《Stranger Who Found Spring》 Prologue ¡°Congratulations.¡± His stomach had been aching these days. It was just that. It often happened when he wasn¡¯t feeling well, so he didn¡¯t care about such trivial things. He just thought it was going to pass by. ¡°It¡¯s rare for people to notice at the beginning, but you have a good sense.¡± No. It wasn¡¯t like Ha-hyun noticed. He only knew that the pheromone control wasn¡¯t working properly. If he had noticed such a momentum even a little, he wouldn¡¯t have visited the Department of Endocrinology, or more precisely, the Department of Pheromones. ¡°You are eight weeks pregnant.¡± Ah. Ha-hyun let out a small sigh at the indifferent doctor¡¯s assertion. That day, he realized the existence of a stranger who had come in spring. SURPRISE!! XD Lololol Finally, I decided to translate this one to celebrate Reader Stream¡¯s first anniversary~ If you don¡¯t know about this series, you can check ToC for more information, especially prologue webtoon version so you can understand a bit. Let¡¯s hope Hodot-nim (Artist-nim who was famous for ¡°Big Apple¡± adaptation manhwa) to work for this series too~ not only for prologue one~ Thank you for following us and reading our translation on our website! ^^ CH 1 The space cut off from the outside was lonely beyond stillness. Ha-hyun looked around the living room where there was no sound, then moved and headed towards the window. There was no terrace as it was on a high floor, but it was quite fun to sit on the floor and look down at the distant bottom. A man the size of an ant, a car slightly larger than that. A sparsely located street tree. It was a habit he got after moving to this house to just stare at the space where all of them were harmonized. ¡°Cold.¡± He thought the days were getting warmer now, but he guessed it was time for the cold weather to come. Ha-hyun looked at the blankets neatly laid out on the sofa from afar. Should he bring it or should he just stay? To be honest, it wasn¡¯t even a few steps away, but it was cumbersome to get up because he was already sitting on the floor. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t think about crawling, but he thought his knees would hurt because of the marble floor, so he quickly removed the option. If there was even a cell phone next to him, he would turn on the heater more strongly, but unfortunately, it was on the sofa. Ha-hyun, who took a step without thinking and sat down in front of the window, clicked his tongue. ¡°Enough.¡± He would just stay like this. When darkness fell, Ha-hyun was going to leave the house, so there was no problem even if he stayed here for a while. He could catch a cold if he had bad luck, but he would then have to lie in bed and not move. Ha-hyun, who had nothing to do, was really living in a nest. He didn¡¯t really want to get a job now because the rich, unemployed life that he had been living for about eight years after graduating from school suited him well. Some friends asked if he was bored because he was always at home, but that¡¯s something he hadn¡¯t experienced. If he was bored, he could go out and play, and if he was tired of his house, he could travel or move. There was no reason to be bored in the first place. Even so. ¡°It¡¯s a little lonely.¡± The words that came out of his mouth pierced the emotions that were in the corner of his heart. Ha-hyun, who was looking out with his forehead on the cold glass, got up only after the streetlight outside was lit up. After taking a bath in the bathroom, Ha-hyun found a semi-suit that he didn¡¯t usually wear and looked at the dressing table with perfume on it and thought about it. Now that he had dressed well, should he put on perfume? However, the heavy men¡¯s perfume didn¡¯t match his pheromone. It would have been better if it was a fruit type, but most of the perfumes that came as gifts didn¡¯t consider his pheromone. However, he wasn¡¯t interested enough to choose the perfume himself, so he didn¡¯t even have the perfume he wanted. He decided not to wear perfume, and instead of perfume, he lightly wrapped his own pheromone around his body. Finally, after checking himself on the mirror and tidying up, he took his car key and headed to the parking lot. Every time he felt lonely like today, Ha-hyun headed straight to the lounge bar. The luxurious bar wasn¡¯t crowded because the price was as expensive as it looked. So there were many nights he couldn¡¯t find a partner. However, it wasn¡¯t suitable for Ha-hyun to go to another bar. Because it was annoying. Just imagining the time he went through the process of information search, selection of candidate sites, and selection of the right one made Ha-hyun tired. He didn¡¯t mind not finding a partner, so he was more comfortable going to the familiar bar. ¡°How will it be today?¡± He wished there was. It was a night he didn¡¯t want to go back to where he would be alone. Rather, it would have been more refreshing to roll and get up in the hotel. Ha-hyun, who ran on an unblocked road after working hours, parked and walked familiarly towards the lounge. Several blatant gazes followed Ha-hyun, who was walking with a scent, but he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t get tired of being looked at and few were brave enough to speak to him. When Ha-hyun got into the elevator and pressed the close button, the door started to close. Tong. Ha-hyun, who was staring at the instrument panel, widened his eyes at the hand that slipped through a small gap. Were they urgent enough to take the risk and take the elevator right away? With that thought in mind, the door opened and a man with a stronger physique than Ha-hyun entered. ¡®Alpha?¡¯ The moment the opponent brushed past him, a heavy yet intense pheromone enveloped him and passed by. In response to the action with a secret intention, Ha-hyun slowly raised his gaze and looked at the other person. A straight line, an honest face, and a solid body were visible over a suit. It was enough to say that he was handsome. Besides, he liked the scent of pine trees that brushed the tip of his nose. The refreshing feeling also lingered and he felt like he was walking in the forest. The arm close to his opponent trembled slightly. He tried to ignore all his nerves and only stared at the plate indicating the number of floors. ¡°Where are you going?¡± In a polite, yet confident tone of voice, Ha-hyun unknowingly made eye contact with the other person. The slightly curved lips made the atmosphere surrounding him even more alluring. ¡°¡­lounge bar.¡± ¡°Alone?¡± He just nodded his head in response to the question asked, even though he was already convinced. In the clear affirmation, the opponent subtly leaned over and bowed his back slightly. ¡°Unfortunately, I am alone.¡± At the words whispered in his ear, Ha-hyun lowered his eyes and just leaned closer to the other person. The other party, who laughed quietly, raised his arm and wrapped his arm around Ha-hyun¡¯s shoulder. Just in time, when the elevator door opened, he escorted him to the lounge and opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m Kang Cho-seung.¡± ¡°Lee Ha-hyun.¡± The opponent, who didn¡¯t miss the small voice, raised his mouth slowly and stroked Ha-hyun¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty name.¡± Ha-hyun, who smiled at him, bent his eyes. He was sure he could spend the night as he wanted. * * * ¡°Are you okay?¡± At his words, Ha-hyun nodded slightly. It was good enough to be in his hands. With a drowsy expression on his face, Ha-hyun lay down on his stomach and hugged the pillow. Slowly blinking his eyelids were full of sleepiness. ¡°Next time¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± There¡¯s no next time. Cho-seung¡¯s eyes narrowed at the resolute answer. Weren¡¯t both satisfied? ¡°I guess you¡¯re not satisfied?¡± Cho-seung approached Ha-hyun, covered in the scent of pine trees, and asked as if whispering. When he nodded his head in affirmation, a sigh flowed as if regretful. As he stroked Ha-hyun¡¯s cheek with a lingering gesture, his body shook as if it was tickling. Seeing this, Cho-seung let out a low laugh. ¡°Then it¡¯s the last?¡± ¡°¡­you want it too, don¡¯t you?¡± Cho-seung nodded his head brightly at the confident words. Cho-seung leaned over and bit Ha-hyun¡¯s earlobe and whispered softly. ¡°Of course.¡± Ha-hyun smiled contentedly at the subdued voice, but the next moment, he took a small breath through his lips. It was the first and last night with Cho-seung. * ¡°Are you going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult for Ha-hyun-ssi to move now.¡± Cho-seung, who wore a tie that had been thrown away casually, turned his head to meet Ha-hyun, who was lying down on the bed and looking at him. ¡°It would be nice to have an afterwards¡­¡± Despite the deep regret, Ha-hyun only smiled with a lukewarm face. Cho-seung shook off his last regrets with his resolute attitude and kissed Ha-hyun¡¯s lips. Ha-hyun, who opened his lips slightly, patted Cho-seung¡¯s shoulder only after he was out of breath. ¡°If fate connects us, at least say hello and pass by.¡± ¡°Okay. If it¡¯s a fate.¡± Cho-seung, who stole Ha-hyun¡¯s lips with his index finger, gently stroked his hair and left the room. Ha-hyun, who followed Cho-seung¡¯s back with his eyes until he completely disappeared, buried his face on a soft pillow. That body, face, Cho-seung was such an ideal partner. He never enjoyed it alone and even adjusted it in consideration of Ha-hyun¡¯s condition. It felt good to mix and melt each other¡¯s pheromones. Like, yeah. Like a pheromone mate. As he said, it would be nice to have an afterwards, but Ha-hyun, who didn¡¯t have many good memories of doing an afterwards, had to be careful. ¡°It¡¯s too bad¡­¡± As much as he was satisfied after a long time, Ha-hyun also left a deep regret. Really, if they met again like a coincidence. At that time, he thought it would be better to meet in a different direction than a one-night partner. Do you want to read the full one? This chapter actually is full of smut scenes wwwww I¡¯ll translate them later but I also set them with password since it¡¯s for adult readers. And~ after reading this one, you can understand how I love Ha-hyun¡¯s personality lol I want to be like him. Rich, pretty, jobless, carefree lol CH 2 He didn¡¯t know why on earth he came to the hospital. After reliving the memories of the night, Ha-hyun sat on a park bench and looked up blankly at the sky. The park where he was located was full of people who went out for an outing as it was spring. Ha-hyun, who was looking at them with a blurry gaze at the murmur, stopped at someone. It was a child holding his parents¡¯ hands, perhaps it was still too difficult for him to walk alone. Why did that little boy suddenly catch his eyes? Ha-hyun unconsciously placed his hand on his smooth lower abdomen. ¡°Kids¡­¡± He had no intention of getting married, let alone pregnant, and suddenly, he had a child. She said he was eight weeks pregnant, so maybe he met him at the lounge bar, or maybe in a hotel lobby. In any case, it must be the child of the alpha who had impressed him with the scent of pine. He blinked dumbly, thinking naturally of the man who he had spent the night with. That guy was pretty cool. The heavy yet refreshing scent of pheromone, big hands with calluses, and a strong body were all Ha-hyun¡¯s tastes. Oh, then he got the handsome man¡¯s genes, so wouldn¡¯t the baby in his womb be good-looking when they grow up? Ha-hyun, who naturally sketched out the future, let out a smirk. Pondering, he had always worn a condom other than that day. He only had sex with this someone, whether it was just once or countless throughout the night, without proper contraception. It was the last thing he did before he parted ways with Cho-seung. It was astonishing. How did he get pregnant with that one time? Some people made plans and tried to have children, but Ha-hyun succeeded in one time making love without any such effort. At first, he was a recessive that it was difficult to get pregnant without a heat. What¡¯s more, how would he go to a lounge bar in heat, was he crazy? He left the house after making sure he wasn¡¯t in a heat cycle, which meant that he couldn¡¯t get pregnant just because he did it without a condom. Was it because of the opponent who appeared to be the dominant alpha? No, was that possible? He didn¡¯t know how this pregnancy succeeded through miraculous possibilities, but Ha-hyun was more amazed than ridiculous. He even had an ultrasound scan and received a picture of a child the size of a pea, so he didn¡¯t mean to deny it, but it was complicated in many ways. While thinking about it, Ha-hyun took out the ultrasound picture he had put in his pocket again and drew a small shape with his index finger. ¡°Small.¡± It was small when he looked at it again. It was also surprising that this tiny bean later turned into a human being and the fact that it was clinging to his stomach was also amazing. To be honest, there was nothing that wasn¡¯t surprising in Ha-hyun¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike it.¡± It wasn¡¯t a difficult situation to raise a child. He was undoubtedly a wealthy unemployed man and it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have enough assets that the household could collapse just because he had a child. On the contrary, even if the born child had caused him to lose one billion won, Ha-hyun¡¯s assets were still safe. Because of the circumstances, the stranger who suddenly came to him didn¡¯t look so bad. Ha-hyun¡¯s heart was somewhat lightened not because he couldn¡¯t have an abortion nor he wouldn¡¯t be able to give birth. He had money and time. So it was ridiculous to know that he had a child, but it only made him feel amazed. It wasn¡¯t a planned pregnancy, nor a child with a beloved one, but a child born of one night playing with fire. He sighed in a difficult situation and thought about whether or not he had to erase it. But Ha-hyun was generous enough to support his child. ¡°You made me difficult to control pheromone because you want to live, right?¡± Otherwise, why would he suddenly get himself checked up? The guy who had been quiet for eight weeks sent a signal the moment he ran out of alpha pheromone. That¡¯s what the doctor explained, so it must be true. At the time of treatment, Ha-hyun just shook his head when he was asked if he had an alpha partner. The doctor had an understanding expression on her face and calmly explained it to him. A child between alpha and omega needed to receive their pheromone regularly, so it was recommended, although not necessary, to alpha and omega live together during pregnancy. But she told him not to worry too much, as there were alternatives these days. Lastly, after being recommended to get a pheromone injection, Ha-hyun willingly accepted it and came out. He had no reason to refuse the doctor¡¯s prescription and the pheromone injections weren¡¯t expensive either. When he learned that omega alone could give birth to a child without an alpha partner, he was just for the advancement of medical technology. ¡°It¡¯s a shame to kill someone who wants to live.¡± Um, um. Ha-hyun, who was rubbing his lower abdomen and muttering continuously, followed the child again with his gaze that had stopped before. And the parents were smiling brightly next to the child. ¡°I think it would be nice to raise one.¡± They might have only one parent at the moment they were born, but it was still better than dying without seeing the light. After they grew up, he could hear them blame him, but he decided not to think about it until then. The future was too far away and he might meet someone who could become the father of the child and get a partner in the middle. Since the distant future was always uncertain, Ha-hyun decided to only see the near future. So, in the near future where the little child could wiggle and crawl. ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡± She said that the recessive omega only had about nine months of pregnancy and had to have a cesarean section, which was only a few months away. With about seven months left, what kind of relationship will you, who is still a stranger in my heart, have with me in the future? Can we truly become a family? Or will I remain as a simple guardian? Or maybe, you could still be a stranger. But Ha-hyun decided to grow this bean, so he was going to try. So, from now on, he hoped he could work hard to establish an amicable relationship with them. For example, in the part about morning sickness. Ha-hyun was honestly frightened when he found the information that it was time to start morning sickness. What if he suddenly wanted to eat something or what if he vomited just by smelling the food? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it already.¡± He would figure it out later somehow. Ha-hyun, who followed his carefree thought, thought of alpha with the scent of pine when his mind was cleared to some extent. He was using another way of representing the father of the child in the womb. The pheromone was fragrant and refreshing, so he thought he wouldn¡¯t get tired of smelling them all day long. He quickly shook his head to shake off the thought of being distracted. That wasn¡¯t the problem he had to worry about now. ¡°Should I tell him?¡± How did he find and notify someone who he knew nothing but their name, let alone a phone number? In the first place, he was embarrassed to suddenly visit him and tell him that he was pregnant with his child. Kang Cho-seung, was it? It had been two months and even the name had been vague. All he could remember was the making love he had with pleasure and the pheromone with the scent of pine that stuck to his body. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡± Maybe it was necessary, but he didn¡¯t know because he had never faced such a situation. If he needed it, he could make a request to look for him. Besides, he might be offended by how he was sure it was his child, so Ha-hyun just decided not to look for him. He didn¡¯t seem like that, but only had spent one night together. It was too short a time to have any certainty. After finishing his last thought, Ha-hyun slowly raised his body, leaning comfortably on the bench. No, more precisely, he tried to. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Ha-hyun, who turned his head with a puzzled face at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, saw the young alpha standing with a shy face and hardened his expression without realizing it. ¡°Do you have a lover?¡± ¡°No.¡± No lover. It felt like three years had passed since he had been without them. Ha-hyun, who only spoke the truth, shook his head nervously. His answer leaked out of his lips, but seeing his bright face, Ha-hyun clicked his tongue inwardly. There was no ¡®lover¡¯. ¡°Then, your phone number¡ª¡± ¡°I am pregnant.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± But there was a kid. Ha-hyun, who intercepted the other person¡¯s words before they even finished speaking, remained silent and walked away. He was pregnant, so he should get something to disguise as a wedding ring. If he wore a ring, nothing like this would ever happen. Ha-hyun, unaware of the alpha, who was looking at him with dismayed eyes from behind, just took a light step. He had been wanting to eat strawberries for a long time, so he must buy them before going home. * * * Ha-hyun, who returned home to buy strawberries as planned, moved quickly and washed the strawberries. Sitting at his table, as he was about to grab a strawberry and eat it, he looked down at his belly with an unfair expression. ¡°I said I will take care of you.¡± His favourite fruit was strawberries. Next was the soft peaches and the long-awaited third place was the green grape. Although Shine Muscat was threatening the place of green grapes these days, it wasn¡¯t important because it wasn¡¯t the grape season yet. ¡°Are you really my baby?¡± It was in his stomach. So, was it someone else¡¯s child? He thought to himself that it was nonsense. However, the unfair feeling didn¡¯t go away, so Ha-hyun only stared at his innocent belly. He was fine when he bought strawberries on the way home. The common sense of nausea never came up, so he picked it up a lot because there was an event at the mart. Able to handle one or two boxes in one sitting, he bought them in large quantities, thinking he would eat them all soon, but it prevented him to imagine eating the strawberries. ¡°If you¡¯re my baby, you should like strawberries.¡± Kang Cho-seung, did that person hate strawberries? Ha-hyun put down the fork in his hand, thinking of another gene donor. He felt nauseous as soon as he put it in his mouth that was fine just when he smelled the strawberry before and couldn¡¯t eat it. If there was a feast in front of him, wouldn¡¯t it be like this when he couldn¡¯t eat? Suddenly, he thought about what would happen if he couldn¡¯t eat strawberries even after the baby was born and took a deep breath. ¡°In that case, you would be born with taken half the joy of life.¡± If they lived with Ha-hyun, strawberries would always be in the refrigerator, and if they hated it, he would be a little sad. I don¡¯t know why translating this series was harder than IDWTR or even SGG¡­ QAQ Ah well~! HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY, READER STREAM!! ^^ CH 3 Ha-hyun sighed and muttered in a voice full of melancholy. ¡°I¡¯m going to throw away everything I bought¡­¡± It might get better later, but right now, the symptoms were getting worse, and just looking at it made him feel uncomfortable. It was as if the baby was controlling Ha-hyun to clean it up. He couldn¡¯t believe the day came when he just threw all these strawberries away without eating them. Had he known this would be the case, he should have eaten as much as he could before. Regretting the past of eating only three cans a week, Ha-hyun took out all the strawberries from the refrigerator and swept them into a garbage bag. Throwing the plastic bag in a corner, he trudged and sat on the sofa in the living room, hugging his legs. Blinking with his head on his knees, he suddenly rubbed his stomach and muttered. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± He threw away the strawberries he was going to eat as a snack, so he had no choice but to be hungry. The body began to ask for food and he thought seriously. What kind of food was good for the baby in the stomach and for him as well? ¡°Snack?¡± Nope. As soon as the word came out of his mouth, a warning bell that instinctively wasn¡¯t a snack rang in his head. He didn¡¯t want to go through the same thing that he wanted to throw away everything like strawberries, so Ha-hyun, who quietly accepted, naturally thought of meals. Kimchi stew, seaweed soup, feast noodles, leek pancake, chicken, hamburger, steamed kodari. Every time he thought about it, he would have come up with at least one thing he was drawn to, but there was no food that he wanted from all of them this time. Ha-hyun, who was forced to keep thinking again, opened his eyes wide to the image that came to mind. ¡°Gamjatang.¡± (???, gamjatang or pork back-bone stew) He didn¡¯t know why soup for a hangover, which he usually didn¡¯t like, let alone eat, was in his head so much. When he remembered the soft potatoes and chewy sujebi in gamjatang, his mouth watered. It would be really delicious if he wrapped the rice around the dried radish greens. Ha-hyun, who was thinking about gamjatang, touched his growling stomach. It was clear that the child liked it too. Ha-hyun became a little nervous because it urged him to eat quickly. He hurriedly grabbed his cell phone and searched for a gamjatang restaurant near his house. Since there were many companies nearby, there must be a famous restaurant among office workers. Ha-hyun, who found a restaurant with the most blog reviews and good ratings on delivery apps, grabbed the car key from the table and headed out. After booking a drop-off and checking the pick-up time, he searched for the time it would take by car. He smiled satisfyingly as he thought it would be perfect if he left now. He let out a hum and moved his light steps toward the parking lot. Originally, Ha-hyun didn¡¯t often laugh at trivial things like this, but now, strangely, a laugh came out. He forgot all the feelings he had felt because of the strawberry until now and floated around with only gamjatang, which he was about to eat. He knew his emotions were running wild, but he wanted to do something and let it go. The only thing that mattered to him now was that he had to eat gamjatang. ¡°But, Baby. You have a very mature taste.¡± No. Did young children like gamjatang? It had been over 10 years since he didn¡¯t come into contact with the existence of children. As a result, Ha-hyun didn¡¯t know what they liked or disliked. He tried to recall whether he liked gamjatang when he was young, but it was so long ago that he couldn¡¯t remember. He got into the car and pulled the seat belt, which he had usually fastened without thinking, all the way to the end. After checking the seat belt, he grabbed the steering wheel with both his hands. He didn¡¯t think much of riding alone, but when he realized there was another life in his stomach, he got a little nervous. Ha-hyun, who tried to relax as much as possible by taking a deep breath, moved his feet slowly. He was about to move. As soon as he put his foot on the accelerator, he heard a sound. Ha-hyun stopped his actions and checked his cell phone that had been thrown into the passenger seat. [Ma Woo-jin] (???) He received a familiar name when connecting the phone to the car¡¯s Bluetooth. ¡°Hello?¡± [Oi, Nominal Boss, how are you?] Ha-hyun laughed at the loud voice and stepped on the accelerator. Ever since he found out that Ha-hyun was leaving the actual operation of the cafe he set up in a hurry to the manager because he was bored, Woo-jin continued to call Ha-hyun the Nominal Boss. (????) Ha-hyun continued to listen as he got used to the loud voice that he hated and decided to pass it on as it wasn¡¯t particularly wrong. He did, of course, say something sometimes. ¡°I¡¯m good. But why did you call? Isn¡¯t it time to work?¡± [I came out for a while because of the cigarette.] The sound of the wind came over as if he was calling from outside. Ha-hyun glanced at his watch, checked that it was past three o¡¯clock, and shook his head. His friend had a habit of smoking during this time. [Since you have a lot of time, shall we have a drink?] ¡°Drink¡­¡± It was a common suggestion without anything special, but Ha-hyun quickly rejected it. ¡°I can¡¯t drink.¡± [It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t want to, but why you can¡¯t drink.] ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Ha-hyun, who calmly told the truth, stepped on the brake in line with the red light. When he was smiling satisfactorily at the smooth stopped car, Woo-jin¡¯s reaction gradually became more intense. [You¡¯re pregnant so you can¡¯t, pregnant? Pregnant?!] ¡°Ung. Pregnant.¡± [You get pregnant but you don¡¯t have a lover! What kind of pregnancy is a guy who hasn¡¯t even been married!] ¡°Accidents happen no matter how old you are.¡± Ha-hyun, who lowered the volume of the sound hitting his ears and moved his feet again in accordance to the signal, quickly continued to the destination he could see. ¡°Come to my house if you¡¯re bored. Have other drinks instead of alcohol. I¡¯ll order the food on time for you. I¡¯m busy, so I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Ha-hyun, who unilaterally hung up the phone, safely parked around the restaurant, breathed a sigh of relief, and got out of the car quickly. When Ha-hyun went inside with his wallet in case something unexpected happened, he smelled the scent of pine trees that passed by in an instant and quickly turned his head. ¡°The pheromone¡­¡± Kang Cho-seung. It was that person¡¯s scent. Is he in this restaurant? But it wasn¡¯t even lunchtime now. It was already 3 o¡¯clock, so an ordinary office worker would have to be at the company. ¡°He¡¯s not here, right?¡± It could be the remaining pheromone. The pheromone he quickly grabbed was already bouncing around as if it had been buried in other things and disappeared. When he faced the pheromone in his memory, Ha-hyun became tense as if he had committed a crime. Thinking like that, this space was uncomfortable. Ha-hyun, who found the staff, quickly took the packaged food and went out. Ironically, unlike his stiff muscles, he was at ease. Ha-hyun, who forcibly suppressed the desire to follow the pheromone after a long time, looked down at the heavy packaging in his right hand. ¡°This is the child¡¯s father.¡± (Refer to the pheromone left around the packaging) It was a very small amount of pheromone, but it had a great effect on Ha-hyun. Slight nausea he felt because the strawberry disappeared the moment he faced the pine pheromone, so there was no need to mention the effect. He felt better this morning than when he got the pheromone injection. When he got the injection, he didn¡¯t really know if his condition was bad or if it had improved, but now he knew at once. His condition wasn¡¯t that good. It seemed that the saying that Alpha¡¯s pheromone was helpful not only for morning sickness but also throughout pregnancy was true. Swallowing up his bitter feelings, he headed to the place where the car was parked with a little less energy than when he came. He wasn¡¯t happy because he felt like he was facing a part he couldn¡¯t fill no matter how much money he had. ¡°As expected, I should let him know so we can meet.¡± He knew his name and it seemed like he lived close to Seoul, so it wouldn¡¯t be as difficult to find as he thought. Well, he didn¡¯t know how long it would take. ¡°A famous detective agency¡­¡± Ha-hyun, who was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat muttering, shook his head as if it wasn¡¯t a good idea. It was difficult for him to adjust with just one child, but suddenly it seemed difficult to bring another person into the line. He felt like getting regular pheromone injections was a better option than getting stressed out. It was going to be hard. Ha-hyun, who had just realized the importance of alpha pheromone, noticed that the road ahead wasn¡¯t quite easy. Still, since he had decided, he had to do it. He put his face on the steering wheel and stayed still, making a dazed voice. ¡°Sleepy.¡± It was a really absurd thing to say, but his eyelids got heavier. He guessed he should go home soon and eat only one bite of gamjatang before going to bed. Even though he was sleepy, Ha-hyun didn¡¯t forget gamjatang. * * * Ha-hyun, who returned home and fell asleep after eating gamjatang, woke up to the loud ringtone of his cell phone. Rubbing his still heavy eyelids, he roughly stretched out his arms to answer the phone and he was awakened by the voice echoing in his ears. ¡°You¡¯re loud.¡± [I¡¯m here, open the door quickly.] ¡°Alright.¡± Ha-hyun, who got out of bed in slow steps, went to the intercom on the joint front door, looking at the screen showing Woo-jin¡¯s face. Come to think of it, he said he would order food, but he didn¡¯t because he was sleeping. Realizing that his work had increased, he pursed his lips while pondering whether or not to open the door for a moment, and then shook his head. Still, he wasn¡¯t going to kick him out after coming all the way here. When he heard the sound of the front door, Ha-hyun, who walked to open the door, stiffened as he saw Woo-jin¡¯s face. ¡°You, are you really pregnant? Is our Nominal Boss really pregnant?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Nominal Boss, call me by name.¡± ¡°Yes, our Ha-hyun. Are you pregnant?¡± ¡°I am.¡± He didn¡¯t want to keep talking at the front door. Woo-jin followed Ha-hyun as he went inside. ¡°How can? Whose kid is it? Where¡¯s the bastard who got you pregnant?¡± Ha-hyun, who had sat leaning on the sofa at the sound of words gradually becoming louder, waved his hand. No matter how much he persuaded him to calm down, Woo-jin was still excited. ¡°The result of a one-night stand.¡± ¡°Oh, one-night¡­ ya!¡± When he suddenly shouted, Ha-hyun was startled and his shoulders stiffened. Woo-jin, who slapped his own lips, took a deep breath. ¡°Are you going to give birth to them? No, right? Are you really not going to give birth to the child who doesn¡¯t even know where the father is and what he is doing, right?¡± When Ha-hyun kept his mouth shut and didn¡¯t say anything, Woo-jin slapped his own chest as if he was frustrated. ¡°You have a lot of money so you can erase the kid, ung? You think raising children is easy. And how do you raise them yourself? Parenting isn¡¯t something that can only be solved with money, you know?¡± It was quite the right word. He had a lot of money, so he could remove the child and he felt a little at a loss as to how to raise them on his own, and it was also right that money couldn¡¯t solve it. Woo-jin pulled down his tie as he looked at Ha-hyun, whose eyes were rolling around, and sighed. ¡°You, are going to give birth.¡± ¡°Why do you know me so well?¡± ¡°It is said that the village school dog can recite a good harvest in three years¡­¡± Ha-hyun shook his head at the word from a video, even if she didn¡¯t watch it for a long time. That was Woo-jin. CH 4 ¡°Why are you going to give birth? Say something.¡± ¡°You talked too much before I even spoke.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry, my friend.¡± Then, Woo-jin went to the refrigerator and drank water. Ha-hyun raised his hand to ask for his own too but was startled when he saw Woo-jin¡¯s throwing posture. What if he couldn¡¯t get it and get hit in the stomach? Woo-jin, who recalled that he was pregnant at Ha-hyun¡¯s reaction, gave it to him without throwing it eventually. ¡°It wants to live.¡± ¡°Who. A lump of cells that the brain hasn¡¯t formed yet?¡± ¡°Why do you say it like that to someone who has a baby?¡± Woo-jin, who snorted despite the bruise, sat on the sofa and glanced at Ha-hyun¡¯s stomach. He had never said he was pregnant before today, and looking at Ha-hyun¡¯s belly, which was barely visible, he reconfirmed that he was still in the early stages, and he crossed his arms behind the back of the backrest and made a chin gesture. It was a signal to say more as he shut his mouth. ¡°I went to the hospital because I couldn¡¯t control my pheromone, but it is said that the child in the stomach intentionally broke the system because of the lack of alpha pheromone. So doesn¡¯t that mean they want to live?¡± ¡°No. Don¡¯t attach meaning to anything that is just a simple mechanism.¡± Ha-hyun pouted his lips at Woo-jin¡¯s words, telling him not to fall for the beautifully wrapped words and to look at reality seriously. ¡°I have a lot of money. Enough for three generations to play and eat. Even now, real estate rents come in thousands every month. Then, realistically, having children isn¡¯t a problem.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because money doesn¡¯t solve everything. Are you confident in educating your children? By yourself? It¡¯s true that you¡¯re in an advantageous position over others because you¡¯re a rich unemployed person. That doesn¡¯t mean you have two bodies.¡± When asked not to ignore the advice of a person with a child, Ha-hyun bit his lower lip. Never ignored it. In fact, Woo-jin¡¯s words were something he also could relate to, so there was nothing more to say. Still, he didn¡¯t want to go up on the operating table and remove the child. Because the child was important? That was absolutely not the case. Ha-hyun wasn¡¯t someone who loved and cherished a person who he had just learned of their existence. However, it was the first family he had that came after seven years. It was true that living alone after his parents passed away was bittersweet because he was an only child. He knew it was such a crazy decision, but he couldn¡¯t let it go. Loneliness was bound to eat people, so even if he lived a peaceful life, there were days when it was difficult to shake off a depressed mood. It was like visiting the hotel on a whim every day, and the child in the womb and the child¡¯s father also met on such a day. Woo-jin, who was looking at Ha-hyun chewing his lip and having a dark face, called out in a low voice. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± ¡°If you feel lonely, find a lover and get married. You have such a solid foundation and can start a family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not wrong¡­ but do I need to let go of the relationship that has come to me now?¡± Because he had a lot of money. Even though he was a recessive omega, he wasn¡¯t ugly. Ha-hyun had the confidence to create a relationship that would fill his side even after giving birth to a child. ¡°I want to give birth no matter what.¡± When Ha-hyun didn¡¯t change his mind, Woo-jin straightened his body after scratching his head. ¡°Let¡¯s find him.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The father. You don¡¯t often do one-night stands. Do you remember him? If you have basic information, you will be able to find him no matter what detective agency you want to go to.¡± Woo-jin leaned to Ha-hyun with his legs crossed and flicked his forehead. Woo-jin showed a firm attitude toward Ha-hyun, who touched the part hit by a fairly strong flick. ¡°And tell him. You have a child because of that one-night stand. If he doesn¡¯t believe you, do a genetic test. Let¡¯s just get his manpower.¡± He didn¡¯t need it because he had a lot of money, though? So Ha-hyun tilted his head when asked to borrow the father¡¯s manpower. ¡°If I hire a babysitter¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the children to be born will also be manifesting traits. According to the usual data, the children that manifest traits should receive regular pheromone from their alpha and omega parents.¡± He could hire a babysitter, but first of all, he nodded, bewitched by the words that the father should know the fact and consider the children manifesting their traits. ¡°Have some regular meetings like that. It¡¯s good to meet and have a shot. Or you can break up while cursing if he¡¯s a guy who couldn¡¯t handle a cheap job.¡± Woo-jin added that even if he met a new person, he didn¡¯t know if they would truly love the child. ¡°But the biological father* is different. There¡¯s a high possibility that affection or anything will happen just because you have inherited his genes. Of course, assuming you meet regularly.¡± (Let¡¯s change from seed provider into biological father) Therefore, Woo-jin sighed, saying that trying to build a good relationship with him would be good for Ha-hyun and for the child who would be born. ¡°Still, I think it¡¯s best not to have a child.