I Possessed a Terminally Ill Omega - Episode 171
I Possessed a Terminally Ill Omega – Episode 171
The next day, Seo I-Kyung came down from the second floor and changed clothes. He buttoned up his shirt while looking at himself in the full-length mirror. His stomach was slightly protruding. However, perhaps because he lacked overall body fat, the pregnancy wasn’t very noticeable when clothed unless one looked closely.
His complexion was better than the previous day. He felt quite energetic. Yesterday, after finishing his shower, Han Seung-jae had clicked his tongue softly while looking at the bowl Seo I-Kyung hadn’t finished. Then he sat on the bed and waited until Seo I-Kyung finished the porridge before going to his study.
Seo I-Kyung’s inability to finish the porridge wasn’t due to a lack of Han Seung-jae’s pheromones. He was simply confused about the relationship between Han Seung-jae and Min Ra-hyun in the original story he had seen. Hadn’t Butler Do also said that the two didn’t seem to get along very well?
That was different from what Seo I-Kyung knew. However, Butler Do was only speaking based on his intuition. Even Seo I-Kyung couldn’t know Han Seung-jae’s true feelings.
……In front of the dressing room mirror, Seo I-Kyung stood still even after buttoning up his shirt completely. He had a thoughtful expression for a moment before turning and going to sit in the living room.
Around the time he was having a cup of tea, Jin Seon-yoo, who had been waiting, appeared. As Seo I-Kyung got up from the sofa and approached, Jin Seon-yoo showed him the shopping bag he was holding. Inside were spring clothes that would be good for the baby to wear. However, perhaps because the gender was unknown, there were dresses mixed in too.
“They said if you dress the baby in these as a set with the shoes, it’ll look good.”
“You don’t have to bring anything next time.”
Seo I-Kyung was already receiving a lot of help from Jin Seon-yoo. Yet he was receiving more from Jin Seon-yoo than he was giving.
Seo I-Kyung took the shopping bag. As he did so, he asked Butler Do to bring tea to the studio. As the two were walking side by side, the closed door opened and Min Ra-hyun came out.
Their gazes met in mid-air. Perhaps due to excessive drinking the previous night, Min Ra-hyun hadn’t shown up at the breakfast table that morning. Because of this, Seo I-Kyung had breakfast alone with Han Seung-jae.
Seo I-Kyung tried to pass by as if he hadn’t seen him. But Min Ra-hyun brightened up and spoke as if to stop Seo I-Kyung:
“I-Kyung, congratulations. I hear the baby in your belly is a boy?”
Seo I-Kyung stopped walking. At the same time, Jin Seon-yoo looked at the same place.
“Did Seung-jae say that?”
Seo I-Kyung, asking like that, gripped the shopping bag tightly. Min Ra-hyun’s cheek twitched slightly before he gathered a thick, natural smile on his lips.
“Who else would I have heard it from? Of course from Seung-jae.”
Min Ra-hyun walked past Seo I-Kyung’s side. He told Butler Do, who was passing by with teacups, to prepare a late lunch while clutching his aching stomach.
Click, Seo I-Kyung entered the studio. Butler Do put down the teacups and left. Jin Seon-yoo took the shopping bag Seo I-Kyung was holding and placed it on the floor by the work table, bending down.
“Congratulations, I-Kyung. From now on I’ll only buy boys’ clothes.”
Seo I-Kyung turned his head to look at Jin Seon-yoo. However, Jin Seon-yoo’s figure taking off his outer clothes looked blurry. The doctor’s words brushed past Seo I-Kyung’s ears:
— It’s a boy. You should avoid any actions that strain your body, and although it may be difficult to eat, you should try to eat well as much as possible.
Seo I-Kyung thought Han Seung-jae would already know what the doctor had said. And it seemed his thoughts were exactly right. Judging by Min Ra-hyun coming to tell him…
“I-Kyung?”
Jin Seon-yoo, who had approached Seo I-Kyung who seemed somewhat dazed, tilted his head. Seo I-Kyung belatedly came to his senses and picked up an apron to hand to him.
At Jin Seon-yoo’s behavior of excessively examining his complexion, Seo I-Kyung forced a smile.
“What you bought last time is already enough. These clothes still need more time before they can be worn.”
As if trying to change the subject, Seo I-Kyung pointed to the baby items filling the studio shelves. The things Jin Seon-yoo had bought and filled up were everywhere. Jin Seon-yoo scanned the same area. He put on the apron and opened the bag on the work table.
“Right. I think I can work late today.”
Seo I-Kyung stared at him with questioning eyes. Jin Seon-yoo took out a shiny brush that Seo I-Kyung had cleaned and waved it.
“My brothers have a New Year’s gathering at Sang-aru today.”
