Chapter 86
But sometimes, ominous premonitions hit the mark with heartbreaking accuracy.
“……Crazy.”
Baek I-hae trembled faintly at the unbelievable reality. In her hand was a pregnancy test. The stark two lines on it. She knew exactly what they meant.
‘I hadn’t gotten my period for a month after that, so I had a hunch.’
Her face paled, but she quickly shook her head to compose herself.
‘No. It’s not like I didn’t consider this possibility. Don’t avoid it—think about what to do next.’
Seo Do-gyeom was absolutely not the type to distance himself from her just because she was pregnant. The problem was that neither of them had jobs yet.
That worried her, but she’d have to ask Seo I-heum for help.
‘Old Man Oh will probably scold Do-gyeom a lot…… but he deserves it. No choice.’
Imagining Seo I-heum’s reaction, she gave an awkward smile. At least, since Seo Do-gyeom’s family was wealthy, she didn’t have to worry about material things.
‘For now, I’ll apply for a leave of absence from school and tell Do-gyeom about the pregnancy first. Then we’ll go tell Old Man Oh together.’
She scratched her head. Baek I-hae glanced at the test again before slipping it into her zipper pouch and stowing it in the bedside drawer.
‘Just to be sure, I’ll test again next week before saying anything.’
She tried to plan her future calmly, but the bewilderment was unavoidable.
How could taking responsibility for another life feel anything but heavy?
Baek I-hae quietly rubbed her flat belly. She looked down at it with a strange gaze, then smiled softly.
“Still, I absolutely won’t abandon you.”
If she really was pregnant, she had no intention of turning this child into an orphan like she had been before possessing Baek I-hae.
She knew better than anyone how miserable and sad it was to have no family. Instead, she wanted to cherish it all the more, as if to prove a point.
Bloodline. The word had such a peculiar ring to it.
Recalling how Jang Seul-gi and her father had cared for each other, Baek I-hae lay back on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, her expression turned blank.
‘Am I happy? Sad? Scared and excited all at once.’
Baek I-hae got up from her seat. There would be so many foods and actions to avoid from now on—she couldn’t just sit here thoughtlessly.
As she fidgeted restlessly, there was a knock. When she said to come in, it was the housekeeper who cleaned her room.
“Miss, I’m sorry. Since Young Master Do-gyeom is out, I thought you’d gone with him……”
“It’s fine, come in!”
“Then, pardon the intrusion.”
The middle-aged woman, who treated even Baek I-hae—much younger than her—with polite smiles, was someone she usually got along well with.
As Baek I-hae followed her around, lifting things to make cleaning easier, the housekeeper chuckled softly, finding her adorable.
“Auntie, didn’t you say your daughter graduated from university?”
“Yes. She’s older than you, like a big sister.”
“What was it like when you first had her? You got married pretty young, right?”
“Early twenties, I think. I was so immature.”
As the housekeeper reminisced with fond eyes, Baek I-hae cautiously asked how it had felt back then.
She seemed puzzled by Baek I-hae’s sudden question. But then she remembered the upcoming engagement with Seo Do-gyeom and nodded understandingly before answering.
“At first, I was so flustered and scared that I cried a lot. I thought I was grown up, but when it hit me that I had to take responsibility for a life, it didn’t feel real.”
Her quiet voice seemed to speak directly to Baek I-hae’s heart.
“But I didn’t want to turn away. The child was innocent, mistake or not. I vowed to do my best and love it since it had come to me.”
“You’re so strong, Auntie.”
“I was just pretending to be. It felt like that’s what I needed to push through.”
The housekeeper smiled.
“I did worry if I could raise her well, though. But after giving birth, my mind changed.”
“How so?”
“When I heard my daughter’s heartbeat, and the moment I held her right after she was born, I knew there was no choice.”
She had no option but to resolve to raise her right, no matter what.
Her gaze, steady and unwavering as she spoke, met Baek I-hae’s. Seeing her surprised expression, the housekeeper smiled again.
“That’s why no one recommends marriage, but everyone recommends having kids. I hope you get to feel that happiness a child brings someday, Miss.”
