#108
“Huh?”
Facing Hayun, whose complexion had turned pale, Idam sensed an unusual situation.
“Who…?”
As he asked the question, Hayun’s hand suddenly shot out and covered Idam’s mouth. It was a moment when he could easily guess who was on the other end of the call. Although his heartbeat, which had just calmed down, started racing again with a sense of foreboding, Idam closed his mouth tactfully and observed Hayun’s expression.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. How did you get my number?”
[I know everything, so put him on.]
Taemin threw out a fierce command, as if he didn’t need any small talk.
“Weren’t you with Idam?”
[…]
“Did he run away by any chance?”
Hayun continued his questions as if engaged in a tense tug-of-war.
[Ha…]
“Answer me.”
After chewing on the silence, Taemin hung up. Only then did Hayun relax and remove his hand from Idam’s mouth. But his face, which had turned pale white, didn’t loosen up.
“Was it the CEO?”
“Yeah. He seemed certain that you and I were together.”
Come to think of it, if Idam were in Taemin’s position, he would contact Hayun first too. It’s not like he had any family. He felt resentful of his own narrow circle of relationships.
“It’s even more annoying because he’s blocked his number. If I could at least save the number, it would be easier to avoid… I guess I’ll just have to stop answering calls from numbers that aren’t saved.”
“…”
Gradually, Idam began to wonder if coming here was the right choice. At the same time, a different resolution began to sprout in his small chest.
Meanwhile, Hayun’s phone rang again. Idam tensed up, thinking it might be Taemin again. But unlike before, Hayun answered with a calm expression.
“Hello. Yes, Idam is next to me.”
Huh? Who could the caller be for Hayun to mention him? Idam’s eyes widened with curiosity.
“It seems difficult today. Yes, I’ll talk to Idam and let you know. Yes, yes. Then take care.”
As Hayun finished the call, Idam quickly asked a question.
“Who was that?”
“Rickdi. It was him.”
“What? You even exchanged numbers?”
“It just happened that way.”
“How did you get to know each other?”
Even thinking about it again, their connection seemed strange.
“We met by chance at a cafe.”
Hayun explained how he came to meet Rickdi.
“I was going to give him my business card and compensate for the dry cleaning. But this person suddenly started talking about how you were in danger. So I couldn’t help but listen.”
“I see…”
Idam lowered his head, recalling his situation. He wanted to hide this fact from Hayun if possible, as it was no different from being a tool for Taemin. He would surely worry.
“He wants to meet you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. He said he has something to say about Ji Taemin’s family. What do you think, would that be okay?”
Idam hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.
“No. I don’t want to see him.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t he friends with the CEO? I can’t trust him.”
Idam wanted to avoid not only Taemin but also everything related to him if possible. Honestly, he was tired.
“I was wary of him at first too, but this person has his reasons. First of all, he really dislikes Ji Taemin.”
“Huh? Really?”
When he saw them at the gathering back then, they seemed to get along well. Was that a misconception?
“And he’s the one who decisively helped you to come back to Korea.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Idam was confused by the statement that Rickdi had helped him.
“You didn’t come to Korea alone, right?”
“Ah… yeah.”
Since Idam had borrowed Im Hoyoung’s phone to call before boarding the plane, Hayun seemed to have guessed that Idam had come with someone.
“The person who came with you, isn’t he a friend of Ji Taemin?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“It seems Rickdi asked that friend for a favor?”
“What? To Dr. Im Hoyoung?”
“I don’t know his name, but he said he was a doctor. Is that right?”
“Yeah, he’s an omega specialist…”
‘If Taemin catches me, I know I’ll die. But I have my circumstances.’
Im Hoyoung’s voice echoed in his mind.
Was that circumstance because Rickdi had asked him? He wondered what kind of favor it was to have helped like this.
“Rickdi seems really worried about you. When did you become close?”
“No, we just talked briefly at that Baekwol Hotel last time.”
Idam was just puzzled. Hayun seemed to share the same expression as Idam.
“Actually, I asked him too, but he avoided the question. So I thought he might be uncomfortable talking to me about it and left it at that.”
“What’s going on…?”
Suddenly, Idam wondered if he had met Rickdi in the past. But it was a stretch to find a connection with such a sophisticated foreigner in his insignificant life.
“I find him suspicious too.”
Hayun spoke up, seeming to share similar thoughts with Idam.
“But he doesn’t seem to be on friendly terms with Ji Taemin, so I’ve been in contact with him. Also, he was the only one we could trust.”
“I see…”
The more he thought about it, the more curious he became about why this person was showing such kindness to him. It also smelled dangerous. But at the same time, he thought Rickdi might know more details about Taemin’s family.
Above all, Taemin would continue to track him down. To counter this, it seemed necessary to know something about Ji Taemin’s family. Idam’s once gentle eyes now showed added strength, as if he had made a firm decision.
“Okay. I’ll meet him.”
“Then, is tomorrow afternoon okay?”
“Yeah…”
“Alright. I’ll try to set a time.”
Just as Hayun was about to contact Rickdi, a growling sound came from his stomach.
“I haven’t eaten anything all day because I was so tense. I’m hungry. Idam, have you eaten?”
“No…”
Until he was at the Meeting Plaza, he had felt hungry at the thought of meeting Hayun, but after suddenly having to deal with Taemin, his appetite had dropped again. But now, realizing that he might not be alone anymore, he thought he shouldn’t maintain an empty stomach any longer.
