The tense atmosphere in the room was momentarily shattered by the unexpected ringing of Victoria's phone. HaoRan, ever the quick thinker, jumped up to retrieve the device from the coffee table and placed it on speakerphone for everyone to hear before his cousin could react.

"Victoria, my dear, I forgot to mention during our last appointment," Dr. Jiu's voice echoed through the speaker, drawing everyone's attention. "ual is no longer prohibited at this stage of your pregnancy. In fact, I highly recommend it. Studies have shown that better fetal stability is achieved when the parents maintain affectionate intimacy with each other."

Victoria's eyes widened in disbelief, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the thought of such a private matter being discussed in front of her family, specially that the well-meaning doctor said everything in Chinese! HaoRan started visibly grinning and she shot a pointed look at her cousin, silently willing him to maintain his composure. 

As the implications of Dr. Jiu's advice sank in, Papa Song made a snap decision. With a determined expression, he announced, "RuiYi, you'll be sleeping with Qian-Qian tonight. We have to make sure this (referring to Nichkhun) doesn't try anything!".

The unexpected revelation prompted a swift change in the sleeping arrangements for the night. Concerned for Victoria's well-being and with lots of question to ask her daughter anyway, Mama Song  was more than willing to share the bed with her Victoria, leaving Nichkhun in a state of mild disappointment. He was relieved, however, that Papa Song dismissed the idea of him sharing a bed with him and asked instead for additional bedding for HaoRan who was sleeping on the floor in the same room with him.

As Nichkhun settled into his assigned usual sleeping quarters, the spacious living room couch, he couldn't help but muse to himself, "Am I that revolting to my future father-in-law?". And yet he couldn't really hold a grudge against the man because he would probably breathe fire and burn any guy trying to get cozy with his and Victoria's little Ireumi. He smiled as he closed his eyes. There was something perhaps that changed within him when he the reality of fatherhood kicked in -- the moment he saw the sonogram of Noreunja and heard their hearbeats for the first time -- that he felt like he was up to facing anything: Victoria said "No" to his marriage proposal? They would end up at walking down aisle in the end anyway, just not now perhaps. Papa Song hated his guts? He would earn his approval sooner than later.

Later that night, Mama Song and Victoria found themselves in a quiet, intimate conversation as they laid down on the bed. Victoria opened up by asking if they were disappointed with her that she got pregnant and they didn't even approve of the father of her babies. With a gentle yet concerned expression, Mama Song took Victoria's hands in hers. "Qian-Qian," she began, using the endearing nickname she had called her daughter since childhood, "You know we've never been disappointed with you. You're are our pride, our treasure. Your Papa and I are just sad: why didn't you tell us about the pregnancy sooner? You shouldn't have carried this burden all alone."

Victoria sighed and she hugged her mother tightly, like a little girl once again. "I didn't want to worry you, Mama. I wanted to make sure everything was okay before sharing the news."

Mama Song rubber her daughter's cheeks which noticeably now had a rosier, healthier glow. "You've always been this way. Just like when you were young. I would complain to your Papa and Wai Gong that even if you would be bleeding, you still never cried out. You bore the pain quietly. You're stubborn, you know."

Victoria smiled, acknowledging her mother's observations. "I just wanted to protect you and Papa from unnecessary worry. And besides, I thought I could handle it on my own."

Mama Song gently scolded her, "But you're not alone, Qian-Qian. You have us, Xiao Li, and now you have Nichkhun too. You don't need to carry everything on your own shoulders."

A solemn pause filled the room before Mama Song continued, her tone softer but firm. "Now, tell me, why didn't you want to marry Nichkhun? I saw the sincerity in his eyes when he asked, and I could feel the love he has for you." But her daughter just cuddled closer and didn't say anything. She knew Qian was going to tell her eventually and she would patiently encourage her until she was ready to share what was deep in her heart.

Marriage is such a big step; there must be something holding her daughter back, something she needed to figure out. Mama Song sighed and patted her back as if putting her to sleep like in the old days, when she was 7 years old and was upset with losing a milk tooth. "Take your time, my love. Just promise me that you won't bear the weight of your decisions alone. We're here for you, always."

