Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 41

Yeon-woo, who had barely grabbed the ointment, walked up to Ki-won.

“Sit down and do it.”

Noticing Yeon-woo being clumsy due to their mismatched heights, Ki-won tapped on the bed. After hesitating for a moment as if contemplating whether to sit or not, Yeon-woo immediately took a seat next to him. As Ki-won turned his back as if to show his wound, it became much easier for Yeon-woo to apply the ointment.

Only after squeezing the ointment onto his fingertips did Yeon-woo take a closer look at Ki-won’s wound. It was definitely a deeper wound than it looked from afar. Thinking that it would probably hurt for a while when showering, Yeon-woo felt more apologetic than embarrassed. If I had known it was this bad, I should have applied it sooner. Yeon-woo examined his not-so-long fingernails with a resentful gaze.

Even though it must have been quite painful, the man remained calm even at the moment the ointment was applied. To the point where someone who didn’t know him would mistakenly think he couldn’t feel pain.

“Yeon-woo.”

A call was heard while Yeon-woo was concentrating on the treatment. Perking up his ears, Yeon-woo slightly parted his lips and gazed at the man.

“Have you been to the warehouse recently?”

“What? Ah… Yes, I have.”

Yeon-woo answered slowly as he attached a bandage to prevent the ointment from seeping into the clothes. Although he didn’t know why the topic of the warehouse suddenly came up, Yeon-woo, who had entered it to find his passport, kept nodding his head.

“Hmm, I see. Don’t you have anything to tell me?”

What could he possibly want him to say? Come to think of it, the warehouse was really dirty. Should I tell him that the caretakers seem to neglect cleaning the warehouse? Yeon-woo busily racked his brain to find the answer Ki-won wanted.

“Ah, could it be… this? While taking out my passport from the suitcase, I accidentally spilled everything. I thought I had checked everything, but… Did something break…?”

Yeon-woo’s already pale skin turned even paler. It seemed that while things were falling off the shelf, he had broken one of Ki-won’s belongings. He thought he had checked thoroughly, but it looks like there was a part he missed.

Just as he was groaning with eyes pleading for an answer, Ki-won shook his head. Fortunately, it seemed that nothing was broken.

“It’s just that the positions of things had changed, so I asked just in case.”

“Ah… If that’s the case, that’s a relief.”

Yeon-woo, who was gathering the trash that came out after the treatment, sensed Ki-won’s gaze. Does he have more to say? Just as he was about to awkwardly get up from his seat, his wrist was grabbed.

“Yeon-woo.”

“…Yes?”

Yeon-woo didn’t know why he was being so hesitant to speak, but the strange silence heightened his anxiety. Yeon-woo’s trembling pupils turned towards Ki-won’s face. Hopefully he’s not angry. It would be a needless worry if things are intact, but he lost track of the sudden topic.

“Do you remember what I said last time? About not lying.”

Yeon-woo’s lips slightly parted and closed repeatedly. How could he forget? Because he lied, Ki-won got hurt. Yeon-woo shook his head with a dejected expression.

“I have a few things to ask you, and you can just answer honestly.”

“Okay.”

Yeon-woo didn’t know what it was that Ki-won was setting the mood like this before even asking. The man’s behavior, whose intentions were unknown, made it impossible for Yeon-woo to let go of the tension.

“Did you find anything in the warehouse? Like… a strange object.”

As soon as he heard “strange object,” one thing flashed through Yeon-woo’s mind. An old-looking wooden box. Even though it was an object he was seeing for the first time, it felt so familiar that it made him feel a sense of déjà vu.

‘But why is he asking about this…?’

It was suspicious to just blurt out what came to mind based on Ki-won’s attitude. Although Yeon-woo had never questioned Ki-won’s inquiries before, at this moment, he felt the urge to ask a counter-question.

Should he say it or not? The fact that he felt a sense of familiarity with Ki-won’s belongings was strange in itself. It could just be a misconception, or he could be confusing it with a similar object he had seen elsewhere. While contemplating, Yeon-woo saw Ki-won’s serious expression and slowly answered, wrapping up his thoughts.

“There was one object that felt familiar.”

A subtle change appeared on Ki-won’s expression. Yeon-woo couldn’t tell if he should say he was surprised or dumbfounded, but the emotion he read was not of an ordinary kind.

“It’s an old-looking wooden box with a worn-out exterior… Strangely, it feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before. Of course, it’s probably just my imagination.”

Yeon-woo shrugged his shoulders and put a period at the end of his sentence. It was a nuance emphasizing that he had nothing more to say other than this.

“Did you open it?”

“Of course not. It’s yours, so why would I open it?”

Yeon-woo shook his head as if asking why he would even ask such a thing. Above all, the wooden box was structured in a way that it couldn’t be opened without a key. Ki-won, who quietly listened to Yeon-woo’s words, nodded his chin up and down. It seemed like he understood, but the conversation was so out of the blue that it didn’t sit well with Yeon-woo.

