“I may not fully understand your mother’s anger and pain… but I chose your mother, and my father chose the person by his side. I already expected it to turn out like this from that time.”
Jinwoo murmured quietly with a lowered voice. Looking at Jinwoo’s shadowy figure, Jina covered Jinwoo’s hand with her other hand.
“You and your mother’s wounds are immeasurable. I think your father will regret and feel sorry a lot. His mistake is undoubtedly significant, but cutting off your relationship with him might make you regret later.”
Because he’s a father.
Jina added quietly. Jinwoo, who stared directly at Jina, took a deep breath.
“They say sons resemble their fathers, have you ever heard that saying?”
Jinwoo’s question made Jina’s eyes widen slightly.
“That word… it’s the scariest word for me.”
It wasn’t a lie. Jinwoo’s eyes held a fear he had never seen before.
“Even unconsciously, I wonder what if I resemble my father, so…”
Through their joined hands, his trembling was conveyed. Jina looked at Jinwoo as if an electric shock ran through her entire body.
“What if I betray Nuna and Jiu someday? When I think about that, I get so angry that I can’t tell my father a word. I want to ask why he did such a thing hundreds, thousands of times.”
Jina, who didn’t know his fear, just stared at Jinwoo.
“So, I’m also afraid of having a son who resembles me. Can I be a good father? Do I have enough qualifications as a father?”
It felt like glimpsing deep into Jinwoo’s heart. The man who embraced her still couldn’t shed the shell of the past.
“Jinwoo.”
Jina called Jinwoo calmly. Jinwoo’s eyes, usually warm, fumbled as he looked at Jina.
In his vulnerable and precarious-looking eyes, Jina’s eyes tightened.
“I’m here. You’re a wonderful husband and a good father. I can guarantee that.”
“…”
“The man I chose. You… The man I love has a sturdy shoulder and a warm heart more than anyone else. You’re not a man who would abandon loved ones.”
Immediately, he couldn’t shake off the fear. The man about to become a father couldn’t cleanly erase the trauma he received from his father.
But,
“Look carefully. You’re Seo Jinwoo, Jina’s man. Not Seo Iljun. There are many sons who don’t resemble their fathers. Shall we start with the Chosun Dynasty?”
As Jina smiled with effort, Jinwoo lowered his gaze and smiled lightly.
“That’s right. I’m Seo Jinwoo. Different from my father.”
“Then, you took responsibility for the mother that your father abandoned until the end. That already makes you different from others.”
Jina’s words clarified Jinwoo’s focus. His gaze, which wavered in anxiety, straightened.
“I always had the anxiety that I might resemble my father somehow. I couldn’t say it to Nuna…”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Jina raised her hand and gently touched Jinwoo’s cheek. His finely sculpted features touched her hand. Like a well-trained puppy, Jinwoo pressed his face against Jina’s palm.
“I’m the one who should be thankful. Because of Nuna… Because you’re my sister, I don’t know how fortunate I am.”
With a warm breath, Jinwoo spoke quietly. His eyes, now more moist than before, made Jina’s heart heavy.
“If there’s anything difficult in the future, tell me everything. Don’t go through difficult times alone now.”
Instead of answering, Jinwoo took Jina’s hand and firmly pressed his warm lips against her palm.
“Yes.”
The setting sun burned, and darkness spread over the horizon. Along the Han River, where the dark night came, the lights turned on, as if stars had descended. Leisurely enjoying the night view, Jina lowered her hand and gently touched her belly. Jiu’s movements were more lively than usual.
“Are you cheering me up, Dad?”
Jina smiled and spoke softly. In that moment,
“Ouch.”
Jina frowned. Jinwoo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Nuna?”
Like small waves, labor pains surged.
“Sip, ha…”
Following the Lamaze breathing technique that Manager Yoo taught her, Jina breathed out, cradling her belly. This pain might be practice rather than actual labor, as it was not as intense as before.
“It will be okay. Sip, ha…”
Contrary to her words, Jina’s face turned pale. Jinwoo pressed his lips tightly against her lips, now whiter than before.
“Oops…”
A slightly stronger pain followed in succession. The palm of Jina’s hand, which had held Jinwoo’s hand, became sweaty.
“This won’t do. Let’s go to the hospital.”
Jinwoo couldn’t endure it and stood up. Supporting Jina, Jinwoo carefully took a step. Jina, who had been breathing heavily, now couldn’t even speak.
“I’m sorry, Nuna.”
Without any reason, Jinwoo’s eyes reddened as he apologized.
“Ugh… It’s okay, Jinwoo. It seems like the time to meet our Jiu has finally come.”
There were still two weeks left until the due date. With labor pains coming sooner than expected, Jinwoo helped Jina into the car and rushed to the hospital.
The night road, which had sparkled like stars just a moment ago, now didn’t register in Jinwoo’s eyes at all. Jinwoo tightly gripped the steering wheel, pressing down on the accelerator.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
