Junghyun looked at Jaehyuk with a perplexed expression as he half-listened to Junghyun’s words while insisting that the kidney bean looked like him.
His face said he didn’t know how to respond.
The features were starting to become distinguishable, but that was just at a basic construction level.
It was just enough to say, “Oh, there’s a nose and eyes,” but the information was too sparse to say it resembled anyone.
Honestly, based on the current image alone, it resembled all mammals.
Except whales.
“If that’s how you see it… maybe so.”
“Can we see the face in detail next week?”
“…That’s not possible.”
It had only just evolved from a mass to something like a rough sketch. It would take 5 months to establish the structure, refine the contours, and add shading and coloring.
Just as he gently rephrased “wake up from your dream,” Jaehyuk, who had been looking at his phone, frowned.
Seeing his face that seemed annoyed at being interrupted while watching the video, Junghyun immediately asked:
“What is it?”
“…A message from Grandfather. With Uncle as a bonus option.”
Jaehyuk clicked his tongue at the carpet bombing that had started again after a brief period of calm, probably after talking to the hospital director.
The content was, needless to say, a demand for the ultrasound images and videos.
It was phrased as a request, but it was essentially a threat, appropriately mixed with criticism and personal attacks.
“You and your partner shouldn’t live like this. Why is your character so terrible? Are you disrespecting your grandfather because he’s old? Would you act like this if I were still active? If you make a promise, you should keep it, why aren’t you keeping it?” etc.
These were extremely grandfather-like messages, the kind a grandfather might send when desperate to see ultrasound images and becoming irritable.
But the last message was a bit concerning.
“…I don’t think this is possible, but I’ll ask just in case—did you promise to send Grandfather the baby’s ultrasound images?”
“No.”
“Then why is Grandfather saying that I’m not keeping my promise?”
“When the Chairman asked for evidence, I said I would get an examination at the hospital he designated, but I never said a word about sending ultrasound images or videos.”
Given the context, the conversation could easily be understood as implying that he would send ultrasound images as proof of pregnancy. Jaehyuk silently looked at Junghyun for a moment.
It seemed like this guy had done some serious baiting.
There might not have been malice, but it was intentional.
He’s not the kind of person who wouldn’t know that.
But…
“…You did well. From now on, never send our baby’s pictures to anyone. No photos, no videos.”
“That’s for you to handle. Since he kept pushing, I told him to talk to you about anything related to the baby.”
Watching Junghyun calmly drink water, saying he neither wanted to nor planned to care about it, Jaehyuk mulled over the thought internally.
So it was you after all.
This guy was behind Grandfather’s stalking behavior.
No wonder the contact seemed excessive even for someone with an obsessive personality—this guy was the cause.
But even this wasn’t particularly surprising.
Somehow, it seemed like something he would do.
“…You did well with that too.”
It wasn’t at all welcome from his perspective, but it was a wise decision nonetheless.
When this guy and Grandfather clash, it goes beyond “dragon and tiger fighting” to “dragon battling tiger.” No, it should be seen as Godzilla versus Kong, Alien versus Predator.
It would be good if they fought and died on their own, but the collateral damage is enormous.
Grandfather has a fiery temperament with no reasoning, and this guy has an insensitive attitude with a terrifying mouth that can instantly escalate situations, so it’s better if he’s the one being stalked.
As he tried to console himself with this thought, another message arrived.
This time, it wasn’t Grandfather.
It was Uncle.
Looking at the message that had just arrived, Jaehyuk stared at Junghyun sitting across from him with a dumbfounded expression.
What on earth did you do?
He swore that as far as he could remember, he had never seen Uncle get angry before.
He wasn’t the type to get angry, but rather the type to make others angry.
But now he was angry. Not only with all kinds of criticism and disparagement that couldn’t be spoken aloud, but also with slander and curses.
He wasn’t using explicit curses, but he was essentially slaying with words.
By this point, Jaehyuk sent a look of astonishment at Junghyun’s remarkable ability, and Junghyun, seemingly aware of the gaze, raised his head. Then, meeting his eyes, he blinked.
As if to ask why he was staring.
At that extremely insensitive look, Jaehyuk’s lips briefly quivered before he changed the subject.
“…It’s nothing.”
