RACA 49

“I kept wondering why you didn’t gain weight eating like that, and that’s the reason?”

“How much could they possibly eat? As you said, they’re barely bigger than a pea now!”

When Eunsol got angry and misunderstood that he was subtly criticizing him for eating too much using the twins as an excuse, Pyo Jaebeom scolded him.

“That’s exactly what I mean. So put on some weight. You’re so skinny that when Beom Jongjong pushes you, you just collapse.”

“No, that’s not it…!”

Forgetting they were in a hospital room, and that medical staff were present, the two started bickering again.

“Excuse me, you two. Wouldn’t it be better to check on the babies’ condition first?”

Eunsol jumped at the doctor’s abrupt interruption. He met his gaze and forced another awkward smile.

“I’m sorry, Doctor. Please go ahead.”

As he spoke, he jabbed Pyo Jaebeom’s thigh repeatedly, signaling him to sit down. Under his piercing glare, he dropped straight down.

Then, realizing it was Eunsol’s index finger that had jabbed him, he let out a hollow laugh and plopped down into a chair.

“Speak.”

His tone was still rough, but the doctor quickly explained, feeling that Pyo Jaebeom was willing to listen.

“As I mentioned earlier, it appears to be twins. Judging by the gestational sacs, they seem to be fraternal. Both are about 5cm in size. The heart rate is around 120 bpm, very stable.”

Eunsol listened to the doctor’s explanation and looked closely at the screen again. Five centimeters meant they were smaller than the tip of his thumb.

Was that why?

Both of them look like…

“What the hell? They look like tadpoles.”

Eunsol flinched and glanced at the doctor. He wondered if he had accidentally let his true thoughts slip out.

Then he belatedly realized it was Pyo Jaebeom, sitting cross-legged beside him, who had spoken, and he glared at him.

“What? Why? You look at it too. Doesn’t they look like tadpoles?”

“No, well… no matter, what are tadpoles to CEO’s kids?”

Eunsol, who had been watching the screen and had vaguely thought it was somewhere between a fish and a tadpole, subtly backtracked. Pyo Jaebeom, watching him with narrowed eyes, seemed to have caught on to what he was thinking.

“You thought the same too?”

“I told you I didn’t…”

Pyo Jaebeom snorted and motioned for the doctor to say more. Watching this couple, who instantly engaged in lovey-dovey bickering the moment he spoke, the doctor solidified the thought he’d had earlier.

‘See? I told you you could see it.’

The doctor, who skillfully concealed such thoughts, opened his mouth.

“It’s because the form hasn’t fully developed yet. The head, spine, neural tube, arms and legs, eyes, ears, and so on will gradually take shape.”

“When?”

“By week 7, you’ll be able to see the eyes, nose, and mouth more clearly on the face. The arms and legs also lengthen, and you can distinguish the hands and feet.”

The doctor gestured toward the two fetuses, whose forms were still indistinct.

“At 8 weeks, you can see fingers and toes. You might even see them moving their arms and legs.”

Eunsol still couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. The doctor said the facial features weren’t distinct yet, but somehow, he felt like he could see the babies’ expressions.

The two babies appeared to be smiling happily, their bodies pressed tightly together.

‘We finally met properly, huh?’

Eunsol decided to take it upon himself to think that he was just happy to be able to greet them for the first time today.

Whatever the reason, what does it matter? What matters is that such adorable beings is here with him.

“Alright. So what should I be careful about from now on?”

“Be careful not to lift heavy objects or get jolted like you did just now. It’s also important to avoid feeling fatigued or nervous.”

“Anything else?”

“Well, if it’s something that needs to be done right away…”

What is it? Feeling the pressure that he should say something more, the doctor, who had been racking his brain, and Eunsol, whose eyes were sparkling brightly, looked at each other.

At that moment, a good solution popped into the doctor’s mind.

“Have you chosen a taemyeong yet?”

“A taemyeong?”

As if Eunsol hadn’t considered it at all, the doctor added quickly with a look that said, “This is it.”

“Yes. Please name them something lovely. That way, you’ll bond with the children more deeply.”

Eunsol decided to give Jaebeom the chance to choose the babies’ nickname. He was also curious to see what he would pick.

“What’s a taemyeong?”

But Pyo Jaebeom himself seemed to have no idea what it meant, wearing an enigmatic expression.

“It’s a name given before the children are born.”

“Why is that necessary?”

