Chapter 143
Cheong-yeon’s eyes shone sharply, filled with dark emotions that Do-heon couldn’t fully decipher.
Though he knew it was impossible, Do-heon felt a stinging pain in his chest, as if pierced by that gaze.
Those eyes that now faced him had once sparkled with pure, overflowing affection. They had been dreamy and excited every moment they looked at him, and every word and sentence from Cheong-yeon’s mouth had flowed with unrestrained love.
After three years of marriage, the face that had once been only bright without any shadow gradually darkened. Cheong-yeon no longer confessed his love or chattered with a flushed face about looking forward to the coming seasons.
As more time passed, Cheong-yeon’s gaze when looking at him grew cold, and sometimes it seemed weary and sunken.
“I.”
And now… it seemed no feelings remained for him. Not even hatred.
“I’m not trying to hurt you.”
After a long moment, Do-heon muttered what sounded like an excuse to Cheong-yeon, who was looking up at him with distrust.
“Do you really think so?”
Cheong-yeon tilted his face, flushed with intoxication, diagonally as he asked.
Momentarily choked up, Do-heon couldn’t provide any answer.
The question thrown like a reproach, the medication fallen on the floor, the script, and their relationship that had crumbled because he failed to protect it.
Faced with all of these, he couldn’t bring himself to say “yes.”
For the first time, Do-heon was the first to avoid Cheong-yeon’s direct gaze. He fumbled at his suffocating neck before realizing he wasn’t wearing a tie and lowered his hand again.
“The articles that have been published will be taken down within two weeks.”
He changed the subject as he stood up. Then, in his usual monotone voice, he continued.
“The woman called Team Leader Kwon Hye-na. According to her, it will take a few months for everything to completely quiet down. You can resume acting once the scandal content is sorted out and forgotten. The drama production can also be postponed until then.”
As if trying to prove his claim that he wasn’t trying to hurt Cheong-yeon, Do-heon presented a solution for overcoming the current situation.
Though it was currently on hold, he was the largest investor in the new drama that was set to be filmed, so it wasn’t impossible to delay the schedule by a few months.
“Wow. Your plan is so specific. So smooth and efficient… like some kind of management.”
Cheong-yeon, still sitting on the floor unable to get up, smiled faintly.
“If you had told me from the beginning, this would have ended more simply. Without needing months of hiatus.”
“But with such a perfect plan… how am I supposed to repay you this time… I didn’t even ask for your help this time.”
Cheong-yeon sighed and muttered with unclear pronunciation. Despite Do-heon presenting a clear solution, his expression didn’t seem pleased at all.
“Will I be able to repay all this with my body?”
At the mention of “repaying with my body,” Do-heon’s eyes distorted fiercely.
“Yoo Cheong-yeon.”
Despite the low voice calling his name, Cheong-yeon blinked calmly.
“What? It’s true.”
“You were the one who sincerely wanted to act. And I’m trying to help you continue acting.”
Do-heon said while fixing his gaze on the script Cheong-yeon had dropped.
But perhaps due to offering only messy excuses, he felt increasingly cornered.
No matter how he tried to frame it as helping Cheong-yeon, he couldn’t restore the twisted situation. Now he was the only one struggling to recover this relationship.
Cheong-yeon hadn’t asked him for any help with this matter first.
“It is help, true. But the problem is that it’s help that comes with a price.”
“I never asked for anything in return.”
At Do-heon’s serious response, Cheong-yeon burst out laughing.
“Why pretend otherwise now? You’re just doing this to sleep with me. What else is there between us?”
“……”
“I brought this on myself… but I’m too exhausted by this now.”
As his words became progressively slower, Cheong-yeon brushed back his fallen hair and then dropped his head towards the floor.
“What I should have done… I really have no idea.”
After sitting like that without moving for a while, the sound of light snoring began.
“…You should go to sleep now.”
Do-heon said as he lifted Cheong-yeon off the floor.
He wasn’t completely asleep, as Cheong-yeon stirred, saying he could walk by himself. However, he didn’t have enough strength to escape Do-heon’s arms and walk on his own.
