Once I officially began pheromone therapy, I had to endure an exhausting day filled with all kinds of tests and treatments. Although the procedure was specifically designed for pregnant omegas and posed no direct danger, being constantly injected and put on IVs left me completely drained. I fell into a repetitive cycle: wake up, take medicine, get another injection, then drift back to sleep.
My body felt so sluggish and weak that I was almost frightened by how much I could sleep. The doctor explained that this was a necessary part of stabilizing my depleted and disrupted pheromone system, but I still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that I had become incredibly lethargic. Even so, I could clearly feel the fever gradually subsiding, and my body was starting to feel lighter. It seemed the treatment was actually working.
However, the doctors repeatedly gave me a serious warning: if pregnancy-related pheromone shock caused by a lack of alpha pheromones happened again, there was little chance of saving the baby. Right now, I was the only one suffering, but if it happened again, the baby would be in critical danger too.
Their words clung to my mind like a nightmare.
Putting the contract aside, the thought that an innocent life could be endangered simply because of my own carelessness was terrifying.
The lack of alpha pheromones wasn’t entirely my fault, but if Cha Ju Heon had been careless, then I should have been the one to stay vigilant. The fact that I hadn’t even considered it myself was no excuse.
I hated myself for being so inexperienced with my first pregnancy that I had overlooked something as important as pheromones. If that pain came back again, I knew I wouldn’t be able to bear it.
“Then… does that mean I have no choice but to do what Cha Ju Heon said…?”
After Cha Ju Heon left, I spent two full days thinking it over.
My initial conclusion had been simple: Living together probably won’t work. We should find another solution together.
But after every round of tests and treatment, that conclusion wavered more and more.
I realized the situation was far more dangerous than Cha Ju Heon had made it sound. If it happened again, the doctor had stated it bluntly: to save me, they would have to sacrifice the baby. And even if I tried to endure the pain, there was little chance the baby would survive.
In the end, there were only two choices.
Either I lived and lost the baby, or we both died.
It was absurd that both our lives could depend entirely on something as simple as a little alpha pheromone. But this wasn’t something I could brush aside based on emotion.
That was why I was gradually beginning to understand why Cha Ju Heon had made that offer.
Given his personality and personal preferences, he must have needed a great deal of courage to suggest it. It had to have been a major decision for him.
If that was the case, then perhaps I needed to put my pride aside and compromise.
We weren’t playing house. We were carrying out a contract whose stakes were nothing less than our lives. Above all else, doing everything possible to fulfill that contract safely was simply what a responsible partner should do.
The doctor had also repeatedly told me that it would be best for me to stay close to an alpha for as long as possible. Cha Ju Heon’s home was where he was most comfortable, so his pheromones would naturally be present throughout the house. He would also be able to release them there without restraint.
That meant the baby and I could receive the stabilizing effects of his pheromones in the most natural way possible.
Just as Cha Ju Heon had said, it was the optimal solution.
The house is huge anyway. I just have to put up with it for a few months until I give birth… I’ve already received so much from him. This isn’t the time to worry about whether I like it or not. Besides, this is for my own health.
Whenever I tried to think of another solution, my thoughts always circled back to the same conclusion.
I decided I would think about it a little longer and only bring it up with Cha Ju Heon again if there really was no other option.
That was what I had planned…
Until—
“Ah! Doctor! Wait, that hurts!”
“It hurts a lot, doesn’t it? Yes, this procedure is painful. The tube has to be inserted fairly deep, so you’ll feel quite a bit of pain. But you have to bear with it. This is necessary to restore your pheromone balance.”
“It… it still has to go in deeper?”
“Yes, we’re almost there. Once the medication starts flowing, you’ll feel a little more pressure and discomfort. This is the fastest method with the fewest side effects, so just hold on a little longer.”
The doctor and nurse continued inserting the needle while soothing me like a frightened child.
Calling it a needle hardly seemed appropriate. It felt more like an enormous tube being driven straight through my back.
Because I was pregnant, I couldn’t remain on medication and IV fluids for an extended period, so this method was necessary. They could have used local anesthesia, but because I was less than three months pregnant, they had decided against it. New chapters come out on NovelPing first.
I had been far too careless when I heard that people who weren’t pregnant often underwent the same procedure without anesthesia.
It hurt far more than I had imagined.
The pain seemed to pierce straight through my flesh, and I couldn’t stop myself from crying out. Eventually, once the tube was in place, the intense pain began to subside.
The heavy sensation of the medication flowing through the tube remained, but compared to the initial pain, it was much easier to bear.
I wasn’t normally a coward, but perhaps because I had been so tense, cold sweat was pouring down my body. My face was drenched, and I was too exhausted even to groan anymore.
