The Possibility of Pregnancy
Choi Hyun-seo lay with his legs spread wide and inhaled her scent deeply. He sucked in her scent even more deeply, the very scent that stirred a man's desire, while rubbing and kneading her already aroused body. Though already heated, Hyun-seo knew exactly how her body changed when she reached the edge of climax. He rubbed and licked her without pause until her body trembled in the throes of ecstasy. And at that exact moment, he thrust himself deep inside her. The hard, hot desire pressed against her soft flesh, sending a jolt of pleasure through her.
The sensation was like fireworks bursting. It couldn't have been only him. In the amusement park, the fireworks had gone off in dazzling colors, and now they were exploding in their bedroom.
Min Tae-yeon had her arms wrapped around Hyun-seo's neck and her eyes closed. If these happy moments could continue like this forever... if the thing Hyun-seo had shown her even a little was his heart, then she believed she could live happily for the rest of her life.
When Tae-yeon clung to Hyun-seo, he moved his body even faster, as if racing toward the very end of the world.
* * *
The two were spending the honeymoon of their new married life. Tae-yeon felt happiness every single day. Yun-woo was growing up healthy, and Hyun-seo held her in his arms every night. They slept together, ate together, and talked about Yun-woo's growth.
A month passed in the blink of an eye, and now Yun-woo was insisting he could eat his rice by himself. Yet he still refused to let anyone else feed him and stubbornly ate his own meal. His stubbornness seemed to resemble Hyun-seo's.
Every day he crawled up and down the stairs, and Tae-yeon, following right beside him, ended up catching a cold from the effort. Why was it so exhausting just to keep up with a single small child?
In truth, Yun-woo climbed those stairs all day without a problem, but Tae-yeon had carried him down the entire time he wanted to come back. Yun-woo was far less tired than she was.
That evening, Tae-yeon collapsed onto the bed utterly exhausted when Hyun-seo approached. The look on his face as he said, "You got sick just from following after Yun-woo climbing the stairs?" made it clear he couldn't believe it.
“Only a few climbs up and down the stairs, and you caught a cold? Our Min Director really needs to start a fitness regimen.”
Since she had confessed her feelings, things had changed. Hyun-seo hadn't once called her Min Overwork since then. When they were alone, he addressed her as Min Director, and in the presence of others, he simply called her by name. Tae-yeon loved hearing Hyun-seo say her real name.
When Hyun-seo called, “Tae-yeon-ah!” it felt like their married life had finally become real. The way he loved his wife more than his son was clear in every glance he gave her.
While Hyun-seo was pulling Tae-yeon up the stairs by the scruff of her neck, his phone rang. It was his mother. Tae-yeon swallowed hard, mentally preparing herself, and answered.
“Hello?”
“Why do you answer so late? I knew your body was sluggish, but is ignoring calls another way you show disrespect to your mother-in-law?”
Her mother-in-law’s sharp tone, laced with a knife-like edge, snapped Tae-yeon awake.
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
Because she was tense, Tae-yeon had stood up, bowed her head, and apologized. Hyun-seo watched her with an unpleasant expression. Since the other woman was difficult too, Tae-yeon clenched her lips and focused on the call with Oh Jin-hee.
But right after that, Hyun-seo took Tae-yeon’s phone and put it on speaker.
“You. You said you’d have a second child. So I need to make some herbal medicine. Come with me. Let’s do a blood test and check your constitution. You’re having a baby.”
At the mention of blood test, Tae-yeon’s eyes lit up. Blood test at a Korean medicine clinic?
Hearing that, Hyun-seo immediately spoke up.
“Mother doesn’t need to go.”
“What? Why not?”
“We’re close. I’ll listen to the phone call too. I’ll take Tae-yeon to that Korean medicine clinic myself. Don’t worry about it.”
“Still, I should go…”
“I’ve been there before. It was a while ago, but if you’re having a baby, eating together would be even better, wouldn’t it?”
Oh Jin-hee had nothing more to say to Hyun-seo’s assertive tone. The initial call had clearly been meant for Tae-yeon, but he had somehow ended up joining in.
“Fine. I’ll call the director.”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
It was completely casual. Tae-yeon watched Hyun-seo hang up. After he ended the call, he acted as if nothing had happened. If he had been making that kind of call, wouldn’t he have mentioned going to the clinic together?
