OMS 62
by Cherry“Ah, alright. Ah…”
Park Dong-sik frowned at the strawberry Kim Tae-han held out to him. Kim Tae-han would rush straight to the hospital after work. Somehow he’d heard that Park Dong-sik liked strawberries, so he always came with strawberries in one hand and other snacks in the other.
“I have hands too, you know.”
“Sister-in-law doesn’t understand. They say these things should be fed by the baby’s father.”
Park Dong-sik laughed in disbelief.
“Do you really think it’s your child?”
“Yes.”
His voice showed not even a hint of doubt. He then said to let him know if Park Dong-sik wanted anything else, he’d go get it right now. Park Dong-sik tried to stop him.
“Don’t come anymore. I’m being discharged in two days anyway.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because here I can see you whenever I want.”
He deliberately put on a gloomy expression. What a sly fox. As if he ever cared about others’ opinions when coming to see me. He’d always barge in whenever he wanted. Then Park Dong-sik thought of Kim Jun-han. He hadn’t visited the hospital since the first day. Not even a phone call to check up on him.
At first, Park Dong-sik thought he was busy, but now he understood. Kim Jun-han was deliberately avoiding visits.
Given the contract terms and his lack of affection for Lee Hee-soo, maybe it was only natural for him not to show his face. He might be thinking, ‘This is fucked up’ to himself. At this point, Park Dong-sik wondered if it might be better if Kim Tae-han were the baby’s father instead.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Nothing. By the way, how’s work? Is it manageable?”
“It’s good. The work is interesting, and people treat me well.”
“Of course. They wouldn’t dare give the chairman’s son a hard time.”
“Except for a few executives, no one knows I’m the chairman’s son. Besides, people have always treated me well wherever I go. It’s been that way since I was young.”
“Why?”
“Why, you ask? You should know if you have eyes.”
“…”
“Being good-looking is actually quite an advantage.”
It was annoying, but Park Dong-sik couldn’t deny it. Though probably not as much as Kim Tae-han, when living as Park Dong-sik, he’d gotten extra service at soup restaurants and additional desserts at cafes. They would subtly ask for his contact information too. But that was all in the past now. Park Dong-sik no longer existed.
“How’s your father? Any changes?”
When Park Dong-sik casually brought up Chairman Kim, Kim Tae-han shook his head.
“Don’t even ask. After the accident, he became surprisingly calm, but after his heart stopped, he went back to his old self. Now Mom’s looking for a new shaman. I heard she went to Gyeryongsan this time.”
“Ah…”
“Should we push him one more time? Maybe he’ll become nice again?”
Park Dong-sik looked at him in shock, but Kim Tae-han just smiled and popped a strawberry in his mouth.
“Just kidding. Why so serious?”
Because it clearly wasn’t a joke, you punk. However, a part of him thought it might not matter anymore since he was no longer Kim Yoon-ah anyways.
Then Kim Tae-han touched the other man’s belly. His gentle touch conveyed tenderness.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s amazing. That it’s in here.”
“It’s too early to even show up on ultrasound.”
“Still amazing.”
Then he brought his lips close to the belly. “Can you hear Daddy?”
Park Dong-sik smacked his shoulder.
“Don’t confuse the baby. It might not even be yours.”
“Do you want it to be Kim Jun-han’s?”
“…”
“He doesn’t want the child. Can’t you tell by how he hasn’t come since that day?”
“That’s not what I meant…Claim ownership once it’s certain. Right now, it’s in my belly, so I have ownership.”
“You talk about it like it’s an object. That’s upsetting.”
It stung like being pricked by a needle. Park Dong-sik couldn’t honestly say that Kim Tae-han was right, that to him it was just like an object, that it didn’t feel real, and that he just wanted to give birth quickly, take the money, and leave Korea. As time passed and drowsiness set in, Kim Tae-han lowered the hospital bed for him.
“Should I sleep here tonight?”
“No. Go home.”
“My pheromones might help…”
“It’s fine. You helped a lot that first day and made me much more stable.”
Kim Tae-han raised one eyebrow.
“Hm?”
“You came back while I was sleeping, right? When I woke up, mysteriously, the pain had decreased a lot.”
Kim Tae-han’s expression became somewhat strange. He soon smiled and said, “Oh, really? That’s good.” Then he covered Park Dong-sik with the blanket and gently patted his hand. In the past, Park Dong-sik would have harshly pushed him away, but now he seemed to have grown more accustomed to it, finding acts like this less burdensome.
“Sleep. I’ll leave after watching you fall asleep.”
Park Dong-sik nodded his head. While feeling grateful that Kim Tae-han was there, he also felt guilty. How would he feel when I disappear after giving birth? He’d probably be furious due to the betrayal. But Park Dong-sik really couldn’t handle this situation. He felt no attachment to the child, and someone like him who had never received parental love couldn’t possibly love anyone else, it was all utter nonsense.
It’s better for me to just live as I always have. Just like I’ve done until now.
***
When Park Dong-sik returned home after being discharged, he went to the main house. Chairman Kim had summoned him to come as soon as he got home. The old man must have heard about the pregnancy, how would he react? With an uneasy mind, Park Dong-sik opened the door, and all the staff bowed their heads.
“Welcome, Young Madam.”
Park Dong-sik flinched in surprise. Butler Yoon came over and showed impeccable courtesy.
“You must have had a hard time. Are you feeling better now?”
Park Dong-sik was dumbfounded.
