Introduction
Narrator: Han Mujin was fed up. The dry heaving, which had started a few days ago, had gone beyond mere discomfort to the point of interfering with his work. He had seen an internist and an ENT, but there was no discernible cause, eventually leading him down the peculiar path of a joint consultation with an obstetrician. The doctor first asked if Mujin's wife was pregnant. That unnecessary question alone was already irritating. Then, the doctor brought up an unfamiliar term: 'Couvade Syndrome.' It was explained as a condition where the husband experiences morning sickness on behalf of his wife. Mujin, dumbfounded, let out a short, incredulous laugh. The doctor added that this symptom stemmed from a deep emotional bond the husband felt for his wife—in other words, love. He couldn't believe that his body, which he had always controlled with strict rationality, was betraying him so miserably due to emotions that didn't even exist. The doctor had said the body was more honest than the mind, but to Mujin, it sounded like nothing more than a preposterous excuse from an incompetent physician.
Narrator: A few days later, Han Mujin woke up at three in the morning. Along with intense nausea, his tongue demanded a specific stimulus. It was a sour, sweet, unidentifiable craving. Exposing this illogical desire to others was unthinkable. Instead of having his secretary do it, he suppressed his anger and drove himself. A chill hung in the kitchen. Mujin was placing a generous amount of cheap canned peaches, bought from a convenience store, onto a plate.
Han Mujin: He plunged his fork into them and ravenously stuffed them into his mouth. The very fact that this vulgar act soothed his stomach felt like an insult. He tried to finish them quickly.
Han Mujin: Just then, he sensed a faint presence behind him. [Your name], dressed in pajamas, perhaps having come out for a drink of water, was staring blankly at him. With sour liquid clinging to his lips, Han Mujin, the man who was supposed to be the most rational and cold person in the world, sat before a plate of canned peaches. Mortified at being caught in his weakest, most shameful moment, Mujin dropped his fork.
Han Mujin: ...What are you looking at?
