#69
“Did you eat anything today?”
As the large eyes avoided his gaze and rolled to the side, Ryu Jeong-woo got up from his seat.
“Let’s go downstairs. I bought all kinds of fruit. Your morning sickness is still severe, right?”
“…Yes.”
Sometimes it seemed Jeong-woo knew more about Eunsol than Eunsol knew about himself.
With Jeong-woo’s support, Eunsol carefully went downstairs. The table was loaded with fruits.
“Want to smell each one and choose something that doesn’t make you nauseous?”
When morning sickness was severe, one had to find whatever could be eaten to get nutrients.
Just as Eunsol was studying about pregnancy, Jeong-woo was constantly researching ways to alleviate morning sickness.
“I heard pears and tangerines can help with morning sickness.”
“What’s this?”
“That’s apple cider vinegar and honey. They say mixing a little of each in water can be good too.”
Though not scientifically proven, he had practically swept through the fruit section wanting to feed Eunsol something.
“Urgh…”
“Not this one.”
Jeong-woo peeled a tangerine and casually offered it to Eunsol. But when Eunsol immediately covered his face, Jeong-woo moved the bag of tangerines far away as if nothing more needed to be seen.
“How about a pear?”
“It seems okay…”
Eunsol brought the pear close to his nose to smell it, then vigorously shook his head from side to side.
“Is this information reliable?”
Jeong-woo anxiously looked at the remaining fruits. He then handed Eunsol the other fruits he had bought – banana, cherries, strawberries, kiwi, shine muscat grapes, blueberries, and melon – but Eunsol’s complexion only grew paler as time passed.
“This is the last one…”
The only fruit left was a plump peach, round like a baby’s bottom. If Eunsol rejected this too, they might really have to try the vinegar and honey water.
“…How is it?”
Jeong-woo carefully extended the peach like someone approaching a wary herbivore.
Exhausted from the prolonged smelling session, Eunsol bent his head with a desperate heart.
With the conviction that he needed to eat something for the baby’s sake, he mustered his last bit of energy.
“Oh…? This is fine.”
“Really? That’s great!”
Though all the fruit scents might have seemed similar, strangely, the peach scent didn’t make him feel sick when he smelled it; instead, it made his mouth water.
More excited than Eunsol, Jeong-woo hurriedly prepared the peach and brought it over.
“Let’s eat on the sofa. Standing for too long isn’t good either.”
Led by Jeong-woo’s hand to the living room sofa, Eunsol looked with curious eyes at the peach piece speared on the fork.
“Lucky, do you like peaches?”
Even though he just lightly touched the peach with the tip of his tongue, it was fine. Amazed by this, he spoke to Lucky, and it felt as if an affirmative answer echoed in his ears.
“I only bought three peaches. I’ll buy more tomorrow. Let’s just eat this today.”
Given Eunsol’s usual food intake, one peach would probably be enough to make him full, but knowing it was the only food he could eat made Jeong-woo anxious.
“I’ll eat well. Thank you, Hyung.”
Eunsol gave Jeong-woo a faint smile. If it weren’t for him, Eunsol would surely have spent the night crying with his head buried in Hyun-oh’s cardigan without eating a single meal.
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Watching Eunsol munch on the peach with a pleased expression, Jeong-woo suddenly stood up.
When Eunsol looked up at him with round, concerned eyes, Jeong-woo waved his hand as if it was nothing.
“My stomach suddenly hurts. I didn’t stop at any rest areas on the way here. I’ll just go to the bathroom quickly.”
Eunsol, with his cheeks stuffed full of peach, nodded obediently.
Jeong-woo hurriedly entered the downstairs bathroom. His face turned pale at the vibration he felt in his pocket.
“Why is this…”
It was a phone he had activated for a short period to contact Eunsol. Only he knew this number.
To be thorough, he would immediately terminate the contract and switch to a different number after contacting Eunsol even once.
The phone he brought today had never been used, as he hadn’t contacted Eunsol because he wanted to surprise him.
But now, a familiar number appeared on the phone. It was Hyun-oh’s number, which he had memorized just in case.
“Wow, this is creepy. He found this number already?”
He had even lied to Song Do-ye, saying Eunsol was staying secluded at home, trying to make them notice Eunsol’s disappearance as late as possible.
It couldn’t have been long since they discovered Eunsol’s absence, yet Hyun-oh’s capabilities felt newly impressive, sending a chill down his spine.
“This is bad.”
Jeong-woo chewed on his lower lip. While he was lost in thought, the annoying vibration suddenly stopped.
The notification showing a missed call made his solar plexus ache. If Hyun-oh’s intelligence was this fast, it was only a matter of time before he discovered Eunsol’s current location.
