ATGRA 91

However, I couldn’t kick Lee Seolwoo out as I had intended.

This was because Lee Seolwoo’s physical condition was worse than I thought. Since I am, first and foremost, a doctor, it is not right to show an ill person the door.

I meticulously placed acupuncture needles on his tensed abdomen. Whether it was because he hadn’t eaten anything proper, contrary to his claim of feeling unwell, Lee Seolwoo was much thinner than he appeared.

“I can see all your ribs. Even if you feel sick, you must eat your meals. At least have some rice gruel.”

“Lately, I throw up whatever I eat.”

“Is it that bad? Did you eat anything in particular before you started feeling unwell?”

“Not really. It’s just been like this for a few days. My stomach doesn’t hurt, but it’s as if I’m having morning sickness…”

…Wait a minute, morning sickness?

Startled, I checked Lee Seolwoo’s pulse again. His pulse was weak, so I couldn’t be certain, but as I focused, there was something subtly catching my attention.

“Um, Mr. Lee Seolwoo.”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t be alarmed by what I’m about to say.”

I retrieved the needles I had placed on Lee Seolwoo’s abdomen. This could have turned into a big problem… moxibustion and acupuncture are not very good for women in the early stages of pregnancy.

“I think you might be pregnant.”

At my words, Lee Seolwoo was horrified and shot up from his seat. Since I hadn’t removed all the needles yet, I was horrified too. What if he got hurt!

“P-pregnant? That can’t be…”

I pushed Lee Seolwoo back down and collected the needles. Even while I did so, Lee Seolwoo, finding my words hard to believe, asked me several times.

“We used contraception properly, and it wasn’t my heat cycle.”

Well, I’m not a walking ultrasound machine, so it’s possible he’s not pregnant. A person’s pulse can vary depending on their physical condition.

However, considering Lee Seolwoo’s condition and the bifurcated pulse, there was a high probability he was pregnant. To be certain, he needs to go to an obstetrician-gynecologist, not an oriental medical clinic. Although oriental medicine is versatile, it isn’t a field where results are as clear as in modern medicine.

“I think it would be a good idea to visit an OB-GYN.”

“But…”

“You know there’s a possibility of pregnancy even if you use contraception properly and it’s not your heat cycle.”

“…”

“I understand you’re surprised, since you said you’re still young and a university student. Still, if your body continues to feel strange, it would be best to get it checked out once. If you’re reluctant to go to an OB-GYN, you could buy a test and check for yourself.”

Lee Seolwoo reluctantly nodded.

Since he was a dominant omega, the chances of him getting pregnant, even as a man, were high. Even if he used contraception, it isn’t one hundred percent successful. The possibility is always there from the moment of intercourse.

Still, I was worried.

Although he’s a graduating senior, Lee Seolwoo is still a university student. He seemed sociable and had many things he wanted to do, but pregnancy would undoubtedly bring many restrictions.

“Our clinic will be closed around the end of July. For about a week.”

“Yes…”

“Except for that time, you can come to the clinic whenever you need to, and I’ll see you anytime. If a problem arises that you find difficult to handle on your own, contact me. My vice director will be here even during the clinic’s closure.”

“You mean the one who’s an alpha?”

“No, starting next week, another vice director who’s a beta will be coming. Since he’s a beta, you’ll be able to receive treatment comfortably even if I’m not here.”

Honestly, even I thought this was a bit nosy of me. If Lee Seolwoo turns out not to be pregnant after all this, I’ll be branded a quack by a regular patient.

But, as an omega who has lived a few years longer, it was difficult for me to just pretend I didn’t know Lee Seolwoo’s situation. It seemed he had fought with his lover, and if he really was pregnant, things could get complicated.

I gently patted the back of Lee Seolwoo, whose expression was grim. He was probably thinking, just like me, that life really is on hard mode.

A week passed, and as scheduled, Hong Sunghyun showed his face at our clinic as the new vice director.

