I Became the Only Omega in a Makjang Novel - C100

 

Hae-na habitually called Hui-yul before leaving the house. Shortly after the dial tone, Hui-yul answered.



“Oppa, is there anything you want to eat?”



“No.”



“Do you need anything?”



“…You didn’t forget my underwear, right?”



Hui-yul whispered, as if he wasn’t alone.



“I didn’t forget.”



“Come quickly.”



“Okay. Then I’ll just come.”



Today was the day Hui-yul was being discharged from the hospital. Chairman Do seemed desperate for him to stay longer, but with finals coming up soon, no one could overcome Hui-yul’s firm insistence that he couldn’t miss school.



The researcher also said that apart from the usual precautions needed in early pregnancy, Hui-yul wasn’t in a condition that required continued hospitalization, so his opinion had to be accepted.



By the time Hae-na arrived at the hospital room, the door opened, and Chairman Do’s desperate, almost plaintive voice echoed in the corridor.



“Think about it carefully. I can make sure you won’t have to say a single word of regret. Hm? Darling.”



“…Yes. I’ll think about it.”



“Think positively…!”



Chairman Do’s stubbornness about not moving an inch until Hui-yul made up his mind was broken by Hui-yul’s declaration to leave the hospital and Secretary Jo’s statement that the schedule couldn’t be adjusted any further.



Even as he was leaving the room, Chairman Do kept stopping to speak to Hui-yul.



“Grandfather, you’re being unsavory. It’s only making me more reluctant.”



“…Tch, you try to do better!”



At Do Seung-jo’s cold retort from behind, Chairman Do finally clicked his tongue and glared at him.



“If you keep staying here, I don’t think even the good things will work out.”



“…Secretary Jo. Let’s go out for now.”



Unable to come up with a rebuttal, Chairman Do left the corridor in a huff. When he discovered Hae-na standing outside the door, he quickly softened his fierce gaze and greeted her warmly.



Meanwhile, Do Seung-jo sat on the edge of the bed and briefly kissed Hui-yul’s forehead.



“Don’t worry too much about what Grandfather said.”



“…Okay.”



Although Hui-yul had expected him to insist on keeping the baby, Do Seung-jo’s reaction was surprisingly moderate. As if the baby wasn’t even on his mind, Do Seung-jo hardly mentioned it.



‘His attitude towards me hasn’t changed, but….’



Hui-yul tried to gather his thoughts, curling and uncurling his toes. This was the best response.



Come to think of it, if Do Seung-jo had desperately begged to keep the baby, it would have made him feel even worse.



A large hand cupped Hui-yul’s cheek, lifting his gaze.



“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow, so don’t go to school alone.”



Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. When had the situation changed like this? It seemed like just until recently, he had been the one taking care of Do Seung-jo.



“Uh, okay.”



Hui-yul answered halfheartedly, covering his face.



He felt a disconnect between the image of Do Seung-jo injured by something his father had thrown, and the Do Seung-jo coldly dismissing Chairman Do’s words.



“What are you thinking about?”



“Huh? Nothing.”



“It seems like something.”



“No…”



“What is it?”



Under Do Seung-jo’s probing, Hui-yul thought he should change the subject, but the question he had been suppressing burst out, seizing the opportunity.



“I was just wondering what choice you’d like me to make.”



“I don’t mind whatever choice you make.”



Hui-yul bristled at Do Seung-jo’s attitude, which showed not even a moment’s hesitation. It’s my choice, but isn’t he talking about it like it’s someone else’s business?



But that didn’t last long.



“I think it wouldn’t be bad to start by living together and then follow the steps in order.”



“…What?”



Hui-yul’s eyes widened at the unexpected future planning, and Do Seung-jo smiled, his eyes curving happily.



“Shall we look at houses together when things settle down?”



“…When did we decide to live together?”



“If it’s too early, we can go look next month.”



“…Next month?”



Do Seung-jo’s matter-of-fact attitude made Hui-yul wonder for a moment if he had forgotten about an agreement that had already been made.



Noticing Hui-yul’s perplexed expression, Do Seung-jo’s eyes widened as if he had been doused with cold water.



The door creaked open, and Hae-na, who had been held up by Chairman Do, entered the room.



“So you were just thinking of enjoying with me- Oh.”



As Do Seung-jo, who hadn’t noticed Hae-na behind him due to focusing on Hui-yul, tried to continue speaking, Hui-yul quickly cut him off.