Do-heon laid Cheong-yeon, who reeked of alcohol, on the bed and covered him with a blanket. Cheong-yeon moved his lips as if he had more to say.
But unable to lift his increasingly heavy eyelids, he soon closed his eyes.
Before long, the sound of even breathing spread.
Do-heon quietly looked down at Cheong-yeon lying on the bed for a while.
How many minutes passed in that state? As if he had fallen into a deep sleep, Cheong-yeon tilted his head to the side with his lips slightly parted.
Only then did Do-heon begin carefully examining Cheong-yeon’s neck, shoulders, arms, and legs to check for any injuries.
Fortunately, there were no noticeable wounds except for his face being somewhat haggard from emotional distress.
“……”
He gently stroked Cheong-yeon’s delicate hand, as if tracing it with his fingertips. When Cheong-yeon’s upper body twitched as if ticklish, Do-heon quickly withdrew his hand.
Rising from his seat, he picked up and organized the script that Cheong-yeon had dropped. Then he called his personal physician.
*
“Digestive medicine, headache medication, contraceptives, suppressants… Surely you’re not taking all of these together?”
Despite the late hour, the doctor who had responded to Do-heon’s call and visited the officetel clicked his tongue while checking the medications found in the bag and drawers.
“Is his condition very bad?”
Do-heon asked the doctor without moving a step away from the bed where Cheong-yeon slept.
The doctor scratched his head as if perplexed.
“It’s much more limited than examining with hospital equipment, so the accuracy is lower… but from what I can see externally, it appears to be malnutrition and sleep deprivation.”
The doctor added “only from external appearance” again, leaving open the possibility of misdiagnosis.
“By the way, is he still taking contraceptives and suppressants simultaneously?”
Since Do-heon hadn’t slept with him even once after discovering he was taking both medications together, Cheong-yeon had probably been taking only suppressants without the contraceptives.
When Do-heon shook his head, the doctor exhaled in relief and checked Cheong-yeon’s pupils and temperature.
“His slightly elevated temperature is concerning, but since you mentioned he’s intoxicated, that shouldn’t be a major issue… Do you know what patient Yoo Cheong-yeon’s current weight is?”
“Well, about 59kg?”
Do-heon answered, recalling the weight when he carried Cheong-yeon to the bed.
“He’s lost weight. As you probably already know, diagnosing only with pulse and temperature has its limitations.”
The doctor continued noting his observations on a chart he had brought from the hospital.
“He doesn’t appear to be in better condition than when he was hospitalized previously. If he needs to continue taking suppressants, simultaneous consumption with contraceptives must be stopped unconditionally. And right now, he needs plenty of rest.”
Seeing Do-heon’s expression gradually harden, the doctor hesitated briefly before continuing.
“Beyond fertility issues, if pheromone suppressants stop working due to neurological disturbances, even daily life becomes difficult. If suppressants lose their effectiveness, making heat cycles unpredictable, he would have to quit acting. The same would apply even if he were an office worker instead of an actor. At that point, no matter how expensive the treatment, a normal life would be impossible.”
“Is recovery possible if he stops taking them?”
“That can’t be known with certainty. And while I can prescribe temporary medication for the patient’s recovery, I recommend a detailed examination as soon as possible. When should we schedule the appointment?”
At the doctor’s question, Do-heon couldn’t answer immediately and looked down at the sleeping Cheong-yeon.
They were no longer in a marital relationship, so he was not Cheong-yeon’s legal guardian either and couldn’t consent to hospitalization. There was no legitimate reason to forcibly take him to the hospital.
Do-heon had no rights left. Perhaps that’s why he had clung more to the “contract.”
And that obsession was ultimately destroying Cheong-yeon.
*
It was a long while after the doctor left that Do-heon returned home. His mind was becoming increasingly clouded from lack of sleep.
Thinking he should plan the next steps after getting some rest, Do-heon opened the front door.
“Director. You’re back?”
As he stepped in with a tired face, the house employee quickly came out to greet him. Unlike usual, his actions were hurried, and his voice had a sense of urgency.
“Has something happened?”
“Well, a guest arrived while you were out, Director.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
