Side Story 8
“…Lee Min-hyun.”
Hyun-oh had known him for quite a long time. Initially, they hadn’t met because of any special feelings. They simply maintained an appropriate friendship because their interests aligned to some extent.
While Eunsol and Ryu Jeong-woo had a special relationship, Hyun-oh occasionally found himself concerned about Jeong-woo’s spouse, Lee Min-hyun, but after the two divorced, he lost interest.
A report from Kim Myungjun came to Hyun-oh’s mind.
‘It seems Mr. Lee Min-hyun has been staying at Mr. Ryu Jeong-woo’s hospital room continuously. He even got permission from Ryu Jeong-woo’s family.’
At that time, Hyun-oh had been so focused on Eunsol that he didn’t have the capacity to worry about Ryu Jeong-woo.
Still, he had sent someone to check on the hospital room just in case, but Lee Min-hyun hadn’t done anything particularly harmful to Ryu Jeong-woo.
In a way, his actions could be seen as similar to what Hyun-oh himself had done. Because of this, Hyun-oh chose not to actively prevent Lee Min-hyun’s visits and instead erased him from his memory.
After all, he had been having days where focusing on Eunsol alone wasn’t enough.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
However, if Eunsol was experiencing stress because of Lee Min-hyun, that was a different story. Hyun-oh squeezed Eunsol’s hand.
Kim Myungjun, sitting at the steering wheel, smiled warmly at the sight of his boss, who had transformed so dramatically compared to before.
“Hmm… What about the floor below our home? Could Jeong-woo Hyung stay there after the medical staff leaves?”
After pondering Hyun-oh’s question for a moment, Eunsol made a request. Eunsol wanted to spend time with Ryu Jeong-woo frequently so he wouldn’t be lonely.
Eunsol thought Ryu Jeong-woo would only truly be at peace if he found someone genuinely good for him.
“I’ll arrange it.”
Hyun-oh didn’t add any unnecessary comments. Instead, he promised to do as Eunsol wished.
Just as Eunsol was smiling gratefully at him, a tingling sensation arose from below.
“Hmm…”
“Is your stomach hurting?”
Seeing Eunsol’s face contorted in pain, Hyun-oh turned his body completely toward him. Kim Myungjun’s face, glimpsing the backseat through the rearview mirror, also turned pale.
“Ch-Chairman, should we go straight to the hospital?”
“Call ahead.”
As the expected due date approached, Hyun-oh had made thorough preparations.
Not only had he arranged for Eunsol to receive immediate medical care whenever labor pains started, but he had even secured a VIP hospital room in advance.
“Eunsol.”
“Oh, my stomach hurts so much…”
Eunsol’s small face was already drenched in cold sweat, though it seemed less than a minute had passed since the pain began.
Hyun-oh wiped the sweat from Eunsol’s forehead. He naturally unfastened Eunsol’s seatbelt and adjusted his position so that Eunsol could lean his back against him.
He massaged Eunsol’s hands, which had grown cold, to help with blood circulation. Eunsol was gasping for breath, clearly at a loss for what to do. Hyun-oh’s brow furrowed slightly.
In moments like this, Hyun-oh felt powerless.
He wanted to shoulder Eunsol’s pain himself, but all he could do was comfort him.
“Breathe slowly.”
Hyun-oh helped Eunsol with his breathing. Anticipating such a moment, Eunsol had practiced the proper procedures for when labor pains came multiple times.
Though it would have been terrifying to face alone, Eunsol quickly regained his composure with Hyun-oh by his side.
Hyun-oh’s pheromones enveloped him comfortingly, gradually slowing his racing heart.
“Hmm, down below…”
However, Eunsol nuzzled his forehead against Hyun-oh’s neck as he felt another strange sensation. A warm liquid was trickling down from below, like a water balloon bursting.
“It’s okay. Your water just broke.”
A large hand caressed Eunsol’s cheek, then lightly stroked his round belly.
Though his voice was deliberately calm, Hyun-oh’s face showed the same anxious expression that Eunsol couldn’t see.
Hyun-oh glanced at the navigation system. He could see that they were about 10 minutes from their destination.
10 minutes. Though objectively a short time, to Hyun-oh it felt as long as if the hands of the clock were moving backward.
“H-Hyun-oh… Hmmg…”
Eunsol could feel the car seat beneath him becoming soaked with the fluid he was leaking. Hyun-oh’s pants were surely getting wet too.
