I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 137

Episode 137

He felt that something was strange only after the air in the room became so stuffy that he could instinctively sense the change.

If it had been anything else, he would have called the medical staff right away, as he had been told that nothing would be strange no matter what happened. However, this situation was so absurd that it made him doubt his own senses.

He had been told that he was preparing to fall asleep after releasing all the pheromones he had, but what he felt now was definitely pheromones. He had clearly confirmed that the electronic display showing the pheromone levels was at 0, but now there were numbers above it as well.

However, what was strange wasn’t simply the fact that pheromones were felt. If the faintly felt pheromones now were an alpha’s, he would have rather thought it was a temporary symptom.

But that couldn’t be, because what was clearly touching his skin was an omega’s. At first he thought it was just his feeling, but as time passed, he became convinced that it was an omega’s.

“…Professor Kim.”

Jae-young searched for Professor Kim a beat late. As soon as he came out of the hospital room, he urgently told the nurse he ran into that the pheromones were strange. The nurse who looked into the room at those words and saw the rising pheromone levels started moving quickly.

“The pheromone levels have started to rise. But it’s omega pheromones, not alpha.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t understand it in my head either, but it’s true. We need to call the professor quickly…”

The quiet hallway suddenly became noisy. Jae-young, who was naturally pushed to a corner of the hallway, stood still, unable to grasp the situation, and was pushed out by the medical staff saying they would contact him again.

***

“This is the first case like this, so it’s difficult to say anything yet. The situation is too confusing to be certain of anything…”

Professor Kim, who had been urgently called not long after going down, said while wiping the sweat beading his forehead. It was the first case he had encountered, so he hadn’t even fully grasped the situation yet.

“I’ll tell you again when it becomes more certain, but…”

“You said the disappearance of pheromones is the process of the body’s functions stopping.”

Jae-young interrupted Professor Kim and said. He thought it might be too optimistic, but he wanted confirmation that there was even a slight possibility.

“Then, if the pheromones have started moving again… can I think that the body’s condition has recovered?”

“…I’m not sure yet. Theoretically that would be the case, but pheromones different from the original are appearing, and above all, the current physical condition…”

While focusing on life support treatment for a while, he had never done a proper examination except for measuring basic values. So the priority was to properly check from the beginning first.

“Even a small possibility is fine.”

Professor Kim tried to say indirectly that it was difficult to talk about, but Jae-young didn’t back down easily. He wanted to hear that it could be possible, even if it was a slight possibility.

“Such a possibility shouldn’t be spoken of lightly, so it’s hard to say…”

“It’s not 0, you mean.”

It was a cautious answer, but it wasn’t a denial. Even a sliver of possibility made Jae-young able to endure.

Even if it was a hope that would shatter tomorrow, being able to imagine Seung-hyun opening his eyes made a big difference. Jae-young thought as he looked at Seung-hyun through the window.

‘Please, even if it’s just for a moment, if only I could see you open your eyes…’

“For now, go back. I’ll contact you again.”

He thought everything was over, but somehow it started again from the beginning. Professor Kim sent Jae-young back and began rearranging the schedule for tomorrow from scratch.

And so, he conducted every possible test one by one. And Professor Kim and the medical staff came to doubt their eyes whenever the results came out.

“Are these values possible?”

“Where did the change start…”

The most noticeable change was the pheromones. He had clearly confirmed that the levels had reached 0, and the pheromone gland’s function was stopping, but now new pheromones were circulating in Seung-hyun’s body.

It wasn’t the recessive alpha’s he originally had, but an unfamiliar omega’s.

“This is the first case like this. An alpha turning into an omega. It’s thesis-worthy.”

“There are cases of betas manifesting late, but…”

In the confusion, everyone wandered around for a moment, unable to find what to do, but with the following test results, they discovered the source of the omega pheromones.

He understood it in theory, but it wasn’t something that could happen to just anyone. It was close to a miracle.

