Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 57

Today is the day to submit the divorce application. Although he had deeply engraved that this day would come someday, he didn’t want time to pass, especially today. Yeon-woo, who had shut himself in the bedroom, raised his head, releasing the knees he had been hugging. He thought it hadn’t been long since Ki-won left for work, but it was already 3 pm.

‘Have I been in the same position since morning…?’

He didn’t feel stiff at all and his muscles weren’t sore, so he hadn’t noticed at all. Yeon-woo, with a lot on his mind, lifted his head and only checked the time occasionally, unable to take any action.

Naturally, he didn’t eat or drink. Although he would have to stay at Ki-won’s house for a while as he hadn’t found a place to live after the divorce yet, it felt different. Even though the divorce consideration period hadn’t ended, since the contract had ended, from then on, he would be receiving Ki-won’s care as a guest, not a spouse.

‘It’s a bit scary…’

Ki-won’s attitude probably wouldn’t change suddenly, but it felt unfamiliar and unpleasant to have to stay at the man’s house as nothing more than acquaintances.

It was time to put on his coat, but he couldn’t muster the strength. How nice would it be if time just stopped like this? Thinking of things that wouldn’t happen, Yeon-woo had to fight against his lethargy.

“Let’s think positively.”

Ki-won and he were originally people who didn’t suit each other. If it weren’t for the proposal of a contract marriage, they would have never exchanged a word in their lifetime. Since he could tell they were of different levels without thinking deeply, Yeon-woo didn’t forget his place.

So it was better to give up any greed. He had gained experiences and memories through the contract marriage that he couldn’t have had in his lifetime, so it was right to break up cleanly when he made up his mind to end it. It was also for Ki-won’s sake.

‘His next marriage partner will have been decided too.’

Yeon-woo nodded his head, recalling the face of Soo Kang Corporation’s heir that he had momentarily forgotten. If it was this person, they would benefit Ki-won in terms of business as well. Perhaps because the difference between them was so severe, he didn’t even feel like being jealous. He was just envious.

As they lived apart, his feelings would become numb, and when his feelings became numb, even the emotions he felt now would become a piece of memory. Yeon-woo, who raised the corners of his mouth with a snicker, slowly got up. Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten anything, he couldn’t muster strength in his body, but it didn’t interfere with his task of submitting the divorce papers.

Beep-. Beep-.

The moment he took out his coat to wear in advance, a text message came in. It was probably the chauffeur. The timing was so appropriate that it was as if he had been waiting for him to come out. Yeon-woo licked the inside of his bitter mouth and soon checked his text messages.

[Driver: I am waiting in the underground parking lot on the 1st floor, section F.]

[Me: I’ll be down soon.]

Yeon-woo looked down at his empty hands. Ki-won’s lawyer said they had already prepared all the documents. Yeon-woo clenched and opened his empty hands several times. It wasn’t an action with any particular meaning. Perhaps he wanted to delay the time to arrive at the court even by doing this.

***

“I wonder if hyung has arrived?”

Strangely, the roads were congested today, and even though it was almost 4 o’clock, they hadn’t reached their destination yet. If Ki-won had arrived, he would have called, but since there was still no news, it seemed that the other side was also delayed. Realizing that he would arrive sooner or later without being impatient, Yeon-woo decided to put his mind at ease.

“How many more minutes until we get there?”

It wouldn’t hurt to check, just in case. His heart was pounding more and more, and at this rate, he felt like he would die of a heart attack. When Yeon-woo carefully asked, the driver who had been concentrating on driving opened his mouth.

“We’re almost there. The building you see ahead is the court building.”

“Oh, really?”

He had been looking out the side window, so he didn’t even know the court was right in front of him. Feeling embarrassed, Yeon-woo nodded his head and looked down at his cell phone.

3:47 pm. That was the time displayed on the phone. It was almost the promised time, but it seemed he would arrive first.

The car pulled over to the side of the road. Leaving a grateful remark, Yeon-woo got out of the car and looked around. Should he go into the court? There was still not a single call from Ki-won. Come to think of it, he had been quiet since morning. Is he perhaps busy? Yeon-woo waited eagerly for Ki-won’s news and paced around.

For the first 10 minutes, he seemed to have stood in the same spot. For the next 10 minutes, he circled around to see if Ki-won’s car was approaching. And when another 5 minutes passed, he sensed that something was strange.

