Love Born of Pity Chapter 118

Right now, Kwon Jiho looked like he would cry if someone so much as poked him. Do Yeonjae wiped the smile from his face and fumbled around the head of the bed. After pressing the nurse call button, he lowered his gaze. A calculation entered his mind that wearing a hospital gown might make him look at least a little bit pitiful. Maybe the kind Kwon Jiho would show him some sympathy.

A long silence followed. In the cool atmosphere, a nurse came in, removed the respirator, and changed his IV bag.

“Patient, are you feeling a bit better?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve adjusted the speed of the IV so it drips slowly, and if you wait a little, the professor will be here. You can get an explanation then.”

“Alright.”

To Kwon Jiho, it seemed Do Yeonjae was not particularly curious about his own condition. How could he answer so indifferently? Did he not feel it was serious at all? As he stared at Do Yeonjae with a grave face, the nurse, who was collecting the empty IV bag, spoke to him with a gentle smile.

“The guardian should get some sleep too. You haven’t been able to sleep, have you? You were so very worried. At the front desk, we were worried about you too and hoping the patient would wake up soon. You can rest easy now, so please get some deep sleep. Now that the patient has woken up safely, it’s okay.”

“…Yes.”

“Then please rest.”

The nurse left the room, telling them it was a great relief and urging him to be sure to get some sleep. Alone again in the hospital room, neither of them could easily speak. In the end, Do Yeonjae, unable to bear the stifling feeling, spoke first.

“You haven’t been sleeping all this time? For how many days? Did you really… worry about me?”

Come to think of it, Kwon Jiho’s complexion was pale. The area under his eyes was dark, and his lips were chapped; fatigue was evident all over his delicate face.

“Want to come up? I can sit up, so you can—”

“…Just stay lying down.”

Seeing the complicated look directed at him, Do Yeonjae, who had awkwardly started to sit up, lay back down again. It might not be my heart, but there must be a problem somewhere around it. Or it could simply be due to overwork. If not that…

“…Have you been continuously taking the suppressants for dominant alphas…?”

“Yeah. I have to.”

“You also… imprinted.”

“Not you, just me. It’s a one-sided imprint. It seems I imprinted on you of my own accord. I don’t know when it happened, but you don’t have to do it, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Do Yeonjae spoke up as soon as Kwon Jiho finished his sentence. He became anxious, thinking Kwon Jiho might be misunderstanding that a situation might arise where he would be forced to imprint on him too.

“They said… you’ve developed side effects too, Director, just like me.”

“…What?”

Watching him get flustered at the word ‘side effects,’ Kwon Jiho pressed his lips firmly together. Silence fell once again. Do Yeonjae tried to calm his anxious heart and just looked at Kwon Jiho, while Kwon Jiho avoided the persistent gaze and fixed his eyes on the bed.

He did not know what all of this meant, and he soothed his complicated feelings with a sigh.

♬⋆.˚

The doctor explained Do Yeonjae’s symptoms as a side effect of overusing suppressants, exceeding the maximum dosage in a short period. If he continued to take the suppressants as he was now, in the worst-case scenario, there was a possibility of acute myocardial infarction. He phrased it gently, but ultimately, it meant Do Yeonjae could die of a heart attack.

Standing in front of the bed, he informed Do Yeonjae of his current condition with a serious and stern expression. However, the face of the person listening to him was excessively bland.

“I’ll have to switch suppressants. When can I start taking them?”

“…It will be difficult to medicate for the time being. Suppressants for dominant alphas are quite strong, so they can strain heart function, and your case, CEO, is just that. Right now, it would be more helpful for you to go through your rut with a partner, spouse, or imprinted mate rather than suppressing it with medication.”

“…”

“You’ve taken too much in a short period. The medication you’ve been taking is said to be the safest among existing suppressants, yet these side effects have occurred, so we have no choice but to lower the dosage. But then it won’t be effective.”

He added that it was fortunate they found out before his condition worsened. If it had been just a little later, it would not have been angina, but a funeral without even a chance to do anything.

“I’m sorry, but you are no longer in a situation where you can rely on suppressants.”

Do Yeonjae’s face, which had been listening without much reaction, finally contorted.

“I must urge you again, the best method is to go through it naturally rather than relying on medication.”

“No, please look for one. Anything, any kind of drug, there must be one that works. If I take it with sleeping pills, by reducing the dosage to the absolute minimum—”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot prescribe it. It will likely be the same at other hospitals. There is no suitable compromise on this issue.”

The doctor bowed his head deeply as if in apology. Before turning to leave the room, he also bowed to Kwon Jiho.

