The Villain Who Became Pregnant With The Alpha’s Child - Chapter 23

Kang Ha-Joon, who opened his eyes, stood up before waking up completely. He couldn’t lie down because he was afraid everything that happened last night was a dream.

The conversation ended yesterday when Eun-Yul accepted an offer to stay with him for three months. Nothing related to the past was mentioned except debt.

After finding out which room to stay in, he picked up Ha-Neul. He thought he would go into the room immediately, but he took Ha-Neul, who woke up for a while and showed him around the house.

<You can use this bathroom. You can drink water here and…>

He felt strange when he woke up in the morning and saw Ha-Neul explaining it to him so that he wouldn’t feel unfamiliar with it because it was a new place. He couldn’t take his eyes off him even though he knew Eun-Yul had changed.

Eun-Yul entered the room like that. He sat down the whole time and closed his eyes for a moment in case he said he would change his mind.

Kang Ha-Joon, rubbing his sore eyes a few times, lingered in front of the door.

‘7 o’clock.’

Considering the time Eun-Yul went in, it’s early, so he doesn’t know if he’s already up. Kang Ha-Joon, who was thinking about knocking on the door, leaned on the wall next to the door.

“Whoa.”

It was difficult to deal with Eun-Yul after revealing that he knew everything. It wasn’t because he gave birth to Ha-Neul. Eun-Yul laughs well and jokes often, but he has a strange sense of distance.

Even when he asked to protect Ha-Neul, he said nothing about himself. He didn’t let himself in because he was not worried about what would happen while commuting to and from the restaurant.

The line was so clear that there was no cause for invasion. It was not that he had any love for Eun-Yul, and he couldn’t use Ha-Neul as an excuse to trap him.

“Three months.”

All he could do now was do his best in that time.

Kang Ha-Joon, who had organized his thoughts to some extent, stood at the door again. He was going to knock on the door and ask them if they want to eat breakfast if there was no response.

He raised his hand like that, but the door opened before he could knock. He wondered if he spoke to himself loudly. Kang Ha-Joon, who thought he would face Eun-Yul’s dissatisfied eyes, paused and showed signs of bewilderment.

When he opened the door, he thought there was no one, but a small child rubbed his eyes and came out.

It was Ha-Neul.

“Sigh…”

“…Hello, Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

He couldn’t say hello. Because the child has already left the room and passed by Kang Ha-Joon.

“Good morning.”

Ha-Neul, who only threw greetings without waking up, entered the bathroom. Kang Ha-Joon walked very carefully toward the bathroom.

Judging by the sound of water flushing, did he have to go straight to the bathroom because he was in a hurry?

He took a quick look and saw that the door wasn’t closed. Then Kang Ha-Joon realized where Ha-Neul was and suddenly stood in front of the bathroom.

He climbs up on the step, takes out his toothbrush, and squeezes out some toothpaste. He thought it was stupid to go that far alone, but he started brushing his teeth while looking in the mirror.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…”

Ha-Neul had a hard time pronouncing because he had a toothbrush in his mouth, but he could count the numbers by mixing Korean and English. It seemed like he was counting the number of times he brushed one side.

He brushed his molars, front teeth, the inside of his teeth, and even his tongue, and then rinsed his mouth with a cup of water. Then, after washing his face, he came down and buried his face in a towel.

Ha-Neul woke up completely refreshed and came out of the bathroom. Kang Ha-Joon looked at the bathroom without following Ha-Neul passing by. He just brushed his teeth and washed his face alone, right?

It wasn’t something he had tried once or twice. But does a 5-year-old usually do it alone? Kang Ha-Joon, who didn’t know because he had never raised a child, tilted his head and looked for Ha-Neul.

He wondered where he went, he drank water and went up to the chair to look in the refrigerator. While checking what was inside, he turned his head and made eye contact with him.

Just as he thought he was seeing himself properly now, Ha-Neul pointed to the refrigerator.

“I want to eat strawberries. Can you wash it for me?”

“…Okay.”

He asked him to do it, but why can’t he do it himself?

Kang Ha-Joon went behind Ha-Neul and looked into the refrigerator. The manager said he put in this and that, and it was quite generous. When he picked up the strawberry pack, Ha-Neul jumped down from the chair. He pushes the chair to the table and even sits nicely.

He didn’t know what just happened. Amazingly, a child who isn’t even half his height is moving around. As he stayed still thinking about it, Ha-Neul looked back.

“I heard strawberries are good in the morning. It’s good for your skin and helps you avoid catching a cold. So it’s okay to eat.”