Victoria quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her mother who slept soundly beside her. The queasiness in her stomach had become a familiar sensation during her pregnancy, and she knew exactly where to find relief. Opening the side drawer, she reached for the packet of dried plums that Nichkhun had brought for her, only to find it empty. With a soft sigh, she made her way out of the room, her footsteps barely audible against the carpeted floor.

As she entered the dimly lit kitchen, her eyes fell upon Nichkhun, sleeping peacefully on the couch. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at the sight of him camping out on the uncomfortable sofa for weeks now. Squatting down beside him, she observed his sleeping form, her fingers instinctively reaching out to brush against his tousled locks, au naturel, waxless, that weirdly enticed her so much.

To her surprise, Nichkhun stirred awake, his eyes blinking open in the dim light. "Qian? Waegeure, odi appoyo? Are you feeling unwell?" he asked, his voice laced with concern as he reached out to touch her shoulder.

Victoria shook her head, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she silently climbed onto the couch and nestled herself into the space between Nichkhun and the backrest. Nichkhun, fully awake now, shifted to make room for her, his eyes never leaving her face.

As Victoria held the packet of dried plums close to her chest, munching on one with a slight bulge forming on her left cheek, Nichkhun couldn't help but chuckle softly at the sight. "Kwiyopda," he whispered, gathering her into his embrace.

For a while, they remained cocooned in each other's arms, the only sound filling the room the soft rustle of Victoria's chewing and the steady rhythm of their breaths. It was a moment of quiet intimacy, a shared space where words were unnecessary. But eventually, Victoria broke the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. "You smell nice," she murmured, her words carrying a warmth that enveloped them both in a cocoon of affection. 

"Did you wake up because of nausea?" Nichkhun smiled, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. He observed Victoria's bunny eyes widen, as if she was surprised he could discern the reason behind her nighttime venture to the kitchen (it was pretty obvious with the packet of dried plum snacks she was holding, Nickhun would say). As the comfortable silence lingered between them again, Nichkhun decided to broach a topic that had been on his mind for a while, ever since she rejected his proposal during that fiasco after dinner. "Qian, have you thought about us, you know, officially tying the knot?" He chuckled nervously, acknowledging the traditional nature of his suggestion. "I know it might sound old-fashioned, but with the twins on the way, I thought it would be nice for us to get married before they're born." 

He watched Victoria's expression closely, trying to gauge her reaction. Her eyes met his, and he saw a mixture of emotions dancing within them. After a moment, she sighed, her gaze shifting away as if reluctant to delve into the topic. Nichkhun gently prodded, "Do you really not want to marry me?" He wanted to understand her reservations and fears.

Victoria hesitated before finally speaking. "It's not that I don't want to, Nichkhun. It's just that I can't. My conscience won't let me." Nichkhun furrowed his brows, throwing a genuinely puzzled at her. "What do you mean, babe?"

She hesitated, her gaze dropping to her hands, fidgeting with the plastic bag of dried fruit, her next words carrying the weight of her internal struggle. "I... I'm afraid," she admitted finally, "I'm afraid that I don't have the right to hold on to you when there might be other women out there who have gotten pregnant first with your children, or even given birth to them. What if I'm keeping their father away from them and they're suffering?"

Nichkhun felt a surge of annoyance bubble up within him at her words, his initial reaction clouded by hurt and frustration. How could she think he would abandon her for someone else? But as he took his thoughts a step back and allowed her words to sink in, he realized that Victoria's fears stemmed from her selflessness, not from a lack of trust in him. He studied the face of this sometimes exasperating but altogether lovely and one one-of-kind woman in his arms: "How many buses would my collection of illegitmate kids can fill now, do you think?"

Said woman returned his stare pointedly at his ludicrous question.

"I'm not the playboy you might think I am, Qian," Nichkhun began to address the misconception that seemed to linger in Victoria's mind. "I do value meaningful relationships, and I'm not someone who sleeps around."

Victoria, however, wasn't easily swayed. "I saw the boxes of condoms in your medicine cabinet," she countered, her expression unyielding.

Nichkhun sighed, realizing that must be on the night they had the impromptu samgyupal party at his home when they were back in Korea; after which she was visibly annoyed and ignored him for the rest of the dinner. The need to shed light on the misunderstanding became more urgent. "Those? It's true, I admit, I bought them on the occasion of my 35th birthday," he confessed. "I was going through a sort of mid-life crisis, you know? I didn't know where my life was headed, felt alone. My last serious relationship was more like six years ago, and that didn't even last very long."

