Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
“CEO, we’ll depart immediately.”
From that moment, Director Song’s golden race began. He skillfully navigated the highway without breaking any traffic laws.
“We might make it in an hour if we’re lucky.”
“Hurry.”
Dojun, sitting in the passenger seat, also seemed relieved once Director Song took the wheel. The problem was the taxi driver. He had spoken loudly, but thunder rumbled in his stomach, making him clench his teeth. No matter how much he tried to endure, the rapidly moving car interior offered him no solace. His wretched body was on the verge of collapsing, like popcorn thrown into hellfire.
“Ugh!”
“What is it?”
“My stomach... ugh!”
The taxi driver finally gripped the back of Dojun’s passenger seat. He impatiently tapped his feet like beating a drum, making Director Song frown.
“Don’t do that. It’s distracting my driving.”
“It’s not that, it feels like my stomach is tearing apart.”
“Ah, good grief!”
His writhing posture was no less dramatic than a woman in labor. Watching him, Dojun’s chest tightened. He reluctantly invoked his humanity and spoke to Director Song.
“Pull over where there’s a restroom for a moment.”
“There’s a gas station coming up soon.”
The taxi driver, unable to control his diarrhea, even started gagging. It was hard to watch him on the verge of passing out.
“Just hold on a little longer.”
A moment later, the taxi, which should have been running non-stop, came to a halt. The taxi driver, who jumped out of the back door, became an enraged bull, pushing past the gas station attendant and sprinting.
“Aargh!”
His shrieking scream was nothing short of agonizing. Just as Dojun sighed, Hyunseong called.
“I’m on my way now.”
-What time do you think you’ll arrive?
Director Song, who overheard the conversation, held up one index finger.
“One hour.”
-This is serious.
“Why?”
-Unnie is in so much pain... Ah, just a moment!
Hae-joo’s moans were clearly audible through the phone. Her voice, mixed with tears, made Dojun feel like his very soul was burning.
-CEO, Hae-joo unnie’s contractions suddenly shortened their interval.
“You’re on speakerphone, aren’t you?”
-Yes!
“Don’t hang up, leave it like this.”
-Understood.
Dojun clenched his fist towards the taxi driver who wasn’t returning. Just as he managed to suppress the urge to punch him, the taxi driver, his face pale yellow, stumbled back.
“I’m sorry. There was no toilet paper, so I had to wait for the gas station attendant.”
The taxi driver practically collapsed into the backseat. As they started driving again, a chilling sob was heard.
“Oh, huhuhu!”
“Now what?”
Director Song exclaimed, annoyed. The taxi driver, sobbing, clutched the passenger seat and squirmed.
“I’m sorry... I think it’s going to come out again.”
This time, Dojun’s anger exploded. He couldn’t hold back and roared.
“Hold it in!”
The passenger seat where Dojun sat was no different from a wailing wall for the taxi driver. In the helplessly speeding car, he bitterly lamented the raw fish he had eaten for dinner.
“That sashimi was once ‘Je t’aime’ but how did it become ‘J’ai des problèmes,’ huhuhu...”
Dojun was going crazy too. From his earpiece, he heard Hae-joo’s moans of childbirth, and from behind, the taxi driver was suffering excruciating pain. The torture from both sides made him furious.
“Hey, you! Shut up, please!”
-CEO?
“Not you, Hyunseong.”
-You scared me. Are you almost there?
“Yes, we’ve just entered Seoul.”
-Hae-joo unnie has gone into labor preparation now.
“Ah, this is driving me crazy.”
-I’ll hang up now.
The call ended, and the taxi driver was on the verge of death. He reached out a pathetic hand to the front seat and begged in a dying voice.
“Please, I beg you. Please let me go to the restroom.”
“The hospital is close, just hold on a little longer.”
As Director Song said, the hospital sign was visible in the distance. He drove like a maniac and first pulled the taxi up to the emergency room entrance.
