Chapter 5

Chapter 5: She Really Lost Her Memory

The real cohabitation started the next day.

Of course, this so-called cohabitation didn’t change much.

If anything, just a few things stood out.

“Chae Ah, wake up.”

“Mmm… five more minutes.”

“At least let me have this.”

Surely, we only held hands while sleeping.

Gently squeezing her arm.

When I woke up in the morning, her arm was gripping mine.

Not only that, she was practically pinning me down with her whole body, making it difficult to move my hand.

At first, being enveloped by her soft skin sparked an awkward emotion, but after some time, my arm went numb as if mice were running through it.

“If you don’t get up, I’ll send you back to your house.”

“That’s really unfair, Hyun Woo…”

With this not-so-threatening threat, I managed to rouse Chae Ah from her half-dream state.

“What’s for breakfast today?”

“Sandwiches.”

We roughly put together ingredients found at home between slices of bread and quickly dealt with breakfast.

“Hmm…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Chae Ah narrowed her eyes as she nibbled on the sandwich.

She wanted me to feed her, but since it was a one-handed food, she inwardly regretted it.

“I prefer rice or noodles over bread.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Hyun Woo tilted his head.

He hadn’t randomly chosen sandwiches for breakfast.

-Hyun Woo, let’s go to the snack bar!

-How many times do you plan to visit the snack bar in one day?

-Three times?

-It’s not like we’re having three meals there.

Chae Ah would often drag Hyun Woo to the snack bar during breaks, being a genuine bread enthusiast.

He had intentionally prepared her favorite food.

“Besides, isn’t it easier for you to eat bread with your right hand still inconvenient?”

“…Actually, I feel like brushing my teeth now.”

Chae Ah subtly avoided eye contact and headed to the bathroom.

‘Could she be doing this to ask me to feed her?’

Though nearing the truth, Hyun Woo stubbornly denied the possibility and followed her into the bathroom.

The two stood side by side in front of the mirror.

Chika chika.

While brushing her teeth, Chae Ah asked Hyun Woo,

“What are we going to do today? There’s less than a week left of vacation, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Now that I think about it, it’s really frustrating. I can barely remember anything.”

“But you said you remember everything we’ve done together.”

“It’s not very clear. It feels like looking through a foggy window.”

“Would trying again help bring back your memories?”

“Maybe.”

Nodding her head, Chae Ah finished brushing her teeth.

As she was about to leave the bathroom, she paused.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just…”

Her serious gaze was directed towards the toothbrushes standing side by side.

“Isn’t this what newlyweds look like?”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Hyun Woo barely concealed his flustered expression.

He had spent last night sleepless, repeatedly reminding himself to ignore any nonsense until Chae Ah regains her memory.

Waking up in the same bed, eating breakfast together, brushing teeth together—didn’t it seem a bit too much like a married couple?

This resolve wavered almost instantly.

After just one day of cohabitation, it already felt too much like a honeymoon.

‘Is this really okay?’

Both sets of parents couldn’t have expected this kind of situation.

They probably thought he’d just take care of her until her memory returned, not expecting them to exceed the level of a regular couple.

…

Hyun Woo looked at Chae Ah with wavering eyes.

‘It’s because of her, isn’t it?’

Initially, even Hyun Woo didn’t intend for things to escalate this far.

Accepting her childish requests for hugs and hand-holding led to this situation.

To figure out why she was testing him, he pulled out his trump card:

“Childhood friends can act like this sometimes, right?”

Between childhood friends, it’s fine.

In their relationship, this phrase was almost invincible.

Whenever they teased each other’s feelings, this statement naturally steered the conversation to another topic.

Right before confessing, when their hearts seemed to align, they would likely take another step forward.

“That’s true. We’re childhood friends, after all.”

However, Chae Ah backed off.

Just like a year ago, when they were exploring each other’s feelings.

Thanks to this, Hyun Woo’s mind became even more jumbled.

‘…Did she revert to liking me as just a childhood friend? If so, when did she start liking me in the first place?’

