Yeon Seok Gave Birth

Yeon-Seok's body trembled violently, like a string pulled too tight and about to snap. His entire skin was slick with sweat, dripping from his temples down his bare neck and chest. He sat laboriously in the warm living room of their home, but that night felt like hell to him. His back slumped weakly against the wall, and between his widely spread legs, he wedged a thin pillow. Yet, no matter how he tried to adjust for comfort, nothing truly eased his suffering.  

His stomach—large and hard, as if carrying the weight of the world—was no longer just protruding but dominating his entire body. The skin stretched to an extreme, appearing thin and glossy, like a delicate layer on the verge of tearing at any moment. Fine veins surfaced beneath, forming striking blue-purple patterns that twisted around his navel, which jutted outward like a small button nearly popping loose.  

His pregnancy had reached week 48—far beyond the doctor’s prediction that labor should have happened at least three weeks prior. But the baby… still hadn’t come.  

Instead, day after day, week after week, the tiny body inside him continued to grow, expanding and pressing outward in all directions. The baby’s weight, which should have stabilized by the final trimester, had instead accelerated, and now every slight movement felt like a jolt from within. Kicks beneath his ribs stole his breath. Wriggling in his pelvis left his legs numb. The baby’s large head had already descended, pressing against the base of his uterus and bladder, making it nearly impossible to walk without stopping every few steps to hold back the urge to urinate or endure another false contraction.  

Every breath was a struggle. His lungs felt crushed by his stomach pushing upward, mercilessly compressing his diaphragm. Each exhale seemed to drain the last remnants of his strength, as if sucking away what little energy he had painstakingly gathered. His feet were swollen, his back stabbed with pain, and his lower abdomen felt impossibly heavy—not just the weight of carrying something large, but like a living stone growing relentlessly inside him.  

From the side, his body was no longer proportionate. His stomach jutted so far forward that he couldn’t even see his own feet. Even when sitting, it pushed his ribs and abdominal skin to their absolute limit. Sometimes, when the baby moved, the subtle outlines of elbows or knees were visible, tracing shadows beneath his stretched skin.  

And it wasn’t just his stomach that was overwhelmed. Yeon-Seok’s chest had swollen drastically, forming two heavy mounds that felt too full for his exhausted body to support. Since entering the final trimester, his body had begun producing breast milk naturally, but by week 48, the production had spiraled out of control—leaking endlessly, pressing relentlessly, as if his body didn’t understand he hadn’t given birth yet.  

His breasts were firm, taut, and glistening with sweat and moisture from the ceaseless trickle of milk. His skin was flushed, especially around his areolas and nipples, which now appeared enlarged, hardened, and unbearably sensitive. His nipples stood sharply, trembling slightly at every brush of the night air or the touch of fabric. Thin, milky fluid often seeped from the tips, dripping slowly down his chest to mingle with the sweat already soaking his swollen stomach.  

Every slight movement made his chest quiver with discomfort—pain, heat, and heaviness, like overfilled sacs about to burst. If he shifted wrong, if fabric grazed his skin, the pain shot through him like an electric sting. And when contractions came, his chest ached as if squeezed from within, as though his body reflexively pushed for more milk production, forcing it out even with no one to receive it.  

Sometimes, Yeon-Seok could only cradle his breasts with both hands, lifting them slightly to ease the pressure beneath, all while letting out quiet groans. Occasionally, the milk would gush out, drenching his chest and dampening the sheets beneath him. He had tried binding them with cloth, but the pressure only made him wince—his chest was too sensitive, too full. Even Min-Jae’s breath against his skin could make him shiver.  

Though his body felt on the verge of collapse, he wasn’t ready to give up. He knew his baby was almost here.  

“Ughh… my back…” he moaned softly, his voice hoarse and strained. “It hurts so much… feels like it’s breaking… I don’t even know what to do anymore…”  

His eyes were dull, heavy dark circles hanging beneath them. He looked at Min-Jae, who sat beside him with a panicked, tense expression. “It’s been two days, Jae… two full days… and the baby still hasn’t come… will it end tonight…?”  

Min-Jae didn’t answer immediately. His hands kept rubbing Yeon-Seok’s arms and shoulders, trying to transfer strength through touch. But his own breathing was unsteady. He could see Yeon-Seok’s body was utterly exhausted. His legs trembled incessantly, the insides of his thighs bruised from bearing the pressure below for so long. And that wasn’t even counting the contractions—harsh and relentless.  

“Yeon-Seok…” he finally murmured, soft but urgent. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? You’ve been in labor for two days. I’m really worried… this isn’t normal…”  

Yeon-Seok shook his head weakly, though even that movement pained him. His face was flushed from exertion and heat, but his eyes burned with stubborn determination.  

“No… n-no… I can give birth at home… aah—hah…” His voice broke as his stomach tightened again. “I just need… one more hour… just one, Jae… before tonight ends… our baby will come…”  

Suddenly, his body stiffened. Another contraction hit, stronger than before. His abdominal muscles tensed visibly, rolling in hard waves beneath his skin. He hunched forward rigidly, one hand gripping the side of his stomach, the other clawing at the pillow between his legs.  

