DASH-Chapter 139

Doctor Lim’s tone was so serious that Jiheon didn’t catch her talking about him. He thought, “That’s the case in general,” then belatedly realized he was in that general case. Panicking, he blurted out:

“Uh, wait, wait a minute. So, you mean I’m... pregnant now, ma’am?”

“That’s right. Judging by these numbers, it’s probably just been conceived.”

Jiheon couldn’t say anything for a moment. Not because he was speechless, but because he genuinely couldn’t think of anything at the moment.

After a while, he asked in a firm voice.

“Are you sure? Is there absolutely no chance the numbers came from something else?”

“These numbers shouldn’t come from other causes. hCG is commonly called the conception hormone. Normally, it’s secreted at less than 5mIU, but the amount increases greatly right after conception. If you take a test next week, the number will probably jump into the hundreds. And by the next two weeks, it’ll jump up again by a thousand.”

Doctor Lim said with conviction. Compared to her usual vague expressions like, “There’s a possibility it could happen like this,” or “Keep in mind that it might happen that way,” there didn’t seem to be any doubt in her voice now.

Even though Jiheon knew that, he spoke as if grasping for the last straw.

“Even though I took a birth control pill?”

“Birth control pills become less effective over time.”

Doctor Lim spoke in a drier tone, maybe out of consideration for of Jiheon’s feelings.

“If you took it 40 hours after, there’s a good chance you can get pregnant.”

“That’s true, but Jae—the other person also took GDRS before the intercourse.”

Only then did Doctor Lim take her eyes off the monitor and look at Jiheon.

“The other person is an Alpha, right?”

“Yes....”

Seeing Jiheon’s pale face, Doctor Lim let out a soft sigh. She took off her glasses, placed them on the desk, and rubbed her eyes.

“It’s true that the medication is highly effective as a contraception, but it’s not foolproof. Whether it’s 98% or 99%, it’s not 100%. If heat occurs and there’s knotting involved, things become even more ambiguous. Knotting doesn’t always happen when one is in a rut; it only happens when a certain amount of semen is released. The medication claim is the case for regular Beta males. Alphas, on the other hand, have several times more semen than an average man.”

“.......”

Jiheon, grasping the harsh reality, lowered his head and placed his hand on his forehead. Doctor Lim continued speaking with a somber expression.

“No matter how much you reduce sperm mobility, if the sperm amount itself is much higher than normal, the success rate of contraception inevitably decreases.”

Jiheon still had his hand on his forehead, at a loss for words. He didn’t know what to say or what to do. He wanted to ask something, but his mind felt blank.

“Haa.......”

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

After a moment, a sigh-like laugh escaped from between his half-open lips. Doctor Lim, unaware of the meaning behind his sigh, offered one last ray of hope.

“But as a doctor, I can guide you through the process since your current hCG level is exactly 23mlU. Typically, a gynecologist will recommend another checkup in a week, as 25mlU is the borderline between pregnancy and nonpregnancy. So, go for another checkup next week. You’ll know for sure by then.”

At first, it might sound as if she was still uncertain, but it was standard guidance. The results wouldn’t change with a checkup next week, and he would likely return only after confirming the pregnancy. Meanwhile, the baby in his stomach would continue to grow.

As this realization hit him, his heart sank. Doctor Lim went on explaining the blood test results, pointing to each item one by one, but none of them came into his ear. Addressing Jiheon, who seemed out of it, she said:

“Anyway, take care on your way, and make sure to see a gynecologist next week for a checkup.”

Only then did he realize the appointment was over after hearing Doctor Lim’s words.

“Ah, yes, I will.”

He stood up from his seat.

After leaving the hospital, Jiheon hailed a taxi right in front of the building. Still feeling upset, he hopped into the taxi and said out of habit, “Please take me to Yeoksam Station in Seoul.” But then he suddenly remembered he was supposed to meet his sister and urgently told the driver to change the destination.

Once the taxi made a turn, Jiheon decided to stop dwelling on what happened to his body. He was too scared to think about it, and since he figured he’d have to go back to the hospital in a week, he just wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard anything until then. If conception had just occurred, it meant it had only been about a week, not even several months, so he thought he could just play ignorant for a week. He could make whatever decision needed to be made when the time came.

‘Yeah, let’s just be glad I found out early. At least I know before Jaekyoung does.’

With that in mind, he deliberately looked out the car window, trying to push the thoughts aside. Although his hometown had changed a lot, he tried to reminisce about the city by looking at the familiar streets and the signs that had stayed the same for over ten years. However, even that was painful because memories of the elementary school Jaekyoung had attended kept interrupting.

Regardless of what memories he recalled in Ilsan, all of them inevitably led back to swimming. But when he thought of the Ilsan swimming center, all he could remember was the young Jaekyoung he had met there. Then, naturally, the thought came again—another being that would come into existence between him and that young kid.

It felt strange somehow. The idea of a child being born between Jaekyoung and him. Whether he liked it or not, it was undeniably strange. The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed, almost like a dream.

When he first learned about the pregnancy, he felt hopeless, scared, and lost. But when he considered it as a child born between him and Jaekyoung, it didn’t seem so bad. On the contrary, amidst his dazed state, he felt a bit overwhelmed. But that didn’t erase the fear and panic of the fact that he was pregnant.

Jiheon, who had vowed not to think about it but found himself deep in thought again, let out a painful sigh repeatedly. Simultaneously, the taxi reached his destination.

Jiheon glanced at the signboard for the sashimi restaurant, paid the taxi fare with his card, and stepped out.

