Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 63

“I’m worried you might be uncomfortable somewhere else. You injured your head after all.”

“Am I that concerning to you? Why, when it’s time to put up a wall, you say we’re just a contract married couple.”

“It’s not that I’m putting up a wall… Anyway! It’s natural to be worried… Even if our relationship was formed through a contract, we lived together.”

It wasn’t for a short time, but they had lived together for a whole six months. Kwon Ki-won must have found it a convincing answer as he just briefly nodded his head in response.

“So where do you think I’m uncomfortable?”

Yeon-woo couldn’t readily answer Ki-won’s question. That was because there were no gaps in Kwon Ki-won. He didn’t stagger in pain, nor did he complain of pain. If it weren’t for the dressing covering more than half of his forehead and the bruises around it, there would be no difference from the usual Kwon Ki-won. Of course, except for the fact that his personality had become a bit strange.

“Uh… your mental state?”

It was an answer he barely came up with after pondering, but Yeon-woo also knew it wasn’t a good answer. Anything that came to mind would be better than this. Yeon-woo, who was smiling awkwardly, shone his eyes as if he had a good idea.

Having a warm cup of tea before going to bed would help relieve tension and aid sleep. Ki-won said he was quite startled after the accident. Of course, it was difficult to distinguish whether the tone Ki-won spoke in was a joke or serious, making him confused, but there must be aftereffects.

“Shall I brew some herbal tea for you?”

Although brewing embarrassingly only meant steeping a tea bag, he wanted to serve it himself. If it were up to him, he wanted to stay by his side and help until Ki-won was completely healed, but knowing that it wasn’t realistically possible, he tried to be helpful even in small ways.

“The aroma is nice too, so it’ll be good to drink before bed.”

“Then can I ask you a favor?”

He thought he would say no need, so it was unexpected. Yeon-woo rolled up his sleeves and ran to the kitchen, saying to leave it to him. While the water in the electric kettle was boiling, he took out a teacup and tea bag, but the fragrant aroma was already spreading. Ki-won followed behind Yeon-woo discreetly like someone watching a child play house.

“Do I seem that pathetic to you?”

Was this how Ki-won felt just now? Yeon-woo gently asked Ki-won, who was following closely behind him. It wasn’t uncomfortable since he wasn’t sticking too close, but his gaze was prickling and quite distracting.

“It’s not that you’re pathetic.”

When the steaming electric kettle entered Yeon-woo’s hand, Ki-won took a step closer. As if his purpose from the beginning was one, he snatched the electric kettle and poured water directly into the teacup.

“I can pour it for you…”

“Don’t lift heavy things.”

“What’s so heav… y about this?”

Yeon-woo, who was about to retort asking what was heavy, slowly stretched out the end of his sentence and then flattened his lips into a line. Although he thought it was an overreaction, a strange feeling momentarily flashed by. Was it a coincidence? Yeon-woo glanced down at his wrist and then threw a glance at the electric kettle that had been taken by Ki-won.

The wrist that had been injured from getting caught up in a fight had mostly healed, but there was still a stinging sensation. However, since all the bruises left on the skin had disappeared, there was no way Ki-won would know that he had been injured unless the memory remained.

‘Nah, it can’t be…’

There was no way Ki-won, whose memory was so severely damaged that he didn’t even know who his spouse was, would have considered his wrist injury. Kwon Ki-won was a man who was considerate of even the smallest things. Even if his personality had changed to some extent due to memory loss, it was thought that his essence wouldn’t have changed. He must have simply lifted it out of concern that it might be heavy. Yeon-woo decided to think simply.

In the end, the final task of steeping the tea was snatched away by Ki-won. The steaming teacup was the only thing he couldn’t let Ki-won take away. Yeon-woo, who quickly picked up the teacup to move it directly to the bedroom, took the lead with a triumphant look.

“You’ll be going to bed soon, right? I’ll bring it to the bedroom for you.”

“Not bad.”

The look in Kwon Ki-won’s eyes softened strangely.

While crossing the living room, Yeon-woo briefly put himself in Ki-won’s shoes. It must have been very difficult for him to suffer from memory damage on top of being unjustly involved in a traffic accident.

It was like suddenly gaining a spouse that didn’t exist before. If it were him, he thought he would feel suffocated by having to cohabitate with a stranger out of obligation. Perhaps Ki-won’s brazen appearance was a mask to hide his confusion.

