The Omega Is Pregnant-Chapter 95

“Whose idea do you think it was?”

Was it Chairman Kang Hak-jung? Or Tae-seo?

Kang Se-heon mulled it over for a moment, then quickly smiled.

“Whoever it was, the timing’s good. What’s the general reaction so far?”

“Most people find it endearing.”

“Well, Tae-seo does have that kind of charm.”

And that’s exactly the problem.

Se-heon’s disgruntled remark didn’t immediately register with the secretary, and she hesitated.

“Even though it’s clearly labeled as mine, there are still things that won’t let go.”

He didn’t specify what those things were, but the secretary, who knew even Se-heon’s personal details, stayed silent.

****

In the lobby, Tae-seo, waiting for someone, pulled his sleeves down long to cover his face.

“If I’d known, I would’ve at least worn a hat.”

No, it wouldn’t have helped. It’s not like people wouldn’t recognize him anyway. The problem was that when the secretary asked earlier if it was okay to post the picture, he had said yes without thinking.

People passing by in the lobby couldn’t help but glance at Tae-seo.

“Seriously, it wasn’t even publicly posted. How has everyone seen it already?”

When he asked whether private content should really be uploaded to the company intranet, the secretary told him not to worry at all.

And sure enough, she’d said that word spreads regardless—and she was right.

Just as Tae-seo was holding back the urge to crawl into a hole and hide, he spotted a familiar face and raised his arm.

“Mom.”

Before Kim Mi-kyung, who had just walked in, could even look up, Tae-seo hugged her.

As Tae-seo grinned while holding onto Kim Mi-kyung, he thought he heard a soft chuckle from her as well—but he couldn’t be certain.

“I told you I’d come—why did you bother?”

“The one who wants to see the other more should be the one to come first.”

Kim Mi-kyung gently brushed her hand down Tae-seo’s cheek. She hadn’t been able to take care of him lately, but he looked well-fed and healthy.

“Have you been doing okay?”

“Of course. Se-heon-hyung takes good care of me. He makes fried rice in under five minutes, and his soups are excellent too. Especially the seaweed soup he makes—it’s on a whole different level...”

Just as Tae-seo was listing out all the foods Se-heon had cooked for him—

“Hello, Chairwoman. It’s been a while.”

Tae-seo’s words were cut off by Kang In-hyuk, who casually stepped in front of them. Tae-seo, glancing around before looking back at In-hyuk, wore a thoroughly bewildered expression.

“I’m seriously asking—do you live in this lobby? Why is it that I always run into you here?”

“I read your interview. You still love jjajangmyeon, huh?”

In-hyuk nodded like he genuinely enjoyed reading the Q&A between Tae-seo and the secretary.

“Your mom was worried, actually... Said there was an interview recently that ended up not being published. So it’s a relief to see something come out this way.”

In-hyuk had been smiling the whole time, but now that smile deepened further.

“I used to be happy we didn’t run into each other at school... but seeing you this often, I think I’m starting to feel glad.”

Tae-seo couldn’t take it anymore and openly sneered. In school, In-hyuk had avoided him like the plague and looked at him with pure disgust... How could someone flip like this without any explanation? Every time they crossed paths, Tae-seo felt nothing but frustration.

But In-hyuk, seemingly unfazed, turned to Kim Mi-kyung.

“You haven’t forgotten me already, have you?”

“Hm? Of course not. It’s been a while, In-hyuk.”

“Same here. I’ve missed you.”

In-hyuk looked completely relaxed, as if he’d gone back to his usual self.

“Are you heading somewhere right now?”

“I met up with Tae-seo to grab lunch.”

“Then... could I come along too?”

Kim Mi-kyung glanced back and forth between In-hyuk and Tae-seo, unable to answer right away. She’d known In-hyuk since he was a child and was happy to see him, but she couldn’t help but wonder if things might be awkward between him and Tae-seo now.

“You heard us talking just now. Things are still fine between us, so no need to worry.”

As if reading her thoughts, In-hyuk strode in without hesitation. Even Tae-seo, watching him, was so stunned by the shamelessness that he was momentarily speechless.

“Let’s go.”

In-hyuk made it clear he intended to join, and Kim Mi-kyung, unable to stop him, began walking. Tae-seo, following behind, had to swallow several times just to suppress his sighs.

****

“I have a photo of me and Tae-seo together. I put it in a frame, and when I look at it, we look so young.”

“Really?”

In-hyuk spoke, and Kim Mi-kyung responded—it flowed like a natural conversation.

Tae-seo rested his chin on one hand while poking a piece of bread with his fork using the other. Whenever his mom’s gaze turned to him, he quickly pretended he was doing nothing.

