By Zephyria After grabbing Yumin’s bare feet, which were wearing nothing, Tae-jun lifted his leg. As he put his toes in his mouth and sucked, Yumin was startled.
“Ah! D-don’t!”
“Stay still.”
As he slid his tongue between his toes, Yumin let out a dying groan. It seemed his sensitive spots were indeed correct. Tae-jun persistently bit Yumin’s instep and licked around his ankle bone.
“Stop… please.”
Yumin clasped his hands together and pleaded. His exhausted expression was evident, but Tae-jun’s own situation downstairs was urgent. Tae-jun crushed him as if folding Yumin in half at the waist, aligning the tip of his penis with the softened hole.
“Ah!”
“Hng.”
His glans was large and hard, making entry difficult. He thought it would be fine since he had accepted his thrusts many times, but it seemed his body had become narrow again after a break from sex for a while. Tae-jun firmly held Yumin’s pelvis and thrust his penis in. With a thump, his lower half opened.
“Ah!”
Thick fluid spurted from Yumin. He had reached climax from the stimulation inside the hole alone, even without being touched beforehand. Yumin trembled violently and wrapped his arms around Tae-jun’s neck. Tae-jun willingly responded to the gesture, beginning to thrust.
“Aah! Ah!”
As the stimulation of penetration poured in while the pleasure of climax had not yet subsided, a thrill ran down his spine. The faster the penetration, the greater the pleasure became.
Tae-jun pressed Yumin’s wrists down onto the bed. It was an instinctive movement to bind his partner so they couldn’t escape during intercourse. Wanting to restrain Yumin completely, he gripped his slender wrists until they felt like they would be crushed.
“Yumin-ah.”
At the moment of climax, Tae-jun looked down into Yumin’s eyes. His face, wandering somewhere between pain and pleasure, was lovely. The strange movements and expressions, everything had originated because of him. That fact gave Tae-jun intense satisfaction.
The force thrusting inside became incredibly rough. Tae-jun, who had been pounding as if to penetrate deep into Yumin’s belly, finally gritted his teeth and ejaculated. Even amidst this, Yumin scratching his shoulders and back to cling to him felt endearing.
You are mine. As I always say, you are the mate I chose.
Tae-jun murmured to himself as he kissed the bridge of Yumin’s nose. Wouldn’t it be foolish to let go of such sweet prey? He would never let go. No, if he could possess Yumin even in death, he would gladly do so.
After going through the Great Heat Period, Yumin was bedridden for several days. His stamina was depleted, and his overworked lower body ached so much he couldn’t walk properly. Tae-jun, the cause of it all, attended to Yumin all day.
“Beom Tae-jun. I’m so tired.”
“I’m sorry. What can I do for you?”
“Grant me one wish.”
“What is it?”
“Actually, I want to see a Christmas tree.”
Tae-jun looked surprised at Yumin’s words.
“A tree? You’ve never seen one?”
“Not yet…”
“How did that happen?”
“This is a mountain village. No one prepares for Christmas. Even adults don’t attach meaning to Christmas.”
“I see. I didn’t know.”
This place, a clan village of the Go family, was so old-fashioned it could be mistaken for a historical drama set. It wasn’t rustic or backward, but with no tall buildings and everyone living in tiled-roof houses, it sometimes felt like the Joseon Dynasty.
“We don’t even play Santa. Other kids grew up believing in fake Santas, but the adults here weren’t interested in that sort of thing.”
Yumin looked quite dejected. Tae-jun stroked the crown of his round head and fell into deep thought.
“Alright. Then this year, I’ll make you a Christmas tree.”
“Really?”
“I don’t lie.”
“I’m so happy!”
Yumin kissed Tae-jun’s cheek with a smack. Even adults over twenty look forward to Christmas presents. Yumin, who was about to experience a proper Christmas for the first time in his life, was excited.
He was so thrilled that as soon as December began, he took out a large calendar and hung it up. Each day that passed, he drew a big ‘X’ on the date. He also enjoyed listening to Christmas carols. The twins, who had just started walking, danced along to the songs.
Finally, it was Christmas Eve. Since his parents had taken the twins early, only Yumin and Tae-jun were in bed. It was a thoughtful gesture so they could spend time together.
