Hoo…….Kwon Jae-jin swallowed a sigh and parted his lips slightly, responding to the kiss. Their hot tongues intertwined softly, quickly settling into a quiet rhythm. Smooch, smooch, chuu. Their breaths overlapped, and the kiss soothed the ticklish ache in his chest.
For a moment, the peace that had been lost returned. From the TV documentary, a narration flowed out, “The male pygmy squirrel has won the fight. It has secured its prey. Now, it hurries back to the nest where its family awaits.”
Jae-jin, feeling a bit more composed, murmured against the other’s lips. “It’s just… I feel bad, that’s all.”
Did Seo Eui-woo really not understand what he meant?
“Even if you truly wanted a baby, I couldn’t give you one, and you can’t have one either. I’m worried that I alone might not be enough for you.”
“Jae-jin.”
“I’m not really your baby.”
“That’s not true. You are my baby, Jae-jin.”
“You’re doing it again. Eui-woo, I’m telling you, I’m not.”
“You are my baby.”
“No…… Seriously, you—”
Honestly, this stubborn brat. A little kid in all but name.
Seo Eui-woo grinned so brightly, as if he couldn’t be happier, then pulled Jae-jin into a tight embrace, as if trying to crush him. His gaze overflowed with a sweetness that screamed I love you to death.
“Alright. I understand how you feel completely, so don’t worry about anything.”
Jae-jin inwardly shook his head.
‘What do you mean you understand… yeah, right.’
Seo Eui-woo was truly Seo Eui-woo.
Today, once again, Seo Eui-woo Seo Eui-woo-ed.
If only the day had ended with this usual chaotic, ridiculous exchange. If only their conversation had wrapped up neatly and cleanly, it would have been perfect. Outside the window, white snow was falling, the warm house was wrapped in peaceful bliss, and Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin remained bound by unwavering affection.
However, to Jae-jin’s utter bewilderment, today’s issue did not end there.
“Because, you see, I think I might be able to make a baby all by myself.”
“……What?”
“I think it might work if I try. Let me test it out real quick.”
A flood of unholy thoughts flashed through Jae-jin’s mind. No way, surely not… No, no, no, no way.
No matter how much common sense Seo Eui-woo lacked…
“Wait a minute, Eui-woo.”
Try it out? What? The creation of life?
Make a baby?
Test it out?!
Kwon Jae-jin’s eyes widened as he stared up at Seo Eui-woo with a bewildered expression. Seo Eui-woo, still wearing that bright, innocent smile, casually activated his ability.
A cluster of white light began to gather in midair.
Shimmering droplets of light danced and swayed, resembling semi-transparent snowflakes falling right in the middle of the living room. The air vibrated, the walls trembled, and the immense power of his ability gradually converged into a distinct shape. Bigger and bigger, clearer and clearer—
With a blinding flash, an awe-inspiring radiance swallowed his vision, only to vanish as suddenly as it had appeared. The white light that had filled the room was gone without a trace.
Instead, something entirely new stood in the center of the living room.
A duplicate of Seo Eui-woo.
Just as Jae-jin had once witnessed twenty-year-old Seo Eui-woo standing beside his twenty-four-year-old self, this clone was a perfect replica of him, created entirely through his ability.
What the hell…? What is he even—?
Jae-jin frowned deeply, his gaze fixed on the newly appeared copy of Seo Eui-woo.
For some reason, an overwhelming sense of unease washed over him. He had a gut feeling that he absolutely couldn’t let Seo Eui-woo continue whatever he was doing. He tried to stop him—too late.
Right before his eyes, the clone of Seo Eui-woo began to shrink.
Rapidly.
His height decreased at an alarming rate, his frame growing thinner. Smaller. Even smaller. Shrinking and shrinking—until he was no longer an adult, nor a teenager, but a child. And then, even younger still. Until, at last, he was nothing more than a newborn baby, dropping onto the living room floor with a soft plop.
Jae-jin, utterly horrified, stared at the infant Seo Eui-woo, his expression blank with shock. His eyes were stretched so wide they felt like they might tear apart.
“OOH!”
The baby wailed.
“Uwaang.”
It cooed.
Seo Eui-woo, you…
This absolute fucking lunatic…?!
Jae-jin forgot how to breathe. He could do nothing but gape at the tiny infant Seo Eui-woo that had suddenly come into existence. And then, the baby—on its short little limbs—began crawling across the rug, inching its way toward the couch where Jae-jin sat.
Was this a dream?
God, he hoped it was a dream.
