The trembling touch carefully caressed the lip caught in his teeth. Infinitely tenderly, preciously. As if the worthless body that had just been mercilessly toyed with and crushed under a man’s feet was some kind of treasure.
Hot emotion surged up from inside. Before he could calm that anger in his head, his hand reacted first and batted away Wookyung’s hand with a smack.
“……”
He could tell without looking at him. How hurt Wookyung’s expression must be right now. He kept making confusing expressions since earlier. Perhaps without knowing that this was what was stirring up his insides even more.
He saw Wookyung’s sleeve cuff drop powerlessly. The manly hand with moderately prominent veins faithfully obeyed even his feeble rejection. The hand of Wookyung visible before his eyes didn’t dare think of touching him again and only anxiously clenched and unclenched an innocent fist.
With a small sigh, Wookyung painfully parted his lips.
“…I’m still a bit uncomfortable for you, right? I’ll step out. But… I’d appreciate it if you’d eat that.”
“……”
“Dokyung… if you absolutely must go pick him up… I’ll take you. Let me do that.”
At the topic brought up again, Ido looked up at him and firmly shook his head. However, this time he also seemed to have no intention of backing down.
“Then, should I send you off in a taxi after bringing you all the way here?”
Why wouldn’t that work? Whether taxi or bus, whatever he took had nothing to do with Wookyung. However, when Ido nodded, his eyes immediately took on a fierce light.
“I can’t do that.”
“……”
“Sending you away too… it’s only because you might be uncomfortable here, that I’m letting you go just for today.”
In Wookyung’s earnest tone, besides the sadness that had been seeping in since earlier, there was also some kind of resolute will.
“Ido-ya. Even if you resent and hate me, from now on I’d like you to accept what I do for you.”
“……”
“First, as I said earlier, I’m going to make you quit that job. You can’t go there starting today.”
It was a firmly decisive tone. He had never spoken to him like this before. Ido blankly looked up at him.
Probably the reason Wookyung was trying so hard to be kind to him was because he knew he was Dokyung’s father. Perhaps seeing how broken he was like this, he felt some responsibility.
But the more Wookyung tried to be kind, the more Ido suffered. His kindness held obligation, and he could see the will to gladly take responsibility for the past when he couldn’t look after him.
It seemed he was thinking of making him quit Yeodanhwa. Judging by the size of the house, the suit he wore, the brand of the car they rode together, and his subordinates who called him Executive Director. Considering those circumstances, and looking at Wookyung’s kind personality, he’d probably provide some support for Dokyung’s sake. Then at least he wouldn’t have to sell his body, and he could eat warm rice with Dokyung without much worry.
That was the extent of Wookyung’s kindness he could hope for.
However.
“…Don’t cry, Ido-ya… Stop crying…”
The more he extended his compassion, strangely the hole pierced in his heart grew larger. Growing and growing, tears kept flowing through those gaps. When the tears constantly welling up enough to sting his eyes all drained out of his body, it felt like nothing would be left in his empty flesh.
If he could quit selling his body and live doing normal work with Dokyung. If only that could happen, there would have been nothing more to wish for in the past. However, to comfortably receive such things as ‘support’ from Wookyung, he was someone Ido had loved too much. No, he was still someone burning quietly in his chest at an unchanged temperature.
And Wookyung was also the person who had embraced him so passionately before. The kind person who told him he only loved Ido. To receive a helping hand filled with sympathy, obligation, and responsibility rather than affection from such a person was an extremely painful thing.
Unable to bat away the touch wiping his moistened eyes, Ido leaned into that touch and cried. He weakly leaned his temple, which was throbbing from crying and being beaten too much, against Wookyung’s hand. He should firmly shake it off and stand up, but his weakened body and mind wouldn’t listen well. He shamelessly thought he wanted to stay like this for just one more minute.
Then the phone rang from Wookyung’s pocket. A look of dismay appeared on Wookyung’s face. He took out his cellphone and tried to quickly silence it, but Ido read the caller’s name on the screen first. He shook his head side to side meaning don’t hang up. Wookyung answered the phone with his other hand without removing his hand from Ido’s face.
-Oppa! Did you find Lee Jeong-ssi by any chance?
Even though it wasn’t on speakerphone, Yoonkyung’s voice came through loudly.
“…Yeah. I’m with… him right now.”
-You’re with him?
He could almost see the bewildered face.
