Love Born of Pity Chapter 34

After sending Hyunwoo in, the academy filled with the sound of piano music. Scales being played rapidly, as if fingers were being warmed up, could be heard. Jiho suddenly recalled his own past. Staring blankly at his fingers, which now cramped even with a slight increase in playing speed, he shook his head.

He was no longer depressed about his fingers. In fact, he was too busy to be depressed. If he hadn’t been burdened with debt after the accident, he would probably still be struggling with deep depression. It was just….a little upsetting. A little, a lot.

“Huu….!”

Jiho exhaled deeply and stood up. He put away the chair that Hyunwoo had left out and started individual lessons, beginning with Mihong. Dangling her short legs, she pressed the keys with a serious expression and successfully finished the piece without a single mistake. Mihong, her cheeks flushed red, let out a small roar. She looked like a puppy howling for the first time.

“Well done, Mihong.”

“Of course, Teacher.”

“Hmm?”

Lowering her voice, Mihong brought the side of her hand to Jiho’s ear and whispered,

“Can I have two stickers? I’ll keep it a secret from the others. Absolutely secret.”

“That’s not allowed.”

“Stingy!”

“Do you know what that word means?”

Her large eyes rolled. Pouting her lips and thinking hard, Mihong shook her head.

“I don’t really know. My dad says it a lot. He says things like, ‘My older brother is so stingy with me!’ Doesn’t it mean he’s being mean?”

“Hmm….yes, it’s similar.”

Jiho, having unintentionally eavesdropped on a marital conversation, blushed and laughed. Murmuring, “You must have a good relationship,” he waited for Mihong to get down from the chair.

“He also says ‘I’m so frustrated!’ a lot. And ‘I’m furious!’ They both mean he’s angry, right?”

Mihong, innocently reciting the words she often heard from her father, trotted away. Jiho bit his lip, holding back his laughter. Controlling his trembling lips, he perched on the piano bench. With a lingering smile, he looked up at the camera mounted above.

For some reason, he felt strange. At first, he hadn’t thought much of it, but the camera was an excessively good model for a piano academy with only a few students. Sometimes, when he checked the screen, he could clearly see even the musical notes on the sheet music. He knew that this wasn’t normal.

Could Do Yeonjae see it too? The words Yeonjae had spoken to him the day he rode in Lim Seonghun’s car suddenly came back to him vividly. He had spoken as if he had seen it with his own eyes, not just guessed.

‘It’s past your work time, but you’re not at the academy, you’re not answering your phone, and you’re coming back in another guy’s car.’

Not at the academy. Jiho repeated silently. His gaze remained fixed on the camera on the ceiling. Unconsciously murmuring the words Yeonjae had said, Jiho shook his head, thinking, “No way, right?”

Do Yeonjae wasn’t that idle, and why would he? He felt embarrassed for even imagining such a thing after confirming that Yeonjae’s fondness for him wasn’t genuine affection. Rubbing his cheek, which still bore a faint bruise, Jiho sighed deeply. He couldn’t figure out what to do next.

Kang Gyumin had given him two months, and his uncle had made it clear what he wanted, telling him to prepare well.

“Ah….”

Jiho repeatedly made and broke down hypotheses in his mind. Every scenario ended badly. Always ending with Heeyeon finding out everything. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. Could he keep it from her? The situation was only getting worse.

Then he suddenly remembered that day. Gyumin’s expression as he reluctantly told him, calling him naive, and the way he scoffed as if Jiho was pathetic.

‘A lot of sponsorships involve clearing debts and providing money or whatever is needed, but this is strange. Mr. Kwon Jiho’s debt is increasing.’

Jiho, lost in thought with a blank expression, saw Eunsol dart out of the practice room and gave a weak smile.

♬⋆.˚

Kwon Heeyeon’s resentment towards her brother, who had insisted on transferring her to a rehabilitation hospital, was sky-high. She felt pathetic, exhausted all day from rehabilitation training. The phrase “This is all because of my brother” became a habit.

