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The once flat stomach gradually began to swell, just a little more each day. When dressed, it was still completely unnoticeable, but when standing in front of a mirror, it was obvious enough that anyone could tell he was pregnant.

‘It’s amazing…’

The pregnancy had now entered its second trimester. The baby, seen on the ultrasound, had gone from a tiny speck to a bear-shaped jelly, and now it was beginning to resemble a human form. Every time they met, hearing the baby’s strong heartbeat, Yu-young would laugh and cry, only to realize that the check-up time had ended too soon. The doctor, who had become familiar after several visits, waved with a bright smile.

“Our little Kiwi’s fathers. We’ll see you at the next check-up.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

Kiwi was a girl. The news had caused quite a stir at both families. In truth, the joy felt wasn’t dependent on the baby’s gender, but knowing the gender made it feel like they knew more about their baby, which was nice. Their little princess would probably look like Yu-young, or maybe like Team Leader, and would be beautiful. Yu-young would imagine what Kiwi might look like as they joked in such a silly manner.

As the baby grew inside, the moment Yu-young looked forward to most during the day was the time spent with Do-won for prenatal education.

After work, as Yu-young got into the car, Do-won would transform from a strict, meticulous boss to an endlessly caring husband and father. The man who had given work orders in a stern voice during the day would shower Yu-young with kisses on his cheeks, hands, and lips in the car. He would ask about his day, whether he was tired, and how his stomach was feeling.

Once home, he would cook Yu-young a meal he liked, and even help him wash up. During the pregnancy, Yu-young was advised not to take baths, as the amniotic fluid could get too warm. For Yu-young, who loved baths, this was visit our sitedisappointing, but Do-won, noticing his longing, would always follow him into the bathroom to wash him himself.

“Be careful, Yu-young. You can’t just jump in like that.”

“Oh, right, right.”

After the bath, Yu-young would jump into bed, and Do-won, with a faint smile, would dry his hair with a blow dryer. After taking a shower himself, he would join him in bed, and from then on, it was “prenatal education time” for Kiwi and Yu-young. It was Yu-young’s favorite time of the day.

“…The wise rabbi asked with a face that seemed unable to understand, ‘Shouldn’t you just wake your father?’ The man replied…”

In his lovely, soothing voice, Do-won would slowly read a storybook. Sometimes, he would play classical music that Yu-young loved. In this comfortable, relaxed time, Do-won would apply pregnancy-safe massage oil and gently massage Yu-young’s stomach and legs.

“Ahhh… That feels so good.”

Yu-young, looking like a lazy cat, let out a satisfied voice as he felt the massage.

“I feel great, but… you must be struggling every night.”

“Don’t say that. Compared to what you’re going through, this is nothing.”

As he massaged his calves gently, his hands slowly patted his bottom. Yu-young, ticklish, twisted his body and laughed, and Do-won took his hand, kissed it, and then kissed his lips.

“The baby is taking care of another baby, so it must be hard.”

“I’m not the baby. Kiwi is the baby.”

“To me, both Kiwi and you are babies.”

A ticklish laugh rose. Yu-young, his body now slick with oil, wanted to jump at Do-won and play, but even though his belly had only grown a little, moving was harder than before. More than that, he was extra careful so as not to harm the baby, which made his movements slow down.

When he tried to sit up and winced, Do-won quickly noticed and came over, offering his cheek to him. Yu-young, grateful for his quick understanding, immediately stopped feeling down.

But not everything was sweet and happy. Morning sickness and fatigue came often, tiring Yu-young. Just the day before, he had been able to eat three full meals instead of kiwi juice and felt great, but today, he had been throwing up all day. Even the kiwi juice, which he had once loved, was no longer something he could drink.

The emotional swings were the hardest for Yu-young. And it was a challenge for Do-won too. He tried his best to care for him, and Yu-young was mostly happy, but there were times when he felt down or anxious.

One night, something like this happened.

“…Huh, hic… hic….”

A faint sound reached Do-won’s ears as he was drifting through a deep sleep. His eyes shot open. Could he have misheard it in his dream? But there was no doubt—it was the sound of Yu-young sobbing.

Without a second thought, Do-won jumped up and ran out of the bedroom. It wasn’t a mistake. Yu-young was sitting on the living room sofa, curled up, crying. As soon as he saw him, he startled and quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve, lowering his head.

“…Yu-young.”

Panicking, Do-won rushed to him and pulled his head into a tight embrace, holding him.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Let go… I want to be alone.”

“Yu-young, look at me, okay?”

“No… I really hate you right now. I don’t want to see you…”

Yu-young, saying these harsh words, immediately burst into tears again, pushing Do-won away. Why had he been so upset to the point of waking up crying? His sorrow seemed to overflow, and Do-won gently embraced him, soothing and stroking him as he couldn’t stop crying. Even though he pushed him away like an angry cat and hit him with his fists, Do-won held him tightly, kissing him on the forehead.

The argument didn’t last long. Exhausted, Yu-young melted into Do-won’s arms like a soft rice cake. Contrary to the words about not wanting to see him, he quietly hugged Do-won’s back.

