Ch.279279. The Moment Has Come

Three days later, morning.

I woke up in the guardian’s bedroom next to Hwa Nabi’s hospital room and finished washing up in the shower. This wouldn’t normally be possible in a regular hospital room, but the special room we were using had a separate space specifically for guardians.

Indeed, when you spend enough money, nothing is impossible. Feeling newly grateful for my parents’ wealth, I changed my clothes and knocked on the door of Hwa Nabi’s hospital room where she would be sleeping.

“Nabi. Are you awake?”

One second, two seconds, three seconds. Even after waiting a moment, there was no answer. It seems she’s still asleep, and the current time is around 8 AM. Soon, the attending physician will be making morning rounds.

Since she’s pregnant, her stamina isn’t what it used to be, so I’d like to let her sleep more, but that wouldn’t be right. I entered the room to gently wake her up.

On the soft-looking hospital bed, I could see Hwa Nabi sleeping peacefully. I approached her and tapped the back of her hand.

“It’s morning. Nabi, you need to get up now.”

“…Hmm, husband?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

She must have been quite tired, as she struggled to open her eyes and looked at me with a dazed expression. My call woke her up, but she still seemed out of it.

I tapped the back of her hand again and gently held it, and gradually her eyes began to show signs of life. Suddenly, she raised her upper body and moved toward me, but she was unsteady and stumbled, so I quickly went closer and embraced her.

“…Mmm.”

“Ah, you startled me. You should be careful, Nabi…”

“Heh, sorry. I’m still not fully awake.”

Her actions certainly show that. I waited a moment for Hwa Nabi to fully wake up. After about 30 seconds, she seemed to have come to her senses and spoke to me.

“Husband, what time is it?”

“It’s about eight o’clock. The doctor will come at nine. We still have some time, so take your shower at your own pace.”

“Hmm… then, can you help me?”

“Huh? Help you with what?”

“With washing. I’m still not fully awake, so I’m a bit out of it. It would be nice if someone could help me.”

I can’t tell if she’s being sincere or just teasing me from the morning. She’s smiling as she speaks, so it’s hard to tell.

Well, even if she is being sincere, I couldn’t readily help her. This isn’t our private bedroom at home; it’s a space where nurses come and go frequently. If we were caught in the shower together, it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

We’re not just staying here for a day or two, so if strange rumors started, I wouldn’t be able to show my face. With a wry smile, I patted Hwa Nabi’s shoulder.

“You know that’s not possible, right…?”

“Why not? A husband can help his wife wash up.”

She has a point, but this isn’t the right situation. If she were truly unable to wash herself due to mobility issues, that would be different, but that’s not the case now.

Still, if I just kept refusing, she would likely persist. So I offered Hwa Nabi a compromise.

“…I’ll help you later, later. Not now.”

“Really? You’ll help me later?”

“Yes, so hurry up and wash. You can do it by yourself, right?”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll be quick.”

Hwa Nabi cheerfully got up, put on her slippers, and headed to the shower. Watching her walk away, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“She’s really something else…”

She’s consistently herself in many ways. It’s part of her charm, but sometimes it’s hard to get used to. I wonder if she’ll become a bit more demure after giving birth to Ua and spending time together?

When I tried to imagine a completely subdued Hwa Nabi, that seemed just as strange. Hwa Nabi covering her mouth gently and laughing softly at funny jokes? That doesn’t seem right. Hwa Nabi’s charm comes from her bubbly personality.

Lost in these thoughts, I got up. It would take Hwa Nabi at least ten minutes to finish washing, so I planned to quickly go out and buy breakfast during that time.

Hospital food would be bland due to nutritional restrictions, so it would be better to get something from outside. Should I get porridge that goes down easily, or something for a simple meal? As I was checking the map on my phone and considering options…

-Ding.

A KakaoTalk message arrived on my phone. When I checked, it was a group notification from my liberal arts professor. The content was strictly business-like, reminding us that the deadline for submitting reports to replace the final exam was today at 9 AM.

“Ah.”

