I Possessed a Terminally Ill Omega - Episode 197
I Possessed a Terminally Ill Omega – Episode 197
“I should call the attending physician to the house tomorrow and scold him a bit.”
Seo I-kyung felt Han Seung-jae’s fingers brush his collarbone as he buttoned up. After the buttons were fastened up to his neck, Seo I-kyung looked up.
He took in Han Seung-jae’s impassive expression. It was hard to tell if his words were a joke or serious. But was he the type to make jokes? Seo I-kyung didn’t think Han Seung-jae was someone who engaged in such light banter.
Seo I-kyung thought Han Seung-jae was saying this because of the bandages wrapped around his chest. Was he blaming that the wound hadn’t healed yet despite time passing?
“He said he was going to remove the stitches anyway…”
Seo I-kyung defended the attending physician. It was true that he had treated him with utmost care. The slow healing speed of the wound was a separate issue.
After changing into pajamas, Seo I-kyung was led to the bed by Han Seung-jae. The soft feel of the blanket in his grasp was incomparable to that in the hospital.
While it was true that Seo I-kyung received excellent care from the attending physician at the hospital, it wasn’t the same as being in Han Seung-jae’s house. Here, there was Butler Do to attend to Seo I-kyung’s needs, and a chef who could prepare whatever the pregnant Seo I-kyung craved, regardless of the time.
Thinking he had been sleeping well, eating well, and receiving treatment well during his hospital stay was just Seo I-kyung’s perception. To Han Seung-jae’s eyes, Seo I-kyung still looked small, thin, and full of wariness.
Seo I-kyung, who had climbed onto the bed, quickly slipped under the covers. Han Seung-jae, who had taken off his bathrobe, watched this as he put on his pajamas. He buttoned up even faster than when he had dressed Seo I-kyung and said:
“When did they say they’d remove the bandages?”
“…”
Seo I-kyung slowly pulled the blanket he was gripping up over his head. He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep since he had been sleeping at the hospital, but as soon as he closed his eyes, drowsiness came over him.
The bed touching his back was soft, the scent of white wood brushing his nose gave him a sense of stability, and Han Seung-jae’s voice was low and resonant.
***
The next day, Seo I-kyung lifted his heavy eyelids and looked up at the ceiling. It was only for a moment that he stared at the pattern different from the hospital ceiling.
Seo I-kyung approached the sink and stared into the mirror. His thin eyebrows drooped listlessly. Seo I-kyung washed his face with one hand. Although it took time, he was getting quite used to it. At the hospital, he had to wash in an even smaller space, sometimes getting his casted arm all wet.
Seo I-kyung wiped his cheeks with a towel and came out of the bathroom. Looking at the quiet bedroom, he finally realized where he was.
‘It wasn’t a dream.’
Seo I-kyung thought he had had a long dream last night. But he didn’t wake up as he walked out the door.
As he appeared on the first floor, a passing housekeeper bowed and greeted him. Seo I-kyung nodded instead of speaking. He tried to smile, but it felt unfamiliar, perhaps because he had left this house as if escaping and then returned.
Seo I-kyung headed straight for the dressing room. It would be better to change clothes first. It was embarrassing to encounter people while wearing pajamas. But he soon hesitated. It was because he found Han Seung-jae in the dressing room. He must have forgotten the concept of time after being away from this house for so long. Han Seung-jae hadn’t left for work yet.
Han Seung-jae, who was putting cufflinks on his sleeve, murmured to Secretary Park beside him. Upon hearing his words, Secretary Park turned and came out. Due to the distance, Seo I-kyung couldn’t make out what was said.
Seo I-kyung was at a loss, watching Secretary Park come out through the half-open door.
“I can come back a little later.”
However, Secretary Park opened the door wider and replied:
“It’s alright. He’s waiting for you, please go in.”
As Seo I-kyung entered, Secretary Park closed the door behind him. Han Seung-jae was fully dressed in a suit. In contrast, Seo I-kyung’s appearance was disheveled as if he had just woken up, creating a stark difference. However, Han Seung-jae didn’t seem to mind much. Perhaps Seo I-kyung was the only one conscious of it.
Come to think of it, Han Seung-jae had seen Seo I-kyung wearing only a hospital gown many times at the hospital. However, having come down after washing alone, it was still uncomfortable to be in front of Han Seung-jae in damp pajamas. Seo I-kyung moved his fingertips as if trying to cover his pajamas.
Now that he looked closely, he could see the bandages wrapped around his chest through the pajamas. Had he shown this appearance to the housekeeper on his way here as well?
“Have you chosen?”
At Han Seung-jae’s words as he turned around, now fully dressed in his suit jacket, Seo I-kyung raised his head and examined the clothes in front of him. He rolled his eyes a few times, but couldn’t spot the clothes he usually wore. Just as the season was changing from winter to warm spring, the arranged clothes had changed too.
