M 112

His heart was beating so fast he felt it might leap out of his mouth. His pulse throbbed throughout his body like a large drum.

After a slight delay, Ki Tae-jeong turned his head slightly. His smooth jawline and the tip of his nose, briefly revealed, were laden with complex emotions that Sehwa couldn’t begin to decipher.

“Mo-mommy, daddy… This lowborn…!”

The child, held aloft and watching cautiously, sensed the softened atmosphere and began to whimper pitifully again.

Ki Tae-jeong neither put the child down nor turned completely to check Sehwa’s condition. He simply stood still, exhaling quietly, his waist held by his feeble grip.

“Ha…”

Sehwa swallowed hard and tried his best to move his tongue.

He didn’t believe everything should be forgiven just because someone was a child. Moreover, this child seemed old enough to understand that one shouldn’t say mean things to others.

“…don’t…”

Even so… there was no need to go after someone so fiercely, whether they were an adult or a child.

“Don’t… do… this…”

“…”

“It’s… a child…”

His own voice, heard after so long, sounded unfamiliar. He couldn’t even pronounce the last part properly, and even saying this much made him sweat profusely.

“St… op…”

Ki Tae-jeong’s broad shoulders rose and fell repeatedly with his breathing. Even though hidden by clothes, he could feel the muscles in his back tensing like ridges. He had only shown such a reaction when extremely excited while being intimate with him…

“I wasn’t trying to deliberately go after the kid.”

The man, who had been standing like a statue, slowly bent down.

“This one was talking about the brigadier general to you, but in front of me, it’s just crying for its parents.”

Ki Tae-jeong put the child down on the floor, almost throwing it, and yanked off the anti-loss necklace. The child cried softly again, face smeared with tears and snot.

“Of course, this brat was probably just parroting what its parents told it to say. But it should have shut up when it saw my face. By this age, those registered in the 5-Star usually have a rough idea of the Generals’ faces and names.”

Even without being forced, children naturally learn these things when dragged around by their parents to various places. Even Ki Tae-jeong, indifferent to fancy social gatherings and events, was familiar with the children of famous people.

“But you recognized him exactly while pretending not to know who I am? That doesn’t make sense.”

Ki Tae-jeong lifted the necklace to eye level and examined it closely. There were two Army emblems on it, but the guardian’s contact number wasn’t one used by soldiers. This was a shallow trick often used by people who wanted to show off having a distant relative in the military, though they weren’t immediate family.

Moreover, the child’s surname was Kim. A Kim with Army relatives… It was too early to jump to conclusions, but he could guess who might be behind this.

Ki Tae-jeong, who had been rolling the child back and forth with his foot, bent down to pick up the receipt. Even without looking closely, this item was also suspicious.

“Even if it had been dropped right after getting it from the store, it wouldn’t be this crisp.”

The method was similar to that doctor who had carelessly rambled on to Sehwa before. There was no detailed strategy or plausible logic. It was just throwing out hurtful words to Sehwa without context.

This brat, or more precisely, the brat’s parents, seemed to be just as disposable to Colonel Kim as that doctor was. It didn’t seem necessary to interrogate them thoroughly… but he felt he needed to pay a bit more attention.

There’s a limit unless we keep Sehwa confined to the quarters. No matter how much they restrict others’ access, as long as he keeps going out of the recovery room to see the child, there will inevitably be some strangers passing by. Even the nurse in the incubator protection room might say nonsense to Sehwa if he gets crazy about the money Colonel Kim is giving her.

And even without Oh Seon-ran’s advice, Ki Tae-jeong knew well that Sehwa’s body and mind had weakened considerably. In this situation, if he clings to the child, he might really have foolish thoughts.

Ki Tae-jeong slightly raised his eyes to check his surroundings. Some of the security personnel, who should have been hiding like shadows, had revealed themselves and were aiming their guns somewhere. Looking in that direction, he saw two young men and women hiding behind a pillar, trembling with their hands raised. Of course, some were also steadily aiming at the child.

“Anyway… I didn’t mean to deliberately torment that brat.”

Sehwa stood still, not knowing how to react. Perhaps due to nervousness, the stagnant saliva in his mouth kept swallowing.

Anyway, he wasn’t shaking the child in the air anymore, and he said he didn’t mean to harm him intentionally… so it should be okay not to keep holding onto him, right? Even touching a man was uncomfortable, but every time he spoke in a low voice, the vibration that reached to his fingertips made Sehwa at a loss.

