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The next morning, when Yeon Ji-ho opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the hospital ceiling, no different from usual.
Feeling lethargic as soon as he woke up, Yeon Ji-ho let his body go limp. His body had become incredibly heavy, and there seemed to be no immediate reason to get up on his own. If someone had been beside him, they might have helped him up…
At that moment, a large hand approached Ji-ho’s back. Yeon Ji-ho blinked and looked up at the ceiling again. Only then did he belatedly remember.
“Set…?”
“Are you awake, Ji-ho.”
Set was helping Yeon Ji-ho up, looking no different from before they went to sleep, if he had slept at all last night. After raising Yeon Ji-ho, Set adjusted the bed and even placed a soft pillow behind his back before speaking to him.
“You need to eat breakfast.”
Hiccup.
A hiccup escaped from Yeon Ji-ho’s mouth. It was because he had just realized that Set was by his side.
Normally, Yeon Ji-ho would have barely touched his breakfast until Seon-rok arrived, but now he hesitated for a moment when he saw the tray Set had brought. Strangely, he felt an appetite. He even swallowed involuntarily at the faint scent of eggs coming from the pollock soup that was served for breakfast.
Seeming to know that Yeon Ji-ho was waiting, Set unfolded the bedside table in front of him and placed the tray on it. Set sat across from him and picked up Yeon Ji-ho’s utensils.
The difference from yesterday was that now there were two trays of food, as they had requested a caregiver’s meal as well. However, Set was still busy tending to Yeon Ji-ho’s meal.
“The soup will get cold. I can eat by myself now, so you should eat too, Set.”
“Just this much more. Ji-ho, just one more bite.”
Set quickly brought the spoon to Yeon Ji-ho’s mouth, as if he had noticed that Yeon Ji-ho wouldn’t eat more once he put down the spoon. In the end, Set’s spoon-feeding continued for three or four more bites before it finally ended.
Eventually, Set practically gulped down his own portion of the meal. It was so fast that Yeon Ji-ho didn’t even have time to stop him.
“That, eating like that…”
“Ji-ho?”
“How can you eat so hastily like that?”
Set seemed to realize his mistake only after Yeon Ji-ho pointed it out. His eating speed, which he had maintained at a slower pace to match Yeon Ji-ho’s while with him, had reverted to its original pace during Ji-ho’s absence.
In truth, Set had rarely eaten leisurely in his life. Although he maintained the etiquette expected of a duke, his habit of eating quickly had become ingrained due to frequent participation in wars and leading troops.
“…I’ll eat slowly from now on.”
“Yes, or I won’t increase my portion either.”
“That’s a different matter!”
Set, who had been subtly taking out fruit from the hospital refrigerator to prepare dessert for Yeon Ji-ho, exclaimed with a shocked face.
In his view, the amount Yeon Ji-ho ate was far too little. In fact, even before the pregnancy, he had been worried that despite Ji-ho’s love for cooking, he ate too little. Now, when he should be eating for two, the amount had decreased instead, making Set restless.
Set took out a melon without hesitation and created a sword with his sword energy. It was slightly larger than the sword he had used for the radish kimchi yesterday. Set held the sword handle and placed the melon on his hand, glaring at it.
In the blink of an eye, the melon’s skin was peeled off. Surprisingly, it maintained its round shape, with only the thick outer skin removed. Set cut it into bite-sized pieces, placed them on a plate, and brought it to Yeon Ji-ho.
“Ji-ho. I ‘searched’ on the ‘internet’, and it says that while melon is good for hydration, eating too much isn’t good for health.”
“What? Where did you use the internet…?”
In response to Yeon Ji-ho’s question, Set blinked and fumbled to take something out of his back pocket. The white, rectangular object looked tiny in Set’s hand. Yeon Ji-ho’s eyes widened as he recognized the object.
“My phone!”
“Ah, I’m sorry Ji-ho, but you won’t be able to use this anymore.”
Saying that, Set only showed the phone to Yeon Ji-ho before quickly hiding it behind his back again. Yeon Ji-ho narrowed his eyes and reached out towards Set.
“Let me see it for a moment.”
“…Why? Ji-ho, this has already been modified by Apophis, so it’s difficult to handle…”
As Set was slowly backing away from Yeon Ji-ho, Ji-ho moved a bit faster. He quickly reached out and easily snatched the phone from Set’s hand.
