Love Born of Pity Chapter 40

Time flowed strangely. From that day on, the sweltering heat broke, and a cool breeze blew at night. It felt like more than a month had passed, but he couldn’t be sure, as he had tried to ignore it.

After that day, Kwon Jiho no longer visited Kwon Heeyeon. He quenched his curiosity about whether she was receiving rehabilitation therapy well, eating well, sleeping well, gaining weight, or if she needed anything through her caregiver. He steadfastly refused her offer to send pictures.

However, there was no way to stop his growing apathy. Lately, Kwon Jiho lacked enthusiasm for anything. Kwon Jiho’s brain, consciously trying to erase the words Kwon Heeyeon had said, also erased the fact that he needed to go to the gynecologist and take birth control pills.

Even after presenting as an omega, he had countless encounters just as he had when he was a beta, and Do Yeonjae meticulously planted his pheromones and seed within Kwon Jiho’s body.

Kwon Jiho pushed a cleaning mop, wandering around the academy. Devoid of alertness, he constantly bumped his legs against small, low furniture. He would briefly regain his senses only when he felt the dull ache, and then return to his dazed state.

After wiping the same spot dozens of times, Kwon Jiho finally stopped moving and blinked, staring into space. His right eye was still blurry. His right ear, which had felt muffled as if waterlogged, couldn’t hear well either. The symptoms of not seeing and not hearing weren’t improving.

Despite not knowing the reason, he didn’t think to go to the hospital. A little discomfort could be endured, and since Do Yeonjae hadn’t noticed the symptoms, he didn’t think it was serious. He was only occasionally scolded for missing what Do Yeonjae said. The worry of what would happen if he lost his hearing felt like someone else’s problem.

“Ah……”

Kwon Jiho winced at the throbbing headache and sighed habitually. Was it because of his vision? The pain wouldn’t stop. He could take some medicine, but such a solution didn’t occur to his hazy mind.

After standing blankly for a while, Kwon Jiho tidied up the cleaning tools and left with his wallet. He always locked the door even when he went out briefly, but now he had even forgotten to lock up.

Pressing his temples, Kwon Jiho entered the cafe and ordered an iced Americano with extra shots. Two, three, after deliberating, he quietly requested three. The cafe owner asked if he wasn’t making it too strong, but Kwon Jiho, unable to hear properly, masked his response with an ambiguous smile.

He sat in a sunny spot. He sipped his coffee, blinking habitually. He had hoped the caffeine would relieve his headache and restore his vision, but as if confirming his foolish thought, the pain and blurriness persisted.

“It’s no use……”

It was at the moment he put the straw in his mouth and took another sip.

“I’m late.”

At the sudden voice, Kwon Jiho’s gaze, fixed on the window, turned forward. The man he saw with his half-blind vision was a stranger, with a somewhat indifferent air.

“I didn’t mean to be late, I was just busy with work.”

“…….”

“And I had trouble finding the cafe.”

The man checked his wrist and frowned. Kwon Jiho let out a small “Ah” sound and scratched his cheek as if embarrassed.

“Have you been waiting long? It’s not a lie, I really had a lot of patients.”

“……Excuse me, but.”

“Neither of us wanted to be here, but shall we have lunch? That way, we’ll at least have some time to coordinate our stories.”

“Huh?”

Kwon Jiho flinched, seemingly startled. The man, wondering what was so surprising, replayed what he had just said. Then he laughed in disbelief.

“I meant we need to get our stories straight, I guess I made you misunderstand. You look younger than I expected. Maybe the picture wasn’t very good. You don’t look alike.”

“……Ah. Well, yes. I see. But―”

“Shall we go? If we want to have lunch, we should probably get going now. My afternoon appointments are full too.”

“No, wait a minute.”

Kwon Jiho sighed at the man who kept interrupting him. He squinted his right eye to get a clear look at the man’s face with his left eye and opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“……Aren’t you Mr. Youngmin Lee?”

“I am not.”

He had wondered, but it seemed he had indeed mistaken him for someone else. Or perhaps he had entered the wrong place. Kwon Jiho answered listlessly and stood up. He thought he should go back to the academy as he had been sitting for too long. He debated whether he should say goodbye, and since their eyes met, he bowed his head slightly and left the cafe.

