Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 71

“Ah, come to think of it, hyung.”

Around the time when the car’s body gently stopped after receiving the stop signal, Yeon-woo opened his mouth as if something had come to mind. Then, Ki-won’s body, which had been staring straight ahead, turned diagonally towards Yeon-woo.

“The memory loss is a secret from your mother, right?”

“That’s right. I don’t want to worry her with this kind of thing.”

As expected. Yeon-woo’s small head nodded. If she had known about the memory loss, there was no way Mrs. Lim would have left after having only a light conversation. Yeon-woo thought of Ki-won and his mother and drooped his eyebrows. He must need to regain his memory soon, but he was very worried.

“When are you going to the hospital? If you do go, let me come with you.”

Since he would need to receive treatment regularly, Yeon-woo expected there would be times when he would have to visit the hospital. It would be fine for Ki-won to go alone, but he wanted to go together and accurately hear the doctor’s opinion on the memory loss. He thought his heart, which was tightly wound with anxiety, might loosen a bit if he could at least ask about ways to restore Ki-won’s damaged memory.

“For now, they said the memory loss treatment will proceed with medication while checking for improvement. Even if we go, it’s expected to be a month later.”

“Is the probability of the memory… returning high?”

“That’s what I heard. But…”

Just for a moment, while they were talking smoothly, Ki-won’s lips slowly parted and a bit of silence lingered.

“I’ve also heard that among patients who experience memory loss due to physical impact to the head, there are sometimes people whose memories never fully return.”

When Ki-won’s voice began to be heard again, it seemed to have settled more calmly than usual. His voice tone was already low, but it was particularly more so.

“They say that happens when the accident itself that caused the memory damage remains as a deep trauma. The brain, judging that the mind won’t be able to endure it, hides the memories tightly on its own.”

Ki-won’s eyes were lost in thought, as if he was talking about someone else’s business. Yeon-woo quietly looked into the man’s black eyes and nodded his head to show that he was listening.

“That’s not your case, right?”

“That’s right. The memory loss case I just mentioned is not me.”

“That’s a relief… What do you think, hyung? Is the probability of your memory returning high?”

Since he hadn’t directly witnessed the scene of Ki-won’s accident, Yeon-woo asked carefully.

“Based on the statements from the driver at the time, the black box, the doctor’s opinion, and so on, they said the probability of my memory returning is very high.”

Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief at the fact that Ki-won’s memory loss was not permanent.

“That’s really fortunate. I was secretly worried about what would happen if your memory didn’t return.”

The corners of Kwon Ki-won’s mouth lifted slightly. However, it didn’t feel like he was smiling. How should I put it, an expression that seemed to brush it off with a smile despite the bitterness. Could that not be the case? Yeon-woo glanced at the man’s expression and then looked straight ahead. Even after going over the conversation again, there were no remarks that would suddenly lower the man’s mood.

It must not be easy to go out while injured. Since Ki-won was the one driving, Yeon-woo’s guess that he must be tired gained strength. In order to minimize Ki-won’s fatigue, Yeon-woo chose to keep his mouth tightly shut.

***

“Hyung, what should I wear?”

When they arrived home and were each taking a break, Yeon-woo, who was rummaging through the closet, revealed his deep concerns. Ki-won, who was sitting at the table looking at a tablet PC, turned his gaze to the droopy Yeon-woo.

“You look pretty in anything, why are you worrying so much?”

Yeon-woo, who was busily examining the clothes he had taken out with the hangers, coughed several times as if choking on the answer. After all, you shouldn’t let your guard down. Rather than directly showing his startled reaction, Yeon-woo tried hard to pretend he didn’t hear.

‘It’s definitely because I react that he keeps doing that.’

He thought he might continue to tease him just because the reaction was funny. Yeon-woo, snorting, took the two sets of clothes that made it to the final selection and stood in front of Ki-won.

“It’s the first family gathering since we got married. I want to show that I care. Is this better or that one?”

Although he usually wore clothes in a neat style, Yeon-woo agonized more than ever. Yeon-woo, who had been groaning for a while with his eyebrows furrowed, shifted his gaze to where Ki-won’s finger was pointing.

“They all suit you well, but if I had to choose, that one.”