Though he thought he should move away, his body, wracked with pain, could only curl up.
The pain continued as if a hand had entered his abdomen and was squeezing his uterus. Even with his eyes open, his vision went dark, and Eunsol finally began sobbing.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s going to be all right.”
Soft lips touched Eunsol’s temple. The tips of Eunsol’s fingers, clutching Hyun-oh’s arm, turned ghostly white as if all blood had drained from them.
A faint but pungent smell wafted through the air. Hyun-oh suppressed his anxiety as he reached down to check the seat.
The amniotic fluid had a reddish tint, which made Hyun-oh cast an intense look at Kim Myungjun.
Though he knew that blood could sometimes appear when the water broke, it didn’t strike him as a positive sign.
“…Increase the speed a bit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kim Myungjun applied more pressure to the accelerator. He drove at the maximum speed allowable under the limit until they reached the emergency entrance.
Medical staff who had received Kim Myungjun’s call were already waiting at the hospital entrance with a gurney.
“We’ve arrived, Chairman.”
Hyun-oh opened the back door while still holding Eunsol in his arms.
“Please come this way.”
Following the medical staff’s guidance, Hyun-oh laid Eunsol on the bed.
“Ungh…”
Eunsol was now nearly unconscious, moaning in pain. Yet even in this state, he tightly gripped Hyun-oh’s sleeve as if scared by the receding warmth.
Hyun-oh intertwined his fingers with Eunsol’s. The depth of his gaze intensified as Eunsol desperately clung to him.
“We’ll proceed like this.”
The medical staff began pushing the bed at Hyun-oh’s command.
Even if he couldn’t enter the operating room, Hyun-oh wanted to stay with Eunsol until then to calm his anxiety. Or perhaps it was to calm his own unsettled heart.
“Hmm, ugh…”
As they moved to the examination room for tests, Eunsol bit his lip. Hyun-oh noticed a faint hint of blood on his lips and rubbed his thumb over the injured lips.
He placed a gauze pad that a medical staff member had provided between Eunsol’s slightly parted lips. Initially, he had wanted to let Eunsol bite his own finger.
So that his body would bear marks proportional to the pain Eunsol was experiencing.
But the medical staff had been horrified and quickly offered gauze instead, foiling his plan.
Hyun-oh reached out to wipe Eunsol’s eyes. No sooner had the tears been wiped away than fresh moisture beaded.
It was while Hyun-oh was taking a deep breath against the aching in his chest.
“I think we need to go straight to the operating room. All preparations have been made.”
The doctor in charge of Eunsol’s C-section approached Hyun-oh to inform him that the surgery was ready. Male omegas typically delivered by cesarean section due to the high risks of natural birth.
Eunsol was scheduled for the same, but the problem was that his water had broken earlier than expected. The planned hospital admission was supposed to be three days later. But today’s situation had changed everything.
“Yes. I trust you’ll take good care.”
Hyun-oh bowed his head respectfully to the doctor. Given that he was entrusting the lives of both Eunsol and their child to this person, his demeanor became exceptionally courteous.
“Eunsol.”
Next, Hyun-oh squeezed Eunsol’s hand and called his name tenderly. The low voice echoing in his ear gathered what little consciousness Eunsol had left.
“Hyun-oh…”
Eunsol barely managed to open his eyes and look up at Hyun-oh. Tears kept falling, blurring his vision. Even as he was about to enter the operating room alone, he felt afraid.
“Both you and the baby will be fine. Don’t worry.”
Hyun-oh raised Eunsol’s hand, with their fingers still intertwined, and kissed his fingertips. Then he pressed their foreheads together, maintaining eye contact with the tear-filled eyes, and prayed to every god in the world.
Please let Eunsol and the child be safe. If anything happened to Eunsol, there would be no meaning to his own existence in this world.
“…I’ll be back soon.”
Hyun-oh’s emotions were transmitted to Eunsol as well. Though the fear hadn’t completely vanished, with the warmth he had given her, Eunsol felt he could safely give birth and return.
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
A faint smile appeared on Eunsol’s lips as Hyun-oh’s lips gently touched them.
Until the bed carrying Eunsol disappeared beyond the operating room, Hyun-oh stood like a statue, engraving the image of his beloved into his eyes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