He said goodbye to the cafe owner on his way to the exit. The owner’s eyes crinkled unnaturally. His voice, saying “Goodbye, goodbye,” was the only thing that sounded normal. As soon as he opened the door and stepped outside, he was hit by a wave of humid air.

Kwon Jiho basked in the sun outside for a moment. Despite the approaching autumn, the air was hot. It was a welcome late summer heat for him, as he spent all day indoors. He shielded his forehead with his hand, stood for a little longer, and then turned around.

“Excuse me.”

At the voice calling him, Kwon Jiho slowly opened his squinted eyes. If he closed his left eye, the man’s figure would blur, as if trapped in a hazy fog.

“I didn’t apologize properly. But are you really not Mr. Youngmin Lee? I said the picture looked better earlier, but actually, I didn’t even look at the picture properly before I came out.”

“The apology is fine. And…… no, I’m not. Why would I lie about something like that?”

Why would I lie about something like that. The calm tone and the words that accurately pinpointed his suspicion made the man’s face crumple.

“Well, I guess you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Although his suspicion seemed to have subsided somewhat, it hadn’t disappeared entirely. The man bowed his head again. Upon closer inspection, he was quite handsome. Tall, with distinct features. The word “훤칠하다” (hweonchilhada) – meaning tall and handsome – suited him well.

Kwon Jiho rubbed his right eye, bowed his head slightly in response, and turned around. The man’s gaze followed Kwon Jiho as he headed not out of the building, but inside.

“Excuse me.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry. I was being sensitive because I didn’t want to be here, and I think I made you uncomfortable for no reason.”

Kwon Jiho stared at the man, wondering why he kept being stopped when he was trying to leave. The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly and approached. Not understanding why he was being followed, Kwon Jiho hesitated and stopped walking.

“Why are you following me……?”

“Your eye seems to be bothering you.”

“…….”

“I can tell. You keep touching it.”

The man’s face suddenly came close. A cool, clean scent wafted over him. Kwon Jiho, unable to avoid the gaze staring intently into his eyes, froze as if petrified.

“Your pupils are clear, but……. If it keeps bothering you, you should get it checked. Is there an ophthalmologist nearby? Or you can come to my hospital. It’s not close from here, but if you come, I’ll take a good look at it.”

The man, who had moved away as suddenly as he had approached, handed Kwon Jiho a business card, which he accepted instinctively. He read the letters on the white card with his blurry vision.

[New Eye Ophthalmology Specialist Choi Soohyeok]

So he’s a doctor. Kwon Jiho calmly accepted his interference and nodded.

“I apologize for the trouble. I’ll stop bothering you now. Goodbye.”

The man turned around neatly, as if his business was concluded. He strode away as if he had never stopped Kwon Jiho in the first place. Kwon Jiho, wondering what to do with the business card, held it together with his coffee and headed towards the academy. He sighed and pushed the entrance door, and the commotion penetrated his muffled ears.

As soon as he entered, he saw that all the cabinets in the hall had been pulled out. Even the small decorations were scattered haphazardly, as if they had been deliberately swept off.

“What the……”

His feet moved before he could think. Kwon Jiho ran straight towards the counseling room where the noise was coming from, and what he saw was none other than Yoon Taek Kwon. He was crouched down, rummaging through a drawer next to a man clutching a white envelope, urging him if there was any more.

“……Uncle?”

“Oh, you scared me!”

Yoon Taek Kwon straightened up, laughing as if he hadn’t noticed anyone coming in. A smile, seemingly welcoming Kwon Jiho, didn’t leave his face.

“You should have made some noise. Anyway, you little bastard. How can you leave such a large sum of money in the drawer? What if a thief came? Or did our Jiho prepare it in advance to give to his uncle when he came?”

Kwon Jiho’s face paled at his words, spoken with a silly grin. That couldn’t be true. He had kept the money because he couldn’t return it to Gyumin Kang. Yoon Taek Kwon opened the envelope and showed no sign of hiding his delight at the sight of it crammed with 50,000 won bills. He even closed his eyes and trembled as if intoxicated by the smell of money.

“Having a good sponsor is nice. They just hand over this kind of money.”

“That, that’s not it. You can’t take that.”