By Zephyria He didn’t know what had possessed him to run out like that. Ryu Jeong, who had been standing blankly with his body leaning against the sink, suddenly snapped out of it and hurriedly rushed out of the front door. He didn’t even have time to put on his shoes properly. Ryu Jeong, who had forgotten how carefully he used to slip his feet into the shoes Lee Do-hyeon had bought him, worrying about creases or dirt, just shoved his feet into them, crushing the heels, and blindly got into the elevator.
“Oh, uh… Excuse me, are you okay?”
The trembling fingertip pressed the ground floor lobby button instead of the underground parking lot. Ryu Jeong got out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened, not even knowing where he was getting off. A resident who was about to get on and bumped into his shoulder frowned, but then spoke to Ryu Jeong, but Ryu Jeong didn’t even realize what he had bumped into or who was talking to him.
His mind was blank. The perfunctory apology he blurted out with a quick bow was a reflexive reaction. His vision was blurry, and he was so out of it that it was unclear whether he was even standing properly on the ground. All he could think about was getting out of there.
Ryu Jeong bowed his head again to the resident who was looking at him suspiciously, and ran and ran. He felt like Lee Gyu-hyeon would appear from somewhere and grab him by the hair if he stopped. The words and gazes that treated him like a whore were deeply unpleasant. More than anything, the pheromone that made him nauseous was even harder to bear.
“…Ugh.”
Just imagining it made his stomach churn. Ryu Jeong, who had been running, stopped abruptly and covered his mouth. There was nothing left to come out, only ragged, gasping breaths.
He hunched his shoulders and kept retching, and he could feel a few passersby glancing at him. He didn’t have the energy to react to such gazes. After catching his breath for a while, Ryu Jeong lifted his tearful eyes. There was a bus stop right in front of him. Ryu Jeong barely moved his unmoving legs and walked unsteadily to sit down.
“Haa…….”
His breathing was still heavy, but as he sat down, his dazed mind gradually began to clear. The thoughts that came to mind were all jumbled up. His head was throbbing now, so Ryu Jeong frowned, rubbed his forehead, and carefully retraced his thoughts.
He hadn’t felt well all day. He had no appetite in the morning. He didn’t usually eat much anyway, so it wasn’t surprising that he had no appetite. And he had been sleeping too much. He had been constantly dozing off and sleeping for a while now, so he thought it was natural that he had no appetite and ate less.
But today was especially different. As soon as he smelled food, his stomach churned, and as soon as he felt Lee Gyu-hyeon’s pheromone, he felt like throwing up. When he first felt nauseous at the CEO’s house, he thought he had just eaten something bad. But the words that the Madam had casually let slip, and the question that Lee Gyu-hyeon had thrown out with some conviction, messed up Ryu Jeong’s head.
‘If it were a girl, I would have thought she was pregnant.’
‘You’re pregnant, aren’t you?’
Pregnant. The belly he used to stroke habitually could no longer be touched. Instead of touching his belly, Ryu Jeong clenched the hem of his hoodie and swallowed. It wasn’t impossible that he was pregnant. Although he was an extreme heat Omega, Lee Do-hyeon was a Dominant Alpha, and they had not only spent a week of rut together, but had also knotted. And he hadn’t taken the emergency contraception he had been prescribed when he was in heat this time.
“…….”
Should he tell Lee Do-hyeon? Or go to the hospital first? As his legs trembled, he felt the student sitting next to him glance at him. Ryu Jeong couldn’t stand it any longer and got up. He saw a sign across the street that said ‘Obstetrics and Gynecology’. Just then, the pedestrian signal on the traffic light was flashing indifferently. Ryu Jeong dragged his trembling legs across the crosswalk.
“The pharmacy is downstairs on the first floor, to your right.”
“Yes… Thank you.”
Ryu Jeong bowed his head and left the hospital, holding a palm-sized receipt and a crisp prescription. He heard the desk clerk’s voice behind him telling him to be careful, but his mind was so hazy that he couldn’t hear it well.
Ryu Jeong didn’t even think about taking the elevator and ran down the emergency stairs. He stepped on the stairs precariously, as if he was about to fall, and stopped abruptly between floors.
