Love Born of Pity Chapter 140 - Main Story End

Kwon Jiho carefully watched Do Yeonjae’s expression as he ate his bread, worried that he might feel slighted. Although they were family, Do Yeonjae didn’t seem to be the type to be particularly concerned with the affection of others, so he didn’t appear to be in a bad mood.

“Are you alright, Director?”

“I’m obviously fine, considering I didn’t just hope for—I yearned for—living alone with you again.”

“No, I don’t mean that. I mean how your family pays more attention to me. I was wondering if you were truly okay with it. I… if it were me, I think I would feel a bit upset.”

“Well. Wouldn’t it be pathetic if I were upset about losing a bit of attention at my age, Jiho?”

Do Yeonjae laughed. How could he be so purely worried? If he told him that his affection was not something he felt lacking in, would Kwon Jiho feel upset? He kept his mouth shut, thinking twice about the words he had initially intended to let flow lightly.

“Ah… well, I suppose, since you are an adult, much older than I am.”

“Not ‘much’ older.”

“You were already an adult when I was in elementary school.”

“Be quiet.”

His pace of eating slowed significantly, and soon even the movement of his hands stopped. Do Yeonjae dodged the topic of age, debating whether or not to pack up the bread that was ambiguously left over. It wasn’t as if he were that much older, was it? It wasn’t even a full twelve-year age gap.

“Are you… angry? Because I brought up your age?”

“I’m not. I can’t even get angry because it’s true that you’re young. Shall we get going?”

When Do Yeonjae said he would buy more bread, Kwon Jiho shook his head. He carefully caught his hand while watching his reaction. He made a vow to himself to never bring up the topic of age in front of Do Yeonjae again.

“Is there a park nearby? Somewhere close to the house?”

“There’s a fountain, too. And the garden of the house where we’ll live is quite spacious.”

The new house where Kwon Jiho and the baby due to be born soon would live together was in a complex of detached houses. There was private security that patrolled every hour and a management office, and entry was strict.

Because the residents were confirmed and most were newlyweds or raising children, it was judged to be a suitable neighborhood for Kwon Jiho to make friends. However, Do Yeonjae was worried because Kwon Jiho was so shy that he might feel more burdened than expected.

“I’m curious.”

“Go see it, and if you don’t like it, tell me. There’s no need to endure it.”

“Yes.”

Do Yeonjae, who had tidied up their spot, hugged Kwon Jiho’s waist and slowly exited the cafe. At the cafe owner’s boisterous farewell, Kwon Jiho smiled and bowed his head.

“The owner here seems to have a lot of heart.”

“Indeed, he does seem that way.”

Do Yeonjae decided never to tell Kwon Jiho, who held such innocent thoughts, that it was only because he had committed a sin against him.

♬⋆.˚

The place Do Yeonjae took him to was not a place lined with high walls like his main family home. It was a village formed by clusters of detached houses, and there was a security office at the entrance where resident staff checked visitors before letting them in.

After passing through the front gate and climbing the stairs, the garden came into view immediately. As his grandfather had said, it was not larger than the main house, but the landscaping was just as beautiful. Exclamations of admiration kept popping out naturally. It was so gorgeous even with winter approaching; he wondered how much more wonderful it would be in spring, summer, and autumn. He felt a sense of anticipation.

“How is it?”

“It’s incredibly…… beautiful.”

“Do you think it will be alright to live here with the baby?”

“Wouldn’t it be too big for the three of us to live in?”

Do Yeonjae smiled and answered his question, which was mixed with admiration.

“Isn’t it better than being small?”

“Is that so……? This place seems even bigger than that other place. Where you used to live, Director.”

I’ll generously forget the memories of that house. Do Yeonjae swept his gaze over the garden and pulled Kwon Jiho’s shoulders into an embrace. That place must hold nothing but ugly memories for Kwon Jiho, let alone fond ones. It seemed that the only one who felt uncomfortable when hearing about it was himself.

“Do you want to go inside?”

“Yes.”

He opened the front door and let Kwon Jiho go in first. The living room, which had good lighting, was entirely bright. The house he had lived in before was a space entirely filled with achromatic colors, but here, it was a warm, milky white. The floor felt plush. Every corner was finished with soft, rounded guards to prevent injuries.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s pretty and…… it looks warm.”

“I’m glad.”

There wasn’t much furniture in the living room. There wasn’t even a television. Instead, the short bookshelves were filled with fairy tale books and toys. From porcelain dolls to cars. Since the baby’s gender was still unknown, it was stocked so that the child could play with everything regardless of whether it was a girl or a boy.

“Once the baby is born, I’m going to hire a babysitter immediately. Chief Kim is currently receiving resumes and narrowing them down to suitable people.”

“Pardon? The baby, why…… why is that?”

“We need to focus on your body recovering. How could you look after the baby, too? It’s not as if there’s no one to watch them.”

“Even so…….”

In this matter, Do Yeonjae could not back down. He drew a firm line, saying it was absolutely out of the question. Kwon Jiho’s health and recovery were a priority over the baby. They said that a postpartum mother was more vulnerable than at any other time.

“It’s not that I’m saying you shouldn’t raise the child. Only while you’re recovering.”

“…….”

“They say childcare is a long-term game. Since it’s not something you raise for a year or two and then stop, we have to be prepared.”

