By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won stirred from his seat. It wasn’t a sudden movement, but his vision flickered, and he shook his head. Anemia was one of the new symptoms that had appeared since the pregnancy. Even taking iron supplements didn’t alleviate the dizziness. The spinning sensation in his vision never seemed to get better.
“Dizzy?”
“Ah… I’m okay. I’ll be fine soon.”
“Is it because you’re pregnant? Something like pregnancy-related anemia?”
Song Hae-seop hit the nail on the head. Seo Jeong-won nodded. He paused before trying to move again, but a cautious voice rang out once more.
“Did you happen to bring any medication you need to take?”
“…No, it wasn’t really a situation where I could pack things like that.”
“Right. I brought you in wearing pajamas, I keep forgetting. If your condition isn’t good, Jeong-won, should we move tomorrow?”
“No. I’m really okay, Hyung. Thank you for your concern.”
Seo Jeong-won bowed his head, expressing his gratitude again. After an awkward moment of eye contact, he moved first, and Song Hae-seop also headed to the kitchen. Seo Jeong-won went into the bathroom and stood in front of the sink. He wanted to see what he looked like, but he hesitated to look up, fearing he would look terrible.
After a bit more hesitation, he glanced at his reflection, and his face was swollen. Probably from crying, eating, and then immediately sleeping. No wonder… Song Hae-seop seemed a little taken aback.
“…What a mess.”
Seo Jeong-won muttered quietly, sighing as he turned on the water. He knew that washing with cold water wouldn’t immediately reduce the swelling, but he turned the lever to the right for some peace of mind.
His soaked hands and cheeks felt numb. The face reflected in the mirror, which he checked again, was paler than before. Still, his swollen cheeks seemed to have subsided slightly. He stood still for a moment, then opened the bathroom cabinet and took out a new towel. As he opened the door, he met the eyes of Song Hae-seop, who was sitting on the sofa as if he had been waiting.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I took a towel.”
“You did well. I was wondering if I should tell you where the towels were when I heard the water running.”
Seo Jeong-won nodded slightly, listening to Song Hae-seop’s voice. Still feeling bad about rummaging through things, he apologized again.
“You’ll catch a cold if you go out in those clothes… Is it okay if you wear mine? I thought darker colors would be less noticeable.”
Song Hae-seop held out the clothes he had carefully placed beside him. Seo Jeong-won blushed and mumbled his thanks. He hurried over, took the clothes, and went back into the bathroom. After a little more waiting, Seo Jeong-won, wrapped in all-black clothes, approached hesitantly.
“It looks like it fits well, but is there anything uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s comfortable. Thank you.”
The clothes Song Hae-seop had given Seo Jeong-won were a generally loose-fitting knit, but the fabric was stretched taut over his noticeably swollen belly. Noticing where his gaze had landed, a small hand awkwardly covered the protruding area.
“I didn’t really notice because I didn’t look closely, but your belly has grown. How far along are you?”
“Five months.”
The words “It’s been that long?” came out involuntarily. Song Hae-seop’s eyes widened. He hadn’t seen him since summer, so it made sense that it had been that long, but the passage of time felt excessively fast. Then, his gaze moved up to his unusually pale and clear face.
“By the way… How old are you, Jeong-won?”
“Ah, I’m twenty-one.”
“Crazy…”
“Yes?”
“No, no.” Song Hae-seop shook his head urgently, stopping himself from swearing. Not only was this young kid developed as an Omega, but he was also pregnant… It was insane.
“Jeong-won.”
At the solemn voice, Seo Jeong-won swallowed nervously, looking tense. As he answered, shrinking slightly, a ridiculous statement was added.
“Even if we go back, let’s at least make Tae-hee’s insides black.”
“…Yes?”
“I feel like we have to. No, we definitely have to.”
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At the same time, Kwon Tae-hee searched the flower garden and moved on to Seo Jeong-won’s house. The place, which had been empty for quite some time, was filled with nothing but cold air. Contrary to his expectation that Seo Jeong-won would naturally come here, he couldn’t find any trace of him anywhere.
