Be My Baby - Vol.1 Chapter 0 Part 4
A very faint tapping sound could be heard.
In the dark conference room, Eungyo, sitting at the end of the long chair, was lightly tapping the table with his fingertip at regular intervals.
The employee standing in front was enthusiastically talking about something, but his gaze was fixed on the mobile phone he had placed on the table. It’s about time that airhead should be doing a formal apology for committing a mortal sin, but strangely, it’s quiet.
“Look at this?”
At those words that Eungyo suddenly threw out during a brief pause in the presenter’s speech, everyone gathered in the conference room looked at him in surprise.
Especially the man who was presenting tensed up and stared at Eungyo with a face that said “Is there a problem?”, but there couldn’t be any problem. The content was so boring and predictable that he hadn’t been listening at all since the middle.
“…It’s nothing. Let’s stop here.”
Honestly, it was a presentation he didn’t understand why it was being done. Eungyo, who arbitrarily ended the meeting, stood up and left first. He didn’t even wait for the moment the lights in the conference room turned on. He left the conference room as if he felt no more value in staying there, and those who remained buzzed in confusion at his retreating figure, but Eungyo didn’t care.
What was important to him was his mobile phone.
“Is he getting cocky now?”
Just as he muttered under his breath, “Is it that he got what he wanted with the sperm?”, suddenly irritation surged up. After bothering someone so much, to cut off all contact once he got what he wanted.
Indignant at the loser’s behavior, Eungyo opened the door with a bang, making his secretary jump up from her seat in surprise.
It was not only because of the loud noise, but also because there was still a long time left before the meeting was supposed to end. Ignoring his secretary’s look that seemed to ask if there was a problem during the meeting, Eungyo was heading to his office when he suddenly stopped.
Then he asked.
“No calls?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if there were any calls during the meeting. Or messages.”
“Ah, Director Kang Eunhan called and asked to contact him when you arrive.”
“Not my brother. Anyone else?”
“No, sir.”
“…Really nothing?”
“No, sir.”
“You didn’t miss any calls while you were away from your desk?”
“I haven’t left my desk, sir.”
At his secretary’s crisp response, Eungyo muttered a small “Is that so?” and took another step before stopping again.
And he asked once more.
“Really, you didn’t even go to the bathroom?”
“No, sir.”
“Really?”
“Yes, sir.”
Eungyo, who had been looking at his secretary with a still suspicious gaze, soon realized that he wasn’t the type of person to lie like that, and entered his office, resuming his steps.
Then, like a child in a bad mood, he deliberately closed the door loudly and checked his mobile phone again, but still, there were no messages or calls. There couldn’t be. He had checked just seconds ago.
“Fucking bastard.”
Huffing, Eungyo approached the desk and threw his phone onto it, then sat in the chair and turned his body towards the window.
But that didn’t last long. In less than a few seconds, Eungyo turned back to the desk and checked the notification screen while holding his phone. However, there was no way there would be any new news on the phone he had just checked.
“Huh?”
Look at this bastard, he’s gotten so bold? After spending one night, he thinks he has nothing to lose? Is this what they call a typical hit-and-run? Can I sue for this legally?
Feeling his insides boiling with anger as he looked down at his phone, Eungyo seriously began to consider whether he should pursue this criminally or civilly.
Should I go criminal first and then civil later to squeeze him dry to the bone? No, why doesn’t Korea introduce punitive damages? Then I could extract tens of billions…
As he was contemplating whether he should change the law first, suddenly there was a knock. Reflexively looking at the door, he saw Yeonsoo, whom he had just seen in the conference room, entering.
Eungyo had brightened up for a moment, thinking maybe Seonwoo had come to formally apologize in person, but he visibly showed his disappointment at the appearance of his unwelcome friend.
“What?”
“That’s what I should be asking. What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking what important thing happened for you to suddenly stop the meeting and leave?”
Only then did Eungyo frown, thinking, “Oh, is it about that?”
“The presentation was so predictable and earnestly delivered, I decided to stop wasting time.”
“That’s funny. The rumor’s already spread, you know? That Dr. Lee Seonwoo caused a drunken scene again.”
