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Chapter 31
We Should Sleep Together
“Doesn’t something feel strange?”
I turned away from the window and looked at Sang-woo, who was driving.
My voice carried across the car, where only the two of us sat. Sang-woo glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it weird? They called Dr. Min over to examine me, but then they won’t even let me hear the results and tell me to go to the agency first.”
“…”
“What, do I have some huge insurance policy in my name or something?”
At my muttered comment, Sang-woo let out a short laugh as if he found it absurd.
He shook his head, and I pouted.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It amazes me how far your imagination can jump.”
“You probably don’t know this yet, Sang-woo, but there are more accidents caused by money than you’d think.”
“…”
“People kill their own parents and children over money. So when it comes to…”
So when it came to a contract marriage…
I swallowed the rest of the words before they left my mouth and turned back toward the window.
Not that I actually thought Tae-wook would do something like that.
Still, unable to understand what was going on inside his head, I let out a faint sigh and stared outside.
By then, the car had arrived at JT Entertainment and was heading into the underground parking garage.
Inside the increasingly dark and quiet car, Sang-woo’s lowered voice broke the silence.
“Our CEO isn’t poor enough to be after Han Gyeo-ul’s insurance money.”
“…”
“And he’s not the type who’s obsessed with money, either.”
As if speaking on Tae-wook’s behalf while he wasn’t there, Sang-woo spoke carefully but firmly.
I burst out laughing.
It seemed he had taken my offhand joke seriously.
Seeing me suddenly laugh, his brows furrowed in annoyance.
“You’re more serious than I thought, Sang-woo.”
“…”
“You don’t seriously think I meant that, do you? It’s just that…”
“…?”
“Lately he’s been doing things he never used to do, so it feels strange.”
There were plenty of examples of Tae-wook’s unusual behavior.
I was simply too embarrassed to say them out loud.
As memories of Tae-wook from the previous night surfaced again, my face unconsciously twisted.
Sang-woo picked up the mask he had left on the passenger seat and handed it to me.
“I may be serious, but I think you’re the one lacking awareness.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whether you’re truly oblivious or just refusing to believe it—I’m not sure.”
“…”
“Let’s go. I’ll escort you upstairs today.”
Smiling, Sang-woo got out of the car first.
As I shot him a glare, I followed him out.
“Come to think of it, you hate losing just as mu—”
“Han Gyeo-ul!”
Just as I stepped out of the car, someone called my name.
At the sudden shout, Sang-woo immediately stepped in front of me protectively.
A woman wearing a black cap pulled low and a mask covering her face rushed toward us. Only when she got close did she lower the mask slightly and speak.
“What’s with you? Why are you coming to work so late?”
“Kim Ah-rin?”
I poked my head out from behind Sang-woo’s shoulder.
After confirming that I knew her, Sang-woo finally stepped aside.
Ah-rin glanced at him before adjusting her mask again.
“But why are you alone today?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t come here to see you.”
“…?”
“Where’s Joo Tae-wook? Didn’t he come with you?”
“…Tae-wook?”
“Yes. I came to see Mr. Joo Tae-wook.”
“…”
“It’s urgent.”
Meeting Ah-rin’s sharpened gaze, I glanced at Sang-woo.
Judging by the way his eyebrow twitched, it seemed this meeting between Ah-rin and Tae-wook had not been arranged in advance.
As Ah-rin quietly repeated Tae-wook’s name, an odd feeling settled inside me.
* * *
“How is she?”
“You called me over so urgently I thought something terrible had happened.”
Tae-wook pressed a hand to his forehead as Dr. Min answered leisurely.
Without even sitting down, Tae-wook paced before him.
Watching him, Dr. Min leaned back with amusement.
“You seem different from last time.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s emotion in your eyes now. You finally look human.”
At the teasing remark, Tae-wook turned his gaze toward him.
Despite the irritated look Tae-wook gave him, Dr. Min merely shrugged.
Watching Tae-wook pace anxiously, Dr. Min gestured toward the empty coffee table.
“By the way, when a guest comes over, isn’t he supposed to get a cup of coffee?”
At the mention of coffee, Tae-wook stopped walking.