Why isn’t he here? This is the only place he would go. Kwon Tae-hee, who had been standing there staring at the unkempt bed, suddenly moved. He grabbed the crumpled blanket and buried his face in it. He closed his eyes, obsessively inhaling the faint scent of Seo Jeong-won that lingered.
He couldn’t think of any other place Seo Jeong-won might go. In fact, he couldn’t even guess why he had left him. He kept thinking about the reason for his choice, but nothing seemed to justify such an action.
He was in my arms all night yesterday. He fell asleep defenselessly, wearing the Pheromone I released like an overcoat.
“Ha… Chief Jung.”
“Yes, Executive Director.”
“Did you check the taxi?”
“…I did, but he got off in a busy area not far from the hospital. According to the taxi driver, he didn’t have a clear destination, but he didn’t seem anxious or strange.”
He disappeared as if he had prepared in advance. Did someone really help him? As far as I know, there’s no one around Seo Jeong-won who would do that. Then where did Seo Jeong-won go? Where on earth?
“What about the next step? Did you check the CCTV of the surrounding shops and the black boxes of the surrounding vehicles?”
“I received a report that he wasn’t captured on the shop’s CCTV. It seems he didn’t move further and changed taxis… We are currently checking, so if you wait a little longer, we will find him soon.”
Although he replied that he would find him, Chief Jung was just as frustrated. Finding the taxi that took Seo Jeong-won was harder than finding a needle in a haystack. In the recording from the rear black box of the taxi he had taken from the hospital, Seo Jeong-won seemed to be aware of him, standing still until the vehicle he was in drove away.
Because of that, it took more than half a day just to search all the taxi companies in Seoul and identify the vehicles that stopped there at the same time.
“He was wearing pajamas. Surely someone will remember.”
“Yes, I will check and report as soon as possible.”
“You said he didn’t go to the columbarium either.”
“That’s right.”
Kwon Tae-hee nodded. He would go to see him once, even if not today. If it’s Seo Jeong-won that I know, he definitely will.
“Send people and have them watch for the time being.”
“Yes.”
“Also, have security personnel that Seo Jeong-won doesn’t know stationed here to keep watching.”
As soon as Chief Jung finished speaking, Kwon Tae-hee raised his head and slowly looked at the ceiling. He stared at the wallpaper, which was marked with the traces of time, and then closed his eyes.
“Keep checking the CCTV around the villa and near the flower garden.”
“Yes.”
He will come here once. Whether it’s the flower garden or the house, definitely. He went out in his pajamas, so he has no choice but to come to get clothes. Besides, he doesn’t have anyone to ask for help, so he has to come here to plan for the future.
Now, all that’s left is that brat who boasted that he had 10,000 pyeong of orchards. He’s the only person Seo Jeong-won is likely to contact right now. I need to meet him right now and find Seo Jeong-won through threats or persuasion, but will that young Alpha listen to me? As time passed, his heart only grew more impatient.
“I will escort you.”
Chief Jung moved as if he knew where Kwon Tae-hee was going next. Kwon Tae-hee, who seemed to be following Chief Jung, who was moving first, stopped abruptly in the middle of the small living room. He pondered for a moment, then reached into his jacket pocket and took out his wallet. Then he placed the money on the worn-out dining table.
“…Executive Director?”
“If Jeong-won happens to stop by the house, will he take it?”
“…Wouldn’t he not take it? The moment he takes it, you will know that he stopped by here.”
“But Seo Jeong-won doesn’t have any money right now. Chief Jung, you know what his financial situation is like. He only has a few hundred thousand won in his bank account, and it’s not like there are any valuable items in this house that he can take and sell.”
Kwon Tae-hee thought of Seo Jeong-won, whose belly had just begun to swell. He had been suffering from morning sickness, and now he was finally able to eat a little bit of food, but the thought of him going out without a penny and eating low-quality food made his heart ache. What if he picks up something strange and gets sick?
“I really don’t understand. What on earth is he thinking…”
A sigh escaped him involuntarily. The first emotion he felt was definitely anger, but not anymore. Late regret washed over him.
“I should have put a necklace or bracelet on him. I should have put a GPS on him.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who was tapping the wad of cash on the table, then fully released his Pheromone. He filled the house, where even the windows were tightly closed, with his scent. Only then was he barely able to move his body, which was covered in lingering attachments.