ALL NOVEL Chapter 2
[I prepared a new phone since your previous one was lost. Sorry for the delay. Feel free to use the card as you wish.]There was something tucked into the slot for storing cards behind the phone case. The name on the card wasn’t mine but his.[Jo Yeonseo]Feel free to use it as you wish? What if I went on a spending spree of millions? This card, black with gold embellishments, was rumored to be a limitless card that didn’t process purchases under 50,000 won. Curious, I decided to test this rumor at the convenience store in front of the hospital, taking advantage of my newly granted permission to go outside. It worked for even small amounts. Though the man would receive approval messages, I didn’t care.[Web Notification]○○Card (XXXX) Approved Jo *seo400 won (One-time) 11/04 10:51Ice World Unmanned Store[Web Notification]○○Card (XXXX) Approved Jo *seo1,200 won (One-time) 11/05 11:02Ice World Unmanned Store[Web Notification]○○Card (XXXX) Approved Jo *seo800 won (One-time) 11/05 18:34Ice World Unmanned StoreI had no cash and didn’t want to stockpile ice cream. Occasionally, I bought some for Taeho, the nurses, or Taeho’s kids to hit the 2,000 won mark, but most payments were in the hundreds. After a couple of days, the man called me, starting with an apology for visiting late due to work and asking if I needed cash or anything else. I asked for a laptop or tablet PC and inquired if he could bring my wallet or ID. He agreed and added a statement that seemed important to him.‘If using a card in my name makes you uncomfortable, please don’t worry about it.’No, I’m quite comfortable using it. If approval texts were sent to my phone, I’d be too annoyed to delete the messages for every 400-won purchase. I wasn’t leaving the hospital much, and the meals were good enough to not complain. Adapting to my memory loss was already overwhelming.After reassuring him that I was fine with using the card, I ended the call. The next day, the requested items were on my bedside table. A small succulent plant, which wasn’t there the night before, appeared, likely brought by him overnight. According to a search on my phone, it was called a “calculus” plant, with two tiny dots over a slit resembling a 😐 face.I quickly lost interest in the plant and checked the wallet’s contents. No ID, and the wallet seemed new, likely due to the old one being damaged. The items inside were bent or frayed as if they had taken a severe hit.The first thing I found was not one but two business cards with my name. One indicated my role as Director of Food Division at Seosang Group, while the other was for restaurant consulting. The former was used when I worked with Seosang Group, and the latter for external activities like TV appearances. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the phone numbers were different.‘What’s this?’While it’s common to separate work and personal numbers, it left me unsure which was my personal number. Did I use two phones or swap SIM cards in one? The phone provided by the man had a third, unknown number.‘…?’This situation felt increasingly suspicious. Were we truly married? Checking the official registry with the laptop showed “Jo Yeonseo” listed as my spouse. Was there a reason to avoid contacting people I knew before losing my memory? My mind grew more confused.That night, the man again visited silently in the middle of the night. Peeking through half-closed eyes, I saw his face, which looked sad rather than suspicious. Why was he so upset? Was it because I lost all my memories? Or was it because I survived such a severe accident?Were we really in love? Unlike movie couples who miraculously fall for each other again, all I felt was confusion when looking at him.* * *Another week passed in doubt, and my discharge day arrived.‘You mustn’t overexert yourself. Take it easy at home for the next month and focus on rehabilitation.’With the doctor’s warning, I headed to the lobby where the man, who had taken the day off, awaited me. He didn’t bring a romantic bouquet like in the movies but simply helped carry my belongings. As we approached the luxury sedan, he opened the passenger door cautiously.Strangely, he always seemed startled around me. Even when I reached out for the small bag containing my laptop and tablet, he flinched, making me self-conscious.His overly polite tone and unease with physical contact made our relationship seem anything but ordinary.We drove in silence until we arrived at a new, upscale apartment complex in the heart of Seoul.‘We must’ve had a lot of money.’I had been unconscious and hospitalized for a while, unable to work for the foreseeable future. How much money did we have? Trying to calm my shock at the extravagant apartment, he led me to unit 2302. The interior, void of any personal touch, felt suffocatingly pristine.The large, spacious kitchen was particularly notable, likely expanded by combining the living room. A huge dining table that could seat eight added to the cold, empty atmosphere.Seeing the dedicated gas stove and various pots, pans, and cooking utensils neatly organized on the wall, it was clear that someone in this house was very interested in cooking. Otherwise, the place seemed to have a clean, trendy interior with no personal touch from the homeowners. As I put my bag down on the sofa and looked around, the man spoke to me.