This doesn’t apply to me. I had anticipated this and finished my report a week ago. All that’s left is to submit it to the professor’s email with my student information, a very simple…

“…”

Wait, did I transfer the final version file to my phone? Suddenly feeling a chill down my spine, I quickly checked. With urgent finger movements, I opened my chat with myself and checked the content of the most recently saved file.

“…Huh?”

To my surprise, it wasn’t the final version. It was even an incomplete file from before the last edits.

This means… the report that needs to be submitted by ten today is sleeping in the computer at our home.

Realizing this, I immediately ran to the shower where Hwa Nabi was bathing. I could hear her humming from beyond the door, suggesting she was taking her time, but I’m sorry to have to interrupt.

“Nabi, Nabi!”

–Yes? What is it?

When I knocked on the door urgently, the sound of water stopped. I shouted through the door.

“I’ll keep it brief since we don’t have time. I have a report due today, but the file is on our home computer. So I need to go home quickly.”

Normally it would take about thirty minutes round trip, but since it’s rush hour now, I can’t guarantee how long it will take. Obviously, I won’t be able to buy breakfast, and I’m not sure if I can make it back by nine.

After I explained, there was a moment of silence, then I heard an “Ah.”

–I understand. It can’t be helped. Hurry back. Oh, and don’t get hurt rushing too much!

“Okay, I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Leaving only those words, I ran out of the hospital room. I went straight to the underground parking lot, started my car, and drove home like the wind.

*

Despite getting caught in the morning rush hour traffic, which took considerable time, I wasn’t late yet.

Arriving at a precarious time, I parked in the parking lot and practically ran into the house. I roughly took off my shoes at the entrance and ran straight to the bedroom to turn on the computer.

As soon as Windows started, I moved the mouse around to find the file, then sent the report to the professor’s email address that I had memorized.

[Sending completed.]

After finishing all that process in an instant, I checked the time: it was eight fifty-eight. If I had been just two minutes later, it would have been a disaster.

“Wow…”

If I had hit just one more red light, I would have lost points or had my report rejected. I’m really fortunate. Only then did I catch my breath and wipe away the cold sweat. My face feels hot from running.

“…Phew.”

To cool down, I flung open the window and looked outside. The weather was certainly clear until just a moment ago, but now the sky is full of dark clouds. It looks like it’s about to rain heavily.

Ah, if it rains too much, it’ll be inconvenient when buying food. I hope it rains moderately. Or if not, I hope it starts and stops quickly.

–RUMBLE!

No sooner had I thought this than there was a flash before my eyes, followed by a sound like the world splitting open. Lightning had struck. Then came thick raindrops, and fierce rain began beating against the glass, so I quickly closed the window and stepped back.

“There was no forecast for rain.”

Human affairs are unpredictable, and weather forecasts can’t always be right, but it’s a bit surprising when it suddenly rains on a day that was supposed to be clear. Did I have an umbrella in the car?

Just in case, I approached the shoe cabinet to look for an umbrella, slowly organizing my thoughts. By now, the rounds would have started, and by the time I arrive, they should be finished. And of course, Hwa Nabi wouldn’t have had breakfast.

So I should just buy breakfast on the way. I could ask her what she wants to eat via KakaoTalk, and she would reply.

As I was grabbing an umbrella, changing my shoes, and putting my phone in my pocket…

-Ring ring.

A familiar ringtone sounded. Someone was calling.

“Who could it be?”

I naturally thought it would be Hwa Nabi, but the caller ID showed an unfamiliar phone number. It started with 02, so I thought it might be spam and was about to hang up, but then I remembered that Hwa Nabi was in the hospital and hesitated.

…Just in case. Thinking it might be important, I answered the call.

“Hello.”

[Ah, finally you answer. Are you the guardian for the pregnant patient Hwa Nabi?]

The caller was a young woman, and her voice sounded quite urgent. I’m not sure what’s happening, but I can tell something serious has occurred.

[Yes, that’s me. Who is this?]

[This is the delivery room at Seoul National University Hospital’s obstetrics department. Hwa Nabi just started having contractions. But since the guardian wasn’t present, we called you!]