#68
“It’s snowing today.”
Since coming here, Eunsol had been talking to himself more frequently. If he didn’t open his mouth, the house wrapped in heavy silence felt particularly cold.
Holding a mug of tea said to be good for pregnant people, he looked out the window. Due to the cold weather, all the windows in the house remained tightly shut.
While blowing the hot steam rising from the cup to cool it down, his gaze remained on the outside. The snow falling densely across the sky was transforming the whole world into a blank white canvas.
“That’s the sea over there. It’s really vast, isn’t it? Actually, this is daddy’s first time seeing the sea this close too.”
Throughout his life, Eunsol had never left the vicinity of his home. Even after marrying Hyun-oh, his range of movement had been limited.
His entire world consisted of the house he shared with Hyun-oh and the places he visited whenever he had scheduled events. Since most parties and gatherings took place in Seoul, it would be no exaggeration to say this was his first time venturing outside of Seoul.
Seeing the sea in person, which he had only viewed in videos before, gave him a unique sense of emotion.
“…I understand why people get enchanted by the sea. Do you feel the same, Lucky?”
Even though the scenery seemed to repeat itself, when looking at the sea closely, the rippling waves were constantly changing.
Perhaps because of this, if one kept watching, they would lose track of time. He fell helplessly into a landscape painting created by nature, to the point where his senses grew dull.
The white foam that surged onto the shore and broke apart resembled the snow falling from the sky.
“Snow is falling from both the sky and the sea, Lucky.”
The weather by the time Lucky would be born would be markedly different from now, but perhaps because it was winter when he found out about the pregnancy, even the falling snow seemed special to Eunsol.
“What do you want to eat today?”
In truth, Eunsol had no appetite at all. Even when eating food, he consciously moved his jaw and bobbed his Adam’s apple, barely able to distinguish whether what he tasted was salty or sweet.
Though he didn’t want to eat anything, that wasn’t an option when considering the baby in his belly.
Eunsol poured the now cold tea down the sink and opened the refrigerator door.
‘Living alone might be tough. As your body gets heavier, movement becomes inconvenient. Wouldn’t it be better to have at least one person to help with household chores?’
Ryu Jeong-woo had wanted to stay by Eunsol’s side throughout this period. However, given how limited Eunsol’s social circle was, if Eunsol disappeared, Ryu Jeong-woo would be the first person under suspicion. It would quickly become evident that Kang Ye-ryeong knew nothing about Eunsol’s escape.
For this reason, Ryu Jeong-woo found himself in a position where, despite knowing where Eunsol was, he couldn’t visit.
Worried about Eunsol being alone, he had tried to persuade him to at least have one household staff member.
At that time, Eunsol had said he was more comfortable being alone. If someone else was in the house with him, Eunsol would surely live constantly mindful of that person’s reactions.
Things like tears that unconsciously wet his face, as they were doing now, were aspects he didn’t want to show to others.
“It seems our Lucky is very hungry. Daddy will quickly make you something delicious.”
Eunsol habitually wiped his wet eyes with the back of his hand and began taking out ingredients to make vegetable fried rice on the counter.
“Urgh…”
However, the faint aroma rising from the vegetables wrapped in plastic made him stagger, covering his nose and mouth. The zucchini that fell from his hand landed on the top of his foot, causing a dull pain.
“This isn’t working…”
Last night, morning sickness had risen and caused him to skip dinner. Today, he woke up only when the sun was high. It meant he hadn’t eaten breakfast either.
He had planned to at least eat a lunch with a balanced mix of nutrients, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. Contrary to Eunsol’s wishes, his body continued to show hypersensitive reactions even to the slightest food smell.
“Hhhk, ugh…”
With pain that felt like his intestines were being wrung out, Eunsol had no choice but to leave the kitchen and go up to the second floor. His staggering steps precariously led him to the room.
“Ugh, Hyun-oh…”
Eunsol picked up the large cardigan placed on the bed and hugged it to his chest. Even when he inhaled desperately like someone who had just crawled out of water onto land, the scent of pheromones seeping into his lungs was only faint.
Strangely, when his stomach churned, Eunsol missed Hyun-oh’s pheromones even more than usual. It was as if the baby in his belly was sadly crying, asking why there was only one daddy by its side.
“I miss you…”
He had left his side on his own accord.
Might there have been another option, to gather courage once more and speak to him? It was true that he had fled without even showing Hyun-oh the ultrasound picture, preemptively giving in to fear.
While Eunsol was burying his head in the cloth bundle, trying somehow to find traces of Hyun-oh and crying, a sorrowful voice flowed from the doorway.
