By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won couldn’t answer the sharp question. He was no different from Kang Da-hyun’s criticism of him. Making a fool of the person who helped him. He couldn’t deny it. Kang Da-hyun was right. He contacted him when he remembered, forgot when he was busy, and then contacted him again when he had time. Who would like that kind of behavior?
“I… I was only thinking about myself. I won’t make excuses. You have every right to be upset. I’m sorry.”
—…….
“…I’ll hang up.”
—Hey, Seo Jeong-won. You’re just going to hang up without any explanation? Why, are you just not going to see me at all? Ha… What’s wrong with you?
Kang Da-hyun sighed repeatedly as if he was frustrated. Seo Jeong-won quietly held the phone to his ear, chewing over the sounds coming through, and shrank further and further. The determination to explain the whole story and apologize as soon as he talked to Kang Da-hyun disappeared without a trace. His head was filled with self-reproach and skepticism, wondering why he was like that, just like Kang Da-hyun said.
—Okay, I got it. Tell me what you were going to say when you called me.
“……”
—Seo Jeong-won, are you listening?
“I’m listening. I just… I called to let you know I’m doing well. I thought you might be worried.”
As he muttered an apology in an increasingly small voice, a question came back from the receiver asking if that was all he had to say. Was there anything else to say? What else should he say?
“…I’m sorry. It’s not that I thought I could treat you like that.”
—…….
“I had a baby.”
—I’m going crazy, really.
Another sigh-like voice was heard. Seo Jeong-won, who was biting his lip at the low curse, listed the excuses that had been swirling in his head.
“I was hospitalized with premature labor, and then I was transferred to a bigger hospital, and I was really… really out of it. But all of this sounds like excuses and justifications.”
—…….
“If I had wanted to contact you, I would have done it somehow. But I guess I was subconsciously thinking that you would understand everything.”
Seo Jeong-won was careful not to let his voice tremble or become too small. Otherwise, Kang Da-hyun might feel sorry for getting angry. Instead, he tried to convey the situation as calmly and honestly as possible, along with his apology.
“Actually, I’m still in the hospital. I was going to contact you when I got a little better, but I thought it would take too long.”
—Ha…
“You’re the only person I have to contact… Da-hyun-ah. I feel even more shameless after saying that.”
—Are you with that person now?
At the low question, Seo Jeong-won nodded and casually answered yes. He also told him that he had completed the marriage registration and birth registration.
—Okay, well… honestly, it’s none of my business. I don’t understand, but even if I just ignore it because my thoughts don’t matter… I really don’t know, Jeong-won-ah.
“……”
—It’s not just because the baby was born, is it? This isn’t an era where you live for your child. I hope that’s not the case, please.
“……Yeah.”
Seo Jeong-won rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand as he answered. He couldn’t say that it had nothing to do with it at all, but he didn’t think that the baby was the only reason for making this decision.
“That’s not it.”
—Okay, then that’s a relief.
After that conversation, silence followed for a while. Kang Da-hyun and Seo Jeong-won both had a lot to say, but they hesitated because they didn’t know how to bring it up.
—You’re still in the hospital?
“Yeah, I’m in the hospital.”
—Why?
“Because I haven’t recovered enough.”
—What kind of recovery do you need? Can I come to the hospital?
“Yes, you can come.”
Seo Jeong-won answered without a moment’s hesitation to the question. After telling him which hospital it was, the call ended with him saying that he would come soon. Seo Jeong-won held the disconnected phone and took a long breath that he had been holding in. He was so nervous that his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
As Seo Jeong-won put the phone down on the bed and rubbed his mouth, the hospital room door opened. As if reacting to the sound, he turned his head and saw Kwon Tae-hee coming in with the baby in his arms.
“I brought Hae-a while you were waiting.”
Seo Jeong-won was so happy that he tried to get up from his seat, but he staggered. Before the surprised Kwon Tae-hee could approach, he regained his balance and got out of bed. He couldn’t even put on his shoes and approached, dragging the IV stand. Kwon Hae-a, who had just woken up, blinked his drowsy eyes and yawned, opening his small mouth.
“Did the call go well?”
“Yes, Da-hyun said he would come to the hospital…”
“That’s good. Do you want to hold him?”
Seo Jeong-won, who was distracted by Kwon Hae-a, nodded vaguely. Kwon Tae-hee sat him down on the nursing chair first, checking his clear face for any signs of depression or upset, and then handed Kwon Hae-a to him.