Of course, Set, being a Sword Master, could have easily prevented it, but it was nearly impossible for him to win against Yeon Ji-ho. Set, having lost the phone, swallowed a sigh and quietly watched what Yeon Ji-ho was doing.
“…What is all this?”
Yeon Ji-ho traced the history of apps used on his phone, or rather, what had now become Set’s phone. At the top of the list was none other than the internet browser.
As soon as he tapped on the internet, the screen scrolled rapidly. There were over 30 new tabs open. And the majority of them were searches like ‘Foods good for pregnant women’, ‘Fruits for pregnant women’, ‘Melon for pregnant women’, ‘Precautions for pregnant women’, and so on.
“How did you learn to search the internet?!”
“…I figured it out as I used it.”
Yeon Ji-ho was shocked by the fact that Set knew how to search the internet, something he had never taught him. Set quickly snatched the phone back from Yeon Ji-ho’s grasp before he could explore it further.
“Wow… This is shocking.”
“In what way?”
“That you know something I never taught you. How much do you know about phones? Can you take pictures and do things like that now?”
“I just know a little. I don’t know about other things yet because you haven’t taught me.”
Set tried to end the conversation with just that. Of course, Yeon Ji-ho didn’t fall for this tactic and kept asking questions about how much Set knew.
“Wait, if you know how to take pictures, I want to see the photo gallery. What did you take pictures of?”
“…Ji-ho, is there anything you want to eat for lunch today? I’ll order delivery.”
“You know how to use delivery apps now too?!”
Set naturally changed the subject while stealthily taking his phone back from Yeon Ji-ho’s hand.
Meanwhile, Yeon Ji-ho was unable to hide his astonishment. Set’s learning ability far exceeded his expectations. At this point, he even began to doubt whether Set had really been unable to use chopsticks and needed to be fed. Perhaps he had been a disciple who learned ten things from being taught just one.
“Phone! I want to see the phone more!”
“Hmm, for lunch, we should replenish your energy, so eel would be good.”
Set pretended not to hear Yeon Ji-ho’s words and put the phone deep into his pocket. And in his mind, he quietly thought that he should lock it. There were too many things on the phone that Yeon Ji-ho shouldn’t see.
For example, pictures taken of him sleeping at night, or his focused expression while eating delicious food…
Although Set thought they were very cute, Ji-ho would probably tell him to delete them if he saw himself sleeping with his mouth open. After finishing his thoughts, Set spoke to Yeon Ji-ho without blinking.
“Ji-ho, I looked it up before, and there are no places that deliver eel. I was thinking of getting it packed myself.”
“Oh… Okay. Packed, yes.”
Yeon Ji-ho answered unconsciously to the conversation that flowed so smoothly. Then, realizing he had been swept along, he tried to return to the original topic, but at that moment, there was a knock and the hospital room door opened.
The person who entered was the doctor. It seemed he had come for the morning rounds.
“Mother-to-be, your complexion looks good today.”
“What?”
Yeon Ji-ho unconsciously raised his hand and touched various parts of his face. He couldn’t believe his complexion had improved in just one day.
However, the doctor was smiling with relief as he looked at Yeon Ji-ho. He hesitated for a moment when he saw Set occupying the seat right next to Ji-ho, but then he quickly scanned the room interior and said,
“It seems that your husband releasing his pheromones has been effective. This is just right, so please continue like this.”
“Pheromones?”
Yeon Ji-ho asked in surprise. Pheromones? What pheromones?
Suddenly, Yeon Ji-ho remembered that he had fallen into a deep, comfortable sleep last night without wearing an oxygen mask. Given that he hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night, it was clear that there had been no breathing problems. Was that thanks to the pheromones?
Only then did Yeon Ji-ho slowly take a deep breath to detect the pheromones. The pheromones that filled the hospital room had been so natural to him, like breathing, that he hadn’t even noticed them.
“To be certain, your husband would need to be examined, but from what I can see…”
The doctor stroked his chin with a “hmm”. He glanced at Set and Yeon Ji-ho, and then at the hospital room filled with pheromones before speaking.
“It appears you have imprinted with your husband.”
