As If Love Doesn't Exist - Chapter 73
CHAPTER 73
Siyeon was asleep as if she had fainted. She had thought she was becoming more of a morning person, but she was completely exhausted.
After hearing a shocking confession from Gwihyeon yesterday and spending consecutive nights drinking with Ijun, leading to an intense night, her mind and body had completely separated. Ijun seemed to know about Siyeon’s serious condition, as he didn’t bother waking her up to sit at the table.
Ijun sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking her forehead with one hand. After confirming that Siyeon was not in pain, he began to speak.
“I met the monk Jeongseon yesterday.”
Siyeon, who had her eyes closed, slowly raised her eyelids at Ijun’s words. It was because of the mention of a monk. Ijun had said he would be late because of work yesterday, but it seemed he had met the monk then.
“As soon as we met, he asked me how many children I have, and without waiting for an answer, he just smiled. I was so angry that I almost hit him.”
Siyeon turned halfway towards Ijun and laying on her side… The story was intriguing, and she wanted to hear more.
“…How did you meet him?”
Siyeon asked in a hoarse voice.
“Grandfather properly performed a ritual. I guess he was grateful because Gwihyeon-hyung woke up. It wasn’t difficult to arrange a meeting.”
“So…?”
“Then, belatedly, he told me that I have two sons and one daughter, and many grandchildren, and said we will have a happy marriage for a hundred years, so I should not worry. But strangely enough, as soon as I heard that, I felt relieved.”
“Why did that make you feel relieved?”
Her voice kept breaking, and Siyeon cleared her throat with a chuckle.
“Choi Siyeon will live a long life.”
“……”
“I’ll have three children, and a marriage blessed for a hundred years, so that means you will live a long life.”
Siyeon felt strange.
Had Ijun been worrying about me dying?
She didn’t know he would take her words to heart like this.
“How can you be so sure it’s me?”
“Who else could it be for me, other than you?”
He chuckled as if he found it amusing, then gently played with her ear with his thumb and forefinger.
Siyeon’s face turned slightly red at his intimate gesture. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, as she gazed quietly into his eyes.
“I heard about your mother from Gwihyeon oppa a while back.”
“…Is that so?”
She had only vaguely guessed until now, but Ijun also knew that he and Gwihyeon were not full-blooded brothers.
“When did you find out, Ijun?”
“I found out when I was in elementary school, maybe around the lower grades. You hear a lot of things unintentionally when you roam around climbing trees and rooftops.I overheard the adults in the village talking about it a few times.”
“Weren’t you surprised?”
“Not really. But there were a few times as I got older when I felt sorry for my parents.”
“So that’s why you’ve been a bit crooked since you were young.”
In response to Siyeon’s joke, Ijun laughed as he pinched her lips tightly with his thumb and forefinger and then released them. Then he used his thumb to stroke her lower lip and caressed her cheek.
“Oh, right. Yesterday, um… because the play that unfolded in the hospital room was so memorable, I ended up recording it.”
“Recording?”
“Yes. I recorded about half of it with a video and the rest is just audio. I got nervous halfway through, so I put my phone in my bag. I’ll show you later in the evening. Now, hurry up and have breakfast.”
“Don’t go up to the rooftop, just lie in bed.”
At Ijun’s insistence, Siyeon nodded and pushed his body away with one hand, urging him to go to work.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Ijun chuckled, pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, patted her a few times, and then got up from the bed.
***
After finishing his morning work, Ijun went to the hospital. His father was also planning to come to the hospital in the afternoon if he had no special schedule.
His grandfather was still at the hospital today. Since he was living in the VVIP room right next to Gwihyeon’s, his mother was busy taking care of both sides, commuting between their home in Suwon and the hospital.
Except for the memory loss, Gwihyeon’s physical recovery was remarkably fast. Except for the muscle atrophy in his arms and legs, which required consistent physical training for a full recovery, everything else was in good shape. On the third day since he woke up, his face had regained a decent color.
When Ijun entered the hospital room, his grandfather had placed a guardian chair next to the bed and was having a conversation with Gwihyeon.
“I’m here.”
“Good. Ijun is here. You must be busy with work during the day, why did you come?”
“I heard Siyeon visited yesterday.”
“…Yeah. I thought it might help Gwihyeon regain his memory, so I told her to come.”
Grandfather hesitated before speaking.
“If you want help to revive my brother’s memory, you should call Kim Eunhye, or her family. Oh, by the way, I heard that Kim Eunhye was kicked out of the hospital room yesterday.”
“Ijun.”
Grandfather glanced at Gwihyeon and called Ijun’s name in a low voice. He was afraid of delivering too much information to Gwihyeon at once, fearing it might shock him. His expression was a mixture of hope that Ijun would stop talking and a resigned look.
“Don’t call for Siyeon. She’s busy during the day with work, and tired at night because of me. She’s not free enough to go and visit the hospital.”
“Oh! I see…”
Grandfather awkwardly rubbed his forehead, but at the same time, his lips curled into a pleased smile. It seemed that Siyeon’s tiredness at night because of Ijun was very pleasing to him. While he was internally conflicted between the shock Gwihyeon would experience and his expectations for a grandchild, Ijun approached the bed.
