NLFSD Chapter 21

Chapter 21

 

Lee Jiwoon was terrified to open the hospital room door. He didn’t have the courage to see what kind of condition Seo Taecheon might be in.

But he couldn’t just stand there trembling in fear forever, so he squeezed his eyes shut and pushed the door open.

“Uh…?”

But the hospital room was completely empty. There was no one lying on the single bed, and neither a caregiver nor a nurse was in sight.

“What is going on here?”

Gripped by a sudden sense of dread, Lee Jiwoon looked around frantically, searching for a passing nurse.

“Excuse me, nurse. May I ask you something for a moment?”

“Yes. Are you the guardian?”

A nurse walking briskly with a chart tucked under her arm came to a stop.

“Yes, I’m the guardian of the patient in this room… but I can’t see the patient anywhere.”

“Ah… the patient from this room just went into emergency surgery.”

“What?!”

Lee Jiwoon’s eyes widened. Was he that badly injured? If he went in for emergency surgery, it must be more serious than just minor injuries…!

The nurse brushed past him indifferently. Lee Jiwoon collapsed to his knees like a falling leaf.

“S-Surgery…”

His hands trembled, and even his voice caught in his throat.

Truly, no one can predict what will happen in life. Just a dozen or so hours ago, he was right beside me. We bickered, sometimes made my heart flutter…

“If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve treated him better.”

Lee Jiwoon was completely engulfed in despair. Would he never see BBG’s healthy self again? Or worse, was this an eternal farewell…?

No. Absolutely not.

“Huff…”

As he buried his face in his hands and sobbed, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.

“Huff… who is it?”

Lee Jiwoon turned around with tears streaming down his face. His eyes widened. Unbelievably, Seo Taecheon was staring at him with a cast on one arm. Lee Jiwoon was so shocked he sprang to his feet.

“Gasp. Weren’t you in surgery? The nurse clearly said… the patient in this room was in emergency surgery.”

“I’m in the room next door.”

Lee Jiwoon turned around and saw that he was in front of room 608, not 609. A wave of embarrassment, shame, and humiliation crashed over him like a waterfall.

Not only was it mortifying to have gotten the room wrong and acted out a whole drama by himself, but the real issue was the tears he was shedding now.

“Deputy Lee, are you crying?”

“Ah, no!”

Lee Jiwoon shook his head and subtly wiped the tear stains away.

Seo Taecheon looked perfectly fine. He simply had a cast on his left wrist. Other than a few small scratches on his face, there were no significant injuries—and most importantly, he was walking around on his own two feet.

“Looks like you’re crying, though.”

“I was just rubbing my eyes because something got in them.”

Lee Jiwoon tried desperately to control his tear glands. Seo Taecheon chuckled and placed a hand on Jiwoon’s head.

“I’m fine, so don’t cry.”

His voice and tone were so tender that Jiwoon felt intoxicated. And that wasn’t all. His arrhythmia symptoms started again. His heart began to race uncontrollably.

Nurse…! I’m the one who needs to be admitted. Please save me.

“Hic!”

Lee Jiwoon screamed internally and began hiccuping.

According to the story, Seo Taecheon got into a rear-end collision on his way back to the company after finishing an external appointment.

Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured, but because delayed symptoms could arise from car accidents, the doctor recommended staying in the hospital for a day to monitor his condition.

“I think I could return to the office.”

“No way! Do you know how scary post-accident trauma can be? Complete rest. You must lie down.”

“It’s not that bad…”

“I’ll help you, so just stay at the hospital today. Please.”

Grabbing hold of Seo Taecheon, who kept insisting he was fine, Lee Jiwoon led him back to the hospital room. He pushed him onto the bed, gave him water, turned on the TV, and handed him the remote control. It was clumsy, yet heartfelt care.

“Why are you doing all this for me?”

Seo Taecheon’s question left Jiwoon briefly speechless. Why was he doing this much for him? Well…

“We’re… married, after all.”

Married.

The simplest and most accurate word to define their relationship.

And yet, a word that had been tacitly forbidden between them—married.

After speaking so boldly, Jiwoon scratched his head, overwhelmed by a wave of embarrassment.

We’re not even truly married… Did I go overboard? he wondered. But Seo Taecheon responded to those words quite gently.

He slightly lifted the corners of his lips and softly replied, “That’s right. We are married.”

“Ah… yes. Married.”

An awkward atmosphere began to unfold. Jiwoon unnecessarily opened the window to ventilate the room, fiddled with the air conditioner temperature—raising and lowering it—moving about busily. He just couldn’t stand the awkwardness.

Cleanliness? Okay. Organizing stuff? Okay. Uh… is there anything else to do? Just as he was looking around the hospital room, something came to mind. He figured it would be a good idea to go to the nurse’s station and ask about any precautions or necessary items for the hospital stay.

