Love Born of Pity Chapter 9

At the same time, Do Yeonjae, upon receiving the report that the cameras were installed, accessed the links sent by the installation company on his new laptop. The claim of no blind spots was true; there wasn’t a single space missed. Smiling in satisfaction, he zoomed in on Kwon Jiho standing alone in the hall.

The image quality was crystal clear. He was holding a mop, frozen in place as if lost in thought. His face and earlobes were flushed, indicating he was aware of the cameras. He probably didn’t know they were installed for Do Yeonjae to watch, but his reaction was cute.

Kwon Jiho, who had been diligently mopping the floor, stopped what he was doing as soon as the light from his phone on the table flashed. His hand, holding the phone, pressed the green button without hesitation and brought it to his ear. Do Yeonjae turned up the volume and a smooth voice rang out.

— Hello, Eunsol’s father. Are you busy? No, no. It’s nothing much, I just…

Kwon Jiho bit his lip, seemingly embarrassed as he struggled to continue.

— Yes? I could have told you over the phone… Now? Ah… No, it’s okay. Yes. No, I’m really okay. Ah, nearby…

Whatever the topic, Kwon Jiho seemed flustered. He nodded slightly and gave an awkward smile, bowing his head to the unseen person on the other end of the call.

— Yes, then I’ll see you in a bit. Yes, please come in.

He put down the phone and let out a small sigh. As if tired, he pressed his fingers against his eyes, then removed them, putting away the mop and washing his hands at the sink in the corner. Do Yeonjae thought he was checking his reflection, but he was staring directly at the camera through the mirror.

“Cute.”

His gaze gave the illusion of making eye contact. Do Yeonjae stood up. As he put on his jacket to pick up Kwon Jiho, his intercom buzzed.

“Yes.”

— CEO, Director Kang Gyumin of Kunyoung Construction is here.

“…Send him in.”

Do Yeonjae cursed under his breath and adjusted his clothes. That perceptive bastard. Cursing repeatedly, he moved to the main seat on the sofa as the door opened. Kang Gyumin, impeccably dressed in a navy blue suit, entered, bowing his head.

“What brings you here unannounced?”

“I stopped by because I haven’t heard from you.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. We’re not exactly in a position to be contacting each other, are we?”

Do Yeonjae added indifferently, checking his wristwatch. He was just about to leave, so he wanted Kang Gyumin to get to the point.

Perhaps because his rut was approaching, his mind was filled with thoughts of Kwon Jiho. Kang Gyumin’s unannounced visit was just annoying. He didn’t even offer him water or coffee, sensing Kang Gyumin would linger if he did. Kang Gyumin forced a smile.

“It’s nothing else, I just wanted to ask you to end things with the person you’re seeing. I thought you’d take care of it if I waited, but since you haven’t, I can’t just stand by and watch. That day, how could you in front of that person—”

“Hey.”

The usual polite “Mr. Kang Gyumin” was replaced with a curt address. An oppressive, almost threatening pheromone emanated from him.

“You speak as if you know exactly who I met that day. Did you perhaps go there to see them?”

Kang Gyumin’s upright posture crumbled instantly. He turned pale and gasped, overwhelmed by the forceful, almost violent pheromones. When he avoided Do Yeonjae’s gaze, unable to answer, Do Yeonjae chuckled and spoke.

“Behave yourself while I’m being polite. Who are you to tell me to end things with someone? You rag.”

Kang Gyumin bit his lip at the flatly delivered words.

“I don’t tell you to clean up the trash you keep in your hotel rooms, so why are you doing this?”

“…Mr. Do Yeonjae.”

“Stop your nonsense and focus on your wedding preparations. I don’t want to be bothered with such things.”

At Do Yeonjae’s sharp voice, Kang Gyumin’s eyes reddened. Tears began to flow, unable to withstand the shame and the oppressive pheromones. His trembling hand wiping his cheeks was far from pitiful; it only annoyed Do Yeonjae.

“What about the child? We need to have a child…! Did I want this marriage alone? You too…!”

“Who wants a political marriage? Fucking hell, are you stupid or are you just pretending to be naive? I can’t tell.”

“…”

“We have a great option called in vitro fertilization, so let’s not make things unpleasant for each other.”

Do Yeonjae stood up. He brushed off his spotless jacket and looked down at Kang Gyumin, whose posture had collapsed, and spoke.