“Um, are we going to the clinic tomorrow?”
“No.”
“But you told Mother-in-law you would.”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
That was all. And two days later, a delivery box arrived.
Tae-yeon’s herbal medicine. What kind of medicine was this exactly? Could it really be the one for conceiving a baby?
While she was still debating whether to drink it, a call came from Oh Jin-hee.
“Is the medicine here?”
Without even a greeting, the blunt question made Tae-yeon reply as if she had been prepared.
“Yes. It arrived. The medicine is still warm.”
“Good. Since you were going to have a second child anyway, you’d better get it quickly. It’s best to have a baby when your body is healthy. Yun-woo is already a year old, so having them two years apart would be perfect. I’ve had the medicine for conceiving a baby made for you. Drink it well.”
There was no point in prolonging the conversation. She didn’t know how Hyun-seo had done it, but the medicine had arrived and Oh Jin-hee seemed satisfied.
“Yes. Understood.”
“Don’t skip any. Eat it all. The box also has instructions on how much food to eat. Don’t eat if it says not to.”
“Yes.”
Right as she hung up, Hyun-seo opened the bedroom door and walked in. He seemed to have listened to the entire call and understood everything.
“How well you answered when I told you to have a second child?”
“Well… I have to answer well if you tell me to.”
“So do you plan to drink the medicine?”
“I’ll decide on my own.”
She hadn’t decided yet. Of course, she didn’t need the medicine for conceiving. She hadn’t discussed it with Hyun-seo, and she couldn’t suddenly adopt a baby from a man who hadn’t even confessed his love for her.
Hyun-seo looked at Tae-yeon and asked with one corner of his mouth slightly raised.
“You know what kind of medicine it is and you’re going to take it on your own?”
“The medicine for getting pregnant?”
“There is no such thing. We don’t even have a plan yet.”
“Then what medicine is it?”
“Put nicely, it’s a tonics. Put bluntly, it’s a medicine to stimulate one’s desire.”
A medicine to stimulate one’s desire? Did such things even exist?
“A tonics, you say? Did the director buy it without Mother-in-law suspecting?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly buy it. I presented good conditions. And the medicine was made exactly to my specifications. So drink it. It’s good for the body.”
By now she was truly curious. What exactly had he asked them to make?
“What kind of medicine did you ask them to make? The one to stimulate desire?”
“Yes. I told them that. Min Director.”
Tae-yeon’s eyes widened. This man sometimes said things she couldn’t believe. Hyun-seo said, noticing the burden in her gaze,
“What? When the nights get exhausting, it will also improve your stamina. I asked them to make it so it reminds me of you every night. Since I’m going to have the baby slowly, I didn’t need the medicine for conceiving. I also told Mother to use the medicine for conceiving a baby as a gift.”
Tae-yeon’s mouth fell open. So it was actually good for the body, but it was also the medicine to stimulate desire. How was she supposed to drink something like that?
“Are you serious? You really want me to drink it?”
“Of course. I put a lot of good things in it. It will improve your appetite and stamina. So eat it well. I know your body best, after all.”
His words sounded strangely annoying. Tae-yeon chased Hyun-seo out, slammed the door, and locked it.
“While you’re taking the medicine, we can’t have that kind of relationship. Understood? Don’t even dream about it until I’ve finished the entire medicine. When the effect shows, I’ll call you then.”
Hyun-seo knocked on the door in disbelief.
“You haven’t even taken the medicine yet.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already taken one entire pack.”
Tae-yeon pulled out one warm pack of medicine, drank it, and lay down. She didn’t know if it actually had any effect, but she fell asleep easily.
* * *
For a week, she took the medicine moderately. If it really was the medicine to stimulate desire, her body felt hot and the sex with Hyun-seo became even hotter.
She had been so busy day and night that she hadn’t even noticed her period was late. If it had been anyone else, she would have definitely noticed.
When Hyun-seo got home from work, he handed her something. She thought it was a gift. But it wasn’t.
Tae-yeon stared at the pregnancy test stick Hyun-seo had given her, bewildered.
“What is this?”
“The period is late, right? What if the baby is already there? Go test it.”