How to Have a Baby Secretly-Chapter 33

“Oh! SNS.”

Seonu suddenly remembered, then pressed the app menu, but stopped. Changing to a new phone had erased the SNS app that Seonu’s previous phone used.

"It’s fine... It’s private anyway. No one will find and look at it, right?"

But was it really private? He hadn’t linked with any neighbors or posted anything that seemed public.

For a moment, he felt a bit anxious but quickly dismissed it. Seonu opened his regular messenger app and clicked on Kang Jinwook’s name.

He attached the photo he had just taken and sent it, then put his phone down.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

Bzzz.

Just as he was about to pick up a peach with his fork, his phone, which had been flipped over, vibrated. He turned it over and looked at the bright screen. A popup message appeared.

[Is that enough? Eat more.]

It was a message from Kang Jinwook. The content wasn’t very pleasant.

"Even when I send it, he finds something to argue about..."

Seonu pouted, set the phone back down, and put the peach in his mouth. The sweet flesh of the peach spread in his mouth, and he involuntarily began to salivate.

Bzzz.

The phone rang again. Seonu looked at the bright screen. This time, it was Kang Jinwook again.

[Answer.]

Only two words appeared.

“What’s he saying now...”

As if he were a parent, constantly interfering. Still, Seonu reluctantly tapped the keypad.

[Yep.]

He put the phone down, this time picking up the corn from the bowl. The kernels were plump and yellow, perfectly cooked, looking delicious.

He sniffed it, but fortunately, there was no feeling of nausea.

Instead, the savory scent made him hungrier. Seonu held the corn with both hands and chewed it eagerly.

After finishing the two cobs of corn, he felt his stomach fill up. He leaned back, resting one arm behind him on the chair, and slowly rubbed his belly with the other hand.

"Ah, I’m so full... How about you? Are you satisfied too?"

He glanced down briefly. Perhaps it was from the full meal, or maybe it was just the passing of a few more days, but his stomach seemed a bit rounder.

He gently rubbed his belly, then remembered the photo in his pocket. Seonu took it out and held it up to his face to match his eyes with it.

"I wonder who you’ll look like."

Right now, you may look like a little peanut, but eventually, you’ll have hands, feet, and a face that I’ll be able to see clearly.

"Do you want to be called Peanut?"

Saying “peanut” repeatedly, it felt oddly fitting.

"Peanut."

The pronunciation seemed cute and rounded, too. Seonu smiled softly and waved the photo playfully. After naming it, it truly felt like there was life growing inside of him. He called out “Peanut” a few more times in a playful tone, then cleaned the empty plates and did the dishes before heading to the master bedroom.

Seonu still had the photo in his hand. He looked around the room and his gaze landed on a small window, like a frame.

The bed was near that spot.

"Seems like it’ll be perfect there."

Seonu asked as if Peanut could hear. He crawled on the bed and brought the photo to the wall.

"Yep, this is it!"

He pressed the photo against the wall and, with the window open, Seonu threw his gaze outside. The sound of the night sea came through the open door.

It was a cool and strangely calming sound. After listening to the waves for a while, he got off the bed.

Opening a drawer in the bedroom, Seonu found some transparent tape. He quickly tore off a piece, stuck it at the corners of the photo, and carefully attached it to the wall to make sure the picture wouldn’t be crooked. The peanut-sized figure below the window seemed to be swimming through the night sea.

"Hello."

Seonu absentmindedly rubbed the photo with his thumb and plopped down on the bed. Was this how my mom felt when she had me?

He had never asked her. Seonu’s mom was someone who loved him but was always busy and tired.

Rather than asking questions, Seonu always had to take care of things, making sure his mom wasn’t worn out. Cleaning, cooking, and studying were things he did well on his own, and his mom always praised him for that.

And every now and then, when she had a drink late at night, she would gently wipe his cheek or hair with a tear-soaked hand.

“I love you, son. I really love you.”

Her voice, filled with moisture. Seonu knew the affection behind it, and he never needed to ask. When that happened, he felt like he knew without asking.

His mom would never regret having him.

“So, I’ll raise you, Peanut, as beautifully as my mom raised me.”

Seonu got off the bed and walked over to the bookshelf he had noticed earlier. It wasn’t the kind of study room he saw at Kang Jinwook’s house, but the four-tier bookshelf had a decent number of books.

The previous owners seemed to love traveling, as most of the books were related to travel.

There were guidebooks for countries around the world, travel diaries, and even novels that gave off a travel vibe.

Seonu picked up one of the travel essays with a blue sea on the cover. As he guessed from the cover, it was written about traveling in Jeju.

As he read, his eyes began to grow heavy. He must have napped earlier, but fatigue soon crept up on him again.

He put the book down and lay flat, closing his eyes. Before long, his steady breathing filled the quiet room.

Bzzz.

The phone, which was on his bedside table, vibrated. A message from Kang Jinwook popped up on the now bright screen.

[Text me before you sleep.]

The message, with his personality clearly reflected in the words, was something Seonu didn’t notice, as he had already drifted off to sleep.

Seonu would only check the message much later, when the sunlight gently woke him, and the warmth of the sun tickled his face.

Groggily, Seonu opened his eyes, blinking a few times to shake off the sleep. When he checked the time, he saw Kang Jinwook’s message.

[Choi Seonu, are you already sleeping?]

There was even one more message added while he slept. But somehow, it felt different. How should he put it? The tone was... the tone was...

“Why does it feel so gentle?”

It didn’t seem like Kang Jinwook, who had always yelled, gotten angry, or insisted on things.

Reading a message that sounded so kind made him feel strange.

Was this what he meant by not making him dislike him? Still, he couldn’t quite adjust to it.

Seonu exhaled softly, placing his fingers on the keypad. He hesitated for a moment before deciding what to write.

[Just woke up…]

No, this feels wrong. Tap. Tap. Tap. He quickly pressed the delete button and erased the text.

[Just fell asleep yesterday, so I’m just now checking the message…]

That didn’t feel right either. Why was he trying to make excuses? There was no need for that, right?

Earlier, he’d complained about being nagged over the meal, but now he felt uncomfortable having to report when he woke up.

[Yes. I slept.]

After a moment’s hesitation, Seonu finally typed that and sent it. He put the phone down and sat up.

Then his eyes met the ultrasound photo on the wall.

"Hello, Peanut. Did you sleep well?"

It was a natural greeting. Seonu smiled softly, waving his hand. Unlike when he was rubbing his belly, this felt like he was truly having a conversation.

After greeting the little Peanut in the photo, Seonu got out of bed and noticed a book that had been left wide open, as if abandoned like a butterfly’s wings.

"Ah!"

Seonu quickly picked up the book. A pristine white sand beach and the blue waves came into view.

"Hmm... Should I eat and go for a walk?"

Thanks to the book, Seonu easily decided on his schedule. He left the bedroom and went to the bathroom. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Thanks to yesterday’s market visit, the fridge was quite stocked.

Seonu took out some soft tofu, salad, juice, and arranged some fruit. After a hearty meal, he wandered around the house, opening windows.

Swoosh, swoosh.

The sound of the waves from last night could be heard clearly, and it made him want to step outside and take a walk.

Seonu grabbed casual clothes from the suitcase and stepped outside. The fresh Jeju wind blew gently against his face.

It was a pleasant morning.