How about Cosmic Horror?

He pulled her hand and placed it on his cheek. Her hand sank into the swaying flowers, and she felt his warm skin. He nuzzled her palm as if he was whining, and then buried his face in her hand. The flowers danced softly as if swayed by a spring breeze.

The sight of the colorful flowers, blooming profusely and swaying gently, was quite beautiful. Enough to make her momentarily forget the bizarre situation. However, she quickly remembered where the flowers were actually growing and awkwardly pulled her hand away. If only they weren’t on top of his neck, they would have been truly beautiful.

“I’ll try.”

She needed time to accept this creature-like appearance straight out of a horror movie. But she was willing to try to adapt. If things went south, she might have to live like this forever.

“Alright.”

He seemed satisfied with her answer and casually changed the subject.

“Oh, if Shan misbehaves and gives you trouble, tell him you’ll tell me.”

“Huh? That’s a bit…”

She trailed off. No matter how intelligent the cat was, she doubted it would understand such a complex instruction. If it could, it could probably be on TV. A cat who could communicate with humans. Or they could upload videos to a video-sharing website and earn ad revenue.

“Try it if you need to. Just pretend it works.”

At his insistence, she started to feel confused. Was he teasing her? Or was he a ridiculously doting cat owner, despite not looking like one? Did he actually believe his cat was a genius who understood human language?

She suddenly remembered a cat owner friend who claimed their cat was a genius, even when it was just shedding fur. Cats must have some sort of fatal charm that clouded people’s judgment and made them lose their objectivity.

Well, if he was blinded by love, there was nothing she could do about it. She decided to just play along.

“Okay. If Shan ever misbehaves, I’ll try talking to it.”

“Good. I’ll get dinner ready, so get yourself ready and come out, honey.”

He stood up and, like a nobleman in a pre-modern Western film, gracefully kissed the back of her hand.

“This is today’s good morning kiss.”

Her eyes widened. The good morning kiss itself was surprising enough, but what truly shocked her was the phrase ‘today’s’. If there was today’s, then there would be tomorrow’s, the day after tomorrow’s… A whole quota of kisses!

“I’ll kiss you somewhere else tomorrow, so be prepared.”

She covered her mouth with her hand at his declaration. He left the room, chuckling. Alone, she felt annoyed at being completely at his mercy, and impulsively smacked the pillow.

“Ow.”

She missed and ended up spraining her wrist. This is why they say to have a kind heart. Reflecting on her actions, she rubbed her wrist. The spot where his lips had touched lingered with a tingling warmth.

How many times in life do you get your hand kissed? It was her first time. Perhaps that was why it felt special. She finally understood why knights who pledged their unwavering loyalty were a timeless ideal type for women. Having someone politely kiss the back of your hand was surprisingly appealing, stimulating some kind of romantic desire.

Slightly giddy, she raised her hand to her face. She wasn’t going for an indirect kiss, just touching it to her cheek. It smelled faintly of flowers, and it felt nice… 

Her movements stopped as she thought about it.

His bouquet head was nothing but an illusion created by her brain. So even if she touched his face and was kissed by him, there was no reason for her hand to smell like flowers. Because it wasn’t real.

As if her previous excitement had been a lie, she changed her expression and brought her hand to her nose. The scent had disappeared. Or had she imagined it? There was no smell. She had no way of knowing what was real. Still, she kept sniffing her hand, trying to catch even the faintest lingering scent.

In the end, she gave up and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

* * *

The doctor’s response could be summed up in three words: “It is possible.” His nonchalant attitude was disheartening, considering how worried she was as she explained her condition. But on the other hand, it also reassured her. If the doctor had said, “I’ve never heard of such a symptom…” then that would be the ultimate real-life horror story.

She was a million times more comfortable with a blasé ‘That’s a common symptom, don’t overreact.’ than being told something like, ‘It seems to be an unreported syndrome. We’ll name it Yoo Irae Syndrome after you, the first known patient.’

After scheduling her next appointment, the doctor offered some words of comfort.

“As long as you can walk on two legs and move your arms properly, you’re fine.”

…Doctor? With all due respect, wasn’t his standard for “fine” too low? But after thinking about it, it wasn’t wrong. If there was nothing wrong with her arms and legs, then the rest seemed manageable.

As she left the examination room, she noticed a tall man standing nearby. A perfect physique topped with a bouquet of flowers, an avant-garde look. Her husband.

“Yohan.”

She called out to him, wondering why he was standing there instead of waiting in the designated area. He heard her call and came over.

“What did the doctor say?”

“Well… I’m not entirely sure, but to summarize it in a way I understand… It could be temporary, or it could not be. We’ll have to see how it goes. Worrying won’t change anything, so don’t stress over it. Luckily, it seems like the rest of your brain functions are normal. We’ll run more tests anyway. Something like that?”

