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Join the ServerThe pattern of waking up in the dressing room continued for another three days.
Each time, the household staff meticulously tidied the disheveled room, their faces etched with concern over my strange behavior.
Though I longed to confess the truth, the fear of my words reaching Han Jung-woo kept me silent. Instead, I simply fabricated a story, claiming I had disarrayed the room while searching for clothes.
‘A lack of pheromones, is it?’
While not an exact diagnosis, a quick online search revealed numerous Omegas suffering from symptoms similar to mine.
Most of them were pregnant, yet a significant number were Omegas who had already imprinted with an Alpha.
They unanimously attributed this somnambulistic behavior to an insufficiency of their partner’s pheromones.
Essentially, without Han Jung-woo’s presence, I would instinctively turn the dressing room into chaos during my sleep. I’d fashion a nest from his scent-infused clothes, burying myself within them to finally attain a sense of stability.
The suggested remedy was to remain close to an Alpha. This solution, while deceptively simple, proved to be the most challenging for me at this particular moment.
It was truly a cruel irony. My mind was diligently striving to forget him, yet my body stubbornly refused to comply.
‘I’m feeling drowsy again.’
Despite having taken a nap after lunch, my eyelids felt heavy, threatening to close once more. I reluctantly left the comfort of my bed, paced the room for a moment, and then gathered an outer garment before stepping outside. A walk seemed to be in order.
As I casually slipped on my shoes and opened the front door, a sudden gust of wind swept through. It appeared winter had been subtly encroaching while I remained confined indoors.
‘Will these clothes be enough?’
The cardigan I had chosen for a light covering was not particularly thick. A fleeting concern about catching a cold crossed my mind, but I reasoned it would be fine since winter hadn’t fully arrived.
Just as I finished lacing my shoes and prepared to head towards the walking path, a familiar car appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching the house.
Despite the considerable distance, I recognized it immediately.
‘It’s Han Jung-woo…’
He had vowed not to come unless I called, but it seemed his resolve, or perhaps his patience, had finally fractured.
Indeed, with nearly a month having elapsed, it was perhaps a testament to his endurance, given Han Jung-woo’s typically capricious and impulsive nature.
‘But I’m still…’
Despite the prolonged passage of time, I remained utterly indecisive.
My rational mind insisted that leaving him was the correct path, yet an opposing voice within me pleaded to grant him another opportunity, even if it meant risking my own foolishness.
‘It’s too hard.’
The heart, which began its journey so unexpectedly, proved even more arduous to retract. I wished I could simply excise it.
Unable to do so, both he and I had allowed nearly a month to drift by meaninglessly. We remained trapped in a perpetual state of stagnation.
The car, which had been approaching swiftly, gradually decelerated before finally stopping directly in front of the house. The driver’s side door swung open, and a figure stepped out. My own steps, which had instinctively moved forward, froze as I recognized the person’s face.
It was not Han Jung-woo who emerged, but his secretary.
“Seo-jin-nim?”
The secretary, startled to find me standing at the entrance, quickly rushed towards me. Yet, even in that moment, my eyes remained fixed on the car.
Given that the secretary had been driving, it was plausible Han Jung-woo was seated in the back. However, despite my anticipation, the car door remained firmly shut.
“Where are you off to?”
“Just for a walk…”
My voice trailed off as I reluctantly tore my gaze away from the vehicle. I should have simply exchanged greetings with the secretary and departed, but inexplicably, my feet felt rooted to the spot.
‘Did he truly not come?’
The car’s windows were heavily tinted, obscuring any view of the interior. Even if he were inside, I would be unable to see him.
As this thought took hold, I almost imagined a gaze fixed upon me from within. Unable to endure the uncertainty, I was about to approach the car myself when the secretary offered the answer that had been concealed behind the dark glass.
“Director Han did not accompany me.”
“…I see.”
The intense surge of emotion I had felt moments earlier abruptly dissipated, replaced by a cold disappointment. It was undeniably brazen of me to secretly hope he would defy our agreement and appear, especially since I was the one who had initiated this period of separation.
“Director Han asked me to come by for a brief errand.”
“An errand?”
“Well, the season is changing, after all.”
The implication that he had sent his secretary to collect winter clothes was clear: he had no intention of returning just yet.
