SMW 14

I threw the rag on the floor and headed toward the main wooden veranda. I reached for the handle of the sliding door to the room where Choi Seol was, but I lowered my hand when I heard the sound of a vacuum cleaner from inside. I figured barging in suddenly wasn’t a great idea. Instead, I approached the cabinet in the corner of the veranda. There, my mother had stocked various teas and an electric kettle.

To have a conversation, I needed to set the mood. If I tempted him to take a break and have a cup of tea, Choi Seol would probably agree, pretending he couldn’t refuse. Hot tea in the middle of summer was a bit odd, but as they say, fight fire with fire.

I filled the electric kettle with water and pressed the power button. Boil quickly. As I watched it with impatience, I felt as though the boiling time was dragging on agonizingly slow today. Just as I reached into the cabinet for the tea leaf canister to get things ready, something thumped down at my feet. It was a manila envelope.

I knew immediately what was in that envelope. It contained the documents Noona had printed out at Choi Seol’s request—his current address and other personal details. For a moment, the strength left my shoulders.

What was the point of talking about it now? Maybe Noona mentioning his seventeen-year-old age had led me into a delusion. Even if he had lost his memories, the current Choi Seol was the same bastard I knew—the one who had gifted me a cruel spring and then vanished.

Don’t be mistaken. Han Yeo-reum is neither a friend nor anything else.

I mustn’t be mistaken. Though our ties had somehow been reconnected, my first love and unrequited crush had ended ten years ago. Actually, even a week would have been too long. Three days were enough for us—who were neither friends nor anything else—to meet, part, and return to being strangers.

With a beep signal, the water began to boil. It felt like waking up from a dream. Instead of picking up the tea canister, I turned my head and stared at Choi Seol, who was standing beyond the threshold.

“Are you done cleaning?”

“Not yet. The vacuum doesn’t reach under the bookshelf, so I was going to get a broom.”

As he spoke, Choi Seol’s gaze shifted to the envelope in my hand.

“I’ll find the broom for you. And this—it fell on my foot while I was trying to take out the tea canister.”

Choi Seol took the envelope without a word. He didn’t seem like he was going to open it immediately, though. I hesitated before speaking.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you headed home?”

Choi Seol, who had been staring silently at the envelope, looked up. I couldn’t read a single thought from his expression.

“Do you… want me to go?”

There it was again. That feeling that I’d made a mistake. However, I couldn’t keep delaying this by walking on eggshells.

“Of course you should go. You don’t even know what the situation is at the house you lived in, and… who knows? Maybe a lover is waiting for you.”

It seemed more unusual that someone with that face and body wouldn’t be seeing anyone. If he were married, Noona would have told me already. In the first place, there wouldn’t have been such a headache over the guardian issue. But there are many connections in the world that cannot be proven on paper. Even if they weren’t blood-related, there could be someone he loved just as much, or the possibility of a cohabitant.

“So, the sooner you go, the better…”

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Do you have a lover?”

“…Me?”

“Yeah.”

Why did I feel like he kept turning the conversation back to me? Moreover, his aura seemed to have sharpened slightly, making me flinch as I shook my head.

“Not right now.”

“Right now?”

“How old do you think I am? You think I’ve never had a lover? We broke up while I was in the army. So I’m single now.”

Of course, we didn’t break up because I went to the army. I had gone to surprise her during my leave without saying anything, only to find her rolling around with some young punk, so I’d practically rendered him impotent before dumping her. I still hadn’t gotten over it; just thinking about it made me grit my teeth. I quickly looked at Choi Seol. As expected, handsomeness was the best way to bring peace to the mind. Bolstered by this hard-won tranquility, I continued.

“Of course, I think I know why you’re reluctant to go, but let’s look on the bright side. You might feel anxious now because you don’t know anyone but me, but you never know how things will turn out. When you go home, there might be people other than me that you remember…”

“No, that’s not it.”

I shut my mouth, startled by his firm tone.

“I don’t have anything like that… I just… you…”

Choi Seol’s face contorted. He parted his lips several times as if swallowing the words he wanted to say, then abruptly turned his back.

“I’m not finished cleaning yet. Let’s talk later.”

“W-wait. Choi Seol…”

Choi Seol ultimately ignored my words and disappeared into the room. Left alone on the veranda, I stared blankly at the closed sliding door and let out a hollow laugh.

“What is wrong with that guy?”

Judging by his attitude just now, I felt like I was the only one making mistakes again. It was uncomfortable to keep feeling this way. Normally, Choi Seol should have recovered his health and returned to the house Noona told him about. Even if he regained his memories, it would have been right to start from there. Yet, the manila envelope remained sealed.

What on earth does he want?

