After staying like that for a while, he suddenly raised his head and said in a deflated voice.
“First, let’s… eat.”
“…It’s all cold by now.”
Now that he mentioned it, I did feel a bit hungry. I also got up from my seat following him as he trudged back to the stove. Won Dogyeong was beeping at the induction cooktop when he whipped around at the sound of a chair being pulled.
“You sit down.”
“I need to set the utensils.”
“Ah, sit down. I’ll do it. Don’t move.”
“If you keep treating me like I’m sick, I’ll cancel saying I’d think about it.”
He roughly stirred the frying pan with a sulky expression, forcibly swallowing what he wanted to say. The world is a mess when this guy is about to become a dad.
I set out the utensils, brought rice bowls, scooped two bowls and took them to the dining table. Won Dogyeong also stirred and heated up the bulgogi a few times, reboiled the doenjang stew, put them on the table, and sat down.
“I’ll eat well.”
Suddenly returning to daily life and eating, the embarrassment I’d forgotten came flooding back, so I just chewed rice without saying a word.
Thinking about it, I’d just received a confession. With nowhere to run since we live together.
Ah…… it was maddeningly awkward.
Regardless of my feelings, today too the rice was fluffy, and the stew and side dishes were seasoned just right. It wasn’t for nothing that I flew home after work. Thinking that his cooking skills were outstanding, I was chewing when suddenly what Myeong Haemin had said flashed through my mind.
‘What kind of office worker comes home from work and cooks dinner every night for a friend he has no ulterior motives toward?’
No way?
Hesitating whether to ask or not, I stammered and opened my mouth.
“Do you always cook… on purpose because of me…?”
Won Dogyeong, who had been eating with his nose buried in his rice, raised his head and looked at me with an incredulous expression.
Am I being too self-conscious after all? That must be it, right?
“Nice to be so quick on the uptake. You only just figured that out?”
Haemin, you were right. Kim Minwoo cooked every day because he had ulterior motives.
I just thought he was making mine while he was at it… I thought he did it because he really liked cooking. Since he kept trying to feed me this and that.
Ah, that’s why too. Because he likes me. Haha.
“You don’t have to….”
I don’t need to see it to know. Right now my ears must be burning bright red. Like Won Dogyeong’s ears.
“I don’t want to stop, I’m going to do it.”
“I’m saying you don’t have to.”
“I have to at least cook diligently if I’m going to seduce you.”
Seduce……!
At the feeling of my body twisting, I put down my utensils and rubbed my face roughly.
Let’s take it slow, please!
“And if I don’t cook for you, you’ll take such great care of eating properly. Don’t talk nonsense and just eat.”
Right, let’s do that. Let’s just eat.
With a red face, I obediently picked up my utensils and swallowed a sigh while predicting our future cohabitation life.
.
.
.
“No.”
“I don’t want to either.”
And in just one day, we were in a cold war.
The trigger was Won Dogyeong’s question, awkwardly asking if there was something like an ultrasound photo, when we gathered at the dining table for dinner.
“Not yet. I’m going to see it tomorrow.”
At my answer while picking at spinach and chewing among the side dishes that were full of green things today, Won Dogyeong put down his utensils with a thud. His eyebrows were twitching with displeasure.
“Why are you only telling me that now?”
“I forgot too.”
“……This won’t do. Let’s talk after eating.”
He spoke gruffly with a very upset face, then picked up his utensils again.
“Talk now.”
“You want to interrupt eating again? No.”
It was my chronic problem of being a light eater. If I put down my utensils in the middle, I never picked them up again. I had no appetite to begin with, and I was satisfied as long as I ate enough to satisfy my hunger.
I think I should force myself to eat well now. Since it’s not just me eating.
Consenting, I obediently nibbled and emptied one bowl.
Won Dogyeong had finished eating long ago and was watching wide-eyed to see how much I ate, and only after confirming I’d taken the last spoonful did he satisfyingly snatch away the bowl.
Even by the time I returned to my seat after putting the empty dishes in the sink and organizing and putting away the leftover side dishes, he was still bustling around in front of the counter.
I was sitting blankly wondering what he was doing like that and watching closely when he came over carrying a heap of cleanly washed strawberries with the stems removed.
“They say strawberries are good.”
“Uh…… thanks.”
It suddenly felt real that there was a person inside my belly. I knew it in my head, but since there were no visible changes yet, I couldn’t really feel it, but being treated like this was an awkward and ticklish feeling.
I picked up one of the glossy, shiny strawberries and put it in my mouth. It had been a while since I’d eaten them, and they were so sweet I wondered if strawberries had evolved into a new species without me knowing. Delicious.
Won Dogyeong stared at me like that then suddenly opened his mouth.
