104
Yeon Ji-ho sat curled up on the bed with his knees raised and his head buried, then suddenly looked up. The dawn sunlight was creeping in through the blinds-covered window.
Yeon Ji-ho quietly reached out and adjusted the blind button. Then, perfect darkness settled in, to the point where not even a sliver of sunlight could seep through.
Only after seeing this did a moist breath finally escape between Yeon Ji-ho’s lips.
In one hand of Yeon Ji-ho, who was hugging his knees, was a phone with one part dented, and at that moment the screen lit up. At the soft alarm sound, Yeon Ji-ho picked up the phone to check the screen.
“Set: Ji-ho” 7:12 AM
“Set: Are you sleeping?” 7:14 AM
Yeon Ji-ho just stared blankly at the phone screen. Normally, he would have hurriedly unlocked the screen, happy to receive a reply, but today he wasn’t in the mood. Yeon Ji-ho, who hadn’t replied since the message saying he was going to sleep early yesterday morning, just stared at the notification and then turned off the screen.
Knock knock.
“Pregnant patient Yeon Ji-ho, please go down to the pheromone testing room on the lower floor.”
Yeon Ji-ho nodded briefly to the nurse who came in and lowered his knees from the bed. Then he recalled the conversation he had with the doctor during yesterday’s examination.
The reason Yeon Ji-ho had been suffering so much since becoming pregnant was not only stress but, above all, the absence of alpha pheromones. During his outpatient treatment, he had been prescribed pheromone enhancers, and yesterday the doctor had told him that from today, they would also combine pheromone therapy.
Today, he was scheduled for a test to find an alpha pheromone that was somewhat compatible with Yeon Ji-ho himself. This was a test generally conducted for pregnant omega patients without an alpha partner.
As he went downstairs, the quiet hospital air greeted Yeon Ji-ho. He tightened the cardigan he was wearing over his hospital gown and slowly walked towards the examination room.
“Are you pregnant patient Yeon Ji-ho? Please state your date of birth as well.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yeon Ji-ho looked at the laboratory technician with a blank face. Then, for a moment, he couldn’t remember his own birthday and looked down at the patient wristband the nurse had put on him yesterday. His date of birth was printed on it.
After mechanically reciting it, the technician nodded and approached to guide Yeon Ji-ho. Even in the examination room, a sign saying ‘Pheromone Testing Room’ was attached above the door of the innermost room, separated by a glass partition.
Before entering the examination room, the technician briefly explained the precautions to Yeon Ji-ho.
“You need to leave your phone and personal belongings outside, and when you go in, you’ll hear my voice, just follow the instructions. If you feel uncomfortable or unwell anywhere, please raise your right hand.”
Nodding, Yeon Ji-ho approached the low storage locker next to the examination room. As he was taking off his cardigan, he hesitated for a moment at the heavy weight he felt in his pocket.
“Right, the reply…”
What he finally took out was his phone. Yeon Ji-ho checked that there were no new messages since then and touched Set’s chat room. The conversations they had last night were still there.
Yeon Ji-ho busily moved his thumb to tap on the screen.
“I have a lot to do starting today” 7:34 AM
“Because I’m in the hospital..”
“I’ll contact you when I’m done” 7:35 AM
“Make sure to eat your meals” 7:36 AM
Within seconds of sending the message, the 1 disappeared from the screen. Yeon Ji-ho knew that Set had seen this message, but he quickly turned off the screen. The technician was waiting, looking in his direction.
Wearing only the loose hospital gown, Yeon Ji-ho slowly entered the pheromone testing room. As soon as the door closed with a click, the technician’s voice came through the speaker.
-Patient, please sit in the chair and wait for a moment.
Following the technician’s instructions, Yeon Ji-ho sat obediently in the chair and looked out through the glass window to the outside of the testing room. He could see the technician busily operating something. It wasn’t long before his voice was heard again.
-From now on, alpha pheromones will be injected into the testing room. If you feel even slightly uncomfortable, please raise your right hand.
Yeon Ji-ho was about to answer “Yes,” but realizing that his voice wouldn’t reach the person outside, he just slowly nodded his head. Then the technician operated some machine.
