Ch 47

Wearing clothes that weren’t even his own, but rather his grandfather’s oversized garments, and with cotton gloves on, more snow piled up atop the already packed snow beneath his feet.

“Just this one more.”

He wasn’t sure if his grandmother, who had already gone into the kitchen, heard him, but Ji-an continued shaping the well-packing snow into a small snowman. He picked up some small branches from beneath a tree in the yard for its arms and gathered scattered pebbles to make buttons. By the time he finished forming the snowman’s face with things he had found in the yard, his nose, ears, and cheeks had turned red from the cold.

As he sat under the eaves, where the snow didn’t reach, watching the lone snowman, Ji-an began gathering snow once more. Soon, there were two snowmen, and just when he considered heading inside, his hands started moving again.

Making snowmen was easy, but crafting something much smaller took far more time. The smaller it was, the harder it became—something that seemed simple yet wasn’t at all.

A tiny bundle of snow settled beside the two snowmen that now sat in a row, gazing at the falling snow. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t resemble a cat, but Ji-an still picked up some dirt and added markings, making it look like a tabby. After staring at his creations for a moment, he muttered,

“Ah… seriously, pathetic. So pathetic. I need to fix this personality.”

Unable to take his eyes off the snowmen, Ji-an clicked his tongue, then picked up the larger one and gently broke it apart, scattering the snow onto the ground. With a sigh, he picked up the cat figure next. Brushing the snow off his gloves, he headed inside, leaving only one snowman under the eaves.

“Hurry and come inside already. Your ears have frozen red, what are we going to do?”

As soon as he stepped into the warm house, his nose started running uncontrollably. Sniffling, Ji-an made his way toward his room, flashing a small smile at his grandmother’s words.

After neatly taking off his grandfather’s thick padded jacket, hat, and scarf, he washed his hands and face in the bathroom. But the moment he stepped out, his grandmother pulled him to sit in the warmest spot in the house.

“What were you doing outside?”

“Making a snowman.”

“Goodness. It’s freezing, why don’t you just sit still? And with your health like that.”

“The snow packed really well, though.”

Even as they exchanged a few words, Ji-an instinctively reached for a tissue as his nose continued to run. Watching him, his grandmother clucked her tongue in dismay.

“I must have left something on the stove,” she muttered. Just as Ji-an pressed a tissue to his nose, his grandmother suddenly sat in front of him.

“Come here, lower your head.”

Ji-an was about to blow his nose when he noticed the tissue turning red. Only then did he realize he was having a nosebleed. It wasn’t unusual for him lately, but his grandmother’s concern worried him more.

“Oh! It’s fine. I get nosebleeds sometimes. If I just pinch my nose and press on the bridge, it stops quickly.”

Hurriedly, he rolled up some tissue, plugged his nostrils, and pinched his nose, but his grandmother had already picked up her phone.

“That old man said he’d take a walk around the barn… Alright, 119, 119.”

Seeing her actually dialing emergency services, Ji-an panicked and quickly snatched the phone from her hands.

“Grandma! You worry too much! Who calls 119 over a nosebleed? It’s cold outside, this kind of thing happens sometimes.”

Trying to imitate her speech pattern, he chuckled, but a sudden cough escaped him. Embarrassed, he quickly shut his mouth, yet his body betrayed him as another fit of coughing followed, making him hunch forward.

By the time his coughing subsided, a warm mug was placed in his hands. Ji-an let out a sigh and looked at his grandmother, who was sitting in front of him.

“It’s pear and bellflower tea. Drink it. As soon as your grandfather gets back, we’re heading into town.”

“Grandma, it’s just a cold. A little time in the cold can cause nosebleeds, too. Don’t worry so much. I promise I’ll stop by the hospital when I leave here. But look, the snow’s so heavy—how are we supposed to go out?”

“You’re not alone, that’s why. Even if you’re fine normally, when you’re carrying a baby, you have to be extra careful.”