Does she genuinely think of him as merely a reliable childhood friend?

Then, was all the physical contact up until now truly free of ulterior motives?

And if Chae Ah no longer likes Hyun Woo, what should he do…?

“Why are you so spaced out all of a sudden?”

Chae Ah’s face appeared close enough to touch.

Startled from his mental trench-digging, Hyun Woo snapped back to reality.

“…It’s nothing.”

Since pondering alone wouldn’t provide answers,

“Let’s watch a movie today.”

“Oh? Sounds good.”

They decided to spend the day normally while searching for ways to restore Chae Ah’s memory.

*

*

*

Chae Ah was given the choice of picking the movie.

He assumed she might remember her general preferences.

“Shall we watch this?”

“…Do you really want to see that?”

Chae Ah’s finger paused mid-scroll.

Hyun Woo smiled bitterly.

“You really lost your memory, huh?”

“Huh? Oh…”

Only then did Chae Ah notice the red lines marking movies she’d already seen.

“Didn’t we already watch this?”

“Yeah. We watched it at the start of the break. You picked it, and we enjoyed it quite a bit. Don’t you remember at all?”

“Umm…”

Chae Ah closed her eyes and tilted her head.

“I feel like I might remember… But I’m not sure. One thing I am certain of is that we watched it together.”

“That’s right.”

Every movie Hyun Woo had ever watched was always with Chae Ah.

Chae Ah must have been the same.

Even without recovering her memory, this was a safe answer.

“Then shall we pick something else? Watching something we’ve already seen might not be fun.”

“No, let’s watch this. Let’s check if I react the same way as last time.”

“Check your reaction? What genre is this?”

“Horror.”

“…Was I into horror before?”

“Yeah.”

Hyun Woo shamelessly lied.

In reality, horror was one of Chae Ah’s least favorite genres.

Her usually stoic demeanor crumbled completely when playing horror games or watching horror movies.

-Hyun Woo, let’s watch this.

-What is it?

-I don’t know. I just turned it on because it seemed interesting. Hurry up and sit down.

This time, she fell for the fresh-looking cover just like last time.

“I don’t think I liked it…”

“Trust me. We enjoyed it before.”

Hyun Woo gently persuaded her.

Though it seemed cruel to play such a trick on someone who lost their memory,

it was punishment for continually putting him in awkward situations since yesterday.

Would her reaction be the same as seeing it for the first time this time around?

*

*

*

Her reaction was mostly similar.

Chae Ah doesn’t scream when scared;

Instead, she freezes from fear.

She becomes like a frightened animal, ears perked up.

At first, it felt somewhat satisfying.

Perhaps stuck in middle school logic of teasing girls you like, finding her flinching at every small sound was endearing.

But there was a reason I said “mostly” similar.

“Nothing has happened yet.”

“…Something will happen soon, right?”

“Still, this isn’t fair. I can’t even see the screen clearly.”

Chae Ah ended up sitting on Hyun Woo’s lap.

While asking for a hug from behind.

Thus, they ended up in a tight embrace with her arms wrapped around him.

“Don’t people usually hide behind something when scared?”

Trying to persuade her due to the awkward position,

“Ugh…”

Ignoring his suggestion,

Chae Ah pressed her hand against Hyun Woo’s arm gripping her waist.

Her body naturally pressed closer,

and the addictive texture made it impossible for a healthy high school boy not to react.

“Hey, if you’re scared, let’s stop watching.”

“No, you said this was something I used to like… Maybe watching a bit more will help me understand why.”

“No, haah…”

Hyun Woo got his karmic retribution.

Using the same shampoo and body wash, how could her scent still smell so good?

‘Could she not realize how close we are?’

Did she forget other senses due to fear?

Despite being pressed against her since earlier, Chae Ah only trembled violently.

“You’re scared too, aren’t you? Your heart is racing so fast…”

Leaning further back, Chae Ah noticed Hyun Woo’s rapid heartbeat.

In the process, stimulation also reached lower areas.

“…Yeah, it’s really scary.”

Hyun Woo was terrified.