If it were Ki-won, he would have contacted him if he was going to be late. Knowing that he wasn’t the type of person to keep the other person waiting endlessly, worry came before anger. Did something happen? Yeon-woo hurriedly pressed the call button.

Ring-. Ring-. Strangely, the ringing continued. Yeon-woo didn’t stop looking around the road and called again.

The result was the same. The ringing continued and then switched to a formal announcement that the call could not be answered.

“…Why isn’t he answering the phone?”

While trying to make the call, time passed and it eventually reached 4:30 pm. Should he try calling somewhere else at this point? Yeon-woo went into his contact list to try contacting someone related to Ki-won, but it was a failure.

The only people who would know Ki-won’s whereabouts were probably his driver and secretary, but he didn’t have both of their numbers. If he had known this would happen, he should have gotten their emergency contact information. With a brief regret, Yeon-woo looked around one more time, but Ki-won’s car was still nowhere to be seen.

After contemplating, Yeon-woo took a step to enter a nearby cafe. Since Ki-won wouldn’t come even if he just stood there, he tried to wait for him leisurely, letting go of his impatience. If he drank a cup of beverage at the cafe, he would get a call. Maybe an urgent meeting came up and he couldn’t leave.

He left late but was driving himself, so he couldn’t contact him. Or he got caught up in an urgent meeting. Plausible reasons kept piling up in Yeon-woo’s mind.

“I wonder if I should go over there.”

There was a large cafe across from the court. If he sat by the window, he would have a clear view of the road, so it was a good spot to check if Ki-won’s car passed by.

Yeon-woo, who stopped in front of the crosswalk to cross to the other side, raised his cell phone at the vibration he felt in his hand.

‘Who is it…?’

He thought it was a belated contact from Ki-won, but what greeted Yeon-woo was an unsaved number. Why? Even before answering the call, an uneasy feeling began to rise. A feeling that he had to answer the call. The signal turned green, but Yeon-woo didn’t cross the crosswalk and touched the call button.

“Hello?”

– Is this Seo Yeon-woo’s phone number?

“Yes… I am Seo Yeon-woo.”

The stiff and businesslike tone coming from the receiver penetrated Yeon-woo’s ear canal. Perhaps because there were few occasions for him to receive such a call, Yeon-woo tried to put strength into his tongue that was stiffening for no reason.

– Hello, I am Kim Seon-gwang from Executive Director Kwon Ki-won’s direct secretary team 1.

“Ah, yes…”

Yeon-woo’s palms gradually became drenched with cold sweat. Even though they didn’t exchange many words, a chilly air passed through the back of his neck and tried to bind his whole body. He must have called to let him know he was running late due to a meeting. He tried to avoid the anxiety, but his intuition wasn’t wrong.

– I’m calling because Executive Director Kwon was in a traffic accident and was urgently transported to the hospital. I checked the schedule and saw that he had an appointment with his spouse, so I’m contacting you just in case.

“What…? What did you say about hyung…?”

His tongue got tangled and his pronunciation didn’t come out properly. His jaw was trembling and his lips were stiff, making stupid sounds. He felt the inside of his mouth, which exhaled unstable breaths, become dry.

It can’t be true. They must have called with the wrong information. Urgently transported due to a traffic accident…. Yeon-woo shook his head at the unbelievable words. The secretary’s voice, confirming it once again, pierced sharply.

“Is he… Is he badly hurt? Where should I go? The hospital where hyung is admitted…”

In response to Yeon-woo’s question, the secretary immediately informed him of the hospital’s name and location. Yeon-woo, who listened to his answer, had to make an effort to hide his sobs. His startled heart didn’t calm down, and bad imaginations kept coming to his mind, making him distressed.

“What about the ward? Which room should I go to?”

A stuffed voice hiding the crying tone passed through the receiver.

– I’m sorry. That information hasn’t been conveyed to us yet…

It seemed that the detailed information hadn’t been delivered to the company yet. First, he had to go to the hospital. Yeon-woo, who decided to inquire about the room number at the hospital desk, heavily opened his mouth.

“…Okay, I understand for now.”

The breath he had barely been holding back burst out. His legs were trembling so much that he felt like he would collapse right away, but there was no time to indulge in such leisure.