By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won felt his morning sickness was like a wave. A wave that crashed fiercely and then quickly subsided. So sometimes, he thought that the nickname Danpung wasn’t as fitting for the baby as Wave would be. Calling him Ocean would have been nice too… But it was already decided, so he couldn’t change it.
The morning sickness was unusually calm today, and his stomach, which hadn’t been able to properly swallow a single drop of water for days, was in an uproar. After lying in the bedroom like a corpse, he staggered out to the living room, and a surprised Kwon Tae-hee jumped up from his seat.
“I’m, hungry.”
“Wait a minute. I’ll get something ready quickly.”
Kwon Tae-hee disappeared into the dining room, leaving Seo Jeong-won alone in the living room. Ever since confirming the pregnancy, Kwon Tae-hee had been unconsciously releasing Pheromones. His scent floated around the living room. Seo Jeong-won inhaled the familiar scent and moved towards the fish tank. Kwon Tae-hee must have fed the fish, as the bellies of the tropical fish swimming leisurely were bulging.
As if it were a habit, he tapped the fish tank wall with his fingertips. The fish seemed to like it here more than the flower garden, as their colors were vibrant. Seo Jeong-won stood there admiring them for a while when a delicious smell wafted to his nose.
“Jeong-won.”
His shoulders jumped in surprise at the voice calling him. Seo Jeong-won took a long breath and turned around.
“Eat slowly and come out. I’ll be on the second floor.”
Seo Jeong-won kept his eyes on Kwon Tae-hee’s feet and bowed his head to him. He heard a sigh. Kwon Tae-hee had been sighing a lot lately. His heels soon disappeared from view as he went up the stairs. He hurried to move his feet. He tried not to rush, but he couldn’t resist the hunger. But as soon as he sat down at the table, the thought suddenly occurred to him: could he really eat?
Hesitantly, he picked up a spoon. The smell wasn’t offensive today, so he thought he could eat. Since all the flavors could suddenly feel repulsive at any moment, he had to get at least one more spoonful in his mouth while he could.
He scooped up a generous portion of the glistening rice, placed it on a lettuce leaf, and piled it high with stir-fried pork. He neatly folded the wrap and chewed it thoroughly. Had he ever had such an appetite in his life?
Pregnancy was truly amazing. In the morning, just thinking about rice made him nauseous, but in the afternoon, he wanted to mix rice in a large bowl and eat it.
“…I want to eat bibimbap.”
With plenty of meat, vegetables, red pepper paste, and sesame oil. He had never liked it before, but he didn’t know why he craved it so much. Was it the other father’s food preference? Since he was older, perhaps. He reasoned with himself and endured, but as he ate, his mouth kept watering, so he finally got up. He went to the kitchen where Kim Jae-sik was, knocked on the door, and waited for a moment.
“Have you finished your meal? Shall I clear it away and prepare dessert?”
“Ah, no. That’s not it… It’s about the rice.”
Seo Jeong-won’s face turned bright red in an instant.
“Please, speak comfortably.”
“I want to mix it.”
“I understand. I’ll prepare a new one for you.”
“No, just… if you could give me a bowl and red pepper paste, I’ll do it myself.”
Kim Jae-sik quickly turned around at the increasingly quiet voice. He moved busily, unlike his usual self. Seo Jeong-won hadn’t been able to put food in his mouth for a while due to morning sickness. He became anxious that he would get sick again soon. He quickly found a deep bowl and brought out the red pepper paste and sesame oil.
“The sesame oil has a strong smell. Is it okay?”
Seo Jeong-won’s eyes sparkled at the savory smell even before the lid was opened. He swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth and nodded. As soon as the bowl was placed in front of him, Seo Jeong-won put in a generous amount of rice and meat, and also took a chopstick of vegetables. Finally, he scraped all the red pepper paste that Kim Jae-sik had given him and mixed the rice. Even without eating it, he felt like he knew what it would taste like.
“Please tell me comfortably if you need anything more after you eat.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Kim Jae-sik discreetly turned away. As soon as Seo Jeong-won saw him disappear into the kitchen, he scooped up a large spoonful of bibimbap and stuffed it into his mouth. His cheeks puffed out. It was by far the best bibimbap he had ever eaten.
He finished it all without leaving a single spoonful. Seo Jeong-won smiled and gently stroked his stomach, feeling a sense of fullness he hadn’t felt in a while. Then, as if startled by his own actions, he quickly removed his hand. It was always like this. He was doing well, but then he was tormented by mixed feelings.
