Chapter 48: An Unforeseen Life

Even after visiting the hospital with Jae-hyun, the persistent nausea showed no signs of abating, days later.

The doctor had suggested it might be ‘pre-heat syndrome,’ or, with a slim chance, a pheromone imbalance. All I received was advice to monitor my condition further.

When the prescribed medication offered no improvement, my mother insisted we try another hospital. Her recent illness seemed to have made her particularly sensitive to my health.

Though I dreaded going out, it was preferable to exacerbating my mother’s worries, so I ultimately agreed to visit another clinic. A minor tussle ensued when she tried to accompany me, but this time, I prevailed.

‘Where was that hospital near home?’

After pondering where to go, I settled on a family medicine clinic close to my house. While waiting for my turn after checking in, a wave of nausea washed over me, as if an Alpha was nearby.

I raised a hand to cover my nose and mouth, enduring as best I could. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the nurse called my name. Relieved, I sprang up and went directly to her.

“Yoo Seo-jin, please proceed to examination room number two.”

“Yes, thank you.”

As I stepped into the examination room, the cloying scent of pheromones was replaced by the sharp, sterile smell of disinfectant. The doctor, who had been focused on the monitor, offered a gentle smile upon seeing me.

“Yoo Seo-jin, please have a seat.”

“Ah, yes.”

Seated, I meticulously described my symptoms to the doctor, explaining that I’d been unwell for days and even the sight of food triggered dry heaves. The doctor’s expression grew notably serious.

“Have you perhaps visited an OB/GYN?”

“Pardon? Why there…?”

“While I cannot be certain yet, Yoo Seo-jin, your symptoms bear a striking resemblance to those of early pregnancy.”

The word ‘OB/GYN’ instantly plunged me into an overwhelming anxiety. The doctor, delivering such an unbelievable diagnosis, suggested I visit an obstetrics and gynecology clinic instead of staying there.

Leaving the family medicine clinic, I headed straight for the OB/GYN in the adjacent building. Fortuitously, there were few patients, allowing me to enter an examination room immediately after checking in.

“Have you noticed any recent changes in your body?”

“Changes in my body, you mean…?”

“Like increased sensitivity to pheromones, a more ravenous appetite than usual, or needing more sleep?”

“Ah, yes. I believe so.”

Astonishingly, the doctor seemed to know my physical condition precisely. Lately, my appetite had indeed become voracious, I’d been sleeping excessively, and my sensitivity to pheromones had heightened considerably.

“Shall we start with a simple test?”

As the doctor finished speaking, a waiting nurse escorted me out of the examination room. After various tests, I had to wait in the waiting room for the results.

Looking around, I saw Betas and Omegas who appeared to be pregnant. Many had noticeably swollen bellies, yet a few, like me, showed no obvious signs.

Watching them smile contentedly and stroke their bellies only intensified my anxiety. Despite my efforts to appear calm, my legs had been uncontrollably trembling for some time.

‘It can’t be. It must be a misdiagnosis.’

I had heard that Omegas sensitive to pheromones often exhibited symptoms similar to early pregnancy during their heat cycles.

Yoo Seo-jin was a dominant Omega, yet his pheromones were unstable. His heat cycles had only ever shown signs, never fully manifesting until now. All evidence pointed to ‘pre-heat syndrome.’

‘Please, let it not be true…’

But if the worst-case scenario proved true, only one possibility came to mind.

That day, when I impulsively had s*x with Han Jung-woo, entangled in the confined space of the car, neither of us had even considered the need for contraception.

We hadn’t used condoms, nor had I taken birth control, and there had even been a knotting. Naturally, the possibility of pregnancy was high. Even in a state of utter distraction, I should have been more careful; I had forgotten the most basic precaution.

‘Why on earth did I do that?’

“Yoo Seo-jin, you may enter the examination room.”

“Ah, yes.”

Pushing regret aside for a moment, I re-entered the examination room. As I sat before the doctor, with no time to brace myself, they immediately delivered the test results.

“Congratulations, you are pregnant.”

“…Pardon?”

“You are four weeks along.”

My eyes, unable to conceal their shock, darted wildly. Like someone who had lost their voice, my lips merely trembled as I lowered my gaze to my flat, unassuming belly.

So, a life was growing inside me, unbeknownst to myself. And it was Han Jung-woo’s child—the man I had vowed never to see again.

