Be My Baby - Vol.2 Chapter 3 Part 1
“Don’t look for me. I’ll come back after having the baby.”
Sitting in a seat inside a circular pillar in the cafe, Seonjung was reciting Seonwoo’s last message when he clenched his teeth and slammed his fist on the table as he finished the sentence.
“This idiot brother of mine…”
Last night, after the guy went out saying he would get the signature, he suddenly lost contact and even turned off his phone. Seonjung had been searching all night, puffing and panting, when this single message arrived this morning.
As if he wasn’t already angry enough, that message that really riled him up made Seonjung gulp down the ice water in front of him. Seyoon, sitting across from him, let out a long sigh.
“…He’s running away from reality again.”
“I’m going to find that bastard right now and grab him by the neck and shake him!”
“Do you know where he is?”
“Where else but Grandfather’s house? That’s the only place he could go.”
As Seonjung answered that there was nowhere else the guy could go besides friends’ houses or overseas, Seyoon slightly frowned as he checked the message again on the phone on the table.
“Hmm…”
“He ran away because he’s scared of Kang Eungyo sunbae. He’s the type to just bury and hide anything scary.”
“That is his specialty.”
“Ah, really, the longer we drag this out the worse it gets. The consent form alone might not be enough now.”
A consent form is a document where the experimental subject states their intention to participate in the experiment before it begins, but consent given after the experiment has already been done may not have much effect.
The reason they were trying to get it even now was because it was an accident that happened by chance after the project had ended…
If they dragged it out any longer, even that consent form might become invalid. As Seonjung lamented this, Seyoon, who had been looking at the message closely, lifted his head with a serious face.
“That’s true, but… this could also be a solution.”
“Running away from reality?”
“No. Just pretending not to know.”
“What?”
As Seonjung reached for Seyoon’s cup after finishing the ice water in front of him, not understanding Seyoon’s words, Seyoon returned the phone to Seonjung and continued speaking with a serious face.
“As a lawyer, I did tell him to get a consent form to make everything clear, but thinking about it simply, it might be better to just pretend not to know. No one would believe that a man got pregnant and gave birth anyway, so it might be a good option to quietly stay somewhere rural and then come back holding the baby, saying he met a woman by chance who gave birth and left.”
At Seyoon’s plausible explanation, Seonjung asked again while holding the water cup.
“…So, you’re saying we should pretend it’s a child Seonwoo had by accident with another woman?”
“It seems that’s what Seonwoo is thinking too. It’s unlikely he meant to confess after giving birth when he said he’d come back with the baby. That guy loves Eungyo hyung as much as he fears him. He’s the type to get all depressed just from being scolded by Eungyo hyung, so he definitely wouldn’t do anything to upset him. So, we make it a child completely unrelated to Eungyo hyung.”
Seonjung’s ears perked up at that quite decent scenario.
“…Of course, that’s one way to handle it… but do you really think that absolutely won’t be found out?”
Seonjung believed there were no secrets in this world.
So, worried that it would become an even bigger problem if discovered later, Seyoon quickly shook his head.
“This has a lower chance of being found out. Even if Seonwoo blabbers about it, everyone will just laugh and not believe him. And to be honest… I find this a bit embarrassing.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you feel awkward about becoming an uncle when you clearly only had two younger brothers?”
Seyoon repeated the same thing, saying that he hadn’t thought about it that night because he was so flustered about how to handle the immediate situation, but after thinking about it for two days, it was quite an embarrassing thing.
While Seonwoo himself might not care, it was a huge inconvenience for those around him.
And Seonjung agreed with that thought.
Though he couldn’t say it out loud, honestly, it was embarrassing.
“…Honestly, that’s true…”
“We might not be surprised even if Seonwoo gave birth to an alien, but other people won’t be like that. It’s an extremely embarrassing thing. I don’t want to go down in history as the friend of the first man to give birth.”
Seyoon said seriously, thinking that if a book like “The Life of Lee Seonwoo, Father of Genetic Engineering” or “Biography of Lee Seonwoo, Genetic Engineering Genius” came out, his name would surely be mentioned, and if so, he would end up leaving his name for posterity inadvertently, but he didn’t want to be remembered as “the close friend of Lee Seonwoo, the first man to get pregnant” among various titles. After a moment, Seonjung nodded in understanding.
