MCMRH 06

Chapter 06….

Ah…

She thought no one was there, but it seemed Hyun had been washing up in the bathroom. His body, covered with nothing but a towel, was still radiating steam.

“Sorry. I thought no one was here.”

Sojeong belatedly apologized, but for some reason Hyun crossed his arms, frowning as if displeased with her reaction.

“Shouldn’t a normal person be surprised?”

“Who says I wasn’t?”

At her genuinely puzzled tone, Hyun raked back his damp hair roughly. Only then did Sojeong understand what he meant.

“Maybe you forgot, but we are technically married. I’ve already seen your naked body hundreds of times.”

She even wondered for a moment how he’d react if she mentioned not only seeing his body, but that they’d done everything married couples do—enough to have a child together.

But what would be the point of saying that now? Especially when Sojeong’s body was already exhausted from playing with Harim and then driving. A nearly naked man in the same bedroom as a woman—sure, the setting was suggestive.

Yet Sojeong simply let out a small yawn, while Hyun just stared at her in disbelief.

“So what did you come here for? To remind me again that we used to be married?”

“No, I came because I have something to tell you.”

With that, Sojeong handed him the folded note she was holding.

“I met Han Sua today.”

“…What? Really?”

“Yes. She also wanted to meet. She wrote the date and time here….”

Ah.

Hyun immediately stepped closer. Water still dripped from his wet hair onto the floor, but he didn’t care. He reached straight for the note.

“Give it here.”

“…Maybe dry off first. If you grab it like that, the note will get soaked.”

“Oh, right.”

Still wearing only a towel, Hyun finally realized his state and retreated into the bathroom. Sojeong silently watched his back as he went.

Her body remembered.

This was actually the very bedroom she and Hyun used to stay in whenever they came to the villa. Sojeong sat on the familiar bed while waiting, her hand brushing over the soft covers. The comfortable feel made her eyelids grow heavy.

…

She didn’t know how much time passed. When Hyun finally emerged fully dressed, Sojeong was already leaning against the pillow, eyes closed. His brows rose.

“What, are you asleep? Seriously sleeping?”

But she was out cold. Realizing she had truly fallen asleep, Hyun’s mouth dropped open.

“What kind of woman just falls asleep in a man’s bedroom….”

He trailed off. On second thought, it wasn’t strange at all—they were supposed to be husband and wife.

Still, he couldn’t accept it. To Hyun, she was just a woman with the legal title of “wife,” someone he’d only seen a handful of times. And now here she was, taking over his bed. His feelings tangled.

No, I should just wake her.

After all, she was occupying his bed. That was reason enough. It was ridiculous that he was even hesitating.

“Come on, wake—”

But as he reached toward her, his eyes caught sight of the note. He paused, then picked it up instead.

I heard your story. I’ll come to the villa tomorrow morning around nine. There’s so much I want to say to you, Hyun.

That handwriting was unmistakable. Hyun recognized it instantly, his grip on the paper tightening. In this sea of unfamiliarity, it was one of the few things that felt familiar.

Knowing he would finally see Sua again made the corners of his mouth lift. It was the first genuine smile he had worn since the accident.

…

But that smile quickly faded—because of Sojeong, sleeping right there before him.

〈No matter what you do, no matter who you meet, don’t forget that you’re married.〉

That had been Kangchan’s parting words when leaving the villa. He clearly disapproved of Hyun meeting Sua, but Hyun’s thoughts were different.

If it was just a marriage of convenience, they could divorce. He could simply pay generous alimony.

Besides, what sort of wife handed over a note from her husband’s ex-girlfriend? That alone proved she had no feelings for him. Just earlier, hadn’t she looked at his bare body with complete indifference?

Let’s get divorced.

That was the conclusion Hyun reached. He didn’t want to maintain a relationship devoid of emotion. He was sure his former self would have regretted such a marriage too. This was simply carrying out the decision that old self would have made.

Heh.

