“Haa…”
Do-hwa let out a sigh, as he was feeling embarrassed. He felt like he had to pretend he didn’t know anything. He slapped his own cheek to snap out of Min-jun’s gentle influence.
“Ouch.”
The spot where he was hit by Koo Jong-pil earlier hurt a lot. Do-hwa lowered his hand, feeling it wasn’t right, and suddenly felt pathetic.
There was another sound of tapping on the car window. Thinking it might be Luke again, he crouched down.
“Are you there?”
A clear Korean could be heard. The tone was gentle. Despite feeling unsure, Do-hwa opened the car window with a sense of unease. There stood a middle-aged man wearing a gown.
“I heard you got injured, and I’m here to offer treatment.”
“Really?”
“Cha Min-jun-ssi asked me to. Would you mind coming with me in the ambulance for a moment?”
It seemed Min-jun had asked the doctor while taking Luke. Do-hwa honestly wasn’t in the right state of mind to receive treatment, but he couldn’t refuse either. So he got out of the car.
ꕥꕥꕥ
Since his injuries weren’t severe, the treatment ended quickly. Do-hwa touched the new bandage on his lip after stepping out of the ambulance. With a heavy heart, he made his way towards Min-jun’s car. He was grateful that Min-jun had saved him, but at the same time, it felt like he was now under Min-jun’s control. Continuing to be with Min-jun felt too frightening. He wanted to run away, but he couldn’t muster the courage, knowing he’d be caught soon.
Do-hwa suddenly realized he had entered a strange place, as he was lost in his thoughts and unable to come up with a solution.
“Uh…?”
He quickly glanced around. In the dimly lit surroundings, he saw endless rows of drums. Just as he thought he should go back to the car, a familiar voice sounded when he tried to turn his body.
“What on earth are you thinking?”
It was Luke who had shouted at Do-hwa moments ago. The two were nearby. Do-hwa felt a moment of hesitation, afraid he might accidentally uncover another one of Min-jun’s secrets.
“Amnesia? That’s ridiculous. Did you see that Asian guy earlier? The way he looked at me, trembling in fear? That’s the attitude of someone who’s lost their memory.”
Do-hwa’s heart sank. Could they have caught him lying…? Despite wanting to ignore them, he couldn’t anymore. He felt obligated to know what they were talking about. Do-hwa nervously and cautiously approached the place where they were talking. Before long, he caught sight of them between the drums.
Luke was visibly agitated, while Min-jun seemed strangely calm.
“Seonbae really lost his memory.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“You know there are times when you have to pretend you don’t know, right? Luke.”
Do-hwa nearly let out a whimper unconsciously but managed to hold his mouth shut with both hands. His already trembling heart was pounding so hard that it felt unbearable.
Luke was sobbing uncontrollably, but it seemed he was more focused on Min-jun’s words than his own pain. Without ever taking his eyes off Min-jun, he grabbed a crutch and rose to his feet.
“You… so you know everything?”
“Of course.”
“Since when have you known?”
“From the beginning.”
Do-hwa’s confusion about Min-jun deepened. All this time, Min-jun knew about his lies, yet he helped with cooking, washing, bathing, and every other task. Do-hwa couldn’t understand why he would do such things.
“Then why have you let him be? Why haven’t you killed him, knowing your secret?”
“For my own goals.”
“And you’re keeping him alive for those goals?”
“Because when I look at him, I want him by my side.”
For some reason, Min-jun’s cheeks seemed to flush red.
“Kind of cute. Kind of amusing.”
Min-jun’s voice was trembling.
What on earth does that mean?
Do-hwa knew Min-jun wasn’t normal, but facing him like this only confirmed that he was beyond insane.
“You… no way.”
Luke, too, looked horrified as he stared at Min-jun.
Min-jun’s cheeks seemed to grow even redder. It was a dark night, with street lights nearby, but the lighting was weak. In such an environment, it was impossible to see Min-jun’s complexion clearly, yet it looked like that. Do-hwa rubbed his eyes and shook his head.
“I guess we should head back to the car now. Seonbae must be waiting.”
Min-jun prepared to leave his spot, causing him to move towards the drum where Do-hwa was hiding. Remembering the last time Do-hwa found out his secret, things couldn’t get any more complicated. Do-hwa quickly got into position to crawl back to the car. However, it seemed their paths were about to intersect.
“Wait a moment.”
Luke grabbed Min-jun’s shoulder. As a result, Min-jun’s head turned, and he eventually faced Luke again. Thanks to this distraction, Do-hwa could let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly escape from drum hell.