“Oh dear, even transferring hospitals is a chore, isn’t it? You’ve had a hard time. But it seems like you came comfortably thanks to your brother. Rehabilitation starts tomorrow, so get plenty of rest today.”

Listening to the caregiver’s voice, Heeyeon, changed into her hospital gown, sat on the edge of the bed and sighed irritably. Perhaps because even buttoning her clothes was tiring, her annoyed, crumpled expression didn’t relax.

“Hey, still, you should think positively since your brother made the effort to transfer you. This rehabilitation hospital is so famous and good. The admission procedure is strict, and they don’t usually accept transfers. Your brother worked hard. Heeyeon, thank him properly when he comes later.”

“….Who asked him to transfer me….”

“Heeyeon….!”

Heeyeon, who had barely managed to mutter a single sentence, glanced at the man who was moving her meager belongings. He smiled quietly at the two of them and bowed his head. The caregiver, returning the smile awkwardly, nodded to Heeyeon.

As soon as the man left, Heeyeon turned her head and asked who he was and why he had been helping them since morning. But even the caregiver didn’t know who he was. She only knew that he was sent by Heeyeon’s brother.

“You really don’t know, Auntie?”

“I really don’t. I think he was someone your brother asked to come….Mr. Jiho said he’d come after work, so wait and ask him.”

“But….what kind of work does my brother do?”

“Well. I don’t know for sure, but it seems like he works at a decent company. That’s why he consistently pays the caregiving fees and there haven’t been any unpaid hospital bills, right? Sometimes he comes late at night to see you, Heeyeon, and sometimes he comes early in the morning. He comes and goes at odd hours, so I figured he must be very busy. I’ve never asked.”

Heeyeon, not knowing what was strange, realized the source of the nagging feeling that something was off. It was the money. Immediately after waking up, she had been too disoriented to think deeply about her brother, and afterwards, she had been preoccupied with figuring out what had happened during the three years she had lost, pushing thoughts about her brother to the back of her mind.

While she was in a coma, the president had changed, and her favorite volleyball player had gotten married. Her days were filled with watching three years’ worth of volleyball games on the tablet Jiho had brought, often staying up until dawn. Those times were quite peaceful, but whenever she saw her skinny limbs or her skeletal reflection in the mirror, she was filled with frustration.

Then, when she happened to go down to another floor, she realized the significant difference between the rooms there and her own. That was what had been bothering her without her knowing why.

Her room was the size of something you’d only see in a morning drama. The kind of room a chairman would be hospitalized in. So it must be at least a deluxe suite or a VIP room. She had a feeling that even if her brother earned a lot of money, it would be difficult for him to bear the cost alone.

When she had asked if he was still playing the piano, her brother had said yes. While the caregiver was away, Heeyeon searched for “Kwon Jiho” on a portal site. There was plenty of information about actors, singers, and businessmen named Kwon Jiho, but nothing about her brother.

Even if he wasn’t famous, if he hadn’t stopped playing the piano, he would have held at least one recital. But she couldn’t find any trace of pianist Kwon Jiho anywhere.

“….My brother is coming today, right?”

“He probably will, right? I think he said he would. Be nice to Mr. Jiho today. Families shouldn’t be like that.”

“…….”

“In this day and age, where can you find a brother like Mr. Jiho? My heart aches when I see Mr. Jiho….”

Heeyeon scoffed at the caregiver’s tone, which sounded as if she were scolding a child. She shifted her gaze from the ceiling and stared at the caregiver, then just sighed.

“No, I….I’m sorry that my brother is struggling. I’m sorry, Heeyeon.”

Heeyeon, seemingly angry, clenched her jaw and turned her head away. Muttering that she was tired, she lay down on the bed.

“Should I draw the curtains? Do you want to sleep a bit?”

“Yes, wake me up when my brother comes today.”

The caregiver smiled awkwardly and operated the electric curtains. The room darkened instantly. Heeyeon closed her eyes and waited patiently for the caregiver to leave, and as soon as she heard the door close, she turned on her tablet. She started the volleyball game she had turned off before dawn and carefully organized the questions she wanted to ask her brother.