Love Born of Pity Chapter 92

After Chief Kim left, Do Yeonjae went into the dining room and examined the things he had bought one by one.

Lemon, lime, sparkling water, lemon syrup, grapefruit syrup, sour-flavored caramels, lemon-flavored candies, crackers. There was even naengmyeon in the refrigerator. These were things he had painstakingly chosen after searching diligently.

Do Yeonjae rolled up his sleeves and started washing the lemons and limes, worrying about how he would get Kwon Jiho to drink water if he said he didn’t like this either.

The moment he clicked his tongue at how much trouble it was, he frowned, feeling nauseous for some reason. It wasn’t bothersome enough to pay attention to, so he ignored it and became lost in his thoughts.

For the sake of the fetus that will be sucking up Kwon Jiho’s nutrients from now until birth, I have to feed him well. The blood test results showed he was low on iron, so beef- Do Yeonjae’s thoughts went that far before he was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea and clamped a hand over his mouth.

“What the, fu…”

Was it indigestion from the breakfast I barely ate while taking care of Kwon Jiho? His stomach churned and his chest felt tight. He couldn’t do something so disgusting while washing the fruit he was going to feed Kwon Jiho, so he held back the queasiness as best he could and finished the task. It took a long time to wipe the surface of the wet fruits with a dry cloth one by one and squeeze out the juice.

“If only he’d say he’ll eat it, I’d wipe as many of these damn things as he wants.”

His heart ached as he recalled Kwon Jiho, who had looked startled and teary-eyed after throwing up on his clothes. What was the big deal about getting a little dirty? He really is too nice. A smile curved Do Yeonjae’s lips.

He poured the lime and lemon juice into separate ice cube trays to freeze and then carefully examined the sour-flavored caramels. Will these cheap caramels really help with Kwon Jiho’s morning sickness?

He tilted his head as he swallowed a suppressant. If this kind of crap actually helps, that in itself would be pissing me off. Do Yeonjae, frowning at the artificial scent, wiped the moisture from his wet hands and headed for the bedroom. It was to watch Kwon Jiho as he slept.

He moved his feet quietly, afraid the sound might wake him. Was it because it had been so long? He was simply sleeping, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

He sat by the bed and stared intently at the face cast in the dim light. The transparent, glowing skin was still beautiful, but his lips were chapped and rough. In whatever form, just looking at Kwon Jiho directly made his anxiety disappear completely. The desire to keep looking and the longing to hold him until he was sick of it filled its place.

Do Yeonjae took hold of the neatly placed hand, rested his forehead against the back of it, and closed his eyes. The sense of stability that came from the lukewarm temperature was indescribably profound.

♬⋆.˚

In the bluish dawn as the day began to break, Kwon Jiho woke up. He blinked his eyes, remaining still until he was fully conscious. Feeling the familiar scent and the texture of the bedding, he recalled where he was and why he was here, then shifted his body slightly.

Then he noticed his held hand. Why is he like this, not lying comfortably but sitting uncomfortably on the floor by the bed, hunched over? Even though he tried not to, a sigh escaped. He wished Do Yeonjae would set him free even a day sooner, but everything he did seemed intended only to torment him. To leave him in pain for a long, long time.

Cruel person. Kwon Jiho thought of the worst insult he could while looking at the man’s sharp profile. How long had he been like that? Suddenly, he thought of the ramen he had eaten last time.

The spicy and refreshing ramen full of fresh seafood. He wanted the ramen Hasungho had cooked for him on Suho Island. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

Gulp.

Swallowing the saliva that was pooling in his mouth, Kwon Jiho moved cautiously, unable to bear the hunger. He slipped his hand out of the loose grip and got out of bed. Even as he opened the bedroom door, he kept looking back, afraid that Do Yeonjae would wake up.

Having made it out safely, Kwon Jiho headed straight for the kitchen. He wouldn’t be able to eat the exact ramen he had that day, but with the hope that he could at least experience a similar taste, he rummaged through the cupboards.

With each one he opened and closed, a wave of disappointment washed over him. It was a house without a single, common bag of ramen. Because Do Yeonjae never touched the stuff. Tears welled up from the sense of futility and extreme hunger. Kwon Jiho sniffled and whimpered as he opened the last cupboard, checked it, and then sank to the floor.

“There’s… nothing…”

He was crouched in a pitiful state, crying for a long time, when suddenly the lights flashed on brightly. It was because Do Yeonjae, who had jumped out of bed, had stomped around turning on all the lights in the house. He spotted Kwon Jiho in the kitchen and bit back a harsh breath and a curse. His face, pale with shock, he ran his hands through his hair several times before he finally managed to speak.

“What are you doing here?”

“…”

“What could you possibly be doing here at this hour?”