“You can use this room, Mr. Suhan.”He pointed to one of the small rooms with its door tightly closed. Why not the master bedroom? I wondered as I opened the door to find a room just as devoid of personality and warmth, with only a bed, wardrobe, and desk.When I looked out the window, I understood why he had brought me the strange little succulent instead of a bouquet or a more traditional plant. There were a few other small succulent pots on the windowsill, where they received the best sunlight. Maybe he was trying to match my tastes. Unfortunately, the current me, who had lost my memory, felt nothing for succulents. Does losing memory change tastes too? I silently scrutinized his face.‘He is quite handsome….’If we’re talking about tastes, unlike the succulents, he wasn’t bad at all. He objectively had a good-looking face without any harsh angles. Maybe because he was still young, his skin was fresh and firm. This expression might sound too old-fashioned, but considering my age, I was indeed an older man. In terms of looks, I also had a neat appearance that probably didn’t lack anything (which is why I did well on TV), but there was a noticeable age difference, and he clearly looked younger.“…?”Perhaps my blatant stare was too obvious, making the man’s ears turn bright red as he suddenly asked me,“Is there something else you wanted to say…?”Why would a married man get so flustered just from being stared at? I opened my mouth, feeling more puzzled.“Have you always slept in separate rooms?”It might seem trivial in the midst of everything, but typically, unless the relationship is quite strained, don’t married couples usually share the master bedroom? Even if a house has four rooms, allowing for separate rooms for convenience, it’s not common for a newlywed couple to sleep separately.“…..”After a short silence, the man spoke.“Yes. I rarely enter any other space besides the master bedroom, so feel free to use the living room and other rooms as you wish.”What is he talking about? It felt more like an arrangement between hostile roommates sticking it out until the lease ended rather than a married couple. The awkward distance and strange living arrangements were full of oddities.As if signaling that was all, the man tried to retreat to the master bedroom. I quickly wedged my foot in the door just before it closed and asked.“Oh, and one more thing. I’ve been overlooking it since I’ve been hospitalized, but what about my job?”“Ah.”I wasn’t sure about the behind-the-scenes details of the broadcast work, but it seemed like there weren’t any ongoing programs. Suddenly losing an executive-level employee must have caused quite a stir at the company. I hid my anxiety and asked, pretending not to be worried.“I don’t know when you’ll recover, so I’ve arranged for you to take a year off. There’s no immediate need to return, so please feel free to stay as you wish until your memory returns.”He sure says ‘stay as you wish’ a lot. While he didn’t seem to mean any harm, from my uncomfortable position, it almost felt like he was mocking me.‘Is it just my inferiority complex?’I was aware that my frustration came from not knowing what was going on, who I was, or what I was supposed to do. It was even more daunting to think that the person acting like a stranger while knowing everything was my husband. Not knowing whom to trust, I raised my voice involuntarily.“Hold on. I can’t understand this. For me to ‘stay as I wish,’ I need to know who I am and what I used to do. Could you spare some time to explain?”The man tightly shut his mouth for a moment, then sighed and spoke in a resigned tone.“Alright.”As soon as he agreed, I quickly pointed to the sofa in the living room.“Let’s sit down first. This isn’t something we can discuss standing up.”I had countless questions about this man. Although I’d already found out what he did for a living through his business card and internet search, there was still so much more I needed to know.“…..”Reluctantly, the man moved to the living room. We awkwardly sat on opposite ends of the four-seater sofa, with a cold silence hanging over us.“What do you want to ask?”Despite my earlier enthusiasm, my mind went blank once we sat down. Um, let’s see… Right, my accident. I cleared my throat lightly and started to speak.