The Omega Is Pregnant

"Both Tae-seo and the baby are fine. I think the pheromones you released when you came in helped a lot."

It had been half a day since Tae-seo came out of the examination room. During that time, Jin Gyu-min had thoroughly checked the results and only then did he approach Kang Se-heon to confirm Tae-seo’s condition.
Jin Gyu-min, with his arms crossed, stared at Tae-seo, who had fallen asleep by the window. After Kang Se-heon brought him to the hospital, many things had happened, but Tae-seo hadn’t woken up even once. Because of that, Kang Se-heon’s stern expression hadn’t softened.
"Then why hasn’t he woken up?"

"He just needs time. Wait patiently... Though, I know that’s not easy."
It wasn’t just anyone; it was an Omega carrying a baby, and he hadn’t regained consciousness yet, so it was understandable that Kang Se-heon couldn’t relax. If it were him, he might have insisted on getting him to wake up right away. Jin Gyu-min patted Kang Se-heon’s shoulder twice and stepped back.
"Oh, about the baby..."

Jin Gyu-min turned as if he had forgotten something.
"He’s growing well. What’s the pre-birth name?"
"...."

"No... I just wanted to ask, rather than just calling him ‘the baby,’ I want to call him by his pre-birth name. After all, I’m his uncle."
Jin Gyu-min tried to lighten the mood with a casual question but, sensing the silence, quietly withdrew. No pre-birth name yet, huh? Well, considering the sudden arrival of an unexpected baby, everything must feel awkward.
"Let me know once you've decided. I’m really going now."

As Jin Gyu-min quickly left, Kang Se-heon turned to enter the hospital room. But then, he stopped and turned back, staring coldly through the window at Tae-seo once again.
"Who made you like this?"
Just this morning, he received the phone call that his lover had collapsed. With just that phone call, he experienced the feeling of his blood running cold. Kang Se-heon held his phone without taking his eyes off Tae-seo.

"Find out what happened to Tae-seo. Bring back even the smallest details."
Before he could hear his assistant’s response, Kang Se-heon hung up and opened the hospital room door. As he entered the room, the cold atmosphere seemed to vanish, and he returned to his usual self.
Standing in front of Tae-seo, Kang Se-heon silently reached out. His hand moved toward Tae-seo’s face, closing the distance as if it would touch him at any moment, but just before it made contact, it stopped. The finger hovering above Tae-seo’s eyelids twitched slightly before retreating. When Kang Se-heon noticed that Tae-seo’s expression shifted with the shadow of his finger, he raised his head.

The bright light outside flooded Tae-seo’s face.
"If your eyes hurt from the light, you should wake up."
Why is it that you’re making such a troubled face but still can’t open your eyes? Kang Se-heon walked around the bed and moved toward the window. After closing the blinds to block the light, he turned back to look at Tae-seo. Sure enough, as the light disappeared, his face relaxed just a little bit. He was only pretending to sleep. Kang Se-heon couldn’t help but smile faintly.
"Yeah, sleep well and wake up."

And then, just get up like nothing happened. That’s all. Kang Se-heon returned to his position by Tae-seo’s side and gently stroked his cheek with his finger. The soft skin, warm to the touch, tickled his fingertips.
 
****

"This really makes him look so young."
Normally, Tae-seo’s unexpected words and actions would leave him startled, so he rarely had the chance to stare at his face this long and closely. But now, it was fine to look at him as much as he wanted. After three days of sleeping, all Kang Se-heon had done was endlessly gaze at him.
Resting his chin in his hand, he admired Tae-seo’s face. He was about to graduate from university soon, and by next year, he would be able to get a job. Then, Tae-seo would become a new hire several years younger than him...

"Why doesn't he act awkward around me, even though he's so young?"
Everyone at the company would freeze when they saw Kang Se-heon. Even his cousin would hesitate to speak to him, but Tae-seo was different. He had been flustered by how things were in the room, but he didn’t act hesitant around Kang Se-heon.
Even when he boldly asked for his phone number, he was shameless. When Tae-seo temporarily moved in with him, he made himself right at home, showing no concern for his host's feelings. Thinking back to how Tae-seo had acted during that time, Kang Se-heon tilted his head.

"Could this be fate? Or… did you make it happen?"
Was it just a coincidence that brought them together, or had their baby been sent to take care of Tae-seo? Kang Se-heon didn’t know. Either way, he brought Tae-seo into his life and slowly started spending more time with him.
Not a single minute spent with Tae-seo felt wasted. Whether they were doing something or not, time with him was never boring; it was enjoyable. And it was good. He liked Tae-seo. Liking him made everything good.

"I misunderstood."
The words Tae-seo had said about him being the first one he liked. That was wrong. It wasn’t just liking him.
"I think I really like you. A lot."

"...And now you realize it? You’re quite slow, aren’t you?"
The hospital room was quiet, with only Kang Se-heon and Tae-seo. Kang Se-heon scanned Tae-seo’s face. His eyes were still tightly shut, but the corners of his mouth were slightly lifted.
"Yoon Tae-seo."

