Love Born of Pity Chapter 63

When he heard Kwon Jiho was living with an Alpha, he thought of a sponsor, but the Alpha who appeared a few hours later was Do Yeonjae. As soon as the doctor confirmed it was him, he stopped thinking any further.

“It’s best to rest well for at least a week and focus on recovery.”

“He has no pheromones, that.”

At the low voice, Kwon Jiho clutched Do Yeonjae’s clothes even tighter. Does he hate it? The first examination also said there were no pheromones. He had been assured that there was no chance of them ever developing. What do I do… Kwon Jiho grew anxious. He had already presented as an Omega, which Do Yeonjae didn’t want, and now he wasn’t even normal.

“Ah, we confirmed that as well. The patient presented after reaching full maturity as an adult, so his pheromone glands didn’t develop. It’s uncommon, but not completely unheard of.”

Do Yeonjae was more surprised by the fact that pheromone-less Omegas existed. The fact that it was Kwon Jiho wasn’t particularly surprising.

“In cases like the patient’s, where they present suddenly, it can take years to handle pheromones proficiently, so it’s actually better for daily life to not have them. Omegas, in particular, get a lot of stress from that part. They often experience unpleasant things as well.”

“Unpleasant things? Ah, that kind of unpleasant thing. Well, that makes sense.”

It was something Do Yeonjae had also thought about last night. There were already so many clinging to him, what would it be like if he were leaking pheromones on top of that. Just imagining it was dreadful. There were just too many crazy people in the world.

It would be nice if Kwon Jiho developed pheromones so he could smell them, but he was already driving him crazy even without them. If he had developed pheromones at the same time as he presented, Kwon Jiho wouldn’t have been able to take a single step outside his house.

“Yes, you guessed it right away. Experiencing such things repeatedly can lead to depression and social anxiety. It’s not their fault, but societal views aren’t like that. Society is still more lenient towards Alphas.”

“That’s good, then.”

The doctor smiled at Do Yeonjae’s reply.

“The patient currently only lacks pheromones; he still has heats and reacts to an Alpha’s pheromones.”

“There was blood on his clothes again today. When exactly will the bleeding stop?”

Do Yeonjae recalled the blood that had stained the back of the hospital gown this morning. Even if it wasn’t enough to soak it, it was enough to be inconvenient for daily life.

“The bleeding will continue for about four to seven days. If it doesn’t stop after that, you’ll need to come back to the hospital.”

“Understood.”

“Ah, I see you’ve signed the consent form for the contraceptive chip procedure. The chip has to be implanted after he’s discharged, the bleeding has stopped, and we’ve confirmed the womb is completely clear. For now, I’ll schedule it for… a week from now.”

Kwon Jiho squeezed his eyes shut. As if he didn’t want to hear the doctor’s voice, he pressed his left ear tightly against the firm shoulder. A trembling hand fumbled along Do Yeonjae’s thigh, found his hand, and squeezed it tightly.

The doctor gave an awkward laugh at Kwon Jiho’s behavior. The young Omega, who had maintained a gloomy expression the entire time, was acting in a way that made it difficult to tell if he disliked or was uncomfortable with Do Yeonjae. Seeing how he clung to him, almost annoyingly so, it seemed like he liked him. It was also strange how Do Yeonjae accepted it all without a single hint of irritation.

“Are there any side effects?”

“They’re not common, but side effects can occur. Spotting, weight gain, headaches, dizziness. It will be uncomfortable for a few days after insertion, but he’ll adapt soon. I’ll explain more about it during the procedure.”

“Is it possible to be discharged this afternoon? He says he’s uncomfortable at the hospital.”

“It’s possible. I’ll let the administration office know so you can go through the discharge process. Please take good care of yourself, and I’ll see you at the next appointment.”

He bowed his head towards Do Yeonjae and left the room. Only after the sound of the door opening and closing was heard did Kwon Jiho reveal the face he had been hiding.

“…Are we going home now?”

“Yeah.”

“I want to go quickly.”

To Kwon Jiho, who was anxious as if he would be left behind here, Do Yeonjae slowly released his pheromones. Feeling the pheromones gently envelop his body, Kwon Jiho’s gaze lifted for a moment to meet Do Yeonjae’s. He trembled as if confused, then soon reached out and clung to Do Yeonjae.

“Director, this is.”

“Pheromones. Is it strange?”

“…No, it’s just. It feels…”

As his words trailed off weakly, Kwon Jiho leaned against Do Yeonjae’s shoulder and slowly inhaled. The cool, sweet scent that filled his lungs to their depths mixed with his own body heat, creating a smell that couldn’t be defined.

It was like the scent of flowers, or the smell you’d find in a dense forest after the rain. Or maybe, it even tasted like the ice cream he used to enjoy with him every holiday.

