By Zephyria Kwon Tae-hee’s voice flowed out as if trying to bewitch Seo Jeong-won. He softly persuaded him, saying that our marriage wasn’t wrong at all.
“I have no intention of raising the baby alone, nor of letting Jeong-won raise him alone. Above all, Jeong-won, you don’t have the ability to raise a baby alone.”
Kwon Tae-hee even erased the smile he usually wore like a mask. He pretended to be polite, but listening to what he said, one couldn’t help but realize he was pointing out the other’s incompetence.
“I keep saying I’ll take responsibility for my actions. That I won’t pretend I don’t know. To be honest, I feel like Jeong-won’s actions are irresponsible. It’s our child. What if something went wrong… just thinking about it is terrible.”
Seo Jeong-won listened to the softly spoken words, but as time passed, his mind became hazy. The pleasant voice blaming him stirred his mind and then scattered completely. His eyes didn’t even sting, but his vision was all blurred. His neat face wavered as if submerged in water.
“Danpung isn’t just any Alpha’s child, and it’s not like Jeong-won made him alone.”
While nodding at Kwon Tae-hee’s words asserting his rights to the child, he became confused, the reason for his choices becoming vague.
“If we just get married, wouldn’t all the problems be solved? Why be so stubborn and try to throw the child’s life into the gutter from the start?”
His tone was as if he really didn’t understand. Seo Jeong-won moved his dry lips. Even if he wanted to speak his mind, it was as sweet as if his mouth was full of sugar water, making his mouth ache. His tongue didn’t move as if it were paralyzed.
“I will be a faithful spouse to Jeong-won. And I will be a perfect father to the child.”
“Hng, hngh…”
“Leaving me was just a foolish choice made temporarily because the situation was confusing, it wasn’t because Jeong-won is stupid, right?”
Kwon Tae-hee smiled as he wiped away the tears welling up in his large eyes with his fingertips.
“See, I told you this conversation isn’t appropriate to have right now. Why don’t you listen?”
Kwon Tae-hee stroked his flushed cheeks and put a straw in Seo Jeong-won’s mouth.
“Drink.”
“Executive Director, so you’re saying that our… this kind of relationship is normal?”
“Would your heart feel better if I admitted it’s not normal?”
Seo Jeong-won hardened his expression at the mocking question. Kwon Tae-hee sighed deeply enough to prick his ears, then pressed his beautiful eyes with his delicate hands as if suppressing his annoyance.
“But you knew about me when you met me. That’s what I don’t understand, Jeong-won. The only thing that’s changed is a person who was there and then disappeared, just that one thing, and I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”
Kwon Tae-hee took Seo Jeong-won’s reaction for granted. That’s why he was trying to understand that it could be shocking, that he might not be able to think straight because his family had died and he was upset. But Seo Jeong-won kept acting like he had been deceived. He came and clung to him knowing everything, and now why is he acting like this?
“Seo Jeong-won, you’re being hypocritical.”
“…….”
“So do it moderately. Stop when I’m being nice to you. I know you’re upset enough.”
Seo Jeong-won, who had been meeting his eyes even while trembling, averted his gaze. He felt sorry for him crying with such a pitifully distorted face, but he didn’t want to comfort him. Kwon Tae-hee thought that to re-establish the relationship, he had to break Seo Jeong-won’s stubbornness first.
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From that day, starting with that conversation, Seo Jeong-won’s words gradually decreased. When asked something, he would move his lips but ultimately avoid answering. At first, he thought he had asked something too difficult. Or he simply thought that he didn’t want to talk about it right now.
Then, he gradually began to think it was strange. He exchanged casual, everyday conversations without any problems with the nurses who came in and out of the hospital room, the staff who came in and out at certain times for cleaning, and the women who brought meals, but as soon as he joined in, it changed. Kwon Tae-hee soon took the problem seriously.
“Jeong-won, I think it would be good to start preparing for childbirth now, would you like to take a look at this?”
