Ch.158158. Fruits of Love

Time had passed and it was now 9:30. Having departed an hour later than our planned 8:30 departure, we hurriedly left the house. Our destination was an obstetrics clinic, a 15-minute drive from my home. Our transportation was my personal vehicle parked in the underground garage.

Ding, the elevator stopped at basement level 3. The car wasn’t far from here. When I pressed the smart key button, a cheerful alert sounded as the doors unlocked.

“The passenger seat might be uncomfortable. Would you like to sit in the back?”

“That’s fine. When did you get this car?”

As I opened the passenger door for her, I studied Hwa Nabi’s expression. The look in her eyes wasn’t accusatory but curious. She wasn’t asking “You bought this without telling me?” but genuinely wondering, “When did you buy this car?”

“I didn’t buy it. I received it.”

“Received it…?”

Hwa Nabi, looking somewhat displeased, ran her finger across the hood. She slid her finger across it as if checking for dust, then traced the four overlapping circles of the car’s emblem.

“A car like this?”

“Yeah, my brother gave it to me.”

More precisely, I didn’t just receive it—it was forcibly gifted to me. I adamantly refused, saying I didn’t need it, but my brother insisted on leaving the keys. He had even transferred ownership and arranged insurance without my knowledge.

At the time, I grumbled about why he would give me such a thing and told him to take it back. But thinking about it now, I’m glad I accepted it. My brother was right when he said it would come in handy later.

“So what should we do?”

“What do you mean?”

“We should give something back for what we received. People will say we’re rude if we don’t.”

“Don’t worry about that. My brother has plenty of money.”

My brother has been learning the business under my father for years, though he’s still not as experienced as me. But he’s well-off enough to casually buy cars like this, so I can’t even imagine how many zeros are in his bank account.

“No, still. It’s not polite to just receive things.”

“I’ll talk to him separately later. Get in the car for now. We need to get to the hospital.”

After practically forcing her in, I walked around to the driver’s side, opened the door, and sat down. I started the engine with the button next to the steering wheel, then glanced at the passenger seat to find Hwa Nabi giving me a strange look.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Even when asked, she doesn’t answer and just turns her head away primly.

How silly, I thought with a smile as I leaned toward Hwa Nabi. Startled by my sudden approach, she flinched.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Hold still.”

A confined space with dim lighting—optimal conditions for lovers to share intimacy. Isn’t that why scenes with romantic atmospheres inside vehicles frequently appear in visual media?

However, what I intended to do was something different. I grabbed the seatbelt clip on her right side and carefully fastened it for her.

Click. After checking that it was secure by tugging on it, I released the belt. Hwa Nabi blinked at me silently. She seemed to have finally understood what happened.

“Did you just fasten my seatbelt?”

“What did you think I was doing?”

“Well, you know, in movies, when a guy suddenly gets close to a girl in a car and…”

Realizing how it sounded, she trailed off as her cheeks turned red. This girl is usually so composed, but occasionally she gets like this. I somewhat understand—everyone has their own fantasies.

Still, not in a car. There are too many protruding parts to bump into, and the limited positions would just make things uncomfortable for both.

“That’s just in movies.”

I replied casually while fastening my own seatbelt. But at that moment, Hwa Nabi suddenly grabbed my arm. Wondering what was happening, I turned to see her face suddenly close to mine.

Smooch.

Something soft touched my cheek. Did she just kiss me? I froze in surprise, and Hwa Nabi smiled slightly as she took hold of my seatbelt and fastened it for me. Then she patted my shoulder.

“This much is possible, right?”

Leaning back in her seat, Hwa Nabi fidgeted with her seatbelt. Then she tucked it between her breasts and stared at me.

I found myself staring at her clothing that had been caught with the seatbelt before finally tearing my gaze away. That was dangerous. For a moment, I almost gave in to temptation and acted on impulse.

“…It’s late, let’s go.”

“Tch.”

*

The place we arrived at after following the navigation was a famous obstetrics clinic in Seoul. Normally, it would be difficult to get an appointment without booking in advance due to the high number of patients… but not for me. I finished making an appointment with just one phone call. Of course, I didn’t do anything special—it was thanks to my brother pulling strings for me.

He said it was nothing and not to worry about it, but how could I not? I’ve done almost nothing but received favors, which makes me feel guilty.

“I really need to buy him something later.”

I muttered while leaning back in the chair. I was currently in the guardian waiting room. After showing the test results to the doctor and explaining the symptoms, I was told to wait here while the patient underwent examination.

But I wonder what kind of examination takes this long. Looking at the clock, it’s been about an hour and a half. Shouldn’t it be over by now?

Just as I was thinking this, the door to the examination room opened, and a familiar pink head of hair peeked out.

“Um, Siwoo. Could you come here for a moment?”

Where’s the nurse? Why is the patient herself coming out? Is it not over yet? I had many questions, but since she asked me to come, I approached the examination room.

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

“The director wants to speak with you—I mean, the guardian—directly.”

“Hmm, really?”

Actually, I had questions too, so this worked out well. About the test results and what comes next. I decided to ask about everything as I entered the examination room.

Click. The interior of the examination room had white wallpaper. What stood out were the various unfamiliar instruments lined up everywhere. From something that looked like a barcode scanner that should be at a supermarket checkout to all sorts of strange medical equipment.

“Hello.”

“Hello. You’re the patient’s guardian, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The doctor, who gestured for me to sit down, was a woman. She appeared to be in her early thirties. But somehow she looked familiar. Where had I seen her before?

As I was trying to remember, Hwa Nabi sat down beside me.

“She’s the director of this hospital, and they say she’s very skilled.”

Hearing Hwa Nabi’s words, I remembered. I think I’ve seen her a few times on medical programs. When I spoke with my brother, he mentioned that they always consult with her for information related to pregnant women.

I’m not in the industry so I don’t know the details, but she seems to be a doctor with guaranteed skills.

“Here are the test results. It shows what tests were conducted and how, so please take your time reviewing them.”

“I understand.”

Looking at the paper the director handed me, it was filled with dense text. Just to name a few: maternal blood tests (blood type, antibodies, hemoglobin), urinalysis, hepatitis test, AIDS test, syphilis test, ultrasound…

There were so many items, and I wasn’t sure why they called me in specifically. Thankfully, none of the tests showed a positive reaction for anything concerning.

“The essential screening items have been completed, and the patient shows no abnormalities. No STD reactions, no cervical cancer or other abnormal reactions at all.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“So the basic tests are complete. The last remaining result is from the ultrasound…”

The director trailed off as she looked at Hwa Nabi. Then she turned to me.

“Congratulations. She’s 10 weeks pregnant.”

“Ah… thank you.”

It was the result I had been hoping for, and also what I had been preparing myself for. But hearing the doctor confirm the pregnancy made my heart swell. It was a feeling I couldn’t quite describe—incredibly complex emotions. I tightly held Hwa Nabi’s hand and thought:

People usually say pregnancy lasts about 10 months, so if she’s 10 weeks pregnant now, that means there’s less than 8 months left? Calculating roughly, the baby would be born around December or January.

“…”

But then I felt something off. 10 weeks pregnant now? That means conception happened in early March or even earlier. That timing coincides exactly with when Hwa Nabi and I went on our Jeju Island trip. I distinctly remember being told it was safe then, that there was no need for contraception.

How did this happen? I looked into Hwa Nabi’s eyes, silently questioning. She seemed at a loss for words, fidgeting with her lips before muttering in a very small voice:

“Um, well… I guess I was mistaken about my safe days.”

“…”

Is that really all you have to say?