I just wanted to fall asleep.
Is it going to hurt when they pull the tube out?
I could handle doing this once, but if I had to do it a second time, I was done for.
If Cha Ju Heon’s alpha pheromones became insufficient again, would I really have to go through this all over again?
No. The doctor had said it would be even more dangerous next time, which meant this pain might not even compare.
No. That can’t happen.
I hated pain, and I absolutely hated the thought of undergoing another round of this treatment.
I had to stay healthy so I could give birth safely and take care of my mother afterward.
Fine… I’ll just move into Cha Ju Heon’s house.
I’ll move in.
That’s obviously what I should do.
“Excuse me? What happened to Baek Eun Woo? Weren’t you supposed to be administering pheromone therapy? What did you do to him? Is the treatment proceeding properly?”
Just as I was about to pass out from exhaustion, Cha Ju Heon’s sharp voice cut through the doctor’s.
Visitors clearly weren’t supposed to enter this room, so why was Cha Ju Heon here when he should have been at work?
My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and sweat was stinging my eyes, blurring my vision. I couldn’t help wondering just how pathetic I must look for him to be shouting like that.
“Ah, the treatment is proceeding normally. He’s simply exhausted. We need to administer a little more medication, so please step back. You can’t approach the patient right now. You’ll interfere with the professor’s procedure.”
The nurse coldly stopped Cha Ju Heon when he tried to approach me.
She was impressive. She actually had the nerve to stop that man.
I had no idea how Cha Ju Heon had even gotten in here, or whether the medication had made me hallucinate him.
But either way, the moment I saw him, the words slipped automatically from my mouth.
“…I’ll move in.”
“What did you say? Eun Woo?”
“I’ll move… into your house, Director… I can’t keep living like this anymore…”
I didn’t care if he thought I was being difficult or throwing another tantrum.
When I opened my eyes again, the sun had already set.
Lately, waking up to the night sky had become almost routine.
Even though I knew it was because I was sick, I felt uneasy about how much I had been sleeping. I had never slept this much in my life.
Once I’m better, I really need to start exercising.
“Are you feeling a little more awake?”
“…Ah, Director.”
So what I had seen earlier hadn’t been a hallucination after all.
I had meant to ask, You’re here? How long have you been waiting?
But my throat was so dry and sore that even speaking was difficult.
What was strange, though, was that Cha Ju Heon wasn’t wearing a mask today.
Am I supposed to wear one too?
I didn’t have a mask with me.
I had always only seen his eyes behind that mask, so suddenly seeing his entire face felt almost like I was spying on him.
His features were remarkably sharp, with a high, sculpted nose. He really did look like a work of art.
But why was he showing me his bare face today?
He was someone who normally went to great lengths to keep himself covered, so seeing him like this made me wonder if something had happened.
“Why aren’t you wearing your mask? Did something happen? I don’t have one to cover my face with either…”
I was afraid that going without a proper shower while staying in the hospital would make Cha Ju Heon have some kind of cleanliness-induced fit.
My voice was so quiet that he frowned slightly, but once he understood what I meant, the corner of his mouth lifted as though it were nothing worth worrying about.
He touched his own face lightly, then naturally used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from my forehead.
The cloth carried a clean, refreshing scent.
“I had the second floor where you’ll be staying thoroughly cleaned. I normally have them clean it anyway, but this time I told them to pay extra attention to everything. It’ll be warm and spotless. I didn’t know what kind of bedding you preferred, so I prepared the softest blankets and pillows I could find. If you don’t like them, tell me immediately.”
“After you’re discharged, just bring the essentials you need to my house. You can take your time clearing out your apartment later. You said it was only a temporary place anyway, so you don’t have that many things, right?”
“…Huh?”
“Do we need to move your piano too? There’s already one at my house, but… I suppose you’d be more comfortable using the one you’re used to. Just take a look around when you get there and decide where you want it.”
“There’s a private elevator in the house, so try not to use the stairs. If it becomes inconvenient once your stomach gets bigger, I’ll consider moving you to the first floor.”
So that was the result of the delirious nonsense I had blurted out while I was in excruciating pain.
Cha Ju Heon had apparently taken every word seriously and was now laying everything out for me in one long stream.
“What is it? Is there anything else you want to know?”
“Either way, you made the right decision. Just think of this as something you’re doing for your own health and make yourself comfortable. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t have any trouble.”
Honestly, I was more worried about disrupting Cha Ju Heon’s daily routine than about my own inconvenience.
As I watched him calmly explain everything that was going to happen from now on, there was something strangely peaceful about his expression.
And looking at him like that, before I even realized it, I found myself nodding along to everything he said.