Love Born of Pity Chapter 61

“What did Kwon Jiho do?”

“He was pregnant until now, and they say he miscarried.”

“Kwon Jiho is a Beta. How can a Beta get pregnant.”

As if he were hearing some absurd nonsense, Do Yeonjae reacted, and in front of him, Manager Kim was thinking the same thing. Kwon Jiho was a Beta. He was a Beta from the first time they met, so how on earth did he become an Omega and get pregnant?

On top of that, Do Yeonjae, an Alpha, hadn’t noticed. It was incomprehensible. Leaving everything else aside, it should have been impossible to hide his pheromones, so how could he possibly not have known?

“I’ll look into that as well.”

“Kwon Jiho… miscarried?”

As if he couldn’t believe it either, Do Yeonjae asked again, as if talking to himself.

“Yes, he has been diagnosed with a natural miscarriage.”

“What does that mean… Ha, fuck. The surgery.”

“They say it will be expelled naturally without surgery. Because… he wasn’t that far along in his pregnancy.”

Do Yeonjae roughly yanked off his tie. He chewed on a curse as if he were going crazy and moved his feet.

“I’m going to Korea.”

“Excuse me?”

“Reschedule the meeting.”

“Mr. Do! Mr. Do, why don’t you proceed with the meeting and take an afternoon flight back.”

Manager Kim, who carefully blocked Do Yeonjae’s path, conveyed his opinion. Do Yeonjae didn’t even pretend to listen and walked past him.

“Reschedule the meeting. Use whatever means necessary to bring them to Korea. I don’t think I’ll be able to come back. I’m leaving for the airport now.”

♬⋆.˚

Kwon Jiho was in a constant state of panic. He didn’t even know he was pregnant, only to find out he had miscarried.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kwon Jiho stared blankly at the dripping IV fluid for a long time before finally opening his mouth. His lips, once smooth without a trace of being chapped, cracked like a parched land and finally bled.

“…Pregnant? Miscarried?”

A trembling hand covered his flat stomach. Just four weeks, they said. The doctor comforted Kwon Jiho, who was so out of it he couldn’t get a grip, saying that only very sensitive people would know, and that it was natural not to know at this stage. However, he added that if he had come right away after realizing his trait had changed from Beta to Omega, the outcome might have been better than it was now.

Recalling the doctor’s impassive voice, Kwon Jiho’s head dropped. A heavy weight of guilt settled on his shoulders. Even though he knew there was a possibility of pregnancy. In the end, this happened because of his own carelessness. He should have been honest with Do Yeonjae from the beginning. If he had, something like this wouldn’t have happened.

He moved the hand resting on his thigh to cover his face. Unable to even mourn the fetus that had failed to properly implant and had been lost, Kwon Jiho trembled as he worried about what excuse he could make.

Tears fell. It wasn’t because he felt sorry for the child he didn’t even know he had lost, nor was it because he felt bad for letting him go this way. He cried because he was vaguely terrified. Terrified that Do Yeonjae knew everything.

Secretary Park, who had helped Kwon Jiho get home several times, misunderstood his restless behavior. He thought Kwon Jiho was so shocked he wanted to see Do Yeonjae as soon as possible.

In a gentle voice, he comforted Kwon Jiho, saying that Do Yeonjae was on his way back to Korea, so he just had to wait a little. In reality, his words were not comforting at all. From that moment on, anxious time ticked by. Kwon Jiho couldn’t maintain a coherent thought for even a fleeting moment.

He tried to walk out aimlessly, dragging the IV stand, only to be stopped and told he couldn’t leave, returning to his room several times. When his path was blocked at every turn, he then opened the long horizontal window and tried to squeeze his body through the gap. That method failed too. He was caught by a nurse who came in to change the IV bag, and now Do Yeonjae’s secretary guarded Kwon Jiho from inside the room instead of outside the door.

“Secretary Park, I… can’t I just go out for a little while? I need to contact… the kids at the academy.”

“A friend who helped with the academy work before has agreed to take over the lessons for a while in your place, Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“…I also need to ask for the parents’ understanding…”

“We’ve handled it well on our end. You don’t have to worry.”

His tone was gentle, but strangely coercive. At his firm words, Kwon Jiho couldn’t say more and just nodded his head.

Time passed helplessly. Unable to sit still any longer due to his anxiety, Kwon Jiho abruptly stood up and tried to leave the hospital room recklessly, but was caught. In response to his repeated pleas to be let out, Secretary Park steadfastly said no.

“It’s just, I feel suffocated. Please.”

