The next day, I came to meet the Chairman in the morning and kept drinking water from nervousness. Now I really have to have a stranger’s baby. They say pregnancy for male omegas is harder than for women, but coming this far means I can never back out now, Baek Eunwoo. I kept pouring harsh words on myself while repeatedly opening and closing my hands resting on my knees.
A baby. I decided to do it, but the more I think about it, the more absurd the situation is. I couldn’t believe that I, who never even thought about childbirth, would get pregnant.
Living while taking care of Mom for life was already tight enough, so I couldn’t even dream of married life with someone else and didn’t want to dream of it. On top of that, having been thoroughly abandoned by someone I trusted, I hated people themselves.
The wounds and distrust created by Kang Gyuho seemed like they wouldn’t disappear even if I met someone. So someone with many wounds like me should just live alone. I didn’t want to burden someone who was raised preciously with my scarred self.
So in a way, this contract might not be bad. It wouldn’t be a bad life to give birth to a baby to save my mom. It’s just one time, so it’ll be okay. They said they’d take good care of me. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
“First of all, thank you for making such a good decision. It’s like you saved our family.”
I came to my senses when I heard the Chairman’s voice while lost in thought. I contracted to save my mom, but hearing those words was embarrassing.
“No, well, you don’t have to go that far…”
“No. I can’t tell you all the complicated family circumstances, but you saved us. By the way, you were so adamant, so why did you change your mind? I was quite anxious.”
Looking at the Chairman’s face asking the reason with a curious expression, I saw Mom’s face overlapping with it. Mom who was so happy to see me yesterday. When I remembered Mom’s face as she stroked my face with the hand that needed grafting, tears suddenly came. We did the skin graft a long time ago, but the wound was so big that it eventually festered, and she suffered in that state for a long time.
The pain and aftereffects from burns all over her body were eating away at my mom who used to be so pretty. I want to free her from that pain now. So what can’t I do? I was flustered by the tears that suddenly burst out, but I quickly wiped my tears and did what I had to do.
“The condition for the surrogate contract included my mother’s treatment, right? You definitely said you’d fully support my mother’s treatment, right? Then I’ll contract with you. Instead, please save my mother.”
I tried to speak in a steady voice, but by the time the word “mother” came out, I was already making nasal sounds. But I wasn’t ashamed at all. If such a large corporation helps my mom, she won’t suffer from skin problems anymore. The Chairman’s eyes wavered seeing me talk while choking up. Then he soon nodded with a confident face.
“Of course, that’s a definite contract condition and also a promise. It’s absolutely not content I’ll go back on. Has your mother’s situation gotten worse in the meantime?”
“…She’s always been bad. There’s never been a good time. But lately she’s been having such a hard time. She has to have re-surgery on the grafted skin and needs regeneration treatment again here and there. The treatment is complicated and costs too much money, and more than anything…”
I stopped talking, bit my lip, and lowered my head for a moment. It was somehow difficult to bring it up.
“It’s okay. Speak comfortably.”
“So, more than anything, if someone as high up as the Chairman says a word, I think the medical staff will pay more attention to my mom…”
From the listener’s perspective, it must feel like a very bold request. It’s shameless, but this was my honest demand. I know that if there’s a word from the chairman of such a large corporation, the treatment will definitely be different.
I don’t need a building or house at all. If they just treat my mom completely, I have no interest in anything else and no greed. I appealed as much as possible so that my mom could receive even slightly better treatment.
“If you just take care of my mom’s treatment, I’ll do anything to give birth to a healthy baby. I don’t need buildings or houses. That’s enough. I don’t know what that Executive Director is like, but if the baby takes after me, I can guarantee the child’s intelligence. So…”
As I even gestured while trying hard, the Chairman showed a faint smile.
“Ah, don’t worry about that, don’t worry. Calm down, Eunwoo. We’ll support everything so there’s no inconvenience while your mother receives treatment. We’ll support not only the treatment costs but everything needed so you won’t be stressed or have to worry about this side while carrying the child.”
“…Thank you.”
“And why don’t you need a house and building? Take everything I give you. You’ll need them to live with your mother. Take them and live comfortably with her.”
Without giving me a chance to answer, the Chairman acted quickly. He hurriedly called the secretary. After a while, the secretary came in, heard the Chairman’s instructions, and had a detailed conversation about my mom.
