Chapter 116
…That’s his reaction to seeing that?
At that moment, McRae instinctively felt it. That guy. Hyeon-woo’s former alpha.
His instinct, not reason, was warning him that this was no ordinary intense relationship.
Until just a moment ago, he had been feeling like he could fly. He was thrilled that Hyeon-woo had watched his game, excited about eating Hyeon-woo’s favorite food from his home country together, and his heart was pounding at the thought of Hyeon-woo coming to the stadium again to see him.
But in an instant, he felt like he had been thrown into the mud.
He had been prepared for there to be some special story. Seeing the sharp hostility towards alphas, it wasn’t hard to guess that there had been problems in an attachment relationship.
He had vaguely speculated that perhaps the reason his family decided to immigrate was to escape from someone who had given Hyeon-woo such trauma.
However, he hadn’t expected that person to be plastered all over the front pages of various newspapers, and even appear on broadcasts, ultimately capturing Hyeon-woo’s full attention. If he had known, he would never have made the mistake of bringing Hyeon-woo here.
A waiter approached pushing a trolley and placed earthenware pots of sundubu-jjigae in front of Hyeon-woo and McRae.
“Enjoy your meal.”
Even after the waiter disappeared with a brief greeting, Hyeon-woo’s gaze remained fixed on the TV screen. Just as McRae, unable to bear it any longer, was about to put a spoon in Hyeon-woo’s hand…
Buzz- Buzz-.
The sound of a phone vibrating came from somewhere. Listening carefully, it was coming from Hyeon-woo.
“…Hyeon-woo.”
“…”
“Hyeon-woo!”
When McRae shook Hyeon-woo’s shoulder, Hyeon-woo’s gaze finally broke away from the screen and met McRae’s.
“Your phone’s ringing.”
“Ah…”
Buzz- Buzz-.
Hyeon-woo slowly took out his phone from his pocket. An unknown number was displayed. As Hyeon-woo mechanically pressed the answer button, his face began to turn pale.
Observing this keenly, McRae quickly snatched the phone from Hyeon-woo’s hand.
“I’m sorry, but who is this? Could you please say that again?”
However, McRae’s face also hardened as he continued the call. After asking the caller for an address and ending the call, McRae grabbed his coat and car keys and stood up.
He flicked his finger in front of Hyeon-woo’s dazed face, and with a “snap!” sound, Hyeon-woo finally came to his senses and looked at McRae.
“Snap out of it. Didn’t you say you’d be there for her?”
“…”
“Jamie’s water just broke. We don’t have time for this. Get up quickly.”
He wasn’t sure what state of mind he was in when he arrived. He was clearly sitting in McRae’s car, but when he came to his senses again, he was standing in the middle of an empty hallway. It was a familiar corridor. It was inside the Euclid Center, which he visited every weekend for volunteer work.
Unlike in Korea, in the United States, hospitals have the obligation to report a child’s birth. Since nothing had been decided about the treatment of Jamie’s child, it seemed they had arranged for her to give birth here through a midwife to avoid birth registration. Of course, Jamie’s wishes probably weren’t reflected at all in this decision.
A center staff member guided them to a door at the end of the corridor.
“Aren’t you going in?”
McRae urged Hyeon-woo, who had been standing blankly for a while.
“Didn’t you promise to be there for her?”
“…I’ll go. I’m going in.”
He approached the room where Jamie would be. He slowly reached for the doorknob. His mind was in chaos, unable to organize the various thoughts swirling in his head.
The moment he grasped the cold metal doorknob, Jamie’s agonizing scream burst out from inside.
“Aaagh-!”
At that sound, his scattered mind instantly turned white as a blank sheet of paper.
When Jamie’s scream was heard again, Hyeon-woo unconsciously flung open the door and rushed in. He couldn’t think of anything. His body moved before his mind, like a reflex action.
He saw Jamie lying on the bed and the midwife preparing to receive the baby below her. A center staff member who had been pacing anxiously nearby spotted Hyeon-woo and shouted loudly.
“Jamie, Ian is here!”
Jamie, drenched in cold sweat, lifted her swollen eyelids and cast her gaze towards the figure who had entered. Then she immediately burst into tears like a child.
