Kiss the Scumbag-Chapter 141

A sudden deep breath burst out of Yujin as if releasing all the pent-up air at once. At the same time, the tense shoulders slumped, and all the strength drained from his body. Haah, haah, panting breaths followed one after another, and Winston immediately approached him.

“It's over, so lie down now.”

The commanding tone was as usual, but Yujin didn’t even have the energy to feel annoyed. Obediently lying down on the bed, Yujin closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. The dizziness that had surged due to the heavy breaths gradually subsided. Winston just watched him silently. Even knowing that Winston’s gaze was fixed on him, Yujin kept his eyes closed and tried with all his might to look away. The tight tension kept sharpening his nerves. Ignoring Winston, Yujin focused solely on regaining his rationality.

“Was the reason you didn’t hurry because you already guessed it?”

Once somewhat stable, Yujin opened his eyes and asked. Winston answered easily.

“That’s part of it.”

His reaction seemed like he had no intention of hiding anything. Well, why would a man like him bother to conceal or deny anything? Laws must seem like a joke to him.

Recalling that he didn’t even hand the case over to the police and tried to handle it himself sent chills down Yujin’s spine. He himself was no exception. Maybe that man could quietly deal with Yujin anytime he wanted and left him alone only because he was still useful.

Because there was a will.

It meant Harold was somehow protecting him. Isn’t that ironic? If Harold hadn’t left that will in the first place, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.

Why did Harold...

He hurriedly erased that question that had returned to the start. The important matter now was how to get through this situation with the man before him.

“When I first asked, why did you say it was Gordon who took her?”

Though he already knew the answer, Yujin asked. He didn’t want to discard the possibility that he was wrong, but there wasn’t one.

“If you accepted it there and backed off, I was going to handle it my way.”

Again, Winston answered without hesitation. The businesslike tone devoid of emotion made it even more real.

“Did you hope for that?”

Taking courage, Yujin asked, and Winston crooked his lips and let out a short chuckle.

“If you saw that woman’s face, you’d surely have softened and said to forgive her.”

Then he looked at Yujin with narrowed eyes and added,

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

“...Then why did you wait? Knowing it would go like this.”

His tone sharpened in protest. Even so, his voice lacked strength, so there was no intimidation. Winston tilted his head slightly as if to a child and asked,

“If I had handled it my way without telling you, would you have gotten mad?”

“You were going to do whatever you wanted anyway, regardless of my opinion, weren’t you?”

As he spoke, his tone calmed as if he had settled down. Winston looked down at him and replied.

“I didn’t.”

That short sentence suddenly drained all his energy. Still, he didn’t want to back down just like that.

“You say you held back because you thought I’d hate it if you acted your way.”

This time Winston closed his mouth. Yujin, who had been taunting him to the fullest, blinked in embarrassment. The silence wasn’t long but was enough to make Yujin conflicted. Then Yujin stared intently as Winston slowly opened his mouth again.

“If I had handled it my way, you’d have said my head went crazy again because of pheromones.”

It was the first time Winston’s words showed emotion. It was faint self-mockery, but Yujin was once again stunned and lost for words. Winston didn’t care and returned to his previous tone to conclude.

“I don’t care. Everyone calls me crazy anyway.”

Yujin still had nothing to say. His own words had been no different. Silence fell again, but it was different from before. In the dark, damp atmosphere, he felt discomfort different from tension. He wanted to say something to break the silence. Hurriedly moving his head, Yujin opened his mouth with difficulty.

“What did Gordon... and Mrs. Campbell say about... this... matter?”

Surely they wouldn’t stay silent. They must have tried to take Charlotte, so it was strange Winston chose for Yujin. Was it just to openly punish those who challenged his authority?

“Then it must have been hard to get a proper answer. I guessed the reasons, but it’s more certain to hear it from their own mouths.”

“Don’t believe what your family said? Your mother and brothers?”

It was something he never expected. Didn’t Winston trust them very much?

Winston chuckled with a whistling sound at the corner of his mouth as Yujin looked confused.

“Darling, I stopped trusting people a long time ago.”

Then Winston asked softly in a sweet voice, unlike before.

“Who do you think made me that way?”

Yujin said nothing. His eyes once filled with love were now empty. He no longer trusted even the person he loved most. Then who on earth could he trust?

I have Angie, but...

Thinking of his child who had always been a support in hard times, his chest tightened. Then he hurriedly asked about Angela.

“How’s Angie? She can’t know I’m hurt. What if she cries, ah!”

Unintentionally, Yujin tried to get out of bed quickly but stopped himself with a breath. Haah, haah, panting heavily, Winston silently looked down on him and spoke.

“She said she’s going to stay in the hospital briefly because of the baby.”

“...Baby?”

At first, Yujin didn’t understand what he meant. He asked between heavy breaths, and Winston answered, “Yes.”

“The baby is ours. In your belly.”

For a moment, Yujin was thankful for his [N O V E L I G H T] pain. He thought his dazed state and shocked expression would be blamed on the pain.

...Does he really think so?

Since regaining consciousness, no one had asked about the baby inside him. Was that possible? After an accident, the baby should be the first worry. Yujin himself had been like that. Thinking about nearly losing Angela still made him choke and tremble.

After watching Yujin for a while, Winston spoke.

“They didn’t examine you. If you feel bad, maybe tomorrow morning...”

“I’m, I’m fine.”

Yujin quickly interrupted.

“The baby’s safe... The injury is on my chest, not my belly.”

Had he spoken too quickly? What if it sounded unnatural? What if he made Winston suspicious?

His heart was pounding like crazy. Yujin, sweating coldly down his back, glanced at Winston’s expression. What felt like a few seconds stretched like eternity until Winston spoke.

“If you want, I can do it.”

What?

For a moment, Yujin thought he’d misheard. Blinking cautiously to look up, Winston was staring down at him with his usual expressionless face.

“If you’re okay, there’s no need. Like you said, the injury is elsewhere.”

His willingness to back down so easily left Yujin stunned again. This man was strange today. Maybe his head really is odd. But anyway, if he backs off here, it’s just fortunate for Yujin. He decided to choose the option favorable to himself. What did it matter? From the start, he planned to deceive this man, and as long as that remained on the surface, it didn’t matter.

“...Now, I want to rest.”

Yujin muttered. This time it was sincere. He was so exhausted. Feeling cold sweat soaking his entire body, he weakly lay back down on the bed.

“I want to be discharged tomorrow...”

“No.”

Though spoken in a still weak voice, the reply was firm.

“You have to stay here for at least a week. Once you’re more stable, I’ll bring Angie, so focus on getting better.”

“I can’t live if I can’t see Angie for a week!”

At his intense reaction, Winston coldly pointed out.

“If you see you like this, Angie will cry loudly. Do you really want to see that?”

He had no answer to that. Hesitating, Yujin was spoken to again.

“For now, just think you’re resting a few days because of the baby. You have to endure better than Angie.” 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

There was still no way out. No one would listen if he insisted. Exhausted, Yujin sighed and offered a compromise.

“I’ll stay three days. That’s enough.”

“Whether it’s enough or not, I decide.”

He returned to his arrogant, authoritarian posture. It completely broke Yujin’s will. He no longer had the energy to speak, closing his eyes and shutting his mouth. He felt a gaze watching him for a moment, but it didn’t last long. Soon footsteps came, and Yujin thought it was finally over. Winston was leaving the hospital room, and he would finally be alone.

With a sudden scraping sound of a chair, Yujin opened his eyes without realizing and turned his head. To his surprise, Winston was pulling a folding chair and sitting down beside the bed.

“What, what are you doing?”