“Mr. Kang Gyumin, were you planning on having sex with me? What a shame, I wasn’t. I have a bit of a germophobia.”

“…”

“Stop being pathetic and leave.”

As he left the office, Secretary Kim quietly followed. He handed Do Yeonjae the prepared tablet.

“Kwon Jiho?”

“You can check right away.”

As soon as he stepped into the waiting elevator, Do Yeonjae turned on the screen and saw Kwon Jiho sitting alone in the consultation room.

“Has anyone visited him?”

“No, he’s been alone the whole time.”

“I heard him on the phone, it sounded like someone was coming.”

Secretary Kim paused for a moment before continuing.

“Your schedule has been cleared from this afternoon.”

“Good. Secretary Kim, please don’t leave your seat until I get there. There are a lot of eyes here, so be careful not to let any nonsense leak out.”

“Yes, I understand.”

When the elevator reached the underground parking lot, Do Yeonjae raised his arm to stop Secretary Kim.

“It’s fine, go back up.”

“Yes, please have a safe trip.”

“See you next week.”

Secretary Kim bowed as he watched Do Yeonjae stride away. He waited until the car carrying him left the parking lot before moving. He felt he needed to send Kang Gyumin away quickly to focus on his afternoon work.

Back in the CEO’s office, Secretary Kim checked with the employee at the desk if Kang Gyumin had left. They both shook their heads. He sighed deeply and knocked on the door. After waiting briefly, he entered the inner office where Kang Gyumin was sitting on the sofa, tears streaming down his face.

“I’ll escort you home.”

“…No. I brought my car. You came in to tell me to leave, right? I was going to leave anyway. I had no intention of staying longer.”

He rubbed his eyes vigorously and abruptly stood up. Secretary Kim winced slightly as he saw Kang Gyumin’s face as he turned. Anyone could clearly see he had been crying. It wasn’t likely to spread through the secretarial staff, but it wasn’t a good look for anyone to witness.

“I’ll escort you to the parking lot.”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you. Rather than that, could I get your business card, Secretary Kim?”

“I should have given it to you earlier, I apologize. I’m Kim Geon-tae.”

“I can just call you Secretary Kim, right?”

“Yes, please call me whatever is comfortable.”

Secretary Kim positioned himself to block Kang Gyumin’s face from view from the desk and escorted him to the elevator. He pressed the button for the 23rd floor, and the elevator doors opened.

“Please contact us in advance for your next visit.”

“…Yes. Goodbye.”

Kang Gyumin turned sharply as he pressed the button. Secretary Kim’s gaze lingered briefly on his reddening eyes, which seemed to be welling up with tears again, then looked away. Even after the elevator doors closed, Kang Gyumin continued to manage his emotions.

Do Yeonjae’s company, he repeated to himself, composing his expression. Cameras were installed everywhere, capturing everything, so there was no need to act in a way that could be held against him.

He had bitten the inside of his cheek so hard that the delicate mucous membrane was torn, and his mouth tasted of blood. Kang Gyumin, feeling humiliated and degraded, resolved to repay Do Yeonjae for this day.

♬⋆.˚

Kwon Jiho, sitting blankly in the consultation room, instinctively straightened up at the sound of the door opening. He gave an almost inaudible greeting to Eunsol’s guardian as they entered the academy and went out to meet them. The guardian, brightening at the sight of Kwon Jiho, placed the heavy shopping bags they were carrying on the table.

“I’m a little late. I thought I’d be here soon.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay.”

“I was surprised by your call.”

“I’m sorry. It was so sudden.”

Flustered by Kwon Jiho’s apology, the guardian waved their hands dismissively and pulled out a chair from the table. Their face, which had been flushed since they entered, grew even redder.

“I didn’t know what you liked… so I just bought a variety of things…”

“Like last time, you really don’t have to bring me these things… thank you.”

“There’s coffee and herbal tea. Which one would you prefer? I’m curious about what you like.”

The man took two cups out of the drink carrier and offered them, shrugging. Noticing the shy gesture as he offered the herbal tea, Kwon Jiho replied.

“…I’ll have herbal tea. But are you hot? Just a moment.”

“Oh, th-that’s, o-okay…”

The man looked longingly at Kwon Jiho’s back as he stood to adjust the temperature. Kwon Jiho quickly returned to his seat, saying it would cool down soon, and smiled awkwardly.