Love Born of Pity Chapter 21

He quickly sat down and picked up his phone. The screen was cracked like a spiderweb. It wouldn’t turn on, likely because the power was off.

“Ah, ah…!”

Kwon Jiho stared blankly at the broken phone, shaking it before standing up and starting to walk. He hurried his steps, thinking he needed to call Do Yeonjae from the academy. Although Yeonjae didn’t contact him frequently, he disliked it when Jiho’s calls didn’t reach him promptly. Jiho’s only thought was to get there quickly and explain what had happened.

Hurrying with weakened legs, Jiho’s anxiety overwhelmed him and he began to run. Stopping at a traffic light just one block away from the academy, an unfamiliar car stopped beside him, flashing its hazard lights.

“Mr. Jiho! Mr. Jiho!”

“……Hello.”

“Are you going to the academy? Get in. I’m going that way too. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. It’s just a little further—”

Before Jiho could finish declining, wiping the sweat from his forehead, a car horn blared from behind. Lim Seonghun, looking embarrassed, urged him to get in quickly. Jiho glanced back, then bit his lip and opened the passenger door.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. I’m going that way anyway. But what are you doing around here?”

“……I have some business.”

“Ah… Um, well— It’s incredibly hot today. Maybe it’s because it’s right before the rainy season. Mr. Jiho, did you have breakfast? Wow, but seeing you outside like this… you look different.”

Lim Seonghun suddenly spoke to Jiho, seemingly out of the blue. His words were rambling, but sincere.

At the academy, surrounded by the children, Jiho seemed quite mature, but under the scorching sun, he looked much younger, like a freshman just starting university. Especially with his cheeks flushed red from the heat.

Eunsol liked him so much, and his appearance was so striking that it was hard not to feel attracted to him… but seeing him like this outside made Seonghun feel guilty for even harboring such feelings.

“How old did you say you were, Mr. Jiho?”

“Twenty-four.”

“……I’m thirty-six. We must be born in the same year of the Chinese zodiac.”

Lim Seonghun’s eyes widened in surprise as he laughed. Realizing the age difference, which he hadn’t fully grasped before, the attraction he had felt quickly dissipated. If his parents had had his younger sibling a little later, they would have been Jiho’s age. He felt inexplicably embarrassed.

“By the way, Mr. Jiho, you’re really shy, aren’t you?”

“……A little. I’m sorry.”

With that vague response, the conversation died down. Lim Seonghun also became increasingly quiet. As the academy building came into view, Seonghun brightened visibly.

“The traffic is surprisingly bad here. It’s so hot, and since it was just one block, I thought it would be better to give you a ride, but I was wrong. Walking would have been faster.”

“No, thank you for the ride. Thanks to you, I got here comfortably.”

“Don’t mention it. Wait, just a moment.”

Lim Seonghun smiled awkwardly and turned on his hazard lights, checking his side mirror for any approaching motorcycles or bicycles before nodding.

“Is it okay to open the door?”

“Drive safely.”

“Yes. See you later.”

Lim Seonghun waved with a relieved smile. Jiho bowed slightly, a step away from the car. The passenger window rolled down. Lim Seonghun, wearing a gentle smile, told him to make sure to eat well.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Arriving in front of the academy, Jiho’s tension and anxiety subsided, and his face softened. He, too, smiled and bowed his head again. He stood for a moment, watching as the car merged with the congested traffic and drove away. Then, realizing he didn’t have time to spare, he turned with the same relaxed expression.

“Quickly…!”

Jiho’s mind was filled with the thought of calling Do Yeonjae as soon as possible. Without looking around, he ran towards the building entrance and was suddenly grabbed by a hand that shot out.

“Ugh…!”

His forward momentum was abruptly stopped, and he nearly fell backward. His eyes, shaking as if there had been an earthquake, focused the moment he realized who had grabbed him.

“D-Director…? How did you—?”

Jiho, who had been staggering, was pulled upright by a firm hand. Before he could finish speaking, he was dragged inside the building. Do Yeonjae’s coldly set mouth didn’t open until they reached the academy.

“Open it.”

At the low-voiced command, Jiho’s trembling hands unlocked the door. Do Yeonjae stormed into the counseling room and released Jiho as if throwing him. He crashed against the desk with a loud bang.

