By Zephyria 
Seo Yi-kyung’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He drank water several times in a row to moisten his throat. Han Seung-jae leaned his upper body forward and spoke.
“If you’re feeling unwell somewhere, I should call the primary physician.”
Han Seung-jae was well aware by now that Seo Yi-kyung tended to endure even pain internally without showing it. Before Yi-kyung could spend the entire night groaning in bed, Seung-jae turned his head to call Butler Do, who was standing by in the dining room.
“I was just really thirsty. I was about to eat now.”
Seo Yi-kyung set down the water glass he had been gripping. Dewdrops formed on the glass surface, clinging to his slender, white fingertips. He picked up a spoon and tasted the clear soup.
At that moment, Han Seung-jae pointed toward Seo Yi-kyung’s face with his fingertip. Was it an illusion, or did this look remarkably similar to the way Jin Seon-yu used to point at Seo Yi-kyung’s ear?
Seo Yi-kyung bit his lower lip and then released it. No doubt, it had shown on his face. In moments like this, he was reminded once again that Seung-jae was a delicate and sensitive person.
“Seon-yu came by today…”
Seo Yi-kyung let the spoon in his hand droop downward. Since Jin Seon-yu had said he would only stop by briefly to see his face, Seo Yi-kyung hadn’t mentioned his visit to Han Seung-jae. However, there was no way Han Seung-jae wouldn’t know that Jin Seon-yu had visited the house.
“He said something strange. It keeps coming to mind, but it’s nothing.”
“Something strange?”
As if making Seo Yi-kyung’s excuse futile, Han Seung-jae murmured a specific phrase. Seo Yi-kyung looked troubled. He had judged that given Han Seung-jae’s indifferent nature, he wouldn’t ask further. But now, it couldn’t be helped. Seo Yi-kyung’s lips parted faintly.
“He called you a… a… husband.”
Because he was trying to say it with his own mouth, he even stuttered. Seo Yi-kyung placed the drooping spoon on the table and drank some water. He felt embarrassed and bashful.
Moreover, he had felt a tickle in a corner of his heart when he heard it from Jin Seon-yu, but saying it himself doubled the shame. He felt an impulse to leave the meal behind, go up to the second floor, and bury his face in a pillow on the bed.
“….”
Han Seung-jae remained silent until then. Because of this, Seo Yi-kyung stepped forward to quickly fix the situation. He thought he might still be able to take the words back.
“It was just a silly…”
The words ‘joke’ failed to leave Seo Yi-kyung’s lips. This was because Han Seung-jae’s low voice lightly suppressed his words.
“It doesn’t sound bad.”
“…?”
Seo Yi-kyung’s lips parted slightly. He had never seen Han Seung-jae say that he liked something. For someone like Han Seung-jae, ‘not bad’ might actually be a significant compliment by his standards.
He had been inwardly anxious that Han Seung-jae would call it nonsense and tell him not to let Jin Seon-yu into the house anymore. But Seo Yi-kyung’s worries vanished like melting snow in an instant.
* * *
Seo Yi-kyung walked down the second-floor hallway and entered the bedroom. He placed his phone on the nightstand, went into the bathroom, and took off his clothes. He hadn’t expected Han Seung-jae to say such a thing. Although he had a cold, expressionless face that was hard to read, his tone had seemed subtly different.
Seo Yi-kyung filled the bathtub and swirled the water with his hand to check the temperature. He stepped into the tub and slowly lowered his body to settle in.
He swept his hair back with wet hands. As he soaked in the hot water, his toes, calves, and legs, which had felt heavy, gradually began to feel relaxed.
Suddenly, Seo Yi-kyung stroked his stomach. When Han Seung-jae touched it earlier, it had stayed still as if it wouldn’t budge.
“You should have moved that actively back then.”
Han Seung-jae had stood there for a while with his palm pressed against the stomach. Because of that, Seo Yi-kyung had also stared down at his own stomach for a long time. But whether it was because it took after someone stubborn, it hadn’t moved an inch at the time.
