"Just a couple more months before mommy sees you," Chaerin speaks softly, cradling her five month pregnant stomach as she walks to the convenience store a couple blocks from her apartment. She moves quickly, very aware of the time. Although Seoul isn't particularly dangerous, walking around by herself around midnight doesn't sit well with her. 

The craving for that nasty Honey Butter Chip- which she wouldn't have looked at twice had she not been carrying a baby- was strong. She recalls the craze over it a year or so ago and how she'd roll her eyes when stores were filled with customers lining up to buy that alone, but now she understands. She's going to have to buy at least ten packs to satisfy her little one. Still, thinking about it, she should've asked Taeyang to accompany her.

"Too late for that now," she tells herself, realizing that Taeyang is most likely busy with Hyorin. Ever since they started dating a few weeks ago, he's been unintentionally distant with everyone in their circle of friends. It really hadn't bothered her at first, but his absence is starting to take a toll on their group. Nonetheless, she understands that he's in love with the girl so it'd be selfish of them to hold him back. 

A minute more and she's in the 24/7 store, eyes scanning the shelves for the stupid snack that she can't get off her mind. There are those milk cookies, squid flavored chips, chocolates...ah! Honey butter chip! Chaerin picks up ten, filling her arms with them as she heads to the cashier. 

The teenage boy who works there shoots her a 'what the hell' kind of look, but remains silent. A good decision on his part; it would be unwise to mess with her in her chip-deprived state. He scans everything through the barcode reader, then tells her the total. 

"Here you go," she hands him her card. 

He swipes, nothing happens. He swipes again with the same result. Once more before he hands it back over to her. "Uh, it's not working. Do you have another?"

"Hold on," she mumbles, digging around inside her wallet to see if she'd brought her other card. Of all days to have it in her other wallet, it has to be today. She starts digging out whatever cash she can find, tossing it at him but it's not enough. Why the hell does she never carry enough cash? "Shoot, how much more do I need?"

He glances down at what she'd thrown at him, making it clear to them both that it's not even half of what's needed. She can feel it; the tears welling up in her eyes, whether it be from embarrassment or just hormones. She sees the cashier's eyes widen as he tries to compromise.

"Just get three now and tomorrow you can get..." His voice trails off when he catches sight of the glare she throws at him. He fumbles around with his fingers nervously; he really shouldn't have said anything to the crazy pregnant lady. "Sorry, miss."

A snort comes from behind her, causing her to turn curiously. The other customer, who she hadn't even noticed, is looking at her. It's not rudely or anything, he's just staring which makes her feel awkward, especially when she sees his eyes travel down to her stomach then to the poor cashier that she's been giving a hard time. 

Feeling bad for having made him wait, she steps to the side to sort out her money, bowing an apology to the man, "You can go ahead in the meanwhile."

He nods, sending her a small smile that she tries too hard not to think about. Although he's not her type, she could admire his good looks. He's quite tall and handsome, his face possessing such a comforting aura to it that she can't help but like it. 

In the midst of her staring, a bag is on the counter before her, one filled with all ten packs. Surprised and confused, she glances up to see the teen gesturing to the guy next to her, "He paid for it."

"Oh, no, no," she shakes her head. "I can't accept this. I'll just take the three so you can take your money back. Thank you, though."

He shrugs, "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"I won't feel good accepting it," Chaerin admits shyly. "So please take it b-"

The cashier groans, catching both of their attention, "He's doing a good thing because he wants to. Just take it so I can go back to watching my anime."

"He's right," the man pipes in, looking happy to have someone else on his side. "Moreover, it's foolish to get between a pregnant woman and her cravings. I'm just being a good citizen and looking out for this young man."

And she can't help but grin at that explanation, nodding her head as she finally accepts, "Thank you."

"There we go," his lips turn up at the corners, causing his upper lip to become crooked in what she believes is the cutest smile ever. "You're welcome."

She closes her wallet and gathers the bag, "Have a goodnight, sir."

"Seunghyun."

"What?"

"My name's Choi Seunghyun."

"Oh!" she says, understanding what he means. "I'm Lee Chaerin. It's nice to meet you."

"You, too," Seunghyun agrees before wishing her a good night as well. 

She sends him a small wave then exits, feeling slightly scared at how quiet it is. The emptiness of the street really irks her, but that's what it's usually like at that hour around there. She starts heading down the street but is not even ten steps in when she hears her name being called. Turning, she spots Seunghyun who runs to catch up to her, his own plastic bag from the store in hand.

"You're walking alone?"

"Yeah, it's not too much of a distance," she assures him.

His eyebrows knit together in deep thought before he shakes his head, no. "It's dangerous to walk around alone at an hour like this. Would it be okay if I walk with you?"

Chaerin snorts, taking a step back automatically. "So you can kill me? You'll have to try a bit harder than that."

"You're not the type I usually kill," he jokes, sending her a wink. "But really, I just want my chips to arrive to their destination safely."

"Oh, you have jokes..." She mumbles but he catches it and shoots her a brilliant smile that has her feeling weak in the knees. All of this is probably part of his plan to murder her. "Listen, I know you paid for these, but I can't just take a stranger to my home. It's kind of creepy."

He digs into his pocket, retrieves his wallet and shows her his identification card. He tells her to take a picture then lock her phone. "That way the police will know who's a good suspect."

She looks at him strangely, but points out the way; she's secretly glad for the company. At least this way she can pay him back when she gets home. They walk together, and he practically stares at her for the first couple of steps until she asks what's up with him.

