MM 163

The more he knew, the more surprising everything became. Ju-yeon had known about it in advance…? Yu-young, with his eyes wide open, nodded absentmindedly. Since she already knew everything, there was no reason not to meet her.

“Then, I’ll see you in 20 minutes,” he said, and ended the call. His father, who had been listening to the conversation, cheerfully spoke up.

“It seems like your colleagues are coming.”

“Yeah.”

“Then I should step out. Honey, should we go grab a cup of coffee?”

His father’s soft request to go on a date made his mother smile brightly. “Let’s go soon, too,” said Do-won’s father, speaking in a deep voice.

“Yu-young, we’ll leave now. Oh, how can we leave such a pretty thing behind? Take care of yourself, my dear.”

“Oh, Mother! Calling me ‘my dear’ in front of everyone…”

“Rest well, Yu-young. Do-won, take good care of him.”

“Yeah, Father.”

With lively farewells, Yu-young’s parents left the hospital room in a line. At that moment, a nurse entered and said that she would take the baby away, placing Kiwi in the transport crib. Although it was generally difficult to have visits in the hospital room, as a VIP patient, visits were allowed only for both sets of parents. As he watched Kiwi, peacefully asleep, leave the room, Yu-young waved.

“Goodbye, Kiwi. See you tomorrow.”

After sending Kiwi off, Do-won brought a wet towel and carefully wiped Yu-young’s face. After applying lotion and combing his hair, Yu-young’s face looked even more pristine and fresh.

“Honey, how’s your stomach?”

“It’s fine. For now, at least…”

“Let’s rest after this visit. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Yes.”

At the same time, a knock sounded. “Come in,” Do-won’s soft voice echoed, and the hospital room door cautiously opened. Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok, holding large bouquets and fruit baskets, entered one after the other.

“Team Leader! Yu-young!”

“Hello, Team Leader, Assistant Han!”

Ju-yeon, with a beaming face, looked at Do-won, who was standing by Yu-young’s bed, and covered her mouth with both hands.

“Oh my… Team Leader… No, I knew it already, but seeing it in person, it’s just… so surprising! Oh my… the fiancé, the one in the rumors, is actually the Team Leader…”

Ju-yeon, talking a mile a minute and stamping her feet, stopped when she saw Do-won standing silently next to her. She looked like she wanted to say more but barely held herself back. Instead, Ju-yeon nudged the helpless Yoon-seok standing next to her.

“No, Yoon-seok, you knew everything from the start, didn’t you? And yet, [stolen content]you didn’t tell me!”

“Haha, Assistant, Team Leader… Congratulations!”

Yoon-seok, attacked by Ju-yeon, awkwardly smiled and offered his congratulations. Amid the noisy atmosphere, Yu-young, despite only having taken a ten-day vacation, felt a longing emotion. Half dazed, half happy, he looked at them and asked,

“Thank you both so much for coming. But, Yoon-seok, I get why you know… but how did you, Ju-yeon, find out?”

“Me? Well… I guess about one or two months ago? That’s when I started to sense it.”

“How?”

“I just had a feeling. I mean, office romances are the kind of thing even the photocopier and the water cooler know about, right? How could I not notice you two looking at each other with all that affection?”

Ju-yeon winked and smiled slyly. Seeing her face, even Yoon-seok and Do-won couldn’t help but chuckle. Only Yu-young’s face was flushed red with embarrassment.

“Ugh… Then, do other people know?”

“I don’t know about that. As far as I know, it’s just us. How about when you come back to work, you two officially announce it?”

“Ha… I’ll think about it later.”

The two of them presented their gifts. Ju-yeon gave a set of baby clothes, and Yoon-seok gave a kiwi-shaped plush toy. Yu-young smiled brightly as he admired the cute and adorable gifts.

“Thank you. They’re really cute.”

“Aren’t they? Actually, I really wanted to see the baby, so I stopped by the newborn care unit, but you need a visitation pass to get in.”

“I’ll get you one later. Go take a look.”

“That sounds great. Wow, I still can’t believe it. You two were married…”

Ju-yeon muttered in disbelief, covering her mouth with both hands.

