Love Born of Pity Chapter 7

It was true that he ran a piano academy, but nothing Kwon Jiho enjoyed was truly his. Every little thing, all of it, was Do Yeonjae’s money, his favor. A very light and generous favor from the person whose debt he had taken on and to whom he was steadily repaying his kindness.

“Then whose is this, huh?”

Kwon Yoon Taek’s voice rose. The moment his finger, pointing at Kwon Jiho, turned threatening, a jingle—the sound of a wind chime rang out. Unusually loud today, the chime made Kwon Jiho tremble. The gazes of Kwon Yoon Taek and the man standing crookedly beside him turned towards the source of the sound.

“A customer this late?”

Do Yeonjae, standing at the door with his characteristic languid tone and tired-looking face, jerked his chin towards Kwon Jiho as if asking who he was. After watching Kwon Jiho, unable to explain immediately, Do Yeonjae pressed his fingers against his eyes, then removed them, checking his wrist. His expression showed he couldn’t understand why noisy, messy things were occupying the space that should be empty at this hour.

Kwon Jiho opened his mouth, which hadn’t been able to part from his irritated frown. Words wouldn’t come easily. He parted his dry lips and finally managed to speak.

“…My uncle. The one I told you about…”

At the weak voice, Kwon Yoon Taek rolled his eyes. A strange atmosphere settled. The man, as beautiful and flawless as a sculpture in a museum, and his nephew seemed incongruous yet harmonious.

Did he touch him? No wonder the atmosphere is different. Kwon Yoon Taek squinted, scrutinizing Do Yeonjae while pretending not to. His tall stature, frame, and imposing aura seemed unusual, looking like a dominant alpha even to his untrained eye.

He inwardly cheered, thinking that Kwon Jiho, a beta, had managed to snag a proper alpha. Even the sigh Do Yeonjae let out, leaning against the door as if in disbelief, smelled of money.

“So you’re the one helping our Jiho? I’m Jiho’s uncle—”

“Ah, that trash.”

Kwon Yoon Taek, who was about to introduce himself properly, flared up at the words that came out like a scoff, shouting.

“What? Trash? Hey, what did you just say!”

“Clean up and come out. Or just come out now. Secretary Kim can lock up.”

Kwon Jiho’s gaze, fixed on the floor, slowly rose, unable to look at Do Yeonjae. At the low, resonant voice telling him to come out, Kwon Jiho moved without further thought. Even though he knew the eyes of his bewildered uncle and the man standing beside him were following him, Kwon Jiho avoided their gaze.

He just wanted to get out as quickly as possible.

♬⋆.˚

Instead of Secretary Kim, who remained at the academy, Do Yeonjae took the wheel. A cool hand brushed Kwon Jiho’s cheek as he stared blankly out the window. Startled, Kwon Jiho flinched and turned his head to find Do Yeonjae watching him with furrowed brows.

“Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“…Director Do.”

“Why are you so surprised? As if you’ve done something wrong to me.”

“It’s not like that… I’m sorry.”

Kwon Jiho bowed his head to Do Yeonjae, then instinctively covered his nose at the stinging, spicy sensation he felt there. The feeling of hot liquid wetting his philtrum was vivid. He tried to cover his mouth, but blood droplets escaped through his fingers, landing on his chin before dripping onto his thigh.

“Ah…”

“Fuck.”

A vulgar curse slipped from Do Yeonjae’s lips as he saw Kwon Jiho’s nosebleed. His previously hazy eyes sharpened, as if surprised by the burst of blood. At Kwon Jiho’s trembling inability to even find a tissue, Do Yeonjae aggressively honked the horn, changed lanes, and pulled over to the side of the road.

Do Yeonjae searched his inside jacket pocket. Pulling out a handkerchief, he immediately removed Kwon Jiho’s hand from his nose and began to staunch the bleeding, wiping the blood-covered lower half of his face.

“Don’t tilt your head back, keep it down.”

“…I’m sorry. I think… some blood got on the seat.”

Kwon Jiho mumbled in a muffled voice, his nose blocked. Do Yeonjae snapped irritably.

“Just shut up if you’re going to say such bullshit.”

“…”

“Unbelievable. A nosebleed just because your uncle showed up. What did he say?”

Kwon Jiho, feeling the numbness in his fingers gripping his nostrils, dutifully responded to Do Yeonjae’s voice, lowering his gaze.

