Love Born of Pity Chapter 90

“Did you come here because… because of the baby? That’s why you’re here… right?”

He hadn’t said anything yet, but a wounded gaze turned toward Do Yeonjae.

“If you’re worried I’ll tie you down with the baby, I won’t. I’ll write a contract if you tell me to. If you tell me to never come find you again, I will. I won’t ask for anything. I mean it. Money, child support… I never wanted them. I won’t ask you to take responsibility. It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me. Who am I, I have nothing to offer……”

“What?”

“If not that, then hic, did you come to tell me not to have the baby? You said you didn’t want to make a baby with me, but I went and got pregnant, so that’s why you came. To make it clear……”

He hadn’t even heard from him that he’d let him have the baby, yet he had been getting ahead of himself, thinking he’d raise it on his own. Realizing this made him miserable. Kwon Jiho sobbed silently at Do Yeonjae’s cruelty.

He knew from the beginning that he was that kind of person, yet his heart ached. He hated and was endlessly sad for Do Yeonjae, who had come all this way to this remote place just to sever an unwanted connection.

“The baby, can’t I just have the baby? I… I will never tell anyone who the father is, so if you’ll just, just let me have the baby… I’ll be quiet, I’ll never, ever come find you until the day I die.”

Every time he blinked, the heavy pools of tears soaked Kwon Jiho’s face like a downpour. He clutched his flat stomach, which showed no hint of what it held, with both arms and sobbed.

At that moment, Do Yeonjae was certain that this was the only way to take Kwon Jiho with him. No matter what he said, he would never go willingly.

It was maddening that only the worst and the second-worst options ever came to mind, but it couldn’t be helped. He couldn’t stand to leave him here for a single moment, so what did it matter if the method hurt Kwon Jiho? He could take him home first, and then it wouldn’t be too late to soothe his heart.

“……Yeah. That’s why I came.”

“Hic, sob…”

“We have to be clear, just like Mr. Kwon Jiho said. It turns out we really were nothing to each other. Did you know?”

The feeling he had when he realized that was terrible even to recall. He learned from Kwon Jiho’s absence that a relationship that could not be defined by anything could exist.

“We rolled around for three years, but it turns out I wasn’t anything to you.”

If it had been a mere physical affection, he would have shown some, but Kwon Jiho seemed to have no lingering feelings whatsoever.

“Just as Mr. Kwon Jiho said, if we’re going to sort things out, you can’t be here, can you?”

Just as their conversation was winding down, there was a loud bang on the door. Kwon Jiho’s shoulders shot up into the air. Do Yeonjae turned around irritably. Bang, bang! At the sound of the door being hit again, Do Yeonjae muttered a curse and moved his feet.

Ha Seongho, who had been pacing in front of the room, clenched his fist and raised it. Chief Kim, frowning at the repeated action, gently tried to stop him, telling him not to, but he was relentless. Just as Chief Kim thought he’d have to use force and grabbed Ha Seongho, the door opened.

The eyes of both men turned simultaneously to the person who opened the door and came out. Unlike when he had first entered the room, Do Yeonjae’s face was now completely devoid of emotion.

“Bring Kwon Jiho out.”

“This mister, really!”

“Ha Seongho, was it? Twenty-three, resides in Ilsan, student at K University, hasn’t even paid off 20% of his student loans, and the private tutoring part-time job he got just before coming to the island, he was fired from that quickly. Because he lacks skill. His father is a perennial section chief in the sales department of a small-to-medium enterprise, his mother is a housewife. His older brother… what should I call him. Hiding away in a corner of the house. A social misfit?”

Ha Seongho’s eyes darted about, lost.

“The day Kwon Jiho came to the island, what you said about him to your friends. Should I recite all the vulgar expressions, too?”

“That, back then…!”

For a moment, a chill ran down his spine. This man who knew everything from his family to the trivial conversations he had with his friends was terrifying.

“Do you think your feelings now are any different from back then? If you don’t want to live off your parents your whole life like your brother, then stop fooling around. Your mother went through hell to give birth to you, you should at least act like a decent human being.”

“……”

“Are you getting the picture now? So, how long do you think it would take for me to decide to ruin your life?”

Do Yeonjae, who had been smiling with only a twist of his lips, wiped all expression from his face.

“It wouldn’t even take a week. Your life would be shit for as long as you live. And you wouldn’t be able to escape. Is Kwon Jiho a reason for you to walk into hell with your own two feet?”

Do Yeonjae let out a laugh and tapped Ha Seongho’s cheek.

“Now, then. What should you do?”

The strength drained from the body that had been leaning forward as if ready to jump in at any moment. He thought the man before him was making absurd threats, but his feet wouldn’t move. As he stumbled backward, Chief Kim moved as if he had been waiting.

While Chief Kim went inside and helped Kwon Jiho out, Ha Seongho’s gaze remained fixed on the floor, unmoving.

