Ch.273273. A Crisis Is Indeed a Crisis

After Han Siwoo left following what might or might not have been a serious situation…

Im Hansol was waiting at a coffee shop near his friend’s house, ready to dash out at any moment. Though the possibility was low, if the distress signal he’d seen on YouTube was real, he needed to rush over and help immediately.

“…I hope nothing’s wrong.”

The background music in the coffee shop gradually faded from his ears as his lips dried up. Im Hansol took slow, deep breaths to calm his tense chest.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. After repeating this routine about three times, his tightly gripped phone rang. A call.

Could it be? Had an emergency really occurred? He answered without even checking who was calling. But what was this?

[Hey, Im Hansol. What’s up? You answered so quickly.]

The voice on the other end wasn’t Han Siwoo’s, but Jin Jiyu’s, whom he’d been close with lately. Her voice was sharp yet somehow reassuring, giving him an inexplicable sense of relief.

“Huh? Ah… well, I answered quickly because it was your call.”

[What’s this? Why are you being so sweet today? Are you trying to hit on me?]

“Not particularly… What’s going on? You don’t usually call at this time.”

Weekday afternoons were when Jiyu focused on her studies, and Im Hansol himself rarely had time for calls as a soldier. So he asked casually.

[Nothing much, but remember when you came out on leave the month before last and we drank together?]

“Drinks? Yeah, I remember. You mean when we drank until we blacked out, right?”

[Right. Then you remember we went to a motel and fell asleep together?]

“Yeah. But nothing happened, right?”

Though his memory had gaps, as far as “Im Hansol” remembered, nothing had happened between him and Jiyu.

They did stay together at a motel, but that was only because they were too drunk to function properly. Surely nothing had happened… probably.

[That’s how I remember it too. But listen. I haven’t gotten it this month.]

“It? Oh, you mean…”

[Yes, my period. My period hasn’t come. I’m usually very regular, you know? But this month, it’s been two weeks past the expected date and still nothing. So I took a pregnancy test. And the result…]

“Um, the result?”

[Two lines.]

“…What?”

[I think I’m pregnant.]

***

He covered what would normally be a ten-minute walk in just three minutes. Running as if flying, he was completely out of breath. Though he wanted to rest, he couldn’t. Confirming Hwa Nabi’s safety was his top priority.

After quickly entering the door lock password, he grabbed the handle and flung the door open. Roughly kicking off his shoes in the entryway, he ran toward the bedroom.

Bang!

“Nabi, are you okay?!”

He shouted as he threw open the firmly closed bedroom door and quickly scanned the surroundings. His eyes met someone’s.

“…Oh, husband?”

That someone was none other than Hwa Nabi. Her expression was dreamy and relaxed. She seemed to be drowsy from sleep, but otherwise appeared fine. She looked healthy.

Ah, what a relief. Only then did he let out a sigh. Hwa Nabi gestured toward him as he caught his breath. She was beckoning him over.

“Husband. Why is your face so red? Did you run here?”

“Yeah, from the coffee shop in front of the building… whew. I ran all the way here.”

Skipping the elevator and running up the stairs had quite an impact. Sitting directly in front of Hwa Nabi, he answered while still catching his breath, and she pulled a tissue from the box at her bedside to wipe his forehead.

“My goodness, you ran that whole distance at once? Were you exercising in this cold weather?”

“I wasn’t exercising, I ran because of you.”

“Me? Why?”

He briefly explained what had happened. How she had gone to the hospital and fallen asleep right after, how he had gone out briefly to meet Im Hansol, and how during that meeting he’d received a very meaningful call from her.

Though he thought he’d summarized it clearly, Hwa Nabi’s face looked puzzled. She didn’t seem to understand what he meant.

“Wait a minute. That explanation is a bit complicated… So you’re saying I called you in my sleep and said something strange, and you thought it was a call for help?”

“Yes, exactly.”

What a concise explanation that captured the essence. When he nodded in agreement, Hwa Nabi looked at him incredulously.

“Husband… have you been watching too many movies? Who would make a distress call like that? It’s not like I was passing along a secret code.”

“Why not? It could happen. I’ve seen on YouTube that some people deliberately say odd things when requesting help.”

“True. You’re not wrong, but if the situation was so urgent that I couldn’t speak properly, would I call you? I would have called 112 right away.”

“Hmm… I guess so?”

