Jeongseo’s eyes went round as saucers, unable to look away from the bathroom door.
A moment later, the sound of running water trickled out, and a gaunt-looking Pyo Yoontae trudged back into the room.
Droplets of water clung to the corners of his mouth where he had wiped them with the back of his hand.
“…Yoontae.”
The situation seemed much more serious than he had thought.
As Jeongseo stood up and rushed toward him—
“Wait, just a second. Jeongseo.”
Yoontae covered his nose and mouth with one hand and stumbled backward.
“What—what’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just… ha… I’m sorry, but did you eat something like ribs before coming here?”
Faced with a question that felt completely out of place, Jeongseo looked at him with a bewildered expression before slowly shaking his head.
Since Yoontae hadn’t seen his messages today, he wouldn’t know about the braised short ribs.
“I didn’t eat them. I made them since early this morning for you to eat and brought them over. They’re in the fridge right now. Do I really smell that much…?”
He had showered and changed his clothes before coming.
He’d only opened the container once to check it before putting it in the fridge; was the scent so strong that he could pick it up instantly?
Jeongseo buried his nose in his own arm and sniffed, but all he could smell was the faint, pleasant scent of fabric softener.
Had Yoontae’s sense of smell always been this sensitive?
Unable to move any closer, Jeongseo stayed rooted to the spot, watching Yoontae before asking:
“Have you been to a hospital?”
“…I just bought some medicine at the pharmacy. I was planning to go next week…. Really.”
As Jeongseo’s eyes narrowed, Yoontae grew restless, his gaze shifting everywhere but at Jeongseo.
This was the problem with Pyo Yoontae.
He would make a massive fuss over Jeongseo’s health but treat his own illness with total indifference.
Did he not realize that Jeongseo worried about him just as much?
“I’m going to wash up again and change my clothes. You get ready for the hospital, too.”
When Jeongseo shot him a sharp glare, Yoontae finally nodded rapidly.
Jeongseo left the bedroom and headed for the guest bathroom.
While walking, he dialed ‘Dr. Jang Ha-seon at Serin Hospital’—a facility operated by the foundation under the Heuk-pyo Corporation.
*
“Do you see this here?”
Jeongseo was completely dazed, staring at the black screen where something gray was flickering.
And it wasn’t just one.
“It’s a fetus. Twins, actually. You’re about nine weeks along.”
Two babies.
Pyo Yoontae, sitting behind him, was just as stunned, his mouth hanging open.
They had come to the hospital specifically for Yoontae, and suddenly Jeongseo was being told he was pregnant.
As for Yoontae’s gagging and inability to eat?
It was “sympathetic morning sickness.”
Since they were at the hospital anyway, Yoontae had mentioned that Jeongseo hadn’t been feeling well either, which led to the unexpected check-up.
And the result was pregnancy.
Twins, at that.
Jeongseo couldn’t believe his eyes even as he watched the two tiny lives squirming on the ultrasound.
Furthermore, these “sprouts” had taken root nine weeks ago.
Calculating back… it would have been during the honeymoon.
“…But I took several pregnancy tests…. They were all negative?”
“When did you take them?”
“Um… I did one about two weeks after the honeymoon, and another one last week. Both were negative.”
While the first test could be explained by late implantation, he couldn’t fathom why the one from just last week was negative.
Sensing his confusion, the doctor nodded understandingly.
“There is a phenomenon that typically occurs around the 8th to 12th week of pregnancy. If pregnancy hormone levels are excessively high, the test kit sometimes fails to detect them—we call this the ‘Hook Effect.’ In your case, Jeongseo, given that it’s twins and the father is a dominant alpha, it likely caused the negative results.”
“Ah.”
He recalled seeing something about that once.
However, since it was rare, he never imagined it would happen to him.
Yoontae’s hand slid over and gently squeezed Jeongseo’s hand resting on his thigh.
The doctor made eye contact with both of them before continuing.
“The most dangerous early period for miscarriage has mostly passed, and currently, the development and heart rates of the fetuses are very stable and within normal range. You can breathe a sigh of relief. However, because it is a twin pregnancy and you have a recessive constitution, the risk of complications is higher than a typical pregnancy. From now on, you must pay extra attention to rest and nutrition.”
