I've Been Possessed, But What If I Get Pregnant First? - C101
#101
When they pointed fingers, saying things like “Even if they seem like an omega, they’re clearly taking suppressants or something,” I was proud inside. So while it was physically tiring, it was never psychologically difficult.
But now I wasn’t sure how to endure those pointing fingers and those gazes.
“Grandma, I’m sorry…”
“What are you sorry for? It’s all because your grandmother is no good.”
After crying for a while, I looked at the clock and saw that the afternoon had already passed. There’s no time to be like this if I need to prepare for the store opening…!
As I got out of bed and pulled out the IV needle, grandmother stopped me with a startled face.
“What are you doing!”
“Grandma, the store… We need to go. It’s already past 2 o’clock.”
“Oh, forget it, what store?”
“Pardon…?”
We took quite a long break last month, so each day’s sales were important. Seeing grandmother uncomfortable because of me, I said:
“I’m fine now, I can be discharged-“
Come to think of it, how much is the hospital bill… Even with insurance, I had several tests just today, and they wouldn’t all be free. Suddenly faced with practical difficulties, my mind went blank and my heart pounded.
“Grandma, please, I want to be discharged. I’m not in pain anymore, right?”
When I pleaded, grandmother sighed, looking down at my thin wrist.
“Alright… Let’s go.”
Grandmother’s hand stroking my cheek with a bitter face was rough. But as it was the only comfort, I closed my eyes.
***
I had been intentionally avoiding Yuwon. However, I found myself thinking about Yuwon more often without realizing it. It was too frequent to dismiss as simply thinking about a younger acquaintance. Yuwon’s smiling face kept appearing before my eyes.
But when I encountered Yuwon at the store, a shudder ran through my body without my knowing. Seeing him burst into tears, with big teardrops falling from his eyes, I regretted the time I had spent avoiding Yuwon.
But was it right not to avoid him? Taebeom’s mind became complicated as he thought about the world he and the still young Yuwon contained.
Meanwhile, the appointed time approached.
“Hello. I’m Jang Yuseong.”
“I’m Kwon Taebeom.”
“As I heard, you’re really taciturn.”
Taebeom looked at the omega Useong sitting across from him. His brow furrowed involuntarily at the sight of him deliberately releasing a faint scent to seduce. He wanted to get up from his seat right away. But at his father’s request to please meet this omega just once, Taebeom forcibly kept his seat.
“What’s your hobby, Taebeom?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Is that so? I like looking at paintings. Rather than well-known artists, I mainly…”
Taebeom had no interest in the man sitting in front of him. He just kept his seat, hoping time would pass quickly, letting the man’s words go in one ear and out the other. Nodding his head to the man’s words with appropriate responses, Taebeom suddenly thought of Yuwon.
‘I wonder what he’s doing now.’
Again. Now Yuwon’s thought popped up without warning, and Taebeom clenched his fist. He didn’t know why these strange feelings kept arising when he had tried to keep a proper distance all this time. Just like a younger brother. Like a younger acquaintance…
“Taebeom?”
Taebeom stopped his thoughts and raised his head at the voice calling him. The man was pouting, showing his disappointment on his face.
“Are you listening to me? You haven’t been focusing for a while now…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well, I still like you, Taebeom. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to date with marriage in mind. What do you think?”
Marriage. Taebeom came to his senses at the word ‘marriage’ that came out of the man’s mouth.
“Mr. Jang Yuseong. I’m sorry, but to be honest, I don’t have any thoughts of marriage yet.”
“I know.”
“Then our conversation will be quick.”
The conversation seemed to flow better than expected. Taebeom briefly bowed his head towards the man who had grasped his intention and turned his back. But suddenly, the man grabbed Taebeom’s arm.
“But I’m very interested in you, Taebeom.”
He wanted to shake it off, but Taebeom held his breath at the intense pheromone scent that wafted out with the man’s words. Even just a slight whiff of the dominant omega’s pheromone scent seeped into his skin.
The man rubbed Taebeom’s arm with a confident face, smiling with his eyes slightly creased. It was a touch with clear and suggestive meaning. Taebeom stared at the man’s slender fingers touching him, then removed his hand.
“Ha. Please control your pheromones.”
“Pardon?”
He hadn’t expected anything to begin with, but it was worse than he had thought. He didn’t want to waste any more time. Taebeom spoke to the man in a clear tone.