Kwon Tae-hee asked Seo Jeong-won, who was frightened and trembling at the sound of his voice, in a softer tone than usual. It was just a simple question, but Seo Jeong-won stiffened as if he had been threatened, and shrank back with his already large eyes wide open.
“The onesies I chose are these, what do you think, Jeong-won?”
Barely suppressing the quickly rising anger, he asked, and Seo Jeong-won moved his lips again.
“You don’t like them? Then these? There are also these.”
He showed him the ones he had picked out and naturally made eye contact with Seo Jeong-won. His black pupils trembled as if there had been an earthquake.
“Did I ask something difficult? Was it so unpleasant to answer that you’re crying this much? Should I just live as I please? Would you like that?”
“Hngh, hng…….”
Again, he just moved his lips. Kwon Tae-hee, who had closed and opened his eyes at the repeated reaction, swept his face away in annoyance.
“What’s the problem?”
At the anger that he finally couldn’t suppress, the Pheromone that had been flowing out softly and gently suddenly became sharp.
“Hieeck, hick, haaaeuk…!”
Seo Jeong-won barely moved his stiff hands while lying down. He scratched his neck as if he couldn’t breathe properly, then trembled and fainted. Flustered, Kwon Tae-hee pressed the nurse call button and patted his sunken cheeks to wake Seo Jeong-won.
“Seo Jeong-won, Seo Jeong-won!”
The door opened and the medical staff rushed in. Kwon Tae-hee briefly explained the situation to Lee Ye-rim, who arrived late. She lifted Seo Jeong-won’s eyelids and shone a penlight on them. At that sight, Kwon Tae-hee sighed deeply, holding his forehead. Lee Ye-rim’s gaze briefly turned to him at the low curse he spat out.
“He suddenly lost consciousness. Why is he doing this?”
“I can’t give you a definite answer about the cause of the fainting at this time.”
She gave several instructions to the nurses who were busily moving around the hospital room. Soon, an oxygen respirator, an ECG device, and a device to check fetal movements were connected to Seo Jeong-won’s body.
“The details can be confirmed after the patient wakes up… I think. I’m hesitant to say this, but I think the symptoms are due to excessive stress.”
“Stress?”
“Yes. It seems that psychological factors from the current situation are playing a major role. Fortunately, the fetal movements are fine today and there are no uterine contractions, but since there is a risk of premature birth, if this happens again…”
Lee Ye-rim paused for a moment. Her soft, tan-colored eyes were sharp as if they held a knife. Even she, who had not shown any emotional agitation until now, became nervous and swallowed hard.
“It’s hard to guarantee that it will be okay like now even then. So you need to find the cause as soon as possible. In my opinion… I think it would be good to have psychiatric counseling at the same time.”
Kwon Tae-hee somewhat agreed with Lee Ye-rim’s advice and suppressed the rising annoyance. As she said, thinking about the future, it’s right to have him receive psychiatric or psychological counseling.
“I’ll request a consultation with the Department of Psychiatry. I’ll deliver the counseling schedule to Chief Jung as soon as it’s set.”
Lee Ye-rim bowed politely and left the hospital room. The nurses who had been stationed around her also left the hospital room one by one. The door closed and only Seo Jeong-won and Danpung were left in the quiet hospital room.
“Haa…….”
Kwon Tae-hee, who was looking up at the ceiling with his head tilted back, calmed himself by taking a long breath and sat down on the chair by the bed. He moved his lips, watching the white condensation forming inside the respirator due to his colorful breaths.
“I really don’t understand.”
He was serious. Does he really think that if he leaves me, everything will go back to normal? Does he want to go back to that old, cramped house with the baby? What can he do there? How long can he last with the small amount of money in his account that he stubbornly refuses me like this?
Even though Seo Jeong-won was bothering him so much, Kwon Tae-hee didn’t feel like abandoning him at all. He admitted that he was completely crazy about that young Omega and scoffed.