By Zephyria 
“…….”
Seo Yi-kyung was speechless. As Jin Seon-yu said, the meaning might have gotten across, but didn’t the nuance sound different? Jin Seon-yu pointed to the tips of his own ears with his fingertips.
“Now even the tips of your ears are……”
“Butler Do.”
Seo Yi-kyung called Butler Do as if to cut Jin Seon-yu off. He immediately turned and approached.
“Is there something you need?”
Butler Do scanned the refreshments on the table as if checking if anything was missing. However, the refreshments had been served not long ago.
“Please bring me a glass of cold water.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s cheeks were burning.
“Water?”
“Yes.”
“I understand.”
Since he had been drinking hot tea, it seemed the heat had spread from his chest to his cheeks and ears, turning them red.
As soon as Butler Do handed him the water, Seo Yi-kyung drank it immediately and then looked at Jin Seon-yu.
“You aren’t planning to go and tell Kwon Gwi-jun the things I said, are you?”
“I won’t say such things.”
The pocket watch necklace came to mind. It had gone from Jin Seon-yu’s hand to Kwon Gwi-jun, then to Han Seung-jae, and finally back to him. At least that was a physical object you could see. Words left no trace of their movement.
Jin Seon-yu reached out his arm to pull his teacup from the other side and placed it in front of him. He lifted the cup, inhaled the deep aroma, and took a sip. Then, he muttered toward Seo Yi-kyung.
“And we aren’t that kind of relationship anyway.”
Watching Jin Seon-yu calm down rapidly, Seo Yi-kyung slowly leaned back against the sofa. Although he had been flustered when Jin Seon-yu brought up words he had kept buried in a corner of his heart, he knew that Jin Seon-yu wasn’t the type of person to gossip. Wasn’t that why he had opened up his inner thoughts in the first place?
“After hearing that from you and thinking about it carefully, I realized I haven’t even dated properly, so no one comes to mind.”
In Ham Gyu-ho’s case, it had been nothing more than Jin Seon-yu unilaterally chasing after him. Jin Seon-yu continued as he placed the teacup back on the saucer.
“Still, maybe Gwi-jun would be okay.”
“…….”
“My hyungs are a bit fierce, you know.”
Most Alphas would be brushed aside, unable to overcome even Jin Seok-young, let alone Jin Tae-won.
“But I haven’t decided yet; I’m only telling you. You can’t go and tell your husband about this.”
Seo Yi-kyung, who had been listening seriously, raised his hand to touch his forehead, feeling dizzy. He picked up the glass of water, took a drink, and let out a long sigh.
Not only was there no way Seo Yi-kyung would say anything, but he could vaguely imagine Han Seung-jae’s expression if he heard such words.
He would likely stare silently with cold eyes. And as usual, he would tell Jin Seon-yu to keep his distance.
Buzz— Jin Seon-yu asked while checking a message from Kwon Gwi-jun on his phone.
“By the way, is there anything you want to eat? I can tell Gwi-jun to buy it and bring it over.”
Seo Yi-kyung set the water glass down with a clack.
“Nothing.”
He was eating well enough without lacking anything.
Moreover, Seo Yi-kyung often felt a sense of comfort just by being with Jin Seon-yu. He was someone Seo Yi-kyung could open up to when he had nowhere else to lean.
Therefore, he had no choice but to strive to ensure that the words “stay away from Jin Seon-yu” never came out of Han Seung-jae’s mouth.
* * *
After Jin Seon-yu left, Seo Yi-kyung sat in the living room for a while. His body was becoming increasingly heavy, and his movements had grown sluggish. Since he wasn’t an agile person to begin with, there wasn’t a huge difference, but he often found himself startled whenever he felt the baby move.
Seo Yi-kyung fumbled over his shirt, which fluttered loosely as it only clung to his protruding belly. Through his palm, he felt the fetal movements that seemed like they would never become familiar.
‘The doctor said it’s a boy.’
He was told that whether the baby would become an Alpha or an Omega could only be determined through a genetic test after birth.
Seo Yi-kyung didn’t care whether it was an Alpha or an Omega, but he didn’t know what Han Seung-jae’s intentions were.
Most likely, Seung-jae would want it to be an Alpha.
It was only natural. The image of Han Yechan, Han Seung-jae’s father, flickered before his eyes. That authoritarian figure who enjoyed being the center of attention at family banquets.
Only after Han Seung-jae arrived did Han Yechan seem to notice Seo Yi-kyung, welcoming him with a smile. Since it was Han Seung-jae’s father and no one else, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t concerned.