At the same time, calm classical music began to play in the testing room. Startled because he didn’t expect music to play, Yeon Ji-ho momentarily held his breath as he felt unfamiliar pheromones gradually spreading in the room.
The technician watching from outside simultaneously picked up the microphone. The music stopped briefly.
-Patient, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?
“Ah, no.”
As he spoke and shook his head, the technician nodded. The music started again, and the invisible pheromones began to gradually envelop Yeon Ji-ho.
In truth, he was a little scared. Yeon Ji-ho closed his eyes and focused on the pheromones, holding his trembling hands together. He had to find an alpha pheromone that was somewhat compatible with him, if only for the baby’s sake. He had to…
“Huk…”
Yeon Ji-ho’s eyes widened. It felt like the invisible pheromones were penetrating all the holes – his nose, eyes, ears – and invading his brain. He felt a sensation as if someone was tightly pressing down on his brain. Startled, Yeon Ji-ho raised his right hand tremblingly, and the music turned off again.
-Patient, we’ll try injecting the next pheromone soon. Are you okay? Should we take a break?
Yeon Ji-ho frowned at the other person’s pheromones, which felt particularly painful. But even so, he stubbornly shook his head at the technician outside.
There were many more tests to be done today besides this one. He had to do them quickly to finish everything within the time limit.
-Okay, I’ll inject the next pheromone.
Soon after, the classical music started playing again. This time, Yeon Ji-ho clenched his fists tightly and started to endure, steeling himself.
But that resolve failed within less than 5 minutes of the pheromones flowing out.
-…Patient? Patient!
Because the figure sitting in the chair inside the testing room had slumped sideways.
***
“…!”
Yeon Ji-ho raised his arm to cover his eyes from the fluorescent light filling his vision. Then, feeling an uncomfortable sensation from the back of his hand to his arm, he turned his head to look. A catheter inserted into the back of his hand was connected to an IV drip, and something was being administered.
“Patient? Are you conscious?”
At the nurse’s voice, Yeon Ji-ho slowly blinked his eyes that wouldn’t open easily. After confirming this, the nurse soon brought in a doctor. The doctor in a white gown approached Yeon Ji-ho, flipping through chart papers.
“Are you pregnant patient Yeon Ji-ho?”
“…Yes.”
Due to his low, hoarse voice, Yeon Ji-ho touched his throat and coughed softly. The doctor who approached checked his wrist once more and then spoke.
“You lost consciousness during the pheromone test, do you remember?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
Yeon Ji-ho answered with an embarrassed face. If he had known this would happen, he should have raised his right hand when he felt even slightly strange, instead of being stubborn. He hadn’t imagined he would lose consciousness so easily.
“First… I’ll give you a brief explanation. Patient, as you know, the pheromone test you took this morning was to find an alpha pheromone that suits you. Since you don’t have a partner alpha by your side right now, you need a substitute pheromone.”
That’s right. Yeon Ji-ho had already received an explanation about this test from the doctor yesterday.
Since the pheromone enhancers were already insufficient to handle the situation, they should find an alpha pheromone that could substitute before the due date approached.
It was a rather expensive treatment as they had to obtain pheromones available in the market and check them one by one, but Yeon Ji-ho agreed without hesitation. It wasn’t a difficult thing. Money wasn’t what Yeon Ji-ho lacked.
“When I explained it to you yesterday, I said it wasn’t a very difficult treatment.”
“Yes, I remember.”
That was certainly true. There were a few types of alpha pheromones that stood out the most, and based on that, they were going to compare representative pheromones one by one to see if they matched Yeon Ji-ho. And the process was carried out with very faint and weak pheromones, so it didn’t affect pregnant patients.
“But you had a rejection reaction strong enough to lose consciousness, beyond just feeling unpleasant, right?”
“…Yes.”
“It seems to be an imprint rejection reaction.”
“What?”
Yeon Ji-ho couldn’t understand the doctor’s low conclusion for a moment and ended up asking again. However, the doctor spoke in a cold and indifferent voice, just like when he first recommended hospitalization to Yeon Ji-ho.
“Pregnant patient Yeon Ji-ho, you are currently in an imprinted state.”