Jin Seon-yoo’s words meant that Han Seung-jae would also be attending there, so he could paint a bit more.
Jin Seon-yoo approached the canvas. However, Seo I-Kyung stood in place for a long time. His face sank. He looked down at his wrist and fiddled with his bracelet.
***
Late at night, Sang-aru with its red lanterns lit was bustling with people. Starting with the robust toast of Department Head Jin Seok-young who stood up, a heavy drinking session followed. The manager and staff members constantly came and went, diligently setting down alcohol and side dishes.
Managing Director Jin Tae-won put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. White smoke hazed around him. He looked at Han Seung-jae’s empty seat. He had received notice of Han Seung-jae’s absence. Nevertheless, Han Seung-jae’s seat was prepared.
In the past, there were times when he had notified that he wouldn’t attend but then changed his mind and came to drink, so Han Seung-jae’s seat was always prepared whenever there was a gathering. However, judging by Han Seung-jae’s behavior since getting married, there was a high probability he really wouldn’t come today.
Jin Tae-won, with a cigarette between his fingertips, tilted the glass in front of him and drank it in one gulp.
Similarly drinking alcohol, Gwon Gi-jun took out his phone from his inner pocket and checked several messages that had come in succession from Jin Seon-yoo.
[I have plans with I-Kyung so I can’t have lunch together.]
[No need for thanks between friends.]
[Happy New Year.]
The person sitting across from him filled Gwon Gi-jun’s empty glass.
“Hey, why are you drinking alone? Is it because Kyu-ho isn’t here?”
Gwon Gi-jun brought the glass to his lips. It wasn’t worth answering. He was about to drink it as is. A familiar face entered through the sliding door that a staff member had opened. However, his appearance was unsightly.
“What, Elder Brother Dong-hu?”
Seo Dong-hu opened his dry mouth while looking at the noisy interior. At last year’s end-of-year gathering, Seo Dong-hu had said he couldn’t attend due to family matters.
“Where’s Director Han?”
Seo Dong-hu’s face, in a suit, was rough. His bloodshot eyes were also red, as if he hadn’t slept well. He looked at Managing Director Jin Tae-won and then checked the empty seat to his right.
“I heard Seung-jae hyung said he couldn’t attend today.”
“Last time he came and left right away, didn’t he?”
Seo Dong-hu was the second oldest in the alpha gathering after Managing Director Jin Tae-won. Regardless of Urim Construction’s position outside, he was Han Seung-jae’s in-law. That was an undeniable fact. So at least here, people treated him as an elder.
However, it was only in name, with hints of disregard permeating here and there. See? I told you he would attend this time. He’s not the type to miss a drinking gathering like this. You can hear everything, you bastard. So what if you can hear?
Seo Dong-hu sat in the empty seat. A staff member moved quickly to place a glass in front of him and fill it. Seo Dong-hu drank it in one gulp.
At that moment, Min Seon-woong snatched the bottle from the staff member and said:
“I’ll do it, please attend to other matters.”
Min Seon-woong showed a kind smile. The staff member’s face also noticeably brightened in response. Min Seon-woong sat next to Seo Dong-hu and poured him a drink.
Seo Dong-hu’s bloodshot eyes seemed to watch Min Seon-woong for a moment before moving to the glass without lingering. He had come here today to see Han Seung-jae. So there was no need to get worked up over others.
Seo Dong-hu picked up the glass and drank several gulps in succession. And Min Seon-woong, filling the rapidly emptying glass, casually said:
“Elder Brother Dong-hu, shall I help you a bit?”
Seo Dong-hu’s head, which had been lifted to drink, turned to the side. He had thought this place was full of cunning snake-like bastards, but here was a loach-like bastard. A sneer appeared on Seo Dong-hu’s lips.
“F*ck, just take care of yourself.”
Seo Dong-hu had attended the alpha gatherings without fail countless times. No one here approached Min Seon-woong. In other words, it meant his family was just as insignificant outside as Urim Construction.
“A bastard like you trying to help others, what bullsh*t.”
However, Min Seon-woong didn’t lose his composure. He was being treated poorly here, as Seo Dong-hu had expected. It was true that he had entered here with Managing Director Jin Tae-won’s help, but that was the extent of it. No one, including Managing Director Jin Tae-won, cared about Min Seon-woong’s comings and goings here.
Min Seon-woong righted the glass that Seo Dong-hu had knocked over as if throwing it away, and filled it with clear alcohol. Then he raised his own glass and clinked it. The two glasses that touched made a clear sound.
After drinking the alcohol as is, Min Seon-woong said meaningfully:
“I think I can let you see your younger brother. I wonder if you know the child is a boy? It would be great if he’s an alpha.”