It wasn’t a pleasant conversation anyway, and since Junghyun seemed to be handling the blocking well enough, there was no need to mention it.
Anyway, since he’s pregnant, Jaehyuk thought, convincing himself rather than Junghyun, as the jajangmyeon arrived.
Watching Junghyun excitedly pick up his chopsticks and mix the jajangmyeon in the bowl in front of him, Jaehyuk also took his eyes off his phone.
Then, picking up his chopsticks, he changed the topic.
“Have you chosen a prenatal name?”
“No.”
Jaehyuk’s hand hesitated at the quick answer.
Having just observed a couple who had been frantically choosing a prenatal name right after learning about their pregnancy, he couldn’t understand how someone could have a baby on the way and not have chosen a prenatal name.
“…You haven’t even chosen a prenatal name?”
“No.”
“…Don’t people usually choose a prenatal name first?”
“I don’t know?”
Junghyun tilted his head, saying he didn’t know because he didn’t have any pregnant people around him.
While eating jajangmyeon.
“You should give it a prenatal name.”
“Then you can choose one.”
At Junghyun’s casual remark, Jaehyuk’s eyes widened.
“…Me?”
Seeing his face, which even showed a hint of shyness, Junghyun nodded.
At that moment, countless questions poured into Jaehyuk’s mind like a waterfall.
How do you choose a prenatal name? I heard people sometimes use food names, is that okay? Shouldn’t a prenatal name have a special meaning or memory for the couple? How did my brother choose one? and so on. He tried to gather information, but couldn’t remember clearly.
Honestly, when Yeonwoo was pregnant, he hadn’t been very interested since it wasn’t his business, and he had thought, “They’ll name the child after it’s born anyway, so why is a prenatal name necessary?”
So he had barely listened to things like how to choose a prenatal name or the reasons for it.
Feeling that he needed help, Jaehyuk was about to pick up his phone again to send a message to Suhyuk, who had experience, but hesitated when he saw the screen.
It was still filled with a hell of verbal abuse.
While it wasn’t strange for Grandfather with his choleric temperament, seeing even that unpleasant Uncle in such a frenzy was both surprising and refreshing.
Now he had even started cursing.
Frowning at the array of unpleasant language, Jaehyuk put down his phone.
He could contact his brother later.
Feeling like his eyes would rot from looking at it, he deliberately avoided looking in that direction and picked up his chopsticks again.
Although he had said he would be a bit late to the office, he needed to get back by three at the latest to manage the issues that had arisen in the morning.
And with what looked to be a very busy day ahead, he hurried his meal, when Junghyun suddenly asked:
“By the way, the weather has warmed up, aren’t you going surfing?”
He wasn’t sure why the conversation had suddenly shifted from prenatal names to surfing, but that was something they needed to discuss. So he continued the conversation while mixing his jajangmyeon.
“I’m not going.”
“Why not?”
“You can’t surf.”
“But you can.”
“I’m not ill-mannered enough to go surfing alone while leaving my pregnant partner. I won’t be doing ocean surfing for the next few years. And the same goes for you. No more dangerous sports now. No climbing, no boarding. And no martial arts either.”
At his seemingly overprotective answer, Junghyun furrowed his brow.
It was a face that said he didn’t like it.
“Then what kind of exercise should I do?”
“Other exercises. When you have a child, it’s right to reduce extreme sports.”
Junghyun acknowledged that was true. So theoretically yes, but…
“Hyung… you’re really annoying.”
At Junghyun’s expression that he was too strait-laced and frustrating, Jaehyuk gazed at him with meaningful eyes.
It was a look that said, “Since you’re pregnant, I don’t want to say harsh words, so shut up before I have to say it.”
Junghyun, impressively catching that look, quickly raised both hands in surrender and focused back on his meal.
Relieved that Junghyun still had some awareness, Jaehyuk clicked his tongue and reached out to pick up a piece of dongpo pork that had just been served.
At that moment, his phone screen lit up.
But he had no intention of looking at it.
It was just that his line of sight naturally turned in that direction as he reached for the dongpo pork plate.
So he was about to turn his gaze away immediately, but the message on the screen caught his attention.
[Hanju Chemical] That child, is it really yours?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
