Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 48

It was an evening where the peaceful time felt somewhat gloomy. Yeon-woo, who went out to the terrace to get some air, looked up at the dark sky and let out a long sigh.

As he reminisced about the day of having dinner and engaging in small talk as usual, a subtle sadness rushed in. His drooping eyebrows showed no signs of lifting, so Yeon-woo had to forcibly raise the corners of his mouth.

Tomorrow, he would go on a day trip with Ki-won. Since they were only going to have fun for a day and come back, he didn’t pack any luggage separately. Maybe that’s why it didn’t feel real. At the same time, the fact that there were only 4 days left until the contract expiration date hit him to the bone, evoking a mixture of happiness and loneliness.

Although he had to pretend to be indifferent, the unresolved disappointment weighed heavily on his shoulders. Yeon-woo, who had stopped looking up at the sky, lowered his gaze to the terrace floor. His toes peeking out of the slippers were wriggling.

‘When I first came to Ki-won’s house… I think it was hot.’

It was summer when he first met Ki-won. Unlike the interior filled with air-conditioned breeze, he remembered the terrace being full of heat due to the season. And winter, until now in spring. The cold wind had passed, and the warm spring breeze was approaching again. The fact that his toes didn’t turn red even when he was outside made him realize that time had steadily passed. The half-year he spent with Ki-won was truly a moment.

Yeon-woo noticed a shadow approaching behind him and turned his head. Ki-won was standing behind the closed terrace door. It seemed like he was about to knock, as one of his arms was raised.

He should look at the man’s face while he could. Yeon-woo, who had wiped away the longing from his face, beautifully narrowed his eyes.

“Are you here to get some air too?”

Ki-won, who examined Yeon-woo with a gentle gaze, shook his head instead of answering no and pointed inside.

“I think it’s time for you to take your medicine, so I prepared it.”

“Oh, right.”

Even though he knew he had to take it diligently, there were times when he was about to forget like this. Yeon-woo, who left a word of gratitude to Ki-won, headed to the living room with quick steps. As Ki-won said, a glass of water and the evening medicine were already laid out on the table.

Yeon-woo swallowed the pills and water in one go and took the empty glass to the kitchen. Ki-won, who had finished telling him to take the medicine, had disappeared in the meantime. Where did he go? Yeon-woo, who was craning his neck and peeking towards the living room, soon pushed the glass into the dishwasher. He must have gone to the study room, he thought briefly.

“You were inside?”

Yeon-woo, who headed to the bedroom, whispered through the half-open door. It was because he saw Ki-won sitting at the head of the bed. He was always the first one to go to bed, but today was different. Ki-won, who glanced towards where Yeon-woo was standing, tapped the spot next to him.

“As you know, my vacation starts tomorrow.”

A gasp escaped through Yeon-woo’s small teeth. Right, it was a long-awaited vacation. Even Ki-won takes breaks… Yeon-woo, who understood, repeatedly nodded his head and sat down in his spot.

‘Is it the smell of perfume…?’

The scent that greeted him as soon as he sat next to Ki-won tickled the tip of his nose. The lingering scent that was heavy like his atmosphere but ended refreshingly, Yeon-woo inhaled as if nothing had happened. He decided to constantly take in the scent and recall it when the day came that he missed Ki-won.

“How’s your condition?”

“Maybe because I’m taking the medicine diligently… I’m definitely okay.”

Yeon-woo, who had tucked his legs under the blanket, wriggled his toes in the unseen space. A lot had happened while being with Ki-won. Even though those memories were still etched in his mind and not forgotten, he strangely didn’t feel embarrassed. It was because he subconsciously knew that there weren’t many days left to talk comfortably.

“Holding hands while sleeping.”

“Yes…?”

“That seems to be okay too?”

“…Yes.”

It was just a medical practice in a way. Yeon-woo, who belatedly realized that he didn’t need to be flustered by his question, answered in a slow tone. Contrary to the worries about possible side effects, the heat cycle didn’t occur. Rather, he sometimes felt light when he woke up in the morning. It might be thanks to taking the medicine that suppressed the fluctuating hormone levels and trying to get used to Ki-won’s pheromones.

“That’s a relief.”

Ki-won’s large hand rested on top of Yeon-woo’s round head for a moment, and soon Yeon-woo’s hair was entangled between his fingers. Yeon-woo liked it when Ki-won stroked his hair. The touch that seemed to embrace a young sibling made a part of his heart feel touched, perhaps because he had never received much affection since childhood.

