#118
“Yes, Mr. Yeo Idam, the pregnant patient, came by.”
The doctor hesitantly began to speak.
“When did he visit?”
“Yesterday evening.”
Taemin’s gaze turned to the wall clock. It was currently showing 10 AM.
Yesterday, after finding out through Im Hoyoung which ob-gyn clinic Idam had visited, he immediately headed to Cheongdo. Of course, Im Hoyoung was with him. He wanted to fly there in a private jet, but it wasn’t possible since Cheongdo doesn’t have an airport. So they arrived by car at night, and the ob-gyn clinic was already closed.
Having no choice, they stayed at a nearby hotel for the night and arrived at the clinic in the morning. At first, the doctor was very wary of Taemin. But when Im Hoyoung showed his medical license and explained the situation, the doctor finally began to speak.
“What kind of tests did he receive?”
The doctor looked at the monitor and began to answer Im Hoyoung’s question.
“We conducted basic pregnancy confirmation tests and an abdominal ultrasound. Since he’s just past 12 weeks, we also did a fetal anomaly screening.”
The doctor then explained the examination process in detail.
“What about the results?”
“They’ll be ready in a week.”
“How was the patient? Was he very thin or anything?”
At the moment, Idam’s condition was of utmost importance to Taemin.
“He’s very healthy. It would be good if he gained a bit more weight, though.”
“Hah… Is he not eating properly?”
Anxious, Taemin decided to feed him lots of delicious food when he met him. He was also curious about the condition of the child who would inherit his and Idam’s bloodline.
“How’s the baby?”
“The fetus is also healthy. The heartbeat is strong. Above all, the growth rate is fast. It’s surprising enough that an extremely hot omega got pregnant, so it was amazing.”
“I think so too. This is worthy of a research paper.”
Im Hoyoung agreed, unaware that Taemin’s family had developed new drugs in the past.
“That’s right.”
“Sometimes extremely hot omegas come in wanting infertility treatment, and it always made me feel bad. This case will bring about a big change in the omega ecosystem.”
Im Hoyoung’s eyes sparkled as if he had discovered new hope. The doctor smiled widely, sharing the same thought. Facing these two, Taemin made a decision. It was a thought 180 degrees different from his nature, but he could stomach it because of Idam.
“By the way…”
Taemin cut into the two doctors’ chatter.
“Where is Yeo Idam currently residing?”
“The address on his registered ID shows Seoul. It seems he hasn’t reported a change of address?”
It appeared he hadn’t fully settled here. That meant he could leave Cheongdo at any time. Taemin became anxious again.
“Then, since you said the test results will be ready in a week, he’ll visit around that time?”
“Yes.”
“Is it not possible to get them any sooner?”
“Sometimes they can be ready a day or two earlier.”
“I see.”
From Taemin’s perspective, wanting to see Idam as soon as possible, even bringing it forward by a day or two wasn’t particularly welcome news.
“By the way, the bag he brought was small. It seemed like he was staying somewhere nearby.”
“I see.”
It was as Taemin had expected. It was about the time his belly would start showing, and it didn’t seem likely he had traveled a long distance. Taemin stood up. He had heard all the information he could, and he had another schedule.
“Then, I’ll see you in a week.”
“Taemin, I’ll stay and talk with the doctor a bit more.”
“Alright.”
Im Hoyoung seemed quite excited to meet someone from the same field. Taemin also didn’t want to continue accompanying Im Hoyoung, so he left without hesitation. He headed towards Secretary Kang, who was waiting in the sedan.
* * *
“So, we don’t know where Mr. Idam is currently staying.”
After hearing the whole story, Secretary Kang looked disappointed.
“He’s scheduled to visit the ob-gyn in a week, but I can’t wait that long. Deploy some people.”
“Understood. It’s a small town, so we should have good news soon.”
Secretary Kang tried to sound hopeful. Taemin’s eyes were once again dying with despair. So he quickly changed the subject.
“And about that Rickdi person. Yesterday, we barely managed to surround him when he tried to escape from the basement.”
“That’s a relief.”
“He says he wants to talk with you, sir. I don’t think keeping him confined is the answer.”
Three months ago. After surrounding Rickdi, Taemin had locked him in the basement of the mansion. He didn’t use any particular force. He just kept him confined, maintaining basic living conditions and meals. However, Taemin hadn’t visited the imprisoned Rickdi, so he had been living in silence for three months, experiencing stress and possibly on the verge of losing control.
“Rickdi’s family must have filed a missing person report by now. If the police get involved, it’ll be troublesome.”
Taemin sneered at Secretary Kang’s concern.
“That family can’t call the police either.”
“What? Why? Aren’t they just running a normal pharmaceutical company branch in Korea from the US?”
“That’s just on the surface. Behind the scenes, they’re distributing drugs, not much different from us.”
“Even so, they must have hired people to search for him? We can’t keep this up indefinitely.”
“Finding Idam comes first. I don’t want to cause any big issues before that.”
Secretary Kang was uneasy, but with Taemin being so stubborn, he couldn’t voice any more opposing opinions. Still, now that they knew the town where Idam was staying, they should be able to catch him soon. He only hoped that Taemin would return to normal life as soon as possible.
“Sir, we have a meeting this afternoon, so we should start heading back to Seoul now.”
“Alright.”
Since they had come down in a hurry last night without another driver, Secretary Kang was in charge of driving. He started the engine and set off.
