By Zephyria 
For the first time in a very long while, Eun-soo slept deeply. It was a sleep that made the adverb ‘deeply’ feel not at all wasted. He fell asleep in the morning and woke up around the time the window was stained with a soft sunset. He felt as though he had slept for a solid six hours.
Staring blankly out the window, Eun-soo looked at the back of his hand, which was covered in bandages. An IV was attached. The bag was shriveled, showing that medicine had been diligently flowing into him while he slept.
Truly… medicine is a wonderful thing. The body that had been in such pain had become numb in an instant.
Thinking like an old man, Eun-soo gave a small stretch. He slowly rolled onto his side and pulled up the blanket that had slipped down to his waist.
He felt good. Just, inexplicably good. Right before he slept, he had been plagued by feelings of wanting to die. But after a deep sleep, his condition had improved instantly.
No matter how much of a rare employee Eun-soo was who actually loved working, he couldn’t help but welcome these occasional rests.
Resting on a weekend was entirely different from lying around on a weekday while everyone else was working. It felt much freer, more languid, and the sense of liberation combined with the guilt of deviation created a tingling pleasure.
While Eun-soo, wearing a faint smile, was enjoying his leisure by shifting this way and that on the narrow bed, a strange voice drifted in from beyond the tightly drawn curtains.
“Student.”
Eun-soo didn’t think that ‘student’ referred to him. Who would call a thirty-year-old adult man a student? Nor was there anyone in this hospital room he knew.
Eun-soo had volunteered to stay in a four-person ward. A single room felt too luxurious, and an eight-person room seemed too noisy, so he chose the middle ground of a four-person room, which wasn’t bad. In truth, since he had slept since breakfast, he couldn’t tell if it was good or bad.
“Student. Are you still sleeping?”
The voice calling for the student was heard again. It was a call without an answer. Eun-soo pondered for a moment. Could they be calling me? But if I pull back the curtain and it’s not me, it’ll be so embarrassing.
As Eun-soo fidgeted with his fingers in hesitation, the edge of the curtain suddenly fluttered, and a strange face poked through. A small face etched with wrinkles, snow-white hair, and sunken eyelids. It was an elderly woman.
“Ack!”
Startled, Eun-soo bolted upright. The grandmother chuckled and pulled the curtain back a bit more.
“What, you’re not sleeping.”
“W-who are you?”
“Want a tangerine?”
The conversation didn’t quite mesh. The grandmother held out two tangerines with her wrinkled hand. A surprised Eun-soo didn’t even think to take them, just blinking, while the grandmother began to chatter away without being asked.
“My son bought them. He said he got them at the department store. They’re expensive. I’ve been singing about wanting tangerines for a few days now. Since it’s summer, the flavor isn’t at its peak, but maybe because they’re from the department store, they’re edible.”
“…”
“I heard you’re pregnant? I saw this morning that you couldn’t eat well because of morning sickness. These are great when you’re pregnant. Something tart enough to make your molars tingle. Then your appetite comes right back.”
The words, flowing without a single pause, were very fast. Combined with the undulating dialect, it left him feeling dazed.
Eun-soo smiled awkwardly and pulled the curtain wide. Other patients in the opposite beds came into view. With three or four tangerines on every bedside table, it seemed the grandmother had already completed a full circuit.
Eun-soo belatedly took the tangerines from the grandmother’s hand. He then curved his eyes into a smile and nodded.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”
Tangerines. He probably had some at home. Once the morning sickness had started in earnest and he could only eat fruit, Myeong-hui and Do-kwon had bought every kind of fruit imaginable, as if they were preparing to open a produce shop. But had he eaten tangerines or not? He couldn’t quite remember.
Feeling his appetite return, Eun-soo fiddled with the tangerine a few times before starting to peel it. The grandmother watched him with curiosity.
“My goodness, this boy has such a pretty smile.”
“Do I?”
Eun-soo replied nonchalantly, breaking off a smooth segment of the tangerine and putting it in his mouth. The sour and tart juice drenched his tongue. As the grandmother said, perhaps because it wasn’t the season, it wasn’t very sweet, but for some reason, he liked it better that way.
Having quickly finished one tangerine, Eun-soo immediately peeled the next.
“Want more?”
The grandmother, watching him, asked. Eun-soo rolled his eyes and then nodded. It was a bit shameless, but it had been so long since he had enjoyed eating something that he didn’t want to give it up.
The grandmother smiled warmly and handed Eun-soo three more tangerines. Eun-soo beamed and took them. He thought again that he had made the right choice in picking the four-person ward.
“Is the baby in your belly a girl?”
The grandmother asked. Eun-soo, who was about to put a whole half-segment in his mouth, widened his eyes.
“How did you know?”
“Just because of how you look, student.”
The grandmother said with a sly smile. Eun-soo stared at her with his mouth agape. Did people gain some magical ability to see things invisible to the naked eye as they aged?
“The prenatal name is Bom, Bomi,” Eun-soo said proudly, stroking his slightly protruding belly.
“Bom? S-pring?”
The grandmother spoke English in a unique tone. Eun-soo giggled.
“Yes. Spring.”
“She’ll be pretty.”
“She will be. Ah, but I’m not a student. I’m thirty…”
Eun-soo tried to correct his age belatedly. In truth, whether in their 20s or 30s, he was likely a ‘student’ in the grandmother’s eyes, but there was no need to spread incorrect information. He could feel the other patients in the room pricking up their ears to their conversation. ‘A student, meaning pregnancy at a young age,’ was not exactly a welcomed narrative.
Just then, Eun-soo’s phone on the bedside table buzzed loudly.
Seong-heon’s number was on the screen.
Seong-heon entered the room, his face full of worry. Judging by his swept-up hair and neat suit, he seemed to have come from the office. It was nearly 5 PM; it seemed he had come without even finishing his work.
“Executive Director.”
Eun-soo smiled brightly and waved his hand. Seeing a welcome face made his mood trend upward.
“Eun-soo.”
Frowning, Seong-heon approached Eun-soo’s bed with large, brisk strides.
Seong-heon had contacted him separately because it was strange that Eun-soo had been logged out of the intranet all day. Eun-soo had said he took sick leave, and while chatting, he had mentioned seeing him at the office after being discharged. Startled, Seong-heon had asked, “Discharged?” and insisted on visiting, so Eun-soo had no choice but to agree.
“What is going on?”
“Uh…”
Eun-soo fidgeted with his fingers. What should he say? In truth, after that incident at the hotel, he had suffered pheromone shock, and because he had sex with Do-kwon all day, his body had been in immense pain. He couldn’t say that.
While Eun-soo hesitated, Seong-heon asked again.
“Are you very sick?”
“No, just a little…”
“Why are you hospitalized if you’re only a little sick?”
“Uh… I’m really okay. They said I just need to be hospitalized for about four days. There’s no need for surgery. They told me to take my hormone medication, be careful of Alpha pheromones, and avoid stress.”
Fortunately, the test results showed nothing unusual. Excessive stress, nervous indigestion, esophagitis and gastritis due to frequent vomiting, and some fractures and bruises. That was all. In some ways it was serious, and in others, it was utterly ordinary.
