Divorce Contract C49

Chapter 49

Go Igyeol’s gaze fixated on empty space as he let out a deep sigh. Only when Seo Dohyeon wasn’t there could he at least breathe with some ease. Although having Yoon Jaeseon around was also uncomfortable, it was still better than being with Seo Dohyeon. Lying in bed while staring at the ceiling, he suddenly thought that he wanted to wash up while Seo Dohyeon was absent. As he shifted to get up, Yoon Jaeseon approached the bed.

“Is there something that makes you feel uncomfortable?”

“…No, not exactly.”

“Are you getting up?”

Even without Go Igyeol asking for help, Yoon Jaeseon perceptively offered his hand. After a short hesitation, Go Igyeol bowed his head slightly and grabbed onto Yoon Jaeseon’s arm. His whole body creaked from having been unmoving for so long. He thought he wanted to walk a little. But the moment his feet touched the ground, he realized, This isn’t going to work. The pain that he hadn’t felt while lying down came rushing in vividly, twisting his face in agony. His stomach hurt. It was a kind of pain difficult to describe.

“Are you alright?”

“…Painkillers, please….”

With trembling hands, he pointed downward, and Yoon Jaeseon quickly handed him the remote for the painkiller infusion. Pressing the round button firmly, Go Igyeol let out a breath as if trying to steady himself before slowly moving again. Each step hurt so much he wanted to give up entirely, but he couldn’t endure the lingering discomfort of not washing.

“I’d like to wash up a little… Could you help me?”

His expression contorted as he asked. He asked with the mindset that even if Yoon Jaeseon refused, it couldn’t be helped, but Yoon agreed without hesitation. Supported, Go Igyeol muttered a shaky thank-you as they went toward the bathroom.

“Just help me wash my hair.”

“Yes. Do you think you can bend over?”

Go Igyeol tried gingerly to bend his waist but soon shook his head, realizing it couldn’t be done.

“…No, I think that’ll be too difficult.”

“Please wait. Then… let me see if there’s another way.”

Leaving the troubled Go Igyeol standing in front of the sink, Yoon Jaeseon searched through the cabinet. His eyes suddenly widened, and he pulled something out, unable to hide his smile as he waved it lightly. Because it was a VIP maternity ward, he thought they might have supplies for bedridden patients who couldn’t wash, and indeed, something was there.

“Fortunately, there’s this.”

“…What is that?”

“It says patient-use shampoo tissue. The instructions say to wear it like a glove, rub it evenly across the head, and then towel-dry until the moisture is gone. Would you like to try it?”

After thinking briefly, Go Igyeol nodded. Yoon asked whether he could lift his arms enough to wipe his own hair.

“If it’s too difficult, would it… be alright if I helped you?”

“I’ll try myself first… and tell you after, if it doesn’t work.”

After hesitating, he insisted on trying, so Yoon tore open the pack and handed it to him. “Slip them on your hands. Both hands, yes, that’s it.” Following his guidance, Go Igyeol put on the white gloves and raised his hands to rub his hair—but his expression immediately froze. His brows knit in pain, and Yoon’s own face grew grave.

He had only managed to rub his hair a couple of times before letting out a heavy sigh and dropping his head. Clearly, this wasn’t going to work. Standing at all after a Cesarean section just to wash was in itself an incredible feat. Though it wasn’t his place, Yoon found Go Igyeol increasingly pitiful and wanted to help.

“Shall I help you?”

“…I’d be grateful if you would.”

“Please, sit here.”

He had Go Igyeol sit on the edge of the bathtub, then slipped the gloves onto his own hands. Sweeping the hair all back, he carefully rubbed without making it feel too intrusive. All the while, Go Igyeol kept murmuring apologies.

“It’s alright.”

“…I’m sorry, because of me….”

“I truly don’t mind.”

His hair was small in volume; just a few rubs, and it was fully damp, gleaming with sheen.

“…Manager Yoon.”

Focused on rubbing his hair, Yoon responded immediately at the sound of his name. With his gaze lowered, Go Igyeol wore a sorrowful expression, hesitated a moment, then cautiously began to speak.

“…The baby… my baby, Manager Yoon, do you–”

“I believe the hair is clean enough. I’ll step out now.”

“……”

Without even removing the gloves, Yoon hastily left the bathroom. Left behind, seated on the edge of the tub, Go Igyeol watched his retreating figure and exhaled a heavy sigh. In his mind, he knew—knew it couldn’t be helped. And yet… tears kept falling, unstoppable. He wept wretchedly by himself until he could barely rise again. Then he brushed his teeth and washed his face. At the same place Yoon had found the shampoo tissues, he located body wash tissues. They were used in the same way, without needing to rinse. Still sniffling, he diligently wiped himself down.