Saying “Don’t you know how loose-lipped your friends are?”, Yeonsoo approached the sofa and plopped down. Eungyo frowned as if something displeased him.
“…It sounds really unfamiliar to hear ‘Doctor’ after that loser’s name.”
Loser, dimwit, good-for-nothing, damn drunkard, halfwit – he had only called him by these names, so even the name ‘Lee Seonwoo’ itself was unfamiliar, but with the title ‘Doctor’ added, it felt like talking about a completely unknown person.
The very sound of it was awkward, and as Eungyo tilted his head, Yeonsoo, who had sat down, burst into laughter.
“He is a doctor, you know. And he’s called the greatest genius since Dangun.”
“Genius sounds even more unfamiliar. Dunce, maybe.”
“Usually, people who excel in one area are often lacking in others. As if God poured all the talent into that one area.”
“God?”
At Eungyo’s retort asking if he was discussing creationism in an era where even the size of the iris is designed through genetic plastic surgery, though the options are limited, Yeonsoo shrugged.
“It’s just a figure of speech. Besides, Dr. Lee Seonwoo is a natural-born child, isn’t he?”
“I didn’t know you were a theist.”
“Even atheists sometimes seek God. Like right now, when someone I know very well is doing something they’ve never done before.”
Saying that’s why people use expressions like ‘possessed by a ghost’ or ‘bewitched’, Yeonsoo narrowed his eyes and stared at Eungyo. Despite Yeonsoo’s look urging him to confess, Eungyo was focusing on a completely different part.
“Stop saying ‘doctor, doctor’. It doesn’t sound like we’re talking about that guy.”
“Then what should I call him?”
“Airhead… no, just Lee Seonwoo.”
He always calls him airhead, idiot, or dimwit, but strangely, it doesn’t feel good when others call him that. So when he told him to just use his name, Yeonsoo immediately agreed.
“Well, fine. It doesn’t matter what we call him anyway. Anyway, what happened yesterday that you can’t take your eyes off your phone all day? I heard you dragged that drunk bastard away, saying you were going to fix his manners for good?”
“…That’s right.”
Chewing on the words “At first,” Eungyo narrowed his eyes and frowned. It certainly started that way. The purpose was clearly to teach Lee Seonwoo a lesson he’d never forget.
Maybe because of his profession, Seonwoo used so many crude and vulgar words that it wasn’t appropriate to talk outside, so he took him home intending to at least spank him, but…
“Haah…”
Yes, he did spank him. Just not with what he had intended.
As Eungyo sighed, reflecting and repenting on why on earth he did that, Yeonsoo looked at him strangely. Kang Eungyo sighing – it wasn’t a good sign.
“How much did you scold him that you’re even sighing? Don’t tell me you threw Lee Seonwoo out the window in anger?”
Asking if he had committed a crime, saying it would be a big deal in its own way if something happened to Dr. Lee Seonwoo, Yeonsoo’s question elicited a sharp reaction from Eungyo.
“Why would I throw a person out the window?”
“Well, you always say you’ll toss him or throw him away whenever you see Lee Seonwoo, so I thought maybe you actually did it.”
Come to think of it, he did say that. But that was…
“…It’s a figure of speech.”
“Anyway, so did you throw him or not?”
“I didn’t throw him.”
“Then what did you do?”
“What would I do?”
“You must have done something to be acting like this now.”
“Me? What?”
“You’re fidgeting right now, aren’t you?”
“Who is?”
“Are you saying you’re not?”
At Eungyo’s somewhat irritable response, when Yeonsoo pointed out that this attitude right now was the problem, Eungyo closed his mouth with a guilty look.
This is why he dislikes Seo Yeonsoo. He’s unnecessarily perceptive.
As Eungyo made a face of disgust, Yeonsoo smiled as if he had expected this and crossed his legs while sitting. Then he began his interrogation leisurely.
“Just confess. Why is it that you, who would usually smile with a face saying ‘Just keep it up’ while looking at your constantly ringing phone the day after Dr. Lee Seonwoo, no, Lee Seonwoo caused a scene, are now looking anxious to death with a face saying ‘Why isn’t there any contact?’”