“Heeuh…….”
He was out of breath. Was it because he had come down too quickly, or because of what he had heard from the doctor a little while ago? His heart was pounding as fast as his lungs, which were struggling to live.
Ryu Jeong took a few deep breaths and took out something from his pocket. It was something that the doctor, who had been looking at the ultrasound, had insisted on pulling out and handing to him, even though he hadn’t asked for it.
He was pregnant. The dot in the pitch-black space in his belly was telling him so. He couldn’t tell anything with his own eyes, but the elderly doctor skillfully measured the size and added this and that. The size was such and such, the number of weeks was such and such. The conclusion was that he was pregnant, and he was congratulated.
Ryu Jeong stared at the black and white ultrasound image again with stiff fingers. His fingertips trembled.
“…What do I do.”
What should he do? The same question kept swirling in his head. He couldn’t easily believe that a life had taken root in his belly. What should he do first? Should he tell Lee Do-hyeon? Ryu Jeong blinked blankly and fumbled in his pocket to take out his cell phone.
“…….”
But soon his mind became hazy, and the hand searching his pocket gradually slowed down. It was because he wondered if telling Lee Do-hyeon about his pregnancy now would really be beneficial to him. Of course, Lee Do-hyeon would gladly accept the fact, but Ryu Jeong hesitated for another reason. There was someone who had found out about his pregnancy sooner than Lee Do-hyeon, and even sooner than himself.
‘This could be quite useful.’
Lee Gyu-hyeon’s words echoed in his ears again. It was clear that Lee Gyu-hyeon, who had simply treated him like a whore, had started thinking about using him from the moment he was sure of his pregnancy.
What was he going to do with this fact? He didn’t know exactly, but what was certain was that it would harm Lee Do-hyeon. Although he had only met him twice, Ryu Jeong could tell instinctively. Unlike Lee Do-hyeon, who was trying to determine the superiority of his abilities in a fair and square manner, Lee Gyu-hyeon was the kind of person who would do anything, even dirty methods, to keep his place. The thought that he, no, the baby in his belly, would be included in that ‘dirty method’ made his vision darken.
“What do I do…….”
Ryu Jeong bit his lip tightly. Even though it was a situation that should be blessed, it was as if Lee Do-hyeon had a weakness.
According to the doctor, some pregnant women show a rejection reaction to Alpha Pheromone other than the baby’s father during pregnancy. The reason why he threw up in front of Lee Gyu-hyeon must have been for this reason. If only he hadn’t thrown up earlier, Lee Gyu-hyeon wouldn’t have found out. He should have listened to the Madam and gone to the hospital instead of going home. He should have taken care of himself, since he felt a little strange these days…….
Should he just hide? If he, the evidence, hid, Lee Gyu-hyeon wouldn’t be able to do anything more. More than anything, it wouldn’t be an obstacle for Lee Do-hyeon. If he hid, if only he disappeared…….
“…….”
Ryu Jeong slowly straightened his back. He carefully tilted his head back and looked up at the high ceiling. The cold air in the stairwell cooled the cold sweat on his forehead and calmly organized his anxiously wavering mind.
Instead of going into the pharmacy, Ryu Jeong came out of the shopping center and walked aimlessly, not even knowing where he was going. He couldn’t even avoid the people walking towards him, and he stumbled and fell, but he got up again and walked blindly.
How long had he been walking? The sound of people shouting around him awakened Ryu Jeong’s mind. Wondering what was going on, Ryu Jeong finally stopped and lifted his dazed eyes.
It was after seeing the people gathered on the other side stamping their feet that he realized that he was standing in the middle of a crosswalk with a red light on. Ryu Jeong, who was dazed by the red light that was on, turned his head following the gestures of the people. A car speeding towards him in the distance came into view.
The headlights flashed dazzlingly. His head told him to avoid it, but his feet wouldn’t move as if they were frozen. Ryu Jeong could only stand there and watch the car rush towards him.
Screech─!
The sound of screeching brakes and screams filled the air. At the same time, Ryu Jeong’s knees buckled and his body, which had lost its balance, collapsed. Before his body could tumble onto the cold asphalt, his consciousness quickly faded.