CHAPTER 70

The next day came, but Yeonseo did not leave the hospital. She sent the caregiver away and personally took care of Taeheon.

Ignoring his expressed concerns, she prepared his meals, wiped his hands and feet, and attended to him with utmost sincerity, calling the medical staff when necessary. Taeheon, although worried about Yeonseo, did not mind.

Yeonseo briefly stepped into the corridor outside the hospital room. She pulled out a drink from a vending machine, trying to avoid Taeheon’s intense gaze that seemed to follow her everywhere, and cooled her warm cheeks.

“Fox”.

Taeheon was blatant. Whereas before it had been a limited obsession, now he was interested in everything, the entirety of her whereabouts.

Even when Secretary Shin came to visit and talked about work, Taeheon kept his eyes on Yeonseo. She pressed her cheeks together and pulled out another can of soda. When she returned to his hospital room, Taeheon’s dark pupils sought her out like a wolf.

“Where have you been?”

“Get some sleep. Patients get better quickly when they eat and sleep well.”

“You don’t like cold things. It’ll upset your stomach.”

Taeheon said as he watched Yeonseo put drinks in the refrigerator

“They say your body changes during pregnancy. And you might get morning sickness because of someone.”

Taeheon chuckled softly. 

Why did the patient have to be handsome?

At this point, he looked like an actor playing the role of a patient or a model for hospital bed advertis*ments.

“Come here.”

“I’m not your beck-and-call girl.”

Yeonseo furrowed her brow, standing by the window. Honestly, it was awkward to see Taeheon now.

She was embarrassed for all the efforts she made to avoid him, for coming back, and for not being able to hide the fact that she still loved him.

She heard the IV line stand being pushed and spun around, Taeheon’s large body casting a shadow over her.

“You shouldn’t be up yet.”

“I can.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

Considering the severity of the fracture, rehabilitation therapy needed to be considered. The diagnosis that he would need a long time to fully use his arm again shattered his spirits. But still, Taeheon seemed indifferent.

Yeonseo looked up at him nervously before being pushed by the ever-approaching Taeheon and pressing her butt against the window frame.

“Just so you know, I’m just seeing you this time, Sir.”

“Okay, do that.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“Just because someone who is harder to meet than anyone else says that.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s incredibly easy for me.”

“Then what about the hard times I’ve been through all this time?”

“Please be careful with your words, our child is listening.”

Yeonseo avoided his gaze, stroking her lower belly.

“And when are you going to decide on a nickname?”

She hadn’t heard a nickname from Taeheon yet. So she couldn’t give another name. Taeheon’s eyes, which she happened to meet, were deeply flickering.

“Say it again.”

“Say what?”

“’Our child’, that. Say it again.”

It was strangely fascinating to see Taeheon react so vehemently to the words ‘our child’. She wondered if he, too, felt a strong bond tied to the child.

“Do you have any thoughts about a nickname for our child?”

“How about ‘Banjjak’ (meaning ‘Twinkle’)?”

“‘Banjjak’? Is that okay?”

“Yeah. They say it’s good to choose a nickname with a positive sound.”

“You know about that too?”

Taeheon tilted his head at an angle.

‘Banjjak’. It was a word she didn’t expect to come out of Taeheon’s mouth, but it was good to think about.

“Banjjak.”

At 19 weeks, the baby got a nickname ‘Banjjak’. A dad who gave a nickname also appeared. Dad. Family. Baby. All of that came together at once, and with it came excitement and fear.

The end was still uncertain. But now it was more comfortable than when she was away from Taeheon. And it was hard to imagine someone looking at her so passionately could turn cold.

She was the only person he’d ever loved. The only value he recognized in her wouldn’t be nullified so easily

She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. This time, she felt confident that things would be different.

“I like ‘Banjjak’. Banjjak-ga, Banjjak-ga.” (Banjjak-ga = affectionately calling someone)

Yeonseo murmured softly and smiled. She bit her lip to keep from tearing up. Taeheon gently tapped his fingers out of her mouth and said softly, 

“Don’t cry, it’s not good.”

Yeonseo looked at him, slightly sticking out her tongue a little to lick his fingertips. Taeheon sighed warmly.

“Don’t be so cute, you don’t know how much I can take.”

“… Should I stop?”

“This is the real Han Yeonseo, huh? Messing people’s head.”

As Taeheon spoke like that, the corners of his lips loosened.  Even his laughter was handsome, and it was shaking her heart dangerously.

“But still, you can’t leave first.”

Yeonseo blurted out her true feelings, expressing that since she has come this far, he shouldn’t let her go by dying. She timidly rebelled, asking him to stay just as passionately as now.

“I might not be good at it, so let me know whenever that happens. You tell me what to do so I don’t hurt you.”

“Okay.”

Taeheon laughed softly. He lifted one arm and wrapped it around her. The hug was light at first, but it gradually tightened, and Yeonseo was pressed against him.

“Let go of me… What strength is this… Ugh, it’s stuffy.”

“You chose this.”

Taeheon remained the same, and that was reassuring. However, despite his earlier statement that he could yield, Taeheon pressed his lips to Yeonseo’s neck and teased her with his tongue.

“Oh, stop it!”

“I shouldn’t have let you make it impossible to stop. Who started this, anyway?”

As he matched his swollen lower body against hers, he chuckled softly. Yeonseo, squeezing his muscles, had to wriggle her body to stop the advancing Taeheon.

