M 79

“…..”

A small bird, whose origin was unknown, began to scurry around the bottom of the screen. With a body like a white lump as if made of packed snow, and eyes and a beak like black sesame seeds, it would have looked like a dust ball or rice cake if not for its bird-like legs.

The rice ball-like bird, wearing a broken eggshell on its head like a hat, suddenly took off with a waddle. Then, as if to say “look here,” it pecked at the blinking cursor with its insignificant beak. As if urging to fill in the blank spaces for the guardian’s name and the child’s prenatal name.

“When setting up, they said to choose anything….”

Noticing Ki Tae-jeong’s obvious gaze, Lee Sehwa explained in a shrinking voice.

“You could choose? This animal?”

“Ah, yes. The 11th month in Go-Stop(Hwatu) is a really good card. Of course, it can become twice as dangerous if you slip up… Anyway, the bird drawn on it is a phoenix, but, ah, it was written that this isn’t a phoenix, but a long-tailed tit…”

Seemingly embarrassed, Lee Sehwa rambled on with the story.

“They said once you set it, you can’t change it… I didn’t think about it too hard, but just in case, you know….”

Ki Tae-jeong’s tense shoulders relaxed gently. If anything, he was the one who should be embarrassed. He had been mentally listing all possible routes Oh Seon-ran could have used to contact Lee Sehwa, and people he suspected of being spies, only to find it was such a harmless object.

“Lee Sehwa.”

“I’m sorry. I was going to show you once I made up my mind for sure. Either way. Showing you now would only make you uneasy, Brigadier General… I wasn’t trying to deceive you on purpose. I just….”

Watching Lee Sehwa trying his best to explain made Ki Tae-jeong feel somewhat uncomfortable. Is this what it feels like when an army of ants is gnawing at your insides? An unfamiliar sensation rose like a tide to the top of his head, then ebbed away like the tide. What remained in that empty space was a tingling pain that even Ki Tae-jeong himself found difficult to explain.

“…No, it’s not like that. I was just surprised to see an unfamiliar communication device inside, so I asked.”

“Ah, I see….”

I wasn’t trying to corner you. I wasn’t trying to mock you for carefully choosing a character either.

The excuses lingering in his mouth felt awkward. Ki Tae-jeong wasn’t used to making excuses or explanations. He had always carried out his missions diligently to avoid such situations in the first place, and if additional measures were needed, he showed it through actions rather than words. It was much faster and cleaner that way.

“Ah, here’s the apple!”

But now, he wanted to say something, anything. The image of Lee Sehwa curling up despite not being harshly interrogated kept haunting him, making him feel like he had to say something.

“Brigadier General, you’ll eat the apple, right?”

However, while Ki Tae-jeong was choosing his next words, Lee Sehwa brought up a different topic first. As if smoothing over the frozen atmosphere was naturally his responsibility. As if acting cute and charming towards him was his role.

“It seems especially fresh today.”

Lee Sehwa’s gaze as he examined the fruit seemed quite serious.

Come to think of it, whenever Lee Sehwa entered the food section, he would head straight for the fruit corner and always pick up apples first. The cherries and blueberries he actually ate well were left for later.

He thought Lee Sehwa chose apples so carefully because he liked their scent, even though he didn’t eat them much. Lee Sehwa was more sensitive to smells than to the food itself.

But watching Lee Sehwa’s actions now, it suddenly occurred to him that it might not be the case. “You’ll eat the apple, right, Brigadier General?” Ki Tae-jeong had taken it for granted when asked that every time… It seemed like he was putting it in the cart first because it was Ki Tae-jeong’s favorite fruit.

Ki Tae-jeong bit his lip and scanned Sehwa. His fair profile, with his hands on his knees and his mouth slightly open, was focused.

He had wanted Lee Sehwa to be obedient. He wanted him to do whatever he was told. So from the beginning, he had suppressed him to prevent any backtalk or rebellion. He broke him, shattered him. The fact that Lee Sehwa would cower at the slightest pressure was a result created by none other than himself.

But why…. Shouldn’t he be satisfied now that things had turned out as he wished? Why does he feel so dirty every time Lee Sehwa treads carefully?

After examining the small tablet in question, Ki Tae-jeong tossed the damned thing into the medicine bag. With that, the small bird, whether white-headed or bald, flew off somewhere, and a hologram floated up.

As he was about to turn away after absently watching its trivial trajectory, Ki Tae-jeong suddenly jerked his chin back in surprise. It was because a growth projection popped up instead of an actual ultrasound record.

