By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won was kept by his side because that was the simplest way, and if there had been another way, he wouldn’t have even considered having a child. Kwon Tae-hee acted as if he had completely forgotten what kind of contract he had made with Seo Jeong-won in the past. He didn’t hide his displeasure and twisted his lips into a smile.
“Do you think I’m going to hold onto my recovering spouse and satisfy my desires, so you’re giving me that kind of advice?”
“That’s, no, no. I’m sorry. I misspoke.”
“It’s fine. I took it too sharply. It seems like I can’t use suppressants on my current spouse, so how about using sleeping pills?”
Kwon Tae-hee felt a little better as he pronounced the word ‘spouse’. He had registered their marriage before the wedding for the child’s birth registration, so now they were legal guardians and each other’s spouses. The unpleasant feeling quickly subsided as he thought about that fact.
“Yes, Executive Director is right. Sleeping pills would be less of a burden on the body than Heat suppressants, but the best way for your spouse is to resolve it through direct… relations.”
“That’s difficult.”
“…The hormones have stabilized, and there has been no rejection even though he has been consistently exposed to Pheromones. Rather, it is helping with recovery, so the Heat cycle seems to be coming soon. Please think about it and let me know.”
She bowed politely and hurried away. It was natural for the guardian to become sensitive if the patient’s recovery was slow, but it was her first time dealing with someone as extremely sensitive as Kwon Tae-hee. She was confused because she didn’t know what to do with the high emotional waves. It wasn’t wrong for an Alpha to instinctively fulfill their breeding desires in line with their Omega’s Heat, so she just suggested contraception, but was it unnecessary advice? He was really an unknowable person.
Kwon Tae-hee looked at the doctor’s back as she quickly moved away and briefly thought about Heat. It was a difficult situation in many ways. He couldn’t even move him to a postpartum care center because he was still recovering sluggishly, let alone being fully recovered, which was a disaster.
Besides, his parents were clamoring to see the child even after he was born. He was ignoring them, but he couldn’t avoid meeting them forever. His head was about to explode with complicated thoughts. Marriage was supposed to be between two people, so why were his parents making such a fuss? He even felt disillusioned with the marriage culture.
Family, damn it… Me, Seo Jeong-won, and the baby are a family. He couldn’t understand why his parents were becoming Seo Jeong-won’s family.
Kwon Tae-hee, who had been banging his head against the hospital room door, sighed and opened the door. He couldn’t leave for too long, even if he was asleep. He entered the room, muffling his footsteps, and Seo Jeong-won was still asleep. The emotions that had been swirling with irritation calmed down in an instant. The space filled with warm air and Seo Jeong-won’s faint Pheromones gave him a great sense of stability.
Kwon Tae-hee quietly approached and sat on the bedside, grabbing his hand as a habit. He stroked the soft back of his hand, then rested his face on his small palm and inhaled. It felt like it would break if he put a little force on it, but he was surprisingly good at holding the baby, which was admirable and amazing.
He wanted him to regain his strength and have a short time of father-child bonding, and then receive perfect postpartum care at the postpartum care center, but he was frustrated because he couldn’t be discharged from the hospital. He had said he would get better soon once or twice. He was sorry, but it seemed to him that Seo Jeong-won’s recovery was slower than the child’s growth.
“Haa…”
He hated the fact that pregnancy and childbirth could ruin a person’s health to this extent. If he had known that it would damage his health so much, he wouldn’t have had a child. He regretted it every time he saw Seo Jeong-won getting weaker day by day.
He pressed his lips hard on his palm and closed his eyes, and his fingertips curled weakly. Kwon Tae-hee opened his eyes and checked the face that had been asleep until just now. Seo Jeong-won, who couldn’t even open his eyes properly as if he had just woken up, yawned slightly and tossed and turned.
“…Ah. Did I fall asleep again?”
“Yes, did you sleep well?”
“I slept well. But Executive Director… aren’t you going to work?”
Kwon Tae-hee chuckled as if he was dumbfounded at the question he asked as soon as he opened his eyes. He gently stroked Seo Jeong-won’s face, who couldn’t shake off his sleepiness, and vaguely said that he didn’t have any busy work.
“I’m sorry to talk about this as soon as I wake up.”
“…Yes?”
“What do you want to eat for dinner? It feels like you’re eating seaweed soup every day. Isn’t the menu getting a little boring?”