“You cannot.”

It was pitiful that he had been crying all day, but the compassion was fleeting. Thinking of his boss who was turning right back around after arriving in Hong Kong, letting his young lover out was no different from a suicide mission.

“If you just wait a little longer, Mr. Do will be here soon.”

“Hk, ah, heuu, wh-what do I do.”

Kwon Jiho’s actions became frantic. The sound of the IV stand’s wheels was loud as he paced restlessly around the room. Tears streamed down his face even without blinking. Kwon Jiho was consumed by the thought of wanting to die right then and there.

Why am I alive. I should have just drowned back then. Why…

The sloppily hidden truth was revealed at an unexpected moment. How should he explain this? How would Do Yeonjae be able to accept this situation? He never wanted to become an Omega, or anything like this. What if he misunderstands?

As if he were in a trance, Kwon Jiho stood blankly in the middle of the room. At the sound of the door sliding open, his body trembled and his gaze shifted.

“Kwon Jiho.”

It was Do Yeonjae. His voice, not high-pitched as always, echoed. The man guarding the room bowed politely as soon as Do Yeonjae entered. Then, sensing the unusual atmosphere, he quickly went outside.

“…Director.”

Kwon Jiho’s voice trembled helplessly. His slumped shoulders and the scabs on his lips, which had been bitten so much they had burst, added to his wretched appearance. His tired expression and empty eyes moved slowly, as if drawing a line in the air, finally landing on Do Yeonjae.

“Are you okay?”

He had expected him to get angry right away, but at the unexpectedly worried question, Kwon Jiho couldn’t answer and just moved his lips. Do Yeonjae pulled down the tie that was choking his neck and came closer to check Kwon Jiho’s face. Tsk, the sound of his tongue clicking and the hand stroking his cheek were gentle.

“You must have been surprised.”

“…Director, I…”

“How did you present as an Omega. Fuck, what the hell…”

At the habitual curse, Kwon Jiho’s shoulders flinched. The moisture that had pooled in his wide, startled eyes fell in drops.

“I’m not trying to blame you.”

“You’re… not mad?”

“Do I look like that kind of trash to you?”

“…What?”

Do Yeonjae wiped away the tears that continued to stream down every time Kwon Jiho blinked, even though his eyelids were already swollen, and continued speaking.

“Why would I be mad at you. Mr. Kwon Jiho, you probably didn’t know either.”

“…”

“You’re here because you didn’t know. If you knew, would you be here, Mr. Kwon Jiho?”

Kwon Jiho, who was as dull as he was docile, must have been frightened by the sudden bleeding, having been unaware he had even presented as an Omega. They said the blood loss was significant. After their particularly rough encounters, he sometimes tore and bled a little, but he had never soaked his pants, so it was understandable that he would be surprised. It would be a relief if he didn’t develop a trauma to blood because of this.

“I said I’m not mad.”

He considered Kwon Jiho’s presentation entirely his own responsibility. He had heard that there were cases where Betas presented as Omegas, but he never thought it would be Kwon Jiho and had acted carelessly.

Keeping him by his side throughout his rut, knotting him at the slightest pretext, and drenching him in his scent with pheromone showers. It would be stranger if he hadn’t presented. Do Yeonjae led the shabby-looking Kwon Jiho, who was standing awkwardly, to the bed and gestured with his chin for him to sit.

“The basic test results said you’re a Recessive. The detailed results aren’t out yet.”

Listening to Do Yeonjae’s words, Kwon Jiho nodded without realizing it. He already knew his trait was Recessive, but he reacted to the news as if it were unfamiliar. He’d been told he was bad at lying; would he still appear that way now?

He slowly moved his eyes to meet Do Yeonjae’s gaze, and Do Yeonjae smiled softly. As if to reassure him. So, Kwon Jiho impulsively opened his mouth.

“I… I really didn’t know, Director.”

“There’s no way Mr. Kwon Jiho would have known.”

Long fingers wiped away the tears tangled in his eyelashes. Kwon Jiho grabbed Do Yeonjae’s hand as it caressed his eyes and opened his mouth.

“Director, then… are you going to throw me away? Now that I’m not a Beta… since I’m useless.”

A hand, so slender it looked like it would break with the slightest pressure, clung desperately to Do Yeonjae. His anxious voice sounded pitiful.

“I won’t throw you away.”

“…”

“When will I ever find someone else I can use as comfortably as you. It’s a hassle, and a bit annoying, but it’s better to keep cherishing Mr. Kwon Jiho.”