Seong-heon stared at Eun-soo as if judging the truth. Eun-soo gave a light shrug. With a faint sigh, Seong-heon sat on a simple chair.
“Have you eaten? And why… why are you in a room like this? I’ll go right now and ask them to move you to a single room. Or how about transferring to Seong-jin Hospital?”
“I haven’t eaten yet, and the room is fine. It’s not uncomfortable, and transferring hospitals… might be difficult. I can’t ride in a car.”
“Still…”
Seong-heon surveyed the room with a dissatisfied expression. He looked at the crowded beds, the musty smell of medicine, the low-quality bedding, and the haggard patients as if they were insects. He seemed worried that he might catch a contagious disease just by being in the same space.
Eun-soo tapped the back of Seong-heon’s hand.
“But surely you didn’t come empty-handed? Coming to visit a pregnant person?”
He said with a playful grin. He could say this because he had seen a paper bag with a familiar logo in Seong-heon’s hand as he entered the room.
Seong-heon shook his head as if to say he couldn’t believe it. Eun-soo smiled brightly and unfolded a small portable table. He then patted the tabletop with his palms, as if beating a drum.
Seong-heon began pulling items out of a paper bag and lining them up on the table. They were from an egg tart specialty shop near the office. There was a variety of treats: egg tarts, cookies, madeleines, and even financiers.
It was a dessert shop he and Seong-heon had frequented often back when Eun-soo was a new employee. They had practically stopped by every single day. Whenever Eun-soo felt depressed because he wasn’t doing his job well or had made a mistake, Seong-heon would buy him egg tarts from this place. He would comfort him, saying that everyone makes mistakes. He even made Eun-soo’s errors seem trivial by mentioning that he himself had once lost tens of billions of won.
He had received so much help. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Seong-heon was everything to Eun-soo during his time as a junior employee.
A smile bloomed on Eun-soo’s lips as he recalled those days. He looked up at Seong-heon and expressed his gratitude.
“I’ll enjoy these, Executive Director.”
Having said that, Eun-soo suddenly sprang up and handed out egg tarts and madeleines to the other patients in the ward. Of course, he asked for Seong-heon’s permission first.
“I’ve really received so much today. I had tangerines, songpyeon, orange juice, and sikhye. Everything was absolutely delicious.”
“…”
“I’ll buy you a meal once I’m discharged, Executive Director.”
Eun-soo looked so excited as he spoke that Seong-heon found himself unable to say anything. He had felt this for a long time, but Eun-soo truly loved people. Whether it was a subordinate, a boss, a cafe employee, or a delivery driver, he was consistently kind and affectionate to everyone without distinction.
Seong-heon found that quite fascinating, and… lovely.
That must be why even Do-kwon, who shuddered at the thought of Omegas, couldn’t help but be head over heels for Eun-soo.
Seong-heon pouted slightly as he set the milk he’d bought from the cafe on the table.
Eun-soo ate the pastries with great relish. It didn’t seem like his morning sickness had completely vanished, but since the continuous painkillers kept the pain away, everything felt wonderful.
Watching Eun-soo’s cheeks move incessantly as he chewed, Seong-heon leaned his chin on his hand atop the bed. He did this to get a proper view of Eun-soo eating.
“Shall we have dinner together? I’ll buy you something delicious.”
Seong-heon asked, gently brushing away a bread crumb from Eun-soo’s chin. Startled by the sudden physical contact, Eun-soo pulled his head back. He then smiled awkwardly and shook his head from side to side.
“It’s okay. I can just eat the hospital food.”
“It probably tastes bad… If it’s hard to go out, should I buy some porridge?”
“Uh…”
“There’s a hotel nearby that makes great porridge. Abalone porridge is good, or maybe a cream risotto. Since you’re dealing with morning sickness, maybe abalone porridge would be too much?”
Seong-heon asked in a tender voice. Eun-soo froze while unwrapping a madeleine. Then, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Please don’t be so kind.”
“Pardon?”
“What are you going to do if I start acting spoiled because you’re so kind?”
“…”
“You know I don’t have any family. If you keep being this nice to me, I might cling to you like a leech. You’ll find me incredibly annoying, Executive Director.”
Eun-soo spoke playfully, scrunching his nose. After a moment of stunned silence, Seong-heon covered his entire face with one hand and muttered.
“I’d actually like it… if you acted spoiled. It would be very cute.”
“…What?”
Eun-soo, unable to catch the low voice, asked again. Seong-heon shook his head as if it were nothing. He then picked up his jacket and stood up.
“I’ll go buy some porridge. Is there anything else you need?”
“Uh…”
Eun-soo’s eyebrows shot up and then dipped. He remained frozen, unable to even put the unwrapped madeleine in his mouth, as if there was something he wanted to ask. Seong-heon gently urged him.
“It’s okay. Just tell me.”
“The thing is… I left the house without knowing I’d be hospitalized.”
“Yes, and?”
“I don’t have my phone charger. So my phone turned off after your last call. The other patients’ phones are all different models, so none of their chargers fit mine…”
“Ah, a phone charger?”
“Yes. And also… since I took sick leave so suddenly, I couldn’t finish my work. My laptop is at home…”
“Got it. Laptop.”
“Ah, and one more thing, it’s just… uh… I didn’t bring any… underwear…”
A flush of red bloomed on Eun-soo’s cheeks.
Seong-heon chuckled at that face. Now that Alphas and Omegas had established their place among humanity, the phrase ‘between guys’ wasn’t used as much as it once was, but still, they were both men. He found it fascinating that Eun-soo was embarrassed over mere underwear, and he was also relieved to see that Eun-soo didn’t feel too comfortable with him.
“I’ll bring them for you. Phone charger, laptop, and underwear.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll give you my home address and the building’s entrance password. And this is the door lock key.”
Eun-soo found a card in his wallet and handed it over. He then entered several things into Seong-heon’s phone. He had been worried about how he would survive four days without any basic necessities, but now that Seong-heon offered to help, all his worries vanished.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Seong-heon left the ward with a bright smile. Eun-soo waved his hand flutteringly at his retreating back. He thought it was a great relief that Seong-heon was his senior at work, that they were close, and that he had such a kind personality.
After Seong-heon left, just as Eun-soo was about to focus on his pastries again, the grandmother, who had been watching for an opening, turned toward him. Not only her, but the other patients were also staring at Eun-soo with sparkling eyes.
Eun-soo, who had been hospitalized alone, eaten alone, and had no one contacting him, had seemed utterly pitiful. Now that a tall, handsome man had come in and taken care of various things, they seemed curious.
“He’s handsome. Is he the father of the baby?” the grandmother asked.
“Ah, no!”
Eun-soo’s eyes widened as he shook his head vigorously. At that reaction, the grandmother pulled her chin back, appearing surprised.
“No? But why are that student’s eyes like that?”
“My… eyes?”
“Yes. Those are exactly the eyes of someone who likes a student.”
“…What?”