¡± Contrary to what he said, he meticulously explained the best way he could think of. Ha-hyun, who was accustomed to seeing his tsundere-like side, naturally ignored his last words. ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything about having a child.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even expect you to know that.¡± Woo-jin, who waved his hand, took out his cell phone and made a call to someone. ¡°Honey, is the baby sleeping?¡± [Her eyes are still wide open. By the way, you said in hurry and had something to do with Ha-hyun-ssi, why are you calling?] As a familiar voice came over the receiver, Ha-hyun greeted her in his heart with a welcome face. It had been a long time, Sister-in-law. ¡°Didn¡¯t Brother-in-law say that he knew the famous detective agency? I was wondering if I could get some contact information.¡± [Oh my, what¡¯s wrong? He knows the phone number.] ¡°We just need to find one person. I¡¯ll go home and explain. Can you text me?¡± [Okay, then. I¡¯ll ask my little brother and tell you.] Woo-jin, who smiled satisfactorily at the cheerful answer, shook his head, saying that he seemed to have met his wife too well. Ha-hyun, accustomed to him boasting out of nowhere, took a water bottle in his hand and drank a sip of water. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you to decide whether to find him or not. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something I can argue more about.¡± ¡°Ung, ung.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Woo-jin ruffled his hair and blurted out the end of his speech. ¡°Raise what you are going to give birth to well. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t know, just ask.¡± He wasn¡¯t a good parent yet, but he was better than Ha-hyun, who didn¡¯t know anything. In the end, Ha-hyun smiled a little and nodded his head at Woo-jin¡¯s words that he would help even if he wanted to. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s have some rice.¡± Woo-jin answered bluntly until the end and checked whether he had morning sickness. He was, sure, a good friend. * * * Ha-hyun, who couldn¡¯t resist the pouring sunlight and woke up, was shocked by the sensation he felt as soon as he woke up. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± When he turned around after learning he was pregnant, he was hungry. He was picky about food, but it was hard to eat every single one. (?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?? ????) However, he felt like he was living life more faithful to his instincts than before these days, so he thought about whether he could do this for a while and then gave up. By the way, they said that even sleeping was a job later on. Shaking his head with a tired face imagining the upcoming future, he stretched his body and got out of bed. He moved slowly, walked to the kitchen, drank water, and stood in front of the gas stove, contemplating. ¡°What should I eat?¡± Rubbing his belly, he asked the baby. It was a habit developed by Ha-hyun, who realized that the child¡¯s advice had more influence than his advice. ¡°You said you were hungry. Say it quickly.¡± As he urged with a quiet voice and rubbed the place where the uterus was, the food he wanted to eat popped up in his head. As the image came to mind, Ha-hyun sighed unconsciously. ¡°It¡¯s a fish.¡± That was grilled mackerel, too. Mackerel had a strong fishy smell if it was cooked incorrectly, so it was difficult to eat. Still, he didn¡¯t like the food enough to go to a restaurant and eat it. Mackerel was the most eaten food once a year. He¡¯d rather have a steamed spicy anglerfish (???) or steamed kodari (????). While grumbling that that kind of food was less demanding, Ha-hyun picked up his cell phone and found a restaurant selling grilled mackerel. It looked like it had to be eaten at the store. ¡°There.¡± Although it was a bit far, Ha-hyun, who found the restaurant, went back to the main room and finished preparing to go out. Then he grabbed his car key and headed to the parking lot. Since he had a child, going out has doubled and to be honest, it was annoying, but he found it fun to find good restaurants. 11 a.m. It wasn¡¯t the time to go to work or lunchtime, so the road and the restaurant were quiet. Ha-hyun, who entered the restaurant and sat down in a corner, swallowed his saliva as he saw the quickly served grilled mackerel set meal. Ha-hyun, who picked up chopsticks and put the mackerel in his mouth, widened her eyes. It had been a long time since he ate so it was delicious. The soft rice and the salty mackerel go well together, leaving a regret to eat just one bowl of rice. Ha-hyun, who swallowed it hard so that it didn¡¯t stop on top, felt regret when looking down at the already half-empty bowl. Contemplating whether to eat a little more, he swallowed his hunger for mackerel when he thought of twisted doughnuts (???) covered in sugar. He had to buy it on the way home. ¡°I can¡¯t stop wanting to eat all day.¡± Ha-hyun, who mumbled with chopsticks in his mouth, was relieved that he wasn¡¯t working again. Had he been at work, he would have had more trouble. For example, morning sickness or falling asleep. Besides, he was often tired. He didn¡¯t think he moved much for a long time, but his strength had gone down. It had been a long time since he had given up on household chores other than occasionally running the vacuum and doing laundry. ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a robot vacuum cleaner and a robot mop.¡± He was going to have to buy both now. If there was a robot with both functions, he would buy it, but he didn¡¯t think there would be one. After emptying the bowl, Ha-hyun put down the spoon, paid, and headed to the car. On his way home, he even bought twisted doughnuts and a robot vacuum cleaner that he was going to buy. He was too lazy to take it out of the box, so he just threw it aside, took off his outdoor clothes, and went straight to bed. ¡°First of all, take a nap¡­¡± Not long after waking up, he headed to his dream again. T/N : Sorry for the late release! *bow Rest assured that I will release them as the schedule. It¡¯s just I had exams this week and I haven¡¯t translated this chap beforehand :¡¯) Well, I¡¯m hungry while translating this chapter wwwww I want to eat doughnut tooooooo!! Send me some please~ *slapped Also, for the food names, I will adjust into English or mix with the original name (Korean) :¡¯) CH 5 ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Cho-seung woke up in the middle of the sea. He was standing alone in the middle of a really small island with only one palm tree to be exact. ¡°Dream?¡± Right, it must be a dream. If it wasn¡¯t for that, how could he go through such an absurd thing? With his last memory clear of him going to the bed, he bowed his head and looked at his hand. Cho-seung, who slowly grabbed and unfolded, confirmed that his senses were alive. ¡°Lucid dream?¡± He didn¡¯t know anything in this area, so he couldn¡¯t be sure. Taking a deep breath in frustration, Cho-seung looked up at the full moon floating in the dark night sky. ¡°¡­two moons?¡± It was a real dream. Next to the bright full moon, a dark, crescent moon decalcomanie was seen. It didn¡¯t emit bright light, the background wasn¡¯t even daytime, and it didn¡¯t even have that kind of shape in the first place. Then it meant the dark moon. Even though it wasn¡¯t clearly visible due to the light of the full moon, Cho-seung instinctively recognized that there was another moon and shed a dumbfound smile. Because it was a dream, he was dumbfounded. As he looked up at the sky with only two moons without a single star, he suddenly heard a sound similar to the sound of waves crashing against the beach. But it was definitely different from that. Rather, it was more like something approaching through the sea¡­ Cho-seung turned his head in the direction the sound was heard. It was difficult to determine exactly what was approaching, as the only light was the round full moon that was bright and dark, showing only a large shape. Cho-seung, who frowned and stared for a long time to find out their identity, realized when they got closer. ¡°Turtle, is it?¡± (???, I know the difference but the dictionary mentioned two meanings¡­) Besides, there were two. A very large one and a smaller turtle, but much larger than the usual size. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°¡­hello.¡± The big turtle opened its mouth first and the small turtle followed. As it spoke in a timid voice, the large turtle raised its short arm and stroked the small turtle¡¯s carapace. Cho-seung, who watched the scene quietly, slowly tilted his head. Should he say they were siblings? (?? ??? ?? ??) Not knowing what to say, Cho-seung closed his mouth and only looked at the two turtles. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± At the sudden words, Cho-seung frowned. Let¡¯s go, what with these two big turtles, who he didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, even if it was a dream? Still, it seemed polite to ask about the destination, so he made a voice full of questions. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡± ¡°Therefore, where is it?¡± After Cho-seung asked several times, the big turtle let out a deep sigh. Cho-seung¡¯s eyebrows were up and down at the reaction as if it was the first time someone was so disobedient like this. ¡°Then are you going to be here? There¡¯s nothing here.¡± ¡°¡­that¡¯s true.¡± Cho-seung, who looked around the island with a new expression on his face, continued to ponder. There was nothing that could be done on this island, nothing else. He knew it was a dream, but he didn¡¯t want to be in a place where there was nothing anyway. Moreover, the more he hesitated, the more depressed the little turtle appeared, and it caught his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Good thinking.¡± In the end, he forgot that he was hesitant at the appearance of the little turtle, and Cho-seung said impulsively. Then, in an instant, the big turtle, who answered with a bright voice, came up to the shore and approached for the first time. ¡°Get on.¡± ¡°¡­how?¡± He didn¡¯t have the talent to ride a turtle that was taller than him. ¡°Well. You know how to do that.¡± The big turtle grumbled as if Cho-seung had in mind what he had refused at first. In the meantime, the small turtle approaching from the side came closer than the big turtle and lowered its body as much as possible. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Get here.¡± It was so gentle. The big turtle muttered in a tone that it didn¡¯t like him to not listen to it. Cho-seung looked at the two turtles alternately. ¡°Why¡­¡± There was a hint of sadness in the voice that came out. Cho-seung, who didn¡¯t miss the voice, stroked the small turtle¡¯s carapace. ¡°Give me a ride next time.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± The small turtle, who quickly warmed up with a short talk, made a bright voice and the big turtle, who had been watching him quietly, moved its body and spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s go now. It¡¯s late.¡± Right, ride quickly. The small turtle followed the big turtle, who continued to go to the sea while grumbling. Cho-seung staring blankly at the distant horizon from the top of the turtle dividing the sea with calm waves wasn¡¯t sure exactly what was going on, but his heart calmed down. ¡°We¡¯re late, we¡¯re late.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Hung. You¡¯re right.¡± The waves rippled as it shook its head. The small turtle clung to the side of the big turtle and then raised its short arm and tapped its carapace. ¡°We must go before the sun rises.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still plenty of time.¡± The two turtles, moving their bodies diligently, didn¡¯t rest for a moment as to what was so busy. Cho-seung looked up at the moon again as he listened to the continuous conversation. ¡®So what kind of dream is this¡­¡¯ There was no one who explained it, so he was just frustrated. Guess he had to do a search on his phone when he woke up. Still, the rising moon was so beautiful and the sound of the calm night sea was nice to listen to like a lullaby. ¡°We¡¯re almost here!¡± ¡°Already?¡± It didn¡¯t seem like an hour had passed, but at the sound that they had already there, Cho-seung lowered his head from the sky and stared straight ahead. ¡°It¡¯s an island too¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than that uninhabited island. Get off here.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± The small turtle burst out laughing at Cho-seung¡¯s question. When he hesitated and asked questions as if he didn¡¯t believe it and now, he asked about them who were about to leave. ¡°We have to go further.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°We have to go, right?¡± ¡°Do you not have a destination?¡± The two turtles didn¡¯t show any signs of annoyance despite the continued questioning. ¡°You will find out later.¡± ¡°Ung, ung. You will find out.¡± Cho-seung, who was looking at an island much larger than the first island, where the trees grew thick, smiled at the blunt remarks. It was such a great secret that they didn¡¯t tell him. ¡°Get off.¡± The big turtle went up to the shore and bowed its body. As Cho-seung came down like riding a slide and set his feet on the beach, the turtles turned to the sea without any regrets. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± (??) Cho-seung, who belatedly greeted the turtles who left a brief greeting, followed them and raised the corners of his mouth when a bright smile rang in his ear. Looking at the two turtles heading over the dim horizon, Cho-seung blinked his eyes silently. Lemons began to float out of the sea in front of Cho-seung, who stood blankly looking at the empty horizon. ¡°¡­lemon this time?¡± Lemon after turtles? What other odds were this? Cho-seung picked up a lemon that had been pushed to his feet with serious thought and pressed it down with his hand. The strength was similar to the lemons sold in real life. It didn¡¯t seem like the size was bigger than the real ones like turtles. Recalling the lemon in his memory, he started to compare it with the lemon in his dream and the lemons began to roll around and wrap each other around him. Wall (?), Cho-seung, who had just now discovered the lemons that were stacked in a certain area to build a wall, or even a fortress, took a step back in bewilderment. Then he freaked out to see the lemon wall approaching as much as he stepped back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this.¡± The turtles were better. They even spoke. Not even paying attention to what Cho-seung was doing, the lemons built up the wall. After waking up like a ghost at the end of a pile of lemons piled up in front of him, he lay blankly for a while. ¡°What kind of dream¡­¡± Even after waking up, Cho-seung laughed as he recalled the vivid dream. Dreaming of talking to turtles, what kind of dream was this? What else with the lemon wall? Restoring his dream from the beginning while touching his forehead, he calmly searched for his cell phone. The phone that lying at the bedside wasn¡¯t noticed today, so after a long time, Cho-seung with the phone in his hand thought while opening the site search window. Should he search for ¡°turtle dream¡±? There were two moons with different shapes, but the turtles were the most impressive. Cho-seung searched for ¡®interpretation of turtle dream¡¯. He started reading by clicking on the one floating at the top of the various information that came out and couldn¡¯t hide his absurd expression. ¡°¡­taemong?¡± (??, meant have a precognitive dream about the birth of a child or pregnancy dream) He wasn¡¯t married or dating anyone, so it was nonsense to say that he had taemong. Cho-seung, who was going to press the back button right away, thinking that this kind of information would be unreliable, stopped when he saw the sentence below that read, ¡°If it¡¯s not taemong, it¡¯s gilmong.¡± Right, it couldn¡¯t be taemong. (??, meant lucky dream) However, when it came out that the dream of seeing big turtles could be taemong, he calmly thought of those around him who were pregnant or was likely to be pregnant. There was no way he could simply dream of his friend, so even thinking about distant relatives, he couldn¡¯t quite figure it out. After sitting on the bed for a long time, Cho-seung suddenly remembered one person. Omega, who had an alluring scent of ylang-ylang. (????, in the first chapter actually there was this word but I dunno how to translate it since it was unfamiliar but I searched again, it was ¡°an aromatic tree, Cananga odorata¡±) ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± He used a condom every time he had sex. So there was no way he got pregnant¡ª ¡°There¡¯s¡­¡± Come to think of it, there was. Only once, he didn¡¯t use a condom. Was it Lee Ha-hyun? If his memory was correct, he didn¡¯t wear it because there was no condom when he had sex with him. But he called himself a recessive. At that time, the heat cycle didn¡¯t even come, so it was hard to say that he was pregnant at just that one time. Unless he was a pheromone mate or fate, it was almost impossible. He had a sense that he had a good compatibility with Ha-hyun¡¯s pheromone, but it was unclear whether it was even called pheromone mates. Especially since he hadn¡¯t done an exact test. In the first place, just because Ha-hyun was pregnant, it didn¡¯t mean that he could find him. How could he find a one-night stand partner he met by chance at a hotel? Besides, he knew only three characters of the name ¡®Lee Ha-hyun¡¯. ¡°Haa.¡± Let out a long sigh, he just hoped it wasn¡¯t. Recalling many times that pregnancy wasn¡¯t so easy, he lay flat on the bed and closed his eyes. He had a sudden dream and woke up early to spend the rest of his time in bed. CH 6 ¡°Ah.¡± Ha-hyun, who was lying on the sofa in the living room and blinking while looking at the ceiling, suddenly remembered something and picked up the cell phone that was on his stomach. As he opened the calendar and checked the date, he realized that two weeks had already passed. ¡°I have to go to the cafe.¡± Um, our manager doesn¡¯t even push me to work and that¡¯s great. Maybe he knew the boss didn¡¯t like being at work, so he deliberately didn¡¯t contact him after two weeks, but it didn¡¯t matter. He didn¡¯t like going to the cafe to work in the first place, so it was a good thing that the manager didn¡¯t contact him. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant, so should I just hire someone to handle the paperwork?¡± He didn¡¯t mind paying the manager an extra salary and letting him do the paperwork, but he didn¡¯t want to be a vice boss. To Ha-hyun, the manager still handled a lot of work, so he thought it would be better to just hire one person. Still, he couldn¡¯t get them right away, so he forcibly got up his sluggish body and started preparing to go out slowly. He said he was going to tell and post an announcement today, announcing the fact that he was pregnant, and¡­ Ha-hyun, having organized the things to be done one by one in his head, put on a coat and organized his appearance. After finishing all the preparations, he left the house, got into the car and headed for the cafe a little further away. * * * Jingle. Ha-hyun, who entered through the open door with a light bell, headed straight to the counter. ¡°Are you here?¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°I was going to call you if you don¡¯t come this week, but you came just in time.¡± Ha-hyun waved his hand to greet the manager who always stood at the counter and greeted him. With a slight smile on his lips as he waved his hand, he headed to the small office he had made on purpose and called the manager. The manager, who was wondering at the rare call, followed Ha-hyun and all the strange thoughts came to his mind. Did something happen to the cafe, or what happened to the boss? If not, would he get fired? After considering the worst situation, the manager swallowed his saliva in tension and faced Ha-hyun, who sat in the office chair. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Um, you know what.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Ha-hyun spat out the main point. Following the manager who tilted his head at an unexpected word, Ha Hyun also tilted his head in the same direction. The manager, who frowned slightly at his playful attitude, gradually changed his expression as he interpreted Ha-hyun¡¯s words in his head. Surprise, disbelief, astonishment. Ha-hyun, who had captured all the emotions that could be interpreted, just closed his eyes with a dull face. ¡°Who is it!?¡± ¡°Me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The manager slapped him on the chest as if it was frustrating for Ha-hyun to say that without giving accurate information. Ha-hyun, who was watching him, felt sick even just hearing the sound, so he raised his arm and carefully stroked his chest. ¡°Suddenly? Are you married? No, did you have a lover? There wasn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Yes. There was none.¡± ¡°But pregnant? Boss?¡± ¡°Um. That¡¯s what happened.¡± I had a one-night stand with someone I met at the hotel and a baby came in. It was a bit embarrassing to say this, so Ha-hyun talked around moderately. There was no need to disclose such an inside story. When the consistent calm response returned, the excited manager also calmed down. Ha-hyun, who watched the manager sigh deeply, smiled bitterly. ¡°Alright. You can get pregnant.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the things are.¡± Shaking his head, the manager first checked Ha-hyun¡¯s condition. He didn¡¯t know much about beta-omega¡¯s pregnancy. (?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ? ??? ???, I¡¯m not sure) However, there had been times when one of his acquaintances had been seen suffering when one of them was pregnant. For this reason, Ha-hyun¡¯s condition was also taken seriously. In his eyes, it was no different than usual and after letting go of his nervousness, he scratched his head for a bit. Now that he thought about it, when Ha-hyun announced that he was pregnant, he seemed to have overreacted, so he was a little embarrassed. ¡°It will be more difficult to move towards the end of the pregnancy, can you do the paperwork?¡± ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m going to hire one person.¡± ¡°What? Do you have to? Just leave it to me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much work?¡± ¡°Please raise my salary instead.¡± Ha-hyun said that he would do it with a good attitude in response to the demanding posture. Of course, the more work he did, the more money he had to pay. He brushed his flowing bangs and tilted his head slightly. ¡°How much would you like me to raise it?¡± ¡°Half of my current salary.¡± Half? At the manager¡¯s words, Ha-hyun blinked slowly with a puzzled look. ¡°Only?¡± ¡°Pardon? Only that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to do one more person¡¯s work? So shouldn¡¯t we start with double?¡± At that, the manager wrinkled his brow. Although he had already been with Boss Lee for five years, he truly had a justice attitude that a manager didn¡¯t have. ¡°Boss. I¡¯m asking you seriously, have you never worked for someone else¡¯s money before?¡± Ha-hyun, who tilted his head to the words unrelated to the context, blinked his eyelids and nodded slowly. After graduating from school, many jobs overlapped and he didn¡¯t even get a job. So, let alone working, he had no experience working part-time. ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t know the world of working?¡± The manager, who was muttering a little, sighed heavily. Our boss, who didn¡¯t know anything, made him worried that he might be caught somewhere. ¡°How many jobs do I start with Boss¡¯ double jobs?¡± ¡°Um, there¡¯s a lot, right?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t. If that¡¯s a lot, other office workers would be a pile of work.¡± It was an amount that could be processed in less than half a day if he set a date once a week and processed it. That¡¯s why Ha-hyun only came to the cafe once every two weeks to work. Even though it was his dream to receive a double salary monthly, the manager¡¯s conscience was strongly opposed to asking for that. ¡°Just add half of it, please.¡± ¡°Even if I give you more, you don¡¯t like it¡­¡± The manager was furious when he shook his head and mumbled that he was a strange person. No matter how much he thought about it, the strange person here was Ha-hyun. Which employer doubles the salary for a little more paperwork? ¡°It¡¯s a waste of money if you have to raise a child!¡± At the manager¡¯s words, Ha-hyun blinked in wonder. It was because he had never considered it a waste of money that he doubled the manager¡¯s salary. By the way, if he had to raise a child, he shouldn¡¯t waste his money. But how much did he say was a waste of money? While Ha-hyun was suddenly obsessed with one subject, the manager who was standing in front of him clapped his hands and changed Ha-hyun¡¯s focus. After that, Ha-hyun, who returned to his senses, smiled embarrassedly. ¡°Um. Does it cost that much money to raise a child?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m single. I think it¡¯s because everyone says so.¡± Indeed, he was the same that he had never experienced. While pondering the manager¡¯s words, Ha-hyun let out a sigh of relief at the fact that he suddenly realized it. ¡°I¡¯m single, too.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m single.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± Aren¡¯t you getting married¡­ A faint voice was scattered in the air, but Ha-hyun smiled, satisfied with the fact that he delivered accurate information. The manager, on the other hand, had a bewildered expression on his face. Well, his boss was the one who would hand over the wedding invitations if he was going to have a wedding. Ha-hyun, not paying attention to the manager¡¯s reaction, leaned his arms crossed on the desk and slightly held out his upper body. He was happy to find someone to replace him unexpectedly and quickly. ¡°When can you start doing it?¡± ¡°Do you want me to start doing it today?¡± ¡°What about the handover?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done it a few times, so it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t do it.¡± At the manager¡¯s words, Ha-hyun¡¯s expression brightened at once. It was annoying for him to do the handover. Following Ha-hyun, who revealed his inner feelings without hiding, the manager took a deep breath. He remembered that he was lazy to process paperworks in the first place, so it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand the reaction. Still, he couldn¡¯t be rude to a pregnant person, so the manager made eye contact with Ha-hyun. ¡°Now that you¡¯re at the cafe, would you like something to eat? Ah, do you have morning sickness?¡± ¡°Um. I think strawberry drinks are a little difficult.¡± Even though he thought he would have morning sickness, the manager¡¯s eyes turned round when he said that it would be difficult to eat strawberry drinks. He couldn¡¯t believe that Ha-hyun, a strawberry lover, couldn¡¯t eat strawberries. ¡°Surprised?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised, too. I can¡¯t believe my child can¡¯t eat strawberries.¡± When the manager saw Ha-hyun¡¯s gloomy look, he shook his head and quickly thought. Then he found a story that was barely useful and opened his mouth. ¡°Even someone I know said that they thought they couldn¡¯t eat it throughout their pregnancy, but then they wanted to eat it again, so they ate it?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ha-hyun couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. There was a thing called a baby¡¯s whim in the womb. While he was thinking about it, the manager shrugged his shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s what they said.¡± ¡°Still, I don¡¯t feel like it today.¡± Ha-hyun groaned and clenched his chin. He was concerned because he thought that he had offended the boss by overreacting to the sulky boss¡¯s appearance. The manager felt the need to change the topic, so he picked an appropriate menu and said it with his mouth. ¡°How about grapefruit ade or lemonade?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very attracted to it.¡± ¡°And plain yoghurt? Wouldn¡¯t it be sour if I added a little lemon juice to it?¡± Lemon juice with plain yoghurt? Just thinking about it made his body tremble. However, what stimulated him salivating was, Ha-hyun felt a strong desire to eat it. When he nodded his head as if possessed, the manager would make it soon and opened the door to leave. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± ¡°What dessert do we have?¡± ¡°We made Madeleine today. It was delicious, would you like some?¡± Patissier¡¯s skill, who went to work in the morning and only made dessert, was very good. Ha-hyun swallowed the saliva in his mouth. ¡°Yes. Sure.¡± ¡°Yes. I will take care of it.¡± Ha-hyun stomped his feet in anticipation of the upcoming dessert. He was too lazy to come to the cafe when he was at home, so he took a deep breath, but he was happy when he came. After all, this was why he opened his own cafe. Ha-hyun, thinking of it as he wanted, simply nodded his head happily. CH 7 It was always the same start of the day, but something different from usual. Ha-hyun, who sat up, rubbed his eyes to remove the mucus, tilted his head, and fell in that direction. He was drowsy, feeling his sense of balance and procrastination. ¡°What time is it¡­¡± There was no one to answer the self-talk that came out in a cracked voice. As he fell, he swung his arms around trying to find his cell phone. But he couldn¡¯t get his hands on it at all and made a painful noise. He didn¡¯t want to get up, but he felt like he had to. His arms stretched out to support his upper body, and he looked up after he regained consciousness a little. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was under the pillow.¡± Kkuung¡ª Ha-hyun, who stretched to blow away the stiffness and checked the time, took a deep breath. ¡°One o¡¯clock? One o¡¯clock in the afternoon? Not in the morning?¡± He must have slept before midnight yesterday, so why did he only wake up now? Confused, he put his phone down and checked the electronic watch, making sure his eyes weren¡¯t wrong and scratching his cheek. ¡°It could be, but¡­¡± He slept more than twelve hours though. Shocked by the fact that he had slept for so long, Ha-hyun fell onto the bed. No matter how unemployed he was, he had his own rules of life, and one of them was to get up before 10 am. Ha-hyun, who generally kept it even though he hadn¡¯t been keeping it up now, was shocked and gloomy. ¡°Is this because I¡¯m pregnant?¡± How many changes did pregnancy bring? Ha-hyun, who sighed not knowing how many times it was, turned on his cell phone. He felt like he had to eat something to soothe this disturbed mind. For example, strawberries, strawberries, or strawberries. I might have morning sickness like last time. But it wasn¡¯t a major issue. Didn¡¯t he hear that he might have been like that only on that day? More than anything else, he kept thinking about strawberries and he felt like he could eat some today. Even if he couldn¡¯t eat it this time, he should freeze it in the freezer. He was so depressed that he decided not to make the same mistake again, remembering strawberries that he threw straight into the garbage bag without even looking at them. ¡°I should go buy strawberries right after I wash up.¡± It had been a long time since he had decided what to do as soon as he woke up, so Ha-hyun crawled out of bed and moved straight away. When he bought strawberries, he also bought whipped cream. It was delicious when eaten together with whipped cream and strawberries cut into appropriate sizes on fluffy bread. He didn¡¯t know if he would be able to eat it or not, but the original plan was to make it grand. ¡°The nearest place is¡­¡± No. The bread there isn¡¯t good. He had to go a little far to go to a bakery that sold white bread that was perfect to eat with whipped cream and strawberries. Although it wasn¡¯t more than a 15-minute walk, he thought for a while whether to go by car. ¡°Umm. Because I haven¡¯t been walking these days.¡± He had to walk. He didn¡¯t know that all the vital muscles in his legs might disappear if he continued to drive. As much as he was living idly by using his pregnancy as an excuse, his conscience hurt a little. Ha-hyun, who left the house with only his wallet and cell phone, leaned against the wall while waiting for the elevator. The disadvantage of the top floor was that it took a relatively long time for the elevator on the first floor to go up. After waiting for the arrival with a relaxed mind, Ha-hyun then entered the open elevator with a cheerful sound. He habitually looked in the mirror after a long time before pressing the first floor instead of the basement. ¡°Umm. It looks like your face is swollen from here.¡± Ha-hyun, who decided not to care because he wasn¡¯t going to meet anyone, slipped through the open door just in time. * * * Walking under the bright sunlight and stopping by a familiar bakery, he was relieved by the fragrant smell of bread. He smelled the fragrant scent and looked around mainly for freshly baked bread, but eventually picked up an unplanned sweet red bean bread (???, anpan) and soboro bread (???, Korean streusel bread, here). Don¡¯t buy too many because you have to eat alone, just one or two. Finally, Ha-hyun, who picked up the original purpose of bread and whipped cream, left the bakery quickly before making an impulse purchase. ¡°Now I have to go in to buy strawberries.¡± The discount, was it still on. It would be nice if so. As soon as he entered the mart, he went to the corner with strawberries, and Ha-hyun¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw that it was still on discount. He might not be able to eat like last time, so this time he didn¡¯t get greedy and just picked up a pack, but after that, he still felt regret. He quickly left the fruit section, thinking he might be buying several packs if he hesitated more. After resisting temptation and purchasing just the right amount, he returned home and stood in the kitchen for a long time. ¡°Where is the knife?¡± It was his kitchen, but he didn¡¯t know anything. He took a deep breath as he took out the tools needed to make the strawberry sandwich. It had been a while since he made it, but he still could do it. Could he not get hurt? It wasn¡¯t difficult to use a knife, but Ha-hyun, who cut his hand easily even with simple tasks, swallowed his saliva. ¡°I can do it.¡± Sure thing. I¡¯m thirty-three and I can¡¯t use a knife. Still, he was careful as much as he could, so he finished making the sandwich after spending nearly an hour. He devoted his time to taking care of the appearance, but it was meaningless when he saw the finished product. ¡°As long as it tastes good¡­¡± Ha-hyun, who was trying to spit out the excuses often made by people who couldn¡¯t cook, shook his head. Don¡¯t be pathetic when you¡¯re alone. He held the sandwich cut into bite-sized pieces in his hand and exhaled tensely. He hoped he wasn¡¯t going to throw up again. Anyway, this time he didn¡¯t get nauseated by the smell. He looked down at the innocent sandwich with his worries on his face, then closed his eyes and took a bite. Ha-hyun, who had chewed it a few times, opened his eyes wide when he realized that it wasn¡¯t disgusting. The combination of moist and soft bread, sweet whipped cream, and sour strawberries were always good. It felt more delicious because it was a strawberry he ate after a long time, so he wrapped his cheeks and smiled happily. ¡°As expected, strawberry and whipped cream are a good combination.¡± He was happy to eat strawberries without morning sickness like this. So, could he eat injeolmi (???, a variety of tteok or Korean rice cake, here), which he couldn¡¯t eat because of morning sickness while trying to eat it last time? Ha-hyun, who put the rest of his pieces in one bite, took out injeolmi from the freezer with a round ball. He ate the sandwich he had made while defrosting it in the microwave. ¡°Yummy, yummy.¡± Ha-hyun, who drank water so as not to dry his throat, took a step and took out the hot injeolmi when the defrosting injeolmi was finished with a cheerful sound. He picked up the edge of the plate and quickly moved it to the table, waving his hand which the heat still remaining. ¡°Um¡­¡± As he rolled his eyes while eating chewy injeolmi, he smiled broadly. Today seemed like a happy day to be free from morning sickness. * * * ¡°Haa¡­¡± Today was a rough day. Otherwise, there was no way he could miss the alarm he normally heard. Cho-seung, who got up later than usual and forgot to wear a tie because he was in a hurry, touched the empty nape of his neck. In addition, the pheromone control, which was close to nothing, became more difficult as if a dam had been opened. If he looked away even for a moment, the pheromone that he had pressed down would flow and go somewhere. It even spread more widely than usual and Cho-seung had been through some troubles lately. ¡°Assistant Manager Kang, we are going to lunch, would you like to go together?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good. What¡¯s on the menu today?¡± Staring at the monitor with blurred vision and touching his forehead, he habitually smiled as he pulled back his body at the sound of a voice over the partition. ¡°How about tonkatsu (???)? We¡¯re going to the newly opened store.¡± ¡°It would be delicious. Are you going now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cho-seung forcefully swallowed the sigh that came from inside. He didn¡¯t even know it was lunchtime. It was frustrating that he had been sitting fruitlessly through the morning. What he couldn¡¯t handle now was something he had to deal with at any time soon, so it wouldn¡¯t be good to postpone it. It was just the future itself was difficult. Anyway, Cho-seung decided to eat first, joined the crowd and headed to the tonkatsu store. ¡°Oh my God, there are too many people.¡± ¡°What should we do? Shall we go to another store?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to wait since we¡¯ve come all the way here?¡± Whatever it was, Cho-seung waited for people to decide. Scratching his cheek as he looked at the people in line in front of the store, he opened his mouth to the team members who still had different opinions. ¡°The rotation seems to be fast, and I think we only need to wait 10 minutes, shall we wait?