Chapter 99
Feeling his earlobes grow hot, Cheong-yeon bit his lower lip. Before he could find a response, a beeping sound came from the machine. It was the notification that the ramen was ready.
Looking over at Do-heon, he saw that his ramen was also nearly done cooking. His form while flipping the noodles with chopsticks wasn’t as clumsy as expected. Perhaps because his exterior was so refined, he even appeared quite skillful.
Soon, the completion alert sounded from Do-heon’s machine as well, and the two moved to a bench table outside.
Though the campsite was quiet due to the off-season, the deserted atmosphere was pleasant. The sunset was exceptionally vivid and beautiful.
After setting everything up, Do-heon switched the positions of the ramen he had made with the one Cheong-yeon had made.
“Why are you taking that one, Director?”
“Aren’t we supposed to exchange? The couple next to us was making ramen for each other.”
“You observed the other couple quite closely.”
Cheong-yeon looked down at the ramen placed in front of him. Ramen cooked directly by Do-heon. Though the machine did most of the work so it probably wasn’t much different from his own, he felt a strange tickling sensation in his throat.
The more kindly Do-heon treated him, the more his pulse increased and the more he felt the urge to avoid these emotions. It was difficult to grasp how he should respond and act.
“Mmm. It’s good.”
Cheong-yeon said after taking a bite of the springy noodles. Do-heon, who had said he had no appetite, ate at a much more leisurely pace than Cheong-yeon.
He had always wanted to try food prepared by Do-heon. This fulfilled one of the childish bucket list items he’d had during their newlywed days.
“Better than what some other guy made?”
Do-heon emphasized the phrase “some other guy” as he pronounced it.
“You asked earlier how I knew there was a campsite here. This is my first time visiting this place.”
Instead of comparing Do-heon’s ramen with something made by another guy that he’d never tasted, Cheong-yeon wiped his mouth with a napkin and told the truth.
“I used to look around for places because I wanted to go camping with you, Director.”
“Really? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Because I never mentioned it. I really wanted to go on picnics or camping with you back then, but now that we’re here after the divorce, the feeling is a bit… strange.”
It was an amusing situation, given that everything was over.
Do-heon was always busy. Coming to a place like this would require dedicating an entire day, and Cheong-yeon wasn’t sure if he would ever set aside a day for him. Afraid of rejection, he had kept postponing it until their marriage ended without him ever bringing it up.
At the time, just having breakfast together every morning and sitting face-to-face for brief moments seemed more than enough for him.
“Tell me.”
Do-heon, who had been pondering something, spoke.
“What else did you want to do?”
“…”
What else did he want to do? That question somehow sounded strange.
The truth was, Cheong-yeon had wanted to do everything with Do-heon. From small things like going for a morning walk, cooking together in the house without employees, watching dramas together in the living room every week while eating snacks, to falling asleep together in the same bed at night.
These wishes seemed trivially small to the point of embarrassment, but they were difficult dreams to have with someone like Moon Do-heon.
Enumerating such things now would be too pitiful and foolish.
“I don’t remember anymore.”
Cheong-yeon avoided making eye contact and gave an evasive answer.
“Are you done eating?”
He changed the subject, looking at Do-heon’s container, which still had some noodles left.
“Yes. And you?”
“Me too.”
Do-heon stared at Cheong-yeon blankly as if asking how they should clean up. Not wanting to reveal his wavering expression, Cheong-yeon bowed his head deeply, as if hiding in a hat.
“Let me see. I’ll go throw it away in the trash can over there. I’ll just go myself.”
“I’ll do it.”
“It’ll probably look really dirty to you, Director.”
“Then all the more reason I can’t ask you to do it.”
Do-heon stubbornly went to dispose of the containers with the ramen himself.
Isn’t he going to gag?
Knowing how clean Do-heon was by nature, Cheong-yeon watched his back with concern.
Come to think of it, when they were alone, Do-heon did tend to take care of all the unpleasant tasks. He wasn’t the type to assign difficult tasks to Cheong-yeon in the first place. The problem was that they had barely spent any time together.
Even from a distance, it was clear that Do-heon’s body stiffened when he reached the food waste disposal area. Cheong-yeon wondered what expression he might be making.
Though he typically didn’t show emotions on his face and might still look expressionless, he was probably inwardly shocked by how much dirtier it was than expected. Someone like him, who worked at a company with the support of excellent talent like Secretary Shim, wouldn’t have experience discarding leftover convenience store ramen.
