SATURDAY 10

Two days later, I officially moved into Mr. Taeseon’s house. I had wondered how things would go once the shaman returned, but unexpectedly, she also supposedly said it would be better for me to enter Mr. Taeseon’s home.

When I arrived, no one was home except for the staff. My luggage consisted of a single trunk, and after the driver who drove me moved it, the staff in charge of cleaning and organizing set everything up systematically.

The organizing was finished quickly. However, I felt like I would never get used to this hotel-like room. Before I knew it, all traces of the staff had vanished. I quietly stepped out of the room. Mr. Taeseon had told me to only frequent the room and the kitchen, but… as I headed to the kitchen, I couldn’t help but keep glancing at the living room.

In the living room, various ornaments that Mr. Taeseon and I had collected were displayed.

“Let’s put this one and this one together. They look like a married couple.”

“Then I should put this one together too.”

“What is it?”

“A baby.”

So my face had turned red for no reason, and I remembered Mr. Taeseon teasing me for it. Since no one is here… it’s the middle of the day, so Mr. Taeseon won’t be back yet. I cautiously headed toward the living room.

On the living room display cabinet, that specific ornament was placed in the most prominent spot. My mood spontaneously became gloomy. These were items we chose together, but now I can’t even look at them as I please.

A little bit… I felt resentful toward Mr. Taeseon.

“Just a little bit….”

I muttered softly and carefully stroked the ornament with my fingertips. It was then. The sound of a room door opening came from the second floor. Startled and flustered, I ended up dropping one of the ornaments.

As I stood there utterly panicked and not knowing what to do, Mr. Taeseon strode over, snatched my arm, and shoved me away.

Unable to withstand the force of the push, I fell to the floor. With a clatter, the impact spread through my whole body. In particular, a fierce pain shot up immediately from the wrist I used to brace myself, and I instinctively let out a groan, “Ugh,” while clutching it with my other hand.

Mr. Taeseon didn’t even pay attention to me; he picked up the ornament, inspected it, and returned it to its place. To my great relief, the ornament wasn’t broken. What a relief. If that had broken, I wouldn’t have been able to handle the consequences.

“What are you doing, creeping around like a thief?”

“….”

I felt like he would have a warmer gaze even if he were looking at an actual thief. Having no words to offer, I just hesitated for a long time. I was flustered and sorrowful, but more than my own emotions, Mr. Taeseon’s face was truly in terrible shape. Even a walking corpse might look healthier than him.

He had been wearing an exhausted face ever since the funeral, and it was getting worse by the day. Right now, really… his rough skin, the hollows under his eyes, the clearly gaunt jawline—I wanted to run to him immediately, tuck him into a warm bed, and stroke him while telling him nothing happened.

But he spoke in a cracked voice.

“There is nothing here that you are permitted to touch. Don’t do anything. In this house, you are nothing more than a thief who stole everything belonging to my lover and fiancé.”

For a moment, I was speechless. I felt my lower jaw tremble slightly and my vision blur.

“…I’m sorry, CEO.”

I barely managed to suppress the urge to call him “Mr. Taeseon.” When I apologized while holding my wrist, Mr. Taeseon, who seemed about to say more, shut his mouth.

I had grown accustomed to not crying even in sad situations. As I kept my eyes cast down, Mr. Taeseon was quiet. I was sure he would pour out more needle-like words….

I slowly raised my head. For some reason, Mr. Taeseon had an extremely confused look on his face. And he looked down at me silently, as if staring at something strange.

With his mouth half-open, his pupils trembled, and his expression was pale. His already bloodless face became even more like a white sheet of paper. Suddenly worried, I called out to him cautiously.

“…CEO?”

Mr. Taeseon turned abruptly and walked right past me, heading up to the second floor. I heard the sound of a room door being roughly opened and then closed.

“….”

Not knowing the reason, I just blinked my eyes until a sharp pain felt in my wrist made me let out an “Ugh” and look down. My wrist was swollen thick.

At this level, it wasn’t a normal injury. At the very least, a ligament was strained or….

I thought it would be best to contact Professor Jang first, but as I went to find my phone, I realized that since waking up in the hospital, I had never contacted anyone or received a call. Naturally, I hadn’t seen my phone either.

Fortunately, there was a house phone. I hesitated, wondering if I was allowed to use the house phone… but he wasn’t the type of person to scold me just for using a telephone. Since I had memorized Mom and Father’s numbers, I called Mom first.

When I explained the situation, Mom answered.

—Your phone was severely damaged, so it was discarded, and I have Inyoung’s. I think it’s better to just buy a new one; is that okay?

“Ah…. Yes, Mom. And also.”

—Yes?

“I’d like to bring Inyoung’s phone as well. Could you give it to me? Oh, and also the tablet Inyoung used.”

I spoke while imitating Inha’s manner of speech as much as possible. In truth, that was my phone, and the traces of my contact with Mr. Taeseon are intact on that phone. The tablet is something I received as a birthday gift from Uncle a long time ago. I wanted them back.

—Ah, shall we? Sure, then…. It’s better for you to have it than for me. I’ll send Secretary Jin now.

“Thank you, Mom.”

—Oh, you. Don’t mention it. Right, I’ve had all your cards reissued too. I’ll send those along.

“I understand.”

Come to think of it, I had managed quite well for several days without a phone or a single cent. I was the type to play with my tablet rather than my phone anyway, and the phone was closer to something I used only to contact Mr. Taeseon.

So, since Mr. Taeseon wasn’t there, I had no use for it. More accurately, it’s not that Mr. Taeseon isn’t here, but that “I” have disappeared.