Yumin found it hard to fall asleep. He was curious about what kind of tree Tae-jun had prepared. He had actually looked around the house earlier, but the tree wasn’t visible. Thinking he might have hidden it, he searched closets and cupboards, but found no trace.
Where on earth did he hide it…
He would know when morning came. Yumin smiled contentedly and drifted off to sleep.
A few hours later, just as the sun rose, Yumin woke up. He stirred because the warmth of Tae-jun, who should have been beside him, was gone, and opened his eyes.
“Where did he go…”
Checking the cold bedsheet, Yumin sat up. Then, he saw an unfamiliar object at the head of the bed. A large, pitch-black, sock-shaped pouch.
“Oh?!”
Thinking it was Santa’s gift bag, Yumin smiled broadly and rummaged inside the sock. A small card was in his hand. Opening it, he saw Tae-jun’s handwriting.
Come to the pine tree on the back mountain.
Yumin jumped up and put on his clothes. He bundled up, wearing the black fur gloves and black hat Tae-jun had bought him. Laughter kept escaping him.
On his way running to the back mountain, Yumin spotted two large shadows in the distance. One was Tae-jun, and the other was a snowman.
“Wow…”
Yumin marveled at the snowman, which was as tall as Tae-jun. He couldn’t believe how big it was. Tae-jun approached, hugged Yumin tightly, and asked,
“How is it?”
“I love it. It’s exciting!”
“Shall we have a snowball fight?”
“Okay! I’ll win!”
The two of them forgot about time, engrossed in their snowball fight. Yumin mostly took the offensive, while Tae-jun was busy dodging. If he wanted to, Tae-jun, who was taller and bigger, could easily defeat Yumin, but he knew how to restrain himself. Of course, he didn’t seem to know how to restrain himself during sex with Yumin.
After rolling around in the snow for a long time, Yumin suddenly said, as if he had realized something.
“Wait a minute.”
“Why?”
Tae-jun, who was making a very small and soft snowball to be considerate of Yumin, turned his head to look at him. Yumin narrowed his eyes and asked Tae-jun accusingly,
“You’re going easy on me, aren’t you?”
“Haha, it must be your imagination.”
“Are you going to keep hurting a man’s pride?”
With Yumin pressing him like that, Tae-jun had nothing to say. Finally, he raised his hands and declared surrender.
“I’m not going easy on you. I’m really doing my best.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Tae-jun couldn’t help but laugh at Yumin’s sulky, cute expression. Annoyed by that again, Yumin tried to kick Tae-jun’s shin with his foot. Fortunately, Tae-jun, with his quick reflexes, noticed and quickly stepped back, so there was no bloodshed.
“Let’s fight properly! Come at me!”
“Alright, alright. But Yumin-ah, let’s do the snowball fight later. We have somewhere to go.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a place you’ll really like.”
“Really?”
“We’re going on a trip.”
“What!”
“Let’s go get your passport, right now.”
“Don’t tell me it’s an overseas trip?”
Yumin’s ears perked up at the sudden remark. He didn’t realize it yet, but his wildcat ears had perked up due to the excitement of the snowball fight. Tae-jun had already secretly taken a few photos. Tae-jun slowly opened his mouth, his gaze fixed on Yumin’s animal ears.
“You said you wanted to get into the Christmas spirit. Just trust me and follow me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Yumin’s words could be understood in two ways. First, why didn’t he tell him the destination in advance? Second, why didn’t he say anything when his animal ears popped out? Surprised, Yumin put on the black hat he had in his pocket and glared at Tae-jun, but he just pretended not to know.
“Because you were cute.”
“Hmm.”
Still, Yumin was weak to Tae-jun’s compliments. Since there was no one else on the back mountain, there was no real problem with letting his ears show. Speechless, Yumin pressed Tae-jun again,
“Then this…”
“What?”
“When did you prepare this without me knowing?”
Tae-jun lightly kissed Yumin’s cheek and smiled. His eyes were full of boundless love and affection for Yumin. Still, Yumin felt he had to question him.
“I just looked into things on my own. It wasn’t difficult.”
“Still…”
“I wanted it to be a surprise gift. So don’t be angry, okay?”