Holding the warm mug with both hands, Ji-an blinked at her words.

“No matter how little appetite you have, you have to eat properly. If the mother refuses to eat, she’s the one who suffers, not the baby. What does the baby know? Maybe I should cook some chicken soup or something.”

“Uh, um, Grandma.”

Who was the baby, and who was the mother?

“…You didn’t know?”

What was he supposed to not know?

“You’re pregnant. First, drink that, and don’t even think about stepping outside.”

“Grandma, I’m not pregnant. I’m just feeling a little unwell… Uh… I’m not an omega.”

Ji-an’s voice trembled slightly as he grasped the sleeve of his grandmother’s clothes just as she was about to leave the room.

“This old lady must’ve misunderstood because of my age… If you say you’re not, then you’re not. But either way, you need to take care of yourself. You can’t be walking around all weak like that, especially in this cold.”

She didn’t roughly shake off his hand, but her attempt to leave was clear. Ji-an’s heart pounded erratically at her concerned words. A baby? That couldn’t be possible. She didn’t seem like someone who would say things lightly, but more than that, he had no idea what had led her to think that way, making it difficult for him to let go of her sleeve.

“Grandma, I’m not pregnant. Why did you think that?”

“If you say you’re not, then you’re not.”

As if wanting to end the conversation, she was clearly trying to avoid it. Ji-an’s grip tightened as a drawn-out “Grandmaaa…” escaped him.

“Well, last night when you came in, there was a strong scent. It wasn’t something that suited a child like you, so I just assumed.”

“Oh… was it musky? Or woody?”

“No, it was… kind of like bamboo, or grass, or something similar to a forest.”

Hearing that she was talking about a scent completely different from Ideun’s, Ji-an let out a sigh of relief and released her sleeve. He must have picked up the pheromones of another alpha or omega while moving around.

“Must’ve been from the bus…”

Unconsciously, Ji-an brought his wrist to his nose and took a deep breath. Whenever he was with Ideun, he naturally picked up the scent of his cologne or pheromones. Maybe that was why he had thought of him more. It was something that disappeared with a single shower, though.

“Sometimes, when a baby is protecting its mother, it releases a scent. My son made a fuss even in the womb—whether it was cold, hot, or when I overworked myself… Ugh, don’t get me started. Maybe that’s why he’s such a whiner even now.”

“Is your son an alpha?”

“Goodness, no. An omega. He’s married now and lives overseas. He’s over forty now, but when he was your age, he suddenly brought home some blond guy and swore he’d die without him. So now I have a son-in-law I can’t even communicate with. We just gesture at each other. He keeps telling me to move abroad, but I’d rather stay here and raise cattle with my husband in peace.”

Ji-an smiled as his grandmother beamed while talking about her son.

“They’ve got an alpha and an omega kid and are doing well. Anyway, when you arrived yesterday, the buses had stopped running, and you were shivering outside, practically screaming for help with that scent. How could I leave you out there? And look at you—your face is gaunt, you’re thin as a reed, and you looked like you hadn’t eaten in three days.”

Listening to her long-winded explanation, Ji-an awkwardly smiled and scratched the back of his neck. Even now, his body was still marked with traces Ideun had left.

“Honestly, I was exhausted and wanted someone to help. I guess that’s what you sensed. But I don’t smell like that anymore, right?”

“That’s right. Anyway, we’re having boiled chicken for lunch, so keep that in mind. And finish your pear and bellflower root tea.”

“Grandma, I’m full…”

“Drink it even if you’re full. You’re so frail—where do you think you’re going like that? You won’t be taking a single step out of here until you get your strength back.”

Ji-an waved a hand dismissively, signaling her to stop talking, and watched as his grandmother left the room. Then, he set down the cup filled with warm tea on the floor.

There really is everything in the world of Alphas and Omegas. If a baby in the womb carries a trait, it can even produce a scent like that.

