“Hehe. I’m going crazy.”
Cough, cough. When the pretense of coughing was added, the feeling of guilt vanished. Jiho raised one corner of his mouth.
“And I came here to say that.”
“That? Why, are you going to drive a stake and declare your retirement?”
The voice that was emitting a pitiful tone rapidly fired back with a quick response. The eyes pleading for understanding turned sharply intense. Witnessing this drastic change in attitude, Jiho suppressed a laugh.
“No. Let’s renew the contract.”
“…Huh?”
In an instant, even a moment of confusion was quick. Was this person always so clear with his emotions?
“Instead, I want to reduce the workload a bit more than before… Your opinion is important, too.”
“Hey! I’ve wanted to reduce it from the old days! Honestly, does this schedule make any sense? Again, again. Anything else? Say more!”
Excited, Bong-gi’s butt twitched.
“Oh, I had an amazing dream yesterday! I was thinking about buying a lottery ticket, but I didn’t. Whew, thank goodness.”
“Hehe. What’s fortunate?”
“Hey, if I win the lottery jackpot, you better not disappear. I suffered unfairly, you know.”
Now, even his shoulders were lively. Although he kept gesturing for Jiho to say more, Jiho didn’t have any more demands. Still, if you really thought about it, he did want that.
Jiho’s index finger lightly brushed against his lower lip.
“During the contract period… Even if my situation changes, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
“Your situation changed? What?”
“Just, you know. For example… getting married.”
At that moment, Bong-gi, who had been moving as if dancing, froze. Although the words ‘if’ followed, Bong-gi still seemed fixated on the word ‘marriage.’ His excited mouth hesitated as he looked at Jiho with suspicion.
“You… No, right?”
A small doubt vividly swallowed by deep anxiety. Jiho looked at Bong-gi questioningly. While pressing down on shoulders stiffened by intense workouts, he casually asked.
“What’s not?”
“Suddenly deciding to work again… Because you need to earn money for baby formula urgently…”
“You’ve gone quite far.”
He chuckled and pressed his shoulder on the opposite side. Jiho, with a face that didn’t show much relief, made the laughter even more pronounced.
“Well, even if you say that, what would change? There will probably just be more baby product ads.”
Bong-gi, who was having amusing thoughts, shook his head. And on a day when he received the best gift, he pulled out pleasant memories fitting for the occasion.
“By the way, did you know the third episode caused a sensation in the broadcast?”
Bong-gi moved again to dance with his shoulders.
Jiho was well aware. Overflowing praises to the extent that he couldn’t handle, gradually capturing the ratings of the adjacent channel, and hitting a remarkable 17% on the third episode. A mere 2% difference from the drama in the top spot. It was a weekly miracle.
“They’re contacting the writer so much now. I’m handling it directly for now, but if it increases more, I’ll follow the company system.”
“I see.”
“Yeah. As a writer and as an actor.”
Jiho nodded heavily. In a world where everyone was talking about Hye-yoon’s jewel, Hye-yoon wasn’t in this world. Enchanted by a fairy tale world, there was no room for him to tell his story, let alone hear it.
“How is the writer doing?”
“…Fine.”
That was also unknown, so the answer was unsatisfying. Every time Bong-gi said ‘writer,’ it felt like static noise ringing in his ears. Like ‘The power is off, beep, beep, and the sound is amplified…’
Bong-gi, who didn’t know that feeling, chuckled and laughed.
“Oh… You’re so kind and cheerful. Whenever I see little puppies on the street, I think of the writer.”
“…”
“Small and cute like a small puppy.”
Jiho pursed his lips. It wasn’t a time to think about little puppies; it was a state of mind where just by concentrating, he could hear the sounds of static noise. Something like ‘The power is off, beep, beep…’
Not understanding his feelings, Bong-gi laughed with a mischievous smile.
“Oh… Because you’re always so kind and cheerful. When I see little puppies on the street, I think of the writer.”
“…”
Consciously pressed, the four characters came alive through Bong-gi’s lips.
That night. Jiho read the scripts Bong-gi had sent until late at night. Immersed deeply in the characters and backgrounds, suddenly.
Emotions sharply cutting, as if about to cut off the breath.
“I miss you… I miss you…”
It really felt like the air was being cut off. He repeated the reflection he had been doing for the past ten days. Was he really this impatient? The remaining shreds of patience for reason were dwindling, and the night continued to deepen. Then, in the pitch-black winter night, only…
“I want to hold you… I want to hold you…”
Only the instincts of a man remained. And inevitably, around this time.
Ring [Dash] [I’m done with work today! It’s already past midnight. Jiho, good night. (12:21 AM)]
Jiho immediately pressed the call button. Even though he had promised not to disturb, and even though he must be tired, he couldn’t think of the same mature thoughts.
In that moment when the signal sound felt so precious. It was a feeling where all attention exploded into the small voice.
[Dash] Oops, did I just send a message now…“I’ll come right now.”
[Dash] Huh?It was the moment when the reason that had been gradually eroding completely disappeared.
The two houses were just a bridge away. Stepping on the wide-open road without any traffic, Jiho stood in front of Hye-yoon’s house in 15 minutes.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Clunk [Dash]
And quickly pressed the password. Waiting for the door to open after pressing the doorbell was a story that could be done only when there was time to spare. As soon as the door opened, the scent pouring out ignited a fire in his instinct.
“Haah…”
Jiho deeply inhaled the intoxicating scent, so overwhelming that he felt dizzy. He put on the slippers placed in front of the middle door and went inside with a swish.
It was pitch dark inside Hye-yoon’s house, as if she had fallen asleep. With each step toward the bedroom, he repeated the reflection he had done countless times throughout the week.
Was he really this impatient?
Thud [Dash]
The moment warmth stuck to his back. Jiho’s two feet stopped abruptly. A laughter that clung tightly behind his back, embracing his body, echoed.
“Kukkuk. I’m glad you came quickly. I was turning off the lights to surprise you, and it was so scary…”
Jiho slowly turned his body. And he just stared intently at Hye-yoon’s face. Because of that, Hye-yoon’s smile was slowly fading away.
“…What’s the matter?”
An expressionless gaze just looking down at him. Hye-yoon, who had sparkled her feelings, reached out to Jiho’s face with a hand. The chilly air gently brushed his cheek as she lightly swept it with her palm. And the moment her hand touched, Jiho also opened his mouth.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“…”
“I want to hold you, so my eyes rolled back.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t have this much patience. It was precisely because he had so much patience that he endured for ten days. And now, he could predict and talk about what would happen after this time.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
