#133

Since Shin Ho-jae was right beneath him, he caught the falling Jung-hyun in his arms and tumbled backward. With a loud thud, Ho-jae’s back hit the grass, followed by the clatter of the ladder falling over.

“Phew…”

He was lucky the ground was grass. Because he had used both arms to hold him, he couldn’t perform a breakfall; if it had been a cement floor, the bruising would have lasted quite a while. Jung-hyun, who had been motionless from the shock, began to squirm slightly in his arms and spoke.

“I’m sorry. I…”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… What about you, Ho-jae?”

“I’m fine too.”

“Your shoulder? Your shoulder hurts.”

“I didn’t land on that side.”

Even as he answered, he felt a slight sense of wonder. Did Jung-hyun know he’d had shoulder surgery? No, his shoulder had often hurt even during the season, so he was likely referring to that.

As Jung-hyun pushed himself up from the grass, his face was right in front of him. Since they had fallen while Jung-hyun was held in his arms, he was naturally sprawled on top of Ho-jae’s body.

Unlike previous days, the weather was clear today, and the morning sun was dazzling. The scent of grass, earth, and Jung-hyun’s pheromones mingled into a fresh fragrance that wafted into his nose, and Jung-hyun looked down at Ho-jae, bathed in the sunlight.

They were so close that he could see the fine peach fuzz on his skin. Ho-jae blankly admired his face. Every single eyelash, the way they fluttered whenever he blinked, and his dry, rough-looking lips.

Unconsciously, Ho-jae’s cheeks flushed. He felt a gradual surge of heat in his lower body. But at that moment, Jung-hyun’s brow twitched, and he grimaced as if he were in pain.

“CEO?”

Startled, Ho-jae sat up and looked at Jung-hyun. He hadn’t misseen it. Jung-hyun was clutching his lower abdomen, breathing in short, shallow gasps.

Belatedly, it occurred to him that Jung-hyun was pregnant. Ho-jae’s face turned pale. As he scrambled to stand up, Jung-hyun grabbed Ho-jae’s arm. Then, with a pale face, he spoke.

“…I’m sorry, but could you take me to the hospital?”

* * *

He didn’t know how much time had passed. Following instructions, he took a car from the garage, helped Jung-hyun into the passenger seat, and sped off.

Upon arriving at the OB-GYN clinic and checking Jung-hyun in, a staff member seemed to stare at his face for a few seconds, but he was too frantic to care about what that gaze meant.

Soon, Jung-hyun went into the examination room, and Ho-jae waited outside for about ten minutes. Out of habit, he lightly tapped his knee, only then noticing that his hands were trembling slightly. Ho-jae clasped his hands together and let out a long, deep sigh. It was then.

The staff member with long dreadlocks who had helped with the registration passed by with a tumbler, spotted Ho-jae, and came to a dead stop.

“Why are you outside?! You should have gone in together! This is why Alphas are hopeless!”

“Excuse me…?”

“Hurry up!”

Overwhelmed by the staff member’s disapproving momentum, Ho-jae stood up instinctively and was led by her hand to the front of the examination room.

Since he had come with Jung-hyun and was also East Asian, she likely assumed he was Jung-hyun’s partner. Before he could explain the misunderstanding, the staff member knocked on the door and flung it open.

In Ho-jae’s awkward line of sight, the doctor performing the ultrasound and Jung-hyun with his lower abdomen exposed filled his vision. He hadn’t noticed at all when Jung-hyun was dressed, but seeing him like this, there was a small mound hidden in his lower belly.

He blinked rapidly. To suddenly see bare skin—and the belly, of all places—made him feel as though he had stepped into an intimate sanctuary, and his cheeks burned. The doctor grinned.

“I finally get to see your face. You’re Hue’s husband, right?”

“What? No, I’m…”

“I heard you fell from a ladder. You must have been very worried. But don’t worry. The lower abdomen is just a bit tight, but the baby inside is sleeping very comfortably.”

As the doctor spoke, she adjusted the monitor so Ho-jae could see the screen clearly. Unconsciously, Ho-jae slid into a chair and craned his neck to stare intently at the ultrasound image.

Perhaps because it was Jung-hyun’s child, the forehead was rounded and the nose was prominent. Ho-ppang seemed to want to suck its thumb, holding its hand near its mouth; the way the tiny lips protruded was so cute that Ho-jae’s face naturally softened.

“For the tight lower abdomen, the father should apply lotion or oil and massage it slowly. Oh, it’s even better if you release a bit of your pheromones. The baby likes the father’s pheromones, but they also serve to relax the pregnant mother’s body. The mother’s body is under a lot of strain creating a new room for the baby, so the father needs to help.”

“Ah…”

Taking his eyes off the monitor, Ho-jae glanced at Jung-hyun. It seemed that from the receptionist to the doctor, everyone firmly believed he was Ho-ppang’s biological father.

He didn’t mind hearing it himself, but he was concerned that Jung-hyun was hearing it too. He thought Jung-hyun might find the misunderstanding uncomfortable.

When he stole a glance at Jung-hyun’s face with that thought, it was unexpectedly neither panicked nor uncomfortable. He just looked slightly awkward. That was all. While Ho-jae was blinking in surprise, the doctor spoke to him in a mock-scolding tone.

