The Marriage contract

“Do you know me?” I ask each person around me one by one. I wonder if someone knows me there and can tell who I really am. But as I expected, it didn’t come easy. Just because they see me, they avoid me and run away from me. But I did not stop until I heard a loud scream, so we all turned our attention to her.

“Hey, you!” She shouted. I was shocked to realize that it was Lory who was calling me, so I immediately ran away. “Stop! Get back here.” I heard her shout from behind me as she chased me.

“How did she know where I was? Was she following me? Or was she looking for me with the police?” I was curious about myself. Fearing that she might imprison me, I ran even faster. I didn’t look back at her, but I could still hear her loud voice, and she was obviously very angry with me.

I just stopped when she threw a shoe at the back of my head, so I felt dizzy, and I fell down. Furthermore, I touched the back of my head and realized it was bleeding. I also discovered that she did not throw ordinary shoes at me, but a heel that was five inches high. Because of that, I didn’t get up right away and run to her. So, she caught up with me and pulled me to my collar.

“Hey, are you deaf? Didn't you hear me earlier? Do you know how many times I've called you? Wait a minute, are you running away from me?” She said, frowning and staring sharply at me. I looked around at us, where the people around us were already looking at us with judgment in their eyes.

“What are you saying there? I don't know what you're saying, and I don't know you.” I just responded to her as I bowed my head. She tightened her grip on me even more and brought her face so close to mine that I could almost feel her breathing.

“You don't know me? It looks like you don't really remember. Do you want me to remind you of what happened to us? After you marry me, you'll just run away from me? Maybe you have another woman? Perhaps you don't genuinely love me, and you're just fooling me.” She said, and she suddenly cried, which surprised and amazed me. She growled even louder as the people around us almost stopped and looked at me angrily.

What is she doing, and then what is this scene she is doing in front of numerous people? I wondered from my mind as she was still crying in front of me.

“After I give everything to you. After I pour all my love on you. After I give my soul and myself to you, then you just leave me?” She added that I was even more shocked at her. I tried to deny to all of them what they had heard from her, but they seemed to believe the lies she was telling.

Many get angry and pointing at me. I could not understand what they were saying, but I felt that they did not look good on me because of her. I approached her and whispered in her ear. “Stop it. I know you're just pretending. I didn't think you were good at acting.” I whispered as she looked at me with a smile on the side of her lips.

“You too, you're also good at pretending you don't know me, aren't you?” She also whispered to me, but I just tried to smile and hugged her tightly.

“She is my wife. She has a serious mental illness and seems to have forgotten to take her medicine again. Forgive me, my love, if I leave without saying goodbye. Don't be afraid because I'm already here.” I said as she attempted to push me away, but I tightened my hold on her even more. One by one the people left, and I let her go.

“Are you crazy already? Who is more crazy, the two of us? If I only knew you were a beggar, I would have just married Gil.” She said with a frown and watched me from head to toe.

“Who is Gil? Your boyfriend? Your fiancée? Ahh, you just marry me because you don't want to marry him, is that so?” I asked then she quickly covered y mouth, but I also immediately removed her hand.

“Don't act like you don't know anything. Didn't you also like what happened to us? You abused my innocence that night, and I can put you in jail at any time, you know that?” She said that her two fists were clenched. Whether she’s angry or not, she’s still beautiful. But I just don't like the sharpness of her tongue sometimes and the hurtful things she says. So, I approached her and put my face on her. “Are you blackmailing me? Who is more innocent than the two of us? We know that there are cctvs around and at any time I can prove to everyone who is stalking us, right? Besides, Whom's going to believe you? I'm just a beggar who doesn't remember anything after it was taken by a drunk woman last night and taken to a hotel without realizing it.” When I said that, her mouth suddenly closed as her two cheeks turned red. I walked away from her and picked up the heels she threw at me earlier, and then I put them on her right foot while I knelt in front of her.

“Whatever happened to the two of us, forget it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, and I'll just pretend I don't know you. Is that okay with you?” After I told her that, I turned around and was about to walk away, but she suddenly spoke, so I turned to her again.

“Just … Be my husband.” She said, so I raised an eyebrow and looked at her in astonishment. She approached me and held one of my hands while wearing the ring on my left finger. “Help me, and I'll help you too.” She added as I stared at her.

“What do you mean?” I asked. There she told me her whole story of why she was forcing me to pretend to be her husband and why she wasn’t pushing me away. I found out that she was engaged to her ex-boyfriend whose name is Gil. Their parents reconciled them, and she objected about their arranging marriage. So, a few times she ran away and a few times she also made a way to destroy their engagement, but she just failed. Until she met me and events happened to us that we did not expect, including that there we would get married in the west and priming a marriage contract that was not thought through prudently.

At first, I was against of what she was planning to do, but I also had no other choice because I had nowhere to go and no place to stay. I also don’t know anyone in this place, and I also don’t remember anything. So, it is a better choice for me to accept what she offers me. She is the only one who can help me find my true identity. Therefore, that day I also agreed to pretend to be her his husband.

“Don't worry, after all this I will annul our marriage contract.” She said, and I just nodded my head. Then we went to a mall, and she bought me clothes, shoes, underwear and much more. Then we ate at the luxury restaurant, and she took me to her condominium. There I cleaned my body and changed my clothes while she was in the living room waiting for me to come out.

“Are you still there? Are you still alive? Do you need my help?” She asked as I looked in front of the mirror and adjusted my neck tie, that would take me almost fifteen minutes because I didn't know how to tie it.

“Excuse me, how do you wear it?” I asked her as I walked out of the bathroom. I approached her, but she didn't seem to move, and she was just staring at me. Furthermore, I called her name several times, but she didn't answer, and she didn't seem to be paying attention.

“Excuse me, can you hear me?” I asked again and she stood up immediately. “Are you okay?” I added when I noticed that her cheeks were red again. She did not answer again, so I approached her and touched her forehead. “Do you have a fever? Why are you so hot?” I asked, but she immediately removed my hand and walked away from me again.

“You know how to read, don't you? Read the paper I laid on the table and sign it.” She said in a trembling voice. I was shaken because she seemed nervous, but I just didn't pay much attention to that and took the paper she was pointing at me.

“Marriage contract?” I said at once I turn to her. “Isn't this the paper we both signed?” I added.

“No. It says there are rules and regulations you have to follow. After you read that, you just sign below and come out after you sign.” She replied, and she was about to leave the room, but I immediately stopped her by her left arm.

“What do you mean by never fell in love with you? Wait, do you think I'll fall in love with you?” I laughed, then suddenly her face frowned, and I took my hand away from her.

“That's why you should stop yourself from falling for me because I also have no plans to love you. Remember we're just married on paper, and we're not really a couple so whatever I do in the future don't misunderstand it, that's just part of my acting, do you understand?” In response, she turned around and went out the door. I smiled and looked again at the marriage contract I was holding now, and I immediately signed it.

“I just don't know. If I couldn't fall for you because right now, I can't control myself anymore.” I whispered to myself as I stared at the door.