The sheer absurdity of it all left Jae-jin completely speechless, his lips moving soundlessly.
“See, Jae-jin? A baby.”
“…You—”
“Technically, it’s my clone, but still.”
Jae-jin remained frozen even as the baby finally reached him, stretching out its short, chubby hands.
A baby.
It was really a baby.
A real, living, breathing baby.
A baby who was Seo Eui-woo. Or rather, was Seo Eui-woo.
Unlike when he had previously raised the clone’s age to twenty-four, this time, Seo Eui-woo had reversed the process, lowering its age. In other words, this was exactly what Seo Eui-woo had looked like when he had been a newborn baby.
“What the… what is this?”
Jae-jin’s face contorted in sheer shock. He furrowed his brows and pressed his lips together, staring down at the infant Seo Eui-woo reaching out toward him. His dark eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Had the baby sensed Jae-jin’s unease? Or was it because his expression looked terrifying?
At that moment, the baby’s tiny face twisted just like Jae-jin’s, and its lips started to quiver. It didn’t take long before the inevitable happened—
“OHOHOH!”
The baby burst into tears.
Jae-jin panicked twice as much.
What do I—no, wait, hold on—
For a few seconds, he was frozen in place, but then, coming to his senses, he shoved Seo Eui-woo—who had climbed onto him—away with all his strength and reached for the crying baby. He couldn’t just leave an infant wailing on the floor. Instinctively, he scooped the baby up into his arms and began to gently pat its back.
“Shh, don’t cry. Be good.”
“Aeuuh, hic!“
“There, it’s okay. It’s okay…”
“Aaau, bbb—hhwuung…”
As Jae-jin cradled and soothed him, the baby started to calm down, though he continued to whimper softly. He sniffled and sucked on his tiny thumb—looking, in every possible way, like a fragile and innocent newborn.
Still dazed, Jae-jin stared at the baby Seo Eui-woo for a long time, his mind blank. Even as he held and patted the tiny body, none of this felt real. In a trance, he turned his head with a creak and fixed Seo Eui-woo with a piercing glare.
“What the hell did you just do?”
Honestly, Jae-jin was on the verge of passing out.
This was insane. A baby.
Seo Eui-woo as a baby.
A real, living baby—Seo Eui-woo’s own clone—was currently nestled in his arms. A baby who didn’t even look a year old! Right here, right now!
“You can’t just create a baby on a whim like this!”
He had no idea how to process this, no idea what to say to properly scold Seo Eui-woo. His mind was completely blank. The sheer presence of baby Seo Eui-woo in his arms made it impossible to stay calm. But Seo Eui-woo, instead of looking remorseful, tilted his head in genuine confusion.
“Is that not allowed?”
“Of course—of course it’s not allowed!”
“Why not?”
“Why not? What do you mean, why not?! You can’t just do things like this, and more importantly, this baby is you!“
“That’s right. I created him in my image. I would’ve made him look like you if I could, but unfortunately, I can only copy myself.”
Seo Eui-woo took the baby from Jae-jin’s arms. Supporting him with his large hands, he cradled the infant securely. But baby Eui-woo scrunched up his tiny face and started to whimper. His short limbs flailed as he swiped at the air, and before long, he burst into another wail.
“Hiiuu, uwaaaang…!”
Huh? Why was he crying again? Even as Seo Eui-woo patted his back to soothe him, the baby refused to calm down. The pitiful, sorrowful cries filled the room, making it impossible to think straight.
Amid the chaos, Jae-jin firmly shook his head.
“You can’t just go around creating babies on a whim like this. It’s not like you’re actually going to raise one.”
“But still, he is a baby.”
“I said no. Turn him back. Now.”
Jae-jin drew a clear line.
If Seo Eui-woo had made another twenty-four-year-old version of himself, Jae-jin might have begrudgingly let it slide. But a baby Seo Eui-woo—this was too much. Too sudden. Too overwhelming. There were too many things about this that just didn’t sit right with him.
Shaking his head more firmly, Jae-jin pressed on.
“Listen carefully. As adults, we are not supposed to mess with children.”
“Jae-jin.”
“Just because babies are cute doesn’t mean adults can imitate them however they like. You can’t just create a baby for fun and handle them however you please. Do you understand?”
Baby Seo Eui-woo continued to wail endlessly. It was pitiful. But even so, this wasn’t something Jae-jin could let slide. Nor should he.
“Hoo… Fine. I got it.”
Seo Eui-woo sighed. He still looked reluctant, but in the end, he conceded to Jae-jin’s demand.
