#88
It was Hyun-oh’s mistake. Hyun-oh observed Eunsol’s reaction and moved backward. Wondering if sitting nearby would also be unwelcome, he carefully sat on the chair.
Fortunately, Eunsol didn’t show any particular rejection to Hyun-oh sitting on the chair. He just kept his head turned away, occasionally rolling his eyes to glance at Hyun-oh.
“You might want to drink some water.”
Seeing his chance, Hyun-oh poured a glass of water. Since Eunsol was currently lying down, he intended to naturally support him so he could drink.
“Ugh…”
However, Eunsol remembered how Kang Ye-ryeong had taken care of him. He reached under the bed, searching for the button that adjusted the incline of the bed’s head.
Seeing this, Hyun-oh lowered his hand that wasn’t holding the water glass and adjusted the bed angle. As the position changed from lying down to comfortably reclining, Eunsol quietly extended his hand.
“It’s heavy.”
How heavy could a water glass be? With this sudden thought, Eunsol was startled and intentionally avoided making more eye contact with Hyun-oh.
After moistening his throat with the water glass handed by Hyun-oh, he had enough energy to think about the current confusing situation.
Yesterday, he had asked Hyun-oh to stay beside him. He had even fallen asleep feeling his warmth, so it definitely wasn’t a misunderstanding.
But now that Hyun-oh was actually by his side, he felt uncomfortable.
Honestly, he wanted to absorb Hyun-oh’s pheromones without seeing his face.
While he wanted his lucky one to hear his father’s voice, he felt like his heart wouldn’t survive if Hyun-oh kept staying by his side.
“I’ll have them prepare a meal.”
Although he had heard that Hyun-oh had stayed by his side and cared for him even when he was unconscious, those memories were essentially nonexistent for Eunsol.
Encountering Hyun-oh’s changed appearance with a clear mind, conflicting thoughts fiercely battled in Eunsol’s head.
The gentle Hyun-oh was the image Eunsol had longed for even in his dreams.
So his first thought was that it would be better to simply accept his kindness with peace of mind.
On the other hand, every time he saw Hyun-oh like this, his heart ached, making him think it might be better to maintain some distance for his health. This thought equally opposed the first.
Also, it was difficult to purely accept the kindness as kindness because he didn’t feel that Hyun-oh was acting this way solely for him.
“Augh…”
He wanted to say no. Despite having woken up from refreshing sleep, his voice still wouldn’t come out, causing Eunsol to abruptly turn his head toward the window.
He didn’t want to show Hyun-oh his face contorting in an unsightly way.
“…Even if you’re not hungry, wouldn’t it be good to eat? For the child’s sake too. A strong mother means a healthy baby.”
Eunsol had even thought of running away from Hyun-oh for the sake of the child. Hyun-oh just wanted him to eat properly, even if he had to mention the baby that Eunsol cherished.
However, Eunsol interpreted Hyun-oh’s words differently.
Indeed, what he cared about wasn’t Eunsol but the child.
Although he had anticipated this, his chest ached when he confirmed Hyun-oh’s true feelings. In a different way from how his heart fluttered at Hyun-oh’s gentleness.
In the end, Eunsol could only nod slightly. As Hyun-oh said, even if he wasn’t hungry, a pregnant person should eat well for the lucky one to grow healthily.
***
“You ate too little.”
Seeing Eunsol put down his spoon after just three spoonfuls, Hyun-oh picked up the spoon himself.
He briefly wondered if he should leave him be since forcing him to eat wouldn’t be good, but even considering that, the meal portion was too small.
As a result of being ill for a long time, the already thin person now had bones protruding to a concerning degree.
Pregnancy and childbirth are arduous even for healthy individuals. For male omegas, the risk is doubled compared to female betas.
Eunsol was in an even higher-risk state among them.
So from Hyun-oh’s perspective, he couldn’t help but worry. He had already almost lost Eunsol before his eyes.
The moment when Eunsol’s heart stopped had become a lifelong trauma for Hyun-oh as well.
“…”
Eunsol looked down at the spoon approaching his lips and suppressed a rising sigh. Even when he was with Kang Ye-ryeong, he had managed to eat a few more spoonfuls at her urging, even when he was full.
But being with Hyun-oh made his already small stomach feel even more shrunken. He wanted to refuse, feeling as if the food he had just eaten was rising to his throat.
