Knowing the car was heading toward the apartment made Yeonwoo’s anxiety swell, slow and suffocating. The thought that Chahyun might not let him go this time—that he would be forced to sit quietly and watch him go through with the marriage—sent his head spinning.
“I can’t... breathe….”
He wanted to throw open the car door and bolt, but his limbs had no strength. His hands and feet trembled, and his heart pounded so hard it felt like it was shaking his entire body.
“Ha… hah… haah.”
Clutching at his chest, Yeonwoo struggled to breathe. Cold sweat began to bead at his temples.
“Yeonwoo? What’s wrong, all of a sudden?”
“I… I can’t breathe…”
Then, nausea hit without warning.
“P-pull over… urgh!”
Yeonwoo slapped a hand over his mouth and fumbled to open the door. But it was locked.
“Pull over. Now!”
Chahyun shouted at the driver the moment he saw something was wrong. The driver quickly steered off the road toward the sidewalk.
“Urghhh!”
But before the car even came to a complete stop, Yeonwoo vomited.
He tried to stop it with his hands, but the crushing tightness in his chest forced everything up. His body betrayed him. Nothing was under control.
“Yeonwoo, what’s wrong? The door—open the damn door now!”
The car finally stopped, and as soon as the locks clicked, Yeonwoo shoved the door open.
He spilled out onto the sidewalk, collapsing as he landed. Then he began to throw up again—more, this time, violently and without pause.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong with you, huh?”
Chahyun rushed after him.
“Urgh… hkk—”
“Where does it hurt, Hong Yeonwoo? Did you eat something bad?”
Chahyun reached out to rub Yeonwoo’s back, but the moment his hand made contact, Yeonwoo flinched away and scrambled forward.
“Don’t touch me. Stay back….”
He didn’t even notice that his knees were soaked in vomit. No, it looked like he didn’t register anything at all.
Seeing Yeonwoo recoil at his touch as if having a seizure, Chahyun froze mid-crouch, half bent over.
“I—I just, I thought you were having a hard time…”
“Urk…! I get it, so—haah… just don’t come near me. You’ll get your clothes dirty…”
Yeonwoo’s voice came out hoarse and weak, but he still tried to soothe Chahyun like he was the one who needed calming. And then another wave of sickness rippled through his gut, and he shuddered again.
“Should we go to the hospital?”
Blocked from touching him, Chahyun began pacing nearby, eyes full of desperation.
“No.”
“Then…!”
“Just leave me alone right now. That’s all I want.”
“……”
“Please… Chahyun. I’m begging you.”
***
In the end, Yeonwoo didn’t get back in the car. He checked into a nearby hotel instead and washed up.
His body was completely drained after vomiting until even the clear bile was gone. He had no strength left to go anywhere else.
After showering in the hotel bathroom, the awful stench clinging to him was finally gone, and a small relief washed over him. But a lingering doubt remained—what exactly had caused his body to break down like that?
Was it fear? The idea of returning to that apartment?
It was the first time he’d ever had such a visceral rejection to being near Chahyun. And that scared him too—scared him that he could feel that way.
Was it the fear of being locked up again? Or just motion sickness on top of the shock of being caught? …He couldn’t tell.
In the end, everything had played out exactly the way Chahyun had insisted it should—if he was going to sleep outside, at least stay in a hotel.
“…Clothes.”
Wrapped in a hotel bathrobe, Yeonwoo stepped out of the bathroom and realized he didn’t have anything to wear. All his clothes, underwear and all, were soiled with vomit.
Left with no choice, he lay down on the bed in just the robe and touched his swollen throat. No matter how much he tried to piece it together, he couldn’t remember the moment he started vomiting. The only thing he recalled was the blood-freezing feeling that had swept over him the second Chahyun touched him.
As he drifted in and out of thought, there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?”
Yeonwoo called out with a voice that was nearly gone.
—It’s me.
Chahyun. Yeonwoo tensed as he sat up.
—How’s your stomach?
“…I’m fine now.”
—I’ll hang new clothes on the doorknob.
