By Zephyria Kwon Tae-hee misunderstood the gaze fixed on him. He acted as if he would pick up Seo Jeong-won any moment. He washed his sticky, wet hands clean and came out, dragging the Intravenous drip stand.
“That’s not it…!”
“You shouldn’t hold it in. I’ll carry you, so don’t worry.”
“No, I really don’t need it. Really—.”
Ignoring his words that it wasn’t that, Kwon Tae-hee moved the Intravenous drip to the stand and lifted Seo Jeong-won up as he was. Shame and complicated feelings made his face hot. Seo Jeong-won gave up asking to be put down and leaned his cheek against Kwon Tae-hee’s chest in resignation.
Seo Jeong-won, looking up at Kwon Tae-hee with a shocked expression as he asked whether to sit him on the toilet or stand him in front of it, finally replied that he could stand. As soon as his feet touched the floor, Kwon Tae-hee’s hand groped at his fly as if he had been waiting for it. When his hand came inside the hospital gown, he reflexively twisted his body, and Kwon Tae-hee quietly whispered to stay still, pulling down the elastic band pants.
Seo Jeong-won eventually closed his eyes, completely entrusting himself. Shame made the back of his head burn. He didn’t feel the urge to go, so naturally nothing should have come out, but physiological phenomena didn’t work the way he wanted them to.
Trickle— The sound of water falling echoed. It wasn’t a refreshing stream, but there was still a lot of it, considering he didn’t feel the urge. Kwon Tae-hee, who had cleaned up neatly, covered the toilet seat and flushed the toilet. Seo Jeong-won stood there blankly, supported by him, and Kwon Tae-hee washed his hands clean in the sink. Then, he smiled with relief and hugged Seo Jeong-won’s body as he had when he came in.
Seo Jeong-won’s face was flushed red as he lay in bed. He couldn’t even turn over and just stared at the ceiling in a straight posture. He seriously pondered what a physiological phenomenon was, then sighed, wondering why he was even thinking about this.
Kwon Tae-hee reacted even to that small sound. As if volunteering for discomfort, he stopped the hand that had been diligently checking the tablet by the bed and constantly taking notes, and looked up at Seo Jeong-won.
“Do you want to go to the bathroom again? Or is there something else you want to eat?”
His brown eyes, carefully examining as if trying to confirm, moved busily. Seo Jeong-won shook his head vigorously, which was the only way he could express his intentions clearly.
“No, really.”
“Then why are you like that? Does your stomach hurt? Or are you uncomfortable?”
“Executive Director, I think we’re…”
Seo Jeong-won stopped speaking for a moment. If they talked, what would come next? If he asked to end the relationship, would that man do as he wished? He needed absolute rest, but if he brought it up and the baby’s condition worsened, what would he do then?
“Jeong-won.”
“…”
“Not now. Danpung and you aren’t okay. The conversation we’ll have soon will be a topic that consumes a lot of emotion, and that’s not a good choice for you, who needs to take absolute rest.”
Kwon Tae-hee gently stroked Seo Jeong-won’s tearful eyes again.
“Just a little better, then.”
“…”
“Just think about you and Danpung right now. It’s okay to be selfish.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who brushed away the wet eyelashes to remove the moisture, smiled softly. To redefine the relationship, he would have to tell him what kind of feelings Seo Gyu-won and he shared, as Chief Jung advised. Without hiding anything, just the facts as they were.
Seo Jeong-won would find out how terribly his Hyung had acted and how much he had loved him at the same time. He didn’t like it. If he could postpone it, he wanted that time to be postponed forever.
“Don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to avoid it.”
“…”
“It’s just how much that conversation will…”
He wondered if it would help him make a choice in the future. He wanted him to look at him separately from Seo Gyu-won, but he wondered if he could. He was also anxious that he would choose to leave him after hearing everything. What should he do then?
“I don’t know what conclusion will be reached, but I won’t avoid it.”
Should he really lock him up then? Is that the only way? Looking at his clear, still youthful, innocent, and gentle face, his mind was filled with dark and dangerous thoughts that were the opposite of him.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
Seo Jeong-won was able to transfer to a general hospital in Seoul only after being hospitalized for four full days. It was right after he heard the doctor’s opinion that he could move, even if it was a long distance.
Lying in the hospital’s VIP room, which was clearly different from the ward he had been in until this morning, he slowly looked around. The ward was similar in structure to the one Seo Gyu-won had been in at the end, but it looked more luxurious and like an expensive hotel room. If it weren’t for the patient gown and the Intravenous drip connected to his arm, he would have believed it was a hotel. It was in such a luxurious place that Seo Jeong-won encountered Lee Ye-rim.
