By Zephyria 
“Wait a minute! Joo Tae-hyun, did you just say divorce?”
“A sudden divorce announcement when he’s supposed to be Seo Baek-han’s child’s father? Do you think this makes any sense?”
“Was that statement just now agreed upon by both families?”
The uproar was incomparable to what it had been just moments before. The news feed was even glitching for a moment, likely due to the viewers online going wild. Either the number of users had surged, or the real-time chat was exploding—probably both.
Joo Tae-hyun, the very cause of this commotion, remained perfectly calm after dropping a news bomb that would be talked about for years to come.
“I sincerely thank everyone who has come from afar to listen to the story of a mere graduate student like myself, and to those watching on screen. I have prepared all the materials to support my claims today, and I will provide the details in writing.”
Joo Tae-hyun bowed once more and stepped down from the podium, as bodyguards in black suits swarmed around him. They had been lenient until now, but no more, forming an impenetrable wall as they escorted him out of the press conference hall.
“Joo Tae-hyun! Joo Tae-hyun!”
Lest they miss this sensational footage, the broadcasting stations kept their cameras rolling until Joo Tae-hyun was out of sight.
People who had been jeering at Joo Tae-hyun now faltering, reporters grumbling about how this made no sense, Joo Tae-hyun pushing through the crowd and getting into an unfamiliar car, then calmly disappearing…
“Ha, this is just…”
Was this supposed to be a press conference?
What on earth is Joo Tae-hyun thinking?
He might get away with this moment. Since he announced the pregnancy, even drawing blood from his finger, attention will be focused on that news for now. But what about after that? He said a lot of things that could be used against him, and then told people to check the evidence later. In the end, nothing has been resolved.
“…Yes, the scene is very chaotic due to Joo Tae-hyun’s rather shocking announcement. We apologize for the unstable broadcast due to poor communication conditions.”
What is he trying to do?
Everything else can be patched up somehow. An Omega? He is showing those reactions, at least temporarily. Pregnant? They can announce a miscarriage.
But divorce? How is he supposed to clean this up? No matter how nicely they try to package it, it will only look like a childish lovers’ quarrel.
Seo Baek-han’s hand, frantically touching the screen to change the channel, grew increasingly forceful.
“I am an Omega and currently pregnant. Of course, the child is Seo Baek-han, Director of the Royal Hospital’s child.”
Thwack. The gesture, which had become as violent as a beating, stopped. It was just pointless self-abuse. No matter what channel he turned to, only Joo Tae-hyun’s image from moments ago was playing.
“…I don’t want to cause any more trouble to Baek-han hyung, whom I love so much, so I am going to get a divorce.”
I, whom I love so much, Baek-han hyung, huh…
Joo Tae-hyun. If you really don’t want to cause me trouble, you shouldn’t run away like this on your own.
“Secretary Nam. Is there anywhere we can pull over for a moment?”
He asked hastily before the partition was completely lowered. Secretary Nam swallowed hard and looked around. Judging by his silence, he seemed to fully anticipate his employer’s next order.
“I’ll drive myself. Secretary Nam, please wait with Chief Hwang at the hospital.”
While watching the news, Seo Baek-han unconsciously retightened the tie he had loosened and straightened the sleeves and collar of his dopo.
Joo Tae-hyun must have thought it was okay to act like this because he had something to rely on.
“…Like hell.”
Such a naive way of thinking. His young spouse seemed to think that he could end everything by coming on this strong, but no way. For Seo Baek-han, this was just the beginning.
Pregnancy? Love?
Those words that Joo Tae-hyun had uttered in front of everyone would ultimately become a self-inflicted trap, leaving him unable to move.
* * *
“Oh dear. It looks like the reporters are already gathering at the airport.”
Joo Guk-won chewed on his innocent lips as he looked at his phone. He didn’t know his Hyung had this habit too. Is this a family trait? Joo Tae-hyun was thinking such carefree thoughts, hardly like someone who had just caused a major incident.
“That won’t do, Tae-hyun. Let’s drive to Seoul. The airport seems too dangerous for you. It would be a disaster if you were pushed around by people and fell.”
“Yeah. I don’t mind.”
As he took off the bulletproof vest he was wearing underneath, Joo Guk-won stamped his feet as if frustrated.
“You don’t mind! Baby, you’re in the early stages. That’s when you have to be the most careful.”
“Ah… I meant I don’t mind what we ride.”
Joo Guk-won seemed about to say something more, but he just opened and closed his mouth.
“…Well, our youngest has to hold on.”
“It’s not like we’re going all the way to Busan.”
They had just finished a short announcement that was hardly worthy of being called a press conference at the Ferris wheel parking lot and were taking a breather in a nearby restricted area.