“It’s about my accident. The insurance company said it was a personal accident. Is that true?”I didn’t expect a proper answer. When I first heard this man was my husband, I thought it was a ridiculous misunderstanding. Now, I couldn’t be sure of anything. If we were truly in love and a tragic accident had torn us apart, I could trust him completely, but…‘It really seems like a sham marriage.’The lack of wedding photos in the house was also suspicious. Was this man the perpetrator, planning to kill me off after the accident? As I tried to shake off these dramatic thoughts, the man spoke.“Yes, that’s what I understand. When I arrived at the hospital after being notified, you were already in surgery. If you’re curious about the vehicle’s condition, I have photos from the insurance company.”He turned on his phone and showed me photos from the insurance company. Seeing the bloodstains inside the wrecked car made chills run down my spine.“The car was beyond repair and has been scrapped. The black box was removed by you a few days ago, so we can’t check it.”“…..”It was exactly what the insurance agent had said. It was an unfortunate accident while avoiding a wild animal, made worse by the terrain. A random, unlucky accident.It sounded like something out of a movie, but if the man had orchestrated it, wouldn’t he show some reaction? Maybe my suspicions were too far-fetched. The man’s expression remained unchanged.Another question remained. The phone. Why did he give me a new number instead of my old one? Urgently, I asked, fearing I might never get the answer.“What about my phone number? It was different from the one on my business card.”The man calmly replied to my pointed question.“The phone wasn’t found at the scene, like the black box. Given your fame, your old number could be misused, so we suspended it. I know you had two numbers for one phone. The old number might cause confusion with people trying to contact you, so using a new number seemed best until your memory returns. Sorry for the delay in explaining.”His logical reasoning left me speechless. Without the phone or the black box, what was I planning to do? Was it a deliberate setup, or was I involved in something that needed no trace?In the ensuing awkward silence, the man quietly spoke.“You’re suspicious of me.”Startled, I scratched my neck and avoided his gaze.“Yes, as you said, the situation is unusual, and with no memory, everything is confusing. I can’t help but be cautious. I apologize if I offended you.”For now, this man was responsible for my well-being. I couldn’t trust him easily, but confronting him wouldn’t help. I took a step back and apologized, and the man replied in a steady voice.“No, it’s understandable given the circumstances. I don’t know if it will ease your mind, but I’ll show you the last known location of your phone and the accident site.”The man then brought a laptop from the master bedroom. It looked almost new, with no signs of wear or personal touches, yet the screen was filled with meticulously organized work files, suggesting it had been in use for quite some time.‘Maybe he’s just naturally meticulous and obsessive.’This thought quickly passed as the man pulled up a map and pointed out where the phone was last detected and the accident location.“The phone’s last signal was detected in Incheon, and then it was completely powered off, so we couldn’t track its location any further. The accident happened on this highway.”The location he showed indeed matched the road in the insurance photos. The timestamp of the phone’s last signal coincided with the time of the accident. This meant that if someone had taken the phone from the accident site, they would have moved it from a rural highway in Gangwon-do to Incheon in less than ten minutes.‘That’s impossible.’Now, only one question remained in my mind.‘What kind of relationship do we really have?’That seemed to be the most important question, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask it out loud. Since mentioning my suspicions, the man’s expression hadn’t noticeably changed, but there was a subtle coldness that made it impossible to ignore.His sorrowful expression… I don’t know if I should use this phrase, but it looked like someone who had just lost a loved one. In reality, the ‘Lee Suhan’ he knew was half-dead, so it might not have been entirely incorrect.“Do you have any other questions?”The man looked at me cautiously, as if suppressing something. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. It was odd to think this way, but with my memories as Lee Suhan wiped clean, it felt like I had become a completely different person. It was as if I had taken the real Lee Suhan away from him.Still, I couldn’t miss asking what I needed to know. Steeling myself, I asked, “So, can I assume that the belongings outside the master bedroom are mine?”Since I needed to recover my memories as quickly as possible, looking through things I used before might help jog my memory. I needed to know where I could search, so I asked cautiously. The man hesitated for a moment before answering.“Yes. If it helps you regain your memory, feel free to look through not just the space you’re using but the entire house.”Surprised by how easily he agreed, I let out a small, internal gasp of admiration. I continued, not wanting to lose the momentum.