…about the fact that we’re having a boy.
He’s watching, and he very clearly wants me to know that he is.
12.Monroe
The flowers disappear almost as quicklyas they turned up.
Jin removes them as soon as we discover them, throwing them out in the trash. The card from the mysterious Black Shell meets the same fate.
I’m watching him pace the living room from where I sit on the couch, still confused about what’s going on. Why would flowers and well-wishes provoke such a strong reaction out of Jin? What is it that I’m missing?
The gesture seemed kind, but then again, who calls themselves Black Shell? How would this person even know we’re having a boy when we just found out this afternoon?
Jin runs a hand through his hair and comes to sit down next to me. Though he hasn’t revealed what’s troubling him, his set jaw and tense mouth do. His tattooed throat works as he gives a hard swallow and releases a breath he’s held in, elbows propped on his thighs and hands clasped as he leans forward.
“Jin,” I say, breaking the ice. “You can tell me whatever it is. Who’s Black Shell? Why would he send us flowers? Howdid he even know we’re having a boy? I’d like to think he’s a friend of yours… but by your reaction, it seems he isn’t.”
“We need to move,” he says. “Find a new place that’s more discreet and unknown.”
“But—”
“There are plenty of properties where we could go,” he explains. “There’s a home available in Haeundae that I’ve seen in listings. Very nice and luxurious. Most of all, very private and secure. We could be there by the end of next week.”
“I don’t want to move. This is our home. We’ve already built a life here. I love our new apartment and the neighborhood too. You haven’t even explained why we would need to leave.”
His dark eyes flit over to me, finally meeting my gaze. His internal conflict is etched in them, easily readable for someone who knows him as well as I do.
“I don’t know who is after us. Not yet,” he begins. Then he pauses for another labored sigh and clench of his jaw. His long fingers trace over the knuckles of his other hand as if mapping out his tattoos. Symbols that spell out Baekho inked on his skin. “He calls himself the Black Shell and claims we will see each other soon. He seems to be an enemy from my past, but I haven’t been able to identify which one. That’s what I’ve been investigating. It’s why I was late to the appointment.”
“Do you have any leads? Any ideas who it can be?”
“The only lead we had turned out to be a dead end. I’ve made many enemies, but none that call themselves the Black Shell. Most are dead, crippled, or elderly by now.”
“How would he know we’re having a boy?” I ask, eyes rounding. “Was he at the hospital with us?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. It’s certainly possible. He could have insiders somewhere. But it’s clear we’re being watched in some capacity.”
“Which is why you want us to move.”
“At least temporarily. I’ll arrange it for us. Until then, we’ll have security here. Twenty-four hours a day. In the building and outside our door.”
“Oh… Okay.” I blink a few times, still thrown by this twist of events. Not exactly sure how to even react.
I thought we’d be celebrating the fact that we’re having a baby boy, not plotting how to go incognito from some apparent enemy of his.
“In the meantime, you need to tell me if anything feels wrong. Anything at all. Do you understand, Tokki-ya?”
“I will. I’ll… I’ll let you know about anything off.”
He gives a stern nod, his hand sliding up the side of my neck to cup my face. “I want you to take a leave of absence from the school. I know you wanted to keep teaching while pregnant, but until I figure out who this man is, I’m not comfortable with you teaching. There’re too many variables that can go wrong.”
My first instinct is to refuse. Teaching ismine—it’s the career I’ve always wanted, a vital part of my identity and something I’ve genuinely enjoyed. It feels like the piece of my life that still exists independently of my relationship with Jin and our future together.
But then my mind fills up with thoughts about how exhausted I’ve been. Symptoms like the swelling in my feet and the aches in my back have only become worse. I’ve been fatigued no matter how many hours of sleep I get, and the nausea hasn’t been easy to manage either.
Mom warned me that the women in our family have difficult pregnancies, and she wasn’t exaggerating. I was already planning to take most of my third trimester off.
This would just be... starting a little early.
