[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Thirty-Two[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

“Good morning, Wendy. You’re early,” Seri chirped when she entered their shared office in the hospital. Wendy was already sitting at her desk, taking care of paperwork. A steaming teacup sat next to a mountain of patient files. Her tired face visibly lit up once she spotted her colleague.

“Seri! How was your honeymoon?”

“It was wonderful; I couldn’t have asked for more! Baekhyun and I had a great time. We often visited the beach just around the corner from our holiday home,” she smiled and fetched her white coat, putting it on. “Did I miss anything important at work?”

“No, it was the usual. Joy, Irene, Yixing, and Yeri cared for the patients who came in. There was a surgery as well, but that’s all.”

“Alright, then I can start where I left off,” Seri mumbled to herself and fixed the collar of her coat. Something was missing, though. “Have you seen my name tag? Maybe I lost it somewhere…”

Wendy giggled sheepishly and reached for something on her desk, holding it out to her colleague. “I took it and made a little change for you. Here you go.”

“Oh? Dr. … Byun?” Seri said and blushed. “I still have to get used to it, but thank you, Wendy. It’s thoughtful of you.”

“No problem, that’s what friends are for,” the young nurse grinned and leaned back in her office chair.

“I’m heading to the consultation room now. We could have lunch together if you want,” Seri suggested while she grabbed her purse and made her way to the door.

“Gladly!”

Seri nodded, hesitating for a moment. “By the way, did you start smoking recently?”

Confusion settled on Wendy’s face. “No, why?”

“I could have sworn I smelled something weird. Maybe one of the soldiers lit a cigarette, then? Well, it doesn’t matter. See you later, Wendy!”

And thus began another eventful work day at the hospital. Seri quickly returned to her usual routine, though her thoughts often drifted back to the honeymoon, and she found herself missing Baekhyun. Wondering what he was up to right now, she remembered something the members of EX9 had said during breakfast this morning. They had discussed the next rescue mission to Wando since it would be EX9’s turn to handle it. In the past weeks, other teams had undertaken trips to the mainland and brought back a handful of survivors who now lived on the island.

Seri felt apprehensive at the idea of her husband and friends returning to Wando. Zombies still lurked there, and the mutated ones could be unpredictable. She wondered if she should accompany the soldiers, considering she was immune, capable of fighting, and treating injuries. However, she faced a dilemma since she also had another responsibility now—caring for her adoptive daughter. If anything happened to Seri and Baekhyun during the rescue mission, Minhee would be alone again; an unbearable thought. Seri decided to share her worries with Baekhyun this evening. It might lighten the burden on her shoulders. Besides, they always found a solution together when there was an issue.

Her thoughts revolved around this topic until she finished her shift and met up with Baekhyun in the hospital’s entrance area. He had been waiting for her, leaning against the wall with crossed arms and a pensive look on his face. The sleeves of his uniform were rolled up since it had been a warm day, and he seemed tired from work.

“Baekhyun!” she said and gained his attention. Walking up to him, she kissed him, and he took her hand.

“Seri, how was your day?” he gave a faint smile.

“It was fine, just the usual. How about yours?”

“Sehun and Chanyeol bickered a lot today. It got on my nerves after a while.”

“Must have been about Chanyeol’s obvious crush on Wendy, huh?” she snickered, and Baekhyun’s expression basically confirmed it. “I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming trip to Wando, by the way.”

Baekhyun’s expression turned into a frown. “You’re worried.”

“Yes. I don’t like the idea of you returning to the mainland after we fought so hard to get away, so I considered joining you to support you, but then what about Minhee…?”

He squeezed her hand and watched her from the corner of his eye while they walked to their daughter’s school to pick her up. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m the last person you need to be worried about. I’m experienced in dealing with zombies and hostile survivors. Also, I got my whole team to support me, and we’re well-attuned. You saw it when we rescued you and Minhee and safely brought you to Jeju. In the end, it’s better if you stay on Jeju Island with Minhee. I will only be gone for a day; it’s not that big of a deal.”

“I… I guess you have a point. Still, you’re important to me, so I can’t help but worry.”

Baekhyun’s brown eyes held deep affection when he met hers. “It’s you we need to worry about. I hate leaving you here for a day when we haven’t caught the people responsible for the kidnapping attempt on Wendy. It’s been quiet for too long. On the other hand, ditching my team members doesn’t feel right either. This situation ,” he sighed, kicking a pebble with his boot. “Junmyeon and I thought of a solution. We arranged something with Minho and Kibum. They will guard you while EX9 is gone and stay at the hospital during the day. You’re familiar with them, so I figured it would be fine. They’re very experienced—you can trust them with your life. As for Minhee, she will be safe at school. The teachers are supervising the children, and we got soldiers guarding the entrance as usual.”

