Runaway Secretary - Chapter 61

CHAPTER 61

A maternity clinic in Gyeonggi Province.

Yeonseo looked behind her several times on the way to the hospital, worried that Taeheon himself or someone he hired might have followed her. Fortunately, she didn’t feel anything suspicious. A slow sigh escaped her lips as she realized it was unnecessary tension.

Hyeonho had been busy catching up on his overdue schedule, so Yeonseo was alone today.

She had purposely traveled to a maternity clinic far from Seoul. She’d been careful to protect her child. She didn’t want Taeheon or his family to know.

Even with an appointment, there was a basic one-hour wait at this hospital. Yeonseo checked in and looked for a seat, then gave up and stood against the wall.

Even though it was a weekday afternoon, quite a few husbands were accompanying their wives. With them occupying the benches, there was no space left.

It was difficult to ask for a seat when she wasn’t even showing yet. Yeonseo leaned against the wall and looked around.

The laughter of couples bothered her for no reason. The child in her belly would grow up without a father.

That fact made her feel sorry and hurt.

She had only found out about her pregnancy after returning to Korea. Her menstrual cycle was irregular, so she hadn’t suspected it before. She casually dismissed any discomfort, thinking it was just a cold or fatigue.

Although she hadn’t used a condom in her last encounter with Taeheon, she didn’t consider pregnancy since he didn’t ej*culate that time.

Suspicious, she bought a test kit from the pharmacy as soon as she returned to Korea and saw two lines. When she visited the hospital, the b*by was already over 10 weeks.

He looked like a little teddy bear. A life that even the mother didn’t know existed.

As it was the early stage of pregnancy requiring special attention, she visited the hospital every week. Today marked the third visit, and the b*by was already 12 weeks and 5 days.

Watching the expectant mother, who, with the help of a guardian, gave up her seat, Yeonsoo had been smiling with envy. Suddenly realizing this, she lowered her head.

Little one, Mom wasn’t envious.

So, my b*by, you shouldn’t feel this kind of sad emotion.

Her legs ached and she moved around, enduring the boring time.

How long had I been waiting?

Just as she was considering going to the restroom, it was finally her turn.

“Ms. Han Yeonseo, please come in.”

Yeonseo quickly detached her back from the wall and headed towards the examination room.

“Is that your husband behind you?”

“Huh?”

Yeonseo turned around and blinked slowly.

It couldn’t be.

Right behind her was Taeheon. Dressed in an unfamiliar casual suit, Taeheon right behind Yeonseo, nodded slightly.

What were the odds of him showing up in the middle of the maternity ward?

“Yes, I’m the husband.”

Taeheon stepped forward, claiming to be Yeonseo’s husband in a low voice.

It wasn’t a coincidence.

“Please come in together.”

The nurse kindly guided them, but Yeonseo remained frozen, unable to move.

“How did you know to come here?”

What were the odds of him showing up in the middle of the maternity ward?

“Come in for now.”

Taeheon casually put his hand on Yeonseo’s back. She didn’t have the heart to make a fuss in a place like this. But it meant Taeheon knew about the child’s existence.

“Why are you doing this? What are you trying to do? I don’t want to go.”

“Do what?”

“I will raise the child. I have no intention of aborting the child.”

“Abort?”

“Try laying a hand on the child. I won’t stay still.”

Yeonseo said very clearly, covering her stomach with her bag. Taeheon’s eyes fluttered.

But Yeonseo was too focused on protecting the child to interpret the change. After a moment of silence, Taeheon spoke softly.

“Relax. I won’t harm the child as I am the father.”

“Ms. Han Yeonseo?”

Responding to the nurse’s puzzled gaze from a distance, Taeheon answered on behalf of Yeonseo.

“We’re going in.”

Father.

Yeonseo, pondering the strange feeling that the word carried, was reluctantly pushed inside.

“We’re going to do an abdominal ultrasound, so lie down this way.”

“The bed is high, can you lie down?”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

Though Yeonseo responded sharply, Taeheon stayed close behind, watching her lie down.

As the nurse lowered her pants slightly and placed a towel on her lower abdomen, Yeonseo suddenly felt embarrassed.

“It’s my child.”

Feeling uneasy, she defensively expressed her feelings.

“The expectant mother might feel embarrassed, but isn’t lowering the pants too much?”

What are you saying?

As Yeonseo opened her eyes in disbelief, and the doctor came in, saying she was ready. The female doctor kindly let them hear the b*by’s heartbeat and showed the arms and legs.

But it didn’t register to her as well as before. She had to stay vigilant because she was afraid Taeheon might ask the doctor if it was possible to abort the child.

“As it’s over 12 weeks, we’ll be conducting the first congenital anomaly test today. You can confirm it on the ultrasound.”

Yeonseo stared at the earth-colored screen, feeling tense in various ways.

