Love Born of Pity Chapter 47

As the time to meet Do Yeonjae drew closer, Jiho’s anxiety soared endlessly. They didn’t often contact each other, but they occasionally had short phone calls, so his heart pounded as he looked at his unusually quiet phone.

Today, after sending off the children who had arrived making dinosaur noises, and seeing Hyunwoo off as well, it was already 7 p.m. As Jiho stepped outside after tidying up the academy, a familiar car was parked with its hazard lights flashing.

There was no notification that he had arrived. Unable to hide his dejected expression, Kwon Jiho walked to the car. Secretary Kim, who was waiting, naturally opened the door.

“Thank you.”

Jiho bowed his head and sat down, and Do Yeonjae greeted him with a cold expression. There was no reply to the question of whether he had been waiting long. Jiho stared out the window, trying to soothe his increasingly hot eyes.

The car, driving down a familiar road, pulled into Yoon Taek’s street and stopped under a high wall. Secretary Kim got out of the driver’s seat. Before he could even open the door, Do Yeonjae got out first. He strode inside the gate without waiting.

Secretary Kim gave a strained smile to Jiho, who had followed him out, and subtly informed him that Do Yeonjae was in a bad mood.

“……Yes.”

“Then please go in.”

“Thank you. Have a safe trip back.”

Jiho bowed deeply to Secretary Kim, who was bending at the waist. He turned around at the urging to go inside. At the sound of Jiho’s footsteps on the stone steps, Secretary Kim wore a worried expression. It was all too clear where Do Yeonjae’s unusually foul mood would be directed.

Jiho hurriedly skipped over the evenly spaced stepping stones and stopped in front of the entrance, holding his breath. He put his ear to the thick front door and checked if there were any sounds coming from inside. But no sound came through. Pressing gently on his chest at his heart pounding enough to make him nauseous, he reached out a trembling hand and opened the door.

The house was quiet. Only silence prevailed. Jiho took off his shoes neatly next to Do Yeonjae’s discarded ones and slipped his feet into slippers, moving quickly.

Do Yeonjae was not in the living room, which was revealed after passing the hallway. He wasn’t at the dining table, which was covered with a tablecloth, ready for dinner. Since there was no sound from the kitchen, he must have gone into the bedroom. Jiho, who seemed to have forgotten to breathe due to tension, exhaled intermittently as his feet headed towards the bedroom.

He reached the bedroom door without even the sound of his slippers scraping the floor. Grasping the doorknob and opening the door without hesitation, Jiho went straight to the dressing room. While he was hesitating whether to go into the bathroom or wait, the sound of running water stopped.

Fleeing the dressing room, Jiho stopped abruptly in the middle of the bedroom. He couldn’t sit on the bed because he hadn’t changed his clothes. As Jiho wrung his fingers in confusion, he was startled by a presence behind him and turned around.

“Why are you standing there like that?”

“……Ah, I was, I was going to wash up, but it seemed like you were using the bathroom.”

“Since when have you cared about that?”

“I, I thought you might be uncomfortable.”

Do Yeonjae scoffed at the stammering excuse.

“Me? I’m not.”

“……Yes?”

“Oh, are you saying you were uncomfortable? That I was insensitive for always coming in while you were washing up.”

“No, no. That’s not what I…….”

Jiho bit his lip hard. As he said, Do Yeonjae welcomed him coming in while he was washing, but Jiho found it uncomfortable. Do Yeonjae passed by Jiho, who couldn’t finish his sentence and was flustered, and muttered quietly before leaving the bedroom.

“Wash up. We need to have dinner.”

“……I’ll be quick―.”

Do Yeonjae left the bedroom before Jiho could finish speaking. Jiho widened his eyes, rubbed his lips with the back of his hand, and held his breath. It wasn’t the time to be frustrated, but his feet wouldn’t move, as if glued to the floor.

Jiho, who enjoyed standing under hot water for a long time when washing up, finished his shower quicker than usual today. He was in a hurry because Do Yeonjae was waiting. He rushed to the kitchen without even drying his hair, but Do Yeonjae had already warmed up all the food.

“Sit down.”

“Thank you for the food.”

“Yes, eat a lot. You seem to be preparing to backstab me, but you need the strength to do that.”

