He was gone when she woke up the next morning. It was already past ten, which was later than she ever liked to sleep. But, she was in the mood to be lazy today, which wasn’t unfair, right? She rolled over and pulled the covers up higher while she sleepily listened to be certain that Jiyong wasn’t in the bathroom or kitchen. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t.

She was more than certain that he had left a note, though, so she drifted off again.

When she woke up nearly two hours later, she wandered through her apartment, looking for a note that wasn’t there. Chaerin sighed in pure disappointment. She had to admit that she was upset, and a little self-conscious, that he didn’t leave a note, especially because he seemed like the type of guy who would leave a note. Despite their unorthodox meeting, she liked the guy, hell, she would’ve called him and asked if he wanted to go on a real date. Maybe even repeat the night they had just shared together. However, there was nothing she could do, so she wasn’t going to dwell on the missed opportunity.

She showered, messaged Dara about the night, and went on with her day as if Jiyong hadn’t existed.

The month that followed was slow, to say the least. To Chaerin, March was just one of those months where the days seemed to go by in a haze. At least it went quickly. She focused on her school work, complied with her mother’s request to attend some fundraiser events, and even went on a date. It was boring, but at least she was productive.

It wasn’t until April that she realized she was pregnant.

It was ironic to her that she had found out on April Fool’s Day, but she took three pregnancy tests to be sure. It looked like her body wasn’t playing a trick on her after all. She was pregnant. She was one hundred and ten percent sure. Since the pregnancy was no longer just a part of her imagination, she tried to drown herself in emotional kdramas, but Chaerin eventually just ended up sobbing herself to sleep on the couch.

She really didn’t know what to do. Not only was she not ready for a child, she simply didn’t have the time. Chaerin desperately needed to talk to somebody but Dara was gone, and she didn’t trust anyone else with this secret. Her stomach turned when she thought of her mother’s reaction to this entire situation. She didn’t have to tell her parents. If she wasn’t going to keep it, then they wouldn’t ever need to know, but did she want to keep it?

If she did decide to keep it, then her parents would have to know. Knowing her mother, she’d probably force Chaerin to marry the guy who got her pregnant because it’s the right and proper thing to do in this situation. Marriage wasn’t something Chaerin needed right now. So, where did that really leave her?

She needed to contact Jiyong. It was his baby after all, and he deserved to know about it. She just didn’t really know how to go about finding him. With his sudden disappearance after their night together, she didn’t know his phone number, where he worked, or even what his last name was. The only unappealing option was to go back to the bar and hope he was a regular. It’s not like there was something else she could do.

…

When she was done with school for the day, Chaerin had stayed late at the library, but she couldn’t keep putting off this meeting any longer. She grabbed a snack from the vending machine and found herself driving back to the bar. It felt like no time had passed. There were still people at the bar and in the booths watching the TV. Even the grumpy bartender was there, wiping the counter while his eyes were glued to the screen.

Jiyong was there, too. Chaerin was happy for that. She spent a moment just staring at him, enjoying the calm before the storm. He was still attractive, which means their kid would be attractive as well.

After one final breath, Chaerin sat down beside Jiyong, letting out a breathy, “Hello”.

He was surprised, and Chaerin could tell.

“Chaerin. Hi,” he replied, straightening up in his seat. “How are you doing?”