“Live together?”
The moment I heard those three words, my mind went completely blank. It felt as though every nerve in my body had stopped functioning for a brief moment. The proposal was so sudden that my thoughts became tangled like a ball of thread. I needed time to sort everything out, so I remained silent, slowly digesting every word of his proposal.
Cha Ju Heon seemed to understand. He did not rush me at all, merely watching me in silence and patiently waiting for my reaction. A long silence settled over the room. After managing to gather the last scraps of my composure, I looked up at him and asked him to clarify.
“Director… about that proposal… I still don’t quite understand what you mean…”
“I understand that you’re very shocked. But literally speaking, yes, I want us to live together. Given our current circumstances, it’s the optimal solution in every respect.”
“Uh… So you mean you and I would live together in the same house?”
“Yes. Exactly. Ideally, for your convenience, I should move into your house, but… as you know, I can’t live in a place where someone else has lived. I hope you can forgive the inconvenience. That’s why I think it would be better for you to move into my house. Besides, I’ve lived there for many years, so the pheromones lingering throughout the space are much stronger. That environment would be better for you.”
“I… move into your house…”
I repeated his words like a malfunctioning machine. But how could I possibly stay calm? Living under the same roof as Cha Ju Heon… Just imagining it made me feel suffocated. If this wasn’t a bolt from the blue, then what was?
While I was utterly astonished, Cha Ju Heon remained perfectly composed, as though he had anticipated this reaction. He sat there with his handsome face and his usual leisurely demeanor, calmly waiting for my answer. All I could do was secretly study his expression, my heart filled with conflicting emotions.
The proposal was far too sudden, and the person making it was none other than Cha Ju Heon, the “king” of cleanliness and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Just thinking about living together made me imagine a scenario where, if I accidentally did something to displease him, he might spray disinfectant all over my face every day.
And putting his cleanliness aside, stepping into his home was hardly a simple matter. Forget our alpha-and-omega status—we weren’t particularly close to begin with, nor were we even ordinary acquaintances. That was the home of my contract partner. Even knowing that he was making this proposal because of the circumstances of our work, I couldn’t possibly agree without hesitation.
This was a man who regarded the baby inside me as a treasure and constantly tried to control me in every possible way. Living with someone like that would certainly be… No, it would be extremely uncomfortable. Meeting occasionally like this was still bearable, but seeing each other twenty-four hours a day was an entirely different matter. And perhaps before I even had the chance to become annoyed with him, he might be the one to collapse from having a stranger constantly present in his home. Knowing Cha Ju Heon’s personality, that was entirely possible.
“I know this isn’t an easy thing to do. But for the sake of your health, we have no choice but to put the other inconveniences aside. The doctor said that if what happened yesterday happens again, you could be in danger. This is a matter of life and death.”
“Yes, I understand the situation very well. I know it’s dangerous, but… moving into your house is still very difficult for me…”
“Eun Woo, if this is difficult for you, it wasn’t easy for me to make this decision either. I know my own personality better than anyone. So I know for certain that this will be difficult for both of us. That much is obvious.”
For the first time, a hint of tension appeared on his normally composed face. So Cha Ju Heon had struggled with this decision quite a lot too.
“In reality, apart from my family, I’ve never lived with a stranger in the same space for an extended period. I’ve lived alone since I was in high school. Having to share my living space with another person would make me just as stressed as it would you.”
“That’s why I had to make a very difficult decision before making this proposal. If it makes you feel as though I’m forcing you into it, I apologize in advance. I truly don’t want what happened before to happen again and leave you injured. And I don’t want to lose this baby either. To protect both of you, my pheromones are necessary, and there’s no better way to provide them than this.”
Contrary to his calm voice, Cha Ju Heon’s expression was far from cheerful. Of course. For someone who was fundamentally incapable of getting along with society, saying these things must have required a great deal of inner struggle.
Perhaps the person who wanted to avoid this situation the most was Cha Ju Heon himself. He must have been suffering just as much as I was. But out of a sense of responsibility, he had chosen to suppress his own preferences and make the proposal.
Looking at his face, I could clearly see his dedication—almost to the point of being rigid.
“I don’t mind either way… but you’ll have a hard time. Our daily habits are different, and no matter how careful I am, the warmth and traces of a stranger will inevitably remain in your home. Will you really be able to tolerate that for several months?”
