Love Born of Pity Chapter 71

Beep, beep, beep. The monotonous sound from the monitor, signaling that Kwon Jiho was alive, filled the desolate hospital room. His faint breath fogged up the respirator, then quickly dissipated. Do Yeonjae’s gaze remained fixed on Kwon Jiho’s face, which was paler than wax.

The doctor’s words, saying that it would have been dangerous if he had been found even a little later, echoed in his mind. The self-inflicted wound was deep, and he had already lost a lot of blood by the time he was discovered, so he received a transfusion as soon as he was moved to the hospital.

It had already been two days since they sutured the wound and waited for him to wake up. During that time, Kwon Jiho hadn’t even lifted a finger. He hadn’t died as he’d wanted, but he was sleeping as if he were dead.

“Ha.”

He hadn’t slept a wink since the moment he found Kwon Jiho. Do Yeonjae pressed down hard on his weary eyes and leaned his upper body forward. He rested his elbows on his thighs, buried his face in his hands, and muttered a low curse. He still couldn’t understand why he had tried to kill himself.

He wanted to wake him up, by force if necessary, and ask. Just what the hell kind of insult had left such a scar that he would pull a stunt like this?

As Do Yeonjae was trying to suppress his anger, which ebbed and resurfaced repeatedly, he turned his head at the sound of a knock on the door. A moment later, Chief Kim appeared.

“What is it.”

“Director Kang contacted us to confirm whether you’d like to meet and go together today, or go separately.”

“Today?”

“Yes. He said he thinks it would be better to meet at a suitable location and travel together, and he wanted to ask for your opinion, CEO.”

Only then did Do Yeonjae recall the forgotten appointment and groan. Fuck. He felt like throwing everything away, the marriage and all of it. His grandfather and father were getting old, so their tempers probably weren’t what they used to be; couldn’t he handle them? The vague thought crossed his mind.

Rather than entering a sham marriage with Kang Gyumin, a man he couldn’t even stand to breathe the same air as, and creating a bunch of rumors about a show-window couple, wouldn’t it be better to just get Kwon Jiho pregnant and settle him in?

They were already singing the same old tune about wanting to see a grandchild anyway, so if the younger and healthier Kwon Jiho had a baby, wouldn’t that solve everything? It wasn’t like he’d been careless with his body like Kang Gyumin. He had nothing to look at but a handsome face, but that seemed to be enough.

“Chief Kim.”

“Yes, CEO.”

“What do you think about me marrying Kwon Jiho.”

“……I’m sorry, I must have misheard you.”

Chief Kim shook his head slightly. It seemed his ears were acting up from having to handle urgent work in Do Yeonjae’s stead after moving Kwon Jiho to the hospital. Overwork was a scary thing. There was a reason the legal working day was 8 hours. Working 20 hours a day makes you hear this kind of nonsense.

“You heard me correctly.”

“…….”

“Contact me as soon as Kwon Jiho wakes up. That meeting, it’s not that important.”

Do Yeonjae stood up and straightened his clothes. He looked at Kwon Jiho, who still showed no signs of waking, with a complicated gaze, then turned his body away.

♬⋆.˚

Dinner was held at Do Yeonjae’s family home. Kang Gyumin’s parents were all present as well. The expressions of the people filling the long table were stiff. Even after the meal was finished and dessert was served, the heavy atmosphere did not lift.

It was because everyone had found out about the young lover that Do Yeonjae had been keeping around lately. Everyone except Do Yeonjae made no effort to hide their displeasure, but the man himself was perfectly nonchalant.

“Since we’ll soon be family, I ask that you handle this situation so we don’t have to see any red faces, Chairman.”

Kang Gyumin’s father was the first to speak. For a request, his tone was monotonous. Only Kang Gyumin looked at Do Yeonjae with wide, surprised eyes. Do Yeonjae, who hadn’t even touched the dessert in front of him, met his eyes without a change in expression.

“Of course. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Chairman Do Seungtae, Vice Chairman Do Geonho, and his brother Jang Hyunsu all fixed their fiercely gleaming eyes on Do Yeonjae. Though everyone’s attention was focused on him, Do Yeonjae didn’t care. He simply thought that now that everyone knew of Kwon Jiho’s existence, he had to prepare so they couldn’t take matters into their own hands.

After Kang Gyumin and his family left, only Do Yeonjae’s family remained at the uncleared table. Do Seungtae calmly tried to compose himself. To him, Do Yeonjae had always been a good grandson who had never caused a single bit of trouble, even as a child. He believed that this matter, too, would be resolved with a single scolding, and he would quickly change his mind.

“You need to end things with him before you bring Gyumin in.”

“Well said. I’m thinking of calling this marriage off. I don’t want to do it anymore.”

Do Geonho let out a small groan and shook his head. Jang Hyunsu, who was sitting next to him, rubbed his mouth and quietly swore, “Crazy bastard.” Do Yeonjae merely glanced at his father, who was cursing at his own son, and raised an eyebrow.

