* * *

The moment I took a sip of the soup with my spoon, my throat suddenly closed up at my mom’s words. I started coughing and sputtering, and Taeshin gently patted my back.

A pregnancy dream… what on earth is my mom dreaming about?

While I was internally shocked, I put down my spoon as if nothing was wrong.

“A pregnancy dream, really?”

“It could be a pregnancy dream. You have so many sons, after all.”

My eldest brother, oblivious to what he was saying, defended my mom.

“Maybe our youngest is worried about losing his spot as the baby of the family, and made a ridiculous assumption.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll still be cute even if a younger sibling is born.”

“Worry? What worry? Besides, I’m an adult now.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I glared at my eldest brother, who still treated me like a child, and it suddenly felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.

When Taeshin laughed, his eyes curving, the sweet pheromones around him thickened. The warm gaze and the sweet pheromones touching me made my heart, which had dropped, return to its normal state.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded absentmindedly at Taeshin’s question. I wasn’t sure if he was asking about the coughing fit or the pregnancy dream talk, but either way, I was so captivated by his unexpected charm that I couldn’t think of anything else.

“Hmm, I wonder who it could be. Maybe Geonwoo or Daewoo?”

I snapped back to reality at my mom’s murmuring, who seemed genuinely curious and couldn’t let it go.

This isn’t the time for this! I nervously fidgeted and nudged Taeshin’s thigh under the table.

Even though I still had some food left, I just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Understanding my feelings, Taeshin glanced down at my hand on his thigh and then put down his spoon.

He must have understood that I wanted to leave immediately.

Watching my mom, lost in thought, and my dad, who didn’t seem to care, I cleared my throat.

“We should get going…”

“Where are you going when your parents haven’t finished eating yet? So rude.”

Moon Jinwoo, who was always busy and often behaved rudely, scolded us. When he does it, it’s romantic, but when we do it, it’s a scandal.

Pouting in frustration, I caught Moon Jinwoo’s harsh glare, which forced Taeshin and me to sit back down.

“What’s this? Sunwoo, you left some food?”

“Well, yeah. The youngest never leaves food behind, saying he needs strength. Eat some more. Jinwoo would feel uncomfortable if you just left.”

My mom was surprised to see my half-eaten bowl, and my eldest brother tried to mediate. With the talk of the pregnancy dream killing my appetite, I reluctantly sat down again, exchanging glances with Taeshin.

From now on, I’ll call Jinwoo rude every time he leaves like this. As I grumbled and ate some fish with rice, to my chagrin, it tasted good.

My lost appetite must have returned. Knowing that you shouldn’t eat while angry, I focused on my food.

“Not hungry?”

“No, I’m eating.”

Taeshin’s hand wasn’t moving much, possibly because the talk of the pregnancy dream had killed his appetite, too. Though he usually had a small appetite, today he seemed particularly listless.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine.”

Had he come to see me so early in the morning because he ate something bad yesterday and couldn’t sleep? All sorts of worried thoughts crossed my mind.

Taeshin shrugged with a reassuring smile, though his complexion did look worse. Was he sick?

“Taeshin, don’t be picky. Finish the food your aunt made with care.”

“Taeshin isn’t leaving anything. He’s eating just fine.”

Moon Jinwoo, oblivious to Taeshin’s condition, kept pushing him to eat. Glaring at Moon Jinwoo, I clicked my tongue. Taeshin had eaten only half of his rice and hadn’t touched the fish in front of him.

“Does the fish smell bad?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Mine didn’t smell bad. I picked up the dish and sniffed it, but it only smelled delicious. Taeshin, on the other hand, scrunched up his face and turned away.

“Oh, sorry. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a moment.”

Taeshin apologized and left the table, unable to bear it any longer. Moon Jinwoo, still unaware, continued with his rude remarks.

“What’s with all the fuss?”

“Can’t you see? Taeshin isn’t feeling well! Jinwoo, you’re really too much!”

Still holding a grudge from Jinwoo’s earlier reprimand of Taeshin, I snapped and left the dining room. I hurried to Taeshin, who had just come out of the bathroom, grabbed his arm, and looked him over.

“Did you throw up? Are you really sick? Should I get you some medicine?”

“I’m okay. I feel better now.”

“Really? How about some medicine?”

“That would be helpful.”

I quickly found some medicine for him and brought him back to our room. I helped him to the sofa and checked his face, which was pale.

“How long have you been feeling like this?”

“A little over a week, I guess.”

“That long?”

I held his hand and lay him down completely. Despite being unwell, he squeezed my hand and smiled faintly. As I gently patted his head, he tried to comfort me.

“It’s just that I’ve become sensitive to the smell of fish.”

“Then you can’t eat seafood at all.”