“Okay, got it.”

Ki-won gently stroked Yeon-woo’s shoulder. Even though the conversation had concluded, somehow a corner of his heart felt uncomfortable. He wanted to ask the reason for asking such a thing, but his lips didn’t easily part.

The anxiety that rose from deep within his chest made Yeon-woo’s tongue and lips stiff. Even he himself didn’t understand why he felt that way, but it seemed like a question he shouldn’t ask. A strong premonition that came unconsciously made Yeon-woo stiffen.

Yeon-woo decided not to ignore his instincts. It felt like something formless was grabbing the back of his neck. The anxiety pounded against the inside of his chest, making it difficult to voice his curiosity.

“I’ll go put the ointment back in its place.”

Yeon-woo tried to hastily leave his seat, but Ki-won’s voice coming back tied his feet down.

“You look uncomfortable walking.”

Yeon-woo quickly turned around, wondering what he meant, and looked at Ki-won with widened eyes. To make it easier for Yeon-woo to understand, Ki-won gestured with his chin to indicate where he had been looking.

“…Where are you looking right now?”

Slowly following that chin gesture, Yeon-woo easily realized that he had been looking at the area around his buttocks. Brazenly, Kwon Ki-won enjoyed the sight of Yeon-woo’s reddening face and slowly tilted his head.

“Your walking posture looks somewhat awkward. Does it hurt?”

This guy, really! Unlike Yeon-woo, who had turned into a tomato and didn’t know what to do, Ki-won was as nonchalant as if he were being mischievous.

Of course it hurt. It would be strange to make excuses that it didn’t hurt. However, confusion found its way into Yeon-woo’s mind.

Yeon-woo, who was about to say it didn’t hurt because of his pride, finally let out a deep sigh. It would be funny to say it hurt in response to the man’s question, and it would also be ridiculous to stubbornly insist it didn’t hurt. Thinking it would be better to be honest, Yeon-woo made a small sound.

“…I think so.”

“Hmm?”

“I think it hurts…”

I don’t know where to put my eyes. Yeon-woo bit his lower lip and was about to clumsily step away when Ki-won tapped on the mattress.

“Lie down here, I’ll relieve the knotted muscles for you.”

“It’s okay…”

“Are you going to walk like that for days?”

It was as if Ki-won had anticipated that Yeon-woo would say it was okay, and he struck in an instant.

“No, that’s not it…”

Was it that bad? Yeon-woo tried to imagine how he had been walking, but it wasn’t as easy as Ki-won made it out to be.

It took a long time for Yeon-woo to gain confidence with his fading words. If his walking posture looked strange to others as well, it might not be a bad idea to get help as Ki-won suggested. Rather than limping every day and reminding himself of what happened.

“Then I’ll ask for your help.”

Yeon-woo, who had retracted his steps, quietly sat next to the man. After staring at him blankly for a moment, Ki-won’s low laughter was heard.

“Yeon-woo, I can’t give you a massage if we’re facing each other. Would you like to lie down?”

Yeon-woo pressed his heated cheeks with the back of his hand and laid down as Ki-won said. It seemed a bit embarrassing. Lying down with his back turned wasn’t entirely strange, but somehow it felt odd. Yeon-woo pulled the pillow as if to hide his burning ears and buried his face in it.

Ki-won’s touch was more plain than expected. As if he knew where Yeon-woo was uncomfortable just from his walking posture, a cool sensation bloomed wherever his hands touched.

“Ah…!”

It was when the base of Ki-won’s palm pressed down on the area below Yeon-woo’s lower back. The excessively knotted muscles screamed, and Yeon-woo flapped his feet, showing signs of pain. It wasn’t a joke; for a moment, he thought a heavy stone had been placed on his waist.

“It’s quite knotted.”

Leaving a word to wait a moment, Ki-won disappeared as if he had vanished, but soon returned to the bedroom. Yeon-woo still had his face buried in the pillow, only gauging his location by sound. The feeling of the edge of the bed mattress sinking was only momentary, and Ki-won’s voice was heard from a close distance.

“It’ll be cold.”

“…Eek!”

The hem of his clothes was lifted, and a cold liquid flowed down his skin. Startled, Yeon-woo curled up his body, and Ki-won stroked his waist as if telling him not to be surprised.

“To make it less painful.”

What Ki-won had brought was body oil. The aroma scent that instantly filled the room made Yeon-woo feel both drowsy and troubled.

“Wai-, wait a minute.”

Yeon-woo, who stuttered his words in bewilderment, slightly twisted his upper body, but it was futile. His waist was being pressed down due to the massage, making it difficult to change his posture. The ticklish and strange sensation felt since the oil was applied made him want to ask Ki-won to stop.

“Ah, hngh…!”

An indecent sound escaped from between his teeth.