How to Have a Baby Secretly-Chapter 31

If anything, Sunwoo and Jinwook were complete opposites—practically destined to clash.

Just then, another message arrived.

[Don’t skip dinner. And don’t forget to send me a photo.]

Once again, Jinwook was checking up on his meals.

Sunwoo stared blankly at the message, his fingers fidgeting with the phone.

As much as he complained, there was something oddly comforting about Jinwook’s concern.

[Okay.]

This time, Sunwoo kept his reply even shorter and set the phone down.

Now that he’d rested, it was time to actually get started on cleaning.

The house looked pretty and tidy at a glance, but since it had been empty for a while, dust had piled up in the corners.

Sunwoo grabbed a broom from the small storage cabinet by the bathroom and swept the floors in the living room and kitchen. Then he found a cloth and wiped down the furniture and appliances until they gleamed.

He even took out the dishes from the shelves, washed them, and dried them with a towel.

By the time he was done moving nonstop, the house was more or less spotless.

Sunwoo sank to the floor like a damp rag and finally noticed the sun had shifted to the west. Checking his phone, he realized more time had passed than he’d thought.

And he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

“Oh no, I’m sorry!”

Sunwoo immediately apologized to the baby in his stomach.

It was one thing for him to skip meals—he was used to it—but he couldn’t do that to a baby who needed to eat and grow properly.

Dragging his sore body off the floor, Sunwoo decided he needed to eat something.

He stepped outside and looked around.

There were houses scattered here and there, but no restaurants in sight.

He’d probably have to go back to where the real estate office was, closer to the beach, to find any restaurants or grocery stores.

Returning to the yard, Sunwoo sat down in a chair and checked his phone.

Sure enough, the closest food options were near the beach, which meant he’d have to walk quite a bit.

But then something caught his eye—a market about a 10-minute drive away.

Given his morning sickness, eating at a restaurant wasn’t appealing anyway. Cooking something at home seemed like the better option.

‘I’ll buy some groceries at the market and make something myself!’

Decision made, Sunwoo headed out.

The sky was already glowing with a warm sunset.

Walking at a leisurely pace, he reached the neighborhood bus stop and sat down.

The bus arrival display said the next one wouldn’t be there for another 25 minutes.

It was a long wait, but Sunwoo didn’t have any urgent plans, so he figured he could take his time.

Swinging his legs idly, he glanced around.

It was quiet, with no people in sight—probably because it was a weekday evening.

The cool evening breeze made him feel drowsy, and before he knew it, he was nodding off against the wall of the bus stop.

Who knows how long he’d been dozing when—

“Excuse me!”

A car pulled up in front of the bus stop, and a young man leaned out the window, waving at him.

Sunwoo blinked groggily and looked around before spotting the car.

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Inside was a man who seemed about the same age as him.

“Do you know where the market is around here?”

“The market?”

Weirdly enough, the guy was asking about the exact place Sunwoo was planning to go.

Sunwoo almost said he didn’t know but then remembered the address he’d looked up earlier.

He pulled up the map and showed it to the man.

“Where are you headed? If you’re going to the market, want to go together?”

The man glanced at Sunwoo’s screen and smiled.

“Uh…”

“The bus doesn’t seem to come often, so why not hop in? I can give you a ride—it’s on the way.”

The man’s cheerful demeanor put Sunwoo at ease, but he hesitated and checked the bus schedule again.

The display now said the bus was “delayed.”

‘Huh?’

Had it already passed while he was napping?

That didn’t seem likely.

Still, the man in the driver’s seat chimed in.

“It’s hot out here. Hop in!”

Both the driver and his friend in the passenger seat seemed friendly enough.

After a moment’s hesitation, Sunwoo finally stood up from the bench.

As he opened the car door, the two men in the front exchanged a brief, meaningful look—one that Sunwoo completely missed.

Then they turned back toward the road as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s get going,” the driver said with a bright smile.

Sunwoo exhaled as the cool air hit him and nodded.

“Okay.”

Riding in a car felt better than waiting in the heat while half-asleep at a bus stop.

The car started moving.

“Are you visiting?”

After driving for a while, the man in the passenger seat turned around and asked, “Are you visiting?”

“Ah, yes.”

Sunwoo, who had been staring blankly out the window and feeling slightly awkward, gave a short answer. Then he immediately scolded himself for not initiating the conversation earlier—after all, he was the one who had hitched a ride.

“And you two…”

Sunwoo trailed off, glancing between the driver and the passenger. Both were dressed in casual, comfortable clothes, and the man in the passenger seat had a DSLR camera resting on his lap.

“You’re here on vacation?”

After quickly sizing them up, Sunwoo finished his question.

“Yes, we’re traveling and doing a bit of reporting while we’re at it.”

“Oh, reporting? Are you journalists?”

“We’re not journalists—just freelancers. We write articles, post on social media, stuff like that.”

I see. Sunwoo nodded along. He’d heard about people like that—posting travel content or reviews online without being professional reporters.

“We were actually heading to the market today for both sightseeing and work.”

“Ah, I see…”

Not sure how to respond, Sunwoo gave a vague answer. The man in the passenger seat, however, was sociable and kept the conversation going.

“What about you?”

“Oh, I’m just… here to relax and take a short trip.”

“I see. How long are you staying?”

Sunwoo hesitated.

When he decided to buy the house, he’d already resolved to stay in Jeju for a while.

Even though he’d only asked Jinwook for a week, he never actually planned to stick to that timeline.

“One week.”

Still, Sunwoo found himself answering with the time frame he’d promised Jinwook.

He justified it by telling himself he’d use that time to think things through.

“Ah! Did you come alone?”

“Yes.”

“There are a lot of solo travelers these days. If it weren’t for this reporting gig, I’d probably travel alone too.”

They kept chatting as the car rolled into the market’s parking lot.

When Sunwoo spotted the sign for the traditional market, his eyes widened.

He had expected something like an open space filled with carts and stalls, but the market was much bigger than he thought.

“Shall we get out?”

The driver parked and stepped out first.

Sunwoo followed, quietly opening the door.

Even though it was nearing dinnertime, the market was still bustling with people.

“Well, enjoy your trip!”

The man from the passenger seat smiled warmly and said goodbye.

“Thanks for the ride. Good luck with your work!”

Sunwoo bowed slightly, feeling genuinely grateful. He even felt a little guilty for hesitating to accept the ride earlier—they had been polite and considerate the entire time.

After watching the two men disappear into the crowd, Sunwoo slowly wandered into the market.

The first things to catch his eye were the colorful stalls selling various goods and clothes.

He had come to buy food, but the unexpected variety of sights made him stroll through the market without even realizing it.

The indoor market was surprisingly well-organized, making it fun to explore.

After passing through corners filled with clothes, accessories, and bedding, he finally reached the food section.

Drawn in by the enticing smells, Sunwoo walked toward the stalls.

Looking at all the options—hot dogs, twisted donuts, tteokbokki, and fish cakes—made his mouth water.

But picking something wasn’t easy.

With his morning sickness, greasy or spicy food was out of the question.

Instead, his eyes landed on freshly steamed corn, still releasing puffs of steam.

He figured he could handle that.

“Would you like some corn?”

The vendor, who had been watching the handsome young man hover near the stall, spoke up.

“Yes.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Sunwoo nodded.

As he reached out to pay and take the corn, there was a faint click sound.

But Sunwoo, preoccupied with the transaction, didn’t notice it.