I've Been Possessed, But What If I Get Pregnant First? - C86
#86
Then yesterday evening, transaction records of the personal card of Chairman Jo’s long-time secretary were discovered in Beijing. Immediately sending someone to Beijing to check the building’s CCTV, Jo Yeon-ju’s appearance was captured. Taking that as a lead and thoroughly searching the surroundings, Jo Yeon-ju’s whereabouts slowly started to surface.
“Is Hwarong still making excuses?”
“Yes. But even if Jo Yeon-ju acted independently, it doesn’t make sense to say they knew nothing.”
Junseok continued speaking, unusually agitated.
“If they pulled in the Hong Kong mafia, there’s a high probability Chairman Jo already knew.”
“I think so too.”
No matter how much affection she had for Hwarong and burned with vengeance, the scale was too large for her to carry out such a big incident independently. Just the personnel mobilized this time exceeded 30 people. Taebeom had absolutely no intention of letting them go for not only kidnapping Yuwon but also trying to harm him.
“Keep watching them. So they can’t try anything.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Taebeom got up from his seat after confirming Yuwon tossing and turning on the screen. A heavy sigh settled deeply on the lips of him hurriedly moving.
***
That day’s events repeated in my dreams. The only difference from that day was that in the dream, Kwon Taebeom didn’t come to get me. On a seemingly endless road, being chased by someone, the scene transitioned with the sensation of long nails clawing into the back of my neck.
‘A warehouse…?’
The same scene repeated, but sometimes a new scene would suddenly come to mind like this. I thought it was the warehouse I was trapped in when kidnapped in Hong Kong, but it was a different space. A bit more eerie, narrow, and chilly. There was a fishy smell and the air touching my skin was damp.
‘You’re awake?’
At the voice calling me from behind, my body flinched and stiffened. They seemed to call me affectionately, but for some reason goosebumps rose all over my body.
‘If you’re awake, you should look at me, Cha Yuwon.’
Slowly turning around, the man was eerily looking down at me as if he never called me in a gentle voice. Unable to breathe properly at his gaze, abnormal grunting and gasping sounds burst out from my throat.
‘Why are you shaking? Fuck, I’m treating you so well.’
The man’s hand that abruptly approached touched my cheek, making it break out in goosebumps. My body was so stiffly frozen that I couldn’t move, having no choice but to stay still as the man touched me. After doing as he pleased for a while, the man soon got dressed and left the warehouse, leaving me behind.
With the clattering sound, the door locked with a click and the man’s footsteps faded away. Only then did the tension ease. But my body was already shaking finely as if broken, unable to breathe. Painful grunts and gasps involuntarily spilled out. It was so suffocating that I scratched my neck with my nails.
‘Strange… I hate this, really hate it….’
Then suddenly the warehouse door opened. I curled up in case that bastard came back. But the person who entered wasn’t that guy, it was Kwon Taebeom looking younger than now. He came inside.
‘Taebeom…?’
Why is Taebeom here… What kind of dream is this? Why does Kwon Taebeom look young?
Looking closely, there was no scar on Kwon Taebeom’s neck. Could it be Kwon Taebeom from the past, not now? Kwon Taebeom cut the ropes tying my hands and feet, then lifted me up and went outside. Then, we ran into the man who returned.
‘Ah… ugh.’
I need to see… whether this is a dream or if Kwon Taebeom and Cha Yuwon really met before, but my head hurt as if it would shatter and my vision blurred hazily.
Unable to endure it any longer, I eventually closed my eyes. The last thing I saw was vivid bloodstains. I could even smell the fishy scent of blood.
“…won-ah-”
“Ugh, huu… shi, huuu….”
“Yuwon-ah!”
My eyes opened at the hand shaking my body. As my hazy focus adjusted, Kwon Taebeom was looking down at me with a surprised face.
“Haa… haah-“
As I panted, Kwon Taebeom hurriedly rubbed my back. My breathing stabilized a bit and he held a cup of water to my lips. Even as I gulped down the water, my heart was still beating roughly.
“Did you have a scary dream?”
“Huu… uh… yes…”
Spending most of the time awake by his side every day, it would be strange if Kwon Taebeom didn’t know. I guess it was a dream after all.
Right. That can’t be… Why would Kwon Taebeom and Cha Yuwon have met before… No, no way… I calmed my anxious heart while looking at Kwon Taebeom gently massaging my hand so it wouldn’t hurt.
“Tae- Taebeom, I want to go to the hospital.”
“……”
“I- I want to see if Ho-ppang is doing well. Please do that, okay?”
Without even hearing Kwon Taebeom’s answer, I got up and urged him to hurry and change clothes. Hurriedly heading to the dressing room, I randomly took out the first outerwear I grabbed and put it on.
