Love Born of Pity Chapter 142 - Epilogue END.

Kwon Jiho nodded, responding appropriately to Do Yeonjae’s worries throughout the entire drive to the piano academy. A daughter. Although he had said the gender didn’t matter, he was a bit nervous himself. Because Do Yeonjae made such a fuss, he hadn’t had the leeway to properly ruminate on his own feelings.

Just like the conversation they had earlier, it seemed like he would have to be very careful playing physically with a baby girl. His white, slender hand gently stroked his belly, right where the little one had started kicking—thump, thump.

“Does it hurt?”

At that sight, Do Yeonjae’s hand reached out. Muttering about whether the baby was kicking again, he covered the spot where the movement was felt.

“If you kick hard enough to break a bone, don’t expect it to be fun when you come out.”

Kwon Jiho laughed at the low-voiced threat. It seemed pointless for Do Yeonjae to act stern now, after making such a scene earlier about building the very school the child would attend. It appeared to be a threat that didn’t scare the baby, either; the movements didn’t subside even a little.

“Now that I know the gender, I’m…… a bit nervous. Will I be able to become a good father?”

“Of course. And if you aren’t perfectly good at first, so what? Don’t worry.”

“Director, are you……. not nervous? Aren’t you scared? We are, I am, so unstable and incomplete.”

“I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it. I look forward to it every day. I don’t even sleep well because I’m so excited about the days we’ll spend together—you, me, and the baby.”

Do Yeonjae smiled brighter than the sunlight. Kwon Jiho felt relieved, looking down at the large hand covering his belly and patting it gently as if responding to the kicks. Remembering that there were people by their side to help raise the child, not just Do Yeonjae, his heart—which had been fluttering with anxiety—quickly calmed down. After all, the grandfather and the others were all such kind people.

“You’ll…… do well.”

“To me, too.”

“……Pardon?”

“Treat me well, too. Don’t forget that.”

Do Yeonjae leaned his face against the steering wheel and smiled playfully.

♬⋆.˚

The children he met for the first time in a while screamed like pterodactyls the moment they saw Kwon Jiho through the door. Jumping up and down and spinning around the piano academy, they hugged Kwon Jiho, ecstatic with joy, and screamed again.

“It’s a baby!”

“There’s a baby!”

“A baby!”

Mihong, Eunsol, and Dabin widened their eyes in surprise and pointed their stubby fingers straight ahead. They hadn’t noticed before, hidden by the thick knit sweater, but upon realizing the round volume, another round of chaos ensued.

“Woooah! I know!”

“Hm?”

“Mihong’s dad was like that too. When his tummy started poking out like this, he vomited sooooo much! So Daddy cried every day and apologized. He was like, ‘Hyung, I’m so-rry, waaah!’”

He didn’t know who he was imitating, but Mihong clenched his fists and held them by his eyes, acting it out realistically. Kwon Jiho pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. He just nodded, recalling the guardian of Mihong who had come to pick him up a few times.

“My mommy threw up too! Yesterday!”

“My daddy doesn’t throw up!”

The topic of conversation veered off into strange territory. Kwon Jiho took the children to the table, sat them down, and brought out snacks. The bread and macarons Do Yeonjae had bought from the cafe vanished in an instant.

“But Teacher, are you married? Why is there a baby?”

“Yeah, does that mean you’re married and can’t come to the academy anymore?”

“Oh, that, um……. I’ll tell you later, I’ll tell you later. Have you been practicing the piano well? Did you listen to what the teacher said? The sticker chart hasn’t grown much, what happened?”

At Kwon Jiho’s question, Mihong stood up, as if he had a lot to say on that matter. Pointing to the grapevine that didn’t have many stickers, he poured out all his grievances.

“That teacher is too! Too stingy. Seriously! It’s a lot!”

“Yeah! Stingy, sting… stingy, what’s it called?”

“Stingy!”

“Stingy!”