Meanwhile, Sojeong’s head was slowly drooping. Hyun let out a dry chuckle. Then her lips parted, murmuring faintly in her sleep.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… for saving me….”

…

Her words faded to silence. Hyun exhaled softly, then slid an arm under her and laid her properly on the bed.

“What kind of boring sleep-talking is that….”

She frowned slightly, as if in the middle of a nightmare. Hyun looked down at her for a moment, then turned off the light and left the room.

Mmm…

The next morning, sunlight streaming through the curtains woke Sojeong. Still groggy, she opened her eyes and realized she was lying in a bed. She shot upright.

This is…

A bed, with blankets. She pressed her hand to her forehead as she realized she had slept there the whole night.

Good heavens. No matter how tired I was…

She glanced around quickly. The bed was empty—she was alone. She stared down at the blanket covering her.

“Hey, Choi Hyun! Are you still sleeping?”

At that moment, a knock sounded and Kangchan’s voice came through the door.

“If you’re up, hurry out. Madam made breakfast, so before it gets cold— M-Madam?!”

He had walked in without waiting for a reply, only to find Sojeong sitting on the bed. Shock flashed across his face, while she gave him a faintly awkward smile.

“Madam, why are you here… No, more importantly, did you sleep here?”

“I stopped by for something last night, and I must have dozed off. I only just woke up myself.”

“I see. My apologies. I thought only the director was here, so I barged in….”

Looking uncomfortable at the impropriety, Kangchan frowned. Sojeong quickly tried to ease him.

“It’s fine. I’m the one at fault for sleeping here without notice.”

“Still…”

“It’s fine. Just go check on my husband. I’ll be leaving now.”

On the table, breakfast looked freshly set. Remembering it, Kangchan hurried after her.

“At least stay and eat with us, Madam.”

“No, it’s fine. I can eat later.”

She had only intended to stay briefly, but had ended up spending the whole night. As she bent to put on her shoes at the front door, it opened—and Hyun walked in.

“You’re leaving?”

He was dressed in workout clothes, clearly just back from exercising. Meeting her eyes, he smirked.

“So you do feel embarrassed. The way you’re rushing off makes it obvious.”

“I’m sorry for taking your bed. I was so tired, I fell asleep without realizing.”

“Yeah, you even snored.”

At his teasing, her brow twitched.

“…Still, thank you for laying me down properly so I could sleep comfortably.”

“It wasn’t easy, but I can manage up to a hundred kilos, no problem.”

“I don’t weigh anywhere near that.”

“Really? Felt about the same to me.”

Sparks seemed to fly between them. Caught awkwardly between the two, Kangchan fidgeted nervously. In the end, Sojeong raised the white flag.

“…Anyway, I’ll go now. Rest well.”

She slipped on her shoes and stepped outside, Kangchan following close behind. Hyun watched her back before turning into the house again.

“Are you really leaving just like that, Madam?”

“I have plans this afternoon. It’s better to head out early.”

“Ah, you mean the kindergarten mothers’ gathering—”

“Shh.”

She cut him off with a warning gesture. Realizing his slip, Kangchan lowered his voice.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to let that slip….”

“No need for more apologies. Just be careful, in case someone overhears.”

“Yes, of course. Then… the director still doesn’t know about the young miss.”

“…That’s right.”

Sojeong fell silent at his words, then asked quietly:

“Do you also think… that if my husband found out about the child now, he would hate it?”

“…I can’t deny it. Back then, the director hated the idea of having a child of his own.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure of the exact reason… Maybe because the burden of being the chairman’s son was too heavy. Why else would he have gone abroad, practically running away from it all?”

“…I see.”

Her gaze dimmed. Kangchan hurried to add:

“But that was all in the past. Once he regains his memories, I’m sure he’ll love the young miss.”

“…You think so?”

“Of course. For now, it’s best we keep her existence a secret….”

But he couldn’t finish.

Someone appeared behind them.

…

It didn’t take long to realize it was Sua.