After hanging up the phone with Tae Eun, Woo Jin could not overcome his anxious thoughts and ended up going to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic. As he waited silently in the car, he wondered why his heart felt so constricted – he seemed more nervous than Tae Eun who was getting the examination.

In fact, he had mulled over Tae Eun’s suggestion to have a child dozens of times.

A child… Does he really have the qualifications to be a father? He who couldn’t even properly protect the one person he cared about?

To be honest, he wasn’t confident. Confident that he could be a warm and affectionate father.

But if they didn’t have a child, his aunts’ pressure towards Tae Eun would continue. Their desire for bloodline was stronger than expected. Although he was defending against it, it was still uncertain what kind of wounds she might receive in the process. It was a fight that would only end when they had a child. Besides, Tae Eun desperately wanted a child too.

In fact, the last reason was the biggest. She wants a child. And while he may not be able to become a warm and affectionate father, he was certain that Tae Eun would be the most loving mother in the world.

Min Tae Eun as a mother…

While he couldn’t imagine Seo Woo Jin as a father, the thought of Min Tae Eun as a mother was so beautiful and lovely. It seemed like it would make her happy. So he decided. To have the child she wanted. Of course, he also intended to do his best for the child.

However, he didn’t know how to comfort her if an unwanted result came. There was nothing he could do except be by her side.

Whatever the result, he came to share it together.

When he saw Tae Eun looking around with an expression like she was about to cry at the hospital entrance, he instinctively felt something was wrong and got out of the car. Tae Eun ran into his arms and cried for a long time.

She cried so bitterly that Tae Eun was shocked when she saw her reflection in the mirror after getting in the car. But Woo Jin was even more surprised a moment later.

“What? They said it’s possible?”

When Tae Eun, who had just calmed down from crying, spoke about the test results in a tiny voice, Woo Jin burst out laughing and asked again while gripping the steering wheel. It was because he had assumed an undesired result came out since she cried so bitterly.

“But… why did you cry so sadly?”

“…Because I was happy.”

“Ha!”

She cried like that because she was happy? If she was happy one more time, his heart would be all squeezed out by her crying.

“I thought. You cried so bitterly because you heard it was impossible.”

“Are you not happy?”

“I am. I am, but… I don’t like you crying. Do you know how many hours I waited outside because of that? Worried that Min Tae Eun might be crying alone pathetically.”

“How long did you wait?”

“An hour? No, an hour and a half.”

“I told you not to come.”

“How could I not?”

“I’m sorry. For always making you worry.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Tae Eun gazed intently at Woo Jin’s side profile as he drove. She felt grateful to him once again.

“Woo Jin.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For changing your mind about having a child.”

She sincerely opened up her heart.

In fact, even if the test results came out positive, it would’ve been over if Woo Jin said he didn’t want it. Knowing his personality of never doing something he disliked even if he died and came back to life, Tae Eun had anticipated another painful process. But suddenly he changed his mind and said to have a child, so she couldn’t help but be extremely grateful.

“I know it wasn’t an easy decision for you.”

“It wasn’t an easy decision for you either. It’s you who will have a hard time, not me. But the reason I suggested it is because you wanted it so desperately. Well… honestly, I thought it might be okay if we had a daughter who takes after you.”

“Not a son who takes after you?”

Tae Eun asked, seemingly surprised by the mention of a daughter, and Woo Jin spoke seriously.

“A son who takes after me? Don’t say such horrible things. If you saw what I looked like when I was young, you’d definitely never say that. It’s unbearable. I don’t like it. If we have a son, the son should take after you too.”

A pleasant laugh flowed from her mouth at his quite resolute tone. He felt his heart grow warm at that laugh that was happiness just to hear. But on the other hand, it’s also true that he was worried. Because the process of having a child wouldn’t be easy.

“Tell me anytime if it’s hard. You always come first to me.”

“…”

“And one more thing. Don’t forget. Min Tae Eun. We’re having our child, not giving birth to a grandchild for grandmother. We’re not giving birth to an heir for the estate either.”

“…”

“It’s our child. Our child…”

At those words, Tae Eun nodded with reddened eyes.

It was truly a meaningful statement. Their child, not an heir to the estate.

“You’re right. Our child. The doctor said today. That every child is a blessing. I don’t care if it’s a daughter or son. As long as they’re born healthy.”

“I don’t care if it’s a son or daughter either. As long as they take after you, not me.”

Tae Eun burst out laughing once again because of him joking seriously until the end. These days, she had become much more talkative and prone to laughter. She looked so lovely chattering away nonstop that he wanted to shower her lips with deep kisses just from watching her.

He didn’t know how to express this feeling. It was an emotion he had never felt even when he thought he was in passionate love with Seo Woo. Sometimes a hot feeling would well up when he looked at Tae Eun. As if he had never been in his right mind from the moment he first saw her until now.

Others say marriage is the end, but for him marriage was the beginning. His thirst for her was only growing stronger as time passed. Sometimes he would get so intoxicated by that emotion that he couldn’t control himself and his actions would come first without realizing it.

Just like right now.

He pulled the car over to the side of the road where parking was possible. Then he leaned down and kissed her.

Chu.

Seeing her eyes widen in surprise, she seemed quite taken aback.