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay to wait ten minutes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s wait. I heard from a teammate next to me that it was pretty tasty.¡± While waiting to enter, a light topic came up. Variety shows they watched over the weekend, dramas that were trending these days, and talking about the weather. Rather than talking about something that made headaches, they deliberately brought out light stories to refresh their heads after work and when the waiting was over, they laughed. Among them, there was the only person who couldn¡¯t laugh and that was Cho-seung. Ever since he stood in front of the store, he had been feeling sick. He didn¡¯t know why, so he stayed still, but it seemed like it would be difficult to eat lunch at this rate. He hurriedly blocked his mouth when he saw tonkatsu in front of his eyes, rubbing his stomach and taking a deep breath. ¡°Assistant Manager Kang? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That, up¡ª¡± Cho-seung, who was about to answer, turned his head and drank water because he thought he felt nauseous. ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t think I can¡¯t eat because I feel sick all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Pardon? Where are you sick?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know.¡± First of all, it was certain that the smell of tonkatsu was driving him crazy. Cho-seung, who was trying to answer as much as possible, frowned and covered his mouth again. Ah, it¡¯s harder. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll go first. I¡¯ll pay for it, so take your time.¡± Cho-seung, who took his wallet and headed to the cashier, finished paying for the team members and quickly left the store. One of the team members, who was watching the disappeared Cho-seung, muttered involuntarily. ¡°Is he pregnant¡­¡± ¡°What? Isn¡¯t Assistant Manager Kang alpha?¡± ¡°No, of course, Assistant Manager Kang is an alpha, it¡¯s just similar to when a pregnant friend has morning sickness.¡± The team member raised his hand in embarrassment, felt similar to that time and tilted his head. ¡®It really feels like morning sickness¡­¡¯ As the team members guessed, it was the day that Ha-hyun¡¯s morning sickness transferred to Cho-seung. CH 8 Cho-seung, who was starved for lunch and dinner because he felt sick, lay down on the bed and sighed deeply. He wondered why he couldn¡¯t get any food today. He was having some trouble. He rubbed his hungry stomach and lay on the bed for a long time, trying to sleep because he couldn¡¯t make porridge or eat at this rate, and when he was about to the bathroom, he noticed that there was no skin in the dressing table and touched his forehead. (??, I¡¯m not sure about this ¡°skin¡±) ¡°It¡¯s all gone.¡± He forgot to buy it on the way home. There were many twists and turns on the way, so he didn¡¯t have time to think about it. ¡°I have to go.¡± Breathing in the fresh outside air might make a difference. With such anticipation, Cho-seung went out with only his wallet and cell phone, and headed to the drug store he went to every time. He felt refusal every time he passed the restaurant, but the cool evening air calmed him down. Cho-seung, who was walking with a calm smile, felt at peace, and his complexion turned pale in an instant at the perfumed pheromone he smelled. ¡°What scent¡­¡± It had a plain fruity scent. More precisely, a sweet and sour strawberry scent with a pretty bright red colour. However, to Cho-seung, it was a disgusting scent that made him want to vomit. Cho-seung quickly blocked his mouth and walked quickly to escape from the strawberry-scented trait and set foot in the drug store. Thinking that the scent of cosmetics that spread inside the store would be better, he picked up the products he bought every time and when he headed to the cash register, there was a candy that caught his attention. ¡°¡­candy for morning sickness?¡± It said that it was candy from Italy, and when he saw the wording that the sour lemon flavour was effective for morning sickness, he picked it up as if possessed. Obviously, he was a male-dominant alpha, and although he never got pregnant, he was strangely attracted to it. So, it meant that wanted him to buy. Cho-seung, who usually believed in his senses, decided to buy only one first. Although it was candy for morning sickness, it could work even for people with a bad stomach and he used to eat candy often. Cho-seung, who bought candy along with the skin, spat out excuses to himself and came back home in a trudging way. He felt restless because of the fact that he had a Taemong dream and the fact that he had bought candy for morning sickness. He didn¡¯t feel like eating right now, but Cho-seung, who threw them in the corner of his room, grabbed his growling stomach and boiled sungnyung (??, meant scorched-rice water). I¡¯m glad I can even eat this at least. He took a deep breath and ate a piece of kimchi to relieve his hunger for a day. It would be difficult if it was like this tomorrow¡­ I guess I should at least bring misusgalu (????, meant mixed grain powder, here) tomorrow. * * * That¡¯s fascinating. For a few days, he had a good appetite, let alone morning sickness. It also turned so well. Breakfast was supposed to be skipped, but there was none. As soon as he opened his eyes, he ate everything from morning to evening to late-night snacks. Ha-hyun, who was worried about what to eat for lunch while taking raw strawberries with a fork in peace today, realized that the day he had to go to the hospital was approaching. ¡°I think once a week is a bit too much.¡± Ha-hyun, who muttered something that would be startling if the doctor had heard it, seriously thought about cancelling the appointment. Of course, he had to get a pheromone injection, so he just thought about it. When the doctor said that it would be good to come twice a week, Ha-hyun put on a shocked expression without realizing it. It was terrifying to even imagine that he had to go out two days out of seven. No matter how much he made an appointment, the hospital was boring because it was always a series of waiting. What could be done was limited. Ha-hyun, who hadn¡¯t had a proper social life and had a college life as he wanted, was weak at managing his facial expressions, and the doctor made an appointment for once a week without saying anything while looking at his expression. Even if he didn¡¯t hide his emotions, the change in his facial expression wasn¡¯t that big, but it was obvious to the doctor who had developed his sense through his many years of social life. As a result, Ha-hyun, who was able to continue his usual life thanks to the good-sense doctor, sat cross-legged on the bed and pondered what to do. He was best at lying on his bed and looking at his phone, but the realization that the baby was in his stomach raised questions about whether this was okay. It didn¡¯t mean that unemployed people were bad. He chose to be unemployed because he didn¡¯t want to suffer so much when he saw his parents who were struggling in the real estate business. He felt like he had to pretend to be walking on a path similar to others and when his parents died in the year he was getting a job, his desire to get a job completely disappeared. However, how would the parents who stayed at home all day look to the eyes of the child who was born? He was worried about that. In a world full of people who worked each and every day, what would a child who had a parent standing alone think? Of course, he had no intention of getting a job right away or giving up on his current life just because he was worried, but Ha-hyun suddenly had a thought. It was just, it was such a day. * * * Crazy. Cho-seung, who rolled the sour lemon-flavoured candy that occupied his mouth, couldn¡¯t hide his excitement. This is a revolution. In a nutshell, this candy was more than just candy. He wanted to see how much more candies, which weren¡¯t medicines, were effective for soothing the stomach, but Cho-seung, who felt the effect directly, criticized the paranoid thoughts of the past. If only medicines were effective, why was there such a thing as a placebo effect? He apologized to the person who made the candy inside. As he regretted the days he had stubbornly thrown it into the corner of the room, he put another melted candy in his mouth and tapped the keyboard with a comfortable face. One week. After suffering for a full week from the day he vomited at the tonkatsu store, he was happy with the peace he had felt after a long time. Now, even if a team member made a mistake, he could accept it with the same heart as a Bodhisattva. The past week had been hard enough to bring that kind of tolerance. ¡°Assistant Manager Kang, are you not going to have lunch today?¡± Cho-seung, who showed a benevolent smile to the teammate who asked with a worried face, shook his head. ¡°I want to eat today, where are we going?¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s a relief. We¡¯re going to eat kimchi stew today, are you okay with that?¡± ¡°Good. It¡¯s been a while since I will eat well.¡± After carefully saving the work he was working on and checking it, Cho-seung organized his seat and got up. He approached those who had already gathered. When Cho-seung arrived, they then rushed outside and walked to the restaurant they often went, telling him that they were worried and that they were happy because he was in good condition today. After accepting them appropriately, Cho-seung naturally headed to the back of the group. It was because he knew very well that no matter how easy he was to tell them to treat him comfortably, his position was still high. ¡°By the way, Assistant Manager Kang, do you have a lover?¡± ¡°Me? Um, I don¡¯t?¡± Cho-seung, who whispered back to the member whispering to him as he approached closer, tilted his head. Why do you ask that? ¡°Ah, it wouldn¡¯t be without them. I must be worried about you.¡± (???, meant excessive solicitude or I told it to you because I deeply worried about you, here) As he scratched his head and smiled, his doubts deepened. Worried? Worried about what? ¡°What is it? Just say it.¡± The employee, who waved his hand, saying it was really nothing to the urging Cho-seung, then took one more step closer to him after confirming that the other team members were taking the lead. Cho-seung, who followed with the gesture as if he was trying to tell a secret, hardened his expression slightly. He was serious about what he was trying to say. ¡°One of my acquaintances has a trait. Of course, that friend is also an alpha. There was a day when my acquaintance felt sick and couldn¡¯t even get any food just like you, but then he found out that his partner was pregnant and he himself had morning sickness.¡± The employee, who took a beat off by swallowing saliva, quickly recited the rest of the story. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked if it was possible that Assistant Manager might be in a similar situation. But you said you don¡¯t have a partner.¡± Was he really worried? Haha, unlike the appearance of the employee, who smiled awkwardly and swept the back of his back awkwardly, Cho-seung was stiff and hardened. This raised another suspicion that the omega, who had a wonderful night with him, might be pregnant. ¡°Assistant Manager, Assistant Manager?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. I think you¡¯re mistaken. As Employee Yoo said, I don¡¯t have a lover, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s morning sickness. It¡¯s just that I wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡± Cho-seung, who tried hard to smile and gently tapped the employee¡¯s shoulder, sweated inside. He was still having a strange dream and was hard to digest, but he even heard of a morning sickness case as a probability. Of course, it was just a story he had heard, so it shouldn¡¯t be generalized, but it was crazy to know the importance of similar precedents. Rather, if the morning sickness candy didn¡¯t work, he would take it as a joke. Why did he even hear about morning sickness as a probability today? Cho-seung forcefully swallowed a sigh that was about to come out reflexively in frustration. * * * The morning sickness that had visited Cho-seung returned to Ha-hyun as he ate the candy and the situation gradually improved. Ha-hyun, who had been happy for a while, started crying while cutting strawberries again as his morning sickness-like symptoms continued, and Cho-seung, who couldn¡¯t hide his anxiety, swept his chest with relief. ¡®I still don¡¯t know!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s okay, we have a lot of time left.¡¯ ¡®What is that lemon again?¡¯ ¡®Um¡­ anyway, let¡¯s see next time.¡¯ The one returned while stomping his feet to comfort the other who was in as he circled the side of Cho-seung and left. (?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??? ?? ? ?? ??? ?? ???, forgive me, this one doesn¡¯t make sense) It seemed that there was still a long way to go for Cho-seung to notice. It was a day when small mischief swept the two of them and spring was still in full swing. CH 9 ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯ For whatever reason, Cho-seung couldn¡¯t shake off his nervous feeling after he had a strange dream in which turtles appeared. He couldn¡¯t stay still as if he had missed something he shouldn¡¯t have missed. Even when he went to work and looked at the monitor, he couldn¡¯t concentrate on his work. Depending on his mood, he might be running around or pheromones started to come out, so it hurt his head. Taking medicine or forcing the pressure down was only once or twice, and if this condition continued, it was a nuisance for the team members as well. In addition, it wasn¡¯t easy to take drugs and control pheromones, so he began to get tired. However, after a week of not being able to properly control the pheromone, someone within the team complained of discomfort. A personal apology was only a temporary solution and there was no real improvement, so he was wary. ¡°Assisstant Manager Kang.¡± ¡°Yes, Team Leader.¡± Cho-seung, who reflexively responded to the familiar voice, forced himself to swallow a sigh that came from within, feeling that something was coming. The team leader with an awkward smile tapped Cho-seung¡¯s shoulder and pointed his chin to the bathroom. Cho-seung, who got up and followed the team leader with heavy steps, closed the door of the bathroom and made eye contact with the team leader who turned around. ¡°It¡¯s a little embarrassing to call you something like this, but¡­¡± All he could do was put on an awkward smile at the act of pulling his tail. The team leader, who was determined at Cho-seung¡¯s reaction, said straight-forward as he wanted to get out of this embarrassing situation quickly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a half day today and go to the pheromone department?¡± ¡°Yes. I thought I should too.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s something the hospital can¡¯t do right now, I¡¯ll try to get you to work from home for the time being.¡± ¡°Thank you for caring me.¡± The team leader, who shook his hand, saying that it was natural and seeing Cho-seung bow his head, lightly tapped his shoulder and left the bathroom first. Cho-seung, who was left alone, let out a sigh that he had been holding back the whole time and pulled the tie that tightened his neck. ¡°It¡¯s not even rut, what are you doing like a child?¡± It was embarrassing that an adult, not just a child, was warned of poor pheromone control. Aside from the pain in the bones, Cho-seung sighed again, not knowing which hospital to go to, and picked up his cell phone first to look for a hospital near the company. ¡°There must be a lot of people in the university hospital¡­¡± Still, even if he didn¡¯t have to, he should. Cho-seung, who confirmed that he could receive treatment today by calling the number provided on the Internet, went back to his seat and packed his belongings. Saying goodbye to his teammates and hurriedly out of the office, he went to the parking lot and got into his car. * * * On the way to the hospital on a quiet road in the middle of the day, Cho-seung glanced at the phone call and tilted his head in wonder. ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± [Are you working?] ¡°No. I¡¯m out of work for a while. Why?¡± Turning on the turn signal, Cho-seung answered, turning his steering wheel when he received the signal. Cho-seung, who was happy to receive the call from her after a long time, was worried about his mother¡¯s hesitation for a long time. [Didn¡¯t you cause any accident?] ¡°Yes? What accident?¡± [Well, you know what. Like speeding.] As she spoke while stretching put at the end, Cho-seung hardened his eyebrows. He was glad by looking at her reaction, it didn¡¯t seem like anything had happened to his mother. Speed violation wasn¡¯t his daily life of a driver. It wasn¡¯t very rude, but Cho-seung, who obeyed the speed limit only on surveillance cameras and in the children¡¯s sanctuary, remained silent. (???? ???? ??? ??? ????, not sure) [Ah, it must be taemong as well.] ¡°Pardon!?¡± [Oh, my. Didn¡¯t you have a child?] ¡°No, wait a minute. I never said anything like that.¡± [You¡¯re really.] (?? ?) Saying as if she knew everything, she continued without paying attention to Cho-seung¡¯s reaction. [You didn¡¯t answer because I¡¯m right. Mom knows everything.] ¡°No, I thought you were talking about driving.¡± [Really? So, it¡¯s not a taemong?] She kept mentioning taemong, so he thought it would be better to hear what the dream was first. When Cho-seung asked what kind of dream she had, her mouth was itchy inside her and immediately continued. [I was in a very white space, well, I could see some kids. You know how cute and lovely they were from the back? They were laughing and playing with what they liked so much, and after watching it for a while, the mother called the babies.] ¡°Called them?¡± [Ung. Called by their names. Somehow, I knew it.] She said that she just watched and that the names didn¡¯t leave as if they were stuck in her head, but still vivid. ¡°What did they call them?¡± [Bo-reum-ah, Geum-eum-ah. They called them.] (??, can be translated into Full Moon, and ??, can be translated into Eve. Yup, they will become the kids¡¯ name later. Um, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the right ones) Bo-reum and Geum-eum. Even though he wondered why the names of the babies were like that, Cho-seung couldn¡¯t shake the familiar feeling. Come to think of it, there were also two moons from the turtle dream he had. Full moon and crescent moon (????? ???). [But I¡¯m a little worried.] ¡°What do you mean ¡®worried¡¯?¡± [Ung. It¡¯s the child called Geum-eum. It was very small compared to Bo-reum. I think it¡¯s a boy¡­] Taking a deep breath, Cho-seung hardened his eyebrows unconsciously. It was just a simple dream, but it was a dream that could happen in real life and it felt like hearing that his child was actually sick. [Anyway, check it out and if it¡¯s an accident, call your mom?] ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± Even if it was true that the accident was right, there was no way to check it, but Cho-seung answered that he understood and hung up the phone. As he pulled into the hospital parking lot and let out a sigh that he didn¡¯t know how many times he had exhaled, he slammed his head into the steering wheel, feeling frustrated. He didn¡¯t want to believe the dream. He didn¡¯t know anything yet, but it was foolish to believe in a dream and move on. But what if Ha-hyun was really pregnant? And if one of the twins was really weak as his mother dreamed. It was probably close to impossible for Ha-hyun to stand alone without his pheromone. ¡°I hope not.¡± It shouldn¡¯t be. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if anything happened while searching for Ha-hyun to check the facts. He regretted that he should have had his phone number if he knew this would happened and regretted that he should have stepped back when he found out he didn¡¯t have a condom. Nothing changed even he thought about the past, but there was nothing he could do, so Cho-seung shook his head and headed to the hospital. Contrary to expectations, Cho -seung, who completed the examination with ease due to the small number of people, waited in front of the treatment room to see the doctor for the last time. ¡°Kang Cho-seung-nim, please come into the second treatment room.¡± Cho-seung, who had been waiting for a long time, finally entered the treatment room. The doctor, who was only staring at the monitor, raised his head at the approaching presence. When he sat down at the guided seat, the doctor displayed a graph on the monitor that Cho-seung could see. ¡°Can you see this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He didn¡¯t know what it meant apart from what it looked like. All he knew was that there was something wrong with the extreme soaring graph. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the pheromone system. There are quite a few alphas who can see this graph.¡± The doctor who moved the mouse and displayed the CT image taken today emphasized again that there was no big problem. ¡°Do you have an omega partner?¡± ¡°Why is that¡­¡± ¡°When your partner is pregnant, the alpha changes its pheromone.¡± Pregnant. As soon as the doctor uttered those words, the doubt turned into certainty. The doctor, unaware of Cho-seung¡¯s inner thoughts, whose expression slowly hardened, continued with his business-like tone. ¡°Usually, it¡¯s okay to spend some time with your partner, but the problem is when you¡¯re apart. Pregnant omega that has passed four weeks without alpha pheromone is considered to be able to survive alone for two weeks. If you stay away from each other more than that, not only it will affect the omega, but it will also affect the alpha.¡± The doctor lifted up the glasses that were flowing down from his nose and pointed to the raised part of the graph. ¡°It¡¯s easy to think of pheromones as instinctively trying to find their partner omega. The easiest way to solve that problem is to spend at least an hour a day with your partner omega.¡± Of course, there were some who couldn¡¯t afford it, that¡¯s why there were medicines and he would prescribe them if he wanted to, so Cho-seung just nodded with a bewildered look at what the doctor said. After leaving the treatment room half-conscious, Cho-seung sat down on a chair in the lobby with a prescription. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± How to find him. He had to find him. He absolutely must find him. It was difficult to keep going to the hospital. It wasn¡¯t easy for an ordinary office worker to receive treatment on time at the hospital. No, even putting these issues aside, he didn¡¯t expect Ha-hyun to be pregnant. He felt even more confused when the doctor diagnosed him and confirmed what he had been thinking about. He couldn¡¯t help but find him. The more he heard that he was pregnant, the more likely his dream would come true. Besides, he was also responsible for his partner¡¯s pregnancy, so it was natural for him to bear with it together. So, I have to find him¡­ ¡°Haa¡ª¡± It was a daunting task regardless of what he thought, so when he took a deep breath, Cho-seung noticed the scent of ylang ylang from the lobby and turned his head. It was the only opportunity that came to him. CH 10 Cho-seung, who wandered in every corner of the lobby, let out a breath of dismay at the pheromone that disappeared in an instant. He thought it was an opportunity, but apparently, it wasn¡¯t. Cho-seung, sitting on the chair with a dry face, first called the team leader. He had a doctor¡¯s advice that he needed to be careful, even if he took medicine, but he wouldn¡¯t completely get better. So, it was difficult to keep going to work and it was better for the team members and for him to apply for working from home, which he was told before. [Hello?] ¡°Team Leader, this is Assistant Manager Kang.¡± [Did you go to the hospital? Do you need to work from home?] Even though he didn¡¯t mention the purpose, he was amazed at the team leader¡¯s noticing right away, not anyone else but a team leader. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not something that will be resolved in a short period of time. There are drugs, but I¡¯ve heard that there are times when it¡¯s not completely under control.¡± [I see. I think you can work from home for at least two weeks or up to a month, but you still have to go to work sometimes. Is that okay?] That was more than enough. Cho-seung, who smiled softly in the words of the team leader¡¯s consideration, said his thanks again. After getting permission to work from home, he contacted his employee to send the documents stored on the company computer by e-mail, and then decided to leave the hospital. Even if he stayed, things wouldn¡¯t be resolved, so it was right for him to go home. The smell of ylang-ylang that he felt before rose again as he left the hospital with a defeated walk, but he didn¡¯t know because he had already headed to the parking lot. * * * ¡°Ha-hyun-ssi! You¡¯re here?¡± Ha-hyun, who visited Woo-jin¡¯s house after a long time, bowed his head slightly to greet his warm, welcoming sister-in-law. ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°There was nothing I couldn¡¯t do. Anyway, I was surprised to hear the news from my husband. Today I only made the food I liked when I was pregnant, I hope it suits your taste.¡± ¡°I will eat well. Other than strawberries and injeolmi, I have never had morning sickness from any other food.¡± ¡°The baby is nice.¡± The child in Woo-jin¡¯s arms couldn¡¯t wait for the conversation and reached out to Ha-hyun. Ha-hyun tried to hold her hand, but realized that he hadn¡¯t even washed his hands yet, and hurriedly hid his arms. Tears began to form in her pretty eyes as his hand, which was approaching as if giving and taking away, moved away. ¡°Uu¡­¡± ¡°No, no. You can¡¯t cry, our good Yoo-ah (??), cup cup.¡± Yoo-ah was a child who cried once until she fell asleep. It wasn¡¯t easy to soothe a crying child like the whole world went away. ¡°Ha-hyun-ssi, wash your hands quickly, quickly!¡± ¡°Yes, yes. But So-yeon-ssi, no, Sister-in-law, take it a little slower¡ª¡± Ha-hyun, who was pushed by So-yeon, washed his hands and took off his coat, took over Yoo-ah in Woo-jin¡¯s arms. ¡°She¡¯s my daughter, but she got a nasty face¡ªah!¡± (? ???? ?? ??? ??) ¡°Why are you talking to your daughter like that?¡± That¡¯s true, tho. While Woo-jin cautiously retorted after being beaten in the back, Ha-hyun made eye contact with Yoo-ah he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. Yoo-ah, who was about to burst out crying with her neck dyed red to the end of the neck, just smiled brightly. ¡°Have you called the detective agency I told you about last time?¡± So-yeon asked, promptly guiding Hahyun to the seat so that he wouldn¡¯t have difficulty. Ha-hyun, who smiled awkwardly at her, scratched his cheek. The phone number was delivered well, but the request was still pending. It was because he wasn¡¯t sure if he could meet Cho-seung or not. Moreover, Ha-hyun didn¡¯t give up the thought that even if he had a child, he would raise them by himself. ¡°Never mind, how can I break that bull¡¯s stubbornness? You will figure it out.¡± ¡°Well, you will be the one who always loses.¡± Until now, Ha-hyun¡¯s stubbornness had never been broken. Even the persistent Woo-jin shook his head after saying everything. It wasn¡¯t like he had a harmless personality, but So-yeon didn¡¯t really care. Now was the time to resolve Yoo-ah¡¯s stubbornness in Ha-hyun¡¯s arms. ¡°Princess, come here. Uncle is difficult to eat, ung?¡± Rejecting So-yeon, whom she loved so much, Yoo-ah stretched out and grabbed Ha-hyun¡¯s hem. Ha-hyun smiled and whispered that it was okay as she grabbed his clothes as if she would never give up. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, what should I do? I called you to eat something delicious, but my princess bothered you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t eat it.¡± Exclamations flowed from Ha-hyun¡¯s mouth as he looked at the table full of food until the table legs seemed to be broken. Yoo-ah, who exclaimed after him, stretched her arms out at what was so good. Taking a spoon and eating slowly, Ha-hyun faithfully answered the endless questions. The questions like did he go to the lounge bar or not, did he go to the hospital regularly, did he feel any pain these days. Then, when asked how he met a human who didn¡¯t use contraception properly, Ha-hyun kept his mouth shut. How do I explain this. Ha-hyun, who was looking at So-yeon and Woo-jin, who had shining eyes, alternately, pursed his lips for a while before opening his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m passing by the hotel lobby.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°I took the elevator.¡± ¡°Yeah, you rode it.¡± ¡°I met him there.¡± While Woo-jin wrinkled his eyebrows at the answer that was bland than expected, So-yeon raised her hands to cover her cheeks. ¡°Did your opponent follow you? Right?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious even if you don¡¯t see it. Where is Ha-hyun¡¯s appearance common?¡± He must have followed after him, drunk on his looks and pheromone scent. Ha-hyun, who went to the lounge bar to enjoy the night, probably didn¡¯t hide his pheromone, so if you paid a little attention, you would have known the meaning of it. ¡°Isn¡¯t he a light bas¡ªakh!¡± Woo-jin, who was pinched on his thigh by the smiling So-yeon, quickly rubbed the pinched area. So-yeon spoke with ventriloquism without looking back at him. ¡°I want you to speak well in front of the child.¡± ¡°Sorry, honey.¡± So-yeon, who always kept a smiling face with the thought that she couldn¡¯t show the quarrel in front of her daughter, quickly became proficient in ventriloquism. The first step was to not raise her voice when scolding Woo-jin in front of Yoo-ah, who couldn¡¯t understand yet. Woo-jin, who was always scolded today, took a deep breath and asked what he was curious about. ¡°Do you know anything about the other person?¡± ¡°Name. Gender. Characteristics?¡± ¡°What else? Age is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Hey, can you find this at the detective agency?¡± ¡°Do you think we can find him? As long as you have money.¡± Woo-jin nodded his head at the words that weren¡¯t so wrong. Right, what else couldn¡¯t you do with money in this day and year? * * * Ha-hyun, who had the ability to find him enough, was eating leisurely without even thinking about looking for him. Cho-seung visited the hotel where he first met him to get anything, even if it was a small clue. Looking back at the lobby where he first felt the scent of ylang-ylang, expecting something like that to happen, he couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment at the space full of other people¡¯s pheromones. Ha-hyun¡¯s pheromone, who was a recessive omega, was frankly weak compared to other omega pheromones. However, he had the charm of grabbing anyone in an instant. It was purely a coincidence that he met Ha-hyun. When his father passed away and he spent days wandering around, the cocktail he learned became a habit. He didn¡¯t enjoy it very often, but when his job at work got messy or felt stuffy, he would have a drink or two at the hotel lounge bar. That day was also such a day. On the day when he stopped by the hotel to drink a cocktail with a tired body, Cho-seung, who encountered Ha-hyun¡¯s sweet pheromone, chased after him as if possessed and asked for an unexpected meeting. The eyes full of surprise were shining beautifully when they first met. He had lost all of his principles ??and fallen into Ha-hyun without regretting it as if he was possessed by pheromone like a beast. Cho-seung, who was wandering in his memories, came to his senses, thinking that this wasn¡¯t the time. He climbed up the elevator to the lounge bar he had stopped by to chat for a while. There were still few people in the space where the proper melody could be heard. Cho-seung looked at the seated person¡¯s face and was disappointed to see that there was no Ha-hyun there. He knew that he was pregnant too, so there was no way Ha-hyun couldn¡¯t have known that he was pregnant. So, he might be deliberately not coming to the lounge bar. However, he was taking attendance stamps every day these days, thinking he might come to find him. Cho-seung went to the seat where he was sitting with Ha-hyun and ordered only one cocktail with the lowest alcohol content, spending time minimizing going to the bathroom as much as possible like a built-in closet. ¡°He¡¯s not coming today.¡± Cho-seung, who had been there until late in the morning, sighed as he checked the watch on his wrist. When will they be able to meet? No, can we even meet? Unable to hold back another sigh, he finished paying and left the hotel for tomorrow¡¯s work. It was a series of days that made him frustrated for some reason. * * * Today, it was a phone call that caught Cho-seung¡¯s ankle as he was going to the hospital rather than the hotel. ¡°Hello?¡± [I¡¯m calling because there¡¯s no news about this guy who¡¯s looking into someone.] ¡°Ah.¡± Cho-seung let out a sigh and noticed that several days had already passed and touched his forehead. He must be forgotten about it. As he was blaming himself, he heard her usual voice over the speaker. [So, the taemong is correct?] ¡°Yes, I think you are right. But¡­¡± It was difficult for him to say that he had an accident making someone pregnant. Especially since he had never had an accident except breaking a plate when he was a kid. When he bit his lips and couldn¡¯t forget his words, Cho-seung made a strange expression. [Why, you think you can¡¯t be a kid who was playing with fire?] ¡°¡­how did you know?¡± [Oh my, seriously? What¡¯s wrong with you, you have an accident.] Hearing the insignificant voice, she didn¡¯t seem to be surprised at all. Cho-seung pressed his forehead firmly, listening to the response of his mother¡¯s unchanging reaction, whether to still call him bold or calm. [Okay. It¡¯s just a mistake, an accident. You¡¯ve been living your life too well.] ¡°I live a normal life, though.¡± [Then what is happening now is the most unusual thing in your life. That¡¯s really interesting.] Hearing her hum, he thought she really enjoyed it. Cho-seung, who had been troubled by this lately, was crazy about his mother¡¯s reaction. ¡°Mother¡­ why are you so welcoming?¡± [Why am I welcoming? I have grandchildren now, grandchildren. They must be cute, and I¡¯m blessed to have grandchildren.] She was excited at the thought of buying them sweets, and toys, and pampering them, but Cho-seung said firmly. ¡°I haven¡¯t found the pregnant one. I don¡¯t have any contact information or anything. So even if grandchildren are born in this world, we can¡¯t see them, Mother.¡± [¡­what?] He bent his back upward at her reaction which was more shocked by the fact that she couldn¡¯t see her grandchildren than that her son had had an accident. It felt like the sky was turning yellow. CH 11 [I thought my son is finally getting married.] ¡°Unfortunately, this is impossible. I can¡¯t find my partner.¡± He felt like he was getting a headache and as he pressed his temple, he heard a sigh. He then heard a sad voice over the speaker lamenting that ¡®my son couldn¡¯t get married¡¯. ¡°You don¡¯t even care about the fact that I had an accident?¡± [What¡¯s wrong with that? I live alone and I haven¡¯t met my son, who works in a big company until he is in his thirties, so if I make an excuse for you getting married like this, your mother will be comfortable.] She, who lost her husband and raised her son hard, wasn¡¯t truly independent when Cho-seung was about to enter college. As Cho-seung grew older, she thought he wanted to be comfortable on his own, but his son didn¡¯t want to get married. Start a family or whatever. If she had to be completely independent, he didn¡¯t have to worry about how to live and didn¡¯t look into her, but Cho-seung didn¡¯t even know what she was thinking and only told her that he would live with filial piety for a long time. [Don¡¯t use me as an excuse and say you won¡¯t get married. Did you ask what I thought? Being married is filial piety, filial piety.] Be independent. Get yourselves out of my family relationship certificate, please. (? ????????? ?????, ??, excuse me, mom?) At the harsh words, Cho-seung only blinked his eyes. He didn¡¯t know she was thinking like this. She didn¡¯t usually talk about getting married. Contrary to her behaviour, it seemed that she was worried inside. [Anyway, find them. What are you doing with the money you saved up? You¡¯ve made a mistake, so take responsibility. I never raised you as an irresponsible child.] Take responsibility for anything you¡¯ve done. That was the only thing she emphasized, no matter what he did or what kind of life he lived, she let Cho-seung do whatever he wanted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m still looking.¡± He eased her worries with a smile at the satisfactory answer. After finishing the call, Cho-seung checked his watch and realized that his appointment time was approaching and he hurriedly left his house. * * * The day he had to go to the hospital. Ha-hyun, who muttered while looking at the calendar, got out of bed first. It was also a job to get out of bed on purpose because perhaps it was bought as a family bed. Ha-hyun, who had given up on washing his face with less than an hour left for his appointment, only finished washing his face and brushing his teeth and changed clothes. ¡°It seems that it¡¯s not bad fit.¡± (?? ? ? ? ??? ??, I don¡¯t think this is the right translation) He turned his head to confirm that he was in good condition while reflecting the crown of his head in the mirror, stood still, and then walked back to the dressing room. It was fine, but he felt like he had to wear a hat as he could get oily after spending time in the hospital. Black sweatshirt and black hat. He wondered if it was too dark, but he wanted to do something about it, so he adjusted his appearance and took a few steps to go outside. ¡°Is it a little hot?