episode_0016

As he was thinking that, Mira spoke to him.

“It’s boring being in the hospital, isn’t it? The weather’s so nice, but you can’t even go out.”

“What do you mean…?”

He couldn’t understand why Mira, who was always gloomy and quiet, was speaking to him so kindly today. He found it hard to get used to Mira in this kind of mood.

It was as if she had become someone else.

Mira glanced at the clock on the wall.

“It’s already lunchtime. Have you eaten?”

For Mira, she was talking too much. Could she have developed bipolar disorder from all the stress?

“…Yes.”

“Did you eat at home?”

“No. I ate at a restaurant nearby.”

“What did you eat?”

Mira’s probing questions made him very uncomfortable.

“I ate fried rice… Why do you keep asking about things like that?”

Minho had chosen fried rice because it seemed like the quickest meal among the options at the restaurant.

“Why? Do you dislike it when I ask?”

“It’s not that I dislike it, but…”

Mira lowered her eyelids slightly and looked at him suspiciously. Minho felt burdened. He wondered if Mira had gone crazy.

“You haven’t been able to look me in the eye since a moment ago.”

“Oh, really? I don’t think so.”

“You’re not hiding anything between us, are you?”

“Between us?”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Minho was bewildered by Mira’s sudden closeness. Just this morning, when she realized they had been intimate, Mira had been terrified, even throwing up and losing consciousness. How could she be acting so friendly now?

Was she intentionally pretending to be cheerful?

Or… had she really gone crazy?

Worried about what had happened that morning, Minho carefully asked.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Well, yes.”

“Thank you. I’m fine. You know I’m tough.”

“No, that’s not it, about what happened this morning…”

“Morning? What morning? Did you perhaps come to the hospital this morning?”

Minho wondered if she was intentionally changing the subject to avoid discussing it, but judging by her reaction, that wasn’t it at all. At that time, she had truly been angry and disgusted, even giving him a look of contempt.

A person couldn’t change their attitude so drastically in an instant. So, had she developed amnesia? Minho somehow felt that this was the more plausible explanation.

Amnesia….

Judging by Mira’s demeanor, that possibility seemed to be growing. Minho prayed that she had amnesia. Then she would forget everything that happened at the motel, there would be no problem, and they could go back to acting normally. Their usual daily lives could return.

Although it was risky, Minho decided to probe to confirm her symptoms. If she had amnesia, she wouldn’t understand what he was about to say.

Even if that wasn’t the case, it was the same. Even if Mira was just pretending to be calm right now, this issue might fester and explode someday. For that reason alone, he had to address it clearly right then and there.

Since Mira had seduced him… Minho honestly thought Mira was more responsible. If it escalated into a legal issue, he would suffer much more, so he had to resolve it there.

Minho calmly opened his mouth.

“Well… we were at the motel this morning.”

“Motel? What motel?”

“…Do you remember going to a motel?”

“When?”

“Oh, today?”

“What are you talking about? I was at the hospital.”

Hearing that, Minho unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. From her reaction, she definitely wasn’t acting. It was clear she genuinely didn’t know. As he realized this, a smile naturally formed on Minho’s lips.

“Why are you suddenly laughing?”

“Hahaha, really? I’m not really laughing.”

“Anyone can see you’re laughing. Did something good come to mind?”

“Yes, a little.”

If Mira had amnesia, it was the best possible situation for Minho. He was grateful she had fainted and lost her memory. He prayed to the heavens that she would never regain it.

Mira, unaware of his thoughts, lifted her hand, looked at the sleeve of her patient gown, and spoke weakly.

“The hospital… When can I be discharged?”

“Discharged…?”

“Yes, because it’s boring just being in the hospital.”

“There’s no problem with that. The doctor-nim said you can be discharged tomorrow or the day after.”

A happy Minho relayed what he had heard from the emergency room doctor. Mira’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Really…? Only a few days left.”

“Not all hospitalizations are serious, you know.”

“I see. I thought I’d have to be hospitalized for several weeks.”

*‘You just fainted, why would you be hospitalized for so long?’*

Minho wanted to tell her.

“As expected, you’re the only one who cares about me, Yunyoung.”