That had been the first and last time they met. Since then, he hadn’t seen him at all; he had only seen Han Seung-jae’s mother, Yeon So-jeong.
—But your belly isn’t showing at all; how many weeks along are you?
Yeon So-jeong, who had visited this house, only asked the question she most wanted to know after she had finished preparing to leave.
—It’s been about six weeks.
—Nothing will show yet. Take good care of your health.
Then, as Yeon So-jeong brushed past Seo Yi-kyung, she whispered softly.
—Make sure to give birth to an Alpha.
Yeon So-jeong likely said that for Seo Yi-kyung’s sake. The reason she could remain dignified and composed even in such a household was likely because of Han Seung-jae, who was an extreme dominant Alpha.
However, whether the baby would be an Alpha or an Omega was a realm that even Seo Yi-kyung could not know. Above all, it wasn’t something that would happen just because he wished for it.
While he was lost in thought, he saw Butler Do walking briskly.
‘Has Seung-jae arrived?’
Seo Yi-kyung pushed himself up from the sofa slowly. He looked at Han Seung-jae as he entered the house.
Butler Do asked,
“How would you like to have dinner?”
“Has Seo Yi-kyung eaten?”
Butler Do confirmed Seo Yi-kyung standing in the center of the sofa and answered.
“No. He hasn’t eaten yet.”
“Then prepare it.”
“I understand. I will prepare it immediately.”
Having finished speaking, Han Seung-jae walked toward him. Seo Yi-kyung gazed at him and removed his hand from his waist. Suddenly remembering what Jin Seon-yu had said, Seo Yi-kyung felt heat rush to his ears.
“Stay seated. I’ll change my clothes and come back out.”
Seo Yi-kyung bent his knees and sat on the sofa. He hurriedly covered his ears with his palms. Jin Seon-yu’s word ‘husband’ kept echoing.
Since they were married and had a child, it wasn’t wrong. Still, he had never thought of it in those terms.
Meanwhile, Han Seung-jae changed his clothes in the dressing room and came out, adjusting his sleeves. He headed toward the sofa, looking at Seo Yi-kyung’s back as he kept his head lowered.
“……!”
For a moment, Seo Yi-kyung’s vision went dark. This was because Han Seung-jae’s large hand didn’t just touch his forehead but covered his eyelids as well.
“Do you have a fever?”
Han Seung-jae’s low voice sounded above his head. Seo Yi-kyung grabbed the hand covering his eyes and pulled it down, quickly turning his head toward the source of the voice. Because of this, his soft nose and supple lips brushed against Han Seung-jae’s large palm.
“It’s not because I’m sick……”
Seo Yi-kyung added as he let go of Han Seung-jae’s hand.
“It’s nothing.”
He couldn’t possibly say it was because he remembered Jin Seon-yu’s words. Seo Yi-kyung stood up. Fortunately, Butler Do was walking toward them.
“It seems dinner is ready.”
It was just as Seo Yi-kyung had stepped away from the sofa and taken a couple of steps.
“Ah.”
Seo Yi-kyung let out an involuntary moan. Because of that, Butler Do, who was turning around, looked back in surprise. And Han Seung-jae, standing beside Seo Yi-kyung, looked down.
“This time, it really kicked hard.”
Seo Yi-kyung wrapped his palm around his belly. It sounded like he was talking to himself, but strictly speaking, he was talking to the baby in his womb. As he did, his eyes met Han Seung-jae’s.
Seo Yi-kyung had momentarily forgotten that Han Seung-jae was beside him.
“Ah, I felt the baby move.”
“Is that so?”
Then, Han Seung-jae stroked Seo Yi-kyung’s belly with his palm.
“I don’t feel anything.”
However, no matter how long he waited, he couldn’t feel the same movement.
Butler Do straightened his posture and walked ahead. To avoid interrupting their conversation, he entered the dining room first and pulled out a chair as if preparing their seats.
Soon after, Han Seung-jae appeared, then stopped and looked back. Seo Yi-kyung walked over and sat down. Han Seung-jae sat in the chair Butler Do had prepared and looked straight ahead.
While stroking his belly, Seo Yi-kyung continued a quiet conversation with Butler Do, who was placing plates on the table.
“Do you mean water made even colder by adding ice?”
Upon hearing Seo Yi-kyung’s request, Butler Do said he understood, finished placing the plates, and turned around. Seo Yi-kyung suddenly turned his head and looked at Han Seung-jae, feeling heat repeatedly rise to his cheeks. This was all because Jin Seon-yu had said such strange things.