Divorce Contract C15

Chapter 15

“You two must be close, right?”

“If you’d call this sort of relationship being close, then I suppose yes.”

“What kind of relationship is it…?”

“Well. Should I say a relationship where there’s a lot of give and take? Let’s get out.”

Before he realized it, they had arrived at Seo Dohyeon’s family home. Go Igyeol mulled over his phrasing as he unbuckled the seatbelt. A relationship with a lot of give and take? What on earth could a lawyer and a conglomerate’s executive vice president possibly have to give and take between them? Lost in thought, his movements slowed. By the time Seo Dohyeon came around the hood to open the passenger door, Go Igyeol was still thinking about him and Na Seunghee.

“Go Igyeol-ssi.”

“Yes? Ah, thank you.”

As he took the offered hand to get out of the car, it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t received any pheromones from Seo Dohyeon. He shouldn’t have been thinking about someone like Na Seunghee, whom he barely even knew. Grabbing Seo Dohyeon’s hand just as he was about to press the doorbell, Igyeol flushed and bit his lip.

“What’s the matter?”

“…I…”

Standing there, unable to speak easily, Igyeol faltered. Tilting his head, Seo Dohyeon glanced at his wrist to check the time. Even without hearing it, Igyeol knew that if they went in now, they wouldn’t be late.

“Could you release a little pheromone for me?”

“Suddenly, pheromone?”

“…I’m nervous.”

“You’re telling me my pheromones calm your nerves?”

Of course, nothing gave an omega greater comfort than the pheromones of their bonded alpha. Though he already knew this, Dohyeon still asked as though to confirm, making Igyeol flush.

“If I do it now, everyone inside will notice.”

“……”

“Every time you plead with that innocent face, you have no idea how obscene the thoughts I get are.”

Seo Dohyeon pulled Igyeol inside the gate and pressed him against the wall. With a family dinner gathering ahead, he couldn’t give him a full-on pheromone shower. It would be improper to show up before his elders reeking of sexual activity. Drawing the frail body into his arms—whether it trembled from nervousness or from the slight chill, he couldn’t tell—Dohyeon lowered his head.

“Open your mouth. I’ll let it flow to you.”

His hand stroked Igyeol’s eye area after trailing over his blushing cheek as Igyeol lifted his head timidly. Then Dohyeon kissed him, pushing through the narrow space to pour pheromones into him along with saliva.

Once a month, the family gathered for a shared dinner. The date wasn’t fixed, but there was never a skipped month. At the table, centered around Seo Jeongjae, Seo Taehyuk and Im Yeonhee sat on one side, while Seo Dohyeon and Go Igyeol sat opposite.

“Igyeol, you look much thinner since I last saw you. Is Dohyeon giving you trouble?”

At Jeongjae’s remark, Igyeol quickly lifted his head, which had been bowed. His wide, startled eyes met Jeongjae’s, and he hurried to answer.

“No, not at all. He always treats me well.”

“Dohyeon treats you well, yet why do you look so gaunt?”

He couldn’t possibly confess that his weight loss was from morning sickness making it hard to eat. With an awkward smile, Igyeol glanced at Dohyeon.

“I’m taking good care of him.”

“You’d better. Always make sure he keeps warm and looks after him well. And those clothes—you’re dressed too lightly. Those things only look nice, tsk.”

“The weather has warmed a lot, Father. And these days, clothes are designed to be pretty without being cold.”

Yeonhee cut in smoothly with a smile, deflecting Jeongjae’s disapproval of Igyeol’s outfit and steering the conversation elsewhere. She chatted about topics that only Dohyeon and Taehyuk would fully follow, all while keeping an eye on Igyeol’s bowl.

“But still, why is Igyeol eating so little? Could it be…”

“Pardon?”

Again, all eyes turned toward him. Flustered, Igyeol scooped up a large spoonful of rice, praying silently—Please, just this once, help me get through this. He stuffed the spoon into his mouth. He couldn’t remember the last time he had chewed rice. Swallowing the rolling grains, he added some meat, puffing his cheeks round to look like he was eating heartily. Seeing this, Dohyeon pushed a cup of water toward him.

“Yes, good to see you eating. Still no news yet, I assume?”

“I’m trying. But why bring up something that only makes Igyeol uncomfortable?”

Dohyeon cut off the intrusive question with a hard expression. Jeongjae coughed lightly and dropped the subject, continuing the meal without further prying.