“But still, can we…… stay together?”

The sudden question and trembling voice rang out sadly. Had he perhaps interpreted his words as sending him somewhere else? Kwon Jiho’s eyes turned red. Do Yeonjae realized once again that his explanation had been insufficient. Rubbing away the tears that were beginning to well up before they could fall, he pulled Kwon Jiho into his arms.

“We’re going to be together in this house. The sitter will also move in, so we’ll live together for the time being. Did it sound like one of you, either you or the baby, was going to leave this house?”

He didn’t have a single thought about parting, and although it probably wasn’t that he didn’t trust him, perhaps because of the things he had experienced, Kwon Jiho always cast himself in the position of the emotional ‘inferior’. He knew that if one were to compare who was the ‘superior’ and ‘inferior’, the emotional weak and strong between them, it was none other than himself. It was heartbreaking and pitiful that he seemed to forget it completely whenever he faced an unexpected situation.

“If there were to be a chance that someone left, wouldn’t it most likely be me?”

At his deliberately sly addition, Kwon Jiho laughed. Pressing his wet eyelashes against Do Yeonjae’s chest to wipe them, he looked slowly around at the toys. The time he was spending peacefully in his arms like this felt just like a dream.

“I’ve been thinking, I like the idea of a boy, too. But actually, I don’t think the gender matters. I just…… want to see the baby soon.”

“I hope they resemble you. Next year, we’ll be able to see the cherry blossoms with Dodo. The three of us.”

Do Yeonjae’s hand stroked the back of his soft hair for a long time.

“What would you like to do about Dodo’s name? If we say we’ll name the baby ourselves, as you know, my grandfather tends to be a bit excessive. I think I need to tell him in advance. He’s already looking into this and that.”

“Ah, I was actually going to tell you about that.”

Kwon Jiho lifted his leaning head. Even if he chose the prenatal name, he intended to follow the elders’ wishes for the actual name. Especially since his grandfather had shown such enthusiasm. It was a name the baby would be called for their entire life, so wouldn’t his grandfather or the Mister (Do Yeonjae) pick a better name than he could? He thought it would be good for the baby to know that everyone had welcomed their existence.

“I want the baby’s name to be decided by your grandfather and the others.”

“Are you really sure?”

“Yes, it’s fine. I intended to do that from the start. I’ve seen my grandfather worrying over the Chinese characters to go into the baby’s name several times.”

While staying at Do Yeonjae’s main home, Kwon Jiho had often witnessed Do Seungtae intently peering into a Chinese character dictionary with a magnifying glass while sitting on the benches scattered throughout the garden. He hadn’t asked if he was going to name the baby, but he had been certain of it.

After struggling all morning with a cup of tea, a dictionary, a pen, and paper, he had returned from an outing and spent a long time worrying in the same spot again. He wouldn’t be that serious if he weren’t naming the baby.

“Having a family is truly…… wonderful.”

“…….”

“Your grandfather, and the others, worrying about me and taking care of me even though they haven’t even known me for a few months. They are such kind people that…… I worry every day about how I can give back as much as I’ve received.”

Word by word, the thoughts he had been pondering for a long time flowed out slowly.

“It would be nice if I could repay them. Even for the wedding…… since we said we wouldn’t have one.”

“Jiho.”

“I…… have no one to invite. As you know, Director, I’ve never gone to congratulate anyone in my life, so I think it would be too empty. I’m fine, but your grandfather and the others might feel embarrassed. There is social reputation to consider, and, um……. I feel like I might be a blemish on that.”

Do Yeonjae had vaguely understood that wanting to skip the wedding ceremony meant wanting to skip the cumbersome procedures, and he never imagined he had such thoughts.

At the melancholy voice, Do Yeonjae held Kwon Jiho even tighter. Stroking his thin back, he pondered what to say. Then, he brought up something he had only vaguely kept in his thoughts.

“Since it’s a wedding you only have once in a lifetime, I do think you might have some regrets if we don’t do it.”

“……I suppose so.”

“So, about that. The wedding. Shall we just do it, just the two of us?”

Exchanging rings, too. Do Yeonjae, who had let go of the body of Kwon Jiho he had been holding, pulled up his slender hand. He smiled as he caressed the ring finger of his left hand.

“Let’s have the baby, and then go on a honeymoon, too.”

“…….”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s short. How about we just do it simply, just the two of us, outdoors?”

“That…… I would like that.”

Do Yeonjae kissed the cheeks of Kwon Jiho, who was smiling with his tear-filled eyes as if overwhelmed, and while holding him quietly, he stepped back at the movement of the baby kicking inside.

“Dodo says he wants to show us his room first.”

At the playful tone, Kwon Jiho burst into a light laugh. Holding the hand that was offered, he moved his feet following the lead. The baby’s room was a cute combination of light yellow and green. A modest crib, a swing chair, and baby supplies and mobiles he was seeing for the first time were waiting for their owner in their proper places.

After looking around for a long time with low exclamations of admiration, they naturally moved to the bedroom, which was decorated in a cozy way. There wasn’t a single dark spot; it was bright.

“On Monday, we are coming back here. To our house.”

Listening to the voice that rang out calmly yet tenderly, Kwon Jiho smiled. He found himself looking forward to the coming Monday.

To the days that would unfold in a place where he would spend a new, and even newer time with Do Yeonjae.