I informed them of everything without hiding anything—what the current situation is like and what the treatment direction will be going forward. The Chairman and the executive secretary listened to my story seriously and didn’t leave out detailed notes.
“We’ll contact the hospital your mother currently attends regarding her matters. And from now on, we’ll proceed with treatment at our foundation’s university hospital and receive the transfer of materials from the existing hospital. We’ll finish by tomorrow morning and contact Eunwoo separately. And we’ll also give you the official contract and documents with the conditions tomorrow. After checking your physical condition, we’ll schedule the artificial insemination date and enter the procedure as soon as possible. We’ll explain this again.”
The executive secretary informed me of the future work in an easy-to-understand and quick manner. As soon as I brought it up, everything proceeded smoothly. It seems they had prepared everything and were waiting for my answer. I aligned my story with Mom and my aunt to say I was scouted by this company’s confectionery and bakery business, and when childbirth was imminent, I’d handle it as going on a long business trip to the American branch for a few months.
“And Chairman. This is a different topic.”
“What is it? Feel free to say anything.”
“Of course, I won’t touch anything about the baby. I have no authority over that child. But I’m really curious about this one thing.”
As I showed curiosity about the baby, the Chairman and secretary looked at me with interested expressions.
“I understand that chaebol families are financially affluent, but not that. Um, the environment the baby grows up in will be stable, right? Babies need the love of their primary caregiver more than their parents’ pheromones, and that’s more important, but that… judging from the Executive Director’s personality you hinted at, I wonder if the baby will emotionally…”
I wanted to say “grow up stably,” but showed courtesy by trailing off my words. The quick-witted Chairman seemed to understand the situation without hearing to the end and laughed heartily.
“Don’t worry. We’ll give lots of love and raise the child very preciously. Well, half of your genes will be in there, so I understand your curiosity.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
Very preciously. Right, being raised in a house like this, the baby will have nothing to worry about. They’ll surely raise it well on their own. I should worry about myself.
I smiled awkwardly and lowered my head. Anyway, I’m glad Mom’s matter ended well. And now it’s my turn to pay the price for Mom’s work.
***
Four weeks later.
Juheon, who had finished a long business trip to Europe, briefly closed his eyes in the car on his way into the company. Then he suddenly remembered the message he received from his grandfather. He said they did the artificial insemination… Did the implantation go well? Juheon opened his closed eyes and thought of the omega whose face he didn’t know.
An omega raised in a completely different environment, someone I wouldn’t have gotten involved with if it weren’t for this work, or if he weren’t dominant. Anyway, since it’s a relationship based on mutual need, there’s nothing to worry about. But Grandfather occasionally informs him of his situation via text.
He’s resting after artificial insemination. That’s natural. Since he promised to give birth to a healthy baby, he should naturally show sincerity in doing everything related to it. He also took what he could from this contract… Once contracted, he just needs to fulfill the contract, so what? The primary caregiver’s love is more important? What about the Executive Director’s personality?
“…How cheeky.”
Even if he’s cheeky, I can’t show I’m offended. Giving birth to a baby is no joke, and I know I should be grateful that omega is doing that no-joke work. It’s work that damages the body a lot, but it’s really fortunate that he permitted this work.
Besides, it’s pitiable in a different way that he didn’t contract out of greed for money but changed his mind because of his mother’s treatment. Contract is contract, but since it’s pitiful, I’m thinking of showing sincerity separately later.
“Executive Director, we’ve arrived at the company.”
“Drop me off in front of the company entrance, not the underground parking lot. Contact our floor to wear masks before I arrive.”
“Yes. Understood.”
After finishing his words, Juheon got out of the car. But the moment he got out of the car, a familiar scent wafted from someone running quickly past him. That too-familiar scent was a scent that couldn’t come from another person’s body.
“…Huh?”
Surprised, Juheon quickly turned around but couldn’t confirm the face of the man who instantly passed by. Frozen as if he’d seen a ghost, Juheon stopped walking and turned his body toward the person from whom the scent came. He was running toward a delivery truck parked on the road.
The too-familiar pheromone scent settled on the tip of Juheon’s nose, carried by the wind. That scent felt from the man he was seeing for the first time was Juheon’s own pheromone scent.
