I knew perfectly well that many omegas experienced health problems during pregnancy. Even those who were naturally healthy had to endure all sorts of things, from changes in hormones and pheromones to aches and pains caused by weight gain, gestational diabetes, and blood pressure problems. I had always lived an exceptionally healthy life thanks to the advantages of being a dominant omega, so lately, I felt almost like a stranger to myself.
First came the sudden bouts of sleepiness, despite the fact that I’d always been someone who slept very little. Then my eating habits became erratic as well. Sometimes I had a perfectly healthy appetite, while at other times I couldn’t swallow a single thing. The unsettled feeling in my stomach, accompanied by chest pains and dizziness, made my mood absolutely miserable. There were days when the back of my neck became so stiff that it went numb, while cold sweat poured down my body as though I’d been caught in a downpour. During those moments, all I could do was lie down and rest or find somewhere with a cool breeze to ease the symptoms.
“…But it’s strange. I always feel better whenever I’m with the Director.”
I could clearly feel my body recovering whenever I was near Cha Ju Heon. I assumed it was probably because he was the biological father of the baby inside me.
As long as Cha Ju Heon was beside me, the turmoil in my stomach and the dizziness disappeared. Instead, my mind became clearer and much more refreshed. So every time I spent time with him, my physical condition remained stable for several days afterward. It seemed that pheromones had some kind of miraculous effect.
“But I can’t keep clinging to someone that busy forever.”
The existence of an alpha—the biological father—was truly astonishing. Even though this baby had been conceived through artificial insemination, he still had such a profound effect on me…
After mulling over it aimlessly for a while, my body gradually became limp and exhausted. My stomach churned so badly that I could barely move. I think I even had a slight fever.
Thinking that I would be fine after taking a short nap, I lay down on the bed.
The moment my body touched the mattress, I immediately sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.
.
.
Brrr… brrr…
How long had I been asleep?
I couldn’t tell whether it was light or dark outside. My mind was so foggy that I couldn’t even tell if I was awake or dreaming. If it hadn’t been for the incessant vibration of the phone sitting on the bedside table, I probably wouldn’t have woken up at all.
I’d been that deeply asleep.
But strangely enough, even after waking up somewhat, I still couldn’t manage to sit up.
My head throbbed, and the dizziness brought on another wave of nausea. And why was my body so unbearably hot?
My condition was so terrible that I felt as though I could no longer control my limbs.
Amid all this, the phone continued vibrating nonstop. Afraid that something might have happened to my mother, I forced myself to reach for it.
My fingertips were so weak that even pressing the answer button was difficult.
As soon as I managed to accept the call and put the phone to my ear, Cha Ju Heon’s voice came through, a full octave higher than usual.
—“Baek Eun Woo? What have you been doing all this time? Why haven’t you answered? Are you still at the hospital with your mother?”
His voice was somewhat hurried and sharp, but there was no irritation or reproach in it. He simply seemed excessively worried.
Even in my miserable, feverish state, a small question surfaced in my mind.
Why was he so worried?
It had to be because of the baby, right?
But strangely, at that moment, I found myself hoping that wasn’t the reason. I wanted him to be worried because he genuinely cared about me—the person who had suddenly disappeared and couldn’t be reached.
Maybe it was because I was sick, but my thoughts had become more sensitive and sentimental than usual.
—“Baek Eun Woo, did you just wake up?”
“Not really… It’s just…”
The moment I opened my mouth, my voice came out dry and hoarse, so deep and muffled that even I was startled by it.
While I was trying to clear my throat, Cha Ju Heon hurriedly cut me off.
—“Baek Eun Woo, you sound sick. What happened? Is something wrong?”
The concern in Cha Ju Heon’s voice made me feel flustered. It sounded as though he was genuinely worried about me.
Because I didn’t want him to make a big deal out of it, I lied and told him I was fine.
—“It’s not ‘a little.’ You sound terrible. I’ll send Driver Choi over right away. You should go to the hospital. Can you get yourself ready? I’ll finish my evening work and come to the hospital afterward. One injection should… Baek Eun Woo? Are you listening to me? Eun Woo?”
I also felt that I needed to go to the hospital, so I was grateful that he was sending his driver.
I was about to thank him, but my body was becoming heavier and heavier. It felt as though someone were pressing me down from below, holding me firmly in place.
I could hear Cha Ju Heon calling my name perfectly clearly, but my throat couldn’t produce a single sound.
The hand holding the phone gradually loosened.
Why had it suddenly become so heavy?
Thanks to the advantages of being a dominant omega, I’d rarely been sick for most of my life. This was the moment I truly understood what it meant to be completely drained by a high fever.
But I couldn’t.
For the baby’s sake, I absolutely couldn’t afford to be sick…
Knowing how much Cha Ju Heon cared about the baby made me increasingly anxious.