“Thank you. Happy New Year.”

He said his goodbyes to the taxi driver, shut the car door, and out of the blue, heard someone shout, “Oh, oppa!”

Turning around, he spotted his younger sister, Jisoo, stepping out of another taxi, waving with excitement.

“Wow, what are the odds we run into each other here?”

Jisoo expressed her surprise but didn’t bother coming over. She just strolled into the restaurant on her own. Watching his sister’s familiar back, Jiheon followed suit and headed into the building.

“A reservation under Jeong Jisoo, isn’t it? Let us show you to your room.”

A staff member, confirming the reservation, led the two to a room. From what Jiheon gathered, it wasn’t a super fancy restaurant—just a local sashimi joint with good value for your buck. But unusually for such a spot, all the seats were in separate rooms.

“How’d you find this place?”

Jiheon asked, taking off his coat as soon as they entered the room.

“Oh, I had a company dinner here once. The tsukidashi [1] was top-notch. The sushi was average, but the jiritang [2] they served instead of maeuntang [3] was no joke.”

“I see....”

He mumbled to his sister, now a police officer of two years, realizing she had more sophisticated tastes than him.

Pouring water into her glass, she casually said:

“By the way, I heard Kwon Jaekyoung joined your company.”

Of all things, the name Jiheon didn’t want to talk about the most came up. He swallowed a sigh, hung up his coat, and took a seat.

“How did you know?”

“I saw it when I was reading an article about Spoin saying blah-blah-blah.”

Jisoo handed Jiheon the water she poured first.

“Oppa, have you met him?”

Jiheon was about to deny it, but he thought he might get caught when “Joining the Enemy” aired. So, he answered honestly.

“I’m in charge of his management.”

“Oh, really?”

Jisoo widened her eyes. Jiheon thought she might ask if he had any pictures together, but surprisingly, she said something entirely different.

“Is he really dating Cha Seonghyeon?”

Considering her first question was about Cha Seonghyeon, it seemed like the public had already made up their minds about their supposed scandal as a foregone conclusion.

Jiheon sighed and grabbed his glass of water.

“No. They just know each other, and they haven’t seen each other for a few months now.”

“Ah, thank goodness.”

Jisoo laughed, brushing her chest as if in relief.

“Why are you happy?”

“I hate Cha Seonghyeon.”

Jisoo stated plainly. Even though Jiheon was troubled, he couldn’t help but feel relieved at her straightforward words.

‘As expected of my dongsaeng. She knows how to judge people.’

“Why do you hate Cha Seonghyeon?”

Jiheon inquired after taking a sip of water and setting down his glass. Jisoo quickly replied as if she’d been waiting.

“Oh, Mom always says he looks like you whenever he’s on TV. She keeps saying it, so I started hating him because you two really look alike.”

“.......”

“I’m joking.”

Jisoo added with a belated grin.

It didn’t really sound like a joke, but Jiheon didn’t bother checking. He didn’t have the energy or the spirit for it. He just wanted to wrap up the conversation quickly and head home.

As soon as the food arrived and the staff left the room, Jiheon swiftly brought up the business.

“So, where are you gonna go on the trip?”

This was the main point of today’s brother-sister reunion for the first time in half a year. Jisoo planned a trip with their parents during this Lunar New Year holiday, Jiheon opted out, deciding to chip in money instead. He met Jisoo to get an accurate budget plan.

“Oh, we can’t go far this year because the holiday is a bit short. Mom has been saying she wants to go to Nha Trang, so I thought about going there.”

Jisoo grabbed her cell phone and showed Jiheon the travel plans, including accommodations and guides, that she’d researched in advance.

“So the budget is probably around this?”

After his sister wrapped up the briefing, Jiheon suggested a compromise he had in mind before coming.

“I’ll cover the hotel and plane tickets, so you can just handle the expenses there.”

“What? Seriously?”

Jisoo’s eyes widened, seemingly surprised by Jiheon’s generous offer.

“I’m good with that, but won’t it be more of a burden for you?”

“I can’t go, so I’ll foot the bill.”

Jisoo raised her eyebrows, as if to say, “But still,” then she set down her cell phone and grabbed a bottle of soju. Jisoo, in a good mood since the deal was settled quickly and more neatly than expected, poured herself a generous drink and said:

“Then let’s plan something for this year’s Chuseok.”

“This year’s Chuseok...... when is it? September?”

“Yeah, mid-September. The Olympics will be over by then, [N O V E L I G H T] so your company won’t be as busy, right? Besides, I don’t think anyone in your company, except Kwon Jaekyoung, will be at the Olympics.”

“There is. Why wouldn’t there be....”

Jiheon muttered with a sigh. His sister’s opinion about his company’s size wasn’t the reason for the sigh. The moment he heard it was September, he unconsciously thought: ‘If I’m still pregnant by then, it’ll be exactly 9 months, right...? Why would I travel? That’s ridiculous.’

Jiheon sighed heavily and mechanically picked up his chopsticks, but then he stopped abruptly without realizing it.

‘Wait. September means...... it’ll be 9 months, right? Or is that the month the baby is due? Can I fly in August during the Olympic season? Can I go overseas on a plane? As a full-term pregnant person?’

Jiheon put down his chopsticks and hastily grabbed his cell phone when he belatedly realized an important fact.

Even after accessing the internet, he was unsure what to search for, feeling a bit lost. So, he threw in all the words he’d heard somewhere and typed, [How to calculate due date]. Of course, that didn’t mean he was planning to give birth to the child. No, but he felt like he needed to know. He just wanted to know.