“The fetus created a membrane to wrap itself. Usually alpha pregnancies are dangerous because there’s no uterus… but this can be seen as a disposable uterus.”

“It seems the child’s pheromones stimulated the pheromone gland after the patient’s pheromones were all exhausted.”

Usually, even if they were traits, pheromones didn’t come out until they manifested, but sometimes the body reacted instinctively when faced with a life-threatening situation. The fetus, sensing the instability of the mother’s body, released its own pheromones, and those pheromones made the pheromone gland that had released everything it had start moving again.

As one part of the body started functioning properly, it affected every part of the body. The body was still a mess, but at least it wasn’t to the point of worrying about what would happen tomorrow.

“Then what’s the reason for not regaining consciousness?”

“The body is weakened, and proper pheromones have only just started circulating, so we’ll have to observe a bit more.”

He still couldn’t be certain, but if it continued like this, there was a high possibility that Seung-hyun would open his eyes again.

He had thought the child settling in was consuming Seung-hyun’s life faster, but on the contrary, that child had saved Seung-hyun.

“I should write a thesis. This is the first case like this, so it could be the foundation for a new treatment method…”

“The possibility of alpha pregnancy itself is low, and moreover, the variables manifest differently for each patient, so intentionally creating a situation like this is nearly impossible.”

So this was truly a miracle itself. A child who came through countless possibilities, a child who found a way to protect itself as the mother’s condition rapidly deteriorated.

And it was fortunate that the child was an omega. If it had been an alpha, there wouldn’t have been much change, but a completely different pheromone filling the body ended up having a good effect.

‘It’s unknown if this pheromone will be maintained after the child is born, but it’ll definitely be a shock for someone who was an alpha to remanifest as an omega. But… whatever it is, it’s better than dying.’

Professor Kim thought so and was relieved. It was fortunate that there was someone who would be happy that the possibility of Seung-hyun waking up and being able to continue living had increased.

After a long meeting, Professor Kim found his phone and called Jae-young. Jae-young, who had been unable to leave the vicinity of the hospital, returned to Seung-hyun’s hospital room.

***

The hospital room that had been filled with various devices was neatly organized. Jae-young couldn’t leave that place, as if Seung-hyun’s hospital room had become his own home, upon hearing that his body hadn’t fully recovered yet and that he would naturally open his eyes once the pheromones adapted and his tired body recovered.

The news about Seung-hyun was relayed to his family as well, but no one was happy. At best, Tae-sung said it was fortunate, and Seon-hu came for a short hospital visit and left.

‘We weren’t that close, but still, I’m really glad. When he wakes up, let’s really become close this time.’

Strangely, he had no thoughts even when seeing Seon-hu now. Jae-young, who had only seen him off to the front of the hospital room door, returned to his familiar place again.

“…I thought it would be fine as long as he woke up anytime, but now that there’s hope he’ll wake up, each day feels so long.”

The saying that human greed has no end was spot on. He was clearly grateful just for the possibility that Seung-hyun could open his eyes, but now he was feeling frustrated, wishing he would open his eyes even a little faster.

‘It would be better to give birth to the child. No, should I say you must give birth to it…? We need time to prepare in case something happens again once the child’s pheromones drop, and right now, the child’s existence…’

He told them to tell Seung-hyun directly once he woke up since giving birth to the child was Seung-hyun’s choice, but if he could choose, he would have naturally nodded.

In fact, there was only one option, so the same answer would come back, but he also wanted to hear Seung-hyun say it was okay. For that, he had to wake up quickly first.

“…Actually, I still can’t believe it.”

When he heard that there was a high possibility Seung-hyun would live, he heard some long and great explanation, but in the end, few words remained in his head. He just thought it might be a dream, and if it was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up.

“If he opens his eyes and I hear his voice, I think it’ll feel a bit more real then.”

So I hope you open your eyes and look at me soon, Jae-young thought as he held Seung-hyun’s hand.