Divorce Contract C130

Chapter 130

After escorting Kang Mijin to the barbecue restaurant, Go Heeju returned to her half-basement apartment — still too cramped and miserable to ever feel like home. Instead of turning on the harsh fluorescent light, she lit only the desk lamp and sat waiting for Go Minjun to come back.

He arrived before midnight, worn out from work. The moment he saw his sister sitting there, looking so still and ghostlike, he muttered a curse under his breath.

“I’ve gotta catch a few hours of sleep before heading back to the warehouse. Loading shift starts before dawn.”

His hands, scraping down his tired face, were covered in bandages. This was a boy who had never done hard labor before — his once handsome features were now gaunt, his cheeks hollowed, his lips pale and cracked. The dark circles beneath his eyes looked bruised.

He was only twenty, yet every day seemed cruel.

Heeju clenched her fists. She was bursting to tell him the one bit of hope she had. The news that could change everything.

“Minjun, I found him. I found Igyeol-oppa.”

“I’m too tired for— wait, what?”

“I found him. He’s in Seoul. Mom and I saw him earlier, near the hospital. He was with the baby… and with Seo Dohyeon.”

“Where in Seoul? Did you talk to him? I thought you said he was getting divorced — why the hell are they still together?”

He froze mid-motion, coat half off, eyes desperate and bright as he looked at her.

She stopped, giving him a moment to process, before answering quietly.

“We saw him from a distance. I don’t think he saw us.”

“Why?! Why didn’t you go to him? You should’ve stopped him right there! How do you know when you’ll see him again? Are you both out of your minds? You just let him walk away?!”

“Go Minjun!”

“He was basically a stray when we took him in! We fed him, clothed him, gave him a place to sleep when we had nothing! And now he can’t even call us once? He’s our brother! He knows we’re living like this and he’s pretending not to! Damn it, even a bird repays kindness — but he’s human, isn’t he?!”

The yell was loud enough that someone in the next room pounded on the wall, a warning to be quiet. Heeju flinched, remembering the unpleasant man who lived next door.

“Lower your voice. Please. I don’t know either, okay? I don’t know if he even knows what we’re going through. We have to meet him first to find out. Just calm down, Minjun.”

“How the hell am I supposed to calm down when life’s this fucked up? So what, we’re nothing to him now? He gets to live comfortably while we rot here?”

Heeju thought of the man she’d seen earlier — of Go Igyeol’s pale, thin face under the winter light. Did he really look like someone “living comfortably”? Not quite. But compared to the life she and her family had now, yes, he looked better.

So she nodded, softly agreeing just to soothe him.

“Calm down, Minjun. Once we see him, everything will get better. I was going to go to his place with you, but maybe it’s better if I go alone first. You have to work at dawn, right?”

“No. I’m coming. I need to know where he lives. I won’t die from missing one night of sleep.”

“…If he says he can’t help us,” she whispered, “then I’ll just tell him we should all die together.”

“Are you crazy? Why die? I’m not dying like this. You said he’s got a kid now — fine. If he won’t help, we’ll take the kid to that Seo Dohyeon and make him listen.”

Minjun’s eyes glinted dangerously. Heeju gripped his hand tight.

“Don’t say that. Don’t do anything stupid.”

But even as she said it, she knew they were thinking the same thing.

Sometimes you had to do bad things to escape bad circumstances.

He’s kind, she told herself. He’ll understand.

It was the last fragile piece of hope she had left.

Soon, this would all be over — the debt, the moldy walls, the tiny window that only caught sunlight at dusk, the communal bathroom they shared with strangers. All of it.

When Go Igyeol returned home, he hesitated at the door.

His bare feet were filthy — his shoes had fallen off during the panic earlier — and he couldn’t bring himself to step onto the spotless floor.

Seeing his hesitation, Seo Dohyeon told him to wait and carried Seo I-hyeon to the bedroom first.

The baby, delighted by their short trip outside, was kicking and cooing, smiling with bright, toothless joy.

“Stay here for a moment, little one.”

