Chapter 68: A Desperate Confession

“Did you… not sleep well?”

My abrupt question, which even skipped a morning greeting, visibly startled Han Jung-woo. He then inquired with a concerned tone.

While it was true I hadn’t slept due to a nightmare, I certainly wasn’t babbling nonsense in my sleep.

I wished he wouldn’t harbor any expectations for a future with me. Even if the world turned upside down, such a thing would never come to pass.

If he was allowing such feelings to grow unchecked, I wanted to tell him to stop before his disappointment deepened.

For both his sake and mine.

“If you’re too tired, we can postpone our outing—”

“No, I’m not going.”

My immediate refusal, before he could even finish his sentence, caused him to quirk a straight eyebrow askew.

“Didn’t we agree to go together yesterday?”

“Absolutely not. I never gave such an answer. And why, in the first place, should I decorate a baby’s room with you, Han Jung-woo? I’ll be leaving anyway.”

“…You’re certainly starting the morning with nothing but cheerful words to dampen my mood.”

He twisted his lips into a wry smile, making no effort to conceal his discomfort. With nothing left to say, there was no reason to linger in the kitchen, where an awkward silence had settled.

‘If I return to my room, I can just lie in bed all day and catch up on sleep.’

As I blinked my weary eyes and turned to leave, he caught hold of me. Then, he made a candid confession.

“I wanted to create a baby’s room because I harbored the hope that you, Yoo Seo-jin, might remain by my side even after some time had passed. Of course, you’ll say that’s impossible, but people’s hearts change more easily than one might think.”

As he said, human hearts often waver without conviction. Even knowing better, people sometimes choose outcomes diametrically opposed to reason, leading to regret.

Yet, that was always the story of others, never mine. Since I would not change, his expectations were utterly futile. How truly pathetic.

“That won’t happen.”

“Well, we won’t know until the very end, will we?”

He shrugged his shoulders, then tugged me with a slight force. Powerlessly, I was drawn to him, and he gripped my waist, lifting me swiftly into the air. In an instant, I found myself seated on the island counter, my eyes wide with surprise.

“Since we’re here, let’s talk.”

He braced his hands on the table, effectively blocking any escape route, and demanded a conversation. While he phrased it as a request, it felt closer to coercion.

“What do you wish to discuss?”

“Nothing grand, just a conversation about the time we have left. From my perspective, you, Yoo Seo-jin, seem to be the type who keeps your true feelings tightly guarded within.”

He poked my chest with his fingertip, then offered a bright smile. Despite having the exact same face as Seon Woo-jung, he somehow seemed utterly detestable. Annoyance surged within me, and I twisted my lips into a sneer.

“You speak as if you know me intimately.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say I’m entirely clueless.”

I yearned to tell the arrogant man the truth: that the Yoo Seo-jin before him was not the Yoo Seo-jin of before. Thus, the Yoo Seo-jin he thought he knew no longer existed.

‘If I were to tell him the truth, what kind of expression would Han Jung-woo make? Would he recoil in disgust, dismissing my words as madness? If he were to lose all affection for me then, perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad.’

“If I ask you, Yoo Seo-jin, to go first, you’ll likely keep your mouth shut for the entire day, so shall I begin?”

“…Do as you please.”

I wasn’t sure what kind of truth game this was, but with Han Jung-woo having me perched on the table, blocking all avenues of escape, I decided to let him have his way.

“I like you.”

Despite his soft voice, his face remained oddly placid, unlike someone making a confession. This detached demeanor caused me to comprehend his words a moment too late.

“I like you very much, Yoo Seo-jin.”

“……”

“I know it’s hard to believe. After all, our relationship hasn’t exactly been… pleasant.”

He chuckled softly, then lightly bumped his forehead against my frozen one. Only then did I regain my senses and hastily tried to respond, but he asked me to wait, stating he wasn’t finished.

“I don’t know how it appears to you, Yoo Seo-jin, but I’m rather desperate. I’m searching for a way to keep you by my side, even after six months have passed.”

‘It won’t be easy.’

