By Zephyria 
The sorrowful weeping continued unabated for several minutes. Throughout, Kwon Young-je quietly patted Hui-won’s back.
Only after his left shoulder was thoroughly soaked did Hui-won finally lift his head. His red, swollen eyes looked out of place on his usually neat and tidy face.
“I can… hoo… get rid of the baby, right?”
His voice still trembled, unable to control his emotions, and his chest heaved. In response, Kwon Young-je silently gazed at Hui-won for a moment before slowly wiping his flushed eyes.
“In return, promise me one thing.”
“……”
“Do whatever you want. I’ll follow your lead. Just don’t even think about leaving me.”
Though his words were calm, Kwon Young-je was inwardly consumed with worry. He feared Hui-won might abandon both the baby and himself.
It was true that he too was quite shocked upon learning about the pregnancy. But thinking of Hui-won, who had been bearing everything alone, he couldn’t show any of his own emotions.
Kim Hui-won had always handled problems with composure. For him to be this terrified meant he likely viewed the pregnancy with considerable pessimism.
Yet, he had to deeply reflect on why Hui-won had hidden it from him and whether he had failed to earn that much trust.
He felt pathetic, having been completely unaware while Hui-won suffered alone in agony for so long. He repeatedly studied Hui-won, trying to read his true feelings, worried that this incident might have caused affection to wane. His unexpressed anxiety rose to his throat, making his hands tremble.
The baby could be given up, but Kim Hui-won was a different matter. He already occupied too large a part of his life. He couldn’t even imagine a life without Hui-won. If there was any blame, he would take it himself.
“Don’t blame yourself. I’ll handle everything. You just make that promise.”
Hui-won slowly nodded. He couldn’t escape the guilt, but the fact that someone was now by his side to share the burden brought him some comfort. He felt endlessly grateful to Kwon Young-je for accepting even his jagged edges.
After canceling all his Busan schedule, they immediately returned to Seoul.
Naturally, the first place they headed was the hospital. He couldn’t dismiss the need to thoroughly check Hui-won’s condition.
When a man presumed to be the baby’s father accompanied him to the hospital, the doctor seemed quite surprised. They proceeded with an ultrasound first.
The doctor examined the screen intently with a serious expression.
“The baby has grown a bit since last time, and the uterine wall is thicker than before. However, there’s slight bleeding. At this level, the pain must have been quite severe… Have you been very active externally?”
At the doctor’s question, Hui-won had nothing to say and quietly pressed his lips together.
Kwon Young-je also looked down silently at Hui-won’s face before swallowing a sigh. There was no one to blame. It was he himself who had worked him hard, not knowing about the pregnancy.
“What needs to be done to stop the bleeding?”
He asked sharply. The doctor’s gaze shifted to Kwon Young-je this time. His extraordinary aura clearly marked him as a Dominant Alpha. Intimidated by his imposing presence, the doctor felt his spirit shrink.
Clearly, the patient had wanted to terminate the pregnancy, which is why he had even prescribed medication before. But the baby was still in the womb, and now the father was present. Moreover, this Dominant Alpha was extremely protective of the Omega patient. In such cases, they usually lean towards continuing the pregnancy.
Setting aside his uncertain feelings for a moment, the doctor added an explanation.
“First, absolute bed rest is best.”
“Is no separate treatment needed?”
“Yes. If you get complete rest for about a week, you should recover. We also recommend hospitalization to frequently monitor the baby’s condition.”
“…I’m asking about the patient’s physical condition, not the baby. Whatever it is, please prioritize the patient’s well-being.”
Kwon Young-je clearly drew a line. He took on the villain’s role on behalf of Hui-won, who kept his mouth tightly shut.
“Ah… Yes. Patient first.”
Flustered, the doctor picked up his pen. The phrase ‘no intention to continue pregnancy’ written on the chart was underlined once more.
There was no special prescription, only instructions for absolute rest. The doctor advised frequent exposure to the baby’s father’s pheromones for a quicker recovery.
Instead of hospitalization, they agreed Hui-won would stay at Kwon Young-je’s house. Now aware of the circumstances, it was obvious Kwon Young-je would involve himself in every minor detail of Hui-won’s life.
“Don’t go to work for a while. I’ll arrange sick leave, so understand it as such.”
On the way out of the hospital, Kwon Young-je spoke casually while intertwining his fingers with Hui-won’s hand. When Hui-won tried to pull his hand free, he instead tightened his grip, not letting go.
“You promised. To stay by my side.”
“Executive Director, but here…”
“I’m anxious. This time, Secretary Kim will have to yield.”
Hui-won tilted his head slightly. The restrained face was the Kwon Young-je he always knew, but the hand touching his was uncharacteristically sweaty.
His own heart was also in turmoil. Instead of adding words, Hui-won added strength to their interlocked hands. The anxiety wouldn’t disappear easily, but having someone holding his hand made it more bearable.
\*
A life of uncertain recovery or confinement continued. While Hui-won stayed at Kwon Young-je’s house, he too worked from home to stay by his side.
It was unbelievable. Kwon Young-je was a workaholic who wouldn’t be strange to bury his bones at the company. But his resolve was so firm that persuasion was useless.
Even trying to just put his feet off the bed drew a sharp glare. He absolutely couldn’t stand seeing Hui-won leave the bed.
Not only that, true to his position as an executive director of a pharmaceutical company, he meticulously reviewed the ingredients of the medication received earlier. Only after confirming they were all approved drugs did he return them to their original owner. The opened medication still sat untouched on the bedside table.
Hui-won spent all day sitting on the bed, watching Kwon Young-je work. He was using a small tea table as a desk, but the space was woefully cramped, barely fitting a laptop.