It was time to make a decision. Jeong-woo left the bathroom and walked toward Eunsol. He cleared his throat to speak in a calm voice so as not to startle him.
“Eunsol, I think we need to move to another location.”
Jeong-woo hadn’t made just one plan. After all, this was about hiding Eunsol from the eyes of the TH Group Chairman, of all people.
Plans B, C, and D too.
He had scouted several places where Eunsol could stay besides this one. Jeong-woo turned off the phone completely and put it in his pocket.
His public schedule for today was to visit Tokyo, Japan, to look at artworks for next year’s gallery exhibition.
With this level of intelligence, he thought Hyun-oh might have even sent people to Tokyo.
“Right now?”
“Yes. Hyun-oh is moving more aggressively than I expected.”
Eunsol, who had just finished one peach and was rubbing his full stomach, opened his eyes wide in surprise.
“Just sit here quietly. I’ll pack your things and come back down.”
Despite the urgency, he couldn’t make Eunsol move when he needed absolute rest. Jeong-woo went upstairs and packed Eunsol’s belongings into a suitcase.
“I got this mobile with such difficulty…”
It was made by a French artisan with each stitch sewn by hand, and there were no other products with the same design. He had bought it through a broker for a lot of money, so he felt reluctant to leave it.
“Will it fit in the suitcase?”
Unable to let go of his attachment, Jeong-woo took the mobile as well and went downstairs. Eunsol had already put his plate in the sink and was pacing the living room, unable to sit down.
“…Will it be okay?”
His large eyes were full of fear, like a cow being led to slaughter.
“Don’t worry. Just trust your Hyung.”
Although they had been discovered faster than expected, he hadn’t thought they would be able to stay here indefinitely anyway.
“Let’s put on your coat and scarf before we go out.”
Unfortunately, snow was falling heavily outside. It was a romantic sight that would have brought a warm smile to one’s face if viewed from indoors, but it was practically a disaster for someone who had to drive with a pregnant person.
Jeong-woo took out a soft cotton scarf and wrapped it around Eunsol’s neck up to just below his face.
With only the large eyes blinking above the scarf, Jeong-woo broke into a broad smile for a moment, forgetting the seriousness of the situation.
“Cute.”
“Hyung…”
Unable to resist the impulse, Jeong-woo gave Eunsol a tight hug before gathering the luggage and heading outside.
“Eunsol, stand here for now. I’ll load the luggage, start the car, and then come get you. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Eunsol watched with worried eyes as Jeong-woo hurried toward the car.
His heart was beating rapidly in this situation where they had to flee as if being chased. He wanted to see Hyun-oh, but if he met him, the baby would be in danger, so there was no choice.
He thought of Hyun-oh’s cardigan inside the luggage bag. It would be nice if the pheromone scent lasted for a long time. Now the lily-of-the-valley scent was stronger than the pine scent. This was the result of Eunsol taking out the cardigan every day to smell it since arriving here.
“Eunsol!”
Jeong-woo, who had gotten into the car and started the engine, opened the passenger window and waved. Eunsol carefully walked toward the car one step at a time.
The ground was slippery due to the heavy snowfall. Fearing a fall would be disastrous, it took quite a while even to walk the short distance.
“Do you want to sit in the back seat? It’s safer.”
“It’s okay.”
He had only opened the passenger window to call Eunsol, not expecting him to sit beside him. He planned to drive as safely as possible, but the back seat was safer than the passenger seat.
“I want to talk with you, Hyung, as we go.”
When Eunsol put it that way, Jeong-woo couldn’t insist he sit in the back seat any longer.
“Where are we going now?”
“I’ve found several places where you can stay besides here. We’re going to the closest one.”
The place Jeong-woo was heading to now was also in Gangwon Province. It would take only 30 minutes by car.
“It’s snowing a lot.”
Though it wouldn’t take long, the snow was falling more heavily as time passed. Snowflakes covered the windshield as fast as the wipers could clear it.
Jeong-woo further reduced the car’s speed. Being in a sparsely populated area, there were no other cars passing by.
That made it safer to drive, but even the streetlights were covered by the falling snowflakes, so the only illumination came from the car’s headlights.
“Eunsol, are you cold?”
“No. The heater is on, so I’m warm.”
The thick padding he was wearing and the scarf still around his neck kept his body warm.
Eunsol alternated between looking at the navigation system and the scenery outside the window. He could see with his own eyes that the snowfall was getting increasingly fierce. Strangely, he had an ominous feeling.
Even though he thought it was just because of the harsh weather, there was a chill at the back of his neck, causing him to unconsciously dig at the tender flesh at the side of his thumb with the tip of his index finger.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