“You weren’t at the academy when you were supposed to be at work, you didn’t answer your phone, and now you’re arriving in another guy’s car.”

“……D-Director.”

“Your mouth says no, but is our Mr. Kwon Jiho seeing another man?”

“T-That’s not, not it. I met him by chance—”

As Jiho quickly stammered out excuses, a flash of light erupted before his eyes. His slender body crumpled pathetically to the floor. A high-pitched ringing, like a machine, filled his ears. The slap of Do Yeonjae’s hand against his face was a sound he couldn’t ignore. A stinging pain spread across his cheek, and Jiho’s eyelids fluttered rapidly in disbelief. He couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

“Do I look like a joke to you, Mr. Kwon Jiho?”

“D-Director… W-Why—?”

“Just because your brother woke up, you suddenly have room in your heart for other things? I don’t understand, Mr. Kwon Jiho. Should I put your brother back in that bed?”

Do Yeonjae bent down. He grabbed Jiho’s soft hair and pulled it up to force him to meet his gaze.

“Hngh…!”

“Maybe you’ll listen to me better if I show you your brother truly dying.”

“D-Director… No, really… Sob, no. I-I’m sorry.”

“Do you not fear me because I don’t hit you?”

His hair gripped in a vice-like hold, Jiho shook his head. Tears streamed down his face, soaking it instantly. He looked utterly pathetic.

He hadn’t even been hit that hard, but a single slap had split his lip and caused a nosebleed. The flowing blood stained his white t-shirt. His cheeks, already pink from the heat, began to swell and turn bright red.

“Or should I put that guy who keeps showing interest in you next to your brother? Would that make you listen better, Mr. Kwon Jiho?”

“Sob, ah… Sniffle, no, wrong— I did wrong. Sob, sob, I did wrong.”

“Why do you make me hit you when you’re not even fun to hit?”

Do Yeonjae released his grip on Jiho’s hair, and his limp body collapsed to the floor. Roughly pulling Jiho up, Do Yeonjae gripped his chin and shoved his fingers into his mouth.

Jiho helplessly lowered his gaze at the forceful intrusion. Do Yeonjae clicked his tongue, as if checking for loose teeth, running his fingers along Jiho’s teeth.

When he pulled his fingers out, a string of blood and saliva stretched between them before breaking. Avoiding Do Yeonjae’s menacing gaze, Jiho whimpered and reached out, wanting to cling to him, anywhere.

The moment his trembling hand grasped the edge of Do Yeonjae’s jacket, he was yanked forward by the hand now gripping the back of his neck. A gasp escaped his lips as his head was pulled up, and Do Yeonjae’s lips crashed against his. His already split tongue was crushed and bitten before being sucked into Do Yeonjae’s mouth.

“Ugh…”

Annoyed by Jiho’s instinctively tightening lips, Do Yeonjae pulled away abruptly.

“Open your mouth properly.”

“Sob…”

Jiho’s swollen, red lips parted, and Do Yeonjae thrust his tongue inside. The metallic tang of blood and saliva, coating the inside of Jiho’s mouth, tasted sweet to Do Yeonjae today, as if it were laced with honey.

After thoroughly ravaging Jiho’s mouth, sucking away all the blood and saliva and coating it with his pheromones, Do Yeonjae pulled away. Jiho’s flushed face and dazed eyes slowly lifted to meet his.

“Director…”

Do Yeonjae frowned at the pitiful sound of his voice and abruptly left the counseling room. He paused momentarily, wiping his saliva-smeared mouth with the back of his hand. This unfamiliar gesture sent a pang of pain through Jiho’s chest.

After sitting on the floor for a moment, tears silently streaming down his face, he wiped his stinging cheek and shakily stood up. He stumbled out of the counseling room and gasped when he saw his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His shirt and lower face were covered in blood. Because Do Yeonjae’s face was clean, Jiho hadn’t realized how badly he was injured, and the shock was doubled.

He whimpered softly, wiping his face repeatedly and checking the mirror again. His nosebleed hadn’t stopped, and his cheek continued to swell. Even as he sniffled, Jiho worried about the children seeing him like this.

Remembering the cardigan he had brought to the academy, Jiho stuffed his nose with tissue and returned to the counseling room. He buttoned the cardigan up to his neck and then rummaged through a drawer for a mask. His hand stopped when he saw Kang Gyumin’s business card and the envelope of money.