Divorce Contract C92

Chapter 92

After receiving Yoon Jaeseon’s report that Go Daesik had been sent off, Seo Dohyeon stood by the window for a long while. He began to plan: the next time, when Daesik was intoxicated by the money he had been handed and squandering it recklessly, he would have the gambling den raided. From what he had learned, the house Daesik frequented was a small-time den, where penniless men who still craved the thrill of gambling gathered in little cliques. Lacking the courage to enter the larger tables, yet burning with desire to gamble—it was utterly laughable. Winning a few tens, losing hundreds, all the while tormenting Go Igyeol over every swing of fortune.

At such dens, one could not expect anyone to disappear “like a mouse into the shadows.” It had to be handled thoroughly, even if it was troublesome. If Daesik were transferred to a detention center through a crackdown, he would cling to Igyeol all the more persistently, with no connections to shield him. That too had to be anticipated. Why was it that such vermin always seemed to have such long lifelines?

He had considered giving him money and sending him off to some faraway place, but dismissed the thought at once. Once the money ran out, Daesik would only come crawling back to harass them again. With a furrowed brow, Dohyeon exhaled deeply. If only he could remove Daesik from Igyeol’s sight, then perhaps at least a little of the suffocating weight would lift. Igyeol must surely be sick to death of being threatened by an adoptive father who was no true parent at all.

“Executive Director.”

The voice that broke through the tangled, unending stream of his unresolved thoughts was none other than Yoon Jaeseon.

“What is it?”

“How will you be returning this evening? You did not answer, so I came in.”

“Ah, I should leave now.”

Had it grown so late already? Dohyeon raised his wrist, checking his watch, and gave a nod.

“I will escort you.”

Yoon Jaeseon bowed his head before stepping outside to wait. Dohyeon gathered the pile of documents from his desk, placed them into his briefcase, and lifted it. As he stepped out of the office, Jaeseon fell into step beside him. When they reached the elevator, a hand reached past him to press the button swiftly.

“Go Daesik-ssi gave part of the cash he received from Ms. Kang Mijin and then entered the gambling house.”

“Good. I hope he loses quickly.”

“Then perhaps he will not come again this week?”

“Manager Yoon, are you not overestimating him?”

Dohyeon gave a derisive laugh as he stepped into the arriving elevator. Following him in, Jaeseon asked, “Shall I have it come sooner? And how much cash should I prepare?” Dohyeon told him to ready twice or thrice the amount he had given today, then found his mind drifting to Go Igyeol. By now he must be awake. What might he be doing? With Shin Eunsuk there, meals would surely be provided—had he eaten well? He no longer heard a word of what Jaeseon was saying behind him.

“Manager Yoon.”

“Yes, Executive Director.”

“Do you think there is any answer to be found? I mean, between myself and Go Igyeol-ssi.”

No matter how many spare moments he spent pondering it over and over, no solution revealed itself. Even if he confessed his wrongs now, what he had done could not be forgiven. There was no going back to how things had once been.

“…Would my opinion be of any use to you?” Jaeseon asked with extreme caution. Could his thoughts possibly be of value in the matter of his superior’s marital affairs?

“I thought I might at least hear it.”

There was no real expectation in Dohyeon’s tone. Jaeseon hesitated, then spoke slowly.

“I do not know the full story… but if it were me, Executive Director, I would not even want to see you.”

“Let us put that in a gentler expression.”

Grinding his teeth, Dohyeon pressed against his dry eyes with his fingers.

“My apologies. I mean… if it were me, I would not want to face you. I would not want to share the same space, and any sudden attempts at care now… I would despise them. They would feel like hypocrisy. But you are also the child’s father, and though marriage is not exactly a matter of master and servant, in terms of social position, you stand far higher. So he cannot wholly refuse you. He must tread carefully, watching your moods. Considering everything, must it not be unbearably heavy for him…?”

“……”

“Of course, the child was born safely, but not even discharged yet. And the cause… was your rut. That alone must weigh heavily on his mind. Truly… I do not know. But if it were me, merely having you before my eyes would be agony enough, unbearable.”

“So, you are telling me that someone like me ought to disappear from before Go Igyeol-ssi’s eyes. Is that your meaning, Manager Yoon?”

At Dohyeon’s blunt words, Jaeseon bowed his head low. But it was not something he could deny. He answered honestly.

“I believe some distance between you is indeed necessary.”

“And if in keeping such distance, Go Igyeol-ssi were to leave me forever—would you take responsibility for that?”