Ha-Neul seemed to have accepted that the reason why Kang Ha-Joon didn’t move was because he was wondering if he could eat strawberries.

“Yes. Strawberries are good for you.”

Then he heard a voice still feeling sleepy. It was Eun-Yul, who had just woken up and came out squirming.

He went to the opposite side of Ha-Neul without even thinking of opening his closed eyes and fell face down on the table.

“But Dad knows. Why does Haneul want to eat strawberries?”

Playfulness was hidden in Eun-Yul’s drooping words.

“Because you’re the strawberry prince.”

“Ah.”

“You can eat apples in the morning, but the prince’s choice is strawberries. Strawberries are good for your skin? No, because Ha-Neul loves strawberries.”

“Ugh. I got caught.”

Ha-Neul wrapped his cheeks and pretended to be surprised, and fell on the table like Eun-Yul. It was a peaceful morning as they were giggling while making eye contact.

Except for the dazed Kang Ha-Joon,

The 5-year-old washed his face alone, but his dad was being lazy. Is it weird for him to think that it’s too natural?

How did this happen?

He felt like he had entered a strange country.

***

When breakfast was over, including strawberries, Ha-Neul looked at his clothes.

“You can take off your clothes. I left a change of clothes in the room.”

Eun-Yul told him as he was about to drink his coffee as if he had read Ha-Neul’s inner feelings. Then Ha-Neul took off his clothes on the spot, put them in a basket in front of the laundry room and ran to the room.

“Do you usually do that alone at that age?”

“There may be some who do and some who don’t.”

Kang Ha-Joon, who confirmed that he was not thinking wrong about Eun-Yul’s answer, asked.

“Did you teach him to do it alone?”

“Yes.”

Eun-Yul looked up as Kang Ha-Joon was nodding his head.

“Ask everything.”

“….”

“You have to know about Ha-Neul anyway. You don’t have to think if it is okay to ask.”

Eun-Yul needs to be faster to read Kang Ha-Joon’s expression. He can’t believe he was keeping his mouth shut while looking at his eyes full of questions.

Eun-Yul said as if he was piercing the blockage, Kang Ha-Joon asked as soon as he came to mind.

“Don’t adults usually brush their teeth?”

“I do it at night and go to the dentist every three months to check for cavities and apply fluoride. He developed cavities when he was 2 years old, and I’m still watching it. The doctor says it’s being managed well.”

He may not know how anxious Eun-Yul was as he went in and out of the dentist until he left Ha-Neul to brush his teeth alone.

“That’s amazing.”

Eun-Yul flinched at the admiration that came with Kang Ha-Joon’s smile. He fixed his eyes on his coffee and turned the subject around.

He was proud of Ha-Neul because he was doing it alone.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

“A strawberry prince?”

“Yes, he likes strawberries the best. He likes strawberries, kiwis, and mangoes, and I have to peel the skin and remove the seeds on it for him to eat.”

Eun-Yul spoke quickly without making eye contact with Kang Ha-Joon.

“He doesn’t like apples and pears because they are hard, and he doesn’t like cherry tomatoes because he vomited after eating them. It is helpful to memorize his favorite fruits.”

“Okay, it is easy to remember.”

Kang Ha-Joon drank coffee like Eun-Yul.

“It’s easy to remember?”

“Yes.”

He looked at him and didn’t ask any more questions. He seemed to know why without him having to ask. Contrary to Ha-Neul, Eun-Yul liked crunchy apples. So didn’t Grandma Lim Bong-Soon say that he should buy different types of fruit?

Eun-Yul stood up with a cup of coffee that he had finished drinking. He put the glass down in the sink and turned around, opened the refrigerator, looked inside, and closed it again.

“I had a good breakfast.”

Eun-Yul stood looking at Kang Ha-Joon before passing him.

“I ate with Ha-Neul today because I thought he might feel awkward, but I don’t usually eat breakfast. Anyway, I ate today, so I’ll prepare it for you too next time.”

It meant giving only what you received. Kang Ha-Joon’s eyes sank as he felt the distance again.

“When I get used to this place, can you come to the restaurant?”

Kang Ha-Joon smiled as if his heart was loosened at Eun-Yul’s question. He felt pathetic, wondering what he had hoped for.

“I’ll pick you up later. Give me food then.”

One step.

He wasn’t going to ask for much, but he was going to take a step closer.

Eun-Yul nodded, went to the room and paused. Standing for a while, he looked back and asked what came to his mind.

“Do you eat eggplants?”

Kang Ha-Joon responded by twisting his eyebrows.