However, he didn’t think Hyun-oh would back down if he shook his head. It seemed better to close his eyes and empty the spoon rather than waste time arguing with him.
“Drink some water too.”
When Eunsol opened his small mouth to accept the porridge, Hyun-oh smiled faintly and held up the water glass to Eunsol’s lips.
The awkward and uncomfortable situation continued. Only after Eunsol had finished drinking the water did Hyun-oh begin to organize the items on the tray.
“I’ll lower the bed in a little while.”
He was exhausted just from eating a meal while Hyun-oh watched. Eunsol nodded his head slightly.
Was it because of that last spoonful of porridge? The area around his solar plexus began to hurt as if being stabbed with needles.
Worried that Hyun-oh might notice his discomfort, Eunsol pulled up the blanket to cover himself up to his neck.
He felt a damp sensation on his back. Feeling cold sweat beading on his forehead as well, Eunsol took advantage of Hyun-oh turning his back to wipe his forehead with his sleeve.
It wasn’t because he thought Hyun-oh would ignore his pain. It was closer to an unconscious movement.
If Kang Ye-ryeong had been beside him, he could have honestly said he was in pain.
If Hyun-oh discovered that the porridge he had just eaten was sitting uncomfortably, he would surely become even more certain that Eunsol was uncomfortable with him.
Strangely, even though it was his own heart, he didn’t want it to be exposed.
“Ugh, uh…”
But contrary to Eunsol’s wishes, his body was honest. Despite his best efforts to suppress it, a groan escaped.
Hyun-oh, who had been handing the tray to Kim Myungjun waiting outside the room, immediately turned his gaze to Eunsol.
“Lee Eunsol!”
Hyun-oh rushed to Eunsol, almost running. Eunsol was curled up tightly, sweating profusely.
“I’ll call the medical staff right away.”
Kim Myungjun, who had entered the room in surprise, was so flustered that he forgot to press the nurse call button and ran out.
“Is your stomach hurting badly?”
Hyun-oh gritted his teeth as he wiped Eunsol’s sweat-covered forehead with his hand. Could something be wrong with the baby?
It might not have been a coincidence that the doctor’s voice came to mind, saying that Eunsol seemed to be under a lot of stress because of him.
That’s why he had only stayed by the sleeping Eunsol’s side.
Truly grateful that Eunsol had asked him to stay, allowing him to be by his side while awake, but Eunsol had been uncomfortable with Hyun-oh all day today.
Suddenly, Hyun-oh thought that Eunsol might not have forgiven him after all.
He wasn’t expecting Eunsol to look at him with loving eyes like before. If he had any decency, it would be wrong to covet feelings that he had previously taken for granted.
He just hoped that Eunsol wouldn’t push away his very existence. That’s why he had steadfastly maintained his position even while knowing that Eunsol was uncomfortable with him moment by moment.
“Guardian, would you please step aside for a moment?”
The attending physician, who had rushed over at Kim Myungjun’s call, gently pushed Hyun-oh away.
Eunsol’s condition was visibly poor, so there was no choice.
The attending physician examined Eunsol’s condition for quite some time. During this time, Hyun-oh had to step back and clench his fist tightly enough to leave red marks on his palm.
“It seems he has acute indigestion.”
This was the conclusion the doctor reached after examining Eunsol. Moreover, he thought he knew the cause. The cause of indigestion was often extreme stress.
Recalling the patient’s reaction upon seeing Hyun-oh after regaining consciousness, his suspicion became even more certain.
“…What’s the prescription?”
“I’ll give him a digestive medicine first. And it would be good for him to stay in a stable environment where he won’t be under too much stress.”
Today, too, the doctor’s handkerchief became soaked with cold sweat flowing from his forehead.
It was as if flames were rising from the light in Hyun-oh’s eyes as he stared down at him. It was a gaze identical to Kang Ye-ryeong’s.
Their mother-son relationship was revealed more through their intense gazes than through their facial features.
“I’ll bring the medicine right away.”
“…Understood.”
If he continued to meet Hyun-oh’s gaze, it felt like his heart wouldn’t survive. The doctor subtly avoided his gaze and signaled to the nurse.
“Then I’ll be standing by.”
After bowing his head to Hyun-oh, the doctor hurriedly left the room.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