Ms. Kim Miyoung’s fantastic eye for people was, as expected, never wrong. Hong Sunghyun was greatly satisfied by the sole fact that his ex-wife was not at our clinic. He worked so hard that a smile automatically spread across my face, his employer.

Nam Jungyoon, who had been somewhat lukewarm toward Hong Sunghyun for reasons I couldn’t quite pinpoint, completely changed his attitude after seeing his work skills. The sight of him muttering that he needed to look out for himself first, regardless of who Hong Sunghyun liked, was quite suspicious.

“Is the work manageable?”

“Yeah. It’s mostly patients coming to get medicine, so it’s not too difficult even if there are a lot of patients.”

“The medical assistant handles things like appointment management. The combined experience of all the oriental medical doctors here probably doesn’t surpass our medical assistant’s.”

Not just Ms. Kim Miyoung, but the assistants my grandfather had provided were all veterans. They had worked with my grandfather for over a decade, so they might even be better at locating acupressure points than me, the doctor.

At my words, Hong Sunghyun nodded with an abashed look, saying he’d have to work harder. Wow, how admirable! This was the first time since Ms. Kim Miyoung and Nam Jungyoon that I was this satisfied with a new hire. I thought I’d never find an employee like this again!

“Yeonghwa.”

Since I wasn’t someone who fussed over titles, Hong Sunghyun also called me by my first name. I didn’t point this out, as I was also just calling him ‘Hong Sunghyun’ in my head.

As long as he does his job well, that’s what matters!

In the first place, Hong Sunghyun was a university sunbae who was seven years older than me, so I couldn’t quite imagine him calling me ‘Director’ and using honorifics.

It might be different if we’d met through work from the start, like with Ms. Kim Miyoung, but since we met at university, it would probably feel awkward if he spoke formally to me.

Nam Jungyoon just calls me sunbae too, so what’s the big deal? I looked at Hong Sunghyun with a benevolent expression, trying not to act like a rigid old-timer.

Hong Sunghyun hesitated for a long while, as if he had something to say.

“Sunbae!”

“Huh?”

“Is Pureum doing well?”

But before Hong Sunghyun could say anything to me, Nam Jungyoon abruptly interjected himself between us. It was also suspicious that he was suddenly asking about Jung Pureum’s well-being. Did this kid eat something weird lately?

“Nam Jungyoon, did you do something wrong to me?”

“No?”

“Then why are you being like this lately?”

“I’m just protecting sunbae’s future and our loyalty.”

“What are you talking about?”

With those as his final words, Nam Jungyoon cut between me and Hong Sunghyun and returned to the vice director’s office. Why does that punk, who was just fine in his office, suddenly pop out and act like that? Don’t tell me, is he really trying to establish his territory?

“What were you trying to say? Jungyoon wasn’t always like this, but he’s been strange lately.”

“…Huh? Oh, no, it was nothing.”

“Really? Then I’ll head into my office too. If you have any questions about your work, you can ask me or Ms. Kim Miyoung.”

“I will. Oh, and I’ve been curious about something for a while…”

“Yes.”

“Who’s Pureum?”

Come to think of it, Hong Sunghyun doesn’t know Jung Pureum. Normally, he would have been the first person Hong Sunghyun would have gotten to know, since Jung Pureum used to frequent our clinic so much he nearly wore out the doorstep.

I was suddenly struck by how large Jung Pureum’s absence felt. Still, the Olympics are coming up soon… If I can just endure July, I’ll be able to have the triumphant Jung Pureum by my side.

“He’s the director’s boyfriend, Pureum is.”

“…You startled me. Medical Assistant, when did you get behind me again?”

“I’m always watching our director’s back.”

“What, I’m truly touched.”

“…You have a boyfriend? You?”

Hong Sunghyun stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.

Was it really that surprising? It seemed that even in Hong Sunghyun’s eyes, I didn’t look like someone who could be in a relationship.