‘How could this be real?’

“Yoo Seo-jin, are you alright?”

“Ah… I’m fine.”

I tried to feign composure, but my hands were already trembling uncontrollably. Observing my unconcealed anxiety, the doctor adopted a serious expression and posed a cautious question.

“Do you, perhaps, not know the partner?”

No, I knew precisely who it was. Since becoming Yoo Seo-jin, I had been intimate with only one person. The timing also aligned perfectly. As I slowly shook my head, the doctor’s expression softened with relief.

“In that case, it would be best to inform the Alpha partner of the pregnancy. You will likely need a lot of support.”

“What kind of support?”

“Male Omegas tend to have a more unstable uterus than females. Therefore, it’s crucial to minimize stimulation, and one way to do that is by regularly receiving your partner’s pheromones.”

“Ah…”

“This is especially recommended during early pregnancy.”

The subsequent explanations felt like a verbatim recitation of the lines I’d heard when Yoo Seo-jin had feigned pregnancy with Han Jung-woo’s child.

I never imagined I would actually be hearing advice about avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and minimizing stimulation myself.

With the doctor’s final words about the next appointment, I exited the examination room. At the reception desk, a nurse handed me pregnancy-related booklets and a prenatal card.

“Yoo Seo-jin, ma’am, I’ll assist you with your next appointment.”

“…”

“Yoo Seo-jin, ma’am?”

The sudden onslaught of misfortune blurred my vision. Though it was still early and my belly showed no signs, it would inevitably swell, and it was only a matter of time before my family discovered it.

Then, of course, they would ask who the father was, and if it turned out to be Han Jung-woo, Yoo Hae-jung’s personality meant he would try to arrange a marriage somehow. How would that be any different from the plot of a drama?

‘I have to get rid of it. That’s the only way.’

I placed a hand on my flat belly and squeezed my eyes shut. So many others yearned for a child, so why had it come to me, of all people? Why?

“…It’s possible, right?”

“Pardon?”

“To terminate the pregnancy, that’s possible, isn’t it?”

****

The doctor offered me a three-day grace period.

As it was still very early, termination was possible at any time if the pregnant person wished. However, I decided to accept the doctor’s counsel, who treated each life with gravity.

In return, I received a promise that if my mind hadn’t changed after three days, the termination would proceed. Only then, after my second consultation, was I able to leave the hospital.

‘It was a good thing I didn’t come with my mother.’

If she had come, the pregnancy would have been exposed without a chance to hide it, turning the household upside down. Then, even considering termination would have been impossible. In many ways, it was a profound relief.

“What did the hospital say?”

As soon as I arrived home, my mother, who had been waiting, inquired. Facing her anxious expression, I vaguely attributed my condition to stress.

“I’m tired from being out. I need to rest.”

“Of course, go rest quickly.”

Releasing my mother’s hand, I ascended to the second floor. Upon entering my room, I instinctively moved to flop onto the bed, then paused. Realizing the potential impact, I lay down carefully, unlike my usual habit.

‘This is devastating.’

I placed a hand on my flat stomach, yet felt nothing. This lack of sensation only made it feel less real. The idea that a new life existed within me was utterly unbelievable.

‘No, it’s fine. I’m going to get rid of it anyway.’

I lowered my hand from my belly and closed my eyes. Since everything would return to how it was in three days, it was better not to acknowledge its presence.

That way, the guilt might be lessened, even just a little.

‘This must be the right thing to do.’

How could someone as broken as me raise a child? Having never received genuine love from my own parents, I couldn’t possibly give that love to a child.

‘Why did it have to come to me, of all people?’

I was such a flawed person that I wanted to shift all the blame onto this tiny life that had arrived without warning. If only it had gone to someone else, it could have been truly blessed.

As I turned to lie on my side, I remembered the prenatal card I’d tucked into my pocket. I had returned everything else, only keeping this one item, but I wished I had given it back too.

‘I don’t need it.’

Instinctively, I reached to discard it in the trash, but then changed my mind, tucking it deep into a drawer. There, it would be out of sight, and I could dispose of it when I returned to the hospital in three days.

Lying back on the bed, I gazed toward the drawer where I had just placed the prenatal card. My eyelids fluttered once, then twice, before finally closing completely, shrouding my vision.

Thus, I fell into an uncomfortable sleep, both physically and mentally.