At least, until Seo Yi-kyung, unable to watch any longer, pulled Han Seung-jae’s hand away.
Splashing, Seo Yi-kyung stepped out of the tub and headed to the shower booth. He rinsed his body lightly and put on a robe. Seo Yi-kyung left the bathroom while drying his wet hair with a towel.
Silence flowed through the room. Within that silence, only the noises of Seo Yi-kyung taking off his robe, putting on pajamas, and drying his wet hair remained.
Han Seung-jae must still be in the study.
Seo Yi-kyung lay down, resting his head on a fluffy pillow. However, his body felt uncomfortable. He shifted from facing the ceiling to lying on his side. Then, he covered his stomach with a soft duvet and closed his eyes. The mellow scent of white wood infused in the bedding wafted over him.
Furthermore, because he could feel something squirming in his stomach, he didn’t feel alone.
Tossing and turning, Seo Yi-kyung, who had fallen into a light sleep, rolled over to the opposite side. With his eyes closed, he fumbled for the duvet. Suddenly, something hard touched his palm.
Seo Yi-kyung curled his fingertips. The texture was distinctly different from the duvet. And the scent of white wood wafting from it was intense.
Seo Yi-kyung slowly lifted his eyelids.
“…!”
His sleep vanished instantly. This was because the blue light seeping in from the terrace through the curtains faintly revealed the silhouette of a person. A sharp bridge of the nose and well-set lips. Shadows rested upon Han Seung-jae’s features.
Seo Yi-kyung flinched and withdrew his hand from Han Seung-jae’s waist. While holding his breath, he scanned Han Seung-jae, moving only his eyes.
‘Is he sleeping?’
Even though he only thought it inwardly, Seo Yi-kyung’s heart began to throb rapidly. For some reason, he even felt a strange sensation, as if he were secretly spying on Han Seung-jae.
Perhaps because he was asleep, Han Seung-jae’s usually cold eyes looked softened.
The number of times Seo Yi-kyung had seen Han Seung-jae sleeping could be counted on one hand. For the most part, Han Seung-jae either came in after Seo Yi-kyung had fallen asleep or left before Seo Yi-kyung woke up.
In Seo Yi-kyung’s mind, Han Seung-jae appeared most often wearing a suit, looking like a cold-blooded man. That was why, at first, he was only scared and filled with the desire to escape this house. However, whenever he saw him wearing similar pajamas like this, an indescribable emotion welled up.
…Seo Yi-kyung carefully climbed out of bed and left the bedroom. He gripped the doorknob with both hands and bit his lower lip hard, turning it cautiously so that it wouldn’t make a sound.
And as soon as the door closed, Han Seung-jae opened his eyes.
He turned on the lamp on the nightstand. The bedroom was dyed in an amber hue. After checking that it was past midnight, Han Seung-jae left the bedroom.
Han Seung-jae passed through the quiet second-floor hallway and approached the elevator. Seeing that the number on the display had changed to 1, it seemed Seo Yi-kyung had gone downstairs.
When Han Seung-jae pressed the button, the elevator doors opened shortly after. Bright light stretched long into the living room. Within it, a long shadow stood motionless. Han Seung-jae looked around the dark living room.
* * *
At the same time, Seo Yi-kyung was walking through the garden, which was lit with soft lighting. He had come down because he was thirsty, but if he went back to the room, there was a high probability that Han Seung-jae would wake up. Above all, perhaps because he had woken up from sleep, he couldn’t fall back asleep.
Holding a glass of water, Seo Yi-kyung walked to a familiar table and took a seat.
As the surroundings were quiet, it was easy to sink into contemplation. Looking at the empty chair with a vine pattern, he thought of Han Seung-jae.
Actually, this had happened a few times.
Judging by it, it probably started from then. When he had followed Jin Seon-yu to the Alpha Club, Seo Yi-kyung had fallen into trouble.
Seo Yi-kyung looked down at his palms. Slender fingers and thin wrists. This body had no strength, so not only was he overpowered, but he couldn’t lift his body, which was pinned against the table, no matter what he did.
