* * *

Despite only having his good looks and sharp mind, Taeshin made empty promises.

When caught stealing wine, he ruined the negotiation by suggesting to only drink the equivalent amount, resulting in an 800,000 won bill.

He wasn’t just clueless; he tried to weasel out…

“I’ll be more perceptive. So don’t worry about us becoming clueless parents or spoiling our kid. I don’t want you to suffer a breakdown or get angry, so I promise not to let our kid turn out like that.”

When Taeshin came over, kneeling beside me, he gently wiped my tears, as if he understood my worries about the noisy father-son duo. He promised to take full responsibility.

“And I’ll take responsibility for everything that happens. Don’t worry, Sunwoo.”

Taeshin spoke earnestly, but my tears wouldn’t stop.

“I told you, not to… sob!”

“Yes, yes. It’s my fault. I was wrong. I’ll take the blame from your brothers and mom.”

His gentle hand wiped my tear-soaked cheek.

Throughout my crying, he kept apologizing, insisting it wasn’t my fault but his.

After crying my heart out and confessing to Taeshin, I felt a bit better. His soft pheromones helped calm my hiccupping sobs.

“Are you okay?”

“…I don’t know.”

Taeshin returned to his seat, sat close to me, and held my hand. Feeling awkward from his touch, I looked down and answered.

Savoring Taeshin’s soft, sweet pheromones, I hesitated and finally spoke up.

“…Cheese.”

“Cheese?”

“I can’t eat cheese. Pizza or cheese-covered kimchi fried rice either.”

“…Morning sickness… it was.”

Taeshin mumbled as he tried to recall.

Morning sickness.

I kept feeling nauseous and throwing up without knowing why, and Taeshin was planning a blind date without a clue.

Feeling annoyed about that again, I looked at Taeshin with dissatisfaction. He stared back at me, still in disbelief, and I slowly raised my hand to cover my mouth.

“If you kiss me, I’ll kill you, and then drown myself in a shallow dish of water.”

I remembered when Taeshin tried to kiss me without permission in the lecture hall, claiming he wanted to kiss me when I cried.

It was then that I realized he really had the makings of an inconsiderate father.

Taeshin, seeing my cautious expression, soon understood and smiled softly.

“I won’t. Did you eat?”

“…No.”

“Is there something you want to eat?”

The gentle pheromones and his kind demeanor muddled my thoughts. Nobody is perfect, and Taeshin might just be ignorant, not inconsiderate.

“Soybean paste stew… with beef brisket.”

We ended up going to Taeshin’s house because I was too tired to find a restaurant. His aunt was a great cook, and the food was delicious.

Having skipped breakfast and lunch, I devoured the late meal and then lazed around in Taeshin’s room. Lying on his bed with a full stomach, I felt sleep creeping in.

“Are you sleepy, Sunwoo?”

“Yeah….”

The pheromones in Taeshin’s room were subtle and pleasant. As I dozed off, Taeshin, sitting beside me, gently stroked my hair.

“Go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

His fingers tenderly combed through my hair. As my eyes closed under the weight of sleep, I murmured the words I hadn’t yet said.

Taeshin, but we haven’t told your parents yet….

---

A soft touch on my cheek woke me up. As I blinked open my eyes, I saw Taeshin looking down at me.

“Why did you wake me….”

“I didn’t wake you.”

“I woke up because you touched me….”

I pouted at him, and Taeshin smiled. Blaming him for my puffy face from the lack of sleep, I conveniently ignored the fact that I had cried a river the day before.

“I just wiped your drool.”

“What?”

Startled by his words, I quickly swallowed and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. It was completely dry.

“You’re lying, right?”

“I just wiped it.”

Inspecting my dry hand, I reluctantly nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed as I rubbed my mouth and shifted my stiff body.

“Are you in pain? Feeling uncomfortable?”

“No….”

Every time I woke up, my lower abdomen ached. I rubbed my belly, and Taeshin, noticing, lowered his gaze with concern.

I didn’t know the exact reason, assuming it was due to the pregnancy, so I just looked at my belly without giving a clear answer.

“Do you want to go to the hospital today?”

“…It’s Sunday.”

“There’s a place that’s open.”

Taeshin, fixing my disheveled hair, asked. Looking up at him, I buried my face into the pillow. The thought of going to the hospital made me scared and nervous.

I felt like everyone would know about my pregnancy and point fingers at me.

“Don’t be afraid, Sunwoo. You haven’t done anything wrong. If anyone blames you, it should be me.”

