The Omega Is Pregnant

The morning had broken, but inside the room, tightly shrouded by curtains, only a single sliver of light seeped through. The living room remained dark and silent, with one unmoving figure seated within.
Kang In-hyuk’s sharp gaze landed on the documents he had roughly placed down the night before. Documents that were meant for Kang Se-heon. Yet, the first person that came to mind upon seeing them was Yoon Tae-seo.
The shock of seeing Yoon Tae-seo at Kang Se-heon’s house was still fresh in his mind. The image of Tae-seo looking up at him remained like an afterimage, refusing to fade.

In those startled eyes, a mix of injustice and resentment had surfaced. It had shaken Kang In-hyuk. That shouldn’t have been possible. Considering everything Yoon Tae-seo had done, he should have confronted him about it—without hesitation. And yet… he felt like he had wronged him.
It was confusing. What if he truly had misunderstood? What if he had cornered Yoon Tae-seo without confirming the facts first? Kang In-hyuk leaned his head back and covered his eyes.
“Pathetic.”

His voice came out rough, vibrating in his throat with frustration. Instead of resenting the embarrassment he had shown in front of Yoon Tae-seo, he should have acknowledged it and moved on.
If he were to run into Yoon Tae-seo again, he thought he should apologize for what happened yesterday. His once-tense lips loosened slightly at the realization. Regret alone wasn’t his style.
“But…”

His low voice trembled slightly in the empty living room. That was how quiet it was. There was no sign of anyone else. Then, the doorbell rang, and Kang In-hyuk’s head turned stiffly toward the sound.
As he slowly moved toward the entrance, he recalled someone he had yet to properly check on.
“I was going to reach out anyway, but why did you go home…?”

Kang In-hyuk trailed off as he saw who was standing at the door. When he had arrived home last night, Seo Da-rae had been nowhere in sight. He had vaguely noticed a message arriving while he was looking around the house, only to recall it now—just a short text saying he had gone home. He had meant to ask why, and when he would be back, but his mind had been too preoccupied.
Thinking it was Seo Da-rae, he opened the door—only to find an unexpected visitor.
“Let’s talk.”

Han Mi-sun pushed past Kang In-hyuk and stepped inside.
“What brings you here, Mother?”
Kang In-hyuk ran a hand through his hair, his face clearly displeased. His mother rarely visited, so her sudden appearance was unwelcome.

“I came to see my son, of course. Who else would I be here for?”
Han Mi-sun settled onto the couch and scanned the living room with obvious disapproval. Kang In-hyuk swallowed a sigh. This was bound to happen after he had failed to report to her last night following his meeting with Kang Se-heon.
“I couldn’t deliver the documents yesterday. He wants it done through official procedures.”
“Se-heon said that?”

“Who else would have? I told you from the start—handing it over like this made no sense.”
Kang In-hyuk recalled how he had been unable to argue back at Kang Se-heon. Every word Se-heon had said had been right—so much so that even if he had ten mouths, he wouldn’t have been able to refute it. The fact that Han Mi-sun was the one who had sent him on this errand only made his tone turn more sullen.
“There’s no such thing as ‘making no sense.’ He just doesn’t want to see his uncle succeed.”

“Please, just stop saying things like that.”
Kang In-hyuk let out a frustrated breath before a bitter chuckle escaped him. That was probably how he had come across to Kang Se-heon yesterday, wasn’t it? The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Han Mi-sun clicked her tongue as she watched him.

“I thought you’d be grinning from ear to ear, but what’s with that face?”
“What about my face?”
Kang In-hyuk rubbed his cheek absentmindedly. He hadn’t changed all that much just from losing a night of sleep. At most, his eyes might have been a little bloodshot.

“I expected you to be all lovey-dovey…”
At the suggestive remark, Kang In-hyuk hesitated before looking at his mother. Seo Da-rae had said he would wait, yet he had suddenly gone home, and now his mother was speaking as if she knew something. His expression turned wary.
“Did you meet Da-rae?”

“Yes.”
“Why? And why did you come without saying anything?”
The realization that his mother might have been the reason Seo Da-rae had left sharpened his tone. What terrible timing—while he had been dealing with Yoon Tae-seo, Da-rae had faced something unexpected as well.

“You didn’t think I’d be surprised?”
“You didn’t have to come. Why make things difficult for everyone?”
“I stopped by to see if Tae-seo was here.”

“…”
Kang In-hyuk frowned. He couldn’t understand why she was bringing up Yoon Tae-seo now.
“I heard you’ve been staying with Tae-seo, so I came to check. But instead, there was someone else in your house…”

Even as she recalled it, Han Mi-sun seemed exasperated, unable to finish her sentence. She raised her voice, as if placing the blame for the whole mess squarely on Kang In-hyuk.
“Are you even paying attention to Tae-seo?”
“Why would I? He’s not a child.”