“I feel the same way.”
“Seonkyu would surely agree too.”
At those words that Seonwoo’s brother, who was currently not present and volunteering abroad with their parents, would think the same, Seonjung put down the water cup again and asked Seyoon with a serious face.
“So, should we just bury it?”
“Yes. Let’s just keep it between us. Oh, and the parents. Let’s give the honor of being the first male pregnant person to someone else.”
At those enticing words, Seonjung looked down at the phone on the table for a moment before muttering in a slightly wavering voice.
“…Is that really okay?”
“I think it will be fine. I’m a bit worried about the actual birth, but Seonwoo’s the expert on that so he’ll figure it out.”
As Seyoon expressed some concern about that part since it was such an unusual case, Seonjung, who had heard a rough explanation from Seonwoo, shook his head.
“There’s no need to worry about the birth. Our grandmother is a surgeon. That guy probably went there trusting that. Grandfather retired early and only works on the ranch now, but he used to be an obstetrician, and Grandmother still works as a doctor near the ranch. It’s a place with many veterinarians but few doctors, so Grandmother handles everything except dentistry and ophthalmology, so they should have an incubator too.”
As Seonjung remembered, that incubator was definitely a product that Genitech had donated to Grandmother’s hospital for rural health care.
However, the problem was that in an area with an extremely small population and an average age of 58.7 years, that incubator was mostly used for animals… But anyway, it should be fine.
No, actually it’s more than fine.
The geographical location with few houses and people, the vast ranch where no one would notice even if someone was killed, and a family doctor – it was literally perfect conditions.
Thinking that Seonwoo could give birth to not just one but even two babies there without anyone knowing, Seonjung was seriously considering just leaving him be, when Seyoon added weight to that idea.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. He can just take the baby out when it’s time, raise it there, and then come back holding it later. The timing is perfect too. He can just say he had an accident there and came back with the baby he had.”
“…That’s true…”
Though it was certainly the most ideal method, Seonjung seemed unable to make a quick decision, as if pricked by his conscience. Seeing this, Seyoon made one proposal for Seonjung’s sake.
“If you’re really bothered by it, let’s do this.”
“How?”
“We need some time to think too, don’t we?”
Seonjung agreed with that.
Everyone had been so shocked by the events that came rushing in all at once that they hadn’t had time to think properly.
Thinking they definitely needed time to clear their heads, Seonjung silently waited for Seyoon’s next words, and Seyoon made a quite decent proposal.
“So until the weekend, let’s think about it for two days, and if we decide we can’t do it, we’ll go get Seonwoo on the weekend. If not, we’ll just leave him be.”
As Seyoon persuaded Seonjung that there was no rush now that things had come to this, Seonjung looked at Seyoon with rapidly wavering eyes.
Seyoon’s words certainly had a point.
The place Seonwoo likely went was obvious anyway, and it would be wise for them to make up their minds after calmly thinking it over too.
And above all, it was unfair for third parties to suffer when Seonwoo was the one who caused the trouble.
After all, he’s the one who did it, so he should take responsibility.
There’s no need for those around him to worry unnecessarily.
Why should the people next to him fret while the guilty one sleeps soundly?
Feeling suddenly indignant, Seonjung decided to accept that proposal.
“Alright.”
“Then, call me if you think we need to go get him. If you think it’s okay to leave him be, we’ll just let it go.”
That meant that if there was no contact between them, it would be taken as tacit agreement to just leave Seonwoo as he was.
That was quite good.
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
After saying that, Seonjung picked up the cup again and drank the cold water.
Thinking about it, whether that guy gets sued or reported or beaten to death by Eungyo sunbae, it’s not our business.
A 27-year-old man, not a child, should handle his own affairs.
Seonjung comforted himself, thinking he had done his best to this extent.
We tried to help somehow, but he’s the one who ran away saying he didn’t want it.
So I have no responsibility.
Thinking that way suddenly made him feel extremely comfortable.
No, he felt at peace.
After forcibly finding peace of mind like that, Seonjung returned to work with a light heart.
However, until the weekend passed and a new week began, no contact came from Seyoon.
