Love Born of Pity Chapter 86

Do Yeonjae set aside the imprinting issue and focused on the news that Kwon Heeyeon’s whereabouts were unknown. Where could she have hidden him? Perhaps, like the proverb “it’s darkest under the lamp,” she had stashed him in a nearby hotel. Do Yeonjae didn’t stop thinking even as a nurse came into the hospital room to remove the IV needle.

Kwon Heeyeon, who was more cunning than Kwon Jiho, had been repeatedly buying up luxury goods with her card and then selling them off for cheap. Every day, Do Yeonjae would receive a list of the items she bought and resold, and he would sneer at her dedication before dismissing it. Leaving her to her own devices had only made her grow bolder.

“Weren’t there some items Kwon Heeyeon listed for resale that haven’t been sold yet?”

“……Pardon?”

“Contact them.”

“What, what do you mean……”

At the flustered reply, Do Yeonjae removed his hand from the back of his knee, where he had been pressing an alcohol swab after the needle was removed. Chief Kim swallowed dryly under a gaze that asked if he was truly asking because he didn’t know.

“What do you mean ‘what do you mean’? You’re supposed to say you’re buying it as a gift for your girlfriend. Get a grip, will you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Make a good approach with the image of someone buying a secondhand item as a gift. Find the remaining listings and contact them immediately.”

Chief Kim, who had never engaged in online secondhand trading, pondered what kind of approach he should take. Was he supposed to be picky? Should he be suspicious that they might be selling a scratched product? While Do Yeonjae changed out of his hospital gown, the contemplating Chief Kim put on a determined expression.

“Shall I take you to your residence?”

“Yes, I’m tired.”

Covering his eyes with a hand, Do Yeonjae let out a long sigh before his eyes shot open as if he had remembered something, and he looked at Chief Kim.

“What about the hospital? Did you look into it?”

“Pardon? Uh, what hospital……”

“Kwon Jiho’s hand. He must have received treatment at a different hospital for his injury. I want to know where that was.”

His retracing voice was filled with irritation. The look in his eyes was overflowing with a sense of disappointment. Chief Kim felt himself shrinking as he reported. Fortunately, it was a question he could answer without hesitation.

“Ah, yes. I’ve confirmed it. He received treatment at a small clinic in Suwon. They said it was a tear of about 5cm, which was stitched up. The person who accompanied him was indeed Director Kang.”

“How can you be certain?”

“They said they clearly remember because a rarely seen beauty visited with him, and she even dressed Mr. Kwon Jiho’s left wrist herself. I also showed them a picture to confirm it was definitely him.”

Just how deep was the wound that it needed stitches? The thought of Kwon Jiho, who had become so casual about inflicting wounds on his own body, made his blood boil. This was already the third injury on the hand and wrist that had once been beautiful down to the fingertips.

“Did they say anything else?”

“They said that whenever Mr. Kwon Jiho was in pain, Director Kang insisted he had to get proper treatment there. She said there were no proper medical facilities at ‘that place’.”

“He wouldn’t have been in pain if he had anesthesia. Kwon Jiho doesn’t complain about pain unless it’s severe. Why was he in pain?”

“Ah, that’s…… They said he didn’t have time, so he had it stitched without anesthesia.”

Do Yeonjae’s eyes crinkled sharply. He could have just waited for the anesthesia to take effect and then gotten the treatment. Where was he going, what on earth was he doing that he didn’t have time for that? He had been constantly checking for any plane or train tickets issued in Kwon Jiho’s name, but there was no news. After traveling by car, what other means of transport could he have switched to?

“Could he… possibly have taken a boat?”

“Pardon?”

“If she said ‘there were no proper medical facilities at that place,’ it’s highly likely to be a remote area, so it could be an island. Perhaps somewhere down south.”

It’s not like he’s advertising for me to come and catch him, so it obviously wouldn’t be an island famous for tourism. An area of that scale would naturally have proper medical facilities. Do Yeonjae spread a map in his mind and scanned the places furthest from Seoul.

Busan, Ulsan, Tongyeong, Yeosu, perhaps. Among those, Busan is out. Then he had to pinpoint the most underdeveloped area among Ulsan, Tongyeong, and Yeosu.

“Sir?”

“How many islands are there in the South Sea? Near Yeosu or Tongyeong.”

“……I believe there are quite a lot.”

“Among them, which islands are likely to not have a single hospital, pharmacy, or convenience store?”

At the low voice, Chief Kim’s expression brightened. His eyes lit up as if he had realized something.

“If that’s the criteria, I think I can narrow it down quickly.”

“Good. Hire as many people as there are confirmed islands. And make sure to warn them not to go around looking like they’re there to hunt someone down and make Kwon Jiho hide.”

A path, however faint, was becoming visible. Where he went, he would soon find out. In a day, two at the latest, he would find Kwon Jiho’s whereabouts.

Would he be able to breathe again just by confirming he was safe? Whether it was a side effect of the one-sided imprinting, Do Yeonjae was consumed by anxiety just from the fact that Kwon Jiho wasn’t by his side. Every time his body felt his absence, it felt like he was about to suffocate from his breath catching in his throat.

