Divorce Contract C140

Chapter 140

“Secretary Yoon!”

Yoon Jaeseon, who had been frozen in place, rushed forward at Seo Dohyeon’s call and caught Go Igyeol, who had fallen to the ground.

Go Igyeol’s trembling hand wiped at his tear-soaked eyes, but his gaze never left Seo Dohyeon. Yoon’s voice asking if he was all right barely reached his ears.

“Let—let go of me, please! Please! Seo Dohyeon—Minjun has a knife, Secretary Yoon…!”

The knife in Ko Minjun’s hand flashed as he lunged recklessly at Seo Dohyeon. The blade swung upward and then fell in a sharp arc toward him.

Yoon Jaeseon gasped and instinctively shielded Go Igyeol’s view, pulling him close and lifting him to his feet. He turned and rushed away from the scene without hesitation.

Even as Go Igyeol begged to be released, Yoon half-dragged, half-guided him to the car where Seo Ihyeon and Kwon Seunggyu were waiting. He ordered the guards to take them immediately to the hospital.

“Secretary Yoon! Secretary Yoon!”

Go Igyeol cried out, pounding the window that would not open, tears streaming down his face. Yoon bowed deeply to him, then turned and ran back, pushing through the crowd that had gathered.

By the time he returned, Minjun had already been subdued. The young man was pinned to the ground, screaming in fury. Yoon, pale and shaken, turned to Seo Dohyeon.

“Executive Director!”

“Where’s Go Igyeol?”

“He’s on his way to the hospital. Sir, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

Seo Dohyeon clenched his right hand, dismissing it as nothing, and began walking toward the car. The burning pain radiating through his palm was nothing compared to his need to see for himself that Go Igyeol was safe. Only then would he be able to breathe again.

“You need to go to the hospital first, sir!”

“It’s fine. Finish up here and follow me. I’m going to Go Igyeol.”

“Yes, sir.”

At that moment, no one could have stopped him.

Yoon Jaeseon hurried ahead to open the car door for him. Just as Seo Dohyeon was about to climb in, someone lunged toward him.

Yoon blocked the woman’s hand as it clawed at Seo Dohyeon’s coat collar. The moment their eyes met, her gaze burned with rage and despair.

“Let go! Let go, you bastard! Seo Dohyeon!”

It was Kang Mijin.

She had arrived late and, not understanding the situation, screamed for the men restraining her son to release him. Her swollen hands struck Yoon again and again.

“Stop it!”

“Who the hell are you! Who are you to tell me that!”

“Go Minjun attacked both Go Igyeol and the Executive Director with a weapon. Are you his guardian? You’ll need to come with us to the station.”

“…What? What are you saying my son did?”

Still not grasping what had happened, Kang Mijin’s eyes widened, filling with tears as she frantically looked around for Go Igyeol. She screamed, demanding to know where he was, where they’d taken him. Seo Dohyeon looked at her with a cold, detached gaze, then silently climbed into the car.

The door shut with a heavy thud.

Yoon released Kang Mijin and bowed slightly toward the car as it drove away.

“What—what did my Minjun do? What are you saying?”

Kang Mijin, her face streaked with tears, clutched Yoon’s arm desperately. When he told her she’d need to accompany her son to the police station, her defiance collapsed all at once.

“He threatened and assaulted Go Igyeol, and attacked the Executive Director with a knife.”

“…What—what did you say? My—my boy? No, no, my son would never—he’s not that kind of person! My Minjun would never do that!”

Her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Her glassy eyes followed the sight of her son being handcuffed and led to the police car.

“My son isn’t like that,” she whispered again and again, her voice trembling with disbelief.

Yoon shook his head faintly.

Go Heeju, who had been standing nearby in a daze, trudged forward and sank down beside her mother.

“Mom.”

The moment the word left her lips, Kang Mijin’s hand flew.

Slap!

The sharp crack echoed in the air.

“While your brother was doing that, what were you doing?! Huh?! Were you just going to let him ruin himself?! What the hell were you doing! Just standing there like an idiot, blinking your eyes? Is that all you did?!”

Her voice rose to a hysterical pitch.

Heeju lowered her head, tears spilling freely down her face. She couldn’t believe any of this. What had just happened? Was this even real?

The image of Go Igyeol’s face, drenched in blood, and Seo Dohyeon catching Minjun’s knife with his bare hand flashed before her eyes again and again.

Had she really seen that?

Why was her mother blaming her?

She hadn’t done anything.

Her dazed, unfocused gaze turned to Kang Mijin.

“Mom… Mom, I was scared too. I didn’t— I didn’t know it would turn out like this…”

“If you hadn’t pushed him, telling him today was the only chance—none of this would’ve happened! What are we supposed to do now?! What about Minjun?!”

Heeju stared at her mother through streaming tears—and then, absurdly, laughed, hollow and bitter.