“Every time he looks at you, they just melt—”
The grandmother made arches with both index fingers and placed them over her eyes, mimicking a smiling expression.
Eun-soo stared with wide, fish-like eyes.
Seong-heon likes me? Me? Since when? Why?
No, no, that can’t be. Didn’t he say before that there was someone else he liked? Well… he did say that person was an Omega, but it’s not like I’m the only Omega in the world…
Lost in thought, Eun-soo let out a sigh and pouted.
“No, he’s not. He said he likes someone else.”
“…Is that so? That’s strange… But anyway, he sure is incredibly handsome, isn’t he?”
At those words, Eun-soo burst into laughter.
“Yes, he is handsome.”
He nodded in half-hearted agreement. He had never particularly thought about Seong-heon’s appearance.
That aside, Seo Do-kwon was also ve-ry handsome. I wonder where he is and what he’s doing right now. Probably at the office. I wonder if he’s thinking about me. No way. It would be stranger if he were, given how coldly he left.
Still, I’m even pregnant. We have the time and memories we shared. Ah, Do-kwon probably doesn’t even have many of those memories. He probably forgot them all.
Eun-soo put down the pastry he was holding.
The pastry that had tasted delicious just a moment ago suddenly felt nauseating. It seemed the morning sickness, which had been dormant for a while, was returning.
…He felt irritated.
Actually, the sadness was greater than the irritation.
* * *
As dinner time approached, Myeong-hui’s secretarial staff entered Do-kwon’s office. They carefully set down the luggage they had brought, filling both their hands. There were three paper bags, a sack of rice, a wide box that looked like it contained fruit, and a square box wrapped in silk, the contents of which were unknown. It was an amount that could be mistaken for moving house.
“Since it is summer, the food may spoil quickly, so please be sure to put it in the refrigerator. As for the galbi, it has already been marinated and aged, so the sender mentioned it tastes best if you grill it immediately rather than putting it back in the fridge. They also sent high-quality rice and advised avoiding instant rice.”
The secretary spoke clearly and robotically, then bowed and left without looking back.
Do-kwon let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the mountain of food. Myeong-hui must be plotting to feed Eun-soo to death. Although Eun-soo ate a lot for his thin frame, consuming that amount would be impossible even for a grown sumo wrestler.
Do-kwon let out a deep sigh, picked up the receiver, and called Secretary Jeong. A few seconds later, Secretary Jeong entered. Having seen Myeong-hui’s staff carrying in the food, he had likely expected the call.
“Take this to Yoo Eun-soo’s house,” Do-kwon said, gesturing with his chin toward the food. Secretary Jeong scrunched his nose.
“…Not just loading it into the car? I’m going personally?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
Secretary Jeong tilted his head to the side. Then, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Do-kwon.
“Why aren’t you going yourself…”
“I’m working. Look at the amount of documents you’ve brought me; when would I have time to go and come back?”
Do-kwon tapped the thick stack of documents on one side of the desk with the end of his fountain pen. Secretary Jeong’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
In the past, whether he had work, a meeting, or whether stock prices skyrocketed or plummeted, he would vanish in a flash to see Eun-soo. He was a man for whom Eun-soo eating a single spoonful of rice was more important than the company going bankrupt. And now, he was telling him to take care of the meals for a pregnant Eun-soo suffering from morning sickness. It was definitely strange.
As Secretary Jeong looked at Do-kwon with eyes full of suspicion, Do-kwon glared back with that characteristic cold gaze he shared with Myeong-hui.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going?”
Secretary Jeong let out a small yelp and quickly turned around. As he pushed the door open, Do-kwon’s low voice reached his ears.
“Ah, get some cigarettes on your way back.”
Startled, Secretary Jeong quickly turned back.
“Cigarettes… are you smoking again?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
Secretary Jeong took a deep breath and opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was so shocked that his throat felt blocked.
In the past, Do-kwon smoked a lot. Until he met Eun-soo, he finished a pack a day. But after Eun-soo showed his dislike for it, he quit overnight.
And now, suddenly, why? Especially for a man who had a pregnant partner.
Did they fight, perhaps? They had never fought once in the two years they dated, but maybe it was because the current Do-kwon wasn’t the same as the Do-kwon from back then.
Secretary Jeong stood there blankly, lost in thought. Do-kwon tapped the desk impatiently, urging him along. Secretary Jeong hurried out of the office, brought back the secretarial staff, and disappeared again with the food.
Secretary Jeong returned about an hour later. Do-kwon was still buried in his documents, his fountain pen moving busily. He didn’t bother to lift his head to look at Secretary Jeong.
“Right, good work. I’ll leave after I finish this, so you can head home first.”
As Do-kwon focused back on the text, for some reason, Secretary Jeong didn’t budge. Do-kwon lifted his head, a hint of irritation crossing his handsome brow.
“What?”
“The thing is… Team Leader Yoo is not at home.”
“He must have stepped out for a bit. So, the food?”
“I don’t think he just stepped out for a bit. His phone is completely off, and today’s mail was still there. I brought the food back because I was worried it would spoil.”
“…”
Do-kwon shifted his jaw from side to side. Not at home. Phone off. Mail unchecked. This meant he had been away from home for more than a day and had cut off communication with others. He told Myeong-hui he had contacted her this morning, so where on earth was he and what was he doing…
Do-kwon put down the fountain pen he hadn’t let go of for several hours. His fingers were stiff. He clenched and unclenched his fist, then looked at Secretary Jeong with cold eyes.
“You said he took sick leave. For how many days?”
“Ah, yes, one moment.”
Secretary Jeong tapped something on his tablet. He soon found the information he wanted.
“Four days. …Wait, four days? How sick is he that he took four days of sick leave?”
Secretary Jeong’s eyes widened as he read the sentence on the screen. Before the car accident, Eun-soo rarely used his annual leave. But recently, he had been missing from the office too often. This wasn’t like him…
Looking at Eun-soo’s attendance record, Secretary Jeong glanced at Do-kwon with a disapproving look.
“Did you fight? What on earth did you fight about? Whatever it was, you should have been more understanding, Director. He must be sensitive because he’s pregnant. How bad must it be for him to take sick leave and leave his house?”
“Sigh… I’ve already heard that from my mother, so stop it.”
Do-kwon rubbed his face vigorously with both hands. Eun-soo here, Eun-soo there; he was on the verge of going crazy.
Eun-soo had disappeared. The Eun-soo he saw over the weekend was certainly not in a great state, but not to the point of taking four days of sick leave. Could it be… could he have actually been hospitalized to get rid of the baby?
If so, he would welcome it with open arms, but he felt strangely disgusted. Hadn’t he told him? If it’s my child, get rid of it; if not, do whatever you want. But if he went to get rid of it, that meant it was his child. No, it could also be that it wasn’t his child, but he got caught trying to pretend it was and gave up.
Do-kwon groaned and frowned. His head was more than complicated; it actually hurt.
Do-kwon had zero immunity to problems that had no clear answer. He had always lived a life with answers, and even if not, he naturally hated wasting time on useless, emotional issues.
