IWSF – Ch 245

Hyun-joo noona looked at Taek-gyu and said.

“Lower your voice, it’s noisy.”

Judging by her reaction, it seemed Ellie hadn’t known either. If even her closest aide didn’t know, it’s safe to assume that no one in the company knew.

Although I didn’t shout, I was equally shocked. I never imagined that the word “pregnant” would come out of Hyun-joo noona’s mouth.

So that’s why she even quit smoking?

Come to think of it, the coffee in front of her was untouched. She usually drinks coffee like water, but she hadn’t even touched it today.

“Then, the reason you’ve been leaving work early and disappearing is…?”

“I’m going to Seosung Hospital these days.”

Gangnam Seosung Hospital has good facilities and strict security for VIP patients. And it’s close from here.

Our gazes all turned to one place. Then Hyun-joo noona subtly stroked her belly.

“It’s starting to swell a little, but it’s not really noticeable yet. I won’t be able to wear these clothes for a while though.”

That means it’s roughly 4 or 5 months along?

Taek-gyu said, sounding dumbfounded.

“What, what? Then it’s been quite a while. How can you get pregnant before even getting married?”

Hyun-joo noona said coolly.

“Well, it worked out well. I always thought I wanted to have a child even if I didn’t get married. I kept postponing it, using being busy with work as an excuse, but I felt like if not now, I might not have another chance.”

In this day and age, premarital pregnancy is nothing new.

There’s a more important question than that. But asking might be rude, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

While I was thinking that, Taek-gyu asked directly.

“Whose baby is it?”

“Whose baby would it be? It’s my baby.”

“No, I mean who’s the baby’s father?”

He asked again, but Hyun-joo noona gave the same answer.

“It’s my child, isn’t that enough?”

I poked his side, signaling him to stop asking. But Taek-gyu didn’t stop questioning.

“Why, why can’t you say? D-don’t tell me the partner is married or something like that?”

Please just shut up!

Should I choke him unconscious?

“It’s so hard for a woman to raise a child alone!”

“What’s hard about it?”

“Well…”

It’s obviously hard to raise a child alone while working, even if you have two parents. But money solves all problems.

Hyun-joo noona’s annual salary is tens of millions of dollars. And she holds 3 percent of OTK Company shares. With that much, she doesn’t need to worry about the money for raising a child at all.

Social perception and how much time she can spend with the child are separate issues, though.

In our country, people immediately look at single mothers with prejudice, but not all countries are like that.

Developed European countries recognize various forms of families. Having children without marriage, cohabitation, dating freely, and so on.

Even the former French president cohabited with a divorced woman without getting married. And not only that, he was even caught secretly having an affair with an actress while living with his de facto partner.

In Korea, people were shocked, wondering how a president of a country could do this, but the French people, on the other hand, were mostly unconcerned, saying that the president’s official duties and private life were separate.

Thinking about it, it’s probably stranger for Korea to set a framework for a ‘normal family’ and then look negatively at those who deviate from that standard.

Anyway, if she doesn’t want to tell us, there’s no point in keep pressing her.

Ellie, who had been quietly listening for a while, said with a hint of disappointment.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You could have told me, right?”

“Sorry. I tried to tell you a few times, but the timing wasn’t right.”

Hyun-joo noona apologized, but Ellie deliberately put on a sulky expression as if she wasn’t appeased.

“Is the baby healthy?”

“Yeah. I was a bit worried because I didn’t know I was pregnant in the early stages and smoked and overworked, but thankfully there are no problems.”

“Usually, you find out through your menstrual cycle, don’t you?”

“You know, I have irregular periods. For the first month, I just thought I skipped it.”

“That’s all because of overwork and stress. My period also becomes irregular when I’m under a lot of stress. And my period cramps get worse too.”

It’s very embarrassing to listen to this from the side. Is it okay to talk about this kind of thing with men sitting next to you?

Unlike the composed Hyun-joo noona, Taek-gyu was still in confusion.

“Do Mom and Dad know?”

Hyun-joo noona shook her head.

“Not yet. I’ll tell them separately later, so keep your mouth shut until then.”

***

We returned to the company.

Taek-gyu kept muttering.

“Who is it? Who could it be? If I catch him, I won’t let him off.”

“…….”

What are you going to do?

“Aren’t you curious?”

Of course, I’m curious too. But even if we put our heads together, it’s not like anything will come out of it.

After a while, Ellie subtly came over to us. The three of us put our heads together and talked.

“First of all, it’s something to celebrate that a baby is on the way…”

“That’s that, but we need to know who the baby’s father is.”

I thought for a moment and then shook my head.

“But isn’t this Hyun-joo noona’s personal matter? Isn’t it rude to excessively interfere in someone else’s private life?”

Then Taek-gyu said confidently.

“I’m not ‘someone else,’ I’m her younger brother. Family is different.”

Listening to him, he was right. I’m an outsider, but he’s not.

“Ah, really? Then shall I help too?”

Ellie also actively stepped forward.

“I’ll help too.”

Taek-gyu asked.

“Do you think Noona told him about the pregnancy?”

Ellie shook her head.

“Well, I don’t know who he is, but knowing Jessica’s personality, it’s highly likely she didn’t tell him.”

“Probably so, right?”

Let’s think about it.

Why didn’t Hyun-joo noona tell us about the baby’s father? Is there really a reason she can’t tell us?

Judging from various circumstances, it doesn’t seem like she’s dating anyone. In that case……?

The first person that came to mind was Henry.

When we talked last time, he was also hiding something. Did something really happen between them?

Another thing that bothered me was the man Ellie mentioned. Who is the man who came to see Hyun-joo noona at the company and the hotel?

