RACA 22

The problem was that someone had moved into the house permanently. Upon learning from the doctor that Eunsol was highly likely to be pregnant, Pyo Jaebeom immediately assigned a helper, and watchdog, to handle all household duties. And that helper happened to be Pyo Jaebeom’s subordinate.

“Huh? Where are you going, sister-in-law?”

More than anything else, that title was the most irritating.

“Ha… Could you please not call me that?”

“But you’re hyung-nim’s spouse. What else should I call you?”

The burly man blinked at him, his expression reminiscent of a grizzly bear at the zoo. Though his features were fierce, his sluggish movements made him non-threatening.

“Just call me by my name.”

“I can’t do that. Hyung-nim would scold me.”

“But he’s the CEO.”

The bear-like man flinched, scratching his forehead with his index finger.

“I’m still getting used to it. Should I call you Madam instead of Sister-in-law?”

“Eww!”

Eunsol twisted his whole body in protest, but Bulgom looked genuinely confused.

‘Gangsters really think differently.’

Clearly, Bulgom had no frame of reference to judge how bizarre this situation was. To Eunsol, who’d lived as a solid beta male all this time, terms like “sister-in-law” or “Madam” felt awkward.

“Um, would it be okay if I just called you Bulgom-hyung?”

“Huh? How did you know my nickname is Bulgom?” (Bulgom=brown bear)

Bulgomi’s genuinely astonished expression made Eunsol feel absurdly flustered.

Like I know anything. I just guessed.

“Please, just call me by my name! Please!”

Eunsol’s tone lost its edge as he dismissed the information he never really wanted to know. He even added “please” and clasped his hands together. He felt a sense of urgency, as if refusing would make him break out in hives all over.

“Well, that’s a bit…”

Bulgom scratched his head awkwardly. He had his own reasons. This wasn’t just any omega, it was the one carrying his boss’s child.

He didn’t want to risk the boss’s wrath by casually calling such a person by name. He knew Kwak Sang had recently started gathering information about this omega separately.

‘Hyung-nim isn’t the type to go out of his way for an omega. My gut’s telling me something’s up, I swear!’

Bulgom agreed with Kwak Sang’s words as he rubbed his nose. It was painfully obvious that he didn’t see him as merely someone to bear his child.

So he needed to be careful with his address from now on, but it seemed the other party had different ideas.

“Ha… Fine. Please just call me ‘you,’ ‘hey,’ or ‘excuse me’.”

Bulgom blinked again. Kwak Sang’s words echoed in his mind.

‘Ninety percent of the reasons my boss smiles these days are because of that omega. Have you ever seen him laugh like that except when he’s mocking someone? No, right? That just proves he’s no ordinary omega.’

That statement seemed slightly flawed. How could anyone not laugh at such a deliberately annoying remark? Of course, unlike his boss, he clenched his lips tightly to suppress his laughter.

“Even so…”

“I can’t back down any further either.”

The Omega, barely reaching his chin, squinted his eyes and looked up at him with arms crossed. He seemed less frightening than a petulant little animal.

Like the fluffy cat his boss keeps?

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Bulgom let out a startled gasp as if he had suddenly realized something.

“Huh?”

Eunsol look at him questioningly, wondering why he was acting this way.

“Nothing.”

He understood why the boss had taken an interest. A human resembling the cat he had ever showed affection and care had appeared, no wonder his gaze lingered on him.

Despite his sluggish appearance, Bulgom possessed exceptional learning ability and memory. His keen senses also allowed him to detect his surroundings with remarkable sensitivity.

True to his nickname, which suited his nature perfectly, he quickly deduced the connection between Eunsol and his boss without needing many words.

“I’ll figure out the proper address to avoid awkwardness.”

Eunsol reluctantly nodded. Arguing here and now wouldn’t solve anything.

But if he’d known this would torment his for a week, he would have argued harder!

•••

“Excuse me, CEO.”

Eunsol, his eyes hollowed from the past few days, called out to Pyo Jaebeom as he was about to leave for work. Since discovering his pregnancy, he’d become unusually sleepy in the mornings, and his voice came out muffled as he was still half-asleep.

