Side Story 5. Grateful and Proud
The hardest part of pregnancy isn’t just the physical changes or morning sickness—it’s how the hormonal shifts disrupt everyday life.
The heaviness of the body and nausea are just the surface struggles.
There are sudden, sharp pains in the abdomen, irregular sleep patterns, and emotional swings that can be overwhelming.
For example, when a delivery order was a little late, Lee Yoo-jung broke down in tears—over something so small.
So it’s only natural that a pregnant wife leans on and depends on her husband.
There’s a saying that the gratitude and disappointments experienced during pregnancy last a lifetime.
Looking at it that way, the wives’ opinions of Kim Soo-hyun were quite mixed.
Or rather, divided.
In some ways, he was a perfect husband, scoring ten out of ten. But at other times, he seemed to fall short completely.
The moment he found out about the pregnancy, he quit his beloved cigarettes cold turkey—a point all the wives admired.
When they were in the modern world, he never missed a hospital visit and would rush out at any hour to bring whatever his wife craved.
He even bought stacks of parenting books and read them whenever he had a chance.
But the problem was that his concern often crossed the line.
There’s a limit to everything.
Because his love for their child was so intense, his attention frequently turned into interference.
And that wasn’t all.
Sometimes, he would plant deep kisses on his wife’s bare, swollen belly or even lick her navel—a behavior the wives found utterly repulsive.
They tried gently asking him to stop, even sternly expressing their discomfort.
But Kim Soo-hyun, who never compromised when it came to their child, refused to back down.
So there was Im Hanna, sitting in the rocking chair on the lobby porch, enjoying the evening sun, when Soo-hyun came home from work and caught her—once again coaxing her belly.
After going through this so many times, she had almost given up.
How much time had passed?
“Hey, Soo-hyun.”
At the calm voice, Kim Soo-hyun, who had his face buried in her belly, glanced up.
Im Hanna, who had been looking troubled all along, now smiled softly.
“I had such a nice dream today.”
“A dream? What kind?”
“A dream where I met the baby inside me. We even talked.”
“Really? What did our baby say?”
Soo-hyun’s face lit up with excitement.
Im Hanna leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes gently.
Then, as if repeating to herself, she spoke quietly.
“Mommy, mommy. I’m so happy. I love you. I want to see you soon…”
She savored the memory of the dream, her voice trailing off.
Suddenly, her nose flushed pink, and her eyebrows began to tremble.
Startled, Soo-hyun looked worried, but Im Hanna still smiled and slowly caressed her belly.
“You’re so precious…”
Her voice was soft, trembling, and slightly wet.
“That’s right. You really are.”
Soo-hyun quickly echoed her.
“But what about me? Did the baby say they don’t want to see me?”
Her tone was serious.
Caught up in the emotion, Im Hanna burst out laughing.
Just as she was about to say something—
“What is it…?”
“Lord! Lord!”
Suddenly, Shin Jae-ryong came rushing down the stairs, calling out to Kim Soo-hyun.
It was rare to see the usually composed and healthy priest so flustered, so both Soo-hyun and Im Hanna’s eyes widened.
“You have to come quickly! Something’s happening!”
“Uncle Jae-ryong, what’s wrong?”
“What’s going on?”
“The Istantel Lord has begun labor! The angel Seraph is inside now, so the Lord must hurry!”
At that moment, the two of them rose simultaneously, as if on cue.
Four hours had already passed since Han So-young’s labor began.
The hallway outside the dimly lit delivery room was filled with agonized groans.
Whenever a sharp scream pierced the air, Kim Soo-hyun’s face twisted in pain as he paced the corridor.
He had rushed over at Shin Jae-ryong’s news but was kicked out less than an hour later.
For some reason, Han So-young was adamant about not letting anyone see her giving birth.
“Ugh…”
He could only sigh.
This was his third time witnessing a birth.
Once in Gehenna at Hall Plain, once with Go Yeon-ju in the modern world.
Though he had been through it twice before, the helplessness of waiting without being able to do anything never got easier.
He had been mentally preparing ever since hearing from Jegal Haesol that labor was near, but when it actually happened, he couldn’t stay calm.
A scream echoed again.
Kim Soo-hyun crouched down, clutching his head.
“Hyung, maybe you should just go in…”
An-hyun spoke gently, seeing how distressed he was.
But Soo-hyun shook his head slowly.
He had already been kicked out five times; going back in now would only make things worse.
If even Kim Soo-hyun, who never gave an inch when it came to their children, had backed down, it was clear how much Han So-young hated it.
A heavy silence fell.
A little more… a little more…!
A loud wail sounded, and it seemed like Seraph’s encouraging voice could be heard.
Suddenly, a strong cry filled the hallway.
Kim Soo-hyun’s head snapped up.
Without waiting for anyone to say a word, he dashed forward and flung open the door.
The sharp scent of blood hit his nose.
“She’s out! The baby’s out!”
“Cut the umbilical cord first!”
The room was chaos.
The first thing that caught his eye was Vivian, who had been dragged in and now sat on the floor, hair tousled and looking dazed.
On the bed lay Han So-young, covered with a white blanket, her sweat-soaked hair clinging to her cheeks as she gasped for breath.