“I told you I would do it.”
Cheong-yeon muttered to himself, giggling.
*
Cheong-yeon opened his eyes as he felt the car, which had been speeding down the road, begin to slow down. Judging by the surroundings filled with light from signs and streetlamps, they seemed to have arrived in Seoul.
Having fallen asleep as soon as they got in the car after eating ramen, Cheong-yeon stretched fully to shake off the sleepiness.
“Mmm.”
After glancing once at Do-heon, who was still holding the steering wheel, he turned his head toward the window.
Seeing a familiar building, Cheong-yeon opened his eyes wider to check the sign written on the exterior wall.
“Why the hospital…”
The university hospital that had appeared on the navigation before departing for Seoul was right in front of him.
“You’re awake? I was going to wake you after parking.”
“Why did we come here?”
Cheong-yeon asked in a voice not fully awake, blinking in surprise. He had expected to go to a hotel, not a hospital. Or perhaps the hotel was nearby?
“We stopped by because there’s a test to do.”
“At the hospital? What kind of test… Are you still sick somewhere, Director?”
Could the unusual symptoms caused by the rut cycle still be a problem?
His sleepiness vanished instantly. Cheong-yeon stared at Do-heon with clear, worried eyes.
“Not me, your test.”
As always, it was impossible to properly understand anything from Do-heon’s monotone, brief answers.
“Me? Why would I…”
“Welcome, Director. The examination preparations are complete.”
Just then, an elderly male voice was heard from outside. When Cheong-yeon instinctively looked beyond the car window, he flinched upon recognizing a familiar doctor’s face.
It was the university hospital doctor who had been his primary physician until his divorce from Do-heon. He was also the one who had diagnosed him with infertility.
As unpleasant memories surfaced, his shoulders involuntarily hunched. The doctor bowed his head in greeting when their eyes met.
“It’s been a long time.”
“My test? What have you been talking about all this time…?”
Seeing Cheong-yeon’s clueless response, the doctor wore a somewhat complicated expression.
“Please leave the parking to our hospital staff and let’s go inside to talk. There are eyes watching around here.”
At the doctor’s suggestion, Do-heon immediately got out of the car. Then he came around to Cheong-yeon’s side and opened the door for him.
“Get out.”
“…”
After hesitating, Cheong-yeon reluctantly exited the car, pushed by the atmosphere. However, it didn’t feel right.
It made him more anxious that he couldn’t read the expressions of Do-heon and the doctor as they stared at him. A sense of unease washed over him due to the strange atmosphere.
Without offering any explanation, Do-heon grabbed Cheong-yeon’s hand and pulled him toward the hospital building.
“…”
“…”
Cheong-yeon looked down at his hand joined with Do-heon’s and mechanically moved his feet to follow him.
Guided by the doctor, they arrived at an ultrasound examination room prepared for VIP patients. Upon opening the door, they entered a spacious area with various medical equipment and a consultation desk where results could be viewed in real-time.
“Patient Yoo Cheong-yeon is scheduled for an ultrasound examination today. Is that correct?”
A nurse who had entered ahead after receiving a call approached, checking the chart.
Standing warily at the entrance, Cheong-yeon looked at Do-heon, the nurse, and the doctor in turn, then shook his head.
“I never made a hospital appointment.”
“I made it.”
At Do-heon’s confident answer, Cheong-yeon’s expression hardened.
“…Why, Director? By what authority?”
“Because you slept with me during my rut cycle, so you might be pregnant with my child.”
Do-heon placed his hand on Cheong-yeon’s shoulder and gently pushed his body toward the chair in front of the desk. As if trying to block him from opening the door and running away.
Cheong-yeon’s mind went blank.
Ultrasound? Pregnancy? He couldn’t make sense of any of this. He was physically unable to have children.
“Do you think this makes any sense? Why are you proceeding with this without my permission? Clearly, I…!”
“E-excuse me for interrupting while you two are talking, but let me explain. Please calm down for a moment, as shocking as this may be.”
“Please explain, Doctor.”
Unlike the agitated Cheong-yeon and the doctor, Do-heon spoke in an excessively calm voice.
His unwavering gaze had been fixed on Cheong-yeon’s stomach from the moment they entered the examination room.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