His soothing words made me peek out from the pillow to look at him.

“How much do you remember?”

“Hmm, should I remember?”

“…Try, and then forget immediately!”

Taeshin, smiling softly, looked at me as if nothing had happened. But now, I wanted him to remember. Trying to counter his mischievous smile, I stared at him intently as he tried to recall.

“If I have to remember for a moment.”

Taeshin, gazing into the air thoughtfully, raised his hand and scratched the back of his neck. As his eyes lit up for a moment, they quickly returned to their usual state.

“You suddenly bit me because it felt so good….”

“Hey, hey! Taeshin!”

My face flushed with heat as soon as Taeshin spoke, and I jumped up, covering his mouth. Taeshin, pushed back by my sudden move, fell backward.

Lying on top of him, trembling with embarrassment, Taeshin smiled under my hand. Glaring at him, he pulled me into an embrace.

“It doesn’t matter if Sunwoo doesn’t remember.”

“Be quiet!”

“If I stay quiet, I can’t answer, Sunwoo.”

“I got it, so stop answering.”

“But I haven’t finished talking.”

“All you remember is me biting you.”

Blushing furiously, I tried to calm myself while glaring at him. Taeshin, pinned under me, chuckled.

What now? Why are you laughing?

“You do remember, Moon Sunwoo.”

“…Damn it.”

No one could make me speechless like Taeshin. Feeling like I dug my own grave, I buried my face in his chest. I had insisted that I didn’t remember, but my own words betrayed me. Moon Sunwoo, is your brain just for show?

“When Sunwoo asked me to teach you how to kiss, I was so nervous. It was my first kiss, but Moon Sunwoo said you didn’t remember and wanted to pretend it never happened. It was so heartbreaking….”

“Stop lying. That wasn’t your first kiss.”

You were so skilled that day. Looking up at him while still in his embrace, I wanted to deny Taeshin’s claim about his first kiss, feeling too irritated to just accept it.

“It’s true… I tried to be gentle because I didn’t know Moon Sunwoo’s preference.”

“…?”

Which part of that kiss was gentle? Remembering the suffocating kiss, I looked at him full of questions, and Taeshin averted his gaze.

“…It didn’t go well because Moon Sunwoo’s pheromone control was a mess when drunk….”

“Is this because of me?”

“No, it’s not that. It was my first kiss.”

Taeshin insisted with a brazen look, pulling me closer. I’ll let it slide this time.

I shot a glance at Taeshin and rested my cheek against his chest.

But why do I always feel like I’m being swayed when I talk to him?

I let Taeshin pat my back, tilting my head in confusion.

I remained nestled in Taeshin’s comforting embrace, feeling his soft pheromones. When I peeked up at his face, he was silently looking at me.

As soon as our eyes met, I quickly slipped out of his arms and lay down beside him, turning my back.

“…Is the hospital far?”

“Do you want to go?”

“…Yeah.”

Taeshin patted my head reassuringly as I fiddled with my fingers and answered.

He took me to the hospital he had mentioned.

The hospital for shapeshifters was quite large. From the entrance, I felt nervous and queasy as I registered and waited.

“It’s okay, Sunwoo.”

“Yeah.”

While sitting in the waiting room, Taeshin held my hand tightly.

I was scared and couldn’t calm down with the thought of what to do if the pregnancy was confirmed.

My hand, held by Taeshin’s, was sweating, and I felt short of breath.

Even though I had checked with a test kit yesterday, what if the hospital confirmed the pregnancy?

What if there really was a baby inside me?

Taeshin and I were only 20 years old and had so many things to do in the future…

“Sunwoo.”

“…Huh?”

“Moon Sunwoo-woo.”

As I trembled with nervousness, Taeshin called my name. Before he could say anything, my name was called.

Startled, I stood up, and the nurse motioned for me to come into the examination room.

“I’ll be back.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No, I’ll go alone.”

I asked Taeshin to stay put and entered the examination room. After greeting the doctor, I sat down.

“You said you wanted a pheromone test?”

“…Actually, I want to confirm if I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant? When was your last intercourse?”

The doctor, typing something on the computer, turned to me and pulled out a calendar. I told him the timing and about the pregnancy test kit, then went inside for an ultrasound.

The cold gel and the ultrasound machine touching my body made me shiver.

I wished I had brought Taeshin with me.

The black-and-white ultrasound image appeared on the ceiling monitor.

The doctor said in a calm voice, “You are pregnant. The baby is 1.2 cm, which is normal for the timing you mentioned.”

My vision went dark.

* * *