“The mother and baby are both safe and healthy.”
“Ah, Lord, you’re here? Congratulations. It’s another girl, another daughter!”
Seraph, holding the swaddled baby, and Sarah Jane, who had just cut the umbilical cord with surgical scissors, looked at Kim Soo-hyun.
He stepped past Seraph, who was offering the bundle, and approached the bed.
Gently, he brushed Han So-young’s damp hair away from her face.
“Honey, you did so well. Really, you did.”
A faint smile appeared on Han So-young’s tired face.
She was secretly happy that her husband had put her first.
The pain she had endured during labor seemed to melt away.
“And the baby? Where is the baby?”
Han So-young twisted her body weakly, searching.
Only then did Kim Soo-hyun take the swaddled infant.
“Waaah, waaah.”
The baby was still crying.
Kim Soo-hyun carefully tilted the bundle toward her.
Han So-young looked up, her expression indescribable.
After a moment, they both spoke at once.
“Baby, it’s Daddy.”
“Baby, it’s Mommy.”
Then something amazing happened.
“Waaah… uh, hic, uh-huh…”
As if recognizing their voices, the baby’s cries began to soften.
When called again, the infant opened their eyes with effort, teary but alert.
“Ah…”
Han So-young gasped softly.
Newborns aren’t exactly pretty.
Covered in blood, red and wrinkled, they’re little bundles of flesh.
But to their parents, they are the most precious light in the world.
“She’s a good daughter.”
Kim Soo-hyun murmured with a smile.
Suddenly, he realized he hadn’t yet thanked those who had rushed in to help in the middle of the night.
Especially Sarah Jane, who had studied obstetrics in the modern world and had been a great help.
“Thank you…?”
But when he turned around, he hesitated.
The atmosphere in the room had shifted.
Sarah Jane was nowhere to be seen, and Seraph looked restless, unsure what to do.
“What’s wrong?”
“Soo-hyun.”
Seraph approached quietly, lowering his voice so Han So-young wouldn’t hear.
“I just heard… Jegal Haesol’s labor has started.”
Kim Soo-hyun’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.
What they feared had come true.
Just as pregnancies had come one after another, so had the births.
In the modern world, this wouldn’t have been a problem, but here, in Hall Plain, it was chaos.
After Han So-young’s delivery, the Musheneri barely managed to get Jegal Haesol through her labor, only to be thrown into turmoil again by the contractions of Go Yeon-ju and Im Hanna.
Childbirth is hard on the mother, but midwives also expend tremendous energy.
The Musheneri women, who had stayed up all night through consecutive births, were utterly exhausted.
But they couldn’t just let anyone into the delivery room.
That’s when Kim Soo-hyun’s older brother, Kim Yoo-hyun, stepped in.
As soon as he heard the news, he sprang into action, throwing gold coins around to find a woman with midwifery experience.
He succeeded and hurried her to the Musheneri castle.
Then, for the first time in a while, he scolded his younger brother fiercely.
“What kind of father are you, not preparing for this? If something happens to your niece, I won’t forgive you!”
Kim Soo-hyun was left speechless.
Fortunately, Ko Yeon-ju, who had given birth once before, had a smooth delivery, and both Jegal Hae-sol and Im Han-na also gave birth without complications.
Including Han So-young, all four welcomed healthy baby girls.
Of course, not everyone’s experience was that easy.
It took some time, but Lee Yoo-jung safely delivered her daughter, while Nam Da-eun went through a very difficult labor.
It was so severe that if An Sol hadn’t impulsively used a miracle elixir, no one knew what might have happened.
Since then, Kim Soo-hyun made it a habit to always keep an elixir on hand in the delivery room.
After all the ups and downs, when Nam Da-eun finally gave birth to her daughter, Kim Soo-hyun finally found a moment to relax and was lost in happy thoughts.
Han So-young, Jegal Hae-sol, Ko Yeon-ju, Im Han-na, Lee Yoo-jung, Nam Da-eun—
All six had given birth to daughters in succession.
It wasn’t that having daughters was a bad thing, but there was still a quiet hope that at least one son might be born.
Coincidentally, that wish was soon fulfilled.
The seventh mother, Jung Ha-yeon, gave birth to a son.
Then Kim Han-byul and Cha So-rim each had sons as well, marking the end of all the wives’ deliveries.
At that moment, six girls and three boys became the newest members of the family.
Just a few weeks earlier, the Mercenary Castle had been quiet, but now it buzzed with the energy of the newborn children.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
I honestly thought my sanity was about to break while writing today;;;;
I always write in MS Word using the New Gulim font at 11pt, but today I ran into four consecutive errors.
Every time I tried to write this part, the program kept crashing, forcing me to close it.
I can’t imagine what would have happened if the auto-save hadn’t kicked in…
Sometimes, moments like this make me want to switch to Hangul Word Processor, but I’ve already paid for a year’s subscription, so it feels like a waste to change now. ㅜ.ㅠ
Sigh.
Oh! Dear readers,
I have some good news.
This year, I might finally live on my own.
My mother, who had been strongly opposed, has finally half-agreed.
It’s my first time living alone since I was born, so my heart is pounding with excitement. Hehehe :)