The Day Our Forever Began

They finished their meal quickly, got ready, and headed to the hospital.

Following Beomwoo’s suggestion, they came for a consultation regarding pheromone levels.

After some simple tests, they went out to the waiting room to await the results.

Even though it was early morning, quite a few people were there for appointments.

Haejin sat next to Beomwoo on one of the only two remaining chairs, looking around, when his gaze stopped on a young omega whose belly was swollen with pregnancy.

Unlike some other specialties, the pheromone clinic was a common department, even without visible injuries.

Many couples came together due to pregnancy.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that once a couple started planning for a child, they visited this clinic almost as often as the obstetrics department during the pregnancy itself.

It was at this very pheromone clinic that Haejin had received his infertility diagnosis in the past life.

Before coming to the hospital, just the fact that Beomwoo was coming with him had lifted his spirits and made him feel better.

But now, as this situation began to overlap with the memories of that time, his heart started pounding with anxiety.

“Haah…”

“Is your stomach bothering you again? Is it bad?”

When Haejin let out a deep sigh, his chest tight with anxiety, Beomwoo reacted immediately, his brows furrowing sharply.

He tilted his head, studying Haejin’s troubled expression, then hesitated, at a loss, before placing his hand over Haejin’s.

Haejin looked down at the large hand warmly covering his, then met Beomwoo’s eyes.

“I’m okay… just feeling a bit anxious…”

“Should we step outside for a bit?”

“No, it’s fine. They’ll probably call us soon… Just hold my hand like this.”

Beomwoo suggested going outside might help, but Haejin shook his head.

As he said, they might be called while they were out, and more than that, it wasn’t going outside that he needed to calm his anxiety—this warmth was enough.

He wasn’t here to be tested for infertility or anything like that right now.

Even if something was wrong with his body again and the results were bad… it would be different this time.

Because he trusted Beomwoo.

Holding Beomwoo’s warm hand seemed to calm his anxiety somewhat, but no matter how much he tried, the memories of the past life wouldn’t completely disappear, and he couldn’t fully suppress the unease.

“Jeong Haejin-ssi. Please come in.”

“Ah, yes…!”

Just as he was trying to calm himself, convincing himself that this time was different, their turn came.

Haejin and Beomwoo entered the consultation room together.

Even as they sat side by side across from the doctor, their hands remained clasped, but once inside, Haejin’s anxiety grew.

This was definitely different from the past life, and he trusted Beomwoo completely.

But learned fear didn’t disappear overnight.

It felt as if all the color drained from his body as the black anxiety swelled again.

He gripped Beomwoo’s hand tighter, barely suppressing the fear, when the doctor, who had been studying the monitor and reviewing the test results, smiled faintly and turned to Haejin.

“You said you’ve been feeling unwell lately, with no appetite and muscle aches. And that your pheromones have grown stronger, correct?”

“Yes… It’s not a specific pain anywhere, so I was worried something else might be wrong.”

“It’s not a problem. It’s a cause for celebration. You’re four weeks pregnant.”

“……What?”

Haejin had been worried, asking what the problem was, secretly hoping it wasn’t anything serious from the pheromone clinic.

But the words from the doctor were unexpected.

Pregnant…?

He was… pregnant?

Even though the words were direct, leaving no room for misunderstanding, Haejin couldn’t comprehend them, stuttering like a broken robot.

Reality faded, and he felt dazed, as if entering a dream.

As Haejin sat frozen, unable to react, the day Beomwoo’s rut had hit flashed through his mind.

Not only had he accepted the rut, but the condom had even broken during the knot.

That was the only time they hadn’t properly prevented pregnancy, and with ejaculation at the deepest point, the chances of pregnancy had multiplied.

But even so, Haejin couldn’t believe he was pregnant.

The first time they were intimate in this life had led to an imprint, and now the second time led to pregnancy?

After all those times together in the past life without success, how could things be so different in this one?

