By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won gritted his teeth and hung his head low. He shouldn’t expect anything rational from Kwon Tae-hee. After spending nearly half a year together, he realized that Kwon Tae-hee wasn’t a man with normal thoughts.
“Just think comfortably. If Jeong-won wants, we will, of course, raise the baby together.”
Kwon Tae-hee added the premise, ‘if Seo Jeong-won wants,’ but he was sure that he would. An Omega’s paternal love is different from an Alpha’s. Right now, he was saying coldly that he had no intention of raising the baby because of his complicated feelings and Song Hae-seop’s presence weighing on his mind, but he had informed him that he had been sorted out, so that problem was solved too. Once he sees the baby growing in his belly, he will never be able to leave.
“Of course, I’ll understand even if you give the child to me, as you said back then. Not everyone has paternal love, and anyway, the contract was only up to that point.”
Kwon Tae-hee deliberately spoke lightly, saying it was okay to be irresponsible. Even if you leave the child with me, there are plenty of alternatives. In reality, that shouldn’t happen, but if Seo Jeong-won leaves the child, he certainly doesn’t intend to leave one side of the parents empty. He plans to bring in an Omega that suits his level and fill the void to overflowing.
“So, think comfortably. There’s still plenty of time left. I mean, it’s okay to change your mind.”
Kwon Tae-hee pointed out that day, that time. The moment he said those brazen words that he wouldn’t raise his child.
“Shall we move before it’s really too late?”
Kwon Tae-hee wrapped his arm around Seo Jeong-won’s back and gently led him. After completing the registration, they immediately proceeded with the blood test. The moment the needle was inserted into his thin arm, Kwon Tae-hee frowned as if he felt the pain himself. Seo Jeong-won, on the other hand, didn’t even falter.
He put his hand on the alcohol swab and helped him stop the bleeding, then moved according to the nurse’s instructions. When they arrived at the desk in front of the doctor’s office and announced their arrival, the nurse handed them a paper file, telling them to fill out a questionnaire before the examination.
“Please check it and give it back to me.”
Seo Jeong-won stared blankly at the file placed on his thigh before picking up a pen. Kwon Tae-hee sat next to him, carefully watching the parts he was checking. Then, at the section for writing the last Heat cycle, he took the pen from Seo Jeong-won, who was hesitating, and filled it in himself.
“Seo Jeong-won probably doesn’t remember.”
When Kwon Tae-hee handed the file to the nurse, Seo Jeong-won’s name was called out a moment later.
“Seo Jeong-won, please enter the examination room.”
Only when he stood in front of it did Seo Jeong-won’s shoulders twitch, as if he was nervous. Kwon Tae-hee soothed him and entered the examination room together.
“Welcome. Hello, Executive Director.”
Whether they knew each other or not, the doctor wearing glasses gave Kwon Tae-hee a friendly smile. He exchanged greetings with Kwon Tae-hee sufficiently before turning his gaze to Seo Jeong-won.
“First of all… congratulations on your pregnancy. The blood test results show that the hCG level has risen to the range that can be seen around the 6th week. According to the Heat cycle on the questionnaire you filled out, it’s 6 weeks and 2 days.”
“…….”
“First, we’ll check with an ultrasound inside the examination room. If we’re lucky today, we can even confirm the baby’s heartbeat.”
Looking at Seo Jeong-won’s expressionless reaction, the doctor simply thought that the young Omega was surprised by the news of the pregnancy. In his view, Kwon Tae-hee was a good partner, even an excellent one, so he was sure that he would accept it happily soon.
“Shall we go in?”
At the gentle question, Seo Jeong-won hesitantly got up. He looked up at Kwon Tae-hee with an unwilling expression and lowered his head with a dejected look. He didn’t want to confirm that his baby was in his belly. If he could, he wanted to run away as he was.
“Please lie down on the bed.”
The doctor, who had dimmed the lights, turned on the ultrasound machine and smiled at Seo Jeong-won, who had awkwardly stopped moving.
“I’ll lift your clothes up a little. The gel is lukewarm. Don’t be surprised.”
As the doctor’s hand pushed up his clothes, his pale, thin belly was revealed. Kwon Tae-hee’s gaze fell on it. He still couldn’t believe that life was nestled inside that thin layer. Startled by the sound of the gel being squeezed out, his dry fingers curled up.
The doctor gently spread the clump of gel around his navel with the ultrasound equipment and opened his mouth, pointing to the black screen.
“The location of the gestational sac is good, and the baby is well-positioned.”
“…….”
“The small bean-like dot you see here is the fetus. The size is… 3mm, and it’s growing well according to the gestational age. Now, we’re going to listen to the heartbeat. To do that, the person needs to hold their breath for a moment. Is that okay?”
At the careful question, Seo Jeong-won swallowed hard, looking nervous, and nodded. The doctor’s expression was more excited than before. He turned up the speaker volume to match the moment Seo Jeong-won held his breath.