But anything related to Eun-soo was always a conundrum. No matter how hard he worked his brilliant brain, a clear answer never emerged.
As Do-kwon pressed his eyelids with his thumb and index finger, Secretary Jeong crept up to the desk. Then, he called Do-kwon in a low, whispering voice.
“But, Director.”
“What now?” Do-kwon asked with a sigh.
Secretary Jeong rolled his eyes back and forth, choosing his words for a moment. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he spoke.
“When I arrived at the underground parking lot of Team Leader Yoo’s apartment, I saw Executive Director Seo coming out of the building.”
“Brother Seong-heon?”
“Pardon? Brother?”
“Huh?”
“Pardon?”
“What.”
“Yes?”
The conversation became tangled and failed to flow smoothly. Do-kwon frowned. But for some reason, Secretary Jeong’s face was beyond crumpled; it looked like it was rotting. Sensing something unusual, Do-kwon asked again, more slowly and clearly.
“What is it? Why are you acting like that?”
“Uh… the fact that you… called the Executive Director ‘brother’… it’s been a very long time… I mean, yes, he is your brother, so it’s correct to call him that, but…”
Secretary Jeong stammered. It was a side of him that didn’t fit. Secretary Jeong was naturally soft-spoken and kind, but he wasn’t lacking. He had a great academic background and specs, was quick-witted, worked well, and was appropriately sly while knowing where to draw the line. That was why Do-kwon had stayed with him for ten years.
But what was this behavior?
Do-kwon placed his interlaced hands on the desk.
“…Secretary Jeong. Are you struggling lately? You must have rested plenty since I haven’t been coming into the office these past few days.”
“Ah… no, I’m not.”
Secretary Jeong, who had been reeling in a whirlwind of confusion, barely managed to regain his balance. Even so, his erratic gaze seemed impossible to control.
Do-kwon narrowed his eyes slightly. Why was he acting like this? What did Brother Seong-heon do?
“You’re saying Brother Seong-heon was at Yoo Eun-soo’s house?”
“I can’t be absolutely certain, but based on the circumstances, yes. It seems so.”
“But you said Yoo Eun-soo wasn’t home.”
“Exactly. It’s strange. I wondered why he would stop by a house where the owner isn’t present, but he was holding a paper bag. It looked quite heavy. I couldn’t tell if he had gone to deliver it and left because Team Leader Yoo wasn’t there, or if he was bringing it out from the house.”
“…”
“Well, since I saw him in the parking lot, the idea that the Executive Director stopped by Team Leader Yoo’s house is an assumption, but the probability of it being otherwise is extremely low.”
Do-kwon nodded. Eun-soo’s house was relatively far from the office. Furthermore, since he had come out of a specific building in a specific apartment complex, it was hard to make any other assumption. Besides, Seong-heon and Eun-soo shared a very close friendship.
There was no way Seong-heon would have just barged into Eun-soo’s house without contacting him first. He wasn’t a high school student preparing a surprise party; at his age, visiting someone’s home without notice was nothing more than tactless behavior.
In other words, Seong-heon must have been in contact with Eun-soo and stopped by his house for some reason. What could that reason be? And why had Eun-soo contacted Seong-heon separately while keeping his own phone turned off?
In truth, it was none of his business. He was the one who had ended things with Eun-soo, and at this point, he had no need—nor any right—to care about who Eun-soo met, whether he skipped work, or if he took sick leave.
But a part of his brain was itching. The desire to know surged up to the crown of his head.
“Do some digging on Yoo Eun-soo. His relationships, financial ties, family background, things like that,” Do-kwon said in a flat tone.
It was a petty method. If Eun-soo found out, he might shudder in disgust and spit on him. But Do-kwon truly wanted to know.
He knew Eun-soo had betrayed, deceived, and lied to him. But he didn’t know why. He wanted to know if it was simply because he was an Omega, swept away by a momentary desire to cling to that man’s embrace in a hotel. Or if it had happened more than once or twice.
All he knew was that Eun-soo had looked at that man with great affection, and that being in his arms seemed terribly familiar.
As Do-kwon recalled the sight of Eun-soo and the man at the hotel with a hardened expression, Secretary Jeong let out a hesitant, “Uh…”
“Again?”
“What?”
“When you say ‘dig’ again… do you mean you want me to see if anything has changed since last time?”
“Again?”
Do-kwon arched an eyebrow, looking completely bewildered.
“…”
“…”
A brief silence followed. Secretary Jeong blinked, and Do-kwon let out a deep sigh, sinking back into his chair. It had been so long since he was discharged from the hospital, yet things he didn’t know were still popping up.
Based on Secretary Jeong’s reaction, it seemed his past self had already investigated Eun-soo.
Realizing his slip, Secretary Jeong jumped slightly.
“Ah, ahh, you wouldn’t remember. Please excuse me for a moment.”
He walked halfway around the desk and knelt on one knee at Do-kwon’s feet—specifically, in front of the right drawer. His hand reached for the bottommost drawer. It even had a small door lock, screaming that something important was kept inside.
As far as Do-kwon remembered, that drawer contained only corruption and tax-related documents inevitable for a large corporation, along with important contracts.
While they were documents that required careful handling, they weren’t what he needed right now. So why was Secretary Jeong rummaging through it?
Secretary Jeong searched through the piles of files with intense focus, his lips slightly pouted. Then, he found a fairly thick file and placed it in front of Do-kwon.
“This is Team Leader Yoo’s information.”
“…”
“I really investigated thoroughly. I even used illegal routes. Everything about Team Leader Yoo’s life is here. His education, family relations, the SNS he used during his school days, and even the assignments he submitted while attending university in Europe.”
To anyone else, it would sound quite creepy, but Secretary Jeong prattled on as if it were nothing.
After hesitating for a moment, Do-kwon opened the file. He didn’t have time for this. It didn’t matter in the slightest what assignments Eun-soo had done in college or what he had posted on SNS. He had a mountain of paperwork to review. Yet, he felt he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on work unless he read this file to the end.
The first page was a resume. The photo of Eun-soo in the top right corner looked very young. Wearing a suit awkwardly with a faint smile, he looked exactly like a new recruit—nothing more, nothing less.
Even now, he had an appearance that looked much younger than his age, but in this photo, he truly looked like a high school student.
Do-kwon stared at Eun-soo’s photo for a long time. Secretary Jeong stood beside him, his lips moving busily.
“Of course, it also includes detailed dates of how he met Executive Director Seo and how they became close.”
“…”
Do-kwon responded with a slight nod of his chin. He wanted Secretary Jeong to leave quickly. He wanted to read through this file more meticulously and with full concentration.
“Then I will go find out where Team Leader Yoo is.”
The perceptive Secretary Jeong gave a polite bow and strode toward the door. Just before opening it, he spoke with emphasis, as if warning Do-kwon.
“If you have anything you’re curious about, you must, must, absolutely must ask me.”
Do-kwon frowned. He had said he found all the information on Eun-soo, yet he told him to ask if he was curious. It was a strange thing to say. However, Do-kwon gave a vague nod.
