PIA 9

‘I really think he’s planning on asking me to meet him again…?’

Ji-an awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth and waved his hand toward Jeong Hee-seo’s car. For some reason, he felt like Jeong Hee-seo was watching him to see what he was doing, so he quickly left the spot and moved his steps to the underground passage. He chose the subway to avoid the possibility of being tracked if he took a taxi.

“Haa… I’m already tired.”

He was already running out of time because he had to eat an unplanned hamburger. Delayed by the unfamiliar geography while finding his way to the hospital by subway, Ji-an was considerably late for the scheduled appointment. Perhaps that’s why the nurses looked at him coldly.

“No, it’s probably because of my appearance.”

Ji-an glimpsed at his reflection in the mirror attached to the hospital wall. He wore a black baseball cap pulled down to his eyebrows, and he even had on secretive sunglasses. Not only that, he wrapped a scarf around his nose. It was an undoubtedly suspicious look. However, immediate security was more critical.

In the original story, Jeong Hee-seo was merely a man who got married with just a pregnancy test kit. At the time of watching the drama, Ji-an scoffed at his seemingly innocent side, but the situation changes when he becomes the counterpart. This is not a laughing matter.

In addition, there was a grandmother at home whose mind was filled with thoughts about descendants.

If the pregnancy is discovered by those two, it will lead to Seo Ji-an’s demise. Ji-an did not want his physical condition to be used as a catalyst for the main character’s awakening, whether as a plot component, a trigger to extend the drama, or anything else.

‘I don’t want to be used as a material to ignite Seo Ji-hyuk’s romance.’

Usually, good supporting characters, despite being excellent, were used as material to ignite the mediocre protagonist. Jeong Hee-seo and Seo Ji-an were such extras in this drama. However, for him, the person possessed ‘Seo Ji-an’, Seo Ji-an was the main character.

Ji-an lifted his scarf in frustration and let out a deep sigh. Whether it’s this world or that world, life was equally difficult.

If he was going to possess someone, it would have been better to go back to before the big trouble started. He realized that timing matters even in possession.

He felt sad, wondering whether it was his fate always one step short of success.

“Seo Ji-an.”

“…”

“Mr. Seo Ji-an?”

“Uh, yes! Uh, I’m here.”

“Please go into examination room 3.”

“Oh. Yes, yes…”

He wanted to hear quick and accurate results so he had his blood drawn as soon as he arrived. So, beyond the door of the examination room, the doctor called Ji-an, already knowing the results. With a trembling heart, Ji-an opened the door and sat in front of the doctor.

“Congratulations.”

“What?”

This all of a sudden?

It was before his buttocks could even flatten the chair cushion. Were doctors who inform about pregnancies like this? Without any preamble… diving straight into the main point?

Ji-an opened his eyes wide as if he had been notified of a terminal illness without any preparation.

“From the test results, it seems you are definitely pregnant. To confirm the baby’s home, we need to do an ultrasound examination, so please go to the examination room.”

“W-wait a moment. What home are you talking about?”

“The baby’s home, sir.”

Oh…

The subsequent process proceeded smoothly. Ji-an was in a daze and was led by the nurse to undress and put on an examination gown, then sat on a strange chair with his legs spread. He was instantly submitted to a confirmation shot after undergoing a test he had never imagined.

“It looks like about 5 weeks. There don’t seem to be any particular issues, and your uterus and ovaries all look fine. During the next examination, you’ll be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat. Please come with a guardian then.”

“Ah… yes.”

“Usually, Omega expectant fathers and mothers receive a lot of help from Alpha pheromones. Among various pregnancy symptoms, especially early morning sickness, for example, is common.”

“…”

“Many cases show that by confirming the pregnancy while listening to the heartbeat, the Alpha pheromones quickly transform into a form that protects the Omega due to psychological factors. So, we recommend that you come together during the next visit.”

Ji-an experienced the feeling of all the words from the other person bouncing off his ears. His head overloaded, he attributed all the sounds outside as the buzzing noise of a mosquito.

Slap, Ji-an slapped himself on the cheek.

“…”

“…”

The momentarily frozen nurse cleared her throat lightly, then handed Ji-an a notebook and a prescription.

“This is your maternity notebook. Your blood test results show a deficiency in Vitamin D and anemia, so a prescription has been issued. The pharmacy is on the first floor. Your next appointment is scheduled for two weeks later, and all the details are recorded in the notebook, so please take a calm look at it.”

He didn’t know with what mindset he left the hospital building. As he was walking unsteadily, he saw a bench and sat down. In his hand were a bag of medicine, expensive vitamins, and a small notebook.

