By Zephyria 
Seo Yi-kyung blinked. Han Seung-jae’s words were so plain, it was as if he were suggesting they go see an art exhibition. Yi-kyung found himself doubting his own ears at the nonchalant and light tone of the man’s speech.
‘Go see the baby?’
Hadn’t they clearly said so at the hospital? They said he would be able to see the baby by next August; how was he supposed to see a child who hadn’t even entered the world yet?
While Seo Yi-kyung was lost in thought, Han Seung-jae took a sip of tea. The sight felt surreal, like a painting. Because of this, Seo Yi-kyung ended up staring blankly. Han Seung-jae’s sharp eyes and distinct features, and the shadows cast upon his dress shirt beneath them. It was largely because Han Seung-jae’s words didn’t feel real enough to register. Even the fact that he was drinking tea alone with him late at night.
Then, he remembered the people who had entered the house around evening. Despite the late hour, what they had brought into the house was an ultrasound machine.
The moment his eyes met Han Seung-jae’s sharp gaze, the fingertips of Seo Yi-kyung’s hand touching the teacup curled, as if hiding his inner thoughts after being caught peeking. Han Seung-jae spoke before Seo Yi-kyung could answer.
“If you’re going to make such an anxious face, go check for yourself.”
Seo Yi-kyung bit the tender skin inside his cheek. Not knowing what his face looked like, he couldn’t find the words to argue. Then, he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the teacup. His usually calm and indifferent face was somehow disheveled. It was different from the image he always saw in the mirror. That was likely because the person in front of him was Han Seung-jae.
Step, step. Han Seung-jae stood up quickly and brushed past Seo Yi-kyung. From the start, he hadn’t needed an answer from him. He called for Butler Do, who had been waiting outside.
Listening to the sound of their conversation, Seo Yi-kyung clumsily stood up. Was Han Seung-jae thinking that he couldn’t sleep because he was worried about the baby? For some reason, he felt he had to say that it wasn’t like that, that it wasn’t the case. As he slowly turned around, Butler Do, having heard Han Seung-jae’s instructions, walked away with wide strides.
“If it is the item you are looking for, I have placed it in the room.”
Step, step. Compared to Han Seung-jae’s pace as he followed Butler Do’s guidance, Seo Yi-kyung’s legs grew slower and slower. Seo Yi-kyung stared at the elevator stopped on the first floor. If he pressed the button now, the doors would open. He hesitated over whether to take it up to the second floor.
Then, he suddenly felt Han Seung-jae, who was watching Butler Do open the door, look back. Seo Yi-kyung froze in place like a nail driven into the floor. The long cardigan Seo Yi-kyung was wearing brushed against his ankles.
“…….”
Butler Do rolled his eyes as if reading the room. Han Seung-jae and Seo Yi-kyung looked as if they were in a standoff. He could feel instinctively that this wasn’t an atmosphere he could step in and resolve.
And for good reason, a chill emanated from the gaze of Han Seung-jae beside him. Butler Do turned his head in concern. Seo Yi-kyung, with a face so white it was almost transparent and a calm expression, began to move his steps slowly. As Seo Yi-kyung leisurely reached the door, Han Seung-jae spoke coldly.
“Good work.”
Han Seung-jae’s gaze was fixed on Seo Yi-kyung, but his words were clearly directed at Butler Do. Butler Do averted his eyes from Seo Yi-kyung as he passed by and bowed his waist.
“Yes, sir.”
Han Seung-jae followed Seo Yi-kyung into the room, and shortly after, the door closed. The rushing cold wind ruffled Butler Do’s hair.
Perhaps it was because he had rushed out after being suddenly summoned by Han Seung-jae past midnight. Butler Do was in a daze, unable to gather his senses. It felt almost like a dream. But since the images of the two of them were so vivid, how could it be a dream? Butler Do rubbed his face repeatedly and turned his body, which had been tense the entire time.
* * *
Inside the unused room, the bedding was neatly arranged. Seo Yi-kyung continued walking toward the bedside. It wasn’t of his own volition. All his nerves were focused on his back. This was because Han Seung-jae’s large hand had been touching his back, subtly pushing him forward.
Seo Yi-kyung looked at the ultrasound machine placed next to the bed. There was a limit to pretending everything was fine. Looking at the unbelievable machine sitting brazenly in the room, Seo Yi-kyung’s pupils trembled slightly.
Seo Yi-kyung’s spine flinched. A long arm reached forward from behind his back.
Han Seung-jae withdrew the hand he had placed on Seo Yi-kyung’s back, picked up the manual standing in front of the monitor, and placed it on the nightstand. As if there were no need to read it, he turned on the power and spoke to Seo Yi-kyung.
“Take off your clothes and lie down.”
Han Seung-jae’s voice seemed to ring right in his ear, making Seo Yi-kyung’s face flush intensely. The heat spread to his neck, and he swallowed hard. If anyone else had said that, would he have felt embarrassed?
Judging by what Han Seung-jae intended to do, he truly meant to place the device on his stomach to check the baby’s condition. However, since Han Seung-jae wasn’t a doctor, the way he said it sounded strangely suggestive.