It wasn’t that he had deliberately chosen this place to reminisce about his memories with Seo Baek-han.
‘So-jin says there’s an abandoned private property near the Ferris wheel. It’s not huge, but it’s difficult for anyone to access without permission, so it would be good to take a break there after the press conference and then move on.’
Joo Yun-woo’s suggestion, which she had made as soon as she heard the news, was reasonable.
‘Ehh. Guk-won hyung, I’m against it. It’s too open. How are you going to arrange security?’
‘It’s connected to several other roads, so it’ll be hard for those leeches to predict which way we’ll go. In that case, we might as well just tell the reporters to camp out at the airport.’
‘Ooh, that sounds good to me too. The big news outlets that can afford to split their manpower between So-jin’s place and the airport will probably play it smart, right? We haven’t released a statement yet, so it should be enough to buy us some time?’
‘No! That’s not the problem, it’s outdoors! It’s open on all sides, how can my baby be safe, you blockheads! Ah, Tae-hyun. I’m not yelling at you, okay?’
‘Um. I just looked at the street view, and even though that parking lot is outdoors, there doesn’t seem to be any place to hide. It’s all kind of blocked off. It seems harder for suspicious people to hide there than in a hotel banquet hall or that shitty Pyongyang University building… Aigo, baby. Sorry for cursing.’
‘Hyung, just in case, keep in mind that we might have to move by plane, helicopter, or car. What else is there… Ah, a boat! Should we see if we can launch a boat?’
Recalling his Hyungs and Nuna rattling on like that over the speakerphone made him laugh without realizing it. Thanks to them, he was able to say everything he wanted to say without getting nervous.
Of course, this situation hadn’t been properly resolved. His shocking announcement of his pregnancy and the appeal to sympathy had only temporarily obscured the situation. He had to finish things well so that people wouldn’t talk about this issue anymore.
He also had to properly explain the situation to his family in Seoul, who were anxiously waiting for him, and…
The settlement with Seo Baek-han was also left.
What were the conditions of the prenuptial agreement again?
Assemblyman Seo and Director Ahn wouldn’t be easy to deal with… Could he really do this well? His big Hyung had told him to just trust his family, but he had no intention of letting his already busy brothers clean up after him.
Above all, he was the one who had caused the accident. Of course, the person involved had to tie it off.
“Then, baby, I’ll see you in Seoul.”
“…Huh?”
Joo Guk-won’s gentle patting awakened Joo Tae-hyun, who had been lost in thought. See him in Seoul?
“Why? Hyung, are we going separately?”
“Uh-huh. Sorry, Hyung has a lot of things to do separately today. I have to keep making calls, so our baby won’t be able to sleep and it’ll just be noisy.”
Joo Guk-won winked, telling him to send him a message anytime if he wanted to stop at a rest stop in between…
…Probably, this was to be considerate of him. It was true that he was busy, but considering how Hyung usually tried to stick with him no matter what, it was clear that he was deliberately trying to ride in a different car from him now.
Lest the young Dongsaeng, who had suddenly become pregnant, couldn’t rest comfortably because he was worried about Hyung, and because he probably needed time to quietly collect his thoughts.
“Let’s get going. Fortunately, it’s not rush hour.”
His big Hyung wouldn’t ask anything until he opened his mouth. Probably the same with the other family members in Seoul. Even Cheon Seung-pil, who was anxious for him to call, had only sent him silly messages like, ‘Our youngest looks much better in person’, ‘Aigoo, your voice is so good’, ‘When did our little one grow up so much and speak so clearly…’
“…Hyung.”
“Uh-huh?”
“When I get to Seoul, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Baby.”
“From beginning to end… I won’t hide anything, I’ll tell you everything, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Hyung.”
Joo Guk-won pulled his chin back and pouted his lips, then scolded Joo Tae-hyun in a stern voice, “Baby.”
Did other people know? That Joo Guk-won, the vice president whom most people found too intimidating to even talk to, could speak in such a gentle voice and make such playful expressions?
“I know our youngest would have done the same for me if I had suddenly asked for this favor. Right?”
“…Yeah. Of course.”
“See? So, family members don’t say sorry to each other—”
That’s when it happened. An unusual engine sound drowned out Joo Guk-won’s voice.
“…What is it? I heard it’s off-limits. Did So-jin send someone?”
His voice was soft, as if trying to reassure him, but Joo Guk-won’s expression as he gestured to the bodyguards was grim. Whether it was Cha So-jin or someone else, it was clear that this was not a pre-arranged visit.
The lights that had been twinkling in the distance quickly closed the gap. The flashing headlights rushing towards them were as bright yellow as the angry eyes of a beast.