PIA 28

Jeong Hee-seo was frustrated as he couldn’t understand Ji-an’s strange behavior.

On the other hand, Ji-an remained calm. He was still lying under the window, rolling around and talking to Jeong Hee-seo on the phone.

The cell phone was also given by Jeong Hee-seo, and it just had Jeong Hee-seo’s phone number, and it was unclear whose name it was registered under. It was a means of contact given in case of any emergency. He was indeed a meticulous man.

With such a personality… it could be frustrating, Ji-an thought.

Ji-an sat up quickly and made up something that could reassure Jeong Hee-seo.

“The room is so spacious that even going back and forth to drink water is a form of exercise. I’m doing photosynthesis a lot in front of the glass window. There are so many things to watch on Netbullix that I never get bored. I’m really happy right now, Hyung-nim. There haven’t been many moments in my life when I felt this happy. Really.”

– … Isn’t it stifling?

“I really don’t feel stuffy.”

Jeong Hee-seo was absolutely frustrated, and for a moment, he did not respond because he couldn’t understand.

Ji-an, wondering if he had gone too far in front of his sponsor, who took care of his eating, sleeping, and spending, began to make excuses.

“I told you, I’m… scared of my grandmother, and of hyung-nim’s grandmother too… If anyone finds out about me, they’ll force me to get married. As long as I can avoid marriage, I’m fine hiding anywhere.”

– … To that extent?

Since he couldn’t tell Jeong Hee-seo about the plot development force that lurked outside the door like fate, all he could do was whine about being scared.

– Alright. So, what about the hospital? Shouldn’t you go for a check-up?

He thought his excuse was pretty convincing, but the topic of the hospital caught Ji-an off guard. The enthusiasm in Ji-an’s eyes faded.

“Ah… I completely forgot about that.”

He checked the calendar and discovered that several days had passed since the doctor’s recommended date. Along with it, the warnings about being cautious in the early stages came back to him.

Ji-an placed his hand on his lower abdomen. It was true that there was a baby under the still flat skin, but it had no presence to him.

The only way the baby revealed his presence was through a symptom called ‘morning sickness’, but even that was completely forgotten as he was living so comfortably thanks to Jeong Hee-seo’s pheromones.

“Maybe the baby is missing?”

– Nonsense.

Jeong Hee-seo laughed out loud in disbelief.

“I’m going to borrow some sunglasses from the dressing room.”

– Are you sure you want to go now?

“Why not? There’s nothing else to do. The reservation date has passed, so I’m going to make a call and go.”

Ji-an wasn’t the type to avoid tasks just because there was a reason to hide. Moreover, all of these actions were being taken to protect the baby, so skipping the checkup was unreasonable.

Ji-an entered the dressing room and began searching for clothing that may be used to disguise himself. Jeong Hee-seo’s assistant got him clothes with a simple casual look, so he thought they would be less noticeable.

Jeong Hee-seo, who had been silent for a while, stopped Ji-an as he prepared the gray tracksuit, black hat, sunglasses, and mask.

– Just stay today. I’ll arrange an appointment through Han-seok.

“It’s just to see if the baby is alright… Do I really need to go to the general hospital?”

Putting on Jeong Hee-seo’s sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, Ji-an replied nonchalantly.

– Let’s go together.

“Uh…”

– Together, for the check-up. I’m in that position.

The hospital Ji-an visited again with Jeong Hee-seo was much larger than Ji-an remembered. At first, it was because he was dazed and it was late at night so he couldn’t see anything.

“We meet again. You’re Ji-an-ssi? Right, Hee-seo?”

“Yeah. Say hello. This is Seo Ji-an. This is Kim Han-seok.”

Jeong Hee-seo introduced the two people in a dry tone.

As if Kim Han-seok wasn’t busy, he bought drinks and welcomed the two people. Ji-an alternated between sipping on orange juice and observing the mismatched duo of Jeong Hee-seo and Kim Han-seok.

“Last time, I mistakenly said you were a married couple. Sorry about that. Living trapped in a hospital, it’s easy to get confused about who among my classmates got married and who didn’t.”

No, there was nothing to get confused about… What happened to the doctor?

Ji-an suppressed his inner thoughts and just smiled and nodded, showing his acceptance of Kim Han-seok’s apology. With his hands in his pockets, Kim Han-seok guided the two people to the obstetrics and gynecology department, which was attached to the secondary trait department.

The checkup didn’t take very long, but it shocked Ji-an in many ways.

When the doctor moved the pointer to a small, bean-like dot on a low-definition screen that Ji-an couldn’t see properly, he could hear the heartbeat there. The sound was so loud that Ji-an clenched his fists without realizing it.