¡± It was already mid-May, so the time to get hotter was approaching. Still, the spring energy was still lingering, so he looked up at the warm sunlight and headed towards the car parked. To be honest, Ha-hyun was bothered by the doctor¡¯s recommendation to come for a checkup once a week. But he only nodded at the persuasion that it was also for his health. Although he was bothered, he never said that he wouldn¡¯t go, but the doctor breathed a sigh of relief at Ha-hyun¡¯s reaction. Ha-hyun parked his car in the hospital parking lot and only after arriving in front of the elevator did he realize that he had left his wallet in the car and clicked his tongue. ¡°Why did you leave your wallet behind?¡± If he had left his cell phone behind, he wouldn¡¯t have had to go back, but he had to because it was his wallet. Ha-hyun, who took a deep breath and dragged his toes across the parking lot, this time checked that he had all his belongings and got off. ¡°Time¡¯s running out.¡± He had to hurry up. His pace, which had only been slow, got faster after checking his watch. He was getting close to his appointment time and he couldn¡¯t make it even if he wanted to. Ha-hyun, who walked in a hurry to enter the lobby, smelled the enchanting scent on the tip of his nose and stiffened his body. This scent, this pheromone is¡ª ¡°¡­Kang Cho-seung?¡± Right. It must have been that person¡¯s pheromone. A refreshing and clean pine scent as if you were walking in the middle of the forest. The pheromone, which had been floating in the air as if it had been waiting for him, approached and surrounded him. Ha-hyun, who had been blinking languidly as he was so drunk with the pheromone he had felt for a long time, released the pheromone without realizing it. It wasn¡¯t a very strong pheromone because he was a recessive, but it was such a cold and overflowing scent that anyone in the same room could feel. It was a pheromone reminiscent of flowers swaying in the fresh wind under the blue sky. The scent of flowers flowing in the wind was as fragrant as it caught the footsteps of a busy passerby. Like a butterfly attracted to flowers, Cho-seung, who moved as if possessed like he was at the hotel lobby where he first met Ha-hyun, opened his eyes wide when he found Ha-hyun, who was standing near the entrance with a relaxed face. ¡°Found¡­¡± Mumbling stupidly, he came to his senses and took a cautious and careful step as if approaching a stray cat. While Cho-seung slowly approached, Ha-hyun, who was drunk on pheromone, came to his senses and moved on with his stopped steps. He didn¡¯t really want to find his partner. It was the voice of urgency that caught Ha-hyun¡¯s footsteps, who was trying to go his own way. ¡°Ha-hyun-ssi!¡± His hand was gently grabbing his wrist. Ha-hyun, who felt the calluses holding him and raised his gaze, sighed inwardly as he saw Cho-seung whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. Right. The person who spent the night together with him in the hotel looked like this. A face that fit his taste perfectly. Ha-hyun, who met Cho-seung with a calm attitude without showing any signs of surprise even though he was suddenly caught, widened his eyes, looking at the emotions contained within. Relief, surprise, and worry? ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Yes. How have you been?¡± When Ha-hyun greeted first, Cho-seung responded reflexively. At the same time, he felt that the pheromone, which had been fluctuating until now, immediately subsided when it met the opponent in front of him and he was bewildered inside. Although the doctor said the best option would be to spend time with the pregnant partner, he didn¡¯t think it would work this well. ¡°Um, yes. I¡¯ve been well.¡± In response to Cho-seung¡¯s thoughtless words, Ha-hyun tilted his head slightly and slowly opened his mouth. It was vague to say that he had a good time, but he didn¡¯t have any major problems, so he had been well. ¡°Pregnant.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pregnant.¡± Cho-seung cut off the front and back and then spat out at once. It was because he was out of mind, but he reflected on it for a moment because he thought it was rude. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Cho-seung, who softly apologized to Ha-hyun, who had a puzzled face and closed his big eyes, calmly picked up his breath. On the other hand, Ha-hyun was complicated by Cho-seung¡¯s assertive words. He wondered how he knew, but he quickly accepted it. If he had something wrong with his body as if something had happened to him, it wasn¡¯t strange to know that he was pregnant. ¡°It¡¯s not a topic worth talking about here. If you have time, would you like to go to a cafe with me?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. It¡¯s time for an appointment.¡± At Cho-seung¡¯s words, Ha-hyun frowned, confirming the time he had forgotten. Seeing his impatient appearance, he slowly released the wrist he was holding on to. ¡°I think it will be fine if we go together. What do you think?¡± Ah. One for the belly with a bean and one for Cho-seung. Ha-hyun, who alternated his gaze, nodded his head. It didn¡¯t matter anyway since he seemed to know. Still, he had to ask just in case. ¡°Do you know where I¡¯m going?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that gynaecology?¡± There was the Omega Center in it, but there was nothing wrong with it, so Ha-hyun nodded his head. Cho-seung let out an inexplicable sigh and naturally wrapped his arm around Ha-hyun¡¯s shoulder and moved on. Ha-hyun looked at his hand on his shoulder and raised his gaze to see the calm Cho-seung, but he didn¡¯t shake off his hand. ¡°Is this a regular check-up?¡± ¡°Yes. I come once a week. Today is the third.¡± ¡°When did you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the 8th week, so¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t remember properly.¡± While trying to recall the exact date, Cho-seung quietly counted the time and realized that there was no need to do so. ¡°10 weeks? No, it¡¯s the 11th week?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 10 weeks. Because last week was 9th week.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Do you have any pain?¡± Ha-hyun tilted his head slightly at the conversation that followed naturally. Cho-seung, who was walking, paying attention to Ha-hyun¡¯s steps, stopped for a moment at the suddenly interrupted sound of words. ¡°Hurt? Where are you hurt? Stomach?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hurt¡­ No, that¡¯s not it. Is it okay to have a baby?¡± Cho-seung, who frowned at Ha-hyun¡¯s words, pulled him gently so as not to bump into the person behind him, and chose his words for a moment. The order of the conversation was reversed due to the treatment time, so it was understandable that Ha-hyun had such a question. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s safe to say that Ha-hyun has the right to decide. After all, you¡¯re affected more than I¡¯m in this problem.¡± Both during pregnancy and after childbirth. In the end, it was Ha-hyun who was carrying a child for nearly ten months and was taking the risk after giving birth. So, he could say what he was thinking, but it wasn¡¯t a matter of what he was saying. He was responsible for whatever choice he made and was willing to help, but this and that were different matters. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Shall we talk about the rest after the treatment is over?¡± Ha-hyun, who blinked his eyes and looked up at Cho-seung, slowly nodded his head. CH 12 Ha-hyun, who arrived at the waiting room before it was too late, checked the time again and breathed a sigh of relief. Checking that his name was on the monitor in front of the treatment room, he sat down next to Cho-seung, looking down at his feet and swaying his feet. He met by chance and even shared the fact that he was pregnant, but there was nothing to talk about. More precisely, the two didn¡¯t have anything to say in the waiting room full of friendly couples. ¡°Lee Ha-hyun-nim. Please enter the second treatment room.¡± Soon after, Ha-hyun stood up at the sound of a call and Cho-seung got up after him. They went in together. Ha-hyun, who didn¡¯t think about it, understood it and took steps. ¡°Are you a guardian?¡± Following Ha-hyun as he entered the treatment room, the nurse who blocked Cho-seung who was about to enter, asked with a tone of fear. As she remembered, Ha-hyun was an omega without a partner. ¡°That¡¯s right, the guardian.¡± Before opening his mouth, Ha-hyun answered first. The nurse, who was quickly bitten by the patient¡¯s words, even motioned for him to come in with him. Cho-seung followed Ha-hyun in silence and gently placed his hand on his shoulder while standing behind Ha-hyun, who was seated on a chair. ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t feel any pain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. Today, I¡¯ll just do an ultrasound to see if the baby is growing well. Do you have any tests you want?¡± Ha-hyun, who shook his head at the doctor¡¯s words, got up and started walking again as he was told to sit on the chair. The doctor, who glanced at Cho-seung who followed him, quickly turned her gaze and decided to finish the examination first. ¡°It¡¯s still the 10th week, so it¡¯s right that there hasn¡¯t been any noticeable change. Um¡­ what?¡± Ha-hyun and Cho-seung were nervous at the sudden silence and stared at the screen full of black and grey colours. He had never felt any pain or anything unusual, but since he had lived without the pheromone of his partner alpha, he wondered if that caused a problem. ¡°Oh my God, they were twins.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Ho¡­¡± Unlike Ha-hyun, who was shocked by the sudden existence of two babies, Cho-seung smirked at the fact that he had two children, just like his dream. This made it clear that the turtles in the dream he had had were taemong. ¡°It must have been that one child was obscured by the other. This is not often the case¡­¡± The murmuring doctor touched her forehead, remembering that the pregnancy level was high during the blood test. It was a mistake caused by not properly checking when the suspicion arose. She stared at the screen, slowly hardening her expression. ¡°There are no major problems at the moment. Did you take any medicine in particular?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go to the doctor¡¯s office first and talk again.¡± The doctor, who roughly arranged the machine, left the nurse to clean up and left first. Ha-hyun stood up with Cho-seung¡¯s help and remembered the newly discovered number of children. When Ha-hyun and Cho-seung returned to the treatment room and took their seats, the doctor, who was looking at the monitor and moving the mouse, turned and looked at Ha-hyun. ¡°Um. When I looked at the ultrasound, there was nothing particularly abnormal with one child, the size was normal, and it was formed properly. But¡­¡± The doctor, who had just displayed the picture on the screen, pointed to a child who was significantly different from the one child. ¡°If you look at this side, you can see that it¡¯s relatively small, right? The form seems to have worked out, but I think you should be careful. According to the results of the last test, there¡¯s no miscarriage, but unexpectedly, miscarriages are frequent.¡± This didn¡¯t have to be like a dream. Cho-seung hardened his eyebrows, recalling the little turtle he met in his dream while talking on the phone with his mother. The doctor, who glanced up at Cho-seung standing next to Ha-hyun, saw his reaction and asked. ¡°Are you his partner?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right.¡± The doctor, whose eyes lit up at the cool affirmation, sighed in relief. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m glad. When the recessive omega was pregnant with the twins, they couldn¡¯t stand the pheromone injections that come out on the market. Alpha¡¯s role is very important. No matter how busy you are, you need to release enough pheromone for the babies to feel it for at least an hour a day.¡± Cho-seung nodded his head with a serious expression when she repeatedly emphasized that it was important not only for the children but also for the health of the pregnant one. In the meantime, Ha-hyun, who was caught in the middle, blinked his eyelids with a dull expression, expressing deep regret at the fact that modern medicine hadn¡¯t yet advanced to that level. ¡°If you feel sick, go to the Omega Center near your house right away. Coming here is the best option, but you might not be able to make it.¡± Ha-hyun, who continued to listen to the precautions after that, put on a tired expression without realizing it. Last week, he got tired of the doctor¡¯s nagging, but it doubled when it became known that they were twins. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next week.¡± Ah, I don¡¯t want to see you. Ha-hyun, who didn¡¯t want to hear the nagging, almost reflexively said that, but with superhuman patience, he endured it and only nodded his head. Instead of him, Cho-seung bowed his head and answered what the doctor said. Ha-hyun, who was naturally trying to pay by card when he went to the reception, was blocked by Cho-seung. Cho-seung, who had done quickly handing out a card as Ha-hyun were going to take out his wallet, slowly turned his head to him. ¡°Did you bring your car?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm. Can I drive it?¡± Cho-seung must have brought a car with him, but when he said he would drive himself, Ha-hyun changed his mind first. ¡°¡­where are we going?¡± Cho-seung, who hadn¡¯t even thought about that, seriously considered it. Cafe? No, she said it was good to be careful about miscarriage, so he thought it would be good to take a rest today after going out. Then home? Wouldn¡¯t it be strange if he asked him to go home? Ha-hyun, who had seen the expression on his face that changed as he continued his thoughts, turned around and took the first step. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my house.¡± ¡°¡­but are you okay with that?¡± ¡°Yes. I like comfortable places.¡± Cho-seung quickly caught up and took the car key that was in Ha-hyun¡¯s hand. When Ha-hyun, confused by the sudden action, looked up at Cho-seung standing next to him, a wonderful smile returned. ¡°Cho-seung-ssi.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring your car?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ha-hyun nodded his head as he looked down at Cho-seung¡¯s face, who was casually spitting out lies. There was no reason to stop him when he said he would suffer. When they got into the car and drove on the road, only the navigation guide sounded. It was Cho-seung who broke the air filled with a long, heavy silence. ¡°Can I ask how old you are?¡± ¡°Thirty-three.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the same age as me.¡± Ha-hyun, who answered without hesitation, was a little surprised when he said that he was the same age. He thought he was probably the same age, but he didn¡¯t know he was really the same age. ¡°Um. Would you like to speak casually?¡± Ha-hyun, who met his eyes, gestured to him that he should look ahead when Cho-seung looked at him. Cho-seung, who fixed his gaze forward again following the meaning, listened not to miss Ha-hyun¡¯s voice. ¡°Yeah, well. We are the same age.¡± Besides, he is also the father. He didn¡¯t mind being respectful, but it was cumbersome to pay attention to each one. Ha-hyun, who had been reflexively rubbing his lower abdomen occupied by the twins, looked up again at the gaze felt from the other side. ¡°Can you just look ahead?¡± ¡°Ah, ung.¡± Cho-seung raised his left arm to cover his mouth and blinked a couple of times. He didn¡¯t know why but looking at Ha-hyun¡¯s behaviour, somehow¡ª ¡°Feeling attached?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± It was a word without a subject, but Ha-hyun, who understood, answered without hesitation. He felt a bit nervous about it. It was Ha-hyun¡¯s job to attach a bond, but as he was told that he could have a miscarriage today, he couldn¡¯t help but feel upset. But he couldn¡¯t live with only parting. ¡°Yeah.¡± Cho-seung, who skillfully concealed his anxiety, followed the guide and steered the car. If he wanted his partner to give birth to the children safely, then he must also make an effort. * * * ¡°Come in. You can sit on the sofa and I¡¯ll take a drink¡ª¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll do it. Just sit down.¡± I¡¯m the owner of the house. Before he could even utter a word, Cho-seung moved away. Even though he had never come to Ha-hyun¡¯s house, he found the kitchen at once, looked around, opened the refrigerator door, and took out water and drinks. ¡°Do you like orange juice?¡± ¡°No. I didn¡¯t really like it.¡± Um. It sounded like he was pregnant and his tastes had changed. Cho-seung, who quickly grasped the meaning of the dubious words, poured the juice into a glass and water into the other. When he went to the living room and put down both glasses in front of Ha-hyun, who was already drooping on the sofa, a curious look followed. ¡°Are they both mine?¡± ¡°Drink what you want.¡± ¡°If I want to drink both?¡± ¡°Do that.¡± After answering casually and sitting in an empty place, Ha-hyun moved slowly and gave up the seat. Ha-hyun, who roughly stretched out his arms and held a glass of water, took a sip to quench his thirst and grabbed a glass of orange juice. He was thirsty, but the juice was better, so it was a compromise. Cho-seung, who had been waiting for Ha-hyun to dry his throat, thought about what to say because it was the first time something like this happened. He swept his hair to the back and eventually spoke. ¡°We¡¯re going to have babies.¡± ¡°Ung. We will.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s live together.¡± At this point, wasn¡¯t Cho-seung¡¯s speaking method only spitting out the main point. This time too, after cutting off the front and back explanations, Ha-hyun¡¯s forehead hardened slightly, and only then did Cho-seung add. ¡°We¡¯ve heard together that partner alpha¡¯s pheromones are important during pregnancy.¡± ¡°It is, but¡­ can¡¯t we just meet for an hour?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that I will be able to pay the full hour at a time because of my job. Besides, if something goes wrong during pregnancy, you will need someone to look after you.¡± That was it. It was still early, so he didn¡¯t really feel the need for it, but according to what he found on the Internet, it was good to have someone by his side to take care of him. Besides, since they were twins, it must have been even more difficult. Still, he didn¡¯t like having another person here. Ha-hyun, who had been pressing his nails with his thumb for some reason, suddenly realized that his nails had grown quite a bit. Despite Ha-hyun¡¯s abrupt action of stretching out his hand and looking at his fingertips, Cho-seung recited the plans he had been thinking about while coming. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, I want you to come to my house. It¡¯s not too narrow and it¡¯s worth living even after the children are born. Above all, if something happens, it¡¯s close to the company, so it¡¯s quick¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Why do I have to go into someone else¡¯s house? Ha-hyun had no intention of leaving his cosy home and entering someone else¡¯s house. While Cho-seung was embarrassed by the resolute refusal, Ha-hyun stretched out his left hand to check the length of his nails. ¡°I¡¯d rather you stay here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You stay here.¡± Ha-hyun, who answered in an indifferent tone, looked at his fingernails and pondered. As expected, he had to cut it before the end of today. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I will come in. I will, stay here.¡± Of course, Ha-hyun, who knew he would say no like himself, was taken aback by Cho-seung¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s not good for a pregnant person to suddenly move home.¡± Unlike Cho-seung, who freely agreed, Ha-hyun¡¯s forehead was wrinkled. He should just tell him to leave. Ha-hyun, who regretted that Cho-seung¡¯s reaction might have changed if he spoke harshly, let out a deep sigh. CH 13 Again, Ha-hyun, who had no intention of bringing in anyone other than the baby, seemed to be more confused and annoyed when Cho-seung¡¯s unexpected reaction caused an unwanted cohabitation. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Ung. I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just pretend you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°No. There are two of us, so why are you working hard alone?¡± Why is this Kang Cho-seung guy so sensible? He might think it was something he should do, but from Ha-hyun¡¯s point of view, it was annoying. To be honest, it was okay to give birth and raise it alone. No, he thought so. The problem was that the children in Ha-hyun¡¯s belly were twins. That was a bigger problem than he thought. ¡°Everything is uncomfortable without each other.¡± ¡°But that¡­¡± ¡°If it was twins, it will be difficult for you even after giving birth. It would be tough to raise the two by yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same when you work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll quit the company until my children grow up some years later.¡± Cho-seung answered without hesitation, took out a glass of juice that was held in Ha-hyun¡¯s hand and placed it on the table. Ha-hyun, who had no intention of drinking, tolerated Cho-seung¡¯s actions. His hands were empty, so he buried himself on the sofa without hesitation. ¡°Three strangers.¡± ¡°Ung?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Cho-seung brushed off Ha-hyun¡¯s bangs, who sighed deeply, and smiled at the thought that the reaction seemed to have allowed them to live together. Ha-hyun felt Cho-seung¡¯s gentle touch and focused on the voice that fell in his ears. ¡°I¡¯ll just bring what I need right now and come in right away. I¡¯ll move in on a day.¡± ¡°Do you have many home appliances?¡± ¡°A little bit.¡± As he recalled his belongings at home, he smiled awkwardly. Looking around, Ha-hyun¡¯s home appliances in this house were neither too much nor too little. Seeing that the appropriate items were placed in just the right place, he thought the other rooms would be similar. Then there would be no need to bring in the home appliances again and there would be no room. It seemed that one or two would have to be disposed of as secondhand or thrown away. Cho-seung, who gently loosened the slightly wrinkled forehead with his thumb, asked Ha-hyun to make sure. ¡°I will ask you one last time. Is it okay if we live together?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Because the children Ha-hyun had was his children and also Cho-seung¡¯s children. Ha-hyun shook his head, not wanting to drag on the matter by arguing. Eventually, Cho-seung raised the corner of his mouth and kissed Ha-hyun¡¯s forehead. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Please take care of me in the future.¡± ¡°Ah. Okay.¡± Ha-hyun, who rubbed his forehead, which seemed to have a slight warmth, with his index finger, closed his eyes. Cho-seung, who shed a little smile at the lack of response, began to ask what should be decided one by one. ¡°We¡¯re going to sleep together, right?¡± ¡°Why? There¡¯s a room on the second floor.¡± ¡°I saw that it was a two-story structure. Let¡¯s sleep together though. The more pheromones I give to the children, the better.¡± Cho-seung had to go to work and he couldn¡¯t just ask Ha-hyun to match the schedule. That¡¯s why it would be better to share a bedroom. Even if Ha-hyun was sleeping, they could lie down and share pheromones. Above all, there was no guarantee that Ha-hyun wasn¡¯t sick in the morning. Just imagining what happened when they were apart was terrifying, Cho-seung then hardened his expression without realizing it. ¡°Do you go to work? Personal schedule or something?¡± ¡°A rich unemployed man.¡± ¡°¡­okay.¡± Cho-seung, who looked at Ha-hyun with envy for a moment, who had achieved the dream of all members of society, straightened his face. ¡°Then, would it be better to hand over my bankbook to you?¡± ¡°Why are you handing over the bankbook?¡± ¡°You need money to raise the children. My wealth is relatively small, so it¡¯s better to just hand it over to you and manage it together.¡± ¡°Do you believe me?¡± Cho-seung shed a smirk at the way he looked at the people. The relationship between the two wasn¡¯t yet deep enough to discuss whether to believe or not. But. ¡°You said you are a rich unemployed man. My wealth isn¡¯t large enough for you to covet.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ha-hyun decided to just let Cho-seung do what he wanted to do. He wanted to live a smooth life, so he was generally less dissatisfied with everything. It was the same as listening to the plans that Cho-seung laid out one by one, so he listened to the words that followed quickly. ¡°It¡¯s mid-trimester soon, right? I have to quit the company, too.¡± ¡°Can you quit so easily? Don¡¯t you have any regrets?¡± ¡°I can find a job again. Even if I can¡¯t work at large companies, I can work at small and medium-sized companies.¡± In response to the confident answer, Ha-hyun roughly nodded his head. He guessed that¡¯s how he was. Once was enough to make him dry. ¡°If you like a husband who works for a large company, I will continue to work.¡± ¡°Husband?¡± ¡°When we register children¡¯s birth, it would be more convenient to register the marriage. You¡¯re not going to do it?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± That¡¯s right. What should I do? Did everyone tend to register their marriage when they had children? Come to think of it, even when he told the manager that he was pregnant, he was surprised when he revealed that he was single. So, it usually meant that they were registering for marriage as long as they had decided to raise them together, right? ¡°Should I just report the partner first? I¡¯ll think about registering the birth or marriage later.¡± Cho-seung raised his arm and stroked Ha-hyun¡¯s cheek with his complicated mind exposed on his face. As his slightly rough thumb stroked his skin, Ha-hyun turned his head and met Cho-seung¡¯s eyes. ¡°Okay. Just report the partner.¡± To be honest, it was almost like marriage registration, but technically, it was different. Breaking up with the partner was much easier than a divorce and there was less entanglement. Moreover, the most important thing was that even if the children were born, the relationship as a partner couldn¡¯t be registered. So, reporting a partner was no different than expressing that they were getting married soon. ¡°So, do I go to work? Or don¡¯t go?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to make money¡­ if you want to go, go.¡± Two kids and one adult. It didn¡¯t matter how many people increased because he was rich. There was also an additional income, so Ha-hyun was fine whether Cho-seung worked for a large company, a small company, or even a jobless one. Cho-seung, who exclaimed admiration at the cool answer, caught his pounding heart at the different answer. Ha-hyun looked cool when he said that to Cho-seung, who had never thought of a job that way. ¡°Are you taking responsibility for me, too?¡± ¡°Ung, well. You¡¯re going to quit the company because of me.¡± Cho-seung let out a little laugh at what he said with his head tilted slightly and blinked a couple of times, then tapped Ha-hyun¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s not because of you.¡± ¡°¡­then?¡± ¡°I take responsibility for what I have done.¡± If taking responsibility came in the form of quitting the company, wasn¡¯t it a pretty extreme choice? The reason why Cho-seung said he would quit his job was that he was a recessive omega no matter how much he thought about it. Recessive omega was difficult to conceive. And it was even harder to keep the baby in the womb completely. It was hard to have ten months with just one child, but they were twins. It was said that even if he was able to endure in the early stages, he could suffer from mild abdominal pain to fainting in severe cases when he passed the middle stage. The words he heard from the doctor today weren¡¯t unreliable. That¡¯s why Cho-seung was saying that he would quit the company and take care of him by his side. Ha-hyun, who was staring at Cho-seung who spoke other words than the obvious answer, decided to keep silent. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll go home and get some stuff. And the password, you can text¡­¡± Cho-seung, who wanted him to leave the password, stopped when he realized that they hadn¡¯t yet exchanged phone numbers. Ha-hyun realized what was the problem and took out the cell phone he was holding in his arms and handed it to Cho-seung. ¡°It will take a long time. I think I¡¯ll come back around dinnertime. Is there anything you want to eat?¡± ¡°Doenjang jji¡ª¡± (??? or ????, meant soybean pasta stew, here) Ha-hyun, who was about to answer Cho-seung¡¯s question, frowned at the returned phone screen. ¡°Wait a moment. What¡¯s with the name?¡± ¡°Doenjang jjigae? I¡¯ll pack it for you.¡± After telling him that he could sleep if he was tired, Cho-seung kissed Ha-hyun¡¯s wrist with his arms outstretched so that he could see the screen and leave the house. Ha-hyun, who suddenly got a kiss on his wrist while trying to protest his saved name, lifted up his arms outstretched in the air and laughed ¡®huhu¡¯. ¡°Honey?¡± How many times did he see it? Ha-hyun, who was about to move his index finger to correct his name, stopped. Ha-hyun, who was looking at the letters ¡°Honey¡± in the name column, closed the phone book and opened the message window. And he left the house password with the saved new number and closed his eyes quietly. * * * Trrring. Cho-seung, who was staring at the side of the road to catch a taxi, looked at his cell phone at the light of the alarm. [Buy a pineapple when you pack doejang jjigae. The trimmed one.] He laughed at the behaviour of naturally making him run errands, but when he saw a taxi in his sight, he quickly caught it. If they had each driven their own car to Ha-hyun¡¯s house from the beginning, there would have been no need to take a taxi, but this also happened because of his insistence. After returning to the hospital, he got in the car and headed home, quickly packed four days¡¯ worth of clothes, pyjamas, and electronic devices and went out again. As he headed to the parking lot, he used his cell phone to search for doenjang jjigae restaurants and supermarkets. ¡°It¡¯s a bit far.¡± Still, if possible, he wanted to buy it from a delicious restaurant. There was no problem for him to cook as long as he had the ingredients, but it wasn¡¯t something he could do right away because he didn¡¯t know what kind of equipment and seasonings were in Ha-hyun¡¯s kitchen. Cho-seung decided to check his kitchen while he was eating dinner and washing dishes as he got into the car. He put his cell phone down in the passenger seat and suddenly remembered the call he received from his mother today. It was true that he should contact her, but Cho-seung thought it would be the first thing to ask Ha-hyun for his understanding, so he decided to postpone it for a while and drove to complete his errand. * * * Ha-hyun, who was still lying on the sofa and wasting time, moved out of the sofa at the sound of the front door opening. ¡°That¡¯s fast.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hungry, right?¡± ¡°Ung, a little bit.¡± As he left the living room and went to the hallway leading to the front door, Ha-hyun, who ran into Cho-seung, stepped back little by little. Soon after, when Cho-seung stood next to him, he turned around and headed to the kitchen side by side. Cho-seung, who placed the packaged food on the table, opened all the drawers in the kitchen one by one naturally. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m checking what¡¯s in the kitchen. We can¡¯t buy it every time.¡± ¡°¡­why not?¡± Ha-hyun, who had been buying or packing every meal outside, secretly kept his eyes away. With that reaction alone, he could see how Ha-hyun had been eating so far. ¡°I still have the tools, though.¡± ¡°Ung. It was there, but it looked bleak.¡± There were literally only tools, nothing from seasonings to ordinary rice. Still, he wanted to see where tools were. When he woke up tomorrow, he had to go home and bring the seasonings and ingredients from his kitchen. If he left it as it was, he had no choice but to throw it away, so he might think it was fine. ¡°Sunflower seed oil is not very¡­ is it okay if I throw this away?¡± ¡°Just use anything.¡± ¡°I prefer to use olive oil.¡± That¡¯s tricky. Ha-hyun, who was staring at the oil thrown away in the trash without any regrets, quickly left the kitchen and became one with the sofa. It was because he had a strong feeling that even though he was there, he would only be a hindrance to Cho-seung. ¡°Sorry. You said you were hungry, right?¡± ¡°I can wait.¡± Ha-hyun, who waved his hand, picked up his cell phone and connected to the mobile game, which he had become obsessed with these days. As he was picking up a glass that was still on the table, sipping juice, and indulging in the game leisurely, Cho-seung took a deep breath as he looked at the freshly cooled food. CH 14 It was best to eat doejang jjigae (soybean paste stew) while it was boiling, so he thought he had to reheat it. Cho-seung, who took out an earthenware pot for unknown reasons, placed the packaged doejang jjigae on top of the gas stove and checked the refrigerator. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing.¡± Water, beverages. Some yoghurt. He didn¡¯t know why he had to use a large double-door refrigerator and leave it empty. There was only ice in the freezer, so he could only infer that Ha-hyun liked cold drinks. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah. If you¡¯re hungry, do you want some yoghurt?¡± After checking the expiration date just in case, and confirming that it was still valid, Cho-seung shouted into the living room. Ha-hyun, who was staring blankly at the game screen that was automatically playing, stuck his head out toward the kitchen at Cho-seung¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The smell of boiling stew (jjigae) spread through the kitchen and into the living room. Ha-hyun, who had been lying down, frowned at the smell that brushed his nose, then raised his heavy body and headed to the table. ¡°Why are you already here when it¡¯s not ready yet.¡± Cho-seung, who was carrying the rice with a moderate amount of side dishes in a pretty bowl, raised his head at the sudden feeling of presence. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat it as is.¡± ¡°Ung. The stew is still not boiling, so sit down.¡± Cho-seung, naturally passing Ha-hyun¡¯s words, moved the beautifully arranged bowls to the table one by one. Ha-hyun sat down in the chair as he said and for a moment he pouted his lips at Cho-seung, who pretended not to hear even though he heard it. He didn¡¯t think it would work out anyway, so it was okay to leave him be. ¡°I¡¯ll go home for a bit when I wake up tomorrow.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Bring seasonings and everything.¡± ¡°Do whatever you feel like.¡± He rarely went to the kitchen anyway, except to drink water. So whatever Cho-seung did in this space was fine. Still, the kitchen seemed to be active unlike before, so he thought he needed something. ¡°Do you want to buy a dishwasher?¡± ¡°Ung? Suddenly?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to cook?¡± As he was staring at the side dishes in front of him, Cho-seung handed him the spoon first. Without hesitation, Ha-hyun picked up one egg roll and sliced it then bit it, surprised by the soft texture. It was delicious because the salty food was seasoned just right even without ketchup. Satisfied, Ha-hyun put the remaining rolled egg into his mouth and tilted his head at Cho-seung¡¯s puzzled expression. ¡°What does that have to do with a dishwasher?¡± ¡°It¡¯s annoying to wash the dishes. It¡¯s nice that machines do everything these days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you have an unopened vacuum cleaner robot at home.¡± When did you see that again. For some reason, it felt like his new personality was revealed for a moment and he felt a little embarrassed. He hadn¡¯t brought other people into his house before, so he felt awkward all over again. ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a wet mop cleaner, but I¡¯ll take that and install it.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Ha-hyun nodded with chopsticks in his mouth, and this time, he picked it up with the chopsticks and ate them. He didn¡¯t buy salted seafood himself, so he sometimes ate it when it was served as a side dish, but his mouth watered after eating it for the first time in a long time. There was no saltiness to just eat without rice, but the sense that it was delicious was greater than that, so a bowl of rice was just placed in front of Ha-hyun, who ate it little by little. ¡°I don¡¯t think rice will be enough. Should I buy instant rice right now?¡± ¡°No. More than that¡ª¡± I want to eat ramyeon. However, Cho-seung, who threw away the sunflower seed oil without any regrets because it was bad for his health, would he cook ramyeon? Thinking he wouldn¡¯t boil it, Ha-hyun only chewed on the chopsticks awkwardly. ¡°Do you want to eat something else?¡± ¡°Uung. There is.¡± ¡°Is it hard to get? Is it okay to eat foreign foods?¡± At what Cho-seung said, who rapidly raised the level of difficulty, Ha-hyun shook his head. ¡°I think I want to eat ramyeon.¡± ¡°If you want to eat it, I¡¯ll boil you one. I saw that there was ramyeon.¡± It would have been okay to say it clear if he wanted to eat it, but Ha-hyun¡¯s gaze was caught looking around, so Cho-seung nodded his head without hesitation, saying that he would understand right away. Only then did Ha-hyun move the chopsticks that had stopped and scoop the white rice, add salted fish, and take another bite. With the momentum to eat all the rice before he could even eat doejang jjigae, Cho-seung checked the stew on the gas stove and quickly turned off the heat. It seemed to him that it would be better to just give it to him rather than not being able to eat it. ¡°You?¡± Looking at the appetizing stew in front of him, his eyes lit up for a while before Ha-hyun raised his head and looked at Cho-seung. Seeing the food huddled in front of him, he wondered if Cho-seung had no intention of eating it. ¡°Let¡¯s eat ramyeon together.