By Zephyria 
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry forum, hosted by the local chamber of commerce, was in full swing. Since it was being held in Busan, they had to rush from early morning, catching a flight. With so much to prepare and attend to, Hui-won was already drained of energy even though it was only 10 AM.
He stubbornly erased any sign of fatigue. He straightened his back and leaned against the stiff chair. Yet, his pale complexion was impossible to hide. Hui-won tightly shut his eyes, swallowing down his exhaustion.
The hotel convention hall was packed with people dressed in formal suits. On the podium, the Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry was delivering the keynote speech in a solemn voice. The booming sound transmitted through the microphone drifted into his ears like an auditory hallucination.
Among the attendees mingling within, Hui-won focused his gaze solely on Kwon Young-je. Relieved by his unwavering back, he let out a short sigh.
He seemed to still believe that Hui-won wasn’t in good condition due to his stomach ulcer. Thanks to that, he was receiving generous consideration.
Please, let this end without any trouble. He wondered if his own condition would hold up throughout the entire business trip. He only hoped that at least his work wouldn’t be disrupted.
The dazzling light from the chandelier made his head spin. Even though it was winter, the heater inside was blasting, constantly making his stomach churn. The overwhelming mix of various smells made even breathing a chore. Hui-won frequently wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead. Unable to leave his seat, he strained to endure.
Inside his suit jacket pocket, a packet of medicine and candies were tangled together, rustling. He carried them every day, but the only thing he ever took out to eat was the lemon candy. Even that was impossible now; he had to repeatedly swallow the saliva that kept welling up.
Two hours remained until the end. The time he had to endure was long. The only saving grace was that the solemn atmosphere meant none of the secretaries were chatting. Everyone was staring straight ahead, but the look in their eyes, like Hui-won’s, was vacant.
“Huu…”
Unfortunately, the stomach pain began. As his lower abdomen tightened as if being stabbed by a knife, Hui-won slightly hunched his back and slowly regulated his breathing. But it hardly improved; his right arm, wrapped around his stomach, was noticeably trembling.
“Secretary Kim. Are you okay?”
“……”
“Are you hurt somewhere? Oh my, look at the sweat.”
A fellow secretary sitting nearby noticed Hui-won’s state and made a startled face. Unable to raise his voice, he similarly lowered his posture and cautiously inquired. Hui-won forced himself to shake his head. He wanted to say he was fine, but if he opened his mouth, a groan would likely escape immediately.
His clenched jaw trembled violently. The shirt he was wearing was unpleasantly soaked with cold sweat. Even the strands of hair sticking to his forehead—by now, he looked like a patient to anyone who saw him.
“You should probably go to the hospital.”
“Are you okay?”
“What’s going on?”
Murmuring voices continued around them. As attention gathered, Hui-won decided to step outside.
“I’ll just be a moment…”
After barely squeezing out the words, he rose from his seat. To avoid disrupting the event, he deeply bowed his waist and moved as carefully as possible.
However, the area where the secretaries were seated had chairs placed so densely that it wasn’t easy to slip through. Each difficult step he took frequently caught on protruding knees and bags.
“Hey, careful!”
His foot caught on someone’s document bag, causing him to stumble. One of the secretaries reached out an arm and caught Hui-won. Hui-won crumpled to the floor as if collapsing, squatting down. He just needed to go a little further, but now his stomach hurt too much to take even one more step.
“Oh my, Secretary Kim.”
“Someone call for help here.”
As he practically sprawled on the floor, people stirred noticeably. Among them, a few fellow secretaries who knew Hui-won stepped forward to help him.
Hands reached out from here and there to help him. The jumbled body odors churned his sensitive stomach. Overwhelmed by a rising wave of nausea, Hui-won hurriedly covered his mouth. His bloodless fingers trembled finely.
As the murmuring continued, the forum venue seemed to notice the commotion. Faces that had been facing forward turned one by one, looking back at the secluded waiting area. Due to the distance, it wasn’t easy to discern what was happening. Meanwhile, the keynote speech continued without pause.
Suddenly, a tall man pushed back his chair and stood up. Kwon Young-je crossed the wide hotel convention hall with a hardened expression. Even though thick carpet was laid, the sound of his hurried footsteps seemed to echo.
Kwon Young-je pushed through the people and approached Hui-won, who was slumped on the floor. Not caring who was watching, he bent his knee and sat down, first checking Hui-won’s condition.
“What’s wrong, where does it hurt?”
Hui-won couldn’t believe he had left his duties and barged in here to look after him. Kwon Young-je’s hardened face was reflected in his widened pupils. Why did you come here? In his confusion, his pupils shook repeatedly.