“Then, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”The man nodded slightly, waiting for me to speak. Though it felt awkward, I asked the question that had been on my mind.“What kind of person was I?”He was the only one who could answer this philosophical question. The man inhaled sharply, and a chilly silence settled between us.Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. It seemed almost certain that our relationship wasn’t great. After a brief, awkward pause, the man finally spoke.“You were… competent and trusted by many.”But that didn’t describe Lee Suhan as a spouse. What was our family like? How was my relationship with his family? How did we end up married? I had so many questions but couldn’t bring myself to ask them.“I think I’ve asked everything I wanted to for now.”The awkward atmosphere lingered as I suggested he go rest. The man nodded slightly and stood up.“Yes. I usually leave early in the morning and return late at night, so don’t worry about me.”He bowed slightly and headed to the master bedroom. The hallway from the living room to the master bedroom was quite long. As I sat on the sofa, watching him move, I realized I had forgotten to ask an important question.“Oh. I need to ask him that.”I quickly stood up and called out toward the master bedroom.“Ah, I’m really sorry, but I have one last question.”The man turned to look at me with the same unchanging expression. Feeling a bit awkward for bothering him, I asked.“What should I call you?”I knew his name was Jo Yeonseo, but since we were supposedly married, I couldn’t keep calling him ‘you’ or ‘hey’. Besides, since we were now living together, I needed to address him properly.His expression stiffened as he seemed to think deeply. After a long pause, he finally spoke, looking slightly embarrassed.“Whatever you’re comfortable with…”He seemed a bit shy, and for a moment, his face, which had been stiff like a mannequin, looked human. The awkward silence made me want to break the ice. Without any malice or reason, I just wanted to lighten the somber mood.“Are you five years younger than me?”I recalled the guardian information I saw during my discharge process and asked a seemingly random question, making him look puzzled.“Yes, but… why?”Ignoring his confusion, I couldn’t help but chuckle and made a silly joke.“Then, can I call you Yeonseo?”I could almost hear the sound of him cracking like a stone. He looked flustered and shook his head.“…That would be a bit much…”Of course, I understood he wouldn’t want to suddenly start addressing each other informally. I laughed and reassured him.“Got it. Then Mr. Yeonseo is fine, right?”His face turned red as he covered it with his hand and answered.“Yes, that would be fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for work tomorrow.”He quickly retreated like a turtle hiding in its shell. For the first time, the house felt a bit warmer, and my uneasiness subsided slightly. Though nothing had been resolved, I felt a bit lighter knowing he didn’t dislike me. Since he lived here, I would have plenty of time to get to know him and recover my memories.‘Now, let’s take a look around the house…’But before I could start, I felt a wave of fatigue from having been bedridden and only stepping out for brief periods.‘Let’s take a bath first.’Though my bones weren’t fully healed, they were well on their way. Removing the detachable brace, I stepped into the bathroom, seeing a large, clean bathtub, likely newly installed. It seemed large enough for two tall adults, but it showed no signs of use, indicating he hadn’t used the guest bathroom while living alone.‘There must be a bathroom and a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, so he probably didn’t need to use the living room bathroom.’A quick glance around revealed that all the products on the shelves were brand new, with the seals just broken. It felt as if everything had been prepared, waiting for my arrival.As I filled the tub with hot water and squeezed some body wash to create foam, a refreshing yet not overly light scent filled the air. It seemed to have a hint of wood or citrus. I wasn’t sure about the exact fragrance, but it wasn’t bad. While rinsing my hands at the sink, I wondered if he had chosen this for me.Did he think I’d like this? Or were these products I originally used? My hospitalization wasn’t exactly short, but it wasn’t so long that all my bathroom products needed replacing. Was there a specific reason to replace them all, or was it just…?All these thoughts were just my own silly speculations and fantasies; there were only a few certainties. That we had a wedding a year ago and were legally married. That Yeonseo was five years younger than me. And…That he didn’t seem to dislike me.