Beep, beep, beep—
Soon, the door lock button was being pressed.
"Now you even know the passcode?"
He let out a hollow laugh.
Until now, when the doctor visited the house, either Kwon Chae-woo was unconscious or I-yeon had opened the door, so he frowned at this incomprehensible situation.
He maliciously sucked on the nape of her neck.
"Stop, stop it!"
"I don't want to."
Just then, perhaps the password was wrong, as loud beep-beep sounds erupted. The doctor started pressing the numbers again, and I-yeon grew anxious.
"I told you to stop!"
When she lightly hit his head in warning, Kwon Chae-woo raised his eyebrows with a strange expression.
"If I stop?"
"What?"
"If I stop here, what will you do for me."
"...That doesn't make any sense—"
Beep, beep, beep—
Careful and slow sounds followed one after another. But to I-yeon, that sound was more urgent and pressing than a whip.
While I-yeon hesitated for a moment, Kwon Chae-woo positioned himself as if to caress her private parts again, and she cried out in alarm.
"Okay!"
"..."
"No physical contact, but I'll grant you one wish!"
"Anything?"
She glanced toward the door and nodded urgently.
At that, the man leisurely raised the corners of his lips and completely removed his hands from I-yeon's body.
The moment Kwon Chae-woo stood up from the bed, the doctor opened the door and entered. I-yeon froze helplessly, unable to cover her lower body in time.
However, Kwon Chae-woo, who had covered her with the blanket a step ahead, made a "heave-ho" sound and lifted that cotton bundle like a princess.
"Uh, uh..."
The doctor who had just stood at the door froze and stammered. Kwon Chae-woo pulled the blanket up to the crown of her head, lest even a strand of her hair be visible.
"Didn't you learn ethics in elementary school?"
His gaze at the intruder was cold.
He went down to the first floor, picking an unnecessary fight, and the doctor turned pale seeing I-yeon's pants and lace panties sprawled on the bed.
* * *
"You need to put me down!"
I-yeon shouted at the man who was still holding her and standing there, even though they had entered the room quite a while ago. Inside the blanket was hot and suffocating.
Then the blanket that had been wrapped tightly around her head slid down, and she met his eyes.
"..."
"..."
Kwon Chae-woo was looking at her with furrowed brows.
"I don't even know this house's passcode yet."
His sensitively sharp brow furrowed even deeper.
"But that bastard presses it like it's nothing."
"..."
I don't know the back door passcode either.
I-yeon rolled her eyes, wondering how to convey this.
The back door was used only by the medical staff, and the second floor itself was provided by Kwon Chae-woo's older brother...
"What's the passcode."
If he kept pressing like that, she had nothing to say—
"If that bastard naturally pressed our wedding anniversary, or I-yeon's birthday, or I-yeon's phone number and came in, I really won't let it slide."
"...!"
Who... who are you talking about...? I-yeon stiffened her shoulders.
"Come to think of it, I don't know anything."
He swallowed with difficulty, his face contorting.
"Our wedding anniversary, I-yeon's birthday, phone number."
"..."
"I don't know a single thing."
He hugged I-yeon tightly and buried his head. He rubbed his head so forcefully that even though the blanket acted as a cushion, her shoulders felt sore.
"I'm the husband but I know less about I-yeon than strangers. Every time that happens, I get so anxious I feel like I'm going crazy."
His cheek brushing against her ear was burning hot.
"I should have known all of that originally."
No, you didn't know then either... I-yeon struggled to compose her dazed expression and decided to soothe him.
"...It's, it's okay. Kwon Chae-woo, you're injured."
"Still, I can't accept it."
He mumbled gloomily.
"Let's start with the back door passcode first. I think I need to know everything about I-yeon's life cycle to feel satisfied."
"Uh..."
Her tongue was dry.
...No.
He shouldn't become unnecessarily curious.
It was better when Kwon Chae-woo was moderately indifferent to household matters. But now that his adaptation period to having lost 'my' memory had ended, his interests inevitably widened.
To I-yeon and her surroundings.
He didn't really ask about his own past, family, or preferences, yet he showed a strange obsession only when it came to I-yeon.
But the more Kwon Chae-woo wanted to know everything, the more I-yeon's flimsy logic would soon be exposed.
A headache was coming on.
"...Kwon, Kwon Chae-woo."