♬⋆.˚

It was a feeling of fullness he hadn’t felt in a long time. Kwon Jiho inhaled the lingering spicy scent of the ramen and drained a cup of cold water. It was the most delicious ramen he had ever eaten. Just as Ha Seongho said, it was worthy of being in his top three.

“Have you eaten ramen outside before?”

“……I’ve had it at a convenience store. On their terrace.”

“Not that kind of outside. How about we go fishing tomorrow and cook it there? It’ll be a taste you’ll never forget.”

Kwon Jiho nodded his head vigorously at the smiling question. His mouth watered just thinking about it. His stomach was so full there was no more room, but he felt like he could eat more if offered.

“Hyung, you stay seated. I’ll clean up what we ate. I was the one who suggested it, after all.”

As Kwon Jiho showed signs of getting up, Ha Seongho quickly beat him to it. He put all the bowls and the pot from the table into the sink, bent his back slightly, and squeezed detergent onto the sponge. His excited voice could be heard saying they should also take a small tent since they’d be out all day tomorrow.

“All day?”

“Yep, the person with a lot of time catches the fish. But this might be a bit awkward to say but……”

“……”

“Since I’m a year younger, do you want to just talk to me comfortably? You can just call me by my name. Seongho. You can speak informally too. I started speaking informally as soon as I saw you, thinking you were younger. Anyway, what’s your job, hyung? Are you a college student? Why is your hand hurt?”

Contrary to his large build and slightly fierce impression, Ha Seongho was very talkative. He had been like that since they first met today. Kwon Jiho mentally sorted through his questions and organized the answers he would give.

“For the title… I’ll call you Seongho-ssi. I worked as a teacher at a small piano academy in Seoul. And… I hurt my hand because I was careless.”

Ha Seongho smiled as he watched Kwon Jiho meticulously answer his questions one by one.

“So you played the piano. It suits you. But I think you would’ve been successful as an idol, too. You’ve heard that a lot, right?”

“No, this is the first time I’ve heard that.”

“When you leave the island, you can say you’ve heard it now. Since you’ve heard it from me.”

He chuckled as if something was funny and, after rinsing the soapy pot, asked if Kwon Jiho wanted some coffee. Having been suffering from a mild headache all day, Kwon Jiho nodded eagerly.

“Do you drink instant coffee mix? I forgot to buy coffee beans. Oh right, I’m going off the island for a bit the day after tomorrow, want to come with?”

“Ah… I’m okay. You go ahead, Seongho-ssi.”

Sensing his hesitation, Ha Seongho added on. He said that place also has few people, just like here, and it’s a quiet town. He said it wouldn’t be bad to walk around since there are no outsiders at all.

“……Is that so?”

“Yes, really. There are just as few young people there as here.”

“But it would be a bother for you to go around with me, Seongho-ssi……”

At the sweet-sounding address, Ha Seongho’s face turned bright red. He wondered why just having his name called made him feel so embarrassed.

“Seongho-ssi, your face is really red right now. Are you sick?”

“……It’s because I was washing the dishes with hot water. Ah, it’s hot, so hot.”

While Ha Seongho, who had turned his head back as if his neck was twisted, tried to cool his heat by imagining himself in the middle of Siberia, Kwon Jiho made a plan to leave the island to visit a pharmacy and a nearby hospital. He was anxious about being found by Do Yeonjae, but he had to disinfect the wound on his palm and ask when he could get the stitches on his wrist removed.

His light brown eyes fell on his left wrist. They said the glass shard had been embedded deeper than he thought. Of course it was, since he had stabbed himself with the intention to die. It was a small mercy that it was his left hand, so it didn’t interfere with his daily life, but his hand would stiffen up from time to time. Sometimes it would tremble, too.

Even though he had been told beforehand that it was due to nerve damage, he couldn’t get used to it. The injured hand was his left, but he had no idea why his right hand would also freeze up along with it.

“So if you were a piano teacher, you must be really good at playing the piano, hyung?”

“……Ah.”

Kwon Jiho didn’t answer and just smiled quietly. I don’t think I can really play anymore. He didn’t want to say those words out loud. Having finished the dishes, Ha Seongho wiped his wet hands on his clothes and took out coffee mugs.

“Time flew by after eating ramen. I should just have some coffee and head down.”

“I really enjoyed the meal. I didn’t know seafood could be that delicious.”

“It’s because it’s super fresh. It’s a shame it’s not summer, we could have gone swimming. The sea here is really nice, too. The water is so clean it’s a shame to just fish.”

Ha Seongho started boasting about the island, which Kwon Jiho hadn’t been able to properly understand on the way here due to the dialect. He went on and on about how pretty the island was, how spectacular the camellia colony was, and what a magnificent view the sky and sea were at sunset. His mouth didn’t stop even as he poured instant coffee sticks into the mugs and added boiled water.

“The camellia flowers start blooming in October. They need to get through winter to fully bloom, but anyway, I’ll tell you the details tomorrow.”