Divorce Contract C24

Chapter 24

The swollen face that offered a farewell greeting was the same as yesterday’s. The hand that rubbed his eyes reached out briefly to grab Seo Dohyeon’s arm before letting go, the expression saying “it’s nothing” carrying a faint gloom—except for that, it was the usual daily routine. Nothing had changed, ordinary as ever.

“After nine-thirty… almost ten, he said he was going to the academy and left, and he didn’t return until I got off work. So I thought maybe he was just staying late. Usually, he’d be back around three-thirty, four o’clock….”

“Did he say anything else? Like that he’d be late, or something.”

“No, he didn’t say anything like that.”

When he came home after work, Go Igyeol wasn’t there. In truth, Seo Dohyeon never considered the possibility that Go Igyeol had left him. The bedroom was half-heartedly tidied, the pajamas he had been wearing that morning were draped over the vanity chair, his clothes and the tumbler he often used sat by the water dispenser, and above all, his pheromones lingered faintly in the air.

That was why. That was why Seo Dohyeon thought lightly of it, assuming he was simply coming home a bit later than usual. It was a mistake to call only after nine o’clock that evening. He should have sensed something was wrong from the start.

“Ah.”

Standing like a sinner before Seo Dohyeon, Kwon Heekang glanced uneasily at the secretary who stood behind the sofa. The man shook his head silently.

“Is there… some kind of problem.”

“No, nothing. I apologize for calling you back out so late. You should just head home now, and for the time being, remain at your residence.”

“…What? All of a sudden! Did I make some mistake? If you tell me, I’ll correct it. Director.”

To be told to stay at home—those words struck like a bolt from the blue. As his trembling voice carried, Seo Dohyeon shook his head and smiled.

“It’s nothing like that. Just think of it as a vacation. Rest up well, and once I contact you again, you can return to work.”

“…But it’s too sudden….”

Kwon Heekang’s wavering gaze turned toward the secretary. He replied only with a small nod.

“Then… I’ll take my leave.”

He didn’t know what exactly was happening, but he understood that something unusual was afoot. It must be some kind of marital issue… He sneaked a glance at Seo Dohyeon’s face.

“Do you have something to say?”

“What? No, no. Nothing.”

“Manager Yoon, prepare a car to take Kwon Heekang-ssi home.”

At Seo Dohyeon’s words, Manager Yoon extended his hand as if waiting. Even while crossing the yard beyond the front door, not a word passed. It was only as Kwon Heekang was about to be seated in the car that Manager Yoon finally spoke.

“Keep today’s events to yourself and remain on standby until we contact you again.”

“What? Ah, yes, of course.”

“Get home safely.”

“Yes, yes. And thank you for your work too, Manager.”

After sending off the car, Manager Yoon returned inside and studied Seo Dohyeon’s expression. Sitting exactly as when he had left, clutching a glass of liquor, Seo Dohyeon did not budge.

Back in March, when Seo Dohyeon had instructed him to clone Go Igyeol’s cell phone and secretly install a location-tracking app, he never imagined it would come to this. He had simply thought, in such troubled times, that it was a precaution in case of an emergency. After delivering the cloned phone, since Seo Dohyeon hadn’t checked it himself, he’d dropped the matter entirely and forgotten about it.

Now, testing the waters, he tapped at the tablet in his hands to report on the task.

“I checked the call history as you requested earlier, but there’s no number he contacted repeatedly in recent records.”

He regretted deeply that such a thing was being used in this way.

“And his movements?”

“Other than the academy, there’s one place he visited twice. Here, if you look…”

“So you’re telling me Go Igyeol went to a jewelry shop two times?”

Why on earth a jewelry shop? Seo Dohyeon had never seen him actually wearing any of the things he’d been given. At his question, Manager Yoon nodded. Pressing at the throbbing temples that had begun aching the moment he realized Igyeol’s absence, Seo Dohyeon suddenly stood and headed to the bedroom. Yoon hesitated over whether to follow, but ended up waiting outside.

Seo Dohyeon passed through the dressing room and opened the drawer where Go Igyeol’s accessories were kept, his expression stiffening. He hadn’t believed it—not until the moment he confirmed it with his own eyes. The necklaces, bracelets, brooches he had routinely sent through Manager Yoon each year for anniversaries were all gone. Only three now-hard-to-find watches remained, left haphazardly. With a mirthless laugh, he stepped back out. The secretary waiting at the door looked up, full of unspoken questions.

“They’re gone.”

“…Pardon?”

“Go Igyeol seems to have sold all the gifts I’ve ever sent him to that jewelry shop. Go there tomorrow.”

“…What? No, understood.”

