It’s not your child chapter 2

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“If there’s a bonus, ask them to make it a big one. I’m seriously dying here.”

“I actually find it kind of fun… And you handle everything so well that it’s rewarding in its own way.”

“Mijeong, at least you can pretend it’s like playing with a doll. I have to deal with a nasty-tempered human being.”

Sera sighed and shook his head.

He had been the manager of the company’s only celebrity and rising star, model Jeonghyun, for almost six months—the longest anyone had lasted.

Despite the high salary in an industry known for underpaying managers, no one had lasted this long because of Jeonghyun’s foul temper.

‘Mr. Jeonghyun. Today’s schedule is…’

‘I’d prefer if you didn’t call me by my name. I hate people acting all familiar with me.’

Jeonghyun was always polite yet cutting, drawing a clear line.

He’d even suggested to some of his previous managers that they might be happier working for another celebrity, setting them up with other opportunities.

His infamous bad attitude had driven nearly ten managers away before Sera finally took over.

He had initially joined the agency confidently, thinking, “There are plenty of difficult people in this business. If the money’s good, that makes them nice in my book.”

But now even he was starting to look strained.

“If I stick it out for just a few more months, I’ll hit my financial goal. Maybe I should take a pay cut and work for someone nicer.”

“Don’t say that! If you leave, I’ll really be dead.”

“Ugh, I’m only putting up with this for your sake, Siyoung. By the way, you look like you’ve lost some weight.”

“…Do I?”

Siyoung touched his face at Sera’s comment.

He hadn’t noticed at all, but maybe the stress from that night and the pregnancy news had been weighing on him.

Instead of gaining weight like he should, he was losing it.

His expression darkened.

“You must be free today, seeing as you’re just hanging around.”

“Oh, well, just for a moment…”

“I thought you had to leave right away. Shouldn’t you be prepared…?”

Jeonghyun, who had just finished hair and makeup, returned to the waiting room and, as usual, started picking a fight.

But when he noticed Siyoung, he stopped mid-sentence.

It had been a week since they’d last seen each other.

“…What are you doing here?”

“I had some things to talk about and a few things to pass along. Didn’t I tell you not to speak to your manager like that?”

“What does it matter?”

‘What does it matter? Because whenever your manager quits, I have to cover for them despite being busy myself.’

Siyoung swallowed the words that came to mind and smiled instead.

“Wouldn’t it be better to have someone skilled helping you out?”

“No matter who comes, it’s all the same. What does it matter?”

‘If it’s all the same, then why are you always giving people such a hard time? Forget it. There’s no point in arguing.’

Siyoung sighed and handed the shopping bag he brought to Jeonghyun.

“Yeonseok said to give you this since you’re heading to the set.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. I just brought it like he asked. Probably something he picked up on his trip.”

“Did you get something too?”

Jeonghyun tore into the bag and found a silly-looking trinket inside.

“What’s with this stupid thing…?”

“Looks like it’s similar to mine. He has a hobby of buying weird stuff whenever he travels.”

“Doesn’t he have anything better to do?”

Jeonghyun tossed the trinket aside and walked up to Siyoung without warning, causing him to step back in surprise.

“What’s with your face?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“…Forget it. If you’re done, just leave.”

“I was thinking of sticking around to see how you do on set…”

“You’re in the way. I hate working with someone watching over my shoulder. As long as you don’t tell Yeonseok, what’s the problem?”

Jeonghyun turned his back on Siyoung.

Even though Yeonseok didn’t care about the day-to-day operations, he enjoyed pretending to be the boss.

Siyoung had even gotten his approval to leave for this errand.

There wouldn’t be any real consequences if he left now, but Yeonseok would probably tease him for slacking off or pester him later.

“If you’re not doing anything, leaving early is better, right?”

“…”

“Siyoung, it’s going to be a long wait for today’s shoot, and there’s not much to see. You’ve been swamped with work lately, so why not take this chance to go home and rest?”

Sera chimed in, agreeing with Jeonghyun.

If Siyoung insisted on staying, Jeonghyun would be in a foul mood all day, and Sera would end up bearing the brunt of it.

‘Just go home!’

Reading the plea on Sera’s face, Siyoung sighed.

Yeah, why should I stick around just to deal with this guy’s attitude?

