Contract Marriage with Memory Loss on Top - Chapter 8
It had been a while since Yeon-woo rode in a car driven by Ki-won himself. Since it was difficult for him to make time unless it was the weekend, Yeon-woo had always gone out through the driver that Ki-won assigned. Yeon-woo, who was in the passenger seat, kept wriggling his toes hidden inside his sneakers. Perhaps because it had been a long time since they had eaten out, he was secretly excited.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Anything is fine.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, whatever you choose, you’ll take me to a delicious place.”
Before marriage, Yeon-woo was busy paying off private loans as soon as he earned money. So even when it was time to eat, he looked for and ate cheap food that could fill his stomach right away rather than the taste.
After living with Ki-won, these eating habits changed. Ki-won made sure that Yeon-woo didn’t skip meals and took care of three meals a day. Among them, there were foods that he was eating for the first time since he was born. I realized that mealtime could be enjoyable. Perhaps thanks to that, even when he was very shy at the beginning of marriage, he didn’t dislike meals with him and rather looked forward to it.
Yeon-woo, who had fastened his seat belt, embraced a bundle of inflated expectations. Whether it was Korean, Chinese, or Japanese food, it seemed like it didn’t matter what he ate, as if his appetite was stimulated during the heat cycle period. Yeon-woo grabbed his stomach that was about to growl.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
The corner of Kwon Ki-won’s mouth rose subtly. Yeon-woo, who discovered this, narrowed his eyes, saying that he had seen it all. He pondered over the words he had spit out, thinking that he might have misspoken, but there was nothing particularly strange.
“You seem excited.”
“Me?”
As soon as he heard Ki-won’s answer, Yeon-woo looked at his expression in the side mirror. If someone saw it, they would think he had won the lottery. Without realizing it, Yeon-woo was narrowing the corners of his eyes. Was the news of eating out that exciting? Perhaps it felt more special because the person he was with was Kwon Ki-won.
‘It’s like a date before divorce, so it’s a bit confusing.’
It had been almost half a year since they had been sleeping in the same bed and adjusting their lifestyles. Even if they didn’t have feelings of love, it wasn’t easy to break up with Ki-won. The affection that had grown in the meantime tried to make Yeon-woo emotional. This is business. Seo Yeon-woo needed money, and Kwon Ki-won needed a temporary marriage partner, so they came together. Yeon-woo, who faced reality, pulled himself together, saying that he shouldn’t waver.
“Isn’t there any food you’re attracted to?”
“Well…”
Small wrinkles formed between Yeon-woo’s eyebrows. It was difficult to answer even a trivial question because he ate well without much discrimination. Yeon-woo, who had been groaning for a while, swallowed his throat.
“What do you usually eat for lunch at the company?”
“Company?”
Yeon-woo changed his mind and tried to get him to recommend a restaurant.
“Well, most of the time, the secretary’s office prepares it. I usually have a simple lunch.”
“Hmm… Then is there a place you want to go with me? Like a place with a nice atmosphere, or a da…”
Yeon-woo’s lips, which had been chattering busily, were sealed in an instant. He almost said that a famous restaurant for dates would be nice without knowing it. Doesn’t it seem like he thinks he’s on a date with Ki-won? It was a statement that had some room for misunderstanding, so Yeon-woo’s heart had a big seizure.
“Da?”
Ki-won recited Yeon-woo’s words that had been cut off in the middle as if he was savoring them.
“Oh, what? What is it? Da? I didn’t say da?”
“…Okay.”
Anyone who heard it could tell that he had said ‘da’, but Yeon-woo avoided it noticeably. Was it too much of a reaction? It was something that could have been passed over naturally, but it looked even more unnatural. Yeon-woo stuck his side hair to the car window with late regret.
“Come to think of it, there is a place I thought I should go with you, Yeon-woo.”
Yeon-woo perked up his ears as if he was not.
“Shall we go there?”
“…Okay.”
There’s no way he would say no. Yeon-woo answered in a small voice as if he was muttering. Where was the place that Ki-won wanted to go with him? It must have been something he said without much meaning, but dandelion seeds crept into Yeon-woo’s chest. Yeon-woo scratched his chest, pretending to adjust his seat belt. Even if he touched, caressed, and scratched it countless times, the strange feeling did not disappear.
Yeon-woo turned on the radio because the atmosphere seemed to be getting weird for no reason. Just in time, a radio channel was telling a listener’s story. Yeon-woo listened to the story read in a stable tone to calm his noisy inner thoughts.
– This is a story sent by listener 3552. These days, a kit for growing Neungee mushrooms is popular on SNS. They say they ordered a kit to grow it with their children. Whenever they see the plump Neungee mushrooms growing day by day….