“We’re here, so quickly to the restroom... Hey!”
Thud!
Before Director Song could even finish speaking, the taxi driver, having escaped the taxi, stormed into the hospital emergency room. He twisted his body, wailing as if he were about to die.
“Res-restroom!”
The taxi driver collapsed to his knees right where he stood. He no longer had the luxury of walking.
“My st-stomach hurts. Rest-restroom, please...”
This was the obstetrics and gynecology emergency room. Although the scenery was slightly different from a general hospital, the taxi driver couldn’t see anything like that. Nurses, who grabbed him, recognizing he had reached his limit, carried him to the restroom. Dojun, watching the miserable situation, ran a hand through his hair.
“I’ll go to Hae-joo. Director Song, please take care of him.”
“Understood.”
Dojun called Hyunseong and asked for Hae-joo’s location. As he rushed to the informed location, Hyunseong, who had been anxiously pacing, breathed a sigh of relief.
“CEO!”
“Hae-joo?”
“She’s going to give birth right in the hospital room she was admitted to.”
“I’ll see Hae-joo first.”
“Not now. Wash your hands first and then rub them with hand sanitizer.”
Despite his urgency, Dojun did as he was told. As he anxiously paced in front of the hospital room, Hyunwoo, in surgical scrubs, came out with a nurse.
“You were in Busan, how did you get here?”
“It just happened. How’s Hae-joo?”
“Progress is fast now. The cervix is already 9 cm dilated.”
While the two were talking, the nurse put a disposable gown on Dojun. From inside, Hae-joo’s moans were occasionally heard.
“You can go in now.”
Once permission was granted, Dojun quietly stepped into the hospital room. He was simply grateful to be able to come, even if late. Hae-joo, who had her eyes closed, lifted her head at the sound of someone entering. Her blurry focus soon sharpened, and she called Dojun’s name.
“Dojun?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“You came this early in the morning?”
“Of course I had to. How could I leave you alone?”
Hae-joo’s lips were dry. She seemed very surprised by what had happened due to her water breaking so suddenly. Hae-joo, who had been enduring the labor alone, was overwhelmed with an indescribable emotion when she saw Dojun.
“I’m so scared.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry, Dojun?”
“Because I got you pregnant.”
At this, Hae-joo let out a small laugh. Dojun’s expression, truly looking like a sinner, was something to behold.
“You’re right. You were bad, Dojun.”
“How’s the pain?”
“Even with the epidural, it’s getting harder and harder.”
Even with the injection, she could barely speak. She was suddenly terrified of what it would be like during childbirth. Now, timing the contractions was meaningless. Hae-joo squeezed her eyes shut and gripped Dojun’s hand tightly.
“Ah!”
The pain became solely Hae-joo’s burden. Dojun’s heart felt like it would burst just by watching her. Nevertheless, he calmly massaged her belly. Just as he hoped it would help with the pain, Hae-joo screamed as if spitting out her words.
“Argh, I’m not having any more kids!”
“O-okay.”
While the two were bickering, Hyunwoo entered. This was a place where childbirth was possible in the admitted hospital room, so there was no need to move elsewhere. The nurses who came in with him began preparing for the birth in earnest.
“CEO Park, please wait outside for a moment. You can come in when we call you.”
“Can’t I stay here?”
Dojun wanted to stay by Hae-joo’s side. Hyunwoo tilted his head and asked worriedly.
“Are you sure? I’m worried you might get traumatized.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Then please hold the mother’s hand firmly.”
Hae-joo was about to have a natural birth. She began to push in rhythm with Hyunwoo’s instructions. Soon, a pain of a different dimension swept over her. As the pain reached its peak, it was so intense that she wanted to give up everything. At this moment, she longed to see her deceased father. The man who had given her the only happy memories in her childhood was not here. When her tears burst out uncontrollably, Hyunwoo’s firm shout was heard.
“The baby is coming out soon, mother. Breathe!”