¡± In his heart, he wanted to eat too, but Ha-hyun could say that he couldn¡¯t eat ramyeon because he was full later, so he decided to wait a bit. If he boiled it, he could eat a bite no matter how full he was. Sitting across from him, Cho-seung looked at him with pleasure as he moved his small lips and ate eagerly. ¡°I want to inform my mother about the pregnancy, are you okay?¡± ¡°Whose mother? Your mother?¡± ¡°Ung. She had taemong.¡± Ha-hyun let out a small exclamation at the word ¡°taemong¡±. Come to think of it, he had never had a dream that could be called taemong, but it seemed that someone else had dreamed it instead of him. Although he had no interest in taemong, Ha-hyun, who was curious because it was his children¡¯s taemong, listened to what Cho-seung said that naturally continued. ¡°¡­so, speaking of birth name, how about Bo-reum (??, meant the full moon) and Geu-meum (??, meant the new year)?¡± ¡°Um¡­ it¡¯s not bad if you called them that in your dream.¡± He couldn¡¯t even call them beans, so he thought about it once as if he was passing by. He had to decide on the names. However, Ha-hyun, who wasn¡¯t very delicate, really finished it with his thoughts and didn¡¯t go any further than that. So, it was okay to do so with Bo-reum and Geu-meum. No, it seemed like a good thing. Like Cho-seung, it was the name of the ¡®moon¡¯. The children¡¯s names were also Bo-reum and Geu-meum, it seemed that the unfamiliar sensations were somehow fading because of the feeling of being connected to something. (T/N: Remember Cho-seung dreamed about two turtles? Yes, he saw two moons before meeting them so basically there¡¯s a connection) ¡°And let her know. You can¡¯t keep hiding it, that won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Right. My mother will be curious about it, but I¡¯ll put it off as much as possible first.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± It seemed like they should have a formal meeting, but unfortunately, Ha-hyun had no family. Ha-hyun, who was alone in his thoughts, ate a bowl of still-hot doejang jjigae and sipped it. Cho-seung, watching the bowl being emptied properly, got up from his seat and went back to the gas stove. Ha-hyun glanced at him and scooped out the tofu, then smiled in satisfaction at the light taste of the softly mashed tofu. Cho-seung, who was about to pour water into the pot and take out the ramyeon, raised his eyebrows when he saw only the spicy taste. He couldn¡¯t go out and buy one now, so he had to boil it, but he guessed he would have to buy another ramyeon next time. ¡°Do you like spicy?¡± ¡°Ung. I hate adding eggs in it, and I hate overcooked either.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll boil it right.¡± Judging by the momentum, it seemed like he could easily eat one pack, so Cho-seung took out two packs. As if Ha-hyun had forgotten that he was a stranger and was reluctant to bring him into the house, he diligently finished even the boiled ramyeon that Cho-seung had cooked for him, quickly finished the shower, crawled into bed, and slept peacefully. * * * ¡°Ha-hyun-ah.¡± Cho-seung, who went into the master bedroom with a towel on his head, tried to call out to Ha-hyun, but when he heard the sound of his breathing, he closed his mouth. He seemed to be uncomfortable, but looking at him now, it seemed that he was mistaken. Seeing him sleeping with the blanket tightly wrapped around him, Cho-seung covered him with another blanket up to his chest. He seemed to have deliberately brought out another one to cover it up separately, but it would have been a waste if he caught a cold. He should be careful about taking medicine as he entered mid-term. If he had a habit of sleeping that was hugging something, wasn¡¯t it comfortable to buy a body pillow and use it? He gently pulled the blanket that Ha-hyun was holding tightly to and tried to get it out of his arms, but it couldn¡¯t budge as he was holding it so tightly. Cho-seung, who gave up taking the blanket away because he thought it would wake him up like this, finished drying his hair. ¡°Sleep well.¡± He left the room on his tiptoe feet so Ha-hyun wouldn¡¯t wake up, putting a towel in the laundry basket and finishing the unfinished business. After installing two vacuum cleaners that had been scattered around the front door in a suitable space, he opened the refrigerator and made a list of groceries for tomorrow. After wiping the dusty room properly with a wet tissue, Cho-seung climbed the stairs to the second floor. He thought of a typical penthouse structure, but the space on the second floor was wider than expected. A house like this in Seoul must be quite expensive. After shaking his head at the question of money that naturally came to mind, he opened the door and began to figure out the space. ¡°There¡¯s a bathroom, two rooms¡­¡± When the kids were older, he could give them a room. Cho-seung, who was naturally drawing the future, trembled. He was worried about Ha-hyun, who said that he had attached affection to the children until the afternoon, but to put that to shame, he thought of the children as if he had already attached affection. Cho-seung continued his thoughts even as he sighed while touching his forehead. The size of the room didn¡¯t look different, so it seemed like there wouldn¡¯t be a fight over it. If they were of the same gender, it would be okay to share the same room, but if they kept sticking together, the fights would happen more often, so it was good to have a reasonable amount of time to be apart. Turning his steps, he went downstairs again and crawled into the wide bed, then he picked up the blanket that had fallen from Ha-hyun¡¯s arms unknowingly. ¡°Uung¡­¡± When the whining sound came out, the hardened Cho-seung slowly looked at Ha-hyun¡¯s expression. Looking at his still-closed eyes, he was relieved and organized the bedding. It was the first time they were sleeping together and it was a pity that they lay down in the right position. Leaving this wide bed, he deliberately moved his place so that he could sleep close to Ha-hyun and lay down on his side. And Cho-seung stretched out his arms and embraced Ha-hyun, comforting the tossing opponent and leading him back to a deep sleep. It was a peaceful night. CH 15 ¡°What¡­¡± Feeling the warmth clinging to his back, Ha-hyun turned around with swollen eyes. Rubbing his eyelids that didn¡¯t open properly, perhaps because he slept too long, he checked the familiar face of another person as if he was unfamiliar and lowered his head at the weight he felt on his waist. ¡°Sleep more¡­¡± Cho-seung, who opened one eye at the sign of movement in his arms, said in a tired voice, closed his eyes again, and slowly moved his arm around his waist. Ha-hyun, who had regained consciousness just as his tired body was about to fall back to sleep at the gentle movements of his hand, shook his head. ¡°Why¡­¡± At Cho-seung¡¯s raspy voice, Ha-hyun straightened up first. Cho-seung, who was hit on his chin by an arm that stretched above him, let out a pained sound and slightly pulled back his spread body. ¡°Hungry.¡± ¡°¡­what time is it?¡± Cho-seung, who heard he was hungry in a confused state, stood up steadily and picked up his cell phone, which he had roughly thrown in the corner. ¡°Six o¡¯clock in the morning?¡± ¡°Is that all you want?¡± Cho-seung, who suddenly started his day at dawn, realized that today was a precious weekend and was a little desperate, but he was still getting out of bed. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°You said you were hungry. Is there anything you want to eat?¡± Ha-hyun, who yawned and stared at Cho-seung with blank eyes, muttered that there was none. ¡°I¡¯ll buy it outside.¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯ll buy it for you, so sleep more.¡± Ha-hyun, who turned his head to follow Cho-seung as he left the bedroom, roughly tidying up his dishevelled hair with his hands, immediately lay down on his back. He wanted to go with him, but it was clear that he would be rejected again. Ha-hyun, who was enjoying the relaxation while rubbing his cheeks on the soft bedding while accepting reality, quickly got up at the thought that occupied his head. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± It was an urgent voice, unlike usual Ha-hyun. Cho-seung, who was changing clothes in the dressing room, heard Ha-hyun calling and quickly headed to the living room, wondering if something had happened. Ha-hyun flinched at the sight of Cho-seung, who couldn¡¯t even button his shirt properly. Of course, he returned to his usual self after a moment and made a poor expression. ¡°I want to eat kongguksu.¡± (???, meant noodles in cold soybean soup, here) ¡°Ah¡­ okay. I¡¯ll just buy the ingredients and do it for you.¡± ¡°Strawberries, too.¡± ¡°Do I just need to buy one pack?¡± Ha-hyun nodded his head and thought about going back to bed before deciding on the sofa as his destination. Spreading out a finely folded blanket in one corner, he lay down without hesitation and closed his eyes. ¡°It will be cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cold.¡± Cho-seung, who had finished buttoning up, sighed and took a blanket from the bedroom and carefully covered it to Ha-hyun. And kissed him on the forehead. Ha-hyun, who had a tingling sensation on his forehead, turned his attention to the sound of what Cho-seung said that followed. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Cho-seung laughed softly as he saw the man waving his hand while buried under the blanket and went out with his car key. He didn¡¯t know if there was a store open at six o¡¯clock in the morning, but if he looked for them, it would come out. Rattle. Ha-hyun blinked his eyes as he lay on the sofa listening to the sound of the door closing. Until the day before yesterday, he had never heard the sound of the front door closing in the living room. Maybe that¡¯s why the sound of the door closing was somehow awkward. Ha-hyun, lying on his side looking at the back, turned his body around and looked at the wall this time. As time passed, the living room, where the chilly air of dawn lingered, became colder, so he was idle, wrapped in the blanket that Cho-seung had covered him. Tick, tick. Hearing the sharp sound of the clock ticking, he closed his blurred eyes again and dozed off. Ha-hyun, who opened his eyes in surprise at the sensation of his legs falling to the ground, which he had been quietly resting on the sofa, touched his back in embarrassment. Taking a deep breath to calm his beating heart, he looked at his watch. ¡°Seven o¡¯clock?¡± He thought he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them, but it had already been close to an hour. No, even if that much time had passed, why had Cho-seung still not returned? As far as he knew, there was a 24-hour supermarket near his house. That meant there was no reason to wait an hour. ¡°Umm¡­¡± I don¡¯t remember ever worrying about something like this. He thought that living with someone unexpectedly had a lot of things to pay attention to. He wondered if he shouldn¡¯t just say he wanted to eat kongguksu. Ha-hyun, who had been covering his head with a blanket while staring at the innocent clock, turned his head around at the sound of the electronic keypad being pressed. As he was staring at the hallway while hearing the sound of plastic bags clashing, Cho-seung, who was coming in, flinched after seeing Ha-hyun. ¡°You weren¡¯t sleeping?¡± ¡°I just woke up.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ha-hyun, who was watching him taking out some from the bags one by one after putting what he was holding on the table, put the blanket on the sofa and walked away. ¡°What did you buy?¡± ¡°Ung? Seasoning and everything. By the way, I bought mangoes, do you want to eat some?¡± Mango? Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t thought of eating fruit like mango, but when Cho-seung said it, his mouth suddenly watered. ¡°The mangoes have already come. Moderately ripened ones looked delicious. Peel it?¡± ¡°Ung. Just one.¡± Watching Cho-seung move around busily and organize the things he bought, Ha-hyun tried to help him, but he firmly stopped him. ¡°I know where I need to organize it. It¡¯s okay.¡± Ha-hyun calmly sat down on the chair as he had no reason to insist. Then he took a closer look at the items in the bag and there was seasoning with signs of being ripped off. He seemed to have brought something from home. Come to think of it, he said he would bring something from home. Now it seemed that he knew why Cho-seung was late. Shortly after, Cho-seung brought a plate of strawberries and mangoes to Ha-hyun, who waited with his chin resting on his backhand, put a fork in his hand, and then head to the kitchen. Just like that, when Cho-seung was about to turn back his steps, Ha-hyun suddenly grabbed his wrist. Looking back with a puzzled face, Ha-hyun tapped the table across from him. ¡°Eat it, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ha-hyun tilted his head slightly, pricked a strawberry with a fork, and brought it to Cho-seung¡¯s mouth. Ha-hyun pressed down his lips with a strawberry as he was looking at Cho-seung. Only then did Cho-seung open his mouth and eat it, chewing the strawberry he didn¡¯t like very much. ¡°Not good?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s goo¡ª¡± Before he could even finish talking, the mango came into his mouth this time. As a person who lived alone, Cho-seung, who had never eaten much fruit, chewed mango after a long time. It was probably not an illusion that it felt sweeter for some reason. * * * Cho-seung was free only after eating the fruit until his stomach was full. After that, Cho-seung boiled the noodles first. Then, taking out a chopping board, he glanced at Ha-hyun, who was sitting on the chair. ¡°I¡¯ll call my mother around lunchtime today. You?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± That¡¯s right. Normally, they would inform them, right? (????? ?????) Ha-hyun took the remaining mango and put it in his mouth. Mumbling, chewing and swallowing slowly, then shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± He rinsed his mouth with water and this time dipped in strawberries while looking at Cho-seung, but there was no reaction. Well, at this age, such cases happened one by one. ¡°Then, shall I go to their graves?¡± ¡°Graves¡­ yeah, you will have to go see them.¡± ¡°Ung. Let¡¯s do that.¡± Cho-seung, who was surprised to hear that his parents weren¡¯t there anymore, decided not to make a fuss about Ha-hyun¡¯s calm appearance and finished the remaining work. After placing cucumbers on a cutting board and slicing them neatly with a knife, he took out a pretty bowl and put the noodles in a thick bowl. ¡°It¡¯s done. Do you want some ice?¡± ¡°I hate it because my teeth hurt.¡± For what a lot of ice in the freezer? He had a small question but didn¡¯t bother mentioning it. As soon as he put chopsticks and kimchi in front of him, Ha-hyun, who had put the fruit bowl away, brightened his eyes. ¡°You?¡± Cho-seung was happy to see Ha-hyun taking care of him whenever he ate something, but he shook his head. It was too much to push something into his stomach from this early morning. Instead, he decided to eat the remaining fruit. He took a bite of the fruit and only then did Ha-hyun drink kongguksu. ¡°Um.¡± Delicious. The taste was exactly the same as he thought. As if surprised by the exclamation he heard for the first time, Cho-seung widened his eyes and soon smiled proudly. Ha-hyun, who had been eating with his mouth full, quickly saw an empty bowl and tapped the bottom (of the bowl) with his chopsticks as if regretting it. Cho-seung, who was watching Ha-hyun at the gesture full of regret, asked him while his chin was on his backhand. ¡°Should I boil more?¡± ¡°Uung¡­ no. I¡¯m just going to sleep. No, should we watch a movie?¡± Hearing that he wouldn¡¯t eat more, he took out a tissue from a corner of the table and handed it to Ha-hyun, who immediately wiped his mouth. ¡°Some of the displayed ones look interesting. Shall we watch it?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± After roughly tidying up, the two bickered for a while. Therefore, in a very trivial matter that wasn¡¯t so important. ¡°Why do we have to lie down together?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to watch it while lying down on the couch.¡± That¡¯s true. A blanket was also there, and so was the icing on the cake. Ha-hyun, who was lost for words, sat on the sofa for a while, sighed, and nodded. It was like an attitude of resignation. (??? ?? ??? ??????) ¡°I was just sitting on the couch and¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah. You want to lie down and watch it together?¡± Ha-hyun, who was hugged by Cho-seung before he could finish his words, gasped in surprise. Ha-hyun quickly pushed Cho-seung away and hit him on the shoulder like a punch. ¡°You surprised me.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t fall, did you?¡± Cho-seung, who spoke playfully, touched Ha-hyun¡¯s belly with a gentle touch. When Ha-hyun, who glanced at him for a moment, nodded his head, he smiled and glanced his eyes then moved at a moderate pace. In the end, Ha-hyun, lying on the couch with Cho-seung, tossed and turned in the cramped space. Then Cho-seung, who seemed to be worried for a moment, grabbed Ha-hyun by the waist and lifted him up. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If we overlap, there will be space left, right?¡± (??? ??? ????) Ha-hyun, who hated being narrow, soon moved slowly and settled in Cho-seung¡¯s arms. Leaning back on his firm chest, he was surprised by the unexpectedly comfortable embrace. When he stopped moving as if he had settled down, Cho-seung wrapped his left arm around Ha-hyun¡¯s waist and held the remote control. ¡°Action?¡± ¡°Ung. If you don¡¯t like it, romance?¡± ¡°No. I want to see a horror movie.¡± Surprised by the horror word, Cho-seung put the remote control down for a moment. Ha-hyun raised his head at Cho-seung¡¯s sudden reaction and their gazes naturally met. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That, I¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t watch it?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Cho-seung nodded his head with a firm expression and Ha-hyun said he understood without hesitation. He could watch it alone when he went to work. In the end, they decided to watch the movie that Cho-seung first thought of. As the screen turned black, the two stopped talking. Cho-seung, who quickly fell into the movie, focused on the screen. The living room was filled with only the sound coming from the speakers. CH 16 How much time had passed. Cho-seung, who was concentrating on the movie while patting Ha-hyun in his arms, lowered his head at the sound of his breathing. ¡°Well¡­?¡± Ha-hyun was asleep holding his hand on his stomach with his eyes closed. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah.¡± ¡°Uung¡­¡± Ha-hyun struggled to sleep at the sound of the low call as if whispering. What should I do? Should we move to a room? Should we leave it like this? After thinking about it for a while, Cho-seung decided to watch the movie until the end. Perhaps he might wake up in the middle. In the end, Ha-hyun slept soundly until the movie ended. Cho-seung smiled softly because it was good to see him like that. ¡°Honey.¡± As he called again and again while brushing his hair, Ha-hyun frowned and waved his hand. Cho-seung, biting his lip at the action that showed his annoyance and holding back the laughter that was about to burst out, moved his hand around his waist and patted him slowly so that he could fall into a deep sleep. ¡°Was it boring?¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t a very good reaction from the beginning. He must have been sleepy since he decided to watch a movie after thinking about getting some sleep. He didn¡¯t know if it was a movie that suited his taste, but the action seemed to be not his taste either. ¡°Honey, you should sleep in the bed.¡± A low voice that didn¡¯t seem to wake him up. A soft hand that caressed the body with a body temperature warmer than that of an ordinary person. Ha-hyun, who fell asleep while listening to the loud sound, fell asleep thanks to Cho-seung¡¯s actions. Cho-seung, who had been watching Ha-hyun for a while, still holding his breath, didn¡¯t move until he confirmed that he was still sleeping even though he tossed and turned little by little. While carefully raising his body, he repeated to stop as if he had become an ice statue if he heard a small sound from his lips. After barely moving Ha-hyun to the bed and taking a breather, he checked his watch and sighed unconsciously. It felt like half a day had passed since it happened, but the time was still too early for noon. ¡°First of all, he doesn¡¯t eat rice¡­¡± Recalling Ha-hyun, who woke up early in the morning and was looking for kongguksu, he hushed his footsteps and left the bedroom. Click, staring intently at the closing door with quite a loud noise, Cho-seung took his cell phone out of his pocket. ¡°Hello?¡± While washing the rice, supporting his cell phone with his shoulder, he wiped his hands dry when the other person answered the phone quickly. [What¡¯s up? You call first.] ¡°Well, I¡¯ve found my partner.¡± [Found them? I thought it would take longer, but it¡¯s fast.] ¡°I was lucky. We met by chance at the hospital. First, I decided to live together and register my partner¡­ It may be difficult to visit you.¡± Cho-seung, who openly expressed his affirmation, looked at the refrigerator containing the ingredients he had brought from his house and decided on the side dishes to make. [Why? Is it burdensome? I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t help it¡­] She let out a deep sigh, blurring the end of her words with her lingering tone. ¡°It¡¯s because my partner is pregnant with twins.¡± [Twins? Oh my God, then that dream must be taemong.] That¡¯s amazing. She, who had never had such taemong even when she had her first give birth, let out an exclamation as she recalled the taemong that was still vivid in her head. [Then it must be difficult to move around. Ask your partner indirectly. Ask if Mother can go there. You can¡¯t put pressure on him. And he has to live like a hermit for ten months, you know?] Cho-seung only nodded as he listened to the continued nagging and made a slightly tired expression at the continued talking that lasted for 10 minutes. The fact that he was pregnant with twins was enough to worry about, so he couldn¡¯t stop the nagging. Then, suddenly, he remembered Ha-hyun¡¯s disgust while listening to the doctor¡¯s instructions and bit his lip hard to prevent laughter from leaking out. [I¡¯m going to make dongchimi this time, but if they want to eat it, I¡¯ll send it by courier. Don¡¯t even say I made it. Just ask if they want to eat dongchimi.] (???, variety of kimchi, here) ¡°Yes, yes. I know.¡± Cho-seung, who took out a carrot that had been bought, didn¡¯t respond reflexively but turned his attention to the babbling sound. The doorknob was turning with a loud noise. Seeing Ha-hyun come out of the room, he hurriedly ended the conversation and hung up. ¡°Woke up?¡± Ha-hyun, who flinched at the voice, raised his head with a puzzled face and spit out a small exclamation when he found Cho-seung. The reaction was as if he wasn¡¯t there, so Cho-seung was very slightly hurt. It seemed that Ha-hyun hadn¡¯t yet accepted the fact that he had a new family member in his house. ¡°¡­let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Ung? Where?¡± Cho-seung tilted his head at the sudden words. He didn¡¯t hear that he had an appointment yesterday. ¡°Busan.¡± ¡°Busan? Why there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go eat gukbap.¡± (??, meant hot soup with rice, here) Going all the way to Busan to eat gukbap¡­? Unlike him, who couldn¡¯t hide his absurd expression at Ha-hyun¡¯s words, the person who spat out the words carefully nodded his head with determined eyes. It was an action that showed the will to go to eat gukbap no matter what. ¡°Wait a minute, Honey!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ha-hyun, who sent Cho-seung to the dressing room by pushing his back, stopped moving at the bizarre name that came out of his opponent¡¯s mouth. Only then did Cho-seung, who seemed in a hurry, turn around and face Ha-hyun as if it was all right. ¡°There are gukbap restaurants in Seoul, too.¡± ¡°I want to go to the gukbap restaurant I ate in Busan. No, but what did you just say¡ª¡± ¡°How are you going there? It¡¯s too far to drive.¡± ¡°We just need to spend the night at the hotel. It¡¯s not just¡ª¡± ¡°By car? You haven¡¯t even been permitted to take a long drive.¡± Ha-hyun, who repeatedly tried to point out the name that Cho-seung called, eventually made a sullen expression at the words that were constantly interrupted. With his head tilted, he crossed his arms in hopes of seeing how far he could go and Cho-seung scratched the back of his back. He cut off his words too blatantly even though he thought that for himself. ¡°Are you mad?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. But that, Honey?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a nickname, nickname. We can call each other by nicknames, right?¡± Ha-hyun, who couldn¡¯t bear to spit on the grinning Cho-seung, nodded slowly. As he said, it was okay to call him by that nickname. The problem was that none of his opinions was included. ¡°I feel like my hands and feet are shivering. Reject.¡± ¡°Then Darling?¡± (??, to make it different, jagiya is Honey and yobo is Darling, okay?) ¡°¡­no.¡± Ha-hyun, who had goosebumps on his arm, sighed. Rather, the nickname of Honey seemed to be better. When he heard that, at least he didn¡¯t goosebump on his forearm. ¡°Baby?¡± (???, aegiya, if you read IDWTR, I often found this ae or ai that meant ¡°child¡± or ¡°kid¡±) ¡°How old am I called Baby.¡± When he made a face asking whether he was joking, Cho-seung just said he was sorry, probably thinking that this wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°And Honey?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best¡­¡± It was fine. Very much. He didn¡¯t know if it was because the previous examples were shocking, but it was very good. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t like this. It¡¯s too common.¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± But do I have to call you by a nickname? As Ha-hyun pondered over the fundamental question, Cho-seung asked a question as if interrupting his thoughts. ¡°Which nickname is best? Except dangshin.¡± (??, a bit difficult to translate this but this dangshin is only used by a married couple, that¡¯s why Cho-seung said that, here) ¡°¡­if you choose among the three, Honey is, no. Call me by name.¡± ¡°Chee.¡± (?) Ha-hyun, who almost fell for the shameless question, managed to come to his senses and answered firmly. What do you mean Honey, Ha-hyun narrowed his eyes and looked at Cho-seung. He didn¡¯t have the confidence to be called such a sly name. Cho-seung clicked his tongue because he was disappointed at Ha-hyun¡¯s words, but he smiled, pretending not to know. Cho-seung had a little shameless corner. This time, he led Ha-hyun, who was still in a bad mood, into the dressing room. Ha-hyun nodded his head as he halfway listened to Cho-seung talking about plans one by one as he gently supported his back and was pulled by his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s take the train. I think it would be better to go by it and rent a car¡­¡± Or they could just take a taxi. It would work, but it was better than spending about six hours on the road with a pregnant person. ¡°Tomorrow is Sunday, so we can stay overnight at the hotel as you said.¡± Although he was impatient, he managed to listen to the organized schedule and accepted the clothes that Cho-seung gave him. As soon as he handed the clothes to him, Ha-hyun, who blinked his eyelids as he saw Cho-seung packing his suitcase, opened his mouth and said something. ¡°That¡¯s natural.¡± ¡°Um¡­ is that so?¡± He didn¡¯t know how he knew there was a suitcase. Watching Cho-seung smile, he changed his clothes helplessly and helped pack his belongings. ¡°Where is the gukbap restaurant?¡± ¡°It¡¯s near the station.¡± When he went on something similar to a backpacking trip alone, he got off at the station and entered a store he could see. Who would have known that a gukbap restaurant that he went in like that would come to mind now. Ha-hyun really thought that pregnancy was a series of miraculous events. ¡°Really? That¡¯s a relief then.¡± Following Ha-hyun¡¯s sudden words, the two went to Busan after packing their things without saying anything. Talking more than this only delayed departure and arrival times. ¡°Any train reservations?¡± ¡°I did. Did you pack everything?¡± ¡°Ung. I got everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± Cho-seung, who naturally took the bag that was about to be carried on his shoulder, put on his shoes and left the front door while Ha-hyun hesitated. Ha-hyun, who quickly put on his shoes and chased after him, was half-embraced by Cho-seung after struggling for a while to bring the bag again. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah, I heard you shouldn¡¯t lift heavy things.¡± ¡°Fussy.¡± Ha-hyun looked down at his arms wrapped around his waist and let out a blatant sigh. CH 17 Ha-hyun had morning sickness in front of the gukbap he wanted to eat. It was also very noticeable. ¡°Are you still feeling nauseous?¡± ¡°Uung.¡± As he waved his hand to tell him not to talk to him because it was hard, Cho-seung touched Ha-hyun¡¯s pale cheek. Ha-hyun let out a sigh and recalled what had just happened at the restaurant while receiving the familiar touch. One bite, it was just one bite. He felt the delicious smell coming up from the bowl, so he mixed the perilla powder and the sauce. He took a bite with a smile on his face at the smell that was more delicious than he remembered and then vomited. The restaurant, which wasn¡¯t even quiet, became dreadful after Ha-hyun¡¯s loud nausea brought silence for a while. There was no such thing as a nuisance. As he was feeling nauseous and lowered his head to catch his breath, Cho-seung noticed and asked him if it was because of his morning sickness. Ha-hyun, who had been secretly paying attention to the atmosphere in the restaurant because of him, was relieved by Cho-seung¡¯s actions. He focused all his energy on clearing his stomach while holding the table, feeling the air released by what Cho-seung said. Ha-hyun, who entered the hotel almost like he was being hugged by Cho-seung, couldn¡¯t move after lying down on the bed. ¡°Come to think of it, I once read a paper that says the partner¡¯s pheromone helps relieve morning sickness.¡± How could he have read such a paper. Ha-hyun was dumbfounded by Cho-seung¡¯s words and let out a forced laugh. On the other hand, Cho-seung, still serious, cupped his white cheeks with both hands and pressed their foreheads together. ¡°Would you like to give it a try?¡± Having been struggling for several hours already, he nodded his head as if he wanted to do something quickly. It was quite believable that he had read it in the paper. He also expected that it would be effective because it was the result of research by people with a doctoral degree or a master¡¯s degree. ¡°Tell me right away if you feel uncomfortable.¡± Ha-hyun replied by blinking his eyes and then relaxed his muscles as he watched Cho-seung gently curl his eyes as if to reassure him. Cho-seung, who acted affectionately and patted his chest, which went up and down at a steady beat, slowly released the pheromone. The pine-scented pheromones flowing shallowly soon became strong enough to make him feel as if he was in the middle of a forest. When he was at home, he had only encountered pheromones that flowed out so subtly that it was difficult to recognize, so it was the first time, no, it had been a long time since he had felt such a strong pheromone. Even during the first sex with him, he was drunk on the scent of the thick pine trees. The refreshing, clear scent was so intense that he would never forget it¡­ He closed his eyes, relaxing his drowsy body, and was surprised to realize that his rumbling stomach had subsided as if welcoming something he missed. He didn¡¯t expect it to actually work, even though he believed it. In response to Alpha¡¯s pheromone, ylang-ylang¡¯s pheromone, which began to flow out, naturally swept Cho-seung¡¯s neck and soon covered his entire body. It was a weaker scent than the night they first met, perhaps because he was pregnant, but it felt more intense. ¡°¡­I¡¯m hungry.¡± Cho-seung, who was burning up, shuddered at Ha-hyun¡¯s sudden words. He couldn¡¯t leave his hunger, so he bit himself and forcibly swallowed a sigh that came out from within while covering his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been six hours since you haven¡¯t eaten anything. Shall I buy something?¡± Since they came all the way to Busan, it would be nice to eat outside, but it was difficult to release the thick pheromone in an open place. If done wrong, it could lead to a fight, so it was best to eat at the hotel. ¡°I want to eat gukbap.¡± ¡°Right. We came all the way to Busan to eat it, but it¡¯s kind of hard to give up like this.¡± Cho-seung slowly turned his head and got out of bed because he felt a little burdensome after being looked at by him, who was blinking his clear, anticipated eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. You stay here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good if you go there and get morning sickness from the smell of food. There.¡± He lightly kissed Ha-hyun on the lips, pressed Ha-hyun¡¯s shoulder to lie down, tidied up his dressing, and left the room. * * * He set the gukbap he bought quickly in front of Ha-hyun and Cho-seung, who sat across from him, carefully asked as he watched him take a bite. ¡°How is it, are you okay?¡± Wrapped in refreshing pheromone, Ha-hyun was a little nervous and took another bite of the gukbap in front of him. Gulp, swallowing it down and examining the reaction, he realized that he was fine, unlike at the restaurant, and bent his eyes. Cho-seung, who noticed that he was fine with his clearly brighter momentum, relieved himself. He was worried that if he didn¡¯t eat it this time, it would remain a pretty sad memory, but fortunately, he ate well. ¡°Strawberry.¡± ¡°Ung? Do you want to eat strawberries?¡± ¡°No, not that. I was able to eat strawberries today. It must be because of your pheromones.¡± For some reason, he thought it would work without hesitation. It seemed that what had made him nauseous before would go smoothly thanks to the sufficient pheromones of Cho-seung. He must have had morning sickness because he didn¡¯t receive pheromones while travelling by public transportation at the restaurant today. ¡°You couldn¡¯t eat strawberries because of morning sickness?¡± ¡°Ung. It¡¯s my favourite fruit¡­¡± As he recalled the days when he hadn¡¯t eaten strawberries, an unfair voice came out. Noticing the subtly changed tone, Cho-seung put down the spoon he had lifted to eat and asked. ¡°Shall I buy some strawberries?¡± ¡°No. Let¡¯s eat first. They say they don¡¯t even touch the dog when they eat.¡± (?? ? ?? ? ???, meant don¡¯t make food taste bad or don¡¯t interfere with eating, here) Cho-seung laughed softly at the sight of him shaking his hand while holding chopsticks, telling him to eat quickly and not to worry about going out. Ha-hyun, who picked up a piece of radish kimchi and chewed it while listening to the sound of silly laughter, opened his eyes wide. The gukbap at this house was delicious and the radish kimchi was also delicious. Whether the fact that he could eat gukbap to his heart¡¯s content or not, everything tasted delicious. Moderately seasoned pickled chives were good, sweet onions and ssamjang for dipping them in were also good. ¡°Shall we go for a walk to Dongbaek Island when we¡¯re done?¡± (here) ¡°Dongbaek Island?¡± ¡°Ung. The name of the place where this hotel is located is Dongbaek Island. You didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know?¡± He just booked the accommodation here because it was a hotel, not for that reason. By the way, it was properly connected to the mainland to be called an island. When Ha-hyun tilted his head with a puzzled expression, Cho-seung swallowed the food in his mouth and continued. ¡°I heard that the camellia flower is famous here. They don¡¯t wither now, but it would be nice to come back later when the camellias bloom. Anyway, I heard it¡¯s good to take a walk, didn¡¯t you feel stuffy staying at the hotel?¡± ¡°Uh-ung. I guess it was a bit like that.¡± ¡°Then are you going?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Cho-seung¡¯s expression brightened when he said that he would go for a walk with him. Looking at him who didn¡¯t hide his excitement, Ha-hyun tilted his head slightly and took a bite of the steaming gukbap. It was a little awkward looking at Cho-seung because he felt excited for no reason. Cho-seung, who occasionally placed diced radish kimchi on Ha-hyun¡¯s spoon, opened his mouth as the meal seemed to be finishing. ¡°It said the night view of Haeundae is beautiful. Since we¡¯ve come this far, let¡¯s enjoy what we have to enjoy.¡± Hearing the words ¡°Enjoy what we have to enjoy,¡± Ha-hyun laughed and thought of sashimi (?). It would be nice to catch the fish with a single knife and eat it raw. Still, sashimi during pregnancy wasn¡¯t very good, right? ¡°What are you thinking that makes you look so sad?¡± ¡°Sashimi. After coming all the way to the beach, I couldn¡¯t eat sashimi¡­¡± ¡°¡­shall we have maeuntang?¡± (???, meant spicy fish soup) Cho-seung asked with a normal attitude, though he felt uneasy as the conversation seemed to end with food no matter what it started. Ha-hyun shook his head sullenly at that question and instead chose not to eat. Sashimi couldn¡¯t be replaced with any food. ¡°Then shall we go eat strawberry cake? I think there will be one at a nearby cafe.¡± Although the strawberry season was coming to an end, it wasn¡¯t completely over, so it seemed like there would be a store selling them. Relieved to see his relaxed face at the word strawberry cake, Cho-seung picked up his cell phone and prepared to go to the cafe. ¡°By the way, can we eat at the cafe? Strawberries give you morning sickness.¡± There were many other people in the cafe, so he couldn¡¯t carelessly release pheromones. If he wanted to eat it, he had to ask for a takeaway¡ª ¡°I¡¯m going to eat it. There¡¯s the taste of eating it at a cafe.