NLFSD Chapter 108

Chapter 108 – Extra Episode 8

The meal had left him pleasantly full, yet even as night deepened, Seo Taecheon could not sleep. The soondae he’d eaten at dinner kept flickering across his mind. Perhaps because it was the first thing in a long while that suited his palate perfectly, he could not shake the craving.

…But it was already 1 a.m. Where would one find soondae at this hour? I’ll just drink some orange juice and sleep.

He checked that Jiwoon was sleeping soundly, then carefully rose. Opening the door as quietly as possible, he headed to the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator. Inside sat a 1.5‑liter bottle of orange juice.

He filled the largest cup in the house to the brim and downed it in a single draught. The sharp sourness thrilled him, but it didn’t fully satisfy.

Could I make it even more sour… maybe add lemon juice?

Sometimes the housekeeper stocked lemons. He rummaged through the mountain of mangoes — bought for Jiwoon — in the fruit drawer, hoping to find a lemon.

None. Nothing.

After searching several times with no luck, his desire for lemon only grew more urgent.

Right now, I want to pop a whole lemon into my mouth and chew it.

Standing in the dark kitchen with only the refrigerator light glowing, he found himself yearning for lemons. Footsteps sounded behind him. He turned with a start: there stood Jiwoon in pajamas.

“Taecheon, what are you doing?”

“Uh… I got thirsty.”

“You drank this entire bottle by yourself?”

Jiwoon stared at the empty PET bottle. This was a drink he hadn’t even known was in the house — likely something Taecheon had bought. Draining such a large bottle in the middle of the night was hardly ordinary.

“You know you’ve been acting strangely, right? What’s going on? Please, talk to me.”

Jiwoon’s face crumpled. Taecheon sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“…I don’t really know the reason myself.”

After a brief hesitation, he came clean.

“My stomach keeps feeling off and I only want sour things. To put it exactly, I can’t really eat anything else, so I stick to things I can get down — like orange juice. Sometimes I even feel like vomiting what I’ve eaten.”

“What? Vomiting?”

“All day I feel queasy. Honestly, no matter how many digestives I take, my stomach won’t settle.”

Jiwoon grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, gently stroking his broad back.

“It’ll be okay. You’ve been tired lately — it’s probably just a rough patch.”

“I want to believe that, too.”

I hope it’s nothing serious. I truly don’t want to worry you. If I’m to be responsible for you and Mango, I must not get sick.

So he thought to himself. Jiwoon patted him quietly, then spoke carefully.

“Let’s go to the hospital.”

“…Alright.”

Taecheon nodded.

“We’re off work tomorrow anyway for Mango’s checkup. Since the clinic also has internal medicine, let’s do your check after mine.”

“Good idea.”

“Then let’s stop worrying and sleep, shall we? Mango must be sleepy too.”

He kept reassuring Jiwoon to the end. It’s nothing, he said — at worst gastritis, or a stress‑related ulcer. He deliberately minimized it and changed the subject.

But the next day, he received a shocking diagnosis.

“Morning sickness…? I’m the one with morning sickness?”

“Yes. Classic morning sickness.”

Though Taecheon’s voice trembled, the doctor answered with firm certainty.

“I’ll say it again: the Alpha is experiencing couvade — surrogate morning sickness — in place of the Omega.”

“How is that possible…? I’m not the one carrying the baby.”

“It’s rare, but it does happen. The causes vary… one moment, let me check both of your labs.”

Skimming their charts, the doctor’s eyes widened.

“Oh — did you two… imprint?”

“Yes. Recently. We told the triage nurse earlier.”

“I missed that note. With imprinting, the odds of couvade go up. First, the Alpha’s instinct to protect the Omega’s body can unconsciously affect the nervous system. Also, when one has close, sustained contact with an imprinted Omega, the Alpha can sense the Omega’s stress and mistake it for their own. Then even after the Omega vents the stress, the Alpha absorbs it and manifests the physiological response instead. Morning sickness fits that pattern exactly.”

Jiwoon and Taecheon slapped their knees. It sounded scientifically plausible.