At the soft tone, I-hyeon furrowed his tiny brows before breaking into another laugh.

Dohyeon brushed the child’s cheek and quickly returned to the living room.

Igyeol looked up at him and murmured, voice still weak.

“My feet are dirty. I can’t go in like this. If you could just bring me something to wipe—”

“Even if it’s uncomfortable, bear with it for a second.”

“…What?”

Before he could process the words, he felt his body lift from the floor.

Dohyeon’s arm slid beneath his knees and around his back, lifting him easily.

“W-wait—!”

Startled, Igyeol instinctively clutched at him, afraid he might fall. His face burned hot. He had only meant to ask for a towel, not to be carried.

His lips parted, searching for words, but his gaze landed instead on Dohyeon’s face — close enough that he could see every detail.

The man’s usually neat hair, often styled with product, now fell loose and soft across his forehead. His straight nose, calm eyes, and slightly chapped lips came into view, one after another.

Pretending not to notice the weight of Igyeol’s gaze, Dohyeon strode into the bedroom. The bed was rumpled, the blanket half fallen to the floor. Without a word, he set Igyeol down and disappeared briefly into the bathroom.

“Wash up.”

“…Thank you.”

Flushed, Igyeol rubbed at his cheeks. He wished Dohyeon would just leave — but the man lingered, glancing at him as though he wanted to say something more. Then, finally, he turned and stepped out.

The moment the door shut, Igyeol let out a long, trembling breath.

His reflection in the mirror was scarlet.

“…God, this is insane.”

His emotions churned.

He should have pushed Dohyeon away, drawn the line again, but every time Dohyeon was kind, his resolve collapsed.

No matter how many times he told himself not to waver, Seo Dohyeon was like wind — impossible to hold, impossible to resist.

While Igyeol tried to calm his racing heart, Dohyeon, too, leaned against the closed door outside, covering his face with one hand.

He could still feel his heartbeat pounding, echoing in his ears.

When he had felt those uncertain eyes on him, he had almost looked back. Almost.

“…Haa.”

He exhaled softly, willing the tremor out of his chest, and began tidying the bed.

When he heard the sound of running water, he nodded to himself and stepped out of the room.

He went straight to Seo I-hyeon’s crib.

The baby lay quietly, staring at the spinning mobile above, laughing softly to himself. His tiny hands reached up to grab at the dangling shapes, fascinated by the motion.

Dohyeon smiled. The boy really did take after Igyeol — gentle and calm.

He washed his own hands and face, changed clothes, and came back quickly.

A moment of worry flickered through him — what if the baby cried while he was gone? But when he peeked in, I-hyeon was still happily absorbed, drooling as he kicked at the air.

The colorful insect-shaped mobile turned above him, and the boy laughed again, chubby arms waving in delight.

“Do you want me to hold you?”

“Uu… buu…”

As if he understood, I-hyeon squirmed toward the outstretched arms, face scrunching like he might cry if not picked up soon.

It was unbearably sweet.

Turning off the mobile, Dohyeon bent down and lifted him easily. I-hyeon straightened his little back, eyes wide at the change in height, staring curiously at the room.

They walked slowly — Dohyeon murmuring questions he knew wouldn’t be answered, like whether the baby was hungry.

The small, damp hands patted his face, his chin, his lips.

And he didn’t mind. Not at all.

He’d even washed his face twice, just in case — maybe he’d known the baby would reach for him.

When the boy grasped his finger and giggled, Dohyeon’s heart softened completely.

Then, a faint sound — the bathroom door opening.

Go Igyeol appeared, hair damp, the scent of soap lingering faintly.

Dohyeon turned immediately, eyes following him.

“Now I’ll take him.”

“All right. I’ll prepare dinner and I-hyeon’s formula.”

Dinner again, Igyeol thought helplessly.

He should have said he could handle it himself, but the moment had already passed. Dohyeon was gone, his footsteps fading down the hall.

This wasn’t the time to worry about food.

There was something far more important.

Swallowing hard, Go Igyeol quickly followed after him.