March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 74

“……”

“Still, that person earlier didn’t make any huge threats. Rather, it was just too unbelievable… I only heard good things.”

Gi Taejeong’s breath was moist and ticklish against Sehwa’s neck. It was hard to tell if this man was breathing, admiring, or kissing his neck.

“…I think Oh Seonran mentioned something about her biological father earlier.”

“Ah, yes. She said she knew the person who gave birth to me well.”

Gi Taejeong tightened his arm around Sehwa’s waist once, then released it.

“You said there was a big shot connected to my past chemistry experiment, right? Could it be that person…”

“That’s right. It’s Commander Oh Seonran.”

“Hmm…”

Sehwa rubbed his innocent eyebrows, choosing his words carefully. So, she wasn’t completely unrelated after all.

But he didn’t know how or where to begin explaining what he had just heard. The story was so bewildering that he worried Gi Taejeong would be dumbfounded, asking if he had really listened to such preposterous nonsense.

After a moment’s thought, Sehwa decided not to tell Gi Taejeong everything Commander Oh Seonran had told him, for now. The idea that such an important figure had been looking for him on behalf of his biological father… it was simply unbelievable.

However, circumstantially, it seemed certain that she was connected to the person who gave birth to him. Hadn’t Gi Taejeong also mentioned it in passing before?

The recent events in his life couldn’t be described merely as good luck. In a game of Hwatu, if the cards stick together this well, you should quickly fold your hand. If it was a good flow that couldn’t be explained by luck, then someone must have orchestrated it.

So, there was no need to get carried away. What was certain right now was that his birth was more deeply intertwined with the military than he had imagined. Gi Taejeong had also said he would look into his parents… so it was enough to piece together the difficult puzzle after all the clues had been found.

“Was what was written on that certificate earlier related to your birth?”

“Ah, yes. But does such a thing really exist? She said it was something guaranteed by a high-ranking official…”

“It’s a privilege only granted to commanders… but as Oh Seonran said, we need to verify if it’s genuine.”

Even a head of state shouldn’t give guarantees so carelessly… While Sehwa was lost in such silly thoughts, Gi Taejeong suddenly turned to him and said something strange.

“Then, let’s go together.”

“Huh?”

“It’s true that I have bad feelings towards Oh Seonran because she serves Lieutenant Kim… but I have no intention of deceiving you about something like this.”

“Ah, yes…”

“If you’re that anxious, let’s go check it together. But that bastard also climbed to that position doing crazy things as much as I did in his prime… No, never mind. Don’t cry later, just go with me from the start. Won’t that be enough?”

Huh? Sehwa followed Gi Taejeong with a puzzled expression, trotting along. Gi Taejeong didn’t seem to be expecting an answer either.

Why was he getting so worked up? Was it because he was afraid Sehwa might secretly contact Oh Seonran? Sehwa listed the thoughts that came to mind, then suddenly, his entire heart was swayed by a very small, fleeting sentence.

…He was afraid Sehwa would suspect him of lying again. Is that why he was adding so many extra explanations?

“Brigadier General.”

“……”

“Brigadier General…”

Is what I’m thinking correct? You don’t want to see me upset, suspicious, or crying anymore… Is that why you’re repeating yourself, so unlike you?

“Brigadier General, just a little slower…”

“……”

“…Let’s go together.”

At the small plea to walk beside him, the long legs that had been striding ahead stopped abruptly, as if broken. Even when Sehwa cautiously approached to within half a step, the man didn’t move. He just kept looking at him.

Sehwa stood right next to him, just in case. Only then did Gi Taejeong start walking again. This time, he was excessively slow, almost frustratingly so. It was clear he had never walked side-by-side with anyone before. And even more so, he had never adjusted himself to another person.

The two moved slower than turtles, slower than snails. It was a long time before they could step onto the escalator. Sehwa felt butterflies fluttering in his chest. Each time their delicate wings fluttered, sugar dust seemed to pile up thickly over his heart. It was ticklish and sweet.

This much… should be okay, right? Since Gi Taejeong approached him first. Just being a little happy…

“Do your eyes hurt?”

“…Huh?”

“You keep touching your eyes, you.”