“Got it.”
“Yes, then.”
Finally, Secretary Jeong left the office. As if he had been waiting, Do-kwon loosened his tie, rolled it up in his hand, and placed it on one side of the desk. Not stopping there, he unbuttoned one shirt button and began to devour the file in earnest.
Eun-soo’s resume wasn’t particularly special. A good university, high grades, many certifications related to design, and since he graduated from a university in Europe, he had perfect scores on foreign language exams. He also had a fair number of awards from famous competitions.
It was an excellent resume, but one commonly seen in a large corporation. The only thing that stood out was the empty family section. He already knew about this, having been briefed by Secretary Jeong after waking from his coma.
Do-kwon turned the page. Following that were the projects Eun-soo had handled since joining the company, his promotion history, and records of his annual and half-day leaves. These weren’t particularly important, so he flipped through them quickly.
Then, Do-kwon’s hand stopped at Eun-soo’s SNS records. They seemed to be screenshots, listed in the original SNS format.
It was full of Eun-soo from age eighteen to twenty-three. Eun-soo in a school uniform was so unfamiliar that he stared for a long time.
Eun-soo with his hand on a friend’s shoulder making a V-sign, Eun-soo clinging to a large male student, Eun-soo eating ramen at a PC cafe, Eun-soo in a somewhat tacky tracksuit, Eun-soo holding a spoon in the cafeteria, Eun-soo in a summer uniform that fully revealed his pale, thin arms.
Interspersed were photos of friends, drawings that seemed to be his, and complaints about not wanting to study English while preparing for admissions abroad.
The young Eun-soo was sunny, sparkling, and lively, fitting for that age. Looking at the smile that filled his youthful face, even the corners of Do-kwon’s mouth twitched.
Coming back to his senses, Do-kwon cleared his throat and turned the page.
He saw graduation photos, and shortly after, Eun-soo’s background changed to something exotic. His friends also became diverse, with blonde hair, red hair, and various skin tones.
Eun-soo seemed to enjoy his college life. There were photos of him typing on a laptop in a cafeteria, and one where his face was flushed while holding a beer bottle. There were photos of him dressed up sharply enjoying a home party with friends, and a photo where he was face-to-face with a man who appeared to be his lover. That man appeared several more times.
“…”
Do-kwon’s eyebrow arched.
Eun-soo’s past. More specifically, his past lover. Every single syllable was utterly unpleasant. Even though the man likely lived far away and they had broken up long ago, Do-kwon felt a suffocating sensation, as if a stone were lodged in his throat.
The only relationship Eun-soo had via SNS was with that one man. Judging by the photos, they seemed to have dated for about eight months.
It was probably an unremarkable relationship. In one’s early twenties as a college student, it’s the time when relationships are most active. It was an age where one could break up and date repeatedly.
After staring silently at the strange man in the photo, Do-kwon flipped the page. But before long, the SNS records ended.
Eun-soo’s twenty-third year. Everything stopped from the moment his parents passed away in the fire. All social activities ceased immediately, and what followed were only hospital records.
The diagnoses were mostly lethargy and depression. Staring at the word ‘depression,’ Do-kwon turned the next page.
After a gap of about two years, Eun-soo resumed his activities. He quickly finished the university life he couldn’t complete and returned to Korea to prepare for employment. The information during that period consisted only of text, without a single photo.
Then, a photo appeared after a long time; it was taken during Seong-jin’s new employee training in Jeju Island. In the group photos—both the overall group and the team photos—a slightly thinner Eun-soo than the one on SNS was smiling among the crowd.
After that, the photos showed the Eun-soo that Do-kwon knew well. Eun-soo working at the company. And there was a separate file bound with a clip, which detailed the relationship between Seong-heon and Eun-soo.
Seong-heon had been present during Eun-soo’s job interview, and for some reason, Seong-heon had shown great interest in Eun-soo. They met frequently under Seong-heon’s lead and were close senior and junior colleagues. Furthermore, Seong-heon’s advice, as well as his subtle influence, had played a part in Eun-soo attaining the title of Team Leader at such a young age.
Having read until the last page, Do-kwon closed the file. By then, over an hour had passed.
Do-kwon rubbed the untitled, nameless file folder with his index finger.
He understood well how Eun-soo had lived. He understood what kind of relationship he had with Seong-heon.
But why had he asked to investigate this? Because he was an Omega he was interested in? Did he dig into his past in advance because he feared this Omega would betray him like the previous one, and he didn’t want to be hurt? Or was it simple curiosity?
Just as Do-kwon’s thoughts were spinning rapidly, adding pieces of information together—
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, his head felt like it was splitting. The crown of his head throbbed, his temples felt as if they were being hollowed out, and his brain felt like it was boiling.
It was a familiar headache. He had experienced it countless times since waking from his coma. But he had lived forgetting about it because it hadn’t hurt for a while. Why now?
Do-kwon groaned, pressing his middle and thumb into both temples. It hurt so much that he lost all interest in Eun-soo’s file and his relationship with Seong-heon.
Do-kwon shoved the file haphazardly back into the drawer and slammed it shut.
Then, the headache seemed to fade slightly.
* * *
Eun-soo was waiting for Seong-heon in the hospital garden. Having been in the patient room all day, he felt suffocated, so he had come out for a walk and to greet Seong-heon.
The hospital garden was very artificial. With angular flowerbeds, sparsely grown trees, and unmanaged grass, it didn’t feel much like a garden.
Perhaps that was why there were no people. All that remained was the faint smoke drifting from a cigarette butt someone had left behind.
Still, thanks to the dark night and the lighting scattered here and there creating a crude romance, it wasn’t so bad. The fluttering breeze and humid air characteristic of a summer night were nice. The scent of trees carried by the wind was also pleasant.
Leaning deep into a bench, Eun-soo looked up at the pitch-black sky without a single star. It had been so long since he had killed time without a phone or a laptop. He couldn’t take his eyes off the black Seoul night sky.
How long had he been there? His stomach twinged. He had finished his IV, and when the nurse asked if he wanted more, he had shaken his head. Perhaps the effect of the painkillers had worn off, as the muscles in his entire body were slowly melting away.
“Bomi. Does it still hurt?”
Eun-soo asked Bomi, who was hidden beneath his baggy patient clothes. Bomi didn’t answer. Eun-soo gently stroked his stomach and let out a long sigh.
The nurse had said it was okay ‘for now.’ When he was in the emergency room, he had been relieved to hear those words. But now, he was anxious again. It meant that it was a state that could become ‘not okay’ at any moment.
“Daddy’s sorry. For making you hurt.”
Eun-soo murmured his apologies. He spoke to Bomi at most once a day, and every time he did, apologies were never missing. He wanted to say other things, but he didn’t know how. It was called a conversation with a fetus, but in the end, it was just talking to himself, so it usually ended with “Uh… um…”
“When we’re discharged, I’ll eat lots of delicious things. If you hold on a little longer, the morning sickness will end. Daddy is really good at eating, you know? Look forward to it. I’ll let you eat everything delicious in the world.”
