The doctor, who had returned with a kind face and no soul, began performing the ultrasound examination.

Even though I thought it would be okay, I still felt nervous every time I saw the ultrasound. When the cold gel touched my skin, I unconsciously crouched down. Chase bowed his head toward me and asked if it hurt a lot.

“…‘Does it hurt?’ Applying gel?”

Even though the doctor asked in bewilderment, Chase remained steadfast.

“I didn’t ask you, hyung.”

“No, common sense tells you that the gel would not hurt. Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“There is a baby in the stomach, so even the slightest stimulation can hurt.”

“Where is the stimulation when applying gel?”

“Yeah. Don’t you think you press it too hard?”

“Well…”

The doctor looked like he wanted to kick us out as quickly as possible. He muttered complicatedly with a look of giving up.

“Yes, you are absolutely right.”

“No, it doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt…”

Chase was the one who pushed, but I was the one who felt embarrassed. Anyway, the black panther’s temper never goes away, and sometimes he becomes so reckless, so I was afraid that the baby would turn out like him.

“Just look at the baby.”

The doctor turned his head towards the monitor, as if he didn’t want to respond any further.

A grayish shadow that I couldn’t tell where anything appeared in the middle of the screen no matter how many times I looked at it.

“Can you see the baby’s arms and legs? They’ve grown so much.”

“yes yes…”

Oh, I can’t see it…… So is that……. a leg?

I looked at Chase as if asking for help, as if my pupils were about to explode. Chase glanced at my expression, which was shaking wildly, and pointed to a corner of the screen.

“Here it is. Its feet are a lot bigger than last time.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot bigger. But the foot is on this side, not that side.”

The doctor grabbed Chase’s hand and turned him in the opposite direction. Why are you holding someone else’s hand? He raised his head with his eyes wide open, but the doctor nodded with a smile, as if he had misunderstood something.

“Honestly, it looks a bit like a tadpole, doesn’t it? That’s just how it is at this time of year.”

“Who are you calling a tadpole? Why is my child called a tadpole?”

“That’s just what I usually say in situations like this.”

“Have you ever seen such a pretty tadpole?”

“Yes, it’s the prettiest of all the tadpoles…”

When Chase glared at him with a serious expression, the doctor raised both hands and laughed heartily. He seemed to have a really good personality. It also seemed like he had decided to just ignore Chase.

I felt sorry for the doctor who was being treated unfairly, so I tried to change the subject.

“You said you would tell me the gender this time, right, doctor?”

It was a big bait that made Chase, who had been picking on the doctor, look back with great nervousness.

We’ve argued about this quite a few times over the months, because I wanted to find out the gender as soon as possible, and Chase wanted to wait.

(Wouldn’t it be better to know it when you’re born? It’d be like a surprise gift.)

(I’m dying of curiosity. I can’t stand it. Aren’t you curious about it, Chase?)

(I’m curious, but still…)

Chase has always been lukewarm about the moment when the baby is born and he finds out whether it’s a boy or a girl. That’s why he hasn’t been able to make a decision even today.

-“Yes. I think I’ll check it for you today. Let’s see…”

+”What the heck, Leo. We decided to wait until after the baby is born?”

-“Yes? When me?”

That never happened. Chase just unilaterally threatened me. When I retorted with a serious expression, Chase started to tell me in detail how much he had been waiting for that moment.

+”But how cute would it be if you could see it for yourself when it’s born, huh?”

-“Hmm.”

But I don’t care if Chase wants a surprise or not. If he’s upset, why doesn’t he get pregnant himself?

-“Then go out so I can be the only one listening. Can you tell me, doctor?”

+”Is this really so? Don’t ignore me and look at me, puppy.”

-“Is it a son or a daughter?”

+”Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me, Babpul!”

*”Yes, let me see. Do you like a son or a daughter?”

+”Just wait a minute. Don’t talk, hyung.”

-“I don’t care. As long as it is healthy.”

+”Why don’t you care? I care. There’s a lot!”

-“Oh, what do you want me to do! Won’t you be quiet?”

Whether Chase was flustered or not, I ignored him and just stared at the monitor screen. However, I was still confused because I couldn’t tell what was an arm and what was a leg.

-“You’re not going out? You’re going to stay here?”

+“…”

Chase’s expression changed from moment to moment. He didn’t want to know, but he didn’t want to keep it to himself, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t curious either, he just didn’t know what to do.

+“I am…”

Why are you so indecisive? Chase waited a while longer, shrugging his shoulders, before opening his mouth with a sullen expression.

+“…I like my daughter.”

-“That’s not what I’m asking!”

Have you been thinking about that until now? I screamed in absurdity. Just as we were about to start arguing again, the doctor pointed to somewhere on the screen with the mouse and spoke in a nonchalant voice.

*”What is here?”

“…”

“…”

What is… there?

A heavy silence flowed through the once noisy examination room. I was so shocked that my mind went blank, and I just licked my lips, while Chase froze with a pale face.

*”That’s… the umbilical cord.”

And then the best he could do was deny reality. Surely the doctor would not have said anything was there while looking at the umbilical cord!

I suddenly got excited and slammed my fist into Chase’s thigh. My voice rose on its own.

*”I think it’s my son. Doctor, is it my son? Really? Wow!”

+”I said no…”

-“A black panther boy, he’d be so cute! He’d look just like Chase, right?”

+”That can’t be. They don’t look alike…”

-“Doctor, please say so. Quickly!”

*”Haha, yes. I think it’s the black panther boy. I hope he doesn’t look like Chase though.”

As the teacher answered with a smile, Chase became noticeably sullen. I was the only one who felt proud and lifted my chin as if to say, *

“Look at that.”

However, Chase’s ill-tempered eyes quickly turned sharp, so I had to quickly look away.

*”After all, he is the son of a black panther.”

-“What are you so dissatisfied with? Is that why you don’t like it?”

+”It’s not that I don’t like it… I guess I should just say that it’s fortunate that I found out sooner…”

-“That’s what you mean by ‘no’ now!”

I didn’t know why he was whining so much, as long as he was healthy and strong without any pain. I barely held back the urge to punch him in the back of the head, but Chase, not knowing what I was going through, just kept grumbling.

+”If you’re going to have a son, why not make him a white puppy?”

*”Are you talking to me now? Did I make it?”

-“Why are you picking on me again? You made it yourself.”

*”That’s why. If he comes and goes, I’ll get a headache. Next time, leave him behind.”

-“I guess so. I’m okay, I’ll come alone from now on.”

*“…You can just change hospitals.”

What is it, doctor? You don’t like me either? My mouth fell open in shock. The doctor’s expression was extremely suspicious as he avoided eye contact and looked out the window at the distant mountains.

-“You are too much, doctor. How can you do this to me…”

As he muttered as if he had lost the world, Chase suddenly interrupted.

+”What’s your relationship? What’s going on between you two?”

*”There’s nothing. There’s nothing. Please just get out of here, okay?”

+”You said first that our child is the son of a black panther.”

*”Then should I lie and say it is the dog’s daughter instead of the black panther’s son?!”

+”still…”

*”But what’s the big deal? If you want it so badly, try it the second time!”

I had no idea where the conversation was going. I was almost losing my mind. But Chase seemed interested in the doctor’s story, and even asked questions.

+”If I try, will it work out as I want?”

*”There’s no medical evidence. But my mother said there are methods that have been passed down through generations. It’s not something a doctor should say, but… Well, do you want to know?”