Divorce Contract C52

Chapter 52

“I heard you met with Mother. There’s no need for you to concern yourself.”

“……”

“I will handle it myself.”

He must mean that he would take care of the divorce preparations himself. That was not something I could interfere with anyway. Obediently, Go Igyeol gave a faint nod of agreement and shifted his body. He wasn’t trying to sit up—he simply could no longer bear to face Seo Dohyeon and wanted to turn away. Strangely, every time he heard his voice, goosebumps crawled over his skin. Unconsciously, Go Igyeol began scratching at his wrist. His heart had been pounding far too fast for a while now. Seo Dohyeon frightened him so much that the back of his head prickled and his hair bristled.

“When will I be able to leave the hospital?”

With his back turned toward Seo Dohyeon, Go Igyeol asked with the rounded back of his head. At the sound of a sigh behind him, his shoulders trembled, and he began scratching at his wrist again. His nails pushed beneath the bandage the nurse had placed, scraping over scabbed wounds until blood welled once more. Seo Dohyeon, unaware of what he was doing, suddenly noticed the faint movement of his arm and sat upright.

“Go Igyeol.”

Forcibly turning his back-facing body over, Seo Dohyeon saw the raggedly torn bandage and blood-soaked wrist, and in an instant felt his blood run cold. The area was a mess. As if it caused no pain, Go Igyeol continued to scratch at the wound.

“You—right now…!”

“…P-please… let me go.”

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Don’t touch me…!”

Wrenching his arm free, Go Igyeol staggered back, then scratched furiously at the very spot Seo Dohyeon’s hand had touched. His brows twisted, the rims of his eyes grew red, and his lips, stubbornly pressed together, were bitten so hard that the sight of him gouging at his wound was painful to watch.

“…It itches. So… don’t touch me.”

“Go Igyeol.”

“I don’t even know… why I’m like this. Seo Dohyeon-ssi, you must feel… feel far more disgusted and tormented, I’m sorry. I’m sorry…. I can’t, I can’t help it. I don’t know why I’m….”

There was no way to stop the stream of murmurs spilling from his hunched body. He scratched at himself until blood seeped from every place he touched. If he were to touch his own face—Seo Dohyeon could not bring himself to extend a hand. He could only stare at Go Igyeol’s bloodied hand covering the wound before turning away.

Watching Seo Dohyeon’s back retreat with long strides, Go Igyeol flinched at the sound of the door opening and closing. He felt as if the man who had just left would return at any moment to unleash cruel words upon him. He imagined he would be accused of being overly dramatic, that he had forced someone else to endure filth, so how dare he make a fuss.

The words he had once heard scattered in fragments across his mind. Human imagination was remarkable; they replayed as vividly as if spoken right beside his ear.

“Do you even know who got you pregnant? Do you know what you look like every night?”

“Ugh…! Sob… don’t—!”

“I thought you were naïve, but you’re bolder than I expected. So no, I don’t even feel sorry for raping you.”

“Ahh… no, no.”

Go Igyeol clutched at his ears, writhing in torment. His thin fingers dug mercilessly into his ear canals.

“If I could, I’d kill you. But I don’t know if it’s you, or Na Seonwoo, or the bastard in your belly. I can’t tell.”

“Ugh, uhh…!”

“It’s fortunate you won’t be raising that child yourself. Isn’t it? What could someone like you possibly teach? You’ve nothing to show, nothing to learn from.”

“No… sob, no… no…!”

“Pathetic, isn’t it. Imagine how your child would feel, knowing what kind of person you are. If it were me, I’d be ashamed to have been born from someone like you.”

The more he tried to block it, the clearer Seo Dohyeon’s voice resounded, floating around him. His fingers, gouging into the soft walls of his ear, scratched frantically. He shook his head like a madman. But the voice persisted, mocking his denials, jeering that he was more vulgar than any omega in a brothel.

Outside the hospital room, Seo Dohyeon tried to steady the storm of emotion. But at the sounds spilling through the door, his body moved on its own. The moment he burst inside, he found Go Igyeol in shambles, sobbing. Every patch of skin exposed beneath his hospital gown was streaked with fresh, bloody scratches, and both his ears and fingers were drenched in red.

“Go Igyeol!”