And Seonjung didn’t contact Seyoon either.
“The number you have dialed is currently turned off. If you would like to leave a voice message…”
At the clear female voice coming from the phone’s receiver, Eungyo threw the phone onto the desk and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, frowning.
It had been five days already.
For five days, he had been unable to reach Mojeol.
No messages, no calls, and no matter how many times he called, he only heard that the phone was turned off – the call wouldn’t connect.
“What’s going on…?”
Eungyo stared at the phone silently, pondering the strange behavior of the guy who had suddenly disappeared and gone into hiding five days ago.
“Did he notice something…?”
As he was muttering, wondering if he had been too obvious in trying to bring him home, or if his desire to do things on top of him had shown, there was a knock at the door.
Knowing full well who it was, Eungyo responded in a calm tone.
“Come in.”
At Eungyo’s answer, the door opened and Eunsoo, dressed in a suit, entered.
Eunsoo approached Eungyo with light steps, as if excited to have been summoned by him.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. Have you been in touch with Lee Seonwoo?”
At Eungyo’s question to Eunsoo, who had been trotting over excitedly, Eunsoo stopped in his tracks.
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if you’ve been in contact with Mojeol.”
“Um… I don’t think so? It’s been a while since I called him… Why?”
“I was trying to call him about what we were talking about before, but I can’t reach him. His phone is turned off.”
“He doesn’t usually turn his phone off?”
As Eunsoo answered that the airhead always guarded his phone in case something happened at the lab, Eungyo asked again.
“So, do you know anything?”
“I haven’t heard any special news.”
“You don’t contact your friend?”
“Even friends don’t contact often because everyone’s busy… Ah, I’ll call Seyoon. He should know. He’s Lee Seonwoo’s guardian after all.”
As Eunsoo took out his phone saying that, Eungyo looked at him with an annoyed expression.
It was questionable why a 27-year-old needed a guardian in the first place, but the bigger issue was why that guardian was a friend the same age.
“Hello? Do you know what Lee Seonwoo is up to? His phone is turned off… Huh? Ah, travel? By himself? Oh… really? I see, okay. Bye.”
After ending the call while leaning one hand on the desk, Eunsoo put his phone in his jacket pocket, and Eungyo asked first.
“Travel? Where to?”
“He doesn’t know where, just that he suddenly left. Said he’s clearing his head.”
“You let that airhead go on a trip alone without even knowing where?”
As Eungyo sharply shouted about how they could send a guy who couldn’t do anything properly and was just lacking from being raised too preciously on a trip, Eunsoo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“He’s old enough to go on a trip alone.”
“Even so, how could you let that guy go alone? You don’t even know where he went?”
At Eungyo’s voice that sounded like he was scolding him, Eunsoo stammered in bewilderment.
“Well… how can we stop a grown man from going on a trip alone? He just suddenly took time off and said he was going on a trip before disappearing… I didn’t know. Seyoon said he was just notified too. He just took off suddenly.”
“Still, how can you just leave that lacking guy alone? Don’t his friends keep him in check?”
“Why would his friends keep him in check? We’re his friends, not his parents.”
As Eunsoo protested that even parents wouldn’t keep a 27-year-old man in check, Eungyo finally clamped his mouth shut.
Realizing that even he thought it was an unreasonable demand, Eungyo cut off his words with a serious expression. Seeing this, Eunsoo stared at Eungyo with an astonished face.
“Hyung, what’s wrong with you?”
“…I’m just worried because he’s such a lacking guy. He can’t do anything properly.”
“Even if he can’t do anything properly, he’s a grown man. Besides, he surprisingly manages well wherever he goes. As long as it’s not abroad, he can sleep well even on the ground with just a newspaper cover, and he eats well as long as there’s rice, even if it’s just mixed with gochujang. What’s there to worry about?”
At those words that Lee Seonwoo could live well anywhere as long as he had water and rice, Eungyo seemed to flinch and subtly changed the subject.
“So, why the sudden trip? It’s not like him.”
“He has those times too. Well, he might be feeling down after being properly rejected by you this time. Ah, is this a breakup trip then? That doesn’t really suit Lee Seonwoo though.”
“…Breakup trip?”
