By Zephyria Kwon Tae-hee told him not to worry, but Seo Jeong-won was anxious. Especially since, according to Kwon Tae-hee, his body wasn’t in a state where he could take medication. He wasn’t usually this weak, but he hadn’t moved much right before childbirth, and his stamina had decreased to less than half of what it used to be.
“…What do you mean, ‘enduring it raw without medication’?”
Seo Jeong-won asked, propping himself up with Kwon Tae-hee’s help. He had heard from Kwon Tae-hee that he had experienced a Heat before, but he hadn’t been in his right mind, and by the time he came to, it had already subsided. So, he had had a Heat, but he had never actually experienced it. Was it so painful that he needed to take medication?
“Do you want to use a wheelchair?”
“I’ll walk.”
Kwon Tae-hee carefully supported Seo Jeong-won’s weightless body and moved slowly. Despite saying he would walk, Seo Jeong-won’s feet barely skimmed the floor.
“Enduring it without medication means acting on instinct. I can be with you, or if you don’t want me to, I can wait outside.”
“…”
“You’re a recessive Omega, so your Heat won’t last long. It’ll subside in a day or two at most, or maybe even just one day.”
Kwon Tae-hee tried his best to explain calmly, careful not to seem like he wanted to spend his Heat with him.
“Ah. So, it just means being in that… that state. I think I understand.”
Seo Jeong-won nodded with a stiff expression. They used to have sex almost every day, but now their physical contact had decreased to just holding hands or light hugs. But if they spent his Heat together… Remembering Kwon Tae-hee’s Rut, if he got that aroused, he would inevitably end up doing it.
“I’ll find a way. We could use a weak dose of medication that won’t strain your body, or even use the sleeping gas they use on babies. I’ll discuss it with the doctor, so you don’t have to worry.”
“…”
“I won’t let it be painful for you. I won’t allow it.”
Kwon Tae-hee hugged his light body gently, promising himself. He didn’t want him to go through that terrible time alone, without medication or an Alpha.
“It’ll be okay, no matter what, so don’t worry and let’s go see Kwon Hae-a.”
Seo Jeong-won didn’t ask any more questions and nodded. Since he had never experienced it before, he couldn’t suggest a better solution. He had no choice but to believe him when he said it would be okay.
Kwon Tae-hee wondered if Seo Jeong-won saw the baby differently every day, because he was looking at Kwon Hae-a with eyes that seemed to shine brighter than yesterday. Was he really that cute? The babies lying next to each other looked similarly ugly to him.
Kwon Tae-hee, who had been observing Seo Jeong-won as he stared intently at the baby, was convinced that the baby didn’t look like him. But he didn’t seem to look like Seo Jeong-won either, so he wondered if the baby had been switched. His eyes involuntarily darted around. He tried to find a pretty baby who looked like Seo Jeong-won among the babies lying nearby, but they were all just red. Slightly disappointed that none of the babies looked like Seo Jeong-won, he listlessly looked back at the baby with the name tag ‘Seo Jeong-won’.
“He’s still so small.”
“Is he?”
“His nostrils are so small, it looks like it’ll be hard for him to breathe. Oh, he’s yawning.”
It was strange to see him clinging to the glass window as if he were about to be sucked in. Was yawning that fascinating? It was amazing that his eyes, nose, and mouth all fit on a head smaller than his fist, though.
“He’s always sleeping. Other babies sometimes have their eyes open.”
“Did they?”
“That’s too bad. I want to see the baby’s eyes open.”
“Should we apply for a shared room for parents and child? I saw other couples bringing their babies to the room for a little while.”
At Kwon Tae-hee’s suggestion, Seo Jeong-won finally turned his head. He looked at him with sparkling eyes for a moment before nodding. He wanted to be with the baby for longer than just watching him through the glass or holding him for a very short time.
“I’ll apply. I can breastfeed in the room tonight.”
He stroked Seo Jeong-won’s still gaunt face and supported him. He was worried because he kept swaying whenever he stood for too long.
“Let’s go back to the room.”
“…Okay.”
Kwon Tae-hee chuckled softly at the lingering disappointment on his face. He knew he would adore the baby, but the baby seemed to mean even more to Seo Jeong-won than he had expected. That must be why he hadn’t hesitated at all when he told him that he had to register their marriage first in order to register the birth.