Duk-duk-duk-duk—. A very small and weak sound was heard. He smiled gently, curving his eyes and lips, and made eye contact with Seo Jeong-won.
“The bpm will be much faster when the gestational age is a little older, but right now it’s about 102. Ah, you can breathe now.”
“…….”The sound is so small that you can only hear it when the mother holds their breath at this stage. Isn’t it cute?”
He looked at the small dot on the screen with a satisfied expression and printed out a photo. He turned the lights, which had been dimmed, back on and naturally handed a warm towel to Kwon Tae-hee.
“Take your time getting up.”
As soon as the doctor finished speaking, Kwon Tae-hee leaned forward. He gently wiped off the gel that was smeared widely around his navel and cleaned up the remaining moisture with a tissue.
“Shall we go?”
At the quiet question, Seo Jeong-won slowly got up and sat down instead of answering. As he lowered his feet under the bed and put on the shoes he had taken off, a large hand was extended in front of him. It seemed like he was being asked to hold on and get up, but he didn’t want to. When he stood up on his own, Kwon Tae-hee withdrew his hand as if he knew he would be rejected.
As soon as the two sat down in the examination room, the doctor told them about the precautions to take in the early stages of pregnancy and the types of nutritional supplements to take. There weren’t many foods to avoid, but he urged them to pay close attention to the patient’s condition, as morning sickness would begin.
“There’s not much for the obstetrician to be careful about.” Eat whatever you want. But you must take iron supplements.”
“If I don’t eat them… will the baby be hungry too?”
At the innocent and cute question, the doctor chuckled softly.
“No, the baby grows by eating the nutrients accumulated in the mother’s body. So, even if you can’t eat anything due to morning sickness, the baby will grow without any problems. The reason I’m telling you to eat well at this stage is purely for the health of the mother. You need to eat well, whether it’s meals or snacks. Got it?”
“Are there any points I should be aware of or things I should know?”
“Executive Director, you need to give your partner a pheromone shower often. Alpha pheromones will be especially helpful once morning sickness starts. Also… because of hormonal changes due to pregnancy, your emotions will probably fluctuate a lot, so don’t get angry and treat them kindly. If you make a mistake when they’re pregnant, you’ll be miserable for the rest of your life.”
The doctor spoke without removing the smile from his lips, then looked at Seo Jeong-won with a somewhat firm expression.
“Obstetrics, if you have abdominal pain or bloody discharge, be sure to come to the hospital, and both of you should be careful not to be too rough during sexual intercourse until you reach the stable period.” Then, I’ll see you in two weeks.”
“…….”
“Executive Director, you’ve worked hard too. I’ll see you at the next appointment.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
Kwon Tae-hee’s gaze was constantly on Seo Jeong-won. That’s why he didn’t miss even the slightest emotional change. Seo Jeong-won’s face, which had been indifferent, was slightly distorted. The fingers holding the ultrasound photo he had been given were strained, and his knuckles turned white. As he supported his swaying body, as if his legs had lost strength, and came out of the examination room, he saw Seo Jeong-won, who had already composed his previously disheveled expression.
“I’m thinking of getting the test done again, what do you think?””
“……I had it tested before.”
Seo Jeong-won stared intently at the photo in his hand before slowly continuing.
“The hospital said I was recessive, but that I was an Omega closer to a Beta than recessive…”
“I see. Is there anything else I should know?”
“……They said I might not be able to smell pheromones well.”
At the small murmur as he turned his body, Kwon Tae-hee instinctively covered Seo Jeong-won with his pheromones.
“Then it seems dangerous for Seo Jeong-won to go outside alone. Now that you’ve manifested, you won’t be able to avoid being swayed by other Alpha pheromones even if you’re pregnant. You should only go out when I’m with you, and when I’m not, tell Chief Jung what you need.”
Kwon Tae-hee hugged Seo Jeong-won tightly and said. Seo Jeong-won, who had initially understood it as simply being concerned when he first heard it, mulled over Kwon Tae-hee’s words and belatedly realized that it was the same as saying he would confine him.
“……Executive Director.”
“Yes, Seo Jeong-won.”
“I think it would be better to get the test done again. The place I got it tested was a small hospital in Seonam, so—”
“No, the results won’t change much anyway. Seo Jeong-won could be in a very dangerous situation if you go outside alone.”
Kwon Tae-hee thought he had seized an opportunity. He didn’t want to let him out anyway, and Seo Jeong-won had come and sat down in the net he hadn’t even set up himself.
“Right now, your belly isn’t showing, so you won’t look pregnant to others. Besides, even if an Omega as attractive as Seo Jeong-won is pregnant, Alphas won’t leave you alone. Especially if you react to my pheromones, they’ll go crazy.”
“That, that won’t happen. I’ll take care of it—”
“How can you be sure? It’ll be too late after an accident happens. So, do as I say.”
Seo Jeong-won was devastated. He should have said he would get the test when he suggested it. He regretted bringing it up unnecessarily.