I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 144

Episode 144

Seung-hyun was lost in thought for several days. He had thought a name was just something you briefly call a baby, but now that it was his own matter, his thoughts changed. 

Since it was a name he could only call the baby for a few months, he wanted to give the baby an even prettier name. However, no suitable name came to mind.

About a week after telling Jae-young to wait as he would decide on a name himself, Seung-hyun finally raised the white flag. 

“I guess I really have no talent for this kind of thing.”

“Is it that difficult?”

“…It just seems too childish. Or like I’m not putting in enough effort.”

Even though only he and Jae-young would call the baby by this name, there were many things Seung-hyun was concerned about. A name that was too simple or too complicated would both be a problem. 

In fact, even if he chose a cute name, he wasn’t confident he could actually call the baby that. It made him embarrassed for some reason.

It wasn’t that no names came to mind, but imagining himself saying those names out loud felt too awkward. And it made him anxious for another reason.

“…If even this is difficult from the start, how much harder will other things be? Am I really too unprepared to be a good parent?”

He was starting to feel needlessly anxious. Jae-young held Seung-hyun’s hand and said:

“The baby will like whatever you call it. Even if you just call it ‘baby’, isn’t the feeling you call it with more important?”

“……”

“There’s still time left, so it’s okay. You’re just feeling clumsy because you want to do well, so it will get better gradually.”

Jae-young comforted Seung-hyun, patting his hand in a familiar way. Recently, the number of times Seung-hyun got upset over nothing had increased, which worried Jae-young. 

‘Mood swings are normal at this stage. Since you realized, you’ll be feeling even more unsettled.’  

Feeling concerned, Jae-young had even contacted Professor Kim. The professor nonchalantly replied that it was a natural phenomenon and to just take good care of Seung-hyun.

While it was fortunate Seung-hyun wasn’t feeling ill, Jae-young also didn’t like seeing him anxious. Thinking about what could lift Seung-hyun’s mood, Jae-young said:

“Come to think of it, we decided to decorate the baby’s room but haven’t done much yet.”

“You’re right. We only put a bed in there. We should prepare this and that.”

“Shall we go out for a bit to get some fresh air too? If we go look directly, there may be things you want to buy.”

Seung-hyun nodded at the suggestion to go out. Right, even if his actions are clumsy, he has a lot of money, so if he buys and fills the room with lots of things, he may feel more at ease. 

The place the two headed to for their first outing in a long time that wasn’t the hospital was a department store. Seung-hyun arrived at the floor with baby products, which he thought he’d never visit in his life, and stood there for a while.

‘I thought they were all the same.’

There were so many options and they were all so colorful. Seung-hyun had thought a newborn would only need bodysuits and handkerchiefs at most, but that was just the beginning. 

Moreover, the clothes were incredibly colorful and varied. Seung-hyun couldn’t take his eyes off them, fixating his gaze on one spot.

“Do you like those?”

“…The baby won’t even be able to walk in them anyway.”

What Seung-hyun was looking at were tiny shoes. A baby small enough to wear shoes that size probably couldn’t walk well yet, so they were just decorative shoes, but the cute shoes caught his eye.

“But wouldn’t it be cute to put them on the baby?”

“What’s the point of something useless like that.”

“Baby shoes are originally bought for the parents’ satisfaction.”

Before Seung-hyun could stop him, Jae-young picked up the item and paid for it. In an instant, Seung-hyun found himself holding a pair of shoes smaller than his palm. He blinked as he stared at them. 

‘…Tiny.’

They were tiny and cute. Imagining a baby whose face he couldn’t predict yet wearing these shoes and toddling around made his heart race already. 

What did practicality matter? The baby would undoubtedly look adorable and lovable in them. Seung-hyun held the shoes for a moment before walking with determination. He was set on seriously buying things now.

‘As expected, if you like it.’

Standing a step away, Jae-young smiled as he watched. He had been worried about Seung-hyun’s constant anxious appearance and brought him out hoping this would help. He felt he made the right choice.

Rather than deliberating over which color would suit the baby, Seung-hyun was buying the same outfits in every color. It was a great sight to see. As he followed Seung-hyun who was absorbed in picking items, Jae-young bumped into a passerby and faltered.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“No, we weren’t looking properly either.”

When Jae-young apologized, the couple waved it off. The woman was a visibly pregnant omega.

“It was just a light bump. Don’t worry, we’re fine.”

The woman reassured him it was alright and started walking again. Only then did Jae-young look around and notice there were quite a lot of couples on this floor. 

Just like Jae-young and Seung-hyun, there were many people happily following each other and buying things for their baby with excited faces. It was heartwarming to see.

Then, Jae-young suddenly realized a difference between those people and himself. It was a small difference, but now that he was aware of it, it felt tremendously empty. Empty enough to make him want to fill that difference right away.

“Sir, I’ll carry those for you.”