He scolded himself, asking if his stomach was really comfortable and if it was really going down well.
At times like that, even if he shifted the blame to Kwon Tae-hee for everything, guilt piled up. When the morning sickness was severe, he couldn’t think of anything, so it was okay, but when it subsided, he sank endlessly from then on.
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Kwon Tae-hee had been focusing all his attention on observing Seo Jeong-won for days. But unfortunately, no matter how carefully he observed, it was difficult to predict or analyze the morning sickness. Seo Jeong-won’s morning sickness poured down like a squall and stopped in an instant.
Upon receiving the report that Seo Jeong-won had finished his meal, Kwon Tae-hee came down from the second floor to the first floor and naturally headed to the bedroom. Because he didn’t take him outside due to the fact that he couldn’t smell Pheromones well, Seo Jeong-won’s movements were limited. He spent most of the day in the bedroom. As the morning sickness worsened, he used the bedroom separately, so he tried not to come out even more.
Knock, knock— When he knocked, an answer came from inside. Instead of asking if he could come in, Kwon Tae-hee slowly opened the door. As expected, Seo Jeong-won was stretched out on the bed.
“Jeong-won.”
“…Executive Director.”
“I told you not to lie down right after eating.”
It wasn’t a reprimand, but Seo Jeong-won dropped his head with a dejected expression.
“…I’m sorry. But, I feel so stuffy.”
Kwon Tae-hee sighed at the voice filled with tears. He was controlling Seo Jeong-won so that he couldn’t go anywhere alone, and even when they were together, he refrained from going out as much as possible, so it was understandable that he felt stuffy. At first, the reason was that he was worried about Pheromones, but now he just didn’t want to let him out. Whether they were Alpha or Omega, he didn’t want anyone looking at Seo Jeong-won.
“I feel stuffy… but there’s nothing to do at home.”
“I’m going to do a Pheromone shower.”
“Yes? Now?”
He asked in surprise, but his head was still dropped. Kwon Tae-hee still didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t look him in the face properly because of the morning sickness, but this was not something he could force. And it was even less something he could solve.
“It’s also necessary for Danpung.”
Although it was also for the psychological stability of the pregnant Omega, Alpha Pheromones were an essential element for the growth and development of the fetus. Until just before giving birth, Omegas had to be soaked in Alpha’s Pheromones. However, in Seo Jeong-won’s case, there were many days when he couldn’t even go near him due to morning sickness, so he had to open up his Pheromones regardless of the location, or diligently try when his condition improved like now. Even so, Kwon Tae-hee was mindful of Seo Jeong-won’s refusal. Because it was accompanied by skinship.
“I think it’ll be okay. Today… my stomach is comfortable.”
“…That’s a relief.”
The moment he heard that answer, Seo Jeong-won thought he had to cooperate. It was just a vague thought. He had such expectations that if he did what Kwon Tae-hee told him to do, he might be able to escape from this place where he was confined, even if only for a short time.
“After the Pheromone shower, if you’re okay with it, Jeong-won, shall we go to a nearby park?”
“…Really? I’ll go. I want to go.”
And as if responding to his expectations, Kwon Tae-hee bestowed a favor as if he were doing charity. As if saying that if he did what he was told, he would do one thing he wanted. It was the same principle as giving a reward to a trained dog.
“Shall we kiss?”
“…Yes, okay.”
If he looked at Kwon Tae-hee, he would gag because of the morning sickness, but if he closed his eyes, he couldn’t see him, so he could bear it. Seo Jeong-won closed his eyes tightly and raised his face. He heard another sigh. Did he want to make eye contact? Well, he was the one who used to habitually draw his gaze.
“Are you really okay?”
“…You said it’s for Danpung. And I’m okay too. I’m just… trying to be.”
“…”
“Executive Director is also trying.”
Kwon Tae-hee moved his feet at the quietly muttered words. It wasn’t for Danpung, but he was trying to get along well with Seo Jeong-won. For the first time in his life, he was trying to please an Omega.
Kwon Tae-hee, who had approached slowly, grabbed his small face and lowered his head. He rubbed his rough, chapped lips with his thumb, and carefully pressed his lips together as if kissing something sacred.
It had been a long time since they had skinship. Because Seo Gyu-won’s death remained as guilt for Seo Jeong-won, he had refused this kind of contact. But now, whether he had finished compromising with reality, or whether he had really decided to accept it, he said he would try.