If he had truly regained consciousness, he would have opened his eyes by now.
"Are you awake? Huh?"
Kang Se-heon touched Tae-seo’s forehead and cheek. Tae-seo’s body was still warm, so he wasn’t sure if he had woken up, but he kept touching him over and over.

"Tae-seo."
He had spoken directly to him, so it was clear he had woken up, but Tae-seo didn’t respond. Wanting to confirm he was awake, Kang Se-heon kept calling him.
"Open your eyes, Tae-seo."

Thinking that he might have fallen asleep again, Kang Se-heon gently caressed Tae-seo’s cheek with his thumb. What had he reacted to earlier?
"I like you, I like you. Tae-seo."
Slowly, Tae-seo’s long eyelashes fluttered, and the eyes he had longed to see finally appeared.

"Hah."
Tae-seo squinted, struggling to focus his blurry vision. After blinking several times, the swirling ceiling slowly began to take shape.
Looking up at the ceiling, he knew he wasn’t in his own room, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° but aside from that, he didn’t recognize anything. Though he had regained consciousness, his body wouldn’t listen. He couldn’t even move a finger. His throat felt dry, and in the midst of that agony, Tae-seo smiled again, just like before.

"I really had a weird experience, getting confessed to while lying down."
His words were weak and slightly slurred, but he didn’t stop talking. Kang Se-heon sighed in relief upon confirming that Tae-seo had regained consciousness. Even though Jin Gyu-min had said everything was fine, he couldn’t relax until now. But now, Tae-seo had opened his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll do it again once you wake up."

Kang Se-heon gently moved Tae-seo's hair aside. His forehead, now fully exposed, revealed his long eyelashes fluttering slightly, and Kang Se-heon sighed in relief. Tae-seo had regained consciousness. Even while pressing the call bell, Kang Se-heon confirmed multiple times that Tae-seo was awake.
"I was worried you'd keep your eyes shut, but I should’ve told you I liked you sooner. I said the spell too late."
Noticing that Tae-seo was thirsty, Kang Se-heon gently tapped a wet towel to his lips.

"Thirsty?"
"Yes, but..."
Tae-seo licked his lips as if trying to wet them and rolled his eyes, signaling there was something more he wanted to say.

"The baby is fine."
"How do you know?"
"I know everything about you."

How could he not know when Tae-seo was already caressing his belly? But Kang Se-heon didn’t feel the need to point that out.
"So how did I get here?"
"I brought you here."

Knowing what Tae-seo was curious about, Kang Se-heon quietly explained. He had received a call from the assistant saying Tae-seo’s condition didn’t look good and immediately brought him to the hospital.
"CEO Yoon made preparations from the start. He told me to contact him the moment you show any sign of being unwell. Thanks to his secretary knowing in advance and preparing a car, I didn’t even need to carry you or drive."
The assistant contacted Kang Se-heon, and the secretary had already prepared the car. It was clear how much everyone was concerned about Tae-seo.

"My parents..."
"I’ll contact them, so you just rest."
As Kang Se-heon saw the nurse entering, he turned to leave. He pulled out his phone to call Tae-seo’s worried parents but was stopped by a hand gently grabbing his.

Following the hand, Kang Se-heon looked down to see Tae-seo gazing up at him.
"Don’t go."
At Tae-seo's pleading gaze, Kang Se-heon couldn’t pull his hand away. It seemed like Tae-seo’s confession had truly reached his heart. He was holding Kang Se-heon’s hand like this, or maybe it was because he wanted to see him when he collapsed.

"...Can you bring me some water?"
But then Tae-seo’s request made Kang Se-heon chuckle in disbelief.
 

****
"Doctor will be here soon. Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?"
"I'm fine."

Tae-seo shook his head, and the nurse told him to press the call bell if he needed anything, then left. Kang Se-heon also stepped outside to make a call, leaving Tae-seo alone for the first time after opening his eyes.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Tae-seo slowly lifted his hand from the blankets. The trembling of his hand, visible to the naked eye, revealed the emotions he had been hiding through this ordeal.
He was scared. He was terrified that he might never open his eyes again. He was afraid that he wasn’t really Yoon Tae-seo, and maybe when he collapsed, he would return to his original self. Or maybe he would just bounce out of Yoon Tae-seo’s body.

The secret he could never share with anyone stirred up his fear.
It was probably the reason he couldn’t open his eyes. He was afraid that when he did, he would find himself back in his original body instead of being Tae-seo.
"I think I really like you."
 

What led Tae-seo’s consciousness to come back was someone’s voice. It was the voice of the lover he didn’t have in his original self. The voice that woke him up. Now, it was telling him it was okay to open his eyes. He hadn’t gone back; he was still Yoon Tae-seo.
‘Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness.’
Tae-seo clenched his fingers. The warmth he felt when he held Kang Se-heon’s hand was real. He was still Yoon Tae-seo, and he had a vague confidence that he could live in this body until the day he died.

"You too, right?"
Tae-seo gently stroked his belly. With Kang Se-heon and their baby, he felt reassured that he could settle in this world.
"I can really live happily, right?"

"Just trust me."
As Tae-seo murmured to himself, Kang Se-heon, who had entered the room, responded.