Divorce Contract C21

Chapter 21

He stared at the phone vibrating in his hand. Should he answer it? Would it be better to pick up before going inside the house? Or should he just… ignore it? In that brief moment, several thoughts tangled together in Go Igyeol’s head.

While he was still hesitating, the vibration stopped. That was a relief. He looked at the dark screen, ready to move again, when the vibration started up once more.

“…Hello.”

In the end, he couldn’t ignore the second call. Igyeol dragged his finger across the green button and raised the phone to his ear.

– What are you doing?

“Just… taking a walk. On my way home.”

If one could call this a walk, then it was.

– Shouldn’t we… meet?

“……”

So it had come. He thought it only natural—Na Seonwoo must have sensed that he was hiding the pregnancy, and of course he would be curious.

But Igyeol could never forget Dohyeon’s voice warning him not to meet Seonwoo that day. He wandered near the tall stone wall, debating. He could always suggest meeting later. Since he had already resolved to leave, he could set a date after that and avoid Seonwoo altogether.

– Go Igyeol.

“…Mm, I’m listening. Yes, we should. Let’s meet.”

– When are you free?

“Not anytime… I can’t say I’m free all the time. Mm… this week I’m too unwell, maybe next week…”

He had just said he’d been walking, and now claimed he was too unwell. Clearly, it sounded like an excuse. But he didn’t care. Even when one was ill, there were walks to be taken.

– How about Wednesday.

“Friday, maybe?”

Igyeol wanted to delay their meeting as much as possible.

– What about tomorrow.

“……”

– Thinking about it, tomorrow might be the only time I have.

As though sensing something, Seonwoo pressed for tomorrow, contrary to Igyeol’s wish to delay. No matter how Igyeol tried to deflect with polite excuses—work, illness—Seonwoo would not relent. Even when Igyeol’s unease was plain, he insisted. In the end, Igyeol had no choice but to agree. They set a meeting for around lunchtime before ending the call.

“Ha…”

Perhaps it was a blessing. He had already told Dohyeon he would be out again tomorrow. Yanking the cap off his wrist, Igyeol pressed it down tightly on his head and rubbed at the corner of his mouth, exhaling a long breath.

Even when there was no strong scent, he suffered from morning sickness now. The faintest trace of food carried on the spring breeze made his stomach churn.

That night, Seo Dohyeon was in good spirits. Generously, he released pheromones for Igyeol to bathe in, even giving him what he jokingly called a “pheromone shower.” When Igyeol, still weak, showed reluctance for sex, Dohyeon settled for light petting and spilling into Igyeol’s mouth before letting him go quietly.

Igyeol was glad he could fall asleep without being exhausted. Glad he didn’t have to undress fully—only his pants, with his top pushed down to bare his shoulders. When he fell asleep, Dohyeon lay beside him, but eventually left for his study to finish the work he hadn’t completed. Igyeol, eyes shut, only pretending to sleep, slowly opened his lids.

He waited until the door closed, listened until the footsteps outside faded, and then carefully slipped from bed. Moving like a thief, he crept into the bathroom and gathered Dohyeon’s worn clothes from the laundry basket. No matter how tired he was, he never skipped this task.

He sealed the pajamas Dohyeon had worn that evening into a zipper bag, along with his own nightclothes from the pheromone shower. His stash grew steadily. Carrying the bundle to the walk-in closet, he hid it deep inside a bag tucked at the far end, among his neatly arranged clothes and shoes. He changed into fresh pajamas and resolved to strip the pillowcases in the morning.

Once the task was done, drowsiness pressed in. Rubbing his eyes, he switched off the light that had illuminated the bed. Darkness enveloped the room. The bedroom, heavy with Dohyeon’s pheromones, brought Igyeol both comfort and unease. Wrapping himself in that familiar contradiction, he fell into deep sleep.

