I've Been Possessed, But What If I Get Pregnant First? - C57
#57
“Take care!”
“Yes, thank you.”
I got out of the taxi at my destination and looked around. There wasn’t even a car, let alone anything else. I had really shaken off those men.
“I hope they don’t get scolded too badly…”
Now that I had actually shaken them off and escaped, I started to worry about the men who would be scolded by Kwon Taebeom.
‘No… I won’t see them again anyway.’
I rubbed my lower abdomen, which had been aching for a while, and resolved to think only about our Ho-ppang. By the way, my heart sank when I thought about the unexpectedly high taxi fare. Fortunately, I had saved on accommodation and food costs until now, otherwise I might have ended up homeless. I crumpled up the few remaining bills and put them in my pocket while looking at the wide-open sea.
“Ah… It’s refreshing.”
After all the trouble, Samcheok had a beautiful sea, just like Gangneung. I was mesmerized by its beauty, different from Gangneung’s, as I stared at the sea with my palms wide open. The wind brushing through my fingers felt good. Even the tingling in my lower abdomen seemed to be getting better.
“Well then, shall we go now?”
***
Taebeom, who had started quitting smoking less than 10 days ago, was burning with the urge to smoke. Grinding his sore mouth, he asked his subordinate who was attached to Yuwon’s side.
“So.”
Taebeom, who had been listening to the men’s report with a cold face, unbuttoned his sleeve cuffs one by one.
“You want to tell me that you lost Cha Yuwon?”
In an atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe, everyone was busy watching Taebeom’s reaction.
“Did I ask for too much?”
“We’re sorry, boss.”
Taebeom’s lips tightened coldly at the men’s repeated apologies.
“Is ‘sorry’ all you have to say?”
“…”
“I asked if it was so difficult to just watch over Cha Yuwon.”
Taebeom clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked over the men who remained silent.
“Where was he last seen?”
“Well…”
“Where?!”
Taebeom had never raised his voice, no matter what happened. At the angry alpha’s pheromones, some even thought they’d rather faint right here as they held their breath.
“We confirmed he entered the Central Market. We’re sorry.”
“Huh… Shit.”
Taebeom gritted his teeth as he brushed back his disheveled hair.
“Secure nearby CCTV and vehicle black boxes immediately to track Cha Yuwon’s movement route. I’m giving you 2 hours.”
“Y-yes, boss.”
“I don’t have much patience left.”
Taebeom’s eyes were cold as he warned his subordinates, gritting his teeth. The men who met his eyes quickly bowed their heads.
“It would be better to bring Cha Yuwon to me as soon as possible.”
“Yes, boss!”
The men rushed out of the hotel. They only had 2 hours left. If they couldn’t find the boss’s wife within that time, it would be a real emergency.
After sending out his subordinates, Taebeom looked for a cigarette. But he soon gave up and put an extremely spicy candy in his mouth, enough to make his stomach burn.
“Get up, Park Junseok.”
Taebeom approached Junseok, who was kneeling on the floor with his head bowed, and asked.
“Why do you think I entrusted Cha Yuwon to you?”
Junseok, whose cheek was red, raised his head with a guilty expression. He carefully opened his mouth.
“Because… you trusted me.”
“And. Is this all you have to show for it?”
“I have no excuse.”
Taebeom, looking at Junseok who had an equally dark expression, exercised his final patience.
“This is your last chance. Take responsibility and find Cha Yuwon.”
“Thank you.”
“You can go now.”
“Yes, boss.”
Taebeom didn’t think Yuwon had disappeared because he hadn’t tried hard enough. And he also knew that Junseok was probably as worried about Yuwon as he was. He had expected that no matter how many people he put by his side, Yuwon, being unpredictable, would eventually run away like this again. But now that Yuwon had actually slipped out of his hands, he felt anxious and impatient.
Left alone in the room, Taebeom examined traces of Yuwon while biting the shrunken candy. The bitter mint flavor filled his mouth. With a pained expression, Taebeom played the video containing Yuwon’s last appearance.
***
“Um… Should I turn at Sooni’s store?”
It was a bit difficult trying to find the place following the map I had drawn myself on a palm-sized notepad. If I had known it would be like this, I should have drawn it more detailed and larger. I regretted the hasty action I had taken due to lack of time.
