The Terminally Ill Wife

Taecho’s head lowered slowly—very slowly.

Without a word, he stared at her hand touching a part of him he could scarcely believe.

It was not his imagination.

Her small hand was wrapped precisely around his manhood. She had not simply rested it there—she was kneading it with her fingers.

Wondering whether she had awakened and was doing this deliberately, Taecho lifted his gaze to check her face. However, she remained sound asleep, making soft, contented noises.

“What the hell is this……?”

She did something like this in her sleep?

His manhood was not a lump of clay.

Taecho’s brow furrowed deeply as she continued kneading him as though she were molding clay.

“Ugh.”

At that moment, her hand suddenly tightened around him, drawing a pained groan from his lips.

‘F*ck.’

Taecho scowled and slapped her hand away coldly.

He roughly swept his hair back and bit down hard on his lip.

She remained peacefully asleep, utterly oblivious to what she had done. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders, shake her awake, and demand to know what on earth she thought she was doing.

But what would be the point of waking someone who was sleeping so deeply, someone who wouldn’t even remember what she had done?

She would undoubtedly claim to know nothing about it.

Then he would be the only strange one.

Taecho roughly swept his hair back once more, closed his eyes, and slowly took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger.

However, as time passed, his breathing became increasingly ragged. Whenever he was with Lee Yeon-woo, he found himself irritated by everything.

Convinced that sleeping beside her would be impossible, Taecho began to get up, but stopped abruptly.

Moonlight had seeped into the room and settled on her body.

It almost appeared to be embracing her.

Taecho’s pitch-black eyes followed the moonlight. His gaze travelled from her head to her feet, tracing every part of her that the pale light touched.

It settled on the fingers wrapped around her shoulders, as though she were cold after losing the warmth she had been seeking.

At last, Taecho’s gaze came to rest on the nape of her neck.

He had seen it countless times before. Yet it was nothing more than an ordinary nape. Still, his eyes remained fixed upon it, unable to look away.

Her unusually long neck drew his gaze. He could not understand why that exceptionally slender, perfectly straight nape was so pale.

Perhaps feeling the cold, she shifted slightly. Her clothes slipped down with a soft rustle, exposing one shoulder.

“……”

‘What was this?’

Taecho blinked as he silently stared at her shoulder gleaming beneath the moonlight.

‘Is the alcohol finally affecting me?’

His lips suddenly felt dry, prompting him to swallow. His throat felt constricted, so he loosened his collar. Yet the suffocating sensation refused to go away.

The alcohol must really be starting to take effect.

He had drunk quite a lot. Taecho normally disliked alcohol, but his father and father-in-law had continuously refilled his glass and he had been unable to refuse.

Taecho lay down as far away from her as possible.

He needed to sleep.

In fact, he had to sleep.

He had assumed the alcohol would naturally make him drowsy.

“Ha……ah.”

Strangely enough, the longer he thought about it, the clearer his mind became. Heavy sighs continued to escape his lips.

The scent of flowers drifted from somewhere. Had so many flowers been planted around the estate? Where else could such a fragrance be coming from?

Thinking nothing more of it, he closed his eyes.

Behind him, the silk quilt rustled as she moved.

Taecho’s shoulders stiffened.

There was no telling what she might do in her sleep. He decided to stay alert, ready to either push her away or simply wake her.

Yet sleep had refused to come when he wanted it. Now, when he was determined to stay awake, it was overwhelming him.

His body was being absurdly contrary.

Taecho’s eyelids gradually grew heavier.

He knew she had wrapped herself around him again. He tried to push her away, but he could not open his eyes.

A soft, yielding sensation pressed against his back, and the scent of flowers soon filled his nostrils. The fragrance was so intense that it seemed as though a bouquet had been placed directly beneath him.

Strangely, he did not dislike it.

Taecho’s expression gradually relaxed.

***

She felt suffocated.