She wasn’t sure if she’d understood correctly because the doctor had spoken in such a roundabout and complicated way.

The flowers clustered atop his dress shirt collar bloomed even more brilliantly as if rejoicing.

“That’s good to hear. It seems like there aren’t any major problems.”

“Well, we’ll only know for sure after some time.”

The brain was a mysterious organ. She had undergone various tests, and the results showed no problems with other areas of her brain, but who knew what other abnormalities might appear later?

“He said worrying won’t change anything, so don’t stress over it, right?”

He interrupted her thoughts just as her mind was getting tangled in a web of emotions.

“Right.”

“Do you have any energy left? Feeling up to it?”

“I’m a bit tired, but… why?”

“I wanted to ask you to hang out with me if you had some energy.”

“Hang out? Doing what?”

“There are two options. Being lovey-dovey outside, or being lovey-dovey at home.”

He said cheerfully, folding two fingers one after another. This man seemed to love the phrase ‘lovey-dovey’. It wasn’t a commonly used phrase, but she’d already heard it multiple times from him.

Which option should she choose?

She was physically exhausted after the checkup, so outdoor activities seemed difficult. But ‘being lovey-dovey at home’ kept conjuring up strange images in her mind… For that reason, she hesitated to choose.

“What would we do if we were being lovey-dovey at home?”

Hesitantly, she decided to probe. He chuckled softly and replied.

“Something that would bring us closer.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

She pressed, a chill of fear running down her spine. Her pesky imagination was starting to kick into gear. No, it had already run wild, and this was just a confirmation.

The flowers, which had been swaying so prettily, tilted from side to side as if they were all tilting their heads. Then, their petals simultaneously morphed into heart shapes. She braced herself, anticipating his answer.

“Hmm, how about we watch that movie you said you wanted to see?”

His surprisingly wholesome suggestion made her feel like trash. Shame washed over her, making her want to crawl into a hole, for even thinking of something remotely sexual. Reflecting on how depraved she’d become, she nodded.

“Alright, let’s go home.”

When they went to the parking lot, her husband’s secretary was waiting for them. It was the same man who’d driven them home after she was discharged.

When did he get here? Did her husband contact him? But wasn’t it a bit much to call him just to drive?

“Hello.”

She greeted him awkwardly. The secretary stared at her for a moment, then responded a beat later.

“Hello.”

His name was… Nia, right? It was an unusual name, so she’d remembered it instantly. She didn’t know his last name because her husband had said it was fine to just call him Nia.

He was tall and lean. He wasn’t strikingly handsome, but he had a neat appearance, and if you examined his features one by one, there wasn’t a single flaw.

“Don’t stare for too long, honey. I’ll get jealous if you’re smitten with another man.”

Her husband joked, perhaps because she was staring too intently. At the same time, Nia’s face contorted, as if he had heard something he couldn’t bear.

“Even if you are blind…”

Irae was taken aback. First, because Nia was so openly complaining. They might badmouth the king behind his back, but the king was right here. Second, because her husband didn’t react at all. She couldn’t tell his expression because of his bouquet head. Judging by everything else, he didn’t seem to mind his secretary’s disrespectful remark.

Were they more than just boss and secretary? Were they friends? But if they were, they’d have talked on the way back from the hospital. They hadn’t exchanged a single word. Their attitude was extremely dry.

After getting out of the car, she asked.

“What’s your relationship with each other?”

“We don’t have one, to speak of. He’s just an errand boy.”

An errand boy who was openly rude and seemed rather comfortable doing so?

“The only being in this world who has a ‘relationship’ with me is you, honey.”

His unexpected remark sobered her up. She understood what he meant.

His parents must not be in this world anymore. He wouldn’t say such a thing if they were alive and well. He was still young, how could…

She looked at him with pity and decided to be good to him from now on. First, she would watch a movie with him and try to close the distance between them. And…

Less than 30 minutes later, she regretted her decision.

. His lips brushed against her cheek. A moment later, his lips landed on her hair. Then he lifted her finger and kissed it. It felt like he was kissing her somewhere every five seconds.

“Aren’t you watching the movie?”

“I am.”

His shameless answer made her neck throb. To think he was kissing her incessantly while blatantly lying without batting an eye. It was impossible unless he had a hundred eyes.

She was currently sitting between his legs, nestled in his arms, as they watched a movie.

“Do we have to be in this position?”

“This is how we always watch movies.”

Her timid protest fell on deaf ears. Restless, she tried her best to focus on the TV screen. But the moment his lips landed on the line connecting her neck and shoulder, she flinched and pulled away.

Was he possessed by the ghost of someone who’d died without ever experiencing a kiss? He was practically obsessed. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything more than a light peck. He wasn’t being sloppy with his kisses, which was the only saving grace.

Just as her guard was down, his lips grazed her earlobe. It was a fleeting touch, but it sent shivers down her spine.