***

The gourmet bento that Secretary Shin had brought from the outside was a treat for Yeonseo’s palate. Taeheon’s eyes begged her to eat more, even though she felt like her stomach would burst, she took another bite.

Yeonseo, who had suddenly become thinner, had to endure Taeheon’s scrutiny throughout the meal. After drinking water, she tried to pick up her plate and Taehun’s to clear them away.

“Leave it. I’ll do it.”

“It’s not something a patient should do.”

“It’s not something a pregnant woman should say.”

In the end, against Taeheon’s insistence, Yeonseo had her plate taken away. Taeheon went to the sink and cleaned up the bowl himself.

With one hand wrapped in bandages and the other with an IV drip, Taeheon’s hands weren’t free. In the end, Yeonseo reached out behind him and helped tidy up.

“See? It’s faster when I do it.”

They brushed their teeth together and were coming out of the bathroom when they had a visitor.

Knock, knock, knock.

Since they had already gone before the meal, it was unlikely to be a nurse. Taeheon, staring expressionlessly at the door, moved to open it himself.

Maybe a visitor.

With the news of Taeheon’s injuries, there might be someone who applied for a visit.

“Who is it?”

Taeheon, who had opened the door himself, stopped with his back to her, so Yeonseo walked over. Regardless of who it was, greetings were necessary.

“You said there was no reason for you to come.”

“Why are you so cold?”

“I’m still the same.”

As Taeheon greeted the visitor with a sharp tone, Seonye popped her face behind him.

In her hands were a five-layered lunchbox and a paper bag. It was obvious that she had come to see him because she was worried about him.

“Hello.”

Yeonseo greeted, pulling Taeheon’s collar back. She meant for him to step away from the door, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he gestured for her to go back inside

“She’s not coming in.”

It was like saying that he would block Seonye from entering. But even so, Seonye was an adult. Yeonseo couldn’t just let Taeheon shut her out.

In the end, Yeonseo sidestepped to the front of Taeheon and welcomed Seonye.

“Please come in.”

“No, thank you. I just wanted to deliver these. I’ve seen Taeheon’s face, so I should be going.”

Seonye wasn’t particularly surprised by Yeonseo’s presence. She seemed to know everything. Feeling awkward and embarrassed about meeting Taeheon again, Yeonseo avoided eye contact and slightly bowed her head.

“Thank you for helping me the last time I collapsed.”

“Ah, you’re feeling better now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Take care of yourself. Whatever it is, eat it well. I’m not sure if this will suit your taste, but it’s better than hospital food. If there’s something you want to eat, anytime…”

“I said, go.”

Taeheon gruffly interrupted their conversation.

“Sir, go inside. Take these with you.”

Yeonseo received the food container and paper bag, passing them to Taeheon. Ignoring his raised eyebrows, Yeonseo stepped outside.

“I’ll see off the professor.”

“Where are you going? Come back in.”

“Sir, please go inside. You’re the patient. Come on.”

After Yeonseo spoke firmly, she closed the door to the hospital room in front of Taeheon. Seonye was startled, staring at the closed door as if witnessing a remarkable sight. Yeonseo smiled brightly.

“It’s okay, you can go now.”

Seonye glanced anxiously in the direction of the hospital room, but what she expected didn’t happen, with Taeheon chasing after Yeonseo and taking her away. Yeonseo confidently pressed the elevator button.

Taeheon had made a promise to Yeonseo—promises like not attaching people to surveillance Yeonseo, not interfering with the people around her, and not treating Yeonseo like an object.

It felt reluctantly promised, but anyway, Taeheon had affirmed verbally that he would abide by it. She had to make him these promises to ensure he wouldn’t act freely like before. That’s the only way to maintain a healthy relationship.

Yeonseo looked at the elevator’s changing numbers and cautiously exhaled.

“As you know, I got back together with Sir Taeheon.”

“Ms. Yeonseo, I never apologized for what happened, did I?”

“What?”

“About the department store thing. I didn’t know much about the two of you back then, and I didn’t know that Taeheon liked you that much. I know this isn’t an excuse, but…….”

Seonye looked directly at Yeonseo. There was still a hint of regret and remorse in her fair face.

“You must have been really hurt. It’s long overdue, but I apologize. I’m sorry.”

Yeonseo shook her head.

“I know you were worried about him.”

“My child is difficult, and I don’t know how to deal with him.”

Just then, the elevator arrived. Seonye withdrew the heavy atmosphere and smiled lightly.

“I’ll leave Taeheon in your hands from now on.

“Professor…. Why don’t you tell the director directly?”

Seonye’s head tilted slightly, as if asking for the meaning.

“Sir Taeheon doesn’t know that you’re worrying a lot.”

Seonye looked more withdrawn than before. With the funeral and now the news of Taeheon’s accident, her heart must have been deeply troubled.

Nevertheless, he was still her son. Just as Yeonseo couldn’t completely let go of resentment, the relationship between Seonye and Taeheon would be similar and might not be straightforward either.

The emotional wounds might run deep, but Yeonseo dared to guess that there might be room for improvement. However, she still harbored a bit of resentment towards Seonye.

For not letting Taeheon know she loved him. For not loving him the right way. For making him lonely.

So, even now, Yeonseo passively conveyed her wish for Seonye to fulfill the role as his mother.

To embrace that pitiful man who didn’t know love.

“Take care of him.”

Yeonseo bowed her head. Since she was prepared not to be broken by oppression, bowing her head was not difficult.