She wiped her face with her dirty hands and rose to her feet.

She wanted to run. To disappear. To evaporate into the air. Anything to get away from this awful place, from the smell of blood and the noise and the horror clinging to her skin.

But before she could take a single step, two police officers approached.

A female officer gently caught her arm.

“You’ll need to come with us, miss,” she said softly. “As a witness.”

“Why… why me? I didn’t do anything…”

“Just for questioning.”

Heeju began to cry again as she was led away. The car carrying her disappeared into the distance.

Only Kang Mijin remained.

The crowd that had gathered slowly dispersed, and even Yoon Jaeseon was gone.

Kang Mijin crouched in the middle of the empty street, staring at nothing.

A shadow fell over her.

A tall, slender man stood before her, his black trousers and polished shoes gleaming in the winter light. His face was hard to see with the sun behind him, but she knew immediately why he was there.

He had come to take her away.

It was over.

In that moment, she finally understood what it felt like to be a condemned prisoner awaiting execution.

The first thing Seo Dohyeon did upon arriving at the hospital was search for Go Igyeol.

The handkerchief wrapped around his palm was soaked with blood, but he didn’t even notice.

He felt as though he would collapse if he didn’t see with his own eyes that Go Igyeol was all right.

People in the elevator gasped and drew back at the sight of him—his bloodstained sleeves, his grim face—but he didn’t care.

When he reached the hospital room, the guard waiting outside immediately opened the door for him.

The quiet room was filled with faint sounds—small, pained breaths, the kind that could be missed if one didn’t listen carefully.

“The swelling has to go down before we can stitch it properly. For now, I’ll clean and disinfect the wound, and once the bleeding stops, we can assess it more closely.”

“…All right.”

“The child is being seen in pediatrics right now. Once his fever breaks, he should be fine, so don’t worry too much.”

“…Thank you.”

At the soft murmur of gratitude, the doctor gave Go Igyeol a sympathetic look—then froze when the door opened behind him.

“Is the treatment complete?”

“A-ah, not yet. We’ve only done first aid so far. Once the swelling—ah?!”

The doctor went pale as he saw Seo Dohyeon’s hand, the blood still dripping down from beneath the makeshift bandage.

“If you’re injured, you should be in the emergency room—!”

“Could you give us a moment alone?”

“Sir? Now’s not really the time—My God, what on earth happened here…!”

The doctor, wide-eyed, looked between them. He insisted they both needed medical attention, but Seo Dohyeon didn’t answer.

“Please,” he repeated quietly.

The doctor hesitated, then sighed and said he would go prepare fresh dressings. He stepped out, leaving them alone.

For the first time, there was silence.

Seo Dohyeon stood motionless, studying Go Igyeol.

Most of the blood had been wiped away, though faint smears still stained his skin. A small peach-colored bandage was taped near his eyebrow, his lip was split, and faint bruises were forming across his cheek.

Seo Dohyeon exhaled slowly and stepped closer.

When he reached out, Go Igyeol flinched and shut his eyes.

Seo Dohyeon’s hand brushed lightly over the bandage. The thought that a scar might remain made something inside him twist painfully.

“Does it hurt?”

“…No. I’m all right. You’re the one who—”

Go Igyeol’s voice faltered. He reached out, his trembling hand hesitating in the air before brushing against the soaked handkerchief around Seo Dohyeon’s palm. The wetness made him shiver.

“You—you should get treated first… please…”

When he lifted his head, his eyes were wide and glistening, his lashes heavy with tears.

Even his breath came out sounding like a sob.

This pain wasn’t physical—it was something deeper, tearing through him.

Seo Dohyeon’s chest ached.

He wiped the tears from Go Igyeol’s face with his uninjured hand. But the touch only seemed to unravel him more; Go Igyeol, who rarely cried aloud, broke down completely.

“Hh-hh… I… I—”

“It’s all right. It’s over. You’re safe now.”

“Why… why did you do that… why…”

His voice came out in ragged gasps. He clutched Seo Dohyeon’s collar, trying to hold back another sob, but his split lip cracked open again, blood welling at the corner of his mouth.

Seo Dohyeon gently wiped it away.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “All of this—everything that’s happened to you—is my fault.”

“…No… it was Minjun… he’s the one who…”

Go Igyeol shook his head, but Seo Dohyeon didn’t believe him.

Every misfortune, every wound, somehow began with him.

“The unhappiness I gave you… it never lets you go,” he whispered. “Because of me, bad things keep happening to you.”

“……”

“And yet…” His voice trembled. “Why can’t I let you go?”

I just want to stay with you.

Seo Dohyeon’s lashes lowered, his expression crumpling as he bent down.

He pressed his lips gently against Go Igyeol’s—soft, trembling, still tasting faintly of blood.

The guilt that had been clawing at his heart dissolved in that instant, swallowed whole by the quiet, desperate warmth of the kiss.