Chapter 1.1 – Husband’s Identity 

‘Caught Stealing Will Cost You 30 Times the Price’]

The phrase plastered on the convenience store display stabbed at her conscience. Her stomach churned again, though she hadn’t eaten anything. 

‘Should I just give up here?’

But if it were something she could have chosen to quit, she wouldn’t have started in the first place. Eun-sol steeled herself for her goal.

Just as she was about to proceed with her plan—

“Ugh…!”

Her queasy stomach finally gave way, and she gagged. She quickly covered her mouth, but in a convenience store as small as this, there was no hiding the sound.

“……!”

Sure enough, the male store owner at the counter shot a sharp glance her way.

Panicked, she reached out and grabbed a random snack. It was an attempt to avoid suspicion, but her reflexively quick movement was unnatural instead.

‘Ah…!’

The owner’s gaze lingered longer than she expected. Her breath, caught in her chest, felt stifling.

Just as sweat began to bead on her forehead, the convenience store door swung open, and someone entered.

“Oh? What brings the police officers from the neighboring district all the way here?”

The store owner’s attention shifted to the new arrivals. But there was no room for relief.

‘Why are the police here all of a sudden? Are they here to catch me?’

Her heart, already racing, pounded even harder.

“We received a report that a drunk fisherman is wandering around the area with a fishing knife, so we’re patrolling in support. Have you seen anything?”

“What?!”

The convenience store owner was startled, but Eun-sol felt as though her frozen blood had started circulating again.

‘They’re not here because of me!’

She quickly moved to the emergency medical supplies section. Now, with the owner’s attention on the officers, this was the golden opportunity.

‘Bandages, alcohol swabs, antacids… Ah, why can’t I find it?!’

Her vision blurred with anxiety, but finally, in the farthest corner of the shelf, she spotted the last remaining item.

Eun-sol swiftly slipped it into her sleeve.

Goodness. A groan escaped her lips. She had never done anything like this before—at least, not as far as she could remember.

With trembling legs, she hurried to the refrigerator. As she opened the door, the cold air hit her face, making her realize how hot her cheeks were.

She discreetly wiped her sweat-drenched hand on her pants and grabbed two random cans of beer. A discount sign reading, ‘Buy 4 cans for 10,000 won,’ caught her eye, but she didn’t care.

The beer was just an excuse anyway. It was a pretext for her late-night outing, in case that man caught her.

“Please ring these up.”

Just then, the police officers’ radios crackled. It seemed they had received another report. The officers hurriedly left the convenience store.

“That’ll be 7,000 won in total, miss.”

“Keep the change.”

Eun-sol handed a 10,000 won bill to the store owner as she spoke.

“What? But there’s 3,000 won in change…”

“I don’t like carrying coins in my pocket. Just think of it as a tip.”

She wanted to pay for the item hidden in her sleeve. She couldn’t officially ring it up, but this was the least she could do.

Clutching the snacks, the beer, and the item hidden in her sleeve, Eun-sol left the convenience store.

The stillness of the night breeze wrapped around her. Every breath she took carried with it the salty scent of the sea.

This area was an unknown tourist spot located along the western coast. There were no large accommodations like resorts nearby. Once the sun set, the place became eerily quiet.

Walking briskly, Eun-sol suddenly stopped. She turned her head and cast her gaze toward the sea. She furrowed her brows and focused, but the pitch-black darkness made the ocean invisible.

‘You can feel it, but you can’t see it… the sea.’

What would it be like if she couldn’t rely on any of her senses except sight?

Even with her eyes open, she wouldn’t know. She wouldn’t realize that such a vast ocean lay right before her.

Through the crashing waves of unease, his face surfaced in her mind. That man, who seemed to skillfully conceal the truth…!

She felt the presence of a secret, yet she couldn’t see the truth even with her eyes wide open. It was as if gritty sandwater was being forced down her throat.

‘Will my memories ever return?’