Having spoken at length for the first time in a while, Eun-soo felt shy and giggled. As he pondered what else to say—
“Eun-soo?”
The voice he had been waiting for arrived. Eun-soo snapped his head up. Seong-heon was standing there, holding a paper bag.
“Executive Director!”
Eun-soo waved happily. Seong-heon smiled in return and strode toward Eun-soo with his long legs.
“Huu… hic, waaaaah…”
Large tears began to drop from Eun-soo’s eyes. His eyelids were red, and the tip of his nose was flushed. His cheeks were already drenched in tears. Seong-heon, sitting beside him, looked flustered and offered a handkerchief.
“Eun-soo. Stop crying. You’ll ruin your health.”
Eun-soo and Seong-heon sat on the bench and exchanged unremarkable conversation. Talk of the company, society, things like that. Then the topic shifted to Eun-soo’s physical condition, the events at the hotel were recounted, and Eun-soo confessed how he had ended up hospitalized.
“How could such a coincidence happen? How, huu, how could Do-kwon be at that hotel, at that exact time, on that exact floor?”
Eun-soo lamented, shedding sorrowful tears. The tears dripping onto his lap were utterly pitiful. Seong-heon, slightly knitting his brows, looked at Eun-soo.
But Eun-soo wasn’t looking at Seong-heon. With bloodshot eyes, he was busy venting his unfairness while staring at a corner of the flowerbed.
“I did it thinking it was Do-kwon. Once I realized it wasn’t, I rejected him as much as I possibly could. Really, nothing happened. But he wouldn’t even listen. Huu… He just left, saying he didn’t want to hear it.”
Eun-soo poured out everything he hadn’t been able to tell anyone to Seong-heon. As he rambled, he felt he shouldn’t be doing this, that it was rude to Seong-heon, but he couldn’t stop his impulsive mouth.
“He told me to stop. He said let’s end it here.”
“…”
“He told me if Bomi is his child, to get rid of it, and if it’s someone else’s, to handle it myself.”
“…”
“Isn’t he really mean? How could he say such things? Telling me to get rid of Bomi, and thinking Bomi isn’t his child—it’s all so mean!”
“…”
“I’ve known Do-kwon for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve realized he’s such a bad person.”
Eun-soo clenched his fists and trembled. Then he would slump his shoulders and cry uncontrollably, then get angry, then cry miserably, repeating the cycle.
Right now, Eun-soo was like someone who had been submerged in deep water and had briefly come to the surface to breathe frantically. If he didn’t, he would die, so he had to breathe as much and as deeply as possible in this brief moment.
While shut away at home groaning in pain, unable to sleep and waking up every hour, suffering from the anxiety that Bomi might disappear, calling 119 in a numb voice, being carried in an ambulance smelling of iron and blood, and staying lonely in a hospital room where other people’s families came and went, Eun-soo had broken down hundreds, thousands of times.
There was a time when he lived well entirely on his own. But now that he was alone again, it felt so awkward, sorrowful, and terrifying.
“It’s hard… I don’t know what to do… My condition keeps getting worse… I have nightmares…”
Eun-soo mumbled, burying his face in his palms.
He felt as if he were walking on a very thin and fragile single-log bridge. Below, the vast world had its maw wide open to swallow him, the wind blew fiercely, his legs had no strength, and his knees trembled.
Eun-soo had not yet decided whether to stubbornly cross that bridge, retreat, or… just fall.
As the hands covering his small face trembled with spasms, Seong-heon took hold of them. He gently enveloped Eun-soo’s cold hands with his large, warm ones.
Eun-soo looked at Seong-heon with eyes brimming with tears. Seong-heon spoke softly.
“Then… why don’t you just stop, like Do-kwon said?”
“…What?”
“Do-kwon. He’s forgotten you. He’s erased you from his mind as if you were unnecessary.”
“…”
“Moreover, he only saw what he wanted to see and heard what he wanted to hear, and then he threw you away. Even the baby in your womb… Don’t cry while thinking about a guy like that.”
At those words, Eun-soo blinked slowly. Thick tears fell heavily each time his eyelids closed. Quietly repeating Seong-heon’s words in his mind, Eun-soo bit his lower lip hard before letting go. His already plump, red lips became even more prominent.
Looking at those lips, Seong-heon frowned slightly, as if trying to discern something. In the meantime, Eun-soo spoke in a small, whispering voice.
“Still… he’s Mr. Do-kwon.
“Pardon?”
“He’s Bomi’s father, and he’s still the person I love, love…”
“….”
“The doctor said… Mr. Do-kwon’s memories… would return someday.”
It was a foolish thing to say. It was a dull thought, unlike Eun-soo. The corners of Seong-heon’s mouth twisted spitefully. He found the naive and blind Eun-soo utterly distasteful, especially after everything he had gone through and the way he had been treated.
Eun-soo, unable to notice Seong-heon’s expression, began to utter more words filled with hope.
“Once his memories return, then…”
“And what if he doesn’t change even after his memories return?”
Seong-heon cut him off sharply. Eun-soo gasped. Seong-heon stared intently into Eun-soo’s eyes and continued, his low voice sounding almost like a threat.
“What if those memories return next year, or in three years, or maybe ten years from now?”
“….”
“Seo Do-kwon won’t be by your side during that time. Even if his memories suddenly return, do you think he’ll return as the Seo Do-kwon of the past?”
“….”
“What if he just considers it a past connection, a pair of lovers who unfortunately drifted apart, and leaves it at that? Why are you being so foolish?”
At those words, Eun-soo’s pupils scattered frantically. Seong-heon didn’t stop, even as he watched those eyes. He acted like a man trying to kill Eun-soo with words. Eun-soo tried to pull his hand away from Seong-heon’s grip, but Seong-heon would not let go.
It was just as he was about to load another cruel remark. In that moment, Eun-soo’s face, which had been flushed red from crying, turned pale in an instant.
“Ah…”
Clutching his stomach, he suddenly doubled over. His thin spinal column protruded beneath the thin hospital gown. Startled, Seong-heon let go of Eun-soo’s hand and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
“Ms. Eun-soo?” Ms. Eun-soo! Are you okay?”
“Hng…”
Eun-soo let out a faint groan and pushed Seong-heon’s hand away. For a while, he bit his lower lip hard, swallowing the pain. After a few seconds passed, he looked up at Seong-heon with damp eyes.
“Executive Director… I know… I know what the situation is right now, and what the future might hold.”
…Ms. Eun-soo.
“I’m so… scared. That we won’t be able to go back to how things were.”
“….”
“That I’ll be alone again.”
A single tear fell helplessly down Eun-soo’s cheek. Eun-soo wasn’t a fool; it wasn’t that he hadn’t considered a pessimistic future. No, he had thought about it more than anything else, imagining it with utmost clarity and detail.
No one could possibly fathom how desperately he had struggled and screamed to claw his way out of that abyss of dark thoughts.
Eun-soo bit the inside of his cheek as if crushing the flesh. The pain was intensifying. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and a chill ran down his spine. As Eun-soo squeezed his eyes shut, a warm jacket settled over his shoulders.