“You seem physically fine. How about your memory?”
“I can only remember meeting Siyeon. hat’s about it. Frustrating, but I’ll keep trying.”
“Don’t call her Siyeon from now on; it should be ‘Je-su’, hyung. She’s already stated that we’re married.”
(Je-su (제수) = sister in law)
“……”
Gwihyeon’s eyebrows twitched intensely as he looked at Ijun. Ijun could feel his grandfather becoming restless and nervous due to the subtle tension between them brothers.
“Hey, Ijun…”
He cautiously called Ijun’s name, but without turning around, Ijun responded.
“Considering there might be a niece or nephew in the future, it would be nice if you could sort out the title in advance, hyung”
Grandfather no longer tried to silence Ijun with a worried expression. He grabbed Ijun’s arm and couldn’t hide his joy. His eyes sparkled.
“Siyeon is pregnant? Really? Are you reall having a baby?”
“Grandfather.”
Ijun finally turned to look at him.
“Really! Come on, tell me!”
“We’ve been married for less than two months.”
“So no…?”
His face turned disappointed.
“Having a peace of mind is important for having a child. A monk named Jeongseon said that Siyeon and I will have three children. If you want to see your grandchildren soon, don’t bother Siyeon with unnecessary things.”
“He said you’ll have three children? Is that really true?”
“Yes. So if you want to see Siyeon, don’t call her, just come to our house.”
“Okay! I got it. I’ll definitely do that.”
Grandfather’s face quickly filled with hope. He couldn’t contain his excitement, muttering to himself, ‘Three grandchildren, hehehe,’ as he walked back and forth in the hospital room with a jubilant expression.
Then Ijun suggested that grandpa should go next door and rest since he would be in the room. Grandfather nodded like a meek lamb and left the room.
“Why are you bringing up talks about a child that hasn’t even been conceived yet?”
Gwihyeon asked sarcastically.
“How would you know if it’s conceived or not?”
“What?”
“And don’t be too interested in your younger brother’s married life. It sounds strange.”
“You’ve grown a lot in my absence.”
“Grown?”
Gwihyeon was smiling, but his eyes didn’t share the same warmth.
“Yes. You’ve taken over for me, married Siyeon, and even taken on the role of managing director. You’ve grown a lot. But now that I’m here, go back to the U.S. and live while doing what you want. You never wanted to stay in Korea in the first place, right?”
“I thought about it too, but my wife said she likes it here in Korea. She said she couldn’t leave her parents behind, so what else could I do? I just can’t leave her here.”
“…Originally, everything was all my place, mine.”
Ijun looked at Gwihyeon again after seeing him clench his fist. Ijun looked at him, and with a semblance of pity, he twisted his lips and spoke.
“Hyung, since you can’t remember, let me tell you. I dated Siyeon for seven years and then got married. You knew from the beginning that we were dating. You introduced Kim Eunhye as a potential sister-in-law and even arranged for her to meet me. Yet, you’ve truly forgotten such an important fact?”
“Ijun, are you making fun of me?”
Gwihyeon’s gaze as he looked at Ijun became sharp.
“Why would I make fun of you? You’re my older brother. I’ve been patiently explaining everything that has happened so that you can regain your memory. If you don’t want to hear my explanation, then you should speak for yourself.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“You remember everything. Every single detail.”
The hint of a smile disappeared from Ijun’s face for a moment.
“Ijun, I understand what Siyeon said to you, but it’s just her misunderstanding.”
At that moment, Gwihyeon realized that Siyeon had informed Ijun that his memory was intact. Despite feeling indignant internally at the audacity of such a claim without evidence, he didn’t show it.
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yeah. A misunderstanding.”
“Did you torment Siyeon like this over those five years?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. So, unless you hope I never recover, I’d appreciate it if you stop.”
“Yeah. Your recovery is the most important thing.”
Gwihyeon spoke with a sullen tone, and Ijun knew he wouldn’t speak the truth. Both of them had smiles on their faces, but their exchanged glances were stern. Gwihyeon spoke again in a resentful tone.
“But, Ijun. Since we were kids, I’ve been throwing away things, and you’ve always picked them up. That habit seems to persist even now.”
In response, Ijun chuckled, squinting his eyes.
“I don’t just pick up anything. For example… Oh, when Kim Eunhye barged into my room in her underwear, I didn’t pick her up; I threw her outside. I even gave her some advice to find a man who suits her level. Then she came looking for you yesterday.”
Gwihyeon’s eyes narrowed. The corner of his smiling mouth trembled slightly.
“Kim Eunhye’s parents and grandmother might come to ask you to take responsibility soon, so keep the amnesia act well. I can’t quite predict how it will turn out for you, considering they’ve long abandoned dignity and manners.”
“Jeong Ijun.”
“Don’t mention Choi Siyeon to me, I’ll do my best not to covet what belongs to my brother. If I can do this well without much effort, imagine how well I could do if I put in the effort, right?”
“…”
Gwihyeon, understanding Ijun’s threat, glared at him with clenched teeth. It was because Ijun had touched upon a deep-seated sense of inferiority that Gwihyeon had ignored while pretending not to know.