“You’re calming down quickly.”

“…It’s amazing.”

A sense of stability came quickly. His tensed body went limp. Kwon Jiho’s mind, which hadn’t been able to sleep deeply all night from checking if Do Yeonjae was there, quickly grew hazy. As if telling him to relax, a large hand patted his thin back at a steady pace.

♬⋆.˚

Do Yeonjae moved Kwon Jiho while he was asleep. Whether it was because he kept releasing his pheromones, or because he was held in Do Yeonjae’s arms, Kwon Jiho didn’t wake up easily. After successfully moving Kwon Jiho to the bed, Do Yeonjae raised the cool indoor temperature and headed straight to the dining room.

On the dining table, various types of freshly made, steaming porridge were laid out. The smell was savory and the consistency seemed just right. He thought it would be good to feed him while it was warm. He had planned to let him sleep more, but it seemed he couldn’t.

He went back into the bedroom and gently shook Kwon Jiho, who was sound asleep, buried in the blankets. His fine hair spilled out. When he pushed back the bangs that had gathered on one side, revealing half his forehead, Kwon Jiho’s eyelids slowly opened.

“Wake up.”

Drowsy eyes checked the surroundings visible behind Do Yeonjae’s back. As soon as he realized it was a familiar space, Kwon Jiho let out a faint smile. He rubbed his eyes with the hand that was clutching the blanket tightly, then reached out for Do Yeonjae out of habit.

Do Yeonjae naturally lifted the light body into his arms. Kwon Jiho’s head dropped onto his shoulder, and a small yawn was heard by his ear.

It was a peaceful moment, as if the presentation and miscarriage were nothing. Kwon Jiho tried not to think about it, and Do Yeonjae tried not to care. To some extent, they both got their wish.

“Abalone, beef, vegetable. Choose.”

“…Vegetable.”

“Okay, have the abalone one.”

Do Yeonjae scooped the porridge into a deep bowl and handed it to him. The large glass container that held the porridge was now about half empty. He muttered that it was too much, but was ignored. Kwon Jiho took the spoon Do Yeonjae held out and began to eat the porridge at a slow pace.

It felt like he had eaten quite a lot, but the amount of porridge didn’t seem to decrease. Despite his troubled expression, Do Yeonjae didn’t tell him to stop eating.

“What are you doing. Are you not eating because it doesn’t taste good?”

“No. It’s delicious.”

“Your expression doesn’t look like it.”

Under the gaze that stared at him intently, chin propped on a hand, Kwon Jiho scooped up a heaping spoonful of porridge and put it in his mouth. The soft mushiness of the rice grains, the smooth consistency that went down without a problem, the savory umami flavor. Nothing was lacking, but perhaps because he had no appetite, it didn’t taste good. Still, on the grounds that it wasn’t inedible, he endured and forced himself to eat.

“You’re forcing yourself to eat again.”

“…That’s not it.”

“I tried to feed you while it was warm. Maybe it would have been better if you slept more.”

At the voice that muttered low like a soliloquy, Kwon Jiho put down his spoon. He was full, and he felt like he would hear something unpleasant if he put any more in his mouth.

“I’m full, so I want to stop eating.”

Like a kid scared of being scolded, his voice grew smaller towards the end. Do Yeonjae let out a laugh as if finding it absurd.

“Alright, then.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

“It doesn’t look like you ate much to be thanking me for the meal.”

His tone was indifferent, but there was no particular hint of reprimand. Kwon Jiho just glanced around cautiously before reaching out to grab Do Yeonjae again. It seemed like he was saying he could stop eating, but not that he could get up from his seat.

“I want to wash up.”

At the cautiously spoken words, Do Yeonjae’s gaze turned to Kwon Jiho.

“If you’re okay with it… would you like to wash up with me, Director?”

Do Yeonjae would sometimes willingly fall for Kwon Jiho’s cunning acts, but he couldn’t today. Not only was Kwon Jiho’s physical condition poor, but if he were to wash him, the mood would naturally be set. He wasn’t an animal; how could he hold onto someone who was sick and fuck them. Just the thought of it was unpleasant, and he scrunched his eyebrows as he opened his mouth.

“Don’t seduce me. Not for a while.”

“…Ah.”

Kwon Jiho smiled sheepishly and nodded. Do Yeonjae, despite Kwon Jiho being able to walk fine on his own, insisted on helping him to the bathroom and picked out clothes for him to change into from the dressing room.

As he was moving to bring them to him, he noticed Kwon Jiho’s bag on the floor. Unlike its usual neat state, it was shoved in a corner, which caught his eye.

The moment he picked up the bag without much thought, the opening gaped and the contents spilled out. A pen, a wallet, a strange card and a trash-like toy piece, a small notepad, eye drops, and.

“…Birth control pills?”