Divorce Contract C147

Chapter 147

Even though it must have been uncomfortable, Seo Dohyeon looked down at Seo Ihyeon, who had stretched his tiny arms as far as he could to rest his little hand against the nape of his neck.

“He always sleeps while touching skin. I think he fussed at the café because he was sleepy and couldn’t find anything to hold.”

Hearing Go Igyeol’s explanation, Dohyeon thought the habit was so unbearably adorable his heart ached. Without realizing it, he smiled and pulled up the baby’s warmer to wrap him snugly, protecting him from even the slightest breeze. They strolled at a leisurely pace. Dohyeon was careful not to walk too fast. When a cyclist almost collided with Igyeol, Dohyeon immediately pulled him toward the inner side of the path. Still not reassured, he took Igyeol’s hand. Surprised by the warm grip, Igyeol instinctively tried to pull away, but Dohyeon held on tighter.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“…Ah.”

“I’d like you to let me hold on anyway.”

He had been about to drop his hand and say he was uncomfortable, but the quiet, pleading tone drained his resistance. It felt strange to walk like this — hand in hand — yet not unwelcome enough to push away. He had never walked outside like this with Dohyeon before. Was this what ordinary couples did? Was this what people called a date? Only after having a baby did they do anything one might call a date — only now were they walking shoulder-to-shoulder like this. The realization left him quietly resentful, aching with a sense of loss for time they never had. He tried to hide his expression, but Dohyeon noticed the shift in mood and stopped walking.

“Are you cold?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

“Then shall we sit for a bit?”

He pointed toward a bench ahead. Igyeol forced a small smile and nodded. When he let go, Dohyeon clenched his hand into a fist as if unwilling to let go of the warmth, then sat first. Igyeol sat slightly apart. His mood sank endlessly. Even trying to summon happy memories, his chest throbbed.

Sensing him spiraling deeper, Dohyeon shifted his body, closing the distance, turning toward him. The moment their eyes met, Igyeol’s unstable emotions spilled out — pheromones trembling in the air.

“Can you tell me what you’re thinking? I wish I understood everything on my own, but… I can’t. I’m lacking.”

“I… didn’t think I would ever get to have days like this.”

“……”

“Going for a walk, going to a café… I never imagined a day would come when we could do peaceful things like this together. It feels good. Really… good.”

He smiled as if apologizing, eyes lowering, trying not to cry. He tipped his head back toward the sky to stop the tears, but the gathered wetness betrayed him and rolled down anyway. The sorrow flared. If the past had never happened, would they have been able to enjoy a life like this? Would Dohyeon have smiled while looking at their child?

“…If none of that had happened, would we still be here together? Would we be able to have a normal moment like this? Would you… have smiled at our baby?”

At the trembling question, Dohyeon reached out gently. He cupped the cold, tear-chilled face and pulled the fragile body into his arms. When Igyeol leaned lightly against his shoulder, letting out a small sigh, pain squeezed his chest tight.

“We would have been together. Somehow, I would have realized my feelings. But… I don’t know about the baby. Ihyeon is beautiful because he takes after you. If he took after me, I doubt he’d be this pretty. Sometimes I wonder if he’d still be this adorable even if he looked like me.”

At the soft, earnest confession, Igyeol laughed faintly, eyes squeezing shut. What if changing his mind — choosing not to leave — only made things harder for both of them? If he kept sinking into the past, how long could Dohyeon endure it? How long could he stay patient? The more he thought that, the heavier his heart grew.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to forget quickly. But… will you really be alright?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine with everything.”

“I’m not going to try. To forgive, I mean. Even then?”

“You don’t have to try. Don’t force yourself. Please don’t. Give me a chance to make this right. Don’t forgive me quietly on your own while I’ve done nothing.”

His voice was pleading — desperate. Hearing it eased something inside Igyeol; he felt how soft his heart had already become. He didn’t answer. Instead, he buried his face in Dohyeon’s shoulder.

