Love Born of Pity Chapter 94

Standing under the pouring stream of water, Kwon Jiho erased the distracting thoughts invading his mind and focused on the act of washing. Just as Do Yeonjae had said, the products he had prepared were completely scentless. It was a little strange that despite the soft bubbles that formed with every rub, there was no smell whatsoever.

After washing his body, he braced himself and brushed his teeth. The toothpaste, too, had almost no scent or taste. Nevertheless, when he brushed his back molars, he gagged several times. He could taste a faint fishiness in the rinsing water, but it wasn’t enough to make him throw up.

It was a huge relief. He thought it would be nice if the water lined up on the shelf was a little colder, but wondering how much longer he would be staying here, he didn’t feel like asking.

Kwon Jiho turned off the refreshingly powerful stream of water and stood still for a moment. He was overcome with emotion as he listened to the sound of water trickling down his hair. The time that had been filled with the routine of vomiting, unable to hold back the rising nausea, had ended peacefully.

He felt like he was going to cry just from the joy of having completed such a trivial act without incident. As he rubbed his chin and stepped out of the shower stall, the trapped humidity escaped in an instant. His gaunt body was faintly reflected in the fogged-up mirror.

Kwon Jiho turned his head, thinking it was a relief that he couldn’t see clearly. He didn’t want to see his pathetically thin face and body. He took out a towel, dried himself off, and ruffled his hair. That’s when he realized he hadn’t brought any clothes in with him. The shower gown that was always there was also missing.

“…”

While he was flustered, not knowing what to do, he heard a knocking sound—thump, thump—on the door. Kwon Jiho, his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, missed the timing to answer. As he pulled his hand back from fumbling around the shelf, he accidentally knocked over a plastic cup, which fell to the floor. The moment his eyes widened at the sharp impact that rang out—clatter—the bathroom door was thrown open violently.

“Kwon Jiho!”

Do Yeonjae’s eyes, who had burst in with a fierce expression, quickly scanned Kwon Jiho. He had lost his mind hearing the noise that had spread all the way outside the door. His startled heart wouldn’t calm down at the thought that Kwon Jiho might be hurting himself again.

“Ha, fuck. You again…!”

The sound of his heart pounding in his ears, as if it was about to leap out of his mouth. Do Yeonjae meticulously checked Kwon Jiho, who was standing before him with a surprised expression. He unconsciously reached out, touched Kwon Jiho’s body, and gripped both of his hands tightly. There was only the dampness of water on them. There were no signs of injury, nor did it seem like he had tried to inflict any.

His hands were trembling. It seemed the trauma was not Kwon Jiho’s, but his own. Do Yeonjae rubbed his thumb over Kwon Jiho’s palm and wrist in succession, let out a long breath, let go, and took out a new towel.

After drying the bare body that had been splashed with water, Do Yeonjae squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the gaunt body into an embrace. He couldn’t calm down. The fingertips tracing the spine, where the vertebrae protruded, were still trembling.

Kwon Jiho didn’t know why Do Yeonjae was suddenly acting like this. Forced to lean against his chest, he listened to his heartbeat. Does it normally beat like this? It was pounding at a similar speed to the baby’s heartbeat he had tried so hard to ignore at the hospital, perhaps even faster.

Do Yeonjae composed himself and relaxed the tension in his jaw, which had been clenched tight. He tried to ask Kwon Jiho what on earth he had been doing as kindly as possible, but it wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped.

“Why didn’t you answer? And why did you drop that? Were you trying to hurt yourself again?”

Do Yeonjae pulled Kwon Jiho, who had flinched at the fierce question, out of his embrace and met his eyes with a confused gaze. He had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the body, not a single scratch, but the anxiety still spread like ink.

Kwon Jiho knew that Do Yeonjae had a strange misunderstanding. It was true that it was a method he had considered to some extent, but he hadn’t intended to try it with a plastic toothbrush cup.

“…There are no clothes.”

Avoiding the persistent gaze, Kwon Jiho turned his head and mumbled in a small voice. He might not let me wear anything. There was a high probability it would be like that this time, just like before.

“Please… give me some clothes.”

In fact, he had said it in a half-resigned state. Even if he said he didn’t want to, there was nothing he could do. Haven’t you already experienced this once before? Kwon Jiho consoled himself and looked at Do Yeonjae.

