Chapter 36
Cheong-yeon bowed his head deeply and bit his lower lip due to the throbbing headache.
It felt as though his energy had instantly drained away, leaving his body completely empty, as if he had never been so energetic before.
“Right. It’s not your concern anymore.”
“If you knew, you should have told me earlier.”
“But you liked it, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes…”
Cheong-yeon carefully revisited his thoughts while holding his forehead.
It was nice that Do-heon had added something more to the conversation, and that he had even a minimal influence on him.
Of course, not anymore.
“I got tired of it a long time ago.”
“So you got tired of it a long time ago.”
Do-heon repeated Cheong-yeon’s words like a parrot. It was almost like talking to himself.
After a moment of silence, Do-heon spoke first.
“I’ll go downstairs and get you some hangover medicine. Wait here for a moment.”
“It’s fine. I’d rather go home now. I’m so sleepy… and my head keeps hurting…”
“Where is your home?”
“My home. Recently… moved to… my home…”
Do-heon didn’t say anything more and carried Cheong-yeon back to the bedroom. This time, Cheong-yeon didn’t wake up when Do-heon laid him on the bed and covered him with a blanket. Judging by his regular breathing, he seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep in just a short time.
…And he had apparently slept soundly until morning. As the memories of the previous day came flooding back, Cheong-yeon rolled his eyes to hide his embarrassment.
“When did you wake up?”
“…Just now.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m… more or less okay, I think.”
His head was still throbbing and his stomach churned, but it was bearable. Above all, he was glad that his heat cycle had completely ended.
Without medication, the symptoms would typically last four days to a week, but seeing how he’d recovered in less than two days, he realized why people said sex with an Alpha was the most effective remedy.
Since he couldn’t get pregnant anyway, there was no need to worry about contraception now. Cheong-yeon decided to dismiss the night with Do-heon as a mere mistake and move on.
“Your waist?”
Cheong-yeon, who was about to ask where his phone was, hesitated at Do-heon’s words.
“My waist is still… a bit sore.”
“I gave you painkillers when you fell asleep yesterday, but take another dose.”
“It’s not bad enough to need medication, I can bear it. By the way, have you seen my phone? I was so out of it yesterday that I can’t remember where I put it.”
He wanted to find his phone quickly and escape from this house. After making such a spectacle of himself while drunk, it was awkward to talk with Do-heon.
What kind of audacity did he have to drink an entire bottle of wine by himself? If only it hadn’t been so expensive and delicious…
“Come in for a moment, if you’re feeling alright.”
Do-heon gestured with his chin while fastening his shirt cuffs. Cheong-yeon cautiously entered the room, his face wary as he assessed the situation.
“Your phone.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Take this too.”
Along with the phone, Do-heon handed him a shopping bag that was already familiar to Cheong-yeon’s eyes.
“This is…”
It was the accessory set he had seen on the day Do-heon had demanded a divorce. If rumors were to be believed, Do-heon had bought it for another Omega.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
Cheong-yeon took only the phone, putting it in his pocket, and stepped back while glaring at Do-heon. Do-heon placed the shopping bag on the console table right beside him.
“Because I bought it for you.”
“When did you buy it?”
“Two days before you asked for a divorce.”
“…”
Cheong-yeon’s expression grew colder. He found Do-heon’s words difficult to believe.
*He bought it for me?* The idea that he would give such a gift to someone who couldn’t get out of bed after being discharged from the hospital seemed incongruous.
“Why specifically a ring? It wasn’t an anniversary or a birthday.”
“Does the reason matter?”
Do-heon shrugged as he asked. It was as if he was saying, “Why not?” which left Cheong-yeon speechless.
The Do-heon that Cheong-yeon knew had no reason to lie to him. He might be an extremely dry and emotionless person, but he wasn’t the type to make up falsehoods.
“So you bought it without any thought?”
“You were constantly low on energy after being discharged. I thought receiving something might improve your mood.”
“…Really? You bought this just for that simple reason?”
So it wasn’t meant for another Omega but was truly purchased for him.
Cheong-yeon stared intently at Do-heon’s face. Did he not know how to connect with other people? Did he even understand the concept of comfort? At that time, Cheong-yeon wasn’t in a state to appreciate receiving something like this.