“By the way, you two… really do look great together. Actually, when we went to that workshop and did the communication exercise or whatever, I thought you two were a perfect match. But I kept quiet because it seemed so obvious… Were you two maybe already seeing each other back then?”

“I-I don’t know. It’s so embarrassing!”

Yu-young’s ears turned bright red. Everyone laughed at his tomato-like face and his waving hands. At that moment, Do-won, with a faint smile, said softly,

“That’s right. Back then, I was already chasing after Assistant Han because I had fallen for him.”

“Honey, I-I mean, Team Leader…! What are you saying!”

“Kyaa, you said ‘honey!’”

Ju-yeon slapped Yoon-seok’s shoulder playfully, chattering excitedly. Yoon-seok, standing beside her, was also laughing joyfully. While they chatted happily in a warm atmosphere, Do-won skillfully peeled the fruit and served drinks. After about 20 minutes of talking happily with a smiling face, Yu-young suddenly clutched his stomach and grimaced slightly. At that moment, Ju-yeon jumped up from her seat.

“Oh my, we’ve been here too long without realizing it. We should be ​Read on​going now. Yu-young, you need to rest.”

“No, I’m fine… but…”

“Honey, you’ve overdone it. Let’s rest now. Assistant Kim, Employee Yoon-seok, thank you for coming. We’ll use the gifts well.”

Do-won, speaking in a gentle tone, was as dignified as he always was in front of his team. Without thinking, both of them straightened their backs and bowed respectfully.

“Yes, Team Leader. Congratulations on the birth.”

“Also, please keep this between us for now. I’ll officially announce it later.”

“Of course!”

“Thank you, Yoon-seok, Ju-yeon! Have a safe trip home.”

“Yes. Yu-young, I’ll contact you again!”

With their final farewells and hand waves, Do-won escorted them to the elevator. The once lively hospital room was now empty. Yu-young, with a faint smile, gazed at the empty room for a moment.

“….”

It was an unbelievable scene, like something from a fairy tale—the moments that had just passed. All the people he loved had come and offered sincere congratulations: his mother, father, Do-won’s parents, and even Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok. Sharing the long-awaited meeting with Kiwi among all the people he loved was far, far happier than he had imagined.

As he slowly reflected on the joyful moments, Yu-young recalled something [unauthorized copy]he hadn’t realized when he talked to Do-won about happiness earlier that morning.

Before having Kiwi, he believed that only the moments they created together mattered. And when he gave birth to Kiwi, that thought changed—now, the happiness would be shared by the three of them.

But today, surrounded by those who loved him—himself, Do-won, and Kiwi—Yu-young realized that there were many more people who would warmly surround the three of them and happily cry, laugh, and feel the joy together than he had thought.

‘…I’m really happy.’

Sleepiness washed over him. In the hazy state of drifting off, Yu-young truly felt that way. At that moment, the hospital door slowly opened, and the face he loved with all his heart appeared.

“Yu-young, let’s really rest now. You’ve worked hard.”

Among all those people, the brightest happiness was Do-won’s face as he came to him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and kissed him. He was the one who had promised to share this happiness with him for life, to hold his hand and face any challenges ahead. He was the dependable man who had vowed to make him happy.

Yu-young, with his voice heavy with sleep, opened his mouth.

“…Honey.”

“Hmm? What is it? Does it hurt? Should I ask them to give you more painkillers?”

“I’m fine. It’s not that…”

As his voice grew quieter, Do-won opened his eyes wide and leaned closer to Yu-young’s lips. Sensing the familiar scent of his alpha up close, Yu-young whispered in a sweet voice.

“…I love you. Thank you for being by my side.”

Hearing Yu-young’s voice full of happiness, Do-won smiled with his eyes.

“I should be the one saying that.”

Then, just like always, a kiss landed—on his forehead, his cheek, his nose, and then his lips.

Do-won’s love, at the heart of all the happiness shared with so many, was clear and unwavering, without a single moment of doubt. Even after waking from sleep, that love would remain by his side, unchanged. With a comforting sense of certainty, Yu-young gently drifted off, knowing that this time, he would have a sweet dream—not one of the strange ones from before.

 End.