‘How funny human feelings are.’Just a while ago, I was thinking, how can I trust this guy? Is he the one who caused my accident? I was ready to bare my teeth. Yet, a trivial joke seemed to lighten my mood, leading me to the conclusion that he didn’t seem to dislike me. The heart truly was as light as paper.What was he thinking while filling this spotless bathroom with new items? Maybe he had someone else do it. It was clear we weren’t that close. I was curious about how we met and ended up married. I couldn’t picture myself standing beside him.The image of the wedding I tried to recall felt awkward. The pretty groom looked like he might run away at any moment, which made me chuckle. Just as my curiosity was about to grow, the bathtub overflowed with water.“Ah.”What a waste. I quickly turned off the faucet and immersed myself in the steaming water until my skin turned red. As the heat seeped into my bones, the aches began to melt away.“Ah, this is nice.”I couldn’t help but let out a contented sigh, sounding like an old man. Submerging my whole body in the hot water, I felt the accumulated fatigue dissolve away.People need more than just the grueling electric and heat therapy sessions of rehabilitation; they also need moments of peaceful healing like this to make life enjoyable. Any worry about my lack of memory washed away with the water overflowing from the tub.After all, I survived. I’m not obsessively trying to find a reason for everything, but being able to breathe and move with all my limbs intact must mean there’s still a reason for me to be alive.‘…I’ll figure out the reason slowly.’I closed my eyes, avoiding the reflection of my scarred and muscle-wasted body in the mirror.The next morning, I woke up to sunlight streaming through the curtains. I stretched my stiff body and yawned.“Ah, what time did I fall asleep last night? It felt like I went to bed early.”Jo Yeonseo had quietly entered the master bedroom without a sound, and the hot bath had made me so drowsy that I couldn’t stay awake any longer. It wasn’t even 10 a.m., but I felt like I had to sleep. I collapsed onto the bed and crawled under the covers.‘Is this the blanket I used before?’The seasons had changed while I was hospitalized, so there had been enough time to swap the winter blanket for a spring one. Like many other things, the blanket showed little signs of use. I couldn’t tell if it was a new item or one that had been meticulously cared for.‘Come to think of it, the phone, laptop, wallet, and clothes they brought me at the hospital were all new.’Did they buy new items because it was too much trouble to find my old ones? If they were rich, that might make sense. Or maybe he didn’t want to use the things I had used. I couldn’t know his intentions, but it felt like he was distinguishing between the “real Lee Suhan” and me.‘What do you mean, the “real Lee Suhan”? I am Lee Suhan.’Suddenly feeling frustrated, I kicked off the blanket and put my feet on the floor. Ouch, my bones still ached when I first stood up, and the lingering soreness followed until I got used to moving around.Enough with the strange thoughts. Today, I’d carefully go through the room. If he was the culprit behind my accident and wanted to keep my memory from returning, he would have hidden or destroyed any evidence by now. The things left in this room probably wouldn’t pose any risk to him.With no high expectations, I casually opened the drawer under the bookshelf.“Oh.”I hit a small jackpot right from the start. Unlike the brand-new laptop he got for me, this one showed signs of use. Turning it over, I checked the manufacturing date and product code—it was an older model from about two years ago.‘This is it.’If the search history and files were still intact, I might find something. Even if something was deleted, there would be records of it. I quickly found the charger among the neatly organized cables, plugged it in, and turned it on. The familiar booting sound rang out.‘Wait, but I don’t know the password, do I?’I had a moment of panic, but luckily, it was set up with fingerprint recognition. My heart calmed down as I placed my thumb on the sensor, unlocking the laptop.‘Neat.’That was my first impression. There were fewer than ten icons on the desktop, all for work-related messengers and document programs. Opening a folder that seemed to hold work documents, I found files organized by year and project.‘Wow.’The files I opened contained various scraped videos, images, text files, and presentation materials.[Recommended List for French Wine Import Promotion by Region][2023 Second Half Food and Beverage Section Business Plan][2021 First Quarter Sales Analysis Report]At the moment, these documents seemed overwhelming, and I had no idea what was important or what they were for.‘What is this?’Champagne, Chardonnay, Noir, Blanc—French words filled the screen, making my head spin. Even though I knew that looking at these documents wouldn’t magically bring back my memories of leading the food and beverage division at Seosang Group, I had hoped they might trigger something. That hope quickly evaporated.