Chapter 476: Chicken
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 476: Chicken
Taking responsibility for my child.
In truth, isn't that simply a natural human duty?
Even the beasts that roam the mountains and fields look after their own offspring; if a human, the pinnacle of intelligence, couldn't care for their own child, what would that make them?
Moreover, I have a much better safety net than most parents.
While most people would naturally worry about the financial aspect of having a child, I have no need for that at all.
I just need to focus on raising the child well.
And now that I have three children on the way...
As a father, the one thing I could do was study.
"Phew."
I close my phone and press down on my eyelids.
These days, it's convenient because you don't even need to buy books; you can study everything on Neutube. Still, perhaps because I became a father so suddenly without any preparation, no matter how much I studied, I felt like it was never enough.
"If you had studied like that in school, you would've gotten a full scholarship."
Sitting across from me, working on her laptop, Oh Yun-ji watched me with a look of fascination.
She probably wondered if I had ever been this focused before.
"This is the first time I've seen you work this hard."
"Wasn't I like this during sex?"
"No, not even close."
Was I?
I guess I'll have to work harder at that, too.
Come to think of it, the last time I was this focused was probably when I was agonizing over who to thrust into first back when the four of us started.
Regardless.
"I have to work hard as a father."
As I went back to studying various things on my phone, Oh Yun-ji watched me, let out a small chuckle, and muttered to herself.
"Well, if you're this committed, I guess I can trust you and go for it too."
"Ah, then trust me—"
I stopped mid-sentence.
I didn't know how to respond, so I just sat there with a blank expression, making Oh Yun-ji smirk.
"Cute."
"……."
"Why are you looking at me like that? Are we not included? What, don't even think about it?"
"No, it's not that. I just thought it might be a bit much right now."
"Well, obviously. Maybe next year? We should definitely have a solid plan before we do it."
"Mhm, mhm."
It felt like some rather chilling words were just exchanged, but we both went back to our own business as if nothing had happened.
"Did she just say 'we'?"
Yoo Ah-rin, who had been listening from the sofa, muttered in disbelief.
Choi Jin-ah, also sitting on the sofa, flinched.
"Why is the opinion of the person involved not being reflected?! I—I want to work a bit more!"
"I feel the same way. If I get pregnant for no reason, I won't be able to do my security work."
Even Senior Ju-hee joined in, but there wasn't much I could say to that.
They'll do it if they want to, I suppose.
Though Oh Yun-ji was clearly enjoying their reactions, grinning from ear to ear.
The weight of responsibility is really piling up.
As I continued to study even harder, Choi I-seo brought over some coffee.
At first, she told me it wasn't time to make such a fuss yet, but at some point, she just let it go.
It seemed Choi I-seo understood that I was actually enjoying making this fuss.
"Is the studying going well?"
"Yeah, in its own way. I learned some things I can do for you guys. I've also memorized the symptoms that might suddenly pop up."
"Oh."
"I've run simulations in my head on how to handle things, and just in case, I've asked the security team to be well-prepared—"
"This is getting so serious it's almost creepy."
Even if it hadn't been long, they were still pregnant women.
Since anything could go wrong, I wanted to be fully prepared.
"What kind of symptoms are there?"
Choi I-seo naturally sat down beside me.
To be honest, based on her tone, she didn't seem all that interested.
I wasn't sure if she was just bored or if she just wanted to talk to me.
"Well, they say there can be some pain in the early stages. Like pain in the lower abdomen, back, or breasts."
"No wonder my back was hurting!"
Seo Ye-rin, who was sprawled out on the living room floor, shouted back.
She was currently lying face down, claiming she wouldn't be able to do so once her belly got big, so she was going to do it as much as possible now.
"And the morning sickness we know about is an early symptom."
"Woo-jina! I want to eat lemons!"
"And they say you might feel cold, or get a fever and feel lethargic."
"Ugh, I have no strength in my body."
"Ye-rin, you're just saying that, right?"
"Don't pay attention to her. She's just talking bullshit because she wants attention."
Yoo Ah-rin focused back on her phone with an annoyed look, and Choi Jin-ah, who had been watching, also slunk back to her phone.
"Well, it's not exactly the early stage, but sometimes the breasts get bigger."
"I knew it! I felt like my breasts were getting bigger!"
"They say you might have to urinate frequently, too."
"Gotta go to the restroom~!"
"And you might get constipation."
"Nooo!"
"……."
"Not that one!"
Everyone stared at Seo Ye-rin.
I thought I was the only one making a fuss, but Seo Ye-rin had been overreacting quite a bit lately as well.
Maybe she was feeling conflicted about quitting her acting career.
