Chapter 53: A Confession Deferred

However, he still couldn’t confess the truth to Seowoo. He wasn’t mentally prepared for it. And now that he thought about it, he also needed to tell Seowoo about his Omega awakening.

Yoonwoo cleared his throat, steadying his voice.

“I’m your senior, aren’t I?”

“So?”

“So… you’ll listen to what I say, right?”

He stammered out excuses, his anxiety burning within him. Had Seowoo noticed? While it was unlikely Seowoo would deduce the pregnancy from this conversation, Yoonwoo felt a prickle of guilt. They say a person can’t live peacefully with a guilty conscience.

Fortunately, Seowoo quickly lost interest in Yeon-chae’s personal affairs. A loud cry from the baby echoed from the bedroom, drawing their attention. Watching Seowoo rush into the bedroom, Yoonwoo felt his spirits slowly sink.

Yoonwoo knew he wouldn’t be able to give the unborn child everything, as lavishly as Seowoo might. Even with Yeon-chae by his side, they couldn’t be there twenty-four hours a day, and with his own future so uncertain, he lacked the confidence to provide a perfect environment for the baby.

Yet, Yoonwoo soon thought with a sense of resignation. ‘I’ll just do my best with what I can manage.’

He recalled Yeon-chae’s embrace from not long ago. Though they were merely strangers connected by a child, every memory of Yeon-chae’s sweet scent that day, the smiling face directed at Yoonwoo, and the gentle warmth of the arms that had encircled his back, inexplicably calmed his anxiety.

On the first day of the festival, Yoonwoo couldn’t visit the pub because his café part-time job overlapped with its opening hours. He was scheduled to start serving on the second day.

Meanwhile, Yeon-chae, who had been drawn into helping with the festival preparations largely due to Yoonwoo, was likely stuck in the kitchen from the very first day, without Yoonwoo even there.

Lying in bed, trying to sleep, Yoonwoo fidgeted with guilt before finally calling Yeon-chae.

–…Yes.

Yeon-chae’s voice was thick with sleep. Yoonwoo flinched in surprise and checked his phone. It was almost midnight already. It was far too late to call Yeon-chae, who usually made sure to be asleep by eleven.

He had called out of apology, only to create a situation that made him feel even more apologetic. Yoonwoo mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

“Were you sleeping? I’m sorry. I called too late, didn’t I?”

–Yoonwoo-hyung?

“Yeah. Go back to sleep, go back to sleep.”

–No, it’s fine. What time is it, anyway…?

“It’s twelve. I didn’t check the time before I called. I’m sorry, go back to sleep quickly.”

–It’s alright. I’m awake now. How have you been?

It seemed Yeon-chae had answered without even checking the caller ID. Despite clearly being half-asleep, Yeon-chae insisted they were fine and didn’t hang up.

“I just came back after classes and my part-time job. I meant to stop by the pub, but I ran out of time and couldn’t make it.”

He was about to add an apology, but Yeon-chae’s gentle reply cut him off.

–Why would you come all the way to the pub? What if you got roped into helping out for no reason?

“It wouldn’t be so bad to help out a bit while I’m there.”

–You’re going to be working for two days anyway, so why bother? But are you really sure you can serve at the pub tomorrow? You went to your café job today, so you must be tired.

“No… I wasn’t really tired…”

In truth, he had been far more exhausted than usual, causing his words to trail off. Yeon-chae, sensing it like a ghost, gently pressed him, asking, “Why? Did something happen? Did someone give you a hard time?” Comfort resonated in Yeon-chae’s low, hushed voice.

Prompted by Yeon-chae’s kind response, the minor grievances he had kept buried effortlessly spilled out.

“It’s nothing major, but…”

Today, an unusual number of customers had flocked to the café. There were also slightly more customers than usual who made small but fussy orders.

After a conversation that went like, “An Americano, please!” “Yes, customer. Would you like it iced or hot?” “Huh? What was that?” “Customer, iced…” “Ah, yes, that one, please!” he brought an iced Americano, only for the customer’s eyes to widen as they said, “Why is this cold? Hehe, it’s fine, I’ll just drink it.”

Though the person seemed harmless, perhaps just a bit forgetful, Yoonwoo found himself utterly drained. This was something he would typically have laughed off.

–You must have had a really tough time, hyung. Customers should remember what they ordered. Why would that customer go out of their way to tire you out?

“Exactly, exactly.”

–That’s truly awful. That customer was really mean.

“No, it wasn’t like they were that mean of a customer…”

–Next time, you absolutely have to tell them, very coldly, “This is what you ordered.”

“Yeah. I’ll tell them completely coldly.”

Yeon-chae’s voice, taking his side, was so gentle. His weary heart slowly began to unwind. Only then did Yoonwoo realize that perhaps he had been apart from Yeon-chae all day, which might have contributed to his poor mood. When the body is tired, the mind becomes even heavier. That must be why he had felt down all day.

“From now on, I’ll only work my part-time job when you’re there. It’s too hard being apart all the time.”

–…

Sleepiness crept over him as he spoke aimlessly. Yoonwoo mumbled, struggling to keep his heavy eyelids open.

