Love Born of Pity Chapter 123

The kiss, which felt like it could last all day, only ended after Kwon Jiho’s lips were swollen. He whimpered at the mere touch, as if even a light brush of his tongue was painful. Even when he just tilted his head, Kwon Jiho avoided his face.

“…Stop now.”

“Ha…”

Regret and satisfaction intermingled. How long had it been since he’d had skinship like this with Kwon Jiho? Do Yeonjae pressed his lips against various spots on his fair cheeks. He pulled the body slumped in his arms tightly against him and kissed his soft, flowing hair.

Kwon Jiho, who lay motionless as if exhausted, blinked his eyelids slowly, over and over. His head, which had been moving listlessly, soon rested deeply against the nape of Do Yeonjae’s neck. As he remained still, afraid to disturb his sleep, the sound of soft, rhythmic breathing soon spread. His small hand covered his slightly protruding stomach, and he fell into a silent sleep.

Do Yeonjae pondered for a moment. Should he lay him down in bed? But he soon shook his head lightly. He decided to just keep holding him. He leaned deep into the sofa backrest and placed Kwon Jiho’s body entirely on top of his own. He wriggled even in his sleep, soon finding a comfortable position.

Is he cold? Is he hot? All sorts of thoughts flitted through his mind. When he lowered his head, he rubbed his lips against the border of his forehead and stray hairs, and he even overlapped his own hand with the back of Kwon Jiho’s hand that covered his stomach.

Is this what a peaceful life is? It is the early afternoon of a day where, after traveling a long and winding road, he finally feels that everything is perfect.

♬⋆.˚

Kwon Jiho, who woke up late, was a little bewildered after confirming who was holding him. He had assumed he would have been moved to the bed or laid down comfortably, but he was still on top of Do Yeonjae’s body. He blinked, trying to figure out why he was in this state, but gave up. The warm, solid embrace wasn’t bad.

As he lay there more limply, he felt a hand gently patting his back. He seemed to have woken up as well. He was patting his back softly, unaware that he had woken up. Listening to his steady breathing and slightly rapid heartbeat, Kwon Jiho regained a sense of stability that was both strange and familiar.

As he blinked slowly, Do Yeonjae gently stroked his hair. Occasionally, he would bow his head to press his lips firmly against him, rub the back of his hand covering his stomach, or spread his fingers to interlock them tightly without any gaps.

“…Jiho-ya.”

“…”

“Jiho-ya.”

At the low voice calling him, Kwon Jiho, who instinctively flinched, lifted his head slightly to meet his eyes, and Do Yeonjae smiled.

“I thought you just woke up, but there’s no sleepiness in your eyes.”

“…I woke up a little while ago.”

“I’d like to keep holding you like this, but we have to eat lunch, and I want to go for a walk too. Shall we go out for a bit?”

Do Yeonjae, who kissed his swollen lips—swollen from being pulled at—lightly like stamping a seal, held Kwon Jiho’s body tightly.

“Let’s go on a date.”

“…”

“We’ll get your hair cut a little, eat something delicious. Like other people… normally. Although I don’t really know what that’s like. Have you ever been to a drive-in theater? I looked it up and heard people go to places like that.”

“…I want to go. I’ve only heard of it too.”

The voice that permitted him—as if to say let’s do that—had an underlying sense of anticipation, making his earlier worry about him refusing seem meaningless. He’d had more than enough chances to date over the past three years, and deep resentment and regret washed over him for his own behavior, where he hadn’t just kicked those opportunities away but had rolled them far away.

He shouldn’t have approached him by taking advantage of the situation Kwon Jiho was in when they first met. If he had honestly confessed that he had fallen in love at first sight at the hospital he happened to stop by, their relationship wouldn’t have spiraled into the worst. If he had acknowledged that unfamiliar and strange feeling quickly, Kwon Jiho wouldn’t have been driven to the edge of a cliff to hurt himself.

“Let’s get up.”

Chewing on his regret, Do Yeonjae touched his soft cheek and helped Kwon Jiho up. He chose clothes for him to wear and pondered over what kind of coat would be good. He sighed because there was nothing but items that were either too thick or looked old-fashioned, reflecting his grandfather’s taste.

“Ah, I hung this here.”

He put the cardigan they had bought on the way back from the hospital on him, and they finally left the house. As he took his hand, a surprised gaze turned upward.

“It’s cold. Shall I let go?”

When he loosened his grip, Kwon Jiho curled his fingers as if it were a pity. Do Yeonjae felt something sweet welling up in his chest and gripped the small hand tightly. Afraid he might lose it, he spread his slender fingers and laced them together.