“I was going to give you some. That’s why I was waiting. You’re the one who didn’t answer and dropped that thing.”

“…”

“This won’t do.”

The CCTVs installed throughout the house were not enough to put his mind at ease. He was so frantic that he didn’t even think to check the cameras. It seemed it would be better to just remove all the doors. A faint trace of unabated anxiety remained on his face, revealed as he swept his hair back.

Do Yeonjae led Kwon Jiho out of the bathroom. Then, without a word, he sat him on the edge of the bed. When Kwon Jiho shivered in the cold air, he pulled over a thick blanket, covered him snugly, and left the room.

He threw all the clothes that were carelessly dropped in front of the bathroom into the laundry basket and returned from the dressing room with new underwear and pajamas.

“Put these on.”

So he is giving me clothes this time, Kwon Jiho thought with relief and gave a slight nod. Do Yeonjae watched Kwon Jiho get dressed with a gaze so intense it was burdensome.

Kwon Jiho subtly turned his body as he buttoned his pajamas. It seemed Do Yeonjae still wanted sex. He just wasn’t saying it because of what he’d said earlier.

Once he was fully dressed, Do Yeonjae left the bedroom and came back shortly. In his hands were a cup full of brown liquid and a white pill. Kwon Jiho instantly recognized what they were.

“Your eyes and ears.”

“…They’re much better now.”

It was true that his hearing had improved compared to before, when he received Do Yeonjae’s pheromone showers every day, and his vision had also almost fully recovered.

“So it really was my pheromones that were the problem.”

Kwon Jiho didn’t answer the quiet mumble and silently accepted what was handed to him. He was a little afraid to drink the water. He had tasted a fishiness even when brushing his teeth, and he was scared he would taste it here too.

“It’s caffeine-free, and they say you can drink it instead of water. Try it.”

At his stiff-faced urging, Kwon Jiho gave a slight shake of his head. There was a hint of distrust in his eyes as he looked at Do Yeonjae.

Do Yeonjae, noticing the look, let out a sigh. He knew what Kwon Jiho was worried about, and he knew his words were not trustworthy. For his part, he thought that periodically injecting Kwon Jiho with IV fluids, nutrients, and pheromone supplements wasn’t a bad choice. Injecting them directly would be more effective for that weakened body than eating.

However, considering that his veins burst every time a needle went in, that method was not a good direction for Kwon Jiho. His inner elbows were already covered in dark purple bruises.

The hand holding the cup trembled. Do Yeonjae looked at the back of the hand where the bluish veins were clearly visible and pondered. How can I get him to drink it?

He waited patiently, observing the still-hesitant Kwon Jiho. He couldn’t understand why taking just a sip of water was something to contemplate so much, but from Kwon Jiho’s perspective, who couldn’t swallow anything, putting a cup to his lips was clearly an act that required great resolve.

“You don’t want to?”

“…”

“Don’t be frustrating and tell me what you’re thinking. What do you want to do?”

“I don’t want to drink it. I’ll just not take the medicine… I’m fine now even if I don’t take it. I can see… well.”

At the final refusal to eat, Do Yeonjae approached Kwon Jiho, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He knelt at his feet and reached out his hand. He swept back his wet hair and opened his mouth.

“Do you even know why you’re taking the supplements?”

If he threatened him, he would listen for now, but Do Yeonjae chose to persuade him first.

“Your eyes and ears are a problem, but the fetus needs my pheromones. A pregnant omega needs to periodically receive an alpha’s pheromone shower. That means it’s not a choice, but a necessity.”

“…”

“But you’re currently experiencing side effects from the pheromones, so you can’t have a pheromone shower, and the fetus needs my pheromones. So the supplements are for you, but you must take them for the fetus’s sake as well. A higher dosage than what you were taking before. Three times a day, without fail.”

Kwon Jiho didn’t quite understand Do Yeonjae’s words. Especially the part about it being for the fetus, when he had said he was going to get rid of it. It was a persuasion where nothing matched what he had said when he brought him here. Nevertheless, Kwon Jiho thought he should do as he said.

Because he said it was needed for the baby more than for him. For the baby, not for him.