“You have tons of photos of me too.”

In-hyuk easily {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} dragged Tae-seo into the conversation.

“There are a lot of shots where you ended up in my pictures.”

Thinking of his private SNS, Tae-seo nodded. There was no reason to deny it.

“They’re just incidental though, not really taken together.”

That was back when his feelings had been directed at In-hyuk. A one-sided crush.

“We can start taking them now.”

In-hyuk hesitated for a second, then quickly smiled again.

“Come to think of it, how long has it been since we ate together like this? Was the last time when we had dinner with our parents at the hotel?”

“Now that you mention it... yeah, that time...”

Kim Mi-kyung trailed off mid-sentence, as if remembering something. And Tae-seo, having a pretty good idea of what it was, silently took a sip of water.

That was when I was pregnant.

To be exact, he hadn’t known for sure yet, but he had been focused on making it crystal clear that he had zero interest in In-hyuk. That had been the time when Kim Mi-kyung was still hoping they’d end up together.

The longer Kim Mi-kyung stayed silent, the more the uncomfortable glances between Tae-seo and Kang In-hyuk kept clashing.

Tae-seo’s frustration—why are you butting in and making things awkward—and In-hyuk’s evasive smile were like a spear and shield.

Then, when it got to the point where he didn’t even know why he was still sitting there like this, Tae-seo dropped his hand under the table.

What’s the point of all this anyway...

Maybe the push-and-pull power play with In-hyuk was what made him even more stubborn. One thing was clear—In-hyuk had never acted like this back when Tae-seo actually liked him. It was only after Tae-seo had stopped looking his way and let go of everything that In-hyuk reached out. Even though Tae-seo knew there’d never be a moment where their hands would meet.

“Do you not have an appetite?”

Noticing Tae-seo’s reaction right away, Kim Mi-kyung asked with worried eyes.

“Is it still hard to eat unless it’s with Se-heon’s pheromones?”

“I’m not sure. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve eaten without them.”

Whenever he ate at home, the scent of Kang Se-heon’s pheromones was always in the air, so he never felt alone.

“Oh no. If I’d known, we could’ve pushed the meal back.”

Tae-seo lowered his gaze to the food in front of him. It looked exactly the same as when it had first arrived. He’d barely touched it while paying attention to In-hyuk, and by the time he realized he’d lost his appetite, it had already gone cold.

“My cravings just keep changing. You know how sometimes you want to eat something, but the moment it’s in front of you, you don’t anymore.”

“Yeah, I was the same. When I was pregnant with you, your dad spent hours trying to bring home something I said I wanted—and the moment I saw it, I ran to the bathroom.”

“I can already picture the look on Dad’s face.”

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“Exactly. He looked so defeated, like, Do you know how hard that was to find?”

As Kim Mi-kyung spoke with a smile, Tae-seo found himself smiling again too.

At some point, the topic had shifted to pregnancy, and In-hyuk was left without a place to chime in. But no one seemed to notice—or bother—pulling him back into the conversation.

For Kim Mi-kyung, it was Se-heon’s child, so it never even occurred to her to ask In-hyuk anything. And for Tae-seo...

I don’t even know why I tried so hard to push you away.

Recalling everything he’d done until now, Tae-seo quietly let go of the idea of pushing In-hyuk away anymore.

While Kim Mi-kyung took a sip of the drink she had ordered separately, trying to get rid of the lingering taste in her mouth, the flow of the conversation shifted again.

“In-hyuk.”

As Kim Mi-kyung turned her body toward him, Tae-seo was pushed aside like a stranger.

“Thank you for taking care of our Tae-seo all this time.”

Kang In-hyuk didn’t accept Kim Mi-kyung’s words with a smile. His expression made it clear—he knew this wasn’t going to turn into a please continue to be good to him kind of sentiment.

“Now that Tae-seo is pregnant, he needs more attention. I’m sorry to ask, but... could you help too? As one of his longtime friends.”

Even as she saw In-hyuk’s stiffened expression, Kim Mi-kyung didn’t stop speaking.

“I’m sorry to ask something like this of you.”

Tae-seo dragged his foot across the floor without a word. His sneakers made no sound, but the movement caused his upper body to sway just a little with each pass.

The meaningless motion on the floor mirrored the meaningless thoughts swirling in his head.

Up until now, he’d been sure he and In-hyuk were done for good—but hearing the phrase longtime friends stirred up something strange in him.

It was like being handed a menu where he had to pick only one between jjajangmyeon and jjamppong.

If that’s the case... should he just make the same choice he made in the beginning?