He would definitely scold me for not taking better care of myself.
It wasn’t as though I’d wanted to get sick. But if he did scold me, I wouldn’t even know how to argue back.
Cha Ju Heon’s voice continued echoing in my ears before gradually fading into the distance.
I wanted to hear what he was saying, but everything sounded muffled, as though I were submerged underwater.
While desperately trying to listen to his voice, I lost consciousness without even realizing it.
………
—“Baek Eun Woo?”
The call was still connected, but Ju Heon could no longer hear Eun Woo’s voice.
The only sound coming from the other end was heavy, labored breathing. A terrible feeling immediately washed over him, and he shot up from his chair.
He knew there was no point in calling the name of someone who wasn’t responding, yet he couldn’t stop himself from repeatedly calling Eun Woo’s name, his voice increasingly impatient.
If he had called this many times and still received no response, Eun Woo must have fainted.
Ju Heon had never imagined his condition could have deteriorated this badly. He froze for a moment in shock.
He no longer had the slightest thought for his evening schedule or anything else. He grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the office.
“No wonder I couldn’t reach him all day. Something really happened…”
He’d been wondering all day why he couldn’t get in touch with Eun Woo.
Normally, Eun Woo always replied to his messages very quickly. Since Ju Heon tended to text him at fixed times, he had even become familiar with Eun Woo’s usual response times.
Yet today, Eun Woo hadn’t just failed to reply—he hadn’t even read the messages.
The call Ju Heon had made around noon had also gone unanswered.
Knowing that Eun Woo had gone to the hospital for his mother’s surgery, Ju Heon had been worried that something might have happened there. He’d even checked whether there had been any complications that required Eun Woo to stay at the hospital.
But contrary to his fears, he had received a report that the surgery had gone perfectly and that Eun Woo’s mother was recovering well in the postoperative ward.
Eun Woo had also left the hospital after hearing the doctor’s explanation.
Ju Heon repeatedly ran through Eun Woo’s schedule for the day in his head.
Maybe he was practicing the piano or busy with something else.
He had tried to reassure himself with that thought.
But Eun Woo wasn’t someone who would simply cut off communication…
Strangely, Eun Woo’s silence had made him so restless that he couldn’t concentrate on his work.
It was an unusual distraction for someone like Cha Ju Heon.
It wasn’t until late afternoon that he finally managed to get through to Eun Woo.
He had intended to ask why Eun Woo had disappeared without a word, but the moment he heard his voice, he immediately understood that something was wrong.
The labored breathing over the phone sounded terrible.
He had probably spent the entire day worrying about his mother, and once the tension was released, his body had simply collapsed.
Ju Heon should have sent someone to check on him the moment he couldn’t get in touch with him.
Although Eun Woo being sick wasn’t his fault, Ju Heon still couldn’t help blaming himself.
Before getting into the car, he sent a message and then called someone.
“This is Cha Ju Heon. Go to the address I just sent you immediately. Baek Eun Woo appears to have fainted. He said he had a high fever and his body felt extremely heavy. Get there as quickly as possible.”
After giving the necessary instructions, Ju Heon hung up, started the engine, and stepped on the accelerator as hard as he could.
Since he didn’t know Eun Woo’s apartment password, Ju Heon had asked the housekeeper for it beforehand, so getting inside wasn’t difficult.
Even though they were contract partners, entering the home of an omega who lived alone was hardly something that could be done casually.
But this wasn’t the time to worry about such things.
Fortunately, the doctor he’d called arrived almost immediately with a nurse.
Just as expected, Eun Woo was lying unconscious on the bed. His phone had fallen onto the floor right beside his outstretched hand.
His face and neck were flushed from the high fever.
The doctor immediately approached him, examined his condition, and started an IV.
“Is that IV fluid safe for someone who is pregnant?”
“Yes. This particular IV fluid is safe. Oral medication is also possible, but since he’s unconscious, administering the medication through an IV will work faster. For now, we’ve only temporarily brought the fever under control. It’s best to take him to the hospital immediately.”
The hospital…
Eun Woo’s mother was currently staying at Chaseong Hospital.
Although Eun Woo would be staying in the VVIP ward, in a different building from his mother, making the chances of them running into each other extremely low, Ju Heon was still extremely cautious.
He was worried that someone might see them.
But if the doctor said it was necessary, they couldn’t delay any longer.
They simply had to move discreetly.
“Take him to my family’s private VVIP room. Arrange for him to receive treatment without having to leave the room. Under no circumstances should this become public. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Director. I understand completely. Please don’t worry too much.”
From the standpoint of the contract, this action was being taken for Ju Heon’s own benefit.
But at that moment, more than anything else, it was for Baek Eun Woo’s safety.