Ch.164164. How Did You Know?

The moment I felt my heart drop with a thud. They say people truly can’t breathe when shocked, and that was really true. At the unexpected question, I froze completely, unable to move even a finger.

“B-baby name…?”

“Isn’t it about time you should decide? No, wait. At 10 weeks, that’s a bit late, isn’t it? You should start prenatal education soon.”

“Ah… yes. That’s right. We should start soon.”

Hwa Nabi, who had answered lifelessly, turned to look at me sharply. Since we were in front of my mother, she didn’t say anything, but her gaze was filled with surprise and confusion.

‘Siwoo! Did you already tell your mother?’

‘No, I didn’t. I never mentioned it.’

‘What? Then how does your mother know to ask about this?’

‘I really don’t know…’

‘What do you mean you don’t know, Siwoo…!’

Hwa Nabi reproached me with just her eyes. She was silently asking, ‘How could you not know something so important?’

“……”

But I was just as clueless as she was. I swear to heaven, all I had told my parents was about our lunch appointment.

Hwa Nabi had insisted that such important matters shouldn’t be discussed over the phone, and I felt the same way. My plan was to carefully bring it up while we were eating.

In other words, there was absolutely no way my mother could know at this point… so how did she find out?

“Well, if you need anything, just let me know. For now, why don’t you both wait in the living room? I’m not quite finished with the cooking. Just rest a bit while waiting.”

“Oh, then let me help you. I’m actually quite confident in my cooking.”

“My goodness, you’re not alone in your body anymore, how could you cook? Don’t worry about it and go rest.”

“It’s fine. I’m still feeling good in the early stages. I’ve heard it’s actually not good to rest too much just because you’re pregnant.”

Hwa Nabi practically pushed my mother along, then glanced at me.

‘I’ll chat with your mother, so you go meet your father and subtly ask him.’

‘Huh? Ask what?’

‘What else? You need to ask where he heard about this.’

‘Is that necessary? Can’t we just ask directly?’

‘No, asking so bluntly would seem strange. He might think you’re being disrespectful.’

‘Hmm, is that so…?’

I didn’t think we needed to be so roundabout, but honestly, I was so surprised that I couldn’t think straight. I ended up nodding in agreement.

“Is that so? Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll accept your help.”

“There’s nothing to mind about! Of course I should help… Siwoo, you understand, right?”

The last part was said so quietly that only I could barely hear it. I nodded again to signal that I understood, then immediately headed up to the top floor where the home office was located.

-Knock knock.

─Yes.

The voice from inside the office was quite refreshing. It sounded like my brother’s voice, not my father’s.

When I opened the door, sure enough, my brother, who had been sitting on the sofa, greeted me warmly as if he’d been waiting.

“Oh, Siwoo, you’re here? You came early. You should have called before coming.”

“We both knew I was coming for lunch, why would I need to call?”

I responded casually while looking around the office. Simple interior, a desk for work, and sofas arranged in a ” shape. Nothing had changed from three months ago.

“But I don’t see Father. Did he step out?”

“What? Didn’t you come to see him? He went downstairs just a moment ago.”

“Really? We arrived around that time, but I didn’t see him.”

“Then you must have missed each other. He’ll be back to the office soon anyway, so you can wait a bit to see him.”

There were two cups of coffee on the table in front of the sofa. One was my brother’s, so the other must be my father’s.

Seeing the steam rising from it, it seemed he hadn’t been gone long, and since my brother said he’d be back, I decided to just sit on the sofa rather than go looking for him.

I sat down with a thud, leaving the main seat empty, facing my brother. He picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and emptied half of it in one go.

“No one’s going to steal it, you can drink more slowly.”

“I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking everything quickly.”

What a strange habit. Knowing that I was looking at him strangely, my brother smiled and added:

“When you’re working, there are times when you’re so busy that even taking time to eat feels wasteful, so it can’t be helped. Even today, I barely managed to make time.”

“Really? Is the company work manageable?”

“Whether it’s manageable or not, it’s something I absolutely have to do, so I’m just gritting my teeth and enduring it. I am the eldest son, after all.”

