CHAPTER 72

Late at night, Siyeon left her parents’ house with Ijun. Ijun told her parents who were sending them off that Siyeon was often bored alone during the day, so he suggested that they often visit their house in Samseong-dong for meals.

To the slightly intoxicated trio, he added that they should discuss with Siyeon and come to their house sometime, mentioning that the rooftop view was quite charming.  

Siyeon’s parents were pleased, and seeing their joyful expressions warmed Siyeon’s heart. She got into Ijun’s car, sitting in the front passenger seat, and shortly after, the two of them left the house. 

“You don’t drive.”

With a mix of apologies and gratitude, Siyeon asked Ijun. Since the accident involving Gwihyeon, driving had been strictly prohibited for Ijun, but today he had broken that rule. Siyeon felt unnecessarily sorry.

“If needed, I’ll do it. I was thinking of sending a driver because it seemed like the timing wouldn’t work out, but I had some time after excluding the dinner time.” 

Ijun deliberately mentioned that he skipped dinner to come and pick her up. It seemed like he wanted to emphasize the gratitude she felt.

“Thank you for today.” 

“What’s there to thank me for?” 

“For coming to our house, eating the meal my mom made, playing baduk with my dad. And also, for saying you’ll send food to the Team Leader’s daughter.” 

“That’s a lot to be thankful for.”

Having said that, Ijun extended his right hand, wiggling four fingers inward. 

“What do you need?”

“Your hand. I still have some aftereffects. Massage it during the drive.” 

“I saw you handle chopsticks well earlier.” 

“Give me your hand.” 

Hesitant, Siyeon placed her left hand gently on top of Ijun’s right hand. In response, Ijun loosely intertwined his fingers through hers.

“Are you still lying on the ground often these days?” 

“No. Maybe because the environment has changed, I can’t stay lying down for long there. It hurts my back, and it gets boring.” 

“Honestly, isn’t a bed more comfortable for lying down?” 

“Yes. I guess the bed is more comfortable.” 

Indeed, a good bed is worth its reputation, as evident from the quality of sleep she was getting. 

“Is it because you like your own place?” 

“Oh, it could be that.”

“Why are you doing this again?” 

Ijun gently caressed her hand with his thumb. Siyeon pretended not to mind, but her attention was entirely focused on their entwined hands. 

“I went to the hospital this morning. Did you happen to hear about it?”

“Hospital? What hospital?” 

“Gwihyeon oppa said he wanted to see me, so I dropped by for a moment.” 

“…” 

He suddenly fell silent. When he turned his head, his expression seemed a bit stiff.

“Out of nowhere, Eunhye suddenly appeared, causing quite a commotion. The adults in Suwon were having a meal downstairs at the time, so I contacted your mother. Your father and grandfather immediately came up to the hospital and sent Eunhye away. The security company people took her away harshly.”

“I’ll tell them, so even if they call you, don’t go, use me as an excuse.” 

“And… Gwihyeon, all his memories have come back.”

Ijun’s gaze turned towards her and then directly ahead. 

“I think he actually had all his memories from the beginning. It seems like he decided to pretend not to remember Eunhye once he realized he didn’t need her anymore.”

“My parents didn’t say anything about it.” 

“They didn’t tell me either. It seemed a bit strange, so I tried to scheme a bit, but I just got caught. But still, in front of your family, he kept pretending that his memories hadn’t come back until the end.” 

Thinking about Gwihyeon gave Siyeon a headache. It was because of his confession to her and the words about leaving Ijun. She was already married, so saying such things meant he wasn’t in his right mind. 

“And then, what did he say?” 

“…He said he likes me.” 

Ijun let go of her hand and turned on the right blinker. After changing lanes and pulling over to the side of the road with the hazard lights on, he turned towards her.

“Say it again.”

Although he asked with a calm voice, his gaze seemed engulfed in madness. 

“He said… he likes me. Even though I told him I was already married to you, he didn’t believe it.” 

“…And?” 

Siyeon bit her lower lip and looked at Ijun with eyes full of concern. She had thought about whether she should bring this up, but as the idea grew that she didn’t want Ijun to misunderstand her any further, she felt more compelled to speak. 

“Siyeon.” 

He urged her with patience. 

“He told me to abandon you just as he abandoned Eunhye. And… we can go back to how things were.”

“….”

“Ijun.” 

Ijun remained frozen, as if trapped in suspended time. It felt like an invisible barrier separated them, existing in a world where they couldn’t communicate with each other. 