After changing back into his clothing and coming out of the partition, Jeong Hee-seo stood there, waiting like a statue. Ji-an quickly kicked him out because he had to sit in a strange chair for the examination, but instead of leaving, he just stood there waiting.

Did Jeong Hee-seo also hear that sound and feel the same way?

Ji-an looked up at Jeong Hee-seo with eyes filled with complicated emotions. He didn’t know how to explain this feeling. He was just glad that he was there for him while his heart was fluttering like this.

“Did you come with me because you knew this would happen?”

Ji-an had delusions that the baby in his stomach had disappeared because he could not feel it. What used to be just cells now has a heart, and hearing the sound of it beating hard and fast as evidence of its existence gave Ji-an a heavy sense of reality.

“…”

Even with Ji-an’s reddened eyes, Jeong Hee-seo remained silent. Come to think of it, Jeong Hee-seo was someone who trusted Ji-an from the beginning without asking anything. If he was like a character in a makjang drama, he would yell at him to get a DNA test first. Ji-an was once again grateful to Hee-seo for accepting, believing in, and supporting him as he brazenly pushed himself in.

Ji-an spoke in a slightly quiet voice.

“What to do. You suddenly became a father because of me.”

Jeong Hee-seo, who had kept her mouth shut, responded by saying it was no big deal.

“Speak for yourself.”

“…”

“How do you feel? Everything got complicated because of one night spent with me.”

“Haha.”

Jeong Hee-seo was right. It was like a typhoon that arrived without any weather forecast.  Ji-an was being blown away by the wind and rain with no umbrella to protect him, until Jeong Hee-seo offered him one.

As Ji-an was wiping away the tears that had leaked out, Jeong Hee-seo held out his hand.

“Strawberry or peach?”

“Yes?”

“Since strawberries are harder to come by in this weather, you might crave them. Pregnant people often feel that way.”

When Ji-an burst out laughing in bewilderment, Jeong Hee-seo raised an eyebrow as always.

“Don’t you think so?”

“Isn’t that too far-fetched?”

“Do you want me to tell you how my sister used to harass her secretaries for exactly that reason before she gave birth to my nephew?”

“Please tell me about that.”

Ji-an’s steps got much lighter thanks to the person who willingly relieved the weight of his heart. Ji-an held his outstretched hand and carefully and vigorously left the hospital.

∞

Ding dong—

Seo Ji-hyuk’s face was confused when he heard the doorbell. Jeong Han-joo, who was chopping green onions nearby, immediately cleansed his hands before heading to the entrance.

Knowing that no one would come to their house, Seo Ji-hyuk followed Jeong Han-joo. His heart raced with anxiety, wondering if Seo Ji-an had reversed his words and showed up again.

“Oh, what brings you here, Mother?”

Jeong Han-joo must have also thought that Seo Ji-an had appeared, and he could not hide his surprise when he saw Yoon Ok-hee appear outside the front door. It was the same for Seo Ji-hyuk, who was watching the whole situation over his shoulder.

“Um… Han-joo. I’m sorry for coming here so suddenly, but I was wondering if you could contact Ji-an…”

Yoon Ok-hee’s complexion was extremely pale. Her two hands were trembling, as if she was anxious.

“Han-joo, you know it too. That day… After Director Jeong and you left, Ji-an’s grandmother was very angry…”

“Mother, please come in and sit down for a moment. Your complexion doesn’t look good right now.”

“No, no. It seems there’s a guest; I can’t do that. Ji-an doesn’t need to know about this. I came to ask about Ji-an while stopping by. I feel like I’ve caused unnecessary disturbance.”

Yoon Ok-hee’s gaze turned to Seo Ji-hyuk over Jeong Han-joo’s shoulder. He looked strangely familiar and she couldn’t take her gaze away from him. Seo Ji-hyuk felt uncomfortable with that gaze and turned his head away. Right now, Seo Ji-hyuk’s mind was filled with his lover calling the woman who was presumed to be Seo Ji-an’s mother “mother.”

“Anyway, you haven’t seen Ji-an since that day, right? No news or anything?”

“Yes. I’m also looking for him… I can’t reach him.”

Jeong Han-joo shook his head with a sad expression and glanced at Seo Ji-hyuk. On that day, he ran to Ji-an’s house, leaving Seo Ji-hyuk alone, and the two of them got into a big fight because of it.

“If it’s Seo Ji-an-ssi, I haven’t seen him either.”

Under Jeong Han-joo’s gaze, Seo Ji-hyuk lied.

As Seo Ji-hyuk had told Seo Ji-an that day, whether he was sick or went abroad… He didn’t know if there was any story behind it, but he didn’t believe it, and he had no intention of conveying it to his lover or Ji-an’s mother. He felt sorry for the woman who was desperately looking for her son, but it was none of his business.