Love Born of Pity Chapter 106

Do Geonho tried to collect his turbulent emotions at his son’s staggering behavior and think rationally. It was difficult to understand, but he supposed it meant he had fallen for Kwon Jiho to this extent, yet at the same time, he wondered who on earth he took after to act this way.

“Hah…”

The words wouldn’t come easily, so he just kept sighing.

Crazy, crazy bastard… 

Do Geonho shook his head from side to side and first sent away the chauffeur who was waiting beside him. Even while he did so, Do Yeonjae stood there with a sullen expression, showing no intention of leaving. Left with no choice, Do Geonho asked if he would move to another location.

“No, if I move from here, I’ll have to go in my own car. It’s a hassle.”

“…”

“Go on in. I’m going to stay just a little longer and then leave.”

“If you came because you’re worried about Jiho, that boy is… yes, these days I can’t even say he’s doing well as a platitude.”

Do Geonho relayed Kwon Jiho’s condition to his son, whose curiosity was plainly written all over his face. At the words that he wasn’t doing well, Do Yeonjae’s listless expression instantly turned fierce. His eyes, fixed on the other side of the wall he couldn’t even see, were piercing.

“His morning sickness is very severe. It had subsided for a moment, but now he can’t even drink water. I heard he ate some persimmon and strawberries today, at least… but he can’t eat enough to be full, so the whole family is worried sick.”

“…”

“As you know, the doctor came to the house every day last week. His blood vessels are weak, so whenever they insert a needle, he bruises easily. Father is taking care of him with an exceptional level of attention.”

Do Yeonjae felt a small bit of relief at the news that his grandfather was the one paying the most attention to Kwon Jiho.

“I was a little surprised when Father first brought Jiho here, but Hyunsu and I both like the boy. He’s so gentle and good-natured without a hint of darkness, he’s almost too good for you. If there wasn’t a child involved, I think I would have made you two break up immediately for Jiho’s sake. What’s there to see in you? For you, we could just find a partner as tenaciously wicked as you are and marry you off, and that would be that.”

Listening to Do Geonho’s smoothly flowing words, Do Yeonjae thought he had no idea whose parent he was supposed to be. Everyone who needed to know already knew that Kwon Jiho was a good person, so that was nothing new, but who gave him the right to make them break up?

“You must not use your pheromones. Jiho is suffering from pheromone side effects. He’s also been prescribed and is taking supplements… I’m sure they’re taking good care of him, but you must be especially careful with the pheromones.”

“Of course I know. You don’t need to worry about that. Before bringing him here, Father suddenly started yelling at me about pheromones, which I found odd, but it turned out to be because of Jiho. He’s the one who’s suffering. You just look a little gaunt because you can’t see the boy for a bit, right? Jiho’s whole body has gotten so thin, I’m worried he might break.”

“He can’t drink water because it has a fishy taste, so he drinks rooibos tea. I have some at my place, so I’ll bring it over. The bottled water he used for brushing his teeth, too. I’ll get that together and send it over early tomorrow morning.”

Hearing his son’s words, Do Geonho was about to ask if he thought they wouldn’t have any here, but he held his tongue. He was saying it out of his own concern, and it felt like he would be unnecessarily embarrassing him. He simply said that if he was going to provide it, then he should go ahead.

“You know you’re banned from this house, right?”

“One of the three of you has to be on my side, don’t you?”

“If you need an accomplice, find someone else.”

“I can’t even get in touch with you two. Father, please help me. So I can at least see his face for a moment. I don’t have to go through the main gate. If I say I’m coming in, they’ll block me anyway. Just buy me enough time to climb the wall.”

At the detailed plan, the shameless demand, and the urgent words—the longest he had spoken for the first time—Do Geonho scoffed. He had listened blankly during the nagging, but it seemed he had been thinking about getting inside the whole time.

“It seems you really are on edge.”

“…If you know, then please, help me.”

“Jiho’s situation is too pitiful for me to help. You need to be punished. When Jiho tells you to come, come then. Come and beg for forgiveness.”

“Father.”

Do Geonho turned his body. He stood in front of the main gate and looked at Do Yeonjae for a moment, then let out a deep sigh. He was certain that he was the softest-hearted one in this house, and that Do Yeonjae took after Hyunsu. He put strength into the finger that was about to press the bell.

“Jiho sleeps a lot more now, so he’s almost always asleep at this hour.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed the bell. Without even checking who it was, the sound of the main gate clanging—open was heard. Seizing the opportunity, Do Yeonjae moved quickly. As if taking a running start, he stepped onto the car’s body and lightly leaped over the wall.

