Love Born of Pity Chapter 72

In response to Jang Hyunsu’s question, Do Geonho avoided answering, saying he hadn’t really thought about it.

“He must really be your son. Seeing how he doesn’t care about his partner’s qualifications.”

“I married for love.”

“Oh, did you now?”

At the playful question, Do Geonho pressed his lips firmly against Jang Hyunsu’s cheek.

“What about Father?”

“He’s angry, but he seems to like the idea of Yeonjae having a child. It’s almost like he welcomes it. He was constantly worried about the bad rumors surrounding Director Kang, after all.”

“He’ll just pretend to be angry and then end up letting Yeonjae have his way. That’s a relief. It seems our son won’t have to suffer a heartache. You’ll be the one who gets tired, though.”

Do Geonho, kissing the corners of Jang Hyunsu’s gently smiling eyes again, said it was getting chilly at night and led him inside the main gate. He, too, had been taken aback by Do Yeonjae’s sudden announcement to break off the engagement, but it was his son’s life, and he had no intention of getting involved. It wasn’t as if he could live it for him, and the consequences of one’s choices were one’s own to bear.

“Are you going to oppose it?”

“No. I’m not planning to do anything. He’s not a child; he’ll handle it himself.”

Exactly, why force an arranged marriage in the first place. It was the lingering greed and ghost of Do Seungtae, unable to achieve what he had wanted to in his own generation. The family’s fortune wasn’t declining, so it was anachronistic. It was just that Do Yeonjae had been indifferent until now, so they’d mistaken his “yes, yes” for obedience.

“You called him a child just a moment ago.”

“……Let’s hurry inside. It’s cold.”

♬⋆.˚

At Chief Kim’s call saying that Kwon Jiho had woken up, Do Yeonjae sped up. When he’d been by his side all day, he’d shown no sign of waking, but of all times. Curses came out naturally at the mismatched timing. He swiped at his cheek and overtook the car ahead that was driving at a steady speed.

Do Yeonjae felt his anxiety grow as the hospital got closer. There were many things he wanted to ask Kwon Jiho when he woke up. The countless questions that had risen and fallen in his mind every day all evaporated. Right now, he just wanted to see him awake and okay.

As soon as he passed the hospital entrance, he roughly parked the car in the lot and moved quickly. It was late at night, past dinner time, so there were no people. He took the elevator that was waiting on the first floor as if it had been expecting him and quickly scanned the bloodstains. The dark red marks soaking his shirt bothered him, but checking on Kwon Jiho came first.

Was his heart beating a little fast? It felt like his cheeks were flushed, too. Unable to define this emotion he was feeling for the first time, Do Yeonjae stopped in front of Kwon Jiho’s hospital room. The empty hallway was silent, suggesting Chief Kim was inside.

Do Yeonjae opened the door without knocking. As he entered, Chief Kim, who had been sitting on the sofa in one corner of the room, quietly stood up. Then, upon checking his forehead, his eyes widened in surprise. Swallowing his question, he bowed his head discreetly, and Do Yeonjae gave a small nod.

Only after Chief Kim left the room did Do Yeonjae resume his halted steps. He rushed to the bedside and examined the pale face. With the respirator removed, Kwon Jiho’s face was not just pale, but ashen.

Was he in pain somewhere? He reached out a hand, worried without realizing it. He placed the thin, bandaged wrist in his palm and lifted his gaze a little higher. The IV drips hanging heavily from the slender arm revealed between the hospital gown looked burdensome. His eyes were red and raw as if he had cried as soon as he woke up. The eyes that slowly turned towards him were as empty as if they were hollow.

“……Director.”

“Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“I want to stop, I want to stop now.”

“……What?”

“I… I don’t think I can do this anymore, Director. Please… save me.”

Do Yeonjae’s face, which had been devoid of emotion, crumpled in an instant. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to process what he had just heard, whether he had heard it correctly. This, fuck. At the lowly muttered curse, Kwon Jiho’s thin shoulders trembled.

After informing his family that he would break off the engagement with Kang Gyumin and spending the entire drive back immersed in thoughts of redefining his relationship with Kwon Jiho, had he been this anxious just to hear such nonsense? A hollow laugh escaped him.

The gaze that had confirmed the crookedly raised corner of his mouth dropped to the floor. As he blinked, tears that had filled his red, bloodshot eyes streamed down his cheeks and pooled at the tip of his chin.

“As if we were in such a great relationship.”

“……”

“You say you want to end it in such a, pathetic way.”

At the low, resonant voice, Kwon Jiho bit his lip hard. After seeing him in such a state, one would think he would let him have his way for once, but there wasn’t even a hint of common pity in those pitch-black eyes. He called him pitiful, but Do Yeonjae did not feel a speck of pity for Kwon Jiho.