“……Ah.”
So Song Hae-seop didn’t help at all in getting there. He was a little dumbfounded when he found out that even the hospital doctor who had scheduled the treatment through illegal channels had been prepared by Kwon Tae-hee. That’s why his gaze toward Lee Ye-rim wavered excessively. Unlike him, who was flustered, she was as calm as when they first met. She opened her mouth while examining the test results without any emotional agitation.
“There’s evidence of amniotic fluid rupture. The fact that amniotic fluid is leaking means that the baby is preparing to come out.”
“……”
“So we’re going to use a drug that suppresses labor and uterine contractions. It will be administered through an Intravenous injection. The drug may have side effects such as heart palpitations, tremors, and nausea. The nurse will explain in detail.”
Lee Ye-rim made eye contact with Kwon Tae-hee instead of Seo Jeong-won, who kept avoiding her gaze.
“In the case of the pregnant woman, the amount of amniotic fluid leaking is not yet large, but if it decreases to the point where the pregnancy cannot be maintained, we may have to decide on emergency surgery.”
“……”
“This is the worst-case scenario. Our medical staff will do our best to help you endure until 32 weeks, so don’t worry too much.”
She explained plainly and bowed to Kwon Tae-hee and Seo Jeong-won. Then, she turned around, ending with a greeting that she would see them at the next round if they had no further questions. Seo Jeong-won lay down with a slightly dazed expression and blinked.
He was filled with self-loathing at the thought that he had bothered so many people without even running away properly. He thought that if he had done that, he would have been able to get away from Kwon Tae-hee, but in the end, he had just wandered around here and there on the palm of his hand.
“Jeong-won.”
“Yes?”
“What are you thinking about? Are you anxious? Are you worried that Danpung will be hurt?”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just because of me…”
Kwon Tae-hee approached him at his self-reproach. He stroked Seo Jeong-won’s cheek as he lay down, held his trembling hand, and patted the back of his hand. He comforted him silently and released Pheromone. Seo Jeong-won closed his eyes at the scent that gently enveloped his body.
“I think I did everything wrong… from the beginning.”
“Nothing changes by blaming yourself.”
“……”
“Think positively. Don’t think complicatedly, just simply.”
Kwon Tae-hee slowly lowered his upper body, hugged Seo Jeong-won’s body, and leaned his forehead against his neck. He took a deep breath of the sweet scent he had wanted to smell so much and pressed his lips against his thin skin.
“It’s all right. You didn’t commit a crime.”
“I don’t know why… it turned out like this.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Kwon Tae-hee raised his head and made eye contact with Seo Jeong-won from a close distance. His tearful, sparkling eyes were like jewels. In fact, he felt they were more beautiful than jewels. Even though he knew he was still uncomfortable with this kind of skinship, he wanted to kiss him as he was.
“You’re not at fault for anything that’s happened so far.”
“……”
“I… was foolish. If I had made my attitude clear, you wouldn’t have done this.”
Kwon Tae-hee smiled as he looked at Seo Jeong-won, who was looking up at him with gentle eyes.
“I won’t confuse you anymore.”
“……What do you mean?”
Seo Jeong-won couldn’t understand his words. The ambiguous answer added to the confusion.
“Executive Director, do you…”
“……”
“Do you like me?”
“Maybe, yes. I think so.”
Kwon Tae-hee answered without the slightest hesitation. Rather, he looked at Seo Jeong-won, who was noticeably flustered, with a puzzled expression.
“Why, why me… why?”
“I’ve never thought about why. Can’t I like you? We’re about to have a baby and get married. Isn’t it better to have feelings too? I don’t know if it’s something to ask back with such a surprised face.”
Seo Jeong-won was confused as to whether he was the strange one or Kwon Tae-hee was the strange one. So… this kind of confession was not in his expectations.
“Executive Director, I—.”
He was going to apologize for running away irresponsibly, and then seriously discuss with him who would raise the baby if they had one, and how many times a week they should meet. Not to argue whether it was strange or not to have feelings of affection before childbirth and marriage.
Besides, what good would it do to say he liked him now? He didn’t feel that way. His feelings had become unnecessary or important to him.
“Executive Director.”
“Yes, Jeong-won.”
“I don’t think I can get married… I’m sorry.”
“Is it because I was going to marry Seo Gyu-won? Have you ever heard of levirate marriage? In the past, when a Hyung died, his younger brother would marry in his place. It was to continue the lineage. It must have been a common thing if it had been passed down for generations, so why are you acting like you’ve committed a crime?”