His expression showed genuine confusion, so this time Eunsol spoke instead of the doctor.

“You said it yourself earlier, didn’t you? For the principal. That’s one reason, and also because it’s nice to have a name to call them by, so we give them one.”

“Is there a reason to call them?”

“Of course. You never thought of calling me them while they are growing in my belly?”

The doctor quickly stepped in between them, sensing the conversation was starting to spiral into another bickering.

“Alright, you two. Make sure to pick pretty names for the babies. I’ll schedule your next appointment, so I’ll see you then.”

Eunsol quickly shut his mouth and nodded. He didn’t want to make things worse here either.

“Thank you, doctor. I’ll see you next time.”

“Yes, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me anytime. Even if it’s something like a video you shouldn’t watch again, that’s fine too.”

Eunsol flushed at the doctor’s joking remark.

“I told you it’s not like that… I just asked because I was worried violent or stimulating videos might be bad for prenatal education.”

Why do you always phrase things to sound like something else? Eunsol caught himself glancing at Jaebeom. But he seemed completely absorbed in something else.

‘It’s a relief, but why is he acting like that?’

Eunsol, puzzled, asked doubtfully.

“Are you thinking of names?”

“What?”

“I was wondering if you were thinking about what to name the babies.”

“No, I’m not.”

It’s not. It’s written all over your face. He didn’t know why he’s so determined to deny it, but Eunsol just nodded.

“I understand.”

Well, what can you do if he said it’s not that? After wrapping up the conversation like that, Eunsol got up from his seat and left the examination room.

Pyo Jaebeom followed closely behind him and then spoke discontentedly.

“Why did you stop talking mid-sentence?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“You asked for names. You should listen to the end.”

As he quietly watched Pyo Jaebeom acting like a child again, he seemed to take it in a different way and began confidently reciting the name he had thought of.

“How about Hana, Dul?” (One and two)

“Oh….”

“That’s really not very sincere.” Eunsol tilted his head to the side. Then Pyo Jaebeom spoke again.

“What about Ssang-i and Dung-i?”¹

“Just call them Ssangssang and Ddungddung?”

“That’s fine too, I guess?”

God is truly fair. Judging by how He didn’t grant naming sense to dominant Alphas blessed with stunning looks, brilliant minds, and extraordinary physical abilities.

Eunsol struggled to keep himself from smiling.

“What’s up with you? Why are you smiling? Are you making fun of me right now?”

“Hah, heh, heh! No? Heh, no, it’s not true?”

“What’s it that’s not true?!”

Even as Eunsol tried to deny it, he couldn’t hold back the laughter bubbling up inside him. Besides, how could he stay quiet when Pyo Jaebeom was getting so flustered and embarrassed like that? The two of them bickered back and forth for a long while over twin names. As for teasing him, Eunsol couldn’t think of a fitting names either.

In the end, it was decided based on the names Pyo Jaebeom awkwardly suggested and Eunsol jokingly accepted it.

“Ssangssang, Ddungddung. I’m sorry… I’ll give you prettier names when you’re born.”

Returning home, Eunsol lay sprawled on the sofa, stroking his belly instead of going to his room. He sighed and said, “If I’d known naming them would be this hard, I would’ve looked up ideas online beforehand.”

After leaving the hospital, the two of them racked their brains the whole way home but couldn’t come up with good names, so he couldn’t stop Pyo Jaebeom from pushing ahead.

Meow.

Then Eunsol turned his attention to the cat crying pitifully at his feet.

“I told you I’m fine. You can come up here.”

Maybe startled by what he’d just done, the little guy, who would normally have already jumped onto the sofa and clung to him, was sitting on the floor with his butt planted, wagging his tail. It was cute, but pitiful at the same time.

When Eunsol gently waved his hand, Jongjong finally walked cautiously closer. Just as Eunsol was about to stroke his head.

“Hey, Beom Jongjong. I told you no approaching Lee Eunsol starting today.”

Pyo Jaebeom appeared in an instant and hoisted his large frame.

Meowwww.

Jongjong, perhaps too ashamed to protest after what he had done, only stared at Eunsol desperately while shaking histail violently. Eunsol laughed again.

“Why are you laughing?”

Pyo Jaebeom asked suspiciously, but this time he could speak confidently.

1. Ssang comes from 쌍 (pair, twin). Ddung-i comes from “둥” (round, chubby). ↩︎