Why, in that critical situation, was the person who came to mind Han Seung-jae of all people? And the image of him actually appearing, instantly removing the man who was pinning Seo Yi-kyung down, and venting his anger right then and there was vivid.
Seo Yi-kyung rubbed his eyes as if to erase the scene unfolding before him. Then, another thought followed.
It was the same when Seo Dong-hu visited. Seo Yi-kyung had been filled with the thought of selling the pocket watch necklace to escape. That is, until he was hit by the sword Seo Dong-hu swung.
‘I really thought I was going to die then.’
Above all, he felt a pain as if his chest had been seared with fire. And the blood pouring at his feet made Seo Yi-kyung even more terrified.
He should have offered a painting and asked to let Min Ra-hyeon go. Would Han Seung-jae have listened? Even if he hadn’t, he should have tried to find another way.
In that fleeting moment, as Han Seung-jae’s face flashed by like a kaleidoscope, it seemed those thoughts had rushed in haphazardly.
“You were here? I’ve been looking for you for a while.”
A shiver ran down Seo Yi-kyung’s spine. As he withdrew the fingers that had been rubbing his eyes and lowered them, Han Seung-jae was walking across the garden.
“….”
Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t say a word, as if he were speechless, until the moment Han Seung-jae sat at the table. He had only thought about him, and yet again, Han Seung-jae appeared.
“I didn’t know you were here; I even went as far as the painting studio and back.”
Han Seung-jae added in a low voice, looking at the solitary glass of water.
“If you’re thirsty, you should call Butler Do.”
There was no reason for Seo Yi-kyung, whose body was heavy, to bother coming all the way down to the first floor.
It was already well past midnight, but there was no way such a reason would work on Han Seung-jae. That was the reason Butler Do was in this house. Moreover, Han Seung-jae must have grown up in an environment where anyone would immediately bring him whatever he needed.
“I woke up from my sleep, and I couldn’t fall back asleep.”
Saying so, Seo Yi-kyung gripped the glass of water Han Seung-jae was looking at and pulled it forward. It was as if he were blaming Butler Do because of this glass of water.
“I just came out to get some fresh air for a moment. I was about to go back in…”
Seo Yi-kyung hoped his expression wasn’t too visible to Han Seung-jae. Besides, it was true that he had come out with the intention of walking a bit since he couldn’t sleep.
Only, he didn’t know how much time had passed. Now that it was a tranquil night, his thoughts continued without end. And they were only about Han Seung-jae.
“Let’s go back to sleep.”
Seo Yi-kyung stood up while holding the glass. Despite him taking a step, Han Seung-jae remained motionless. No, he didn’t seem to have any intention of moving in the first place. He remained seated even as Seo Yi-kyung walked away.
Seo Yi-kyung’s doubt lasted only a moment. Han Seung-jae reached out a long arm and wrapped it around Seo Yi-kyung’s waist, and Seo Yi-kyung’s center of gravity shifted.
“Ugh.”
Seo Yi-kyung instinctively closed his eyes tight. However, the firm sensation transmitted beneath his hips was something he had felt before.
As Seo Yi-kyung, perched on Han Seung-jae’s thigh, with difficulty lifted his eyelids, cold eyes were right in front of him. Han Seung-jae had tilted his head and was watching until Seo Yi-kyung opened his eyes.
“I don’t know why you’re so surprised every single time.”
Wouldn’t it be stranger not to be surprised? Seo Yi-kyung thought he was going to lose his balance and fall to the floor. Because of that, the glass he was holding tilted, and the pajamas he was wearing got wet.
Seo Yi-kyung looked down at his damp stomach. The glass in his hand was empty. Then, Han Seung-jae took the glass from Seo Yi-kyung’s hand, placed it on the table, and stroked Seo Yi-kyung’s wet stomach with his large palm.
Han Seung-jae’s low voice echoed in Seo Yi-kyung’s ear.
“Did you lose control of your strength again this time?”