“It’s a long story. We know each other. …Don’t worry. Ido, …Lee Jeong-ssi is going to pick up Dokyung at dismissal time.”
-Really? Usually I pick him up for dismissal. Is something wrong with Lee Jeong-ssi? Not going to work today?
“Yeah. Not going.”
The voice cutting off decisively had a firm core.
“Won’t be going there anymore.”
-…What on earth…
“Don’t worry, Yoonkyung-ah. I’ll… explain everything later. Let’s hang up for now.”
Wookyung hung up the phone. Ido, who had been blankly listening to the siblings’ phone call, raised the back of his hand to wipe away tears. Anyway, such a kind person. It seemed she’d still been worried about him.
She was someone who had been nothing but grateful to him. When he was stuck in the gutter unable to move, she was the person who readily helped him and Dokyung, who were strangers. As long as his useless body was attached to this world, he wanted to live repaying her.
However, Yoonkyung’s kindness had never been this painful before.
He didn’t want to stab the person who had been kind to him. Yoonkyung seemed very close with her oppa. What expression would she make if she learned that he was entangled with an omega like him? If she learned that Dokyung, whom she’d been caring for with pure goodwill and sympathy, was actually her nephew…
“…Uuk.”
Suddenly nausea rose. Wookyung hurriedly knelt on one knee and examined Ido’s face.
“Ido-ya. Do you feel like throwing up?”
“Huu…”
“Throw up. It’s okay. It’s okay, so throw up comfortably.”
He gathered those pot-lid-like hands into one and held them under his chin. Without a moment’s hesitation. Seeing that sight, tears poured down again. Without time to wipe them, fiercely. The guileless kindness of the two people, Wookyung and Yoonkyung, was gripping and squeezing his heart tightly.
He couldn’t endure anymore. He couldn’t repay people extending pure goodwill with something else they never wanted. Ido staggered up from his seat.
“Ido-ya, if you get up so suddenly…”
Carefully grasping his withered arm with one hand, Wookyung’s eyebrows twisted. Ido picked up the paper and pen placed on the bedside table. With gestures oozing with fatigue, he wrote down one letter at a time.
[I’ll be going now. It’s about time for dismissal.]
“Let’s go together. Just write the daycare’s name here.”
He quietly looked at Wookyung’s face, but having already put the car keys in his pocket and draped a padded jumper around his body, he seemed to have no intention of yielding when it came to his return home. Ido swallowed a sigh inwardly and obediently followed him out of the bedroom as he wished.
Unlike earlier when he’d been naked, he was now dressed in thick training clothes and even outer wear. The clothes were already big, but having to fold them over several times to wear them probably looked ridiculous. His movements became sluggish. However, right now no one was paying attention to such things. Ido obediently got into the passenger seat of Wookyung’s car.
The number 3:00PM was blinking on the dashboard. If they went diligently from now, could they arrive by four o’clock? Not knowing exactly where this place was, he couldn’t estimate the arrival time.
“If we go now, we’ll arrive comfortably around three-thirty.”
“……”
“Lean back and rest comfortably, Ido-ya.”
As if reading Ido’s mind, Wookyung said from beside him. Without answering, Ido turned his eyes toward the car window. Endlessly watching the streetlights flashing by, he dozed off as Wookyung suggested.
And when he opened his eyes again, the place they’d arrived at wasn’t the daycare but a small hospital located directly across from the daycare.
Ido threw a look half filled with doubt and half with reproach at Wookyung. Wookyung, who until earlier had been constantly flustered by his cold gaze and pushing hands, opened his mouth with a rarely firm expression.
“Let’s go in.”
“……”
“Let’s go in, okay? Ido-ya.”
His expression was firm but his tone was nothing but pleading. His big, thick hand carefully grasped Ido’s white hand. His body temperature, hot as fire, stirred enough to make his heart flutter. His heart pounded unpleasantly, so Ido slipped his hand out.
However, Wookyung seemed to have no intention of yielding.
“Earlier I didn’t call a doctor because you said you wanted to rest, not that I’m going to leave you as is.”
“……”
“You’re badly hurt. Let’s get simple treatment here and go see Dokyung. Okay? If we’re later, Dokyung will be waiting.”
He wondered if there was any point in being stubborn with someone who was even bringing up Dokyung to persuade him. Ido finally nodded slightly and followed him out of the car.