“Thank you, Baekhyun. This sounds like a good compromise for everyone involved,” she smiled. Already, the weight on her chest felt a tad lighter. “I don’t mind having Minho and Kibum around, they’re quite entertaining when they start bickering.”

“Yeah, they remind me of Sehun and Chanyeol sometimes.” He shook his head and suppressed a grin. “I’m glad you’re agreeing with my plan. Then everything is settled for next week’s mission.”

With everything planned out, Seri and Baekhyun focused on other things and spent the rest of the week with their daughter after work. She desperately wanted to adopt a pet from the local shelter, but couldn’t decide whether she preferred cats or dogs. Consequently, she bugged her parents about it and brought it up daily. While Seri and Baekhyun had nothing against the idea, they intended to take things one step at a time. They spent almost the entire Sunday at the shelter with Minhee to see if there was an animal that would fit into their family. Minhee made friends with a few curious cats and a dog that kept her hand, which she found funny. The family couldn’t decide which animal they wanted to adopt yet but wanted to revisit the shelter after Baekhyun returned from his mission.

The night before his trip, he tucked Minhee in and let her know about his absence the following day. His words resulted in confusion and worry. “Papa leaves the island soon?” Minhee asked with wide eyes. “But why?”

“It’s because of my work. I want to help other people reach Jeju, where they’re safe. That’s why I will be gone for a day, but it’s okay, Min. I will be back before you know it, and then we’ll have dinner together, alright?”

“Does Mama also leave Jeju?”

Seri sat on the edge of her bed and smiled reassuringly since the girl looked scared at the prospect. “No, no, don’t worry. As usual, I will stay here with you, take you to school and pick you up afterward. Do you remember Kibum and Minho? They will join us too, so it will be fun! Then we’ll wait for Papa and have dinner together, as he said.”

“Okay, Papa promises?”

“I promise,” he smiled and ruffled her hair. “Time will fly, you’ll see.”

“Do you want to hear a bedtime story tonight, honey?” Seri asked and received an enthusiastic nod. “Alright, then. Have I ever told you the fairy tale of Snow White?”

Minhee listened to the story and even managed to stay awake until the very end, but then her eyelids became heavier and heavier. She yawned, struggling to keep her eyes open. Baekhyun kissed her forehead and left her bedside, while Seri blew out the candle on the desk.

“Sweet dreams, Minhee,” she whispered, quietly leaving the room as the girl drifted off.

The couple retreated to their own bedroom and lay down together, intending to cuddle for a bit before they actually went to sleep. Baekhyun spooned her and put his arm around her waist, hand on her belly. She exhaled, smiling to herself. It felt wonderful. The room was veiled in silence for a moment until his deep voice whispered, “I know I said it many times before, but you’re a great mom. It’s so relaxing to listen to the stories you tell her.”

Seri’s lips curved up as a burst of happiness invaded her chest. “I’m glad you’re enjoying them too. Tomorrow, I’ll come up with something new.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it,” he chuckled and left a kiss on her neck.

Minhee wore her small backpack for school and sat on Minho’s shoulders, seeing the world from a very different perspective. It was relatively easy to distract the little girl after she said goodbye to Baekhyun—Minho offered to carry her to school, and she happily agreed.

“I’m taller than you, Mama, look!” she babbled while holding on to Minho’s head. The sight was hilarious, and Kibum struggled to hold in his laughter. There was nothing funnier than witnessing his captain making a fool of himself, intentionally or not.

“Wow, Minhee! How is the view from up there?” Seri giggled.

“Super good! I can even see my school. Mr. Min is really tall.”

“Mr. Min,” Kibum repeated under his breath, his shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter at the girl’s choice of name. Minho shot his friend a warning glare, which of course didn’t stop Kibum’s amusement. If anything, it only increased.

“Just wait until I tell Taemin and Jinki about this, Mr. Min,” Kibum snickered.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Minho grumbled and rolled his eyes because he knew Kibum would dare.

The group arrived at the school gates and Minho crouched to let Minhee down. Seri reminded her to thank him before she brought her inside to her classroom, where her teacher was preparing for the first lesson of the day. When Seri left the building, Minho and Kibum were chatting with the two soldiers stationed at the entrance. They ended the conversation and continued their way to the hospital.

“Thank you for your help today, I appreciate it,” Seri told them as they crossed the street and passed several people on their way to work. Some of them were fishermen, walking toward the docks, while others volunteered to gather supplies from abandoned places all around the island.

“It’s no problem,” Kibum replied. “I am a little worried, though.”

“Why?” Seri’s eyes widened, but his grin was reassuring.

“Your husband is going to kill us if something happens to you