episode_0125

(new)

The car that Mom, Arami, Sarang, and I were in was quiet.

Wooo—

Arum, who was behind the wheel, drove the car along the road at a reasonable speed, and saliva flowed down her throat again at the thought that the destination was the hospital.

Gulp—

My bones are freezing.

In particular, sweat kept leaking out from my palms.

“Ah… .”

And the love sitting behind was also the same.

Especially, his face had already become pale due to the continuous vomiting, and even now his pale face does not look normal.

“Daughter, don’t you like it very much?”

“Ah… No… Um, I feel a little bit dizzy… .”

“Son, go a little slower.”

“… Yes.”

The mother sitting right next to him takes good care of his love.

“We’re almost there, so just hold on a little longer. Okay?”

“Yes… .”

… … Nothing is certain yet, but Mom’s expression doesn’t look bad right now.

I was a little… no, very confused as to whether I should be relieved by this or worry about something else.

“Oh, honey. Are you done with work?”

And the mother receiving a phone call from the father.

“Hey, don’t come straight home. I left my address on your message, haven’t you seen it yet? ”

I couldn’t hear my father’s voice clearly over the phone, but I could sense that he was a little flustered.

And soon after, a loud noise rings out from the car, as if checking the text message my mom sent.

“Ah, if you saw it, then come first. Come and talk.”

Mom frowned at the loud voice and quickly hung up the phone.

“… Is your father coming?”

“Then you’re not coming?

There was still a small smile on the face of the mother who was complaining for no reason at A-reum’s words.

“Haha, are you a little worried about our son now?”

“… That’s not it.”

“No, how surprised must you be to keep using formal language to your mother like you never used to before?”

“Uh… Okay… .”

Although Arum pretended to be calm, there was no one here who wasn’t surprised at that moment.

“Daughter, you’re really here now. Are you okay?”

“… Yes… .”

The car pulls into the hospital parking lot.

“Hoo… .”

I can swear that the most nerve-racking moment of my life was when I first set foot in boot camp.

But now, it’s more than it was then… it’s definitely not less.

I barely managed to calm my heart, which felt like it was going to burst at any moment.

So we entered the obstetrics and gynecology department.

*

The human body is truly amazing.

Even just recently, when we had undergone several examinations at an obstetrician and gynecologist, there were no abnormalities, symptoms, or warning signs in our bodies.

That’s why I was skeptical.

My physical condition might have been a little bad today… I thought about that too.

But when I first heard that I was five weeks pregnant, I wondered if this was real.

“Ah… … .”

I feel something indescribable in the thought of Arami’s body, and the love inside her, and my child in her womb.

Especially in Sarang’s eyes that look at me like that, I feel the same complexity as I do.

“Uh, uh… .”

That would be the case, because pregnancy was clearly A-reum’s body.

But, what was inside was clearly love… so many complicated circumstances became intertwined.

“Hey!!”

Over there in the distance, I see my father jumping.

And it’s getting closer and closer to us.

“Ha, haaaa… hoo… .”

Take a deep breath.

“Are you here?”

“Oh my… I’m dying. So what’s going on, huh? Is it what I think it is? ”

There was a strange sense of anticipation on his flushed face.

And then Mom taps Sarangi’s side next to her.

“Daughter, you should tell your father quickly?”

“Ah… That’s… You know… I, I, I, I’m… five weeks pregnant… .”

The father listened closely to Sarang’s softly mumbling words.

After hearing all that, the corners of his mouth suddenly snapped open.

“Oh… Really? 5 weeks? You mean 5 weeks… ?”

The father’s gaze naturally turns to Sarang’s stomach.

“Ah… .”

Sarang covered her stomach and blushed slightly.

“Oh my, sorry. I didn’t know, hehe… .”

He didn’t look sorry.

A smile never leaves his face.

“Ah… What should I do? I can’t just have a baby before I get married. It might be a bit bothersome for you, Areum, but I think we should get rid of the child together with your father first. Okay?”

“Ah, over there… That’s… .”

Sarang’s gaze turns towards me and Arami.

The expression on his face clearly shows that he doesn’t know what to do.

And then Arami appears.

“… Me too, I’ll go with you. What would he do alone?”

“Is that so? Ah… I was wondering what you guys would do, but I really didn’t know it would turn out like this… .”

The father pats Arami’s shoulder several times with a look of renewed emotion.

“Does our daughter want to eat anything?”

Parents look at Sarang with honey-dripping eyes.

And next to him, A-reum looked at this and smiled bitterly, and I also still couldn’t believe this current reality.

*

The phrase ‘a thousand years of progress’ is probably meant to be used in situations like this.

“Ah… .”

And it was easy for Arami and I, who were legally family, to become strangers again like we used to be.

“Everyone worked hard.”

“What a struggle.”

“Yeah, what did you do? That’s what you say to the kids, right?”

“Ahem… .”

We sat around the living room and looked at each other’s faces in turn.