At Yeonsoo’s question, which mercilessly stabbed at the sore spot with irritating accuracy, Eungyo snapped back for a moment.
“Who’s anxious to death?”
“You.”
“How do I look like that?”
When his voice became a bit sharper, Yeonsoo immediately gestured with his chin, saying that tone of voice just now was evidence. Eungyo closed his mouth tightly. Being somewhat conscientious, he couldn’t bring himself to deny it outright. Watching him, Yeonsoo, who was comfortably leaning back on the sofa, suddenly asked as if something had occurred to him.
“Come to think of it, it’s too quiet, isn’t it? Shouldn’t Lee Seonwoo be sending a barrage of texts by now and soon be sending a video of himself banging his head on the floor?”
Saying “Please save me,” Yeonsoo tilted his head, remarking that it was really strange when he thought about it.
Dr. Lee Seonwoo, called the greatest genius in history, whether due to God’s mischief or a mistake in gene combination, had most of his brain developed only for engineering and was very simple regarding other aspects.
Contrary to his major, Seonwoo’s brain was closer to ASCII code than complex DNA structures, and his movements and thought patterns were consistent and regular.
In a way that was almost sad, all his behavior patterns were predetermined, and he had never deviated from them, so Seonwoo’s actions were always predictable. In high school, in college, and even now working at the Genetic Engineering Center.
Yeonsoo wondered why such a Seonwoo was deviating from his behavior pattern today and being so quiet, and Eungyo, unable to hold back any longer, muttered softly through his teeth.
“So, it’s infuriating.”
“What?”
“He thinks it’s over once he gets what he wants.”
At Eungyo’s muttering, gritting his teeth as if unable to suppress his anger, Yeonsoo rolled his eyes strangely.
“…What he wants?”
“…”
“If it’s what Lee Seonwoo wants, isn’t it sperm? Did you finally provide sperm?”
“…”
Yeonsoo, who had been asking “Surely not, right?”, closed his mouth in the strange atmosphere. Then, turning his gaze, he saw Eungyo leaning back in his chair, resting his elbow on the armrest and chewing on his lips with his chin in his hand.
But still, he thought, surely not. He knew that silence meant affirmation, but still, he thought, surely not.
“…Hey, you didn’t really give it to him, did you?”
The second silence was a complete affirmation. It meant he did give it.
He asked again.
“Why?”
It was a foolish question. But at the same time, it was a wise one.
For the past 10 years, watching Seonwoo follow him around relentlessly to the point of being sick and tired of it, when friends around them said things like “Just give it to him at this point,” “Isn’t it pitiful that the lacking kid is even stalking you improperly,” “Why are you so cold-hearted to the kid,” and tried to persuade and coax him in all sorts of ways, Eungyo hadn’t budged an inch. To think that he fulfilled that loser’s dream…
At first, he simply felt uncomfortable about providing his own sperm for experiments, but later, he thought he would absolutely never give it because Seonwoo kept doing such bizarre things…
“There’s no way Lee Seonwoo would have blackmailed…”
Far from blackmailing, Seonwoo’s brain is so simple and he’s so oblivious that he wouldn’t even realize if he was being blackmailed himself.
Then, it can’t be about money… That wouldn’t work on Eungyo. Eungyo has more money anyway.
“What on earth is it? What happened that made you provide sperm?”
“…I’ll talk about that later.”
The moment Eungyo refused to continue the conversation, something flashed through Yeonsoo’s mind.
‘Why?’ is a problem, but ‘How?’ is also a problem.
No, that’s the bigger problem.
“No, no, wait. Come to think of it, didn’t you say you took Lee Seonwoo to your house yesterday?”
“There’s no way you’d have a sperm donation kit at your house… Most sperm donations are done through masturbation… Huh?”
Recalling the general method of sperm donation, Yeonsoo was shocked at that point. The sperm donation itself was an issue, but the method was an even bigger problem. There was clearly an issue with the act itself that made Kang Eungyo recoil at just the mention of sperm.
