Go Igyeol muttered, glancing toward the seat where Na Seunghee sat. Seo Dohyeon was quick-witted, so he would not keep pushing the conversation on the same subject. Na Seunghee watched the two of them with interest. There was something about them that did not quite feel like a married couple. He had completely given up when Seo Dohyeon got married, but maybe there was still a crack he could wedge himself into.
“Did I make things awkward for you by bringing that up? Was it a secret from Dohyeon that you went out that day?”
“No, it wasn’t anything like that.”
At Na Seunghee’s troubled expression, Go Igyeol shook his head to show that it was fine. While the food was being prepared, Seo Dohyeon and Na Seunghee talked about things Go Igyeol could not understand. Most of it was about the past. Time Go Igyeol had not been part of. And every so often, a question would be tossed to Go Igyeol, who sat there like part of the furniture, as if they were being generous by including him.
“Come to think of it, you two still haven’t had baby news, have you? On purpose? Haven’t you enjoyed being newlyweds long enough by now? It’s been a while since you got married. Dohyeon may hate kids, but I feel like you’d like them, Igyeol. If the baby looked like both of you, the child would be gorgeous.”
At Na Seunghee’s question, Go Igyeol’s expression stiffened. Na Seunghee clearly knew nothing, but for some reason, Go Igyeol felt uneasy. He was afraid Seo Dohyeon might notice his pregnancy because of it.
“Mind your own business.”
“I’m curious, that’s all.”
“Why would you be curious about that?”
“Of course I’m curious. You’re the only married person around me, so how could I not be? What about you, Igyeol? A baby who looked like the two of you would be seriously beautiful. If I were you… I would have had as many children who looked like Seo Dohyeon as I physically could.”
Because Go Igyeol was afraid his pregnancy might be exposed, he missed the meaning hidden inside Na Seunghee’s innocent-sounding question. It felt as if his heart kept dropping in his chest. On top of that, the smell of meat rising from the steak on the table made nausea surge up his throat. Even swallowing cold water did nothing to settle it.
“Hm? What do you think?”
“When the time comes… I think it will happen naturally. We’re waiting.”
“Wow, I see. I guess it’s harder than expected? Even if your trait is recessive, Dohyeon is dominant, so we thought he’d become a father quickly. And you’re so young.”
At the teasing remark, Go Igyeol hid his discomfort and smiled back. “Is that so?” he murmured softly, then picked up his knife. Seo Dohyeon exchanged his own plate, where he had already cut the steak, with Igyeol’s.
“Are you jealous that Igyeol is young because you’re old?”
“What?”
“You keep bringing up age. I wondered if you were jealous, so I asked.”
Go Igyeol’s eyes widened in shock at the rude question thrown out of nowhere. Eat. At Seo Dohyeon’s low murmur, Go Igyeol thanked him quietly, then took his fork while watching Na Seunghee’s reaction across the table.
“So when are you planning to get married? Even if you’re dominant, you’re getting older, so shouldn’t you meet a younger alpha if you want to get pregnant quickly?”
Having noticed Go Igyeol’s discomfort, Seo Dohyeon drew Na Seunghee’s attention away. Na Seunghee, who had received the rude question, furrowed his brow sharply before letting out a hollow laugh and apologizing to Go Igyeol.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“…It’s all right.”
“That was careless of me. Sorry to you too.”
Seo Dohyeon answered with a slight nod. The frozen atmosphere softened once another topic came up. While Na Seunghee and Seo Dohyeon continued their conversation, Go Igyeol could not put even one small piece of meat into his mouth. He drank only water against his churning stomach, but when Seo Dohyeon glanced at him, he blindly speared a piece of steak and ate it.
The tender meat broke apart, and the moment the juices burst in his mouth, nausea rose. Go Igyeol could not hold it back and covered his mouth. Without even checking Seo Dohyeon’s expression, he left his seat. He ran to the bathroom, went into the innermost stall, and threw up from a stomach that had held almost nothing all day.
“Urgh… haah, ugh…!”
That was when it happened. He heard someone approach, and Seo Dohyeon’s voice rang out. Go Igyeol covered his mouth, holding back the nausea that rose again.
“Go Igyeol.”
“……”
He pressed toilet paper to the corners of his eyes, where reflexive tears had gathered, wiped them away, flushed the toilet, and opened the door.
“You said your stomach felt bad.”
“I’m, hm. I’m fine now. I’m sorry.”
“Did you get indigestion?”
“I think something I ate last night has been sitting in my stomach. I took digestive medicine, but it just won’t go down.”
There was not a trace of suspicion in the worried look Seo Dohyeon gave him. It was fortunate that he was a man with absolute faith that he could never make a mistake. Seo Dohyeon supported the unsteady Go Igyeol and stood him in front of the sink. He even waited for him to rinse his mouth, then pulled out a paper towel and handed it to him.
“We should leave. I can meet Seunghee separately another time.”
“I’m… fine, though.”
“Did you not look in the mirror?”
“…What?”
Seo Dohyeon laughed softly and rubbed Igyeol’s chin, where the water had not been fully wiped away.
“You don’t look fine. If I’d known you were this sick, I would have canceled.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s enough apologizing. Let’s go home.”
When they returned to the table, Seo Dohyeon called a server and asked him to bring their jackets.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes. I’ll see you another time.”
