Divorce Contract C61

Chapter 61

Chapter Ⅲ

Go Igyeol’s discharge was postponed. Part of it was because he strongly refused to go to the postpartum care center, but another reason was the stress caused by Seo Dohyeon knowing everything, the premature birth, and the pheromone showers he had been subjected to from Seo Dohyeon’s rut before delivery, which had left his hormones unstable.

The doctor in charge of Go Igyeol’s treatment said that since he refused to go to the postpartum center, it was just as well; extending his hospitalization to stabilize his hormones would be better. Go Igyeol did not understand why he couldn’t just go home, but since Seo Dohyeon told him so, he complied.

Go Igyeol could barely tell how each day passed. When he blinked, time seemed to vanish in chunks. Sometimes it was morning, sometimes night, sometimes rain fell, sometimes the wind blew. He had thought that once Seo Dohyeon knew everything, something grand would change—but nothing changed at all. He had also believed he would be able to return to his old self, but that too was not the case. Just as Seo Dohyeon had said, nothing was the same as before. Not a single thing had returned to how it once was.

It was then. Lost in thought, staring blankly out the window, Go Igyeol’s ears caught the buzzing vibration of a phone.

“…Hello.”

The vibration stopped, and it was Seo Dohyeon’s voice. As always, he had been uncomfortably handling work from the sofa across from Go Igyeol’s bed, but after finishing a call with someone, his face had hardened.

When Go Igyeol happened to glance over and meet his eyes, he looked at him for a brief moment before lying back down. His body did not feel well. He shivered faintly, and his mood sank endlessly. He only meant to rest his eyes for a moment, but whether he had dozed off or not, when he opened them again, it was not Seo Dohyeon but Yoon Jaeseon sitting awkwardly in his place.

“Hello. We meet again…”

Awkwardly smiling, Yoon Jaeseon greeted him. Pulled away suddenly from work at the company, he now found himself suffering in various ways in the hospital room of his superior’s spouse. Even with his eyes closed, Go Igyeol had looked pitiful, but upon opening them, he looked all the more miserable.

When he had been told Go Igyeol had cheated, Yoon Jaeseon had felt pity for him even then. But after hearing the truth from Seo Dohyeon, he became convinced that no one in the world was more wretched than Go Igyeol.

He had always kept maternity supplies in his car, intending to hand them over, but had never been able to. Now, clutching the shopping bag he had brought and placed at the foot of the bed, he forced an awkward smile.

“…I’m sorry. Because of me…”

“You don’t need to worry. I’m fine. There’s a meal you missed while you were sleeping—would you like to eat it?”

Seeing Yoon Jaeseon, who never failed to mention food whenever they were together, Go Igyeol unconsciously let out a laugh. A soft sound escaped from behind the hand covering his mouth, and Yoon Jaeseon scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. He adjusted the angle of the bed’s backrest, set up the small table, and placed the tray with lukewarm food on it. After glancing at Go Igyeol, he thought perhaps it might be burdensome, so he quickly turned away. Moving about fussily, he poured water and subtly placed the shopping bag he had brought onto the bed.

“…It’s a little late, but I looked it up, and it seems people wear these after giving birth.”

“…Pardon?”

“They say your hands and feet mustn’t get cold. Otherwise, you’ll suffer later.”

With a soft thump, Yoon Jaeseon placed a pair of sleep socks on the empty spot of the table. In truth, there was much more inside the shopping bag, but he feared that if he took it all out at once, Go Igyeol might be startled, so he decided to give just one thing for now.

Leaving Go Igyeol in Yoon Jaeseon’s care, Seo Dohyeon went down to the hospital café to meet Na Seunghui, his mood foul. Surely, through his grandfather, he had already heard the truth. But since he had come anyway, it seemed his mother had not given up on the divorce.

With his unending headache creasing his brow, Seo Dohyeon stepped into the coffee shop. Spotting Na Seunghui by the window waving at him, he strode over.

“It’s been a while. You look awful.”

That was the first thing out of his mouth once Seo Dohyeon sat down. Seo Dohyeon did not reply, but dropped his gaze to the brown envelope on the table. Na Seunghui, reading the situation, pushed it toward him.

“You know I specialize in divorce cases, right? I’ll settle this cleanly for you.”

“Oh, so you’re not here as a friend but as a lawyer? In that case, this was a wasted trip.”