With that pride, there’s no way he would do something that would give others room for imagination…
“You… you didn’t masturbate in front of Lee Seonwoo, did you?”
Knowing that Seonwoo, who almost deifies Eungyo’s genes beyond mere admiration, would undoubtedly watch that scene intently, Yeonsoo asked just in case, and finally Eungyo opened his mouth.
“Are you crazy?”
At Eungyo’s strong denial, implying he would never do such a thing, Yeonsoo felt relieved. It’s fortunate if it didn’t go that far. But still, the problem remains.
“Then how did you provide the sperm?”
“…”
“There’s no way you would masturbate. But using invasive tools for sperm donation would be excessive. Then, what’s left is…”
As Yeonsoo was trying to recall what was left, he suddenly paused. Then he stared at Eungyo with a face that said, “Surely not.”
Please tell me it’s not what I’m imagining now.
Yeonsoo looked at Eungyo, hoping he would say it wasn’t true, but unfortunately, Eungyo wasn’t interested in Yeonsoo. All his attention was focused on his mobile phone. Wondering why this bastard wasn’t calling.
“Hey, Mr. Kang Eungyo?”
“…”
“Hello?”
Snapping his fingers and calling his name loudly to tell him to come to his senses, Eungyo finally answered with an irritated face.
“What?”
“I’m asking how you provided the sperm?”
“What do you need to know for?”
“What do you mean? I’m asking because it doesn’t make sense. How did you give the sperm? If it’s not masturbation, the only option left is sex…”
With a face that said “Surely, that can’t be it, right?”, Yeonsoo looked at Eungyo and blinked as he saw Eungyo avoiding his gaze.
“Kang Eungyo, that’s not it, right?”
“…”
“Hey, you didn’t…”
“Shut up.”
Eungyo’s response that finally came out after continued pressing was as good as a confession. If it wasn’t true, he should have said it wasn’t, that he would be crazy to sleep with that loser, but his grumpy attitude trying to deviate from the point of discussion was an affirmative answer.
The moment he realized this, Yeonsoo’s voice rose.
“Hey! You… Wow, wow! Oh my God! Good heavens! How did this happen?”
“It’s not my fault. He shouted asking for sperm as soon as he saw my face, and he scribbled on my car with a permanent marker. I was so angry that I took him home intending to douse him with cold water and spank him to knock some sense into him, but suddenly he stripped and jumped on me. No matter how much I kicked and threw him, he kept crawling up onto the bed and clinging to me, so I got angry and thought, ‘Let’s see how far you’ll go,’ but…”
“But?”
“…”
There was no answer. That means it’s too vulgar for him to say with his own mouth. So, it made Yeonsoo even more curious.
“And then?”
Eungyo, who had been tapping the desk with his fingertip, finally opened his mouth at Yeonsoo’s eager prompting, who had even swallowed his saliva in anticipation.
“…I thought he’d come to his senses and run away when it really happened…”
“…But he didn’t run away and went through with it?”
At those words, Eungyo turned his chair completely, averting his gaze.
So to summarize Eungyo’s words, he thought Seonwoo would be surprised and run away when it actually came down to it, despite all his fuss about asking for sperm, but far from running away, he eagerly went along with it to the end…
“That crazy bastard…”
Yeonsoo unconsciously uttered this curse, and Eungyo, who was now facing the window, flinched.
It was certainly excessive and a crazy thing to do. Honestly, Eungyo admitted that too. But he couldn’t help it.
With his personality that hates to lose, when that guy kept coming at him like a zombie no matter how much he pushed and kicked, his eyes went wild and he stubbornly thought, let’s see who wins.
It might sound like an excuse, but truly, he thought that loser would run away if he actually pounced on him. From the beginning, he thought he would run away immediately if thrown onto the bed, since he had been chasing after his superior genes, but that wasn’t the case. He had underestimated that airhead.
He really enjoyed it.
So, that was precisely the problem.
And the bigger problem was that he didn’t dislike it either. Even in his youth, he had never had such an accident, but that loser made him lose his reason, and once he lost his reason, it felt too good.
He thinks it was probably the best. That’s why he’s going crazy.
