SWNOVELXO Side Story 11
Side Story 11
Side Story 4. Meeting and Change (2)
“Ugh…”
Only five days had passed, but Jae-young looked like he was barely surviving. Newborns are said to sleep about 16 hours a day, but it felt like Raon was sleeping for only 16 minutes.
Not only sleeping, but he had to run to her crying even while eating, and it was difficult to shower because he was worried something might happen during that time. Trying to do only the essential things for survival and things he could quickly interrupt, he had become a mess in just 5 days.
Still, he tried to do it alone. He had prepared hard and boasted that he would raise the baby without help from others, so he tried to endure as much as possible, feeling embarrassed to call for help after just a few days. But he thought it might be better to get some sleep, clean up, and take care of her properly again.
“I knew it. I knew this would happen. I’ll send someone right away, so just hang in there for a few hours.”
When he finally called Mrs. Ju after deliberating, she clicked her tongue and said she would send someone. She wasn’t coming herself, but sending someone – what could that mean?
‘Even if you pay a lot… babysitters must have their own schedules. How can someone come in just a few hours? Is she sending Father?’
While thinking this and waiting, he received a call in less than an hour. It was a woman with a friendly voice speaking quickly.
“Mrs. Ju had informed us in advance, so we were prepared. I’m getting ready to leave now, and I should arrive within an hour.”
“…What? What do you mean she informed you in advance…”
“She contracted us a few months ago and asked us to start work as soon as we got a call, so we’ve been on standby since last month. The baby isn’t even 3 weeks old yet, right? It’s hard to handle the first child alone, not to mention the second. Anyway, please wait just a little bit. I’ll be there soon!”
Jae-young let out a laugh mixed with a sigh when he heard that Mrs. Ju had made a reservation early on and prepared for someone to start work at any time.
It seemed that while she had told him to try his best, she knew he wouldn’t be able to do it alone in the end. Should he be grateful for this? Well, it is fortunate, but…
“…No. Let’s think of this as a practical lesson. It’s good if I can learn various things before Seung-hyun is discharged.”
Although he felt annoyed that he had fallen right into Mrs. Ju’s prediction, he needed to survive first. Properly shower, eat properly. Even if it was just for a few hours, if he could sleep peacefully, he would be in a much better state to look after Raon.
“So, let’s hang in there for just one more hour. Just one hour…”
“Waaah!”
As soon as he made this resolution, he heard crying and ran to Raon. After an hour that felt like 5 hours, the babysitter Mrs. Ju had called appeared like a savior.
“Oh my. Your face is a mess, a real mess. It’s hard taking care of a baby, isn’t it? Especially without any know-how. Hoho.”
The woman who spoke casually immediately went to Raon. Exclaiming that she had never seen such a pretty newborn, the babysitter skillfully examined the baby’s room, kitchen, and bathroom.
“It’s better to use this than that. It’s a good product, but it might be a bit uncomfortable for a baby less than a month old. And for the swaddle, rather than fixing it like this…”
As soon as she arrived, she quickly pointed out the problems and areas for improvement in the house, and skillfully held the baby and gave her the bottle. Although the posture was similar, it felt incredibly stable.
“But for now, you must not have rested for days, so get some rest. It’s 3 o’clock now…”
“…Then, please wake me up at 7. By the way, your working hours…”
“Usually it’s from 10 AM to 7 PM, but since it’s the first day and I came late, I’ll stay a bit longer. I’ll wake you up at 7, so get some sleep for now. Oh my, your handsome face is a mess, a real mess.”
Jae-young was pushed to his bedroom by the babysitter. Come to think of it, he hadn’t slept in his bed for a long time because he always had to be near Raon, not knowing when she might wake up.
‘Still, with the sitter here, I should be able to sleep for 3-4 hours a day. I won’t be drowsy anymore…’
Because he had been taking short naps in an anxious state, he couldn’t tell if he was actually sleeping or just closing his eyes. He wasn’t particularly a heavy sleeper, but for the first time in his life, Jae-young realized the importance of sleep.