Seo Jeong-won stiffened without realizing it at the meaningful introduction, and then the tension was released.
“Who asks about the dinner menu like that?”
Seo Jeong-won muttered in a slightly resentful tone with a sleepy voice and buried his face in the pillow. If he closed his slowly blinking eyes as they were, he felt like he would fall asleep again soon.
“I’m so sleepy.”
“You can sleep more.”
“Did you go see Hae-a?”
The name that came out of Seo Jeong-won’s mouth was a very soft sound because it had no final consonant, so it felt very lovely just to hear it. Maybe it sounded that way because Seo Jeong-won called him.
Kwon Hae-a. The name that was received from a naming center that gave names to famous people with the day and time the child was born was a total of three, and Seo Jeong-won chose the name Hae-a among them. He liked that the Chinese character contained the sea. Kwon Tae-hee didn’t care what he chose, so instead of telling him to think about it more, he completed the birth registration as it was.
“Not yet. Shall we go see him? I want to see him anyway.”
His honest intention was that he wanted Seo Jeong-won to move even a few steps, rather than wanting to see the baby. That’s because he showed enthusiasm only when he went to see the baby. As expected, the black eyes that had been filled with sleepiness sparkled for a moment.
“Yes, I want to see him too.”
“And I have a few more things to tell you.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who had supported Seo Jeong-won who was trying to get up, continued, gently stroking his flattened hair.
“My parents want to meet Jeong-won and Hae-a. I’ve refused them appropriately, but I thought I should ask Jeong-won. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll keep refusing. We’ll meet at the wedding anyway, and Jeong-won’s family is me and Hae-a, not my parents.”
Seo Jeong-won quietly pondered the blunt words that flowed out, and then gradually turned pale. He hadn’t thought about his parents because he had been out of his mind, but it was very rude not to have contacted them even after giving birth to a child and even registering their marriage.
“What, what…”
“That’s right. What parents. You’re too busy recovering. I’ll refuse them appropriately, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“No…! That’s not what I mean. Of course, I’ll say hello. And I’ll show you Hae-a too. I’m sure they’ll want to see him. We’ve had so much going on… between us. So, I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry, Jeong-won?”
Kwon Tae-hee had a look on his face that he really couldn’t understand. As he said, he had been busy solving the problems between the two of them, so of course, his parents were an afterthought. There was no reason for his parents to feel upset or unpleasant about that. In fact, he didn’t want to visit them often and get along with them in the future.
Even before the marriage, he only went to his parents’ house a few times every few months to have dinner, so wouldn’t it be funny to see them often just because he was married?
“Still, from Executive Director’s parents’ point of view—”
“You don’t have to worry about it that much. It’s okay to be rude. I’ve only seen my parents once in 21 years, no, 22 years. What kind of etiquette do you keep between people you’ve only seen once?”
Seo Jeong-won was flustered by Kwon Tae-hee’s cold attitude and only opened and closed his lips.
“You don’t have to try to get along with my parents.”
“That’s… I’ll take care of it. It’s a little embarrassing to see them now because I’m like this, so after I’m discharged. I think it would be good to go see them then.”
Seo Jeong-won, who was not intimidated by his firm attitude, slowly spat out the words he had finished organizing in his head.
“You can see Hae-a in the newborn room now, so I think it would be nice if you came and saw the baby with Executive Director when you have time. What do you think, Executive Director?”
“I’ll contact them to come and see him.”
“Please meet them together and let them know who Hae-a is. Please say hello… Please give my regards. Please tell them that I’m sorry that I can’t meet them together.”
“I will.”
Seo Jeong-won was not happy with his lukewarm answer, but he didn’t add any more words.
“Another thing is about Jeong-won’s Heat cycle. The hospital predicts that it will come soon.”
“Yes? Ah… Heat.”
“I don’t think it’s too much to use suppressants on Jeong-won’s body right now. The doctor said it would be too much.”
Kwon Tae-hee noticed Seo Jeong-won’s tension and gently stroked his cheek. He quietly soothed him, telling him that there was no need to be nervous, and conveyed the conversation he had with the doctor to him without missing anything.
“However, I don’t think it would be good to let you experience it raw without any alternatives, so I’m looking for a way. I’ll think about it a little more and choose the best option, so don’t worry too much.”