Yumin’s heart softened slightly at Tae-jun’s rare display of affection, and he pretended to be displeased, hmph, turning his head away. Then Tae-jun gently put his arm around Yumin’s shoulder, making him look at him.
“It’s a long flight. We still have a long way to go, so get some sleep.”
“I’m too nervous to sleep.”
“You shouldn’t be tired. We have a lot to do when we get there, so let’s sleep a bit.”
Yumin turned and rested his head on Tae-jun’s shoulder. Leaning on his firm shoulder and feeling his warm body temperature, sleep miraculously came over him.
“Don’t leave me behind…”
Whatever his anxiety was, Yumin mumbled nonsensically. Tae-jun chuckled again, thinking it was probably sleep-talking, but finding him so endearing.
They were on a plane bound for New York. In three hours, they would arrive in New York. The plane, carrying them towards the dazzling night view filled with Christmas carols, flew leisurely.
“Wow…”
As he exited the airport, Yumin’s mouth fell open in amazement. Although less so than Seoul, the weather was still quite chilly. Tae-jun, following behind, wrapped a scarf around Yumin’s neck. Yumin was still busy admiring his surroundings.
“How is it?”
“I can’t believe it. It feels like a dream… I’m in New York for Christmas.”
Yumin’s eyes sparkled. Tae-jun tightened the scarf, put on his hat, and kissed Yumin’s forehead before letting him go.
“It’s not a dream.”
“It’s unbelievable.”
Just a short while ago, they were having a blast snowball fighting on the mountain behind their house. Now, they found themselves in the middle of New York. Yumin’s head was spinning from the developments he couldn’t keep up with.
For Yumin, who was on an impromptu trip for the first time, Tae-jun had made extensive preparations. Even as they drove to the hotel with Yumin staring blankly, Yumin kept exclaiming in admiration. Perhaps overwhelmed by the scenery, which was different from Seoul, even the way he pressed his face against the window to look outside seemed cute.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Yeah, I was really surprised when I first came up to Seoul, but this is no joke either.”
“Let’s come out often. And bring the kids when they grow up.”
“Okay!”
“Sigh, I can live now…”
The two of them were lying in the bathtub as if they had collapsed. No matter how exciting it was, fatigue was a separate matter. Exhausted from traveling, Yumin had collapsed onto the bed as soon as they entered the hotel. Tae-jun, coaxing Yumin, brought him to the bathtub and washed him with warm water. As the tension in his body eased, Yumin, feeling drowsy, leaned comfortably in Tae-jun’s arms.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s warm.”
Tae-jun, who was hugging Yumin from behind and kissing his neck, asked. Yumin nodded honestly.
Before starting their trip in earnest, they agreed to take time to recharge. There was no rush anyway. Yumin’s parents would take good care of the children, and there was nothing to worry about.
“This is so nice. Thank you.”
“Wait a moment, I have something for you.”
“What is it?”
Yumin turned his head to look at Tae-jun. He smiled wordlessly and gently lifted Yumin’s wrist. Before Yumin could realize what was happening, a bracelet was placed on his wrist.
“This is…”
“A Christmas present.”
Not flashy, but simple and elegantly designed, the bracelet looked quite expensive even to Yumin, who knew nothing about jewelry. The craftsmanship was precise, and above all, its subtle luster caught the eye.
Cats like shiny things. They have a habit of tapping bracelets and necklaces with small bells or charms with their front paws. That’s true for any cat, and Yumin was no exception.
“When did you prepare something like this?”
Overwhelmed by Tae-jun’s successive surprise gifts, Yumin’s heart filled with emotion. As his voice trembled without him realizing it, Tae-jun hugged him from behind. The warmth emanating from their bare skin touching made Yumin’s heart even more tender.
“I wanted to do it all if we were going to do it. Do you like it?”
“Yes, I like it very much.”
Yumin turned his body slightly, wrapped his arms around Tae-jun’s neck, and they shared a long, deep kiss. Their lips were so sweet that they couldn’t stop kissing.
“Haa…”
“Yumin-ah.”
Tae-jun’s voice was low and husky. Yumin, anticipating what would happen next based on experience, stopped Tae-jun for a moment. While Yumin also wanted to make passionate love in the bathroom, there was something he had to do first.
“Just a moment.”
“Why?”
