I've Been Possessed, But What If I Get Pregnant First? - C36
#36
At first, I thought it was a dream. I thought the tiger I saw in my dream jumped into reality. When I went closer to examine it, I belatedly realized it was a huge doll. But is there no small tiger? I raised my head and looked around the tiger, but unfortunately, there was nothing.
“Are you possibly looking for something…?”
The uncle who managed to stop me and was working across from me asked, sweating.
He seemed extremely tense, thinking I might run out again at any moment.
That uncle is pitiful too… having a guy like Kwon Taebeom as his boss.
While I was looking around, I noticed shine muscats on the blanket. I was definitely trying to leave this house right away, but before I knew it, I was sitting on the blanket. Having no choice but to pretend to give in, I put a shine muscat in my mouth and answered the uncle.
“Nwo…”
Ugh… this is too frozen. I was thinking about spitting out the rock-hard frozen shine muscat, but it seemed too dirty, so I put it back in my mouth and rolled it around, waiting for it to melt.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, my lower abdomen felt numb. It felt like something was poking and prodding. Startled, I pulled the blanket tightly, and the shine muscat bowl fell to the floor. With a loud crash, countless fragments scattered.
Along with a scream-like sharp sound, a strong premonition that something unexpected was approaching covered my whole body. What is it…?
“Are you alright?”
The uncle who was concentrating on work with an expressionless face got up and asked, approaching me.
Oh no, what do I do!
I was in a daze from the strange sensation, but I finally came to my senses at the uncle’s words. Only then did I see the glass shards rolling on the floor and tried to quickly get up from the bed. Then the uncle stopped me with a stern face.
“Ms. Yuwon, please stay still there. If you get hurt doing that, I’ll really die.”
“But I did this…”
“Please think of it as saving one person’s life and please, I beg you.”
The uncle eventually even bowed his head. Am I some kind of child? I’m twenty-three years old. At this age in college, you’re treated like a fossil!
But I couldn’t be stubborn when he went that far. The uncle contacted someone, and I sat on the bed in silence, stroking the tiger doll. By the way, what was that feeling earlier? It definitely poked and prodded…
It also felt like something was wriggling inside my stomach. That’s why I was so startled… Could it possibly be a p-parasite?
Yuwon, did you eat something wrong? You look like you only grazed on grass, but maybe you got infected with a parasite from eating without washing properly.
Did you take deworming medication diligently every quarter?
I shuddered, imagining parasites rummaging through Cha Yuwon’s body. That might be why I had no appetite and stomach pain recently. I thought I should definitely visit the hospital soon no matter what and stroked the tiger’s head.
***
In the midst of a peaceful, even lazy day, visiting the glass greenhouse for the first time in a while and eating cheese croquettes the uncle bought, a video call came from Hong Kong.
-You’re not sick anywhere, are you?
“Taebeom! Why did you leave without saying anything?”
When I puffed out my cheeks and said something to Taebeom on the other side of the screen, he laughed lightly.
-You seem all better now.
Even though I talked back to him, Taebeom’s smile as he looked at me like I was just cute made my cheeks feel hot. Ahem. Get it together. Ah, you can’t give in completely yet, Cha Yuwon.
“How can you just leave like that?”
When I deliberately narrowed my eyes and glared at Taebeom on the other side of the screen, he turned the camera and showed something.
-I’ll bring this instead.
“Je…dy cookies?”
Those are really famous cookies. As I saw the familiar cookie tin I often saw on the internet and gulped, Taebeom burst into laughter again. Was he originally someone who laughed so well? It felt strange because he kept laughing.
-But while I’m gone, cut back on the snacks. Did you eat?
…Today too, I couldn’t eat well and only managed to eat some shine muscats. Strangely, I couldn’t eat any rice at all, but I could eat sweet desserts like fruits or chocolate endlessly. When I couldn’t answer, Taebeom said in a playful voice,
-We’ll have to go to the dentist first when we go back to Korea.
“But I brush my teeth diligently!”
I shouted, hating that he kept making me out to be someone who doesn’t brush their teeth, and a smile spread across Taebeom’s face again. As I talked with Taebeom about this and that, I lost track of time.
Hearing about what happened in Hong Kong, I felt the anxiety that had settled in my heart slowly disappearing. After realizing my feelings for him, I hesitated, worried I might ruin my relationship with Taebeom, but now I felt there was no reason to.
I hoped Taebeom would come back as soon as possible. When Taebeom returns, I wanted to hug his neck and whisper that I love him a lot too.
-Park Junseok is behind you.
“Yes, Hyung-nim, I’m here.”
-Turn up the temperature a bit.
