How to Have a Baby Secretly - C3

 

When did he arrive?

Startled by Director Kang Jinwook’s silent appearance, Sunwoo hid the printed paper behind his back.

“What’s that?”

Of course, that caught Director Kang Jinwook’s attention.

“It’s nothing!”

Sunwoo shook his head vigorously. Director Kang Jinwook’s intimidating gaze made him tense up automatically.

What if he suddenly loses his temper and becomes violent? Remember, Director Kang Jinwook is an obsessive tyrant. You never know when he might snap and change completely.

It’s always wise to be careful with words and actions in front of a madman.

“Get your act together and work.”

Fortunately, Director Kang Jinwook quickly lost interest in the resignation letter Sunwoo was holding. He just made one cold remark and went into his office.

“Phew… I thought I was caught.”

Sunwoo sighed, looking in the direction where Director Kang Jinwook had disappeared.

But why did I hide it?

Belatedly, he found it a bit funny. After all, he’d have to give the resignation letter to Director Kang Jinwook if he wanted to quit.

‘Well, I won’t be seeing him anymore anyway. No need to act properly.’

Sunwoo playfully waved the resignation letter in his hand before putting it down on the desk.

Even if I’m quitting, I should work for now!

* * *

Sunwoo’s steps towards the pantry came to an abrupt halt. The murmuring voices from inside sounded ominous.

“I told you he did it on purpose.”

“Right. I heard he collapsed dramatically in front of the director?”

“Yeah. I was startled by some noise and went to check. And there he was, face down on the floor!”

“Oh my! What a scene. So what did they say at the hospital?”

“What else? Just that he briefly lost consciousness from overexertion.”

It sounded like two people, and from their conversation, it seemed they were talking about him.

“Him? What overexertion? Ah…! Maybe he overdid it at night?”

One voice continued with a mocking tone, which the other voice picked up.

“That might be it. Didn’t someone see him at a club before? Choi stumbling around drunk. For a Beta, he looked just like an Omega in heat.”

“Heat? With that face? He’s clearly a Beta.”

The two laughed loudly. Sunwoo scratched his cheek with his index finger.

He had come to check on the office supplies and tidy up the pantry as Secretary Jo had instructed.

But hearing this, it would be awkward to go in now. His personality wouldn’t allow him to act brazen either.

Sunwoo scratched his cheek again and turned back without regret. He could do that later.

As Sunwoo returned to his desk and zoned out for a moment, Secretary Jo and an unfamiliar woman appeared in the secretarial office.

‘They must have come from the pantry.’

As he thought this, his eyes met Secretary Jo’s. She raised an eyebrow briefly before nonchalantly going to sit at her desk.

She seemed unaware that Sunwoo had overheard their conversation. Of course, Sunwoo had no intention of confronting them about why they said such things there.

Sunwoo just glanced at the door to Director Kang Jinwook’s office.

‘Should I submit it right away without wasting more time?’

No. It doesn’t seem right to do this so soon after arriving at work. I should hand it in right before leaving? That way, I won’t receive any dirty looks and can leave with peace of mind. But should I give the resignation letter directly to Director Kang Jinwook? Or to Secretary Jo, my senior?

‘Secretary Jo would probably be better.’

Having worked steadily at his first job, Sunwoo found himself worrying about how to resign properly.

‘What’s this?’

‘It’s my resignation letter.’

‘Resignation letter? You dare to shove this in my face? Get out immediately.’

Somehow, Sunwoo imagined this scenario if he handed the resignation letter to Director Kang Jinwook. Remembering Director Kang Jinwook’s cold glare from earlier, Sunwoo shuddered.

‘I’ll give it to Secretary Jo right before leaving work.’

That seemed like the best option. After making this decision, Sunwoo glanced sideways at Secretary Jo’s desk.

‘What does a typical secretary do?’

Earlier, Secretary Jo had told him to take care of the supplies, but now he was at a loss. He couldn’t ask “What should I do?” like a new employee.

Sunwoo tried to recall the novel. But it wasn’t much help. The story revolved around the protagonist, and unfortunately, the main character was the director, while the love interest was a new employee in the overseas business department.

However, his worries were quickly resolved. As soon as the clock struck 9, the phone next to Sunwoo rang, and that was the start.

All morning, Sunwoo had to answer calls from various departments looking for Director Kang Jinwook. Messages also came through the internal messenger.

Planning department, Marketing department, Sales department, various business units, etc. They all wanted to check meeting schedules with the executives from each department.

The email inbox was also overflowing, waiting to be checked. From breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings to various events and gatherings, and even invitations of unknown origin.

But the biggest problem was something else. Director Kang Jinwook kept calling for him. And for trivial reasons.

