Jin’s hands still on my feet, his dark eyes connecting with mine. “I’d like that. Then I can finally call you my wife.”
My smile widens. I reach for his hand, pulling it to rest on my swollen belly. As if recognizing his father’s touch, our son kicks only a few seconds later. It’s a flutter against Jin’s palm that brings the same look of wonder to his face as when I told him about his pomegranate size.
“He’s active today,” I murmur. “It must be all the excitement from the gender reveal.”
“He’s listening to his parents. He recognizes us already.”
I hum in answer, content despite the hiccups we’ve encountered this afternoon.
I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know who Black Shell is or what he wants or how this will end. But sitting here with Jin’s hand on my belly and our son kicking, I decide that so long as we continue tackling these issues together, it’ll be okay.
We’ll make it okay.
The faculty lounge is buzzing with its usual mid-morning energy when I find Kelly at our regular table, a stack of ungraded papers in front of her and a coffee cup clutched in her hand like it’s the only thing keeping her sane.
I already know before I even sit down what she’ll want to talk about. At the hospital when Jin was late to our genderreveal appointment, Kelly was the first person I texted about having a boy.
“There she is,” she says, looking up with a grin. “My favorite pregnant teacher.”
“I’m the only pregnant teacher you know.”
“Which makes you my favorite by default. Sit, sit. How are you feeling? How’s Baby Sweet Potato?”
I laugh and lower myself into the chair across from her. “Baby Sweet Potato is doing great. Very active. Keeps kicking me in the bladder.”
“So he’s already a handful. That tracks given what I know about you and Jin,” she says, sipping from her coffee. “So what’s new? You’ve got that look on your face. The ‘I have news’ look.”
“I guess you do know me well. Nothing’s new… except I’m taking a leave of absence. I already submitted the paperwork. Two weeks, and then I’m done until after the baby.”
Kelly’s face falls and she croaks, “What? No! You’re abandoning me?”
“I’m not abandoning you?—”
“You’re leaving me here alone with Mr. Noh-Memory and the rest of these people?” She gestures dramatically around the lounge. “Who am I supposed to complain to? Who’s going to understand my suffering?”
I laugh despite myself. “Something tells me you’ll survive.”
“I won’t. I’ll wither away.” She sighs heavily, then softens. “But seriously, Monroe. I get it. You’re, like, super pregnant. You need rest, and if your sexy, tattooed Korean boyfriend wants to take care of you, I say go for it.”
“He’s been worried about me, so yeah… you’re right.”
“And the wedding? Any news on that or is that indefinitely on hold?”
“We’re planning something small.Afterthe baby comes. Just family, maybe a few close friends.”
“Am I a close friend?”
“You’re literally my only friend in Busan, remember?”
“Phew. Good, ’cuz things were about to get awkward if you said no,” she says with a bright smile. “Ooh, maybe Hyun-woo and I will still be together by then! He could be my date.”
“How is Hyun-woo anyway?”
“Still normal. No red flags in sight. All green flags. That in itself seems to be a red flag. It’s kind of suspicious, isn’t it?”
I roll my eyes with an incredulous shake of my head. “You’re not seriously about to consider it a flaw that he has no flaws, are you?”
“Well! It is weird—no one’s that perfect!”