“Ha….”Hoping to find personal photos or videos, I searched for them but only found more work-related material.– Follow the extravagant culinary journey in Spain, the city of passion!What is this now? I opened a video titled ‘Spain_20190428,’ hoping it was a personal travel video, but it turned out to be a documentary on Spanish cuisine that aired that day.Even after examining new product plans for several minutes, nothing sparked any memories. All I could think was, ‘That looks delicious.’‘Hmm….’After spending hours combing through the laptop, I concluded there was nothing useful. It was a work laptop with no traces of the person Lee Suhan. There were only documents related to my role as the director of Seosang Group’s food and beverage division.Enough of that. I turned my attention to other things. After thoroughly searching the bookshelf filled with cookbooks and other professional material, I discovered…[Seosang Grand Castle Hotel Q1 2023 New Product Plan][Seosang Leni Men Resort 2023 Annual Food and Beverage Line Business Plan]Endless confidential documents. It was clear I was a workaholic, even at home. I checked the pockets of all my clothes in the closet, finding nothing but receipts from two years ago. I drew another conclusion after all that effort.There was nothing in this room to hint at who Lee Suhan the person was, only evidence of Lee Suhan the dining expert. The only clear thing was that I was someone obsessed with work.‘How can someone live like this, just working all the time…’Living like this, isn’t it possible someone might snap one day and go on a shooting spree or something? Shouldn’t someone have grabbed me by the collar and said, “Living like this will kill you”? For a moment, a foolish thought crossed my mind: ‘Could it be that I caused the accident on purpose?’ I quickly shook my head to clear it.Let’s think the opposite way. Would someone who was this motivated at work, who had made so many plans for the year, suddenly decide to die? I gave up pondering the unanswerable questions because my head was starting to hurt.Maybe there would be something different outside this room. When I opened the door, I saw that Jo Yeonseo had left for work long ago, as he had mentioned yesterday.[11:21]By this time, all the regular office workers would have gone to work. I was hungry because I skipped breakfast and slept through the morning. Was there something I could eat for brunch? Opening the refrigerator, I found it stocked with fresh groceries, just like everything else in the house.There were strange, unfamiliar vegetables, along with basic items like onions, green onions, potatoes, and some unknown sauces and wines. I wondered how I was supposed to make something edible out of all this.Maybe if I grabbed a frying pan or a knife, my past memories would come rushing back, and I’d start cooking instinctively…. That foolish thought briefly crossed my mind, but of course, nothing like that happened.‘I’m hungry.’I couldn’t wait for the time it would take to order food on a delivery app, so I reluctantly searched through the cupboards. Surely, even in the home of a culinary expert, there should be at least some instant ramen.“…”But unfortunately, the cupboards were filled with various spices and seasonings that I couldn’t identify. Despite having so many ingredients, there was nothing I could actually make. Feeling frustrated, I filled a pot with water and set it to boil.If only there were some instant rice, I could heat it up, mix it with soy sauce, sesame oil, and a soft-boiled egg, and call it a meal. But all I had was plain uncooked rice. When would I have time to soak and cook it? In the end, I opted for a minimalist meal.I boiled potatoes in the water. When they seemed cooked, I tested them with chopsticks. If the chopsticks slid in easily, they were done. I then added some salt or sugar before eating. The potatoes, however, were undercooked.“Ha…”The reasonably good mood I had yesterday evening quickly turned sour.Fear that I had been suppressing started to overwhelm me. The helpless feeling of being someone who couldn’t do anything. What if my memory never returned? What if, after my sick leave, I couldn’t perform the duties Lee Suhan was expected to? The company wouldn’t tolerate that. The pressure felt like it was dragging me down, and I suddenly struggled to breathe. Then, I felt a surge of defiance, like when I was pushed to the edge during the accident.‘Is it really my fault?’The accident, my past self leaving behind complicated tasks I couldn’t handle without my memory, living under the same roof with a spouse I couldn’t understand, eating undercooked potatoes because I couldn’t cook properly—none of these were my fault.How could I have known? Would I have wanted this? Suddenly waking up with no memory, having no idea who I was or what I was supposed to do, feeling pressured to recover my memory quickly. It wasn’t something I had done wrong.Even if the accident was my responsibility, it was the responsibility of the past Lee Suhan, not the blank slate I had become.