Whew.
After drinking about half of the warm water, Yu-jin let out a deep sigh. At least today, he felt a little better. No nausea, no queasiness—after finishing his soup and salad, he actually felt more energized than he had in recent days.
But still…
The doctor’s words kept gnawing at him.
“This seems very much like a pregnancy.”
At the cautious suggestion, Yu-jin had flinched and denied it outright. He shook his head adamantly, insisting that such a thing was impossible for him. Watching him react that way, the doctor’s face grew grave before he delivered his conclusion.
“Let’s do a thorough examination as soon as possible. If it’s not that, we need to find out what else it could be.”
Along with that, they had already drawn blood for the test, so the results would likely come out by tomorrow. Even while convinced it absolutely couldn’t be pregnancy, Yu-jin had quickly grabbed the doctor as he was leaving the room.
“Please don’t say anything to Winston. I don’t want to disappoint him.”
The doctor simply nodded, as if it were only natural, and left the room. After receiving an IV nutrient injection, Yu-jin had fallen into a deep sleep, and when he woke, his body felt significantly better.
After tucking Angela into bed, Yu-jin sat alone on the mattress, sipping water as his thoughts wandered. It’s impossible. Even back when he was hospitalized from the injury caused by Charlotte, the doctors had told him—he was incapable of becoming pregnant.
But if, by some chance…
Just as his hand trembled slightly around the cup, spurred by an ominous thought, a faint sound echoed from down the hallway. It grew rapidly louder, culminating in the thunderous pounding of footsteps. Startled by the sudden noise, Yu-jin turned his head—just in time to see the door thrown open without so much as a knock. And standing in the doorway, as expected, was Winston.
Yu-jin’s eyes widened, even though he already knew. Winston was the only man who would dare barge in like this. Still, knowing someone could do such a thing and actually experiencing it were two very different things. It was the first time Winston had come in without knocking, and Yu-jin was utterly caught off guard.
“Why…”
He managed to get the word out, but couldn’t say anything more. Winston stood there like a ghost—his face deathly pale, breath ragged, hair disheveled, eyes fixed on Yu-jin. That gaze made Yu-jin’s heart pound anxiously. Did the doctor… tell him?
Just as that thought formed, Winston began to walk. His steps were slow—completely different from the furious stomping moments earlier. Step by deliberate step, he moved into the room, heading directly toward Yu-jin.
Yu-jin stared, bewildered, watching as Winston finally stopped a few paces away. He waited silently, but his heart was thundering in his chest. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Winston was about to say. His mind had gone completely blank.
Then, at last, Winston opened his mouth.
“…It wasn’t.”
“What?”
The voice was so low and heavy that Yu-jin couldn’t quite catch it. He frowned and asked again, and Winston mouthed the words before letting them spill from his lips in a broken, anguished whisper.
“You didn’t sleep with my father.”
…What?
This time, Yu-jin couldn’t even make a sound. His eyes simply widened in stunned silence. What was he talking about all of a sudden? What the hell was going on? As Yu-jin stared at him in complete confusion, Winston reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out, then let it drop onto the bed with a dull thud.
Yu-jin’s gaze instinctively followed the movement, but when he turned back to Winston, the man pointed at the object and muttered,
“It’s all there. The proof.”
With that, Winston reached up and roughly tugged at the knot of his tie, yanking the long, thin fabric from around his neck. Yu-jin still didn’t say a word. He was too overwhelmed, too lost in the chaos to know where to even begin. After silently watching Winston for a moment, he finally managed to speak.
“What are you talking about… all of a sudden?”
“You didn’t sleep with my father. And yes, you were deceived.”
Winston’s words were firm, unyielding. His tone so resolute that it made Yu-jin let out a bitter, breathy laugh. He exhaled sharply, frowning as he replied.
“I’ve been saying that all along.”
“Yeah,” Winston muttered in a hollow voice, almost like a confession. “I didn’t believe you.”
As he spoke, he collapsed into the nearby chair as if his legs had given out. He sat with his legs spread wide, elbows resting on his thighs, head bowed. It was the most defeated Yu-jin had ever seen him.