¡± With a rarely determined tone, Cho-seung gave up persuading him. Let¡¯s try it whether it worked or not. It could have been fine if they shared enough pheromones before going out. ¡°Should I take a pheromone shower¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s a burden.¡± In the first place, it was nothing more than a tool to show possessiveness. Cho-seung, who originally hated the pheromone shower, shook his head, frowning at Ha-hyun¡¯s murmur. No matter how much he said it was good to receive enough of his Alpha¡¯s pheromone, it probably didn¡¯t mean that he should take a pheromone shower. ¡°Or should I put pheromones on my cardigan?¡± ¡°Umm. I think that¡¯s fine.¡± The two of them had a serious conversation with the determination to eat strawberry cake at the cafe and it took an hour for them to put down the spoon they were holding. While Ha-hyun went to brush his teeth after arranging the empty disposable dishes, Cho-seung put pheromones on his cardigan. He lifted up a cardigan that gave off pheromones even at a glance and showed it to Ha-hyun, who returned to the room just in time. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be a nuisance if it was thicker?¡± ¡°Ung. I think that¡¯s enough for now.¡± Wearing a fluffy cardigan, Ha-hyun buried his nose in the sleeve of his clothes. It was his first time wearing clothes with heavy pheromones from Alpha and it turned out surprisingly good. Should he say that it felt good because his mind and body were stable? ¡°Is it okay to take a walk and go to a cafe?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Ha-hyun, who was staring at Cho-seung¡¯s hand in front of him, placed his hand on it. Cho-seung, who held his hand tightly as if he had waited, pulled Ha-hyun gently. ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s a first date.¡± ¡°¡­ung. Right.¡± He thought it was nonsense, but he expressed his affirmation in a small voice because he didn¡¯t want to ruin his excited appearance with useless words. CH 18 It wasn¡¯t the peak season, so after passing through the quiet hotel lobby, the two of them walked slowly along a slightly dark road. The wind felt chilly even for spring, and Cho-seung removed his hand and wrapped his arms around Ha-hyun¡¯s shoulders as soon as he put on his cardigan. ¡°Is it very cold?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s just that the wind is strong.¡± Ha-hyun answered with a frown at the wind blowing his hair and pressed himself to a place where he could feel the warmth. ¡°Should we walk like a penguin?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Then what were you going to do if you fell. When he stabbed his side with his elbow, Cho-seung let out an embarrassing laugh and brushed the nape of his neck. ¡°Then do you want to wear another cardigan?¡± ¡°Not to that extent.¡± Cho-seung, who gently embraced Ha-hyun, brought his body closer. Then, as Ha-hyun¡¯s skin was colder than he thought, so he raised his head to look at the remaining path and stopped his moving feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Why? Let¡¯s enjoy something fun since we came all the way to Busan.¡± ¡°Still. I hope you don¡¯t catch a cold. It¡¯s good to go to a cafe and rest.¡± The road was darker than he thought, so it might be dangerous. Cho-seung added his words quietly and turned his body around. Ha-hyun, who turned around because he was hugged by him, moved as he led him. ¡°Can I really not go for a walk?¡± ¡°We can do it tomorrow when the sun rises. What is urgent. It¡¯s cold.¡± Cho-seung urged him to go in quickly. Ha-hyun, who was worried, shook his head saying that it was okay and walk a little longer, but when the sea breeze blew hard, his body trembled. Cho-seung hurriedly blocked the wind blowing and hugged Ha-hyun. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah, are you very cold?¡± ¡°Uung. It seems a little cold.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t do this.¡± Worried that he might catch a cold like this, Cho-seung hugged him tighter and stroked his cold cheek with a worried face. ¡°As expected, let¡¯s go quickly. They say you can¡¯t even take medicine if you¡¯re sick when you¡¯re pregnant.¡± Hearing that, Ha-hyun didn¡¯t insist anymore. As he said, he was in trouble when he caught a cold and he wasn¡¯t alone. Cho-seung carefully led Ha-hyun to the cafe he had found in advance. Ha-hyun, who followed his lead and covered his mouth with his sleeve, suddenly noticed that the strong pheromone had faded and stabbed Cho-seung in the side. At that, Cho-seung pushed his body back and touched his stabbed side. ¡°This hurts a little bit.¡± ¡°Sorry. But the pheromone has weakened.¡± It was cute to see Ha-hyun waving his hand with his arms outstretched, saying, ¡°Look at this.¡± Cho-seung watched it and came to his senses with the gesture asking him to do something quickly. ¡°Ung? Ah¡ªI guess the wind must have been strong.¡± Cho-seung looked around and confirmed that no one was there, took off the cardigan he was wearing and handed it to Ha-hyun. Ha-hyun took off his outerwear and changed into a cardigan he had just received. Ha-hyun, whose hands were covered with loose sleeves, buried his face in his clothes that were heavily scented with pine trees. As expected, Cho-seung¡¯s pheromone had a corner that made people feel drowsy. Cozy, soft, and refreshing at the same time. Ha-hyun, whose eyes were relaxed in an instant with a dreamy feeling, slowly closed his eyes. ¡°The sea breeze makes the pheromones fall faster.¡± While muttering in a troubled tone, Cho-seung put pheromones on his cardigan to the extent that he thought it was excessive. Ha-hyun, who had buried his face in his soft fabric, suddenly raised his face at the slightly more fragrant scent of pine trees. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Reflexively taking a step closer, Ha-hyun buried his lips in the nape of Cho-seung¡¯s neck, which had the thickest pheromone. Tiptoeing his feet while resting on his shoulder, he naturally leaned on Cho-seung. Cho-seung, who was holding his hand with the cardigan awkwardly, first wrapped his arms around Ha-hyun¡¯s waist to keep him stable. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve felt such a strong pheromone up close.¡± ¡°Um. You have to make it that strong to be buried in a cardigan.¡± He said he cared, but he thought it was still not enough. Cho-seung reflected on what had happened and calmly released the pheromone until Ha-hyun was satisfied. Ha-hyun, who received Cho-seung¡¯s pheromone until he was satisfied, arrived at the cafe in a good mood. When he entered the moderately warm and bright room, his shrunken body relaxed. Ha-hyun followed Cho-seung to the counter and nodded his head in satisfaction as he listened to the menus he ordered. ¡°Ah¡­ What should I do?¡± And that fuzzy feeling began to be broken by the ominous preface, and Ha-hyun shook his head without realizing it. He really wanted to deny it¡­ ¡°There is no strawberry cake.¡± As Ha-hyun stepped aside from the checkout counter, his expression changed to an unfair one and Cho-seung stretched out his arm and then wrapped his arms around him, comforting him. ¡°How about strawberry milk?¡± ¡°Yes. That is possible.¡± ¡°Then one croffle, one strawberry milk, and one iced americano please.¡± (???, here) Cho-seung, who led the depressed Ha-hyun to sit down, wondered how to soothe him. He didn¡¯t expect it would be out of stock. ¡°It was served with croffle and strawberries.¡± ¡°There is only a little.¡± ¡°Shall we buy strawberries before entering the hotel?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ha-hyun shook his head and buried his face in his sleeve. He exhaled, feeling the pheromone that was still there to appease his sad heart. ¡°Should I make strawberry syrup? Then you can easily eat at home.¡± ¡°Can you make it?¡± ¡°It comes up if you search for it these days.¡± Hearing that he was making strawberry syrup, Ha-hyun raised his head and nodded quickly. He was so excited about having fresh strawberry milk at home that he forgot his gloom over no cake. In the meantime, Cho-seung, who had received the prepared drink, placed a strawberry drink in front of Ha-hyun. ¡°How is it. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Uung. It¡¯s delicious.¡± But he couldn¡¯t even eat half of it. It wasn¡¯t that it was tasteless, it was really delicious, but¡­ The problem was that Cho-seung¡¯s pheromone was thin, so he thought he was going to get morning sickness. Obviously, the pheromone remaining on the clothes was thick, but it didn¡¯t have much effect because it wasn¡¯t the pheromone flowing out of the body. When Ha-hyun felt deep regret, Cho-seung spoke to him in a soft tone as if soothing him. ¡°Let¡¯s grab a takeout drink when we go out. It will be fine if you drink it at the hotel.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± He didn¡¯t want to be so depressed because he couldn¡¯t drink just one drink, but it was so unfair because there were beans in his stomach, no, Bo-reum and Geum-eum. Seeing the tearful eyes, Cho-seung was taken aback. ¡°¡­are you crying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crying.¡± Hearing that the croffle was ready, Cho-seung quickly brought it and took a strawberry next to it and put it in Ha-hyun¡¯s mouth. Ha-hyun, who reflexively chewed the strawberry in his mouth slowly, enjoyed the sweet syrup and the sour taste of the strawberry. Cho-seung drank the coffee he had left behind, feeling relieved at the slightly brighter expression on his face. ¡°This syrup is delicious.¡± He raised a knife to cut the bread, smeared it with fruit and syrup on it, and ate it with a satisfied smile. Ha-hyun carefully checked the condition every time he ate a strawberry and put the fork down after finishing it until the end. ¡°Shall I order more?¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t eat strawberries anymore.¡± He ate strawberries this morning too, but he guessed that wasn¡¯t enough. Ha-hyun, who repeated eating again after subduing it with a pheromone on his sleeve whenever he felt sick, felt embarrassed for nothing. Originally, he was proud that he wasn¡¯t greedy for food, but that was gradually changing. Especially with strawberries. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this before¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I feel like I get obsessed with small things.¡± There were many times when he travelled on impulse. When he was at home with nothing to do, he suddenly felt the urge to leave somewhere and Ha-hyun didn¡¯t suppress that feeling. Therefore, it was just like him leading the bewildered Cho-seung down to Busan. However, it was strange that he was sad because he hadn¡¯t eaten gukbap due to morning sickness and that he felt unfair because he didn¡¯t receive strawberries. It was normal to pass it on, saying that he could come back next time and eat it when he could eat again¡ª ¡°As expected, it¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one like this.¡± Doing this and that. It said that even though mountains and rivers changed after 10 years, humans couldn¡¯t stay the same. Cho-seung said in a nontrivial way that the time had come for his personality to change. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Ung. That¡¯s right.¡± While Cho-seung looked away for a moment, Ha-hyun took a sip of the coffee in front of him and habitually bit the straw. ¡°Caffeine.¡± ¡°Ung. Just one sip.¡± After finishing his mouthful, he passed the coffee back to Cho-seung without regret and stirred the remaining drink with a straw. ¡°See.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± ¡°Shall we go to Jeonju?¡± (??, here) The weather was fine and Cho-seung reflexively tried to nod at the words that came out naturally as if they were giving daily greetings, but soon realized the meaning and showed a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Jeonju.¡± ¡°¡­are you going to eat bibimbap?¡± (Jeonju bibimbap is a well-known, traditional local food) Probably. He wasn¡¯t really sure. Even as he said it, he thought that if it was Ha-hyun, that would be the case for some reason. When he woke up today, he didn¡¯t expect he was going to come to Busan, but they were here now anyway. ¡°Not that. Um, there¡¯s a gukbap restaurant I saw on TV.¡± ¡°You want to go eat it there?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Ah. Cho-seung let out a sigh and sensed it. Apparently, when Ha-hyun was pregnant, it was such an intuition that sudden food trips like today would continue endlessly. CH 19 ¡°Ha-hyun-ah, wake up.¡± When the warm thing next to him disappeared and felt empty, Ha-hyun woke up from his slumber. Just as he heard him calling, he (Ha-hyun) rubbed his heavy eyelids and his calloused hands (Cho-seung¡¯s) stopped him. ¡°You will get hurt.¡± He gently rubbed his eyelids and comforted Ha-hyun until he came to his senses. As he began to doze off again due to his warm touch, Cho-seung hurriedly withdrew his hand. He guessed it was better to give up trying to pull himself out of sleep completely. He seemed to be in a shallow state of consciousness, so Cho-seung spoke out in a quiet voice. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah.¡± ¡°Ung¡­¡± ¡°I have to go to work. I cooked something, so don¡¯t buy anything and eat it.¡± ¡°Ung¡­¡± Cho-seung laughed at Ha-hyun, who just nodded without knowing what he was saying. Tossing and turning at the sound of low laughter, he patted his body in a steady rhythm to put him back to sleep. Cho-seung wrapped another blanket over his body as if to replace his missing body temperature, hugged him tightly, kissed him on the forehead one last time, and left the room. * * * Going to work with a pregnant partner was more insecure than he thought. Especially since he, a recessive omega, was pregnant with twins. Besides, since he had endured nine weeks, or more, without alpha pheromones, he might have been more anxious for some reason. It would be nice if it could be filled (in with pheromones) at once, but it was a job that required time to fill in the missing parts, so it was burdensome to be away for a long time. When he came back from Busan yesterday, he repeatedly asked Ha-hyun if it was okay to be alone, but he just said that it didn¡¯t matter because he seemed to be lacking in awareness. ¡°I should quit my job quickly¡­¡± Cho-seung, who muttered while putting on his shoes with a stick, looked at the bedroom where Ha-hyun was sleeping. Apparently, there was one member of the team who applied for a leave of absence because his partner was pregnant, but he wondered how he endured it until the application deadline was reached. Realizing that it was a big deal only when it became his time, Cho-seung scratched his head and took off the shoes he was wearing. ¡°Let¡¯s just put pheromone so he can build a nest.¡± He really should just do this and go to work. Really. Unaware that this was the fourth time he had come back from the front door like this, Cho-seung took out the blanket from the sofa and his clothes from the dressing room. He was sitting in the middle of the living room, smearing pheromones on his clothes one by one, when Ha-hyun came out of the bedroom. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Ah, are you awake?¡± Ha-hyun looked at Cho-seung, who was still at home and at the clock hanging in the living room, then tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s 8:40.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± It was merely reciting the time, but Cho-seung, startled, looked at his watch. He woke up around 6:30, but he didn¡¯t know when the time became like this. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Are you not going to work?¡± ¡°No, no! Wait a minute, I have to go.¡± Cho-seung, who barely came to his senses at Ha-hyun¡¯s words, hurriedly organized his clothes and headed for the front door. Following him to see him off, Ha-hyun¡¯s nose hit Cho-seung¡¯s back when he suddenly stopped. Hearing his pain, Cho-seung quickly turned around and bent down. ¡°Sorry, does it hurt a lot?¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s fine.¡± Ha-hyun, who was shaking his head while rubbing his nose, raised his head at the soft, wet touch he felt on his forehead. ¡°I put pheromones on the clothes I arranged in the living room. Use it to build a nest. And you should eat well, I¡¯ll come back as early as possible. If you want something to eat, don¡¯t go out and call me. Texting is fine.¡± ¡°You nag too much.¡± ¡°It can be dangerous, so don¡¯t go out without someone accompanying you.¡± I know, so go quickly. You¡¯re late. Not wanting to hear the nagging, Ha-hyun pushed Cho-seung¡¯s chest hard. Cho-seung, who had been pushed, soon turned around and put on the shoes he had already taken off four times. ¡°If you feel any pain, call me right away. Got it?¡± ¡°I get it, I get it.¡± I¡¯m old enough to be nagged. Ha-hyun shook his head and kicked Cho-seung out of the house, telling him to go to work quickly, and sighed as he heard the front door closing. The new housemate was nagging too much. Besides, he was very worried. * * * Meanwhile, for the first time in his life, Cho-seung was late for work and tried to adjust his expression while receiving stares. Embarrassed by the team leader¡¯s words that he was concerned, thinking that he had been in an accident, he apologized and sat down. Just because he decided to leave the company, the work didn¡¯t disappear, but Cho-seung first started working as usual. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to ask the team leader to take some time to convey his words through his personal messenger. If he thought of a takeover, he would be able to quit the company after a month, but he wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to hold on until then. How nice it would be to quit after giving a resignation letter. Knowing that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy, Cho-seung let out a sigh. After spending the morning mechanically tapping on the keyboard, he stood up at the invitation of the team leader to have lunch together. ¡®I should call Ha-hyun¡ª¡¯ Had he eaten. He was worried that he might have driven outside because he wanted something else to eat. To be honest, even while working, he spent his time thinking about Ha-hyun, who was alone at home. It was safe to say that work efficiency had seriously decreased. ¡°So, what happened?¡± After taking a bite of the doganitang that came out quickly and rinsing his mouth with water at the question, Cho-seung chose his words for a moment. (????, meant ox knee soup, here) ¡°I¡¯m going to resign.¡± ¡°What?¡± The team leader, who was making a list of what Cho-seung would say in his head, put down his spoon at the word resignation. ¡°Why? Did you get any good offers?¡± There was a possibility. Cho-seung was a famous person in the industry. However, he had been treated pretty well by the company now, so he wondered if there could be a better offer than that. ¡°That¡¯s not it. I¡¯m going to be unemployed for a while.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Because my partner is pregnant.¡± When the word ¡°partner¡± came out of his mouth, he unconsciously remembered Ha-hyun and smiled. The team leader, who was sitting across from him and watching him, calmed down his bewilderment. ¡°You know that our company can take maternity leave even if your partner is pregnant, right?¡± ¡°That period is not enough. My partner is a recessive omega. He happened to be pregnant with twins.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ It would be a problem.¡± The team leader, who immediately understood the reason for leaving the company, had a headache. If Cho-seung was a simple new employee, he would have just submitted his resignation without any hassle, but he was a key person in the department. As such, it wasn¡¯t something that could be easily solved by hiring new recruits. ¡°First of all, I understand. It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re going to change your mind and it¡¯s not even a matter of that. I¡¯ll try to get the resignation date as soon as possible. But it will be two weeks at least.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you for your consideration.¡± Cho-seung, who received a clear answer, was satisfied. As he listened to the words of dissuade, his concerns that the processing might be delayed were to no avail. After finishing the planned conversation, the two emptied the bowl cleanly while talking about work. As he was about to return to work, Cho-seung stopped walking when his phone vibrated. ¡°Shall I go in first?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I will go in later.¡± Ha-hyun¡¯s name was on the screen, so he urgently wanted to check the contents, but he raised his head at the team leader¡¯s sudden words. After a short conversation, he stepped out of the way and let out a smile at the content of the short text message. [I want to eat kimchijjim.] (???, meant braised kimchi, here) He laughed when he saw a photo attached to prove that he had emptied the breakfast he had prepared in advance under it. He couldn¡¯t control the twitching of his lips. After repeatedly enlarging the picture that filled the screen with two fingers, he left the message app and immediately called Ha-hyun. [¡­are you not working?] ¡°There¡¯s such a thing called lunchtime.¡± [Ah.] As soon as the connection was made, the first thing he said was, ¡°Are you not working.¡± ¡°I can make kimchijjim, but it takes a long time to eat it quickly. Are you okay though?¡± [Then I¡¯ll order the food.] Order food. Recalling the stimulating taste unique to delivery food, Cho-seung made a disapproving expression, but he said he would understand it. How sad it was to not be able to eat what he wanted to eat. ¡°Alright, Ha-hyun-ah.¡± [Uung?] He seemed to have switched to the speakerphone as if he was already looking for a store. He stuck out his tongue at his quick execution and asked what he had forgotten. ¡°Do you like dongchimi?¡± (varian of kimchi that Cho-seung¡¯s mom made) [Dongchimi¡­? Ung. I want to eat it.] Thanks to Cho-seung¡¯s words, Ha-hyun naturally recalled dongchimi and swallowed his saliva. Cool, sweet soup and crunchy radish. When he thought of dongchimi with thin ice, his mouth drooled. ¡°Right. Anything else you want to eat?¡± [Something else? Pajeon¡­ No, I want to eat buchujeon.] (??, pajeon meant green-onion pancake, here; ???, buchujeon meant chive pancake, here) Fortunately, it was a quick dish. Cho-seung, secretly nervous about what to do if he said something like kimchijjim, was relieved. He thought it would be all he needed to buy pancake powder and chives when he left work. [Ah, come to think of it, do you know hayan sundubujjigae?] (?? ?????, meant white soft tofu stew) ¡°Hayan sundubujjigae?¡± [Ung. I saw it on the internet today.] What the hell is hayan sundubujjigae. Cho-seung, who knew only the red soup for sundubujjigae, tilted his head slightly. Why ate it if sundubujjigae didn¡¯t taste spicy? [It looked delicious.] ¡°You want to go eat it?¡± [Ung. Let¡¯s go on the weekend.] A voice filled with anticipation returned, probably forgetting that he had asked to go to Jeonju to eat gukbap. Cho-seung decided not to remind him of the story he had already forgotten and replied that he would. The idea that he might be able to make it through a national tour by the time he gave birth seemed like it would really come true. CH 20 After a short phone call with Cho-seung, Ha-hyun twisted his flowing hair. ¡°Nest¡­¡± Should I make it? Ha-hyun, who had never made a nest before, was worried about the clothes full of Cho-seung¡¯s pheromone. He didn¡¯t have a single alpha he was close enough to make a nest with and above all, he, a recessive omega, never felt the need to do so. Even if he had heat, he could control it with medicine and he only had heat once a quarter. In many ways, the situation was like that, so even when Cho-seung left his clothes for making a nest, he wondered if he really needed them. He obviously thought so. ¡°I feel like I want to make it.¡± He thought it would be cozy and would sleep well. Ha-hyun, who had been picking out good reasons one by one as if he was persuading himself, eventually took the piled clothes in his arms and moved them to the bedroom. He hated it because the living room floor was hard. He should have told Cho-seung to move it from there before going. Still, it was a little too much to ask such a favour of someone who was late for work. He put away the blanket that was lightly smeared with Cho-seung¡¯s pheromone, thanks to sleeping together in bed for about two days, and piled the clothes high and round. After checking it by pressing it with the palm of his hand, he brought the blanket that he had put away when it became moderately soft. He wrapped himself in the nest, hugging the soft blanket, and enjoyed the scent of pine trees brushing his nose. ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s very addictive.¡± They said that even if they had never made it, there was no one who had made it only once and that was exactly what they said. It was quite ecstatic to feel the scent flowing from the clothes permeate the body. The pheromone that flowed straight from Cho-seung¡¯s body was good, but it seemed that there was nothing like a nest when it was away. Ha-hyun, who blinked fiercely while enjoying the sense of stability, soon felt heavy in his eyes. In a quiet room with a digital clock in place, there was no ticking sound, and as he was burying himself in the nest, the sleep he hadn¡¯t had before came flooding in. He yawned and thought for a moment whether he should walk a little since he hadn¡¯t exercised in a long time, but he didn¡¯t intend to actually do it. He had no desire to leave this cozy place. Besides, Cho-seung also told him to stay at home if possible. Ha-hyun, who made an excuse naturally and closed his eyes, fell asleep while exhaling evenly. * * * Cho-seung left the company as soon as it was time for getting off work. Since he wasn¡¯t an employee who was aiming to leave work on time, a curious gaze followed him, but the team leader who knew the truth didn¡¯t stop him. He left the company without any interruption, bought ingredients for the food Ha-hyun wanted to eat, and hurriedly went home. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah, I¡¯m here.¡± In the quiet living room, he put down the bag containing the ingredients on the table and looked at the sofa first. Did he go out for a while? No, to say the least, the shoes he wore often were still in the hallway. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah?¡± Cho-seung went straight to the bedroom and was stopped by the scent of ylang-ylang. It was a pheromone that didn¡¯t hide the feeling of drowsiness that had never been smelled before. In an instant, Cho-seung¡¯s expression was relieved to the fullest like a drunk man. The more he sniffed the pheromone, the more he became more and more lethargic. Cho-seung barely made it to the bedside, and before he knew it, even his eyelids became heavy. Ha-hyun, a recessive omega, didn¡¯t have strong pheromones, but the scent of ylang-ylang was strong in the bedroom as it was released for a long time in an enclosed space. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for waking you up.¡± When he looked at the kitchen, he seemed to have eaten kimchijjim he so longed for. The problem was dinner. Seeing Ha-hyun not thinking of waking up even though it was already seven o¡¯clock, Cho-seung sat down on the floor. If he climbed onto the soft bed, he would fall asleep right away and it was uncomfortable to go up in outdoor clothes. He wanted to make buchujon batter in advance, but he gave up because he was afraid that Ha-hyun wouldn¡¯t want to eat it. Cho-seung noticed that he couldn¡¯t feel his own pheromone from his clothes anymore, so he let go of the pheromone he was suppressing. Don¡¯t be in too much, but don¡¯t be devoured by Ha-hyun¡¯s pheromone. As he pondered over the dinner menu, he released enough pheromones into the room and lifted his heavy body. He went to Busan on the weekend, so he was tired today. First of all, after washing, he looked at Ha-hyun¡¯s condition then Cho-seung yawned and took a step whether he wanted to eat dinner or not. ¡°Uung¡­¡± Did he wake up? Cho-seung, who was about to grab the metal handle, stopped moving at the small sound. Ah, should he not wash and prepare dinner right away? ¡°¡­you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t eat dinner.¡± ¡°Uung¡­ Did you have a good trip?¡± It was ambiguous as if the conversation seemed to be continuing, but the two continued their conversation that way anyway. Ha-hyun closed his eyes tightly as if his eyelids were still heavy and moved to the bedside. Seeing that he was lying on the edge of the bed and was about to fall, Cho-seung approached Ha-hyun. ¡°Are you going to wake up?¡± ¡°Uung. Please help get me up.¡± Cho-seung, who raised Ha-hyun up in line with his stretching arms, didn¡¯t lose his arms wrapped around his waist. Ha-hyun, who clung to Cho-seung like a cicada clinging to the old tree, rubbed his cheek against his shoulder and barely opened his eyes. ¡°Leave it for tomorrow as well.¡± (It seems to refer to making a nest) ¡°Was the nest okay?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± That¡¯s a relief. The two left the bedroom, walking at the speed of slugs while facing each other, and naturally headed for the kitchen. Ha-hyun, who was sitting on the chair and was about to fall on the table, was blocked by the bag already taking up his seat. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I bought it to make buchu, lemon syrup, and strawberry syrup.¡± ¡°Lemon syrup¡­?¡± He didn¡¯t know what the word touched him, but Ha-hyun¡¯s eyes twinkled. Then he jumped up and trotted back to the bedroom to take out his cell phone. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Do you like dessert?¡± ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Ha-hyun, who quickly moved his fingers to make a call somewhere, touched his lips, probably nervous. Hurry, pick it up, quickly. [Yes, Boss.] ¡°Are there any desserts left today?¡± [Left? Today, lemon financiers and egg tarts, what else again¡­ ah! It¡¯s been a while since we made a grapefruit tart.] It seemed that the patissier made a lot today. At this time, almost all desserts were sold out, but if there were three kinds left, there were many left. ¡°Are there many desserts left?¡± [It¡¯s not many. One financier, two egg tarts, and three pieces of tart.] ¡°Pack all the egg tarts and financier, also pack only one tart.¡± Concerned that the dessert might be sold out at that moment, Ha-hyun spoke in a hurry unlike usual and let out a long breath. In response, Cho-seung handed over the glass of water he had prepared and he drank it all at once. [When are you coming?] ¡°No¡­¡± He was taken aback as he looked at Cho-seung with his words blurry. How could he guess when he didn¡¯t even know where Ha-hyun was going? ¡°Can we get there in 30 minutes?¡± ¡°Ung. We can go.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go right away.¡± Ha-hyun, shook his head, saying, did you hear it? When he asked, the manager, who said that he would prepare it right away over the phone, hung up. ¡°What was that just now?¡± ¡°A cafe where I¡¯m the boss?¡± ¡°Aha.¡± At those questionable words, Cho-seung immediately realized what they meant. It meant that he didn¡¯t touch the actual management. First of all, Cho-seung arranged the ingredients he bought and gestured to Ha-hyun, who was still sitting at the table. ¡°Get dressed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just wear a cardigan.¡± Seeing the clothes that were obviously pyjamas, Cho-seung wanted to recommend him one more clothes, but he let him do as he wished. The two left the house side by side with the car keys and tried to take the elevator, but Ha-hyun hurriedly blocked Cho-seung. ¡°Wh, why?¡± ¡°Why is my hair like this?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It was only then that he realized what he had forgotten because he was so used to it. Actually, the back of his head had been floating since he woke up, but he didn¡¯t say it because he was at home anyway. He forgot now. Cho-seung grabbed Ha-hyun as he was about to go back into the house and dragged him into the elevator, then combed it with his fingers. There was no way his loose hair could have been fixed it well, but it became neat to some extent. Ha-hyun sighed as he looked at his half-straight hair. ¡°You should tell me.¡± ¡°I forgot because I was used to it.¡± Sorry. He nodded his head willingly since there was nothing to be too angry at the words that followed quietly. Ha-hyun yawned softly as he pressed the palm of his hand to make his hair sink. ¡°Are you still sleepy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of your pheromones. I keep falling asleep¡­¡± Cho-seung, who listened to his continued grumbling while holding his hand from rubbing his eyes, raised his mouth. He didn¡¯t seem to notice it himself, but over the past few days, he could see that Ha-hyun¡¯s attitude has become more comfortable with him. The person who just finished saying that he was simply going to sleep naturally complained. Ha-hyun hesitated as he looked up at Cho-seung, whose eyes were bent in a proud mood. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No¡­ your expression, no.¡± Ha-hyun evaded his words. It wasn¡¯t a feeling that could be explained. He thought his eyes seemed adoring as if looking at a cute creature. He didn¡¯t know if that was an exact expression, but he was sure it felt similar. It was because of that that he instinctively fell away from Cho-seung. Even though he was hugged. Ha-hyun was dragged along as Cho-seung gently wrapped his arm around his shoulder and pulled him. He slowly released the pheromone as if he was being attracted by Cho-seung¡¯s pheromone on the suit. ¡°Can we do this here?¡± ¡°Um¡­ then in the car?¡± When the elevator door opened at just the right time, the two headed to the car and had a brief scuffle. ¡°Am I driving?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know the way.¡± ¡°How well the navigation has been these days.¡± Ha-hyun, who saw Cho-seung¡¯s car once, suddenly realized that he hadn¡¯t brought his car key. He didn¡¯t even think that he had to take care of the car keys as he was moving being led by Cho-seung. No, actually, when he saw him take the key, he naturally thought that it would be okay not to take his. ¡°Alright.¡± Ha-hyun answered sulky and climbed into the passenger seat. He entered the caf¨¦ address in the navigation as soon as he started the engine and leaned back comfortably in his chair. ¡°Are you mad?¡± ¡°What do you mean being mad at thirty-three¡­¡± ¡°Are you upset then?¡± ¡°¡­no.¡± Ha-hyun, who answered like shedding, let out a deep sigh. He couldn¡¯t help but pout his lips because his answer just looked really upset. CH 21 ¡°Are you here?¡± The manager, who greeted him as usual even though he saw him entering side by side with a man he had never seen before, brought out a box of prepared desserts. Until then, Ha-hyun had been sulking with a little resentment left, but Cho-seung glanced at him and bit his lips tightly to hold back a laugh. At first glance, his expression was the same as usual, but upon closer look, his facial muscles were subtly distorted. When he asked him if he was pissed, he seemed to pout. ¡°Here is the egg tart and grapefruit tart. Financier is here. Understand? If possible, eat it today or tomorrow.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to eat it all today?¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine, well.¡± After saying courtesy, he glanced up at Cho-seung. Seeing his eyes full of curiosity, Ha-hyun followed the manager and raised his head to look at Cho-seung. ¡°My partner.¡± The manager, who was nodding his head at what Ha-hyun said and blinked at the sudden question. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to live single?¡± ¡°I got him.¡± ¡°In that short time?¡± ¡°Somehow¡­¡± There was no detailed explanation, but the manager, who decided not to be surprised by Ha-hyun¡¯s incident, only nodded. His boss wasn¡¯t even a child of one or two years old, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about everything. Cho-seung, who listened to the conversation between the two, was slightly moved by Ha-hyun¡¯s words. He liked the words that were premised on the fact that they were living together and that he didn¡¯t hesitate to say that they were partners. ¡°Here, I prepared plain yoghurt and Americano for you to eat on your way home.¡± ¡°Want some?¡± Ha-hyun, who had just picked up the yoghurt, handed the coffee to Cho-seung and asked as he (Cho-seung) accept it calmly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No. By the way, are you going right away?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten dinner, so I¡¯m going. I will come again next time.¡± ¡°Tell me in the morning the next time you come. I¡¯ll leave it separately.¡± Ha-hyun nodded his head with a fresh smile at the words that made him feel good just to hear. Cho-seung had a packed box of desserts, glanced at Ha-hyun, who left the cafe first, and followed him. When Ha-hyun raised his empty hand to greet the manager for the last time, the silent Cho-seung opened the glass door with his body. Ha-hyun took a bite of yoghurt while heading to where the car was parked and suddenly stopped walking. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I should have eaten strawberries¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ha-hyun, who could eat strawberries without morning sickness as long as Cho-seung was around, clicked his tongue in regret. Now that the strawberry season was coming to an end, he thought he should buy some frozen strawberries. ¡°What about dinner? I bought the ingredients for buchujon, are you going to eat it?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll make it.¡± As time passed, Ha-hyun, who forgot all about the grievances, sipped on the cold drink as he and Cho-seung walked along the road. * * * As the day for the fourth medical treatment approached, Ha-hyun looked at his calendar with a new feeling. It¡¯s week 11 now¡­ what did you do in 11 weeks? His stomach hadn¡¯t showed it yet and he had a throbbing sensation in his lower back or a pulling sensation in his lower abdomen from time to time, but it wasn¡¯t too annoying. He was as usual as if he would have forgotten that he was pregnant if it wasn¡¯t for the morning sickness. ¡°I can go alone.¡± ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Ung. I¡¯m done.