Ellie said.

“I’ll find out who that man is. I know the date and time he visited the company, so I’ll be able to find his name.”

“Okay.”

First, I need to talk to Henry.

***

I called Henry to the CEO’s office again.

“What is it, sir?”

“I just have a few questions for you.”

As I felt last time, his expression looks dark.

I casually asked, as if in passing.

“Did you sleep with Hyun-joo noona, by any chance?”

At my words, Henry flinched in surprise.

“H-how did you know?”

This time, it was Taek-gyu’s turn to be shocked.

“Wh-what? You really slept with her?”

Only then did Henry realize his mistake.

“You bastard! How dare you to my sister!”

I grabbed Taek-gyu, who was about to pounce.

“Stay still, you idiot.”

Henry lowered his head with an expression as if he had committed a sin.

After a moment, Taek-gyu, having calmed his breathing, said with a stern expression like a father-in-law.

“I’ll ask you just one thing. Do you still like our sister?”

Henry nodded weakly.

“Of course. I’ve thought I should forget her countless times, but my heart still goes out to her.”

“Then please tell us honestly what happened between you two. That’s the only way we can help, right?”

Henry hesitated at my words, then opened his mouth with a long sigh.

“Actually, that day……”

***

Hyun-joo paused her work and stood by the window, looking out. Cars filled Tehran Street below.

Gently placing her hand on her stomach, she surprisingly felt what seemed like the baby’s movements inside.

It was still okay now, but as time passed, it would become harder to come to work and work. She would also have to take maternity leave around the time of childbirth.

Therefore, she had to assign responsible persons and distribute work in advance so that there would be no problems even when the branch manager was absent.

She was also a bit worried about after giving birth.

Will I really be able to balance work and childcare well?

Hyun-joo recalled past events.

Her last proper relationship was in college. After finishing her MBA program and joining Golden Gate, busy days continued for several years, to the point where she didn’t even have time to sleep.

After that, she had a little more free time, and there were men who approached her or confessed their feelings, but it didn’t progress to dating.

She had become accustomed to being alone, and didn’t really feel lonely or want to date.

But that day, something was a bit different.

Looking back now, it seems several reasons combined to cause it.

First of all, Ellie and Jin-hoo looked so good together, and she felt envious. And maybe because she had dressed up and come to the party for the first time in a while, she was in high spirits.

Henry, who escorted her as her partner, was handsome and refined enough to catch any woman’s eye.

It wasn’t just her who felt that way; women at the party glanced at Henry and talked to him.

But he politely refused everyone and kept staying by her side.

That appearance somehow felt reliable, and even the envious and jealous glances from other women felt good.

Around midnight, the party ended, and everyone went home.

Since Henry and she were staying at the same hotel, they returned together in the same car. But as they were about to arrive at the hotel, she felt it was a shame to go straight in.

So they had another drink together at a bar near the hotel. They had known each other for a long time, but it was the first time they had drinks alone together.

They talked about various things while sipping their drinks.

Normally, she would never drink to the point of getting drunk. But the drinking session was very enjoyable, and maybe because of that, she drank more than her usual limit.

Henry escorted the drunk her to her room door. As she was about to say thank you, Henry suddenly hugged her and kissed her.

At that moment, it felt like fireworks went off in her head.

When she broke the kiss and opened her eyes, she saw Henry looking flustered and unsure what to do.

He tried to say something, but this time she kissed first. And immediately took him into the room.

The next day, she got up and went to work as if nothing had happened, but her heart was pounding intensely.

When men and women meet, they can date, and they can sleep together.

Hyun-joo didn’t attach much significance to the one-night stand. So, she asked Henry to forget about yesterday and not tell anyone.

But Henry immediately confessed his feelings, as if he was trying to take responsibility for his actions.

From then on, her worries began.

Is it okay for me to date Henry?

The difference in nationality and race wasn’t a problem at all. But the age difference and their respective positions bothered her.

He was a young man seven years younger than her, and also the heir to James C. Goldman. (OTK Company and Golden Gate employees don’t know this). He would probably inherit Golden Gate within a few years.

Moreover, there were many people around them involved. If they dated and broke up badly, there could be problems professionally.

Above all, she herself didn’t know how she felt. She needed time to sort out her thoughts and feelings.

Fortunately or unfortunately, business trips and busy work coincided, and they didn’t have time to meet and talk. In the meantime, she found out she was pregnant.

Hyun-joo sighed.

‘I should have used contraception.’

It wasn’t a motel, it was a 5-star hotel. There was no way contraception would be prepared.

He had offered to go out and buy some, but she had stopped him. She didn’t want to break the mood at that moment. And they both enjoyed that time more than anything.

‘But to think I’d get pregnant so easily like this.’

They say there are so many men and women in the world suffering from infertility, but it seems she wasn’t one of them.

It was absurd and ridiculous that things had turned out this way from one night, but on the other hand, she felt a sense of relief that things had turned out this way.

She had never really thought about marriage or starting a family, but she definitely wanted to have a child.

Marriage could wait until she was older, but the time she could have children was limited. Just as she was starting to feel a sense of crisis, this happened to her.

Having a baby was joyful, but Henry worried her. They had only spent one night together, but if he found out about the pregnancy, he would try to take responsibility somehow.

Wanting to have a child was her own desire. Because of that, she didn’t want to place unnecessary responsibility on the other person.

She was confident that she could raise the child alone.

But this wasn’t something she could hide forever. The child to be born would be mixed-race, and he would find out that he was the father.

So she kept thinking that she had to tell him, but……

Hyun-joo slightly bit her lip.

‘How on earth am I supposed to tell him this?’