The only thing that could distract such a man—
"But I've never made sounds like that in my life."
For now, it was sex.
"...!"
His pupils dilated as he lifted his head. His gaze became visibly dazed, so it seemed to have hit the mark properly.
"Does Kwon Chae-woo want to keep doing that with me?"
I-yeon wiggled her hand free and touched his lips. Then he frowned deeply and turned his head. Amusingly, his earlobes had turned red.
"For that, Kwon Chae-woo needs to get well quickly. I've only touched trees, so I'm not particularly impressed by just ordinarily hard things."
"..."
"Get properly bandaged quickly, and recover fast."
"...Are you doing this on purpose?"
He clenched his jaw tightly but couldn't meet her eyes. The man's Adam's apple bobbed anxiously.
"Just how pathetic does I-yeon intend to make me. Now even trees..."
He clicked his tongue in irritation and trailed off.
Kwon Chae-woo carefully set I-yeon down on the bed and met her eyes.
"Then I can expect it, right."
"What?"
"I-yeon's palm that has only touched trees."
"...!"
"I'll get well quickly."
The corners of his lips twitched subtly as if holding back laughter.
The spot left after Kwon Chae-woo departed.
I-yeon buried her face in her knees. One part of her heart was noticeably darkening. She hated herself like this to death.
That night.
"Who's the one who really wants to cry..."
I-yeon propped her chin and looked at the man who was sobbing, apparently having a nightmare again.
During the day he was fierce, smooth-talking, and acted extremely in everything, but when night came, he turned into the world's weakest boy. Her eyebrows twitched slightly.
"...Go."
"..."
"—I'll come..."
It was still incomprehensible mumbling, but I-yeon wiped away his tears with a face that had grown accustomed to this.
Watching Kwon Chae-woo's night, her heart grew inexplicably heavy.
Just what is so sorrowful about this person.
One day he looked for someone, one day he hid, one day he ran away. I-yeon couldn't bear to watch the man's finely trembling lips and got up from her seat.
"..."
Today she didn't want to leave the crying man as he was. She didn't hesitate to go down to the first floor.
The office filled with the scent of soil and herbs was full of rustic items.
She opened every drawer and rummaged for a while, finally pulling out an old CD from the very bottom.
"Ah..."
A suddenly welcoming smile drifted across her face.
It was the first gift I-yeon had ever received from another person, and an item containing memories with her first tree. Her hand trembled as she stroked the faded CD surface.
It was a classical music album. She transcribed one of the titles written on the back to her phone and put it back in the drawer.
Her steps going up to the second floor were light. I-yeon lay down next to Kwon Chae-woo again and searched for the music on her smartphone to play it.
『Bach : Suite For Cello Solo No.1 In G, BWV 1007 - 1. Prelude』
Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 Prelude.
In the room where only the sleeping lamp was quietly lit.
On a night where only the man's groans pooled like moonlight, a gentle melody mingled in.
I-yeon listened to the music she had missed for a long time, hoping in another sense that he would fall into a deep sleep.
And for the first time—
The man's crying began to subside.
* * *
"You just need to go there and smile, right!"
"Still, I absolutely hate that."
I-yeon frowned and turned her head away. Chu-ja shook the evening dress wrapped in a transparent vinyl bag and glared.
Today was the day of the 40th anniversary celebration for the representative of Jurim Sapling Park, an agricultural corporation.
Chairman Lim was an indispensable distinguished figure and local dignitary for those working in agriculture or forestry, so Chu-ja's philosophy was that on such days, one must definitely show one's face.
But the reason I-yeon was resisting was nothing other than the clothes Chu-ja was holding. Chu-ja, having seen through that gaze, struck first.
"Why are you being like that. Nothing is exposed and it's neat."
Since I-yeon preferred to wrap her body tightly in clothes, Chu-ja had no choice but to choose clothes more carefully.
A calm square-neck mermaid dress.
The deep green was elegant, and the length falling appropriately to the calves and the line emphasizing the waist was luxurious.
I-yeon, who had been looking at it expressionlessly, pointed to her bedroom and confronted her sharply.
"I have plenty of clothes to wear in my closet too."
"Those aren't clothes, they're rags."
Chu-ja rolled her eyes as if she wouldn't back down.
Just then, Kwon Chae-woo was coming down from the second floor.