Immediately sensing there was a severe misunderstanding, Junghyun raised his right hand under his left hand to request a time-out, which made Jaehyuk look exasperated.
“Do you think this is baseball?”
“No, no. Let’s talk first. Let go of my ear.”
At Junghyun’s complaint that it hurt, Jaehyuk finally suppressed his anger and released his ear.
Finally free, Junghyun grimaced and checked the condition of his ear with his hand.
“Is my ear torn? How can your grip be so strong?”
“If you want, I can really tear it for you.”
Faced with his strength that seemed capable of tearing a person apart if he decided to, Junghyun raised both hands in surrender.
“First, take some medication before we talk. A sedative. Or even a sleeping pill.”
“Shut up.”
“Okay! I understand. So you think I’m lying about being pregnant?”
Faced with Jaehyuk’s gaze that seemed to criticize him for even calling that an explanation, for telling such a lie no matter how urgent the situation, Junghyun looked at him incredulously, his lips twitching, before finally letting out a long sigh.
It seems that when people are raised too gently, they get trapped in their own world like this.
To put it nicely, he’s overflowing with confidence; to put it harshly, his perspective is narrow.
“Hyung, never tell people you’re perceptive.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m being sincere. For an Alpha, you’re not usually oblivious, but maybe because you’ve lived your whole life as the one in power, your perspective is too narrow.”
Jaehyuk’s expression soured, as if his pride was hurt by those words.
His eyes reprimanded Junghyun, suggesting he was in no position to say such things, which made Junghyun laugh hollowly.
“Wow, you really are clueless.”
“So, why suddenly…”
As if finally realizing something was off about the flow of conversation, Jaehyuk stopped speaking.
Then he asked again.
“…What do you mean right now?”
He looked like he sort of understood but was still in denial.
Seeing that face—where his world was so firmly established and his self-love and belief so overflowing that he couldn’t accept anything beyond what he had imagined—Junghyun decided to take the easy route.
There was no point in dragging things out; it would only be disadvantageous for him.
Judging that swift resolution was best for everything, Junghyun put his hand into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a diary.
Someone who had never kept a diary or journal in his life had taken only this diary when he left, for one reason:
It was more like a pregnancy notebook than a diary.
One with ultrasound images and hospital visit records.
To show him definitive evidence, Junghyun opened to the page with the first ultrasound image. Then, as if showing an ID to a police officer, he held the diary up to Jaehyuk’s face, who reacted with irritation.
“What is this…”
Jaehyuk, who was about to ask what the problem was, finally seemed to notice the ultrasound image and opened his eyes wide.
Then he looked at Junghyun once, back at the diary, and tilted his head as if still not comprehending, before his lips twitched slightly.
And once again he stared at the diary, then took it directly into his hands.
Then he murmured softly.
“…So, the article was true?”
Compared to how anxious Junghyun had been all afternoon wondering how he would react, this was a rather deflating situation.
Feeling like it didn’t matter what happened anymore, Junghyun put both hands in his pockets and replied curtly.
“It’s four months now.”
The moment he provided the exact figure, Jaehyuk’s expression began to change subtly.
A strange light seemed to glint in his dark pupils, his face brightened as if glowing, and a gentle breeze seemed to ripple around him.
If expressed in a manga, it would be like flowers blooming behind him with a sparkling effect.
Mesmerized by the sight of someone who could radiate such light, Junghyun stared at him as if enchanted.
And he somewhat regretted it.
If he had known he would react like this, he would have told him earlier.
With eyes filled with joy, bewilderment, and confusion as if still unable to understand the situation, Jaehyuk, who had been staring at the photo as if spellbound, awkwardly ran his hand through his hair.
Then, looking around distractedly, his lips twitched as if about to say something, before looking back at the diary.
And once again, as if to confirm, he asked.
“This is real?”
“Yes.”
“That…”
After stopping mid-sentence, as if something else had suddenly occurred to him, he frowned again.
“But you definitely said you were infertile…”
“I never said I was infertile. You just assumed that on your own.”
