Part 24

“Hey, are you awake now?”

“Ah…”

“Yoon Seowoo. It’s time to get up. Wake up. What’s gotten into you lately?”

At the sound of shaking her awake, Seowoo slowly lifted her eyelids. Sunlight was pouring into the living room. Rubbing her eyes, Seowoo gazed at Jung-ah.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. Get up and get ready. We’re running late.”

At the mention of being late, Seowoo suddenly sat up straight. No matter how much she slept, it seemed like she could never get enough.

Perhaps it was the constant tension she had been under since her comeback.

Thinking that she had finally wrapped things up, it seemed all her pent-up tension had suddenly been released. As she sat dozing off again, Jung-ah shook her shoulder.

“Hey, are you falling asleep again?”

“No, I’m not. I’m not.”

“What time did you go to bed? You didn’t even remove your makeup, and your clothes are still the same. Did you just fall asleep like that?”

“…Hmm.”

She wondered what happened.

As Seowoo pondered yesterday’s events, something flashed through her mind.

“That’s right! What was it?”

“What?”

“I think he said he was coming yesterday.”

She had only intended to close her eyes for a moment after speaking with Jiwook. Seowoo opened her eyes and looked around the living room. There was no sign of him.

Had he come and left? Or had he not come at all?

Sitting dazed, she picked up her phone to check.

[I waited but had to go to work. You seemed so tired that you didn’t wake up even when I tried. I’ll contact you.]

“Oh…….”

He had come and gone.

She didn’t even realize Jiwook had come.

“Ha.”

She laughed at the absurdity of it all, and Jung-ah, who had been watching her quietly, looked at her with puzzled eyes.

“What’s up with you?”

“It’s nothing. I’m going to take a shower.”

“Yoon Seowoo, are you sure you’re not sick?”

“No, I’m fine. My condition’s been okay lately.”

“Okay? You look as feeble as a sick chicken.”

Jung-ah tilted her head, seeing Seowoo’s still sleepy face. Amid her friend’s skeptical gaze, Seowoo chuckled and slowly got up from the sofa to head to the bathroom.

“I’ll wash up quickly.”

Seowoo entered the bathroom, struggling to shake off the overwhelming drowsiness.

Why am I still so tired even after sleeping so much? 

As she reached for the cleanser to remove her makeup, she stopped in her tracks.

“……”

No, it couldn’t be.

Shaking her head vigorously as if to deny it, Seowoo’s action of pouring cleansing water onto the cotton pad paused again. 

A wave of anxiety swept over her, and her lips pressed into a thin line. 

She steadied her racing heart by gripping the sink.

***

Today, Seowoo had a scheduled live radio show recording.

Thanks to Jung-ah coming to wake her up, she was able to go to the salon without being late.

“Seowoo, are you feeling okay?”

“Huh?”

“Your complexion doesn’t look good today.”

Ms. Jin, the makeup artist, asked as she applied lipstick to Seowoo’s lips. Seowoo turned to look at herself in the mirror.

All the while, her mind was racing with one thought.

My period is still two days away.

Despite her efforts to deny it, the symptoms she had been experiencing over the past few days were unsettling her.

“Did you not sleep last night?”

“No, I slept well, but I must have been tired.”

“I see. Today, even makeup doesn’t seem to sit well on your beautiful face.”

As Ms. Jin finished touching up her cheeks with a puff, she scrutinized her face from different angles.

It couldn’t be.

Although there were a few occasions recently when Jiwook hadn’t used protection, I had been taking my birth control pills on schedule.

Surely, I couldn’t be part of that 2% chance…

It absolutely had to be a no.

“Next week is the final episode, isn’t it? I’ll definitely watch it live.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”

Despite the ongoing conversation with Ms. Jin as she did her makeup, Seowoo couldn’t focus on anything she was saying.