“Sure. But Igyeol, are you pregnant by any chance? Isn’t that morning sickness or something?”
“It’s not, so mind your own business. Why have you been so interested in Go Igyeol’s pregnancy since earlier?”
At Seo Dohyeon’s cold reply, Na Seunghee looked awkward and complained that there was no need to say it like that. Go Igyeol was bothered by the way Na Seunghee treated Seo Dohyeon, but the thought that his secret might be exposed if the conversation continued made him lower his head deeply.
“I had indigestion from dinner last night. I took medicine, but it hasn’t improved at all. I’m sorry because of me.”
Go Igyeol apologized while making it clear he was not pregnant. Na Seunghee nodded and erased the suspicious look from his face. Instead, he worried about Go Igyeol, saying he must have a severe case of indigestion and that his complexion looked terrible, then promised they would meet another time.
“Get home safely. Igyeol, you should rest well too.”
“We’ll be going.”
“See you.”
When they left the restaurant, leaving Na Seunghee behind, the car they had entrusted to valet parking was already waiting.
“Thank you.”
Go Igyeol thanked the employee out of habit as Seo Dohyeon put him into the passenger seat. Seo Dohyeon also bowed his head slightly to the employee before getting into the driver’s seat.
“What about the hospital?”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Don’t act foolish and endure it when you’re sick.”
“…It’s not like that. I’m really fine. I think I’ll feel better once I go home and rest.”
Seo Dohyeon, wearing no tie, flicked open the button fastened up to the base of his throat and slowly stopped the car at the changing signal. Once the car had come to a complete stop, he turned his head and examined Go Igyeol’s face carefully.
“You look fine now.”
“……”
“Then tell me about what we discussed earlier.”
“What?”
When the car did not move even after the light changed again, the car waiting behind them blared its horn. Seo Dohyeon shifted his gaze away from Go Igyeol and began driving slowly.
“You cried, I heard.”
Go Igyeol had thought Seo Dohyeon would not forget, since his memory was good, but he had not expected him to ask this quickly. Blaming himself for being stupid enough not to prepare a suitable excuse, Go Igyeol chewed the inside of his mouth.
“Go Igyeol.”
“I was waiting for the bus, and some dust blew into my eye.”
“So you’re saying you cried because of that?”
“Even an eyelash in the eye is enough to make it tear up.”
For an excuse he had thought of in a hurry, it seemed decent enough. At Go Igyeol’s explanation, Seo Dohyeon let out a long sigh and opened his mouth.
“Why did you go out without the car I bought you to use, and show other people such a pathetic sight?”
“…I’m sorry. I’ll use it from now on.”
“You said he was Seunghee’s cousin?”
“Na Seonwoo. He was the class representative in my major. We weren’t that close. We met for the first time in a while, so we said hello, and…”
Seo Dohyeon listened to Go Igyeol’s voice as he rattled off an excuse while watching his reaction, then nodded as if that was enough.
“Mother asked after you today. She must want to see you.”
“I’ll visit the family home tomorrow.”
“And your father said he wants to play golf, so get him fitted for equipment.”
“…I’ll call my father.”
Seo Dohyeon had deliberately said your father. As if to show he had not forgotten what Go Igyeol had said a few days ago.
*****
Seo Dohyeon’s mother, Im Yeonhee, was a dominant omega and the treasured only daughter of Im Cheongyeon, CEO of LCY Financial. Unlike the vulgar atmosphere particular to the private lending world, she was famous for being dignified and elegant when met in person.
“You’re here?”
That was her public image. Separately from the rumors, Go Igyeol thought she was a person born with the gift and talent to set people’s nerves on edge.
“Have you been well?”
“You have the nerve to ask if I’ve been well? Why is it that you only ever come when I call you? If I don’t call, you never once contact me first. Tsk. This is why people who weren’t properly raised by parents are hopeless.”
Her family, LCY, was now a financial enterprise that supplied money to the political and business worlds, but its roots as a loan-sharking operation had always been Im Yeonhee’s complex. That was why she had wanted to give her son a perfect, respectable set of in-laws. But even that long-cherished wish had been ruined by her father-in-law, Seo Dohyeon’s grandfather, Seo Jeongjae, the owner of SJ Group. He had already chosen Seo Dohyeon’s spouse long ago, all because of a promise he had made while sharing drinks with an old friend.
When Im Yeonhee asked whose child it was, the answer she received was that the person had been raised properly and well. From that alone, she sensed that the person who would become Seo Dohyeon’s spouse was nothing special. Im Yeonhee immediately asked her father, Im Cheongyeon, to investigate Go Igyeol’s background. Two days later, when she read through the file handed to her, she clutched the back of her neck and nearly collapsed.
She had at least hoped he had grown up in comfort. Instead, his upbringing was full of deprivation, his financial state showed he owned nothing, he was a recessive omega, and there was not one thing she liked about him—not his looks, not even his age. As if in protest, Im Yeonhee refused to eat or drink and tormented her husband, Seo Taehyeok, but he was not a man with enough backbone to defy his father’s will.
Seo Dohyeon, watching his mother waste away, comforted her instead and told her it was all right. Without even knowing who the omega who would become his partner was, he soothed her. The days leading up to the formal family meeting felt as if she might faint at any moment, but Im Yeonhee humbly accepted that she could not break off her son’s marriage. Once she did, her heart settled into a calm stillness.