“Hae-joo...”
Hae-joo had endured countless terrible things until now. She believed that enduring such harsh pain was for the joy of today. She reached the final moment. Her vision flashed, and something swiftly left her belly.
“It’s a prince! Congratulations!”
The baby’s cry filled the room. Exhausted, Hae-joo relaxed and let go of what she had been holding. The baby received the necessary care in Hyunwoo’s hands. Dojun, watching the scene, was so awestruck he could barely speak.
“CEO Park, you need to cut the umbilical cord.”
“Ah, yes.”
Dojun, with trembling emotions, cut the baby’s umbilical cord. He stared at his healthy 3.7kg son in a daze, then went to Hae-joo. Her face was swollen, and she struggled to open her eyes. She looked at Dojun and smiled faintly, barely visible.
“It’s our baby.”
“Thank you, Hae-joo. You did well.”
“Are you crying?”
Dojun’s eyes felt hot. He tried to hold back, but this time, he simply couldn’t control himself.
“I wish I could love you more.”
“You’re enough as it is.”
The freshly bathed baby was placed on Hae-joo’s chest. He was so small and delicate that it was difficult to even touch him.
“Oh my gosh. He’s so beautiful.”
The baby was the spitting image of Dojun. His eyes and nose bridge had inherited his father’s genes completely. Hae-joo wondered if there could be another angel like this in the world. She whispered “I love you” to her son, who had found his way to her and Dojun.
“Husband, please wait outside now.”
While Hae-joo underwent postpartum care, Dojun left the hospital room. He walked along the corridor, dazed, then walked to the end of the hallway. A baby born with Hae-joo. Every cell in his body awakened and bloomed, surrounding him. He was even happy with the delusion that if there was a heaven, it was right now. The difficult days flashed before his eyes. All that he had endured seemed to be rewarded by his son. Seeing how he was still living...
“It’s really a relief.”
“You worked hard, CEO. Congratulations.”
Director Song had arrived in the meantime. He patted Dojun’s subtly trembling shoulder and offered his blessings.
“The child will bring great joy to people wherever he goes.”
“Thank you.”
Dojun’s voice was choked, and he couldn’t speak properly. His swollen, red eyes kept stinging, so he deliberately shook his head.
“Oh, right, what happened to the taxi driver?”
“I dropped him off at the emergency room of a nearby general hospital.”
“Call him later today and tell him I’ll cover his hospital fees.”
“Understood.”
Dojun registered his young son’s birth under the name Park Hyun. Even after moving to the postpartum care center, he would come straight from work to stay by Hae-joo’s side. Hae-joo, who had gone through the arduous process of breastfeeding, which she had vaguely thought would be easy, finally returned home. As soon as they arrived, a problem arose with their beginner parenting.
“The postpartum helper who was supposed to watch Hyun at night got the flu.”
“Really?”
“We’re looking for someone trustworthy again, so just wait a little.”
During the day, it wasn’t bad. Although awkward, with the help of the postpartum helper, they succeeded in bathing and putting the baby to sleep. The real hardship began after the daytime postpartum helper left.
“Why is he crying?”
“Is something bothering him?”
Dojun and Hae-joo, witnessing a newborn’s gas pains, something they hadn’t known about in the postpartum care center, panicked. Thanks to the baby squirming and grunting, they couldn’t sleep. After that, a hellish race began. They thought newborns only slept, but that wasn’t the case. The next morning, Dojun went to work without any sleep, and Hae-joo barely managed to nap due to breastfeeding. As this life repeated, Dojun’s thoughts of a second child completely vanished. Eventually, unable to endure, he urgently hired three postpartum helpers so Hae-joo could rest.
Summer was already approaching. Finally, the long-awaited film shooting schedule was set, and Hae-joo built up a firm body through exercise. With a nervous heart, she picked up the script she had set aside. The lines were still in her head, and it felt new and meaningful.
Google Sites
Report abuse