“…He just, came. It brought back memories…”

“He probably came to ask for money. With a gigolo in tow.”

“…”

“I could tell just by looking.”

At the indifferent question of Don’t you know?, Kwon Jiho nodded. Do Yeonjae slightly released his grip at the shallow exhale. Confirming the bleeding had stopped, he straightened his leaning body. He used a wet wipe from the glove compartment to clean the remaining bloodstains on Kwon Jiho’s philtrum, lips, and chin.

“…Thank you.”

“There’s a lot to be thankful for, Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“…”

“Instead of that, why don’t you just be honest. Or just keep your mouth shut like an idiot and then confess after something shitty happens.”

Do Yeonjae started the car again, smoothly merging into traffic. Kwon Jiho bit his lip lightly and shook his head.

Nothing had happened yet, and he didn’t know how his relationship with Do Yeonjae would change, so he couldn’t ask for help prematurely. It hadn’t been long since Do Yeonjae’s fiancée had come to him and asked him to end their relationship.

“…It’s not like that.”

“Sure.”

Do Yeonjae hadn’t expected him to ask for help dealing with his uncle right away. But the thought of that trashy uncle showing up again and doing something to Kwon Jiho made him uneasy.

He wished Kwon Jiho would use him more effectively, but he wasn’t weak enough to do that. Kwon Jiho’s complaints were always related to his younger sibling. Was it because he lived too innocently? He seemed to have no idea that someone might do something bad enough to hurt him.

“These days, a lot of academies install CCTVs. How about you do that too?”

“…CCTVs, all of a sudden?”

“I think they share the footage with parents in real-time and stuff.”

Kwon Jiho thought about the size of his academy and the small number of students. It was sudden, but as he said, it would be good for the parents to see their children in real-time. Besides, if Do Yeonjae was bringing it up, he’d already made up his mind to do it regardless of Kwon Jiho’s opinion, so he couldn’t say no.

“Should I?”

“I’ll send someone over soon, so be prepared.”

“…Yes.”

Do Yeonjae regretted not having installed them from the beginning. He felt relieved by Kwon Jiho’s docile agreement.

He felt a sense of ease at the thought of being able to monitor his uncle’s antics and see what Kwon Jiho did at the academy all day. He would know who visited, who he talked to, and what they talked about. He planned to put another computer on his desk in his office and keep the feed up all day.

“By the way, Director Do, about your marriage…”

“Marriage?”

“I thought you might be preparing for it. Since next spring is coming soon, it seems like it would be tight even if you started preparing now. And since you’re taking care of me too while you’re so busy… I was wondering if you’re okay.”

“Sometimes, Mr. Kwon Jiho, you ask presumptuous questions. Is it because you’re clueless?”

The buoyant feeling he’d had at the thought of being able to monitor Kwon Jiho’s every move plummeted.

“Why should Mr. Kwon Jiho care about my marriage?”

“…”

“Worry about yourself. What are you going to do if I get married and abandon you? Wouldn’t that be dreadful?”

“…”

“Right now, I’m your creditor, so I don’t care if you pay back your debt ten thousand won at a time or one hundred won at a time, but if I abandon you, do you think I’ll still collect the debt like that? I don’t think so.”

Kwon Jiho clamped his mouth shut at the chilling reminder of reality. He sometimes forgot. The debt wasn’t completely gone, but he lacked the awareness that he was repaying it. If he was abandoned, he’d live a life even more bleak and hopeless than before he’d met Do Yeonjae. Would Heeyeon wake up before he was abandoned? Was he expecting too much? Or should he rather…

Kwon Jiho covered his mouth at the thought that suddenly crossed his mind. What was he thinking?

“Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“…”

“You have to answer. Instead of keeping your mouth shut like a clam.”

At the calmly spoken words, Kwon Jiho nodded. Preoccupied with the thought that he had to end the relationship before Do Yeonjae’s wedding, as Kang Gyumin had said, Kwon Jiho blinked as if he’d realized something. He wasn’t in a position to listen to anyone else but Do Yeonjae. Why had he worried about such trivial morality? Why had he felt guilty? He didn’t know his place.

“…I’ll, do well.”

“You’ll have to do well enough that I don’t want to abandon you.”

“Yes… I will.”