Ch.274274. An Ordinary Day Like Any Other

The same day in the afternoon, at the time when the sun was setting in the west.

After intensely sharing our love and affection, we were lying in bed, holding each other close. Even though we were just skin to skin without saying anything special, an inexplicable feeling of elation seemed to spread throughout my body.

“…Phew.”

This must be what they call happiness. Pleased with that emotion, I gently stroked Hwa Nabi’s slightly damp hair.

“If you touch it like that, it’ll damage my hair…”

Hwa Nabi slowly opened her eyes. I’m not sure if she was still sleepy or just tired, but her gaze seemed somewhat dreamy.

I removed my hand from the back of her head and moved it to her bangs, gently fixing them. Reflexively closing her eyes, Hwa Nabi burrowed deeper into my arms.

“The bangs aren’t any better, you know.”

“Sorry. Should I stop touching?”

“Mmm, it’s okay. You can touch as much as you want.”

Though I had permission, I couldn’t carelessly touch her hair if it would damage it. Isn’t beautiful hair like a woman’s lifeline? Touching it just to satisfy my own desires would be rather selfish.

But that seemed to displease her, and as soon as I stopped, Hwa Nabi opened her eyes with a sideways glance. It was a look that seemed to reproach me.

“Why did you stop touching?”

“You said it damages your hair.”

“Touching it briefly is fine. So, um…”

Hwa Nabi moved her face closer as if asking me to touch her. But instead of reaching out my hand, I moved my head and pressed my lips against her forehead.

Smooch. As my soft lips touched her forehead, Hwa Nabi’s cheeks instantly turned bright red. Moved by that lovely sight, I pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Ah… I asked you to touch my hair, so why are you kissing me?”

“Did you dislike it?”

“That’s… not it.”

…This is why I can’t help myself. When she gets shy from just a light kiss on the lips, how could I stop these surprise skinship attacks?

She’s about to become a mother soon, yet why is she so cute in front of me? Would no one believe me if I said she’s one month away from her due date? I changed the position of my hand and stroked Hwa Nabi’s belly. At 36 weeks pregnant, her belly was already quite prominently swollen.

“We’ll be able to see her soon, right?”

I whispered to Hwa Nabi while feeling the now very distinct movements of the new life, the heartbeat of Ua. She smiled at me, feeling those sensations more clearly than anyone else.

“Yes. I think so. She’s already making a fuss about wanting to come out.”

“You can feel that?”

“Yes. Maybe because the due date is getting close, I feel it almost every day lately.”

“Oh, really? That’s fascinating…”

It’s quite amazing to think that Ua, under that pretty dress, is squirming and moving inside Hwa Nabi’s belly.

They say you can detect the baby’s movements by placing your hand like this, but no matter what, it must be completely different from feeling it directly in your body. What does it feel like when a mother feels her baby move? As a man, is this a sensation I’ll never know in my lifetime?

Thinking about it made me somewhat regretful. I stopped caressing Hwa Nabi and shifted my body to place my ear against her abdomen. She stroked my head and smiled.

“Husband. What are you doing?”

“I was wondering if I could hear Ua’s breathing like this.”

“You might hear her footsteps, but not her breathing. When a baby is in the mother’s womb, they breathe through the umbilical cord, right?”

“Ah, I see.”

I had completely forgotten such basic knowledge. Have I been acting so childishly that my IQ has regressed too?

Still, even if I can’t hear her breathing, I can at least hear her footsteps. I embraced Hwa Nabi’s waist and pressed my ear firmly against her belly. She placed her hand on the back of my head and gently caressed it.

“Nabi. Can you ask Ua to move for me?”

“You think she’ll move just because I ask?”

“Why not? Ua might be smart enough to understand.”

“Then why don’t you try asking? Who knows? Maybe Ua will really move for you.”

“Really? Well…”

I know it’s pointless, but just in case. I cleared my throat and quietly spoke to Hwa Nabi’s belly.

“Ua. If you’re awake, could you move just once for me?”

…1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds.

About 5 seconds passed without any movement. Not even the slightest twitch.

An awkward silence fell between us, and feeling somewhat embarrassed, I pulled my face away. Hwa Nabi stared at me for a moment before chuckling.

“I guess Ua must be sleeping?”

“…”

Is she trying to kill me twice? With nothing to say, I averted my gaze, and Hwa Nabi laughed as she wrapped her arms around my neck and gently pulled me closer.

“Heh, come here.”

I wanted to leave, but given that we were under the same blanket, I couldn’t.

I was helplessly drawn in without being able to resist, and once again found my ear pressed against Hwa Nabi’s belly.

“…What are you trying to do?”

“Just wait. I’ll call her.”