“Why aren’t you changing?”
Kwon Taebeom remained silent in his comfortable home attire. When I almost neurotically rushed him, Kwon Taebeom hugged me tightly. This isn’t the time. We need to go to the hospital quickly. I mumbled, feeling frustrated.
“The hospital? I want to go to the hospital. I want to see Ho-ppang…”
“Let’s eat first. You didn’t even have dinner yesterday.”
“Ho- hospital first… okay?”
“You’re way too skinny now. Let’s eat a little…”
“……”
“Please, Yuwon-ah.”
Kwon Taebeom lightly grasped my wrist. My wrist, too thin for a man, was exposed. Although I barely maintained it after morning sickness stopped by eating a lot, I originally had a constitution where I didn’t gain weight easily, and these days I couldn’t eat well so I lost weight again.
“Yuwon-ah.”
I was about to insist on going to the hospital first, but I closed my mouth at his tired-looking face. In the end, I nestled in his arms and went down to the 1st floor.
Entering the kitchen, only warm food was set on the table with no one around. Looking around tensely in case someone came, Kwon Taebeom put a spoon in my hand and said,
“No one is coming. Come on, eat quickly.”
“Okay.”
As I scooped up some multigrain rice, Kwon Taebeom placed side dishes on top of it. I put the rice topped with finely shredded braised meat in my mouth and chewed somehow. It tasted like the braised meat Grandma makes. Feeling strange, I looked at Kwon Taebeom and he wiped the corner of my mouth with a small smile.
“Grandma made side dishes this morning and brought them up. Does it suit your taste?”
Nodding my head, I took another big scoop with the spoon. I had no appetite, but eating Grandma’s food made me feel at ease. This time I wanted some shredded dried radish seasoned with red pepper paste. As if he knew, without me even saying it, Kwon Taebeom picked up a small piece of dried radish and put it on my spoon.
“I want some kimchi radish too.”
It was inconvenient not being able to move freely due to my injured hand. Kwon Taebeom knew everything just by looking at my eyes, but I felt sorry that he couldn’t eat well because of me.
“Here.”
But my heart fluttered a little at him helping me eat without any complaints. Then suddenly, the scene I glimpsed in Cha Yuwon’s memories came to mind.
Cha Yuwon at that time was clearly confessing to someone. Calling them hyung… Cha Yuwon’s hand was trembling finely as he desperately said he liked him.
“Um, Taebeom.”
“Yeah.”
As he looked at me while applying fish, I pressed my lips together tightly and shook my head.
“It’s nothing…”
I was a little scared. I was afraid that if I asked if we had met before, if he knew me, he would realize I wasn’t the real Cha Yuwon. I was scared this peace would shatter because of me. Turning a blind eye to the precariously cracking gap, I held my breath.
“It’s really nothing…”
The appetite that returned after eating Grandma’s side dishes in a long time was short-lived, and my chest felt heavy and stuffy as if a rock was placed on it.
In the end, I threw up everything I ate without Kwon Taebeom knowing.
***
“Ho-ppang is growing very well, and movements are active too.”
Following yesterday, I visited the hospital again today. Waking up every morning and coming to the hospital became my daily routine.
“Wh- what about the heartbeat? Is Ho-ppang’s heart beating well?”
“You already heard the heartbeat yesterday, so it’s better to listen next week. Many people don’t know, but listening to the baby’s heartbeat can be stressful for the fetus.”
“Ah… is that so?”
I thought I could feel at ease only after hearing Ho-ppang’s heart beating loudly. But if it could stress Ho-ppang, it was right not to do it.
Nodding at the doctor’s recommendation, I looked at the ultrasound screen with a wistful face. It was so amazing that Ho-ppang, who was once the size of a fingernail, was steadily growing and gradually taking human form.
“The doctor says our Ho-ppang is growing well.”
“Yeah.”
“Why aren’t you looking at Ho-ppang, Taebeom?”
Kwon Taebeom kept looking down at my face instead of the ultrasound screen. Only after I asked did he reluctantly look at Ho-ppang.
I asked the teacher a bunch of questions while watching the wriggling movements. The teacher kindly answered me, who asked the same questions every day as if visiting the hospital after a long time.
After finally finishing the checkup, we went to the surgical department to disinfect the wound since we came to the hospital anyway. Maybe because Kwon Taebeom took good care of it day and night, the wound was healing well.
Well, there’s nothing for me to do since he washes, feeds, and puts me to sleep every day.
I shook my head at his suggestion to eat out since we’re already here. As soon as I heard Ho-ppang was doing well, I wanted to go home. It was mentally exhausting to have too many things to worry about outside. Tugging on his arm that I wanted to go home, I headed to the car.