Honeymoon

Yeehyeon froze in place for a moment. He didn't know what to do.

The slick that had flooded out soaked his underwear and was now running down his thighs from inside his pants.

He missed Liu's skin and body heat a little, triggered by the faint scent coming from Liu's shirt. His lower abdomen and the space between his legs felt a little tender, too. But this much arousal, resulting in this much discharge...?

Gush. Before he could even finish his reasoning, it poured out again, completely drenching him. It was an even larger amount than what had come out during his heat.

Could it be...?

The possibility that flashed through Yeehyeon's mind in that instant was pregnancy.

Yeehyeon had diligently studied the bodies of Alphas and Omegas, especially Omegas. Thanks to that, he had been able to recover from the panic relatively quickly when his first heat arrived.

But his current condition was different from a heat. It wasn't that same feeling where his limbs trembled uncontrollably, his sexual desire spiked, and he wanted only Liu.

The frequent urge to urinate, enough to wake him from sleep, and heightened sensitivity were common signs of pregnancy. Furthermore, the sudden, heavy discharge of slick even without being in heat, and easily stimulated sexual desire, were early symptoms of pregnancy for an Omega.

But... how?

Kun and I were always so meticulous about taking birth control pills.

Even though intellectually he knew pregnancy was impossible, his heart began to race. His breathing also grew shallow.

It was an undeniable sense of anticipation. The hope that he might be pregnant, that perhaps Liu and he might have conceived a baby. Even though he knew it was a foolish thought, Yeehyeon couldn't shake that hope.

He felt he wouldn't be able to calm down at all without checking immediately.

First, Yeehyeon went to the bathroom to deal with what had been discharged. While washing himself, he tried to think as calmly as possible.

The first person who came to his mind was Morae.

Should he ask her to buy a pregnancy test kit?

But what if he really was pregnant? Though the chances were almost zero to none, what if — what if, what if he really was pregnant?

If that were the case, he wanted to tell Liu first. Even the fact that he had tested for a possible pregnancy, he wanted Liu to be the very first person in this world to know.

By the time Yeehyeon finished showering, he had made up his mind.

He folded a hand towel about the size of a handkerchief and tucked it into his underwear in case more slick leaked out. Even though it was a private ritual that no one would ever know about, it stirred a fairly strong sense of embarrassment in him. But there was no other way. It would be a disaster if it started leaking again while he was out.

The squall was still pouring down.

Yeehyeon, pulling his cap down low, drove one of the cars parked in the lot and left the house. Cold sweat trickled down, and he felt a slight chill, but he was too consumed by excitement and anticipation to even notice.

He headed to a pharmacy about a twenty-minute drive away, one where people wouldn't know Liu Weikun or Seo Yeehyeon from Phantom Bali.

The store was more like a drugstore than a typical Korean pharmacy. Perhaps because of the rain, the shop was unusually quiet. Since Yeehyeon was the only customer, the gazes of the bored young employees all snapped toward him at once. It was a slightly uncomfortable situation for someone looking to buy a pregnancy test.

"Can I help you find something? Are you looking for anything in particular?"

One employee, who looked friendly, approached Yeehyeon and spoke to him.

"I'm, I'm… cough I'm looking for a pregnancy test."

Yeehyeon cleared his throat to steady his voice as he answered. He felt a resistance in his vocal cords just saying the word "pregnancy." It wasn't easy to get the words out.

Curiosity immediately sparked in the employee's eyes. Was this a male Beta looking for a test for his girlfriend or wife, or a male Omega intending to use it himself? He was curious about the answer. He couldn't take his eyes off Yeehyeon, as if staring intently would reveal the truth.

"Yes. They are over there. By the wall where the toothbrushes are hanging."

"Thank you."

Yeehyeon gave a slight nod of thanks and hurried away.

The hand towel stuffed inside his underwear chafed and rubbed against his crotch, constantly distracting him. He kept pulling down the brim of his hat, as if someone might notice he was wearing a towel between his legs just by looking at the way he walked.

He easily found the test kits at the display case the employee had pointed out. He grabbed various brands from different companies and tossed them into the small basket. He had read that unless you went to the hospital for a full examination, one or two tests with a kit wouldn't be conclusive.

When he placed the small basket, now filled with over ten test kits, onto the counter, he had to endure the cashier's curious gaze.

There was no malice in their stares, but it was an unpleasant curiosity nonetheless. However, right now, he could easily brush such things off. Nothing else felt important besides testing for pregnancy.

He left the store clutching the bag containing twelve test kits.

The rain was so fierce that even in the brief moment it took to fold his umbrella and get into the driver's seat, his hat and clothes still got soaked.

Yeehyeon set the bag down on the passenger seat and glanced back at it every time they stopped at a red light.

And, ridiculously enough, he placed his right hand tentatively on his lower abdomen. Then a short, absurd, hollow laugh escaped him.

He knew it too well. There was no way he was pregnant. How could he be, when they had both been so diligent about taking their birth control pills?

Maybe it was better that Liu wasn't here right now. He could test alone in this excited state, and if the result was negative, he could just keep it a secret. When they actually had a baby years from now, he could tell Liu then.

Watching the rain pour down like a curtain, immediately overcome by the wipers, Yeehyeon nervously gnawed on his lower lip.