Neungee, Neungee. The story seemed to be mocking Yeon-woo. He had barely erased the buttocks exposure incident from his mind, but it came to mind again. Although it was absurd to be caught up in something like Neungee mushrooms, Yeon-woo quickly changed the channel as if nothing had happened.
As if to mock Yeon-woo, a red blush bloomed on his cheeks. He tried to lower the car window urgently to cool down his hot body temperature, but it was useless. As soon as the stop signal came on, Kwon Ki-won, who had been looking ahead, examined Yeon-woo.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“No…”
“You look like you have a fever.”
His cheeks were red, so he must have thought he had a fever. Yeon-woo scratched his cheek out of embarrassment and opened his lips that had been closed.
“Hey… be honest with me.”
“About what.”
“You saw my butt, didn’t you…?”
As if he knew it was an embarrassing subject, Yeon-woo trailed off at the end. Yeon-woo, who covered his face with his palm, shook his feet. I should have left it buried. Even though it was only embarrassing for him, it didn’t go as he wanted.
“Ah.”
Kwon Ki-won, who he thought would give a refreshing answer, made an ambiguous sound in his throat.
While Yeon-woo was waiting quietly for an answer, the driving signal changed. The eyes that had been staring at Yeon-woo slowly turned forward. The stopped vehicle moved again, and Ki-won spoke up after a while.
“I didn’t see it.”
The palm that had been covering his face slowly came down. There’s no way that could be true. It must have been an angle where he had no choice but to see, but Kwon Ki-won acted as if there was no lie. Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes.
“Lie…”
“You’re right, I saw it.”
“You saw it?”
Did you see it or not! Yeon-woo raised his voice at the answer that had changed in an instant. As if such a reaction was funny, Kwon Ki-won burst into laughter. This person must be teasing me. Yeon-woo, who had become bare-faced, snorted rough breaths. Yeon-woo, who did not hide his grumpiness, was adamant.
“Don’t laugh!”
He thought it wouldn’t work even if he protested with a red face, but Kwon Ki-won immediately pulled down the corners of his mouth. The expression that disappeared in an instant was so blunt that it felt rather scary.
“…You’d better laugh.”
He can’t even play a joke on him. Yeon-woo, who had become helpless, sighed deeply, and it was so absurd that he almost laughed too.
When he first met Kwon Ki-won, he thought he was a very cold person. It was because he was the exact opposite of his own overall round impression. His sharp eyes alone made him look fierce, and his small pupils made him look like an angry person even when he was still. This was also the reason why Yeon-woo couldn’t relax while living with him.
‘If I had known that he was this kind of person, I wouldn’t have kept my distance that much.’
When he finished registering the marriage and went to live in his house. Yeon-woo, who had difficulty with Ki-won, couldn’t make eye contact with him for a while. He only relaxed during mealtimes when there was a lot of delicious food. He didn’t know why he was so nervous then, but now he knew. Kwon Ki-won was a warm person. So warm that he was greedy enough to want more.
Yeon-woo, who rubbed his fingertips meaninglessly, looked out the window with an uneasy face. The vehicle had already entered the parking lot while he was thinking about something else.
‘Why is it so stuffy.’
Suppressing the greed that he couldn’t tell Ki-won quickly made his stomach heavy. Come to your senses. Yeon-woo sighed a little as he opened the passenger door.
***
The moment he entered the lobby, an exclamation burst out from Yeon-woo’s gap. It was thanks to the colorful decorations that made his eyes happy. The eyes that were looking around here and there had no time to rest.
“Shall we go up?”
When Yeon-woo had looked around most of the statues and fountains, Ki-won asked quietly. Yeon-woo, who nodded his head, followed Ki-won to the elevator. The elevator opened at just the right timing as if it had been waiting for the two of them. Yeon-woo, who stepped inside, stuck close to the glass wall of the elevator. The outside scenery visible as he went up to the high floor was spectacular. I thought it would have been prettier if I had come in the evening.
“Where is this place?”
Even the lobby had a lot to see, so it seemed like a popular place, but it was strange that I hadn’t met anyone yet. Is it a place not known to people?
“It’s a newly built building.”
“…What?”
When he asked back briefly, thinking he had misheard, Ki-won turned his head towards Yeon-woo.
“I added one more department store in Seoul.”
He said that it is scheduled to open next week, and today is a rehearsal business day when only people with management authority can enter.
I had no idea. Yeon-woo, who could not hide his surprise, looked around with a bigger gesture than before. Even so, all he could see was the interior of the elevator and the cityscape visible through the transparent glass window.