won moved his gaze slowly as he headed towards the sofa where Yeon-woo had downed the liquor. Why did he drink? Although the house was overflowing with liquor, Yeon-woo had never even glanced at it until now. He was curious about what kind of mental change made him reach for alcohol. However, it was not easy to guess Yeon-woo’s intentions as there was no part that could be inferred even if he tried.

As soon as the tightly closed teeth opened, a sigh leaked out. It was the first time that the existence of Seo Yeon-woo felt so difficult to approach. Perhaps he was arrogant in thinking he knew Yeon-woo when he actually knew nothing about him at all. Ki-won, who was sitting on the sofa, slowly opened and closed his eyelids and recalled the conversation he had with Yeon-woo.

– Hyung, please forget about yesterday.

It was as resolute as it was unbelievable that the voice came from a small frame. Compared to the round eyes that carefully looked at the reaction, it was a firm statement. Ki-won had to take a deep breath as soon as he heard this.

Did he say let’s put off the regret for later? Ki-won, who ruminated on the words he had uttered, soon swept his dry face. It’s not even funny. It was enough to make himself, who had shown an attitude that was absurdly no different from usual, look ridiculous.

Even after such an incident, nothing changed. If the regret that was put off lingers at the feet, would it feel like this?

‘It’s troublesome if he comes out like this….’

He was certain that there was some change in Seo Yeon-woo’s emotions. Although the conversation was short, it was conveyed through his tone, breath, eyes, and twitching lips. He thought that if he pushed Seo Yeon-woo a little more, he would be able to clearly know his hidden inner side, but the result did not readily follow Ki-won.

Ki-won rubbed his stiff neck and clicked his crossed legs. Ki-won, who slowly tilted his head back and met eyes with the high ceiling, slowly closed his eyelids with a languid speed. He wanted to take a close look into that small head. Kwon Ki-won clenched his molars tight, suppressing the surging urge.

What went wrong? No matter how much he retraced, it was difficult to guess the reason why Yeon-woo was trying to proceed with the divorce quickly. He tried to show only a kind side for Yeon-woo, who was sensitive to even the smallest things and very timid. He made sure there was no shortage of money, as it was overflowing. Also, household chores were thoroughly taken care of by the managers, so there would have been no situation where Yeon-woo had to move his hands. Even if he examined it item by item from one to ten, the current situation was an environment optimized for Yeon-woo. Nevertheless, he was trying to leave his side.

Ki-won tapped his throbbing forehead and moved his Adam’s apple. Seo Yeon-woo is too naive. What if he was a person who was cunning and greedy like a fox? If he played tricks to not leave his side, he would gladly be fooled and give his place.

‘But that’s not going to happen, so it’s a problem.’

At this rate, he would end up divorcing Yeon-woo as scheduled. The moment he recalled that there were only a few days left until the 28th, Ki-won’s breath abruptly stopped.

“…I’m not such a conscientious guy.”

Ki-won, who muttered to himself, finally let out a small laugh that he couldn’t hold back. He was also curious. What kind of crazy thing would his obsession with not letting go of Seo Yeon-woo bring about?

Ki-won’s closed eyelids lifted, revealing pitch-black pupils. There were countless ways to keep Seo Yeon-woo by his side. The easiest way would be blackmail.

He could have used the fact that he paid off Yeon-woo’s debt as leverage, but he didn’t. Because he knew that doing unnecessary things to a timid kid would only be poisonous. Above all, he didn’t want to distort the gentle relationship.

A way to keep Yeon-woo by his side as much as possible without the form collapsing. Before long, a meaningless exclamation burst out from Ki-won’s opened teeth. His eyes were filled with an obsession that he could not show to Yeon-woo.

Just as the thoughts that had put a period were being organized, Ki-won, who was about to stand up, stopped moving and stared at one place. It was because he spotted a glittering object for a moment.

There was something under the table where people’s eyes don’t usually reach. Ki-won bent his waist and reached out his arm towards there and picked up the mysterious object.

‘A key?’

What was placed on his palm was an old key. Ki-won’s expression changed several times when he saw an object that shouldn’t be in the living room. Why was the key that should have been in the study rolling on the living room floor, and who touched it? Ki-won recited the questions that flashed by and soon thought of Yeon-woo’s face.

The managers do not enter the study unless Ki-won’s permission is given. Then there was only one person who could touch the key. It was none other than Seo Yeon-woo.