Divorce in Bed Chapter 20

“If it’s not that sort of thing.”

Dowon paused for a moment. It was as if he were weighing for himself whether it was okay to say these words.

Yeohwi felt his gaze waver in the darkness. No, it felt as if it did. Because he wanted it to be so, desperately.

“I can give you a little bit of attention.”

“…What?”

“If it’s only occasionally.”

Yeohwi snapped his head up. He almost jumped right then and there.

He could see Dowon’s black eyes staring at him quietly in the dark. Those smooth, deep eyes without a trace of light.

Though they held no soft tenderness or magnetic heat, it was the first time a gaze had been given entirely and solely to him.

‘Attention? Really?’

Not anyone else, but Mister Dowon…?

It wasn’t the sweet whisper of lovers seen in dreams, nor was it a boiling, burning physical skinship. But to the Yeohwi of now, that alone was a permission that overflowed.

“…Yes.”

Yeohwi barely answered, exhaling a shallow breath.

His heart thundered so hard it felt like it would burst through his ribcage. Joy? Ecstasy? No, those words weren’t enough. This was a sharp, thrilling tremor that vibrated from head to toe—the kind only a young man suffering from the fever of first love could feel.

The sensation climbing up his spine was so intense that his fingertips tingled. A dizzying sense of floating, as if jumping from a high place. Every fine hair on his body stood on end, and the blood flowing through his veins felt like it was bubbling like carbonated water.

“Yes, I—I like that. Yes…”

An uncontrollable excitement heated both his cheeks.

It was a stroke of luck that it was dark.

If the lights had been on, his face, burning red like a ripe peach, would have been caught.

“Go to sleep.”

Dowon turned away nonchalantly, seemingly unaware of the violent commotion in Yeohwi’s heart. But this time, Yeohwi didn’t grab him.

Just capturing his silhouette in his eyes was already more than enough.

Even after the door closed and Dowon’s footsteps faded away, Yeohwi sat blankly on the bed for a long time. He raised a trembling hand and pressed firmly against the left side of his chest. The heartbeat transmitted through his palm was fast and fierce, like a broken machine.

“I must be crazy…”

He bit his lower lip hard to swallow the scream trying to escape.

It was just a single sentence that meant nothing.

An incredibly stingy alternative at that, attached with vague conditions like ‘a little’ or ‘occasionally’.

And yet, he felt as overwhelmed as if he owned the world because of those indifferent words.

Yeohwi pulled the duvet over his head and buried his heated face deep into the pillow. He had been told to sleep, but it seemed he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at all tonight. An ember that would burn through the long night grew into a flame in his chest.

Dowon’s indifferent voice kept echoing in his ears.

An uncontrollable smile spread across his lips.

‧₊˚🍊༉‧₊˚.

Noon. The warm sunlight reached deep into the bedroom.

Yeohwi opened his eyes languidly. His body, which had been heavy as wet cotton for several days, felt miraculously light. The sweat he had poured out and the ample sleep he had replenished washed away the fever, leaving only a sense of refreshment.

“Uwaaaaa.”

Yeohwi stretched and rolled around on the wide bed.

The king-sized bed he used alone was still vast, and the empty space beside him was the same as ever. It could have felt lonely, but at least not today.

It was because the voice Dowon had left behind in the dark last night seemed to still be by his side. Thanks to that, he could feel his lingering scent even in the empty bed, and a corner of his heart swelled softly.

Since he had regained his strength, he finished a shower in the bathroom and came out. The face reflected in the mirror had returned to a fair, healthy complexion.

A mouth-watering scent wafted from the staircase leading down to the first floor. Even before entering the dining room, he heard the sound of footsteps running fast.

“Oh, Young Master!”

Mrs. Park, spotting Yeohwi, approached him with a bright face. She wiped her wet hands on her apron and checked Yeohwi’s face first.

“How are you feeling? Any fever? Are you dizzy anywhere?”

“I’m okay now, Ajjumma. I’m really all better, as if it were washed away. I’m incredibly hungry, too.”