“I was told to turn at this alley…”
Passing a small hole-in-the-wall store and following a narrow alley, an open space appeared.
“Wow…”
At first I was unsure, but as I followed the small path down, a secluded beach revealed itself.
“Nice… So this is why Cha Yuwon said he came here whenever he was having a hard time.”
Seeing the waves crashing against the rocks and the birds flying freely, it felt like all the stress and frustration were being washed away. As I was crouching on the soft sand, slowly taking in the peaceful scenery, suddenly a tear dropped from my eye.
“What, why am I suddenly like this…”
Surprised, I blinked once more, and the tears that had been welling up fell down my cheeks. I roughly wiped away the tears with my sleeve and bit my lips hard in confusion. But the tears that had already started to leak out began to wet my face uncontrollably.
“Why am I like this… Hic, why, why am I crying…”
I hurried to wipe away the tears, but I ended up crying uncontrollably.
I had relied a lot on Kwon Taebeom when I fell into this unfamiliar world and didn’t know anything. Even though I already knew he would end up with Yoon Seolah, the female lead, even though I knew I shouldn’t give my heart to him, it seems I ended up giving him my heart after all.
“Huu… You bad guy… Hic…”
I knew this would happen, I knew it would end up like this. But I fell for his warm smile, his gentle breath. I burst into tears on the empty beach, letting out all the emotions I had been suppressing alone into the sea.
“Ho-ppang…”
Maybe because I cried too much, I was hungry. ‘Come to think of it, I didn’t even eat lunch today,’ I muttered to myself while rubbing my slightly swollen belly. I had promised to only eat good things from now on, but I hadn’t kept that promise at all. I had no excuse if Ho-ppang called me a liar dad.
I put my hand in my pocket and counted the little money I had left, there was just over 200,000 won remaining.
“I really don’t want to use grandma’s money…”
The thought that I might really have to use the money that grandma left for the real Cha Yuwon made me dizzy. From tomorrow, I really, really need to look for a job.
“Should I work on a ship…”
Earlier when I was passing by, I saw job postings for sailors here and there. But for the sake of Ho-ppang, I wanted to avoid physical labor as much as possible. It would be good to use my experience and do something like tutoring, but the Cha Yuwon here didn’t even go to college, so that’s difficult too.
I got up with a heavy heart. As I climbed back up the stairs I had come down earlier, I started to feel out of breath.
“Haa. Huff… I need to, exercise too… Whew…”
I wonder what’s wrong with the real Cha Yuwon’s body. It seemed like my physical condition was getting worse as time passed. Shaking my head, I finally put my foot on the last step.
“Haa… I almost died.”
My legs were shaking on their own as I reached the top. I barely managed to drag my heavy legs towards Sooni’s store.
“Auntie. One of these please.”
I took out a cold water and handed it to the lady. Then suddenly, I noticed the snacks below the counter.
“Huh? Is this still being made? I remember it being discontinued.”
Looking at the expiration date, it didn’t seem to be that either. Maybe I was mistaken… Anyway, I picked one nostalgic snack and paid for it along with the water.
“1000 won.”
The lady, with her eyes fixed on the small CRT TV, pointed to the money tray in front of her.
After putting two 500 won coins in the money tray, I opened the sliding door and left the store.
“Haa… Now I can breathe a little.”
I took off the stuffy wig and threw it in the trash can, then sat on the bench in front of the store. As I gulped down the cold water, my wildly beating heart gradually calmed down. The sunlight peeked through the leaves swaying in the wind. The sky was turning reddish, as if the sun was about to set, and I was enjoying the cool breeze.
“Cha, Cha, Yuwon…”
I heard someone calling Cha Yuwon’s name from behind.
Have I been caught already? How did they find me even though I changed clothes and wore a wig?
I tightly held my hands and slowly turned my head to see an unfamiliar man smiling at me.
‘Huh? Who is this?’
As it wasn’t who I expected, I tilted my head and looked at the man. Since he knew Cha Yuwon’s name, I thought he might be Kwon Taebeom or one of his subordinates. But I was confused by his shabby clothes, unlike the black suits they wore every day.
Who is this person really? The man with the unfamiliar face approached me with an unfocused expression, as if he was under the influence of drugs. Wondering if he might be someone the real Cha Yuwon knew before, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“…Who are you? Do you know me?”