This time too, Hongdan didn’t miss that sound. His brow, which he thought might remain unfurrowed for the rest of the day, narrowed again.
“What?”
“In my memory right now, so before we got married. Back then we were friends, right?”
Before he knew it, Seonha had lifted his deeply lowered head and was looking at Hongdan. Not a single ray of light seeped into the eyes they met. That cloudy gaze looked just as desperate and lonely as when he’d confessed to losing his memory earlier, so Hongdan couldn’t say anything more. At this point, it was rather as if he was the bad person…
“No, fuck.”
He chewed on a curse at his wavering heart.
This ‘fuck’ was actually directed at Hongdan himself, but given the situation, Seonha seemed to have taken it as directed at him. Seonha, who had been timidly shrinking his body with each word Hongdan spoke, immediately straightened his upper body and refuted.
“You can’t deny even that!”
“Can’t deny what? You’re the one who did more things you shouldn’t have, you trash bastard.”
However, he had no choice but to shrink again at Hongdan’s following rebuke. His protruding lips were what remained of his pride and the expression of his dissatisfaction.
“Oh my. What did you do so well to stick your mouth out? Want me to grab and tear it off?”
Hongdan flicked his fingers against Seonha’s lips. The more he did so, the more sullenly Seonha stuck them out. He even added a glimmer of hope while wriggling his lips to avoid Hongdan’s fingers.
“…The next ten years could be different.”
“Like I said, that’s not my concern.”
Of course, Hongdan didn’t back down either. The conversation continued without an inch of concession, like passing a ball back and forth.
“It’s yours and my memory though?”
“Because I don’t particularly want to remember it.”
“How can that be?”
“The world is originally full of things without reason, young master. Among them, the trash bastard suggesting we stick together again under the excuse of losing his memory is the most unreasonable.”
“…You’re mean, Choi Hongdan.”
“Yeah, you’re meaner. Hey, but your mother and father didn’t move either, right? Is this home address correct?”
Hongdan, who had been tormenting Seonha’s lips for a while, finally stopped pointing and thrust his phone screen at Seonha.
Seonha, who had been checking the address with a gloomy expression, suddenly realized something. The familiar address and the word ‘mother’ that came from Hongdan’s mouth were the decisive blow.
Before he knew it, Seonha’s mouth had lost its place and was strangely twitching. Unfortunately, from the opposite side, that appearance was hidden by the phone and couldn’t be seen. Hongdan, not sensing the discord permeating the air, was busily calculating in his head the time for the taxi to arrive.
Soon Seonha’s lips seemed to have found the direction they would head.
“Yeah, it’s correct but…”
“Then I’m really calling a taxi now.”
“But are you okay with our parents knowing you’ve been keeping me until now?”
“…”
Up.
It was up. That’s where Seonha’s lips would head.
His fine lips were curling upward for the first time all day.
Hongdan was so flustered by Seonha’s words that the strength drained from his arms. Only then could he see the face that had been hidden.
Hongdan’s eyebrows beneath his neat bangs squirmed greatly. But Seonha’s attitude only became more confident instead. As if he’d been waiting for that reaction.
“No, I mean— even in high school they hated you hanging around with me so much that they bullied you and stuff… They even bribed the teachers so you almost couldn’t go to college. But is that really okay?”
“…It’ll be fine if you just keep your mouth shut.”
Hongdan scratched his neck with his teeth clenched. In his black eyes that easily revealed emotions, a fierce glint was vivid. Seonha countered with a demonstratively gentle eye-smile.
“Sorry, but as you know, I’m quite filial. I answer what’s asked right away. Never told a lie either.”
“Fuck, so what are you going to do?”
“Exactly 3 months.”
Seonha spread three fingers on his left hand.
As far as Hongdan knew, he was right-handed, but strangely, the one who said he’d injured his head was frequently using his left hand. The impudently wiggling fingers drew more attention because of the bandage he’d wrapped around them.
Hongdan moved his eyebrows once more greatly. His head was also tilted crookedly.
“…3 months?”
“Yeah, 3 months. Just help me for 3 months. Usually you recover your memory within that time.”
“…While even letting you sleep here?”
When he read even the unspoken thoughts he hadn’t mentioned, Seonha couldn’t hide his joy. Moreover, if he’d refused right away it would be one thing, but since he was even confirming with him, Seonha considered Hongdan’s calm reaction as good as permission. He even teared up while nodding his head vigorously.
“Yeah! Our Hongdan aged ten years but is still so smart—agh!”
But that was clearly a misconception.
A pale hand immediately flew out and firmly grasped Seonha’s fine-textured hair.
“Ah, it hurts! Ah!”
Hongdan certainly had small hands for his height. But an unbelievable strength was felt from both hands gripping Seonha’s hair. Hongdan grabbed the much larger man’s head like a steering wheel and shook it vigorously every time he spoke.
“This bastard sees who as an idiot, really. What? 3 months? I don’t even want to be with you for 3 more minutes and you say 3 months? Not doing it, bastard! Can’t you see the state of this house right now? I came out without receiving a single penny in alimony when I divorced you! Does this look like we parted on good terms? Does it look like you and I said goodbye so beautifully that we could live rubbing against each other for as long as 3 months?”
“Hongdan, Hong…! My head, my head—”
“You think I’m looking at you nicely enough to care about your hairstyle!”
“Ahhh!”
“Fuck!”
Hongdan felt like he’d poured out months, no, years’ worth of anger just an hour after reuniting with Yeon Seonha. Even after doing four hours of weight training, he’d probably be less tired than this.