“I guess your busy schedule has finally cleared up? Do you have any idea how hard Hue had to struggle to raise Ho-ppang alone? Did you think just leaving the collected pheromones was enough? Other trait-bearer pregnant women receive pheromones comfortably at home, but Hue was the only one who had to come to the hospital and get injections.”

“Doctor. Please don’t say such things…”

This time, Jung-hyun called out to the doctor in a truly flustered voice. Ho-jae just blinked, staring at the doctor’s face.

What is she talking about…? Collected pheromones…?

Ah… since he was broken up with Kyung Seung-hee, perhaps Jung-hyun had asked her separately to provide them.

I see. He needs the father’s pheromones. In that regard, he wouldn’t be of any help at all. The thought made him feel a bit depressed.

The doctor merely winked at Jung-hyun’s protest and continued.

“Anyway, it’s good that you’ve come, even if it’s late. Because Hue’s uterus is incomplete, the father’s role is very important for the baby to grow healthily. Today’s exam is over, and since it’s almost lunch break, I’ll be leaving the room. Why don’t you rest here and release some pheromones in the meantime?”

After wiping off the ultrasound gel with a tissue, the doctor tidied the machine and left the room. In an instant, the two of them were left alone in the small examination room. Ho-jae swallowed hard and spoke in a voice that sounded relatively nonchalant.

“I’m glad everything is okay.”

Jung-hyun, still lying on the medical bed, blinked slowly. Feeling an odd dryness in his throat, Ho-jae scratched his cheek and said.

“You said there are collected pheromones? Should I ask the nurse to give you an injection…?”

To be precise, it would be ‘Kyung Seung-hee’s collected pheromones,’ but due to useless pride, he didn’t want to mention that name.

Regardless, the doctor said the father’s pheromones were needed for stability. And for the tight belly, a massage… a massage… No, there was no way Jung-hyun would entrust that to him. Just as he was forcing away those useless expectations, Jung-hyun suddenly spoke.

“Is that really necessary? When Ho-jae is right here.”

“Excuse me…?”

When he asked back stupidly, Jung-hyun twitched one of his handsome eyebrows and spoke again in a calm tone.

“I’m saying Shin Ho-jae’s pheromones will do.”

“…What?”

Shin Ho-jae looked exactly like a fool, craning his neck and blinking rapidly.

My pheromones will do? The doctor clearly said the biological father’s pheromones were effective… Huh?

Only after the words finally reached his brain did Ho-jae’s brow furrow tightly.

“…You’re lying.”

“You don’t believe me again.”

Jung-hyun chuckled.

“You’re too good at lying, CEO… Really…?”

Now it was Ho-jae’s turn to let out a breathy laugh. His face crumpled strangely. It was as if his brain had sent the wrong command, leaving him unsure whether to laugh or cry.

“Is Ho-ppang really my child…?”

“Then whose child did you think it was?”

“Naturally…”

Unable to finish his sentence, Ho-jae’s eyes finally grew hot. As he blinked, tears spilled out on their own. He hurriedly wiped them away, but he had already been caught.

“You’ve become a crybaby.”

“I never cry. But… you keep telling me things I can’t believe…”

A lukewarm temperature touched his head. Glancing up, he saw Jung-hyun slowly stroking his hair. At that small contact, all the foolish thoughts and heartache he had endured until now surged forward. They all poured out as tears, as if trying to escape all at once.

Jung-hyun simply patted him silently without saying a word. Ho-jae barely lifted his drenched face and looked at him. He saw Jung-hyun.

He was right in front of him. Stroking his face, carrying his child in his belly. This is unbelievable… Ho-jae muttered and suddenly asked.

“The name Ho-ppang… was it taken from my name?”

“…”

Jung-hyun’s face crumpled strangely, but Shin Ho-jae didn’t see it. He just continued to mutter in a voice full of emotion.

“And I didn’t even know…”

To think he had felt such ugly jealousy toward Kyung Seung-hee. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like a dream. Blowing his nose with a nearby tissue, Ho-jae looked at Jung-hyun with resentful eyes.

“When were you going to tell me? If I hadn’t come all the way to America, I wouldn’t have even known Ho-ppang existed. You weren’t planning on never telling me for the rest of my life, were you?”

“Well. Telling you wasn’t exactly part of my plan…”

That’s too much. Knowing how much he liked Jung-hyun. How could he have intended to keep such important news a secret?

If it weren’t for Lucas, he probably wouldn’t have known Jung-hyun was pregnant. The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt, and he felt resentful toward him. Then, Jung-hyun’s expression turned strangely cold.

“And when were you planning to tell me?”

“…What?”

“I saw Du-min’s live stream. And Ace Detective’s broadcast too.”

“Ah.”

“It’s all in the past now, but I’m going to nag you a bit. Never provoke Kwon Ki-hyuk like that again. Do you understand? Kwon Ki-hyuk is not an opponent you can win against by just charging in recklessly. You need to value your own life… Why are you smiling?”

“No… it’s just that the word ‘nag’ sounds so lovely…”

“Sigh…”

134 – PUCK DROP