“Fine. Make sure you come up with a good excuse for Yeonseok.”

‘Good. I’ll go home and rest.’

Siyoung shot Jeonghyun a brief glare before leaving the waiting room.

With an attitude like that, it’s no wonder no manager sticks around long.

Sera really was a lifesaver.

‘I hope Sera sticks around until I quit.’

Finding a replacement and training them was a hassle, but the real issue was that Siyoung hated playing the stand-in manager for Jeonghyun.

‘It’s not just the attitude. I can never figure out what he’s thinking… it’s so uncomfortable.’

Though Jeonghyun wasn’t as snappy with him as with the managers, Siyoung still hadn’t gotten used to the man’s lack of social skills.

Jeonghyun would stare silently for a while before suddenly blurting out random, disconnected comments.

Back at home, Siyoung dropped onto his bed, not even bothering to properly undress.

He had heard that fatigue was common in early pregnancy, but it felt worse than he’d expected.

Ever since realizing he was pregnant, he’d been sleeping even more.

‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping so much that I haven’t been eating properly. Since I got off early today, I should try to eat something decent…’

Lying there, Siyoung grabbed his phone and thought about what to have for dinner.

There wasn’t enough in the fridge to cook anything, and he was too tired to go grocery shopping.

Delivery seemed like the best option.

“Ah, geez.”

Just as he was thinking about what to order, his phone suddenly rang, startling him.

Siyoung fumbled with his phone, checking the caller ID.

“What the…?”

The call was from none other than Jaeyoon, the so-called director of this odd company and the most sensible of Siyoung’s three college friends.

-Have you had dinner yet?

“That’s the first thing you say when I answer?”

• I just had a feeling you hadn’t eaten.

The reason Siyoung still kept in touch with three people he’d thought he wouldn’t see again after college—or at least after their shared classes ended—was all because of Jaeyoon.

‘I still don’t know whether I should be grateful or ask him why.’

“I was just about to eat.”

• What are you having?

“I haven’t decided yet. There’s nothing at home, so I was thinking of ordering something.”

Jaeyoon, who had his name on the roster at an entertainment agency but spent more time running his café on the first floor of his own building, was a friend Siyoung saw more often outside of work than in.

• Is that so? Then I’ll come over to your place now.

“There’s no food here, why bother?”

• When have I ever come over to eat at your place? I’ll bring sushi from the place you like.

“Suddenly?”

Siyoung was a little surprised but not shocked—this wasn’t an unusual occurrence.

After roughly calculating how long it would take for Jaeyoon to arrive, he began preparing to receive his guest.

“You’ve lost some weight. It’s only been a week since I last saw you.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

Jaeyoon spoke with concern as soon as he saw Siyoung.

Everyone had been commenting on his weight loss recently, making Siyoung realize he really needed to take better care of himself.

‘Yeah, the time for feeling troubled is over. I’ve already decided to keep the baby, after all…’

Feeling guilty for not eating properly when he needed to nourish his body more than usual for the baby, Siyoung unconsciously placed a hand on his stomach.

“Does it hurt?”

“Huh? No, not at all. It’s just hunger.”

“And what’s Yeonseok doing, letting you go hungry like this? He’s a terrible boss.”

“You’re my boss too, you know.”

“I haven’t been around much this month because of the café renovation. But in the meantime…”

Jaeyoon pouted as he spoke.

Even though the café was a side project, he was very attached to it, so much so that the remodeling costs far exceeded any revenue it was making.

“Is the renovation finished?”

“Almost. It should be wrapped up by next week.”

Without the hesitation of a guest, Jaeyoon unpacked the food he’d brought onto the dining table.

Knowing Siyoung’s favorite restaurant and dishes inside out, Jaeyoon had once again brought exactly what would please him.

“I missed the free coffee every morning. It felt weird not having it.”

“The staff’s still there, so once we finish the interior, you can come back. Come three times a day if you want.”

Jaeyoon ruffled Siyoung’s hair, glad to see him eating so well.

But it puzzled him—why had he lost weight when he clearly still had a good appetite?

Worried, Jaeyoon asked, “Why’ve you lost weight if you’re eating like this? You’re not sick, are you?”

“Huh? What?”

Startled, Siyoung stopped mid-bite, dropping a piece of sushi.

His reaction was clearly suspicious.

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