“Well, it seems like that kind of thing? He used to not budge no matter how much you scolded him, but after last month’s incident, he’s even quit drinking. And now he suddenly took time off and went on a trip. Looks like he might have really given up on you this time?”
At those ridiculous words, Eungyo made a face of disbelief.
“…He said he was rejected? By me? With his own mouth?”
“Isn’t that how it is?”
At Eunsoo’s answer as if asking why he was questioning something so obvious, Eungyo muttered softly between his teeth.
“That airhead…”
Suddenly feeling a headache coming on, he thought about how the guy had seemed particularly listless and quiet when they met five days ago, and now it seemed he had let his imagination run wild and thought he had been rejected. Until now, no matter how much he pushed him away, scolded him, and cursed at him, he had stubbornly kept following, but when Eungyo showed a little motion, he interpreted that as being rejected.
Wondering how someone so smart could be so lacking in real life, Eungyo gritted his teeth. Eunsoo, standing beside him, looked surprised and asked with wide eyes.
“Airhead? Hyung… Didn’t you reject Seonwoo?”
At Eunsoo’s probing question, Eungyo remained silent.
Seeing him just staring down at his phone motionlessly, Eunsoo leaned in slightly to look at his brother.
His gaze glaring at the silent phone was so serious that Eunsoo cautiously called out to his brother again.
“Hyung?”
“…When did he go on this trip?”
“Uh… I didn’t ask about that.”
Judging that he wouldn’t get anything more out of Eunsoo, Eungyo quickly changed the subject.
“You can go now. It’s work hours.”
“What? Why are you acting like this, hyung? Did Seonwoo cause trouble again?”
“If he caused trouble even after that, he’d be an amoeba, not a person. He didn’t cause any trouble.”
“…Then why are you acting like this?”
“It’s a private matter between that guy and me. You don’t need to know.”
“A private matter? What kind of private matter is there between you and Seonwoo?”
As Eunsoo persistently questioned, still not convinced, Eungyo showed clear displeasure on his face.
“Even if we’re brothers, I never gave you the right to dig into my private life.”
At his brother’s frosty tone, which was usually quite generous and affectionate only to the youngest Eunsoo despite being generally cold, Eunsoo looked a bit hurt and dejected.
“…Hyung, you’ve been strange lately.”
“No, I haven’t. Now get out.”
At Eungyo’s voice, so cold it was difficult to even continue the conversation, Eunsoo finally backed down with his tail between his legs.
“Alright. I’ll go.”
Afraid he might get scolded if he stayed any longer, Eunsoo meekly answered and left the office.
After Eunsoo left and the office became quiet again, Eungyo looked at the monitor in front of him for a moment before pressing the intercom button and waiting.
“Yes, Director.”
“Check the final location of Dr. Lee Seonwoo’s phone before it was turned off.”
Though it was an unofficial method, if he could just confirm the final location of that guy’s phone number, the rest would be simple.
That slow and airhead wouldn’t have traveled all over the country in five days, so he was sure to be somewhere near the area where he turned off his phone. Since he was such a famous person, if he just knew the location and looked around the area a bit, he could find him quickly.
“Just the final location?”
“Yes. And search social media content from the past five days centered on that area. See if there’s any news of someone seeing Dr. Lee Seonwoo.”
At times like this, it was convenient that the airhead was famous.
It would take a long time to search by sending people out, but since he was such a famous figure, if he appeared somewhere, there were bound to be one or two people who recognized him, and in a world where everyone takes photos and videos and uploads them in real time, even broadcasting in high definition when they see such a person, finding him would be quick.
“I’ll check right away.”
“Good.”
After finishing speaking, Eungyo leaned back in his chair and looked down at his phone again, sighing.
Then he picked up the phone again and searched for that guy’s number, but thinking he wouldn’t answer anyway, he threw the phone back on the desk.
Suddenly realizing how ridiculous his own actions were, he clicked his tongue.
As Eunsoo said, his recent behavior was very strange.
His emotions were fluctuating wildly, he was getting irritated more often, and he was frequently doing things he couldn’t understand himself.
“…Of course it’s strange.”
“It’s because I’m sexually frustrated,” Eungyo muttered softly to himself.
Until now, he had lived thinking he was the type unrelated to impulses or desires.