“You need to eat well. Since you’re still in the early stages of pregnancy and a recessive omega, you need to be even more careful with your health. Since you’re here, would you like to get some supplements? They’d be much better for the baby.”

“No, that, I… That can’t be right. I’m… a recessive omega, and I was diagnosed infertile…”

Haejin had been dazed, unable to believe the situation, but the doctor’s next words snapped him back, and he raised an objection.

Supplements and such weren’t the issue right now.

Just like when the imprint result came out, he immediately suspected a misdiagnosis.

When Haejin asked seriously, stuttering in his shock, the doctor checked the records again and tilted his head, confused.

“Infertile? Hmm… You are a recessive omega, so your uterus is on the weaker side, but you’re not infertile.”

“……What? I’m not?”

“Yes. It seems you were misdiagnosed.”

The doctor said he saw no such indications, sounding certain that couldn’t be the case.

Had he been misdiagnosed back then, or had even his infertility changed as his life changed…

Thinking back, when he was diagnosed infertile in the past life, the cause had been attributed to suppressants.

He had taken suppressants daily back then to hide his pheromones.

But in this life, he hadn’t taken them to avoid Beomwoo’s mother, so perhaps his physical condition had changed.

Just as his relationship with Beomwoo had changed because he acted differently from the past life, his body might have changed too.

With that thought, the dreamlike, surreal feeling began to fade, replaced by reality.

‘I really… am pregnant.’

Only then did the result feel real, and his heart swelled with emotion.

The angel he had wanted so badly but thought impossible had finally descended upon them.

Overcome with emotion, Haejin looked at Beomwoo beside him.

He expected Beomwoo to also be dazed and frozen, unable to believe reality, or to be serious and stiff like when they’d received the imprint result.

But that wasn’t the case.

“Beo, Beomwoo-ssi…? Are you crying?”

“……No.”

No, indeed… Anyone could see he was crying.

This was the third time he had seen Beomwoo cry.

Haejin was flustered by his tears again, but since all three times had been recent, he was starting to find it a bit amusing.

He now knew that Beomwoo was someone who cried when he was happy.

And this time felt the same.

Since Beomwoo was the one who had made that suggestion in the past life, Haejin had thought his own desire for a child was much stronger.

But seeing the man who rarely cried react this way to news of a pregnancy made it clear that Beomwoo had wanted it just as desperately.

His own heart was so full it felt like he might cry too, but seeing Beomwoo, he felt his tension release and a smile came out.

As Haejin’s brows curved into a soft smile, the doctor, also seeming amused, looked at them warmly.

“Your partner must be very happy. I’ll prescribe some supplements and things that are good for pregnant women. Please get them on your way out. They’ll call you when they’re ready.”

“Th-thank you…”

Haejin bowed to the kind doctor and led the still-teary Beomwoo out of the consultation room.

As the large, door-sized man, who didn’t seem suited to tears at all, hunched his shoulders and came out crying, eyes turned toward them.

It wasn’t that he was embarrassed by Beomwoo crying, but it was awkward.

Haejin stood facing him, trying to soothe his tears.

But the moment Haejin turned to face him, Beomwoo grabbed his wrist and pulled him into an embrace.

“Beo, Beomwoo-ssi?”

“……I’m sorry.”

Huh…?

Sorry…? For what?

Just moments ago, Haejin had thought he was crying from happiness.

He knew Beomwoo was someone who could cry from joy, and he had done so several times already.

He thought this time was no different.

But when the word “sorry” came from the crying man, Haejin’s heart sank.

Was he not crying from happiness?

Had he been wrong…?

The memory of that past visit to the pheromone clinic resurfaced, threatening to eat away at his mind again.

But before he could sink completely, Beomwoo tightened his arms around Haejin and spoke seriously.

“That day… My rut hit suddenly, and I knotted you… I should be sorry to Haejin-ssi, but I’m too… happy.”

“……Ah.”

Haejin let out a small sigh, understanding why Beomwoo was apologizing.

