Love Born of Pity Chapter 131

Jang Hyunsu, having set the tray down on the table, walked straight over and wrapped his arms around Kwon Jiho’s shoulders. Kwon Jiho, who had lifted his head with a face soaked in tears as if startled, wiped his cheeks while identifying who it was. If I cry like this, Heeyeon’s impression of me will only worsen. No matter how hard he tried to wipe away the moisture with trembling hands, they soon became damp again.

“It’s alright.”

“…….”

“It’s alright, Jiho.”

At the pitiful sight of him crying without even making a sound, even Jang Hyunsu’s eyes turned red. That was when it happened. Do Yeonjae, who had brought the ade Kwon Jiho was to drink, walked into the greenhouse, discovered the two of them, and approached quickly.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying like this?”

“That is, well. With Ms. Heeyeon and….”

Jang Hyunsu, not knowing how to break the news, struggled to choose his words before shaking his head slightly. He patted Kwon Jiho’s thin back and then cleared the way for the son who had approached.

Do Yeonjae immediately pulled Kwon Jiho into his arms. As he held him tight and stroked his trembling spine, Kwon Jiho finally burst into tears. His hands, which had been trembling pitifully on his thighs, barely managed to grab the hem of Do Yeonjae’s clothes.

“Di-Director. Director….”

His voice was wet to the point of being heartbreaking. The trembling that had spread through his entire body did not subside easily, even with the deep embrace. Jang Hyunsu, left to fret on the sidelines, moved away at a gesture from Do Yeonjae. Once the two were left alone in the greenhouse, Do Yeonjae tilted Kwon Jiho’s cheeks upward.

He gazed into his blurred eyes and kissed his parting lips. Kwon Jiho, who had been trembling delicately, closed his eyes. As Do Yeonjae breathed into him following his ragged breathing, the tension that had gripped his body tightly began to ebb away.

It was a kiss that did not deepen. The act of exchanging breath continued until Kwon Jiho’s breathing calmed down. Only after he had calmed down to some extent did a tongue slip inside. Do Yeonjae slowly licked the heated mucous membranes. Kwon Jiho also gradually began to find stability as their lips touched and parted with lingering affection.

Kwon Jiho felt the breath spreading softly from his cheeks and buried himself deeper into Do Yeonjae’s arms. After inhaling the scent from him to his heart’s content, he closed his eyes.

“What did she say this time?”

That bitch, she never knows when to stop and… Do Yeonjae controlled his surging anger and held Kwon Jiho tightly.

“……Just. I don’t know.”

“I’ll handle it, so don’t you worry about it. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

“I don’t know… why it turned out like this. I think everything was wrong from the start. I shouldn’t have said I was going to Germany.”

At his self-reproach that dug deep into the ground again, Do Yeonjae rubbed his flushed cheeks and shook his head.

“Why do you think accidents are called accidents? It’s not your fault.”

“…….”

“It’s not your fault at all. Nothing.”

At the low-toned consolation, Kwon Jiho’s head slumped against Do Yeonjae’s chest. The sorrow welled up once more. Kwon Jiho, who had been quietly receiving the affectionate touch, suddenly pulled his body away. He felt a tap-tap movement inside his belly. He widened his eyes in surprise and covered his stomach with his hands.

At that action, Do Yeonjae’s expression twisted violently. It looked as if foul profanity would burst out at any moment, but he barely held it in.

“Does your stomach hurt? Is it because your stomach hurts? The hospital, the hospital…. Ha. That bi—, ah. Can you stand? I’ll just carry you, so stay still. We can go right away. It’s alright, it’s alright, so—.”

“Director….”

Kwon Jiho shook his head as if to say that wasn’t it. He felt sorry for the baby because of the fetal movement that happened to occur for the first time at such a moment. To have the baby hear the resentment directed at him together, and to have only cried while feeling sad…. Kwon Jiho, who had been on the verge of tears, grabbed Do Yeonjae’s hand and pulled it onto his belly. The fetal movement, which had paused for a moment as if strange, was felt again—tap, tap.

“The baby… I think it’s the baby’s fetal movement.”

Do Yeonjae felt a sense of wonder at the faint knocking felt under his palm. He found it commendable that the baby was letting him know he was by his side, especially to Kwon Jiho, who was deep in sorrow. He was glad that the existence comforting Kwon Jiho even before it was born was none other than the fruit of love created by him and Kwon Jiho.

“Dodo must be telling his dad that it’s not his fault. Jiho.”

“…….”

“So, stop crying. You’re such a good baby, our baby.”

At Do Yeonjae’s gentle voice, Kwon Jiho smiled with eyes soaked in tears. The color of melancholy, which had spread like black ink, began to fade.

“Dodo must have been startled. Because Dad was crying like a baby.”

“……I, I didn’t cry like a baby.”

The tears stopped abruptly. Do Yeonjae rubbed his reddened eyes and carefully held Kwon Jiho’s hands. While he was heartbroken because of the hurt Kwon Jiho, his anger, which had subsided, flared up again toward Kwon Heeyeon, who had gone off after spewing nonsense when he told her to just say something sensible as usual.

“Director?”

“Aren’t you cold? You couldn’t even eat properly. Are you, are you full?”

“I ate a lot. I’m full. I’m not cold, but I’m tired, so… I want to stop and go.”