He added the small remark, sighing, and this time rested his head on my shoulder. He gently patted my stiff, rigid back as he continued speaking.

“I will keep my promise. If your feelings, Yoo Seo-jin, haven’t changed even after the baby is born, I won’t try to hold you back again. However, until then, couldn’t you at least give me a chance?”

Unbeknownst to me, the distance between us had shrunk to less than a handspan. Yet, our hearts remained worlds apart. He sought to hold onto me, while I yearned to escape him.

“What kind of chance do you want?”

“Just accept me for six months. If that’s too difficult, then at least pretend.”

Han Jung-woo, begging for attention from the Yoo Seo-jin who once detested even breathing the same air as him—it was an unimaginable scenario. A hollow laugh escaped me, without any resistance.

Lifting his face from where it had rested, he saw me scoffing at what had been a rather serious confession. Seeing the uncharacteristically wounded look in his eyes, I denied everything.

“It’s all a misunderstanding.”

“…Why are you so certain?”

“There’s no way you, Han Jung-woo, could like me.”

This was a curse. A curse that those I once called family had screamed and unleashed upon me. Even as I desperately denied their words, I acknowledged their truth.

There was no way someone could genuinely love a being who couldn’t even love themselves. Seon Woo-jung… I no longer knew. All that remained for a person who had broken up was lingering attachment.

“Don’t worry. Neither I nor the baby will ever impede your path, Han Jung-woo.”

“That’s not what I want—”

A distinct rattle.

The sound of someone entering made both our gazes snap simultaneously to the same spot.

The housekeeper, arriving for her shift, froze instantly upon discovering us on the dining table. She then quietly began to retreat the way she had come.

“Move now.”

“Our conversation isn’t over yet.”

Even knowing the situation was no longer conducive to conversation, he stubbornly persisted. I let out a deep sigh, then looked him directly in the eyes. “Move.” Only then did he step back.

Descending from the table, I offered a crisp morning greeting to the housekeeper, who was still hiding behind the wall, before ascending to the second floor. As I entered my room and was about to lie on the bed, he followed, casually pushing open the door.

“What—”

Before I could finish my protest, my chin was seized, and his lips crushed against mine. A hot tongue invaded the forcibly opened crevice, wantonly exploring the inside of my mouth.

As I began to collapse beneath him, he swiftly lifted me into his arms, then kicked the bedroom door shut. In stark contrast to the fierce kiss, he gently laid me on the bed before finally breaking contact.

“Ever since you, Yoo Seo-jin, came to this house, I’ve had dreams like this every single night.”

“Gah.”

He pulled up my top, then pressed his lips to my chest, where my nipples had hardened from the recent kiss. He bit the sensitive nub, sucking strongly, then gnawed at it with his teeth, causing an embarrassing sound to escape my lips.

I tried to bite my lower lip and endure, but it was too difficult, so I simply covered my mouth with my hand. I glared fiercely at him, who still lingered in the same spot.

“I’ve been barely restraining myself from wanting to strip your clothes, kiss every inch of your body, and push myself into you, even if you cry… Did you know that too?”

When I challenged him with my gaze, silently asking how I could possibly know that, he let out a small laugh. Then, he painfully pinched both sides of my chest, as if chastising me for my ignorance.

“See? You don’t know everything after all.”

Having proven his point in a peculiar way, he removed his hands from my chest. He then smoothed down my shirt, which had ridden up to my chin, before playfully ruffling my hair.

“I know you think a lot, Yoo Seo-jin, but couldn’t you think a little less when you’re with me?”

“How?”

“Just enjoy yourself with me. Like yesterday, playing tag and splashing in the water.”

Though it was brief, I recalled yesterday, when I had played with him like a child. Could it truly be possible to set aside the worries that plagued my mind and laugh with him again, just like then?

“Let’s just think of it as you, me, and ‘Kkamjjak’—having a brief, happy dream.”

He gently cupped my cheek, as I remained speechless, and subtly moved his hand, causing my head to nod slightly. Then, our lips met again. It was a careful, tender kiss.

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