“I’ve heard of people causing accidents by being stubborn… I wondered what idiot would do that, but it was you?”
At those words that pierced his most vulnerable spot, Eungyo fell silent, and Yeonsoo clicked his tongue.
“I thought something was strange. Even though Lee Seonwoo is a national treasure-level scientist, it’s impossible for him to get your number, but you wouldn’t change it, saying it’s annoying when he calls drunk and makes a scene. And then you use that excuse to cause an accident? You’re actually enjoying him doing that, aren’t you?”
At his friend’s pointed remark, which felt like it was piercing the part he had been constantly suspecting himself with an awl, Eungyo frowned as much as he could.
“Shut up. Get out.”
“I’m leaving even if you tell me not to. Anyway, if you’ve caused an accident, clean it up neatly. Lee Seonwoo is a national treasure-level scientist of our country, despite how he looks. Don’t cause unnecessary problems.”
“He’s not in a position to cause problems. There’s a reason he’s called a loser.”
“Don’t you know losers are the scariest when they set their minds to something? What if he clings to you saying he likes you and demands you take responsibility? I heard he’s completely like an 18th-century person.”
“If only it were like that…”
Because he’s such a lacking guy, Eungyo was somewhat prepared for that much. So Lee Seonwoo demanding responsibility isn’t a problem at all.
The problem is this lack of contact.
The fact that that impatient and persistent dimwit hasn’t made any contact until now seems to mean he thinks he’s done what he needed to do and doesn’t need to apologize anymore, which is quite infuriating. In other words, he feels like he’s been hit and run. And not just anyone, but Kang Eungyo…
Thinking like that, his insides that had just barely settled down started to boil up again. You dare to toy with me?
Checking his phone, he had already left the house and you know he’d be at the National Genetic Engineering Center’s company housing. As he was debating whether to rush there right now since he knew exactly where he was, Yeonsoo, sitting on the sofa, looked at him strangely.
“What are you thinking right now?”
Worried because it didn’t look like he was having good thoughts at all, Eungyo answered honestly.
“I’m contemplating how to catch and punish this lacking bastard to feel better.”
“Why don’t you worry about ruining your life before ruining him? You went through all sorts of trouble to break off your engagement with the fiancée your father set up, saying you didn’t want to be tied down by marriage or anything, but now you’re getting caught up in something unexpected.”
As Yeonsoo advised that even though same-sex marriage wasn’t legalized yet, he could still be tied down marriage-like with the domestic partnership system, Eungyo clicked his tongue in irritation.
“That’s not the problem right now.”
“Then what is the problem?”
Ignoring his friend’s question, Eungyo turned his chair back to face the desk and spoke indifferently as he turned on the screen in front of him.
“Get out now. I need to work.”
Even as he said that, his gaze naturally turned to the mobile phone he had placed beside him. Yeonsoo clicked his tongue at the sight of him staring intently at the screen, as if hoping something might have come in during that time.
“Say that after taking your eyes off your phone.”
Flinching again at those words that pierced his sore spot once more, Eungyo pretended not to care about his phone and looked back at his laptop.
Only then did Yeonsoo shake his head and stand up.
“Anyway, resolve the issue with Lee Seonwoo quickly. If he doesn’t contact you, you contact him. You know his contact information.”
“Go.”
“Most of our company’s core technologies are Lee Seonwoo’s. Don’t make the relationship awkward, call him quickly and make it like nothing happened. It’s just a one-night accident after all.”
With those words, saying it was too big an accident but honestly they weren’t going to get married so just treat it as a happening, Yeonsoo crossed the office and soon opened the door and disappeared.
The moment the sound of the door closing echoed in the quiet space, Eungyo’s gaze reflexively turned to his mobile phone. But as expected, the phone was quiet. Not even spam.
“That ungrateful bastard…”
Gritting his teeth and saying let’s see who wins, you or me, you’re bound to call no matter what, Eungyo looked at his laptop, but once again couldn’t stand it for even a few seconds before looking down at his phone again.
And after that, he checked his phone every 5 minutes, but the problematic call didn’t come until that afternoon.
***
