MHD - 33

Chapter 33: Little Wriggler

“…It seems to be about seven weeks along.”  

The gynecologist didn’t offer congratulations. Instead, her curious gaze lingered on Hee-soo, waiting for a reaction.  

It was understandable—sitting before her was a mother far too young.  

Hee-soo, who had just turned twenty, looked so youthful that anyone would naturally assume she was still a student.  

“Ah…”  

For a moment, Hee-soo couldn’t say anything in response to the doctor’s words.  

Pregnancy.  

It was an unforeseen variable she had never even considered.  

That night with Jae-hyuk had been chaotic; both of them were inexperienced and lacked any knowledge of contraception.  

Jae-hyuk, his face flushed red, had fumbled with the foil packet in a panic. But neither of them knew how to use it properly.  

He was overly excited, and she was overwhelmed by the act itself.  

The doctor’s gaze lingered somewhere on the ultrasound screen, as if reconfirming Hee-soo’s age.  

“For a moment, I thought you were a minor. You look so young.”  

The doctor eventually smiled at Hee-soo, but Hee-soo could only blink blankly in return.  

“…Um, so what happens now?”  

Her naive question prompted the doctor to look at her again, this time with slight concern.  

“Does the baby’s father know?”  

“The baby’s father…”  

Hee-soo felt as though her brain had frozen. She couldn’t form any words.  

Jae-hyuk was in the military. His next leave was uncertain, and on the night they met during his last leave, Jeong Chul had dragged her away and threatened her never to see Jae-hyuk again.  

“For now, let’s check the heartbeat.”  

As Hee-soo remained silent, the female doctor moved the ultrasound device over her abdomen once more.  

“The… heartbeat?”  

She stammered in confusion, and soon, a rhythmic sound filled the examination room.  

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.  

“Do you see the movement here?”  

The doctor pointed to a spot on the monitor. Hee-soo’s gaze followed the doctor’s finger. Something tiny was wriggling faintly.  

“Is that the baby?”  

“That’s the baby’s heartbeat moving.”  

It was hard to believe there was life inside her—and yet, it was moving so vigorously. The sensation was surreal.  

Meanwhile, the baby’s heartbeat continued to echo, fierce and determined.  

Almost as if it were pleading to be acknowledged.  

“The heartbeat sounds good, but since you mentioned spotting, I’ll prescribe some medication to prevent miscarriage. Next time you come in, we’ll be able to see the gestational sac more clearly. And the baby inside it too.”  

The doctor’s words barely registered. Hee-soo’s attention was entirely consumed by the thumping sound of the baby’s heartbeat and the black-and-white image on the monitor.  

“Come back in two weeks.”  

As Hee-soo left the examination room, the doctor added one more remark behind her.  

“Next time, bring the baby’s father with you.”  

When Hee-soo turned to look at her, the doctor gave a faint smile and nodded gently.  

Her compassionate expression seemed to say, Don’t bear this alone.  

At the payment counter, Hee-soo was handed an ultrasound photo and a maternity handbook. She quickly stuffed them into her bag without looking.  

In the obstetrics clinic, there wasn’t a single woman her age. All the others appeared to be at least in their late twenties or older.  

“Would you like to schedule your next appointment?”  

To the nurse’s question, Hee-soo absentmindedly replied, “Yes, yes,” while her eyes wandered around the room. Spotting another visibly pregnant woman nearby, she turned back to the nurse.  

“I’ll call later to make an appointment.”  

“Alright, please do.”  

Hurrying out of the hospital, Hee-soo wandered aimlessly through the streets.  

Pregnant. What was she supposed to do now?  

After leaving Jae-hyuk’s house, Hee-soo had been drifting from one small lodging to another.  

Her sole source of income was a part-time job at a convenience store. Though she had boldly declared her intention to pursue acting, she hadn’t achieved anything yet.  

She barely managed to practice acting using free online videos, unable to afford proper lessons.

Hee-soo’s only skill was ballet, but at her age—just out of high school—with a lackluster career, making a living from it seemed far-fetched.  

Struggling even to take care of herself, pregnancy felt like an insurmountable burden.  

Should she reach out to Director Yeon? Would he help her if he knew the truth?  

Lost in thought, Hee-soo suddenly shook her head. The memory of Yoon Ji-sun coldly turning away from her that night—and before that, Lee Jung-chul glaring at her as if ready to kill—flashed through her mind.  

“What if you’re pregnant?”  

That threat had been just words back then, but now it had become an unbearable reality.  

Looking back, the “soil” for this baby had already been growing inside her even at that time. The more she thought about it, the more absurd laughter bubbled up inside her.  

Dragging her feet, Hee-soo returned home, dropped her bag, and collapsed onto the narrow bed in her tiny room.  

She hadn’t told Jae-hyuk about living in such a place when he was on leave. Instead, she had smiled and lied, saying her family sent her plenty of money for living expenses.  

Jae-hyuk had asked multiple times if it was true, but she had brushed him off, telling him not to worry. What else could she say to someone who claimed he’d desert the military just to be with her?  

It had been the right decision.  

If she had accepted any help from Jae-hyuk, she wouldn’t have been able to face Lee Jung-chul so defiantly that night.  