“I’ll go talk to the nurses for a bit.”

“Alright.”

Jiwoon left the hospital room and went to where the nurses were gathered. It took more time than expected to listen to the explanation about the hospital stay and understand his responsibilities as a guardian.

After saying goodbye to the nurses, he walked back down the long corridor and stood in front of room 609. But something felt off. From inside, he heard a voice—an unfamiliar but somehow familiar middle-aged male voice.

Jiwoon peeked into the hospital room through the slightly open door.

Who is that? Judging by the suit, he didn’t look like a doctor.

The middle-aged man was sitting in a chair near the bed, having a conversation with Seo Taecheon. When Jiwoon listened carefully, he could make out what they were saying.

“That’s why I told you long ago to get married.”

“Dad, there you go again.”

Gasp…! That’s the Director’s father!

Lee Jiwoon was so shocked his eyes almost popped out. Seo Taecheon’s father, Seo Hyungho. He was the overall owner of the Sehwa Resort & Hotel Group, which meant he was the towering chairman to Lee Jiwoon.

He’s the highest-ranking person in the entire company…!

To someone like Lee Jiwoon, who was still considered a rookie, he felt like an enormous mountain. And yet, of all people, he had married that chairman’s son.

Lee Jiwoon suddenly found the whole situation extremely awkward. What should he do? Should he enter the hospital room or not?

But as he listened in, the father and son were talking about marriage.

“This time, just go on the blind date. She’s the youngest daughter of Samgyeong Logistics, a very smart and respectable omega. You’ll definitely like her once you meet.”

A blind date…? With a respectable omega…?!

A vein throbbed visibly on Lee Jiwoon’s forehead.

Excuse me. How can a married man be going on blind dates?

He decided to throw caution to the wind. He flung the hospital room door open and strode right in.

Chairman Seo Hyungho frowned and looked at Lee Jiwoon.

“…Who are you?”

Lee Jiwoon had no idea how to introduce himself to the bewildered chairman.

Me? If I had to say… well….

He had burst in with such boldness, but now he didn’t know what to say.

“He’s my omega.”

At Seo Taecheon’s words, Seo Hyungho’s eyes widened. Lee Jiwoon clapped a hand over his mouth in shock.

“What? Taecheon, he’s… he’s your omega?”

Chairman Seo turned sharply and stared directly at Lee Jiwoon.

“Uh… yes. I-I’m… the deputy director’s omega.”

Lee Jiwoon awkwardly went along with it. He hadn’t expected Seo Taecheon to acknowledge their relationship first, but it was the truth regardless.

“So… you’re dating…?”

“Uh… we’ve… registered our marriage.”

“What?! You even registered the marriage?”

The chairman’s eyes widened in horror. Lee Jiwoon was terrified. Was it because of that morning drama he had watched a few days ago? He had a bias that, in this kind of situation, the omega would be mistreated and thrown out into the street.

It was just a drama, but he had such a tendency to get overly immersed.

Is this the part where he says, ‘You must break up with my son!’…?!

The tension reached its peak, and Lee Jiwoon’s hands trembled. This was different from when he met BBG’s mother. Back then, he had been more excited about the clichés. Now, he was simply afraid that something would blow up in his face.

Because his feelings toward BBG had changed in the meantime.

But something unexpected happened.

Chairman Seo’s expression, after hearing the shocking revelation, moved from confusion to surprise to disbelief. Then, gradually, he began to regain his composure. He paused, seeming deep in thought, then turned to his son and spoke.

“Taecheon, when on earth did you get married…? Are you saying you secretly got married without telling your father?”

“It hasn’t been long. I intended to tell you, but due to various circumstances, I couldn’t formally inform you.”

Chairman Seo stood blankly for a moment, then nodded. As the shock wore off, reason slowly returned.

“So you finally got married… After all my nagging, all my singing the marriage tune, you finally did it.”

In truth, it had been Chairman Seo’s lifelong wish for Seo Taecheon to settle down and start a family. Perhaps because he’d witnessed his own parents separate, Seo Taecheon had been adamantly disinterested in marriage and had rejected countless blind dates.

Chairman Seo had been extremely worried that he might live alone forever—but what was this? He not only found an omega on his own, but even registered their marriage. Turns out he was a shockingly decisive alpha.

In that way, he resembled Chairman Seo. Back in his youth, Seo Hyungho had also married purely for love, defying everyone’s opposition.

He and his wife had even held a secret wedding on their own. Remembering those days, Chairman Seo looked at his son’s face.

If it’s my son, he’s known for having high standards. Which must mean this omega is quite a catch, too. The chairman nodded.

“Well then, come over to the house for a meal tomorrow.”