“Oh, Executive Director.”
“Yes.”
Seo Jeong-won, who had been about to leave, suddenly called out to Kwon Tae-hee. He looked up at Kwon Tae-hee with a clear expression and parted his lips. Then, as if he had made a great decision, he opened his mouth.
“I was going to tell you this before… I want to contact my friend.”
“Friend?”
It was a rather unfamiliar word that Seo Jeong-won rarely used, but he immediately understood who he was talking about. Could there be anyone else that Seo Jeong-won, who maintained a small and limited social circle, would contact first besides that young Alpha? Kwon Tae-hee pretended not to know, even though he knew perfectly well.
“Kang Da-hyun. I was going to wait until I felt better, but… it feels like it’s going to take too long.”
“…”
“He must be worried because we lost contact again like that. I actually want to see him, but if I meet him looking like this, he’ll be surprised, so I thought it would be good to at least talk on the phone first…”
“I see. Understood.”
Kwon Tae-hee hid his true feelings and smiled gently, even though he wanted to say no.
“Let’s contact him as soon as we get back to the room.”
“You, Executive Director?”
“No, you do it yourself.”
Kwon Tae-hee shook his head at his surprised question. He chuckled softly as if he had heard something absurd and slowly started walking. The light body leaned against him familiarly, as if it were natural. Satisfaction filled him as their bodies fit together perfectly.
“What should we have for dinner? I didn’t hear your answer earlier.”
At Kwon Tae-hee’s question, Seo Jeong-won stopped walking again and pondered for a moment.
“I’m fine with anything, but… should we have chicken?”
Seo Jeong-won glanced at the man who was smiling with his beautifully shaped lips and then averted his gaze. He must have eaten it before, but it probably wasn’t recently, maybe a few years ago. But he didn’t voice his thoughts.
“That’s fine too.”
“You can have something else. Pizza or a hamburger is fine too…”
“I’ll order a variety.”
“Then we won’t be able to eat it all, or will we?”
“It seems like we could eat it all if we eat together with a lot of people. I’ll share it with the station too.”
At the gentle voice that told him not to worry, Seo Jeong-won started walking again. He walked even slower than when he had come down to see Kwon Hae-a. Although there was an unpleasant topic mixed in the conversation, he felt good enough to understand it.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
As soon as they returned to the room, Kwon Tae-hee ordered dinner on time, and Seo Jeong-won braced himself to call Kang Da-hyun, which he had been putting off. The hand holding the phone trembled. He bit his lip and fidgeted while sitting down.
“Aren’t you going to call?”
“…I’m calming myself down.”
“Did you do something wrong to that friend?”
“A little bit.”
Kwon Tae-hee wondered if he didn’t know the number, seeing his fingers hesitating over the keypad, reluctant to press the numbers.
“Should I tell you the number?”
“Huh? Oh, no. I remember it.”
“You remember?”
Seo Jeong-won nodded vaguely at Kwon Tae-hee’s question. He took a deep breath as if he had made a decision, and even after dialing all the numbers, he hesitated again over the call button. Kwon Tae-hee, unable to watch any longer, reached out and pressed it for him. Seo Jeong-won’s eyes widened in surprise, and he quietly brought the phone to his ear.
The ringing tone continued for a long time. He thought that he probably wasn’t answering because it was an unknown number, so he decided to end the call and send a message instead.
“I don’t think he’s answering. I’ll just, later—”
That was when it happened.
—Hello.
“He, hello?”
—…….
“Hello? Da-hyun, it’s… Jeong-won.”
—Hah…….
A deep sigh could be heard from the other end of the line. Seo Jeong-won couldn’t say anything more and looked up at Kwon Tae-hee. He tactfully left the room. Only after hearing the sound of the door opening and closing did Seo Jeong-won finally open his mouth.
“…I’m sorry.”
—Why are you really like this?
“…….”
—What’s wrong with you? Did you think you could do that to me again just because you cut off contact once?
Seo Jeong-won held his breath as he listened to the low voice.
—I’m so dumbfounded that I’m not even angry, but I’m a little annoyed.
“I’m sorry. Sorry. It’s not that—”
—Never mind. I guess you’re doing well since you called.
“Da-hyun.”
—……I didn’t know, but you’re really good at this. At making the person who’s worried about you an idiot.