At a glance, that was the state he was in. As Seo Dohyeon pried away the hands clutching his ears, the tear-streaked face turned toward him. His blurred eyes were like those chasing after illusions. With each tremble of his soaked lashes, tears spilled down his cheeks.

“N-no, it’s not… sob, it’s not… why… sob, ah… I don’t want to. I don’t want to… I don’t want to. Stay away…! Don’t touch me…!”

Seo Dohyeon gripped the fingers gouging into his ears and pulled him into his arms, pinning him in place so he couldn’t move, while pressing the nurse call button.

“It hurts, it hurts so much…. Sob, my belly, my belly hurts… if you keep going, the baby… sob, my belly hurts. I don’t want to. I don’t want to… I don’t want to, I don’t want to…!”

Struggling to break free from his arms, Go Igyeol broke down, wailing. As he cried that he didn’t want to, that it hurt, Seo Dohyeon finally realized the full weight of what he had done to him.

Go Igyeol was put to sleep after receiving a sedative. Only then could his condition be properly examined. The nurse disinfected all of the wounds, applying ointment and moisture-retentive bandages. She cleaned the area around his ears with antiseptic swabs, examined inside with a penlight, and said thankfully nothing had penetrated too deep, before applying ointment inside with a sterile swab.

“When the patient wakes up, if he feels any discomfort, please press the nurse call.”

“Yes, I will.”

The nurse inclined her head lightly and began tidying the tray she had brought. Noticing where Seo Dohyeon’s gaze was fixed, she spoke.

“If his nails are bothersome, you can wipe them gently with a towel soaked in warm water.”

“Ah.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

As the nurse exited the room, Seo Dohyeon bowed slightly, then lowered his gaze once again to the tips of those pale fingers. For nails so short, how could they have scratched and gouged so hard that blood seeped between them, drying dark? After a moment’s hesitation, he rose, returning with a towel soaked in water.

Taking that skeletal hand, nothing but bone with no flesh left, he gently rubbed the ends. The white towel quickly stained red as he wiped away the dried blood. Letting out a long sigh as he watched the steady drip of the IV, he finally laid the now-clean hand neatly back on the bed.

Days passed with nothing changed. Grown accustomed now to handling business from the hospital while checking on Go Igyeol in between, Seo Dohyeon had Yoon Jaeseon fetch Go Igyeol’s phone. It was because he remembered that Go Igyeol had wanted to call Shin Eunsuk.

Switching between his laptop and tablet, Seo Dohyeon immediately responded to the light knock at the door. Go Igyeol, however, showed no reaction to the sound, only staring blankly out the window.

“Good day, Executive Director. I brought what you asked for.”

“Bring it over here.”

“This afternoon, there is a meeting you absolutely must attend. I’ve been reminding you, but you haven’t given me an answer.”

Glancing at Go Igyeol, Yoon Jaeseon cautiously asked Seo Dohyeon. After a moment’s consideration, Seo Dohyeon shook his head. He meant he would not attend. With a troubled expression, Yoon Jaeseon bowed and leaned close to his ear.

“The Chairman will also be attending.”

“…Ah….”

“If it’s the room being left empty that worries you, perhaps you could assign someone, even for a few hours.”

“No need for anyone else. You’ll stay.”

He had suggested assigning someone, not remaining himself. With a startled expression, Yoon Jaeseon stammered, Me? Why me…. But Seo Dohyeon thought otherwise: it was difficult to quickly find someone reliable, and bringing in a new person would only cause Go Igyeol more discomfort. Yoon Jaeseon was the best option.

“Yes, you, Manager Yoon.”

“Uh… I, um, Executive Director, I—”

“The phone. Is it charged?”

Looking sour, Yoon Jaeseon quickly masked it, handed over the phone, and stepped back. Seo Dohyeon held it out toward Go Igyeol, who was lying properly, staring at nothing but the view beyond the window.

“Your phone.”

“……”

“You said you wanted to talk to Shin Eunsuk, didn’t you?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Go Igyeol turn his gaze to him.

“Let her know you’re all right.”

“……”

“I believe your father tried calling too. Call him as well. I need to go to the company for a bit. Manager Yoon will stay here. If you feel uncomfortable or need anything, tell him.”