Dr. Min grinned, while Tae-wook stared at him stiffly.
“Come on, I just wanted a cup of coffee. Why are you glaring at me like that? You’re going to give me indigestion.”
“Doctor, perhaps you’ve forgotten, but I’ve been asking the same question this whole time.”
“Hm?”
“I asked whether Han Gyeo-ul is okay.”
“Oh, is that all?”
“…”
“What wouldn’t be okay? Her complexion looked much better than before.”
“I’m not talking about her physical condition.”
At Tae-wook’s words, confusion appeared on Dr. Min’s face.
Tae-wook let out a shallow sigh and finally sat down on the sofa.
“The doctor who treated Gyeo-ul said she might have PTSD.”
“PTSD?”
“Yes. He said she hasn’t accepted her younger sibling’s death and is projecting that image onto me.”
Dr. Min crossed his arms and leaned back.
“Hm. Sounds like you have a reason for bringing this up.”
“Gyeo-ul can’t drink coffee.”
“Coffee?”
“She said caffeine makes her heart race and keeps her from sleeping.”
“And?”
“She’s been drinking coffee lately.”
Dr. Min blinked.
Seeing the puzzled expression on his face, Tae-wook rubbed his own face.
“At first, when she talked about heart palpitations and arrhythmia, I didn’t think much of it.”
“…”
“But then I remembered she used to say she couldn’t drink coffee.”
“…”
“So last night I gave her coffee on purpose.”
“…”
“And she didn’t seem to notice anything strange at all.”
“…”
“I thought she was getting better. But what if the psychological trauma hasn’t improved at all?”
“…”
“I’m wondering whether I should leave things as they are or make her confront it.”
As Dr. Min listened, he glanced sideways at him.
“How’s her sleep?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if she sleeps well.”
Tae-wook immediately fell silent.
Dr. Min frowned.
“Now that I think about it… this is a personal question, but do you two sleep separately?”
“…”
“No? Then what about having children? I never thought you disliked kids—”
“Doctor.”
“Wait, don’t tell me you two only share a bed on ovulation da—”
“Dr. Min!”
Only after Tae-wook shouted did Dr. Min stop talking.
Tae-wook rubbed his face as though he had a headache and spoke through clenched teeth.
“You know it’s a private matter, so why are you asking?”
“…”
“I asked about Han Gyeo-ul’s condition. Nothing more.”
Dr. Min laughed in disbelief.
He looked at Tae-wook’s irritated face and removed his glasses.
“President Joo.”
“Yes?”
“In my opinion, after someone goes through a traumatic accident, developing PTSD is perfectly natural.”
“…”
“The human mind is both incredibly strong and incredibly fragile.”
“…”
“Though I suppose a stone statue like you wouldn’t understand.”
He breathed lightly on his glasses and wiped away a speck of dust while watching Tae-wook wait impatiently for an answer.
Then he sighed.
“If she does have PTSD, I need to know how severe it is.”
“…”
“But from what you’ve told me, your wife doesn’t seem fully aware of her own situation.”
“…”
“So in a case like this, you’re the only source of information I have.”
Hearing the explanation, Tae-wook pressed his lips together.
Only now did he seem to understand.
Leaning comfortably against the sofa, Dr. Min continued.
“If all she’s doing is drinking coffee because she unconsciously copied her younger sibling’s habits, then I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”
“…”
“But if caffeine is genuinely putting strain on her heart, then continuing to drink it isn’t good.”
“Then what should I do?”
Tae-wook’s reply came out blankly.
Dr. Min chuckled and put his glasses back on.
Sunlight streamed through the window and gleamed off the clean lenses.
“You should sleep together.”
“What?”
“Sleep together. In the same room. Under the same blanket.”
“No, what kind of—”
“Cases are rare, but some people eventually adapt to caffeine. If you want to know whether her heart is still racing so much that she can’t sleep, or whether she’s fine now, then you need to find out whether she’s sleeping properly.”
Tae-wook stared at him as if he had just been struck in the back of the head.
Dr. Min continued.
“And how exactly do you do that?”
“…”
“If you want to know whether she sleeps well or not, there’s only one way.”
“…”
“You have to sleep beside her.”