Laughing incredulously, Seo Dohyeon brushed past Manager Yoon—then abruptly muttered a date.

“Pardon?”

“Check the call logs for that day with Go Igyeol.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Tapping the tablet again, Manager Yoon pulled up the records for that date. Adjusting his glasses with a reluctant expression, he handed it over.

“If you look here, there’s a record of a call with Na Seonwoo.”

“His whereabouts?”

“It appears he stayed with Na Seonwoo-ssi at a coffee shop for about an hour.”

“And besides that?”

When Seo Dohyeon sighed heavily and asked, Manager Yoon faltered, hesitant to speak.

“Manager Yoon, I’m very tired right now. Let’s just say it quickly and finish this.”

“He… has been visiting an omega-specialized obstetrics and gynecology clinic regularly. Were you aware of this?”

“Obstetrics and gynecology?”

“Yes, once every two weeks. Should I investigate further?”

At the cautious voice, Seo Dohyeon nodded. He could feel for himself how keenly sharpened his nerves had become once he noticed Go Igyeol’s absence.

And then he recalled how Go Igyeol had begun avoiding intimacy. Using flimsy excuses of studying late, going to bed later than him. At the time, he had found it cute—his earnestness—and endured it. But so that wasn’t the case.

Suddenly, the behaviors he had brushed aside seemed strange. Wearing only loose-fitting clothes—he had always preferred clothes that fit his body, but now he wore things that concealed his figure as if they belonged to someone else. He had thought it was simply to blend in with his peers at the academy, looking younger, but no. He was shrewd beyond belief.

“Ha… He’s pregnant.”

“…What?”

“It won’t be mine, then whose bastard is it? I suppose you can only know once the child is born.”

“They can extract fetal blood and run a genetic test.”

At Yoon Jaeseon’s reply, Seo Dohyeon gave a slow nod.

“To extract blood or make him carry to term, we’ll first need to capture him. Bring him back. Unharmed.”

That morning, Go Igyeol went straight to the place he had long had his eye on. The phone he had turned off as soon as he stepped out was buried deep in his bag, and the cash withdrawn from the ATM was divided into several envelopes, each holding a set amount. He took extra time verifying his balance, thinking he might not be able to withdraw again later.

Placing a hand on his protruding belly, he leaned against the rattling bus window with a heavy sigh. Was this truly the right choice? He replayed the worries that had plagued him until the very moment he boarded.

“Ha.”

Was it luck, perhaps, that he remembered a close acquaintance of his late mother? Calling her had been the most impulsive act of his life. Yet he couldn’t think of another way to escape Seo Dohyeon’s watchful eye for long. Wherever he went, he felt he’d be caught. And so—though he knew it shameless—he reached out to the one remaining lifeline, the woman he hadn’t contacted since his parents’ funeral, and asked if he could come to her place.

She must have been startled, but not a shred of hesitation came through her voice. Even recalling it now made his eyes sting.

—Of course, why even ask? Just come quickly.

This woman, who had cherished her dearest friend’s child as her own, wasn’t surprised that their contact had suddenly resumed after years of silence. She even lightened his burden by saying she needed someone to help with her pension business anyway.

—It’s been far too long, I’m excited, Igyeol-ah. I’m so curious how you’ve grown. Travel safely, alright?

At the tender, coaxing tone, tears spilled uncontrollably. Only after he finished the call, voice breaking, and bought the bus ticket did he wonder how he could possibly explain the thick swell of his belly. Yet even then, he held to a vague belief that she would help him.

Leaning his head fully against the bus seat, he watched the swiftly changing scenery. As the variegated sky darkened to black, his thoughts drifted to Seo Dohyeon. Would he be angry? Stunned? Would he bitterly think, “You asked for divorce, but when I refused, you ran away”? Or perhaps he wouldn’t think much at all. Maybe long afterward, he’d track him down with divorce papers in hand.

As for the child… He’d surely be shocked—“You had a baby without asking”—but probably wouldn’t be angry. Anger required affection, after all. Seo Dohyeon was the type of man who assessed the genetic excellence of the mother’s lineage and would ship the child abroad, as per contract. At least, that was the Seo Dohyeon Go Igyeol knew.

So, he hoped—may he feel a little regret, and quickly forget. Yet at the same time, he wished he wouldn’t forget, that he’d miss him. That he’d feel the emptiness of the absence of someone always by his side. His feelings tangled in extremes—wishing he’d forget, yet hoping he wouldn’t.

“…If I had told you… would things have been different?”

He asked the baby whose name he still hadn’t chosen, but there was no reply—only the faint, bean-like tremor from within his belly.