Divorce Contract Extra 5

Extra 5

“You could’ve slept a little longer.”

“I don’t think Ihyeon will go back to sleep.”

“I’ll watch him, so you get some more rest. When you wake up, we’ll take a short break and then go pick out the furniture.”

Brushing away the drowsiness still clinging to Igyeol’s lashes, Seo Dohyeon gathered the squirming baby from his arms — Seo Ihyeon, who was busy spitting bubbles of drool.

“Puu! Bba! Puu—.”

“Really… Is it fine if I sleep more?”

“It’s fine.”

Holding Go Igyeol’s hand, Dohyeon guided him gently back to the bedroom. He helped him lie down again and pulled the blanket up to his chin. As his eyelids fluttered shut, Igyeol reached out, lightly tapping Ihyeon’s chubby cheek. The soft, round skin was so pleasant to touch that it brought an unbidden smile to his face.

“See you in a little while, sweetheart.”

“Uu! Heeing! Bya!”

“I’m going to miss you.”

The fine curve of his eyes softened sweetly. Dohyeon’s heart stumbled at the tenderness in that farewell, and without realizing it, he reached out, covering Igyeol’s hand — the one that had just been touching their child’s face — and, as always, checked its warmth. It was warm.

As Igyeol’s lashes lowered once more, his gaze, which had been resting on the baby, slowly turned toward Dohyeon.

“…What’s wrong?”

“That sounded like… a goodbye.”

“Huh?”

“You said it like you were disappearing. For a moment, I wondered if this was a dream.”

For a joke, his expression was far too earnest. Worry flickered across Igyeol’s face; he couldn’t hide it. Lifting away the blanket that had been pulled up to his shoulders, he sat up, taking Ihyeon’s tiny hand and shaking it lightly.

“Now that I’m lying down, I feel wide awake.”

“……”

“If I nap now, I’ll end up sleeping late again tonight. Before we go pick out furniture, how about we all go somewhere nearby? The weather forecast said today will be beautiful.”

The baby, still giggling at Igyeol, nuzzled into Dohyeon’s chest. Watching the sight, Igyeol reached out and took Dohyeon’s hand, clasping it tightly as if to warm his cold fingers. Then, as if to reassure him, he leaned his cheek against the empty space of Dohyeon’s shoulder.

“When I said I’d miss you while I was sleeping, that’s what I meant.”

“…I know.”

“So, what should we do now?”

Even as he answered that everything was fine, Dohyeon held both Igyeol and Ihyeon in his arms and inhaled deeply, exhaling again and again. He wanted to calm himself, but it wasn’t easy. He knew they weren’t going to vanish, knew this wasn’t a dream — yet sometimes the unease came crawling in, and he couldn’t find a way to soothe it.

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you still… anxious?”

“…I’ve sinned too much against you, Igyeol-ah.”

In his eyes lingered the same guilt that never seemed to fade. Igyeol knew it wasn’t something that could be easily erased — nor something he could help him with.

“Should we pick out Ihyeon’s clothes for the day?”

“Sure.”

As he agreed, Igyeol cupped Dohyeon’s cheek, pulling him down to press a light kiss upon his lips. That single touch softened Dohyeon’s rigid expression. He closed his eyes and opened them again, enduring the heat of shame before murmuring,

“Do it once more.”

With a soft, ticklish sound, Igyeol’s lips brushed his again. Dohyeon received several more feather-light kisses before his expression finally relaxed enough for him to rise.

In his arms, the bewildered Ihyeon simply stared at them both, as if unable to comprehend why they kept pressing their lips together. He patted Dohyeon’s cheek repeatedly in protest.

Later, the three of them went out to a nearby park. For the first time in a while, Ihyeon sat in his stroller, ecstatic to be outdoors, his head turning rapidly to take in the sights. Spring had come — bright green buds sprouted everywhere, and many others were out walking too.

Spotting an empty bench, Dohyeon, who had been pushing the stroller, tugged lightly on Igyeol’s hand.

“Shall we sit there for a bit?”

“I think I can walk a little more. Are you tired?”

Dohyeon shook his head at the gentle question. Instead, he gripped Igyeol’s hand a bit tighter, matching his pace to his. Beside them, Ihyeon babbled excitedly, grasping the safety bar as if commenting on everything he saw.

Each passerby who saw the stroller cooed, saying how adorable Ihyeon was.

An elderly man, watching them closely from a nearby bench, suddenly spoke up — loudly enough for both to hear — declaring that the baby resembled Go Igyeol much more.

