Divorce Contract C101

Chapter 101

Seo Dohyeon’s gaze fell upon the back of Go Igyeol’s hand. Drawing a handkerchief from the inside pocket of his jacket, he pressed it firmly against the wounded skin as he pulled him to his feet. Let’s go. The words were spoken quickly. Igyeol nodded, his body slackening, staggering as if his strength had dissolved. Dohyeon steadied him, pulling his thin shoulder close as he turned to leave.

Im Yeonhui’s rebuke rang out—scolding them for their insolence in front of an elder.

“And what is it that you think you are doing right now, Mother?”

“They say you two are divorcing. Is that true? Explain that first! Why is Ihyeon going with him, hm?”

“Because Igyeol gave birth to him. Naturally, he goes with Igyeol. Why ask what is obvious? And as for our marriage, that is ours to manage.”

“Yours? Since when has your marriage ever been yours to decide?”

Forgetting entirely where she was, Yeonhui raised her voice, until the stares of those around fastened upon her. Abruptly, she shot to her feet.

“If your grandfather hears, he’ll collapse from the shock. He already can’t sleep at night, worried sick about you both. Quarreling is one thing, but too much is a burden.”

Her words were directed not at her son but at Igyeol. Even in this situation, she instinctively turned her barbs where they might wound most.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Grandfather won’t collapse. He’s well, strong and vigorous.”

“The chairman is not what he once was. He has aged. And you, Igyeol—you mustn’t behave so. He treasures you so dearly.”

Dohyeon blocked Igyeol’s view, shielding him, muttering shortly that there was no need to listen.

“Before coming here, I sent Grandfather a video from the black box. Was it Gil Sojeong, you called her? The new secretary. For someone who prizes propriety so highly, your fondness for her seems… excessive. And in the recording, the words exchanged were far from decorous.”

“…What?”

“For someone so exacting about manners, how did you manage to endure that? In any case, you will be far too busy trying to explain yourself.”

Yeonhui’s eyes darted without her willing it. Across the café, the secretary waited, unaware, yet catching her mistress’s gaze, smiled faintly and inclined her head.

“On the way here, I worried—knowing it wasn’t like you—whether perhaps you might actually be apologizing to Igyeol. Even if the chance was slight.”

“You—you dare…!”

“You said yourself, too much is a burden. That seems fitting for you now, Mother. We’ll be leaving.”

Resuming the steps he had paused, Dohyeon led Igyeol out. At once, he seated him in the passenger side of the waiting car, fastening the belt. Even the small click made Igyeol flinch. Dohyeon slipped off his own jacket and laid it over his knees before closing the door.

“I’ll drive. Secretary Yoon, return to the office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Taking the wheel, Dohyeon started the car. Igyeol sat in silence, eyes vacant, staring at the passing scenery. Quietly, tears slid down his cheeks without sound.

“Go Igyeol-ssi.”

“……”

“You needn’t mind what my mother said. I told her not to come to you, and now I see she simply cannot learn. I understand that much now.”

He sighed. The light changed, and the car came to a halt at the crosswalk. Watching the stream of pedestrians, he furrowed one brow slightly, then turned to Igyeol.

“I don’t know why I am always too late. I am sorry. Sorry you endure things you never should have had to.”

“…Seo Dohyeon-ssi, how did you know… how did you know I was there?”

The tremor in his voice was faint, but clear. His eyes, until then lowered to the back of his own hand on his knee, slowly rose to Dohyeon. At last, it struck him as strange: the day Go Daesik and Kang Mijin had come, too—Dohyeon had known exactly where to find him, as though it were natural.

“I hope you will not take this amiss.”

“……”

“I set guards around you. I couldn’t know what might happen—whether my mother, or your father, might do something. There are too many… people without reason nearby.”

Dohyeon knew well enough he belonged in that category himself. Everything Igyeol suffered now stemmed from his own reckless suspicion. It was far too late for regret, but still he drowned in it.

“The people who come to you are, without exception… despicable.”

He could not repeat the same mistakes. He could not stop them from coming, but he could at least shield Igyeol from their hands. He could not bear for him to face such things again.

“Whatever my mother said today—forget it.”

“…She said divorce requires means. Asked if I planned to squeeze money from you with the child. That a parent should not trade on their child. But then…”

Dohyeon’s lips pressed thin, silence falling heavy. To think she had said such things to Igyeol—it burned within him. Swallowing his anger with effort, he managed only to call his name.

“Go Igyeol-ssi.”

“And hearing that… I thought of my father. He is not the sort to leave you alone. He never came back to me… so, I wondered. Seo Dohyeon-ssi—did you… give him money?”

His voice faltered at the end. Clearly, her words had dragged Daesik into his thoughts. Dohyeon clenched his jaw. How could family fail him so utterly?

“You… you did, didn’t you?”

His voice carried the hope it might not be true. Dohyeon hesitated. Yes, Igyeol had the right to know, and would one day discover it—but he had wished to spare him until he was stronger, more settled under Eunsuk’s care. Would hearing where Daesik was now not shake him all the more? His eyes lingered on the handkerchief-wrapped hand. The symptoms he feared were already showing again. Should he tell him?

“Just… please. Tell me honestly. I beg you.”

Seeing Dohyeon waver, Igyeol was sure he was hiding something. The pressure in his chest rose, nearly choking him. Though the car was warm, his fingers, tangled with Dohyeon’s beneath the cloth, were icy cold.

“…Yes. I gave him money.”

“……”

“He came the same day. And within the week, he came again.”

A ragged breath escaped Igyeol. His face blanched, trembling lips pressed together.

“It seems he turned to gambling. He pawned the factory, the machines, drew loans from loan sharks.”

“…I knew it.”

“He came to the company. I gave him what he asked for, and he took it.”

“This is why… why I… how can I take Ihyeon, how can I raise him, like this….”

Tears fell, heavy, from his slow-blinking eyes. The tremor that began in his fingers spread until his whole body quaked like a reed in the wind. Dohyeon pulled the car over, hazard lights flashing.

“You shouldn’t have… why did you… why give it, again and again…”

“I had to. I had to keep him in that gambling house, hold him there.”

Igyeol’s wet eyes turned to him, filled with bewilderment. He could not understand.

“The gambling house he haunted was raided by the illegal gaming task force. From the proprietors down to every last hanger-on, all were arrested. His trial has yet to set the term, but he will not escape prison.”

“…What are you saying…”

“I am saying he cannot come to you anymore. He cannot set foot outside until he has paid his sentence.”

Igyeol’s eyes widened, tears coursing down his cheeks. Listening to Dohyeon explain how he had deliberately enabled Daesik’s fall, he longed for a hole to crawl into. Shame engulfed him. Daesik had sought only to exploit Dohyeon. Dohyeon had seen through it, planned to erase it. The emotions rising within him could not be named.

“Even if we divorce, I must find a way to keep you safe.”

“That…”

“There was no time to search for another way.”

He reached out, fingers brushing gently at the wet trail on Igyeol’s cheek, wiping the tears. How pitiful that every day of Igyeol’s life was steeped in tears. When he should be living the joy of welcoming new life, he instead endured only ceaseless sorrow.

“Igyeol.”

“My father’s debt… I’ll pay it back. Somehow, I’ll pay it.”

“Why should Go Igyeol-ssi pay his debt?”

His lashes trembled, heavy as they fell. His lips parted, breaths coming quick and shallow. At his unexpected words, Dohyeon felt as though struck across the skull.