“How will it be any different if you call?”

“Well, she’s hearing her mother’s voice, so wouldn’t she listen better than to her father?”

Now that I think about it, there might be some truth to that… maybe? I’m not sure. We’ll see.

Without much expectation, I kept my ear against her belly and waited. Then, just as I had done, Hwa Nabi cleared her throat and whispered in a gentle voice.

“Ua. Say hello to daddy, okay?”

“Nabi. I don’t think Ua will move just because you—”

—Twitch.

I stopped mid-sentence and widened my eyes. Just now, I clearly felt Ua moving inside the belly. I’m not sure if she moved her hand or foot, but she definitely squirmed.

Surprised, I quickly lifted my head. Hwa Nabi was also looking at me with surprised eyes. We spoke simultaneously.

“Nabi. She just moved, right?”

“Yes, did you feel it too?”

“Yeah, I heard it clearly. Ua just twitched.”

“…Hmm, what did I tell you? I said she’d respond if her mother called, didn’t I?”

For someone who said that, the mother seems pretty surprised too. Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now. What’s most important is that Ua responded to Hwa Nabi’s voice.

I quickly pressed my ear against Hwa Nabi’s belly again, took her hand, and urged her.

“Nabi. Can you ask her to say hello one more time?”

“Is it a big deal to get two greetings?”

“Ah, then instead of a greeting, just ask her to move again.”

I said while interlocking our fingers, and Hwa Nabi smiled. The wry smile she gave me as she looked down suggested she thought I was being ridiculous.

“Heh, at times like this, I really… It’s like I’m already raising one child…”

“Nabi. Quickly, please?”

“Okay, okay. I got it. …Ahem, Ua? Daddy wants to hear your footsteps.”

—Squirm.

I was startled as I kept my ear pressed against her. As if responding to Hwa Nabi’s words, I felt Ua squirming the moment she finished speaking.

It was even clearer than the previous movement. Happy and surprised, I hugged Hwa Nabi tightly. She smiled beautifully and hugged me back.

“…Wow, she really moved.”

“Heh, she did. How did she move?”

“Maybe she was answering when you called?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. When I’m alone and call her, she doesn’t move, but strangely, when I’m with you, she moved both times.”

“Really? Then, maybe Ua responded to the power of love this time?”

“When you say ‘power of love,’ it sounds really strange.”

I thought I’d made an embarrassing comment, but Hwa Nabi’s reaction was peculiar. Her meaningful smile suggested she might be imagining something odd.

“Why, what’s strange about it?”

“Well, you know? We just did that thing, and if you say she responded to the power of love… it’s like, Ua was responding to that thing we did.”

“…What are you saying in front of the baby?”

Sensing that something inappropriate was about to come out, I quickly raised my hand to cover Hwa Nabi’s lips. Blocked by my hand, she mumbled for a moment, then grabbed my neck and kissed the back of my hand.

“Mmph, mmph!”

“Okay, I’ll let go, so calm down…”

Most women struggle with energy issues after the middle of pregnancy, but Hwa Nabi, perhaps because she exercises regularly, doesn’t seem to have that problem. No, rather, she seems even more energetic than before she was pregnant.

Right? Even during our honeymoon, though it wasn’t visible from the outside, Ua was growing steadily inside. There was never a moment when she lacked energy or needed to rest, and just now, she was even more aggressive than me.

“…Mmph.”

My train of thought was interrupted. As soon as I released my hand, Hwa Nabi pulled me in for a kiss.

It was a light kiss, just lips touching and parting, but it was enough to make me flustered. Taking advantage of my hesitation, Hwa Nabi swiftly climbed onto my thighs as I lay there.

“Nabi. If you sit there like that, you’re pressing on my thighs…”

“Are you saying I’m heavy?”

It’s not that you’re heavy… it’s just that I don’t know where to look. What Hwa Nabi is wearing now is a dress-type undergarment, so her chest area and swollen belly are clearly visible.

Looking at it quietly gives me a sense of impropriety, so I unconsciously averted my gaze.

“Husband. Why are you looking away?”

“It’s almost dinner time… aren’t you hungry?”

Hoping to distract her, I tried to initiate a casual conversation.

“Yes. I’m hungry. That’s why.”

Of course, it didn’t work at all.

“…That’s why?”

“Do you want to drink my milk?”

“…”

I thought she had missed a particle, but looking at Hwa Nabi’s expression, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Irregular breathing, rough breaths coming closer and closer.

“Nabi, be honest. When you called me earlier, you were actually sober, weren’t you?”

It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. Hwa Nabi didn’t answer my question right away. She just stared at me silently, then slightly raised the corner of her mouth in a seductive smile.

“…Heh, I don’t know what you’re talking about?”