Not because of the horror movie,

but because the lack of distance in their physical contact was driving him crazy.

*

*

*

Luckily, Chae Ah didn’t catch on, and the movie ended.

“I need to use the restroom for a moment.”

Hyun Woo immediately pushed Chae Ah away and fled to the bathroom.

After calming down alone for a bit, he returned,

but the karmic retribution wasn’t over yet.

Today, he really intended to sleep in a different room,

“I’m scared to sleep alone… Can you stay beside me?”

Chae Ah earnestly grabbed onto Hyun Woo’s sleeve.

“What’s there to be scared of? They’re all fake, you know that.”

“But what if they appear in my dreams?”

“There’s nothing we can do about that, is there?”

“Ah, please stay beside me. I’m begging you…”

Hanging onto Hyun Woo’s arm, Chae Ah threw a tantrum.

“No, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll sleep below, alright?”

“That’s scarier! Didn’t a ghost come out from under the bed in the movie just now?”

“Are you calling me a ghost?”

Unfortunately, the movie they chose involved nightmares, scaring her thoroughly.

Unable to leave his trembling childhood friend alone,

“Alright, just tonight.”

Hyun Woo eventually settled beside Chae Ah again.

Immediately, she clung to his arm.

“Hey, you…”

He was about to say he never allowed such behavior,

Shiver shiver.

But Hyun Woo’s arm transmitted her trembling.

‘Is her immunity worse than before?’

This didn’t happen last time they watched a movie.

That meant either:

Chae Ah’s resistance to horror has significantly decreased,

Or last time, she pretended to be fine while secretly trembling in fear.

Either way, guilt set in equally.

“Chae Ah.”

“Yes…?”

“I’ll be here, so stop shaking, alright?”

“Okay…”

Though she responded, the trembling didn’t subside easily.

It didn’t seem like she’d fall asleep quietly like this.

Swish.

Hyun Woo pulled Chae Ah closer and patted her back.

“Are you still scared like this?”

“Huh…”

Instead of answering, Chae Ah burrowed deeper into Hyun Woo’s embrace.

Though it bordered on hugging, it was bearable since they had just separated moments ago.

“Did any memories come back?”

“…One did.”

“Oh? What is it?”

He just wanted to chat until she fell asleep,

but he didn’t expect her memory to actually return.

“The last time we watched a movie, I was scared, and you were giggling beside me.”

…

Though that memory wasn’t particularly useful.

“I wasn’t giggling. That’s because you lost your memory.”

“No, you definitely enjoyed watching me scared.”

“That’s true, but I wasn’t giggling.”

“I’m sure I remember correctly.”

He couldn’t recall exactly how he laughed,

but he believed he wasn’t that malicious.

“Cough. Anyway, it seems like experiencing past events helps recover memories, right?”

With his confidence shaken, Hyun Woo changed the subject.

“Probably.”

“Then let’s try a bit more.”

Whether this incident was a coincidence would become clear the next time.

“There are plenty of simple things we can do at home.”

First, regain vivid memories related to Hyun Woo,

then gradually expand outward.

Piece by piece, like a puzzle, finding these fragments should help her recover memories of family and friends too.

“Will going to school be okay?”

The only concern was that the new semester was approaching.

Even now, after watching a mere horror movie, Chae Ah trembled violently in Hyun Woo’s arms.

If their classes were split, could she handle school life normally?

“…I’m not sure. Still, we have to give it a try. I can’t live like this forever.”

Yet, Chae Ah nodded slightly, seemingly resolved.

“So, keep helping me, okay?”

“Of course.”

“…Thank you.”

Slowly stroking her back,

Chae Ah quickly drifted off to sleep.

Seeing her tightly gripping his collar, he thought,

‘This is bound to cause trouble sooner or later.’

This level of intimacy is too taxing on the heart.

If Chae Ah’s excessive physical contact continues, losing patience is only a matter of time.

Therefore, help her recover her memories as soon as possible,

‘And this time, confess properly.’

Deciding his goal for the year in that moment.