Silence stretched on from the other end of the phone. Had Yeon-chae fallen asleep? Yoonwoo managed to lift his heavy eyelids and asked.

“Yeon-chae, are you sleeping?”

–I’m not.

Then, after a momentary hesitation, Yeon-chae added in a hushed voice.

–Me too.

“Huh?”

–I was also having a hard time.

‘Yeon-chae isn’t pregnant and doesn’t need my pheromones, so why would they be having a hard time?’ Yoonwoo vaguely wondered this with his sleepy, muddled brain, but then Yeon-chae’s bashful, soft laugh brought him back to his senses a little. He had almost fallen asleep after making the call himself.

Rubbing his eyes, Yoonwoo chatted a bit more before the original purpose of his call belatedly came to mind, and he asked about the day’s work at the temporary pub. It seemed to have been far more prosperous than anticipated. As a result, Yeon-chae complained of being exhausted from working nonstop all day. Their voice was a tone higher than before; Yeon-chae seemed to be fully awake now.

“What if you can’t go back to sleep because of me?”

He voiced his concern, only to receive a confident reply.

–I can fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. If I hang up now, I’ll be asleep in less than five seconds.

“Haha…”

He chuckled, finding Yeon-chae’s proud boasting endearing.

He had intended to simply apologize and thank Yeon-chae for their hard work before hanging up, but over an hour had already passed. Yeon-chae would have another busy day tomorrow. He thought he should end the call, but Yeon-chae’s report on their day continued from the other end of the line.

–Kimchi pancakes were the most popular. But Jooyoung was so bad at cooking them that I ended up doing everything myself. They completely ruined the pancakes.

“Really? You should have just served what Jooyoung made, even if it wasn’t perfect. You must have had a really tough time.”

–It’s no big deal. You just put it on the pan, leave it for a bit, then flip it once.

Yeon-chae’s nonchalant reply was unexpected. It seemed Yeon-chae only grumbled verbally but ultimately adapted well to others. Perhaps Yeon-chae wasn’t just good to Yoonwoo after all. Yoonwoo’s mouth suddenly tasted bitter, but he shook his head, burying the thought that had just crossed his mind.

“You’re so kind.”

–I told you not to treat me like a child.

Yeon-chae’s grumbling reply came back immediately.

“But now that I think about it, I used to like kimchi pancakes too.”

–Really?

“Yeah. I like spicy food. But lately, just thinking about it makes me not want to eat it. My tastes must have changed. My brother said that when you’re pregnant, your tastes change.”

–Ah, I see. So the baby doesn’t like it?

“Huh? Is that it?”

–Right. Kimchi would be spicy for a baby.

“Oh…”

–I should wash it off with water for them. Come early tomorrow before opening.

“You’re going to make kimchi pancakes with kimchi washed in water?”

–Babies eat kimchi well if you wash it for them. Is it too young for even that?

“Hey, the baby doesn’t even have a mouth yet.”

It was just a random thought Yoonwoo had blurted out, but Yeon-chae’s surprisingly serious reaction was amusing. Yoonwoo chuckled, nodding repeatedly at Yeon-chae’s responses. He did so even though Yeon-chae, on the other end of the phone, couldn’t possibly see him.

In truth, it seemed this was the kind of conversation he had been craving. That was why he had suddenly visited Seowoo’s house, and why he had deliberately brought up Yeon-chae, subtly steering the conversation towards kimchi pancakes. Only after pouring out all the little thoughts he had kept bottled up during the long call with Yeon-chae did he feel a sense of relief. These were stories about the baby that he couldn’t yet share with anyone else, but could with Yeon-chae. His heart, which had been heavy all day, softened and sweetened like melting whipped cream.

A complex blend of uneasy fear and throbbing anticipation washed over Yoonwoo daily, like a relentless tide. It was a comfort to have someone to lean on amidst those tumultuous waves.

Though, ironically, it was Yeon-chae who was the source of these unnecessary worries in the first place. Yoonwoo had, by now, completely erased the memory of him enduring until he had practically pounced on Yeon-chae.

–But it seems the baby has rather particular tastes. They’re already developing dislikes. What if they keep missing out on delicious food? It’d be such a shame.

“Oh… right…”

Yeon-chae’s pleasant baritone voice reached his ears like a lullaby. Yoonwoo’s replies grew increasingly drawn out.

–Babies can’t eat ganjang gejang either. They won’t be able to eat it. Right?

“No… they can eat ganjang gejang…”

He thought he had teasingly replied that the baby could eat it, so Yeon-chae should hurry up and make some ganjang gejang, but when he opened his eyes, it was already the next morning.

“Huh?”

Startled, he checked his phone screen to see that the call had ended hours ago. A few messages remained.

[Are you sleeping? ]

[You kept talking about food, made me hungry, and then fell asleep alone? ]

[I tried making kimchi pancakes with washed kimchi. Looks delicious, right?]

[Photo]

[Photo]

[I’ll make it for you tomorrow. You really have to come early.]

[Good night.]

The kimchi pancakes made with washed kimchi looked utterly unappetizing, pale and colorless. Still, Yoonwoo couldn’t help but chuckle, saving the photo of Yeon-chae’s bland-looking kimchi pancakes.