Chapter 84: Symptoms

“…And with that, we wrap up the filming of Heart for Love Season 1.”

The director’s cheerful voice echoed through the loudspeaker.

“To all our actors, thank you so much for creating such a wonderful story together with us.

You saw the ratings just now, didn’t you?

I truly believe this enthusiastic response is all thanks to the hard work of our cast.

And I’d also like to thank all the staff who have worked tirelessly on set.”

As the director stood and bowed deeply, everyone present broke into applause.

Every face was soaked in pride and a deep sense of fulfillment.

“Alright, for the rest of the stories we didn’t get to finish—let’s move locations.

I’ve made a reservation at a nice place, so let’s watch the rerun together tonight and really burn it up.

Then, I’ll see you all in Seoul!”

“Wow!”

“Great work, everyone.”

“You really did an amazing job!”

The thunderous applause rang in my ears once again.

Standing there as Season 1 wrapped up safely gave me a strange feeling.

Separate from everything with Eun-gyeol, I felt proud—
and yet, my chest felt oddly tight.

As expected, Heart for Love, which aired yesterday, recorded explosive ratings from its very first episode.

The reactions online were overwhelmingly positive, and both YouTube and community boards were in an uproar.

The response to Eun-gyeol, the male lead, went without saying.

If this were before, I would have been happily searching the drama title and Eun-gyeol’s name, busy leaving comments everywhere they appeared.

Forcing myself to hide the bitterness, I walked toward Eun-gyeol.

After exchanging greetings with several actors, he was heading my way.

“Gyeol, shall we head out?”

“Yeah.”

He looked to be in a good mood.

He strode over and, without hesitation, draped an arm over my shoulders.

I smiled awkwardly and subtly pulled his arm down.

“What now?”

“I told you not to do that where people can see.”

His expression immediately twisted in irritation.

Luckily, the manager and the others approached at just the right moment.

“Cha-cha!

Good work today.

Yes!

We’re eating a lot of meat tonight.”

“You should stop eating so much, noona.”

“You little—are you really going to sour the mood on a day like this?!”

“Actor Cha, Team Leader.

Thank you for all your hard work.”

“Yeah.

You worked hard too.”

Laughing and exchanging greetings amid the noisy, hectic atmosphere only made my heart feel more unsettled.

I stole a glance at the manager’s face.

Was it because of what I’d said yesterday?

Despite the great reception for the premiere and the smooth end to filming, his complexion didn’t look all that bright.

“See you in Seoul!”

“We’ll see you in Seoul.”

Even if I planned to quit later, I decided to attend the final company dinner tonight.

We’d worked together for months—it felt wrong, and discourteous, to leave without saying proper goodbyes.

And if I skipped it, Eun-gyeol would immediately get suspicious.

We’d go together, attend the dinner, and then I’d take Eun-gyeol home.

He would definitely insist I stay over, but I planned to refuse—
saying I wanted to unpack and enjoy some quiet time alone.

And then…

‘…Hah.’

Gripping the steering wheel, I swallowed a sigh.

I tried desperately to hide my troubled state of mind.

Eun-gyeol was sitting right beside me.

He was the kind of person who could pick up on changes just by watching my expression or the smallest movement, so if I wanted to get through the dinner without issues, I had to be extra careful.

“I’m going to take a nap.”

Hearing the exhaustion heavy in his voice, I thought it might actually be for the best.

Come to think of it, whenever we slept together before, Eun-gyeol usually fell asleep first—
but last night, I think I was the one who did.

No, actually… that might have been happening a lot lately.

“Yeah.

Get some sleep.”

Before long, Eun-gyeol fell asleep with his head leaned against the window.

I kept my eyes on the road, but every so often my gaze was pulled toward him as if by a magnet.

As always, his sleeping face was utterly defenseless.

Looking at that pale face I’d always thought of as angelic, I let out a short sigh.

This face, too, would soon be… goodbye.

I didn’t know where that endpoint lay.

Truly, indefinitely.

Right now, it felt impossible—but maybe someday, after a very long time had passed, if a day came when I could forgive Eun-gyeol.

Or a day when thinking of him no longer stirred up such tangled emotions…
then maybe I could face him with a calm smile.

During the long years I’d loved him, I’d often wondered what a life without loving Eun-gyeol would be like.

Wouldn’t it be completely different from the life I’d lived, from beginning to end?

No matter how much I tried to imagine it, I never could.

Now that I’d lost the way of life, the attitude, the methods I’d lived by until now, I had to find that answer from this point forward.

Even if I had to carry an empty chest, I had to keep moving.

I had to reclaim the reins of my own life that had been stolen from me for far too long.

