Divorce Contract C23

Chapter 23

Kwon Heekang rinsed the rag clean, put it away, and washed his hands. It took no more than seven minutes to pull the needed ingredients from the fridge, prepare them deftly, and set a bowl of chilled noodles before Go Igyeol. It amazed him that something so simple and quick could be so satisfying.

“Today I made it with konjac noodles. Last time, you seemed to leave the regular ones. Try it—if you don’t like it, I’ll make you new ones right away.”

“Thank you for the meal. I’m sorry for suddenly asking you like that…”

“Not at all.”

Igyeol swallowed as he looked at the red-seasoned noodles, topped with tangy kimchi salad, cucumber, and a soft-boiled egg. He lifted the large bowl and first filled his mouth with a spoonful of the icy broth.

“This is… really delicious.”

“Is it? Try the noodles too and tell me. If it doesn’t work for you, I’ll cook some wheat noodles.”

At that, Igyeol immediately picked up his chopsticks. As he slurped up the noodles, the sweet and sour taste spread richly across his tongue.

“Mhm, I think I prefer this. It’s really good.”

“I’m glad. Go on, eat up.”

“I’ll clean this up myself. Please, go on in.”

His voice rose a little as he rubbed away the red seasoning on his lips. Despite his fine features, his voice carried a pleasantly husky note.

“If you’d like it again, just let me know anytime. Please take care of the cleanup.”

“Get home safe.”

The cold-faced beauty was, contrary to the gossip at the main house, polite and good-natured. It wasn’t much of a conversation, but his gentle disposition was plain to see. Even if he was uncomfortable around people, he was far from insolent. Remembering the one who had once complained about him starting trouble after coming over to help with kimchi, Heekang shook his head.

After Heekang left, Igyeol sat alone in the dining room, staring at the empty bowl drained of broth, and let out an awkward laugh. It felt as though it had been ages since he had last eaten a proper meal. Rubbing his full stomach, he lazed about for a while before slowly standing to tidy up. There wasn’t much to do—just wiping some sauce off the table and rinsing a few dishes—but maybe because he was full, even that put him in a good mood.

Drying his damp hands on his pajamas, Igyeol walked into the living room and stretched out across the sofa. He couldn’t fight the drowsiness that swept over him. Fumbling, he set an alarm on his phone for Seo Dohyeon’s usual return time, then closed his eyes in comfort. He meant to nap just a little…

“Go Igyeol-ssi.”

“……”

“Igyeol.”

The shake on his shoulder forced his heavy eyelids open. His dazed eyes still seemed lost in dreams. After several slow blinks, his vision cleared at last.

“Ah, um…”

His voice scraped rough in his throat, and he quickly closed his mouth. He didn’t know how long he had slept, or why his alarm hadn’t gone off. Shock wiped away any trace of drowsiness. His hair, never dried properly and now a bad habit, stuck up in every direction. Catching Seo Dohyeon’s gaze on it, Igyeol spread his fingers and tried to smooth it down.

“Doesn’t look like that’ll do much.”

“…I was trying to wake up before you came back.”

“Did you go out?”

“Ah, yes. I went to the academy. Had a consultation and enrolled. A language school.”

Dohyeon, jacket in hand, stopped on his way deeper into the house and sat down beside him.

“And?”

“…Yes?”

“What else did you do?”

“…Nothing.”

At Igyeol’s answer, Dohyeon’s expression hardened. He stared at him as if to confirm something, then brushed his finger beneath his nose.

“Alright.”

“Did you… eat?”

“I ate something simple. What about you?”

“I ate too. Quite a lot.”

“Quite a lot” wasn’t much, and Dohyeon knew it. Rubbing his forehead, his eyes lingered on Igyeol’s midsection, which looked unchanged whether he ate or not. Realizing his gaze, Igyeol hunched forward awkwardly to hide his belly.

“You seem to sleep more than before. Must be spring. Feels like all I do after work is find you asleep.”

Dohyeon reached toward his messy hair. As his fingertips touched the stray strands, Igyeol’s cheeks flushed. Cupping his warm cheek, heated from sleep, Dohyeon pulled him closer.

When Dohyeon’s face leaned in as if to kiss him, Igyeol turned away. Recently, he often rejected such gestures. He needed Dohyeon’s pheromones, but if clothes came off, even a man as indifferent as Dohyeon might notice the changes in his body.