“If you have to go to the hospital from now on, let me know.”
“Okay.”
“Tell me if you’re not feeling well too.”
“Yeah.”
“I said I’d take responsibility. These are all things we have to solve together, not just your business.”
The voice saying that was firm. I had no choice but to lower my head, at a loss for words.
Only a day had passed since we’d had this and that conversation, and I still hadn’t finished adapting to the fact that this child was our common denominator.
I’d only vaguely thought about raising the child together, but that meant, in other words, I had to act with Won Dogyeong like any parents.
Of course I was going to do that, and I wanted to, but it was a bit awkward to change my attitude like flipping a palm. Especially considering that I had to consider someone I’d been friends with for over twenty years as both the child’s father and a romantic prospect overnight.
“Sorry, I got it.”
When I sneakily gauged his reaction, his tightly locked lips slowly loosened as if he’d let it go reluctantly. Fortunately, it seemed he’d let it pass at this level.
However, Won Dogyeong nodded then suddenly started saying something absurd.
“Then let’s go to the hospital together tomorrow.”
I suddenly felt like the back of my neck was being pulled.
This was what I really had to deal with. This shameless bastard had definitely deliberately crushed my spirit to say this.
“No.”
“I don’t want to either.”
“Are you kidding?”
“I’m not kidding. I’m going to the OB-GYN to see my child’s ultrasound, so.”
“Do you want to appear on the front page of entertainment news tomorrow?”
“I’ll just cover up.”
“I said no!”
I yelled and pressed my forehead.
Since I was living with Won Dogyeong and had a child, I was prepared that it might become known to the public someday.
No, it was just a matter of timing—being revealed was a set procedure.
But not like this. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that among numerous scenarios, having photos spread on the internet after being caught visiting an OB-GYN with his housemate omega and having an illegitimate child discovered was the worst. If I were a Won Dogyeong fan, I’d become an anti beyond just leaving the fandom….
The fact that Won Dogyeong was living with some omega friend was already spreading around on the internet. With a bit of misunderstanding added.
I broke out in cold sweat remembering a post on a community that Haemin had happened to show me.
[Heard about WDG’s housemate (371)]
When he was on that observation variety show, he said he lives with someone he’s known since elementary/middle/high school/university, right?
That friend is an omega
My friend went to the same high school and said so yes yes
└ lololol Already a fact everyone knew
└ When it was broadcast, it spread all over the community
└ Not a rumor x fact o
└ Famous for living together since a few years ago, lots of people saw them together at restaurants
└└ I saw them at a dakgalbi place in a line lol
└└ Restaurant is shit lololol But I also saw them at a pork cutlet place
└ If you Google, photos come up too
└└ This is a bit much for a regular person;
└ Just has a strong look
└└ Another strong-look sommelier has appeared
└└└ Does look like a delinquent lololol
└└└└ Probably smoked cigarettes like crazy
└└└└└ Eh, don’t speculate no no
└└└└└ Don’t agree because to get into Hanguk University you wouldn’t have had time for that
└└└└└└ There are lots of kids like that even if they study well..
└ What did he do wrong besides living together? Public sentiment is fucked
└└ Looking at the face reminds me of kids who ruined the class atmosphere in school days, but cognitive dissonance-induced disgust because he actually graduated from Hanguk University
└└└ lololololol Are you an anthropologist
└└└ This seems right, I just realized it myself
└└└ He’s just fucking handsome though
└└└└ Stop kissing ass, you’ll get tired
└└└└└ WDG sweet girl even worrying about his ass
└└ Not this bad in reality lol Just seems to attract aggro especially well in communities
└ Not a delinquent, just the delinquent probably arbitrarily extorted chocolate milk and brought it to him
└└ Ah lololololololol I think I know what you mean
└└ Dogyeong frozen, why are you giving it?
└└└ But I like strawberry milk better than this (zero malice), then now I have to go buy it again
└└└└ Why are you empathizing with the side being extorted lololol
└└└└ lolololololololol But looking at interviews, he really does have this personality lololol
└└└└ shit lololololololol
└ WDG ??
└└ (This comment has been deleted)
└└└ Thanks
└└└ Tell me too ㅠㅠ
└└└└ Look carefully above, it’s there
└ As long as he does his main job well it’s fine
└└ Just looking at the comments, there are more than just one or two people who’ve seen them together, but doing this while being pushed as a romance drama male lead seems so unprofessional, I’m turned off;
└└└ ?? I didn’t ask for a reply
└└└ Kids like this are the problem, eating up pseudo-romance
└└└└ Everyone gets it but finds him presumptuous
└└└└└ 22
.
.
.
The screen I briefly snatched and looked at while she muttered next to me “He’s living with someone~” was literally dizzying.
