Divorce Contract C25

Chapter 25

Drawn inside by a hand that said it was chilly at the foot of the mountain, Go Igyeol looked around repeatedly, unsettled by the unfamiliar smell.

“Even if the bus gets you here directly, wasn’t it far? Sit down, make yourself comfortable, hm? Sit and let’s talk. My, Igyeol, it really has been such a long time. I thought you had completely forgotten your aunt since it’s been so long, but when you contacted me, I was so thankful and happy.”

The pension owner, Shin Eunsuk, who greeted him warmly, immediately embraced him tightly with her sturdy frame. Stroking the bony back of Igyeol, who wore his bag on his chest, she choked back a sob. Repeating again and again, “Poor child,” her murmurs made Igyeol’s nose sting with the urge to cry.

“Have you been well? I’m sorry for suddenly contacting you.”

“What sorry? I’m just so glad to see you, even like this.”

“…Thank you. And… I’d like to give you this first. I think I’ll oversleep in the morning, so I wanted to hand it to you ahead of time….”

Without preamble, Igyeol opened his bag and pulled out one of the envelopes of money tucked at the bottom. She looked silently down at the small hand holding out the white envelope. Her face, lined with fine wrinkles, grew solemn. It was hard to believe that the little boy she had once known had grown enough to hand her something like this.

“Igyeol.”

“I’ll be using one unit anyway. I don’t know how long I’ll stay, and if you can’t keep taking reservations, that’s a loss for you. And if you accept it, I’ll feel more at ease too.”

“……”

“…I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

From the moment he held out the envelope, Igyeol could not meet Shin Eunsuk’s eyes.

“…Alright, I’ll take it, Igyeol.”

“……”

“The truth is, I wouldn’t have any trouble living even if I didn’t accept it, and I’m not in need of money. But you look so uncomfortable. So, instead, just stay here in peace, alright?”

“…Thank you.”

Clutching his bag tightly on his lap, Igyeol slowly bowed his head. Thank you. At his whisper, Shin Eunsuk only squeezed his narrow shoulder gently to comfort him.

“Did you have dinner?”

“…Honestly, I haven’t eaten anything.”

“Why are you so thin? I can feel your bones, goodness.”

“And… there’s something I haven’t told you.”

At his weak voice, the hand stroking his back faltered. The strength drained from the grip that clutched the bag like a lifeline, and the bag dropped to the floor as if waiting for release. Beneath the loose T-shirt and cardigan, under the bright light, what had been hidden was revealed.

“I… I’m pregnant.”

“…Then why here?”

“……”

“No, what on earth… why would you come here…!”

The details were too personal, a secret he couldn’t share with anyone. Looking at the shocked Shin Eunsuk, Igyeol smiled faintly, on the verge of tears.

“…I… I’m hungry.”

Shin Eunsuk’s eyes began to moisten. Sniffling, with the tip of her nose reddened, she quickly turned away. Instead of asking why he had come here alone in that condition, she swallowed back her tears. Looking back at him with reddened eyes, she cupped his cheek.

“Do you get morning sickness?”

“It’s really severe.”

“Heavens… unbearable.”

Shin Eunsuk headed straight to the kitchen. As she searched through the cupboards and refrigerator, she asked what he could and couldn’t eat. Igyeol said that aside from rice, he could manage most things.

“What kind of picky child is about to be born, I wonder.”

“I don’t know.”

“Shall I make you kalguksu?”

“…I don’t know if I can keep it down, but I want to try.”

What he truly craved was the kalguksu made by her hands. With her good cooking, whenever Igyeol’s family visited, she had always laid out a spread of delicious dishes, and even the shy Igyeol had always held out his bowl for seconds.

“Wait just a bit. I’ll make it quickly. Oh, and I tidied up because you were coming, but it’s an old house, so there may be some mess.”

“It’s fine.”

“But at night, you’ll see the stars, so many that it feels like they’ll spill from the sky. And the air is clean.”

“Just hearing that… sounds wonderful.”

At his downcast tone, Shin Eunsuk stopped chopping and looked back at him. His face showed clear exhaustion as he leaned against the window frame. His thin body and rounded belly looked almost deformed, his skin so translucent that blue veins showed even from a distance. He looked less like an expectant parent than like a patient stricken with illness.

“…And pheromones, what about them?”

“I brought a little with me.”

“You’ll still need more.”

“It’ll be fine. I went to the hospital before coming, and they said the baby is growing well.”

Saying “That’s a relief,” he smiled, but to Shin Eunsuk, he only looked pitiful. With a sigh, she turned away and resumed her work. She added pumpkin, onion, carrot, potato, and plenty of clams, simmering them to a delicate broth before cooking the noodles separately and serving them in a bowl. Setting the kalguksu down on the table, piled high with kimchi and clams, Igyeol’s eyes lit up as he approached.

“Go on, try it.”

“Thank you for the food.”

Hunger and tension were plain on his face as he lifted the chopsticks. Shin Eunsuk unconsciously held her breath. His eyes followed the chopsticks as they lifted the noodles, his parched lips parting. The still-firm noodles disappeared into his mouth.