♬⋆.˚

In the familiar car, Kwon Jiho watched the rapidly receding port and swallowed a sigh. He had spoken with Kang Gyumin the day before yesterday. During their occasional calls over the short period, they had similar conversations each time. Whether he was adapting well, whether he was hurt anywhere.

Both Kang Gyumin and he had consciously avoided talking about Do Yeonjae. It was only now that he regretted it. He should have asked… at least once. If he had known he was looking for him, he wouldn’t have been idly getting an IV for morning sickness; he would have left the island.

But then again, Kang Gyumin probably didn’t know, right? If he had known, he would have told him. To run, or to meet him. Though he would have left the choice up to him.

On top of that, he felt sorry for Ha Seongho, who had gotten into trouble because of him. Sitting on the bed in the room, listening to Do Yeonjae’s threats to him, Kwon Jiho realized that nothing had changed at all.

The place they arrived at was the airport. From there, they boarded a plane immediately without any delay. The business class seats were all empty. The only passengers were himself, Do Yeonjae, and Chief Kim.

Chief Kim’s seat was far away. Kwon Jiho looked at him in the distance and wished his seat was just as far away, but it was close to Do Yeonjae’s. Glancing back, Chief Kim was talking to a flight attendant and didn’t even look his way.

Do Yeonjae had Kwon Jiho sit down first and then checked with the flight attendant who had shown them to their seats if it was okay for a pregnant woman in her early stages to be on a plane. His serious expression was a little funny. What did it matter if it was okay or not? He was going to get rid of the baby anyway.

Leaning back deeply, Kwon Jiho closed his eyes and turned his body. He unfolded the blanket provided on the seat and covered himself up to his head, but Do Yeonjae, who had finally sat down, irritably pulled it off.

“Don’t cover your face.”

Kwon Jiho was certain that if he could have glared daggers, he would have done so for the entire time he looked at Do Yeonjae. In reality, he couldn’t even meet his eyes and could only lower his gaze and blink.

Kwon Jiho fumbled to pull the blanket that had slipped down to his thighs back up to his neck and closed his eyes again. His stomach felt calm, perhaps because he had received the IV drip that soothed morning sickness.

“I heard your morning sickness is severe.”

“……It’s fine.”

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“……No. Even if there is, I’ll take care of it myself.”

Kwon Jiho had a knack for uttering even sullen words kindly. So it wasn’t unpleasant to hear, but it was clear that he was angry. Do Yeonjae suppressed his rising irritation as he carefully examined the face that was still beautiful despite being haggard. Is that his idea of taking care of himself?

At the gaze that landed on his cheek so intently it felt like a sting, Kwon Jiho closed his eyes. The announcement that they would be taking off soon was heard. A bad thought occurred to him that he wished the plane would crash. He was surprised at himself for thinking that he wished everyone else would be rescued safely and only he and Do Yeonjae would die. His eyes grew hot.

He resented Do Yeonjae for coming to find him and making him have such bad thoughts.

Sniffle.

At the small sound of a sob, Do Yeonjae took out a handkerchief. As he gently wiped Kwon Jiho’s eyes, which were beginning to get soaked, jewel-like eyes filled with resentment were revealed.

“Don’t cry.”

“……No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know why you came to find me.”

Kwon Jiho, who was still lost in thought, muttered in a trembling voice, it was unclear whether it was a question or a thought to himself.

“We’re going to the hospital as soon as we arrive in Seoul.”

“Then, is it really the end now?”

“What?”

“After it’s… gone from my body, it’s really the end, right? I never, ever want to see you again. It’s too… horrible.”

Kwon Jiho turned his head away to avoid his touch and closed his eyes as if he didn’t want to talk anymore. He wanted to go back there again. To Suho Island, where you could hear the sound of the waves just by opening the window a little. He wanted to sit on the breakwater with nothing to do and cast a fishing rod. In fact, he felt like he would be fine anywhere, as long as it was a place without Do Yeonjae.

Do Yeonjae pondered how to clear up the misunderstanding that he was going to terminate the pregnancy. Although he hadn’t directly said he would get rid of the baby, he had hinted at it, so he had to make it clear.

He had no intention of aborting the baby even if Kwon Jiho wanted to. Because he knew that without it, he would never stay by his side. In that case, he had to reconcile. The problem was that he couldn’t figure out where the tangled knot of the thread connecting him and Kwon Jiho began and ended, no matter how he tried to trace it.

“Kwon Jiho.”

“……”

“Do you… not want to have the baby now?”

He grabbed the wrist that would surely break if squeezed with force and gave a slight pull. Kwon Jiho revealed his wet eyes. His pale, chapped lips parted.

“……I don’t want to have it.”

The answer, which came out with a hoarse voice, was not what Do Yeonjae had expected.