It was probably already too late, but still—
the only one who could silently rebuild from all this collapse, destruction, and the ruins left behind… was me.

In the car, with no music playing, I drove quietly.

Despite the chaos in my head, my driving remained careful.

Looking at Eun-gyeol’s pale hand lying defenselessly on my thigh, I tried to calmly let go of old memories—
of how I used to want to secretly take that hand.

We were almost at the restaurant when it happened.

A wave of nausea rose suddenly, similar to what I’d felt yesterday.

I bit down on my lips and swallowed it back.

Heat surged through my body, cold sweat breaking out.

After taking several deep breaths, it finally subsided a little.

What is wrong with me, seriously…

I frowned faintly as I parked in the restaurant lot.

It was a place large enough to accommodate nearly a hundred actors and staff, so the parking area was vast as well.

Through the window, I could already see many familiar faces.

Carefully, I reached out and touched Eun-gyeol’s thigh.

“Gyeol.

Wake up.”

“…Mm.”

His peacefully closed eyelids slowly lifted.

With a blank expression, he stretched long.

“Thanks for driving by yourself.

You worked hard.”

“It was nothing.

More importantly—want to go in first?”

His hand, midway through unbuckling his seatbelt, froze.

“Why?”

“I’m going to stop by a pharmacy.”

“Are you sick?”

His voice sharpened instantly.

“You said you suddenly felt unwell yesterday.

You looked better during the day—are you feeling bad again now?”

“No, it’s not that.

It’s not because I’m sick.”

I’d expected this.

I offered the excuse I’d prepared in advance, trying my best to keep my expression neutral.

“I just wanted to buy some hangover relief drinks for the manager, Yujin noona… and the rest of the team.”

“That’s unnecessary.

Why are you bothering with that?

If you really want to, tell Kim Geon-ho to do it.”

“No.

I want to do it myself this time.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“…Don’t say something ridiculous.”

I explained that it was impossible to walk around central Yeouido together like that.

Even after I tried several times to dissuade him, he insisted on at least coming to the pharmacy with me.

He’d always been stubborn, but today he was especially so.

Technically, I could leave him in the car, so it wasn’t a problem—but if he saw me buying something like digestive medicine, he’d definitely make a scene.

He’d probably insist on skipping the dinner entirely and dragging me to a hospital, or telling me to rest at home.

Just then, Eun-gyeol’s phone rang.

The director’s name flashed on the screen.

He was about to ignore it, but at my urging, he answered with a scowl.

It was probably about coming in quickly.

“…Just go.

It’ll only take five minutes.”

“Hah…”

With a clearly displeased expression, Eun-gyeol got out of the car—after extracting several promises from me to call him the moment I was back.

After finally parking the van properly, I headed toward a nearby pharmacy.

The sun was already halfway down.

It would be dark soon.

The pleasantly cool air soothed my churning stomach.

“Welcome.”

“Hello.”

Inside the pharmacy, I bought several bottles of hangover relief—and the digestive medicine that was my real purpose.

I should be careful with what I eat tonight and avoid alcohol as much as possible.

Soon, a thin plastic bag containing digestive medicine and several small glass bottles hung from my wrist.

After paying, I turned away absentmindedly—
and then something caught my eye, as if in slow motion.

“…..”

I didn’t know why my gaze went there.

Until stepping into this pharmacy, I’d assumed all these uncomfortable symptoms were just indigestion, or lingering aftereffects of manifestation pain.

But the moment the words “Omega Pregnancy Test” slammed into my vision, my heart dropped.

It felt like getting lost in an unfamiliar place, only to suddenly see a signpost pointing to a destination I’d never imagined.

No way.

That can’t be it.

No way… It’s just pointless imagination…

Even as I thought that, my lips trembled.

I barely managed to swallow my dry saliva.

There was no one else in the pharmacy but me.

I didn’t know what possessed me, but the words spilled out on their own.

“Um… pharmacist.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been feeling bloated for several days… nauseous, with this heat in my body…”

The pharmacist listened with a puzzled expression, nodding along.

“…Could that be… a p-pregnancy… symptom?”

My throat suddenly tightened.

The pharmacist’s eyes widened for a moment, then she quickly regained her composure.

“Well… if you’re an omega, those can be early pregnancy symptoms.”

After that, I don’t know how I managed to leave the pharmacy.

Like someone possessed, I paid for the test and stepped outside.

The bag in my hand clinked noisily.

Without thinking, I entered the building’s public restroom.

The moment I locked the door, I let out a trembling breath.

I hadn’t done anything yet, but my vision swam.

I clenched my teeth.

My heart was pounding—far too hard, far too fast.