Standing before the mirror with a body slightly cleaner, he confirmed his reflection. The appearance he had tried so hard to avoid looking at was now laid bare. If this was the improvement after washing a little… he had actually faced Seo Dohyeon looking like that.

“Ah…”

His eyes were so swollen that his double eyelids weren’t even visible anymore. Considering how endlessly he had cried since waking, it wasn’t surprising, yet he looked far more shabby than he imagined. As he towelled off his damp hair, loosening the tangles somewhat, he finally left the bathroom.

Yoon Jaeseon, pacing the room anxiously, turned towards him with an awkward smile.

“Ah… the lunch has arrived. You can eat before it gets cold.”

“Oh… alright.”

Pushing the movable stand forward, Go Igyeol suddenly turned his head at the harsh sound of the door swinging open. Yoon, who had been lifting the lids of the food trays, craned his neck to see who the visitor was—and felt as though his heart stopped.

“My goodness.”

Click, click, click. The hand holding a black handbag trembled furiously. A fair face hardened, then gave way to hollow laughter at the sight of Yoon Jaeseon, who had been about to set out lunch.

“I kept telling myself the reports couldn’t possibly be true.”

“…How did you….”

“Is it really important how I found out right now? Hm?”

It was Im Yeonhui. Someone who absolutely should not have come here. At the sight of Go Igyeol’s frozen face, she twisted her expression bitterly, as if finding it absurd. His sudden phone disconnections, his implausible excuses to keep Goh hidden—it had all been strange enough that she started to investigate, summoning her father-in-law, Seo Jeongjae, to quietly confer. Seo Taehyeok was too clueless about such matters to be of any use, so the two of them had shared information alone.

Mixing her own family’s people with those of her father-in-law, Im Yeonhui began digging into Go Igyeol’s tracks. No matter how much Seo Dohyeon tried to conceal it, in this kind of matter, she was a step ahead. It took her only a week to obtain written reports of everything: Go Igyeol’s pregnancy, his escape, his confinement.

She stationed people to watch Seo Dohyeon’s house, hidden like a fortress, and confirmed unusual signs. When she received a report of him being carried out by Seo Dohyeon late at night, covered in blood, she immediately summoned Kwon Heekang to the main estate. With very little money, along with threats and enticements, she made Kwon confess everything he had seen and heard in front of both Seo Jeongjae and herself.

“How dare you.”

Her steps, which had halted, quickly resumed. With a swift movement, her arm flew, and her palm struck across Go Igyeol’s face. Smack! With the sharp sound, he staggered and collapsed to the ground.

“You dared to cheat on my son? Even went as far as bearing such a child?”

“……”

“And you were busy hiding it, were you? How could you be so brazen until the birth itself!”

Grabbing the front of his hospital gown, Im Yeonhui raised her hand once more, slapping his face repeatedly. Then, having struck wrong with the side of her hand, blood began streaming from Go Igyeol’s nose. Drop by drop, the bright red dripped across the floor.

“How could Dohyeon have stayed with such an ill-bred thing as you all this time.”

Just as she raised her hand again, it was Yoon Jaeseon—until then frozen in shock—who intervened. Seeing Goh bleeding profusely, Yoon realized he couldn’t let it continue and rushed to stop her.

“Madam, Madam!”

“You, Manager Yoon! You knew all this, didn’t you? Do you think we paid you and placed you beside Executive Director Seo for this? You should have reported straight to the Chairman the moment you found out! Isn’t that right?”

Her eyes sharp with rage, she shot her glare at Yoon. Pressed down by her force, he faltered but finally urged her to stop.

“Please calm yourself. We should talk this through–”

“Do I look like I can calm down!? He pretended all along to be innocent and well-behaved, and now I find out he’s had an affair and even borne a child! If you were me, Manager Yoon, could you stay calm?”

“Madam, but still… Go Igyeol’s condition–”

“Am I someone who should care about his state while I rage?”

Strangely, the more Yoon tried to calm her, the more violent Im Yeonhui became. Go Igyeol wiped the relentless nosebleed with the back of his hand, sighing deeply. From the sudden fall, his abdomen throbbed painfully, and the cheeks repeatedly struck burned with heat. Above all else, the desperate thought filled him—he wished he could just die right now.

Why… why am I still alive?