Tae-jun asked impatiently. Yumin found his anxious expression, so different from his usual calm and collected demeanor, endearing, and brought his lips to Tae-jun’s cheek. Tae-jun then hugged him tightly, as if not wanting to miss a single detail of Yumin. Leaning in Tae-jun’s embrace, Yumin whispered softly,
“I have something for you too, Tae-jun-ah.”
“What is it?”
It was unexpected for Tae-jun. He hadn’t sensed Yumin preparing a separate gift, and he was curious what he was going to give him.
“It’s a gift, well. Should I call it a gift? It’s a gift, right.”
“What on earth is it?”
“Shh, come closer to my ear.”
Yumin pulled Tae-jun closer and whispered in his ear.
“Name the third one.”
At first, Tae-jun couldn’t understand what he meant. After a moment, Tae-jun, who had interpreted the meaning a beat late,’s eyes widened. Tae-jun let out a thunderous cheer that echoed through the mountains like a tiger.
“The third one? Really?!”
“Would I lie?”
“No… I’m just so surprised. Really?”
“Yes, congratulations on becoming a father of three. Now you have three children.”
Yumin said with a smile. Although he pretended to be upset on the outside, he was also more delighted than anyone else about the conception of a new life. In fact, he had initially thought of wrapping the ultrasound photo as a Christmas gift.
However, he was unexpectedly dragged to New York, and ended up leaving the gift at home. He debated what to do, whether to tell him when they returned, but decided to give him the gift while spending a cozy Christmas far away.
Tae-jun was happier than expected. Seeing his reaction, Yumin’s heart was filled with happiness and affection.
“I’ll do even better.”
“Of course. You’re raising the third one too!”
“I mean it. Yumin-ah, I love you.”
“I love you too. So much.”
“I love you more.”
“No way? I was the one who made the first move!”
“You have to look at the present. My love is much bigger.”
Without waiting for the other, they found each other’s lips and kissed. Sweet carols seemed to ring in Yumin’s ears. The air was soft, and the body heat of the embracing lovers was warmer than anything in the world.
On the night Santa Claus gives gifts to good children, the two of them exchanged a gift they would never forget.
< Epilogue 1. Baby Baby Baby Complete >
Side Story Wildcat 3.2. Memory Room
Tae-jun
Darling, leave work on time today. I’ll prepare dinner.
Okay. Sounds good.
Tae-jun
After dinner, you know?
We’re going to make a fourth? Haha.
Tae-jun
That’s right. Put the kids to bed early tonight.
Yumin chuckled as he looked at his phone’s message window. The messages from his cute and erotic husband felt especially lovely today.
“This is bad. I miss Tae-jun so much I can’t get any work done.”
Yumin rubbed his flushed cheeks and kissed his phone.
When he didn’t reply for a few minutes, another text arrived from Tae-jun.
Tae-jun
Honey. Are you busy?
I guess I’m bothering my darling again. But I love my darling so much.
I’ll gain strength thinking of you this afternoon too!
4 hours until quitting time. Ding ding~ Ba-bam.
“Ah, Tae-jun loves me so much.”
Yumin snickered. It was already their seventh year of marriage, and after twins, they had a third son. It felt like they met just the other day, but looking back, their history together was quite long.
The day he came up to the city to find a husband, he fell for Tae-jun at the freshman welcome party at first sight. Since then, their love had never cooled for a single moment.
To receive such passionate love, I am a happy wildcat.
Unconsciously, his wildcat ears perked up. A purring sound rumbled in his throat.
After graduating from college, Yumin joined a large corporation’s fashion division. He loved dressing up, so it was an industry he had consistently prepared for. He took many leaves of absence while raising three children. Still, thanks to Tae-jun and his parents’ help, he was able to manage his school life without parenting stress.
Tae-jun was hired as an executive at the massive construction company owned by the Beom family. Tae-jun, recognized for his abilities, was extremely busy, as was Yumin. The couple lived for the joy of meeting and dating after work. Although they couldn’t spend 24 hours together like they did in college, they could endure it by contacting each other frequently.
“Hoo… I miss you…”
Yumin murmured, fiddling with the family photo on his desk. The twin brothers, who looked like spirited children, and their third son, who had just turned one, filled the frame with the couple. Tae-jun’s profile, holding the children tightly but never taking his eyes off Yumin, was reassuring. A male who becomes a beast at night but is endlessly affectionate during the day. Yumin’s mate was perfect.