“I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other again. I’ll take care of the bill.”
“Taebeom?”
He clearly heard the voice calling him from behind, but he had no intention of responding anymore. Ignoring the sound of someone trying to hold him back, Taebeom left the hotel.
Upon arriving home, Taebeom threw all the clothes he was wearing into the trash and headed for the bathroom. The man’s pheromone scent still clinging to his body was gnawing at his nerves.
“Haaa…”
The pheromone scent of the dominant omega, which others praised as ecstatic, was unpleasant. He preferred a slightly sweeter and fresher scent. Taebeom soaked his body in cold water, thinking that marriage indeed wasn’t for him.
“Junseok, find out what Yuwon’s been up to lately.”
Taebeom was increasingly concerned about the little guy who hadn’t been seen for a while. Yuwon’s place, always chattering and following him around, had been empty for days.
At first, he thought Yuwon was busy because school had started and the college entrance exam wasn’t far off. However, seeing that he wasn’t answering calls, Taebeom was starting to worry about Yuwon.
“Suddenly, sir?”
Junseok, who was wiping his blood-stained hands, turned his head at Taebeom’s unexpected words. It was only recently that he learned that the kid he had seen with his boss lately was the grandson of the owner of the restaurant they often visited with the guys.
“The kids must be busy these days. And he’s a high school senior now, right? Wouldn’t he be busy with the college entrance exam?”
Taebeom had thought so at first too, but Yuwon had always dropped by the boxing gym for a moment even when he was busy. Come to think of it, he had never been this absent before.
Does he have a lot to study?
Taebeom couldn’t stop worrying. He felt he needed to see Yuwon with his own eyes to be at ease. His heart, which had been beating anxiously for a while, kept urging him to meet Yuwon.
“Then let’s have a team dinner later with the guys.”
“Are you planning to go to the restaurant at the intersection? I heard it’s closed.”
“What?”
Taebeom raised one eyebrow and looked at Junseok. To Taebeom’s expression that seemed to ask how he knew that, Junseok answered with an embarrassed face.
“Ah, I went there yesterday to have a drink with the guys, but for some reason, it was closed. The guys said it had been like that since last week.”
“Why are you only telling me this now.”
Taebeom glared at Junseok with a displeased face. If Cha Yuwon hadn’t shown up and his grandmother had closed the store, something must have happened.
Clicking his tongue at his incompetent subordinate, Taebeom immediately stood up. As he grabbed his suit jacket and hurriedly headed out, Junseok called after him in a puzzled voice.
“Boss? Where are you going?”
There was no time to respond. Taebeom’s steps towards the parking lot were urgent. The sound of his hard shoes echoed quickly. Taebeom got in the car and gripped the steering wheel with a serious face.
“Shit.”
Somehow, the image of Yuwon when he first discovered him came to mind, and his heart beat unsteadily. At a glance, it seemed there might have been a problem at school. But he had thought Yuwon was doing well recently, smiling and not seeming injured…
Taebeom blamed himself for thinking too lightly as he increased his speed towards Yuwon’s house. After passing through narrow alleys, he parked the car in front of an old villa and ran up the stairs in one breath. Finally stopping in front of Yuwon’s house, he hesitated for a moment before ringing the bell.
Ding dong-
The bell sound echoed through the narrow villa, and soon after, Yuwon’s grandmother opened the front door.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
Grandmother’s eyes widened at Taebeom’s sudden visit. Taebeom bowed his head in greeting and asked in a flat voice.
“Has something happened to Yuwon? I haven’t been able to contact him for days.”
Grandmother had watched Yuwon, who had been living lonely without siblings or parents, relying on Taebeom. Although from others’ perspective, Taebeom’s work might seem a bit dangerous and worrying for Yuwon, grandmother knew it was a relationship that filled in for parts she couldn’t provide, so she opened the door and led Taebeom inside.
“Yuwon’s asleep now after taking medicine, so come in first.”
Medicine?
Taebeom looked at Yuwon’s tightly closed room door at the mention of medicine. By the way, there’s been a sweet smell since earlier… A scent that seems like plum or flowers could be sensed.
“Shall I get you some tea?”
“No, it’s oka-“
A photo of a young couple holding a child caught Taebeom’s eye. For a moment, his vision blurred as if he’d been hit on the head, and his heart sank with a thud. Memories he had forgotten until now surfaced.
Memes From Aida