“Ian! Why did you come so late…? I was waiting!”
Hyeon-woo quickly approached Jamie and held her hand.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Jamie.”
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“How could that be? I promised, didn’t I? To be by your side.”
“Sob… I’m scared. It hurts, Ian. It hurts so much.”
Hyeon-woo’s eyes reddened as he comforted Jamie, who was crying like a child saying it hurt. He squeezed Jamie’s hand once more.
“You’ll be able to meet your beautiful baby soon. Let’s hang in there a little longer.”
“Okay.”
Jamie desperately tried to catch her breath. As Hyeon-woo was tidying Jamie’s hair that was sticking messily to her forehead with cold sweat, suddenly Jamie’s body stiffened and thick veins popped out on her neck.
“Aaagh!!”
The midwife shouted with an urgent voice to Jamie, who was screaming.
“Just a little more! Just a little more!”
The midwife spread Jamie’s legs wide and fixed them in place. Cold sweat also beaded on Hyeon-woo’s nape as he held Jamie’s hand. Just as Jamie, who had exerted all her strength until her face turned red, was about to collapse from exhaustion, a miraculous sound reached everyone’s ears.
“Waaah! Waaah!”
It was the loud cry of a baby.
“It’s a healthy boy.”
After finishing the treatment with skilled hands, the midwife handed the baby wrapped in a thin cotton cloth to Jamie to prevent his temperature from dropping.
With Hyeon-woo’s support, Jamie barely managed to sit up, and a small, warm life was placed in her arms. At that moment, Jamie felt the pain that had nearly torn her body in two vanish without a trace like smoke.
The baby, who had been crying at the top of its lungs, became quiet as if by magic when held in Jamie’s arms. It was the moment of their first communion, sharing body heat as their skin touched. Watching Jamie’s eyes redden as she held the baby, Hyeon-woo felt a lump in his throat. He felt a warmth in his throat from an indescribable emotion.
The midwife, who had been watching the scene with a pleased expression, said she would return shortly and left the room.
Hyeon-woo also sent away the center staff member, saying he would stay by Jamie’s side so there was no need to worry.
Only the three of them remained in the room: Hyeon-woo, Jamie, and the newborn baby sleeping soundly.
Jamie’s expression as she looked down at the baby in her arms seemed so happy, as if she had the whole world. As Hyeon-woo’s heart warmed at the sight, a heavy stone soon settled on his chest. Just imagining the future where these two would be separated made Hyeon-woo’s heart ache.
He didn’t want Jamie to experience the pain and sense of loss of losing a child. The feeling of despair as if the world was collapsing was enough for him to have experienced.
If the baby had to be given up for adoption, how about our home? It’s not possible right now, but next year when the conditions on our green card are lifted, we’ll be qualified to adopt. He wanted to let Jamie see the child whenever she wanted. If only he could persuade his father…
As Hyeon-woo was deeply contemplating possible solutions, two message notification sounds rang in his ear.
[Hyeon-woo. How did it go? How’s Jamie? Is she okay?]
[Hyeon-woo! You haven’t forgotten that I’m waiting outside, right?]
“Ah!”
A look of embarrassment crossed Hyeon-woo’s face as he let out a low exclamation. He had completely forgotten about McRae. He hadn’t expected him to wait until this hour. He could have gone home first. As Hyeon-woo thought this, he recalled what state he had been in just before arriving here.
He had been half out of his mind after unexpectedly encountering news of Tae-geon’s engagement. It must have been difficult for McRae to simply turn away, leaving him in that state.
It was clear that without McRae, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his promise to be by Jamie’s side. Hyeon-woo felt truly grateful to McRae. Once again, he had incurred a debt he couldn’t repay.
“Ahem. Um, Jamie.”
Jamie, who had been completely absorbed in the baby in her arms, turned her head at Hyeon-woo’s call.
“The friend who brought me here is waiting outside. Would it be okay if he came into the room too?”
“Yes. If it’s a friend who brought Ian to Jamie, then he must be a good friend, so I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as Jamie’s answer came, Hyeon-woo immediately sent a message.