“…nim.”
“He’s so handsome. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Assistant Manager Go Yumin!”
A loud voice came from beside him. Startled, Yumin pulled his ears back and looked at the colleague next to him.
“Yes, Assistant Manager.”
“Assistant Manager. Your phone keeps ringing.”
“Huh?”
“It’s ringing right now. You should probably answer it.”
Lost in admiring the photo, he hadn’t even felt his phone vibrate. Yumin quickly picked up his phone.
The caller ID showed a completely unknown number, a landline from the Seoul area.
“Hello?”
Is this Mr. Go Yumin? This is the emergency room at Korea University Hospital.
“What?! A hospital…?”
Yes. We need you to come to the hospital right away.
“What, what happened?”
No one around Yumin was sick. He had never even been to Korea University Hospital.
Mr. Beom Tae-jun has been brought to our hospital. We contacted you as his spouse.
“What? Tae-jun… is hurt? Where? How did it happen?”
That… you’ll need to come here to hear the details. Please come quickly.
“Uh… where do I go? The emergency room?!”
What on earth was this? Yumin was dumbfounded. Was he seriously injured? Could it be life-threatening? As his thoughts tangled into a mess, the nurse on the other end of the line calmly said one thing.
It’s the Neuro-Neurosurgery Center.
“What?”
Please hurry.
The call ended. Yumin dropped his phone with a thud. The sound jolted him back to reality.
“Everyone, I’m so sorry, but I… I have to go. My husband is hurt, he’s hurt.”
“Assistant Manager, are you alright?”
“Assistant Manager Go, can you drive? Take a taxi.”
“Ah, right. Driving… I shouldn’t. I’m not in good condition right now… Thank you. I’ll take a taxi.”
Yumin quickly threw on his black jacket. Leaving his worried colleagues behind, he opened the office door and left.
It was drizzling outside. He didn’t have the presence of mind to grab an umbrella, so Yumin ran out to the street, getting soaked in the downpour. Perhaps because of the weather, taxis were hard to come by. No matter how much he waved, taxis with passengers simply drove past, splashing rainwater.
“Please, please.”
After waiting for nearly ten minutes, Yumin finally managed to hail a taxi.
“Please take me to Korea University Hospital.”
“Yes.”
Yumin clasped his hands in the back seat and prayed. He was his one and only husband, his partner. Please, let him not be badly hurt. Please, let him come home without any incident.
“Haa… But she said Neuro-Neurosurgery Center…”
The nurse earlier had told him to come to the Neuro-Neurosurgery Center. Did he hit his head? It felt too ominous. Yumin nervously bit his nails, enduring what felt like an eternity of 20 minutes.
Finally arriving in front of the hospital, he practically flew out of the taxi.
It was a large general hospital, so finding his way was not easy. Frantically looking around, he searched for where the Neuro-Neurosurgery Center was. After several wrong turns, Yumin found the Neuro-Neurosurgery Center on the 4th floor of the hospital’s annex. He couldn’t wait for the elevator and ran up to the 4th floor. Finally, the center’s entrance came into view.
“Huff, huff. I’m Go Yumin, guardian of patient Beom Tae-jun.”
“You’ve arrived. We were waiting.”
The nurse at the desk stood up abruptly and greeted Yumin. She quickly made an internal call from the desk and, after a moment, said to Yumin.
“…Please follow me.”
The nurse guided Yumin down a path next to the desk. Hurrying after her, he saw a long corridor lined with hospital rooms. Yumin swallowed hard and continued to follow the nurse. Then, abruptly. The nurse stopped in front of a room.
“The professor is making rounds, so they will be with Mr. Beom Tae-jun in his room.”
“Ah, yes.”
The nurse opened the door. The room was a luxurious private room, but a curtain was drawn around the bed, so Tae-jun was not visible. Instead, he first met a doctor with a grim expression.
The doctor lowered his eyes as if troubled and stepped aside, saying.
“You must be Mr. Go Yumin. For now… please greet Mr. Beom Tae-jun.”
“Greet him?”
“Yes. Please greet him first.”