“I’m really thinking all sorts of things…”I knew it was fallacious to separate myself from my past self. But to return to who I was, I needed to eat well, rest well, and maintain peace of mind. To endure this chaotic situation, I needed to place the blame elsewhere.“Get it together, Lee Suhan.”Muttering to myself, I put the pot of potatoes back on the stove. After boiling them for another 10 minutes, they were finally perfectly cooked. Mumbling to myself, I found comfort in addressing one problem at a time.‘Tastes good.’I regretted not frying them with butter. After filling my stomach, I felt a bit more energized. I returned to my room and opened the wardrobe. The neatly arranged clothes for late spring fit a bit loosely, despite my diligent rehabilitation exercises. Losing weight and muscle after nearly three months in bed was to be expected.Stress often leads to negative thoughts. There was still plenty of time in the day, so I decided to combine my rehab with some light exercise and take a walk. I also needed to buy groceries that someone like me, who could only cook ramen, could actually prepare. I could order delivery for dinner. As I started organizing my thoughts, I felt lighter.What if my memory doesn’t return within a year? There’s no point in worrying about something beyond my control. It wasn’t a definitive verdict, and I could deal with it when the time came.With immediate tasks decided, my head felt clearer.“Where’s the nearest supermarket…”Holding my phone, I searched for a supermarket and found one within a 10-minute walk.‘With these amenities and a new building in this area, I could live off the house’s value forever.’Of course, the house wasn’t in my name, but they wouldn’t kick me out just for being an incompetent freeloader. I also needed to visit the community center to get a new ID. My mind, once empty, was filling with tasks.* * *Later, with both hands full of instant and ready-to-eat products, I returned home to find it was already past 4 PM. With visits to the photo studio, community center, and supermarket, I had no time for gloomy thoughts.The community center told me to pick up my ID in two weeks, and the ID photo turned out quite well, giving me a pleasant appearance. The pantry was stocked well enough to last through a war, so there was nothing to worry about.‘Did they get a notification?’Even though I was told to use the card freely, I didn’t like the idea of sending notifications with every purchase. Once I got my ID, I’d go to the bank, get a new security card, and register a new certificate to check my assets. I wasn’t jobless before, and my job paid well, so I must have some savings.Feeling lighter, I looked at the neatly organized fridge. While a storage expert might scream at the sight, I’d classified frozen food in the freezer and refrigerated items in the fridge, so it was fine. After a brief rationalization, I plopped down on the sofa, and the sun was setting.I’m just confused. Observing myself as if from a distance, I realized how unstable I was. I shouldn’t fret over every little thing. Worrying about things I couldn’t control was self-destructive.After a while, I started feeling hungry again, so I cooked some instant noodles. After eating, I felt more energetic.I decided to check the other rooms. One room was filled with various awards and plaques I’d received for my work, as well as framed photos, presumably brought from my mysterious housemate’s home.“How cute.”There were neatly framed photos documenting his life from infancy to high school. Most of the photos showed him looking mild-mannered, but in one, he was scowling by the sea, perhaps angry about something during elementary school.‘His parents must have put a lot of care into these.’I unconsciously approached and gently touched the frowning child’s face in the photo. The frame, which was barely hanging on the edge of a nail, suddenly slid down and clattered against the wall.“Gasp.”I was startled, thinking I had broken someone else’s frame. After carefully rehanging the frame, I noticed through the curtains that the veranda was cluttered with items.‘Why is there so much stuff there too?’I pushed the curtain aside and stepped out onto the veranda, finding it filled with unused furniture and miscellaneous items. Next to them was a storage cabinet, seemingly used for stowing away various things. While rummaging through it, I didn’t feel any memory returning, but since I was already there, I felt compelled to see it through.Are there more framed photos here too? I wondered, seeing a large frame through a small gap in the cabinet. However, as I checked its contents, I was startled.“So this is where it was.”It was an item I had been puzzled about since arriving at the house, wondering why it wasn’t visible in a newlywed home.