Chapter 185 - Toward the Truth
After the movie ended, the executives asked Minseo for his thoughts. He gave them a bright smile and praised the film, saying he'd completely lost track of time.
In truth, the executives had only asked for his review to see if even a sliver of his memory had returned. Hearing him say it was just "fun" left them feeling a bit bitter.
"It's okay, eonni. It's only been three days. It's natural that he doesn't remember yet."
"Hoo... yeah. Let's just keep trying."
Seoyoung patted Hayoung's shoulder to comfort her, and the two of them headed upstairs.
Minseo sat blankly on the living room sofa, trying to grasp the memory he had glimpsed.
Clearly, while watching the movie, the woman sitting next to me had kissed me.
And intuitively, I knew the person who kissed me was in this very room.
I didn't know why, but I had a gut feeling so strong I was certain of it.
Like the north and south poles of a magnet pulling toward each other, Minseo felt a terrifyingly sharp intuition.
Hoo... what do I do now...
However, even though Minseo had recovered a fragment of his memory, he didn't tell the executives the truth.
Because that fragment happened to be the kiss.
If my guess is right, one of the executives definitely kissed me.
The fact that we kissed meant there was a high probability we weren't in a normal professional relationship.
No matter how close you are, friends don't just kiss each other like that.
This was where things started to feel strange to Minseo.
When he had asked back at the hospital, they told him he didn't have a girlfriend.
Then... there was only one hypothesis left.
An ex-girlfriend...?
Is one of the executives my ex?
Just the thought of it gave Minseo goosebumps.
But... if she were an ex, wouldn't she show some sign of resentment toward me? I didn't get that vibe at all...
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was trapped in a labyrinth.
Minseo unconsciously touched his lips, tracing the phantom sensation of the kiss.
It had been so sweet and soft.
A stimulating, addictive feeling that made me feel like I could never break free.
But I couldn't possibly deduce who it was from that feeling alone.
It wasn't like I could go around kissing everyone one by one to check.
Just then—
The sound of chatter drifted down from the stairs.
"Seoyoung... are you a child? Who would actually do this..."
"Why? Doesn't it sound fun? We're just going back to our childhood for a bit. If not now, when would we ever get the chance?"
Hayoung and Seoyoung were smiling at each other as they came down the stairs. In Seoyoung's hand was a toy lie detector.
Minseo stared at the device blankly for a moment.
Ah. I can use that.
His lips curled into a smirk at the brilliant idea.
"No one is going to—"
"Let's do it right now!"
Cutting Hayoung off, Minseo's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
.....
......
.......
"Wait, what??"
*
And so, with Minseo taking the lead, the executives sat in a circle with the lie detector in the middle.
"Shall we have a toast first?"
With snacks like dried squid and almonds and canned beers in hand, they clinked their glasses together.
As the sound of carbonation fizzed in their ears, the game began.
None of them imagined the results would trigger a massive panic.
"But... Minseo won't ask any weird questions, right? Like whether he's had sex with us or something..."
"Hey... Minseo? Even if he thinks we're close, I don't think he'd ask something that bold."
"I suppose you're right."
Jiha and Yu-jin whispered to each other and nodded.
What's the worst that could happen? I'll just enjoy this and go masturbate once everyone is asleep.
Jiha brushed off her concerns and looked at Minseo, who was wearing a subtle smile.
It was a somewhat unsettling smile...
Just as that thought crossed Jiha's mind—
"Alright, spinning it now—"
Seoyoung spun the arrow with an excited shout.
Spin-spin—
The rapidly rotating arrow slowed down... and soon pointed directly at Chaeryeong.
"Oh, it's Chaeryeong-unni. Who wants to ask the first question?"
"I'll do it."
Suhyeon spoke up with a grin.
"Are you satisfied with the work you're doing now?"
"Oh, damn. We're going that intense right from the start?"
The executives were hesitant at first, but once the game actually started, they chuckled and sipped their beer, getting into the spirit of it.
It was a cozy atmosphere—everyone in their pajamas, gathered in a circle, drinking together.
"Of course I am."
Chaeryeong answered confidently.
Beep-beep-beep—
The lie detector's lights flickered rapidly.
Ding-dong—
With a cheerful chime, the green light appeared.
"Ohhh~"
"Is being a mafia executive really Chaeryeong-unni's true calling?"
"Look at how proud she looks!"
The executives laughed and teased her.
"Next!"
This time, Chaeryeong spun the arrow... and it landed on Minseo.
"Who's asking?"
"Me, me, me!"
"I want a turn!"
"Can't I do it?"
The executives scrambled, raising their hands to win the right to interrogate Minseo.
Eventually, they settled it with a round of rock-paper-scissors.
"Yes!"
Hayoung won. She looked at him with a meaningful smile and opened her mouth.
"By any chance... is there anyone in this room right now that you're interested in?"
Minseo froze, caught off guard by the question.
Someone I'm interested in...?
What did she mean by that?
Romantically?
Or just...?
Ah... come to think of it... I really wanted to find the person who kissed me at the theater.
In a way, that person was definitely someone I was interested in.
Then, the answer was yes.
Minseo answered, his face flushing slightly.
"Yes..."
