Chapter 10
Shellfish Allergy.
The seat with its seamless stitching felt like a bed of nails. I shifted my hips a few pointless times, then glanced at his expressionless profile as he focused on driving, and cautiously broke the ice.
“Umā.”
“There’s a place I’ve reserved, so let’s go there.”
“What?”
I was thoroughly thrown off by the unexpected words. I’d been about to suggest going to a decent restaurant I’d found nearby, but he stole the lead before I could even bring it up.
As I sat there agonizing, unable to get the words out, the restaurant I’d spotted earlier happened to come into view outside the window. Seeing my chance, I deliberately raised my voice in exaggeration to catch his attention.
“W-wow! That’s the place I saw on TVāthe famous one!”
“……”
“Since we’re already here, why don’t we go there? It’s an owner-chef restaurant, and they say they have dozens of menu items combining Western and Korean dishes.”
He glanced at the sign at my explanation, then asked back in a tone of sheer incredulity.
“You mean Cheonguk Gimbap?”
“Y-yes! It’s super cheapāno, I mean, it’s really delicious.”
I appealed with all the earnestness I could muster, but he cut me off flat and sped up.
“That place is frequented by a lot of our employees, so let’s go where I’ve made the reservation. Even at a meal, having your boss around would be uncomfortable.”
I couldn’t push any further. I could only watch the vermilion sign recede outside the window with wistful longing.
* * *
The place we arrived at was a Japanese restaurant near the city center. The establishment, greeted by an elaborately landscaped artificial pond from the entrance, exuded a luxurious elegance at a glance.
As I fingered the thirty thousand won in my pocket with the thought that I was doomed, an employee in a yukata guided him and me inside. Before I could even seriously consider bolting, I was already seated in a private room.
“What course would you like?”
I glanced at the menu at the employee’s words and nearly had a heart attack. Eek. How many zeros is that?
“We’ll have the B course.”
“It will be prepared shortly.”
By the time I snapped out of my daze at the unbelievable prices, the order was already finished. As I stared blankly at the employee scurrying away backward, heāwho had glanced at me indifferentlyāasked while wiping his hands.
“Is there anything you’d like separately?”
“No!”
At my emphatic denial, he nodded appropriately and poured green tea, pushing it toward me. My throat was parched, so I hastily drained the full cup.
“The tea is hotā.”
“Ah, hot!”
No sooner had he warned me than I made a mess. The half-spilled tea soaked my clothes thoroughly and dripped down beneath the table.
With a look of disbelief, he called for the employee, and seeing my chance, I rose from my seat.
“Excuse me, I just need to use the restroom……”
I hurried out of the room and immediately called Dam-i.
“Please pick up, please.”
Unlike my desperate hope, only English rap poured endlessly into my earāthe call didn’t connect before going to voicemail. The same with San-i.
My cute twins, what on earth are you doing? Your sister desperately needs your help right now.
“Please save me, huh?”
I tried calling several more times, but no answer came for a long while.
In the end, I could only pace in place, and with no other choice, I roughly dabbed at my wet clothes at the sinkāwhich spouted water like a carpāand returned to the room.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeees……”
The table had been neatly cleared, and in no time a full spread of dishes was laid out.
Premium fish like longtooth grouper, tuna, and giant grouper gleamed with translucent flesh, arranged like flowers just beginning to bloomāso appetizing it drew admiration.
Should I only eat thirty thousand won’s worth? I felt pitiful for even thinking such a thing in front of this feast.
“Let’s eat.”
At his words, it seemed odd to just sit there, so I began eating. Sure enough, the sashimi that melted softly in my mouth was so fantastic that all my worries briefly vanished.
“It’s really delicious……”
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
If I could, I’d go back a few hours and clamp my own mouth shutāthe one that had been boasting about buying him a meal.
But that was impossible, so beneath the table I furiously typed out messages.
