An Assignment You Can’t Ignore

A few more peaceful days passed.

“You little—f*ck! Yoo Sowon!”

Of course, they were only peaceful for me.

Clank. Clank. Clank-clank-clank.

At this point, even that sound started to feel like it fell somewhere between a fast traditional rhythm and a rapid beat.

Once you got used to it, it basically counted as background music.

“Are you seriously going to do this again today?!”

“Yes, I am going to do this again today.”

After spending a night at the hotel suite and coming back,

I realized that maintaining a safe distance from him was the most important thing.

So ever since then, I had occupied the guest room and locked the door firmly every night.

“Why are we sleeping in separate rooms when there’s a perfectly fine master bedroom?!”

“Don’t you think sharing a room is weirder?”

“I told you last time—we already kissed. You used to sleep in the master bedroom.

I stripped you naked, bathed you, bought you clothes, fed you…”

No matter how many times I heard it, it was a shameless plea.

But before I could respond, Woo Jaeyoung added sharply—

“And a few days ago, you were the one who jumped me and kissed me first!”

…That was true.

My face burned hot as I recalled that moment.

How did that even happen?

Was I drunk on pheromones?

Maybe I was.

Ever since I started sensing his pheromones, I noticed myself becoming strangely lax around him.

“I…”

Gripping the doorknob with both hands, I muttered.

“I think I lost my mind for a moment back then, hyung…”

That was the problem.

It wasn’t just a moment of impulse.

Even now, if Woo Jaeyoung barged through the door and asked me what I’d want to do if this life lasted only a day,

I knew I would give the same answer as before.

‘That’s exactly the problem!’

Don’t get too immersed in a romance novel.

That man already belongs to someone else.

He’s just being nice to me—no, to the original owner of this body—because he feels guilty.

This isn’t mine.

I’m just temporarily borrowing the fate of a clueless runaway character.

Someday, I have to go back.

I have to go back.

I have to go back…

“What does it matter.”

The voice from beyond the door carried a trace of laughter.

It was subtle, like a snake offering forbidden fruit.

“What’s so great about living sober anyway.
Instead of going crazy for a moment, just stay crazy.”

“And yet you recommended a psychiatrist for amnesia and PTSD treatment.

You’re pretty inconsistent, hyung.”

Whether it was ‘Yoo Sowon’s’ lost memories or my own,

Woo Jaeyoung acknowledged that I was clearly confused about memory and identity, so he recommended regular counseling and treatment.

Even though I had improved a lot, my legs still couldn’t handle strain,

and since he couldn’t spare manpower to ensure my safety while being busy,

he arranged for a doctor to visit the house twice a week.

Honestly, I was touched by how much he was taking care of me.

‘At least he’s definitely started being wary of Jang Hanseon.’

That alone felt like putting out an urgent fire.

As for the rest, well, I figured the branch manager of Taehan would handle things better than an outsider like me.

Thinking that, I relaxed for just a moment.

“Hyung!”

The background noise that had been rattling like distant music suddenly stopped—

and then, with a loud crack, the doorknob broke.

Woo Jaeyoung had literally ripped his own door open by force.

This lunatic…

Are you insane?

Beyond the now-useless door, his dangerously handsome face appeared.

“I mean…”

“I held back for four days. That’s more than enough. Stop sulking and come sleep in the room.”

“If you were just going to say that, why break an innocent doorknob?”

“Why is the doorknob innocent? If it stopped the door from opening, it deserves to get wrecked.”

“Your hospitality for a guest is incredible…”

“What. You were about to say the guest is king?

Guests are kings at restaurants, not in my house.”

Stepping inside, Woo Jaeyoung glanced around the room.

The guest room wasn’t used often, so it was simple but not lacking.

A single bed, a small table, a mini fridge, a wardrobe, and even a compact but functional bathroom.

Lying on the soft bed and eating snacks, it could almost pass for a hotel stay.

But Woo Jaeyoung clearly didn’t like it.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he tapped it with his fist and raised a brow.

“How do you even sleep on a tiny bed like this? It’s too cramped to be useful.

I should throw it out and get a new one.”

No! Why! It’s perfectly comfortable!

“Why are you picking on an innocent bed?

It’s perfectly fine—wait, hyung, who are you calling?

