This is a bonus chapter to show how thankful I am (and since many are requesting for another chapter). Thank you for subscribing, upvoting and leaving your comments. 

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“I’m at the hospital right now,” Areum stated as she walked through the lobby.

“Shouldn’t you be at home?”

Areum smiled, nodding at the younger residents who were making their own rounds, before she continued walking to the counter. She could hear her mother sigh on the other line.

“I get bored when I’m at home. Besides, I can still do my job like before,” Areum replied, sounding like a kid complaining and making an excuse at the same time.

Another sigh escaped Mrs. Lee’s mouth and Areum’s sure that her mother gave up on convincing her to be home resting.

“Just be careful. Rest from time to time. And don’t strain yourself too much. It’s going to be bad for you and your baby.”

She unconsciously rubbed her already bulging tummy. She’s already on her 5th month of her pregnancy and she’s been experiencing a lot of different things and one of them was the changes in her physical appearance. She gained some weight and she became very conscious about it but Jongin always tells her that she’s the prettiest in the world.

“Yes, I’ll be careful,” she replied as she pulled two charts of her patients and checked them before scribbling her notes and signature on them.

“Okay, tell Jongin to pass by here when he gets a time to do so. I’m going to give him some side dishes for you to eat.”

Areum nodded. “Yes. Mom, can you include more dried persimmon? I’ve been craving for some since yesterday.”

For the past months, Areum’s appetite has gone through drastic changes.

Flashback

“Hey,” Areum whispered as she tapped Jongin’s shoulder. He softly grunted as he opened his eyes. He looked lost for some seconds before her rubbed his eyes and ruffled his hair.

“Why?” he asked with a groggy voice.

“I want to eat strawberry,” she replied.

Jongin stared at her for a moment. “Strawberry?” he asked blankly. He looked like he’s still in dreamland.

Areum nodded before biting her lower lip. She really couldn’t control her appetite at the moment. She’s really craving for strawberries.

“I think we have some in the fridge,” he said, still half-asleep.

“The fridge’s empty. We still haven’t bought groceries,” she replied softly.

Jongin slowly got up and pulled his phone from the table beside the bed. He checked for the time and a sigh escaped his lips. “It’s still 3 in the morning,” he sighed again before looking at Areum. “Do you really want some strawberries?”

She slowly nodded, feeling a bit apologetic for the sudden request.

“Okay. I’ll check if the store’s already open.” Jongin pulled the blanket to his side and got off the bed. He pulled a jacket from the chair before getting his wallet from the table. Areum followed him to the door.

“I’ll be back in a while,” he bid, slipping into his slippers and taking his leave.

True to his words, Jongin came back after 10 minutes with a pack of fresh strawberries. Areum sat on the couch as Jongin prepared the fruit for her to eat.

“I saw Mr. Kang near the store and I asked him if he’s delivering strawberries. He said he is so I got some directly from him. He said they’re freshly picked,” Jongin informed, sitting beside Areum. The latter picked one and shoved it into . She nodded in satisfaction.

“It’s delicious,” she muttered, looking at Jongin who was leaning back on the couch. He really looked tired. He’s been in the hospital for the whole day. Areum thought that it was a bad decision to wake him up and ask him to buy some strawberries for her. But what can she do? She’s really craving for it. Their baby wants strawberry.

“By the way, are you okay? I heard your ankles are swollen,” Jongin suddenly asked, staring at Areum.

She’s sure the news came from her mother because she’s the only one who was there the other day. Areum slowly nodded. “But I’m okay now,” she assured.

“Let me see.”

“I’m really okay. You don’t need to worry about-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Jongin was already sitting on the floor and reaching for her right leg. He slowly started massaging her ankle without saying a word. Areum stared at him. Jongin’s more than a blessing to her. He’s the sweetest person she has ever known aside from her family. There’s no day in their married life that she ever regret marrying him.

“You should stop wearing heels for the meantime,” he stated, looking up at her. “And you should try to stick with assisting the interns from now on.”

“I can’t just stay still when they need me in the operating room,” she said before picking another strawberry from the plate.

Jongin nodded, getting the point of what she said. “But it will be very tiring for you,” he muttered. He reached for her left leg and continued massaging her ankle. He stayed quiet for the whole time. Areum stared at him.

She could still remember the day when they learned that she was pregnant. She was already getting home at that time when she suddenly felt dizzy. She passed out when she reached the nurse’s counter and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in the emergency room with Jongin on her side. He was smiling from ear to ear when he told him what the other doctor informed him when he got there.