As he removed his hand from Ki Tae-jeong’s waist, only then did the man turn around abruptly. Caught off guard by suddenly meeting his eyes, Sehwa flinched and stepped back a couple of steps.

“So… is that it?”

Quickly closing the distance that had opened up, Ki Tae-jeong made a small chin gesture towards the back so that Sehwa wouldn’t notice. It meant to capture all the suspicious guys.

“Anything you want to say to me.”

“…”

“Other than telling me not to harm the nasty brat, nothing?”

“…”

“Sehwa.”

“Don’t…” 

That short phrase wasn’t enough to quench the thirst. Even if it wasn’t a complete sentence, it would have been fine. Even if it was a rejection saying he disliked him, he wished he would let him hear his voice a little more. However, Sehwa, having achieved his purpose, sealed his lips again.

Ki Tae-jeong let out a long sigh through his nose and held out the cup he was holding. Colorful cotton candy-like clouds were embedded here and there in the drink. It didn’t look healthy at all, but he had chosen it because it had an interesting appearance that Sehwa might find intriguing. It looked like it would taste sweet at a glance.

“…”

Sehwa was about to turn his head as if uninterested, but suddenly stopped and hesitantly took the takeout cup.

‘I guess he liked it after all.’ Ki Tae-jeong’s lips were about to curve into a slight smile. But Sehwa’s gaze, awkwardly holding the cup, turned towards the brat who was forcing out tears. It was only for a moment, but it was clear.

The lips that had softened gently closed again into a straight line. He thought the drink he had chosen had caught Sehwa’s interest… but it seemed that wasn’t it. He was worried that he might harm the child if his mood soured.

His mouth felt dry and gritty, as if he had swallowed sand. He had thoroughly explained why he had been rough with the suspicious brat. He had also said he had no intention of harming him. Yet Sehwa didn’t trust his words at all. Even though he had shown his evidence right in front of his eyes and added a somewhat logical explanation.

“…Try it. I heard it’s popular.”

Ki Tae-jeong soon addressed Sehwa in a casual voice as if nothing had happened. However, apart from telling him not to do something, it seemed Sehwa had nothing particular to say to him, as he still kept his mouth shut.

***

A lowborn from outside the castle walls.

It was a familiar insult often heard from guests, but strangely, the words of the chattering child kept coming back to mind.

That suspicious doctor had also said something similar about his background. At that time, although it was a bit surprising, it didn’t stick in his mind that much…. This time, perhaps because he heard the criticism in a child’s voice, he felt like his thoughts were constantly being buried in this topic.

Unlike him, the healthy little Saessak would grow rapidly and soon establish its own small society… and the lowborn father from the 2-Hwan would remain an indelible flaw to the child for life.

Saessak, like him, would probably be called the son of House March, with its name erased. Even if they could settle inside the castle walls with the help of General Oh Seon-ran, it would still be a problem. That’s when he would be despised as the son of a lowborn who rolled in without knowing his place.

As he specifically imagined the future of Saessak, who would live an even harder life than him through no fault of his own, his insides inevitably ached. At that time, he was too cornered to think that his immature idea of going out to sea and taking root elsewhere could become a misfortune for the child in the future.

The period when love alone is enough for a child is not long. Wouldn’t Saessak someday wish to live in a moderately good environment with adequate affection, rather than unwavering extreme love? If he were to get angry at him, asking if the other biological father was actually a brigadier general, telling him he doesn’t need his love and to let him live under that man, asking why he didn’t tell him…

“Lee Sehwa.”

Tae-jeong poked his cheek, bringing the somewhat dazed Sehwa back to reality.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

Since barely uttering that one word telling him not to, Ki Tae-jeong had been in that state constantly. He didn’t try to hide his desperation to hear his voice. What should he say… The man seemed to be mistaking the fact that he had started speaking at all as a sign that he was beginning to open up to him a little.

“They say we can move the incubator to your recovery room in about 3 weeks…. Of course, there will be several people stationed there, so it might be difficult for you to rest comfortably.”

“…”

“What do you want to do?”

“…”

“Still, it would be better to have him nearby, right?”

Sehwa still kept his mouth tightly shut. Even now, he could speak if he wanted to, but he didn’t want to give any room for Tae-jeong to misunderstand on his own.

– Patient Lee Sehwa, Brigadier General Ki Tae-jeong has arrived.