He left the main house unable to hide his smile. He buckled Kwon Jiho into the parked car and steered away from the familiar path.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“…I want to eat chewy noodles. The spicy kind. But you don’t know what that is, right?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t know?”

“Even if you know, I don’t think you’ve ever tried it. Isn’t that right…?”

Do Yeonjae avoided answering. He knew what kind of food it was, but as Kwon Jiho said, he had never eaten it. If he had asked if he had ever eaten ramen, it would have been much easier to answer. He parted his lips, then brushed the question off with an ambiguous smile.

“I don’t know if there’s a good place, but I’ll look for one.”

“…A snack bar. I want to eat at a snack bar. There’s a snack bar I used to go to really often near the hospital when my sibling was hospitalized, and I want to eat the chewy noodles there. But… it’s a bit, a bit awkward to go there now, right?”

In fact, it was the food he had been wanting to eat for several days. Even though his grandfather and the misters kept asking what he wanted to eat, he couldn’t bring himself to say he wanted what was sold at that snack bar. He didn’t want to brazenly demand they get it packed and bring it to him, either. He felt like he was just being a burden.

That was why he had been waiting for Do Yeonjae’s discharge even more. He thought if he came, he could muster up the courage to ask him to take him there at least once.

“Near the hospital? You wanted to eat the chewy noodles sold there?”

“…Because it’s tart, I keep wanting something spicy…”

The end of his voice trembled. Telling him specifically what he wanted to eat felt too fussy. Shame and sadness were mixed together. When he quickly turned his head feeling his eyes sting, Do Yeonjae reached out and stroked his hair as if to soothe him.

“From now on, don’t hold back and tell me everything. Whether it’s dawn or night, I’ll get it for you no matter what.”

“…”

“I will listen to everything unconditionally. Whatever you want.”

Only after giving his soft cheek one last lingering stroke did Do Yeonjae pull his hand away. He headed toward the hospital where he had first met Kwon Jiho. Was there a snack bar nearby? In truth, he didn’t remember such trivial things.

A white and pretty child. Everything that filled his mind in those days was just Kwon Jiho.

After parking in a suitable spot, Do Yeonjae stepped out of the driver’s seat. As he rounded the hood and opened the passenger door to reach out his hand, Kwon Jiho grabbed it quietly. Even though his stomach wasn’t yet big enough to require support, Do Yeonjae protected Kwon Jiho to a fanatical degree.

“Do you remember where it was?”

“I remember. This place hasn’t changed at all.”

His light brown eyes sparkled. Kwon Jiho was busy looking around as if everything were fascinating. He held Do Yeonjae’s hand tightly and smiled brightly. As soon as they came out to the large intersection in front of the hospital, he stretched out his finger as if he had discovered the restaurant.

“There, it’s there. It’s still there!”

“Are you happy?”

“I’m really happy. I’m… I’m so happy. I’m hungry, Mr. Director.”

Kwon Jiho swallowed his saliva while looking at the restaurant sign. It was his first time seeing him wanting something so badly. Watching Kwon Jiho’s face, which was both endearing and pitiful, Do Yeonjae only thought how incredibly fortunate it was that the restaurant was open. As soon as the light turned green, he crossed the street with Kwon Jiho. Their pace gradually quickened.

“Slowly.”

“Wow, even the sign is the same!”

“Is it nice to see it?”

“I really used to come here every day. It was the only place near the hospital that had a variety of menus but was cheap.”

Kwon Jiho, unable to hide his excited emotions, pushed open the restaurant door with vigor. Do Yeonjae, who followed him inside, frowned at the poor environment of the restaurant. Old menus and tables, chairs with peeling paint, and kimbap piled up in front of the window. An old snack bar where even the greeting of “welcome” was listless.

“Let’s sit here.”

“Yes.”

Do Yeonjae didn’t like anything from the restaurant’s interior to its sanitary condition, but he quickly smiled because he thought Kwon Jiho, who was smiling the whole time, would notice his disapproval. Kwon Jiho gulped while looking at the menu.

“Order everything you want to eat.”

“Aren’t you hungry, Mr. Director?”

“I’m famished. Seeing you like what you like.”

At the low response, Kwon Jiho blushed.

“…Um, yeah. Shall we get chewy noodles, pork cutlet, kimbap, and… kimchi fried rice too? Also… Ah, the udon here is delicious too.”

Kwon Jiho, in his excitement, ordered a menu far too large for two people to eat. The kimbap was placed down first, along with a bland broth.

“Have you tried kimbap before?”

“Sometimes at the company. When I’m too busy to go out for lunch but too hungry to skip it.”

“What about hamburgers? Do you… drink cola too?”