“Woo Jin, why…”

She looked around nervously. But Woo Jin didn’t care about such things.

“What’s wrong? It’s not an affair… We’re married. Is it illegal for a couple to kiss on the street?”

“That’s not it, but…”

Chu.

Another kiss.

This time he traced her lips a little longer. He couldn’t stop because her flustered appearance was so lovely.

“This is the street. When we get home…”

She tried to reason with him, but the hot passion filling his body had already spread beyond control.

Woo Jin grabbed her cheeks and deeply explored those lips that were driving him crazy. Tae Eun felt her toes curl at his breath penetrating even deeper. His touch delved in, making her already tense body even more on edge.

Although the windows were dark enough that no one could see in and only the two of them were in the car, Tae Eun was afraid of her body responding so shamelessly on a street where many people were passing by, and she barely managed to push Woo Jin’s chest away. When he removed his lips, their saliva stretched out between them.

Unlike her whose face had turned red from embarrassment, Woo Jin still had a shameless expression as he curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Let’s do the rest at home.”

I hate him so much.

Tae Eun glared at him prettily as she fixed her clothes that he had disheveled. Then she deliberately turned her gaze out the window as if trying to appear calm, but her breathing that had scattered from excitement did not easily return to normal.

But Woo Jin was having just as hard a time as her scattered breathing. Although he was pretending to be nonchalant, the severely swollen desire did not easily subside and caused an intense pain. He couldn’t even remember how they got home. Other than barely managing to obey traffic signals with superhuman law-abiding spirit.

As soon as they arrived home, he pounced on Tae Eun like a beast in heat. But she pushed away his chest as he tried to kiss her and whispered.

“Woo Jin, shower first…”

“That damned shower. I thought I was clean, but it turns out you’re even worse than me.”

He grumbled but chose to shower first like an obedient child. Left alone after watching Woo Jin’s retreating back, Tae Eun’s mind started to become complicated.

First, as the doctor said, taking care of her body should be the priority. To do that, she thought she should quit the little alcohol she had started drinking recently and reduce caffeine as she opened the drawer containing tea. Looking for caffeine-free tea. She pulled out rooibos tea from among the many teas.

“Hmm, I can drink this from now on.”

Many things would change now. And that change might perhaps create a single miracle.

Already excited, she heard Woo Jin’s shout in her ear. She ran to the bathroom in the bedroom and knocked as she asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“Honey, Tae Eun. I think we’re out of shampoo?”

Hmm, that can’t be. It was definitely full of shampoo just yesterday. But just in case, Tae Eun grabbed a new shampoo and knocked on the bathroom door again.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Then the door clicked open and his thoroughly wet figure appeared. Tae Eun’s face turned red at that naked appearance.

“Here, shampoo…”

As she held out the shampoo, the door suddenly flung open and her body was pulled into the bathroom before she knew it. It happened so quickly that she couldn’t even think to resist. Surprised, Tae Eun looked up at him with big eyes while held in his arms.

Water was dripping from his wet hair and soaking her clothes, but she couldn’t pay attention to that. Because an extremely decadent man was looking down at her with heated eyes.

“W-Why?”

Stammering.

It was really a stupid question. She already knew all too clearly what he wanted.

“We have to finish what we started earlier.”

And that expectation was not wrong.

“You said you wanted to have a baby.”

“…”

“I’m pretty strong in practice…”

No sooner had the words ended than hot lips descended upon her. He must have been showering with cold water, as his cool body transmitted a chill to her.

But it’s fine anyway. Their bodies were already too heated up to care about such chills.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that time.

Seo Woo received an email from the man she had assigned to Tae Eun. Usually she received reports about once a month unless there was something special, but this time the man sent it about a week early.

Has there been a change in Min Tae Eun’s monotonous life so far?

With a tense expression, she clicked on the email and saw the attached photo files. When she clicked on the files, photos tracking Tae Eun’s traces so far filled the screen. The photo filenames were dated when the photos were taken along with brief descriptions, making it easy to understand the contents of the photos.

But this time too, Tae Eun’s activities were tediously monotonous. Volunteering at nursing homes or orphanages. And shopping at department stores a few times.

Then Seo Woo paused at the last photo. Looking at the date, it was a fresh photo taken just today. Tae Eun entering the hospital with a nervous expression. And then coming out of the hospital with an expression like she was about to cry. Followed by her crying profusely in Woo Jin’s arms.

Although her stomach twisted painfully at the sight of Tae Eun in his arms, Seo Woo focused on something else.

The hospital Tae Eun entered. Blessing Women’s Hospital.

“Could it be… she’s pregnant?”

A small ripple appeared in her eyes as she looked at the photos.

A child. She didn’t want to believe it. No, it shouldn’t be. A child between the two of them meant that just as Seo Jin existed between Woo Jin and herself, an unbreakable connection would be formed between Tae Eun and him as well.

Seo Woo glared at the screen with trembling eyes. She racked her brains trying to somehow think of this situation in a way favorable to herself. Because it felt like she could only breathe if she did so.

“Right. It might not be. Women’s hospitals aren’t places you only go when you’re pregnant.”

Instead, she picked up her phone again. When the dial tone ended and the other person answered, she whispered in a low voice.

“It’s me. Can you also find out why this woman went to the hospital?”