"Wait... what did you just..."
"Yes? Minseo-nim, you mean...?"
"Hold on a second..."
The executives' eyes widened as they all stared at him at once. The lie detector flickered.
Ding-dong—
The green light signaled the truth.
Holy shit... Minseo is interested in someone right now? Even though he lost his memory?
Hayoung flinched in shock. It was the same for the others.
This wasn't the Minseo who had his memories back; the fact that the amnesiac Minseo had developed an interest in someone after only a few days together was staggering.
Naturally, the executives had assumed he would see them as nothing more than superiors or caretakers.
They hadn't been intimate like before... and except for Suhyeon, none of them had kissed him since the accident.
For him to be interested in someone in less than a month was very strange indeed.
We need to know who it is.
Every woman in the room was thinking the same thing.
The atmosphere turned serious in an instant as the game truly began. Hoping to catch Minseo again, they spun the arrow repeatedly.
Before long, it pointed at Minseo once more.
"Who is the person you're interested in...?"
Seoyoung asked, her voice tight with tension.
Every anxious, piercing gaze in the room was fixed on him.
Under the weight of their collective stare, Minseo started to feel flustered.
What is this? Why is everyone looking at me like that? It's a bit much...
Pushing the pressure aside, Minseo placed his hand on the device and answered.
"I don't know who it is."
"Huh?"
"You don't know? What does that even mean..."
The executives' eyes widened at the unexpected answer. They assumed he was lying, but the green light flashed again, accompanied by the cheerful chime.
It was the truth.
Minseo had started this game specifically to identify the person from his memory fragment.
Since he only had a vague recollection of the kiss, he genuinely didn't know which of them it was.
He was the one trying to figure out which executive it had been.
While the executives sat there confused, Minseo spun the arrow.
It pointed at Chaeryeong.
"May I ask a question now?"
Minseo's interrogation, which would leave them even more bewildered, was about to begin.
"Chaeryeong-ssi. By any chance... have you ever kissed me in the past?"
"...Excuse me?"
The question was a direct, brutal strike. It was enough to freeze every woman in the room solid.
"Min... Minseo-nim... that kind of question is..."
"Hey... why would we... with Minseo-nim..."
The executives began to break into a cold sweat, desperately trying to laugh it off and smooth over the situation.
There wasn't a single executive who hadn't been intimate with him. They had all kissed him, so such a raw question was a massive threat to the status quo.
They were visibly rattled. Seoyoung immediately reached for the lie detector, intending to end the game and leave the room, but Minseo's next words stopped everyone in their tracks.
"My memory... it's started to come back a little."
"....."
"Wait..."
"Minseo-nim?"
"How much... exactly...?"
Amidst the mounting panic, Minseo spoke calmly.
"I can't tell you that. Are you all hiding something from me?"
At the sharp edge in his voice, Hayoung couldn't help but gulp.
Minseo said he was regaining his memory.
But they didn't know how much. It was a full-blown crisis.
It was good that he was recovering, but if his memories came back in disjointed, confusing fragments, it was the worst-case scenario.
There were memories of tying him up, of sexual degradation, of "punishments," and countless other lewd incidents.
If he recalled even one of those... he would realize how twisted this situation really was.
"Hoo... no one is talking. Fine. I'll find out for myself. Chaeryeong-ssi, please answer."
"I... I have... kissed Minseo-nim before."
Chaeryeong, looking utterly defeated, finally spoke.
Minseo's eyes shook violently at her admission. His gaze darted from her face to the lie detector.
Ding-dong—
The green light confirmed it. It was the truth.
"Haha... you shouldn't trust a toy, Minseo-nim. This is just a game."
Jiha tried to laugh it off with a joking tone, trying to salvage the mood, but Minseo was far beyond being placated.
Chaeryeong-ssi has kissed me?
What kind of relationship do we have?
No, what kind of relationship DID we have?
As he drew closer to the truth, his head began to throb again. Another memory surfaced, pulling him back into the labyrinth.
The silhouette of a woman. We were in bed together.
I was lying down, and she was on top of me, staring down at me intently.
A thick, heavy, sexual tension.
It was the atmosphere of the moments right before sex.
The woman looked at me lovingly for a long time before leaning down toward my face.
And once again, our lips met, and we shared each other's fluids.
Fuck. This is weird.
This woman wasn't Chaeryeong.
The feeling was different... something... exotic...
Yellow...?
As Minseo sat lost in thought, a flash of fluttering blonde hair caught his eye.
Wait...
It looks the same.
"Jiha-ssi. Put your hand on the lie detector. I have a question."
"Minseo-nim, let's stop this now..."
"I'm trying to find my memories. Are you all going to stand in my way?"
His voice was firm and cold. Everyone fell silent.
Regaining his memory was what they had wanted, after all. The executives looked as if they were resigned to whatever happened next.
Jiha bit her lip and placed her hand on the device, her body tense.
"Have you ever kissed me?"
"Min... seo-nim..."
"Answer me."
"...Yes."
As Jiha spoke in a defeated whisper, the lie detector reacted.
Ding-dong—
The green light flashed.
Shit. Something is very wrong.
Only then did Minseo realize that his relationship with these women was anything but a normal professional one.