If You Want Me - Episode 46
<Episode 46>
As Seo-won shut his mouth tightly and urged him for an answer on what to do, Do-gyeom nodded his head.
“Then let’s go to Seoul together to get examined.”
“N-now?”
“Isn’t it better to go sooner?”
“That’s true, but… I can’t go now, let’s go next week. I have some things to sort out, so it’s difficult right away.”
“Then I’ll come pick you up next week.”
Fortunately, Do-gyeom didn’t recklessly drag him right away. But why is he saying he’ll come pick me up even though I can go up to Seoul myself? It seemed like a waste of time, but I decided to just accept it.
Seo-won nodded his head, saying go ahead, and told him earnestly.
“If the pheromone issue is resolved, you really won’t come looking for me anymore. You remember our deal, right? I asked you to make it so I never have to see you again.”
“…”
According to the deal we already made, I was someone he didn’t need to see anymore. When I told him I would generously go to the hospital with him, so don’t come looking for me anymore, Do-gyeom’s eyes shook a little.
He seemed shaken, but soon, not long after, he turned his gaze away and answered indifferently.
“I have no reason to come all the way to this countryside if not for this anyway.”
“…Right. Then that’s fine.”
Although he couldn’t get rid of Do-gyeom all at once, Seo-won thought this would be more comfortable and better for him too. Because he didn’t want to see Do-gyeom sick either…
If he went to the hospital and received treatment, naturally his visits to see Seo-won would decrease and they would be forgotten in each other’s memories.
It wouldn’t be easy to erase since they had been together for a long time, but he hoped for that.
And… he sincerely hoped it wasn’t a big illness and was something simple.
* * *
The night Do-gyeom went up to Seoul. Seo-won fiddled with his cell phone and contacted Jihwan to meet.
He felt sorry for calling him first and then going home first today, and he was also sorry for how Do-gyeom treated him. He could have apologized over the phone or text, but he felt his sincerity wouldn’t be conveyed that way, so he asked to meet.
Fortunately, Jihwan came out without saying much. As soon as Seo-won faced him in front of his house, he apologized sincerely.
“Jihwan-ah. I’m sorry.”
“I was really dumbfounded…”
As soon as Jihwan faced Seo-won, he let out a hollow laugh. It was a reaction that it was absurd even in hindsight.
At his reaction that was almost scary, Seo-won shrank his shoulders more and apologized.
“I’m sorry. My stomach has been really bad these days.”
“Do you think that’s why I’m dumbfounded?”
“It’s not…?”
“I’m not coldhearted enough to get angry at a sick person. I’m talking about that bastard, not you. What’s with that bastard? He was different from what you said.”
Jihwan spoke, gritting his teeth in anger. That bastard seemed to refer to Do-gyeom.
To Jihwan, Seo-won had explained Do-gyeom as his former boss whom he had confessed to and been rejected by. That he wouldn’t accept his feelings but kept telling him to return to the company. That was the reason he had enticed Jihwan, but it didn’t seem to look that way in Jihwan’s eyes.
It was true that Do-gyeom had been too sensitive and wary of Jihwan to be called an ordinary boss… But it was also difficult to tell the truth, so Seo-won stayed quiet, and Jihwan brushed his bangs up with his hand and continued.
“It seemed like the one who was rejected was not you, but that guy. He glared at me like he was going to kill me and used his pheromones… That guy is a dominant alpha, right? He was trying to strangle me to death with his pheromones.”
“…I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t something Seo-won had done, but he had no choice but to apologize thinking that if he hadn’t asked Jihwan, he wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation.
When Seo-won apologized again, Jihwan said, “It’s not because of you…” and sighed, changing the subject.
“Well, you must have gotten into trouble because of that lunatic. So did that guy leave? Did you resolve it?”
“He did go back, but… I didn’t completely resolve it, so I think I’ll have to see a little more.”
“It’s sickening.”
“But thanks to you, I’ve almost sorted it out.”
Since he had proved that he had someone he liked, now he just needed to get Do-gyeom to get examined at the hospital with him and help with the treatment a bit.
Honestly, he didn’t need to do this much, but it seemed like Do-gyeom was suffering a lot when Seo-won wasn’t around, and he was worried, so he felt he should see it through to that extent. He thought that would put his mind at ease.
When Seo-won talked as if he would be able to completely get rid of him soon, Jihwan’s distorted expression softened a bit.
“If that bastard comes looking for you again and says something, call me. I’ll run from Seoul and help you get rid of him. And if possible, improve your eye for alphas too. That bastard, he has a somewhat handsome face, but his personality is terrible.”
“Uh-huh…”
It’s not that his face is somewhat handsome, but he’s exceptionally good-looking… but he couldn’t refute the gossip about his personality.
In some ways, he showed a kind side, but these days, he was really reaching the pinnacle of selfishness. Especially since he showed that side to Jihwan, who was a stranger, it must have seemed even more terrible.