Lying there, staring at the ceiling, every possible worry flooded her mind.  

What should I do now? Once my belly starts showing, everyone will know. No, even before that, how will I survive? How will I earn money?  

The best option would’ve been to never get pregnant in the first place—or perhaps to terminate the pregnancy by any means necessary.  

But what if she didn’t?  

It was hopeless. Imagining herself swollen with child like the women she saw at the clinic painted a bleak future.  

Once her belly grew, she wouldn’t be able to keep her convenience store job. How would she make ends meet?  

How nice it would be to have someone to confide in. For a fleeting moment, Hee-soo thought of Kim Po-dak, but sighed deeply.  

After being chased out of Jae-hyuk’s house, she hadn’t contacted anyone from his family.  

She assumed Kim Po-dak was ultimately just one of Lee Jung-chul’s employees.  

Ironically, even in this situation, she couldn’t bring herself to think of her parents as someone to lean on.  

Parents? Ha. I’m truly alone in this world.  

Lost in these thoughts, she suddenly remembered the fierce beating of her baby’s heart inside her.  

Hee-soo sat up and gently stroked her stomach.  

“…Are you really in there?”  

Was this real? Reflecting for a moment, she recalled the relentless thumping of her baby’s heartbeat.  

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.  

The sound of the baby’s heartbeat lingered in her mind.  

Her wavering emotions swirled, but one thing became clear: when the baby was born, she’d have one more member in her family.  

Not an adopted family or someone who felt like family after years together—but her very own blood relative.  

Family.  

If the baby was born, it would truly become hers—Seo Hee-soo’s complete, real family.  

Ah, I must protect this child.  

With that resolution, her first task became clear. She decided to tell Jae-hyuk everything. But she’d have to wait until he called her from the military.  

“The next time, come with the baby’s father.”  

The doctor had said that, and regardless, pregnancy wasn’t something she could handle alone.  

Though Lee Jung-chul terrified her, if she stood with Jae-hyuk, perhaps he wouldn’t dare harm her. And maybe, just maybe, he’d offer some minimal support since it was his bloodline.  

Hee-soo tried to spin a hopeful narrative in her mind.  

Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out the maternity handbook. On one of the blank pages next to the ultrasound photo, it read: Write a message to your baby here.  

She hesitated to write directly in the space, feeling oddly shy. Instead, she flipped the ultrasound photo over and scribbled a note on the back.  

“Baby, hello. This feels awkward. My name is Seo Hee-soo. I’m going to be your mom.”  

Re-reading her words, she closed the handbook.  

When Jae-hyuk called, she’d ask for his military address. She’d visit him and show him the ultrasound photo. A small smile crept onto her lips.  

She remembered how earnestly Jae-hyuk had proposed they officially date.  

Surely, he’d be thrilled.  

You’ll love it, won’t you?  

Exhausted, Hee-soo closed her eyes and lay back down. She needed at least an hour of sleep before her shift to make it through the day.  

And then, one night not long after…  

On her way back from work, Hee-soo was hit by a hit-and-run driver. When she regained consciousness in the hospital, she had already lost the baby.

So, there was no longer any need to tell Jae-hyuk. That’s why she didn’t answer his calls.  

Not just then—ever since.  

---  

“Hik... No, it can’t be.”  

When Hee-soo opened her eyes in the morning, she couldn’t figure out how long she had been crying.  

In her dream, she had been weeping so vividly that it felt as though it had just happened. She couldn’t tell whether she was still dreaming or if she had already woken up.  

Even after sitting up from her bed, Hee-soo remained seated for a while, waiting for reality to sink in.  

The scene from the gynecologist’s office, where she had been told about her pregnancy, replayed vividly in her mind. And with it came the emotions she had felt back then—the joy of realizing she would have a family, only to lose it all too soon.  

It was a cruel dream.  

After being rushed to the hospital, Hee-soo had bled endlessly. Every time she dreamed of it, she relived the devastation she had felt back then, as vividly as if it were yesterday.  

Only after enduring the entire ordeal could she finally wake up.  

For the past ten years, she had occasionally dreamed of the baby who had stayed in her womb for just a couple of months. It always felt like a warning from the child not to forget.  

Vibrate.  

The phone on her nightstand buzzed, pulling her back to reality.  

On the screen, it read: President Cha Joo-won.  

“Hello?”  

“Yeah, Hee-soo? Sorry to call so early in the morning.”  

Cha Joo-won sounded unusually gentle—so unlike his usual self that it startled her. Normally, he would’ve shouted first and asked questions later, but today his tone was strangely soft.  

“It’s fine. What is it?”  

“Well… you remember the audition for Director Bang’s project?”  

Did I pass? Is that why he’s acting so different?  

“You didn’t get the part,” he said bluntly.  

Oh, I didn’t. But then why is he being so… strange?  

“But Kang Jae-min called.”  

“What? Really?”  

Hee-soo reacted instinctively, her surprise spilling out before she could stop herself.  

“Yeah. He really wants to see you. He says he wants you to take the lead role in his new film.”  

“…Wow.”  

Hee-soo let out a sigh-like exclamation, her grip loosening on the phone until it slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.