Beomwoo knew that the sudden knot and the broken condom had been accidents, and that he had wronged Haejin.

But he couldn’t hide his honest feelings—he was selfishly happy and didn’t know what to do with himself.

He seemed to feel that being this conflicted—both sorry and happy—was selfish of him.

‘So that wasn’t it after all…’

Relief washed over him, and the tension drained from his body.

Haejin let out a soft, helpless breath, then wrapped his arms around Beomwoo and patted his back, telling him he didn’t need to feel such conflicting emotions.

“Beomwoo-ssi, I told you back then. I said it was okay because it was you. And…”

“…….”

“Secretly… I was hoping something like this might happen… That’s why I didn’t take any emergency contraception.”

If Haejin had wanted to argue about right and wrong or get angry about what happened that day, he would have done so long ago.

And while part of him had thought, ‘I’m an infertile recessive omega, so I probably won’t get pregnant,’ he had also thought, as he’d told Beomwoo, that even if it happened, it wouldn’t be a problem.

In fact, he had thought it might be… good.

Deep down, unconsciously, he had hoped for it, which was why he hadn’t taken any emergency contraception.

Of course, he’d thought the chances were nearly zero, believing he was infertile as in the past life, but…

Haejin took a breath and slowly continued.

“And… I think the reason Beomwoo-ssi keeps feeling anxious, even when you’re happy, is because I haven’t said this.”

“…….”

“I love you.”

Even though they had promised a future together, the fact that he felt sorry even when happy made Haejin think it was because he hadn’t said this.

Just as he wanted honesty from Beomwoo, he needed to confess this feeling too.

Only then could Beomwoo stop feeling anxious like him.

When Haejin confessed his love without reservation, Beomwoo released him from the embrace and faced him.

His eyes were wide with surprise, his facial muscles stiff.

Then his eyes began to shimmer, as if about to spill tears again, and his face flushed with joy.

Joy and sorrow were supposed to be opposite emotions, but his face clearly showed what it meant to cry from happiness.

Having been through so much emotional turmoil because of children in the past life, he seemed to be remembering those times.

Beomwoo bit his lower lip, barely holding back the tears threatening to fall again, then looked Haejin straight in the eyes and spoke deliberately, one word at a time.

“I will definitely… make you happy. The family you dreamed of… I will definitely… create it for you.”

Beomwoo was the one who had once said he hadn’t grown up in such a family, that he’d thought the kind of warm, harmonious family Haejin dreamed of might be difficult.

But now, things were different.

He was dreaming the same dream as Haejin, wanting it just as badly, if not more.

Beomwoo spoke with determination, as if resolving to create such a family, then relaxed the tension in his eyes, which had been holding back tears.

Then, as if he could no longer hide his feelings, he smiled, the corners of his eyes curving downward.

“I love you… too.”

Whispering his love, Beomwoo bent down and gently pressed his lips to Haejin’s.

There were people in the hospital waiting room, and others could see, but Haejin didn’t push him away.

He accepted it.

At this moment, there was no one else in the world but the two of them.

When he had come into this life, Haejin had vowed never to love this man again.

He had promised himself he would never repeat the past life.

Considering he had returned to Beomwoo, one might think that despite his vows, nothing had changed.

But that wasn’t true.

They had definitely changed, and they would change even more.

In Haejin’s eyes, Beomwoo was still not honest, and he was clumsy at love, like someone who had just learned what emotions were.

But even seeing that, Haejin didn’t feel anxious about their future together.

He had heard that most reunited lovers break up again for the same reasons.

But they had experienced so many deep trials and errors, making them stronger.

And even if misunderstandings built up due to similar problems as before, they now knew how to resolve them.

She was only four weeks pregnant, and they didn’t know what kind of child would be born, but imagining a warm, harmonious family with their child, he was certain it would be happy.

Anything was good, as long as they were together.

It would be clumsy, but it would surely get better, just as it had.

Trusting each other, they looked forward to the new life about to be born.