As soon as Kwon Jiho finished speaking, Do Yeonjae stood up from his seat. Offering to assist, he brought Kwon Jiho safely to the annex, almost carrying him. He suggested a bubble bath, thinking that the gloomy feeling wouldn’t go away even after eating lemon shaved ice.

“I heard that baths aren’t good….”

“If the temperature is too high. Warm water is fine.”

Kwon Jiho, who hesitated before nodding his head, was seated for a moment while he filled the bathtub with water. He was glad he had bought bath bombs just in case. He tossed a lemon-scented bath bomb into the bathtub, where the water was sloshing to the brim, and went out to fetch Kwon Jiho.

“Let’s go in.”

At the faint lemon scent that had spread to the bedroom, Kwon Jiho’s expression softened. Do Yeonjae, after suggesting that he would even help with washing to Kwon Jiho, who was hesitant about taking off his clothes, was almost kicked out on the spot. Putting all his worries at the forefront, he was only allowed to sit in front of the bathroom.

“Is the water too hot?”

“It’s not hot. It’s warm.”

“Are you cold?”

“No, I’m not cold.”

The conversation they had with the door in between wasn’t bad. However, every moment he couldn’t hear anything, he wanted to open the door. Just as his anxiety was overflowing, he heard the splashing sound of water. Do Yeonjae leaned his back against the door and let out a deep sigh. Why were 10 minutes so long? No matter how many times he checked his watch, the numbers showed no change as if time had stopped.

“The bath bomb smells good. Thank you.”

“That’s a relief.”

“…….”

“I have others, too. Orange, strawberry, and flower types. Rose or lavender.”

Do Yeonjae told Kwon Jiho about other scents he had been recommended while choosing the bath bomb. The sound of water came again, and the answer that lemon was good came through.

“How is the water temperature now?”

“It’s warm, but it’s… gotten a little cold.”

“Can I come in?”

Kwon Jiho found it difficult to refuse the repeated question. However, he was hesitant because it was the first time showing his protruding belly. Even to him, it was an unfamiliar shape, and he was worried that Do Yeonjae would see it as strange.

“Because you might slip and fall due to the bath bomb bubbles. It’s a really big deal if you get hurt.”

“I, my stomach is protruding.”

“I know. I saw it.”

“……You only saw it over my clothes.”

Only then did Do Yeonjae vaguely notice what Kwon Jiho was worried about. His previous actions were perfectly understood. He had thought he was worried about a suggestive atmosphere forming, but it seemed he didn’t care about that at all.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“……You mustn’t be surprised.”

It was the same as giving permission to enter. Do Yeonjae flashed a bright smile without even realizing it and opened the door.

He saw Kwon Jiho sitting in the bathtub, his body almost completely hidden. Bubble-like clouds were resting on his white shoulders. Even his rose-tinted cheeks and hair, which had deepened in color due to the moisture, were covered in foam. It seemed he had had fun playing with the bubbles in his own way.

“Did you, wash your hair?”

“I haven’t yet.”

At the answer, Do Yeonjae turned on the shower water. He tilted Kwon Jiho’s head back and pressed his lips firmly onto his white, exposed forehead to satisfy his own desires.

He rinsed the bath bomb off with lukewarm water and squeezed out the shampoo he had been using ever since he became pregnant. After applying it to his hair and lathering it up sufficiently, he gently sprayed water over it, and Kwon Jiho closed his eyes. He meticulously washed even his small ears. He even pulled his neck back at his touch.

“……It tickles.”

The skin that had ripened to a peach color all over was lovely. The color spread from his nape and below, to the sides, turning even his round shoulders red. Do Yeonjae was careful not to put any force into his hands. Naturally, his body reacted. Without even noticing.

Kwon Jiho had been in a shape where he placed both arms on his stomach and hugged it gently, so contact was unavoidable if he were to lift him up. Do Yeonjae, who had rinsed off all the bubbles, took off the clothes he was wearing one by one. At the sound of the clothes falling, Kwon Jiho opened his closed eyes and met his gaze.

“Ah, I was afraid it would get wet. Should I put it back on?”

“…….”

Isn’t it stranger to ask to put it back on here? From then on, Kwon Jiho was also tense. But…. Even though he tried not to look, the protruding shape was too clearly visible. When he glanced down, he saw it standing up so fiercely that it reached below his belly button.

“Ah.”

Do Yeonjae decided to act nonchalant. It wasn’t a day or two that he had been acting shamelessly anyway, and wasn’t it strange not to have a reaction when he was alone in a small place with the person he liked?

“I’m looking at your body, touching it, and washing it; it would be stranger if this didn’t stand up.”

“……No, that—.”

“Don’t you want to see it? Should I put it back on?”

If he said to do so, it looked like he would pick up his wet clothes and put them on right away. Kwon Jiho barely turned his gaze away from looking down. He shook his head and mumbled quietly that it would be better to wash alone. Do Yeonjae moved as if he hadn’t heard him. Pressing his lips to his even redder cheeks, he lifted Kwon Jiho lightly and moved to the shower booth.

“Don’t expect anything. I’m only going to wash you and do nothing else. Just because you keep looking like that doesn’t mean something else will happen.”

At the teasing words, Kwon Jiho felt resentful.