Love Born of Pity Chapter 8

Do Yeonjae drove in a different direction from Kwon Jiho’s home. Without a word about their destination, they arrived at a tiled-roof house with a single red lantern hanging at the entrance. While Kwon Jiho, having gotten out of the passenger seat, looked around, Do Yeonjae approached and put his arm around his shoulder.

“Sushi is okay, right?”

The exterior, devoid of any signage, didn’t look like a restaurant, but inside, it had the distinct atmosphere of a Japanese restaurant. Kwon Jiho followed the server, answering Do Yeonjae’s question.

“…Yes. I like it.”

He disliked the fishy smell and the unique texture of raw food, but he had no say in the menu selection. He nodded and smiled. His food preferences weren’t important to Do Yeonjae anyway. And certainly not something he would bother to consider.

They entered a private room and were about to sit across from each other at the table when Do Yeonjae told him to sit next to him, so he moved. Do Yeonjae touched him casually and without hesitation. He stroked the bare skin exposed under his short-sleeved shirt, grasped the nape of his neck, and inhaled the scent there.

“You seem to have lost weight lately.”

“…I don’t have much of an appetite because of the heat.”

“That’s why you get nosebleeds over nothing.”

Do Yeonjae’s hand brushed over the dark red stain on his beige slacks. He frowned as if displeased and sighed deeply. Just then, the door burst open.

“Yeonjae?”

Although Do Yeonjae’s name was called, it was Kwon Jiho who was startled. His shoulders trembled as he quickly lifted his head. The first thing he saw was Kang Gyumin’s beaming face and, behind him, a staff member with an embarrassed, tight-lipped expression.

“Oh, I see you have company.”

Do Yeonjae’s face crumpled at the sudden intrusion and blatant attitude. He held Kwon Jiho’s hand, which had frozen on his thigh, and only moved his eyes. Even his posture, leaning slightly to the side, remained unchanged.

“I didn’t hear that anyone was here. Hello? Was I too rude? I was just so happy to see Yeonjae here.”

“I’m not particularly happy. Why don’t you close the door?”

At the blunt, emotionless voice, Kang Gyumin, who looked ready to join them, stopped. He managed to control the trembling corners of his mouth, but couldn’t hide the sudden flush in his cheeks. Kang Gyumin bowed his head slightly towards Kwon Jiho as if apologizing, then straightened up.

“How embarrassing. You’re so unkind.”

“You seem to be frequenting this place a little too early. Mr. Kang Gyumin, it would be wise to watch your step around me.”

“…”

“You may be engaged now, but who knows if that will continue… Things change.”

Be careful. Adding the words as if in passing, Do Yeonjae shifted his indifferent gaze to the staff member standing behind Kang Gyumin.

“What are you doing not closing the door?”

“I apologize, CEO.”

Kwon Jiho’s fingertips curled at the title used to address Do Yeonjae. To him, Do Yeonjae was still “Director.” A while ago, when he realized Do Yeonjae had become CEO and bravely tried calling him “CEO,” Do Yeonjae had reacted with excessive sensitivity.

‘Mr. Kwon Jiho, calling me CEO makes me feel like a grandfather.’

He had made a face and said he felt terrible. At the direct expression, Kwon Jiho thought, Does he dislike it that much? and never used the title again. Whenever someone called Do Yeonjae “CEO,” he would remember that moment.

It was the moment the staff member stepped forward to close the door. Kang Gyumin grabbed the closing door and bowed his head. His mind was filled with the thought of being humiliated, but he couldn’t show his displeasure. However, his pride was hurt that he seemed to have been made a fool of by a mere mistress.

“I’m sorry about today. Please contact me.”

“Sure.”

As soon as he gave the perfunctory reply to Kang Gyumin, who was suggesting a future meeting, Kang Gyumin turned around. The staff member quickly closed the door, bowing his head. The boisterous atmosphere settled instantly. Kwon Jiho remained stiff, unable to open his mouth, but Do Yeonjae, as if nothing had happened, stroked his sweat-dampened hair.

“Why are you so surprised? You don’t even know who he is.”

“…”

“Kang Gyumin, the man I’m going to marry. I wasn’t planning on letting you two meet.”

Do Yeonjae, rubbing his reddened ear, furrowed his brow. He was annoyed by the current situation. He figured Kwon Jiho, who had already been acting strangely about his marriage news, would now be dazed and unresponsive for several days after seeing his fiancé.

“Mr. Kwon Jiho.”

“…Yes, Director.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Ah, just… that you look good together…”

Kwon Jiho smiled faintly, pretending to be calm, unaware of how strange it seemed. Do Yeonjae laughed in disbelief at his attitude.

“Ah.”