About an hour later, Manager Jin, Mom’s secretary, came and delivered my functioning phone, a newly activated phone, and my wallet. My phone must have fallen at the accident site too, but other than a faint scratch on the body, it was fine.

Finding it strange, I looked at Manager Jin, and she shrugged.

“The screen was broken, so I had it replaced. They said there’s nothing else wrong with it, so you just need to charge it. Also, I’ve moved all the data, like your contacts and the apps you used, to the new phone.”

“Thank you, Manager.”

“Don’t mention it. Are you feeling okay anywhere?”

“Yes, I’m all fine.”

I was standing there in long sleeves with one arm hanging still. Perhaps not even imagining that I might have injured my arm, Manager Jin exchanged a few more pleasantries and then left.

I entered the room I couldn’t get used to and connected my phone to the charger. Perhaps because it had been discharged for a long time, it took a while to start charging. Once the phone finally turned on, I checked the incoming messages first, just in case.

Messages had come from two places. Mr. Taeseon, and the other place was….

“Ah.”

[Nest Abandoned Animal Protection Center]

My goodness, why had I forgotten about this? How…. No matter how out of it I was, I had forgotten something I shouldn’t have. I hurriedly dialed that number.

—Yes, this is the Nest Center.

“Ah, hello, I’m… the guardian, Yoon Inyoung.”

—Ah! We were actually in a bind because we couldn’t get in touch with you at all. A notice for the animal’s euthanasia has been posted now.

Euthanasia!

“No! Ah, the, the truth is I was in a traffic accident, so that’s why I couldn’t contact you.”

—Pardon? A traffic accident? Are you okay?

“Uh, um…. Yes, yes. Some things happened…. Anyway, I’ll come pick up the cat.”

—Will you?

The employee sounded a bit suspicious but didn’t say anything. They seemed to think as long as the cat was taken, it was fine.

“Instead, the adopter’s name… I think it will be under Yoon Inha.”

—Ah, a sudden change of name is a bit.

“I, actually… I’m not Yoon Inyoung, but the twin hyung who went to see the cat with him then. In, Inyoung was seriously injured. He was hurt really, really badly.”

—Oh dear….

“Don’t worry. I’ll take him and raise him well.”

I glossed over the words somehow. I didn’t want to say that I was dead. Not only was there a resistance to saying it with my own mouth, but if I suddenly said the adoption applicant was dead, the staff would be shocked and flustered. There was no need to cause unnecessary shock.

It was a relief that I could bring the cat under Inha’s name, at least. It was likely thanks to the fact that we had gone to the center together.

A few days before the traffic accident, I had gone to the abandoned animal protection center with Inha. I intended to go alone, but for some whim, Inha joined me. Since such whims from Inha were common, I didn’t pay it any mind.

Raising a cat was, of course, something already discussed with Mr. Taeseon. That we should bring an abandoned cat or dog from an animal protection center.

As soon as we arrived at the center, I locked eyes directly with one cat. He was a ginger cat with a stern look, a large head, and distinct stripes.

I fell in love at first sight with that gaze staring intently at me and started the adoption preparations, but the accident happened while I was juggling the cat’s arrival and the wedding preparations.

From their perspective, since I had submitted all the adoption applications and documents and only needed to pick him up, they must have been in a real bind when contact was cut off.

“Um, you don’t need to worry about anything else… can I come pick up the cat? If I don’t bring him, he’ll be euthanized, right?”

—Yes, it’s scheduled for tomorrow.

“That fast? Today, I’ll come pick him up as soon as I’m available today. I will definitely go sometime today.”

—Understood, sir. I’ll be waiting.

“Yes!”

After hanging up the phone, belated worries flooded in. What should I tell Mr. Taeseon? If I suddenly bring a cat to the house we’re living in together.

Originally we had agreed to raise one together, but that was because Yoon Inyoung liked cats and hadn’t been able to raise one at the main house….

Still, he’s a cat I’ve already made up my mind to raise. Ridiculously, I’d even grown attached in that short time we met, and if I don’t go, he’ll die tomorrow. I summoned my courage and stood in front of the master bedroom.

I knocked on the door, but there was no response. With a trembling heart, I cautiously opened the door, but the room showed no sign of having been used by anyone. The interior was exactly as it had been decorated, neat and charming. Not even a single wrinkle was visible on the bedsheet.

I cautiously closed the door and this time knocked on the study right next to the master bedroom. Again, no response. Still, this time I could hear a sign of presence inside. As I stood still, I heard the sound of slowly approaching footsteps.

Mr. Taeseon opened the door.

“…What is it.”

“It’s about, the cat….”

Mr. Taeseon looked at me with eyes asking, “The cat?”

“The cat Inyoung decided to bring… it seems he’s been processed as a return and is scheduled for euthanasia tomorrow. So I’d like to bring him if possible; would that be okay?”

“…Ah.”

He closed his eyes as if he had only just remembered.

“Do as you wish.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“…How are you planning to get to the shelter?”

“Pardon? By taxi….”

“….”

After staring at me intently for a moment, he suddenly brushed past me and spoke.

“Wait a moment. I’ll drive you.”

“Uh, why, why?”

“Your arm.”

“….”

I quickly hid my arm behind my back.

“Aren’t you injured? It would be better to get treatment for your arm first before going to get the cat.”

It’s strange. Mr. Taeseon has been strangely kind for a moment now. Perhaps he’s concerned because he caused the arm injury? Suddenly, the shaman’s words came to mind. That he would gradually grow fond of Inha….

No, surely not. It couldn’t be.

I shook my head internally.