If You Want Me - Episode 45
<Episode 45>
“…What?”
How did he know I was pregnant? Is he probing me? But Do-gyeom had too confident of a face for that.
Was my hospital record leaked? Or was it Mom? My head felt like it was going to explode from the complexity. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of my mouth, and my body seemed to tremble. It felt like the color was draining from my body and I even felt dizzy.
I was trying to clench my fists and regain my senses. Do-gyeom sighed and brought out a booklet from somewhere.
“This is your pregnancy booklet, isn’t it?”
Seo-won lost his words at what Do-gyeom brought.
What he was holding in his hand was the pregnancy omega booklet he had received from the obstetrics and gynecology clinic a few days ago.
“How did you…”
Seo-won was about to ask but swallowed his breath.
I’m sure I put it in the desk drawer… How is it in Do-gyeom’s hands?
He must have searched the house while I was asleep. Was this what the ominous feeling meant? I never thought Do-gyeom would search the house. Because this is a space he can’t enter without my permission. I thought he would have no reason to look at my desk.
I was too careless. My mind was so blanched by the unexpected situation that I didn’t know what excuse to make.
As Seo-won was barely holding onto his fading consciousness, Do-gyeom clicked his tongue as if he had expected it and opened his mouth.
“Did you have a one-night stand with that bastard while being my partner?”
“…What? What’s that…”
“I heard that bastard led quite a promiscuous life in Seoul. Lee Jihwan. Age twenty-five. Currently working as a professional gamer for D team. Apparently he’s quite famous for meeting omegas at clubs… How did you end up meeting a guy like that and even getting pregnant?”
Do-gyeom recited information about Jihwan as if he had already finished his background check on him.
It was the first time I heard of it. I had known Jihwan for less than a week and had only made a request to him. But a one-night stand with Jihwan? Could it be that he thinks I’m pregnant with Jihwan’s child, not his? How can he think that way?
And do I look promiscuous enough to… have a one-night stand with an alpha I met at a club?
I had liked only Do-gyeom all along and had continued the partner relationship with him. But the fact that I look that way in his eyes was absurd.
The words that it’s not like that and not to misunderstand rose to my throat. But what’s the point of saying it? Even if I say it, it will only reveal that I’m pregnant with Do-gyeom’s child, not his. Then my child…
Seo-won bit his lower lip hard as his thoughts reached that point. He had to protect the child. Even if he was treated as promiscuous, he had to do it.
When Seo-won couldn’t make any rebuttal, Do-gyeom seemed to take it as a silent affirmation and continued speaking with conviction.
“You have a responsible personality, so you’ll probably want to give birth to the child. But there’s no way a bastard like that can properly take care of you and the child.”
“…”
“I’ll help you raise the child, so give up on a guy like that and come back to me.”
“…You’ll help me raise the child?”
“Yes. I’ll help you through the foundation’s sponsorship until the end, so it’ll be better than leaving it to a guy with no future like that. You won’t have to worry about money and the child will receive the highest level of education.”
“No… Wait a moment. Why are you saying you’ll do that? I don’t understand.”
A foundation sponsorship meant one-on-one support. It would be nice if his company’s foundation did it, but he suddenly didn’t understand why he would do that. He’s not a philanthropist, and he doesn’t think of it as his own blood, so there’s no reason for him to do it.
He could have been considerate with his generosity, but the Do-gyeom I knew didn’t particularly like children. Could it be that he has some ulterior motive? When Seo-won asked, half-accusing him, Do-gyeom calmly opened his mouth.
“Because I can’t hand you over to a delinquent bastard like that.”
Do-gyeom seemed to dislike Jihwan very much. It seemed to be because his appearance was very flashy and the content he found out while doing a background check on him was suspicious.
“There’s no way you would like a jerk like that, so you must be mistaken… Well. You’ll need time to give up on him. I won’t make you do anything until then, so come back to me instead of relying on a guy like that.”
“Ha…”
Seo-won unconsciously let out a hollow breath while listening to Do-gyeom’s words. He said he won’t make me do anything until then? In the end, he’s telling me to be his partner.
I knew he was obsessed with having a partner because of his pheromone issue, but I was sick of it. Seo-won bit his lower lip hard enough to feel numb, and then opened his mouth as if spitting out the resentment that was bursting out hotly from his chest.
“I don’t need it.”
“What’s lacking? If what you want to protect is the child, I think it’s a good offer.”
“How many times do I have to say I don’t want to be your partner anymore for you to understand?”
Seo-won frowned deeply and expressed his annoyance at Do-gyeom.
In fact, offering to raise the child wasn’t a bad proposal. It was true that it would be difficult to raise a child alone, and if he received sponsorship through the foundation as Do-gyeom said, the child would be able to receive the highest level of education. Do-gyeom also didn’t know it was Seo-won’s child, so he wouldn’t have to get rid of the child.
However, Seo-won now really wanted to end his relationship with him and start a new life. Because he knew that if he stayed by his side, he wouldn’t be able to give up on his feelings. Because he knew he would end up getting hurt. Because even though he’s looking for him now, it’s not love. Because he knew Do-gyeom would meet another omega.