Seo I-kyung pulled out a nearby piece of clothing. A shirt would be better since buttoned items would take time with one hand.
Seo I-kyung fumbled with the buttons on his pajamas. He felt he could go faster, but hesitation showed because Han Seung-jae was watching.
The long shirt covered Seo I-kyung’s hips. As he changed into comfortable pants after taking off his pajamas, he felt like he was sweating profusely. It was even more so because he couldn’t understand why Han Seung-jae wasn’t leaving. Even though he was this slow doing it with one hand, Han Seung-jae didn’t say anything. Usually, he would have moved impatiently, left, or said something…
Only after Seo I-kyung had struggled to get fully dressed did Han Seung-jae’s voice come:
“Painting.”
“…!”
Seo I-kyung’s spine stiffened. He paused for a moment as if doubting his ears, then saw Han Seung-jae’s reflection in the full-length mirror taking a step, and pulled up his pants the rest of the way. As he did so, he lowered his shirt to cover his slightly protruding belly.
“Shall we go see in the evening? It’s been a while since we went to an art museum, hasn’t it?”
While it was partly because he had been confined to the hospital, Seo I-kyung had thought Han Seung-jae wasn’t particularly interested in such things. But was that not the case?
Han Seung-jae added:
“You said it was stifling.”
He had never directly mentioned such a thing to Han Seung-jae. Nevertheless, Han Seung-jae seemed to think Seo I-kyung would feel that way. Seo I-kyung parted his lips slightly.
“Today?”
“Tomorrow is fine too, we have plenty of time.”
***
Seo I-kyung stood for a moment watching Han Seung-jae’s back as he left for work. Even after he disappeared from view, Seo I-kyung stood blankly for a while before turning around.
Han Seung-jae’s attitude had changed somehow. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but it had definitely changed.
Throughout breakfast, Han Seung-jae had asked what kind of paintings Seo I-kyung wanted to see, and then mentioned that if there was anywhere he wanted to go, he could take a driver with him. It seemed to imply that it was okay to go to an art supply store.
However, Seo I-kyung could fully understand Han Seung-jae’s words only when the attending physician entered the house.
“Do you know how surprised I was when I went to the hospital room this morning and you weren’t there?”
The attending physician repeatedly said how many times he had looked for Seo I-kyung while staring blankly at the empty hospital room. Seo I-kyung could more than understand how surprised the attending physician must have been when his patient disappeared.
It wasn’t just a day or two that Han Seung-jae didn’t kindly explain situations to others. Still, Seo I-kyung had vaguely thought he would have at least informed the attending physician, but it seemed that wasn’t the case either.
“I apologize for speaking out of turn. I got a bit emotional.”
The attending physician took out tools from his opened house call bag, cut off the knotted bandages, and continued the treatment. He carefully examined Seo I-kyung’s wound and removed all the stitches.
Seo I-kyung lowered the shirt he had rolled up. As the bandages wrapped around his chest were removed, he felt like he could finally breathe properly.
Seo I-kyung touched his chest area over his shirt. The wound should be around here. However, he couldn’t feel any pain even when he pressed with his fingertips.
“I brought what you left in the hospital room.”
Rustling, the attending physician took out a folded envelope and the pocket watch necklace from his bag and handed them to Seo I-kyung. Seo I-kyung took the pocket watch.
The attending physician placed the envelope on the bed. Just then, Butler Do knocked and opened the door. The attending physician said the treatment was finished and took a step.
Seo I-kyung got up from the bed. As he was about to leave the room, Seo I-kyung thought the envelope looked familiar. As the folded part opened, the Chae-eon Foods logo became visible.
Wasn’t Chae-eon Foods closely related to Jin Seon-yoo? Seo I-kyung examined the front and back of the envelope while gripping the pocket watch necklace. Indeed, it was what Han Seung-jae had brought in his hand. Yesterday, Han Seung-jae had shown displeasure while looking at this envelope.
―How about keeping some distance from Jin Seon-yoo?
Come to think of it, Jin Seon-yoo had said something like that. His brothers were sending a congratulatory gift for the pregnancy, wasn’t it? At the time, he hadn’t thought about receiving anything and didn’t have the mental capacity to consider it, so he had carelessly let the words pass.
Seo I-kyung looked inside the envelope and felt his heart flutter at what he saw. It was a car contract. He imagined himself driving a car, even though he didn’t have a driver’s license.
Seo I-kyung came out to the living room, thinking he should call Jin Seon-yoo with a slightly brighter face. He walked while watching the attending physician greeting Butler Do.
Suddenly, Seo I-kyung stopped walking. Then he stared at the empty space that seemed to have been revealed in one part of the living room.