Seo Jeong-won, who was making a distorted expression because he didn’t know how to soothe the baby who was smacking his lips and fussing as if he was uncomfortable, looked up at Kwon Tae-hee with a desperate expression.
“I think the baby is going to cry. I think he’s uncomfortable when I hold him.”
“Should we change the position a little?”
Kwon Tae-hee touched Seo Jeong-won’s stiff cheek and told him it was okay, then handed the baby back to him. Kwon Hae-a was uncomfortable with the lying position. He seemed to feel comfortable being held almost upright.
“Make yourself comfortable. I think it’s because you’re too stiff.”
He held the baby quite skillfully when he was with the nurse, but now he was clumsy again. Kwon Tae-hee gently stroked the baby’s back and released a weak Pheromone. As soon as the baby and Seo Jeong-won felt the Pheromone, they gradually calmed down.
“Hae-a’s eye screening test results are out.”
“……”
“They said there were no abnormal findings. They said they would bring the report so we can check it together.”
Kwon Tae-hee shared the results he had heard verbally with Seo Jeong-won and lightly touched Kwon Hae-a’s cheek. The child was busy blinking his eyes, which were glistening with tears, and staring at Seo Jeong-won. Seo Jeong-won and Kwon Hae-a seemed to have calmed down, and the atmosphere became much softer.
“He’s so light.”
“He’s just over 2kg.”
“Can we be discharged from the hospital?”
“There’s no need to stay in the hospital. It’s not like he’s sick anywhere.”
At the calm answer, Seo Jeong-won raised his head and looked at Kwon Tae-hee. His mouth might have been open uncontrollably, making him look a little stupid. Then he soon realized how foolish his worry that the baby was too small and light to be discharged was.
Kwon Tae-hee burst out laughing as he looked at the blank face looking up at him. Seo Jeong-won’s cheeks gradually turned red at the light laughter.
“This is our first time having a child too.”
“Executive Director is… not as clumsy as I am.”
“Wouldn’t I look too incompetent if I was clumsy? I’m older than Jeong-won, so I have to be useful in something.”
Kwon Tae-hee shrugged his shoulders and reacted sensitively to the sound of the hospital room door opening. The nurse, who had brought Seo Jeong-won’s Intravenous drip and formula to feed the baby, smiled brightly and bowed her head.
“Hae-a is having dinner here today.”
She spoke to Kwon Hae-a in a kind voice, handed the formula to Kwon Tae-hee, and checked Seo Jeong-won’s Intravenous drip.
“Oh my, your arm is swollen… Weren’t you in pain?”
“Yes?”
“It looks like a blood vessel burst inside. I think we need to replace the needle.”
She rolled up the sleeve of his other arm and checked the bruised skin. She pressed a few places and occasionally frowned. Seo Jeong-won, who had been quietly watching the scene, asked quietly.
“Can’t I skip the injection today?”
“It hurts, and it’s uncomfortable.”
“It’s not that it hurts, but it’s a little difficult to wash…”
As Seo Jeong-won trailed off, the nurse, who had met his eyes with a sympathetic look, nodded as if she understood.
“I’ll check with the doctor in charge to see if it’s okay to remove the Intravenous drip today. I think it’ll be okay. You can feed Hae-a now, right? Take your time.”
The nurse pulled the needle out of Seo Jeong-won’s elbow, pressed down hard to stop the bleeding, and handed Kwon Hae-a to Kwon Tae-hee. The child, who had been lifted up and moved, seemed to fuss for a moment, but soon found a comfortable position and became quiet.
“You can start feeding him right away.”
Kwon Tae-hee didn’t react to the nurse’s words and just nodded. It wasn’t him who was going to do it, but Seo Jeong-won.
“Executive Director can do it…”
“Jeong-won will do it.”
“I haven’t stopped the bleeding yet… Excuse me, nurse. Can I feed Hae-a a little later?”
The nurse, who was organizing the Intravenous drip and needle, reacted immediately to Seo Jeong-won’s question. She nodded and replied that it was okay, then took the tray and left the hospital room.
Now only three people were left in the hospital room. Kwon Hae-a, Seo Jeong-won, and Kwon Tae-hee.
Kwon Tae-hee was captivated by a strange and unfamiliar feeling as he looked at Seo Jeong-won, who couldn’t take his eyes off Kwon Hae-a. The awkward atmosphere that lingered even when the two of them were alone had disappeared without a trace because of Kwon Hae-a. As he thought that the current situation would become more than just familiar, an indescribable sense of satisfaction filled him.