Dohyeon held him tightly. He feared that Igyeol would collapse under the weight of his emotions — blame himself for everything, surrender to despair. He feared a future where Igyeol took all the blame, felt nothing was Dohyeon’s fault, and no longer resented him — where he accepted misery as his fate and never found happiness. He feared he might end up being the only one who received joy.

“I’ll never forget what I did to you. So don’t forgive me easily, Igyeol.”

“……”

“I’ll regret it every day. I’ll ask for your forgiveness every day. This is all my fault. So don’t try for my sake.”

His hand stroked Igyeol’s thin back slowly. The pheromones that had trembled between them gradually faded and disappeared. Igyeol lifted his head. Seeing his tear-stained eyes, Dohyeon wiped the wetness away.

“It’s okay.”

“…Yes.”

“You’re allowed to cry. I didn’t say you shouldn’t.”

“…I hate you, Seo Dohyeon-ssi.”

He hated him — because he couldn’t bring himself to truly hate him. The rest of his heart sank with a quiet sigh.

When they returned from the walk, they had dinner together, then spent the night in separate rooms. Sharing a bedroom still felt too soon. Dohyeon lay awake all night beneath a storm of worry, while Igyeol, overwhelmed by heavy emotion, tossed until morning before finally falling asleep at dawn.

Since Igyeol didn’t wake up, Seo Ihyeon saw Dohyeon off for work instead.

“Come on, say bye-bye to Daddy.”

Holding him lightly, Kwon Seunggyu waved Ihyeon’s hand for him. Dohyeon, having just slipped into his shoes, turned and extended his arms. Ihyeon stared up at him with round eyes, then giggled and leaned forward toward him.

“He really loves being held by you, sir.”

“Does he?”

“Yes. He’s started getting shy around strangers, but… you look tired. Did you not sleep well?”

“…No, I slept.”

Dohyeon kissed Ihyeon’s cheek without hesitation. Surprised, Seunggyu blinked before quickly masking his reaction.

“Please look after him.”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

Seunggyu took Ihyeon back, and Dohyeon stepped out after saying goodbye. When he reached the parking garage, Yoon Jaeseon bowed deeply.

“Good morning, Director.”

“Yes. Good morning.”

“I thought you had forgotten about the breakfast meeting.”

“Of course not.”

He had nearly forgotten, but there was no need to say so. When Jaeseon opened the car door for him, Dohyeon entered with a faint smile. The memory of soft lips against his still lingered — similar to kissing Ihyeon’s cheek, yet distinctly different. As soon as he sat, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

“Did you not rest well?”

“Yes. Wake me when we arrive.”

“Good thing we made it on time. The chairman will be there — I was worried.”

The cloudlike warmth he had felt moments ago sank swiftly. Why did people have so much to say first thing in the morning? He wished these pointless gatherings would disappear, but with an older executive board — especially with the chairman present — they were inevitable. The thought soured his mood, and he exhaled long and low.

“Regarding the videos and photos you mentioned — they’ve all been blocked.”

“Good work.”

Of course there had been recordings — causing that kind of scene on a busy street meant plenty of footage existed. Some attention-seekers had even uploaded them without blurring faces, and dealing with takedowns had been chaos. Remembering the day made Jaeseon shudder; it had been a nightmare.

“By the way… are the two of you alright? And Go Igyeol-ssi as well?”

From what he saw at the hospital, things had seemed better — but who could say for sure? Maybe Igyeol was forcing himself to act fine because Dohyeon had been a patient. In the rearview mirror, Jaeseon glanced at his superior — who looked like trouble incarnate — then quickly looked away. Dohyeon’s eyes were still closed, brows tense. Thinking he might have been caught, Jaeseon shrank, only to relax when no reproach followed. Dohyeon, unaware of this silent chaos, let out another long breath, rubbing tired eyes beneath his lids.

“I don’t know if you could call this ‘alright.’”