By Zephyria 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!”