“…”

“He and I, look good together. Light and nice. That’s your impression.”

Silence followed those words. After the food arrived, the meal began in awkward silence. No conversation passed between them except for the sounds of chewing and swallowing. Kwon Jiho put sushi in his mouth, replaying his conversation with Do Yeonjae. He felt anxious and nervous, unable to understand which part had offended him.

“Shall we go? You seem to be forcing yourself to eat.”

“Yes? Ah, yes… yes.”

He put down the sushi he’d picked up with his chopsticks and drank tea to get rid of the fishy taste in his mouth. Do Yeonjae stood up first. He picked up his jacket and habitually draped it around Kwon Jiho’s back.

“It’s almost my rut, so stay home next week and don’t go out.”

“…How, how long…”

“Well. About a week. Even if the rut itself ends in three or four days, Mr. Kwon Jiho won’t be able to get up.”

That’s only natural… Kwon Jiho raised his head as if to say something, then held back. Do Yeonjae chuckled, flicking his flushed cheek, which was red with a hint of frustration.

“…I understand.”

This time, he was grateful that Do Yeonjae had at least given him some warning. Two months ago, he hadn’t been told about the rut until two days after the sex had begun. By the third day, he had completely lost consciousness.

Whether he was conscious or not, Do Yeonjae didn’t care and continued to have sex with him. When his rut finally subsided, a doctor came to check on him because he was in so much pain from being torn that he couldn’t think straight, and he remained unconscious for another two days.

Despite experiencing it periodically, he couldn’t get used to Do Yeonjae’s rut. Especially the grotesquely swelling penis inside him.

‘Would it hurt less if I became an omega, really? But is it okay for Do Yeonjae to go through his rut with a beta? They say only an alpha can soothe an omega’s heat, but isn’t it the same for an alpha’s rut?’ 

Various thoughts tangled in Kwon Jiho’s mind.

He glanced at Do Yeonjae’s face, which was as composed as usual. The lips that often uttered vulgar words parted slightly.

“Why?”

At the question, sensing his gaze, Kwon Jiho shook his head slightly. Since Do Yeonjae had graciously informed him this time, he decided to go to the hospital and get a prescription for muscle relaxants. A look of determination appeared on Kwon Jiho’s face, which had been expressionless throughout the meal.

♬⋆.˚

As Do Yeonjae had foretold, CCTVs were installed throughout the academy. The installers acted as if they couldn’t see Kwon Jiho, standing still in a corner of the hall.

Only the man who appeared to be the site manager approached Kwon Jiho and explained how to install the CCTV app and check the real-time footage. Despite Kwon Jiho’s indifferent reaction, he explained at length that the state-of-the-art cameras captured both video and audio, leaving no blind spots and ensuring maximum safety.

“Now there’s only one place left. We’ll install one in the consultation room as well.”

“The consultation room…? Why there…? That’s where parents come in more than students…”

“The request we received specifically mentioned installing one in the consultation room. The contract also states the installation of eight cameras in total: four in the practice rooms, two in the hall, one at the entrance, and one in the consultation room.”

He had thought it was a lot of cameras, and indeed, it was excessive for the size of the academy. He suddenly wondered if other academies installed this many.

“Do other places install this many? If you just put one in the hall, it seems like it would cover the entrance too…”

“That would create blind spots, so we don’t recommend it. The same goes for the entrance. I don’t know about other academies, but I recommend installing as many as possible for safety. Installing in the consultation room, doing a general check, and finishing up will take a while, so please go have a meal or something.”

The man smiled and walked past Kwon Jiho into the consultation room. His hands moved busily as he checked the location. Kwon Jiho, unaware that Do Yeonjae would be watching him in real-time, thought it couldn’t be helped since it was for the parents who entrusted their children to the academy.

He trudged out of the academy and went to the cafe on the first floor of the building, where he ate a sandwich and coffee and sat for a while. The sun was scorching. The weather forecast had predicted rain, but the sky was clear.

After killing some time, he returned to the academy. The installer, having finished the installation, handed him a tablet and asked for his signature.

“This confirms that the installation was completed successfully, please sign here. I’ll send you a text message with four links. Those are the links for the practice room cameras, so please share them with the parents. The hall, entrance, and consultation room have restricted access. Those areas, excluding the practice rooms, are only visible to you.”

“…Yes. Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all. Please take care.”

When they drilled holes in the ceiling to install the small cameras, fine dust had scattered, but there was no trace of it now. Still, Kwon Jiho vacuumed the floor and wiped everything down.

He felt a little strange. The mere presence of cameras on the ceiling made him act unnaturally. Kwon Jiho, pushing a mop with a wet wipe attached, stopped in the middle of the academy, his cheeks flushing.