Only after the family had finished fruits and dessert could Dohyeon and Igyeol leave the house. The two walked out under the watchful send-off of the Seo family. Crossing the yard and descending the steps, Igyeol pressed a hand against his stomach, staying a step behind Dohyeon. He felt like vomiting everything up immediately. The thought chilled him—if he hadn’t gotten Dohyeon’s pheromones before the meal, he wouldn’t even have been able to swallow, and would have run to the bathroom gagging.

“Looks like you’ve got indigestion.”

“…What?”

“Pretending to eat well like that.”

“The situation was difficult, I guess it upset my stomach.”

At Igyeol’s reply, Dohyeon just said I see, and opened the gate for him. He seated Igyeol in the car first, then lit a cigarette as he checked his piled-up messages. It was always striking how his neat, composed aura turned languid and almost rakish when he smoked. Watching the stream of smoke, Igyeol turned away. Soon after, Dohyeon slid into the driver’s seat.

“You sure you don’t need digestive medicine?”

“…I’ll be fine.”

“Didn’t I tell you the dumbest thing is enduring pain?”

“I’m really okay. Truly.”

Seeing the pale-faced Igyeol lie so poorly, Dohyeon sighed heavily. Did Igyeol realize how bad a liar he was?

“Want me to release pheromones again, like earlier?”

“…If you would…”

“You seem to like my pheromones more and more lately.”

“I’ve always liked them.”

Though the words came with a chilly retort, Igyeol smiled sheepishly as he accepted the pheromones spreading around him. Pressing his hand to his chest, he tried to soothe the knot in his stomach. The pheromones helped, but only slightly; he still felt like he’d throw up the moment they got home. Could he manage it quietly without Dohyeon noticing? His nerves prickled as he waited for them to arrive. He leaned back against the headrest, too tense even to doze, only blinking his eyes through the long minutes.

“Go Igyeol-ssi, are you really not going to take medicine?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine at all.”

When Igyeol muttered that he was, Dohyeon told him it was only because he hadn’t seen himself in a mirror. Even after they parked in the garage, Dohyeon asked one last time, but when Igyeol refused again, he gave a curt as you wish and didn’t press further, though his expression soured.

When Igyeol went straight to the bedroom, Dohyeon retreated to the study. There, he reviewed the meeting materials he had missed because of the family gathering. Leaning back in his chair with his tablet in hand, he frowned by habit. But the words wouldn’t sink in. His mind was entirely on Igyeol. That face, whiter than flour, kept flashing before him until it irritated him.

Unbuttoning his shirt, he tried again to focus on the screen but soon tossed the tablet onto the desk in frustration. Rubbing his eyes, he checked the time. Would a drink help? Rising, he headed for the dining room, debating between wine and whiskey as he reached out—just as Igyeol entered.

Hair still damp, he was shaking his head to fling the water off when he froze at the sight of Dohyeon.

“I… came for some water.”

“Go ahead.”

Dohyeon stared at him intently. His skin was flushed from the hot shower, the area beneath his eyes tinged red as if he had cried, though there were no tear tracks. Soap must have gotten in. After a swift but careful check, Dohyeon concluded Igyeol seemed better than earlier and eased a little inside.

“Good night.”

“Dry your hair properly before sleeping.”

Pouring water into a glass, Dohyeon handed it to him along with his own wine, offering the reminder. Bowing in thanks, Igyeol quickly turned away.

Later, following his advice, Igyeol dried his hair thoroughly before lying down. His throat felt raw as he traced the soreness. Earlier, he had run all the taps in the shower and sink to mask the sound while he vomited everything out, leaving his throat burning.

Go Igyeol dragged his heavy body up after a whole day of sleep when he got an unexpected message from Na Seonwoo asking to meet. Though he declined, saying he could go on his own and didn’t need to be picked up, Seonwoo insisted on coming and wouldn’t be dissuaded. After sending him the address and showering, Igyeol came out to find a text saying he was already outside.

To hide his swollen face and poor condition, Igyeol pulled a baseball cap low over his eyes. Opening the gate, he saw Seonwoo leaning against his car, waving energetically.

“Have you eaten lunch?”

“No, not yet.”

“Did you sleep? You’re really swollen.”

Seonwoo gave a small laugh as he looked at him. Guiding Igyeol like an escort, he placed a hand on his back and opened the passenger door. While Seonwoo circled around the hood, Igyeol fastened his seatbelt and stifled a yawn, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

“What’s going on?”

“I finished early today.”

“Isn’t it way too early? It’s not even two o’clock yet.”

“They told me to head home since I didn’t have work, so I left right away.”