Divorce Contract C31

Chapter 31

Seo Dohyeon once again heard news of Go Igyeol from Yoon Jaeseon. He had been found at the place where they had been told to look, and even had the audacity to file a report saying there were suspicious people lurking about. But he hadn’t stopped there—he had slipped away again, evading the private investigators. At the feeling that his blood was boiling in reverse, Seo Dohyeon hurled the glass in his hand.

Crash! The shards scattered mercilessly, and Yoon Jaeseon flinched at the sound.

“What, do you want me to praise you for this?”

“……”

“Fuck, and here I am hearing again that you’ve lost him.”

“My apologies.”

Seo Dohyeon unleashed scathing criticism at Yoon Jaeseon, who bowed his head.

“At this point, I don’t know if it’s you who’s incompetent or those idiots. Or maybe both.”

“They say they’re still tailing him.”

“I told you over and over to be careful—he’s quick to catch on.”

Running his damp hair back with his hand, Seo Dohyeon gazed out the window.

“Are you certain they’re tailing Go Igyeol?”

“They’re keeping a distance from his taxi but still following.”

“Tell them not to catch him this time, just to follow. Confirm where he stays and keep eyes on him constantly.”

“And then…?”

At Yoon Jaeseon’s words, Seo Dohyeon let out a long sigh.

“Because of the pheromone supplements, he’ll have to go to a hospital eventually. That will be the moment when his guard is at its lowest. The more desperate he becomes for pheromones, the duller his senses will grow. So dull that he won’t notice someone trailing behind him.”

“……”

“That’s when you catch him. Right now, with those fools, you’ll never manage it. He’ll run as if his life depends on it. He knows that if he’s caught, he’ll never hold his baby safe. You wait until his judgment is clouded by pheromones—that’s the chance. You’d better hope his judgment falters within three days.”

Seo Dohyeon furrowed his brow deeply, the headache unsoothed even by painkillers and alcohol. He waved his hand as though dismissing Yoon Jaeseon.

“See you tomorrow.”

“You’ve worked hard late into the night.”

“…I have no excuse.”

With a sense of shame, Yoon Jaeseon turned away at the perfunctory farewell. As soon as he left the house, he dialed the man tailing Go Igyeol.

—“Yes, sir.”

“You’re sure you’re following him?”

—“He just got off at the terminal. We’re watching him now.”

“Don’t approach. Stay on him without being noticed. Don’t try to catch him yet—wait until Go Igyeol weakens, then take him. He’ll have to go to a hospital for pheromones eventually, so wait for that. If you fail then, it’s the end for you and me both. Understand?”

Yoon Jaeseon bit the words out between clenched teeth. The man, who had been treating the matter lightly, lowered his voice as well.

—“…Understood.”

“Keep your head straight. Miss again, and I won’t let it go.”

—“Yes, sir.”

The moment the call ended, Yoon Jaeseon stood frozen in front of his parked car, his expression unreadable. He found himself desperately wishing Igyeol would be caught quickly. He couldn’t understand why the man was putting everything into fleeing when nothing good would come from dragging things out.

“Phew.”

He tilted his head back slowly, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. Lighting up, he inhaled deeply, the glow burning in the night. He didn’t leave Seo Dohyeon’s gate, instead staring blankly at the silent screen of his phone again and again.

For a brief moment, he stared up at the clear moonlit sky, recalling what kind of person Go Igyeol was. Nothing stood out. Other than a pretty face and quiet demeanor, there wasn’t much. He never imagined he would flee so desperately.

Was it, as Seo Dohyeon said, because the child wasn’t his? When Yoon Jaeseon first discovered Igyeol’s pregnancy, he had assumed without question it was Seo Dohyeon’s. But when he reported it, Seo Dohyeon’s expression had been one of utter shock. He had been certain it wasn’t his child. At the time, Yoon Jaeseon dismissed it—Seo Dohyeon was a man who never misspoke. But looking at Igyeol’s actions now, it seemed clearer and clearer that the child indeed wasn’t his.

Yoon Jaeseon understood why Seo Dohyeon’s anger was rising with each passing day. At first, he had brushed it off with a laugh, but after three weeks, then a month with no sign of Igyeol, his composure was gone. And when he heard that the man they had finally tracked down had slipped away yet again, he could see that Seo Dohyeon’s seething fury was beyond restraint.