The sound of the door opening and closing was heard. Do Yeonjae’s expression was devastated, as if he had lost the words to say. How did I finally get to be by his side, only for a rut to get in the way? Does this mean I have to be separated from Kwon Jiho for over a week again because of this damn trait? A week was enough time for him and Kwon Jiho to become closer than they were now; just the thought of it was a waste of precious time.

“…I think the doctor is right. It would be best for you to stop taking suppressants now.”

“I’m still okay, so I’ll take them a little longer, and if it gets really bad, then—”

“Does the baby… really need two fathers? Don’t you think one is enough, Director?”

“You’re right, it would be best to stop taking the suppressants. That’s the right thing to do.”

Do Yeonjae immediately agreed with Kwon Jiho, who spoke such frightening words without a single change in expression. If he could not use suppressants, separation was an inevitable choice. He knew it could not be helped, but the fact that he had to be away from him still made him gloomy.

Worry filled the face of Do Yeonjae, who usually did not show his emotions outwardly, so much that Kwon Jiho could notice. Does he hate the idea that much? But he can’t keep taking the medicine… Kwon Jiho also felt troubled for no reason.

Unlike what Kwon Jiho worried about, Do Yeonjae quickly shook off his gloomy feelings. His only thought was to contact Chief Kim while Kwon Jiho was at the hospital and tell him to go through the laundry basket in the main house of his family home. The company would run fine without him, but he could not endure his rut without the pajamas Kwon Jiho had worn.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“Is there anything I can do to help…”

The only thing Kwon Jiho could do to help was spend the rut with him. Is he asking even though he knows? Do Yeonjae’s gaze fell squarely on the face that was clearly filled with melancholy.

Well, since he had just heard that he could die if he took the suppressants again, it was obvious he would quickly agree if asked for help. Because he did not have a cruel personality and was so kind, and because their relationship had started that way from the beginning.

Even if he was now starting to express his likes and dislikes a little, in a situation like this, refusal… the Kwon Jiho he knew would surely be unable to do it.

He would be forced to mate like an animal for days on end and get deeply hurt. Like a child hugging a cactus.

“There isn’t.”

“…Pardon?”

“Rest well at home, and eat well. I’ll be there soon.”

Do Yeonjae, in his hospital gown, with his disheveled hair and somewhat pale face, smiled like a boy. As if he was about to pull a mischievous prank at any moment. Kwon Jiho stared blankly at Do Yeonjae before seeming to come to his senses and lightly shaking his head.

“Do you still need my clothes? I can give them to you.”

Instead of answering, Kwon Jiho lowered his gaze. He wanted to take them, but it was embarrassing to say yes so readily. Noticing his demeanor, Do Yeonjae made a light suggestion as if to change the mood.

“Should we trade one for one? I need something you’ve worn, Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

Of course, Kwon Jiho, who took his clothes, would do nothing more than purely smell and hug them, but he was different. His eyes, hiding his impure intentions, shone both innocently and fiercely.

“You don’t want to?”

“…No.”

Kwon Jiho also wanted to confirm for sure whether Do Yeonjae’s scent helped with his morning sickness. At the permission that was finally given, Do Yeonjae smiled. The moment of loosened tension was brief; he soon put on a serious expression and told him to leave.

“I didn’t take the suppressant, so I feel like my pheromones are going to keep leaking out. Go home and be comfortable. Get some sleep, too.”

“…The clothes.”

“Take my clothes with you. As for yours, give them to Chief Kim. The ones you’re wearing now.”

Do Yeonjae specified exactly. It was for the better. The rut was only overwhelming at the beginning; by the end, some semblance of reason returned, so he planned to look into the side effects Kwon Jiho was experiencing in detail while he was alone.

How about having Kwon Jiho, who is steadily taking pheromone supplements, be exposed to my pheromones little by little? His pheromones had already affected Kwon Jiho’s eyes and ears, and he wanted to check in advance whether the same symptoms would appear or if it would have a worse effect.

If he had to be careful with his pheromones for the rest of his life, then was there a way to get rid of his own pheromones?

In his case, since he had already imprinted, he did not need things like pheromones anyway. There was no reason to hold onto something that was poison to Kwon Jiho.

“…Are you really okay?”

“I’m okay.”

“But still…”

“Later. Right now, I don’t want to be swayed by anything. I don’t… want to treat you carelessly anymore.”

He was firm and composed. Even knowing how terrible the impending rut would be, in a way, it was okay.

“So please wait for me.”

One week.

He hoped that Kwon Jiho, too, would feel the loneliness of that time, of his empty space.