Gosh, that startled me. My heart sank for a moment when his expression suddenly stiffened, but it seemed he said that because he saw me sniffling. He doesn’t have to go that far… I felt unnecessarily embarrassed and couldn’t look at Uncle Junseok’s face. He’s really overprotective…
“I turned it up, Hyung-nim.”
“Taebeom. But about this tiger.”
When I moved the phone to show the tiger, Taebeom nodded.
“Do you sleep hugging it every night? I’ve never seen it in your room though, so I can’t say that.”
“Pfft-“
At my words, the uncle burst into laughter. Actually, imagining Taebeom sleeping while tightly hugging a tiger doll was funny to me too, but it was fascinating to see the uncle with a grim impression laughing so brightly like that.
On the other hand, Taebeom was quiet. As his expression didn’t change, the corners of my mouth gradually fell.
Did I say something wrong…?
Worried that Taebeom might be offended, I lowered my eyes, feeling down, and he answered,
-No. My mother bought it for me when I was young. You kept looking for a tiger, so I brought it thinking you’d like it. You don’t like it?
“No! I like it so much. It smells a lot like you, Taebeom, so I really like it!”
Ah, it seems he wasn’t in a bad mood. Relieved, I smiled brightly and hugged the tiger tightly. Taebeom asked with a subtle face,
-Are you doing that on purpose?
Even the uncle, who had been holding back laughter until just before at my words, cleared his throat and made an awkward expression.
“What? What is it?”
I tilted my head, really not knowing what he was talking about.
-Of course, since it’s something I used when I was young and inexperienced at controlling pheromones, it would have my pheromones on it.
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, Cha Yuwon was an omega, but I knew nothing about omegas or alphas. Is it a bit strange to talk about this…?
“Just! Haha… By the way, when are you coming back, Taebeom? I miss you…”
I quickly changed the subject, worried that the fact that I’m not Cha Yuwon might be revealed. I even said I missed him with half sincerity and half avoidance. Then, a small smile hung on Taebeom’s lips.
-I miss you too. I’ll be there soon, Yuwon.
***
On the fifth day since Taebeom left on a business trip, I was declared fully recovered. They wouldn’t let me get out of bed even if my temperature was only 0.5 degrees higher, so I thought I’d die from frustration. As soon as my temperature returned to normal, I cheered. Anyway, the fight with Taebeom was well resolved, and I recovered a lot, so I could go back to the hagwon.
“But Uncle, you don’t have to go on business trips?”
Starting today, Uncle Junseok decided to personally drop me off and pick me up instead of the men who had been watching me. But in novels and such, the right-hand man’s role seems really important, so is it okay for the uncle who always followed Taebeom around to follow me?
Taebeom would take care of it well, but I was still worried, so I asked the uncle.
“Well, it seems Hyung-nim chose love over work.”
Seeing the uncle’s contented smile as he said that, somehow I felt like I heard that answer.
“Anyway, they’ve hired a separate interpreter there, and there’s someone who agreed to help, so even if I went with them, it wouldn’t have been much help. So don’t worry too much, Ms. Yuwon.”
At that moment, my face turned pale at the mention of an interpreter. I had completely forgotten about that. Talking with Taebeom every day, sharing daily life, and time passing by as usual, I forgot the most important thing.
My hands trembled slightly. Thinking of the protagonist Yoon Seolah made my heart pound and I felt like throwing up. Looking at it now, the reason Uncle Junseok didn’t accompany Taebeom on his business trip seemed like a necessary setup for the novel.
Because Yoon Seolah was the interpreter Taebeom hired.
I bit my lip hard, sweeping my bitter mouth. What do I do…? No. No, the real Taebeom will be different. Let’s not think pointless thoughts… As I became less talkative on the way to the hagwon, the uncle handed me a green grape-flavored candy.
“Have this when you run out of energy while studying. Only one a day so it doesn’t touch the roof of your mouth.”
“Thank you.”
I fiddled with the soccer ball-shaped candy that smelled of green grapes and brought up,
“Um, Uncle, today… Ah, never mind!”
I was thinking of going to the hospital after hagwon, but I shut my mouth, thinking I’d just make him worry for nothing. The hospital was in the same building anyway, and I thought I could go quickly using lunchtime, so I didn’t need to say it. When I arrived at the hagwon, I said goodbye to the uncle before getting out of the car.
“Then I’ll be back!”
“Yes, take care and come back safely, Ms. Yuwon.”
Looking closely, the uncle seems to tease me for no reason. Ms. Yuwon, Ms. Yuwon. It’s so awkward I could die. After dropping me off, I waved to the car heading back home and went into the hagwon.