For a man used to hiding his emotions to lay them bare—it was then that Yoon Jaeseon realized he had to find Go Igyeol quickly. Seo Dohyeon’s limit was close.

That night, Igyeol arrived at the terminal and boarded the first long-distance bus with tickets still available, traveling to a place he had never been before. After getting off, he followed an old woman offering rooms to a shabby inn and spent the night there.

He was hungry but too afraid to go out. He didn’t even feel like eating. Wrapped in a musty blanket, he spent another entire day. Each time he vomited into the toilet, the colors outside shifted—bright, then red-tinged, then dark. When the world brightened again, he resolved to visit a nearby obstetrics and gynecology clinic. After vomiting blood, he knew he couldn’t stay put. The cramps in his belly were coming faster, and he feared something was wrong with the baby.

His whole body was weak. Standing before the mirror to wash, he saw his once healthy cheeks had hollowed, dark circles sank deep beneath his eyes. His lips, cracked from repeated retching, were caked with scabs.

“……”

It was a miserable sight. Maybe because he hadn’t taken pheromone supplements since fleeing, the craving for an alpha’s scent—for Seo Dohyeon’s pheromones—became desperate.

“Hahh… hoo…”

His mind kept fogging. He slapped his cheeks, shaking his head violently at the thought of returning to Seo Dohyeon.

“No. I can’t. That man…”

He’ll take the baby.

He planned to visit the hospital, and then seek out an Omega Protection Center. There would be one in every region. He had considered going back to Shin Eunsook or calling her, but that place could no longer be safe.

“……”

Only a few tens of thousands of won remained. Igyeol rubbed his hard, cramped belly, praying he could endure just a few more days.

“Just hold on, a little longer… just a little.”

With trembling hands, he turned on the tap. Whether from faulty plumbing or an old boiler, no hot water came. He told himself it was fine, since the weather had warmed, and washed clean with lukewarm water before stepping outside for the first time in days.

Here, it was already summer. The blazing sun made him squint, head bowed low as he kept his eyes on the ground. He hunched his shoulders, hiding himself as best he could, quickening his pace. His plan was to get to a busy district, take a taxi from there, and ask to be driven to a hospital. That was the plan.

“Go Igyeol-ssi, right?”

Looking only at the ground, Igyeol now saw black shoes and dirt-stained sneakers in his line of sight.

“Go Igyeol-ssi.”

“……”

At the sound of his name again, Igyeol twisted instinctively to run, but was seized immediately. With both arms pinned, he couldn’t move an inch, and so he screamed at the top of his lungs. His cries for help made a few passersby pause, but the men’s rough faces deterred anyone from intervening.

“I don’t know who you’re looking for, but it’s not me. You’ve got the wrong person.”

“Come quietly. We’ve been chasing our asses off for days because of you.”

“Let me go. I’m not who you think I am, you really have the wrong person!”

“Hey, bring the car around close.”

Even Igyeol’s desperate pleas drew no response. One man ordered another to fetch the car, his phone call confirming the command. Igyeol twisted, tears trembling in his eyes.

“Mister, if I’m caught, I’ll die. I mean it.”

“If we lose you again, we’ll die too.”

“Please. Please, let me go.”

“Let’s make this easy. Easy. Since they’re looking for you this hard, I doubt they’ll kill you.”

Gripping both arms tight, they dragged him forward. A black sedan slid smoothly up to the curb. Igyeol shook in despair, sobbing, muttering Please, I’ll be in real danger. Please, let me live. But no one answered with sympathy. They only grinned, imagining the success fee they’d collect for delivering him safely to their client.

“Ahh, finally I can go home.”

“All I need is a proper night’s sleep with my legs stretched out.”

“I’m hitting the sauna. Sweat it all out, then a glass of soju.”

All three beamed, except for Igyeol, pale as death. They shoved him into the backseat, fastened the belt, and the driver pressed the lock to seal the doors and windows.

Igyeol realized then it was truly over. He had neither the courage nor the strength to fight three men. The car pulled away briskly.

In the end, he was going back. The vow to endure at least until birth shattered, he was returning to Seo Dohyeon’s side.