It stung his heart to imagine someone else by Do-gyeom’s side, but Seo-won tried to act like it was nothing and spit out harsh words.
“Our relationship is already over. It was also you, Young Master, who didn’t stop me when I said I would quit back then, and I don’t want to do anything like being a partner anymore.”
“I definitely didn’t mean to cut ties with you. If you like that person so much that you can’t be a partner like that anymore, learn from Secretary Bae. I’ll make a secretary position for you. Then you won’t have anything weighing on your mind, right?”
Do-gyeom suddenly changed his stance, saying that Seo-won didn’t have to be a pheromone partner. It meant that if it was a secretary job, there would be nothing to be concerned about with the person he liked.
Even if they didn’t have a relationship, just having Seo-won by his side alleviated his symptoms. It seemed like he was proposing it with that in mind.
“How can just anyone be a secretary? And isn’t Secretary Bae already there?”
“It’ll be nice if it increases to two people, the workload will decrease too. Secretary Bae will welcome it with open arms.”
“…”
At his words, Secretary Bae’s face suddenly came to mind. The face I saw last time had become haggard compared to usual, and dark circles were about to reach his chin. He already had a lot of work attending to Do-gyeom, and recently Do-gyeom had become sensitive, so he looked like he was having a hard time.
Thinking of the innocent person suffering made him waver, but still, it wasn’t it. Now he wanted to live for himself, not for others.
“…I don’t want to.”
“You don’t like this, you don’t like that… Even if I concede a hundred times and say I’ll believe you have someone you like, what more do I have to do if you still don’t like it?”
“I’m saying I want to end things with you, Young Master. Are you clueless?”
When Seo-won spoke as if spitting it out with his eyes tightly closed, the surroundings instantly became quiet. He would immediately reply whenever he spoke, saying he’ll do this or that, but strangely, he was silent.
Why? Seo-won trembled his eyelids and carefully opened his eyes, and Do-gyeom was looking down at him with a shocked face.
He thinks he spoke sharply. However, since it was something he had said countless times, it didn’t seem like he should be that shocked…
This time, his conscience pricked him. Did I speak too harshly…? But he won’t listen if I don’t say it like this.
As he tried hard not to look at Do-gyeom’s face by turning his gaze out the window, Do-gyeom, who had been still, asked in a low voice.
“Then are you really saying you’ll marry that alpha bastard?”
“…”
That… I should say I will even if it’s a lie, but the way Do-gyeom is now, it wouldn’t be strange for him to chase me to the wedding. Moreover, I can’t recklessly ask Jihwan to do that, so I couldn’t answer hastily. Seo-won pondered and answered evasively.
“It’s still… just me one-sidedly liking him, so I can’t give a definite answer, but I want to.”
“Do you really want that? Are you really going to entrust your future to a guy like that? Not knowing what will happen to you or the child?”
“That’s not something you should be concerned about, Young Master.”
“I am concerned.”
“…”
“I’m so concerned about you that I feel like I’m going crazy.”
Do-gyeom said, looking into Seo-won’s eyes with sincere eyes.
In the end… the deal was of no use at all. He could have pushed the contract he had given Seo-won, saying he wanted certainty, and chased him away, but whenever Do-gyeom acted like he had lingering feelings, his heart wavered. Because he became weak every time he spoke a word as if he sincerely liked and worried about him.
Seo-won bit his lower lip hard, suppressing the urge to say weak words. At this rate, he would end up giving in again.
If Do-gyeom made up his mind, he could investigate Seo-won’s background, and now he thought Seo-won was pregnant with Jihwan’s child, but if he investigated a little more, he might realize something was strange.
Rather than that… it might be better to solve the fundamental problem for him. In the end, the reason Do-gyeom came to see Seo-won was because of the pheromone issue.
If he solved that for him, he would no longer have a reason to come looking for Seo-won. He had said so himself.
“The reason you’re concerned about me… is because you’re sick when I’m not around. I told you last time to go to the hospital. Did you go?”
“Why do you keep saying the same thing over and over?”
Do-gyeom answered indifferently as if he was sick and tired of hospitals. He had earnestly advised Seo-won to go to the hospital until his ears developed calluses, but he himself wasn’t going, which was strange.
Why is he doing that? He must know there’s a problem. It was frustrating, but when Seo-won first showed pregnancy symptoms, he unconsciously avoided going to the hospital, perhaps sensing the anxiety. Maybe Do-gyeom was also afraid it might be something serious.
“Then go with me this time.”
“Go… together?”
“That’s why you keep trying to keep me by your side, right? I’ll help you with whatever you need until you get treatment, so let’s go to the hospital.”
When Seo-won talked about his one-sided love or the child, Do-gyeom wouldn’t even listen, but at the words that he would go to the hospital with him, Do-gyeom’s eyes became quite different. He looked intrigued.
“Then will you stay by my side until I get better?”
“…If you don’t forge a hospital diagnosis, Young Master.”
“I won’t. I know now that medical laws are very strict and annoying. They wouldn’t even let me see your medical records, so I almost got deceived.”
“…”
He blatantly said he tried to check my medical records in front of the person concerned. I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even speak.