There must be a reason behind it. He felt sorry for realizing the reason for Ki-won’s change too late.

***

Although Ki-won had suddenly changed, the space they had been living in together remained the same. The pillows placed on the right and left sides greeted the two people who entered the bedroom.

After placing the teacup on the side table, Yeon-woo looked around the bed for no reason. It seemed like it was time to take out the bedding and bring it to the sofa, and now seemed like the opportunity.

“Won’t you sit?”

Ki-won, who took a sip of the tea Yeon-woo had brought him while sitting on a chair, spoke as usual. He must have thought they would sit across from each other and have a conversation. Yeon-woo, who hesitated for a moment, thinking about sitting for a bit and then leaving, shook his head.

“We should sleep now.”

A lot had happened, so Ki-won must be tired too, and above all, sleep was important for wound recovery. Yeon-woo left a message for Ki-won to sleep comfortably and picked up the pillow and blanket. He planned to use the one he originally used and let Ki-won use the new bedding.

As he hugged the heavy blanket tightly wrapped in his arms, he felt a sharp gaze behind the back of his head. Yeon-woo, who got off the bed with a groan, turned his head in the direction of the intense gaze before leaving the bedroom.

“Wh… y?”

“I was wondering where you were going.”

“I need to get ready to sleep too.”

Although not as much as the bed, the sofa in the living room was sufficiently soft and spacious. To Kwon Ki-won, who had lost his memory, Seo Yeon-woo was just a stranger. So he thought it was right to step aside for the sake of his sound sleep, but it seemed Ki-won thought differently. Dissatisfaction was evident in his complexion.

“Since when did we sleep in separate rooms?”

“…You said you don’t even remember.”

“Since I don’t remember, we should do it as usual.”

Yeon-woo, who didn’t immediately understand Ki-won’s words, tilted his chin askew.

“The memory I was trying to regain will disappear again. They say memory loss patients usually feel comfortable living in the same environment as usual.”

“Is that… so?”

Yeon-woo’s footsteps, which were going well, became heavy. Although there was an intention to be considerate of him, sleeping on the sofa was also a way to slowly distance himself from Ki-won before the divorce.

“Or.”

Ki-won, who stood up holding the teacup, approached Yeon-woo step by step.

“Are you really trying to use the fact that I lost my memory to run away?”

“Run away…? There’s no way.”

“I felt it from the moment you kept emphasizing that it’s a contract marriage… Why are you putting up such a wall?”

Ki-won’s eyebrows slowly lowered. Seeing Ki-won show a weak side, Yeon-woo’s heart ached. He’s not usually like this… He seemed to be seeing the other side of the man who only looked strong and solid more often.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand why Ki-won was acting this way. However, he had to be strong-minded. He couldn’t stay by Ki-won’s side forever. He would submit the divorce papers as soon as tomorrow and leave once he found a place to live.

‘Because I can’t be by your side forever… You need to get used to separate rooms too.’

It was difficult to harden his heart and leave a sick person. He wanted to put the bedding back in its original place right away, but Yeon-woo tried hard to turn his body.

“I think there are several parts that you’re misunderstanding. Of course, I know you must be very confused too.”

“Seo Yeon-woo.”

“Let’s talk in detail tomorrow morning. There are important things I need to say too.”

The legs that had stopped for a moment moved busily towards the threshold. He felt bad about leaving Ki-won like this, but there was no change in his walking speed.

And that’s when it happened.

The sound of glass breaking was heard behind him, and soon after, the man’s breathing burst out.

“Hyung…?”

As soon as Yeon-woo hurriedly turned his head, what caught his eye were the fragments of the teacup scattered all over the place. No matter how much he was wearing slippers, if he moved carelessly, it was a situation where he could get hurt. The bedding fell from the arms of Yeon-woo, whose eyes had turned into those of a rabbit.

“Hyung!”

Yeon-woo, who ran to where he was, examined Ki-won, who was holding his head, with a restless face.

“Are you okay? Where does it hurt?”

He kept asking if it hurt around his head, but Ki-won just slowly closed his eyes while holding his forehead, not giving an answer. The impatient Yeon-woo carefully passed the soaking wet floor and approached right in front of Ki-won. The man leaned his head on Yeon-woo’s shoulder and exhaled deeply.