The baby suddenly called onto the screen looked up at him with a face about to cry. As if asking why he had thrown it. No, it’s just a hologram, and a virtual program at that, why does it have to look so realistic?

He tried to ignore it out of spite, but then…

“Ah, shit….”

The baby in the hologram, which he had secretly glanced at, was shedding tiny tears. Ki Tae-jeong briefly held his forehead and closed his eyes tightly before opening them again. Then, having no choice, he carefully placed the notebook he had carelessly tossed aside on top of the ampoule box.

“Brigadier General, the apple variety is really unique.”

He looked at Lee Sehwa with just his eyes at the calling voice. It’s just an apple after all. He was smiling brightly with his cheeks puffed up, finding it so interesting for some reason.

“Ah, it’s named after the person who harvested it. I guess there are masters even for apples.”

Ki Tae-jeong’s gaze, which had been calmly observing his face, slowly drifted to the hologram in the notebook. As if designed to respond to touch, the virtual baby in the hologram, with tears dangling from the corners of his eyes, broke into a wide smile as his fingertip brushed against it.

It was a face that looked exactly like Lee Sehwa, who was chattering away right in front of him.

***

“Then I’ll wait here.”

Warrant Officer Choi bowed his head and stepped back.

Lately, it seemed like Sehwa was spending more time with Warrant Officer Choi than with Ki Tae-jeong. Though he wasn’t sure when Ki Tae-jeong arrived at work or when he left, he still showed his face at least once a day.

The man would suddenly appear around dinnertime and then leave again. He would examine Sehwa’s body as if checking for injuries, and ask what he had eaten that day.

Sehwa wanted to ask Ki Tae-jeong the same thing. Was the Brigadier General himself eating properly?

He said the first trial would be held soon. Ki Tae-jeong’s face, sharper than usual, showed traces of fatigue and some tension. Or rather than tension, should it be called excitement? He looked like someone itching to jump onto the battlefield right away. That keen energy was a bit overwhelming and unfamiliar, making it somewhat difficult to strike up a conversation.

Anyway, it felt odd to ask such a person to go somewhere or to bring up what he wanted to eat, so Sehwa always just vaguely brushed it off.

Was he even sleeping? Judging by the faint scent of his cologne when he woke up, it seemed like he was lying down beside him before leaving…

“Ah, it looks like you can go in right now. Would you like to come this way?”

The manager, after checking the schedule, addressed him kindly.

This general hospital, not far from the official residence, was only accessible to military personnel and their families, as well as authorized 5-star residents. It seemed that Sehwa was being accommodated due to the fact that he was carrying the child of an Air Force Brigadier General. …Actually, he wasn’t sure. Even if it had been impossible in principle, wouldn’t Ki Tae-jeong have made it possible somehow?

“So, have you written anything in your maternity notebook?”

“Ah… No. Just….”

“Don’t feel too pressured. How about writing a simple line about how you felt today, or your feelings when you saw the ultrasound?”

“Umm….”

“It will definitely help with your mood, Mr. Sehwa.”

Sehwa rubbed his forearm at the somewhat cringeworthy way of address. From the moment he made an appointment here, each individual was assigned a dedicated manager. They called it Private Care Service or something; the exact name was forgotten amidst all the flowery descriptions.

The manager took care of everything related to hospital visits. Not only managing appointment schedules but also sending a car to the front of the residence every time. Saying there should be no inconvenience in coming and going to the hospital. So these days, Sehwa wasn’t doing anything except walking around, to put it a bit exaggeratedly.

“Well then, have a good consultation, and when you come out, I’ll schedule your next appointments.”

“Thank you….”

The manager even knocked on the consultation room door and slightly opened it, as if it was only natural. Sehwa swallowed a groan. Maybe he should seriously tell them later that they didn’t need to do this….

“Hello-“

“How’s your body?”

The doctor curtly asked, cutting off Sehwa’s greeting as he entered the consultation room.

“Ah….”

Embarrassed, Sehwa smiled awkwardly. He had already had so many check-ups that he couldn’t count them on both hands, but today’s doctor seemed a bit unfriendly. Well, there are days like this too. Originally, he wouldn’t have been able to set foot in this place given his status, so he decided not to harbor any unnecessary complaints.

“Um, I think it’s fine. I just don’t like the smell of air fresheners, but I’m not really picky about food-“

“Ah, that’s not what I mean!”