“… … Thank you for raising me well so far.”

“Huh? Son, what did you say?”

And then Arami muttered so quietly that her parents asked her if she couldn’t hear her properly.

Arami waves her hand, saying it’s nothing.

“Oh, your son is also bland?”

My parents didn’t seem to care much about it, but Sarang suddenly got up from her seat.

“Ah, ahhhh!!”

“Oh my, surprise!”

“Haaah… .”

And everyone focuses on Sarangi’s deep breathing.

“What’s going on?”

“Phew… That’s right, that’s right… Haaah… .”

My body creaked.

It just walked sideways, step by step, like a broken machine.

“Thank you for coming this far!!”

I crouch on the floor and bow deeply to my parents.

The sight seemed a little funny, so I bit back a smile.

And I thought my parents’ reaction would be no different from mine.

But, immediately, tears welled up in Mom’s eyes.

“Daughter… … You won’t be seeing us anymore?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why I act like I’m leaving.”

My parents’ voices sank and I sighed, and A-reum, who was sitting next to me, also started to shed tears.

“That, that’s why… why are you doing that.”

Arum-i looks intently at Sarang-i, who is expressing her gratitude on her behalf, with a voice full of trembling.

.

.

.

“Hoo… .”

I just laid down on the corner of the sofa.

And for some reason, a feeling of alienation envelops my body.

Maybe this was a happy ending… and everyone lived happily ever after…? If my life was a fairy tale, and if there was an end to this story, I definitely wanted it to end like this.

.

.

.

I’ve been so out of it these days.

From A-Reum’s pregnancy to the abandonment… nothing can be taken lightly.

So I didn’t want to make everyone worry any more, and I hid it for now, even though I was sure it would be found out someday anyway.

I even lied, saying that my period started while Arami was out of it.

“Sigh… .”

It’s been two weeks since my period stopped, so I’m trying to hide it.

It was enough time for me to realize that what I had been hesitating about had eventually become a fait accompli.

And now, for the sake of the child in her womb, she must take some action.

But… it was only while I was in Sarang’s body that I finally realized it.

There is no room for me to get involved in this, it was only my greed that made me clumsily try to straddle the fence… … .

That was the reality.

If you take a few more steps forward without knowing anything, it may not be a happy ending, but rather a real catastrophe that awaits you.

“… Would our little daughter like to talk to her mom?”

And when I heard my mother calling from the side, I raised my head from where I had been looking down.

“Oh, yes.”

He links his arms next to me.

We matched our steps and went into the kitchen.

“Would you like a warm drink?”

“Ah… I’ll take it.”

“No, it’s okay, just sit down.”

He half-forces me into a chair.

And then, in no time, a sweet aroma fills the kitchen.

“Okay, it’s hot, so drink slowly.”

Hot chocolate that my mom gave me… I usually have a sweet tooth, but it looked delicious for some reason.

And at the same time, my head is spinning as to whether hot chocolate is okay for pregnant women.

“Ah… Wait a minute.”

I took out my cell phone, leaving my mom sitting across from me.

[Can pregnant women drink hot chocolate?]

Cacao ingredients stimulate dopamine production… … and help to improve mood by calming stress and depression.

Flavonoids… …are effective in controlling high blood pressure in pregnant women.

It also contains antioxidants that help prevent aging and cancer.

Just check if it contains caffeine.

“Haha, are you busy?”

“Oh, no… Hehe… .”

I quickly turn off my phone screen and place it on the table.

“Does this have caffeine in it?”

“Caffeine…? Well, let’s check?”

“Oh, I’ll look at it.”

I picked up my phone again and stood up.

Then I check the brand of hot chocolate and do a quick search.

[Made from cocoa butter extracted from cocoa beans and contains no caffeine.]

“Sigh… .”

I sighed in relief and went back to my seat.

“Why? Can’t you sleep well these days?”

“Ah… Hehe, yeah… I lost a little sleep… .”

“Really? This is a big deal.”

I tried hard to meet my mother’s worried gaze.

And then take a sip of the warm hot chocolate.

“Sigh… .”

I feel warm inside.

And sweetness fills your mouth.

“There was no other reason why Mom called our little daughter… .”

“… Yes.”

I feel unnecessarily nervous when I see my mom gossiping.

I wonder if they noticed something strange in my appearance. I’m full of such worries.

“Down and Arum… Are you okay?”

“Ah… That’s it, that’s why… .”

I had a feeling it was going to happen.

Because it was something I had been asking myself, knowingly or unknowingly, even before my body changed.

“… Yes, it’s okay.”

It wasn’t okay, but that was all I could say.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Ah… yes.”

It was my best.

“With other women… It’s okay to just talk comfortably.”

Indeed, I don’t know what answer my mother wanted to hear from me.

I try to pretend that everything is fine, but he keeps telling me to be comfortable…

“… … Really, really… Okay, it’s okay… .”