By Zephyria 
“Jajangmyeon? You should eat something healthy for the sake of the baby.”
“For the sake of the baby, I should eat what I like. They say if I’m in a good mood, the baby will be in a good mood too. Who would be happier than the baby if I’m happy because I ate what I wanted?”
I didn’t realize it until now, but it seems I’m quite the silver-tongued speaker. I’m glad there’s at least one thing the child can learn from me.
“Hurry up and order. Do you want jjampong? Order some and give me a bite.”
They say ‘just one bite’ is the worst, but I wasn’t confident I could finish a whole bowl myself. I could just share some of my jajangmyeon. At my urging to hurry, Kwon Yi-kang nodded as if he had no choice.
“How about eating out?”
“Too much effort. Just order from a Chinese place nearby.”
“You’re just ordering without knowing how they make it. From now on, you have to be mindful of where the ingredients come from.”
After Kwon Yi-kang repeatedly warned me with a stern face, he finally made the call to place the order once I surrendered and said I understood. He mentioned a specific business name and requested they be careful since it was for a pregnant person, while also urging them to deliver as quickly as possible. It seemed he had tasked someone with the errand.
“You even hire people for things like that?”
“I pay them for the convenience of my life. Or should I just fire them?”
I didn’t know if that salary came from the company or if Kwon Yi-kang paid them personally. I didn’t know what they actually did, but since they were called employees, the company probably paid them. Since they were people I’d never see again if he got fired, I just shook my head.
“You make them do all sorts of things. I’ve only ever had jajangmyeon, jjampong, and fried rice at Chinese restaurants. I’ve never even seen what things like yusansul or rajogi are.”
“Let’s go eat them in person next time. I’ll order a whole table full for you.”
“Wow, exciting. You’re so cool.”
Every time Kwon Yi-kang said things like that, I felt the scent of wealth. It was cooler than him taking me to a department store and saying he’d buy me anything. I feel like if we ordered pizza, he’d order one of every single kind.
“I hope you don’t go to work today.”
“And get fired?”
Even if he went diligently, wouldn’t he just get fired anyway? I don’t think his father would just leave him alone. There’s usually that kind of repertoire, right? ‘If you’re going to marry someone my parents oppose, leave with nothing but the clothes on your back!’ I’ve already experienced that situation myself.
I know Kwon Yi-kang’s father dotes on him, but still, I doubt he’d let him keep his job peacefully. Wouldn’t he put pressure on him somehow? And in this situation, the best kind of pressure is money.
“Let’s just use up all your annual leave before you get fired.”
“…I think I’ve already used it all meeting you.”
“That company is useless. What kind of company has so little annual leave? Let’s report them to the Labor Office.”
How much have we even met? No, how many days has he actually missed work since meeting me? I think it’s only a handful, yet he’s used up all his leave? What kind of company tries to drive its employees to the brink of death from overwork.
“I’ll go to the office, wrap up the urgent stuff, and come home early.”
“You’ll just end up leaving at six anyway.”
It seems inheriting the company is out of the question now, so I don’t know why he’s so uselessly diligent. If it were me, I’d just play around and take the salary, and if possible, I’d draw several months’ worth of pay in advance. Then they couldn’t fire me for a while.
“Should I buy something on my way back? Anything else you want to eat?”
“For now, sweet and sour pork.”
“Alright. Eat the sweet and sour pork, and if you think of anything else you want later, call me.”
Kwon Yi-kang, who had been smiling brightly as if something was just so wonderful, buried his face in my stomach, where a slight chill was setting in, and rubbed his lips against it. Even though he doesn’t even know where the peanut-sized womb is attached. I sighed while looking down at the top of his neat head.
∞ ∞ ∞
The book recommended by the doctor was delivered that very evening. It focused on helpful content for daily living: how the body changes during pregnancy, how the baby grows, what to be careful of, and what is good for the body.
It was probably helpful, but since it had been a while since I tried to read a book, I felt sleepy. I felt like I was staring at the same page over and over, so I even tried underlining with a ballpoint pen, but nothing stuck in my memory easily.
They said you get tired easily and sleepy during early pregnancy. Perhaps that was the reason.
I tried to blame my fleeting concentration, but in truth, I knew it was because I was dim-witted. When had I ever sat down and studied diligently on my own? I had been too busy just trying to keep food in my mouth.
At least when I took English tutoring, there was a teacher by my side. Since it was study I paid for, I felt I had to learn diligently so as not to waste the money. Even though it was basic level, I studied out of spite, fearing they’d think I was a complete idiot if I couldn’t keep up.
