After that heavy conversation, a strange silence settles. I don't know how to reply, so I look away. My mind is still spinning—but my body, tired from the emotional toll, starts to give in.
"I just… want to sleep… just a little… without overthinking," I murmured.
I didn't expect it, but Taehyun gently took the glass from my hand and placed it aside. Then, without asking, he lay down on the bed and pulled me into his arms. Not forcefully—just enough that I felt the warmth of his chest against my cheek.
"Then sleep," Taehyun whispered near my hair. "I won't let any dream hurt you."
I was too tired to fight. And maybe… too
comfortable. Wrapped in his scent, his steady heartbeat, and his warmth—I closed my eyes. For the first time in a while… I slept peacefully.
[Hours later… Late night]
The room was quiet. The curtains shifted with the breeze. The bedside lamp glowed faintly. I was still asleep, tangled in his arms like I was made to fit there. But Taehyun wasn't asleep.
He carefully shifted, just enough to grab his phone from the side table. He pressed the screen to his ear, whispering low.
"…She asked about her past," Taehyun said in a hushed, tense voice. A pause. "No… not directly. She tried to be casual but… I saw it in her eyes."
He glanced down at me, my face relaxed against his chest.
"She's getting flashes… the dreams are coming again," he said, swallowing hard. "If she remembers everything… I don't know if she'll stay. I don't know if she'll forgive me."
A pause. His voice dropped further, fragile for a moment.
"I married her to protect her… but what if she sees it as betrayal?" he asked. He listened to the person on the other side, then nodded slowly. "I won't let her break. Not again. I'll keep her safe—even if she hates me later."
He ended the call silently. Carefully, he turned back to me, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. He watched me breathe. He watched the peace he was scared to lose.
"You were always mine… even before you knew me," Taehyun whispered softly to himself.
♡ Midnight, Wrapped in His Arms
The room was dim, silent except for the hum of the city far outside. His arm was around me, steady… warm… safe. I was half-asleep, but my thoughts wouldn't rest. I didn't lift my head. I didn't even open my eyes. I just whispered, my voice soft and uncertain.
"Do you really love me?" I asked. "Or… are you just playing with my amnesia?"
His body stiffened behind me. Not much, just a twitch—but enough. There was a long pause. Too long. It made my chest ache. And then his voice came, low, husky, and hesitant.
"I never played with your memory, not once… even if it looks like I did," Taehyun said.
I turned slightly, still not fully awake. My fingers clutched a bit tighter at his shirt.
"I fell for you long before the accident," he whispered. "Before you forgot. Before you even knew me."
He sighed, brushing a stray strand of hair away from my cheek, tucking it gently behind my ear.
"I don't deserve to say I love you… not after everything," Taehyun said. "But I do. I love you like it's the only truth that matters in my entire life."
I didn't respond. I couldn't. My chest was tight and my thoughts were tangled. But his warmth wrapped around me, and his voice—shaky but sincere—lingered in the space between heartbeats. And before sleep took me again, I thought I felt something damp against my hair…
Maybe his lips. Or maybe a tear.
♡Next Morning
I stirred slowly, sunlight filtering through the curtains. The bed beside me was empty, the warmth long gone. I yawned, stretching lazily as I sat up. He must've gone to the office already. No goodbye kiss today? Typical mafia CEO behavior.
Still groggy, I dragged my feet toward the bathroom. I opened the door casually—
"AHHHHHHHH!!"
I screamed, jumping back with a thud as my heel smacked the wall. There he was. Taehyun. Wet. Shirtless. Steam rising from the shower behind him. His towel slung dangerously low on his hips.
"Good morning to you too, sweetheart," Taehyun said, smirking as he ruffled his hair dry.
I yelped and covered my eyes. "I—I thought you left already! Why didn't you lock the damn door?! Yahh!!"
"I was drying off," he chuckled lowly. "Didn't expect my wife to barge in like a burglar."
"I didn't barge! I walked in like a civilized human being expecting privacy in my own damn house!"
He laughed harder. "You saw something you like, didn't you? It's okay, you can look again. I don't mind—"
"GET OUT!" I threw the nearest towel at his face and slammed the door shut, locking it from my side—only to realize he was still inside.
A beat of silence.
"...You just locked yourself in the bathroom with me, genius," Taehyun said from behind me.
"I hate my life," I muttered.
♡: Locked in the Bathroom
I stood there frozen, back pressed to the door. I could hear him breathing. Close. Too close.
"So… you gonna open your eyes now?" Taehyun teased. "Or should I just walk around like this all day?"
"Don't come closer. I'm armed," I said, holding up a toothbrush like a dagger.
"Wow, terrifying. The mighty toothbrush assassin," he laughed, stepping closer.
I could sense his body heat and the scent of fresh soap.
"Why are you acting so shy now?" he asked softly. "Last night, you literally slept wrapped around me like an octopus."
"Because last night I was cold! And emotionally unstable!" I finally dared to peek. Big mistake. Droplets of water were running down his collarbone. "God must hate me," I muttered.
"I think he loves you," Taehyun grinned. "Or maybe… he gave me you. To punish me. For being bad."
"Y-You are bad…" I stammered.
"Mmh. And you're dangerously cute when you're flustered."
He brushed past me to grab his cologne. "Relax. I'll let you win this time. But next time you walk in on me... I won't be wearing a towel."
He disappeared with a smirk. "Yahhh! That man is going to be the death of me!" I shouted.
♡: The Slippery Accident
Ready to throw a shampoo bottle at his head, my bare foot met betrayal.
"Yah! Don't flirt after traumatizing me!" I shouted. But my foot slid on the wet tile.
"Aishh—!!"
I crashed right into his bare back.
"Woah—!" Taehyun barely caught the counter. My hands landed on his shoulders, my face against his spine.
"Well… that escalated nicely," he smirked.
"I swear to God, if you say one more word—"
"Wanna stay like this a bit longer?" he asked.
I shoved him with a squeak, but he grabbed my waist to steady me. "Careful. The floor's slippery… like your self-control."
"Yahhh! Shut up!" I turned around, hiding my face in a towel.
"Better wipe that floor," he chuckled, walking out. "Or next time, you might land in my arms on purpose."
♡: Kitchen Table Chaos
I made it downstairs in a giant hoodie, hoping no one noticed my red cheeks.
" We heard a scream from your room earlier… everything okay?" Junho asked, wiggling his brows.
"Sounded like a war cry… or something else," Minho added dryly.
"Maybe she saw a huge... cockroach?" Seokjin smirked.
I choked on my coffee. "I slipped in the bathroom!"
"While he was inside?! Yahhh~ spicy morning!" Junho gasped.
Taehyun walked in, looking smug. "She fell… on me."
"Ooooooooohhhhh~" the brothers chimed.
"Can I eat in peace?!" I cried.
"Sure," Jinwoo said. "Just wondering how the floor got wet before the shower even started."
"At this rate, we're gonna be uncles real soon," Minho whispered to Taehyun.
Taehyun sat beside me, nudging my knee.
"I'm okay with that. But she still blushes too much."
: The Library – A Moment of Truth
I escaped to the library, sitting on the window ledge. But my mind wouldn't quiet down. That dream... that faceless man. He wasn't Taehyun.
My chest tightened. Taehyun is real, but what if someone else once was?
"Who am I?" I whispered.
I reached for an old book and closed my eyes. The man from the dream appeared again. And the strange part? My heart didn't reject him. It recognized him.