Startled by the sudden warmth, Eun-soo flinched, but a gentle voice tickled his ear.
“Why would you be alone, Ms. Eun-soo? I’m here.”
Seong-heon wore a faint smile. Eun-soo gazed up at that smile blankly. Then, he followed suit, awkwardly lifting the corners of his mouth.
“…Just hearing that makes me feel better.”
Eun-soo thanked Seong-heon while rubbing away his tears with the palm of his hand. Indeed, thanks to him, he wasn’t alone right now. He could pour out his inner thoughts, ask for embarrassing favors like underwear, and even receive worry.
After locking eyes with Seong-heon for a moment, Eun-soo stared blankly at the towering night view of Seoul. His hand was still rubbing his stomach.
“My body hurts now that the IV is out.”
Startled by those words, Seong-heon shifted restlessly.
“Then let’s get it back in quickly…”
“That’s what Mr. Do-kwon is to me.”
“…Pardon?”
“Someone who hurts when he’s removed.”
Eun-soo looked up at the half-risen Seong-heon and smiled faintly.
“….”
Seong-heon didn’t answer. His temples merely hollowed and tightened as if he were grinding his teeth.
“Shall we walk a bit?” Eun-soo let out a small grunt as he rose from the bench. He had lost about 5kg since becoming pregnant. Yet paradoxically, his body felt heavier. It felt as if someone were sitting on his shoulders, making his back bend and his feet sink into the ground.
Despite this, Eun-soo forced himself to move. He had experienced this feeling many times since his parents passed away. It wasn’t that it didn’t bother him, but he knew how to pretend it didn’t.
Eun-soo and Seong-heon walked through the garden in silence for a while. Eventually, it was Eun-soo who spoke first.
“Did you find that man?”
It was a sentence with many omissions, but Seong-heon understood immediately. After glancing briefly in the opposite direction, he quickly composed a dignified expression.
“We’re looking. We found out how he slipped out of the hotel, and we’ve confirmed he fled in a car that appears to be his own. We’re tracking that car now.”
“How… how long will it take?”
Eun-soo desperately wanted to find the man who had tried to crush him at the hotel, the man who had mimicked Do-kwon’s scent. Whether he grabbed him by the collar or handed him over to the police—who tended to treat Omegas as accomplices rather than victims—he had to find him. He needed to confirm the man’s name and appearance.
Otherwise, he would end up fearing every man in the world with a similar build.
“I’m not sure. At most, it’ll take a month.”
“A month… a month…”
Eun-soo repeated the words with empty eyes. A month was fine. He felt he could endure that long.
“Thank you, Executive Director.”
“….”
“Thank you, truly. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel that you’re by my side.”
Eun-soo spoke, pressing sincerity into every word and every syllable. Seong-heon looked down at Eun-soo’s clear face. Despite wearing a cheap hospital gown, Eun-soo was still sparkling… it was strange, yet lovely.
Seong-heon smiled broadly.
“…Don’t mention it. Shall we head back? The risotto must be cold by now.”
“Ah, I completely forgot. There’s a microwave in the room! Let’s eat together.”
“I’d like that.”
With an excited face, Eun-soo walked toward the hospital building. Seong-heon watched Eun-soo’s retreating figure and laughed softly.
* * *
It wasn’t until the day after he heard the report that Eun-soo had disappeared that Do-kwon found out where he was and what he was doing.
As Do-kwon, who had arrived early for work, was taking off his jacket, Secretary Jeong entered the office with a pale face. Accustomed to his fussiness, Do-kwon gave him a brief glance and sat in his chair.
“What is it? Is the Chairman calling?”
“No, no, not the Chairman…”
“Then?”
“It’s about Team Leader Yoo.”
“Did you find where he is?”
Do-kwon’s gaze, which had been fixed on the monitor, snapped to Secretary Jeong.
“Yes.”
Secretary Jeong nodded and approached Do-kwon closely. It wasn’t that the office lacked soundproofing, nor was it that the other secretary at the outer desk didn’t know everything, but whenever there was ‘special business,’ he tended to come close and whisper in a low voice.
In other words, it meant that what was about to come out of Secretary Jeong’s mouth was no ordinary matter.
“Team Leader Yoo… is hospitalized.”
“Hospital? Which hospital?”
“It’s a general hospital in Yeongdeungpo. He was brought in by ambulance in the early hours between Sunday and Monday.”
Secretary Jeong spoke with a stiff face. At that, Do-kwon’s eyes distorted harshly.
“…He didn’t go on his own, he was ‘brought in’?”
The hospital part was fine. Eun-soo had taken sick leave, and the last time Do-kwon had seen him, he hadn’t looked entirely well. But the words ‘ambulance’ and ‘brought in’ stuck in his throat.
If Eun-soo had gone to the hospital, it should have been of his own volition. If the goal was to terminate the pregnancy, that would have been the case. But being brought in meant he hadn’t gone to terminate the pregnancy. Unless he had tried to do it alone at home and gone there due to excessive bleeding.
“Yes. It seems he made the call himself. Around midnight, he called saying he was a pregnant Omega and his stomach hurt too much. Paramedics were dispatched, and he was admitted immediately.”
“….”
Do-kwon’s jaw shifted slightly before returning to place. Seeing his ominous expression, Secretary Jeong’s eyebrows furrowed in sympathy. Licking his dry lips, he asked tentatively.
“Were you… unaware?”
“I didn’t know.”
“….”
Secretary Jeong’s mouth hung open. Why? How? How could you not know that? Shouldn’t you have known? He wanted to ask, but he felt it would be crossing the line. Judging by the atmosphere, Do-kwon might throw a keyboard or a monitor at him.
A brief silence lingered. Organizing his thoughts, Do-kwon rubbed his forehead with his index finger. A headache was starting to throb again.
“The reason? Just stomach pain?”
“No. If it were that, there would be no need for hospitalization. The diagnosis is unusual… it’s pheromone shock.”
“…Pheromone shock?”
Do-kwon asked back, raising an eyebrow at the unfamiliar term. Secretary Jeong nodded and stepped a bit closer.
“Yes. It’s a symptom where pheromones spike like during a heat cycle and fail to subside. They say pheromones fluctuate in a graph like this. You know that producing pheromones consumes a lot of energy, right? So it puts a great strain on the body. Even more so for a pregnant body.”
Secretary Jeong continued his explanation, showing a pheromone graph on a tablet that spiked like hedgehog needles. Then, he made a gloomy face, worrying about Eun-soo.
“What’s the cause?”
Do-kwon asked, poking his palm with his thumbnail. Secretary Jeong took a deep breath and let it out, as if the inevitable question had finally come.
“That’s… the hospital says they don’t know the reason.”
“…They don’t know?”
“Pheromone shock doesn’t happen suddenly, so there must have been a trigger, but Team Leader Yoo refuses to say.”
“He… won’t say?”
“Yes. So he’s only been prescribed suppressants and painkillers, and he’s scheduled to be discharged once his pheromone levels subside a bit.”
