Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 46

“What do you want to eat?”

Ki-won picked up the menu that was neatly placed next to the table and spread it out in the center. Unlike other cafes, this famous place had a menu at each table, which was a bit different. As Yeon-woo was curiously examining the types of food, his concentration was suddenly broken by the vibration of his cell phone.

Buzz-. Buzz-.

Yeon-woo just shifted his eyes to the side and looked at the screen of the cell phone placed on the table. It was a call from an unsaved number, but judging from the familiarity of the number, he guessed it was probably from one of the real estate agencies.

“You don’t have to answer the phone?”

When Yeon-woo hesitated to answer the call right away, Ki-won casually asked. Yeon-woo shrugged and explained that there was no big reason.

“I think it’s from a real estate agency. I’ve sent text messages to several places, so I don’t even know where it’s from. I’m going to save the phone numbers later while organizing the messages.”

It was probably about the studio apartment he had inquired about, but he thought it would be impolite to Ki-won, who was sitting with him, if the call took a long time. Above all, he had already received a call from the Bijeon-dong studio, which he considered his top priority, so he could consider other places later.

“Oh, you were looking for a place to live?”

Ki-won’s index finger tapped the table briefly and repeatedly. Yeon-woo stared at it and answered lightly. It wasn’t a secret anyway, and Ki-won also knew that the contract expiration date was approaching, so the answer was straightforward.

“Hmm… I see. Okay, I hope you find a good place.”

“Thank you.”

Ki-won’s fingers soon moved to the menu. He pointed to this and that menu, asking if they should try them, and each time Yeon-woo pondered carefully. What Yeon-woo didn’t notice was Ki-won’s gaze. Ki-won’s black pupils were only fixated on Yeon-woo’s cell phone.

“Then let’s have the cream waffle and the croffle with butter. Hmm… And a cafe latte for the drink! What would you like to have?”

Yeon-woo’s face was full of energy at the thought of eating the sweet waffle and croffle. Looking at Yeon-woo’s excited face, Ki-won stood up and said casually,

“I’ll just have an Americano. I’ll go order and come back.”

“Oh, I’ll go with you.”

“Why bother coming with me. It’s fine, just sit here.”

At Ki-won’s words, Yeon-woo sat back down on the chair he had slightly lifted. Before Ki-won returned, Yeon-woo picked up his cell phone to check the missed calls. As expected, there was also a text message from a real estate agency.

[010-4939-****: Hello~ This is Saebyeok Real Estate Agency. The studio in Yongi-dong is still available~ If you’d like to visit, please contact us.]

After reading the text message, Yeon-woo slightly nodded his head and saved the phone number before forgetting. His inbox was full of messages related to properties he had found and sent inquiries to. Yeon-woo glanced towards the counter and tried to finish organizing the phone numbers as much as possible before Ki-won came back.

“You seem busy?”

Ki-won, who had come close, tapped on the table to get the attention of Yeon-woo, who was focused on his cell phone. Then, Yeon-woo’s fingers that were constantly tapping on the screen stopped, and his gaze was also turned to where Ki-won was.

“Oh, I’m not busy, I was just organizing some real estate phone numbers. I’ve sent text messages to several places, so even when I get calls, it’s hard to quickly figure out which is which.”

“Hmm.”

Ki-won’s reaction was lukewarm. Ki-won, who made an ambiguous sound that sounded like humming or an answer, loosened the buttons on his wrist and said leisurely,

“When are you planning to visit the places?”

“Oh, I’m trying to go tomorrow if possible. There’s not much time left.”

There were so many things to take care of, from packing to visiting real estate agencies. Of course, it didn’t seem like Ki-won would heartlessly kick him out even if he couldn’t find a place right away, but the burden was so great that he wanted to proceed with things as quickly as possible. Yeon-woo, who finished answering, looked at Ki-won without much thought. However, his expression was different from usual, so he was momentarily surprised.

‘Why does he look disappointed?’

A mixture of disappointment and hurt. Because Ki-won wasn’t the type to openly express his emotions, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but be surprised by the man’s clearly visible expression.

“…Why? Is it not possible?”

Wondering if there was something he had missed, he went over the contents of the contract, but there was nothing unusual.

“It’s not that it’s not possible, but actually, I’m going on a vacation starting tomorrow.”

“Oh… Really?”

“Yes, it’s just that, as you said, we don’t have much time left together, so I thought we could go on a trip together.”

It was unexpected that he had taken a vacation, and at the same time, there was a concern about the busy schedule.