Yu-jin stared at him in silence, then shifted his gaze to the small object lying atop the bed. A USB drive. That tiny thing holds the proof? Still dazed, he picked it up and stared at it before finally asking,
“How did you get this?”
What kind of data was inside? Who put it together? After taking a deep breath, Yu-jin managed to ask his first question. Winston, still sitting a short distance away, finally answered.
“Georgina… from Catherine.”
“What?”
Now what was that supposed to mean? Yu-jin looked at him in bewilderment. Winston rubbed his face harshly with both hands before finally speaking again, his voice tight and blocked, as if forcing the words out.
“Just tell me one more thing.”
His voice came out muffled through his hands, more like a plea than anything else. It wasn’t the aggressive tone Yu-jin had grown used to—it was almost a request. The change startled him.
But Winston continued, undeterred by Yu-jin’s reaction.
“If it wasn’t my father… then who did you sleep with?”
Yu-jin frowned without thinking. Are we back to this again? he thought in frustration. But then Winston said something completely unexpected.
“If you didn’t sleep with my father… or with anyone else.”
Slowly, Winston raised his head. For the first time, his anguished expression turned directly toward Yu-jin.
“Then whose child is Angela?”
Yu-jin’s heart plummeted in that instant. A different kind of silence settled between them—tense and heavy. The only sound echoing in his ears was the violent pounding of his own heartbeat.
Watching Yu-jin’s reaction, Winston finally spoke.
“Please.”
His voice trembled slightly as he urged him.
“Just tell me the truth. Whatever it is… I’ll believe you.”
It felt like a blaring siren was going off in Yu-jin’s head. No. Don’t say it. Have you forgotten what’ll happen if he finds out? He’ll take Angela away. You’ll never see her again—for the rest of your life.
But this wasn’t like before. Up until now, Winston had written Yu-jin off as a depraved Omega, so it had been easy to slip by with clumsy lies. But this time… it wouldn’t be that simple. All it would take is one genetic test. Then it would all be over.
Gulp. His mouth had gone completely dry, and his throat bobbed uselessly. Yu-jin managed to open his mouth, but no sound came out.
There was no escape anymore.
The moment his eyes met Winston’s, Yu-jin instinctively understood. He already knows. He’s just waiting to hear it from me.
“…I told you already.”
It took him a long time to finally say it. For some reason, he felt like crying—but instead, he forced a smile.
“I told you I was pregnant with your child.”
At that moment, Yu-jin saw it clearly. The look on Winston’s face, as if the entire world had collapsed—shock and disbelief crashing together.
Ah. Yu-jin exhaled a shaky breath. Confessing the truth wasn’t as hard as he thought it’d be. In fact, a strange sense of relief washed over him as he added,
“I’ve never slept with anyone but you.”
Even after that final confession, Winston didn’t move a muscle. He just stared at Yu-jin, dazed and silent.
“…My child?”
It took him a long time to force the words out, his voice hoarse and raw.
“Angela… she’s really mine?”
“Yes.”
Yu-jin answered simply. Again, Winston fell silent. His gaze slowly shifted until he was staring blankly at one of the walls. Yu-jin watched him in silence.
“So you don’t believe me after all.”
He murmured the words quietly, after seeing Winston’s prolonged silence. It didn’t exactly break his heart—he’d already prepared himself for this. But still…
“No. I believe you.”
Just as that bitter thought surfaced, Winston spoke in a slow, deliberate voice. The unexpected answer startled Yu-jin.
“You believe me? Just like that? Without even doing a DNA test?”
“I believe you,” Winston said without hesitation, as if the idea of a test had never even crossed his mind. His previously vacant gaze began to shift—growing sharper, clearer, more focused.
“That’s why I’m thinking right now… about how I’m going to destroy every last one of the bastards who made you suffer.”
As his golden eyes began to shine, the air around him filled with the thick, distinct scent of his pheromones. The emotional swell within him—rising slowly—was unmistakably turning into rage. Yu-jin could feel it with absolute clarity.
Through clenched teeth, Winston muttered: “Starting with me.”
The last one got me…. T_T
FINALLYYYYYYYYYYY