“……Is that so? I think I’d like to experience it.”
“You’re such a lovely person—you’ll definitely build a happy family.”
Baek I-hae’s face broke into a wide smile at the sincere words. She too believed in that future, as long as it was with Seo Do-gyeom.
“Yes! I’ll be happier than anyone, so please come to my wedding for sure.”
“Of course.”
The conversation swelled her anticipation. Alone in the room after the housekeeper left, Baek I-hae stared blankly for a moment before jumping to her feet.
‘I’ll tell Do-gyeom.’
She wanted to share the joy with him, to lean on him. Forgetting that he’d stepped out, Baek I-hae opened the door.
At that exact moment, her eyes met Seo-yeol’s as he emerged from his room.
“Noona, where are you going?”
He strode toward her without hesitation.
“I have something to tell Do-gyeom. Have you seen where he is?”
“Hyung? Hyung is……”
Seo-yeol averted his gaze slightly. It was unlike his usual self, who would answer her questions without a second thought.
An inexplicable unease crept in. Maybe it was instinct.
“Why?”
Surely he hadn’t gone looking for Jang Seul-gi and Jang Chung-won again. She grabbed the hem of Seo-yeol’s clothes. It was a silent signal that she wouldn’t let go until he answered. Seo-yeol looked troubled.
Then he ruffled his hair and let out a deep sigh.
“Dad doesn’t know about this either.”
“……What?”
She asked calmly, and Seo-yeol sighed again.
“……Hyung went to meet a woman. The one who was rumored to be his fiancée before you came here.”
“What are you talking about……? I clearly told Do-gyeom I didn’t want that. And he didn’t even tell me……!”
Baek I-hae shook her head. She didn’t distrust Seo-yeol, but she couldn’t rashly blame him without seeing it herself.
To calm her churning stomach, she patted her chest. But to Seo-yeol, it looked like she was hitting hard, and he hurriedly grabbed her arm.
“If you don’t believe me, I know where he went—I can take you there.”
“Why? I thought if it were you, you’d hide it to spare me the hurt.”
“I don’t like you getting hurt, but I hate you being kept in the dark even more. Whatever you decide after, I’ll be on your side.”
“……”
“For the record, I tried to stop him. I don’t know what he’s thinking since he wouldn’t say, but.”
As he spoke, Seo-yeol glanced at Baek I-hae’s face. Her pallor had worsened since earlier, worrying him.
“……I don’t know if this comforts you, but hyung definitely likes you. No need to doubt that.”
“I know. That’s why I can’t understand what Do-gyeom is thinking. I clearly said I hated it, so why go this far?”
She was even starting to fear whether talking it out would fix anything.
‘But what can I do about my anxiety? I can’t even say I hate him and break up now.’
Baek I-hae fell silent for a moment. Seo-yeol waited patiently for her.
Until she made her decision.
“Take me there. I want to see him and talk first.”
She didn’t know if this was the right choice.
At the restaurant where she’d followed Seo-yeol, spotting Seo Do-gyeom chatting and laughing with a woman made her heart plummet.
Old Man Oh, waiting nearby, went pale when he spotted Baek I-hae and Seo-yeol.
“No, what brings you here, Miss……!”
The moment she heard his voice, Seo Do-gyeom turned, his face shocked. Baek I-hae faced him, unsure how to express her feelings.
Betrayal? Maybe.
Disappointment? That too.
Tears welled up uncontrollably, and she let them fall as she grabbed Seo-yeol’s hand and pulled him away.
“Noona, wait.”
Seo-yeol called out worriedly to the distraught Baek I-hae, who walked quickly without looking up, but someone approached and seized her wrist.
“Baek I-hae, hear me out.”
It was Seo Do-gyeom, his face flustered. Right—she’d known that getting caught like this would make him check her reaction, and yet she’d come.
“Let go.”
Baek I-hae had said it clearly.
“I told you, if you ignore my opinion, I won’t listen to you either. I have nothing to say to you, so let go.”
It was Seo Do-gyeom who had ignored that warning.
For the first time, Baek I-hae spoke to him coldly, without expression, as she wrenched her hand free.