Suddenly, Han Seung-jae turned his head to the side. He reached out without hesitation. When Han Seung-jae’s unexpected fingertips parted the cardigan to the left and right, Seo Yi-kyung’s shoulders flinched. Without hesitation, Han Seung-jae grabbed the pajama shirt Seo Yi-kyung was wearing and began unbuttoning it.
“I-I’ll do it.”
“Forget it.”
Rejected flatly, Seo Yi-kyung felt Han Seung-jae’s hand, touching the skin revealed between the parting pajamas, was cool. Seo Yi-kyung’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
Han Seung-jae traced the hollow of his collarbone and brushed his fingertips over Seo Yi-kyung’s thin chest. Soon after, he gathered the sparse flesh and gripped his chest, rubbing his thumb against the nipple.
“……!”
Seo Yi-kyung instinctively took a step back. However, he realized there was nowhere left to retreat as he hit the bed.
Han Seung-jae’s hand caressed his thin waist and touched his flat stomach. From there, his fingertips slid down toward the pajama pants.
A strange current flowed, as if he hadn’t come to see the baby, but had come to examine every corner of his body.
An ominous thought flashed through Seo Yi-kyung’s mind—that he might end up with his head shoved into the bed and his spread buttocks held high. He hurriedly grabbed Han Seung-jae’s arm, which was digging into the waistband of his pajamas, with both hands. He gripped the firm arm tightly.
“You… you don’t have to take off the pants.”
Seo Yi-kyung let go of Han Seung-jae’s hand and turned around. The gaze he felt from behind was almost stinging, but without turning his head once, Seo Yi-kyung swallowed a sigh and accepted the irreversible situation. He had no choice but to climb onto the bed and lean his back against two stacked pillows. He felt that if he actually lay down, he might not be able to leave this room until morning.
“Isn’t it uncomfortable sitting like that?”
Seo Yi-kyung looked up sideways while burying his back in the pillows.
It wasn’t at all. Rather, lying down was more dangerous. Knowing the Han Seung-jae he had dealt with so far, he was more than capable of doing such a thing.
“This is comfortable.”
Seo Yi-kyung shook his head firmly toward Han Seung-jae. Han Seung-jae picked up the gel placed next to the ultrasound machine. He seemed to look around as if searching for gloves to wear, and when he didn’t see any, he poured a generous amount of gel onto his own palm.
Seo Yi-kyung’s gaze was fixed entirely on Han Seung-jae’s long fingers being moistened and the sight of the viscous fluid dripping onto the floor. Han Seung-jae’s hand touched Seo Yi-kyung’s stomach. For a moment, Seo Yi-kyung felt as if his breath had stopped. His eyes looked at Han Seung-jae’s profile.
The sharp features were cool. The well-set lips were the same. To Seo Yi-kyung, Han Seung-jae’s fingers touching his stomach felt cold, yet refreshing, and on the other hand, ticklish. As he stroked around the stomach, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Seo Yi-kyung.
“What are you doing? You’re not breathing.”
“Ah……”
Seo Yi-kyung hurriedly released the breath he had been holding without realizing it. The scent of white sandalwood clinging to Han Seung-jae’s body wafted strongly into his nose. Seo Yi-kyung’s heart thudded loudly as if agitated.
Every time Han Seung-jae moved his hand over his stomach, Seo Yi-kyung felt a violent urge to grab his arm and push it away. He was touching his stomach, so why on earth was the area between his legs tingling?
Every time Han Seung-jae’s touch continued on his stomach, Seo Yi-kyung’s toes curled and twitched. He felt it should be enough. He glanced down at Han Seung-jae’s fingers. Should he say it was a bit more excessive than what they did at the hospital? Nevertheless, there was no pressure in the fingertips, so only the ticklishness grew. Should he call that meticulousness?
Seo Yi-kyung shifted his gaze from Han Seung-jae’s profile to the ultrasound machine. Taking in the lit lights and the monitor at a glance, he murmured. He tried to shake off the awkwardness since not a single word of conversation had followed.
“D-do you know how to use it?”
Earlier, Han Seung-jae had tossed the manual onto the nightstand without even looking at it. Seo Yi-kyung paused while speaking as he followed the countless buttons with his eyes. Han Seung-jae withdrew his fingers, which had become slimy from touching the stomach.
“I’ll figure it out by pressing them.”
He picked up the device with his slippery hand. It was similar to the one that had touched Seo Yi-kyung’s stomach at the hospital. As Han Seung-jae’s hand approached again, Seo Yi-kyung held his breath and then consciously exhaled slowly. Huu, huu— breath flowed continuously through Seo Yi-kyung’s parted lips. It was a clunky device compared to Han Seung-jae’s fingers, but he couldn’t stand the nervousness.
However, the black-and-white ultrasound screen he had seen at the hospital didn’t appear. Han Seung-jae looked at the blank monitor and reached out with his other hand. It was the moment he pressed a button. The screen changed, and a black-and-white image of a violent beating filled the monitor.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Seo Yi-kyung’s lips, which had been breathing, parted further. He felt as if his mind were going blank. The fetal heartbeat leaking through the speaker, perhaps because the volume wasn’t adjusted at all, echoed as if filling the large room.
Through that, Han Seung-jae’s low voice seeped in.
“He’s doing well.”