[Dam-i, San-i, please answer your phones]
[Your sister is in a hurry right now]
[Do you guys happen to have any money]
[Sorry to ask like this……]
[But it’s really important]
[I’ll definitely pay you back with interest!]
[Compound interest]
Even after messages written almost as pleas, the read receipt didn’t appear until my insides were burning with anxiety. They weren’t avoiding me on purpose, were they?
I’d promised to be a good sister to the twins, but the truth was, as someone with no one else, the only people I could ask at times like this were my younger siblings.
My wallet must have gone flying somewhere during the accidentāit wasn’t among the belongings I’d receivedāand this phone was also new thanks to the twins, so the only money I had was literally the thirty thousand won I’d borrowed from Secretary Yun.
And yet I’d been sitting here with no planāwas I hopelessly optimistic or just thoughtless?
I resolved to look for a part-time job the moment I got out, and was just swallowing a bite of raw shrimp I’d chewed thoroughly whenā
“Baek I-jun.”
“Yes?”
“Whatever resolution you made after the accident is none of my business, but I didn’t realize it was so fierce that you’d even overcome a congenital condition.”
“…Excuse me?”
Not understanding what he was suddenly talking about, I asked blankly, and he furrowed his brow and spoke flatly.
“I’m saying you have a shellfish allergy, and yet you’re eating it just fine.”
At his words, I slid my gaze down to carefully examine the shrimp on my plateānothing left but the tail.
I have a shellfish allergy? Me?
“…But I feel completely fine.”
“Allergies aren’t some magical thing that takes effect immediately. Get upāI’ll take you to the hospital.”
At my muttered words, he explained as if I were pathetic and immediately grabbed his jacket and stood. I followed him out of the room, rising awkwardly.
“You didn’t even bother to hear Dr. Kim’s explanation about your own condition?”
“Well, it’s not that I did it on purposeāI just didn’t think that far……”
At the biting question, I answered in a shrinking voice, thoroughly cowed. I felt depressed, like I’d become a person who couldn’t even take care of her own body and just caused trouble everywhere.
Meanwhile, he walked quickly to the counter and held out a card to pay.
“Uh, the meal is on meā!”
“No need.”
Of course I didn’t have the money to pay, but I felt I should at least make the gesture, so I stepped forwardāonly to be firmly stopped.
Things had taken an unexpected turn, and I felt a wave of reliefābut wait. My throat felt scratchy. As I tilted my head at the unfamiliar sensation, he noticed and spoke quickly.
“Bear with it even if it’s uncomfortable. I’ll drive as fast as I can.”
The moment I fastened my seatbelt, the car set off decisively. He immediately connected a call to someone.
“It’s me, Doctor.”
Probably Dr. Kim. The fact that he had my attending physician’s contact info was somewhat surprising.
“My wife is showing an allergic reaction, and we’re on our way to the hospital. …No, her breathing is still fine for now, but the symptoms seem to be coming on faster than before. We’ll be there in twenty minutes, so please make sure she can be seen immediately upon arrival.”
His profile, silent and speeding up after hanging up, was frighteningly rigid. I bit my lip and watched him nervously, then cautiously spoke.
“Um… I’m sorry for causing trouble. This isn’t why I said let’s eatā”
“If you’re going to do it, do it properly.”
The icy rebuke struck with a chilling frost.
“What do you……”
“If you really want to deceive me, don’t pull this kind of childish stuntādo it properly. I’ll even pretend to be fooled.”
Still, even now, this man doesn’t believe me when I say I lost my memories. He dismisses it as nothing but a ridiculous farce.
My mouth felt bitter, but I forced my stiff lips into a smile. The person he knows is the old Baek I-jun, I reassured myself.
“What would it take for you to believe me?”
This was sincere. If he would tell me a way to open his heart even a little, I was willing to do it.
After all, he was my husband, and a relationship that had been nothing but a shell was now something we’d decided to settle.
“Well. If you stripped off your clothes and threw yourself at me, maybe I’d feel inclined to believe you.”
What he gave me in return was unmistakable mockery.