ꕥꕥꕥ
“Haa.”
Do-hwa felt a wave of relief as he finally arrived at the car after exerting all his efforts. However, his knees and palms were covered in mud from crawling like a beast. After brushing off his hands, he tried to clean his pants as much as possible. Luckily, they were dark, so the mess wasn’t too noticeable. Do-hwa sighed and sat back in the passenger seat. He glanced at the driver’s seat, where Min-jun had been sitting.
It was fortunate that he had arrived at the car before that bastard, but now, facing the practical problems, his mind felt overloaded, like it might explode.
Min-jun knows about his fake amnesia… It was something he never expected. He had once claimed to have amnesia as a child, so he thought his actions would be somewhat natural, but it turned out to be a terrible act.
Why did that bastard keep him alive when he clearly knew he was lying?
He even went as far as to claim they were in a relationship with marriage as the premise. He went on to say they had lived together, showing meticulously staged homes, and even mentioned speeding up the marriage after paying off debts.
Furthermore, he called Do-hwa cute. And he said he felt attracted to him.
No matter how much Do-hwa thought and speculated, his confusion only grew.
If he were Min-jun, he would have been furious at Do-hwa for knowing his secret, let alone lying. Yet Min-jun, instead of being angry, treated him affectionately like a worried person who couldn’t do any better. It was so incomprehensible that it left Do-hwa questioning it like a broken robot.
“Ugh… Why on earth…?”
As he sighed deeply, something suddenly clicked in his mind. Come to think of it…
‘I’m planning to stay until I achieve my goal.’
Even at the hotel last time…
‘For my own goals.’
Just a while ago…
Cha Min-jun had a ‘goal.’
Now, Do-hwa couldn’t just run away from him, especially after paying off such a huge debt. He was practically in Min-jun’s grasp. It was like Min-jun had found a weakness in him. Do-hwa couldn’t help but feel afraid of how this bastard would proceed from here. So, if he knew Min-jun’s goal, couldn’t he prevent some level of danger? There was undoubtedly a connection between Min-jun’s acceptance and affection, even knowing about the fake amnesia, and his goal.
Do-hwa felt a mix of relief and bitterness, as if he had found a lifeline in the midst of hellfire. His life felt trivial and miserable. But no matter how agonizing and difficult it was, he had to endure. Even if it was for his late father’s wishes…
Do-hwa’s eyes welled up with moisture, but he quickly regained his composure. He saw Min-jun approaching, so he hurriedly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and tidied up his appearance. After putting on a nonchalant mask, he opened the car door, and Min-jun got in.
“I’m sorry for making you wait. The conversation took a bit longer. Huh?”
Min-jun glanced at Do-hwa, his eyes widening. Do-hwa tensed up, worried that Min-jun might notice the traces of tears he had just wiped away. He didn’t know if Min-jun would ask if he had been crying in a gentle voice, in which case tears might flood out uncontrollably. It was hard to hold back tears when someone said something like that. Don’t cry, don’t cry… But if tears did come, Do-hwa decided he’d pretend they were because he was scared of Koo Jong-pil. The problem was whether his acting would be convincing enough…
“It looks like you were treated here.”
Min-jun gently reached out with his finger and touched Do-hwa’s cheek.
“Ah…”
The fact that he had received treatment and had a bandage on his lip from the ambulance a while ago came to mind. As the tension eased, tears welled up in his eyes.
“Ah, um, the doctor came and recommended treatment, so I got it.”
“You did well. But, seonbae, what were you going to say to me?”
“Huh?”
If the foreigner named Luke hadn’t shown up, Do-hwa was on the verge of exposing Min-jun’s fake amnesia. Along with the relief, he could also make another guess.
Cha Min-jun was much scarier and more cunning than Do-hwa had thought. If Do-hwa had apologized for lying, this bastard might have used it as a weakness to do something bad. It was Luke who had saved Do-hwa’s life.
“What were you about to say that made you hesitate?”
Min-jun chuckled, as he was looking very curious.
“Oh, well, um…”
Since Do-hwa had started to speak quite seriously, he couldn’t just come back now and say it was nothing. So, he decided to steer the conversation toward the question he wanted to ask.
“Earlier… you mentioned speeding up the marriage… so… surely you weren’t serious?”
“Seonbae, do you really not want to marry me?”
Min-jun’s expression turned melancholy, as if he were disappointed. Was he serious? Do-hwa wondered. Honestly, even as Min-jun, marrying Do-hwa wouldn’t have been a loss.
Crazy guy
No way out….
Thank you for the chapters!!