♬⋆.˚

Heading toward the annex, Do Yeonjae, instead of boldly crossing the grounds as he had the first time, moved along the dark outer edge where the lights did not reach. The sound of dry grass crunching under his feet with every step was quite grating, but he was relieved that there was no one walking around the garden.

As he drew closer to the annex, which was enveloped in a soft light, his heart pounded as if it would burst. Is he asleep? He had heard that he spent most of the day sleeping. He was asleep when he came earlier, too. I want to go in and see him, but the sound will probably echo more loudly at night, so I don’t think I can open the door.

Do Yeonjae changed direction and unhesitatingly crossed the charming little front yard. Then, he suddenly spotted a figure sitting on the sofa by the window and stopped in his tracks.

“…”

It was Kwon Jiho. There was nothing to see outside the window, but what had he been looking at, sitting there so still?

His hazy gaze soon became clear. As if he had only just discovered him standing there stock-still, his thin shoulders flinched and jumped. His face, which looked back and forth between him and the door, was full of anxiety.

Is he afraid I’ll come in? I’m standing here precisely because I’m not going in. Can he not see that?

When he took another step closer, Kwon Jiho’s expression hardened in an instant. Do Yeonjae approached until he was right in front of the window, which was open by a hand’s breadth. He suppressed the thoughtless desire to go right inside and see him.

His large pupils trembled helplessly as if startled. Seen through the window, Kwon Jiho looked even more fragile than when he had been lying asleep.

His face had gotten smaller. His once plump cheeks were sunken, and the color had drained from his once reddish lips. The dark circles under his eyes and his longer hair made him look even more frail.

Only his fingertips were barely visible between his long, slender neck and the oversized sweatshirt. It was heartbreaking to see him clutching the ends of his sleeves, trembling. His gaze went up again. As he met Kwon Jiho’s eyes, the wavering chestnut-colored pupils quickly welled up. His parting lips seemed to be saying something, but it was too quiet to be heard, so he couldn’t understand.

Do Yeonjae’s fingers tapped on the glass window. Tap, tap. At the small sound, Kwon Jiho’s startled body flinched.

“…Can you hear me?”

“…”

“Just nod your head. I’m not trying to come in.”

Looking at the face becoming wet with tears, he frowned slightly and added, and Kwon Jiho finally nodded his head.

“I snuck in. I said I would just see Mr. Kwon Jiho and leave, but no one would open the gate for me.”

At his words, confessed with a hollow laugh, Kwon Jiho blinked his blurry, tear-filled vision to clear it. His face, which had been shimmering with moisture, came into sharp focus.

“I came because I missed you, but I guess I should have waited a little longer. I didn’t know you’d be this scared.”

“…”

“I was… worried. That maybe you weren’t doing well here either. If you were sleeping, I was just going to see you sleeping and leave.”

Do Yeonjae’s hand touched the glass and gently rubbed it. As if he were wiping away the tears streaming down Kwon Jiho’s cheek.

“Meeting like this wasn’t in my plans either.”

Kwon Jiho’s arms naturally wrapped around his stomach. His lower abdomen, which had been hidden by the large clothes, became prominent. Do Yeonjae’s eyes stared for a long time at the plumply swollen belly.

Just as he had unilaterally hoped to pin him down with a child, Kwon Jiho was pregnant, and with his feet tied, he was losing his vitality. But suddenly, it now occurred to him that Kwon Jiho probably didn’t want the baby. He had naturally told him to have it, but he had not asked for his opinion.

“If you want, I can look for a clinic for you.”

“…”

“The pregnancy was what I wanted, not what Mr. Kwon Jiho wanted.”

Kwon Jiho thought that he was being selfish again, that he hadn’t changed at all, and turned his head away.

Outside the window, Do Yeonjae let out a sigh. It seemed he had made another mistake. He was tired of the situations that kept repeating because of him.

“Every time… I didn’t know what the problem was. I always thought, isn’t this good enough, I think we were pretty good. That’s how I saw it.”

Seeing Kwon Jiho’s crumpled face as they stood facing each other, he realized the thoughtless words he had spat out had hurt him. His quick-tempered mouth always jumped ahead without going through his brain and caused this trouble.

Hah, fuck. 

At the softly muttered curse, Do Yeonjae clapped a hand over his own mouth and, with an anxious expression, tapped on the window again.

Tap, tap.

With the small noise, he drew back Kwon Jiho’s gaze, which had averted from him.

“I think I get it now. That it was never like that. That it was all my misunderstanding and delusion. I know now that I was always the problem.”