You’re going to tell Gamja or Leopard hyung to order a new bed again, aren’t you?”

I rushed forward and snatched his phone.

Even though he could’ve dodged me with his eyes closed, Woo Jaeyoung let me take it.

Sure enough, he was calling Gamja.

The call barely rang twice before a voice came through.

– Yes, hyung. Just give the order.

“No, no, it’s nothing!
Wrong number!”

– Huh? Sowon?

“Yes, yes. Get some rest!”

Click.

After hanging up, I checked the time—it was already 9 PM.

Look at this guy.

A total tyrant boss.

“If you call people late at night and bother them, you’ll get called a bad boss, hyung.
Once work’s over, it’s over.”

Of course, I had no idea if loan shark offices even ran on a 9-to-6 schedule.

“Where in the world is there a kind loan shark?
That’s like saying ‘warm iced Americano.’”

Woo Jaeyoung snorted.

“It’s not even that important.”

“Changing something you’re going to use isn’t important?”

He sounded genuinely confused.

I sighed.

“I told you earlier—I’m perfectly fine with this.
I’m not built like you, so this bed is more than enough for me.”

At that, Woo Jaeyoung reached out and pressed along my arm.

From shoulder to wrist, he lightly gripped and released, then patted my back and moved naturally down to my waist.

His hand spread out, measuring my waist, then slid down to my thigh—

and only then did I snap back to my senses.

I had rushed him to grab his phone and ended up half sitting on his lap.

“Then again… you are small. I’ve been feeding you plenty, so why aren’t you growing?”

“What are you saying! I’m twenty-three—if you call me a baby, people will curse you out.

And I’m past my growth phase. If I eat more, I grow sideways, not taller!”

“You are a baby.

You’re pale, soft, small, squishy, and warm.

And you argue back over every little thing and don’t listen at all—perfect baby behavior.”

That standard made no sense.

I gave up trying to reason with him and struggled to get free, but his arm still wrapped around my waist, pulling me right back in.

“See? You’re a baby—you can’t even get away on your own.”

“That’s because you’re stopping me!

Why won’t you let go?

Are you some kind of Venus flytrap?!”

In the end, after being showered with dozens of kisses on my cheeks, forehead, and nose, he finally let me go.

“Pick, Yoo Sowon.

Do you want to get carried off to the master bedroom, or…”

“I’ll walk! Like an adult! I’ll go to the master bedroom!”

“Good.”

My little staycation in the guest room was over.

I trudged upstairs after him.

“I had something to tell you anyway.
Sit there.”

He sat me down on the small living room sofa and brought me a warm cup of citron tea.

While I blew on it and sipped, he went into his study briefly, then came back with a yellow-brown envelope and spread its contents across the low table.

Instead of asking what it was, I started looking through it.

On the leftmost document was a photo of a boy smiling awkwardly at the camera.

He looked familiar.

“Oh, this…”

“Yeah. I did some digging on Park Yijeong. And it turned out to be pretty interesting.”

Next to the resume-like document were several photos, someone’s medical records, and even a USB that likely contained call logs or video footage.

“First of all, Park Yijeong isn’t your biological brother.

He lives closer than expected—across the main road in the wealthy neighborhood.

I figured he came from money, so I looked into it, and sure enough, he’s the grandson of the Sangyu F&B family… and the more you dig, the more interesting it gets.”

Woo Jaeyoung narrowed his eyes and smiled.

Tap tap.

His fingertip pointed at one of the documents.

It was a medical record.

And a fairly old one at that.

“The Sangyu F&B family is famous for being a complete mess.

Everyone knows it.

There was a huge uproar when they found out the woman in the main family’s arranged marriage was infertile—word spread even out here.

After a lot of trouble, they finally had a late child.

Then about ten years ago, there was a major car accident.

No one ever saw the kid come out of the ICU.

They must’ve been losing their minds, thinking their heir might die.”

His finger slid across the table again and pressed down on Park Yijeong’s photo.

“Looks pretty healthy to me?”

“……”

“And apparently, when he was young, he showed signs of mild autism—he barely spoke to anyone, not even his family.”

“……”

“I’ll give you an assignment, Yoo Sowon.”

Woo Jaeyoung’s low voice sank into my ears.

“Try to remember Park Yijeong’s real name.”