Eun-sol was, as they say, suffering from amnesia.

The car accident six weeks ago had left her with only basic knowledge about herself, like her name and age.

And even that information had come from her husband—or rather, the man who claimed to be her husband.

The attending doctor had said that cases of complete memory loss like hers were extremely rare. Her memories might gradually return, or they might remain lost for a very long time.

‘It’s been over a month now, and with no memories coming back like this….’

It didn’t seem like her memories would gradually return. A wave of despair washed over her.

‘No, for now….’

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the creeping weakness.

‘I need to check first whether I’m pregnant or not.’

That was the very reason for tonight’s stealthy outing, like a stray cat sneaking through the night.

She couldn’t recall the date of her last period, but it had been over a month since the car accident, and she hadn’t had one since. Perhaps it was due to her unstable mental state, but she occasionally felt nauseous.

She couldn’t help but suspect the possibility of pregnancy. If she was indeed pregnant, she had to come up with a plan before that man found out.

The plan for tonight was to secretly purchase a pregnancy test, use it in a nearby public restroom, and return home without anyone noticing her late-night outing.

“Sigh.”

Eun-sol widened her gaze and scanned her surroundings. The finely woven night mist obscured her vision.

Even so, thanks to the desolate surroundings, she could see all the buildings she needed to. There was the closed café building, and behind it, her destination—the public restroom.

Eun-sol began walking, her nerves on edge.

The telephone poles, thin and spindly with hanging wires, looked especially eerie. Suddenly, a story about a fisherman wielding a weapon came to mind.

‘What if he’s somewhere around here? What if he’s in the public restroom, of all places…?’

Even though there were occasional streetlights, the road seemed to grow darker and darker. Just as an inexplicable chill gripped her heart and slowed her steps—

“Gasp!”

Thud. Her heart dropped, and her vision swayed.

A shadow, split in half by the faint streetlight, spread across the ground. A massive shadow, like a boa constrictor with its jaws wide open.

Her stiffened gaze was dragged upward, as if seized by the collar.

The man leaning casually against the café wall was none other than—

The owner of the can of beer she was holding as an excuse, and her husband. Or rather, the man who claimed to be her husband.

“J-Jeong-hyeok…?”

Her voice carried a hint of ragged breath. She had made sure he was sound asleep before sneaking out, yet here he was, inexplicably standing before her.

“Yes.”

The man answered lightly. His voice was dry yet distinct.

Her eyes stung. This man had a strange talent. He could exert an oppressive pressure on others with just a short word or the atmosphere he created.

He had one hand arrogantly stuffed into his pocket, while the other held something.

The darkness was thick, and his hand was large, so at first, she couldn’t tell what it was. But soon, she realized its identity.

It was, oddly enough, a banana milk with a straw.

The cute and friendly-looking banana milk did nothing to offset the dark and menacing aura of the man.

If anything, even the banana milk seemed like a sinister object of the shadows.

“W-When… did you… get here…?”

Instead of answering, the man sucked on the straw of the banana milk. The sharp sound of air being sucked through the straw sent a chill through the night air.

From the sound alone, it was clear the banana milk was empty. This meant he had been standing there for several minutes.

Moreover, the only place nearby where one could buy banana milk was the convenience store she had just left.

‘Could it be… that he came here before me and was waiting for me?’

The eerie thought made her already dry lips feel even more parched.

“…Why are you so surprised?”

Only after a long pause did he speak, his voice lazy.

“…Did I… look that surprised?”

She decided to feign ignorance. Even though her secret outing had been discovered, it would be troublesome if he became any more suspicious.

“Yes. Enough to make me feel a little hurt.”

The now-empty banana milk crumpled noisily in the man’s large hand.

Eun-sol had to make an effort not to flinch her shoulders instinctively.

“If anyone saw, they’d think you ran into a kidnapper, not your husband.”

That was his idea of a joke. A joke with a sharp edge….