It’s not like he wants to play “school days nostalgia” with me here.

That’s why I looked for you. I missed Yeo-reum.

Right, there was that too.

Recalling Choi Seol from that dawn, I reflexively rubbed the back of my neck. It felt as if the heat still lingered there. I’d thought this before, but he was surprisingly casual about physical contact with others.

It was like that when we first met. And when he lent me a book…

Wait, didn’t he say under the bookshelf earlier?

I looked at the door Choi Seol had entered. For a moment, I felt my blood run cold. I was about to rush into the room, but I stopped and grabbed the broom I had tucked away in the corner of the veranda. Then, this time, I burst through the door and into the room.

“Choi Seol, I forgot, the broom is—gasp!”

Choi Seol was staring intently at a cover featuring a little wizard. I was screwed. Despite my loud entrance, Choi Seol didn’t take his eyes off the book. His expression was completely unreadable. Feeling that I shouldn’t be the first to speak, I stood there nervously clutching the broom.

“This.”

Choi Seol finally spoke to me.

“It was fallen under the bookshelf.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t this the one that hit your foot before?”

“I-is it?”

“Seems so. Otherwise, there’d be no reason for a book to be stuck there.”

Yeah, there is. Because of you.

If it weren’t for Choi Seol, that book would have long been wrapped in a plastic cover and tucked safely into my treasure box. But that wasn’t the problem.

“By the way, what’s going on?”

Choi Seol asked casually as he slid the book back into the shelf.

“I just brought the broom you were looking for.”

I was glad I brought it. But I didn’t expect to use it as an excuse like this. If he hadn’t seen it at all, it would be one thing, but since he found the book, I thought he would naturally interrogate me about why I had it.

“Just leave it there, and I’ll use it when I need it. Thanks.”

That was it.

Why isn’t he saying anything?

Choi Seol turned his gaze back toward the bookshelf as if he didn’t care whether I stayed or left. I thought he would recognize it immediately. Even with amnesia, he remembered everything from the period when he would have known that book. If so, there was only one possible reason.

It must have been a memory not even worth recalling in the first place.

It was a precious memory for me, but for Choi Seol, it must have been nothing. I felt embarrassed for making such a fuss alone, fearing I’d be caught. Wanting to escape the room quickly, I leaned the broom against the wall and turned to leave.

“Oh. There’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a while.”

I stopped and looked back. Choi Seol, who had acted as if he were ignoring me entirely, was walking toward me.

“…What is it?”

“Why did you do it?”

I frowned at the question that lacked any context.

“Do what?”

“Why did you take [stolen content]care of me when [visit our site]we aren’t even friends? Even bringing me to your house.”

“…What?”

Before I could even be flustered by the rapidly closing distance, Choi Seol poured out his words.

“Knowing who I am. How could you trust me?”

“Choi Seol?”

“Han Yeo-reum. How are you going to prove that I’ve lost my memory?”

It felt like I’d been hit in the head.

“Why do I have to prove that?”

“I’m just… curious.”

“Are you perhaps sulking because I told you to go home earlier?”

“Maybe.”

I finally lost my temper at his completely insincere answers.

“Hey. Choi Seol. What exactly are you trying to do with me?”

I could only read his mood so many times. I couldn’t just let this inscrutable guy be anymore. I glared at him, intending to ask Noona to send him home immediately if this was another prank, but for some reason, the mouth that had been teasing me until a moment ago was firmly shut. Instead, the eyes looking at me were incredibly serious.

“I wonder. What on earth do I want to do with you?”

The voice that finally came was low and resonant. Since it wasn’t actually a question, I couldn’t give any answer.

“The only thing I remember is you.”

The distance between us closed even further.

“You’re the only one I can trust, and the house…”

Once again, Choi Seol’s sentence remained unfinished, trapped behind his lips. Instead, his shoulders slumped weakly along with his confused eyes. For a moment, I felt an impulse to reach out.

Honestly, I was shaken—very much so. Seeing him look so desolate, telling me with a face like a seventeen-year-old that he only remembered me, made me feel like I had to do something for him. Today, this house felt incredibly hot.

Get a grip, Han Yeo-reum. That’s not a confession of love. It’s just a twenty-seven-year-old with amnesia acting like a chick, which is totally out of character. My chest felt tight. Instead of reaching out, I took a step back. That was when it happened.

“Whoa!”

My foot caught on something, and I lost my balance, reeling backward. I instinctively tried to grab the door right next to me, but a sudden flash of memory made the strength leave my hand. Missing the timing, I fell backward helplessly. I squeezed my eyes shut.

“…”

“What are you doing?”

Not exactly heavy breathing… but along with a considerably irritated voice, a familiar scent wafted across the tip of my nose.