“If he were a child, this wouldn’t even be happening. You should be the one looking after Tae-seo. He’s been having a hard time lately, haven’t you noticed?”
“Then maybe you should look after him, Mother.”
The moment Kang In-hyuk sharply spoke, he suddenly recalled where he had met Yoon Tae-seo—at Kang Se-heon’s house, studying.

There was no way for him to understand what was going on, so he couldn’t even make a guess. He considered asking his mother but ultimately chose to keep his mouth shut.
Han Mi-sun stood up from the couch, picking up the documents.
“The person you’re supposed to be engaged to is Tae-seo. So get your head straight. That kid isn’t your match.”

“I’ll handle it myself.”
Kang In-hyuk’s refusal to explicitly acknowledge her words made Han Mi-sun’s frustration flare up. She nearly snapped at him but forced herself to hold back, turning away instead. Even as the front door slammed shut behind her, shaking the air, Kang In-hyuk had no time to dwell on her mood.
He immediately picked up his phone, scrolling quickly through his contacts. The moment he saw Seo Da-rae’s name, he pressed the call button without hesitation. Holding the phone to his ear, he ran his other hand through his messy hair.

“Seo Da-rae… Da-rae…”
He should have called as soon as he saw the message yesterday. As the automated voice informed him that the call couldn’t go through, Kang In-hyuk’s expression twisted in frustration. He redialed.
 

****
Still leaning against the wall, Seo Da-rae flinched when the vibration that had ceased began buzzing again. Turning his head slightly, he gazed at the only source of light in the dim room—his phone. Seeing the persistent calls, his eyes darkened as memories of the previous day resurfaced.
—Right on time.

Just as he was about to say he had finished packing, he had been met with an unfamiliar face instead of Kang In-hyuk. His shock was apparent, and the other person had been just as startled.
—You…
Recognizing Seo Da-rae, Han Mi-sun had pointed at him in surprise before pressing her lips together. The moment she remembered that he was an Omega associated with Kang In-hyuk, her expression hardened.

—Where’s In-hyuk?
—He stepped out for a moment.
—So you’re here alone in someone else’s house?

—…Yes.
—I thought Tae-seo would be here…
Han Mi-sun made no effort to hide her dissatisfaction. She had stopped by hoping to greet Tae-seo while waiting for In-hyuk, but upon realizing it was Seo Da-rae instead, she turned to leave. There was no reason for her to go inside when she knew she would have to face Seo Da-rae. However, after taking a few steps, the frustration bubbling inside her made her turn back halfway.

—You do know who In-hyuk is supposed to be engaged to, right?
Seo Da-rae didn’t respond, but his expression gave away the fact that he knew about Tae-seo. Han Mi-sun’s voice turned cold.
—You’d be better off sorting things out now before you regret it later. No matter how much you two like each other, it won’t last. In-hyuk has a place he’s meant to return to.

Her words sounded like concern on the surface, but the message was clear—she would never acknowledge Seo Da-rae’s relationship with In-hyuk. The way she muttered to herself, “Of all people, someone other than Tae-seo?” lingered in Seo Da-rae’s mind.
“…Not Yoon Tae-seo, but me…”
Would it have hurt this much if she had simply said she didn’t like him? The way she spoke, as if he wasn’t even worth comparing to Yoon Tae-seo, made Seo Da-rae feel small and insignificant.

He stared at Kang In-hyuk’s name on the screen for a moment before flipping his phone over.
 
****

When they left the restaurant, it had been a peaceful stroll, but the return trip was more like the morning rush hour. Without a moment to look around, they walked quickly to the car and got in immediately.
“I really could have gone alone. Why do you insist on coming with me?”
“Then you should have gone already. Acting all indecisive, and now you want to sound eager?”

Kang Se-heon’s words struck directly at the truth, making Tae-seo turn his head to the side. He had thought about going, but in the end, he hadn’t taken any action. The thought was there, but his body had already adapted to his routine between school and home.
That didn’t mean he had planned on going with Kang Se-heon. The fact that he had somehow ended up going to the hospital on the weekend with him was almost laughable. Then, something from earlier crossed his mind.
“By the way, why did you pay at the restaurant? You’re the one who always says we should pay for what we eat.”

“I ate too.”
“You only had a bite.”
“That’s enough.”

“What, are you a royal food taster covering the whole bill?”
“Just tell me why you’re going to the hospital.”
Kang Se-heon leaned his free arm on the window frame as he asked.

Tae-seo hesitated, thinking about how to explain. He needed to talk about the fact that he couldn’t sense pheromones, but where should he start?
“I mentioned something similar before. I thought maybe I had bonded with you.”
Before Tae-seo could even finish his sentence, his body was thrown forward. The car had come to a sudden stop. Blinking, Tae-seo looked ahead, then turned to Kang Se-heon.

Feeling Tae-seo’s stare, Kang Se-heon’s lips barely moved as he muttered stiffly.
“…Red light.”