He wondered what the hell someone who couldn’t even stand the smell of food was doing crawling into the kitchen. Do Yeonjae approached Kwon Jiho, who, after whimpering, firmly shut his mouth. He’d heard that when you’re pregnant, you can get cravings in the middle of the night, in the early morning. Roughly rubbing his face at the sudden thought, he moved closer to Kwon Jiho.

“What do you want to eat?”

It seemed like he would hear harsh words if he told the irritable-looking Do Yeonjae what he wanted to eat. Kwon Jiho tried hard to hold back his tears and said it was nothing. The crumpled corners of his eyes, now completely free of sleepiness, furrowed even more.

“Tell me. If there’s something you want to eat.”

“…”

No one could easily speak when being threatened with such a fierce demeanor. He was the only one who didn’t know that. Kwon Jiho, who had been swallowing back sobs, shook his head and pushed himself up from his sitting position.

“Kwon Jiho.”

“…I was just, hu-hungry.”

He had emptied the refrigerator. He had filled it only with water and drinks said to be helpful for pregnant people with morning sickness, thinking that Kwon Jiho might open it and get nauseous from the mixed food smells. There was no food at all that could fill one’s stomach.

“What did you want to eat?”

At the slightly calmer voice, sorrow welled up in Kwon Jiho again, and he mumbled with his lips tightly puckered. Do Yeonjae, who somehow managed to understand what he was saying, immediately left the dining room. Only Kwon Jiho was left behind, bewildered, as he composed himself and stopped crying. His eyes were stinging, and he was about to wash his face when Do Yeonjae quickly returned.

He took out various kinds of ramen from a white plastic bag and asked which one he wanted. Kwon Jiho gulped down the saliva that had started to pool in his mouth automatically. With reddened eyes, he cautiously chose the ramen famous for being spicy from among them, and Do Yeonjae let out a sigh.

“You’re going to eat something that spicy on an empty stomach?”

“…I’ll just, n-not eat.”

When he flinched back at the scolding tone, Do Yeonjae reached out and pulled him closer by the distance he had moved away. After a moment of his lips being pressed into a frighteningly firm line, he quietly soothed him, saying that’s not what he meant.

Seating Kwon Jiho at the dining table, Do Yeonjae took out a pot and began to boil a precisely measured amount of water.

“…I can.”

“Just sit.”

It was so uncomfortable that he couldn’t possibly stay still, but Kwon Jiho did as he was told.

The ramen went into the bubbling water. Four minutes to go. Kwon Jiho endured the time that felt like an eternity. The spicy smell began to slowly spread. His leg bounced up and down on its own. After waiting, tapping his foot on the floor, the ramen was placed in front of him in a wide bowl.

Do Yeonjae wore an expression completely lacking in confidence. He had eaten it before, but only a handful of times, and this was his first time cooking it himself. He had followed the instructions on the package diligently so it should be fine, but it was hard to be sure.

“Eat.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

Kwon Jiho muttered in a voice that grew smaller and smaller and picked up the neatly placed chopsticks. The feeling of embarrassment and shame was brief. His stomach was churning. It was crying out for him to put food in it quickly. It was Do Yeonjae who was surprised when Kwon Jiho picked up the noodles, blew on them, and put them straight into his mouth.

“It’s hot.”

Despite the warning, Kwon Jiho stubbornly filled his mouth with the hot food and swallowed. Soft, hot, and spicy, it went down his throat smoothly.

Life returned to his pale face. His cheeks and even his white, chapped lips turned red in an instant. Kwon Jiho used a spoon to drink the broth and sometimes ate it together with the noodles, finishing the whole bowl in a flash.

“Want more?”

At the voice that sounded quite gentle, Kwon Jiho thought for a moment. He desperately wanted to eat more, but his stomach felt like it was about to burst. He thought it would be better to stop eating even if he felt regretful, rather than leaving food over and having it all thrown away.

When he shook his head with a regretful look, Do Yeonjae asked a few more times. But the answer was the same.

“I’m full. Thank you for the meal.”

“Anything else?”

“…I’m fine.”

The bluish sky outside the window had completely brightened. It’s not like he had his food taken away, but Kwon Jiho put down his chopsticks with a tearful face. Do Yeonjae, in a way that didn’t suit him at all, cleared the bowl. He was relieved to see him eat at least this, but he wasn’t happy with the menu.

Isn’t this the worst in terms of nutrition for an expecting mother to eat? Do Yeonjae, who vowed to either find or create a healthy ramen, looked with fascination at Kwon Jiho stroking his empty stomach.

Still, since he eats it so well, maybe it’s okay to feed it to him a few more times. Do Yeonjae, who was putting the empty bowl in the sink, felt a faint churning in his stomach and took a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge and opened it.

He asked Kwon Jiho if he wanted to drink some too, but he hesitated and then shook his head.

“They say it’s better if you add lemon or lime.”

“…I haven’t tried it so I don’t know, but I’d rather not drink it.”

He refused Do Yeonjae’s offer again. Kwon Jiho didn’t want to throw up everything he had just enjoyed eating.