Things have truly felt so hopeful that I’m looking forward to the rest of my pregnancy.
There haven’t been any other signs of danger since the mugging. Mr. Noh mentioned recently that my attacker is facing a year behind bars, which brings me more relief than I expected.
It really was just a fluke. Just some badluck.
If things stay the way they’ve been, then I have no complaints. I know everything will be okay.
The shopping mall in Namcheon-dong is normally crowded on Sunday afternoons, which makes it even more impressive that Jin volunteered to accompany me.
The huge complex is filled with families and couples and groups of teenagers laughing over bubble tea.
He looks distinctly out of place with his naturally messy dark hair and leather jacket and tattoos, but not once does he even begin to complain.
He lingers nearby as I browse the racks of maternity clothes, his expression patient and composed. Shopping has never been his thing; he wears variations of the same black clothes every day and has owned the same cracked leather jacket and boots for as long as I’ve known him.
Yet he still wanted to come with me today.
I think he wants to spend as much time with me as possible, even if it means enduring things he doesn’t enjoy.
I pull a flowy lavender dress off the rack and hold it up for his inspection. “What about this one?”
Jin glances at it, then at me. “It will look very good on you.”
I roll my eyes. “You’ve said that about every piece of clothing I’ve shown you. Including those ugly culottes—which was atest, by the way.”
“Because it’s true, Tokki-ya.” He shrugs, his gaze drifting lazily across the racks of stretchy pants and empire-waist tops. “You look great in everything—andnothing too.”
My cheeks flush warm. “Behave yourself, Seo Jin-tae. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a teacher. I can and will put you in detention.”
“I’ve always been a troublemaker,” he says, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Even when I was a kid.”
“You know what?” I laugh with a shake of my head. I add a dress to the growing pile in our basket. “I can totally see that. You were probably the bad kid who sat in the back of the class and scared all the students.”
“That’s not true. I scared the teachers too.”
I snort. “Of course you did.”
“What can I say? I’m an equal opportunity troublemaker.”
I’m about to drag him and poke more fun when a display across the sales floor catches my eye. It’s an entire display of baby items—onesies, miniature beanies, and some of the smallest pairs of booties I’ve ever seen.
I gravitate toward them without thinking, my heart swelling as I pick up a pair of pink booties trimmed with delicate lace.
“Jin, look,” I gasp, holding them up. “Aren’t these the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”
He steps closer, his brow slightly furrowing as he takes the booties from my hand. They look almost comically small cradled in his large palm, dwarfed by long fingers that have done terrible things but are now holding something so soft and delicate.
He stares at them as if trying to process the tiny size.
“I can’t believe our baby has feet this small,” he says candidly. “It seems unreal.”
I place a hand on my little bump, smiling. “Technically, our baby is even smaller than that right now. I’m only twenty weeks. According to Dr. Gong, the baby is about the size of a pomegranate.”
Jin’s head snaps toward me, his composure breaking for the genuine shock that flickers across his face. “Apomegranate? But that’s so small. That’s more than small. That’s miniature.”
His gaze drops to where my hand rests on my stomach like he’s even more stuck processing this latest bit of information.
“How will he—or she—survive?” he asks.