The doctor’s voice was tinged with irritation as he cut his off mid-sentence.

“I’m asking about things like if you’ve had any bleeding, or if your stomach feels very tight. These kinds of things.”

“…Oh, no. I haven’t had any such symptoms.”

Now that he looked, there was some kind of emblem on the pocket of the doctor’s gown. A military doctor? Which branch… He wasn’t sure, but he seemed to be quite high-ranking. Was that why he was being so sharp? As if thinking, ‘Why do I have to take care of something like this?’

“What are you doing? Come here.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Flustered, Sehwa quickly put down the backpack he was holding and hurriedly moved to his seat. While preparing the ultrasound machine and gel, the doctor sighed heavily as if for him to hear.

The machine rubbing casually over his stomach felt much colder than usual. What should he do? Should he try to start a conversation? Would that ease the tense atmosphere? After moving his lips several times, Sehwa eventually gave up.

There were guests who, despite frequenting the House daily, didn’t want to mingle with the lower-class people. In his naive days, he had tried to lighten the mood by initiating conversation with guests and even setting up their seats proactively. But all he got in return were scoldings for doing things he wasn’t asked to do, and even physical abuse.

Thinking this doctor might be similar to those guests, Sehwa decided to just keep his mouth shut.

“It was Lee Sehwa-ssi who insisted on this, right?”

The doctor, who had been clicking buttons half-heartedly to capture the hologram, suddenly threw out a question.

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“You must have been curious about the 5-star hospital. It must have felt good to have a manager bowing and scraping to you.”

Not understanding what he meant, Sehwa just blinked silently.

“So you keep asking the Brigadier General for check-ups, but there’s no need to come this often. Looking at the records, you’re coming almost every two or three days. I thought there might be a serious problem with all the fuss being made.”

“Ah, I…”

“Aren’t you also self-administering sedatives?”

“…That’s true, but…”

“If I were you, with a body not naturally suited for this, I wouldn’t be gallivanting outside. I hear you’re out shopping every day?”

“What? That’s not…”

The doctor said that it was already widely known within the Star that some unknown lower-class person carrying Brigadier General Ki Tae-jeong’s child was making daily appearances at the department store.

“Rumors spread quickly in the 5-star area because it’s so small. I hear Lee Sehwa-ssi is putting on airs in the food court? Despite not actually buying much.”

“…”

“Do you know that the lounge where Lee Sehwa-ssi was comfortably choosing clothes a few days ago is a place where even general-grade officers can’t set foot? Even I, born a 5-star resident, can’t enter that place…”

“That’s…”

Sehwa was at a loss for words. He could now understand what aspect of him this doctor found disagreeable. However, he had never once asked for the benefits he was harping on about.

He had merely bought things to eat with Ki Tae-jeong every day. And the lounge… he didn’t even know what he was talking about. He had just followed along when Ki Tae-jeong said there was something he wanted to buy. Since Ki Tae-jeong had finished ordering just by tapping on a tablet from where he sat, he didn’t even know what he had chosen.

“What? Going to tattle on me to the Brigadier General? Say that today’s doctor was nasty?”

“No, why would I…”

“Go ahead and try it. Do you think I would have said these things without any backing?”

Sehwa felt like now was the time to complain about his physical discomfort. It felt like a large needle was poking his stomach. But… afraid of what more might be said if he mentioned feeling pain, Sehwa just kept his eyes lowered.

He tried to swallow the rising indignation, loosely clenching his fist. In fact, this level of verbal abuse couldn’t even be called abuse. These days, even Ki Tae-jeong spoke to him in a gentler manner, making him momentarily forget how cutting a person’s tongue could be.

“You’d be upset too if something happened to the baby, right? After trying so hard, even taking drug to change your fate.”

“….”

“If anything goes wrong, we’ll have to take all the responsibility. There’s no benefit to anyone from Lee Sehwa going out, so please, just stay quietly cooped up at home. Understand?”

Nodding his head first was a habit. This is a difficult and picky guest, a person he won’t have to see after this time passes… As he was trying to calm himself and pick up the sharp words the doctor had thrown at him,

“…Doctor, just a moment.”

Sehwa’s head, which had been deeply bowed, suddenly jerked up. Among the conversation that had just passed, there was something that suddenly caught his attention. Drug? What did he mean by taking drug to change his fate?

“What do you mean… drug?”

“There’s no need to act innocent when everyone who needs to know already knows. You’re the one who made the drug to get pregnant with Lieutenant Kim, aren’t you?”