Flustered, Igyeol’s face turned red as he bowed and thanked him, even nodding again as they walked away. His cheeks still flushed, he leaned his head against Dohyeon’s shoulder, chuckling softly.

“What’s so funny?”

“…He said Ihyeon looks like me.”

“I think so too. He takes after you more.”

“Really…?”

Leaning forward, Igyeol gazed affectionately at Ihyeon, who was tugging eagerly at the mobile hanging from the stroller.

“But he looks like you too, Dohyeon-ssi. When he focuses — right here. The way his eyebrows knit together.”

“……”

“Like this. Just right here.”

Stopping in his tracks, Igyeol mimicked him, furrowing one brow and laughing when he couldn’t quite get it right. He reached out and gently brushed his fingertip along Ihyeon’s eye line.

As the family shared that tranquil moment, a camera across the walkway captured their every move — the two adults holding hands, the baby leaning halfway out of the stroller, wriggling with excitement.

The camera belonged to a man hired by Seo Jeongjae.

Jeongjae had tried calling Dohyeon several times, demanding an explanation for whatever was going on, but Dohyeon always brushed him off, saying he was too busy. So, Jeongjae had resorted to this. After all, when curiosity burned, one had to move. He had instructed the man to make sure the baby’s face was clearly visible in the shots.

The man with the camera pretended to photograph the scenery — the birds skimming over the pond, the trees — while continuously capturing the family. He took dozens of photos, then, deciding that wasn’t enough, took dozens more, ensuring the client would be satisfied.

After a short walk, they returned home, rested for a bit, then went furniture shopping.

Even though all Igyeol did was look and choose, he was visibly tired by the end. To let him relax, they had an early dinner.

As Igyeol absentmindedly watched over Ihyeon instead of eating, Dohyeon told him to take it easy and got up from his seat, carrying the baby and strolling through the house. By the time he returned, Igyeol had already finished his meal and water.

When he approached, Dohyeon naturally handed him the baby, then sat down to eat the rest of his own meal.

While Dohyeon cleared the table, Igyeol sat on the sofa, reading a storybook aloud to Ihyeon. The book came with a small doll puppet attached, so he could slip his hand inside and bring the story to life like a miniature play.

As he read, he would sometimes clasp Ihyeon’s plump hand or guide the doll’s head beneath it, as if asking for a pat. The baby, still clumsy with his movements, grabbed at the doll’s head as though to pull it off.

Hiding his mouth behind the book, Igyeol made a playful groan in the puppet’s voice.

“Ihyeon, if you grab it like that, it’ll hurt.”

“Bua! Bbaah!”

“Shall I show you how to be gentle? See, like this — ‘pretty, pretty.’”

But instead of gentle pats, Ihyeon smacked the puppet with cheerful enthusiasm. Laughing at the sight, Igyeol decided the child still found delicate gestures difficult. Setting the book aside, he hugged Ihyeon tightly.

“How can you be so cute?”

“Uu! Bruh!”

“But aren’t you sleepy? You didn’t nap at all today. Hm? My baby, are you skipping naps so you can sleep early tonight?”

As he pressed those chubby cheeks, Ihyeon burst into laughter, not understanding a word. Igyeol followed, smiling so widely his own eyes curved. Whenever Ihyeon laughed, his chest felt as though it were filled with cotton candy — soft, light, and sweet.

After playing for a while, Dohyeon joined them on the sofa, and Igyeol instinctively rested his head against his shoulder.

“What’s so fun?”

“I was reading him a story.”

“Oh, that book.”

“Yeah. He loves it. I think he really likes the puppet.”

Turning his face slightly to meet Dohyeon’s gaze, Igyeol saw his lips curve gently. Dohyeon leaned in to kiss him, at the same time covering Ihyeon’s eyes with his hand.

The baby squirmed in Igyeol’s arms, babbling protest, “Bba! Ubbya!”

After a while, Dohyeon pulled back slowly, removing his hand.

“I think he likes it when you read to him.”

“……”

“When I listen, I like it too. Maybe you should record it sometime — I’d want to hear it all day.”

His tone was so sincere that Igyeol couldn’t tell if he was joking. Flustered, he bit his lip, face turning pink, and shook his head quickly.

“W-we should give him a bath soon. He skipped his nap, so if we bathe him and feed him formula, he’ll probably sleep early. So, um… please, go run the bathwater…”

Laughing softly, Dohyeon caught the edge of Igyeol’s cheek, pressing a few teasing kisses there before running his hand gently through Ihyeon’s hair.