It’s because I’ve let my guard down. Life has become too comfortable.
Even after several days, I hadn’t finished a single book, which felt excessive even to me. I tried to reflect, but the concentration I never had didn’t suddenly appear. While I was still half-asleep, lazily flipping through the pages, my phone rang as if to rescue me.
Since my social circle is extremely narrow, there are only a few people who would call, so I wondered what Kwon Yi-kang was calling about this time. Unexpectedly, the caller was my Omega Father, from whom I hadn’t heard since the funeral.
“Hello.”
—Where are you.
“Where else? I’m at home.”
The question he blurted out immediately upon calling was quite random. We aren’t on terms to ask about each other’s well-being, but still, it would have been nice to exchange some warm greetings between a father and son who haven’t spoken in a long time.
—I think we need to meet.
“Is something wrong?”
—I have something to tell you regarding your marriage.
Still, Father’s direct way of speaking is better than beating around the bush and draining a person’s energy by testing the waters.
“Where should we meet? Going to the house is a bit… do you want to come here?”
—Come to the art gallery when you have time.
Even though it’s Kwon Yi-kang’s house, it would be more comfortable for Kwon Yi-kang to invite a guest than for me to go out. I thought it would be fine if I just sent a message, but perhaps Father didn’t like that. Or maybe he just found it tedious to go.
Actually, I find it tedious too. Whenever I try to go out, it’s not like the Great National Migration of the holidays, yet I have to move with a long line of security personnel, which is very uncomfortable.
“I’ll get ready and head over.”
—Now?
“Yes, I’m quite free. Is that alright?”
—…Do so. I will wait.
I hung up the phone and closed the book I was holding, setting it aside.
I can’t guess what he wants to say. He said it’s about the marriage; is he asking when the wedding will be? Or perhaps when the formal meeting between the families will take place. I wonder if he’ll lecture me on whether I intend to keep cohabitating in this state while the Alpha Father’s opposition is so severe.
There probably isn’t a marriage that both families oppose this much. The baby will be born in eight months, so I have no idea how to handle the wedding. I decided I should set a date and talk to Kwon Yi-kang, and I dialed Kwon Yi-kang’s number to let him know I was going out.
∞ ∞ ∞
They’re probably trying to protect me, but it’s suffocating. Because the men surrounding me in the front, back, and sides are all tall, walking felt more like being swept along.
Upon arriving at the art gallery, the men thoroughly scanned the surroundings before entering the gallery with me. As if a high-ranking official were visiting, I was buried among the highly disciplined security personnel; my own head probably wasn’t even visible.
“You may enter.”
The men, who had entered the director’s office a step ahead of me to check the interior, confirmed there were no particular dangers and only then opened the way for me. As I quietly entered the office, they stood outside the door as if on standby and silently closed it.
“Do I need to be told what the situation is?”
“You won’t understand even if you hear it without background knowledge. Just think of it as the result of the track records of my family and Kwon Yi-kang’s elders.”
I sighed and flopped down onto the sofa. I’m uncomfortable too. I’m telling you, I’m not dragging all these people around because I want to. It’s burdensome, and just thinking about where these people’s salaries come from makes my head spin.
“Why did you call me? I think we should take our time with the wedding. The atmosphere at home isn’t great.”
I said that, but I still couldn’t decide if taking it slow was the right move or if it would be better to just get it over with quickly.
At this rate, I’ll have the baby and then get married. Thinking of the child in my womb, marrying early is the right thing, but it’s obvious that proceeding with a wedding in the current situation would be a disaster.
“You. You should come back home.”
“Why? Did something happen at home? Or did the Alpha Father finally give his permission for the marriage?”
That man isn’t the type to do that. Now that the Grandfather knows as well, it’s obvious the two of them are plotting and racking their brains to break this marriage apart somehow. So why is the Omega Father suddenly telling me to come home?
“I heard from your father. I cannot agree to that marriage either.”
Ah, now I see how things are going. I don’t know what the Alpha Father was thinking when he decided to reveal the family’s shame, but the important thing is that the Omega Father found out.
“Because Kwon Yi-kang is… the son of an aunt I didn’t even know existed?”
“Settle things and come home. I heard they’ll arrange a position for you at the foundation. Go there and slowly learn the business.”
It wasn’t an answer to my question. As if he couldn’t hear me, Father only spat out what he wanted to say.
I stared at his expressionless, doll-like face. A face that makes it absolutely impossible for others to know what he’s thinking. I don’t know what the Omega Father wants or hopes for, but there was something I felt I understood.
“Actually, you don’t really care about my marriage, do you? You don’t have any strong thoughts on it.”