〈Bring coffee.〉

〈Get me water.〉

〈Newspaper.〉

〈Any mail?〉

〈Go to the General Affairs department and bring the ledger.〉

No lie, it felt like he was being called every 30 minutes. And every time Sunwoo entered the office after receiving a call, Director Kang Jinwook would always stare at him silently. Even when Sunwoo tried to avoid eye contact by looking at the floor, his face would feel hot.

‘Could he have found out about the resignation letter?’

Sunwoo suspected briefly but soon shook his head. If that were the case, Director Kang Jinwook wouldn’t have just quietly watched.

“Ugh.”

I’m dying.

After running around all morning as if even three bodies wouldn’t be enough, Sunwoo collapsed on his desk as soon as lunchtime came.

He had thought the editor’s job was hard, but the secretary’s work was no joke either. No, the most intense part was definitely Director Kang Jinwook’s trivial errands.

The fortunate thing was that, thanks to years of experience handling various tasks at the publishing company, Sunwoo was able to manage the work intuitively without Director Kang Jinwook or other employees noticing anything strange.

“Sunwoo, we’re going out for lunch.”

Secretary Jo left arm in arm with the employee she had been with in the pantry.

“Okay, enjoy your meal.”

Secretary Jo didn’t even pretend to invite Sunwoo along. They probably always went to eat together. Sunwoo had no intention of tagging along anyway.

‘That’s good, I guess.’

He had been used to skipping lunch due to the heavy workload. So one meal shouldn’t be a problem. As he thought this, he paused.

“You need to eat, though.”

Sunwoo muttered, looking down at his flat stomach. While he might be fine, he couldn’t skip meals considering the growing fetus.

After pondering for a moment, Sunwoo stood up, rubbing his belly. However, he failed to notice someone watching him as he left the secretarial office.

Sunwoo took the elevator down to the third floor. He remembered from the original story that there was a cafeteria there.

It was known for being cheap, generous in portions, and most importantly, famous for its delicious two-course meals offering a choice between Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisines.

Today, the options were Korean and Western. Sunwoo chose Korean without hesitation.

After filling his tray with rice, soup, and side dishes, he looked around. Secretary Jo and the other employee were nowhere to be seen, suggesting they had gone out to eat.

It was peak lunchtime, and almost no empty tables were visible.

Fortunately, Sunwoo spotted a vacant seat in a corner.

“Lim Haewon! Over here!”

Just as Sunwoo set his tray down, he heard someone calling out. His head automatically turned at the name. Lim Haewon was the name of the main love interest.

A radiant beauty, obviously an Omega at first glance, was just walking into the cafeteria. All eyes immediately turned to her.

Lim Haewon was a dominant Omega. Unlike the recessive Sunwoo, she could control her pheromones at will. It was said that Haewon could release her pheromones subtly, like perfume.

Sunwoo sniffed the air.

‘I can’t tell.’

Perhaps because there were no Alphas or Omegas in his pre-transported world, he couldn’t smell anything in the cafeteria except food. Feeling embarrassed, Sunwoo rubbed his nose.

“Come this way.”

“Haewon! There’s a seat here!”

Calls for Haewon came from all directions. Haewon, seemingly shy, looked around with a small smile. And finally, she started walking… Why is she coming this way?

Sunwoo panicked as Haewon drew closer. By then, Haewon had approached and greeted Sunwoo with her eyes.

“Is this seat available?”

Her voice was as gentle and pretty as befitting the main love interest. Sunwoo nodded unconsciously. As Haewon sat down, the remaining empty seats quickly filled up.

‘Talk about being on pins and needles.’

Sunwoo sighed, looking around at the group he had somehow ended up sitting with. Of all people, he was now eating in front of the main love interest. It was an unwelcome coincidence.

Sunwoo decided to eat quickly and leave. However, his plan didn’t go as intended.

“Ugh!”

As Sunwoo was about to take a spoonful of soup, he suddenly retched at the overpowering smell.

“Hey, what’s that about? We’re eating here.”

An annoyed voice came from right beside him. Sunwoo quickly bowed his head apologetically. Still, he couldn’t work on an empty stomach, so he tried to eat again.

“Urp!”

It was no use. His stomach only turned more. Sunwoo stood up with his tray, looking nauseated. He clenched his teeth tightly, afraid he might vomit otherwise.

Sunwoo managed to return his tray and hurried to the bathroom.

“Bleargh! Ack! Keck!”

Only water came out of his empty stomach. It was the same no matter how many times he heaved. Sunwoo, completely drained, clutched the toilet bowl.

“What… Why is this happening…”

His eyes were confused, unable to understand the reason. Then suddenly, Sunwoo realized something. One of the symptoms that pregnant women experience as the fetus grows.

Nausea and vomiting.

‘So this is morning sickness.’

Sunwoo stood up unsteadily, imagining the bleak future ahead of him. And then he came face to face with Director Kang Jinwook standing in front of the bathroom door.

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you look like that?”

Director Kang Jinwook’s face contorted upon seeing Sunwoo’s pale complexion.