He hadn’t denied it, but he hadn’t confirmed it either.
It was just Jaehyuk’s judgment based on the records obtained by the investigators.
For a moment, he seemed even more confused and furrowed his brow.
“…Then, that medical record isn’t yours either?”
At this reasonable question—then whose medical record did I receive?—Junghyun slightly avoided his gaze.
At this ambiguous attitude, Jaehyuk immediately pressed Junghyun.
“Lee Junghyun?”
His tone demanded an immediate confession.
Realizing he couldn’t avoid it any longer, Junghyun decided to go by the book.
“That is correct. It’s a record I left under a pseudonym.”
“But you got pregnant?”
At this retort asking how he should understand this, Junghyun began scratching his neck as if a bit nervous.
“Well, I had a drug put into my bloodstream.”
“Drug?”
“It’s illegal, but there’s a method many Omegas use. It involves injecting microscopic hormone capsules into the bloodstream. The capsules dissolve at regular intervals, maintaining the effect for half a year.”
“…Hormone drug?”
“A kind of suppressant. When it’s in your blood, you don’t get heat cycles. Blood test results also show infertility.”
As he honestly explained the drug mechanism in detail, Jaehyuk’s pupils widened in bewilderment.
“You, that…”
For a moment, Jaehyuk seemed about to burst with anger but then closed his mouth as if trying to suppress his emotions.
After thinking about something briefly, he threw out a short question.
“Why?”
“My father was planning to use my medical records for Jeonghoo. So before that, I created that test record. If my records had come out normal, my records would have become your records, and your records would have become mine.”
“…Why do you think that?”
“It’s not a thought or speculation, it’s a fact. I heard my father yelling at Jeonghoo, asking if he brought me along because of you. This marriage was partly done because he wanted to pass it to Jeonghoo. I couldn’t stand to see him prosper.”
At this quick explanation, Jaehyuk immediately understood.
It was confusing, but not at all unusual in this world.
Omegas were extremely rare items compared to demand. And if such a precious item had a defect, it was common to hide or repair the defect.
Although it was a situation mixed with illegality and corruption, he understood that much at least.
CEO Lee Wonjun was definitely capable of such things. Industry rumors aligned with this.
“Okay. I understand that part for now. I understand, but… isn’t that drug dangerous?”
“All hormone drugs are dangerous by nature. Suppressants even more so. Especially this type of suppressant can lead to infertility with long-term use. That’s what I was hoping for.”
At this nonchalant explanation, Jaehyuk’s gaze turned hostile.
It was a look that said, are you crazy?
“I know I did wrong. Yoonho hyung scolded me a lot for it too. So I’ve been reducing the medication.”
“…Yoonho? Seo Yoonho?”
When Jaehyuk questioned why he was being mentioned, Junghyun continued his confession obediently.
“Yoonho hyung knows everything. We got involved because we met when I went to get the drug.”
With this additional information that he hadn’t particularly wanted to know, Jaehyuk looked at the diary in his hand and then back at Junghyun.
That feeling of elation from earlier was still there, but it was a very strange feeling.
He really didn’t know what to do with him.
No, he just didn’t understand Lee Junghyun as a person.
“…Just ten minutes ago, I thought I was finally starting to understand you a little… but now I have no idea.”
At this reaction, which he had fully anticipated, Junghyun shrugged.
“I’d feel the same way. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. It was already strange enough that you found out what you did, and I thought if this came to light too, you’d completely lose interest.”
“Unfortunately, there’s no lower to go.”
Already at minus, honestly, even Jaehyuk couldn’t be certain if there was a lower level than this.
No, he hoped there wasn’t.
If there was, he didn’t think he could handle it either.
“…When Yeonwoo told me that everything with you was like an announcement, I felt upset and wanted to apologize, but I didn’t understand what the problem was…”
Stopping there, Jaehyuk stared at Junghyun. Then he immediately continued.
“…Now I see. How I’ve lived until now. And how hurt and disgusted the person on the receiving end feels.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