“How about going to the villa for a day trip tomorrow? It’s a place with a nice view.”

A villa…. Yeon-woo pondered Ki-won’s suggestion, rolling it around in his mouth. It seemed okay if it was just a day trip and not an overnight stay. Above all, it seemed impolite to refuse when he said he had taken a vacation for him. It wasn’t like taking a day off would cause a big problem.

“A day would be nice. Then, are you going back to work the day after tomorrow?”

“No, my vacation is for three days. From the day after tomorrow, I’ll have to help you.”

“Oh…!”

Yeon-woo was moved by Ki-won’s words that he would go with him to look at places and help him pack. It was definitely reassuring to have an extra person, so he didn’t have to prepare in a hurry. Just because the person helping him was Ki-won, it felt reliable just by his words.

“Excuse me, I’ll bring you the drinks you ordered, along with the cream waffle and butter croffle.”

While the conversation was in full swing, a cafe employee approached and started placing the pastries. Although he hadn’t tried it yet, seeing the croffle being placed in front of him made his mouth water. As he waited for the plates and cups on the tray to be completely placed on the table, the Americano spilled over onto the back of Yeon-woo’s hand.

“Ah…! Are you okay?”

Fortunately, it was iced Americano, so he wasn’t hurt, but it instantly soaked through to his pants. Yeon-woo hurriedly waved his hand, saying it was okay to the employee who was fidgeting.

“It’s fine, it’s Americano so it’s not even sticky. I can just wipe it, so could you bring me some tissue?”

“I’m really sorry…. I’ll bring it right away!”

While the employee scurried away, Ki-won approached Yeon-woo.

“Are you okay? It looks completely soaked.”

“I was going home anyway, so it’s fine. I’ll have to get this packed and eat it.”

It was too wet to leisurely eat the croffle and waffle. At Yeon-woo’s words that he would eat it comfortably at home, Ki-won picked up Yeon-woo’s cell phone.

“I’ll take care of your cell phone. Do you want to go to the restroom and wipe it off? When the employee comes back, I’ll tell them to change it to a takeout.”

“Oh, then thank you!”

Yeon-woo rushed to the restroom, saying he would wipe it off quickly and come back. The moment Yeon-woo disappeared beyond the open restroom, the employee who had spilled the drink on Yeon-woo earlier hesitantly approached. Ki-won alternately examined the messy scene and the employee’s face, then put his hand in his pocket. What Ki-won pulled out with his hand was a leather wallet.

“Good job.”

Ki-won took out a bundle of 50,000 won and handed it to the employee. The employee’s eyes widened in surprise at his attitude of handing it over without even counting how much it was. When Ki-won slightly flicked his wrist as if telling him to take it quickly, the money soon went into the employee’s possession. With this thickness, it would be ridiculous to have 500,000 won. At the employee’s troubled expression, a subtle smile played on Ki-won’s face, completing a mysterious expression.

“Please pack these up.”

“Yes, yes…. I understand.”

The employee moved swiftly as if worried that Ki-won might take the money back. The employee disappeared from sight in an instant, and what Ki-won did was look at Yeon-woo’s cell phone.

‘He searched a lot.’

He didn’t know whether to say it was impressive. Ki-won captured all the real estate text messages and phone numbers and sent them to his own cell phone, quickly deleting the records. He put Yeon-woo’s cell phone back in his pocket as if nothing had happened. If there was something Yeon-woo wanted to do, he would support and encourage him anytime, but not in this way.

Ki-won quietly and discreetly interfered with Yeon-woo’s business, pretending nothing happened.

***

“Fortunately, the stain isn’t visible.”

Standing in front of the restroom mirror, Yeon-woo hopped up and down, checking the stain on his pants. Both when he looked down directly and when he checked the front using the mirror, there didn’t seem to be any significant issues.

Luckily, he was wearing black pants, so apart from being damp, there was no problem. With a satisfied face, Yeon-woo shook his hands and prepared to leave.

“Yeon-woo.”

As he opened the door and came out, he saw Ki-won approaching. In his hands were the packaged foods. Yeon-woo walked up to him with short steps.

“You didn’t say anything to that employee, right?”

“Why would I say anything when you said it was fine.”

“That’s right…. When I was working part-time, I made a lot of mistakes with customers. I was so scared back then…. Anyway, it didn’t feel like someone else’s business.”

Ki-won listened attentively to Yeon-woo’s chattering and gently stroked his hair.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

As Yeon-woo left the cafe, he repeatedly offered to carry the tray in Ki-won’s hand, but each time he failed.