Chahyun sounded subdued, like he had no intention of coming in. His voice was quieter than usual.
Yeonwoo was relieved. If he’d been dragged back earlier, he might’ve been locked in again.
“Okay.”
—There’s medicine in there too. Take it after you eat.
“Mm.”
—Make sure you go to the hospital later.
“……”
—Hm?
“I’ll handle it myself.”
—I won’t follow you. Just go when you feel comfortable—
“I said I’ll take care of it.”
Yeonwoo’s reply came out cold. There was no response from outside.
Did he go too far?
The room fell silent with just the door between them, and Yeonwoo’s chest felt heavier by the second.
But right now, he really didn’t want to deal with anything. He just wanted to rest.
—The house—
“I’m tired. Let’s stop talking for today.”
As soon as Chahyun mentioned “the house,” Yeonwoo deflected. Then he checked the lock on the hotel room door obsessively, again and again.
—Got it.
Chahyun’s calm voice came through. Yeonwoo moved his lips a few times, unsure what else to say.
An awkward silence settled between them. Just as Yeonwoo wondered if Chahyun had finally left, his voice returned.
—And don’t feel bad about the sleeping pills. I only felt dizzy at first. It passed quickly.
“……”
The moment the pills were mentioned, Yeonwoo flinched.
—Get some rest.
Without waiting for a reply, Chahyun left. His footsteps faded into the carpeted hallway.
Yeonwoo sat on the bed, staring at the door.
He hated Baek Chahyun so much. He wanted to hate him completely—but Chahyun always made that impossible.
Because he wasn’t only selfish and cruel. That was what made it all so much worse.
***
At some point, Yeonwoo had fallen into a deep sleep. He woke to the sound of a bell.
—Housekeeping. I’m here to clean.
A middle-aged woman’s voice called out several times. Yeonwoo groaned and dragged himself toward the door.
“You don’t have to clean today.”
—Understood. But sir, there’s something hanging on your doorknob. Is it yours?
At her words, Yeonwoo tightened his robe and opened the door. The woman in uniform held a large shopping bag.
It was what Chahyun had left before.
“Ah, yes. That’s mine. Thank you.”
“If you need anything else, just let the front desk know.”
The staff moved on to the next room. Yeonwoo looked up and down the hallway before finally relaxing. No sign of Chahyun or his men.
Back inside, Yeonwoo opened the bag. Just as Chahyun had said, there were new clothes and medicine. Even his bag was there.
Was Chahyun no longer at the hotel? He hadn’t said anything about staying nearby. Maybe he really had given up on dragging him away.
He didn’t seem like he was going to push harder during their last conversation. At least Chahyun’s overbearing concern for his health was one small mercy.
A little later, Yeonwoo put on the fresh clothes and left the hotel.
“I’d like a male Omega pregnancy test kit, please.”
At the nearest pharmacy, he bought a test. Then he returned to his room and immediately tore open the package.
It would take some time for the result to appear. Yeonwoo turned the stick over and glanced at the clock, thinking through the possibilities.
He couldn’t shake the vomiting. It lingered in the back of his mind. Nausea was one of the most common early symptoms. It was hard to rule the idea out completely.
Pregnant. What were the odds?
They’d always used protection—well, Chahyun had.
There were a few moments when they both lost control and didn’t, but Yeonwoo had never been pregnant before.
Male Omegas were already at a biological disadvantage when it came to conception. Infertility clinics had far more male Omega patients than any other group.
But it wasn’t impossible. Which made the idea nerve-racking.
He knew Chahyun had chosen someone else. He didn’t want to beg or cling to him just because of a baby.
If he really was pregnant now, things would get unbearably complicated. Especially if Chahyun still intended to go through with that marriage.
Time was up. Yeonwoo checked the clock, unable to hide his nerves as he wiped his face repeatedly.
He took a deep breath and picked up the test.
“Phew…”
One line. Not pregnant.
Thank god.
Yeonwoo double-checked the test, then tossed it in the trash.
At the same time, his phone started to ring.