"I know they say that pregnancy makes women glow, but you're seriously glowing," he says in awe, taking in the beautiful, shy smile that lights up her face at his words as she thanks him. "If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?"

"Five months," she answers, unconsciously resting her hand on her stomach protectively. She can only ever hope that her baby will be safe and healthy. "It's a girl so she's pretty chill in here most of the time. Well, except for when she's hungry, really. I swear to you, I've never liked Honey Butter Chips but that's changing now. Nothing's ever really the same for too long, huh?"

"Life wouldn't be fun if everything was stagnant," he points out, slipping the bag out of her hand so he could carry it even though it's practically weightless. Half those packs are air and Chaerin can attest to that. "So, what do you do job-wise?"

"I'm a music producer."

"Really?" Seunghyun asks, looking over at her again; well, he hadn't really taken his eyes off of her to begin with. She doesn't seem to be much younger than him, but regardless of age, being a producer is a pretty hefty job. "How old are you?"

"Twenty five." She wonders if he's judging her for having a baby at this age. She shouldn't care, but she does. Thankfully, a quick scan of his face tells her that he's not. "What about you, Seunghyun?"

"Office job by day, underground rapper by night," he tells her. 

She pauses to eye him up and down, trying to distinguish anything that might ring a bell in her head but there's nothing. If he raps underground, then she should've at least heard of him by now considering her line of work. "You have an alias?"

"Tempo."

"Oh," she nods, continuing walking again. Yes, she most certainly has heard the name. Everyone who keeps up with the game has. She even has his mixtape somewhere back home. "Your music is good."

He shrugs, somewhat relieved that she hasn't treated him any different now that she knows who he is. She'd just nodded and went on her way which was much appreciated. 

He takes in her form fully as they walk, noticing that she moves confidently. Her face is free of makeup and, although she isn't overly pretty, it attracts him. Perhaps it's the way she'd laugh genuinely or challenge him when she thinks that he's doing something fishy. He doesn't know exactly, but he wants to know more about her. An intense desire to become acquainted with her likes and dislikes stirs within him. 

But he can't go any further. His eyes travel down to her swollen stomach; the place that carries new life within her. And he has to know, "Are you alone?"

"Huh?" she arches an eyebrow at him before she understands what he means. "Oh yeah. That son-of-a- bolted as soon as I gave him the news. This wasn't really planned, to be honest, but I'm a firm believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason."

"He's an idiot."

"He is," she agrees with a light laugh, but she'd gotten over her ex. At least now, her baby is all hers. She'd always adored kids so her excitement at finally having one is immense. Strangely enough, Seunghyun seems really happy for her, too. He's one of the first ones who doesn't have to take time to get used to the idea. Quite odd for someone of their age who- her eyes widen as she looks over at him, "Wait! How old are you?"

She could've spied it on his ID card earlier, but it completely skipped by her. He looks to be her age, maybe a year older at most. But the thought of her being very impolite to him is unsettling. 

"Thirty..." He slowly lets out, puzzled by her reaction. "Do I look older?"

"No!" She hides her face in embarrassment. The problem is that he's doesn't look older or else she would've been able to address him properly. "I've been speaking to you informally this whole time because I thought that we're the same age. You should've told me something about it when I told you how old I am. I'm sor-"

"Relax," he chuckles, "I don't really mind. I'm not one to use honorifics unless absolutely necessary so it's alright."

"Okay, thank goodness," she grins before repeating his name over and over without any honorifics as if to get used to it. "Choi Seunghyun, Seunghyun, Seunghyun, Seunghyun..."

He refrains from telling her that's she weird, instead suggesting. "Or you can just call me 'TOP' if you'd like. But that might be a bit harder to pronounce without the Korean accent."

"I'm fluent in English, Seunghyun," she says nonchalantly as if speaking about the whether. 

Now it's his turn to be surprised. He remembers spending two years trying to learn English once, but that had all been useless so he'd resorted to just memorizing simple phrases he'd encounter daily. "How languages do you speak?"

"Four. Korean was the last one I learnt, but I speak it the best."

"Wow."

She wants to tell him not to be awed by that, that her family used to move a lot so it was necessary to learn the languages, but they arrive at her apartment complex then. Despite the fact that he's been good company, she's not too keen on the idea of inviting a stranger up to her flat. 

Turning to him, Chaerin bows, "This is me...thank you for walking with me."

"Of course," he nods, handing over her bag. He tries not to think of the heavy feeling in his chest and, if his mind does happen to acknowledge it, he passes it off as his dislike of saying goodbye. But it's hard to do...he should ask for her number. He wants nothing more than that, but all that comes out is, "You're welcome, Chaerin."

"Have a good night, alright? You be safe."

"I will," he nods and goes to turn before she stops him, fumbling around in her wallet before digging out a card and ing it towards him. He takes it graciously, inspecting the contact card while being thankful that someone up above heard his prayers.

"In case you want to work together some time," she clarifies, avoiding his eyes as a redness taints her cheeks. She hopes he doesn't take it the wrong way. "Since we're in the same business and all."

"I see," he allows himself a small smile. A little less self-control and his slight smile would've turned into an ear-reaching grin. "Sleep well, Chaerin."

She sees him off, watching as he reaches the corner, looks up at her and waves. It's returned, but it's only then that she realizes that she forgot to pay him the money she owes him. Chaerin tries calling after him, but it's too late; he's already gone. 

She guesses that she'd just have to wait for him to call before she could pay him back. She tries not to pay attention to the part of herself that's doing backflips at the thought, heading inside her building. Maybe it was for the better that she hadn't asked Taeyang to accompany her.