“Yu-young, what’s bothering you so much… huh?”

“……”

“I’m sorry. If you tell me what it is, I’ll fix it.”

“……”

“So, honey, can you tell me how you feel? If it’s hard, you can say it slowly.”

Yu-young’s lips, which had stubbornly remained closed, trembled slightly, and soon wrinkles formed on his chin. Tears began to flow once again. Do-won wiped his wet cheeks and eyes with his palm and kissed him. Only then did Yu-young open his mouth.

“…Honey… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it when I said I hated you… that unauthorized copy I didn’t want to see you. …It was true for a moment, but… not now. I’m sorry for saying something so hurtful.”

“It’s okay, it’s fine. I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“…Honestly, I still don’t really understand. Sorry. But… I made you suffer, didn’t I? So that’s probably why you said you hated me.”

A sigh, trapped in his small chest, escaped. Yu-young opened his mouth with difficulty.

“That’s… actually…”

After hesitating several times, he finally managed to speak.

“Suddenly, I felt so nauseous while I was sleeping and threw up… three times. I was so exhausted and upset, I sat on the sofa… and then suddenly, I wanted chocolate ice cream.”

“…Chocolate ice cream?”

“Yes… But there was no ice cream in the freezer, and going out at 2 a.m. felt like too Read onmuch of a hassle, and I was too tired from throwing up.”

Tears welled up in his eyes again and flowed down his face.

“…My body… feels so weird. Just now I was throwing up, and then suddenly I wanted ice cream and cried. It’s really strange. I never used to be like this…”

“……”

“Your scent is so nice, I want to bury myself in you, but then I also hate and resent you for making me like this…”

“……”

“I know. I can endure this much suffering to meet our Kiwi, but… sometimes I just feel this way, like everything is so unfair…”

“…Yu-young.”

Do-won wiped the tears from Yu-young’s face with his hand and quickly pulled him into his arms. His small body curled up, crying sadly as it nestled into his embrace. It was heartbreaking to see such a small, lovable being suffering alone. How much had Yu-young been through on his own? Carrying a life inside him and dealing with all these changes must have been so unfamiliar and difficult. How lonely must it have felt to handle it all alone? Do-won felt his heart breaking.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for making you go through this, for getting you pregnant [unauthorized copy]and making you suffer like this.”

His voice cracked with deep sincerity.

“It’s hard, isn’t it? I know it must be really tough. I can’t even begin to understand how big the discomfort is, since I’ve only experienced a bit of morning sickness with you. I can’t pretend to understand.”

“……”

“Still, I’ll do better. Yu-young, I’ll do better.”

The warmth of his hand gently patting his back, his soft and reassuring voice, began to calm Yu-young. All the anxiety, resentment, and sadness that had been about to explode moments ago slowly faded away.

“Our Kiwi, you won’t regret having hee… and…”

“……”

“Just like you bravely chose to carry Kiwi, I will always choose your happiness in whatever way I can.”

The small lingering bitterness, which had still been holding on, melted away. Do-won, like a solid rock, always spoke ​visit our site​from the heart, and everything he declared was truth for Yu-young. Because Yu-young trusted him without a doubt, he finally wiped his tears and let out a smile in Do-won’s arms. The temporary sadness that had been tormenting him just moments ago disappeared as if washed away.

Once Yu-young’s emotions had settled, Do-won stood up from the bed.

“I’ll go buy chocolate ice cream. Wait here for a bit.”

“Let’s go together.”

“What are you saying? Even though it’s spring, it’s chilly at night. Stay here and rest comfortably…”

“I want to go for a night walk with you.”

In the end, the two of them held hands and left the house together. Despite Do-won’s protests that a cardigan would be fine, Yu-young insisted on putting on a thick padded jacket before he could go outside.

At the convenience store on the first basement floor, they bought chocolate ice cream and came out, both holding their cones. They decided to take a walk around the nearby park before heading back.

“Honey, look! Petals are falling like rain!”

Yu-young, with chocolate ice cream on his lips, smiled brightly and pointed at the tree. Light pink cherry blossom petals were [unauthorized copy]fluttering beautifully in the breeze. Do-won, seeing this, couldn’t help but smile and took out his phone.

“Smile, honey. I’ll take a picture.”

“Wow, I’m so lucky, Mr. Photographer.”

Yu-young stood under the tree with a bright face. The soft wind gently tangled in his hair, scattering petals on him. As he breathed in the sweet spring air, his eyes closed softly, and he broke into a truly happy smile. Do-won was so captivated by the beautiful moment that he momentarily forgot to breathe, snapping pictures.

The wind tousling his hair even made Do-won jealous. Am I crazy, Yu-young?

Love makes a person ache like that. Even when you have them in your hands, you want more. It’s like seawater, endlessly quenching your thirst but never quite enough.

But happiness, too, rises endlessly in the same way. As Do-won took more pictures, he thought how much he wished this moment could last forever. Contrary to his concerns about Yu-young catching a cold, it was a warm and sweet spring night.