"Hey, keep going."
Oh Yun-ji tapped my hand from across the table, telling me to continue.
She seemed to be enjoying Seo Ye-rin's antics, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"Your sense of smell gets better."
"Sniff, sniff. Woo-jini, you ate tteokbokki today, didn't you?"
"Exactly, we ate it together."
Do you have to be that shameless to be an actress?
It was actually kind of impressive.
"And—"
"Okay, that's enough. Ye-rin's going to wear herself out."
I only stopped after Choi I-seo intervened. Seo Ye-rin gave a thumbs up and returned to her original position.
"There aren't any symptoms like... losing your mind when you get pregnant, are there?"
Oh Yun-ji asked, glancing toward Seo Ye-rin. I nodded and gave her a definitive answer.
"Ye-rin is perfectly normal right now."
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
Choi Jin-ah, standing up faster than anyone, dashed to the front door.
"The chicken is here!"
"That was fast."
"Since there are so many of us, we end up ordering a ton every time."
We cleared the dining table to make room for the chicken. Since all seven of us couldn't fit, a few had to be relegated to the living room table.
"Yun-ji, Jin-ah, and Senior Ju-hee, you guys go over there."
Oh Yun-ji frowned at my words.
"What's this? Is this like... the concubine's quarters or something?"
"No, the girls are pregnant. It might not be good for them to sit on the floor."
"Ha, seriously."
Grabbing her laptop, Oh Yun-ji grumbled as she headed to the living room.
"This is so unfair. If it's going to be like this, I should just get it over with quickly too."
I wasn't sure if that was something you could just "get over with," but regardless, the girls gathered around me as instructed.
Senior Ju-hee took her seat at the living room table without a word, and Choi Jin-ah was so preoccupied with the thought of eating chicken that she didn't really react.
"This is a new menu item. They said they took the crunchiness of the frying to the absolute limit—!"
The moment she saw the receipt attached to the bag, Choi Jin-ah stopped mid-sentence.
"It's... roasted?"
As Choi Jin-ah looked at me for an explanation, I cleared my throat and subtly took the chicken from her.
"The girls are pregnant. Eating fried food might be bad for them, so I changed the menu on purpose. It's good for your diet too, right, Jin-ah?"
"I said I wanted chicken. I even picked out the specific menu item."
"It is chicken, isn't it?"
When I held up the bag with a smile, Choi Jin-ah immediately shouted.
"That's just a bird! A roasted bird! Not chicken! Are you kidding me?! I—I'm ordering again!"
"Don't waste money ordering again! Just eat it! It all ends up the same once it's in your stomach anyway!"
"If it all ends up the same, then it's fine to let the babies taste some fried goodness too!"
"What are you talking about?! Why would you feed that to kids who should only be eating the best things?!"
"Wow! Seriously! No, then you could have just ordered the roasted stuff for yourself and ordered fried for us!"
"Then the smell of the fried chicken would make the girls want it too!"
Our conversation was going in circles.
Choi Jin-ah, determined to eat fried chicken, huffed and asked the room.
"Does anyone else want fried chicken?! I'm ordering another one!"
"I told you to just eat—!"
"I want fried."
Yoo Ah-rin's voice came from behind me.
Glancing back, I saw her resting her chin on her hand, clicking her tongue.
"I want fried chicken. I'm not really feeling the roasted stuff. Maybe it's because I ate too much chicken breast back when I was doing Taekwondo."
"Ah, then me too."
Choi I-seo chimed in as well.
"Now that you mention chicken breast, I'm getting a bit sick of it. I ate too much of that kind of stuff because of my workouts, too."
Hmm.
"Hurry up and order, Jin-ah."
When I immediately pivoted, Choi Jin-ah glared at me with a look of pure disgust.
"I really want to beat the crap out of you, Woo-jin."
Choi Jin-ah raised a clenched fist.
The fire in her eyes told me she was serious.
However, I just snorted and replied.
"What are you going to do with those dainty little fists?"
"Eeeek!"
Choi Jin-ah began pounding on my chest in frustration, but it didn't hurt or even tickle.
They were literally feather-weight punches.
In the end, we ordered another fried chicken and had a rather luxurious meal of both fried and roasted.
"Oh, by the way, my father set up a separate house for us. He said you should stay there until the semester starts."
Since they were pregnant, they would need proper care.
I told them proudly that I had spoken to my father in advance to arrange a place for them to stay.
"Ah, now that you mention it..."
The expressions of the three girls stiffened, signaling that there was still one massive hurdle left for us.
"I haven't told my mom yet."
"Me neither..."
"How... how do I even say this?"