Most of all, she disliked the sensation of being touched by something unfamiliar. Even in her half-asleep state, she could tell.

It was also extremely uncomfortable.

Her tightly closed eyelids slowly lifted.

“Hmph!”

She nearly screamed.

Managing to stop herself just in time, she raised a hand to cover her mouth. Her face turned deathly pale.

Ma Taecho was right in front of her.

No — he was holding her in his arms.

She was so startled that she couldn’t breathe.

She had definitely fallen asleep as far away from him as possible.

So how had she ended up in his arms?

The suffocating weight must have come from his arm and leg.

Yeon-woo carefully removed the hand covering her mouth and stared intently at his face. Fortunately or unfortunately, he was still asleep.

The mere thought of what might have happened if he had opened his eyes first made her shudder.

He looked at her with contempt often enough already. What would he say if he found out that she had been lying in his arms? He was the kind of man who could casually say things that would pierce her heart.

Still nestled securely against his chest, Yeon-woo retreated as quietly as possible.

Only after escaping his embrace could she finally breathe again. She sighed with relief and pulled up her clothes, which had slipped down while she slept.

It seemed she must have burrowed into his arms in her sleep.

‘I’ve lost my mind.’

‘I’m insane.’

‘I must be completely insane.’

She turned her back to him and tidied her hair. The longer she stood there, the more difficult it became to believe that she had slept in his arms. Her cheeks flushed and the rims of her ears burned.

She pressed her palm firmly over her racing heart.

He was asleep anyway.

Should she have stayed in his arms just a little longer?

‘No!’

Flustered that such a thought had even entered her mind, Yeon-woo shook her head furiously.

No, really.

Why did he have to look so alluring, even when he was asleep?

Her heart had nearly stopped this morning when she first woke up.

After confirming once more that he was still asleep, she went to the corner and changed her clothes. She neatly folded her discarded pyjamas and placed them on the desk.

It was still early, but her mother would already be preparing breakfast.

Yeon-woo found it remarkable that simply returning to her parents’ home had caused her to wake up naturally. At the same time, she reflected on herself and wondered if she had become lazy lately.

Life at the old residence began early. Perhaps because she had been raised by hard-working parents, Yeon-woo had always worked hard.

Eager to help her mother, she failed to notice that Taecho had opened his eyes. Unaware of his gaze, she opened the door and stepped outside.

“Ah, this feels wonderful!”

The moment she stepped outside, she could smell the fresh dawn air. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the fresh morning air envelop her.

A relaxed smile spread across her lips as she stretched.

It felt as though she had returned to the days before her marriage, which made her laugh out loud.

She loved everything about it: the birdsong, the earthy scent of the soil, and the fragrance of the flowers.

This is what the old house meant to her.

She would never forget the day she first entered the house, holding her parents’ hands.

Those memories remained as vivid as if everything had happened yesterday.

Her father showed her every corner of the house and explained what each room was for, while her mother brought her different foods and fed her. She was so nervous that she vomited up everything she ate, but her parents stayed by her side throughout the night, sincerely worried about her.

How could she ever forget that?

She was desperate to fulfil her parents’ wish to show them that she was living a happy life.

This was also why she refused to be defeated by Taecho and his constant cruelty.

Yeon-woo opened the kitchen door.

She liked how it had been renovated with modern facilities. Since visitors came to the old house all year round, this was where her mother spent most of her time.

As a child, Yeon-woo had disliked it because she thought her mother was working too hard. However, her mother genuinely loved the old residence and was grateful to every guest who came to visit.

That was why Yeon-woo did not try to stop her from doing what she loved.

After all, Yeon-woo herself had once been incredibly happy whenever she played the gayageum, despite practicing sometimes feeling like a matter of life and death.

“Mom.”

Warmth filled Yeon-woo’s eyes as she gazed at her mother’s back, which seemed to have grown smaller without her noticing. Her mother, who had been preparing food, quickly turned at the sound of her voice.

