Love Born of Pity Chapter 39

The grip on his slender neck was strong. Do Yeonjae thought that Kwon Jiho’s neck might break if he applied just a little more force, yet he couldn’t loosen his grip for fear of losing him. The splashing sound of the water and the top of Kwon Jiho’s head sinking beneath it were vividly imprinted on his mind.

“You crazy bastard, what are you doing?!”

“…….”

“Are you out of your mind? Are you crazy to die?”

Kwon Jiho couldn’t quite remember if he struggled as Do Yeonjae dragged him out of the water with a fierce grip. When he was completely pulled out, both he and Do Yeonjae were drenched.

Gasping, feeling nauseous from the cool night air and the faint fishy smell of the water, Kwon Jiho was slapped the moment he was thrown to the ground. Slap! The sharp sound of impact on his wet cheek cut through the deep night. He collapsed ungracefully, coughing. His mind, which had been as tangled as a ball of yarn, suddenly felt clear.

Blood mixed with the water dripping from his face left dotted marks on the ground. Kwon Jiho rubbed his eyes with the back of his trembling hand, wiped his philtrum roughly, and then sobbed pitifully, unable to stop the sudden burst of tears.

Mr. Kim, who was watching the pathetic sight from a few steps away, grimaced and turned his head. Whether to call him unfortunate or ill-fated. Feeling pity, he had already prepared a towel and a blanket.

“Such a small thing, fuck, so full of useless thoughts.”

“……Director. Director……. Sob, uh……. Heeyeon….”

“What will change if you die? Do you think Kwon Heeyeon will live on normally if you die? Do you think I’ll just stand by and watch that happen?”

“Heeyeon knows everything, sob, everything…… Everything…….”

With a pale face, Kwon Jiho repeated things like, “What do I do, what do I do?” clinging desperately. Kwon Jiho’s reaction to Kwon Heeyeon’s figurative stabbing was just as he had expected, and he had even acted on it. Despite being frustratingly overthinking, he was also fearless, and it turned out to be expressed in this way.

While searching for Kwon Jiho, Do Yeonjae had guessed that he might attempt suicide, but when he actually witnessed it, he felt a surge of insane rage. He became obsessed with the thought that he had to save Kwon Jiho first, and then kill Kwon Heeyeon before he could do anything like this again.

Ha, fuck. Who are you dying for, dying like this? Why would you jump into the river like an idiot over such harsh words? You wouldn’t even die anyway. There’s no way I would let you die.

“You should have come to me.”

“…….”

“Instead of trying to die, you should have come to me. Kwon Jiho.”

Do Yeonjae ran a hand through his wet hair and reached behind him. Mr. Kim, who had been waiting, handed him the prepared blanket and towel. Even while spewing curses, harsh accusations, and resentful words, Do Yeonjae covered Kwon Jiho with a thick blanket and wiped the water off him with a dry towel.

As if instinctively trying to calm his omega, he released his pheromones to envelop Kwon Jiho’s trembling body. Even though he knew he was a beta, there was no room for reason to intervene.

Kwon Jiho felt a thin film wrap around him instantly. He looked up at Do Yeonjae’s face with tear-blurred vision, then dropped his head. His nosebleed, which hadn’t stopped properly, started flowing again. As he lowered his head, drops of blood and tears fell onto the wet blanket.

“I, I think…… I did something wrong. I, sob, I……. Ugh, what do I do……. Director……. What do I do?”

“Look me in the eye.”

Do Yeonjae pulled Kwon Jiho’s watery gaze towards him and made a fierce expression. Looking into his wildly shaking eyes, he snapped his fingers. Snap! Kwon Jiho’s unfocused gaze finally landed on Do Yeonjae. He continued, as if forcing each word into Kwon Jiho’s ears.

“If you die, Kwon Heeyeon will do exactly what you were doing.”

The chilling voice penetrated Kwon Jiho’s ears as intended. Even though his pitch-black eyes lacked redness, they seemed to be burning. Even amidst the distorted and blurred vision, Kwon Jiho could clearly see Do Yeonjae’s expression. Unlike the pheromones that enveloped him like a protective shield, there was no mercy in his words.

“You know better than anyone that I’m capable of that.”

“……Director.”

“Kwon Heeyeon might be a big deal to you, but that bitch is nothing to me. If I show her an example, will she come to her senses and stop doing this? Should I gang-rape her in front of you?”

Kwon Jiho’s face froze in shock. Do Yeonjae cupped his small, unblinking face and opened his mouth.

“There are plenty of bastards who would gladly take a skinny, worthless bitch like her. Jiho.”

Jiho. At the name, rarely called without his last name, his wavering eyes began to well up again. Tears streamed down as soon as they gathered. Do Yeonjae wiped the tears flowing down his cheek, his expression hardened, and pulled Kwon Jiho up.

Do Yeonjae threw Kwon Jiho into the waiting car as if tossing him and instructed Mr. Kim to do something. Kwon Jiho, watching from inside the car, struggled to read Do Yeonjae’s lip movements, which were obscured by shadows.

As Mr. Kim bowed his head, the back door opened. Kwon Jiho’s gaze slowly shifted towards Do Yeonjae. Staring into his eyes, which seemed ready to cry at the slightest touch, Do Yeonjae looked away first. As soon as he sat down, he told the driver to raise the temperature inside and sighed.

For hours, his eyes bloodshot, he had searched for Kwon Jiho. He had searched the main bridges near the hospital, checked everything from suicide attempts to minor accidents, and combed the area under the bridges.

Looking at the dark, still river, the thought that Kwon Jiho might have already drowned brought a sense of anxiety he had never felt before. Unease. There was no more accurate word to describe how he felt right now.

“ Kwon Jiho.”

Kwon Jiho gradually calmed down thanks to the pheromones Do Yeonjae instinctively released, but for some reason, the stronger the pheromones became, the blurrier his right eye became. One ear felt muffled as if submerged in water. He thought it was natural for water to get in his ear since he had been in the water just moments ago, but his eye was a different story.

Even after letting out the gathered tears and blinking several times to clear his vision, one side remained blurry. He lowered his head to check his palm, but his vision remained blurred.

“ Kwon Jiho.”

At the second call, Kwon Jiho finally opened his mouth. He knew exactly what he had to say.

“I won’t… uh, I won’t do that again. Today, I, I wasn’t in my right mind. I don’t… I don’t know why… why I was there, there….”

As if he couldn’t hear his plea for forgiveness, Do Yeonjae reached out. He traced the bloodstains left on Kwon Jiho’s pale skin. It was a mark that had spread and then stopped, following his carelessly rubbing hand.

Frowning at the remaining bloodstains on his still-wet face, Do Yeonjae furrowed his brows. He had already hit Kwon Jiho twice, someone he hadn’t laid a hand on for three years. It was a moment of realization that everything is difficult the first time.

Kwon Jiho, feeling Do Yeonjae’s gaze on his cheek, tried to stay as still as possible. He thought he should try to gain his sympathy by saying it hurt, but he held back. Do Yeonjae’s gaze still held no warmth. He didn’t want to provoke the angry man in any way.

“ Kwon Jiho.”

“……Yes, Director.”

Kwon Jiho, observing Do Yeonjae’s blurred and then clear face, felt uneasy, unsure of what he would say next. He was afraid that he would say something harsh about what he would do to Kwon Heeyeon again. Besides, the increasingly strong pheromones made him nauseous. Even though his stomach contained nothing but the Han River water he had swallowed while struggling, he wanted to throw up.

Do Yeonjae stared at Kwon Jiho, who was trembling before him, as if he would set him on fire, then turned his gaze away. Unrefined words tangled in his mind.