He would likely continue to wait until I made my decision, maintaining his distance as he did now, and sending me messages brimming with concern at regular intervals.
“Very well.”
With a brief nod, the secretary entered the house. Left alone, I waited until they were completely inside before approaching the car. Without a moment’s hesitation, I pulled open the rear passenger door.
‘…He truly isn’t here.’
The only thing I gained from this direct confirmation was an overwhelming sense of desolation. Closing the door, I turned and stood still for a long moment, striving to quell the tumultuous emotions surging within me.
“Didn’t you say you were going for a walk?”
In the brief time I had stood there, the secretary had reappeared, now carrying a large suitcase in each hand. A hollow, mirthless laugh escaped my lips; was he truly planning never to return?
“He’s doing well, isn’t he?”
“If you are referring to Director Han, then no, he is not.”
“…Why not?”
I had been prepared to harbor resentment, envisioning him thriving while I languished in difficulty. Yet, the secretary’s response was entirely contrary to my expectations.
The secretary walked past my foolishly rigid form and loaded the suitcases into the car’s trunk. After lightly dusting off their hands, they turned to me and asked,
“Would you care to come along?”
“Where to?”
“To Director Han.”
Logically, I should have refused the secretary’s invitation to visit Han Jung-woo, yet I found myself agonizing over the decision.
I was the one who had requested this time apart; if I succumbed to impatience and went to see him, all the time we had spent separated would be rendered utterly meaningless.
“No, I—”
“Director Han’s condition is not good.”
“Is he… ill?”
My resolve to refuse vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of profound worry. I clutched the secretary’s arm, asking if his condition was serious, but they assured me it wasn’t that severe.
He was merely struggling to eat properly, leading to a gradual loss of weight. It struck me as ironic; he had diligently sent me mealtime reminders like an alarm, yet he himself had apparently failed to properly nourish himself.
“I will bring you back home this evening.”
Though unspoken, the secretary’s implied plea was clear: they were asking me to meet him, even if only for a few short hours.
Having reached a decision, I nodded, and the secretary swiftly opened the rear passenger door for me. I embraced my swollen belly with my arms as I climbed into the car, and the door softly closed behind me.
The secretary circled the trunk, settled into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and gently pressed the accelerator. The car began to move with a smooth, gradual momentum.
The hotel where Han Jung-woo was residing was not particularly distant. It was remarkably close, merely a fifteen-minute drive away.
He had been within easy reach the entire time, yet he had patiently awaited my call. All this while, he himself couldn’t even manage to eat properly, consumed by his deepening inner turmoil.
‘I should just tell him everything.’
Even if he were to consider me mad, it would be better for both of us to speak frankly about everything I had kept deeply hidden, and then finally reach a definitive conclusion.
Then, despite the pain, I would be able to leave him, and he, in turn, could sever his lingering attachments and release me.
From the very beginning, our destinies were never meant to intertwine. A protagonist rightly belongs beside another protagonist, but I had never once been the protagonist of any story, so this outcome was only natural. Acknowledging that truth made it easier.
‘It’s right to leave before Kkam-jjaki is born.’
Images of the baby items filling the room flashed through my mind, but I consciously tried to push them away, reminding myself that he had purchased them on his own accord. His face, alight with anticipation as he bought them, and all the emotions of that time—I tried to erase them all.
“I love Yoo Seo-jin very much.”
‘Please, just stop thinking.’
“We have arrived.”
Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed our arrival at the hotel. Stepping through the door the secretary held open, I slowly alighted. Then, I lifted my gaze to observe the hotel’s exterior.
I understood he likely had limited options, needing to choose a location close to home. Nevertheless, for a hotel accommodating the heir of the Daejin Group, it appeared surprisingly dated and rather unremarkable.
“He is in Room 1001.”
The secretary handed me a room key card. I had assumed they would accompany me inside, but it seemed I was mistaken. Perhaps they wished to avoid intruding on our long-anticipated reunion.
Gripping the card key, I entered the lobby. I acknowledged the brightly greeting staff with a nod and boarded the elevator that had just arrived.
As the numbers on the display rapidly ascended, I meticulously rehearsed the words I would say to him, over and over. I pondered how to ensure our final encounter would possess a measure of grace.
[10th Floor.]
With a pleasant mechanical chime, the heavy doors smoothly glided open to either side.
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Read : Looking For My Child's Father