“Yes, we will be careful,” Yoontae answered.
“Specifically, you must avoid overwork or stress and maintain a stable daily routine. I also recommend regular check-ups.”
The doctor went into detail about what they needed to be mindful of.
Yoontae wasn’t just taking notes; he was even recording the conversation on his phone.
After finishing the consultation, Jeongseo and Yoontae walked out to the hospital entrance, holding hands tightly.
Yoontae stepped down one stair first and looked back.
Watching his cautious movements, as if he were supporting a fragile treasure, Jeongseo murmured:
“He said we’re having babies.”
Jeongseo placed his hand over his stomach.
Knowing he was pregnant made it feel as though his belly had grown a bit more than before.
The doctor had said it would become noticeably rounder soon.
“And twins, no less.”
“I’m so happy, Jeongseo.”
Yoontae’s voice trembled as if he were on the verge of tears, overflowing with affection and emotion.
Jeongseo’s face crumpled with a sudden surge of feeling, and he held out his arms wide.
Recognizing the gesture instantly, Yoontae’s eyes also welled up.
Yoontae started to pull him into a firm hug, but then hesitated and carefully drew Jeongseo into his chest instead.
“Me too… I’m so happy too, Yoontae.”
“Yeah… I love you, Jeongseo. I’m always grateful, and I’m sorry, and I love you.”
The two of them stood there for a long time, sniffing and holding each other close.
*
The news of the pregnancy turned both households into a scene of celebration.
Pyo Hyeonseok, in particular, was overjoyed at the mention of twins, shaking Jeongseo’s hands and declaring that a “lucky charm” had entered his family.
Amidst the joy, Jeongseo decided it was time to put a long-held plan into motion: resigning from his teaching position.
As Yoontae had said, he loved being a teacher in his hometown of Dangang, but his absolute priority was the children.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t a little sad to leave, but for Jeongseo, the idea of not focusing entirely on the babies when he had the means to do so was unacceptable.
He knew he would regret it later.
After saying his goodbyes to the students and teachers of Dangang Middle School, Jeongseo left the school he had grown fond of.
Furthermore, he was preparing to leave Dangang itself once again.
For hospital check-ups and any potential emergencies, it would be better to live in Seoul, near a major hospital.
Plus, now that he was pregnant, he didn’t want to see Yoontae only on weekends.
Moving back to Seoul wasn’t just a choice; it felt like a necessity.
A week before leaving the house he’d grown used to, Jeongseo sat on the sofa looking out the window.
The yard wasn’t very large, but he had been working hard on a small flower bed since last year.
Perhaps that was why the sadness of leaving felt so heavy.
‘But… I can always come back later.’
Jeongseo steeled himself for another farewell to Dangang.
“Shall we go for a walk, Jeongseo?”
“Mm, a walk sounds good… Oh!”
Jeongseo turned around quickly.
Unlike his recent somber mood, his eyes were suddenly full of life.
“Should we visit the old place? When I went last time, there was a massive house being built next to Grandma’s house. It looked huge and beautiful. Let’s go take a look and see our old house one last time.”
Since coming to Dangang, Jeongseo had taken it upon himself to regularly maintain the house he grew up in.
Between the wedding and everything else, he hadn’t been this summer, so it felt right to see it one last time before leaving.
Yoontae, of course, agreed and grabbed the car keys.
Even though it was a short trip, they figured Sobok would love to come along, so the three of them headed toward the house of childhood memories.
“Whew.”
Getting out of the car, Jeongseo stretched lightly.
Even though it was still Dangang, the air here felt significantly fresher than in the center of the county.
“Reminds me of high school.”
As Yoontae opened the back door, Sobok hopped out and ran toward the house ahead of Jeongseo.
Seeing the dog act so happy as if remembering he used to live there brought a smile to Jeongseo’s face.
“True. It feels strange coming here with you, Yoontae.”
The two walked along, chatting about their school days.
In the blink of an eye, they reached the gate, where Sobok was already sitting and wagging his tail vigorously.
Creak—
The metal gate opened with a groan, and Sobok darted inside first.
Jeongseo followed, but as he glanced to the left, he froze in his tracks.
“…Is this for real?”
There was a door in his house’s wall—one he had never seen before—connecting his property directly to the mansion-like residence sitting right next door.