Perhaps recognizing Seung-hyun’s face, or due to the unusually large purchase, an employee approached Seung-hyun to help carry the items. Since someone was with him and Seung-hyun was engrossed in shopping, it should be fine to step away briefly. 

Jae-young impulsively turned to fill that difference. The item he needed could be bought at the department store. There was something he had thought would suit Seung-hyun well one day, so making the decision probably wouldn’t take long.

***

“Then shall I ring you up for all this?”

“For now, yes.”

Unaware that Jae-young had disappeared, Seung-hyun finished his first round of shopping and caught his breath for a moment. He wondered if he had bought too much, but he couldn’t think of anything he particularly wanted to remove. 

Even if money wasn’t abundant, he didn’t think he would regret spending this money. As he belatedly turned to look for Jae-young, Seung-hyun discovered him with a flushed face as if he had urgently gone somewhere and returned.

“Where did you go?”

“Just… downstairs for a bit.”

Jae-young was catching his breath as if he had really run there and back. Seung-hyun tilted his head quizzically. 

‘He acts like a big deal will happen if he leaves me alone, so what’s up with him?’ 

Seung-hyun was absorbed in picking items himself, but the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Seung-hyun took a step closer to Jae-young and asked:

“Where did you go? What was downstairs? I don’t think there was anything special…”

“Did you pick out everything you needed?”

“More or less.”

He had chosen several clothing items and handkerchiefs, but there were many other things that could fill the room. It seemed like they would have to come back a few more times. As Seung-hyun thought this while looking at the toy mobile in front of him.

“Are you not going to tell me what you went to do?”

“Can I tell you when we get home instead of now?”

Jae-young replied with a troubled expression. The look of someone hiding something. It seemed he had gone downstairs and bought something random. 

‘No matter what he bought, I don’t plan on nagging him about it. Why is he hiding it? It just makes me more curious.’

“What’s that you put in your back pocket?”

“Oh no.”

Seung-hyun narrowed his eyes and approached Jae-young, having noticed he was standing awkwardly with something in his back pocket. Jae-young took a step back but stopped upon realizing it was a crowded walkway.

‘It’s not something I want to give in a place like this though.’

Jae-young had impulsively gone to get it after feeling envious of an item other people had. But he didn’t want to give that item in a setting like this. The two would end up in more or less the same place anyway, but he at least didn’t want to do it in an atmosphere bustling with passersby. 

‘He probably won’t let it go easily.’

Oh well, too late to hide it now. Jae-young raised both hands, thinking he had made a slight mistake. It seemed wrong to conceal it after all.

“…Will you marry me?”

“…What?”

Jae-young took out what was in his back pocket and slid it onto Seung-hyun’s finger. What he had impulsively bought was none other than a ring. A ring with a design commonly used for wedding bands was placed on Seung-hyun’s finger.

They had never discussed marriage, but Jae-young thought it was natural that they would become a married couple. The process was a bit abridged, but they were having a baby and knew each other’s feelings, so he figured there was no need to explicitly say it.

“It’s not that we’re getting married just because we’re having a baby. It’s because I love you and you love me, so we’re becoming a family. That’s why I need to ask. Right?”

“……”

“This is a conversation we should have had long ago, but seeing everyone here wearing a ring on their finger made me finally think of it.”

Jae-young hadn’t intended to give the ring in a place like this, but he was worried about what the recently often depressed Seung-hyun would think if he didn’t say anything, so he put the ring on him first. He didn’t think Seung-hyun would refuse, but he thought Seung-hyun might scold him for this thoughtless act, asking what kind of reckless thing this was.

However, Seung-hyun just silently stared at his own finger with the ring on it. After gazing at the sleek ring design for a while, Seung-hyun held out his hand. 

“Give it to me.”

“Pardon?”

“A ring like this comes in a pair, doesn’t it?”

Dazed by the unexpected reaction, Jae-young handed the ring case to Seung-hyun as if entranced. Seung-hyun took out the other ring, identical to his own but a different size, from the case and slid it onto Jae-young’s finger.

“…I thought it would be annoying to have to follow the standard path even for things we know without saying… But this feels better than I expected.”

Seung-hyun already knew Jae-young wasn’t staying by his side just because they were having a baby together. But hearing it directly from Jae-young made him feel strange. 

It was embarrassing and ticklish. It felt a bit cheesy but he was definitely happy. Happy despite being in the middle of a corridor with people occasionally passing by, an atmosphere completely lacking in romance.

“…I thought I would be embarrassed to call the baby by its name… But if it feels like this, I think it will be okay.”

He was so happy that his previous worries seemed foolish. Even if they knew without saying anything, having it said out loud was better after all.

He was even happier that the person who made him realize this was Jae-young, someone who could impulsively run out and find a ring that fit Seung-hyun’s finger perfectly. Seung-hyun held Jae-young’s hand, which wore an identical ring.

This happiness was surely not temporary. Seung-hyun repeated this unquestionable fact to himself as he grasped Jae-young’s hand, which held his happiness firmly without the slightest tremor.

< The End >