Siyeon was captivated by his intense gaze and couldn’t move. A few seconds felt like an eternity. 

“…Of course… it may be hard to believe.”

“..believe.”

“….”

“I believe.” 

“….” 

His heavy voice sounded sorrowful. Ijun was experiencing deeper despair than anger. Whether he knew the truth about Gwihyeon as his half-sibling was uncertain, their relationship wouldn’t be the same as before.

Siyeon wanted to hug Ijun at that moment.

***

When the two of them arrived home, it was close to midnight. The lights in the living room on the first floor were bright, and the house was quiet. 

“I’ll use the bathroom outside, so you can use the one inside.” 

Ijun, with a weary expression, loosened his tie and headed towards the dressing room after turning on the master bedroom’s light. As he went out of the room with a change of clothes, Siyeon also took off her outdoor clothes and went into the bathroom. 

After she finished showering and returned to the room, Ijun was lying on the bed with the indoor light dimmed. 

“You should go to bed first.” 

“It’s past midnight.” 

“I just need to finish up what I was doing, then I’ll go to sleep.” 

Siyeon turned on her laptop and sat at the table.Despite being extremely tired, she needed to dry her hair, so she decided to work during that time. The table she sat at was quite a distance from the bed, so it wouldn’t disturb his sleep. 

“Can you tell me the password for the laptop?”

He, who had been silently watching her, finally spoke 

“What did you say?” 

“I tried all the numbers I knew, but it didn’t work. Your birthday, the apartment number where you used to live, the day we first met, the day we broke up. I even tried the date of your first book publication, but none of them worked.” 

“Are you trying to open my laptop without my knowledge?” 

“If you put it that way, it sounds like I’ve done something really bad.”

Oh my, how could he unconsciously do such a thing!

Siyeon’s eyes widened in anger. 

“Why are you trying to sneak a peek at someone else’s laptop?” 

“I’m curious about the next story, but you won’t show it to me. I’ve been a dedicated reader since Drumstick’s first serial on the site, leaving comments, but I get no special treatment. Even after getting punched in the face during our wedding, I was still reading Drumstick novels. I think that qualifies me as a dedicated reader.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” 

Siyeon’s mouth fell open. 

“So the reason you never let go of the tablet PC every morning wasn’t because of work?” 

“It hurts my eyes to read on a phone. I need to see it big.”

“I was being careful not to disturb you while working!”

“So, are you not going to tell me?”

“Of course not!”

Suddenly, he sprang up from the bed and approached her angrily. Siyeon quickly closed the laptop and stood up, spreading her arms as if to protect the laptop behind her back. 

Even in the face of Siyeon’s determined expression, Ijun paid no attention and continued to advance towards her. He wrapped both hands around her face and started kissing her as if appeasing her. Siyeon, who had expected him to aim for the laptop, froze with wide eyes. 

Contrary to his threatening approach, as soon as their lips met, he began to move gently, as if coaxing. A warmth slightly higher than body temperature gradually descended over her forehead, nose, and cheeks.

Their wet saliva and warm breaths mingled. As Siyeon swayed, she grabbed his robe, and as the strings came loose, the robe fell lifelessly to the floor. At the same time, he skillfully began unbuttoning Siyeon’s pajamas one by one. Her heart began to pound like a hammer against her chest. 

Before she knew it, his large body covered her now lying body on the bed. Looking at him, who seemed like he could cover her like a blanket, Siyeon keenly felt the difference in their body sizes. 

He continued to kiss her, trapping her in his arms. He slowly swept his hand down her waist and kissed her shoulder. 

Everywhere his touch and lips reached felt as hot as if it had been set on fire. In her emptied mind, dizziness and confusion arose like sparks. It felt as if she were dreaming. 

She tightly closed then opened her eyes. At that moment, Ijun encircled her cheek and made eye contact. His eyes, reddened with desire, stared straight at her. He followed her gaze persistently, as if he wanted to confirm who the person in front of him was.

Siyeon touched the scar on his back with one hand. It was a long scar running vertically down his smooth back. Ijun flinched at the touch, then faintly smiled. Before she could ponder the meaning of his smile, he pressed deeper.

Breathing heavily, he looked down at her while running his hands along the side of her head.

A drop of sweat fell from his neck down to his collarbone. 

“…I’ve imagined this day in my mind thousands of times.” 

He said in a husky voice.

“But, imagination can’t beat reality.”

A smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.