“Nghh—AHHH…!” he cried out. His lower lip trembled violently, his eyes squeezing shut. He could feel the pressure of the baby’s head descending further, bearing down on his pelvis, making his hips feel like they were cracking apart.  

His breaths came in ragged gasps, as if choking. “Hh—hah… hah… Jae… the pressure… it’s too much… feels like I’m being stabbed from inside… I don’t know… how much longer I can take this…”  

Min-Jae held his shoulders gently, keeping him from collapsing sideways. He stared at his partner’s pale, sweat-and-tear-streaked face, his heart nearly breaking.  

But Yeon-Seok didn’t give up. Even at his limit, his spirit held firm. He bit his lip and readjusted the pillow beneath his hips, forcing steady breaths despite his burning lungs.  

“I… can… do this…” he whispered, weak but resolute. “I’ll prove it…”  

Min-Jae gripped his shoulders. “You’re already struggling so much, Yeon-Seok… Please… we have to go to the hospital if this keeps up!”  

“I… I can… please… believe in me…” Yeon-Seok breathed, sweat pouring down his forehead. He wasn’t ready to surrender. Even as his body shook violently and his legs barely supported the weight of his pressing stomach, he still believed: their baby would be born tonight.  

***  

Midnight had passed, but the baby still hadn’t come.  

The air in the house felt stifling, as if holding its breath with them. The dim living room light cast shadows over Yeon-Seok’s body, now sprawled on the floor, naked and drenched in sweat. Every inch of his skin glistened, flushed from exertion, his body trembling violently from exhaustion that nearly dragged him into unconsciousness.  

His legs were spread wide, knees bent to the side in a desperate attempt to make space for the baby that refused to emerge. Meanwhile, his hands clutched Min-Jae’s arm tightly—his partner sat behind him, bracing Yeon-Seok’s body with one arm wrapped beneath his shoulder and the other gripping his sweaty waist.  

Yeon-Seok’s face was deeply flushed, not just from exertion but from the agony that intensified with every second. His eyes welled, tears mixing with the sweat on his temples. His lips quivered, parting soundlessly, as if even breathing was too much effort.  

“A-Ahh… Jae… I… I can’t anymore…” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “It’s too… painful…”  

Min-Jae tightened his embrace, trying to lend strength though he felt powerless. “You’ve come this far, Seok… just a little more, love. You can do this. You’re strong…”  

Yeon-Seok’s body suddenly tensed. Another contraction rolled through him like a crushing wave. He screamed, his whole body arching forward despite Min-Jae’s efforts to hold him steady. His feet pressed into the floor, trembling, while his other hand clawed at the ground with the last of his strength.  

“NGHH— AHHH!!! It hurts… so much! The head… it’s too big, Jae… it won’t fit…!”  

Min-Jae could see between Yeon-Seok’s legs—the birth canal was swollen, red, and slightly open. But the baby’s head still hadn’t crowned. The skin there stretched impossibly, only a faint bulge pressing from within. It was as if Yeon-Seok’s body was resisting a force too immense to pass through naturally.  

“You have to push again…” Min-Jae whispered, stroking his damp hair. “One big push… you can do it…”  

Yeon-Seok sobbed. Tears streamed down his face. His entire body shook. His waist felt shattered, the pressure on his tailbone like a hammer strike. But he gave a weak nod. “I’ll… try… one more time…”  

He drew a deep breath, though his lungs had no room left. His hands fisted the fabric beneath him, and his legs spread wider. His body bore down, pushing with the last of his strength.  

“NGHAAAAHHHH!!!” His scream echoed through the cramped space. The veins in his neck stood out, his face turning crimson from the strain.  

His swollen chest heaved violently. Milk leaked uncontrollably, dripping onto his taut stomach. His entire body shuddered, caught between pain, contractions, and sheer effort.  

Min-Jae could see the baby’s head more clearly now. But it still hadn’t fully emerged. The process was agonizingly slow. And Yeon-Seok—who had endured a long night, two days of labor, and the strain of his overburdened body—still fought on.  

Still refused to yield.  

Amidst screams, tears, and endless sweat, only one thought remained in his mind:  

Their baby would be born tonight. With or without a miracle.  

Min-Jae, supporting his back and shoulders, struggled to stay calm despite the panic in his heart.  

Yeon-Seok bit his lip until it bled, his body trembling violently, his breath hitching. But his resolve didn’t waver. “I… have to… I’ve come this far… NGHH—I can’t give up now… I have to push this baby out… no matter how much it hurts…!”  

His eyes flickered down in horror—his birth canal stretched impossibly wide, the skin reddened from the pressure of the baby’s enormous head beginning to show. The burning, tearing sensation nearly made him pass out. But he knew… just one more big push.  

“Push harder!” Min-Jae urged from behind. “The head’s starting to come! You’re almost there!”  

“NGHHH—AAAHHHH!!” Yeon-Seok screamed with everything he had, his body curving as he pushed with the last of his strength. The pain was beyond anything, as if his body was being ripped apart from within. But he didn’t care. He only knew one thing: he had to deliver his baby… now.  

“I’m going to… have this baby… no matter what…!”