By Zephyria With only a week left until his expected due date, Seo Jeong-won was calmer than ever, but Kwon Tae-hee was the one in a frenzy. As if to compensate for the time he hadn’t been able to be by his side, he stopped going back and forth between the hospital and the company and handled all his work from the hospital room. He also continuously released Pheromones and stayed close to Seo Jeong-won, whether he wanted him to or not.
For some reason, he had a strong feeling that he didn’t want to leave Seo Jeong-won alone. He acted as if he couldn’t leave his side even for a moment, so even Seo Jeong-won, who had become indifferent in every way, checked on him several times to see if he was okay.
Kwon Tae-hee skillfully hid his anxiety and reassured him by saying that there was nothing wrong. Even so, he bothered Seo Jeong-won again and again, asking if he needed anything or wanted to eat anything. Each time, Seo Jeong-won reluctantly mentioned one food item, but since he didn’t crave it so much that he couldn’t stand it, most of it was taken away after he barely took a bite.
“Jeong-won.”
“…Yes?”
Seo Jeong-won, who had been staring out the window with a listless gaze, flinched in surprise. He had been habitually biting on his thumb, which had started to fester again because he had bitten it after it had healed, but after checking where Kwon Tae-hee’s gaze was directed, he pulled on his sleeve to hide his finger.
“Should I hug you?”
Contact with an Alpha was as important as Pheromones. However, Seo Jeong-won did not ask for physical affection. This was also necessary, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t live without.
It wasn’t intentional, but his pathetic appearance stimulated both sadistic impulses and pity at the same time. He yearned to be someone Seo Jeong-won needed. He regretted that he should have been different from the very beginning, rather than pushing him to the extreme. He simply wanted to make it so that he couldn’t live without him, but as a result, he was the only one who couldn’t live without Seo Jeong-won.
“Jeong-won.”
Kwon Tae-hee hesitated, but instead of stepping back from his Omega, who was about to utter an obvious refusal, he sat closer to the bedside. As he expertly applied a bandage to his messed-up finger, Seo Jeong-won lowered his gaze.
Long eyelashes cast a shadow over his small face. Kwon Tae-hee carefully tapped his pale cheek, and Seo Jeong-won frowned slightly. He didn’t want to bother him, but he didn’t want to take his hand away either, so he leaned against the bed and gently tapped his dry body. Soon, black, pebble-like eyes turned to Kwon Tae-hee.
“Next week, it’ll be three of us, not two.”
“…”
“I heard it’s a girl. Do you know that, Jeong-won?”
Instead of answering, Seo Jeong-won simply nodded. Kwon Tae-hee smiled and placed his hand on his bulging stomach.
“After hearing that… to be honest, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep.”
“…”
“I just loved imagining how pretty a baby who looks like you would be.”
Kwon Tae-hee didn’t care what gender the baby was, but he wanted her to look like Seo Jeong-won no matter what. He had always thought that she should have his personality.
Children are naturally kind, but if his child was as frustratingly kind as Seo Jeong-won, things would be different. If she looked exactly like Seo Jeong-won, both externally and internally… he might have to spend his whole life protecting her. He was already worried.
“I’ve already decided on the kindergarten and elementary school she’ll go to. I’ve also hired a live-in nanny to take care of the baby.”
He had prepared everything the baby needed in detail, but he explained it simply because he thought Seo Jeong-won would get tired of hearing about it one by one. Kwon Tae-hee gently brushed Seo Jeong-won’s hair back and continued, stroking his still-soft cheek.
“Actually, I wanted to name her in advance, but they said I needed the baby’s date and time of birth.”
“…”
“She’ll be hearing it for the rest of her life, so I want to give her a good name.”
His voice was gentle. Only then did Seo Jeong-won relax and nod. When the hand that had been clutching the blanket tightly loosened, Kwon Tae-hee asked again.
“Should I hug you?”
“…Yes.”
At the finally granted permission, Kwon Tae-hee went up to the bed. He took the seat next to Seo Jeong-won and put his arm under his neck, pulling him into his arms as he hesitantly snuggled in.
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After that, Kwon Tae-hee continued to take care of him with the utmost devotion. He was so devoted that it made one wonder how he had endured it all this time. Seo Jeong-won entrusted himself to Kwon Tae-hee, who was willing to do everything from head to toe even if he just shifted his body slightly, and was moved around here and there. Since Kwon Tae-hee had been staying at the hospital, he hadn’t even walked to the bathroom himself.
“Do you want to eat some fruit?”