Yumin blinked, unable to understand what the doctor was saying. Then, at the doctor’s firm gesture, he took trembling steps towards the bed.
Swish- The curtain was pulled back. On the white bed lay Tae-jun, his head bandaged. His lips were slightly chapped, and there was a purplish bruise on his cheekbone.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be in life-threatening condition. There was no oxygen mask or even the usual IV drip.
“He wasn’t badly hurt. That’s a relief.”
It was the moment Yumin was about to sigh in relief. He rushed forward to embrace Tae-jun, but Tae-jun scowled and overtly showed his displeasure.
“Tae-jun, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
Yumin asked cautiously. Tae-jun replied with a serious expression.
“Who are you?”
“…What?”
“I don’t believe we’ve met. Who are you, exactly?”
Yumin doubted his own ears. He wondered what Tae-jun was talking about.
“Tae-jun… It’s me, Yumin. Go Yumin.”
“You said earlier you had a husband, so that must be you.”
Tae-jun sighed as if he had a headache. Yumin’s heart sank. Tae-jun didn’t recognize Yumin. No matter how this had happened, in this moment, Tae-jun seemed like a stranger to Yumin.
Yumin stood frozen, like a lifeless statue. As he stood there bewildered, the doctor approached him.
“I will explain. Patient Beom Tae-jun is showing symptoms of amnesia.”
“W-what? Amnesia?”
The doctor nodded with a grave expression. Yumin’s eyes widened to their limit. It was a shock as if someone had hit him on the head with a hammer.
“The patient was brought in two hours ago due to a multi-car pile-up. The injuries are not severe, but as you can see, he seems to have hit his head hard. We’ve questioned him several times, and he’s diagnosed with memory loss for a certain period before the accident.”
“A certain period? What did he forget?”
“There are no issues with his intelligence or knowledge. However…”
The doctor hesitated for a moment before answering.
“He seems to remember only up to his university entrance, around the time he turned twenty, and all memories after that have evaporated.”
“What? Evaporated?!”
Yumin’s legs wobbled. They had met as fresh twenty-year-olds, married, and had three adorable sons. They had shared life for seven years, and he had forgotten it all. It was unbelievable.
“Is… is it true? Tae-jun. You don’t know me? We were in the same department. We went to university together!”
“Then are you also in Korea University’s Business Administration department?”
“Of course. We met at university. Do you really not remember?”
“Hmm…”
“You said your memory goes back to when you were twenty. That’s around the time you entered university. Yet you don’t know me?”
Tae-jun couldn’t answer immediately. Instead, he roughly ran his hand over his face with his injured hand. He seemed to be thinking deeply. He then shook his head left and right and said in a cold voice.
“I’ve never seen you before.”
“…”
“The last thing I remember is… yesterday was the entrance ceremony.”
“…If yesterday was the entrance ceremony…”
“Today… there’s a freshman welcome party later. I was getting ready to go out. That’s all I remember, and nothing else.”
Tae-jun’s words made Yumin’s breath catch. The first time they met was at the freshman welcome party. Therefore, it was natural that Yumin wasn’t in Tae-jun’s memory.
“Ah… Wh-what do I do.”
Yumin sank to his knees on the floor. His head spun. He collapsed onto the floor. He could hear the doctor and nurse calling out to him to snap out of it from afar, but he was too stunned to maintain his composure.
After the commotion subsided, Yumin completed Tae-jun’s admission procedures. The doctor had advised him to stay at the hospital for at least one day to monitor his condition.
After completing the paperwork, Yumin contacted his company to explain the situation. The staff were surprised to hear that his husband was being hospitalized, even though the injury wasn’t severe. Since it had come to this, they pushed him to take a few days off to properly care for him, and Yumin was granted a short leave.
He was relieved not to have to go to work. However, taking care of the children was a problem. Fortunately, the twins were visiting Yumin’s Noona for a while as it was their vacation. Perhaps because they would be entering elementary school next year, they had become mature enough to stay at a relative’s house on their own.
The third child was only 18 months old and attended daycare. Yumin had been working short hours, dropping off and picking up the child during his commute. However, he wouldn’t be able to send the child to daycare for the time being as he needed to focus on caring for his husband.