Seo-won nodded at Jihwan’s consideration, but he vowed not to call him again. It wasn’t long before he would cut ties with Do-gyeom anyway, and he thought he couldn’t cause Jihwan any more trouble.
* * *
The weekend came around again. As he had said last week, Do-gyeom drove to pick up Seo-won and took him to Seoul.
Seo-won was a little surprised to see Do-gyeom waiting for him in front of his house. It was because his style had noticeably changed.
Perhaps he had no work today, his hair was calmly down, and instead of the usual suit style, he was wearing a fluttering navy short-sleeved shirt and beige pants. Although it wasn’t much different from his usual neat style, it was unexpected because he didn’t usually wear such clothes as outerwear even on his days off.
Seo-won was excited by the unfamiliar appearance, but unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last long. Because during the long time they drove to Seoul, Do-gyeom kept nagging the whole time.
It was the same as what he had said before. Even though Seo-won had vaguely answered at the time that he didn’t know if he would marry or not, he asked if he would really entrust his future to such a guy, if he seemed like he would raise the child properly, how much his annual salary was. They were stories closer to gossip than concern.
Seo-won had no intention of actually marrying Jihwan, and he wasn’t particularly curious about his private matters like his annual salary. If he had known this would happen, it would have been much more comfortable to take the bus.
The only fortunate thing was that he fell asleep in the middle and Do-gyeom didn’t wake him up. When he woke up, they had arrived in front of a hospital. It was a large hospital that was one of the best in Korea.
Seo-won got out of the car with Do-gyeom and spoke to him as if earnestly urging.
“Get all the tests done. There might be a problem other than pheromones.”
“It’ll take a long time if you do that.”
“Is taking a long time a problem? If you’re suffering so much, of course you should get tested.”
“Don’t leave in the middle.”
“How many times do I have to say I won’t…”
Seo-won answered weakly. Even though he had said he would start by getting examined at the hospital and help until Do-gyeom could live without discomfort even without him, Do-gyeom kept repeating that he shouldn’t leave, as if something was making him anxious.
Did someone run away before and leave a grudge? Last time when Seo-won took several consecutive days off after returning from the US, Do-gyeom said he had run away, and when he quit being a partner and moved to the countryside, he said if Secretary Bae had contacted him in advance, he would have disappeared…
Or did Seo-won act like he would run away at any time? But he had never done that even once during the 6 years they were partners, so he didn’t know why Do-gyeom thought that way.
As Seo-won was telling him not to worry unnecessarily, Do-gyeom looked at the time and opened his mouth.
“It seems like it’ll take a long time anyway, so you should get tested too.”
“What? Why me?”
“Either way, we’ll have to wait, and it’ll be more convenient for me to check frequently to make sure you don’t run away. Wouldn’t that be much more efficient?”
Do-gyeom was someone who divided his time into minutes and seconds, and was stingy with time. He was the kind of person who didn’t tolerate wasting time.
It seemed like that rule had crumbled a lot since Seo-won quit being his partner, but still, it hadn’t changed that a minute or a second was more precious to him than money.
This time too, Do-gyeom’s reaction was that if Seo-won was going to spend time doing nothing anyway, wouldn’t it be better for him to get tested together? However, Seo-won refused without a second thought.
“Forget it. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“You said you’re pregnant. You’re a fervent omega, not just anyone, so you need to take care of your body. If there’s anything bad, it’s better to treat it early. Secretary Bae, go tell them there’s one more person getting tested.”
“I said I don’t need it, why are you… No, Secretary Bae?”
Seo-won tried to say he wouldn’t do it again at Do-gyeom’s self-centered attitude, but Secretary Bae immediately went to the counter. Even when Seo-won hurriedly called out to Secretary Bae, he didn’t look back once.
As Seo-won was looking at Secretary Bae’s back with a helpless expression, Do-gyeom slightly raised the corners of his mouth and said,
“Get tested. Did I tell you to do anything bad?”
“…”
It’s not bad, but you might have some ulterior motive…
Seo-won looked at Do-gyeom suspiciously and sharply turned his gaze away. Somehow he ended up getting examined at the hospital, but even if he got tested, it wouldn’t reveal whose child it was. Genetic testing was only possible after the child was born.
Moreover, Do-gyeom also believed the child Seo-won was carrying was Jihwan’s child and wasn’t suspicious, so it didn’t seem like he was making him get tested for such a dirty reason.
Then is he really just worried about me, not having an ulterior motive? I thought he was gossiping about Jihwan while we were driving here, so I didn’t even listen, but the reason he did that was also because he was worried about my future.
Thinking that way, although it might not have any special meaning, on the other hand, he wondered if there was a reason for Do-gyeom to care so much about his health and future.
Although their hearts didn’t connect, they had been intimate for a long time and their relationship wasn’t bad, so he could be worried… The reason he came to see Seo-won was solely because he was suffering.
In the end, Seo-won couldn’t understand Do-gyeom’s intentions. Thinking that, Seo-won sighed and followed behind him.