What wealth and glory am I trying to enjoy by leaving work early to deal with this bastard…
The face of his superior who had looked ten years younger when recommending he take a half-day off earlier now appeared like an aged demon. The team leader’s signature that had approved his half-day leave request now felt like a curse rather than a blessing.
Hongdan’s strength completely drained away. So he just let go of Seonha’s hair and collapsed on the floor.
With his knees up and his arms draped over them, he even buried his head deeply. He looked exactly like a head of household who’d lost even the house deed from a failed stock investment.
Just then, there was a timid finger poking Hongdan’s shoulder tactlessly.
“Um… Hongdan.”
Whether he checked or not, it was Yeon Seonha. He was obviously putting on that pathetic acting again with a pitifully miserable expression. Hongdan lowered his face even closer to the floor and let out a deep sigh.
“…Don’t talk to me. If you say one more word of nonsense here, I might really be able to kill you then.”
“But, um…”
“Just shut up.”
“Ali, alimony… What about giving it?”
“What?”
But he had no choice but to lift his head at the voice crawling in no less than the timid gesture.
Even after receiving Hongdan’s gaze, Seonha hesitated and only rolled his eyes around. His fingertips also curled up as he constantly gnawed at his own nails. Hongdan examined those hands once, then that face showing a strange expression, alternating between them.
“Um… I’m not really sure, but given the situation, it seems like I did more wrong…”
“Yeah, you did a hundred times more wrong.”
At the other party’s resolute affirmation, Seonha’s shoulders sank even more gloomily. Unable to deny it, he mumbled “Mmm…” and continued.
“But… no matter how much I did, I don’t think I would’ve tried not to give you a single penny. I’m just thinking maybe you rejected it…”
“I did. Because I didn’t want to be with you even one more minute.”
“…But you said it yourself. If it doesn’t matter whether you have it or not, it’s better to have it.”
“Yeah. I said that too.”
In fact, that was precisely the reason Hongdan stuck with Yeon Seonha.
For Hongdan, whose immediate survival was most important due to his poor family circumstances, friends were practically a luxury. He generally never approached first, only building friendships with those who spoke to him, and even those would quickly distance themselves due to his characteristically dry nature.
But Yeon Seonha was different.
No matter how uninterestingly Hongdan acted, he stubbornly hovered beside him. Not offering clumsy comfort or sympathy, but providing him with necessary things at appropriate times.
Honestly, the things he offered had a somewhat luxurious and naive aspect, so they weren’t necessarily the type of items Hongdan needed. Moreover, Hongdan had lived in poverty for quite a long time, so most things were just briefly missed if absent.
However, being with Seonha definitely improved his quality of life. He could at least imitate normalcy and blend in with others.
In other words, before marriage, Hongdan cultivated his life well even without Seonha, but it was also undeniable that he enjoyed abundance thanks to him.
So he couldn’t just let those words Seonha just spat out pass by. Hongdan looked up at Seonha with a more compliant attitude than before. Seonha, who had been avoiding his gaze here and there, also swallowed dry saliva once, then straightened his head and spoke in a resolute voice.
“If you help me find my memory for 3 months, I’ll give you half of all my assets.”
It took Hongdan quite a while to understand those words. His mouth just opened slightly, unable to show any particular reaction. Then Seonha leaned his upper body to close the distance and kindly confirmed once more.
“If you just live with me for 3 months, I’ll give you half of all my assets.”
Half…?
“It’s all yours, Hongdan.”
Saying he’ll give half of his assets.
The only heir of Yeonhwa Group, the number one conglomerate in the country, saying he’ll provide half of all his assets to the ex-husband he split with a year ago.
So to me. All that money.
“If… this way, it wouldn’t be such a… complete loss, I think…”
When still no particular response came back, Seonha seemed to have lost confidence again. He glanced at Hongdan while drawing out his words.
“If, if alimony feels bad, just think of it as my care fee? Yeah, you can think of it like that…”
About 50 billion for briefly taking in that trash…
Disposal possible after 3 months…
His expression didn’t budge, but Hongdan’s mental calculator was spinning faster and faster.
“Would it still be hard?”
Hard…
“Let’s get along well.”
…As if.
“Huh?”
At the suddenly extended hand, Seonha made a stupid expression. But the person in question had a blunt face. He just shook his extended right hand calmly.
“Shake hands quickly, bastard. Unless you want to sleep in that red bean and salt field today.”
“Uh…”
“Don’t want to? Then get up…”
“No! I like it, I really like it, Hongdan.”
When Hongdan tried to pull his hand back, Seonha, finally coming to his senses, urgently clasped it. As if it were his lifeline, he gripped it so tightly that Hongdan’s fingertips turned deathly pale.
A clear smile bloomed on the face looking up at Hongdan while sitting. A rebuke of ‘who are you to be smiling’ should have rightfully followed, but this time, one corner of Hongdan’s mouth was also slightly raised. Though Hongdan didn’t realize it, the response that followed was also quite generous.
“It’s a fixed-term reunion, starting today.”
At least among the words Hongdan spat at Seonha today.
Right, whether it’s trash or whatever, let’s just take it first and see. He’s giving 50 billion for 3 months.
If it really smells too bad, I’ll throw it away then.
“Let’s stick together and mooch off each other for exactly 3 months.”
This time Hongdan directly balanced both corners of his mouth. Only then did it become the face of Hongdan that Seonha remembered.