That didn’t last long either. The vomit he had barely been holding back rose up. As he hunched his shoulders and retched, Kwon Young-je quickly reached out his hand and caught the thin gastric fluid Hui-won expelled.
As the yellow vomit settled perfectly in his palm, the watching secretaries all wore expressions of shock. A superior personally catching a secretary’s vomit? That’s something that couldn’t happen anywhere in the world.
A handkerchief was passed from somewhere. Kwon Young-je roughly wiped his soiled hand, then hid Hui-won’s collapsed upper body within his embrace.
“Going to vomit more?”
In his arms, Hui-won only shook his head repeatedly. In the horrific situation, he couldn’t even lift his head. He was completely drained, buried in Kwon Young-je’s embrace.
“Can you get up?”
“……”
“Shall we leave? Or wait longer?”
The hand stroking his back was warm. A gentle pheromone also flowed out. It was an action he would absolutely never take in an official setting. Rather than worrying about others’ eyes, Hui-won, consumed by the thought that he needed to survive right now, grabbed Kwon Young-je’s lapel and deeply inhaled his pheromone.
After inhaling Kwon Young-je’s pheromone, the pain that felt like his stomach was tearing and the churning inside gradually subsided. As if it were the only solution, Hui-won instinctively clung to Kwon Young-je. Huhk, huhk— His short, gulping breaths were irregular, as if they might cut off at any moment.
“……”
Kwon Young-je, who had been silently observing Hui-won, bit down firmly on the inside of his lip. Supporting Hui-won, he slowly rose to his feet.
He walked out, pushing through the crowded space. Behind them, the inevitable murmuring and gossip continued. But no matter what people said, he paid no mind at all. His gaze was fixed solely on the sweat-drenched nape of Hui-won’s neck.
He intended to go to the hospital immediately, but Hui-won stubbornly refused. His obstinacy was so strong that they had no choice but to move to a nearby lounge.
Locking the door brought an uncomfortable silence. Hui-won leaned back on the low sofa, covering his eyes with his cold, clammy palms. He didn’t have the confidence to face Kwon Young-je.
“…Why did you do that? You should have just left me.”
“Was I supposed to pretend not to know over there?”
His voice shot out sharply, as if thorny. It wasn’t to scold Hui-won. It was merely pointing out his attitude of pushing him away even in this situation.
He pulled a low chair over and positioned himself in front of Hui-won. Conversation had become unavoidable.
“You haven’t been normal lately.”
“……”
“What are you hiding from me?”
He had thought Kwon Young-je would have guessed to some extent. He was merely being considerate of Hui-won, not a complete fool who knew nothing.
Hui-won deliberately spoke in a light tone.
“Why, are you worried I might have some incurable disease or something?”
“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
Kwon Young-je replied in a dry voice. The gaze fixed on Hui-won’s face was persistent, as if trying to dig out the truth hidden within.
“…Are you pregnant?”
His perceptiveness was too sharp, and that itself was a crime. As the secret he had worked so hard to hide surfaced, Hui-won grew despondent and took a deep breath.
The rigid line of his jaw visibly quivered. He tried clenching his molars tightly, but the trembling wouldn’t subside.
He finally parted his reluctant lips. Hui-won moved his stiff tongue with difficulty.
“Pregnant… that’s right. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier. But… I have no intention of keeping it anyway. I already got the medication… So you don’t need to worry, Executive Director. I’ll handle it myself.”
Fortunately, his voice flowed out as usual. Though slow, he managed to spit out what he had to say.
Suddenly, Kwon Young-je reached out and pulled Hui-won into an embrace. As if blocking the trembling for him, he tightly wrapped both arms around his waist.
“Hui-won.”
“……”
“It’s okay. Don’t tremble.”
At those words, what he had been holding back crumbled. Hui-won burst into tears, burying his face in Kwon Young-je’s shoulder. The black shoulder pad began to soak wet.
“…I was scared. I was too scared… I couldn’t say it. I want to erase it… but if I erase it, it becomes a sin, right.”
While Hui-won poured out his sorrow, he silently just held his waist tighter. Pressing the tip of his nose against the trembling nape, he fully felt the pitiful vibrations.
“I really have no confidence. You… you don’t want a child, do you?… Did I do something so wrong?”
“No, you did nothing wrong. The one who did wrong is me.”
The unwavering voice firmly held onto the crumbling Hui-won. Kwon Young-je put more strength into his arms, keeping the fearfully trembling Hui-won within his embrace.
“I’m sorry for realizing so late.”
Hui-won cried even more sorrowfully at his apology. He thought it was fortunate to have someone on his side. Even if everyone in the world pointed fingers, at least Kwon Young-je wouldn’t blame him.