From that day, Jongin’s been extra attentive on whatever she needed.

“Hey,” Areum muttered and Jongin looked up at her.

“Hmm?”

Areum pat the spot on the couch just beside her. Jongin let go of her leg and got up, sitting on the couch.

“Why? Is there something wrong? Do you want to-”

Jongin’s breath hitched when Areum suddenly leaned to plant a kiss on his lips. The latter pulled him to a hug after that and Jongin just stayed still.

“Why are you acting like this?” he asked with a soft chuckle.

“Mmm…nothing,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I’m just thankful for having such a cool and sweet husband.”

Jongin let out a hearty laugh and it was contagious. Areum found herself laughing too. It’s not everyday that she let such words leave .

They stayed like that for some seconds before Areum pulled away.

“You forgot that your husband’s also y,” Jongin stated with a playful smile.

Areum laughed, hitting Jongin on the arm.

“Why? Am I not correct?’ he asked, moving near Areum. He still had that smile on his face and Areum was sure he’s teasing her again.

She looked away and just thought of concentrating on eating the strawberry. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him staring at her – his smile not faltering at all. And before she could do anything, he was able to plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Am I not correct?” he asked again.

“Yeah. Yeah,” she replied, waving her hand in defeat.

“Say it.”

“Say what?” she asked, acting ignorant of what he was asking for. She was already stifling her laughter and as Jongin moved again, she surrendered. “Okay. Okay.”

“Okay?” Jongin questioned with a brow raised. He bit his lower lip to stop smiling.

“y Kim Jongin,” she muttered.

“What?”

“S-y Kim Jongin,” she repeated, trying not to cringe.

“I can’t hear you,” he hummed.

“We should just go back to sleep,” she commented, trying to escape but Jongin held her wrist and stopped her from standing up.

“I’m already awake.”

Areum took a deep breath and looked at Jongin. “y Kim Jongin. You’re y,” she said in a louder voice before squealing like a teenager, covering her face with a pillow.

Jongin’s laughter filled the room. “You’re blushing.”

Who would’ve thought that it’s only a little past 3 in the morning?

End of Flashback

Areum shoved her phone in her pocket as her mother ended the call. She could feel feet hurting from walking around the hospital. As she was about to take her leave, she heard something from the nurses who were already going home after their shifts.

“I saw the new director yesterday. They said he’s from the U.S. too.”

Right. Bogum resigned 2 months ago. He actually attended Areum and Jongin’s wedding. And as far as Areum’s concerned, their relationship’s all in the past and they’ve ended things cleanly. There’s nothing more to go back to. Bogum suddenly submitted his resignation letter, saying that he’s going to join an international charity medical mission for the moment.

There’s nothing that she could do about it. He made a decision and the only thing that she could do is support him. After all, they’re not strangers.

“What are you doing?”

Areum snapped back to reality and turned to where the voice came from. Jongin was looking back at her. She smiled, shaking her head. “Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“About me?” he asked, winking. There are really things that never change.

Areum rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I was thinking about you, Doctor Kim Jongin.”

Jongin extended his arm and offered his hand. She gladly reached for it.

“Good; because I was also thinking about you, Doctor Lee Areum,” he stated, softly squeezing her hand. “So, what does our little darling craves for?”

“Mmm…” Areum pondered, rubbing her tummy. “Cake,” she replied after a while.

Jongin nodded.

“And cake it is,” he announced as they walked towards the exit.  

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“Doctor Park, the supplies already arrived,” a volunteer informed as he peeked inside Bogum’s tent.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll be there in a while,” Bogum replied, pulling his coat from his chair and putting it on before fixing the book that he was just reading.

He’s been travelling several countries with the team of doctors, nurses and volunteers for almost 2 months and he could say that he enjoyed those days helping people outside the hospital. There are many people who couldn’t afford going to a hospital and they’re the ones who they wanted to give service to.

He shut his eyes for some seconds when he came out from his tent. The sun’s blinding and the heat’s no joke. As he made way to where the supplies were being transferred to, he noticed someone carrying a big carton on her own. It was obvious that she was struggling.

Without saying a word, he got the carton of medical supplies from her and she looked up at him.

“You should ask for help when you need it, Nurse Bae,” he stated with a small smile. Joohyun shyly smiled back at him before wiping the sweat forming on