It’s true that Jung Pureum hasn’t won a medal yet, but I no longer have any intention of denying that he is my boyfriend-like-thing-ish existence. Even if I don’t take him in, Jung Pureum would be in high demand, but the only person who can put up with me is Jung Pureum.

It’s unscrupulous, but since we’ve made a sort of promise? about our future? I decided to be confident.

“He’s about 98 percent my boyfriend.”

“He’s your boyfriend, then.”

But, Ms. Kim Miyoung was more confident than I was.

“He’s that rare younger boyfriend. Director, you need to brag about Pureum a lot more. What’s this 98 percent? Did you sell off the other 2 percent somewhere?”

“That’s my last remaining shred of conscience. And what do you mean, brag? People will criticize me.”

“Hmph, why would they criticize? They’d be jealous, if anything. I’m so jealous I could die. I want to date a young man too, instead of my old geezer.”

At those words, Hong Sunghyun’s pupils shook slightly.

He seemed to be having a hard time accepting the fact that I had a younger boyfriend. Well, considering we hadn’t been in touch since my freshman year of university until he was hired, it’s understandable that Hong Sunghyun would be surprised. I was the biggest outsider in the university, after all.

“Alright now, stop being curious about the director’s boyfriend, and Mr. Sunghyun, you should get back to work too. Director, you stop dawdling as well.”

“Dawdling? I was just looking after a new employee.”

“Hey now, I’ll do that. Director, you go and brew some medicine.”

“Sigh, I don’t know if I’m the director or a medicine-brewing machine…”

Although I said that, I was truly relieved that Ms. Kim Miyoung was taking charge of Hong Sunghyun. With Ms. Kim Miyoung, I wouldn’t have to worry; she’d surely coax Hong Sunghyun well enough so that he couldn’t run away.

Finally! At last! For real! It’s the Olympic season.

It had been a really long few months. I shoved clothes into a travel suitcase. How long had it been since I’d traveled abroad? It was a bit ambiguous to call it a trip since I was just going to watch the Olympics. Still, I couldn’t help but feel excited at the thought of getting on a plane.

Honestly, I thought I was going to die from missing Jung Pureum for the past few months. My heat cycle was the biggest problem. The device that had assisted me with my heat cycle with utmost dedication for the last few years was no longer helpful.

…This is all Jung Pureum’s fault. No, why did he have to turn my body into this? Without a shred of conscience, I blamed Jung Pureum, who wasn’t even here.

There was a limit to suppressing my heat cycle with herbal medicine, so I went through hell enduring it for over a week. During that entire period, I avoided his calls, making up a ridiculous academic conference schedule because I was worried he would worry.

It was fortunate that Hong Sunghyun was such an amazing addition to the staff, meaning Nam Jungyoon wouldn’t be worked to death in my absence. Nam Jungyoon had gained a whopping 3 kilograms since Hong Sunghyun joined the clinic. That meant he was finally living comfortably.

In that sense, Hong Sunghyun was a truly precious asset. I felt a bit sorry for taking only Ms. Kim Miyoung and Nam Jungyoon to Japan, but Hong Sunghyun’s presence was necessary to save the clinic from a long-term closure.

If he had been even a little bit incompetent or if he had struggled with the work, I wouldn’t have pushed him this hard.

Hong Sunghyun was a truly excellent slave… no, vice director. I felt bad for him, but I was at the point of being thankful for his divorce. Thank you for getting divorced! Thank you for changing jobs!

While I was busy thinking about Hong Sunghyun’s value, my phone rang. I checked the time; it was already ten at night. It was already the time when Jung Pureum would have finished his training and be coming out after tidying up.

I got up to answer the phone. I had been squatting for a while packing my things, and a groan escaped me automatically. Perhaps because it hadn’t been long since my heat cycle ended, my body felt like it was constantly creaking.