“What are you saying with a child present?”



Hae-na, who had suddenly become a ‘child’, awkwardly smiled at Do Seung-jo, who turned around with a prickly expression.



“Hello.”



“…Let’s talk later. Where’s Chairman Do?”



As Hui-yul asked, he made eye contact with Secretary Jo, who was watching Do Seung-jo through the slightly open door that Hae-na had entered through.



“He said he’s leaving now.”



“You can go later.”



“…I don’t think that’s possible.”



“Listening to you is the most important thing to me right now.”



“…You won’t be able to answer right away anyway, so just go for now. We’ll see each other tomorrow anyway.”



The fact that he wasn’t paying attention to the baby didn’t mean he was thinking less about this relationship. Rather, it felt like something that had been blocking his chest was melting away as he realized that Do Seung-jo was thinking much further ahead about this relationship than he was.



‘Is it because of hormones?’



Hui-yul lowered his gaze, cooling his flushed cheeks with the back of his hand.



Hui-yul had come close to deducing that Do Seung-jo had intentionally gotten hurt to impress him, but this brief suspicion crumbled like a sand castle in the face of Do Seung-jo’s shocking proposal to live together.



“I’ll come pick you up at home tomorrow.”



“Okay.”



“I’ll call you.”



“Okay.”



Only after hearing that he would eat well did Do Seung-jo finally get up.



After Do Seung-jo left, the room became so quiet that it felt surprisingly large.



“…How much did you hear?”



“From the part about living together.”



“…You heard everything then.”



Hui-yul sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Hae-na suddenly realized from Hui-yul’s attitude, which showed no signs of dislike but rather seemed pleased, what choice her brother would ultimately make about the baby.



“When are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”



“…Huh?”



If he decided to terminate the pregnancy, they had agreed not to tell their parents. But suddenly talking about telling them… As Hui-yul looked at her with a puzzled expression, Hae-na tucked her hair behind her ear and said,



“If you’re struggling this much with the decision, doesn’t that mean you’ve already made up your mind?”



“What?”



“You’re agonizing over it even though you know it would be better not to have the baby in the current situation, right?”



From Hae-na’s perspective, this was better than arguing about how unsuitable it was for a man to be pregnant or how it didn’t fit with a chaebol family, but still, the choice should be made by Hui-yul alone without any pressure.



However, if he was hesitating when the answer was already clear, she thought it might be okay to give him a little push.



Hui-yul fell silent at Hae-na’s words, seeming lost in thought, and Hae-na didn’t add anything more.



* * *



Chairman Do opened his mouth while watching the scenery rapidly passing by outside the window.



“Secretary Jo.”



“Yes, Chairman.”



Secretary Jo stopped his work and looked at Chairman Do.



“My sons will foam at the mouth denying it, but I think I gave them fairly equal opportunities.”



“Yes.”



At the bitter voice, Secretary Jo thought of Chairman Do’s three sons. If they weren’t Chairman Do’s children, they could never have risen to their current positions.



It was purely thanks to Chairman Do’s generosity that they could go so high despite not being exceptional or ‘alphas’.



He was a cold-hearted businessman, but he had a soft spot when it came to his children.



“I gave the youngest the most opportunities.”



“Yes, I think so too.”



While none of the children lived up to Chairman Do’s expectations using those opportunities, there was one child who thoroughly squandered them.



It was the third son, Do Chanwoo, who always complained that only his older brothers were given opportunities.



But it was actually the opposite. Chairman Do had given Do Chanwoo the most opportunities.



He tolerated his first wife’s jealousy towards not only himself but even their child. He even tolerated when his son committed adultery and brought that woman in as a second wife.



“Somehow he ended up with narrow vision and a narrow mind.”



When Do Chanwoo brought Kang Woo-ryeon, Chairman Do deliberately didn’t have her investigated.



He thought that since a child was already conceived, he should rightly take responsibility. He believed that his son was past the age where he needed background checks and cleanup, and would handle things properly on his own.



Even that trust was an opportunity given by Chairman Do.



“Are you thinking of not giving him any more chances?”



“That’s right.”



Chairman Do clicked his tongue and opened the window a little, as if feeling stuffy.



He had crossed the line too far. In the end, even Kang Woo-ryeon’s actions were Do Chanwoo’s responsibility.



The opportunities he had given to Do Chanwoo should now rightly go to his grandson, Do Seung-jo, who had most fulfilled his expectations and brought along a daughter-in-law who was a blessing.