CGC 20

Chapter 20

Feeling like he’d suddenly become the villain separating the two of them, Ji-hyeok faltered.

Taking advantage of that moment, Yu-eul held Doha even tighter and left for the living room.

Left alone, Ji-hyeok stood there for a while, unable to move, hollow and dazed.

How long had he been standing like that?

From behind him—tap, tap—someone knocked lightly on the wall.

When he slowly turned his head, Yu-eul was standing there alone.

“Doha.”

“I set him down in the living room for a bit. He’s looking at his toys right now. Shouldn’t the baby eat?”

“Ah. Yeah, he should.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say that he didn’t want her to feed him.

Such an awkward situation—he couldn’t do this or that. Yu-eul tapped the wall again to get his attention.

“I’ll feed him formula. Just tell me how many scoops to put in.”

Ji-hyeok sighed.

He couldn’t starve the kid just because he was afraid Doha would mistake her for his mom.

Without answering, he walked out and headed to the kitchen.

He explained in a flat tone as Yu-eul followed him.

“The water heater here is set to the right temperature for formula. Press this button, then five scoops. No, wait.”

Ji-hyeok set the formula container down and instead shared the app with her.

The app detailed exactly when, at what intervals, and how much milk and baby food Doha should have.

There was also a note from Mrs. Shim explaining in detail how to make formula and prepare baby food.

“All the details are in that app. I’ll make this bottle first.”

After preparing the formula, he handed it to Yu-eul.

“Gosh—isn’t this too hot? Babies drink it this hot?”

“That’s the perfect temperature. Go feed him. Otherwise, I’ll do it.”

The moment she heard he might feed Doha himself, Yu-eul hurried off to the living room.

She picked up Doha, who was quietly playing.

“Doha-ya. Mam-ma? Want some mam-ma?”

She spoke as gently as possible and held him in a feeding position.

But since she looked a little clumsy, Ji-hyeok approached silently and corrected her posture.

“Your arm’s gonna hurt if you feed him like that.”

He placed a cushion between her arm—where she supported Doha’s head—and her thigh.

“And if you squeeze the bottle nipple, the air’ll come out. I could never get that right.”

At that moment, Yu-eul twisted and pressed the nipple sideways, releasing the air.

“Oh—this is easy.”

Then she placed it in Doha’s mouth.

Doha must have been hungry—he sucked desperately at the nipple.

“Wow, he must’ve been starving! Still, I’m glad he’s eating well…”

She murmured—half to herself, half to Ji-hyeok—as she gazed affectionately at Doha.

Even while drinking, Doha stared fixedly at her.

Not exaggerating—he stared as if he might burn a hole through her face.

“Oh my, is it tasty? Eat slowly, okay?”

Yu-eul smiled purely, happy that Doha was eating well.

Even though she was a bit awkward, her genuine affection for the child was unmistakable. Ji-hyeok sat cross-legged beside her.

He quietly watched the two of them.

“Teacher.”

When about a third of the bottle remained, Yu-eul called him.

“Uh—yeah?”

“Can you get the thermometer? I want to check his temperature.”

Ji-hyeok immediately stood, grabbed the thermometer, and came back.

He placed it in Doha’s ear and measured.

Thankfully, the fever was around 37°C.

“Wow, thank goodness. The antibiotics must be working. Which hospital do you go to?”

She asked casually.

“Hold on… Mrs. Shim must have written it down somewhere.”

He searched through the memo where Mrs. Shim recorded everything related to Doha.

Then he paused, suddenly remembering something.

When Doha wasn’t in sight, the two of them fought like enemies.

But when they were holding and caring for him, they cooperated seamlessly—like nothing had ever happened.

It was weird.

Are all parents like this?

Of course, he and Han Yu-eul weren’t real parents—they were just playing the role.

“You can’t find it?”

Being silent too long made her prod him impatiently.

“No, wait. It’s here.”

He scanned quickly with his fingers and eyes, found the hospital, and told her.

“Oh, I know that place. How long does it take from here?”

Ji-hyeok checked the map.

“About twenty minutes by car. Longer if there’s morning traffic.”

“What time do they open?”

“Says 8:30.”

“Then should we leave around eight?”

It was better to go early, register, and wait.

“Yeah, that’s—”

He cut himself off.

Han Yu-eul—no, Han Gong-gal—was a terrifying woman.

Smooth as an eel, she flowed naturally through the conversation and even planned the hospital trip without him noticing.

“Ha…”

His head throbbed.

“But, aren’t you a chaebol?”

What the hell does that mean?

“Don’t chaebols usually have a personal doctor come to the house? Especially for a baby—since they’re vulnerable to infections, wouldn’t a house call be safer…?”

She seemed annoyed that there wasn’t a personal pediatrician who visited the home.

“Chaebol family heads have doctors who’ve treated them for decades.”

“Our company hasn’t been big for long.”

Only then did she close her mouth.

“We don’t have any doctor we have a deep trust with yet, and my father has plenty of people aiming for his position.”

“Oh…”

“A doctor is someone who can save a life—or take it. If an external force intervened, that doctor could become the most dangerous person to us. So we don’t let them into the house.”

Yu-eul nodded, understanding.

Then—keuk—a cough sounded.

Doha had tried to swallow the last bit of formula too quickly and choked a little.

Yu-eul wiped his mouth with a nearby handkerchief and lifted him upright.

She gently patted his back.

Ji-hyeok noticed the bottle was nearly empty.

“Already finished. Good boy.”

Yu-eul glanced at the empty bottle.

Seeing he was eating well now, her face softened into a light smile.

That smile made Ji-hyeok’s mind blank out for a moment.

It was crazy to be thinking this in this situation—

—but Gong-gal looked… pretty.

Was it because she was genuinely doting on Doha?

Honestly, the situation around the baby was a mess… but Han Yu-eul was undeniably beautiful.

“My sleeve keeps slipping. Could you roll it up for me?”

While patting Doha’s back, her folded sleeve kept falling down, so she asked.

Ji-hyeok avoided her eyes, terrified she’d notice he found her pretty, and reached out.

He tried hard to avoid touching her skin, but while folding her sleeve he brushed against her soft skin a few times.

Her wrist was barely half the thickness of his own, and her pale, milk-white skin was as delicate as newborn Doha’s.

His chest felt itchy and heat crawled up.

Embarrassed by his own reaction, he cleared his throat and stood up.

He took the bottle and walked to the kitchen.

Even while rinsing the bottle in the water basin, he kept remembering the soft feeling of her skin.

Ji-hyeok shook his head firmly, trying to suppress the absurd thoughts rising up.

She’s the woman who recorded a phone call just to blackmail me.

Don’t lower your guard, Seo Ji-hyeok.

Doha is your future.

Determined to get a grip, he went back outside.

Yu-eul had already laid Doha on the changing table and was pulling down his pants.

He remembered how Doha always cried whenever he tried to change him.

Han Gong-gal would surely ask for his help soon.

And seriously—why did Seo Doha cry every time he tried to change his diaper?

“Oh my~ Doha finally peed a bunch!”

Her delighted voice rang out.

Without meaning to, he walked toward her.

Holding up a heavy, sagging diaper like a trophy, she looked at him.

“He finally peed a lot!”

Ji-hyeok felt like someone had just played a pro-birth campaign video in front of him.

Why did a woman holding a diaper look… pretty?

This was insane.

He slapped his own cheek.