“Ah, that’s…”

Sehwa, who had unconsciously lowered the hand rubbing his eyelids, suddenly felt a surge of curiosity and looked up at Gi Taejeong.

“Brigadier General, do I have mismatched eyes?”

“What kind of nonsense is this now?”

Even as he chided him, Gi Taejeong stared into Sehwa’s eyes for a long time.

“…They’re the same.”

Only when it became difficult to even blink his eyelashes did he turn his head with an unreadable expression.

“Oh, I see… That’s a relief.”

When he had only heard Commander Oh Seonran’s words, it seemed the person who gave birth to him… was not in a comfortable situation during her pregnancy. She had complained that she was sad because she couldn’t eat baekseolgi (a type of rice cake) when she was pregnant.

Still, seeing that his eyes weren’t mismatched, it seemed the baby in his belly wouldn’t have different eye sizes just because he couldn’t eat some cherries. Sehwa, vaguely thinking such thoughts, suddenly startled and shook his head briefly. What did it matter? He wasn’t going to give birth anyway, so what if he had mismatched eyes…?

“Lee Sehwa.”

Gi Taejeong, who had been looking at the dazzlingly embroidered display along the swirling escalator, casually called out, “Lee Sehwa.” The space between his surname and given name seemed somehow longer than usual.

“Since you asked something out of the blue, I’m also saying something out of the blue.”

Even after starting, Gi Taejeong remained silent for a long time. Occasionally, he would squint one eye slightly. It was like, when you bite into something sour and it’s a little painful.

“…That day I brought you to the quarters and just held you and slept.”

“……”

Ah. Sehwa’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected beginning. And surprisingly, he seemed to be… choosing his words when talking to him.

“I touched your stomach because it was strange how you had gained weight compared to when we first met. …It wasn’t because I knew something.”

While he was surprised and grateful for the man’s consideration, the excuse he blurted out at this timing was utterly inexplicable. He didn’t even know what it was for…

Sehwa blankly examined his own stomach.

“Did I gain that much weight? I don’t really notice…”

“Ah, that’s not what I meant!”

“……”

“It means you look better than being all shriveled up.”

Sehwa, who had been blinking his eyes, unable to grasp the blunt man’s words at once, belatedly understood the meaning and flushed deeply.

He had been told he was pretty a few times before. But those words were as meaningless as when he called him “honey.” They were nothing more than empty flirtation.

But the words he suddenly uttered now… somehow…

Sehwa lightly patted his chest. His heart, swollen like a balloon, felt like it might burst. The way he suggested going to Commander Oh Seonran’s office to check the certificate together, just in case he might suspect him, and the way he belatedly tried to explain a past event that had suddenly come to mind, somehow…

“What are you thinking about that’s making your face so red?”

“Huh?”

“Look, I thought your cheeks were bleeding.”

Only then did Sehwa check his face reflected in the passing glass and gasp in surprise.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just…”

“…Lee Sehwa.”

Gi Taejeong, who had pulled his chin back as if assessing something and briefly put some distance between them, soon approached closely and put his hand around Sehwa’s waist.

“Do you perhaps want to?”

Want to do what…? Sehwa tilted his head, then, with a face as red as if it were bleeding, slapped Gi Taejeong’s hand. It was an action he wouldn’t have dared to do normally, but he was so flabbergasted and surprised that he pushed him away without realizing it.

“Hmm… But is it okay to have sex now? You said six weeks.”

Even though he had slapped him quite hard, Gi Taejeong didn’t budge and just continued saying what he wanted.

“Even if I can’t put it in, I can at least make you come by sucking…”

“Brigadier General!”

Sehwa frantically looked around. It was fortunate that there were no people around. Whether it was a quiet time, or if people had cleared out because two starred officers were around, he didn’t know… but anyway.

“Why? You were looking at me like you wanted to lick me earlier…”

Gi Taejeong placed a hat, like a crown, on Sehwa’s head. He deliberately pulled the brim down, covering Sehwa’s entire vision.

“I thought, maybe you got turned on because you saw me in uniform for the first time.”

Under the awkwardly lifted military cap, Gi Taejeong poked his handsome face forward and smiled.