M 217

Side Story 3 Episode 20

==========

Hae-rim also inherited Ki Tae-jeong’s superior physique and frame, so Sunshine… probably San-ho too. It was fascinating and lovely to discover his traces in the firstborn, who was just like himself, but what would it feel like to see his own image in the second, a miniature version of him?

Sehwa, who was feeling good and grinning from ear to ear, blinked at a sudden, unusual urge that surged up. Uh, what is this…? He was dumbfounded that he suddenly had this thought while thinking about the cute child he saw during the day…, and he suddenly felt hungry. Like crazy.

To be precise, it wasn’t so much that he wanted to fill his stomach, but that he wanted to taste something. He wanted to put something in his mouth and chew it, whatever it was.

He had suddenly craved cherries when Hae-rim was Saessak, so this feeling wasn’t unfamiliar. However, just because he had experienced it before didn’t mean that he was used to the sudden burst of appetite. Especially in the middle of the night like this! How many people could naturally accept this absurd and embarrassing impulse!

Sehwa, feeling resentful, huffed to himself and reviewed the advice from the meditation app once again. Stay calm. Anyway, a lot has changed now compared to a few years ago. If he want to eat something, he can just say it without worrying about what others think. There was no need to wake up the person sleeping soundly next to him. Just leave a note on the tablet, and the resident housekeeper and babysitters would immediately prepare a meal.

But the problem was… unlike when he clearly knew that he wanted cherries when Hae-rim was Saessak, this time he had no idea what he wanted. No, he wasn’t even sure if he was hungry. He felt empty inside and wanted to put something in his mouth right away, but he couldn’t figure out what he wanted to eat.

Now, Lee Sehwa knew a variety of flavors. He could boast that he had tasted all the delicacies of the world, thanks to the various meals that used good ingredients generously for every meal. Ki Tae-jeong and Oh Seon-ran acted as if they had been given the mission of feeding him as much as he wanted.

Sehwa, who used to be content as long as he wasn’t starving, had developed his own tastes. He naturally learned the difference between luxurious ingredients and everyday foods, and he also learned that expensive ingredients weren’t always necessarily good. He was proud of himself for being able to pick what he liked meticulously and for being able to confidently voice what he wanted.

So, it had been a long time since he had felt this lost. What should he do, what should he eat…? He wasn’t this bewildered even when he first opened a book related to spelling.

The amazing man who could bring him combat rations from the spaceship immediately was right next to him. The person who would buy and bring him whatever it was, regardless of the price or where it was sold, was within arm’s reach. But the fact that he didn’t even know what he wanted to eat, and that he was starting to feel depressed because of it, was absurd.

This must also be a trick of hormones, right? The fact that he had been sleepy from evening to night, the fact that he suddenly wanted to eat something, and the fact that he was feeling down because of it. Everything was fine until he went to see Sunshine in the morning, so why did it turn out like this? It wasn’t just fine, he was happy, but suddenly, why…?

Sehwa, who was only fiddling with the edge of the pillowcase, suddenly felt like he was going to cry. No, why doesn’t he know what he wants to eat when he’s hungry? There are so many nutritional supplements that are good for pregnant people and fetuses, so why isn’t there still a drug that can control fluctuating emotions? Sehwa felt that his situation was so absurd that he was even angry at the way the world was going.

“…Huu.”

Sehwa wiped away the tears streaming down his forehead and took a moment to catch his breath. He was so dumbfounded by his own appearance, crying in the middle of the night after sleeping soundly, that he laughed again while crying this time. What is this. What the heck is this? Emotional swings are one of the symptoms of pregnancy, but isn’t this level of it dangerous? He feels like he’s a little… crazy….

“…Honey.”

As he was crying, laughing, and feeling absurd, a heat suddenly rushed towards Sehwa’s back.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

The mattress seemed to sink slightly, and then a large hand reached out and snatched Sehwa’s body. Ki Tae-jeong’s low, husky voice was as wonderful as ever, and his bare chest against Sehwa’s back was as broad and warm as always.

“…Hic.”

And embarrassingly, Sehwa became even more upset at his familiar touch that patted him. It felt like there was a switch inside his body that could disrupt his emotions. Maybe those buttons are all pressed whenever Sunshine wriggles in his stomach. Otherwise, how could it be like this….

“Lee Sehwa, are you crying?”

“……”

“Honey.”

Ki Tae-jeong, who had been completely awakened by Sehwa’s sobbing, immediately got up. There was a rustling sound, and then the night light turned on. As the warm, beige light poured over his closed eyes, large teardrops rolled down Sehwa’s cheeks. He knew that the other person wasn’t at fault at all, but he felt like he was going to die because he was so annoying. What’s the point of saying ‘Honey, I love you’ all the time? He doesn’t even know what I want to eat right now.

“Are you sick somewhere?”

“……”

“Let’s go to the hospital.”

There was an undisguised tension and anxiety in Ki Tae-jeong’s voice, who was trying to coax him gently. Sehwa felt very sorry for that, but at the same time, he felt sad and upset.

“…No, it’s okay. I’m okay, hic, I’m okay….”

“Wait a minute, I’ll get you some clothes. First, let’s leave Hae-rim with General Oh Seon-ran-.”

As he fiddled with his watch as if he was about to contact his father right away, Sehwa shook his head while holding Ki Tae-jeong’s arm. Seeing the tears streaming down his face as he shook his head, Ki Tae-jeong said quite firmly. He said no, let’s go to the hospital right away, and he would call Captain Na immediately.

“……Hungry.”

“Huh?”

That’s not it. He’s not sick anywhere! Sehwa barely, stammeringly continued to speak in a nasal voice.

“…I’m hungry… that’s, hic, that’s why….”