“Romantically put, it’s because you love them so much. ‘Let me suffer instead; let me have morning sickness in my Omega’s place.’ That sentiment shows up in the body. The human mind and body are far more tightly interwoven than we usually think.”

Taecheon nodded. That was exactly how he felt.

“Academically, there’s no standardized term yet for this couvade phenomenon, but it certainly exists. I didn’t expect to see it in one of my patients, though,” the doctor chuckled.

Relief loosened every muscle in Taecheon’s body.

I really do love Jiwoon. And thank goodness he hasn’t had morning sickness. I couldn’t bear this pain for him.

“Good. Now that we know the cause, that’s enough for me. Thank you for the explanation, Doctor.”

But Jiwoon felt differently. He was the one pregnant — why was the retching happening on the other side? He felt heavy‑hearted, guilty that he’d caused Taecheon trouble.

“Taecheon. You suffered because of me, didn’t you.”

“No. I’m glad it’s me instead of you. I want to keep taking the morning sickness.”

Watching the couple bicker tenderly, the doctor interjected.

“Let me offer medical advice. Are the two of you physically intimate often? For example, more frequently than once every three days with a single emission — as I recommended? Be candid.”

Jiwoon’s face flushed. Taecheon cleared his throat and spoke.

“To be honest, every day.”

“…In that case, your couvade symptoms will likely worsen. The more intensely you’re exposed to the Omega’s pheromones, the more the morning‑sickness response transfers. Please be cautious.”

After the visit, they stepped outside. Taecheon seemed to have shed his misgivings and looked brighter, but Jiwoon was dissatisfied with the situation.

“Darling, let’s not overdo it. Let’s go back to once every three days.”

“…What?”

“If we keep this up, you’ll have morning sickness right up to the due date. I don’t want you in pain.”

Jiwoon was grave. He had watched Taecheon grow gaunt and felt helpless to fix it — and now the cause was himself. Knowing that made his heart heavier.

“Jiwoon. Don’t think like that. I’m glad I can be sick in your place.”

“No. Let’s do as the doctor said. I’ll handle the morning sickness.”

“I refuse. I’ll take it.”

Their light sparring went on. Even at home, the debate continued, but one cannot win in a war of words with someone who has led at the top of a company. As a mere “new hire,” Jiwoon lost the discussion; Taecheon secured the right to make love every night — and the “privilege” of morning sickness.

Jiwoon decided to honor a husband determined to burn himself out for his sake.

Truthfully, Seo Taecheon was his heaven‑sent ideal type. He hadn’t known it before for lack of dating, but Jiwoon loved a powerful physique. He would gape in admiration at those broad shoulders and the iron chest that didn’t budge no matter how he prodded.

Above all, the most irresistible point was Taecheon’s thighs — thick, sculpted muscle. A joy to behold — and when Jiwoon was trapped between them, the pressure was exhilarating. Not to mention that between those legs rested a substantial, formidable “weapon” existing for him alone; how could he not fall to temptation again and again?

“Lee Jiwoon. You made me like this — take responsibility.”

When Taecheon slipped into casual imperative on the bed, Jiwoon grew excited all the faster.

“Tight as a drum. Relax.”

When that deep, rough voice turned commanding, heat flooded between his cheeks.

Embarrassing as it was, this seemed to be his kink. Jiwoon admitted his tastes were a little deviant: being scolded made him feel good — a serious condition.

No doubt after Mango was born, they could be even more uninhibited — he found himself already looking forward to that day.

What good deed did I do in a past life to meet such an inexhaustible Alpha? The shape that rose again and again, vein‑corded and fierce, looked fearsome — but when he took it in his mouth, sometimes it was sweeter than candy.

Jiwoon, too, could not forgo sex; the two came together at all hours. The morning sickness ebbed and swelled and continued on; at each checkup, the doctor scolded Taecheon anew.

These days, Taecheon still rose at night to raid the fridge for lemons. The sour juice burned an empty stomach, but he did not regret his choice.

Even if the body endures a bitter pain, the soul tastes a sweet happiness — that is no loss. With Jiwoon’s happiness added, it was a gain.

Spending these bittersweet days, Seo Taecheon was a very happy man indeed.