Both my brother and I have good skin, so it doesn’t show much, but seeing the dark circles under his eyes, I could tell how demanding the company work was. Well, of course it would be. He’s not just an ordinary employee but the heir to the group. It’s normal for him to be busy without a moment’s rest.

“I can imagine just from hearing about it. It must be really tough for you.”

“It is, but why are you talking like it’s someone else’s story?”

Well, because it is someone else’s story. I was about to retort like that when I noticed my brother’s gaze on me was unsettling. It was like he was looking at a naive newcomer. He also seemed to pity me a little.

“Education majors go up to senior year, right? So that’s 4 years, ah, no. To resolve military service, it would be 6 years. So you’d be about 26? Yes, that’s just right.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Well, I wonder what I’m talking about.”

He doesn’t answer my question and just sips his coffee with a relaxed expression. Something feels off. Just as I was about to ask for more details, the office door swung open. At the same time, my brother jumped to his feet.

“Father, Siwoo is here.”

My brother gestured toward me with his chin. Belatedly, I stood up awkwardly and gave a slight bow.

“You’re here.”

“You came earlier than expected.”

My father replied briefly and sat in the main seat. My brother waited until my father sat down before taking his seat, and I carefully followed suit.

A moment of silence followed.

My father took a sip of coffee, then looked at me and spoke.

“So, are you taking good care of yourself?”

“Yes, I’m trying to be mindful of… Wait, what?”

“I’m talking about your new bride. I heard she’s carrying a treasure.”

He spoke as if it was nothing special, which left me momentarily dazed. He used the euphemism “carrying a treasure”… but he must be talking about Hwa Nabi, right?

“Well, that’s… um, yes, that’s true, but…”

“I told you not to speed, but you went ahead and caused a collision accident.”

“……”

There wasn’t a single direct expression, but I could understand from the nuance. Since what he said wasn’t wrong, I had nothing to say and just hung my head low.

“I… I’m sorry. That wasn’t our intention.”

Regardless of the reason, it happened because of our carelessness. I prepared myself to be scolded, or rather, to face a full-blown lecture, and waited tensely.

My father looked at me silently for a while, then abruptly said:

“I believe I told you that a man shouldn’t go around hanging his head just anywhere. Have you forgotten already?”

Right, he did say that. At those words, I quickly raised my head. But my father’s expression was different from what I expected. I thought he would be displeased, but for someone looking at a son who had caused trouble, there wasn’t a trace of worry or concern.

“And what are you sorry for? This isn’t something to apologize for, but something to celebrate. We’re having a grandson.”

“…Pardon?”

This was surprising too. I had been prepared to be scolded, thinking there was nothing I could do about it. Put yourself in their shoes. A son gets his girlfriend pregnant as soon as he turns twenty—regardless of the family situation, wouldn’t that be upsetting? That would probably be the normal reaction.

“It’s about to become a sensitive time, so you need to take good care of her, Siwoo. That’s a man’s role.”

That’s why I was surprised. I never imagined he would say something like this.

“Siwoo, you need to answer.”

“Ah… yes. I understand. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

My brother urged me from the side, so I answered, but honestly, I was so dumbfounded that I wasn’t sure what was happening. Is this really an issue that can be handled so easily and flexibly?

My father, having said what he needed to say, quietly sipped his coffee. And I, with my mind in a fog, just sat there with my mouth open.

“……”

Something, something is very different from what I expected. In dramas, when pregnancy news is announced, there’s usually a big argument with raised voices.

My father, upon hearing that his son had caused an accident, was surprisingly calm, and the atmosphere was incredibly peaceful.

“This worked out well, didn’t it?”

At the edge of my bewildered vision, I caught sight of my brother quietly smiling.

…I don’t think so, but just in case. With a hopeful heart, I opened my mouth.

“Brother, I have something to ask you.”

The reason my parents knew before I told them directly. And the reason they showed such a remarkably moderate reaction despite knowing.

Could it be that my brother had given them a heads-up?

“Yes, what is it?”

“Did you… was it you?”

If not, there’s simply no explanation. To my question, which I asked with some tension, my brother didn’t answer immediately.

He smiled kindly while looking at me, then murmured in an extremely leisurely voice.

“Well, sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“For my little brother’s sake, I pulled some strings.”

“Pulled strings? What does that—”

-Knock knock.