Of course, the old Yoo Cheong-yeon would have… happily accepted anything, even a leaf picked up from the street, if Do-heon had presented it as a gift, and would have been genuinely grateful.
But even so, giving jewelry without a word of comfort to a spouse who had just been diagnosed as infertile was an extremely misguided idea.
Even after hearing the reason directly from Do-heon, Cheong-yeon couldn’t understand his thought process. Not in the slightest.
*Instead of taking time to buy this, he could have come to my room and asked if I was okay.* Cheong-yeon was still hurt that Do-heon hadn’t visited him even once during those ten days, just because he had told everyone not to enter.
Simultaneously, he was once again confirmed that Moon Do-heon and Yoo Cheong-yeon were not compatible.
“I don’t need this.”
“Take it. I bought it for you, so it’s useless to me if you don’t accept it.”
“Then get a refund.”
“If you won’t keep it, throw it away on your way out.”
“How could I throw away something so expensive?”
“Then why not just quietly accept it?”
“It feels uncomfortable. You can throw it away yourself, Director. Along with my other belongings in my room.”
Cheong-yeon seized the opportunity to mention the belongings still in this house.
“Why did you bring all my things back inside? I thought you were going to throw everything out that day.”
Do-heon checked the time and put on his jacket that had been hanging on the chair.
“They’re not yours anymore, are they? I’ll handle it.”
And his response was such an unreasonable claim. It meant that since Cheong-yeon had left all his belongings behind, he should no longer concern himself with them.
“Why? Was it too precious to throw away after all?”
“Let’s just say that’s the reason.”
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped involuntarily because it was so absurd. Then Cheong-yeon stared at the clothes Do-heon was wearing with a suffocated expression.
To be more precise, the clothes that he himself had picked out last night.
“…”
The two were divorced. That meant they were complete strangers. It was inappropriate to be facing each other like this. How did they end up in this situation?
How should he interpret Do-heon’s irrational actions, when he had always been concise and rational?
“Honestly, this behavior of yours makes me uncomfortable and tired. That there are still traces of me here… even though I no longer live in this house.”
“Come back. Then it becomes a place where you live, so there’s no problem with your belongings being here.”
Do-heon looked down at Cheong-yeon as he put on his watch. With an exceedingly arrogant attitude.
Cheong-yeon’s fists clenched at Do-heon’s commanding tone, speaking to him as if addressing a subordinate, as if speaking to the old Yoo Cheong-yeon.
“Why would I? You’re the one who granted the divorce. You personally stamped the seal, and now what—are you protesting? Why suddenly ask to live together again?”
As he spoke, the memories of that day came flooding back. The misery he had felt then too.
It had been sad and disheartening, but the lesson of that day was invaluable to Cheong-yeon. He could never be the perfect spouse for Do-heon. The two were incompatible from the beginning.
It took him three years to realize this fact.
“Back then, it was you who called your proxy without hesitation and stamped the seal right on the spot, Director. Without asking for a reason, without properly meeting my eyes… as if someone like me could disappear right away and it would be fine. After granting the divorce like that!”
Cheong-yeon’s voice gradually rose.
“Tell me. Why are you doing this to me now?”
“At the hospital.”
Do-heon took a step forward toward the shouting Cheong-yeon. The distance between them suddenly narrowed.
“You came out of your room ten days after being discharged from the hospital. With a face that looked half-dead, you stood there and asked for a divorce as soon as you saw me.”
“…”
“In front of your emaciated face that looked like you were about to faint at any moment, was I supposed to say: You can’t leave this house, don’t even dream about a divorce?”
Do-heon’s monotone, deep voice resonated clearly in the room.
“Should I have threatened you like that?”
Do-heon tilted his head and took another step closer to Cheong-yeon, as if threatening him. Now the distance between them was so close that their faces would touch if either leaned forward slightly.
“I have something I want to ask you too.”
As the distance closed, apprehension appeared on Cheong-yeon’s face. His brown eyes trembled incessantly, like a prey being hunted.
“If I had asked you the reason for the divorce that day, did you have any intention of taking it back? Tell me.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