“How is it?”

“…It’s really…”

“Is it alright? Edible?”

“It’s really delicious.”

At his teary-eyed reply, she simply patted his back and told him to eat more, not asking further. She handed him water that wasn’t too cold and told him only to chew well. Igyeol picked out the clams one by one, chewing down even the potatoes with care.

“Shall I give you more?”

“No, I’m full now.”

Still chewing, with noodles filling his mouth, he lifted the bowl and drank down the broth. The bowl, once brimming with steaming kalguksu, was soon emptied.

“I think this is the first time in a long while I’ve eaten until full.”

“Really?”

“The morning sickness… some days I could eat, other days nothing at all.”

“My heart aches for you.”

As he smiled sheepishly, she wondered what else she could bring him. From the refrigerator, she took out soda and preserved lemon syrup.

“Want to try something sour?”

“Sorry?”

“They say a lot of women crave sour things when pregnant.”

She quickly made lemonade with the syrup she had prepared herself and set it before him. Watching his still-pale but slightly brightened face, she smiled softly.

“You don’t need to force yourself. If you don’t like it, I’ll drink it.”

At her kind reassurance, Igyeol slowly lifted the cup. Normally disliking sour things, he wondered if he could manage it. As the tart scent rose, his mouth watered. With the clink of ice against the glass, the lemonade slid into his mouth.

“Mmm…”

“Is it alright?”

“Wow. Sweet and tangy.”

“So you mean it’s tasty?”

Her hopeful eyes met with his vigorous nod.

“It’s delicious. I thought I couldn’t eat sour things, but this is really good.”

“Don’t drink too much since it’s late. Just half.”

“Now… I feel like I can breathe again.”

Even as he savored the fullness, he remembered the days, just recently, when he couldn’t eat anything, when even water tasted off. He thought of himself then, desperately yearning for Seo Dohyeon’s pheromones, scrambling just to get a pheromone shower. How must he have looked?

“Do you want to go rest now?”

She took his hand gently, asking softly as he idly rubbed at the condensation on his glass. Brooding over Seo Dohyeon, his eyes lifted to meet hers, and he nodded. Suddenly, the fatigue he hadn’t felt washed over him in a wave. Shin Eunsuk handed him some of her homemade fruit chips in small portions.

“Don’t eat too many, but if you feel peckish, these are better than snacks.”

“…Thank you, Auntie.”

“It’s been so long since I heard that. I worried you wouldn’t call me that after so long since I last saw you. Come on, let’s go.”

She draped a soft blanket over his shoulders and slung his bag over her own.

“I can carry it—!”

“Nonsense. You’re not alone anymore.”

Taking his hand, she led him down the short steps, laughing that spring would be over soon.

“Already…?”

“Once the flowers bloom, the heat comes right after.”

“…I see.”

“But since it’s the mountains, the nights are still quite chilly. Did you pack warm clothes?”

Tightening the strap of the blanket across his chest, she asked.

“I brought a cardigan.”

“Once you’ve put on some weight, we’ll head to the market on fair day and get you what you need.”

Of the five houses built in a row, identical in design, Shin Eunsuk lived in the front one, while Igyeol would use the one at the far end.

“They all have names.”

“Yes, it’s necessary. If someone calls saying something is broken or missing, I need to know where to go.”

“Ah…”

“Hope, Peace, Wish, Love. I came up with them myself. Aren’t they a bit old-fashioned?”

Blushing with embarrassment, she laughed. Igyeol chuckled softly too. Shaking his head, he told her they were lovely, and only then did her face ease. As they climbed the low steps, she reminded him several times to be careful not to trip.

“Go on in.”

“Wow.”

“As soon as you called, I went and bought all new bedding and had it washed at the laundromat. The rest are things I’ve used, but—”

“This is wonderful. More than enough, Auntie.”

As he took the bag from her with a bright smile, she smiled back, reassured at last.

“Rest well. I turned the boiler on, so it won’t be cold. Lock the door once I leave.”

“I will. See you tomorrow.”

“Alright, good night.”

“You too, Auntie.”

They exchanged their final goodnights before she stepped outside. Click—the door shut, and just as she said, he locked it at once. Without even removing his shoes, he looked around. The room was cozy and quaint. The furniture consisted of only a bed, a small wardrobe, a two-person dining table, and a television, the air inside pleasantly warm. Arriving at a place not home in just one day felt unreal. Entering the room, Igyeol sat on the edge of the bed and let out a deep sigh.

Alone again, inevitably, his thoughts turned to Seo Dohyeon. By now, he must have realized he was gone. Now that his hunger had eased, rational thought returned.

The fact that he had vanished so suddenly would surely cause Seo Dohyeon trouble, and the thought weighed on him. Though none of the family ever visited their house, if he failed to show up at the monthly family gathering, where everyone shared a meal, it would raise suspicion. Excuses might work once or twice, but not endlessly.

But all such worries had now become Seo Dohyeon’s to bear.