Even though his voice, thick with amusement, held no hint of reproach or sarcasm, Jiho dropped the spoon he was holding. Do Yeonjae ignored Jiho’s gaze, which seemed to ask what he meant, and began to eat as if nothing had happened.

What did he talk about when he met Kang Gyumin? Did he find out everything? The anxiety that had been spreading like a worm quickly consumed Jiho. Hiding his trembling hands behind his back, Jiho unknowingly went to Do Yeonjae and knelt down.

“It, it’s not like that. It’s not like that…….”

“What isn’t?”

“He said you, you were getting married, so it was right to, to end things……. He said this kind of thing is wrong…….”

“Ah, Kang Gyumin said that the way we live is wrong?”

His hands moved gracefully over the side dishes. As usual, the cutlery didn’t make any annoying noise against the dishes. Unlike his lowbrow language, Do Yeonjae exhibited impeccable table manners that showed he was raised with privilege.

“This kind of thing…… isn’t allowed…….”

“So, you thought it wouldn’t work out either? I clearly said nothing would change, but where did you swallow my words and listen to that bastard? Just how close are you two anyway?”

While Do Yeonjae continued to eat quietly, Jiho knelt at his feet without moving. Do Yeonjae didn’t tell him to stop and eat or to get up.

For a time that wasn’t long or short, Jiho thought about how he should apologize for his mistake. His stomach, empty all day, couldn’t feel hunger even while smelling the food.

“Director……. Director, I was wrong. It’s not like that……. He said he would tell Heeyeon, that’s why I did it. I was scared…… I was scared, because Heeyeon can’t know…….”

“So. Don’t interrupt and continue.”

“He said he would help me, that if I ended things with you, he’d pay off all my debts. And he’d pay for Heeyeon’s hospital bills…… but Heeyeon knows everything, she found out, so that…… I couldn’t do what you said. I went to meet him to tell him I couldn’t break up with you. That’s the truth. I really went to tell him that today. That I wouldn’t accept his help……! It’s true, Director. It’s true.”

“In any case, our Mr. Kwon Jiho was just thinking of ways to end things with me. So shamelessly, with such an innocent face. I was such a fool, doting on you without knowing that.”

Do Yeonjae finished his meal simply, quenched his thirst with water, and moved his body. Jiho became anxious at his indifferent attitude, as if he would get up and leave at any moment.

“Shall we stop, then, as Mr. Kwon Jiho wishes?”

“……Yes?”

“You seemed to want to end it, so let’s. I’m starting to get tired of this with you too.”

“Why……. No, that’s not it. I wasn’t, I wasn’t like that…….”

Tears welled up in Jiho’s eyes as he grabbed Do Yeonjae’s leg as he stood up. He clung to him, knowing he hated this kind of behavior.

“Is it time to get money from Kang Gyumin now?”

“…….”

“But do you really think he’ll give you money? I don’t think he will.”

At the words that followed with a chuckle, Jiho felt his vision darken.

“I told him not to see Mr. Kwon Jiho either. What are you going to do? There’s no one to help Mr. Kwon Jiho now. What are you going to do?”

“Director, Director……! I, I really wasn’t going to do that. It’s true, it’s really true……!”

“How can I believe that? When you were planning to do that.”

He thought he had gotten used to the tone that made him feel wronged and miserable, but there was something worse. Jiho felt suffocated by the voice devoid of any emotion. He couldn’t breathe properly.

“I told you there are plenty of pretty ones like you. If I look, I can find a penniless beta like you.”

“…….”

“Think about how you’re going to pay back the money before you leave this house. Since your sibling is awake now, selling a kidney each would at least give you some breathing room.”

“……Yes?”

“Well, that’s up to Mr. Kwon Jiho. Get out of this house as soon as possible.”

Do Yeonjae cupped Jiho’s cheeks, which were wet with tears he hadn’t even realized were flowing. He clicked his tongue as he stared into Jiho’s eyes, which could barely focus. It was a serious problem that he was still pretty, no matter how tiring it got. He resolved to teach him a lesson this time.

“You should have behaved when I was being nice to you.”

“I, I was wrong. I was wrong, Director. I won’t do it again. I won’t do it again. I was wrong. Sob, please don’t leave me. I was wrong.”

“…….”

“Director, Director. Sob, I was wrong. I……. Ugh, I was wrong. Please forgive me, please……. I was wrong.”