“The neck transparency, brain shape, and nasal bone are all normal. Please have the blood test today and go home. Now, remember to take your iron supplement.”

“Yes.”

Yeonseo tried to concentrate on the b*by while keeping an eye on Taeheon. Time had flown by in the past week. She eagerly yearned to meet her b*by and felt her heart flutter.

When they took the 3D ultrasound, she couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement. The tiny life taking shape was awe-inspiring every time.

“Now that you’re past the first trimester, you can resume your marital relations.”

The doctor’s cheerful smile at Taeheon brought her back to reality. Unlike the hesitant Yeonseo, Taeheon had his usual calm tone.

“Is there anything else we need to be careful about?”

“Eat well, rest well, and have positive thoughts. Of course, the dad should help a lot, right?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She wanted to grasp Taeheon’s hand as support as she felt a bit dizzy when she stood up. She walked out of the examination room and headed towards the blood test area. There seemed to be no available seats in this corridor either.

At that moment, Taeheon walked ahead. She wondered what he was going to do…….

“Could you please give up your seat?”

“What?”

“Are you pregnant?”

“Oh…”

Taeheon forcefully drove away the man in his thirties.

“Yeonseo, sit down.”

Yeonseo?

He must have eaten something wrong. Yeonseo sat in the seat he had just vacated. The man in his 30s, who had moved aside toward the wall, glanced at Taeheon and cleared his throat.

“Ms. Han Yeonseo.”

“Yes.”

“Please come in.”

As Yeonseo stood up, Taeheon followed her. She didn’t have the energy to argue, so she just continued to walk and sat down.

“Left arm, please.”

When the needle struggled to find a vein due to Yeonsoo’s blood vessels, Taeheon asked in a low voice.

“Are you practicing on a pregnant woman?”

“…”

“Be quiet.”

Yeonsoo quickly covered his mouth after the needle pierced her skin for the second time.

Without saying a word, Taeheon took care of the payment and, along with Yeonsoo, stopped by the pharmacy to buy iron supplements. As Yeonsoo was about to step onto the main road to catch a taxi, she turned around.

“How far are you going to follow me?”

“If it’s okay, I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”

“If you’re going to talk, asking about the child, I don’t want to.”

Taeheon’s attitude was different from what she expected. He had asked the doctor about things to be careful of during pregnancy and assisted her with her check-ups.

That means he wants the child too.

If he is going to say something dreadful like taking away the child because it was his bloodline…

Feeling like her insides were crumbling, Yeonseo suppressed the heartbreaking desire to cry that she had been holding in since earlier and spoke again.

“I will raise the child. I carried it, after all.”

Taeheon’s pupils were pale as if he’d been hit by something.

“How the hell did you know I was pregnant?”

“I was so worried about you, I couldn’t leave you alone. I was afraid you’d go somewhere else.”

He wore a casual suit of slacks and a shirt jacket, a lighter cologne than usual, and a faint smell of alcohol.

Along with his expression, Taeheon seemed truly unusual today. While his presence and intimidation remained unchanged, he seemed to be presenting a completely different side, as if he had become someone else.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I should have said sorry first.”

Taeheon spoke while gently touching the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry. I want to apologize to you properly.”

Apologize for what?

For hurting Hyeonho? For not standing up for me? For not being able to love me?

“Yeonseo.”

Taeheon called her with as much tenderness as possible.

“Don’t call me like that. It’s uncomfortable.”

“I’m not saying I’ll take the child away. I’m just curious if you’re planning to raise the child alone.”

“I’m going to raise the child, no matter what anyone says.”

“Raise the child with me.”

There seemed to be a deep yearning in his eyes.

Why?

He looked like someone in pain, looking desolate as if he had lost something. While he still exuded an arrogant atmosphere, when he opened his mouth, the harshness seemed to disappear.

“It seems like it happened then. Forcibly, that day.”

“…”

“It shouldn’t have happened that way. Having a child is good… even though it might not be a good thing for you, it’s my child, right?”

Yeonseo realized a beat later that Taeheon was rambling without waiting for her answer. Only now did she notice his uneasy demeanor, different from before.

She curled her cold hands into fists.

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this, Sir. And raising the child together with you is absurd. If you’re talking about financial support, I’ll refuse.”

“I thought you would say that. The child… it doesn’t have anything to do with Baek Hyeonho, right?”

Yeonseo raised an eyebrow.

“Sir.”

Yeonseo curled her cold hands into fists.

“I know, I know, but……. Ha, I mean, having a b*by. It doesn’t seem real. You trying to raise it alone… that’s…”

Taeheon mumbled with his face covered. He seemed half out of his mind.

“Can’t you tell me with your own mouth if that’s my child?”

“…What?”

“The sound of my heartbeat is louder and my gut feeling is stronger than I expected, so it feels strange.”

Taeheon wrinkled his handsome brow.