He had maintained a clean and simple lifestyle, keeping sexual desires strictly within ethical boundaries, enjoying only mutually consensual activities at a level of mutual agreement. He had never thought to cross that line or felt impulses so strong he couldn’t control them.
It was natural, as he had been born with violent tendencies removed, elements that cause impulses and emotional fluctuations reduced, and the rational parts of the brain activated through what was called pre-birth genetic shaping.
Most of his siblings were born that way, so all family members except their father had quite cold personalities, and there was hardly ever any emotional problem.
But this time there was a bit of an issue.
Right now, he was desperate to poke that rice cake once.
In the meantime, that guy had disappeared, and his body was burning with anxiety.
Just once, or to be honest, not just once but continuously, until he was sick of it, he wanted to touch that rice cake.
Knead that baby-soft flesh, bite it a little, lick it, and also…
“Fuck, this is a disease…”
As the fantasies kept flowing once he started thinking about it, Eungyo cursed softly and pressed his forehead.
It was ridiculous for a grown man who had eaten his share of salt to be like this, not some teenager excited about their first experience.
Even during his first experience, he hadn’t felt like this.
Although it was better than expected, it wasn’t so ecstatic that his soul left his body, and he had never clung to someone desperately before, but with this guy, his body was burning with the desire to touch him a little.
If he pounced on him like that day just one more time, this time he wouldn’t kick him away but pull him in tightly and forcibly thrust into that guy, filling him with so much semen it overflowed.
“…I’ve gone completely mad…”
Now, whenever he thought of that rice cake-faced guy, his thoughts automatically flowed in that direction.
Thinking about that stupid guy wandering around alone here and there made him worry if he might get into an accident, and then thinking he was far away made him want to see him right away and feel anxious. All sorts of emotions were raging, and his patience was wearing thin.
As the saying goes, words become reality – the “problem child” he had called him with half-hearted animosity had really become true.
It really was a problem child.
A troublesome and headache-inducing thing, but an ultra-special problem he absolutely couldn’t let go of.
“Really troublesome guy…”
Just as he muttered that as if lamenting, a beeping sound rang out and the next schedule appeared on the screen.
As the schedule for 5 minutes later popped up, Eungyo reluctantly checked the confirmation button and stood up from his seat.
Anyway, that airhead’s location would be fully identified within a few hours.
He believed that at that moment.
Momentarily forgetting that the airhead was a very important person.
“We cannot track him through unofficial methods.”
Upon returning to his office after the meeting ended, Eungyo didn’t quite understand the report he received from his secretary and asked again.
“What?”
“Dr. Lee Seonwoo’s contact information is mixed through various lines in a complex way, making hacking or location tracking impossible. They say it can only be requested to be checked in emergency situations or crises.”
“Why?”
“As he belongs to the Special grade among SPNs, his location cannot be tracked unless his life is in danger. Dr. Lee Seonwoo’s whereabouts are said to be classified as a state secret.”
At that moment, Eungyo sat down and held his forehead.
He had forgotten for a moment.
The fact that the airhead was a person the state needed to protect.
The guy was so lacking that even though people knew who he was, it was hard to realize it.
“Any other routes?”
“None.”
“What about social media?”
“There was no news of anyone seeing Dr. Lee Seonwoo in the past five days.”
“…So where the hell is he holed up…”
If he had gone to a hotel or famous tourist spot, surely someone would have recognized him, but if there was this little news, it meant he really went to a quiet place like a villa.
But did anyone around that guy have a villa… Quite a few people did.
After all, he was a famous doctor, and there were plenty of people who wanted to repay him for favors.
“Start checking the villas of his closest friends and relatives. He’s not a diligent guy, so we should be able to find him soon.”
“Understood.”
“You can go now.”
Sighing at the fruitless tracking attempt, Eungyo leaned back in his chair.
He picked up his phone.
Then he looked at it for a moment.
Even if they didn’t say it, there must be someone who knew the airhead’s destination.
It was unlikely that someone whose phone was even managed by the state would have gone on a trip without revealing his destination.
No, even without that, Lee Seonwoo was the type to spill everything rather than being able to hide anything secretly.
