The Omega Is Pregnant-Chapter 84

“So, you’re saying someone’s getting between you and Se-heon.”

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And yet, Chairman Kang Hak-jung understood without any trouble.

“That’s right. Se-heon hyung used to come pick me up after every class. So some people I know met him too. But now the rumors have gotten weird. They’re saying I’m hanging around Se-heon hyung on purpose because of someone else. Like I picked a target just to bully a certain person.”

It had turned into a story where Tae-seo liked Kang In-hyuk to torment Seo Da-rae, and now he was cozying up to Kang Se-heon for the same reason.

“And what’s the problem with that?”

“People are saying Se-heon hyung is being used without knowing anything, and that’s what’s frustrating. I want to say it’s not true, but even if I do, I don’t know if that’ll make the rumors stop.”

He hated that they were painting Kang Se-heon as a clueless fool, and he also worried they’d say something crazy online that might damage Se-heon’s image.

“Strange though. That rumor seems worse for you than for Se-heon. So why are you worrying about him?”

“Because I already have enough bad rumors floating around. The ones about me are already so dirty, a few more don’t even stand out.”

Tae-seo shook his head and hands at the same time. Then he gave a sheepish smile, like someone who just got another love confession and was embarrassed by the attention.

Chairman Kang Hak-jung stared at Tae-seo’s face. Usually, it wasn’t easy to brush off rumors, especially not when you were hyper-aware of how people looked at you. That kind of sensitivity only grew with age and once you stepped out into society. But Tae-seo seemed to shrug it off so lightly—he wanted to know why.

“Why did you carry around so many rumors? And how can you not care at all?”

“The past Yoon Tae-seo did a lot of bad things.”

Tae-seo smiled awkwardly, clearly embarrassed. He had stepped into the role of a villain, regretted it briefly, then decided to embrace all of it.

“Even though I was raised by perfectly upright parents, I still turned bitter inside. All because of something as stupid as secondary sex traits...”

“Was it because of In-hyuk?”

There was nothing left to hide now.

“Yeah. I liked In-hyuk. And the day I let that go, I met Se-heon hyung. Simple, but a lot happened before it got there.”

“Would’ve been even more entertaining if I’d seen it happen from the sidelines. What a shame.”

“Why is that entertaining? It’s honestly kind of embarrassing. It’s your two grandsons, after all.”

“Do you really think hearts follow rules? And they’re not my grandsons, just two people, that’s all.”

Chairman Kang Hak-jung spoke like being his grandson wasn’t the issue at all. Somehow, that left an impression—Tae-seo’s earlier worries disappeared, and his eyes lit up.

“You were so cool just now.”

“What’s so cool about that? Ahem.”

“I feel better after talking to you, Grandpa. Let’s go eat something delicious.”

“I’d love to, but look at that.”

Chairman Kang pointed at the side table. A phone sat there, and even though it was on silent mode—no ringing, no vibration—the screen wouldn’t stop lighting up. It gave off a strange sense of urgency, like they were being rushed.

“You know who that is, right?”

“Probably Se-heon hyung.”

Judging by how Tae-seo was already starting to get up, it seemed he wasn’t too annoyed by Se-heon’s nagging.

So that’s how they acted—just like a couple about to get married.

“I’ll let it go this time. Go on.”

“Then next time, I’ll bring something really delicious—actually, I’ll invite you over. It’s Se-heon hyung’s house, but I hope that’s okay?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Thank you!”

He had asked as if he really wanted to know the answer, and then didn’t even wait to hear it. After watching Tae-seo leave, Chairman Kang sank back into his chair. It was nice, having a kid he was so fond of who didn’t crumble under nasty rumors and stood his ground. Still, it tugged at his heart a little.

“It’s not just Se-heon who needs to be cleaned up. Tae-seo’s stains need to be washed away too.”

****

“There’s somewhere I want to stop by.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Kang Se-heon said nothing more, just smiled faintly, as if to say look forward to it. He’d only gone to see his grandfather for a short while, and now he already had a detour in mind?

Rather than ask again, it was faster to guess. But the place they arrived at was completely unexpected—a department store. Figuring out where Se-heon wanted to go next became even harder. Tae-seo stared blankly at the entrance to the underground level, then slowly rubbed his belly.

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just... since I know Blessing’s in there, I end up touching my belly a lot. Hyung, do you want to feel it too?”

Tae-seo offered like it was no big deal, and Kang Se-heon covered his hand in one motion. He slid his fingers between Tae-seo’s, interlacing them gently. Tae-seo let out a soft laugh. The sensation of holding hands while rubbing his belly made him forget they were even in the car—it had stopped already, but he was too focused to notice.

Se-heon began moving his fingers slowly, still holding Tae-seo’s hand. Tae-seo’s shirt lifted slightly, and Se-heon’s hand touched bare skin. Tae-seo didn’t look away as their joined hands slid across his belly. It tickled—but it also sent a strange, tingling warmth through him.

That ticklish sensation turned into heat and spread throughout his body. His belly was already hot, layered with rising warmth, and even the tips of his toes held a small flicker of it. Blushing, Tae-seo raised the back of his hand to cover his face and peeked up at Kang Se-heon.

The air inside the sealed car grew thick with his scent.

“Tae-seo.”

Kang Se-heon tilted his head and began tracing invisible shapes across Tae-seo’s belly.

“I’m only going to look at you.”

Tae-seo shifted, trying to catch the invisible pheromones floating around, and met Kang Se-heon’s eyes. He was clearly talking about what happened earlier with Seo Da-rae.