Do Seungtae was about to calmly ask why he had suddenly changed his mind. But his fiery temper was one step ahead and threw a cup. The crystal glass struck Do Yeonjae’s smooth forehead and shattered to pieces.

“You damned bastard, do you think you can just call it off after you’ve got me on the hook? Do you think that’s possible?”

He was all glitter on the outside, but his lack of dignity was just like that of a loan shark. Do Yeonjae let out a low sneer. Something lukewarm trickled down from his forehead, which had been cut by the glass. With a sigh of annoyance at the blood that instantly drenched one side of his face, Do Yeonjae picked up a napkin from the table and pressed it firmly against the wound.

“I’m going to have a child.”

“What child are you going to have when you’re fooling around with a Beta!”

“He presented. So he’s an Omega now. So I’m telling you I’ll give you as many as you want. Two, three, as many as I’m capable of.”

“That, that, that crazy bastard!”

Do Yeonjae threw the napkin, soaked with blood, onto the table and continued speaking.

“I’ll take care of things with Kang Gyumin. So there won’t be any unnecessary talk. So you should calm your temper too, Grandfather.”

“You, you bastard!”

Do Yeonjae’s brow furrowed slightly at the thunderous shout.

“You probably already looked into it, but he’s young. He’s naive, and aside from having no money, he’s better than Kang Gyumin. He’s obedient, too. So don’t do anything. Don’t touch him. I’ll bring him over soon, so you might as well treat him well.”

Standing up from his seat, Do Yeonjae took the phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. A look of anxiety flickered across his indifferent face. Even in his haste, he politely bid his grandfather farewell, saying he would be leaving first. The streak of blood running down his face adorned his handsome features. Do Seungtae clutched the back of his neck at the curse Do Yeonjae muttered, as if annoyed by the flowing blood.

Jang Hyunsu, after glancing at Do Seungtae, followed Do Yeonjae as he crossed the garden. Only when they were far enough away that the two men remaining at the table could no longer see them did he smack Do Yeonjae on the back.

“You crazy bastard…!”

“That hurts.”

“Why are you doing things you never did as a kid, now that you’re all grown up. Dad didn’t raise you like this.”

“Then I guess some other dad besides Jang Hyunsu must have raised me that way.”

Looking at Do Yeonjae’s playfully smiling face with an affectionate gaze, Jang Hyunsu clicked his tongue and took out a handkerchief. He pressed it firmly against the forehead that hadn’t stopped bleeding and let out a deep sigh.

“Grandfather has gotten really old.”

“I don’t know, Dad.”

“What do you mean you don’t know. We live together.”

“I don’t know, seeing him today, it doesn’t seem like he’s gotten old. Don’t you think his temper is the same as ever? Still, it seems like he softened up a bit since you said you’d have a lot of kids.”

As he started walking again, Jang Hyunsu, who was moving along with Do Yeonjae, muttered quietly.

“See, if Dad had just had one more, either older or younger than me, none of this would have happened.”

“You little brat. That’s easier said than done. Do you know how difficult and painful childbirth is? Besides, I wanted to have your younger sibling. It was Geonho who didn’t.”

Noticing Chief Kim’s absence, Jang Hyunsu trailed behind Do Yeonjae, who was heading to the driver’s seat.

“What is it. Why do you keep following me.”

“That kid, do you like him enough to break off the marriage? Dad finds that a bit fascinating. You, liking someone.”

“I don’t know if this is liking him… but if the desire to settle him down is affection, shouldn’t that be a bad thing?”

“That kid is incredible. He made you think like that? I’m so curious about that friend, I want to meet him, Yeonjae.”

Do Yeonjae scoffed at his attitude, pretending not to know when he had surely already checked every last detail of information about Kwon Jiho. Jang Hyunsu, who had patted Do Yeonjae on the shoulder as he opened the car door, took a step back and waved.

“Just do something about Grandfather.”

“I’ll see what I can do about Geonho. Grandfather is your responsibility.”

“Ha, fuck. That mountain is too high and big.”

After pressing his forehead firmly, Do Yeonjae took his hand away from the wound, which had more or less stopped bleeding. He threw the handkerchief onto the car floor and turned the steering wheel. Jang Hyunsu, who was staring at the taillights of the vehicle as it drove away without a word of goodbye, let out a deep sigh.

That cold-hearted bastard. I wanted to have one more because I thought he would turn out like that. Jang Hyunsu, filled with a much-belated regret, was lingering in front of the main gate when Do Geonho came up behind him. He let out a low laugh at the familiar touch that enveloped his round shoulders.

“The kid.”

“He left. ‘Kid’ is gross. He’s bigger than you.”

“What did he say?”

“I think he likes him. That’s why he said he’d call off the marriage and do it with that kid. What do you think, Geonho? Do you hate the idea?”