“What’s it?”

Despite that, Pyo Jaebeom somehow understood and approached him.

“May I make a suggestion?”

“A suggestion?”

“Yes…!”

As if daring him to go ahead, Pyo Jaebeom gave a half-hearted nod.

“I’m not critically ill… Could I just stay home alone?”

“Didn’t you hear the doctor? You need to take care of yourself just in case. Do you think your body belongs only to you?”

That was it. The root of this mess lay in the doctor’s parting words before leaving. He’d advised that since early pregnancy carries a high risk of miscarriage, he should avoid any exertion and rest quietly.

The doctor likely meant well, considering Eunsol’s emotional state. The problem was that Pyo Jaebeom had interpreted that care in a completely different way.

“I feel so uneasy. You said a pregnant omega’s mental and physical stability is crucial. Both body and mind need comfort, how can I stay calm when my heart feels like this?”

Eunsol voiced his concerns with earnest urgency. Jaebeom watched him with amusement, here was the same timid, cautious omega who usually tiptoed around others, yet stood his ground when it mattered.

“You’ve been getting a bit bold lately, huh?”

“Ah, no. It’s just, well…!”

He raised his eyebrows slightly at his flustered response, finding it amusing how he immediately backed down. Teasing him like this was rather enjoyable.

“Just hold on one more day. I’ll think about it after we go to the hospital tomorrow.”

As he realized he was being teased, Lee Eunsol pouted his lips. It was obvious his tiny mouth was filled with insults, but he decided to let it slide.

These days, Jaebeom was in a pretty good mood. It was because the Omega had gotten pregnant faster than expected.

‘Now that annoying old man won’t be able to say anything else.’

Above all, he loved not being bored. He’d forgotten how much he disliked human interaction and never letting anyone into his home. Jaebeom simply concluded everything had coincidentally turned out fine.

“The hospital?”

“Yeah, why? Not going? They said to come back in two weeks.”

“Ah…”

“What, are you some old-fashioned person? Think you can raise a kid perfectly fine without the doctor’s advice?”

“No. That’s not it.”

Why is he fidgeting like that again? Jaebeom watched Eunsol, who was subtly gauging his reaction like a cat begging for attention, to see what he’d say next.

“I asked if I could leave here.”

Jaebeom tilted his head to the left. Why was he phrasing something so obvious like that?

“If you need medical treatment, then yes, you should.”

He answered first, then paused to see what else he’d say. He was slightly hopeful.

“Ah, okay then. I understand!”

But the reply was disappointingly curt. Then Eunsol turned on his heel and walked back into the room without a second thought.

“What the hell?”

He felt slightly disappointed, like cotton candy melting in his mouth. Jaebeom clicked his tongue.

If only he could drag Eunsol onto the bed like usual and have his way with him, it would have been better. But the doctor had warned him to be careful, so there was nothing he could do.

“This won’t do.”

In just a few days, he’d grown accustomed to holding something close while sleeping. Just lying there felt empty. What to do? After pondering briefly, Jaebeom drove straight to his old house and loaded his cat into the car.

It was a somewhat impulsive conclusion: since they’d have to get acquainted anyway, might as well merge their households now. He returned, roughly soothing the cat meowing in displeasure from the passenger seat.

“Lee Eunsol.”

He wasn’t sure how his final destination ended up being Eunsol’s doorstep. His feet just seemed to take him there on their own.

But since he was already here, he thought about showing his what he’d been so curious about. But it was eerily quiet.

Meow. Meow. Meow.

Only the cat inside the carrier responded excitedly to his voice. Jaebeom raised his eyebrows, then grasped the doorknob and slowly turned it.

The room was already dim, with only the quilt on the bed visible. Even without straining to listen, the soft rustling of breath tickled his ears, and the pheromones unconsciously released stimulated all his senses.

Meow.

The cat meowed again, perhaps sensing an unfamiliar scent. Listening closely, it didn’t sound displeased.

“Hmm…”

Feeling strangely uplifted, Jaebeom quietly closed the door to avoid waking the sleeping omega. He decided to introduce them tomorrow; today was best spent letting the cat adjust to the house.