He woke earlier than usual, intending to see Dohyeon off, but he had already gone to work. The familiar emptiness greeted him. He stripped the soiled sheets, rolled them up, and dropped them in the laundry. The pillowcase went into a zipper bag, hidden away in his stash.

After washing up, changing clothes, and preparing the items he planned to sell, Igyeol stood before the mirror for a long while. Then, as if to bring himself back, he patted his cheeks lightly and left the room.

“You’re up, sir?”

“…Good morning. I… I changed the sheets. Please just empty the laundry basket.”

“Of course. Are you going out today?”

“To the academy for a consultation. Mr. Seo Dohyeon said I should go out sometimes, so I don’t get too bored at home.”

He explained simply and bowed as he passed the older man wiping with a cloth. The man was Omega, one who had been managing Dohyeon’s household long before Igyeol entered it. He faintly recalled hearing that the man had married, only to lose his spouse not long after the wedding. His name… was it Kwon Heekang? Igyeol glanced at the crow’s feet at his eyes before turning away.

“Please take care on your way. Would you like anything for lunch? The director has been worried—you haven’t been eating much lately.”

“…A sandwich, or something cold, would be nice.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare a variety of things.”

Igyeol bowed again and walked quickly past Kwon Heekang toward the front door. Barely managing to slip on his shoes, he stumbled out. Covering his mouth, he fought the nausea. Even the talk of food was enough to make him retch. Practically running down the stairs, he gagged again and again. Clutching the gate, he pushed through with trembling hands and burst outside.

“…Ugh…!”

Nothing came up, since he had eaten nothing. He regretted not bringing water. Fearing someone might witness him like this, he hurried away. Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, he drew in a deep breath.

And then came a wave of unfairness. All of this was because of Dohyeon, yet he suffered every day trying to hide it, while Dohyeon knew nothing. And he couldn’t tell him. Biting his lip, Igyeol dabbed at the tears brought on by the gagging.

“It’s just talking about food, not even eating it. So… please, help me.”

He remembered reading online that when a fetus and mother carried opposite traits, morning sickness became severe. If so, was this child an alpha?

“If we’re found out, it’s over for both of us… so just stay quiet until we leave. Please.”

His tone was almost pleading. He had no idea if it would be heard, but since they said a child had ears, he begged again and again.

“Just endure a little longer. Please. Please.”

All the way down the sloping road, he repeated his mix of pleas and threats.

When he entered the jewelry shop he had visited yesterday, the owner welcomed him warmly, as if she had been waiting. He pulled three watches from his bag, given to Dohyeon by his secretary. All were luxury brands, encircled with diamonds. Even at a glance, anyone could tell they were costly. But Igyeol had no thought of demanding their full value. He only needed enough to rent a small home, to eat, and to buy what the baby would need.

“Oh my goodness… these are too expensive… I don’t think we can buy them. What to do…”

Her words shattered the little dream he had been holding.

“…Wh-why not?”

“They’re far too high-priced… I never expected you to bring items like this…”

“…Ah…”

“Even secondhand, they’d fetch over a hundred million. How could a small shop like mine possibly have that much cash on hand?”

Unable to sell even one, Igyeol packed the watches back into his bag. Clicking her tongue with regret, the shopkeeper handed him a business card.

“Try here. I’ll let them know in advance.”

“What kind of place is it?”

“They specialize in buying luxury goods like these. You should be able to sell them there.”

“Is it far?”

His eyes lit up, but dimmed when he heard the location. Too far. And since most of the other valuables were already gone, it wasn’t worth the trip. Instead, he decided he would use Dohyeon’s credit card for cash advances from now on.

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

“Sure, come again. We mostly deal in gold and jewelry, so if you get more, bring it here, okay?”

“Yes…”

Bowing, he trudged out of the shop. He then went to the language academy he had planned to visit yesterday. Forcing himself through the level test, he registered and paid with Dohyeon’s card. A notification of approval arrived immediately on his phone.

“Ah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”