I’m Pregnant with My Friend’s Child (Completed)

She was so focused on their arms that she couldn’t even remember what they had talked about on the way.

As they reached the office building, Lee Jin smiled and squinted up at him.

“I’ll head in first, then.”

“I’ll go ahead.”

“Huh?”

“Your feet are still hurting, right? I’ll run ahead, and you can just walk in.”

Since no one at the office knew they were friends, they had to be cautious. The competitive work environment was far more intense than anything they had experienced in law school.

Out of the ten interns hired, only five would be offered full-time positions, making it a survival competition. Lee Jin didn’t want to fuel any baseless rumors or be accused of using her connections, like relying on a partner lawyer for support. She had entered law school because of Woo Jae’s encouragement, but her internship at Taejung Law Firm was entirely earned through her own merit.

She harbored insecurities about her abilities as a lawyer, and the last thing she needed was gossip about her being involved with a partner lawyer.

“And how long do you plan on avoiding me?”
“A few more days.”
Woo Jae narrowed his eyes at her, studying her face before nodding and walking ahead.

Before she knew it, Woo Jae had already disappeared into the elevator.

Suddenly, her nausea returned. Lee Jin sighed and waited for the next elevator.

She spent her morning preparing reference documents for an upcoming construction lawsuit, organizing a claim for debt collection to be submitted by the second weekend, and getting her appeal statement approved for an upcoming hearing. By the time she sat back down at her desk, it was already 3 PM—time for her client meeting.

Skipping lunch had become routine, but the workload for a junior lawyer at a large firm had long exceeded her limits.

Her upset stomach slowed her down, and she nearly forgot about the meeting even though it was marked on her schedule. Thankfully, a litigation team member reminded her just in time, and she stood up to leave.

Lee Jin made her way to the 22nd-floor conference room, knocked twice, and entered.

Her task was to assist Partner Attorney Kang Joo-taek in sorting through the complex details of various lawsuits, but to her surprise, it was Woo Jae sitting at the table instead of Kang Joo-taek.

“Hello, Attorney Lee Jin.”

As if things couldn’t get worse, the man who greeted her was none other than CEO Lee Do-joon—the protagonist of the parking lot incident on her birthday eve, where Woo Jae had intervened.

Lee Do-joon was the CEO of Light Therapy, a health food company, and she hadn’t expected him to show up in person. She had been told his sister, Director Lee Do-hee, would be attending on his behalf. Perhaps she had misunderstood the details due to her poor health.

The strong scent of Lee Do-joon’s cologne made her stomach churn. Trying to maintain her composure, she bowed slightly and took a seat next to Woo Jae.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Attorney Lee Jin.”

“Have you been well?” Lee Do-joon extended his hand for a handshake, but Woo Jae quickly handed him a stack of documents. Now, instead of shaking her hand, Lee Do-joon found himself holding a list of ongoing lawsuits.

“We have another meeting in an hour, so let’s get started,” Woo Jae said curtly, cutting off any chance of small talk.

It seemed that the company had grown too fast, leading to reckless investments. Internally, there were traitors leaking business secrets, and externally, scammers were infringing on property rights.

To make matters worse, a multi-billion-won lawsuit involving the withdrawal of business rights from a Southeast Asian reseller was now underway.

“We invested 2.2 billion won, but our company has been saddled with the debt,” Lee Do-joon explained, his expression sharp. Woo Jae listened intently, while Lee Jin felt as though the room was closing in on her.

Sensing her growing discomfort, Woo Jae abruptly cut off the conversation and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Attorney Lee, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Please continue.”

Lee Do-joon resumed speaking. “The most frustrating part is that we still don’t know if they’re dragging things out to negotiate or if they’re trying to gain leverage. We’re unclear about Director Park’s intentions.”

“Ugh…” The overpowering scent of cologne finally overwhelmed Lee Jin, and she covered her mouth, rushing out of the room.

Once in the restroom, she gripped the sink and turned on the cold water. Her stomach was churning, but having not eaten much, there was nothing to bring up. She rinsed her hands under the cool water, trying to steady her breath, when the door opened and Woo Jae stepped inside.

“Attorney Woo Jae?”
“You’re not in good shape. Let’s go to the hospital.”

He took hold of her pale, trembling hand. Frowning, she pulled her hand away.
“Get out. This is the women’s restroom, and we’re at the office. What if someone sees?”
“Your health comes first.”

“Go back inside first. You can’t just leave the client alone, Attorney Cha Woo Jae. That’s not like you,” Lee Jin said, turning off the water and looking up at him.

“What’s ‘like me’?” he asked.

“Being professional,” she replied.

“What’s really ‘like me’ is thinking about you all day,” he shot back, making her cheeks burn.

“Please stop and go inside. This is still the office,” she said, forcing a smile as she tried to push him out of the restroom.

After closing the door behind him, she let out another sigh. What on earth is wrong with me?

It didn’t feel like a cold—there were no coughs or runny nose—and she hadn’t eaten anything substantial enough to upset her stomach. The nausea had just lasted far too long.

Could it be premenstrual syndrome?

Her period?

No way. That can’t be it.

Despite the stress from studying, her menstrual cycle had always been remarkably regular. She hadn’t even noticed that her period was overdue.

She remembered that night with Woo Jae. Though they had been inexperienced, they had used protection. But once the thought crossed her mind, she couldn’t help but obsess over what had happened a month ago.

Lee Jin, her face pale, reentered the meeting room. The strong scent of cologne still made her nauseous, but she steadied her breath and took her seat.

“Where’s Attorney Cha Woo Jae?” she asked.

“No idea. After you left, it’s just been me here,” CEO Lee Do-joon replied.

Where did Woo Jae go, leaving the client alone?

There was no way an intern lawyer could handle this consultation without the partner present.

“Apologies, I’m feeling unwell today,” she explained.

“I was worried because I hadn’t heard from you since that day,” Lee Do-joon said, seizing the opportunity to make conversation in Woo Jae’s absence. He had tried to contact her a few times over the past month, but she had ignored his messages.

Could he have come here today just to talk to her in person?

“I couldn’t reach you, so I thought I’d come in person,” he added.

Oh, great. No wonder she had thought it strange that Lee Do-joon had shown up instead of his sister, Director Lee Do-hee.

She had thought their case was over, and she had gone on that date casually, assuming there would be no further professional interactions. But now things had gotten complicated. Clients’ post-service evaluations were part of the criteria for securing a full-time position, so handling this situation carefully was critical.

“I thought we had a connection that night,” he continued.

“Ah, I see…”

“Please give me another chance. I’m serious about you, Attorney Lee Jin.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m currently an intern. At the time, I only went out with you because the case was finished. Now that your company has rehired us, meeting outside the office would be inappropriate,” Lee Jin replied, managing to keep her voice steady despite her pale complexion. With everything on her mind about Woo Jae, she didn’t have the energy to deal with Do-joon’s advances, but she didn’t need to explain those details.