Various restaurants could be seen in the narrow alleyways. Most of them were open, probably because it was close to lunchtime.
“Ugh.”
Taemin covered his mouth, nauseated by the food smells.
“Speed up a bit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Secretary Kang immediately stepped on the accelerator. After passing the restaurant area, they saw a small cafe that looked like it was out of a fairy tale. A banner at the entrance was advertising that they had delicious egg sandwiches.
“Sir, would you like to have a sandwich?”
“You’re asking me that after seeing my condition?”
Secretary Kang shrank his shoulders at Taemin’s sensitive reaction.
“I’m sorry. Then, may I eat? I’ve been having breakfast every day lately, but I skipped today.”
Secretary Kang made a face like a rain-soaked puppy. At the same time, Taemin’s face soured even more. If Idam had made such an expression, he would have bitten his cheeks messily, but seeing a man as big as a mountain doing it was disgusting.
“Fine.”
He quickly answered, not wanting to see that look anymore.
“Then I’ll be right back!”
Secretary Kang parked the car near the cafe and went out. Taemin suddenly thought of Idam when he saw the sandwich message engraved on the banner.
‘What do you think, sir?’
When they were at Jihwado, Idam had made egg sandwiches for Taemin after the bibim noodles.
‘H-How is it?’
At that time, Idam’s big eyes were full of tension. Facing that expression, Taemin ate with the intention of praising it even if he bit into a stone.
‘Wow! It’s really delicious.’
The boiled eggs were mashed and flavored with mayonnaise, with jalapeños scattered throughout, and the sauce spread on the inside of the bread was spicy and sweet, perfectly suiting Taemin’s taste.
It was a taste that naturally elicited exclamations without any need for pretense. Thanks to this, Idam’s cheeks turned even redder with shyness.
‘How’s the sauce? It has the same base as the bibim noodles from last time, but I added a bit more chili flavor.’
‘It’s perfect. I like the spiciness.’
‘I’m glad it suits your taste, honey.’
‘Well, even so, it’s not as delicious as my honey’s lips.’
Taemin whispered sweetly and kissed Idam’s lips. Excited, Idam made more sandwiches on the spot. In the end, Taemin had to eat 10 sandwiches that day. Thinking about it now, it was such a happy moment.
“Idam…”
Taemin felt his heart ache once more. As he was about to let out a big sigh of longing, his phone rang. He checked his phone with displeasure. It was a call from his grandfather. Taemin cleared his throat a few times before answering.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
[Is my grandson doing well? Are you at the company?]
“I came down to the countryside for a meeting.”
[I see. By the way, have you still not found that extremely hot omega?]
“No…”
Currently, his grandfather was unaware of Taemin’s feelings. So he only knew that Idam had run away, thinking he had merely evacuated due to a life threat.
[It’s taking too long. It’s already been three months…]
“We’re tracking as much as we can.”
[Taemin, you’re not trying to do something like Hyeongman, are you?]
“No, I’m not.”
Taemin answered firmly. Of course, it was a blatant lie. His grandfather was silent for a moment before ending the call, saying a friend had come. Finally able to breathe, Taemin leaned back in his seat. The gaunt face of Hyeongman flickered in his mind.
Hyeongman had loved his mother, who was an extremely hot omega. Just like himself now. So he lied to his grandfather that she was a dominant omega and even got married.
This was possible because his father never showed his grandfather the extremely hot omega he kept by his side.
But his grandfather was a monstrous person. The moment he met his mother, he immediately recognized her trait. So his grandfather secretly exploited his mother’s vulnerabilities and murdered her.
Hyeongman had lived without knowing this fact. Until three months ago when Taemin told him the truth. After learning the truth, he was currently hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, receiving treatment for the tremendous shock. One obstacle to marrying Idam had been removed.
But Taemin had the same disposition as his grandfather. He had a twisted nature with low empathy. So even if his mother had been unjustly killed, it wasn’t shocking enough to disrupt his daily life. The fact that he hadn’t built any special attachment was probably one of the reasons.
He needed to deal with his grandfather soon, but it was difficult in the current situation. With Idam playing hide-and-seek, if his grandfather noticed his feelings, he might find Idam first and commit murder like he did with his mother. So until Idam’s safety was secured, he had to pretend to think like his grandfather in front of him.
Soon, the driver’s door opened and Secretary Kang sat down. In his hand was a bag containing an Americano and sandwiches.
“Wow, this place must be famous. The line was quite long.”
“Why didn’t you eat there?”
“There was no place to sit, so I thought I’d eat later.”
Secretary Kang put the drink in the cup holder and placed the bag on the passenger seat. The opening was slightly open, revealing sandwiches in transparent plastic cases. The shape looked somehow familiar.
“Did you buy these sandwiches?”
“Yes, everyone was lining up to buy these. I heard they’ve been selling them for two months.”
Taemin picked up the sandwich as if enchanted. Despite the quite stimulating aroma, he didn’t feel nauseous or gag at all. Instead, his salivary glands were activated.
“Can I eat this?”
“Huh? Yes, yes. Please do.”
Secretary Kang was glad to see Taemin suddenly showing interest in a sandwich when he hadn’t properly eaten for three months. He thought it was good that he had bought plenty just in case.
Taemin quickly unwrapped the packaging and shoved the sandwich into his mouth. A familiar taste caressed his tongue. Thanks to this, he devoured the entire sandwich in one go.
“It’s delicious. You said they’ve been selling these sandwiches for two months, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I think our Idam made these.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