“Of course I care… Wait, what? What did you say??”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Uh… don’t think it’s strange if I ask something suddenly, okay?”

“What is it?”

“What’s my name?”

“Name?”

Minho nodded and asked again.

“What’s my name? Say it.”

Mira’s face became sullen, as if she were watching a boring prank.

“Of course it’s… Lee Yunyoung.”

Minho was greatly shocked by Mira’s answer.

Ah… a sigh escaped him unconsciously, and his eyes trembled. He wanted to believe Mira was lying, but her eyes and expression were completely truthful. That alone told him Mira wasn’t lying now.

However, because Minho found it hard to believe, he decided to ask one more time.

“I’m Lee Yunyoung? Really…?”

“Of course. What are you talking about?”

Mira, finding the question absurd, said with a laugh. Minho was stunned by the shock.

*‘She doesn’t recognize me at all.’*

Not only amnesia, but mistaking him for someone else… This wasn’t something to be happy about. All Minho had wanted was for Mira to simply not recall the events at the motel.

Mira thinking he was Yunyoung, like now, was something he had never wanted and didn’t want. It was bound to become a troublesome problem.

Seeing Minho’s rapidly worsening expression, Mira seemed worried.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“Just a moment…”

Minho immediately stood up and headed out of the hospital room. His steps seemed very urgent. Mira tried to call out to Yunyoung, who was suddenly leaving, from behind.

“Yunyoung-ah? Wait! Where are you going? Where are you going?!”

However, her voice didn’t reach Minho, who was disoriented. He arrived at the nurse’s desk with quick steps.

“What can I do for you?”

The nurse, who was sitting and working, noticed Minho standing in front of her and asked. Minho spoke urgently.

“Can you please call the doctor-nim?”

“Yes? What’s the matter?”

“Please call him.”

“Is the patient not well? I can take a look for a moment.”

However, he needed a doctor more than a nurse.

“Please call the doctor-nim! Right now! I have something to tell him.”

Although the nurse was displeased by Minho’s angry request, she called the doctor as asked. The doctor, who was on weekend duty, appeared after being paged.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, it’s like this…”

Minho told the doctor about Mira’s symptoms. In addition to amnesia, he mentioned that she was mistaking him for someone else. The doctor, having heard the story, spoke as if it were nothing serious.

“It’s probably nothing serious. She’s just a little confused. She’ll be fine soon.”

He wanted to ask more questions, but then the doctor was called elsewhere and hurriedly left.

Minho didn’t return to Mira’s room immediately but went outside. His head ached, and he wanted to clear his thoughts. He lit a cigarette and sorted out the situation, one by one.

According to the doctor, Mira would recover quickly and regain her memory. Then, naturally, she would remember what happened at the motel, and that was quite dangerous.

Last night, Mira had initiated the seduction, and he had simply succumbed to an irresistible force. But this morning, Mira hadn’t believed it and had instead thought he was lying and deceiving her.

*‘I’m going crazy.’*

Minho also thought that the law, when sexual issues were involved, was unfairly applied to men like him.

*‘Since she’s mistaking me for Yunyoung right now, if I leverage this point well, I might find a solution.’*

Minho returned to the hospital room for now.

He wouldn’t find a clear answer by continuing to worry out there.

Upon entering the room, Mira, who had been waiting, asked.

“Where did you go?”

“The restroom.”

“For so long?”

Mira questioned him back with a suspicious tone. Minho, thinking her point was valid, added.

“…I also got some fresh air for a bit.”

Minho decided to hide the fact that he had met the doctor. Even if he told Mira now, it didn’t seem like she would be able to accept it, and it was wiser not to mention actions that might cause unnecessary suspicion.

Mira, who had no way of knowing, spoke softly with a displeased expression.

“You suddenly left in such a hurry, I thought it was something serious. I called you so many times from behind.”

Pouting her lips, Mira looked deeply hurt.

Minho had nothing much to say in response, so he apologized honestly.

“I’m sorry.”

“From now on, at least tell me before you go. I worry.”

“Understood.”

As Minho sat on the chair beside her, Mira frowned slightly and asked.

“What’s this smell? Yunyoung-ah, did you perhaps smoke?”

“I did… Why?”

“You smoked? You don’t usually smoke.”