Yeohwi smiled brightly, intentionally rubbing his stomach. At that smile, Mrs. Park felt relieved and gently stroked Yeohwi’s back.

“My goodness, what a relief. What a true relief. You don’t know how anxious I was…”

“You were really surprised, weren’t you… I won’t do it again.”

“Oh, hurry and sit down. I went to the market at dawn and picked only the best ingredients so you could regain your strength, Young Master.”

“Wow, really? Thank you, Ajjumma.”

“Don’t mention it. You need to be healthy for me and this house to brighten up. Please, eat.”

The meal Mrs. Park had prepared was the very definition of sincerity. Glossy abalone porridge with steam rising from it, a clear radish soup boiled to be easy on the stomach, and side dishes seasoned with low sodium were neatly arranged in brassware.

Yeohwi emptied the bowls so quickly one might wonder if he was the same person who had starved for days.

With a full stomach, a sense of leisure seeped into his heart.

Yeohwi buried himself in the plush sofa in the living room and gazed at the garden stretching beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The sky after the monsoon rain had stopped was chillingly blue, as if paint had been dissolved in it, and the trees in the garden sparkled, showing off their green hue to the fullest. It was peaceful. As he watched the natural scenery quietly, a natural curiosity suddenly bloomed.

‘Mister Dowon… has he had lunch?’

The hands of the clock on the wall were just passing 1:00 PM.

‘I wonder what he’s doing right now.’

If you look at him, he seems to work all the time.

‘Are adults originally all like that? They don’t sleep, they don’t eat, and they just go to the office every day with a tired face to work? Is that what it means to be an adult? How pitiful.’

He was curious.

He tried to hold back, but he failed. He was deathly curious.

While he was resting like this with a full stomach and a warm back, he wondered if the other man had just gone out after a cup of strong coffee and was busy on an empty stomach today.

‘It seems like the one who should really collapse isn’t me, but a stiff workaholic like Mister Dowon.’

Yeohwi stealthily picked up his cell phone. He manipulated the screen and opened the text window with Dowon.

He saw the remains of the one-sided courtship that had been miserably ignored.

The number 1 still remained. Of course, there was no reply. That empty space poked at Yeohwi’s chest.

‘Hmm…’

His finger, lost in thought, paused in mid-air.

Is it okay to contact him? What if I get ignored again? What if I’m being a nuisance? He said only occasionally. Maybe now isn’t that timing. Maybe I should be more careful. Am I being too clingy right now? What if Mister Dowon changes his mind and cancels what he said?

‘Aaaaah.’

A tens of thousands of worries swirled in his head.

However, his burning passion for Dowon won over the tangled hesitation.

With a feeling of “whatever,” Yeohwi squeezed his eyes shut and typed a message.

Have you had lunch? I had abalone porridge. I’m really all better now, so don’t worry. I’m sure you’re busy working, Mister Dowon… but please don’t starve and make sure to eat something delicious. They say drinking only coffee on an empty stomach will put a hole in your stomach. That would be a big problem. It would be hard to take your stomach out of your body to sew it up… it would probably hurt… so please make sure to eat on time!!

Sent.

Whatever.

Yeohwi tossed the phone to the corner of the sofa like a pebble he didn’t know. He didn’t expect a reply anyway. He might be in the middle of a serious meeting right now, and he wouldn’t have time to look at a phone. Even if he didn’t read it, it was enough just to have sent it with his heart in it.

Yeohwi, hugging a white square cushion, looked out the window again and focused on the scenery.

The wind is blowing…

The clouds are flowing…

It’ll get cold soon…

Bzzzz.

Then, a short vibration split the quiet living room.

Yeohwi’s eyes snapped toward it.

‘No way. It couldn’t be.’

[Web Message] Jackpot CASINO★

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“Aw, jeez.”

He tapped the screen to block the spam message. To think these illegal gambling dens were still rampant. This was something that shouldn’t be left alone. They deserved to be punished severely.

30 minutes later.

Bzzzz.

‘This time?’

His heart sank. Yeohwi quickly picked up the phone and checked the screen.