“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”

Taeshin sounded like a picky eater. If he kept this up, he wouldn’t grow tall or stay handsome. I remembered my mom’s warnings and almost repeated them to him but held back.

It would be ridiculous to tell someone over 180 cm tall that he wouldn’t grow if he was picky.

“Sunwoo, I’m dizzy.”

“Dizzy? Should we go to the hospital?”

“No, just let me lie down for a bit.”

Startled by his dizziness, I stood up quickly, but Taeshin pulled me back down. He made a space on the sofa for me to sit and lay his head on my lap.

After shifting a bit, he turned to face me and closed his eyes.

What did he eat to feel this sick? Though he looked fine, he often got ill. As I gently stroked his head, I sighed at his peaceful, resting face.

His white skin, long eyelashes, sharp nose, and neatly closed lips made me chuckle.

It was funny to think that I couldn’t eat cheese because of morning sickness, and Taeshin was sensitive to fish smells for some reason.

Was he sick because I was?

The thought was absurd and made me laugh again.

…Over a week?

I mulled over Taeshin’s words and tried to recall when my morning sickness had started.

It had been over a week for me too, maybe even two weeks… It seemed to be around the same time as Taeshin’s.

“Are you having morning sickness too?”

Smack!

“…Ah.”

“Oh, did that hurt? I’m sorry!”

Taeshin’s smooth forehead annoyed me for no reason, so I lightly hit it without thinking. When Taeshin winced and frowned, I snapped out of it and immediately apologized.

I barely tapped him, but perhaps because he was already feeling unwell, he seemed in pain. I gently patted his forehead to soothe him.

“It hurts, Sunwoo.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

I kept apologizing to Taeshin, who spoke weakly. Oh dear. I should keep a close eye on Taeshin today.

[Crazy Brother> Be prepared.]

As I moved my hand from Taeshin’s forehead to his hair, Moon Jinwoo sent a message.

His sudden, menacing words made me frown.

What’s with him all of a sudden? Is he acting up again? Ignoring the message, I patted Taeshin.

---

When we went back to the hospital after a few days, it was quite crowded despite it being a weekday morning.

After registering for an appointment, we waited in the lobby, and I felt nervous and jittery.

Trying to shake off the tension, I clenched my fists, and Taeshin, who was sitting next to me, placed his hand on my head.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“Okay. Are you alright?”

“Yes, but you’re so anxious that I’m worried.”

Taeshin smiled, emitting pheromones as he lightly touched my hair like it was delicate feathers. The soft, warm pheromones gradually calmed my jittery heart.

“I feel better now.”

Taeshin stopped stroking my hair and held my hand, which had relaxed from a fist. His warm smile made my stomach flutter and my heart race.

The sweet scent of his pheromones made my mouth water, and I gulped.

“Patient Moon Sunwoo.”

“Yes!”

In that warm and ticklish moment, my name was called. I jumped up to respond, and Taeshin laughed.

“Go on.”

“…You have to come too.”

It’s our baby, so you need to see this too. Holding Taeshin’s hand tightly, I pulled him up as he let go of mine to wish me well. Surprised, Taeshin smiled brightly and got up.

Inside the examination room, we greeted the doctor and told him we wanted to see the ultrasound and hear the heartbeat.

Holding Taeshin’s hand tightly, we entered the examination area and did the ultrasound. It was less scary with him by my side.

When the doctor showed us the screen, there was a faint white shape inside a circle, just like last time.

“The fetus is fine, and the gestational sac is 3.2cm, with the fetus measuring 1.45cm, which is normal for 8 weeks. Let’s listen to the heartbeat.”

The doctor drew lines on the screen and told us the measurements. It had already been eight weeks since the baby had formed. I felt sorry for not realizing it sooner.

The doctor pointed out the baby’s head, back, and heart. The fuzzy image of the baby became clearer and then faded.

The doctor said it seemed like the baby was moving because it knew its parents were watching, which felt strange.

My heart pounded with excitement, and I tightly squeezed Taeshin’s hand. Then, I was startled by the loud sound of the heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Taeshin, the heart is beating! The baby’s heart was racing as fast as if it were sprinting. Watching the steady rhythm on the screen was fascinating and surprising.

I glanced at Taeshin, who seemed as stunned as I was.

“Isn’t it beating too fast?”

“The fetus’s heart rate is naturally fast. It will gradually slow down over time. The heartbeat is normal and healthy.”

I was worried the rapid heartbeat might be a problem, but the doctor reassured us.

After the ultrasound, we went back to the main examination room and received a yellow pregnancy booklet and the ultrasound photos from the doctor.

Although it was hard to distinguish the head from the back in the ultrasound pictures, holding them in my hand felt surreal.

The mixture of emotions left me speechless. It wasn’t just me; Taeshin also stared at the ultrasound pictures in silence.

A small, faint shape. That was our baby.

* * *