As they approached the protection room, the same clear voice as always was heard. There was a sound of wheels rolling from inside, and the incubator carrying Saessak on a wagon came closer. One of the wires that had been connected the last time he saw it was gone.

Saessak is growing well without any problems, just like its prenatal name. Like a young bud containing only beauty and grace, it was stretching towards the bright sky.

“Ah.”

Ki Tae-jeong, who was about to take a seat next to Sehwa, checked something and lightly furrowed his brow.

“Stay here alone for a moment. I won’t go far.”

As if there was something he didn’t want him to hear, Ki Tae-jeong moved away a bit, tapping his wristwatch. Even so, he wasn’t completely leaving, and it would only take a few seconds for him to reach him if he ran.

– We’ve now entered stage 2. Soon you’ll be able to share a room in the recovery room, or you can continue to visit the protection room like this. What would you like to do?

Ah…. Sehwa, who had been hanging on the end of the man’s gaze from a distance, came to his senses and shook his head.

– Do you think it’s still too early for rooming together?

Why wouldn’t he want to keep him close and look at him? Sehwa wanted to even stroke the virtual hologram of Saessak floating above the incubator.

But what if all those wires get tangled in the process of moving him to his side? What if he accidentally pressed the wrong button…. Frightening and anxious thoughts kept rushing in, so Sehwa thought it might be better for the child to stay safely in the protection room as it is.

– Yes, many mothers are afraid too. We’re ready anytime, so please feel free to let us know if you change your mind. Oh, when we enter stage 2, we need to enter a new code name. Since you haven’t chosen a baby name yet, we’re going to keep the alphabet combination for the last part and just add the surname in front.

When the nurse tapped somewhere on the incubator, a screen with what looked like personal information popped up. The surgery date, time of entering the incubator, information on running programs, current weeks of gestation and gender of the child were all meticulously recorded. But….

– Oh, what’s wrong?

Something was off. No, it wasn’t just off, there was something seriously wrong.

As Sehwa shook his head vigorously and pointed to the name field, the nurse looked at the incubator in confusion. He seemed startled, as it was the first time Sehwa had shown such intense emotion.

“…No, it’s not…”

– Pardon?

“It’s, it’s wrong….”

When Sehwa spoke for the first time, the nurse’s eyes widened in surprise, but she tried to hide her shock and asked calmly.

– Could you please tell me which part you’re referring to….

“The name, the, surname….”

In the sprout’s name field, only the surname was floating. But it wasn’t Lee, it was Ki. People had arbitrarily given Saessak Ki Tae-jeong’s ‘Ki’ suriname instead of  LeeSehwa’s ‘Lee’ surename.

“This, is, not… right….”

– Ah….

After pondering for a while on how to respond to the point that this child wouldn’t use the Ki surname, the nurse cautiously began.

– I’m sorry. We should have asked you first before entering it…. We put in the Brigadier General’s surname because there’s usually an order for determining a baby’s surname, but there was no particular intention behind it.

The nurse explained that among parents, the surname of the person living in the higher district or having the higher-ranking job takes precedence. And as with all things, military personnel are given top priority over other occupations.

– We didn’t mean to upset you, it’s just that the established rule is…. Of course, if you two have agreed, we can make changes.

“Yes… but, it’s, my, child….”

He meant that it was entirely his own child, unrelated to Ki Tae-jeong, but the nurse didn’t seem to properly understand why Sehwa was saying this child is his child. Still, she smiled kindly as always and said she would make the correction as soon as the Brigadier General arrived.

– Ah, he’s here now.

Along with the sound of footsteps approaching, a familiar scent of cologne wafted over. Sehwa clenched his fists stubbornly. It’s not wrong, is it? Saessak is his child alone, not needing that person’s permission….

– Brigadier General, just now Patient Lee Sehwa said he wants to correct the child’s surname.

Ki Tae-jeong, who was about to close the work page while manipulating his watch button, slowly raised his head.

“…He spoke directly? This person?”

Sehwa opened his mouth and asked to remove the Ki surname from Saessak…. He is not sure what triggered it, but anyway, Ki Tae-jeong’s low voice asking back sounded ominous.

– Yes, we immediately apologized for our mistake, and were just telling him that we would proceed with the correction as soon as you arrived. Then, I’ll update the child’s information with the mother’s surname.

For a moment, a gaze that felt like it could burn poured onto his side profile.