He had no choice but to carry the infant and tend to his husband. Yumin felt pathetic about his situation, but he gritted his teeth, knowing he was the only one who could protect his beloved partner.
Yumin went home to pack his things. He explained the situation to the daycare and picked up the child. It was a difficult journey back to the hospital, carrying the baby in a carrier and holding bags in both hands.
When he returned to the room, Tae-jun was still acting distant. Yumin patiently spoke as kindly as possible.
“Tae-jun, I brought some clothes and underwear for you to change into.”
“…My clothes?”
“Yes. I brought them from home.”
“Why would someone else touch my things… I’m not the type to let others carelessly handle my clothes.”
“Carelessly? We’re married, what’s careless about it?”
“Hmm, it still feels strange.”
Tae-jun folded his arms without touching the bag of clothes. Yumin, feeling offended again, asked defensively.
“What’s strange?”
“That you and I are married. Is it perhaps a lie?”
“Hah, that’s a ridiculous question. Why do you think so?”
“Because I wouldn’t have married someone of your type.”
Tae-jun looked Yumin up and down and then threw the words out. Yumin’s face turned red with anger.
“Wh-what do you mean…”
“Judging by your face and your body, you’re not the type I’d find attractive at all. The fact that we’re married, honestly, I can’t believe it.”
“…Beom Tae-jun!”
“What was my future self thinking, making such a choice? Haa, I don’t understand.”
Yumin’s blood ran cold. In terms of their past relationship, Yumin was the one who had been captivated by Tae-jun first and pursued him. Later, Tae-jun had also fallen for Yumin, albeit belatedly.
Because he remembered that fact clearly, Yumin couldn’t find a retort. Based on first impressions alone, it would be difficult for Tae-jun to fall for him. Tae-jun, who had lost his memory and returned to being twenty, was the same.
“Sob…”
Yumin lowered his head. Tears welled up in his tightly closed eyes. He couldn’t bear the sorrow. The child sleeping peacefully in the baby carrier woke up and started crying.
“Waaah!”
“Sob… sob, do you really not know me? How could this happen!”
“Waaah, waaaah!”
The third child was usually good-natured, but at that moment, he cried at the top of his lungs. Perhaps he sensed Yumin’s anxious state.
“Oh, sob, don’t cry. Baby, stop crying, okay?”
Yumin hugged the child and comforted him. As he patted the child’s back and sobbed, Tae-jun, unable to stand it any longer, opened his mouth as if to ask.
“I’ve been wondering since earlier, who is that child?”
He looked very suspicious. There was no affectionate gaze as he usually looked at children.
“Don’t tell me it’s my child?”
Yumin’s heart shattered at the sharp tone. The third child, like the first, was a Tiger Beastman who strongly resembled Tae-jun. He still vividly remembered how happy Tae-jun was when their third child was born. Tae-jun had even personally chosen the name Tae-ho.
“Ah… Right. He wouldn’t remember the kids either.”
Yumin muttered dejectedly. Tae-jun’s expression grew more serious, and he asked again.
“Is… is he my child?”
“Yes! He’s your child. Just look at him.”
Yumin turned the child around so his face was visible. His thick eyebrows and upturned eyes bore an uncanny resemblance to Tae-jun. Tae-jun, perhaps acknowledging the resemblance, fell silent.
“It’s not just him. We have three.”
Tae-jun gasped and his eyes widened.
“You have three children? You and I had three children… That’s impossible. I’m only twenty! I’m too young to be a married man!”
Tae-jun became agitated, as if he couldn’t handle it. Yumin felt a surge of anger at his denial of the children’s existence. How could he deny them after having three? Even if his mental age had regressed, Tae-jun was too hateful.
“Be quiet!”
Yumin roared with an incredibly loud voice. Tae-jun flinched in surprise and took a step back.
“You were the one who pushed for marriage! And you got me pregnant without me knowing!!”
“Really?”
“Of course, really. Do you think I’d make something like that up?”
Yumin yelled back fiercely, glaring at Tae-jun. His sadness had turned into anger. He wanted to teach Tae-jun a lesson for constantly ignoring him. Tae-jun had to quickly return to being 27 and become Yumin and the children’s devoted partner again.
“Beom Tae-jun, let’s have a match.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll get your memory back. I’ll make you love me again!”