The children burst out with their frustrations, saying that the teacher—who was like an angry bulldog—not only didn’t give them a sticker a day, but said he would give it to them tomorrow and then didn’t. Kwon Jiho laughed, stroking the hair of each child, whose cheeks were flushed red with indignation.

He was certain that the teacher probably didn’t know where the stickers were, so he couldn’t give them out. What was left out were only a few, and the extras were in the counseling office desk drawer.

Since they said no one went in except for when cleaning, he guessed… he probably hadn’t been able to rummage through it on his own, so he had put it off every day.

Moreover, it was certain the children wouldn’t have wanted just anything else stuck on there. It seemed he just didn’t know how to soothe the disappointment and sadness they felt when they couldn’t get the grape stickers they wanted so badly.

“Ah, so that’s why the teacher said that to me.”

Kwon Jiho nodded, saying he had heard it from the teacher he hadn’t even met face-to-face once. He even gave a little clap!

“Why?”

“Did you see him too? Did you see the Bulldog Teacher?”

“Did he say Mihong plays well?”

Little hands grabbed Kwon Jiho’s arms, one by one.

“Yes, he praised you a lot. He said Mihong, Eunsol, and Dabin all worked hard. He wanted to give you these stickers today, but since I was coming into work, he asked me to deliver them for him.”

“How many did he say to give us? A lot? You’re giving us a lot, right?”

“Um…… yes, about ten…….”

“Eleven!”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Eleven.”

Kwon Jiho promised to give them the stickers after their lessons and sent the children in one by one. The sound of keys being pressed—twing-twing—was cheerful. Everyone was in such a good mood that sounds of giggling laughter spilled out from the rooms. He had reclaimed the daily life that was all the more precious because it was familiar.

While tidying up the messy table, he hummed a tune without realizing it. Just as time had flown by when he was with Do Yeonjae, it was the same at the academy. He kept glancing at the clock. He wanted to go home quickly. It was strange, considering it wasn’t even the place he originally lived, and he had only visited it once as if sightseeing over the weekend.

“Seriously…… this is strange.”

Stroking the corners of his mouth that kept curling upward, he finished the chaotic lessons.

The children were picked up by their guardians one by one. Hyunwoo didn’t show up until they closed the door, as if he wasn’t planning on coming today. He hoped he would come tomorrow. After locking the counseling office door tight and turning off all the interior lights, he left the academy. He could have waited inside for Do Yeonjae, but he wanted to wait outside to get some fresh air.

He walked slowly to the building entrance. There was still a bit of time before Do Yeonjae would arrive, so he contemplated stopping by the cafe. However, worried that they might miss each other if he did, he decided to stand in front of the building as before.

The wind was chilly. Sweeping back his disheveled hair, he looked up at the sky, which had quickly turned dark. What should he have for dinner? If he asked to have cold buckwheat noodles or cold food again today, would he agree? His thoughts wandered endlessly, from light concerns to heavier ones, like: Will the baby be able to grow up as bright and innocent as the students here?

He bowed his head and sniffled. Just as his body began to shiver in the biting wind, a familiar pair of shoe tips entered his downward gaze.

“……Oh? You’re here.”

Lifting his face with a happy smile, he saw Do Yeonjae stop with a serious expression and take off his coat. He immediately wrapped it around Kwon Jiho’s body and cupped his cheeks, which had cooled in the cold.

“It’s cold, why are you waiting outside?”

“I thought you’d be here soon. It’s a bit inconvenient not having a cellphone. If I had one, I would’ve told you to hurry up because I was waiting outside.”

Kwon Jiho hugged Do Yeonjae naturally. His laughter was full of mischief.

“I was planning on getting you one anyway. I forgot because I didn’t know it was inconvenient since we’re together every day. Sorry.”

“There’s no one to contact but you, Director, so I don’t really need one… but still, sometimes I want to call you. To ask if you’ve eaten lunch, things like that. I’ve felt that way all along.”