“That’s only because… you come home late.”

“You want me to come home earlier, is that it?”

“No, no, that’s not it…!”

Startled, Igyeol hastily insisted that wasn’t necessary. If Dohyeon came home earlier, it would only make things harder. He was planning to leave soon, and he didn’t want Dohyeon realizing his absence any sooner than necessary.

“Then.”

“…Six o’clock.”

That was when most office workers got off. Dohyeon could come then. Watching him cautiously, Igyeol’s gaze met his.

“Nothing else happened today?”

“…Yes? Oh, yes. I just went to the academy and then to a café. That’s all.”

“Make any new friends? I’d imagine there were plenty of your peers at the academy.”

“I only spoke with the teacher who did the consultation. I don’t know the others.”

At that, Dohyeon gave him a meaningful look, then answered shortly, “I see,” and stood up without hesitation.

“Go rest comfortably. I still have work to do.”

Watching him walk away, Igyeol eventually headed for the bedroom himself.

The weather grew warmer by the day. Dohyeon realized spring had come in earnest when he saw Igyeol now wearing thinner, short-sleeved pajamas. It amused him that he judged the seasons not by temperature or breeze, but by what Igyeol wore.

Igyeol, rubbing at his eyes, reached out as if to hold Dohyeon’s arm, then pulled back. Likely it was instinctive, guilt over refusing him the night before.

Using the TOEIC exam as an excuse, Igyeol had been avoiding intimacy with him. Dohyeon couldn’t even remember the last time they had lain in bed together, let alone when he had last held him. It was absurd, considering Igyeol had no plans to return to school or seek employment, yet he studied so desperately. But somehow, Dohyeon understood, and he chose to wait.

“When did you say the exam was?”

“…Next week.”

“Then all this touchiness ends this week.”

The breath by his ear, the lower timbre of his voice—it swept away the last of his sleepiness. It was already the end of May. Igyeol cut into his nights, unable to rest easily beside Dohyeon, afraid of when he might press close.

Instead, he slept more in the mornings. He still rose to see Dohyeon off, but often half-asleep, dazed. Yet he cherished the soft laughter, the gentle touch on his cheek. Just one more day, he told himself, then another. “Today only, just until tomorrow—I’ll leave tomorrow.” And with such delays, a month had slipped by.

Meanwhile, his belly had swollen, now obvious to anyone. No matter how tightly he wrapped himself in clothes, it could no longer be hidden. It meant the time to leave had come.

“Have a good day.”

“Let’s eat dinner together.”

“……”

“It’s been a while.”

At his gentle tone, Igyeol smiled faintly. After repeating his farewell once more, Dohyeon turned away. When the door shut behind him, clarity struck Igyeol like lightning. His stance faltered. He had been far too complacent.

He went straight to the dressing room and pulled out the bag he had been packing bit by bit. He checked once more the clothes and pillowcases carrying Dohyeon’s pheromones, then shoved in a few outfits and a cardigan. With the weather warm, it would be enough. He planned to withdraw all the cash as soon as he left and turn off his phone.

Whether from nerves or from the weight of what he was about to do, the trembling in his body wouldn’t ease. His hands shook so badly he couldn’t undo buttons. Gripping the hem of his shirt, he yanked it up instead—and froze at his reflection in the full-length mirror. His belly bulged, unmistakable even at a glance. If not for Dohyeon’s comment that morning, he surely would have been caught. His vision swam.

Buying the same model bag for the academy and for his belongings had been wise. Slinging it naturally over his shoulder, Igyeol left the bedroom—just as Kwon Heekang, heading out for work, greeted him with a smile.

“Heading out now?”

“Eh? Ah… yes.”

“Nothing you’d like to eat today?”

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

His words weren’t the usual polite “I’ll be back,” but Heekang didn’t think much of it. The soft curve of his eyes deepened with fine wrinkles as he smiled. Igyeol stared at the face he wouldn’t see again and smiled back.

“The noodles were really delicious. Thank you.”

“I’ll make more for you. When you get back from the academy, you can have them as a snack.”

Without replying, Igyeol turned away. As he stepped outside, he prayed Dohyeon wouldn’t notice his absence too soon.