“What’s this? Is this a hidden camera prank? Just act like you usually do.”
“What do you mean…?”
“You were all looking down on me before, and now you’re suddenly acting differently.”
Butler Yoon smiled calmly, and Park Dong-sik went upstairs while grumbling under his breath. Despite his words, he didn’t feel too bad about it. Being treated with respect felt quite nice, actually. But he shouldn’t get caught up in these little things. They were all things he’d have to let go of in a few months.
With these thoughts, he went to the reception room where Chairman Kim was sitting.
[Now that I think about it, the two of you look alike. The look in their eyes is like the one in the memorial photo.]
Park Dong-sik finally understood why Kim Jun-han had mentioned the eyes. Though only the soul had changed, Chairman Kim’s gaze was completely different from when he was Kim Yoon-ah. Looking at those snake-like cunning eyes, Park Dong-sik predicted the remaining time wouldn’t be easy.
“How are you feeling?”
“Yes, thanks to your concern, I’m fine…”
“And the baby?”
“The baby is healthy too…”
Chairman Kim got up to his feet. Park Dong-sik was wary, wondering if he might do something strange like before, but the chairman went to the bedroom.
“Follow me. This isn’t a conversation for out here.”
Though reluctant, Park Dong-sik thought he wouldn’t act inappropriately toward a daughter-in-law carrying his grandchild. That would make him truly trash. Once inside, he took out an envelope from the drawer beside the bed and threw it on the table.
“Take a look.”
Now even just seeing an envelope made his heart race, not knowing what might be inside. As Park Dong-sik checked the contents, he tilted his head to one side in confusion. What’s this? Property rights? He’d heard that when rich families have grandchildren, they give buildings as gifts…Had this old man actually grown wiser after his near-death experience?
While looking at it suspiciously, Chairman Kim put a cigar in his mouth.
“Get rid of the baby.”
Park Dong-sik was incredulous. Why were both husband and wife taking turns telling him to abort the baby? He was willing to have it.
“I have no intention of accepting that child as my grandchild. So get rid of it.”
“Is this about the contract? You don’t want Kim Jun-han’s shares transferred to me?”
“Wrong. If it were my grandchild, would I care about a measly 60 billion won?”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“I don’t want to bring a child of unknown seed into our family. That’s the reason.”
“Let me be clear. It is your son’s child. I’ll swear on my life.”
Though I still have no idea whether that son is Kim Jun-han or Kim Tae-han.
“I know you’ve been meeting other men outside! How can I fully trust that?”
Ah, this fucking old man. Should’ve just sent him straight to heaven instead of doing CPR. Shouldn’t have saved him. I want to break my own wrist now for doing that. While deeply regretting this, Chairman Kim said something completely unexpected.
“Abort the baby and divorce Jun-han. I’m thinking of arranging a remarriage with the youngest son of the Young-hwa Group.”
Park Dong-sik snorted.
“Did Kim Jun-han agree to this?”
“He said he’d think about it positively.”
Park Dong-sik looked at Chairman Kim like he’d just been slapped. What?
“So get rid of the baby first. No one in this house welcomes your pregnancy.”
Park Dong-sik bit down on his lip hard and stood up. Chairman Kim’s gaze followed him. Still as sticky as ever. He surely knew the baby in Lee Hee-soo’s belly was his grandson. Yet he was jealous. Against his own son.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this. And stop calling me over, it’s bad for prenatal care. During pregnancy, you’re supposed to only see and hear good things, but that’s impossible with you, Father. You make me feel like shit. If this baby turns out to be a dick instead of a baby, will you take responsibility?”
“W-What?”
“And instead of wasting time calling me over like this, treat Mother better. Don’t regret it later when you can’t control your bowels anymore.”
As he stormed out, he heard something being thrown inside. That old man and his terrible temper. Park Dong-sik left the main house and went to the annex. When he opened the door, he heard murmuring voices. Kim Jun-han had returned from work at some point and was on the phone with someone.
“No, thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”
Not a business call? Why does his voice sound so gentle?
[Divorce Jun-han. I’m thinking of arranging a remarriage with the youngest son of the Young-hwa Group.]
[He said he’d think about it positively.]
Park Dong-sik quickly turned his head away first. As he went up to the second floor, he heard footsteps behind him. Looking back, it turned out Kim Jun-han was following him. Ignoring him, Park Dong-sik went to the bedroom and tried to close the door, but Kim Jun-han blocked it with his hand.
“I thought you were being discharged tomorrow morning?”
So he was still keeping tabs on my schedule.
“I left early because I felt stuffy there.”
“I see. Rest then.”
Without asking anything else, he turned around to go to his own bedroom. Park Dong-sik felt an inexplicable surge of emotion right then and there. So he ended up following and blocking Kim Jun-han’s path.
“Isn’t this too much?”
“What is?”
“I understand you’re angry, but how could you not visit even once while I was hospitalized?”
“I was just following the doctor’s orders.”
“What?”
“Didn’t they say the biological father should stay by your side until you stabilized?”
Park Dong-sik was at a loss for words right then. So Kim Jun-han…doesn’t think it’s his child. He thinks it’s Kim Tae-han’s baby. He couldn’t argue against it. Looking at the probabilities, Kim Tae-han was indeed more likely. When Park Dong-sik couldn’t say anything, Kim Jun-han briefly glanced at his belly. That look contained many emotions, but one of them was clearly contempt.