The massive pile of documents stacked on the sofa showed no sign of decreasing. Frequent video conferences were also a major cause of work delays.
The spacious bedroom was awash with the scent of bergamot. Kwon Young-je was faithfully following the doctor’s advice. Did he intend to marinate a person in pheromones…? It was excessive, but admittedly comfortable.
Just then, a video conference ended, and he opened documents again. Lacking space, he casually placed a binder on his crossed legs to review the contents. His posture was elegant, but given the environment, it hardly looked proper.
Kwon Young-je reached his arm toward the sofa. He was looking for a specific document, but with everything so jumbled, he often had to rummage around.
Unable to watch any longer, Hui-won pushed off the bed and stood up. He began sorting through the pile of documents that had been bothering him. Starting with the urgent ones. Categorizing by type. Under Hui-won’s hands, the chaotic sofa top began to tidy up bit by bit.
“What are you doing?”
As expected, a voice of reprimand flew at the sight. Hui-won simply sat down on the floor, focusing on organizing the documents. With his back to Kwon Young-je, he replied in a nonchalant tone.
“My butt’s getting sore from lying down all the time.”
“Stop fooling around and get back to bed.”
“Executive Director, you should go back to the office starting tomorrow too. Why on earth are you doing this here?”
Hui-won handed him the document he was looking for. Kwon Young-je, with legs crossed, tilted his head slightly. Though clearly displeased, he took the document Hui-won offered without a word.
“I’m going to go outside too, get some sun, and wander around. Don’t stop me.”
“You’ll collapse again.”
“I’ll be fine.”
The chair scraped back. Before they knew it, Kwon Young-je had grabbed his laptop and come down to sit on the floor too. He faced Hui-won, who was leaning against the bottom of the sofa, immersed in sorting documents.
The sight of Kwon Young-je sitting directly on the bare floor was uncomfortable. It’s not like anyone else was here to see. Hui-won deliberately fixed his gaze only on the documents, pretending not to see.
“If you want to go out, go out with me.”
“Who will do the work?”
“The company won’t collapse from taking one day off.”
At those words, Hui-won stared at him blankly. Was this really the Kwon Young-je he knew? Why was the notorious workaholic acting like this?
“Get a grip, Mr. Kwon Young-je. You’ll block your own path to promotion.”
He let out a low laugh. It was a picturesque scene on a bright, sunny afternoon.
After sorting the last document, Hui-won bent over. Resting his arms on the sofa cushion, he buried his tilted face in them and quietly watched Kwon Young-je.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m leaving the medication untouched?”
“I said I’d follow your lead. I just thought you’d take it when you wanted.”
He said casually while tapping on his laptop keyboard. From the beginning until now, he had never once objected to Hui-won’s wishes.
His consistent attitude, in fact, lightened the burden on his heart. In a somewhat relieved voice, Hui-won murmured.
“I really had no idea I could get pregnant.”
“What’s already happened can’t be helped. Regretting it is even more useless.”
“What would you have done if I had wanted to have the baby?”
The gaze that had been fixed on the laptop screen slowly rose. He sent a steady look, as if gauging Hui-won’s thoughts.
“Wouldn’t that answer be meaningless now?”
“I want to hear it.”
Kwon Young-je let out a small sigh and leaned back against the sofa. Tilting his head slightly, he just stared intently at Hui-won.
“Probably would have been good. It would create another reason to keep you tied to me.”
“……”
“You come before the baby for me. Honestly, I could do without the baby, but I definitely want Kim Hui-won by my side.”
At the unadorned words, Hui-won’s lips parted slightly then closed. Kwon Young-je, who revealed his feelings without concealment, felt unfamiliar no matter how many times he saw it.
Meanwhile, Kwon Young-je was lost in thought for a moment. Then, suddenly closing his laptop, he spoke.
“I even thought getting married might be good. I don’t know how you feel about it.”
“……”
“You look surprised.”
“Well, the Executive Director never had thoughts of marriage…”
As Hui-won lifted his face, he reached out and grasped his white nape. His lips softly covered Hui-won’s, swallowing any further words.
The wet lips parted after a long while. Kwon Young-je used his thumb to wipe the corner of Hui-won’s mouth. His long, stretched lips were curved enticingly.
“It has absolutely nothing to do with you being pregnant. I’ve had that thought for quite a while.”
“Since when exactly…?”
“Since we started living together. To be precise, since you went back home, I hated being alone in this house. I think I spent that time just thinking about how to bring you back here.”
Kwon Young-je leaned his head back leisurely. His eyes gazing at Hui-won grew dark and moist.
“That’s when I realized. Ah, I’m in love with Kim Hui-won.”
“…What?”
Hui-won let out a dumbfounded sound. The man who had always tightly guarded any words of affection was now confessing. And accompanying it with a bombshell statement enough to make one’s soul leave their body.
“I know well that you feel aversion towards the pregnancy. If you want, we can tie the knot. It’s not a difficult thing.”
“……”
“In return, Secretary Kim has to take responsibility for me until the end.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do I seem like I’m lying?”
Kwon Young-je wasn’t the type to say such things even as a joke. Knowing he wasn’t, Hui-won became even more dumbfounded.
“Is it because you feel guilty towards me?”
“I think I told you not to misunderstand.”
“How can I believe you when you say something like that so suddenly?”
Instead of answering, Kwon Young-je just smiled handsomely.
“Think about it seriously.”
Kwon Young-je tilted his head again and covered his lips. The documents on the sofa rustled and crumpled. Work was no longer important to him. His priority had been set as Kim Hui-won a long time ago.