The hospital materializes ahead. As soon as Min-gyu’s pulling up along the curb, I’m out of the car, striding through the automatic doors and ignoring the nurse at the front desk who tries to intercept me.
“Sir, I need you to check in?—”
I’m already past her, navigating the maze of corridors until I find the room number Monroe texted me earlier.
I push through the door just as Dr. Gong is speaking.
“—and your next appointment will be in two weeks. We’ll monitor the baby’s growth and make sure everything continues to progress normally.”
The petite doctor turns at my entrance, offering a polite smile. Monroe doesn’t look at me at all.
Her disappointment is a palpable energy in the room. It’s heavy and unsettling and immediately makes me feel twice as guilty as I already do.
“Mr. Seo,” Dr. Gong says, offering her hand for a shake. “Congratulations. You’re having a boy.”
A boy.
We’re having a boy?!
The news renders me speechless for a few seconds as I digest it. I’ve never been a joyous person, but in this moment, it fills me up.
The idea I’m about to be the father to a baby boy.
But when I turn to focus on Monroe, she’s still averting her gaze. Her brows are knitted, and her lips are arranged in a vague frown.
“I gave some sonogram pictures to Monroe for you to take home,” Dr. Gong adds. “I’ll give you two a moment.”
She slips out, leaving us alone.
Monroe pushes herself off the exam table, ignoring my hand when I reach out to help her. She pulls on her cardigan, each movement of hers sharp and jerky. Then she grabs her purse and heads for the door as if I’m invisible.
“Tokki-ya?—”
“Jin, I really don’t want to hear the excuse. Youpromised.”
I follow her through the hospital, surprised by her quick pace despite her much shorter legs.
“But it really was out of my hands. The traffic?—”
“I’m sure, Jin. There’s always something,” she says, sighing. “How many excuses am I supposed to accept?”
“I had to follow a lead against an enemy. The Bulgeomhoe?—”
“Like I said, always something,” she cuts off.
The automatic doors slide open for us as we step into the gray afternoon.
“My concern is that whatever’s going on with the Baekho always seems to come first. What if I had an emergency? Would you be able to make it on time?”
“How can you ask me that? I would drop everything.”
“I know you’d want to, but could you even? With the way things are—how dangerous they get.”
I grab her arm to stop her, noticing how bright her dark eyes have become due to unshed tears. I hold her gaze as I make it clear where I stand.
“Listen to me, Tokki-ya,” I say. “You and the baby come first. Always. No matter what I have to do to make it to you, you will always be my priority.”
“I believe you,” she whispers, casting her eyes downward and swallowing hard. “It’s just…”