“….”
“Since he’s pregnant, they can’t use medication carelessly, so I heard the treatment and recovery will take a long time.”
Do-kwon rubbed his face vigorously with his large hand. It was a completely unexpected illness, and he felt frustrated because he couldn’t fathom what Eun-soo was thinking by refusing to give the reason. He felt nauseous despite having eaten nothing.
“Still, there must be common causes for the illness.”
“Uh… yes. That’s right. Those would be… excessive or intense exposure to Alpha pheromones, ingestion of drugs or heat… heat inducers? Yes, heat inducers, or a malfunction in the patient’s heat cycle system.”
Secretary Jeong rattled off the information he had researched about pheromone shock. Words like ‘drugs’ and ‘heat inducers’ were so ill-suited for Eun-soo that Secretary Jeong felt embarrassed on his behalf.
Do-kwon remained silent for a while. Secretary Jeong keenly observed his reaction. Something was definitely going on. Even if he asked Do-kwon, he wouldn’t tell him. Nor could he pester the hospitalized Eun-soo to find out.
He had to tactfully and carefully figure out this bizarre situation. For now, Do-kwon’s immediate reaction was important. In the past, Do-kwon would have jumped up and rushed out of the office, regardless of what work needed to be handled or what important meetings were scheduled.
As Secretary Jeong watched Do-kwon with twitching fingers, Do-kwon slowly closed and opened his eyes and asked.
“The baby?”
“Pardon?”
“The baby in Yoo Eun-soo’s womb. What’s the status?”
Secretary Jeong paused his breath. He called it ‘the baby.’ After calling it Bomi, Bomi… now it was ‘the baby.’ It was a bad sign. It seemed that even if he had fought with Eun-soo, it wasn’t a normal fight.
Clearing his throat, Secretary Jeong repeated exactly what he had heard from the doctor.
“They said it’s okay. But… that doesn’t mean it’s in a healthy state. Team Leader Yoo’s physical condition is so poor—nutritional imbalance, stress-induced gastritis and esophagitis… all these small things combined mean there’s a risk of premature birth, as well as… miscarriage. They said it depends on how he manages himself from now on…”
“….”
“But the patient—no, Team Leader Yoo—has a very strong will to protect the child, so they believe he can recover. It might just be something they say, but that’s how they put it.”
Do-kwon clenched his teeth. The creeping headache once again conquered his brain. It felt as if his skull were being crushed. Amidst this, the words Eun-soo had said a few days ago buzzed in his ears.
‘I can’t…’
*’I can’t… Mr. Do-kwon…
‘Bomi is… hurting…’
‘If we do it now… Bomi, Bomi will be in pain…’
The trembling sentences, the damp voice, the frail breathing, and his wet eyes faintly visible in the darkness.
Do-kwon’s eyes flashed as he recalled that moment.
He knew. Eun-soo already knew about his physical condition back then. That Bomi was hurting, and that he was in a state of pheromone shock. That’s why he pleaded like that.
But why didn’t he tell him?
…Ah, he couldn’t have told him. Not while Do-kwon was drowning in alcohol after seeing him in another man’s arms.
Or perhaps he could have, but chose not to. Maybe Eun-soo chose silence, or someone urged him to be silent, or… he was in a situation where he had no choice but to be silent.
Do-kwon’s gaze sharpened. His distinct double eyelids cast deep shadows.
This matter might be completely unrelated to Eun-soo being in a stranger’s arms at the hotel, or it might be the same problem. He had to meet Eun-soo and ask him directly for the details.
Drugs, heat inducers, and an Alpha. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.
It was ridiculous that he was acting like this now after he had personally cast Eun-soo aside, but he couldn’t let there be something he didn’t know about the end of his relationship with Eun-soo.
Rising from his seat, Do-kwon put back on the jacket he had just taken off. He checked the car keys in his inner pocket. Secretary Jeong’s eyes widened.
“Where are you going?”
“To the hospital.”
“Ah, then I’ll drive.”
Secretary Jeong tried to follow Do-kwon. Do-kwon declined with a light shake of his head.
“It’s fine. I can go alone.”
It was obvious that a situation would unfold that he wouldn’t want others to see; he couldn’t bring Secretary Jeong along. Moreover, if Eun-soo was right and he was wrong—if everything had stemmed from his own misunderstanding—he felt he would be so ashamed he’d want to hang himself.
Secretary Jeong opened the office door for him. Do-kwon stepped out and passed through the short hallway. Then he pressed the elevator button. The nearby elevator soon opened with a clear ding.
Just as Do-kwon stepped into the elevator, Secretary Jeong rushed in, his footsteps echoing loudly.
“Ah, Director.”
“What now.”
“Didn’t I tell you yesterday that I saw Executive Director Seo at Team Leader Yoo’s apartment?”
“You did.”
“I secured the apartment CCTV, and Executive Director Seo… he knew that Team Leader Yoo was hospitalized.”
“….”
“He used a card key to enter Team Leader Yoo’s home, came out with what appeared to be daily necessities, and seemed to head straight to the hospital.”
Do-kwon’s face turned cold. Seong-heon knew what he didn’t. If he was entering and leaving Eun-soo’s home with a card key, it meant Eun-soo had personally informed him of the hospitalization. That changed everything.
It meant that Eun-soo had hidden it from him but told Seong-heon. In other words, Do-kwon was not supposed to know why Eun-soo was sick, but Seong-heon was allowed to know.
It felt as if his blood were freezing. The elevator’s air conditioning wasn’t even that strong, yet he felt a chill run through his body.
“It seems he even spoke with the doctor at the hospital. I was told that yesterday, a high-ranking person from Seongshin came by, claiming to be the guardian, and asked various questions.”
“…Guardian?”
Do-kwon’s thick eyebrows twitched.
Eun-soo’s guardian. It was a position he had kicked away with his own feet, but he felt as if it had been stolen by Seong-heon. As Do-kwon’s expression distorted in an instant, Secretary Jeong quietly tried to soothe him.
“Yes. He said he was the guardian… But I don’t think you need to worry about that. Since Team Leader Yoo is hospitalized alone, wouldn’t that be the reason?”
“…….”
Do-kwon didn’t offer any answer. However, seeing that his scowl remained unchanged, it seemed Secretary Jeong’s gentle persuasion hadn’t worked.
After a brief word indicating he understood for now, Do-kwon pressed the close button on the elevator. Secretary Jeong gave a polite bow toward the closing doors. And when he looked up, Do-kwon was gone.
Secretary Jeong let out a sigh, thumping his forehead against the tightly shut elevator doors.
“Whew…….”
There was still too much that Do-kwon didn’t know. It was difficult to decide whether he should tell the current Do-kwon what he knew—what the Do-kwon before the car accident had known—or if he should wait and see a bit longer.
Because if he revealed all the facts… Do-kwon and Eun-soo would return to being ‘fake lovers.’
If only he remained silent, the two of them could become true lovers without anyone knowing.
Just a little, let’s wait just a little longer.
Secretary Jeong rubbed his chest and turned around.