At the casual remark, Do Yeonjae felt deep self-reproach. Whenever he missed Kwon Jiho or wondered what he was doing, he would check the CCTV he had installed. That was why he hadn’t felt the need for contact.

“I’ll have to call you so often it becomes annoying.”

“Just…… don’t. I want to be the only one to do it.”

To the refusal Kwon Jiho gave after much deliberation, Do Yeonjae could only shrug his shoulders. He affectionately stroked his soft cheek and pulled him into his arms.

After hearing a firsthand account of how his day went—having watched every single moment without looking away—he helped Kwon Jiho into the passenger seat. Only after securely fastening the seatbelt clip did he close the door. He didn’t take his eyes off Kwon Jiho sitting in the passenger seat even while walking around the hood.

As soon as he got into the driver’s seat, he turned up the interior temperature. Throughout the drive home, Do Yeonjae held Kwon Jiho’s hand tightly.

“I’m hungry. I want to eat cold water noodles for dinner tonight.”

“You ate that yesterday, too.”

“……Then some fried dumplings on the side.”

It was the same thing they had eaten for a late-night snack yesterday. But instead of saying no, Do Yeonjae nodded his head, saying they would do that. Kwon Jiho yawned slightly and leaned his body deep into the seat. As warmth returned to his chilled body, he soon felt drowsy. Looking out the window at the scenery passing by rapidly, he eventually closed his eyes.

A steady, even breathing spread. Do Yeonjae stared intently at Kwon Jiho, listening to the sound of his breathing peacefully entering his ears. His straight-closed eyelids, his lips parted in his sleep, and his white hand resting naturally on his swollen belly.

He had been staring at that beautiful face for quite a while, lost in time, when it suddenly scrunched up. His fine brow wrinkled as if he were about to wake up from his sleep. As his eyelids fluttered, his long, extended eyelashes swayed like ripples. Do Yeonjae reached out, as if he had just arrived, and stroked Kwon Jiho’s face.

“Jiho.”

“……Ah.”

“We’re here. Are you sleepy?”

“Because it’s warm, I’m sleepy.”

Do Yeonjae coaxed Kwon Jiho, telling him to sleep early after dinner, as if soothing a child. Before turning off the ignition, he unbuckled Kwon Jiho’s belt and stroked his eyes to chase away the sleepiness.

“Should I carry you?”

“I want to walk.”

Kwon Jiho shook his head, frowning. He opened the door. The moment he stepped out to get off, Do Yeonjae, who had walked around the hood, leaned his upper body in and hugged him around the waist. After getting out of the car with his help, they crossed the gate to the new house together.

When they stood in front of the front door, crossing the garden, he looked back for no reason, his heart fluttering. When he opened the door, he squeezed Do Yeonjae’s hand tightly without realizing it. As if he understood Kwon Jiho’s heart, his black eyes turned toward him without a tremor.

“From now on, this is our home. In a few months, we’ll be able to hear a baby crying. I think it’ll be noisy and peaceful.”

“……Are you still excited?”

“Of course. I’m excited about how much happier we’ll be every day. The three of us.”

“I…… am looking forward to it too, because of you, Director.”

While taking off his shoes, he muttered his true feelings. His face turned red immediately. Out of embarrassment, the color even bloomed faintly on his earlobes.

Watching Kwon Jiho, who grew more lovable every day, Do Yeonjae couldn’t hold back and kissed him. He planted kisses all over his face and carefully stroked the belly where his and Kwon Jiho’s part of the future was growing.

“So you don’t regret the past, so you look forward to tomorrow even more every day…… I’ll make you happy.”

Feeling his heart overflow at the mushy words, Kwon Jiho entered fully into the house.

“I like you, too……. I don’t think I’ve ever told you that I’ve liked you all along.”

After barely managing to get out the shy confession, Kwon Jiho crossed the hallway as if running away. Do Yeonjae couldn’t even catch him, remaining alone in the entryway, rubbing his tingling cheek and bursting into laughter.

It was a night where happiness was not just filling up, but overflowing.