¡± Would it be okay for a person who was about to retire to use half a day? Ha-hyun, who had never been to a company, was curious, but he must have taken care of it, so he decided not to care. ¡°Do you have anything to check today?¡± ¡°Well. Wouldn¡¯t we check just to make sure we¡¯re healthy?¡± On the surface, there seemed to be no problem, but the fact that it could be different after being tested made Cho-seung anxious. * * * The two went to the hospital and met the same doctor in the same clinic without fail and were invited to unexpected treatment. ¡°A dentist?¡± ¡°Yes. Usually, when you enter the 10th week, you will be checked for periodontal disease. It¡¯s about heritage. Since it¡¯s the 11th week now, it¡¯s time for you to check that, so please make sure to go there.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Unlike Ha-hyun, who nodded with a bitter expression, Cho-seung seriously contemplated which dentist to go to. Should he go back to his usual place or should he look elsewhere. ¡°There is nothing wrong today either. Both the children and the mother are healthy. Do you have any particular pain?¡± ¡°Sometimes my stomach feels pulled.¡± ¡°On a scale of 1 to 10, how much is your pain?¡± ¡°3? 4? It¡¯s not that painful¡­¡± Cho-seung, who didn¡¯t even know that Ha-hyun was hurt, was surprised by his words. He had been with him for several days already, but he didn¡¯t even know he was getting a stomach ache. Was it because he was indifferent or was it because Ha-hyun didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Still, he didn¡¯t want to blame Ha-hyun, so Cho-seung decided to pay more attention to him. ¡°Does your partner pay attention to pheromones?¡± ¡°Yes. He replaces it with building a nest during the day. Is this helpful?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s best to share it themself, but it¡¯s also good to let them build a nest.¡± Ha-hyun, who listened to various advice, slowly put on a bored expression. He really thought about it every time, but the conversation was too long, perhaps because he was pregnant with twins and with the body of a recessive omega. ¡°I¡¯m telling you in advance because there are a lot of curious people, it¡¯s okay to have sex if you enter the 12th week. To be honest, if you¡¯re a recessive omega, you can do it even in the early stages, but it must have been difficult because you have twins. But it¡¯s better to avoid knotting.¡± The two, who had never had sex or even lightly kissed since their first meeting, looked at each other naturally. There was skinship, but they had no intention of having sex. Maybe it was because he was pregnant, but everything became plain. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next week.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Cho-seung led him, Ha-hyun continued to ponder. He was originally on the easy-going side, but he didn¡¯t know what Cho-seung was like. Besides, he had never been attracted to sex or even masturbation, probably because he was pregnant. But, wouldn¡¯t Cho-seung be different? Besides, he¡¯s not even pregnant like him. Ha-hyun, who got into the car, leaned back to his chair in a half-lying position and looked at Cho-seung, who was holding the wheel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ha-hyun-ah?¡± Cho-seung, who was about to start going, took his foot off the accelerator and looked back at Ha-hyun. ¡°No¡­ I just remembered it after hearing that it was okay to have sex, are you okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die if I can¡¯t do it for just a few months. Besides, I¡¯m not an animal.¡± He¡¯d agree that he wasn¡¯t a beast, but the problem was elsewhere. ¡°How about your rut?¡± In the case of omegas, the heat didn¡¯t come naturally when pregnant, but it wasn¡¯t the case for alphas. At Ha-hyun¡¯s question, Cho-seung, who was pondering about the rut period only then, was relieved to realize that it was still far away. ¡°I can pass it with medicine? It¡¯s about a month away, so I¡¯ll have to go to the hospital before then.¡± Cho-seung, who said it insignificantly, started the engine. At that moment, while (Cho-seung) taking out his cell phone to answer the call, Ha-hyun took out a snack from his car and held it in his hand. ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± [It said dongchimi arrived today, are you outside?] Cho-seung exclaimed at the news that it had arrived earlier than expected. ¡°I¡¯m going in now. Shall I put it in the refrigerator?¡± [Do you have a kimchi refrigerator?] ¡°Ah¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like¡ª¡± ¡°There is.¡± After taking a bite of the chocolate bar, Ha-hyun chewed and said it. There was no room in the kitchen, so it was left out in the utility room. It wasn¡¯t strange that Cho-seung didn¡¯t know about it because Ha-hyun did it as an exercise to run the washing machine for a few days. (??? ???? ??? ? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?? ????) ¡°There is?¡± ¡°Ung. In the utility room.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± The two of them had a conversation until they heard a voice over the phone and realized that they were still on the phone. [Are you with your partner?] ¡°Ah, yes. By the way, did I tell you I was moving the other day?¡± [You did. You said you sold all your home appliances and packed your stuff? I¡¯ll do that for you. To change some of the appliances in your hometown.] Cho-seung, who was reluctant to leave Ha-hyun alone to do what he had to do for at least a day, was delighted. He could only be stuck all day two days out of the week and he had to spend another day of those two days to do moving. That¡¯s why he thought about moving in, but he couldn¡¯t dare to do so. After a while, Ha-hyun, who had eaten two chocolate bars by the time the call was over, was about to pick up another one, but Cho-seung intervened which made him pout his lips. ¡°You need to eat dinner.¡± ¡°Ung. But did Mother make dongchimi?¡± ¡°She said she just made it this time.¡± It supposed so. Ha-hyun, who spoke tearfully, blinked slowly as he looked out the window. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t hated by his mother-to-be. * * * Upon returning home, the two were greeted by a big delivery box blocking the door. They didn¡¯t know how she sent this big box, but both of them expressed a puzzled look at the larger amount than expected. ¡°I think we can eat it for a year.¡± ¡°Take it first. We should carry it in.¡± As Cho-seung grabbed the edge of the box and pulled it away from the door, Ha-hyun pressed the keypad to open the door. Ha-hyun, who was trying to help him, was surprised when Cho-seung freaked out. ¡°Wh, why.¡± ¡°What is a pregnant person trying to do? I¡¯ll do it.¡± Thinking about it, he remembered that the doctor had told him not to lift anything heavy. He didn¡¯t want him (Ha-hyun) to do it, so he decided to go into the house first and guide Cho-seung to the utility room. ¡°Come to think of it, did you do the laundry too?¡± ¡°Ung. I want to move a little.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about heavy things. In the future, I will do it when I get back.¡± Even though the gathered clothes weren¡¯t that heavy, Ha-hyun just nodded his head. After safely carrying the box of dongchimi, Cho-seung sighed involuntarily. There was no need to send them this much, but the word that his pregnant partner wanted to eat seemed to stimulate his mother. ¡°What do you want to eat today?¡± ¡°Nakjibokkeum. Do you want to eat it with dongchimi?¡± (????, nakjibokkeum meant stir-fried octopus, here) ¡°Oh¡­ do you want to order it?¡± It turned out that dongchimi seemed to have stimulated another person. Unfortunately, Cho-seung, who didn¡¯t have octopus among the ingredients he bought, had no choice but to recommend the delivery food. CH 22 After two weeks passed, Cho-seung left the company feeling refreshed. Finally, he didn¡¯t have to feel nervous when he was away from Ha-hyun. He climbed into the car with light steps and called Ha-hyun. And today, Ha-hyun, who was buried in the nest and fell asleep as always, barely opened his eyes to the repeated vibration and answered the phone. ¡°Why¡­¡± Ha-hyun, who asked the other person about the matter without checking the phone he received, rubbed his heavy eyelids when the familiar voice returned. [You¡¯ve been frustrated, right? Shall we go for a walk for a while?] Cho-seung, who asked Ha-hyun to stay at home because he was worried about sending him out alone, asked with an apologetic heart. Ha-hyun, who didn¡¯t enjoy going out of the house, didn¡¯t even care, but he looked out the window where the sun was still shining and expressed his affirmation. Cho-seung seemed to have been a bit frustrated since he has been repeating his daily routine of going to the park in front of his house to get some fresh air after work. [How about a movie?] ¡°The movie is good. But I¡¯m still in bed.¡± It meant he wanted to linger in bed more. Cho-seung smiled softly at Ha-hyun¡¯s words. He still had 20 minutes to go home and was in no hurry. [I¡¯ll go home first. Lie down for a while.] ¡°Ung.¡± Cho-seung almost burst out in laughter after Ha-hyun didn¡¯t hesitate to answer immediately. * * * Ha-hyun, who was wandering around in bed until Cho-seung arrived, got out of bed as if he was being dragged out. ¡°Uung. My nest¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need a nest because I¡¯m here.¡± It was true that the owner of the pheromone buried in the nest was Cho-seung, but there was a stark difference between the comfort of the nest and the comfort of Cho-seung¡¯s pheromone. If there were Cho-seung and a nest at the same time, it felt like a fortress for him had been completed. ¡°Now wash up and come out.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Still, since it had been a long time since he went out, Ha-hyun didn¡¯t procrastinate anymore and went straight into the bathroom, hugging the outerwear that Cho-seung gave him. Washing his hands mechanically, he put on damp clothes and went out while wiping his hair with a towel. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Cho-seung, who was sitting on the sofa looking at his phone after changing into casual clothes, raised his head when he heard someone being there. ¡°Reservations? Haven¡¯t you done that yet?¡± ¡°Ung, I haven¡¯t done it yet. Shall we watch the horror movie?¡± It wasn¡¯t summer yet, so there were almost no horror movies released, but there were thriller movies similar to it. He really thought he would be scared, but since Ha-hyun¡¯s favourite genre is horror, he couldn¡¯t help it. As it was an outing for him, he wanted to suit his taste. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the theatre that has recliner seats. I will book.¡± Thinking of going to the movie theater with the recliner seats he always went to, Ha-hyun took off his excited steps and headed for the front door. He gestured toward Cho-seung, who was still sitting on the sofa and urged him to come quickly, but suddenly realized that his hand was too light and turned around. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ha-hyun, who showed empty hands toward Cho-seung, who seemed to have caught up with him at some point, appealed that he hadn¡¯t packed anything, including his wallet and cell phone. ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Take mine, too.¡± Um. Not having a cell phone might be a bit of a problem. There was no intention of being apart, but the word ¡°if¡± didn¡¯t exist for no reason. Cho-seung, who told him to stay here, quickly went inside and picked up Ha-hyun¡¯s wallet and cell phone. ¡°Is this right?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I have that kind of keen eye.¡± Let¡¯s go now. Cho-seung wrapped his arm around his waist and walked carefully along him. Sitting in the now familiar passenger seat, Ha-hyun picked up a chocolate bar and ate it. * * * ¡°Are you not going to eat popcorn?¡± ¡°Eat.¡± Hearing the words that came out without hesitation, he headed to the theater thinking that he should buy several flavours. Thanks to making a reservation for the closest time slot, it was time to enter the theater after a short wait. Ha-hyun sat on the chair scattered here and there and grabbed the hem of Cho-seung¡¯s clothes as he was about to go to the concession stand. ¡°What flavour?¡± Ha-hyun raised the corner of his mouth at the question as if it was natural now. ¡°Original and caramel flavour.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ha-hyun, who saw off Cho-seung after receiving a light kiss he was used to by now, took a posture in earnest and looked into his cell phone. He said he would be back soon, but it couldn¡¯t be possible. Looking at the crowd of people in front of the concession stand, he exhaled and turned on the game. Ha-hyun, who was tapping the screen repeatedly without thinking, turned his head when an unfamiliar voice called him. ¡°Hey, do you have time?¡± Faced with his familiar pattern, Ha-hyun forcibly swallowed the sigh that came out of his stomach. It was very rude to sigh in a person¡¯s face. ¡°No. I don¡¯t.¡± Pheromone control went well these days, so why did this happen? Outwardly, his bone was thinner than beta or alpha males as much as he was born with the characteristics of an omega, but he was usually approached confidently with pheromones. Of course, there were people who thought it was okay if he wasn¡¯t an omega. ¡°Then my business card¡­¡± ¡°Honey?¡± (Jagiya) Ah. Ha-hyun¡¯s eyes lit up at the appearance of the saviour. When he was alone, he had a hard time letting someone like this go peacefully. But now, Cho-seung was by his side. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Unlike usual, Ha-hyun, who welcomed Cho-seung with a bright smile, jumped up and headed towards him with quick steps. Seeing the two of them together, the opponent immediately backed away, but Cho-seung¡¯s momentum was strange. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Honey.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± It was a nickname he didn¡¯t really like and it was the first he had heard of it since he decided not to call it the other day, but he was glad he did it. Very much too. Thanks to that nickname, it was a word that would be quite welcome outside. ¡°Shall we go get our rings?¡± ¡°Rings?¡± Come to think of it, there was a time when he thought that he should get the rings. But all of a sudden? Cho-seung looked pouty as he tilted his head and made a puzzled expression. ¡°Aren¡¯t you too popular?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Ung. It was the same at the hotel.¡± He, who was at the hotel that day, was also one of the people who wanted to spend time with Ha-hyun, but even though he was popular, there were too many of them. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t guess what it was for, but that didn¡¯t mean that his grievance would disappear, and Cho-seung pressed his forehead while him making a sound of pain. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the popcorn back first. No, do you want to go with me?¡± Leave him alone and someone else would stick to him. Ha-hyun nodded when Cho-seung, who didn¡¯t want to see it twice, offered him. ¡°But when it comes to wedding rings, Tifa¡ª¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too expensive?¡± Before he could finish naming the famous brands, Cho-seung shook his head in fright. A ring of that brand might be fine for Ha-hyun, but it was too much for him. It wasn¡¯t impossible for him to buy it, but when he was unemployed now to buy a ring that exceeded his annual salary when he had a job. He was also unemployed with significantly less wealthy than his partner. In addition, Cho-seung, who lived frugally and thriftily without paying attention to luxury goods, felt burdened when it came to the expensive products. ¡°Then where do you buy them?¡± It was a brand he knew because it was famous for its rings and because of that, he didn¡¯t know much about other brands. Even the person who developed deep enough to get the rings was the last time in the past, so he couldn¡¯t even remember where they would get the rings. Besides, he was quite old unlike back then, so wouldn¡¯t it be okay to buy rings they were expensive? ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Just a brand with a lower price than there?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just go where we know.¡± While talking about where and when to buy the ring, the two of them headed to the theater with popcorn. There were quite a few eyes following the two of them, but neither Ha-hyun nor Cho-seung cared. * * * After watching the movie and having an early dinner, they continued to discuss where to buy the rings, but the difference didn¡¯t close. Cho-seung tended to buy things carefully while Ha-hyun tended to buy products from the most famous brands when necessary. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Ha-hyun bit the straw stuck in the ade once and let it go. It was a habit that came out when he was frustrated, but it was something that Cho-seung still didn¡¯t know. Ha-hyun seriously opened the preface with a mysterious face as Cho-seung, who just placed the cut steak to make it easier for him to eat, tilted his head in confusion. ¡°About a wedding ring.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you pass on to your children when they grow up?¡± Ha-hyun didn¡¯t know if it was true, but he spat it out and looked at it. Persuading Cho-seung is the priority. ¡°¡­right?¡± He didn¡¯t know what to say, but Cho-seung had a prediction of defeat in his heart at what Ha-hyun said. ¡°My pride won¡¯t allow me to choose a mediocre brand for the ring I will pass on to my children.¡± In the first place, he didn¡¯t want to compromise on an accessory with such a grand meaning as a wedding ring, according to Cho-seung¡¯s opinion. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have money, so why? At the appearance of pride that he had never mentioned before, Cho-seung licked his lips and calmed down his confusion. ¡°Honey, you don¡¯t drive a cheap car for that, right?¡± Ha-hyun blinked when he asked, thinking of himself, who usually rode the line just for newcomers to society. ¡°I have three cars. Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± ¡°¡­you didn¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°Indeed. The other two are for decoration.¡± They were just extra cars, one famous because it was sturdy and one sports car for refreshment. Actually, it was no different from an impulse purchase to relieve stress. As a result, he mostly drove with the vehicle he was most familiar with. ¡°And I can¡¯t hand over the car. When they grow up, that will be old-fashioned.¡± ¡°Will you give them a new car as soon as they get their license? What if they get an accident?¡± ¡°I can buy it again, right?¡± The more he listened, the more Cho-seung touched his forehead with a dazed expression at the words that he couldn¡¯t handle. It seemed that his first priority is to follow Ha-hyun¡¯s economic ideas. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard.¡± ¡°Am I taking it hard, or are you taking it easy¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking hard.¡± Ha-hyun, who said it as if it was natural, sucked the ade down and drank it. Judging from Cho-seung¡¯s atmosphere, it was clear that this was his victory. ¡°Let¡¯s go get it tomorrow.¡± ¡°We should go to Cheongdam-dong.¡± Since it was a place where luxury flagship stores were gathered, it seemed that the brand Ha-hyun mentioned might be there as well. If they didn¡¯t have it, they had to look for it. While naturally planning it, he was mesmerized by the price of the ring. ¡°I want more steak.¡± ¡°Ah, ung.¡± At Ha-hyun¡¯s words, Cho-seung mechanically moved his hand and put the leftover food in his mouth. Really, there seemed no need to worry about money when raising children. CH 23 Looking at the diamond ring on the ring finger of his left hand, Cho-seung exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°Right? It¡¯s better to get it right once.¡± Ha-hyun, who cut off Cho-seung¡¯s words, said proudly and stretched out his finger so that the ring could be seen clearly. Cho-seung shook his head at him and couldn¡¯t let go of the idea that he had bought it well, even though it was expensive. Even when he saw it in the store, he couldn¡¯t get rid of the idea that the design was simple and pretty, but it looked really good on him when he saw Ha-hyun wearing it. In particular, not only the ring but also Ha-hyun¡¯s hand stood out thanks to Ha-hyun¡¯s white skin. Sitting next to Ha-hyun, who was lying on the couch and hugging a cushion while watching the drama, Cho-seung support his body with his left hand and got up. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Let me take my notebook.¡± ¡°Notebook?¡± Cho-seung kissed Ha-hyun¡¯s forehead as he questioned him, told him to wait a moment, and went to get the notebook he had left in the study. Ha-hyun, who was looking at the back of Cho-seung, who suddenly disappeared, wanted to follow him, but he missed it while contemplating it. Now, even snooping around seemed to be funny. Ha-hyun decided to sit up and wait for Cho-seung to return. Cho-seung returned shortly after. With a notebook in one hand as he said. ¡°Why the notebook?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to find out for a moment.¡± They could use their cell phone to find out, but it would be more convenient to have several windows open, so Cho-seung brought a notebook and sat down on the sofa as a backrest. Ha-hyun, who approached Cho-seung and put his chin on his shoulder, tilted his head while looking at the search terms he entered on the portal site. ¡°Do I have to take care of the diamonds too?¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s an object, wouldn¡¯t there be a separate way to take care of it?¡± Ha-hyun, who had never thought of such a thing, exclaimed at Cho-seung¡¯s words. Besides, since it was a jewel, it was only natural that there would be a separate way to take care of it. ¡°But can you trust the blog?¡± ¡°Um¡­ then let¡¯s look for news or videos.¡± Is there anything written about how to take care of them? He didn¡¯t know if it was a cutting method, so he didn¡¯t think there would be such a thing. There might be videos, but it was still a question whether they were reliable. Ha-hyun, who didn¡¯t want to hit the candle, kept his mouth shut and focused on the keyboard sound he hadn¡¯t heard in a long time. The typing sound was light and it reminded him of when he was using a notebook in the middle of his college days. (? ?? ?? ?? ?? ? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????) ¡°Found it.¡± ¡°Oh? Really there is?¡± ¡°There¡¯s it.¡± There were all sorts of news. Ha-hyun looked at the long line of letters with cloudy eyes and lowered his head. It was very difficult for him to look at the letters after a long time. It was something he wasn¡¯t even interested in. He put his chin on his shoulder and played with his hair, trusting that Cho-seung would take care of it. Cho-seung, who read the text with concentration, leaving his hand playing behind his head, played another video he had been paying attention to. As Cho-seung was given an expensive ring that didn¡¯t fit his taste, he thought that he had to take care of it properly. Beside Cho-seung, who was so eagerly searching for information, Ha-hyun let out a yawn. ¡°Sleepy?¡± ¡°No. Just yawning.¡± Drunk by the pheromone emanating from the nape of Cho-seung¡¯s neck, he shook his head slowly. He felt like he would wake up in the morning if he went to sleep now. He thought it would be better to hold out for an hour or two and sleep with Cho-seung. Cho-seung, who was concentrating on the video, turned his head to check Ha-hyun¡¯s condition. Seeing him slowly blinking his eyes while leaning against his hand and then gently stroking his cheek, he thought he would fall asleep soon, so he didn¡¯t speak anymore. In the end, Ha-hyun idled around next to Cho-seung and fell asleep. Cho-seung, who found him later, embraced the sleeping Ha-hyun and held him in his arms, patting him so that he could fall asleep more deeply. Ha-hyun, who was awakened by Cho-seung¡¯s hugging hand, headed back to his dream with his warm touch. * * * After gaining some information, Cho-seung carefully hugged Ha-hyun and stood up. He decided to clean up his seat later. Even though his legs were dangling, he took Ha-hyun to sleep well, carefully went into the bedroom, and laid Ha-hyun on the bed. Ha-hyun, who was tossing and turning on the changed bed, stretched out his hand and fumbled around. Noticing what that hand was looking for after a few days of experience, Cho-seung leaned against the headboard of the bed rather than give it what he wanted. Then, finding a solid object, his arm withdrew and his body squirmed closer and laid down on Cho-seung¡¯s thigh. Waiting until Ha-hyun fell into a deep sleep, Cho-seung turned on the lamp on the bedside table and picked up the book he had read. It was Cho-seung who got used to the daily routine of reading until he fell asleep while volunteering for a body pillow next to Ha-hyun, who fell asleep first every time. In the quiet bedroom, only a small light and the occasional sound of flipping papers heard. He would release pheromones in between readings without forgetting to read them. After some time had passed, Cho-seung carefully moved Ha-hyun¡¯s head onto the pillow and went out to the living room to clean up the mess. After that, he entered the bedroom and quietly headed to Ha-hyun¡¯s side. Ha-hyun, who struggled to sleep after being hugged from behind, turned and lay down facing Cho-seung. Cho-seung looked down nervously to see if he had woken up and was relieved after hearing the sound of his breathing. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes while hugging Ha-hyun, who had a higher body temperature than a normal person. * * * ¡°Uh¡­¡± Cho-seung, who had fallen into a light sleep, opened his heavy eyelids at the sound of a moan in his ears. While figuring out what he was talking about in his dizzy head, he hurriedly looked at Ha-hyun and saw him curled up and then grabbed his shoulder while shaking him. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah, what¡¯s wrong. Ung?¡± Ha-hyun, who barely opened his eyes at the urgency of the hand gesture, fluttered his eyelids powerlessly. Cho-seung, who became more impatient with that, raised Ha-hyun¡¯s upper body and held him in his arms. ¡°Shall we go to the hospital? Where are you sick?¡± Cho-seung chewed his lips with an expression full of nervousness while sweeping Ha-hyun¡¯s body with his hand or wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead. ¡°I can¡¯t. Get ready to go to the hospital.¡± It was Ha-hyun who grabbed Cho-seung as he tried to get out of bed. Cho-seung stiffened up with a weak hand gesture and went back to Ha-hyun¡¯s side and stroked his cheek. Ha-hyun, who gripped his hand, shook his head at the words to go to the hospital. ¡°You told me to go to the hospital right away if you get sick. Ung? Ha-hyun-ah.¡± ¡°Ung¡­ stay, with me.¡± ¡°That¡ª¡± Of course, I will. When he said he wouldn¡¯t go to the hospital, Cho-seung wanted to push Ha-hyun, but he tried hard to suppress his emotions. With the force of pulling the hand that he kept holding, he hugged Ha-hyun in his arms and kissed his forehead which was dripping with cold sweat. Ha-hyun, leaning against his firm chest to catch his breath, placed his hand on his lower stomach. As Cho-seung covered him and shared the warmth, he showed a soft smile even in the midst of pain. ¡°Stubborn.¡± ¡°Ung. Soon, it will be fine¡­¡± This was the third time. It was the first time he woke up in pain at dawn like this, but Ha-hyun, who was used to it as it happened often, shook his head at the urge to go to the hospital. Ha-hyun, who had been resting while receiving Cho-seung¡¯s pheromones that were being intentionally poured out excessively, let out a sigh of relief as his condition gradually improved. He was used to it, but he didn¡¯t enjoy the pain. Ha-hyun barely raised his head and met eyes with Cho-seung, who must have been worried. And then he said it was okay and bent his eyes. As for Cho-seung, he liked seeing his pretty smile, but he couldn¡¯t hide his worry. He put a little strength in his hand that held his and asked again. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Ung. Look, I¡¯m not even sweating anymore.¡± Cho-seung looked at Ha-hyun¡¯s forehead while holding his hand and massaging it, then nodded reluctantly. ¡°Would you like something warm? Are you surprised?¡± Ha-hyun nodded at the words whispered affectionately. He didn¡¯t think he would be able to fall asleep right away, so he thought that would be better. ¡°If this happens again, we will definitely go to the hospital. At that time, even if you insist, I won¡¯t listen.¡± Contrary to the blunt words, the pheromone that landed on Ha-hyun¡¯s body was still sweet. It was warm and cozy. It seemed like he was deliberately collecting only warm things, so he thought he would laugh, but he held it in. Because if he laughed now, Cho-seung might get upset and nag him more. Even though he was on his way to get something to drink, he often looked back in between. Ha-hyun, wearing an awkward smile and feeling apologetic for the worry over a trivial act, leaned against the head of the bed until he returned. ¡°Is yujacha okay?¡± (???, meant citron tea, here) ¡°Ung. That¡¯s good, yujacha.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hot, be careful.¡± Ha-hyun nodded at the whispered words as he handed over the glass. Covering the cup with his two hands, he noticed that Cho-seung cared about the temperature because it felt warm rather than hot. Cho-seung, who came to Ha-hyun¡¯s side, wrapped his arm around Ha-hyun¡¯s shoulders as if it was natural. Ha-hyun sipped yujacha while leaning against him to keep his tongue from burning and slowly closed his eyes as he felt his stiff body loosen up when he drank the warm drink. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Ung. By the way, where was yujacha from? I don¡¯t remember buying it.¡± ¡°I brought it from my house. I made it myself.¡± Maybe that¡¯s why it was less sweet. It wasn¡¯t tasty either. It was moderately sweet, so it fit Ha-hyun¡¯s taste. ¡°Anyway, was it usually like this¡­¡± Ha-hyun pretended not to know and smiled with his eyes closed when the words full of worries landed in his ears. He enjoyed the caress running down his forearm, bathing in the pine-scented pheromones that filled the room. Cho-seung almost sighed as he looked at Ha-hyun, who pretended not to know even though he had heard it but held it in. ¡°You¡¯re tired too. Woke up at dawn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I don¡¯t mind, so take care of yourself, ung?¡± ¡°Ung. I will.¡± Ha-hyun, who tried to divert the subject, failed beautifully. As he quietly nodded his head and repeatedly promised that he would be careful, only then did Cho-seung slightly raise the corner of his mouth. Seeing him, Ha-hyun smiled along and Cho-seung reached out then wrapped his cheek. He slowly lowered his head and gently kissed his soft lips. Ha-hyun, who was touched lightly, touched Cho-seung¡¯s cheeks as if reciprocating. It was deep in the morning. CH 24 Time passed very quickly and it had already been over a month since Ha-hyun and Cho-seung reunited. Ha-hyun, who was watching the drama in Cho-seung¡¯s arms, raised his head and looked at Cho-seung as his (Cho-seung¡¯s) body, which had been comfortably leaning on him, moved. ¡°Why? Bathroom?¡± ¡°No. Now I have to prepare kimbap. You said you wanted to eat kimbap.¡± Ha-hyun grabbed Cho-seung, who was about to stand up, saying that he would prepare dinner. ¡°Are you not buying it?¡± ¡°If we can make it, it¡¯s better to make it. It won¡¯t be long.¡± Dongchimi, which came as a courier, sniped Ha-hyun¡¯s appetite. Thanks to this, there was never a day when dongchimi ran out on the table and only foods that went well with it began to appear. Ha-hyun, who had been thinking about what to serve with dongchimi as the main food, thought about it for a long time before he said he wanted to eat kimbap. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll ask for a little more dongchimi.¡± A third of the dongchimi in the kimchi refrigerator was gone. Ha-hyun, who had been chasing after Cho-seung as he prepared dinner while the movie paused, flinched his shoulders as he heard his murmur. Come to think of it, he had never even met the prospective mother-in-law who sent this dongchimi, let alone talk. He never sent a greeting saying that he was eating them well. He guessed there was a problem with this. While Ha-hyun was seriously thinking about it, Cho-seung, unaware of his thoughts, took out ingredients for kimbap from the refrigerator one by one. Cut the carrots with a chopping knife and leave the boiled burdock at room temperature. (??, called ueong, here) Ha-hyun hesitated for a moment while watching Cho-seung, who was busy blanching spinach and frying jidan (??, meant egg garnish or stuffed egg(?), here). Should I bring it up? Or is it better to wait until he speaks first? Even if I say it, he looks busy right now, should I do it later? Cho-seung, who was about to ask whether he liked meatballs or ham as he took out meatballs and hams from the refrigerator, tilted his head when he saw Ha-hyun¡¯s expression. ¡°Do you have something to say?¡± ¡°Ung, I do, but¡­ how did you know?¡± ¡°It was an expression that seemed to have something to say to anyone.¡± Did I (make that expression)? He had to look at it in a mirror to know. Ha-hyun, who had been groping his face, tilted his head to follow his opponent and then coughed. ¡°You know. Shouldn¡¯t I say hello to your mother?¡± It was rather late because it had been a while since he already registered as his partner and started living together. If what he knew was correct, they usually started talking about living together after greeting each other. So, to be honest, the order was a little different from the others. Ha-hyun wasn¡¯t the kind of person who cared about such things, but he still thought there was something wrong with not greeting her. ¡°Are you okay though?¡± ¡°What else won¡¯t be okay?¡± ¡°I knew you would feel pressured.¡± It would be a lie if he said it wasn¡¯t burdensome. He couldn¡¯t help but feel pressured. However, it wasn¡¯t a problem that could be avoided forever, so Ha-hyun thought it would be better to solve it quickly. ¡°Then I will ask Mother to come up to Seoul¡ª¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we going instead?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to move for a long time with a pregnant body. Besides, it would be better to meet in a familiar place than in an unfamiliar place. Mother even said she would come.¡± Ha-hyun¡¯s expression didn¡¯t improve even when he joked that he would get scolded if he took him to his parent¡¯s house. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have a car and it (bulging stomach) hadn¡¯t even been seen, but asking an older person to come was something Ha-hyun¡¯s conscience mind would strongly oppose. ¡°But we should go¡­¡± ¡°Mother is correct. She drives well.¡± He knew what he was worried about, but it took time to get to his parent¡¯s house. Travelling for a long time for a trip and travelling for a long time for a meeting were completely different things, and of course, the latter was mentally more difficult. And moving didn¡¯t mean the work was over. Rather, from the moment the moving ended, it was no different from the main story. It wasn¡¯t long after he heard from the doctor that he should be careful of stress, but he couldn¡¯t take Ha-hyun to his parent¡¯s house. He knew very well why Ha-hyun wanted to go. It was because he felt more comfortable visiting his mother rather than asking her to come. However, he couldn¡¯t help but consider Ha-hyun¡¯s physical condition, so he decided to slightly put aside his usual idea. When Cho-seung came out resolutely, Ha-hyun¡¯s momentum slowed down. Cho-seung with such an attitude, which was often seen, never backed down. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t beat him again, so Ha-hyun naturally looked sullen and Cho-seung flinched his shoulders this time. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah, Honey. Don¡¯t worry too much. Ung?¡± ¡°Ung.¡± Cho-seung quickly approached Ha-hyun, hugged him, and released his favorite pheromone while patting him on the back. Ha-hyun, who wrapped his arms around his waist and placed his cheek on his chest, slowly blinked his eyes. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t worried because he told him not to worry, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved. ¡°Do you want to go to bed and rest? Shall I make a nest for you?¡± He didn¡¯t like going to bed, but the nest seemed like a good idea. It had been quite a while since he didn¡¯t need to build a nest because he (Cho-seung) had been around all day. Ha-hyun nodded and left Cho-seung¡¯s arms and headed for the couch where he was originally after going into the bedroom and bringing out the blanket. Ha-hyun watched Cho-seung get used to putting pheromones on the blanket and as soon as he finished, he handed him a cushion this time. Ha-hyun gathered a long blanket and placed it on the couch, then sat down on it, receiving a cushion scented with pine trees and lying down. Cho-seung, who left a short kiss on Ha-hyun¡¯s forehead, who was settled in the nest with a sense of security, headed back to the kitchen to prepare the dinner that hadn¡¯t yet been finished. Wanting to fully enjoy the coziness of the nest he felt after a long time, Ha-hyun wrapped himself in a blanket. He waited for the pine-scented pheromone to penetrate his body and when he was satisfied, he looked for a remote control somewhere. Ha-hyun stretched out his arm and grabbed a familiar object slowly, then turned on the drama again and continued the story he hadn¡¯t seen yet. While watching a drama full of screams, gunshots, and all sorts of sound effects like a thriller, a question arose as to whether it was okay to do this all of a sudden. At the 15th week, most of the body organs were finished forming and the ears were probably in the process of being formed. It would be completed around the 16th week, that was, next week, but the problem was that the hearing organ was vaguely formed now. Of course, even if they were born, they wouldn¡¯t remember this moment, and there was no guarantee that they would be listening, but the possibility was open. ¡°Can I watch this?