Before coming to the salon, Seowoo had stopped by a convenience store, disguised with a hat, and bought a pregnancy test. Now, the only thing on her mind was to use that test.

“All done.”

“Thank you.”

At the completion of her makeup, Seowoo quickly rose from her seat. She needed to visit the restroom before Jung-ah arrived.

Clutching her bag, Seowoo walked to the restroom, her hands trembling with nervousness.

“Please……”

Inside the restroom stall, Seowoo took the test and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

After a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes and lowered her gaze to the tester in her right hand.

“……!”

Seowoo’s face instantly stiffened at what she saw.

***

She couldn’t remember how she got through the radio show.

After checking the test at the salon, her mind went blank, like a blank slate.

“Are you okay?”

Sung-hyun asked with a voice full of concern. He wondered what could have affected her so deeply. Fortunately, the radio show ended well, but Seowoo looked distraught.

“Ah, yes.”

“Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m fine.”

She kept repeating it over and over, like she was chanting a mantra.

It’ll be okay. It should be okay.

Hopefully, the test was defective.

She wondered what were the chances of it being defective, She felt almost resentful towards the heavens for letting this happen again.

“I was going to ask you to have dinner tonight, but you look really pale.”

“Sorry. I think I might be coming down with something.”

“Did you take any medicine?”

“I’m going to buy some.”

Seowoo smiled awkwardly. At the moment, she felt like buying another test to confirm the results immediately.

Her mind was completely consumed by that thought.

“Then let’s grab something to eat after the next schedule ends.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Come on, go back inside and rest. Let’s go together.”

Sung-hyun and Seowoo headed towards the parking lot side by side.

Somehow, she was craving food that she wouldn’t normally eat, and her digestion felt off. Moreover, sleep seemed to overwhelm her. Lately, she would almost instantly fall asleep as soon as she lay down.

As her body was quite sensitive, even though her period was still a few days away, symptoms seemed to have appeared already.

While walking and pondering over various thoughts, they reached Seowoo’s van without realizing it. In-ryul, who noticed her, opened the car door for her.

“Be careful getting in. I’ll contact you.”

“Thank you, you’ve worked hard.”

Seowoo bid farewell and quickly got into the car.

“The CEO went into the office for a moment.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll depart now, Noona.”

In-ryul sought her permission before starting the car. Sweat kept pooling in her palms due to her anxiety.

It had been half a year since her comeback.

She hadn’t discussed anything with Jiwook yet. Nothing has been resolved, except for a slight improvement in their relationship.

What should I do now?

Seowoo’s eyes sank low as she stared out the window.

‘Marriage registration? Pregnant?’

‘You must be out of your mind.’

‘You made all this trouble even after I told you to break up with him!’

Those hellish times, now slightly faded, began to resurface.

Seowoo squeezed his eyes shut in agony. She had no intention of going through that again. Not with Myeong-hye, nor with Jiwook’s father and grandfather. They were all horrible memories.

That’s why she had been so diligent about taking her birth control. She couldn’t understand how she could be pregnant.

“Sigh.”

A sigh escaped Seowoo’s lips.

Since her period wasn’t due yet, the test showed a very faint double line.

She wanted to believe it was a mistake, that it had to be an error, but her already sensitive body was telling her she was pregnant.

‘I warned you. Your face is all over the place, and if you want to badmouth your mother, go ahead. Your mother’s deeds. I’ll expose them all to the world, so be prepared.’

Myeong-hye’s words still lingered, she still didn’t know the truth of those words.

They had influenced her divorce two years ago for many reasons. Tired of Myeong-hye, who had always held a leash around her neck with that unverifiable incident, she had divorced. No, Seowoo had no choice but to get a divorce.

“……”

Looking out the window, Seowoo’s eyes filled with sadness. Perhaps the answer was already decided.

No matter how much she loved Kwon Jiwook, she had no intention of going through that heartache again. With a troubled face, Seowoo carefully wrapped her hands around her lower abdomen.