“Why are you awake already? You should have slept longer.”

Wiping her wet hands on her apron, her mother approached and caressed her cheek. Yeon-woo closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against her mother’s palm.

It was a familiar gesture.

Yeon-woo’s smile deepened.

“I simply woke up on my own. Mmm, something smells delicious.”

She wrapped her arms tightly around her mother. When she was young, her mother’s embrace had seemed impossibly large. Now Yeon-woo had grown bigger, and her mother fit snugly within her arms.

“You smell like Mom. I love it.”

“Oh, honestly. I’ve been cooking, so I probably smell like food.”

Despite saying that, her mother did not push her away. Instead, her hand busily patted Yeon-woo’s back.

Being in her mother’s arms always gave Yeon-woo strength. It felt as though the hurtful words Taecho had spoken the previous night were being washed from her ears.

“I should sweep the courtyard.”

“There’s no need. Leave it alone. Your father will do it later.”

Although he appeared healthy, her father’s stamina was far weaker than before after undergoing major surgery for cancer. Yeon-woo could sweep the courtyard for him as many times as necessary.

“Just leave it and carry this to the table.”

Yeon-woo accepted a neatly arranged plate of seasoned vegetables. She diligently carried each dish her mother handed her to the table in the middle of the main hall.

She could not understand when her mother had found the time to prepare all of this.

“Mom, I’ve put everything on the table.”

“You should go and check on your husband.”

“……Why?”

Yeon-woo wanted to remain beside her mother, so she could not help feeling a little hurt that she kept sending her back to him.

“He must feel uncomfortable here. You’re familiar with this place, but your husband isn’t.”

Her mother told her to help him if he needed anything while preparing for work.

“And if he’s finished getting ready, tell him to come and eat breakfast.”

“Yes. I will.”

Yeon-woo couldn’t bring herself to tell him that he could manage perfectly well on his own, and that she didn’t need his help.

She didn’t want to give her mother any more reason to worry.

She walked briskly towards the detached wing. The birdsong sounded like a chorus of joyful tunes.

After removing her shoes, she carefully opened the door. It swung inward with a long creak, making Yeon-woo stop abruptly as she stepped inside.

“……You’re awake?”

She didn’t know when he had got up, but he was already dressed and standing in the middle of the room, ready for work. Wearing an all-black outfit, he looked extremely arrogant.

Although he had clearly heard her question, he did not respond. Instead, his expression suddenly twisted into a scowl.

Was it because of what had happened the previous night?

Had she gone too far?

Remembering what she had said about him possibly getting aroused by her again one day, Yeon-woo felt her cheeks grow hot. His gaze slowly settled on her flushed face.

“I’m leaving for work.”

His voice could not have sounded colder.

“Oh…… All right. Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?”

She hoped he would at least taste some of the food her mother had worked so hard to prepare.

“I’m busy.”

Yeon-woo silently watched as he coldly dismissed her.

“What?”

As though something felt constricting, he fiddled with his necktie, irritation evident in the movement of his hands.

“It’s nothing.”

Yeon-woo almost asked if his behavior was a result of what had happened the previous night, but she firmly pressed her lips together and didn’t say anything. She didn’t have the courage to bring up that subject again.

After Taecho had said goodbye to her mother, Yeon-woo walked with him through the garden of the old residence and stopped at the main gate.

“Have a safe day at work.”

A sudden gust of wind sent Yeon-woo’s jet-black hair flying wildly around her face. As she tucked it behind her ear, her eyes met his.

Yeon-woo lifted the corners of her lips into a smile.

“Because of you, how many times have I……”

“Pardon?”

Not understanding what he meant, Yeon-woo widened her eyes.

“……Forget it.”

He turned away coldly and got into his car. Yeon-woo stood and watched it disappear into the distance, tilting her head to one side.

He had seemed far more irritated than usual.

What had he been about to say?

She was curious.