“But, why does Mr. Kwon Jiho get to decide that. When you’re in no position to do so.”

At the polite taunt, Kwon Jiho’s expression hardened. As he trembled, unable to even blink, Do Yeonjae let out a sharp sigh. His hand, pressing down on his tired eyes, was full of sensitivity.

“As far as I know, Mr. Kwon Jiho has no money.”

“……”

“Hmm? How can you end it when you have no money.”

Do Yeonjae looked at the face that wasn’t nodding obediently as usual and continued speaking. He was used to him becoming compliant after being reminded of reality, so he intended for it to be the same this time.

“If you want to end it, bring the money, Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“……”

“And if you pull this kind of fucking stunt one more time, I’ll just crush that hand of yours. Got it? I’ll break every single one of your fingers so you can never do this again.”

The small face contorted at the scathing torrent of words. Tears that soaked his eyes flowed down like a downpour. Even as he wiped his cheeks with a trembling hand, they were drenched again in an instant.

His fingers, pretty to their very tips, had at some point become as thin as dried twigs, looking as if they would break if squeezed too hard. Separate from the twinge in his chest at the sight, Do Yeonjae threatened Kwon Jiho out of habit.

“Stay put quietly until you’re discharged. Otherwise, you don’t know what kind of bad things I might do with Kwon Heeyeon right in front of you.”

“……”

“You’re not answering.”

“I’ll… do that. I’ll be, good.”

Kwon Jiho answered, barely managing to nod his head as he gasped for breath from crying. Do Yeonjae looked at the wetness collected on his chin with an annoyed gaze, then turned his body. Unlike a moment ago when he had opened the door carefully, the roughly pushed door slammed against the wall, making a heavy thud.

Outside the room, Chief Kim shot up at the sudden noise. The gentle atmosphere had vanished without a trace.

“CEO?”

“Place a guard inside Kwon Jiho’s room. I mean don’t leave him alone. Tell them to follow him even to the bathroom.”

“……Yes?”

“Because if he pulls that ‘I’m going to kill myself’ shit again, I think I’ll be in a very fucking bad mood, so watch him properly.”

Do Yeonjae delivered his instructions quickly. He let out a long breath as if to quell his boiling anger, rubbed his hardened cheek, and opened the hospital room door again. Kwon Jiho was sitting on the edge of the bed in the same position as before.

His slowly moving gaze met Do Yeonjae’s before quickly averting. He thought he had left for good, so he was surprised he came back in. But that surprise didn’t show on his face. Do Yeonjae was still thoroughly in a foul mood, and Kwon Jiho was sick and tired of the entire situation surrounding him.

The two faced each other for a long time without exchanging a conversation. Kwon Jiho did not speak first, even under the intense gaze fixed on him. He just wondered why he wasn’t leaving. It was dark outside the window. There was no clock in the room, so he couldn’t know for sure, but it was certainly quite late.

His tilted head glanced back and forth, once at the outside, once at Do Yeonjae. Unless one was a fool, it was impossible not to understand the implication of that action. Do Yeonjae became even more displeased.

Kwon Jiho no longer had the energy to sit up and moved slowly. He lay down on the bed and pulled the thick blanket up to his neck. Actually, he wanted to pull it over his head. But he held back, thinking he wouldn’t hear anything good from Do Yeonjae if he did.

Blinking his eyelids slowly, he recalled what Chief Kim had told him. He had been unconscious for two days. The man had spoken to him urgently as soon as he regained consciousness. He couldn’t understand why, but he could clearly tell that he was happy.

When the normally quiet man described in detail how Do Yeonjae hadn’t left his side for a single moment, he was sorry to say he didn’t believe it. He felt that while it might not all be a lie, it was exaggerated.

The ceiling he stared blankly at was a little clearer. He wasn’t sure if it was because there had been no pheromone shower for the past two days, or if it had been thoroughly controlled so it wouldn’t leak out, but the vision in his right eye, which had been as black as if it were turned off, had returned. His ears, which had been muffled and blocked, could now take in the other person’s voice.

He thought he had adapted to not seeing and not hearing to the point where he didn’t feel any discomfort. But now that he could see and hear again, a desire grew. However, he couldn’t ask Do Yeonjae not to release his pheromones, so he chose to keep his mouth shut. It wasn’t like he would listen anyway.

Do Yeonjae looked at Kwon Jiho, who had lain down without a word, as if dumbfounded. Why did the once-obedient person change like that? He wanted to grab him and threaten him, but he couldn’t bring himself to lay a hand on his fragile and listless form.

“Fuck, what the hell is the problem.”

At his unintentional mutter, Kwon Jiho’s gaze briefly returned to Do Yeonjae before moving away again. He, too, didn’t know what the problem was, he answered inwardly and closed his eyes. The only way left to escape the present was to flee into his dreams.