“Baby’s dad! Baby’s dad!”
“…!”
When did I fall asleep? It seems he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Woken by the sitter’s voice, Jae-young got up from the bed, organizing his thoughts.
“Go take a shower. You need to eat dinner.”
“Your work hours…”
“I’m planning to leave after seeing the baby’s dad eat dinner. Hurry and go wash up.”
It was a moment when an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman looked like an angel. Shortly after, Jae-young came out after having a proper shower for the first time in three days.
‘Just 4 hours of sleep and my head feels this refreshed. Is it because I slept peacefully?’
He had only been barely washing his face and hands, but today he was able to properly wash and even shave for the first time in a while. Feeling refreshed, Jae-young came down to the first floor.
“Oh my, you look so much better now. So much better. I wondered who the baby took after to be so pretty, turns out it’s because she takes after her dad.”
The babysitter’s eyes widened in surprise seeing him transform from a mess to a proper human. She had thought he looked good even in that state, but after properly washing up, he looked like a different person.
“Hoho. I wonder if the baby will recognize you?”
“…!!”
“I’m joking, just joking. Eat your dinner. I’ll be in the room with the baby.”
After comfortably finishing his meal, Jae-young was able to get various tips from the babysitter before she left. After finishing their conversation and seeing the sitter off, she looked at Raon and said,
“Still, the baby is on the calm side. When you give her what she wants, she stops crying right away and smiles well.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’ve taken care of many babies under 6 months, focusing on newborns… This level is really well-behaved.”
The sitter said goodbye to Raon and left. If this level is considered well-behaved, raising a child must be much harder than I thought. Thinking this, Jae-young went back into the house.
“They say Raon is quite calm compared to others. I actually thought… she might be a bit sensitive.”
“She can’t tell you what she wants, so that’s why it feels that way.”
“How are you feeling? Should I come to the hospital tomorrow? While the sitter is here, I could leave Raon for a bit…”
Jae-young called Seung-hyun as part of his daily routine to show Raon and chattered about the day’s events.
“No. We’re not going to leave her with the sitter forever, so just stay there and learn.”
“…Don’t you want to see me? I want to see you…”
Jae-young spoke in a dejected voice, having his visit flatly rejected despite wanting to see Seung-hyun. It had been almost a week since they last met, didn’t he care at all?
“…It’s not that…”
He could almost see Seung-hyun’s drooping shoulders even without seeing him. Seung-hyun cleared his throat and said,
“…I want to see you too, but if I see you, I’ll want to see Raon too. It’s better to see you continuously from next week rather than just for short moments…”
Seung-hyun mumbled. In fact, there was something embarrassing he wanted to put off facing, more than that.
“Haah…”
After hanging up, Seung-hyun put down his phone and looked at the medicine pouches on the bedside table. After hearing that he might not be discharged even after two weeks, he had been walking diligently, eating well, and his condition had improved quite a bit in the past few days to speed up his discharge.
‘At this rate, you should be able to discharge next week.’
‘…Any sooner?’
‘That’s unreasonable. You should recover enough strength to walk around holding the baby for about 10 minutes.’
‘I think I can do that now.’
‘We need to be conservative. It’s not about thinking you can do it, but being sure you can walk for 30 minutes. More than that… your test results came back yesterday.’
Because he wasn’t born with a body capable of bearing children, there were many tests to be done and things to be careful about even after giving birth.
So he had been undergoing various tests almost every day. He had lost count of how many times he had been told that there were no major problems, but it wasn’t safe enough to relax yet.
But this time, instead of those familiar words, slightly different words were waiting for Seung-hyun.
‘Yesterday’s test was for the pheromone glands and pheromones. Since it was an area that had been severely damaged before, we did a more detailed examination and also did some follow-ups…’
Seung-hyun swallowed dryly, feeling a bit tense at the longer than usual explanation. And at the words that followed, Seung-hyun doubted his ears.
‘…So, what you’re saying is…’
What should he say to Jae-young? Is this really okay? Seung-hyun bit his lip, thinking various thoughts.