Now that he heard it, she wasn’t wrong. Yes, if it had been that much of an emergency, she would have called 112 directly rather than calling him with cryptic messages.

It was something he could have realized with just a little thought, but Im Hansol’s serious tone had affected his judgment.

This was all Im Hansol’s fault. That’s right. He wasn’t stupid; how could he not have known that?

“What’s wrong, husband? Why do you look so glum?”

“Huh? Ah, I’m not glum…”

“Are you upset that I said I’d call 112 instead of calling you first?”

…He wasn’t a child; how could he be upset about something like that? Of course, it would be a lie to say he didn’t feel even 0.1 percent disappointed, but rationally speaking, calling 112 instead of him was the right choice.

He wasn’t a martial arts expert or special forces member—how could he handle an armed assailant? It would be much better to get professional help than to make a fool of himself.

“Oh, did I hit the mark?”

“It’s not like that, really. I just think what you said makes sense…”

Perhaps embarrassed about overreacting to a misunderstanding, his voice unconsciously grew quieter. Hwa Nabi stared at his face for a moment, then reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“…Heh, husband. Come here.”

“Huh? No…”

“No arguing. Come here, my husband.”

Before he could say anything, Hwa Nabi gently pulled him closer. Though there was no force in her action, somehow he couldn’t help but surrender to her lead.

As his face and chest pressed against hers, a soft and fluffy sensation filled his face. Naturally, his breath touched her chest.

“Husband.”

“Y-yes.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not saying you’re not reliable. You know that, right?”

“Y-yeah, I know.”

“Then why does your voice sound so weak?”

“…”

Well, that’s because my face is buried in your chest, and if I open my mouth wide, my lips will touch something.

…They weren’t strangers who needed to be self-conscious about such trivial things anymore, but right now, he felt he needed such an excuse. Otherwise, he’d have to admit that he was indeed feeling glum.

“Be honest. You misunderstood, didn’t you?”

“No, it wasn’t exactly a misunderstanding…”

“You did, right?”

“…I did.”

When he frankly admitted it, he heard a faint laugh above his head. Hwa Nabi was quietly laughing. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he tried to pull his face away from her chest, but she kept her arms around his neck, preventing him from moving.

“Husband. Remember what I told you before? That you’re my favorite person in the world?”

“Y-yeah… you did say that.”

“That’s why I wouldn’t call you in danger. If something happens, I’d rather face it alone. I can’t let you be in danger because of me.”

“…Nabi.”

He couldn’t just let that comment slide. He gently took Hwa Nabi’s wrists, pulled them away slightly, and raised his head. Then he looked directly at her.

“You said before that if anything happened to me, you’d throw everything away and follow me.”

“Yes, I did. But that’s…”

“It’s the same for me. If something happened to you or you suddenly disappeared, I would probably…”

I would probably use every means at my disposal, and if that didn’t work, I’d turn the world upside down.

“…Probably?”

Hwa Nabi stared at him as he trailed off. He hesitated about whether to express his honest feelings, then closed his mouth and looked back at her.

“Probably… become very strange?”

“Strange? How?”

“…Anyway, I’d become strange. So unless you want to know how I’d change, don’t say weird things about getting hurt alone. Understood?”

Living in a world without Hwa Nabi would be worse than death.

…Perhaps his feelings were conveyed, as she quietly nodded while looking at him. Only then did he clear his throat in relief. Having expressed his honest feelings made him a little, just a little, embarrassed.

“Um… Nabi, are you hungry? If you’re feeling peckish, I could make something simple…”

“Husband, this is what the doctor told me when I went to the obstetrics clinic alone earlier.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. What did the doctor say?”

“Since I’m entering the final stage of pregnancy, we should prepare for childbirth, and from next week, it would be better to refrain from intimacy.”

“Ah, I… see. I understand.”

He thought it would be something serious given her grave expression. But surprisingly, she said something unexpected.

Inwardly flustered, he stumbled over his words, and Hwa Nabi once again wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she put her face right next to his ear and whispered quietly.

“But ‘from next week’… means it’s still okay until this week, right?”

…Is that how it works? The doctor said “next week,” but doesn’t that mean they should abstain starting now?

He was about to say this, but Hwa Nabi acted before he could speak. She reached out, grabbed his wrist, and gently placed it on her swollen abdomen.

“So, husband.”

“Um…”

“Since the baby is there, please be as gentle as possible. Okay…?”

“…Yes, alright.”