“…What?”

“I’m not getting divorced. So don’t come to me with things like this again.”

Seo Dohyeon checked his watch as if he could hardly endure sitting there. His ungentlemanly attitude caused Na Seunghui’s expression to darken rapidly. He even felt a faint sense of shame, as if he’d been pushed into doing something he hadn’t wanted to.

“I can’t sit here with you any longer.”

“…Why stay married when the child isn’t yours? Huh? Are you out of your mind? That person… cheated on you, got pregnant, even had the baby—how can you not divorce? How can you live together? Do you love him that much? Enough to endure it all and pretend not to see?”

His voice, demanding to know his feelings toward Go Igyeol, made Seo Dohyeon feel the blood drain cold from his body. When he had brought him to the hospital, what he felt was nothing but responsibility. Each time he saw Go Igyeol after the surgery, his heart had stirred only out of guilt that the child had nearly been lost.

Yet strangely, even knowing this was the perfect time for divorce, he did not want to let go. He clung to Go Igyeol. It was supposed to be just a relationship bound by a contract, maintained at a polite distance—so why couldn’t he release him?

“I’m not your client, and at most we’re just friends. Do I need to explain myself to you?”

“Seo Dohyeon.”

Na Seunghui, who had been leaning forward, suddenly stood up, his face stricken as though wounded by his words.

“Fifteen years. We’ve known each other for fifteen years. You’ve been married two. And now you tell me we’re just friends?”

“People would misunderstand if they heard that, Seunghui. It’s not just you and me in those fifteen years. There were five others too.”

“……”

“So why are you insisting on meddling in the affairs of a married couple as if you must? What makes us such great friends? Just drink moderately and go home. I’ll leave first.”

Without sparing another glance at Na Seunghui’s flushed face, Seo Dohyeon rose from his seat. Having ordered no drink, he left nothing behind and walked out of the shop. Na Seunghui stood frozen for a moment before hurrying after him.

“You really mean to raise a child that isn’t yours? To live together without divorcing? What is Go Igyeol to you, that you’d go this far? Do you love him that much? What is he to you?!”

“Who said it wasn’t my child.”

“…Your mother—no, your mother said—”

“Do you think it makes a difference whether you know or not? It’s my child. So cut it out, Seunghui.”

The words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Na Seunghui covering his mouth in shock. He furrowed his brows, unable to understand how a child once said to belong to another Alpha could suddenly be Seo Dohyeon’s.

“How could that possibly be your… your child—”

“If you want to remain even as just a friend, you’d better learn some discretion. What kind of lawyer lacks so much sense?”

Seo Dohyeon was already overwhelmed with troubles, and Na Seunghui’s meddling only fueled his irritation. Forcing a smile, he patted Seunghui’s crimson shoulder and told him not to contact him for a while. He turned away from him, his face contorted as if on the verge of tears, and strode off.

He blended into the crowd waiting for the elevator, then turned instead toward the emergency stairwell. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number that had failed to connect countless times before and pressed it to his ear. The dial tone rang briefly before the voice he had been waiting for came through—a voice he knew all too well, delicate and elegant.

— Yes, son.

“Let’s meet.”

— Why the urgency? Did you see Seunghui? He said he was bringing the papers to you today.

At her gentle tone, Seo Dohyeon let out a long sigh. His hand rubbing his exposed forehead carried a trace of irritation.

“I’m not divorcing Igyeol. So please stop doing useless things. You must have heard from Grandfather, so why won’t you give it up?”

The emotions he rarely revealed spilled rawly through the receiver. Im Yeonhui, listening in silence, clicked her tongue. She still thought Go Igyeol was at fault. Even if the child was her son’s bloodline, if he had caused such a misunderstanding, didn’t that mean his conduct had never been proper to begin with?

— Think carefully. That child—hasn’t he often acted suspiciously in the past? You’re not the type to misunderstand without reason.

“Mother.”

— Yes, son. You could easily meet an Omega far better than Igyeol. Why be so stubborn? I’ll persuade your grandfather. And the child? If it’s the child you’re worried about, we can raise it at the main house. I’m still young, and there are plenty of people to help. If you don’t want strangers touching the baby, I’ll raise it myself.

“…After going through this, I’ve come to see clearly what kind of people my family really is. Remarkable, truly remarkable.”