¡± He thought the time had come to pay attention to prenatal education, was it okay to watch a thriller? He didn¡¯t think he should watch horror movies anymore. Then what were other people doing with prenatal education. Lifting up the remote control and turning off the TV, Ha-hyun held the cell phone in his hand and started searching on the internet. ¡°What are you doing?¡± When the sound of the bloody echoing in the living room stopped and became quiet, Cho-seung finished wrapping kimbap and came out. Instead of answering, he showed the screen on his cellphone. ¡°Prenatal education? Come to think of it, the time has come to care about that.¡± ¡°Right? But I don¡¯t know what to do with prenatal education.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there something about music and fairy tales?¡± Cho-seung, who was worried together, raised Ha-hyun, who was buried in the nest, to feed him first. Ha-hyun, who had been relying on Cho-seung¡¯s power with all the strength drained from his body as if regretting it, gave strength to his legs and stood up properly. Ha-hyun, who followed him to the table and sat down on the chair, decided to put off prenatal education for later when he saw the long-awaited kimbap. ¡°Let¡¯s eat and find out later.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± At Cho-seung¡¯s words, he lifted a spoon and ate the dongchimi soup and nodded his head. It was after he was already distracted by food. As Ha-hyun thought deeply about the lack of something as he ate each kimbap with a good mix of meatball and ham, he thought of tteokbokki. It would be really delicious if he dipped kimbap in the spicy soup. However, he felt sorry for Cho-seung to ask him to come and eat tteokbokki. ¡°I think there¡¯s something you want to eat again.¡± Ha-hyun, who was being stabbed, looked up at him with chopsticks in his mouth. He turned on his cell phone next to him, entered the delivery app, and showed him what he wanted to eat. ¡°I understand why you want to eat it.¡± It was no different from the truth that tteokbokki was delicious with kimbap. Normally, he just guessed and asked because the person who would eat hard, fixing his eyes on the food in front of him, was subtly mesmerized. Glad that his guess was right. ¡°Let¡¯s order it. Shall we put kimbap in the meantime?¡± ¡°Ung. Wait a moment.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t order anything spicy.¡± Ha-hyun pouted his lips as he went to get a container to hold the gimbap. Of course, tteokbokki is spicy, but he shouldn¡¯t order it. Still, he knew that stimulating food wasn¡¯t very good, so he conscientiously ordered a medium taste. Ha-hyun, who didn¡¯t forget to add fish cake soup (???, called eomuktang, here) and some fried food (??, called twigim, here), checked the time it would take and stepped on small steps lightly. Soon after, Cho-seung helped him move kimbap neatly into the container he had brought. ¡°When did it arrive?¡± ¡°About an hour.¡± Since there was nothing to do while sitting at the table, the two headed back to the sofa. In the end, they decided to look for prenatal education that they had been putting off, and each looked at their cell phones. ¡°As expected, prenatal education is trending.¡± ¡°Do we do it together? Do I just have to talk?¡± ¡°Uum. We¡¯ll read children¡¯s books, exercise together¡­ They say there¡¯s art prenatal education these days.¡± Star. (I don¡¯t know why there¡¯s ? (byeol) hangul here, it should be a separate line) As time goes by, the number of types and depth of prenatal education increased, but for Ha-hyun, who has no agility with his hands, prenatal education related to him was unreasonable. On the contrary, he could get angry while doing it. When he didn¡¯t think to straighten his crumpled forehead, Cho-seung stretched out his arm and gently rubbed it with his thumb, comforting him with a soft voice. ¡°In conclusion, you don¡¯t have to force yourself, just do what you want to do. Relax your face.¡± Seeing the transparent expression on his face, Cho-seung hurriedly continued his conversation. Art prenatal education sounded like fun, but seeing Ha-hyun¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t very good, he thought he should ask him tentatively. CH 25 Looking at Ha-hyun¡¯s reaction, Cho-seung murmured softly as he pondered what prenatal education would be the easiest to do. ¡°The easiest thing is, of course, music.¡± ¡°I might fall asleep listening to classical music.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a classic.¡± If so, it was worth trying. And what you need to listen to music is, as expected¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s buy the speaker.¡± At the words that came out without hesitation, Cho-seung was at a loss for words. ¡°Honey¡­ I don¡¯t want to say too much, but don¡¯t we have a TV?¡± ¡°That and the speaker are different. Speakers are machines made for sound.¡± Ha-hyun, who erased the search related to prenatal education and changed it to a search related to speakers, began to search for products that looked good. Since he didn¡¯t seem unwilling to listen, so instead of stopping him, Cho-seung looked for more activities related to prenatal education. ¡°Woofer?¡± (??) ¡°Are you going to buy a speaker with a woofer?¡± ¡°Do you like this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­ From what I¡¯ve heard, they said it was a speaker that produces sound mainly with low frequencies?¡± Ha-hyun, who had heard somewhere that a low-pitched tone was better for a fetus than a high-pitched tone, quickly made a decision. Since it was a Bluetooth-enabled product, A/S was good if it was a large company product and the price was irrelevant. ¡°This is pretty. Let¡¯s install one upstairs for us.¡± ¡°I thought you were giving the kids a room when they grow up.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ then leave it empty. Shall we install it in the bedroom?¡± There was only a bed in the bedroom after all. He set up a family bed with the desire to have a wide bed and deliberately didn¡¯t put in other furniture. But it wasn¡¯t like there was no space, so he had to buy a drawer to install the speakers in. ¡°Furniture too¡ª¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s a decorative cabinet above it, let¡¯s use that.¡± Cho-seung, who could guess Ha-hyun¡¯s thoughts well, intercepted his words. Ha-hyun, who had been seen through, clicked his tongue and ended up paying only for the speaker. ¡°Look at this. It¡¯s a set for making baby clothes. Don¡¯t you think it would be fun?¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s such a thing as buying. It¡¯s not meant to be made.¡± How did he make it. Again, Ha-hyun, who had the worst dexterity, couldn¡¯t even do simple sewing. In the first place, he thought he had said it before that he didn¡¯t know how to boil miyeokguk, which was said to be easy. (???, miyeokguk meant a Korean-style seaweed soup, here) ¡°Then I will make it.¡± ¡°Yeah? Buy one.¡± No. They were twins, so he couldn¡¯t just buy one. Ha-hyun, who habitually said to buy one, immediately took his words. ¡°No, I should buy two.¡± ¡°Shall we try something different? How about this turtle?¡± ¡°Why turtle?¡± Contrary to Ha-hyun¡¯s question, Cho-seung tilted his head with a puzzled expression. Why turtle, of course, because they came out as turtles in taemong¡ª ¡°I haven¡¯t told you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cho-seung summarized the taemong he hadn¡¯t told to Ha-hyun. And when he explained that it was a dream he had, Ha-hyun looked up at him with eyes full of betrayal. ¡°Why am I the only one who doesn¡¯t have that dream?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like it only came to people who didn¡¯t know they existed?¡± ¡°Umm. That¡¯s right, I guess.¡± In any case, the two decided not to buy a different design after deciding on turtles. According to taemong, they seemed to get along well. So, it would be better to wear the same clothes. ¡°If taemong is true, then he must be a small child, right?¡± ¡°I guess so. Still, they laughed and played well. They will be born healthy.¡± Cho-seung, who wiped his worried eyes and spoke softly, kissed his soft lips briefly. At that moment, Ha-hyun placed his hand on his lower belly, which was still not visible, while feeling the pheromone covering his body. He felt a little uneasy, but he had no choice but to press it down. * * * When they leaned on each other and shared warmth, Cho-seung reacted to the sound of the interphone ringing. Cho-seung opened the common front door as the tteokbokki that Ha-hyun ordered had arrived and headed to the kitchen, taking out the kimbap and dongchimi that he had put in. ¡°Shall we stop worrying and have dinner? You were hungry while waiting, right?¡± He ate at the same time every time, but today he was a little late waiting for tteokbokki. Ha-hyun smiled at Cho-seung¡¯s words and headed to the table. Cho-seung, who also set the tteokbokki that came soon after, took care of Ha-hyun, who was a bit weak. He focused on taking care of Ha-hyun rather than eating himself, making sure that the plate in front of him was never empty. Ha-hyun, who couldn¡¯t see him like that, put kimbap and tteokbokki on the clean front plate of Cho-seung before taking a bite. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk after we¡¯re done eating.¡± ¡°In front?¡± ¡°No. I want to go to the Han River after a long time.¡± He preferred to walk on summer nights, but it was still not bad. Ha-hyun sipped the cool dongchimi gukmul and shivered slightly. His teeth got a little cold after eating the warm tteokbokki and the cold one. (??? ??, dongchimi gukmul meant dongchimi soup) ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s good to go there after a long time.¡± Ha-hyun smiled at the calm affirmation and picked up the sausage in the tteokbokki. It had been a long time since he ate spicy food, so even the moderate taste that he ate well felt spicy. It was difficult to eat kimbap with soup. Ssuup, swallowing saliva became less frequent and as the hand gradually slow down, it returned to Cho-seung¡¯s job to empty the tteokbokki. ¡°Do you want some barley tea? Is it very spicy?¡± ¡°Uung. I¡¯ll just eat dongchimi.¡± Contrary to the words not to worry too much because there was also eomuk, small tears formed in Ha-hyun¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t stand physiological tears, so he pressed his eyes with tissue paper and ate them all. Cho-seung, who watched the scene, picked up an almost empty bowl of dongchimi. I should bring more. ¡°I brought more dongchimi.¡± As soon as Cho-seung set it down on the table, Ha-hyun took it and drank it from the bowl. ¡°It must have been delicious.¡± ¡°Ung. Kimbap was also delicious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it suits your taste.¡± As Cho-seung wiped away his tears with a tissue paper soaked in the lingering aftertaste of the spicy taste, Cho-seung began to clean the table. Ha-hyun, who was taken aback by the appearance, helped Cho-seung clean up the traces of eating. ¡°You should brush your teeth?¡± ¡°Ung. Ah, right. Maybe I¡¯ll buy comfortable clothes in advance.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s comfortable clothes, training clothes?¡± ¡°No. Wouldn¡¯t it be more necessary to wear maternity clothes.¡± The clothes he had now had a strong feeling of tightening his stomach. He thought it would be better to buy new clothes since he had children and because he was worried and would feel uncomfortable. Cho-seung, who had searched for maternity clothes in advance without Ha-hyun¡¯s knowledge, nodded his head. It was a good thing to prepare in advance. ¡°I have a place to look for. Let¡¯s buy clothes later and go for a walk first.¡± At Cho-seung¡¯s words, Ha-hyun quickly moved to the bathroom. Cho-seung, who followed Ha-hyun, was handed a toothbrush with toothpaste and brushed his teeth side by side. He brushed his teeth with an eager motion of his hand and rinsed his mouth. ¡°Wait.¡± Ha-hyun, who was about to wipe his mouth with a towel, quietly raised his head when Cho-seung grabbed his chin. He wiped off the foam on his chin with his thumb, then wet it with water and wiped it off once more, then let it go before Ha-hyun patted his mouth with a towel. ¡°What should we do at the Han River. Do we just have to take a walk?¡± ¡°Ung. We will go there by car.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a bit far. It¡¯s hard to walk there.¡± Since the temperature at the riverside was low, Cho-seung grabbed Ha-hyun, who was about to go out dressed thinly, and put on a thick coat. Ha-hyun pursed his lips at the familiar care. ¡°I feel like a child.¡± ¡°Ung? Suddenly?¡± ¡°The way you treat me is like that.¡± He also felt like he was dealing with glassware that was easily broken easily. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like it because it was obvious that he treated him with respect, but it seemed like he was lazier thanks to Cho-seung¡¯s willingness to do everything from start to finish. ¡°I¡¯ll refrain if you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it. Still, I would like you to refrain from doing that.¡± Cho-seung replied that he understood and continued the yet-to-be-finished grooming him. Ha-hyun shrugged his shoulders at the opposite of his answer but remained still. Behaviour couldn¡¯t be easily changed. Ha-hyun, who was relatively easy to accept everything, decided to tolerate Cho-seung¡¯s attitude. After getting into the car and arriving at the Han River, the two held hands and walked side by side. Every time someone passed by, Cho-seung wrapped his arms around Ha-hyun and pulled him into his arms as if protecting him and Ha-hyun was gently dragged away each time. Ha-hyun thought that it would be better to walk with Cho-seung¡¯s arms wrapped around his shoulders rather than holding his hand, so he grabbed his arm as it descended from his shoulder. ¡°Today, while looking at prenatal goods, I also saw baby goods and they were so cute.¡± Maybe because it was cute, he felt like his heart was full the moment he saw it. Ha-hyun raised his head and looked at him with a small smile on his lips, fluttering his eyelids. ¡°Should we buy it in advance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not bad either.¡± Cho-seung, who moved his hand on his shoulder and stroked Ha-hyun¡¯s hair, remained silent for a moment, then added his words. ¡°But let¡¯s wait and see for now.¡± Ha-hyun unknowingly bit the inside of his cheek because he felt like he was facing something he didn¡¯t want to be in those words. Worried about Ha-hyun not answering, Cho-seung hurriedly found an excuse. ¡°We don¡¯t even know their genders yet. Depending on whether they are girls or boys, what we need may vary slightly and I want to buy something that suits the children well.¡± Ha-hyun nodded with a nonchalant expression as he felt a small anxiety from the hand sweeping down his forearm as if soothing him. ¡°It¡¯s better to buy something suitable for the children.¡± ¡°Right? And there¡¯s still a long way to go. Buying now will only take more time to clean the house¡­¡± Cho-seung, who swallowed the words he was talking about, pressed his index finger to the corners of his eyes. His mouth talked too much, really. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, what do apologize for.¡± Cho-seung, who was worried about answering in a non-trivial tone, stopped walking and hugged Ha-hyun tightly. With his arms wrapped around his back, Ha-hyun, who leaned his cheek against his hard chest, lifted his arms and wrapped it around Cho-seung¡¯s waist. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°¡­ung.¡± Ha-hyun replied softly to the words that continued again and closed his eyes. CH 26 After a long time, Cho-seung, holding his cell phone in his hand, contacted his mother. [Oh my, really?] ¡°Yes. Mother said you would come in person, so he felt burdened¡­¡± [Still, you did well. It¡¯s a headache if he gets sick after coming here.] He had no idea if he said he would come to Gangwon-do with a pregnant body for a day. He would have to hold on for at least two days, but there was no guarantee that he would be unharmed during that time. She thought she should go instead. [So, is there anything wrong?] ¡°Not yet. He said sometimes his stomach feels pulled, but the doctor said it was normal.¡± [Really? You should take him to the hospital regularly.] ¡°Yes, of course.¡± He couldn¡¯t stop her from nagging and just made a tired expression on his face. It was because he knew that he hadn¡¯t been paying attention to his mother because he had been taking care of Ha-hyun lately. There was still a long time before Ha-hyun woke up, so calling her would be fine. Cho-seung, who continued to talk on the phone while doing housework that had been overdue from going out for a while, tilted his head with a puzzled expression when he didn¡¯t show up until after the wake-up time. ¡°Mother.¡± [Why?] ¡°You sleep a lot when you¡¯re pregnant, right?¡± [Not really. But it¡¯s different for each person?] Then maybe he should let him sleep more. Besides, they went to the Han River for a walk yesterday, so he might be more tired than usual. Although he was a little anxious, it could be like waking up from a sweet sleep. [You sigh again. What¡¯s the matter?] ¡°It¡¯s time for him to wake up and find food, but Ha-hyun hasn¡¯t waken up. It seems unusual, so I¡¯m worried, but it¡¯s not good to wake him up.¡± [Still, go in and check his condition.] Enticed by those words, Cho-seung quietly moved into the bedroom. [What unusual is unusual. You will regret it later. If you start to regret it, it¡¯s already too late.] She¡¯s right. Cho-seung, who expressed his positive attitude, ended the call and carefully opened the tightly closed door. His head looked inside and tried to examine Ha-hyun lying on the bed. However, he was tightly wrapped in a blanket, so he couldn¡¯t see him properly. Cho-seung, who had no choice but to step into the room and approached Ha-hyun, was surprised to feel the heat. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah?¡± Cho-seung grabbed Ha-hyun by the shoulder and tried to examine his face on the pillow. He noticed that his body was hot. ¡°Lee Ha-hyun. Wake up, ung?¡± He shook his body with a rather rough hand with an anxious mind and a small sound of pain flowed out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong. Are you sick? Ha-hyun¡ª¡± ¡°Stomach¡­¡± Stomach? At the small words that came out, Cho-seung¡¯s head turned white. Did he mean his stomach hurt? Why? He often said it hurt, but not to this extent. He used to be fine with being relaxed and rested when he was sick. So, he had never done anything like this before¡ª ¡°It, it hurts¡­¡± Ha-hyun covered his lower stomach and curled his body. His pyjamas, soaked in a cold sweat, clung to his body and made him shiver as if he had chills. Only then did Cho-seung come to his senses and pick up his fallen cell phone to call the emergency. * * * The moment when the anxiety became reality came. Cho-seung, who forcibly moved his stiff head in shock and transported Ha-hyun to the hospital, sat on a chair and looked at Ha-hyun with a miserable feeling. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah¡­¡± He let out a trembling breath while holding the hand of Ha-hyun, who was lying on a pale complexion. It was clearly his fault. He had heard all along about how much attention it took to take care a recessive omega that conceived twins, but he could do nothing to end up in this point. Cho-seung chewed his lips at the fact that his own thought had brought about this. He should take a look into it a little sooner. Normally, when he said he was sick, he should get a proper test. It would be fine. He knew very well how dangerous that thought, that word, was. However, since he had only seen Ha-hyun in good health, he was relieved. There were definitely times when he grumbled that he was sick and woke up early in the morning, but he smiled and said that he was fine after sharing pheromones and resting, so he thought it was no big deal. He realized only now that he had become complacent in the repetitive situations. He didn¡¯t even know it was the most dangerous. Cho-seung tightly closed his cold eyes. ¡°Lee Ha-hyun-nim¡¯s guardian.¡± Hearing him being called, Cho-seung quickly got up and moved following the nurse¡¯s guidance. He guessed the test results came out. He didn¡¯t know what to do if she said he wasn¡¯t in a good condition, so he chewed his innocent lip. ¡°If you wait in front of this for a while, they will call Patient Lee Ha-hyun¡¯s name. Then, you can go to the second treatment room.¡± After finishing her work, the nurse silently went back the way she came. He forcibly pressed down his trembling legs and stared blankly at the waiting screen. When he waited to enter the doctor¡¯s office, he took a short breath as he shook off the worst thoughts running through his mind. How many minutes had passed. Not even feeling the passage of time, Cho-seung picked up his cell phone. He didn¡¯t know how long it had been, but he was worried that Ha-hyun might have woken up in the meantime. He might be confused when he opened his eyes, so he only wanted to be by his side. However, he couldn¡¯t remain unaware of Ha-hyun¡¯s exact condition. He checked his watch while suppressing his desire to return to the hospital room. Realizing that less than 10 minutes had passed, he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Lee Ha-hyun-nim¡¯s guardian.¡± Cho-seung, who reflexively stood up at the sound of the call, quickly entered the examination room. He ignored the doctor who recognized him and welcomed him, and asked urgently before sitting down in the office chair. ¡°How is Ha-hyun?¡± ¡°Fortunately, nothing major happened. He doesn¡¯t have to be miscarriaged and the children are healthy. He doesn¡¯t even have any particular illness. He is sick due to sudden uterine contractions.¡± After calmly explaining that this often happened to recessive omega pregnant with twins, the doctor swallowed dryly. Even though he was told that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him, he was hardly relieved, so Cho-seung closed his eyes and bit his inner cheek. ¡°Does this happen often?¡± ¡°It can be like this once a month. The frequency may increase as the pregnancy progresses. Of course, I will try to control it as much as possible with medicine, but there is a limit due to its inherent thin and weak uterine wall of recessive omega.¡± Once a month. The cycle was more frequent than expected. Sometimes it was hard to watch because he was worried about how he groaned every night. But how many times could something like today happen? Cho-seung lowered his head and covered his mouth to cover the reddened eyes. ¡°Is there any other way other than medicine? What, I can do¡­¡± ¡°The most important thing is not to be stressed. Share enough pheromone and the patient may be anxious, so please have a guardian take care of him.¡± It was sad that he could only do the obvious. Having swallowed the overflowing emotions, he just nodded his head while clenching his fists tightly. ¡°If there¡¯s a problem.¡± He suffered from the fact that he had to say these words out of his mouth, but when the moment of choice came, he had to endure it so as not to be late and not to be swayed by emotions. ¡°Save Ha-hyun first, please.¡± ¡°¡­don¡¯t worry. We will do our best to ensure that both the children and the patient are safe.¡± Cho-seung simply nodded his head at the words that came out calmly to reassure him. It was a miserable, devastating feeling that couldn¡¯t be described in words. * * * Cho-seung returned to the hospital room and settled down next to Ha-hyun. He didn¡¯t leave his seat for a moment so that he could be relieved whenever he opened his eyes. Time passed unchangingly, leading the sun to its highest point. Blink, blink. Then, seeing signs of getting up, Cho-seung raised his upper body. Ha-hyun, who blinked his eyelids several times at the blurry vision, turned his head as the vision gradually came into focus. It was because the ceiling was very unfamiliar. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah.¡± Unlike in an unfamiliar place, he heard a familiar voice. Only then did Ha-hyun release the string of tension he was holding on to and gave his gaze in the direction to which the sound was heard. ¡°Are you okay? Is there any pain? Do you know who I am?¡± For a moment, Ha-hyun just stared blankly at Cho-seung, who hurriedly poured out words. He blinked his eyelids and nodded his head slowly after a while. Cho-seung, who had been muttering that it was a relief, suddenly came to his senses and pressed the call button. ¡°¡­what about the children?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no problem. You passed out due to shock caused by uterine contractions. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re healthier than you.¡± Cho-seung, who was talking softly while sweeping his skin, heard the sound of the hospital room door opening and stepped out of bed. ¡°The patient is awake. Is there any pain anywhere?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°When you are moving for the time being, don¡¯t move alone as much as possible. You have to be careful about falling and you will be hospitalized for about three days to check your condition.¡± Ha-hyun nodded as he listened to the instructions calmly, then looked at the nurse leaving the hospital room and then turned to Cho-seung, who was standing in a daze. ¡°I should be here for three days.¡± ¡°Oh? Oh. That¡¯s right. Should I go home for a while and pack some things?¡± Cho-seung, barely awake at the low voice, asked with a soft smile. Ha-hyun, who watched the series of actions with isr mouth shut, lifted his arm, which was still weak, and stretched it out to him. Then, Cho-seung hurriedly moved to Ha-hyun¡¯s side and carefully grabbed his trembling arm in the air to support him. ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°Ung?¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared.¡± Pretending to be calm, pretending nothing happened. Cho-seung, who had been forcibly suppressing his emotions, fearing that Ha-hyun would be stressed if he showed an agitated appearance, collapsed at that calm word. The emotions he had been holding back so far overflowed and soon tears welled up in Cho-seung¡¯s eyes. Ha-hyun wiped away the tears that flowed helplessly and patted his hand. ¡°Ha-hyun-ah¡­¡± ¡°Ung.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so, so scared¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It can be scary.¡± Drip. It wouldn¡¯t be an illusion that the hand that wiped away the tears falling on the blanket felt stronger than that. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll lose you. I¡¯m afraid, I¡¯ll lose our children¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a future that hasn¡¯t come yet.¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯m not as strong as you, so.¡± The voice that broke off suddenly stopped, unable to bear the words. Ha-hyun nodded at Cho-seung¡¯s behaviour of repeatedly saying sorry while lowering his head like a criminal and affectionately stroking the back of his hand. ¡°Please wait a little longer¡­ I¡¯ll be fine, soon for sure.¡± So, let¡¯s stay like this for a little longer. Cho-seung poured out emotions, which he mistook that he had barely pressed down, while clinging to Ha-hyun¡¯s hand, which calmly comforted him. He thought he was old enough to have a lot of experience, but he realized that he was still afraid of separation. CH 27 Ha-hyun, who calmly saw off Cho-seung, who had left to pack his luggage with reddened eyes, finally recovered from his surprise. He was often sick, but he never suffered as much as he had today. Ha-hyun stroked his tight belly and let out a deep sigh. ¡°Dangerous, she said it was dangerous¡­¡± He never thought it would hurt to the point of passing out. Instinctively realizing that this would happen several times, Ha-hyun forced swallowed his sigh that was about to flow out again. It would be nice if the problem could be controlled with medicine¡­ If it was unavoidable, he would endure, but the problem was the children in his stomach. Ha-hyun, who was starting to feel his stomach because he was worried that he might really miscarry at this rate, shook his head and let out a sinking thought. Worrying didn¡¯t change anything. Rather, simple worries could be poison now. In that case, it was better to be thoughtless than usual. Ha-hyun, who was tapping under his wrist which there was the ringer needle on the backhand, started looking for his cell phone when he heard a notification sound. ¡°Did Cho-seung take care of it?¡± There was no way he would have taken care of it while he was absent. ¡°Where is it.¡± He lifted the covers for no reason and finally found his phone. As soon as he was about to hold it in his hand, he realized it wasn¡¯t his and widened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Cho-seung¡¯s.¡± Moreover, he saw a familiar number and the name saved as Squirrel (???) on the screen. Did he leave it there on purpose? Anyway, why was the saved name Squirrel? Ha-hyun answered the phone first, thinking that the question would be cut off later. It was the first time that they exchanged cell phones, so the size of the machine was awkward to hold in his hand, but he quickly got used to it. ¡°Hello?¡± [Ung, it doesn¡¯t hurt?] Ha-hyun, who was about to sit on the bed, made a dumbfounded expression at Cho-seung¡¯s question. He asked how sick he was and things like that. Still, knowing that he was worried, Ha-hyun answered in an obedient voice that he wasn¡¯t sick, then grabbed the blanket and played with his hand. [I packed wet tissues and other necessities, but I called to see if you needed anything else.] To be honest, he had called because he was worried about the bird that had fallen for a moment, but Cho-seung spat out a lie without even blinking his eyes. (?? ? ?? ??? ?? ? ?? ????? ??? ?????) Contemplating his question, Ha-hyun blinked his eyelids at the food that came to his mind. Apart from being sick, his appetite didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Bottled drinks, so there¡¯s a set of bottled drinks that I usually buy when I visit the hospital.¡± [Ah. There are several flavours like aloe, orange, and tomato, right?] ¡°Ung. Those.¡± As he said, a bottled drink gift set suddenly came to mind. Since he had to be hospitalized for three days, he thought he could eat the whole thing even if he bought a set. Besides, Cho-seung would be next to him, so if they ate together, he would eat everything. Even though they continued to talk on the phone until Cho-seung returned to the hospital room, the two didn¡¯t stop worrying about each other inside. In particular, Cho-seung trembled his legs uncharacteristically, thinking that Ha-hyun was in pain again and was enduring it. [A colleague told me that it¡¯s delicious to freeze strawberries with condensed milk. Have you tried it?] ¡°With condensed milk? How?¡± [Can¡¯t we make a hole in the center and put it in?] Ha-hyun clicked his tongue at the information he learned at the time when it was difficult to find raw strawberries. He couldn¡¯t guarantee whether he would be able to eat it on his own now. ¡°Is it okay to eat frozen strawberries?¡± [Well, I¡¯ll find out. Do you want to eat it?] ¡°Ung. If that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll just dip frozen strawberries in condensed milk and eat them.¡± [I guess that will work.] It might taste different from what his colleague told him, but it would still be better than not eating at all. Ha-hyun naturally hummed at the thought of eating a different and delicious dessert for the first time in a while. Cho-seung, whose mouth had been hardened at the pleasant voice, began to slowly loosen up and raised the corners of his mouth. [I¡¯ll do it.] ¡°Ung.¡± In the sudden rush, Ha-hyun stopped shaking his legs. When he held the loosened cell phone properly and held it to his ear, Cho-seung slowly spoke out to him. [Actually, I contacted my mother. You were sick.] Ha-hyun blinked for a moment, then shook his head thinking that it could happen. ¡°This can be happen. It¡¯s not something to hide.¡± [The more important thing is next.] Feeling like he knew what it was, Ha-hyun asked with a thoughtful heart. ¡°She¡¯s coming?¡± [She¡¯s coming. She said she wouldn¡¯t believe me¡­] She heard all sorts of trivial things about how they lived together and noticed it so late. She wouldn¡¯t stay long because he (Ha-hyun) shouldn¡¯t be under unnecessary stress, but his only child (Cho-seung) was so unreliable and anxious that he couldn¡¯t do it, so his mother went to Seoul. ¡°Where is she going to sleep?¡± [I think she¡¯s going to sleep in a hotel.] Umm. Though he couldn¡¯t stop her from coming, he still wanted to let her stay at a nice hotel, so Ha-hyun told Cho-seung that he would reserve a room. Of course, as soon as he mentioned it, he was rejected with a single cut-off. ¡°Why? Then where will she go to?¡± [Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it.] ¡°I don¡¯t think my worries will stop if I don¡¯t take care of it.¡± Now that he knew what Cho-seung¡¯s weakness was, Ha-hyun quickly grabbed the pod. At Ha-hyun¡¯s words, Cho-seung, who just got off the elevator, flinched for a moment and sped up to the hospital room. Drrk. Ha-hyun, who was focusing on the sound coming through the speaker because Cho-seung didn¡¯t respond and only heard the noise around the other side, felt the door open and turned around. ¡°Honey, are you really sure?¡± Hearing the serious question, Ha-hyun also nodded his head earnestly. He wasn¡¯t indifferent to the fact that he didn¡¯t care because he told him not to. ¡°Alright. Then do whatever you want.¡± Please help him not to get stressed. Cho-seung took a step back because the doctor¡¯s words lingered in his head. Then Ha-hyun smiled and hung up the phone that was still connected and approached him. ¡°Your cell phone?¡± ¡°Ung. I need to make a reservation.¡± It was Ha-hyun who was ready to make a reservation while standing there as if he was excited. Cho-seung wrapped his arm around Ha-hyun¡¯s shoulders and led him to the bed. Cho-seung was frowning at the dragging slippers and thinking about buying them again when Ha-hyun tripped. Although he quickly supported him, Cho-seung still hardened his expression at the feeling of his heart sinking. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ung. But I think the slippers are a little bigger.¡± ¡°That was the only thing left. I brought shoes from home, but slippers are better, right?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll just wear my sneakers.¡± He told him to be careful of falling, so sneakers were better than slippers? Ha-hyun, who almost fell just before him, decided to accept his slight inconvenience. ¡°Isn¡¯t the blanket uncomfortable?¡± Basically, the blanket provided was thin. In addition, it was a nuisance to have pheromones on the bedding provided by the hospital. No matter how much Ha-hyun said that he needed his pheromone because he was a resessive omega pregnant man, there was a limit. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You worry too much.¡± Cho-seung, who seemed unwilling to leave his side just because he was hospitalized in the first place, would have a more uncomfortable life than him. Even though it was only three days, sleeping in the guardian¡¯s bed and taking care of him wasn¡¯t an easy task. ¡°Guardians aren¡¯t provided for eating. What should I do?¡± ¡°I can eat outside for a while.¡± ¡°Uung.¡± As he sat on the bed, Cho-seung, who adjusted the height so he could sit comfortably, carefully covered him with the blanket. In the meantime, Ha-hyun, who had made a reservation for the best hotel he had ever been to, shared the information with Cho-seung. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell her to go here. She¡¯ll probably stop by the hospital for a little while in the evening. Are you not hungry?¡± If he said he was hungry, he had to go out to buy something. Cho-seung, who forgot to ask on the phone, clicked his tongue inwardly. No matter how hectic he was, he did something stupid. ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry. Did you bring strawberries? I want to eat that.¡± ¡°Okay, wait a minute.¡± Cho-seung, who stopped arranging his luggage and took care of the strawberries first, was worried as he looked at the strawberries that still gave off the cold air. He wondered if he could eat it because his teeth probably got cold later. Although he was worried, he couldn¡¯t tell Ha-hyun, whose eyes were shining, that he would give it later, so he put an appropriate amount in a bowl, sprinkled a lot of condensed milk on it, and handed it over with a fork. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Why? Are you sick?¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s cold.¡± I knew it. Ha-hyun covered the cheek on the side where he chewed the frozen strawberry with the palm of his hand and cried slightly. Cho-seung had no choice but took the fork from his hand and moved the bowl of strawberries from the table. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you when it melts later.¡± ¡°Ung.¡± While chasing the strawberries with eyes full of regret, he expressed an affirmation to Cho-seung¡¯s words and tidied up his hair. Cho-seung looked at Ha-hyun, who rubbed his hair beside him and lowered his eyes, then leaned down to kiss his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re all right.¡± Ha-hyun lifted his head in line with the hand gently wrapping his cheek and closed his eyes at the soft whispering voice. ¡°Ung. I¡¯m glad.¡± Only then did he feel relieved and Ha-hyun leaned his face on the palm of his hand where the warmth was felt. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes slowly closed as his body, which had been slightly rigid, relaxed. He tried to force himself to wake up by rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, but he raised his head in a daze at Cho-seung¡¯s restraint. ¡°Get some sleep. Aren¡¯t you very tired?¡± ¡°Uung. But Mother said she was coming.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I will wake you up later.¡± Adjusting the bed he had set, Cho-seung gently covered his eyes as he patted Ha-hyun on the shoulder and led him to sleep. The vision that was bright even with closed eyelids was covered by his thick hand and turned into complete darkness. In the end, Ha-hyun, who was unable to sleep before, head towards his dream, sighed, and breathed regularly.