“…No. I could not.”

“Then why do you speak so lightly?”

“My apologies.”

At his mumbled apology, Dohyeon gave a bitter laugh and bent his neck side to side. If even outsiders thought this way, what must the person himself feel? Psychiatric counseling had shown no improvement, and now only Shin Eunsuk seemed able to grant Igyeol any semblance of peace.

“So you believe I should not be at his side.”

“…Yes, that is my thought.”

“Regrettably, it is mine as well. I asked only to know whether others felt the same. And… the truth is, I do not yet wish to act on it. I fear that if I step away, he may wish to leave me forever. That fear is the only reason I endure. But… perhaps it will come to that soon.”

His voice was calm, yet already resigned to the end. Just as Jaeseon opened his lips to offer comfort, the elevator doors slid open. Dohyeon stepped out first, Jaeseon following in silence. The fortress of a man was beginning to crumble, bit by bit.

Go Igyeol blinked open his eyes, hazy and dim, and looked around him. The last he remembered was being in the car. Now he lay in a bed. His head burned, his eyelids heavy. He shifted, curling into himself, seeking comfort, and closed his eyes again. He had just begun to drift back into shallow sleep when the door opened.

“He is still asleep.”

“The IV must be finished. I will just remove the needle and go. Do not worry.”

The voices of Shin Eunsuk and Seo Dohyeon came in turn. The door closed. As Dohyeon approached the bedside, a faint trace of pheromones mingled with his familiar cologne, touched by the chill of the late autumn air.

Gently, Dohyeon drew Igyeol’s arm from beneath the blanket, peeling away the tape that fixed the needle. With a sterile alcohol swab, he pressed against the crook of the arm, withdrawing the needle and holding down the spot. The sigh he released over the pale skin dispersed as it touched Igyeol’s face.

A few beads of blood welled, then quickly ceased. Dohyeon affixed a small round bandage, tidied the IV set, and straightened. He longed to see Igyeol awaken, but the young man looked most at peace in slumber. Perhaps it was why he slept so much—because his only refuge lay in dreams.

He should leave, yet the sight of Igyeol’s face upon the pillow held him captive. When he looked, he wished to touch. When he touched, he wished to hold. But such things were no longer possible. Against his will, his hand brushed back the hair from Igyeol’s forehead, fingertips grazing the warmth of his skin.

“Just wait a little longer. I will do as you wish.”

The resolve he had clung to shattered the instant he entered the room. Yet, gazing at the boy who slept like the dead, he steeled himself anew. To release Igyeol, he must first eliminate every source of suffering around him. All must be settled before the child left the hospital. With reluctance, he withdrew his hand, longing for the touch of soft skin and hair. He lingered a moment longer, drinking in the sight, before finally turning and leaving the room.

The instant he stepped out, Shin Eunsuk, who had been waiting by the door with eyes sharp as blades, stopped him.

“I would ask this of Igyeol, but I doubt he would answer me. Did his so-called parents truly take care of him?”

“No. Likely not.”

“…Truly….”

“I have words for you as well. Will you spare me some time?”

With a stricken look, Eunsuk glanced once at the door of the bedroom before nodding. Dohyeon led her to his study.

“Must we come all the way here?”

“The farther from the bedroom the better. With the door closed, he will not overhear.”

“What matter is so grave?”

“You said you wished to take them all to the pension once the child is discharged. Do it.”

Only days before, he had declared such a thing impossible. Now he reversed himself. Eunsuk, startled, asked over and over whether he truly meant it.

“But… why the sudden change?”

“If you keep pressing me, I may change my mind again.”

“Ah, I understand. Very well, I will take it as your word. With only a few weeks until discharge, I will need to file for the pension’s closure… there is much to be done.”

Afraid he might rescind, she quickly nodded. In a few weeks she would have to close everything and prepare a new space for the baby and Igyeol—life would be frantically busy.

“On one condition. You must accept all the aid I offer.”

“…Pardon?”

“I will handle the remodeling of the home where they will live. If you agree. I will also provide the vehicle you will use together. I will bear all incidental expenses for their life.”

“That is… but still.”

Though Eunsuk hesitated, Dohyeon’s tone was firm.

“Well… very well. There are things I could not manage alone anyway. But as for the car….”

“I even wish to assign a driver, but I know it would only make both you and Go-ssi uncomfortable. So I restrain myself.”

On the matter of the conveniences to be granted to Igyeol and the child, Seo Dohyeon was resolved not to yield a single step.