“…Eunsol.”
“Hyung…?”
It was a voice he had only heard over the phone for a while. Eunsol raised his tear-soaked face. Ryu Jeong-woo was standing at the doorway with both eyebrows drooping downward.
“I came without notice as a surprise gift… I should have come earlier. I didn’t know you’d be crying alone like this.”
Ryu Jeong-woo crouched beside Eunsol and carefully stroked his damp cheek.
It was human warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time. Eunsol’s lips couldn’t maintain their proper shape and protruded awkwardly.
“As expected, Hyun-oh’s side is looking for you. It seems even Mother’s side has people moving. Because of that, it took longer to move around avoiding attention. I’m sorry I’ve only come now.”
“N-no…”
Apologizing? The one who should receive an apology was Ryu Jeong-woo, not Eunsol. He was currently in a position where he was taking risks and getting involved in a matter unrelated to him.
But there was a part of Ryu Jeong-woo’s words that caught in Eunsol’s heart.
“Hyun-oh… is looking for me…?”
He had thought that Hyun-oh would search for him since he disappeared without a word. Not because he was concerned about Eunsol’s well-being, but only in cases where there were schedules requiring a spouse and Eunsol wasn’t by his side.
In fact, he had considered the possibility that Hyun-oh wouldn’t search for him at all. He had expected that the person who would notice Eunsol’s disappearance first would be Song Do-ye, then Kang Ye-ryeong, and finally Hyun-oh.
“Yes. It’s quite chaotic now.”
Recalling the content of his conversation with Hyun-oh before coming here, Ryu Jeong-woo shivered slightly. Hyun-oh’s voice had been so cold that it felt like ice fragments were being rubbed against the nape of his neck.
‘Did Mr. Ryu Jeong-woo help him?’
When Hyun-oh’s name appeared on his phone, Ryu Jeong-woo took a deep breath, thinking, here it comes.
Since he was essentially Eunsol’s only acquaintance, it meant he was the person most likely to know Eunsol’s whereabouts if he disappeared.
‘What do you mean? How would I help?’
Ryu Jeong-woo feigned innocence and fabricated a surprised voice. Fortunately, having lived as if acting since childhood—to get his parents’ attention, and after marriage, to be loved by his husband and in-laws—came in handy.
His voice wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would be. Since they weren’t having a face-to-face conversation but talking over the phone, it was nearly impossible for Hyun-oh to notice anything strange.
‘Lee Eunsol has disappeared. I suspect Mr. Ryu Jeong-woo helped him.’
‘Eunsol disappeared?’
He hadn’t expected Hyun-oh to throw such a direct question so quickly, and he almost bit his tongue. Ryu Jeong-woo raised his voice pitch.
Since he was genuinely surprised, the end of his voice trembled naturally without intention.
‘Please continue to answer when I contact you. That’s all.’
The call with Hyun-oh was brief. But even after the call ended, Ryu Jeong-woo had to rub his goosebump-covered arms for quite some time.
“His voice was a bit unhinged, you could say.”
In truth, Ryu Jeong-woo had conversed with Hyun-oh on only a few countable occasions. Not only was Hyun-oh generally taciturn, but at that time, Ryu Jeong-woo had been so focused on his husband that he had no interest in others.
“Does he… miss me…?”
Ryu Jeong-woo’s eyes wavered slightly as he pondered the content of his conversation with Hyun-oh. Eunsol’s voice, soaked in sadness, shook not only his ears but also his heart.
“Of course. What kind of person could reject someone as kind and beautiful as you?”
If he were Eunsol’s spouse, he would cherish him so much that tears would never form in his eyes.
Even he, who truly regarded Eunsol as a younger brother, felt such tender feelings; it was astounding how Hyun-oh could treat him so harshly for nearly a year.
“Mother… must be very worried too…?”
The tears that had momentarily stopped due to Ryu Jeong-woo’s warmth flowed again along the already formed paths.
“Your eyes are all red. Stop crying. Continued crying isn’t good for Lucky either.”
Worried about Eunsol, who kept crying, Ryu Jeong-woo pulled out his trump card. It was a statement that was almost invincible when it came to Eunsol.
“…Yes.”
Eunsol nodded and firmly bit his lip. When alone, he was so lonely that he couldn’t endure without crying, but with Ryu Jeong-woo by his side, it was bearable.
Especially after hearing that Hyun-oh was looking for him. Even if it was just because Hyun-oh needed him, the fact that he remembered and was taking action.
Just that alone gave him the feeling that a small but welcome rain was falling on his parched heart.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