What Ki-won chose was not the clothes in Yeon-woo’s hands. It was the bed, which had unintentionally turned into a mess in the process of carefully examining the closet. The man’s finger was firmly pointing to a sweater sticking out among the layers of clothes piled on the bed.

“The clothes in your hands feel slightly off from your usual style.”

“Is that so?”

It seemed like he had tried too hard to look neat. As Yeon-woo scratched his cheek, feeling embarrassed, the man took out the tops he had pointed to and handed them to Yeon-woo. It was a thin turtleneck and a v-neck sweater. He had tried to avoid them as much as possible because they made him look too much like a student, but Ki-won’s thoughts seemed to be different.

“Won’t this make me look too childish?”

“You are actually young.”

That’s true. Yeon-woo, who smiled brightly, took the clothes Ki-won had picked out as if he had made a decision. There was no need to think twice because his taste could be trusted.

“Aren’t you getting ready, hyung?”

They had to arrive before dinner, so it was about time to leave. However, Ki-won was just doing some leftover work without any preparation. In response to Yeon-woo’s question, Ki-won seemed to check the time and headed towards the drawer. Soon, disinfectant and a large band-aid were in his hands.

“Are you going to disinfect?”

“I think it would be better to change the dressing rather than going like this.”

Right. Blood was visible through the gauze. Yeon-woo understood Ki-won’s intention and agreed. There was a risk of infection, so it would be better to change the dressing again before visiting his parents’ home in terms of appearance and hygiene.

“Shall I help you? It would be better than doing it alone.”

At Yeon-woo’s suggestion, the man’s steps towards the bathroom were retracted. He seemed to think that it would be easier to entrust it to someone else’s hands rather than doing it himself.

“Then I’ll ask for your help.”

“Sit here.”

Yeon-woo’s expression became quite serious as he rolled up his sleeves. The blood wouldn’t come out anymore since it had been a day after stitching the wound, but he could feel a stinging sensation during the process of changing the dressing. Yeon-woo put all his effort into it with a straight face to avoid making mistakes.

“It must have hurt a lot…”

Yeon-woo, who stood in front of Ki-won, gently swept the man’s bangs to the side. The bruises that were not properly visible due to the shadows were finally revealed without obstruction. Judging from the bruises distributed around the gauze, the affected area was expected to be quite large.

Yeon-woo began to carefully remove the bandage with trembling hands. Yeon-woo’s eyes narrowed, becoming cautious in case the wound area was stimulated. Even though he wasn’t the one feeling the pain, he had an expression as if he was in more agony.

“Are you okay?”

Yeon-woo, who had completely removed the bandage, asked cautiously. Despite his trembling and flinching, Ki-won’s complexion was no different from before. Judging from his outward gestures and expressions alone, it was a reaction that could be believed even if Yeon-woo was the one injured, not Ki-won.

“You don’t have to be so nervous, it’s okay.”

Ki-won couldn’t hide his smile as he watched Yeon-woo’s fingertips taking out the disinfectant. The confidence he had shown when offering to help had disappeared without a trace, and it was evident that he was very scared.

“What if it hurts…?”

Yeon-woo looked at the man’s diagonally torn wound. Even though all he had to do was carefully wipe around the wound, not the wound itself, he couldn’t readily apply the disinfectant for fear that the man might be in pain.

“It doesn’t hurt, so you don’t have to worry. If anything, I’ll do it.”

“Uh… no, I’ll do it for you. If it hurts, you have to tell me right away.”

Yeon-woo applied the disinfectant with extreme care, like someone handling a delicate work of art, stitch by stitch. Since he applied a very small amount at a time to prevent the disinfectant from flowing into the wound area, it took quite a while. Nevertheless, Ki-won didn’t urge Yeon-woo, but simply closed his eyes and waited for the treatment to be finished.

It was the moment when Yeon-woo’s voice, which had been asking if he was okay from time to time, faded away. Yeon-woo, who was drying the disinfectant by fanning it with his hand, took out a large band-aid and attached it to Ki-won’s forehead. The wound definitely looked less severe than when the gauze was applied. Yeon-woo took a step back while arranging the man’s bangs that he had pushed to the side.