Seo Yi-kyung slowly raised his head. Han Seung-jae was still stroking the area of Seo Yi-kyung’s wet pajamas with his palm. It wasn’t that it hurt because Han Seung-jae pulled him, but he was simply a bit surprised. Because of that, even while perched on Han Seung-jae’s thigh, he couldn’t even think of standing up, as if his legs had given out.
“Tell me.”
“….”
Seo Yi-kyung stared blankly at Han Seung-jae, whose eye level was now similar to his own. The feeling was distinctly different from when he was sleeping in bed. The deep pupils that seemed to pierce through a person were sharp and cold as ice. Nevertheless, perhaps because he was wearing pajamas, the stiff atmosphere had softened.
“Did it hurt?”
Han Seung-jae, who had been looking at the wet stomach, shifted his gaze to look at Seo Yi-kyung. Only then did Seo Yi-kyung realize he had been staring at Han Seung-jae in a daze.
Seo Yi-kyung hurriedly parted his lips.
“It didn’t hurt, I was just surprised. You pulled me so suddenly that I thought I was going to fall.”
However, it seemed Han Seung-jae had also noticed that Seo Yi-kyung had been staring. His palm gradually moved downward from the stomach. Since he was wearing thin pajamas, his thighs, where Han Seung-jae’s palm touched, reacted with a tingling sensation.
“Seung-jae.”
It was the moment Seo Yi-kyung opened his mouth to speak. Han Seung-jae’s cold lips brushed against his lower lip.
“Do you think I’d let you fall?”
Licking the opened mucous membrane slowly, Han Seung-jae added.
“Do I really lack that much trust?”
Seo Yi-kyung accepted the tongue that dug in, tickling the tender inner skin of his mouth. The piece of flesh that penetrated his mouth swept the inside of his cheek and entwined with his tongue.
Seo Yi-kyung’s waist flinched. While their lips were pressed together, Han Seung-jae’s hand dug into the inside of his thigh. Seo Yi-kyung quickly lowered his hand and grabbed his wrist. Han Seung-jae’s firm wrist bone was wrapped in his palm.
Seo Yi-kyung placed Han Seung-jae’s hand back on his stomach. Then, the piece of flesh that had been entwining his tongue and moving as if thrusting toward his throat withdrew.
“Haa, haa.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s face turned bright red. While exhaling ragged breaths, he pressed down on the back of Han Seung-jae’s hand with both hands and murmured.
“Did you feel it just now?”
Han Seung-jae stared silently at Seo Yi-kyung’s wet lips and then tilted his head diagonally. With his palm placed on Seo Yi-kyung’s stomach, he felt the fetal movement and let out a low sound in his throat.
“Mm.”
“You didn’t feel it?”
Han Seung-jae was already at the point of feeling stiff, as all the blood had rushed downward. Han Seung-jae silently took in Seo Yi-kyung, who was stimulating him even further.
Did he not even know what situation he was in right now? He still seemed unable to grasp the situation. But even that appearance captured his gaze. Slender eyebrows, a small nose, and a color that lingered, perhaps because he had been sucking on his lips until a moment ago.
“…!”
Suddenly, Seo Yi-kyung felt something hard touching beneath his hips. And he realized that he had just been engaged in a wet kiss that had pushed him to the point where he couldn’t even breathe.
Seo Yi-kyung had simply thought that since he felt a sudden fetal movement, he wanted to share it with Han Seung-jae. But the situation was not favorable now. Perhaps he had been oblivious.
A short silence flowed between the two. Eventually, Han Seung-jae broke the silence. He responded to Seo Yi-kyung’s words tenderly.
“Am I holding two people?”
It couldn’t be an illusion that Han Seung-jae’s features were getting closer. A shadow formed over Seo Yi-kyung’s pale face. Their lips became so close they were almost touching.
“Then I’ll have to do even better.”
Having finished speaking, Han Seung-jae swallowed Seo Yi-kyung’s lips. His large hand tenderly stroked Seo Yi-kyung’s stomach.
Soon, when summer comes, the people here will be three, not two.
「I Possessed a Terminally Ill Omega」 End