What should I do with this?

The weather was nice, but his heart quickly sank into the mud. One year. Assuming the words of the voice were true, the duration he had to endure in this world was one year.

“They say I’ll give birth at 36 weeks, and now it’s 5 weeks…”

Holy shit. That meant he was going to have to give birth to a child with his own body. Ji-an clamped his hand over his mouth to stop the curse words from spilling out.

What kind of lightning strike was this? Even if he tried to think positively that it might be a better life than being hit by a car and dying, the fact that he was hit by a car in the first place was because of that damn doppelganger.

A swindler. A monster. A crazy lunatic. Ji-an felt so unjust that he kept cursing the guy. They said tears come when you’re too angry, and indeed, his vision began to blur.

―Go as the original plot. What’s the problem?

The water droplets that had accumulated in his eyes spilled out. Ji-an was taken aback, thinking that if only this guy had given him a sign before speaking.

“What nonsense is this… going according to the original plot.”

―You’ve watched the drama and act like you don’t know.

“…”

―If you follow the original plot, you can achieve your wish in about half a year. It’s an ending much later in the story, so you don’t know it yet.

“How can you say that.”

―Why can’t you? You’ll enjoy it, and it will eventually bring you back to the original world. Don’t you want that?

Ji-an clenched his fist with a deeply furrowed expression. Perhaps due to his mood, his lower abdomen throbbed in pain.

The voice was right. Following the original plot, ‘Seo Ji-an’ would engage in something resembling a romantic relationship with Jeong Han-joo within a few months. The only problem was that the method was so absurdly outrageous that it became an issue.

―Why? Do you already feel some sympathy?

Sympathy? Well… could this be called sympathy? Ji-an bit his lips hard. The force was so strong that a metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth.

“No. If I follow the original, there will be a miscarriage. The baby will die.”

―It has nothing to do with you.

The voice laughed in a mocking manner.

“No matter what… I can’t let someone die just for the sake of the plot, even if they are an unrelated existence.”

―It’s not even a living being yet. It’s not a matter of life or death.

However, it was Ji-an who carried the baby in his womb. It wasn’t as easy as the guy made it sound.

Did Jeong Hee-seo and Seo Ji-an have emotional exchanges in the drama? Was it not just a coincidence that Jeong Hee-seo ended up drinking the drink containing the drug that Seo Ji-an intended to give to Jeong Han-joo?

Ji-an recalled the scene where he first met Jeong Hee-seo.

Seo Ji-an, who held out a pregnancy test and shouted at Jeong Hee-seo to take responsibility, ended up having a quick marriage a month later and then orchestrated a miscarriage at Jeong Han-joo’s engagement party, whom he is truly after.

Of course, it was a trap that designated Seo Ji-hyuk as the culprit. The main couple would break up for a while as a result of this incident, and Seo Ji-an would successfully sway Jeong Han-joo using his guilt.

As he thought up to that point, his heart became unbearably congested.

“That’s not a real relationship.”

―It seems rough, doesn’t it? Think carefully. After the contract period ends, what happens next is not your concern, so you don’t need to think about the aftermath.

“Don’t make me laugh, you crazy bastard. It doesn’t make sense.”

Is he suggesting it’s like a dream on a midsummer night, just enjoy it for a moment and then come back? That can’t be good. Ji-an suddenly felt a sense of horror. Aside from the fact that the voice seemed out of its mind, he suspected it was not human.

“What on earth do you want from me? What are you doing there?!”

There was no answer from the voice.

“You’re not doing anything bad there, are you?”

Ji-an suddenly murmured in response to the rising unease.

He understood that the baby in Seo Ji-an’s stomach was used as a tool for plot development, and although he understood it in his head, it wasn’t how he felt emotionally.

There was a clear life stirring inside the result sheet I received. Because of that crazy bastard, I flew to this world, and the baby’s father’s soul was changed… Isn’t this baby really an innocent being?

―Fool. Do you think giving birth is a joke?

“I’ve never thought of it as a joke, not even once. It might be a joke to you.”

―If you give birth to that child, you’re doomed. You’ll never fulfill your wish. That’s not my responsibility, okay?

“No, then you should have brought me here before the pregnancy.”

―You have to have a miscarriage to get rid of Seo Ji-hyuk.

“Ha… damn… This is really impossible, you crazy bastard.”

Ji-an unknowingly let out a curse.

Is the doppelganger just a demon with the same appearance as me? This bastard is his doppelganger, but why does he seem like a psychopath?

Maybe this paralel word was just nonsense and maybe he was dead and having nightmares… How can things be so different?