“I like that you get jealous. But don’t be anxious.”

Anxious... Tae-seo lowered his head, realizing Se-heon had seen right through him. It was true. He’d only been jealous of Hae-jin noona—but with Seo Da-rae, it was something else. And now, Se-heon was comforting him about it.

Tae-seo smiled, breathing in Se-heon’s pheromones as much as he wanted. Whether it was the pheromones or Se-heon’s words, laughter bubbled out of him.

“Blessing says you’re not paying attention and wants you to rub more.”

“So now you can read Blessing’s mind?”

“That’s the privilege of the one carrying them inside.”

Kang Se-heon gently stroked Tae-seo’s belly, and then, as if remembering something he’d studied recently, brought it up.

“I learned about something called ‘taedam’—talking to the baby in the womb. They say a low-pitched male voice comes through better.”

“And then?”

“They say the more you talk to the baby in the womb, the more talkative they are once they’re born.”

“So you're saying Daddy should do the talking?”

“Why not? Blessing, can you hear me?”

Kang Se-heon spoke to Blessing as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Tae-seo, for whom this was his first experience with pregnancy, looked back and forth between Se-heon and his own belly with wide-eyed wonder.

Ever since he’d started reading parenting books, Se-heon had practically become an expert. The way he talked to the baby came so naturally that Tae-seo found himself instinctively focused on it.

“I’ll say hello every day and read a book to you, one a day.”

“Blessing says that’s amazing.”

“I can sing, too.”

“Blessing wants to hear something now.”

Leaning forward eagerly, Tae-seo rested his upper body toward Se-heon. Se-heon placed a hand behind Tae-seo’s head and kissed his forehead.

“Once you’re born, I’ll give you kisses every day. So come out soon.”

“Blessing says Daddy should start with Tae-seo Appa first.”

Se-heon let out a laugh as if he’d lost that round. He rested his forehead against Tae-seo’s, and they laughed together for a long time before they could even think about heading upstairs.

****

Tae-seo stepped into the jewelry store and looked around awkwardly. He was about to ask if this was really the place Se-heon had in mind, but before he could, a staff member approached with a polite greeting.

“We’ve been expecting you. Right this way, please.”

Tae-seo hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should follow, but Se-heon took his hand and gently pulled him along.

“We need to get the wedding gifts sorted.”

“Right, that’s true.”

At the mention of wedding gifts, Tae-seo instinctively reached up to touch his necklace, nodding. His expression didn’t exactly look thrilled, so Se-heon gently nudged him forward with a hand on his back.

“Don’t you want something nice?”

“Sure, it’s nice to have, but you already gave me this necklace. It didn’t feel like I needed anything else.”

He had loved getting it. And even now, wearing it made him constantly reach for it. Se-heon gently grasped Tae-seo’s hand as it touched the necklace, softly stroking his thumb across the back of it. Tae-seo looked up at him, and for a moment, forgot they were even in a store.

“Still, we have to get rings. I want everyone to know you’re mine—right here on this ring finger.”

When Se-heon kissed his ring finger, the previously invisible store clerk let out a surprised breath. Tae-seo’s face turned bright red as he suddenly remembered where they were.

“Se-heon hyung...”

Tae-seo smiled shyly, flustered.

“Maybe kiss somewhere other than my hand next time.”

He would’ve preferred a kiss on the cheek. Smiling at his playful request, Se-heon leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

“Alright, let’s pick out a ring.”

Tae-seo turned back with a satisfied expression, and Se-heon locked eyes with the clerk. Taking the cue, the clerk stepped aside and nodded.

“We’ve prepared a few selections. Let me show you.”

The clerk lined up seven ring cases in front of them. Knowing Tae-seo preferred to browse a few options before deciding, she picked out one herself and presented it.

“This one’s not—”

Tae-seo began to respond brightly but stopped mid-sentence. The clerk smoothly filled the silence.

“Couples these days prefer something practical over bulky rings. They want something wearable but with a unique design. This model is one of our best in that category.”

Tae-seo studied the ring as she spoke, listening closely. Se-heon stayed quiet, letting Tae-seo choose freely. The clerk glanced at them, then pointed out another design.

“This one can have engraving on the inside, so you could choose a custom message if you'd like.”

When Tae-seo said nothing, she moved on to the next ring.

“This has a wider band but features a matte finish, so it won’t get old to look at. It has a long-lasting ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) appeal. It’s best purchased as a set. Let me show you the complementary designs. You can try them on too, if you’d like.”

She subtly encouraged him to try one on—sometimes rings looked better on the hand than in the case. She nudged another ring forward as she continued her explanation, but Tae-seo didn’t make a move.

“You don’t like any of them?”

Even Se-heon assumed Tae-seo hadn’t found anything he liked when he didn’t touch a single ring.

“Um... it’s just...”

But Tae-seo didn’t respond right away, almost like he hadn’t even heard the question. Then, as if seeing them for the first time, he began pointing to the rings laid out in front of him, asking what each one was.

The clerk looked briefly confused, but she quickly recovered and started explaining everything again, one by one. Tae-seo listened carefully, though his eyes kept flicking elsewhere every now and then.

‘Why does it feel like someone’s watching?’

He’d felt off for a while now—distracted. A lot of people were passing by outside the store.

‘Maybe not...’

He couldn’t stay distracted forever. Finally, Tae-seo picked up a ring.

And in the very moment Tae-seo and Kang Se-heon came into frame, the sound of a camera shutter clicked, muffled by the ambient noise around the store.