“Idam, shall we eat chicken then?”
“Yeah. With sauce.”
“Do you want to drink beer too?”
“No, I’ll just have cola.”
If he was pregnant as Im Hoyoung had said, he now had to be careful with coffee and alcohol.
Suddenly, he remembered the moment when they were eating when Taemin’s father had visited last time. At that time, when Idam tried to drink wine, Taemin stopped him and offered strawberry juice instead. As if he knew about Idam’s pregnancy. But realistically, that couldn’t be possible. If Taemin had wanted a baby, he would have naturally accepted Idam’s feelings too. Shaking off unnecessary lingering feelings, Idam touched his stomach, which was bothering him.
“Um… Hayun, I’m going to the hospital tomorrow morning.”
“Huh? What hospital? Are you not feeling well?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Just feeling a bit chilly.”
In fact, he was planning to go to the obstetrics and gynecology department. He wanted to know for sure if his pregnancy was real. But he wanted to hide this fact from Hayun for now. He didn’t want to cause him more worry. Even now, Hayun’s face was full of concern for Idam.
“Are you feeling under the weather from all the stress? Should I give you some medicine?”
“No, I just think it’s better to go to the hospital.”
Idam added that he shouldn’t worry, as if to reassure Hayun.
* * *
There was tension in the running sedan. The employee driving and Secretary Kang sitting in the passenger seat felt a suffocating sensation. Right now, Taemin was like an unbridled colt, no, a monster off its leash. Secretary Kang carefully glanced in the rearview mirror, being cautious even with his breathing.
Taemin was frowning while touching the bandage on his head. After losing Idam, he had thrown all kinds of hysterics and then complained of a headache, and they were now heading to the hospital. In fact, he should have gone to the hospital right after hitting his head with a rock that day, but he had pushed himself to catch Yeo Idam, and now it seemed he was suffering the consequences. In reality, it was a miracle that he had been fine until now, unless he had a diamond skull.
“Secretary Kang.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know where Jang Hayun is currently residing?”
“No, sir. According to Manager Yang, he suddenly submitted his resignation and moved secretly, so his whereabouts are unknown.”
“Investigate.”
“Understood.”
“And put people around that bastard Rickdi too.”
“Pardon?”
“He’s the mastermind who used Im Hoyoung to bring Yeo Idam back to Korea. There’s a high possibility he’ll contact Yeo Idam.”
“Understood.”
Secretary Kang immediately started making phone calls to the staff.
“Ha…”
Taemin, with eyes full of fatigue, rummaged through his jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out the wedding ring Idam had left behind, fiddling with it. This small ring, which didn’t even fit on his pinky finger, seemed to still hold Idam’s warmth and scent.
“I love you.”
For a moment, Taemin’s lips moved without him realizing. But the person who should hear these words wasn’t here now.
Taemin lowered his head. Outside the window, it had become completely night, and the moonlight was bright. He missed the moment when he had kissed Idam under that moonlight.
* * *
“Well then, take care at the hospital.”
“Okay, I will.”
The next day, Idam left Hayun’s rooftop room and went down the stairs. Although Hayun’s clothes were a bit long on him, they didn’t hinder his movement much. And just in case his face might be exposed, he was wearing a black cap.
Before going to bed last night, he had borrowed Hayun’s phone to find the location of a nearby obstetrics and gynecology clinic. He didn’t forget to delete the search history in case Hayun might check it. The search results showed that the clinic was a 10-minute walk away.
Idam walked carefully through the alleyways like a cat. But for some reason, he felt like someone was glancing at him. On edge, Idam looked around as if ready to run away at any moment. However, apart from a bright red sports car, nothing unusual was visible. Of course, a sports car in such a narrow alley was out of place, but the cars Taemin usually used were only sedans with neat designs.
Thinking he was being overly sensitive, Idam hurried his steps. Soon, the door of that sports car opened. The person who got out was none other than Rickdi. Wearing sunglasses, he followed Idam with a strange expression. When he confirmed the sign of the building Idam had entered, his face was filled with a perplexed look.
“Obstetrics and Gynecology?”
* * *
“The test results will take about 20 minutes…”
After leaving the examination room, Idam sat in the waiting area. He had registered at the obstetrics and gynecology clinic to check if he was pregnant. There were no other patients, so Idam immediately met with a female doctor. After exchanging a few questions and answers, the doctor drew Idam’s blood, checked his pheromone levels, and also examined his abdomen and lower body with unfamiliar medical equipment.
Originally, he knew that pregnancy could be sufficiently determined by blood and pheromone levels alone, but Idam felt like the number of tests had increased. He thought that since they seemed to have examined thoroughly, the results should be certain.
“Mr. Yeo Idam, please come in.”
At the nurse’s call, Idam entered the examination room with a tense face. The female doctor looked at Idam and smiled. Idam tried to lift the corners of his mouth awkwardly, but due to the rising tension, his heart was beating so hard it felt like it would jump out of his chest. His palms were sweaty.
The doctor placed the test results in front of Idam.
“Congratulations. You are pregnant.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s very early, but it’s a definite pregnancy.”
“Oh my…”
Even though he already knew, it was still surprising to have it confirmed so definitively.
“I can’t believe I’m really pregnant…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