So the question was who knew…
At present, Jeon Seyoon was most likely to know, but somehow, judging from Eunsoo’s call earlier, it didn’t seem like he would talk easily.
Moreover, that guy made his living with his mouth, so it wouldn’t be easy to coax him either.
He had been a guy Eungyo didn’t really like since childhood, clever but slippery, somehow resembling Eunho.
If so, there was only one option left.
The moment he made up his mind, he turned on his phone and pulled up the high school alumni directory to search for the junior’s name.
After pressing the call button and waiting for a moment, the call connected.
“Hello, this is Lee Seonjung.”
“This is Kang Eungyo…”
“…Excuse me?”
“Kang Eungyo.”
As Eungyo identified himself again, there was a loud banging sound.
Whether he had jumped up from his chair or fallen off it was unclear, but at that clamorous sound, Eungyo frowned slightly. After a moment, an excited, high-pitched voice came through.
“Yes, sunbae-nim! But… how did you get my number?”
“The alumni directory is there to find alumni.”
As Eungyo answered that the high school’s alumni directory was constantly updated due to the unusually close relationships between graduates, making it easy to find alumni contact information, Seonjung seemed to understand and asked in a small voice.
“…Right. The alumni directory is there to find alumni… But why are you contacting me all of a sudden…?”
“I’d like to see you for a moment right now.”
“Me? Why?”
At Seonjung’s slow, stupid answer, Eungyo clicked his tongue softly.
He was just like Lee Seonwoo in this regard.
Like brothers indeed, they were identical in their dullness.
“I talked with Seonwoo before, and I think I can help.”
“What kind of help?”
“I have a friend who’s a specialist lawyer in parental rights and custody. He’s skilled, so he’ll sort things out well.”
Eungyo threw out a plausible bait to lure Seonjung out, but Seonjung’s reaction was quite dull.
“…Parental rights and custody?”
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
“…What do you mean, why?”
At that response that seemed quite off, Eungyo asked again dubiously.
“Didn’t you have an accident?”
“What accident?”
“Didn’t you become an unwed father?”
As Eungyo blurted out exactly what he had heard from Seonwoo, Seonjung let out a scream-like sound.
“What?”
“…No?”
“Seonwoo said that? That I had an accident?”
“That’s what he said.”
The moment Eungyo answered, the conversation cut off abruptly.
Then, after a very brief moment passed, a very soft, very soft mutter could be heard through gritted teeth.
“…When he’s the one who had the accident…”
It was a very small voice.
It was the kind of sound that could have slipped by unnoticed amidst noise, but unfortunately, it was too quiet on the other end of the line, and Eungyo’s hearing was too sharp.
“…Are you saying Seonwoo had an accident?”
At the slightly raised voice asking again, Seonjung gasped on the other end of the line.
It was an instinctive confession.
“Tell me everything, exactly as it is. Did that airhead have an accident?”
“Ah… No. Really, no. I misspoke. No, I mean, I had the accident. That’s right. I’m the one who had it.”
Thinking it was already too late to try now, Eungyo mused in his head.
If you’re going to lie, do it properly from the start, or if you can’t do it properly, don’t do it at all… Those Lee family descendants aren’t the type to lie systematically and perfectly.
They’re fundamentally simple, hot-tempered, and excessively honest.
Especially when face-to-face, they spill everything just as it is.
“Where’s the hospital you work at?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m going there, so come out.”
“Ah, I’m… I’m really busy right now? I have two surgeries scheduled…”
Eungyo mercilessly cut off that lie that wouldn’t work at all.
“I can find out where it is even if you don’t tell me. Come out quietly. You know the alumni directory doesn’t just have phone numbers, right? Even without that, I can find out which hospital you work at in 1 minute.”
At those words implying he could quickly find out even without using illegal methods just by searching through Genitech’s medical equipment sales records, Seonjung fell silent.
“…”
“Or should I go to your house?”
“…No. I’ll come out…”
“Good. I’m leaving now, so set a place and contact me.”
“Okay…”
Eungyo hung up the phone at that almost dying voice and immediately left the office.
Though he had a very bad feeling, he hurried his steps while forcibly denying all the bad possibilities that came to mind.
However, it didn’t take long to realize that bad premonitions always come true.
***