“Where are we going tomorrow?”

Yeon-woo, who was buried in the blanket, mumbled, and Ki-won also responded to the question as he lay down.

“Should we go to a place with fresh air or a quiet place?”

Ki-won’s answer was vague. If it’s a place with fresh air, would it be deep in the mountains? Yeon-woo, who was blankly staring at the ceiling and blinking his eyes, narrowed the space between his eyebrows as if pondering.

“It seems like you have more than one villa?”

Judging from the way he spoke as if going to his preferred place, it seemed like he had more than one or two villas. Yeon-woo, who had been thinking for a while, finally opened his mouth.

“Just take me to a place you think is nice. Like a place with a nice view during this season…?”

“Should I?”

“Yes, actually, even if you had told me the name of the region, I would have chosen anything. I don’t know because I haven’t traveled much.”

At least he had been to various places after getting married, but before that, his routine was simple. Either at home or at work. On precious holidays, he was too busy recovering from fatigue at home to even dream of traveling.

“Okay, then that place would be nice.”

Ki-won recited in a low voice. There was also an ambiguous murmur, ‘It’s a place where once you go in, it’s as if your feet are tied and you can’t move a muscle.’

‘Why is he describing the scenery so brutally…?’

Yeon-woo, who was quietly listening to it, blinked his round eyes repeatedly. It seemed like he wanted to express that he wouldn’t want to come back because the scenery was so beautiful, but it was a truly absurd remark. Ki-won sometimes says absurd things. Yeon-woo kept nodding his head.

“Yeon-woo.”

“Yes?”

When Ki-won turned his body to face Yeon-woo, their eyes met in an instant. Yeon-woo’s gaze, startled, scattered here and there. He didn’t know why lying down and facing each other felt so unfamiliar.

“If you’ve gotten used to holding hands, do you want to try hugging now?”

“Y-Yes?”

Yeon-woo, who kept repeating the same word like a fool, gulped down his dry saliva. He had barely been able to suppress his agitation about holding hands while sleeping, but hugging was a proposal with a significantly higher difficulty level.

“I’m by your side now, but it won’t be the case when the contract ends.”

“…Oh.”

“What if the heat cycle occurs when I’m not around? We should try to stabilize your pheromone levels before then.”

Indeed, Yeon-woo’s eyelashes slowly touched the skin under his eyes and then lifted. As Ki-won said, while living together, he received Ki-won’s help, but after the divorce, he would have to deal with the heat cycle on his own.

If he lost his senses while living alone, it could lead to a terrible accident, so as Ki-won said, he needed to put in as much effort as possible.

“…Then I’ll ask for a favor.”

Yeon-woo, who had wriggled into Ki-won’s embrace, exhaled a trembling breath. The strong scent of skin that he smelled with each breath tickled Yeon-woo’s heart.

‘It’s warm…’

As their body temperatures combined, his body quickly warmed up. When his wandering eyes found some stability, Yeon-woo buried his forehead against Ki-won’s chest and carefully opened his mouth.

“Umm, Ki-won…”

“Yes, Yeon-woo.”

The question that he had been curious about throughout their married life was slipping out of his mouth without going through his mind. Ki-won hugged Yeon-woo’s waist as if he was listening. Yeon-woo, whose position in his arms became more stable, erased his hesitation and opened his mouth again with a clear tone.

“Are you… always this kind?”

He wondered if Ki-won was originally kind and treated him well, or if he would have done the same even if he had married someone else.

“You treated me really well during the contract period. As if we were really married… You would have done the same even if you had married someone else, right…?”

It was evident that Ki-won would have done his best regardless of who he was with. Even though he knew that, asking such a question made him feel like a fool, but he couldn’t take back the words he had already spoken.

The man’s arms around his waist and back twitched. Contrary to the expectation that an answer would come immediately, Ki-won showed an ambiguous reaction.

“Ki-won? I can’t breathe…”

The force on his waist gradually increased, and he ended up completely pressed against the man. Even if he wanted to lift his head and look at Ki-won’s face, it was impossible because they were too close.

“Let’s go to sleep.”

In the end, the man didn’t give an answer to the question. Ki-won kept Yeon-woo in his embrace and only stretched his arm to turn off the bedside lamp. The darkness that came in an instant enveloped the two of them.