“Once I’ve made a choice, taking responsibility for it is only natural. Besides, this concerns human life. A little inconvenience is irrelevant. This isn’t the time to weigh whether I can tolerate it or not.”
Perhaps the doctor’s warning that I could die had dealt a heavy blow to Cha Ju Heon psychologically. He had even heard the worst-case scenario—that the baby might have to be sacrificed to save the mother. After witnessing such a horrifying possibility firsthand, it was understandable that he had made this decision.
Even so, I really didn’t want to live under someone else’s roof again, constantly worrying about every little thing I did. Once had been more than enough.
I had experienced what it was like to stay in someone else’s home before, so I knew all too well how mentally exhausting it was. Having to read the other person’s mood just to get through each day, when even stepping outside my room could feel like a challenge… I didn’t want to go through that again.
I knew this situation was completely different, but I still wanted to be cautious. Even living with a close friend required some degree of restraint, let alone living with someone as particular as Cha Ju Heon.
Our relationship had improved somewhat lately, but I didn’t want living together to make things tense between us. Maybe I was worrying too much, but the memories of humiliation and misery from those days were still too deeply ingrained in me, making me instinctively resist the idea.
“Of course, living together isn’t something we can decide overnight. While you’re receiving pheromone treatment at the hospital, take your time to think about it. My house is quite large, so if we clearly divide the living spaces, we won’t have to see each other very often.”
As though he could see right through my worries, Cha Ju Heon used a gentler tone to reassure me. But I must have been imagining it. How could he possibly know about the time I had stayed at Gyu Ho’s house…
“I mainly use the first floor. The second and third floors are almost completely unused. The second floor has a fully equipped kitchenette, bathroom, and balcony, so you’ll be quite comfortable there. If you agree, the entire second floor will be yours. I’m telling you this now so you have more information to consider.”
Oh. So his house had three whole floors? It must have been enormous. If we didn’t have to run into each other too often, perhaps it would be better than the last time.
I gently stroked my stomach and sank into thought. It was a habit I had developed since becoming pregnant. Whenever my mind was troubled, I often found myself doing this.
I had never known that my illness was caused by a pheromone deficiency, but that period had truly been excruciating. The fever had left me delirious, as though my head were about to split apart.
If I stubbornly insisted on doing things my own way and this happened again… If the baby couldn’t be born because of it, I would surely live with regret for the rest of my life.
“…Then I’ll think about it carefully. In any case, this isn’t entirely your fault, Director. I’m at fault too. I signed a contract to have a child, yet I knew so little about pheromones. I’ll consider whatever option is best for the baby.”
“Good. I know this is a difficult choice. Let’s get through this together and handle it wisely. You don’t have to do anything. Leave everything to me. Ah, I don’t mean that I’m trying to impose my will on you again. I mean that I’ll take care of all the complicated matters.”
Ever since the incident with the hamburger, this man seemed to have become much more careful with his choice of words.
Watching Cha Ju Heon hurriedly clarify himself, I smiled faintly.
The words “Leave it to me” sounded strange coming from him today. They didn’t sound like an order. Instead, they felt like a solid promise of protection.
The feeling of not having to shoulder everything alone, of having someone worry about me when I was sick…
I never knew something like that could feel so peaceful.
“There’s one more thing, Director.”
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you for taking me to the hospital.”
Feeling embarrassed about having to say thank you, I scratched my head slightly before speaking in a quiet voice.
“What is there to thank me for? It was only natural. You’re suffering like this because I didn’t take good enough care of you in the first place. This is something I should have done. Don’t thank me. It’s something you have every right to receive.”
“I just… really am grateful. Ever since my father passed away, this is the first time someone has taken care of me when I was sick. Before that, whenever I got ill, I always had to buy my own medicine and go to the hospital alone because my circumstances didn’t allow me to rely on anyone. There were times when I was so sick that I didn’t even have the strength to move, so I couldn’t go buy medicine or even make it to a clinic… So the fact that you brought me here and stayed by my side the whole time… I’m truly grateful.”
At my sincere words of thanks, Cha Ju Heon’s pupils visibly trembled.
He looked at me with a stunned expression, then fell silent without saying another word.
Perhaps my words had been too heavy for him.
But they truly were nothing more than the honest feelings in my heart.
Putting our contractual relationship aside, I was grateful that he hadn’t abandoned me when I was at my weakest.
And I had poured all of my sincerity into those words of thanks.