With a dazed expression, Ji-an lay down under the warm blanket and hesitantly placed a hand on his lower abdomen. But soon, he let out a loud sigh and gave a bitter smile.

Would Ideun come looking for him? Or not? Even if he did, it wouldn’t be easy to find him. Still, he couldn’t afford to stay here too long. The longer he settled in, the harder it would be to leave.

Despite all his caution, after barely living together for a month, Ji-an already missed Ideun. Bo-bo’s face also lingered in his mind. He had thought Bo-bo would stay with him until the end. Should he bring him along once he settled down somewhere? Would that even be possible?

Turning his head to the side with another sigh, he saw snow falling outside the window. Once the snow stopped and the roads were cleared a bit, he had to leave. These people wouldn’t accept any repayment for their kindness, so he would have to secretly tuck some money away somewhere—inside the blankets, or wherever he could.

When Grandpa went to town, he should tag along and check the bus schedule. He had to go as far as possible from here. A place with a view of the ocean would be nice. A forest like this would also be good. Somewhere with both the sea and the woods would be even better.

Ji-an, who had been tossing and turning, pulled out the tissue stuffed in his nose. Just a moment ago, his nose had been running endlessly, but now it had stopped. It must have been the cold. What kind of young man gets so sick that he ends up worrying the kind elderly couple?

Lying on his side, lost in thought, Ji-an’s breathing gradually became steadier.

“Well? Do you think he’s doing okay?”

Maehyang, who was in the backyard slaughtering a young chicken, shook her head at her husband’s question as he dusted off the snow and stepped inside. The boy still smelled of fresh grass, but he himself didn’t seem to notice.

Please help my mom. Please help my mom.

If it weren’t for that scent, she wouldn’t have let Ji-an into the house so easily. Sure, he was standing at their gate, looking pale and frail as if he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days, but kindness in a remote forest like this was both generous and cautious. Who would take in a stranger without knowing who he was?

It was just the two of them—two elderly people, two cows, a newborn calf, and about ten chickens in the coop. If some lunatics came and caused trouble, they could disappear without a trace, and no one would find it strange.

But that scent kept wafting toward her, and before she could think, her body had already moved on its own. An Omega, alone in a place like this at this hour? His circumstances were obvious.

They had given him warm food, a place to sleep, and now, as if it had never been there, his scent had completely faded.

If it was just hunger, exhaustion, and cold, then a few good meals and proper rest should be enough to fix it.

She had planned to hear him out over the next few days, offer help if possible. But the boy had gone outside for a short while and returned with a nosebleed. Then, he had started giving off that scent again, pleading for help.

And on top of that, the mother didn’t even know he was carrying a child. Meanwhile, the baby was crying for his mother to be saved.

What a headache.

“When the snow stops, let’s take him into town. He doesn’t seem to know anything. And just a while ago, he had a nosebleed… I swear, what kind of man is the father? A child who should be cared for at home is out wandering like this, and he’s not even looking for him.”

“He’s probably searching. The boy doesn’t have a phone or a wallet—how would he be easy to find? It’ll take time. Looks to me like he ran away.”

“If he ran away without even knowing he was pregnant, that bastard deserves to be beaten to death. And you, just pretend you don’t know anything. If he starts looking restless, tell him to spend some time with Kkotsoon. Letting him stew in his thoughts won’t do him any good.”

“I was already thinking of making a new ear warmer for Kkotsoon. Who knows what she got into, but she’s covered in dirt.”

After placing the prepared chicken on the fire, Maehyang dried her damp hands and quietly made her way to Ji-an’s room.

Seeing him sound asleep—probably exhausted—she let out a small sigh. She opened the wardrobe in the corner of the room, took out a small sewing box, and sat down beside him.

Her fingers moved quickly, the thread weaving through the fabric. Before long, a colorful ear warmer, meant for the newborn calf, began to take shape.