“…”
“Do you want to eat some strawberries and go outside for a bit? It seems a little stuffy. Or is it just me?”
He was still anxious to put something in Seo Jeong-won’s mouth, who had no appetite rather than morning sickness. The way he coaxed Seo Jeong-won, who was banned from going outside because his cold hadn’t completely healed, to eat something was also evolving. At first, he approached him by saying that he would take him out if he ate, but Kwon Tae-hee quickly realized that this method only aroused Seo Jeong-won’s antipathy, so he used himself. The method worked surprisingly well, and he was able to open Seo Jeong-won’s mouth a little more easily than before.
“It must have snowed. It’ll be even prettier at night. If you don’t feel like going out, I’ll just open the window a little.”
“Where to…”
“The sky garden.”
When he pronounced the word ‘garden’ a little more softly on purpose, Seo Jeong-won’s eyes shone black. Kwon Tae-hee, who had been looking into his jewel-like eyes, smiled silently and took out the strawberries. As he held the cleanly prepared red flesh in front of his mouth one by one, Seo Jeong-won opened his mouth and ate them like a baby bird.
It was an impression he felt every time, but watching him eat what he put in his mouth without hesitation made him feel like a mother bird who had caught food and flown back to the nest. The young Omega, who would soon become his spouse, was perceived as a small and weak being that he had to raise.
Was it okay to adore someone this much? He had never been pleased with anything before, so he himself was unfamiliar with his own feelings. Nevertheless, the satisfaction that came from his pitiful and admirable appearance was so overwhelming that he felt that anything was okay.
“I don’t want to eat anymore.”
“Okay, you did well.”
Kwon Tae-hee praised him habitually and hurried to prepare to go out. Seo Jeong-won, who was dressed like a doll with his help, was dissatisfied that he couldn’t walk on his own until the moment he got into the wheelchair, but he agreed with Kwon Tae-hee’s words that it was better to be careful since there wasn’t much time left until the delivery, and obediently entrusted himself to him.
Kwon Tae-hee skillfully pushed the wheelchair. Unlike when he came out of the hospital room and took the elevator, he stopped the wheelchair before passing through the hallway connected to the sky garden and carefully checked Seo Jeong-won’s condition. Seo Jeong-won, who was wrapped in a thick blanket without a gap for the wind to enter and only had his face exposed, mumbled that he was hot.
As if he didn’t hear him, Kwon Tae-hee took out the scarves he had brought separately one by one. When he put on a fur hat and earmuffs, his white cheeks became even more flushed.
“Shall we go?”
Only then did Kwon Tae-hee smile contentedly and push the wheelchair again. Seo Jeong-won only wanted to get outside quickly. Perhaps because it was too hot, the connecting passage felt particularly cool. Soon, when they went outside completely, he felt like his stuffy chest was opening up.
Snowflakes poured down and began to accumulate little by little on Seo Jeong-won’s hat and thighs. Kwon Tae-hee looked at Seo Jeong-won’s face, which was the brightest it had been in recent times, and opened the umbrella he had brought in advance. He blocked the falling snow and approached the glass railing where the night view was quite good.
“They say it’s going to snow a lot.”
“…It’s pretty.”
“Jeong-won.”
“Yes.”
Kwon Tae-hee skillfully fixed the umbrella he had opened to the wheelchair and lowered his posture. He knelt on the ground and took out the gloves in his pocket and put them on his small hands, which were starting to turn red.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“…Executive Director, aren’t you cold?”
“No, I’m not cold.”
“I’m… warm too.”
Seo Jeong-won, who nodded, avoided the gaze he had been meeting. Kwon Tae-hee wiped away the moisture that had fallen and melted on his long eyelashes and cupped his cheeks, which were starting to get cold. He gently rubbed his soft skin and quietly drew his gaze, then opened his mouth.
“The order has changed a bit, but shall we start dating?”
“…”
“Like other people.”
Listening to the low voice, Seo Jeong-won distorted his eyes as if he was about to cry. His black eyes slowly began to get wet.
“I… I’ve never done it before.”
“It’s my first time too.”
“…Liar.”
Kwon Tae-hee smiled at Seo Jeong-won, who was tearful but honestly revealing his feelings.
“I’m not lying.”
Kwon Tae-hee carefully pulled the hand covered in fluffy gloves and pressed his lips to the back of his hand.
“I’ve always liked you. That’s why I was out of my mind. I didn’t know because it was my first time too.”
At the sincere and somewhat absurd confession, Seo Jeong-won laughed while crying. He had always thought that he seemed out of his mind since the first time they met, but he wondered if this man had only realized it now.