He continued, opening up about his feelings of envy towards his younger sister, Chereen, who had settled down and started a family. Even his 2PM maknae member, Chansung, had found stability. As Nichkhun delved deeper into his introspection, he also shared with Victoria the moments that had led him to this point – moments that weighed heavily on his heart and mind.

The memory of his guest appearance on a variety show resurfaced vividly. The host's innocuous question about the vibe of a home interior had triggered a cascade of emotions within him. When he described the ambiance as reminiscent of a 'honeymoon', he hadn't realized the depth of his own words until the host probed further. "Have you been on a honeymoon yourself? Oh, We Got Married - Maldives!" they asked, and the fragments of their time together on We Got Married resurfaced, and he could no longer deny the lingering impact his ex-virtual wife had on him.

"The memories simply came back like a huge tsunami; like it was going to drag me under. I thought I was cursed to be alone forever.You were doing perfectly fine here in China, snogging all those lucky bastards in your dramas, and there I was in Korea, very much single, going on 'honeymoon trips' with Jun K instead of having a wife of my own. Being locked down during the pandemic didn't help, either," he admitted.

It was true; Nichkhun didn't remain celibate after We Got Married, but he didn't embark on a reckless journey of hedonism either. "You know I have some values still" he continued and explained that he was OK with being intimate with a woman only if she was his girlfriend. However, fueled by a sense of desperation or perhaps the shadows of depression, he succumbed to that shopping spree on his 35th birthday.

"I was going to break that personal creed, in order to overwrite your presence in my mind and soul. If it was the only way for me to finally move on." He deliberated on whether sharing that he would say her name whenever he was intimate with another girl was too much information; even he himself found it a bit disturbing and he didn't want to add more reason for Victoria to disqualify him as perfectly sane husband-material. But it was true -- his breakups rooted one fact; his heart was always with someone else; held unknowingly by a beautiful, cute, extremely talented dancer, kind, intelligent, woman who hailed from Qingdao, took her chances in Korea's K-Pop industry, and whom he had the most fortunate chance to cross paths in his youth. He just wished he wasn't such a pabo back then!

In the end, Nichkhuns attempts at being a real life Casanova was very short-lived; he'd only used one of those condoms that one night he was with Dana; and he'd called out Victoria's real name "Qian" which understandably irritated the young Korean-American woman. He regretted that he ever agreed to be with her and he was out her door as soon as he'd entered it, deep in apology but he just couldn’t continue seeing her anymore. "We weren't talking already before I even flew here in Beijing to fill 'Heart Rumble' last summer."

Victoria was going to argue that by the condition of obvious depletion of the boxes contents, it couldn't have been "just one time" he used them. However, she kept that to herself given that Nichkhun was doing his best to open up to her. “But still, condoms don’t always work. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten into this situation. In here” pointing to her abdominal area “are the living proof.” she countered instead.

“Uhm…Actually, we, uhh….didn’t use protection that night.”

Victoria was just shell shocked “What? Why?"

“I didn’t have any with me that night.”

"But..but you could've brought your stocks from home - you had tons of them! We could’ve avoided this mess--” and Victoria caught herself. Her round eyes filled with guilt, as if she’d committed a huge crime and looked down, patting her still flat belly “Mianhae, sorry, uri aegideul. That came out as if Mommy doesn’t want you to be here, but I do, I really really do, arasseo? You’re not mistakes. Never. Mianhae…Mommy loves you both so much, ok?” 

Nichkhun was trying hard to suppress his laughter. Victoria was so cute addressing their 7 going on 8 week-old twins as if they could already hold a conversation with her. It reminded him of her penchance for talking to plants, animals, inanimate objects -- all things living or not. He schooled his expression just in time when Victoria looked back up to him. “But you get what I mean right?”

“Look, babe, I went to Beijing with the intention to work and earn a living; not to sleep around with women. Besides, both of my exes [short-lived ones after Tiffany] I heard are married now and just recently had their 1st babies with their husbands. I couldn’t have fathered them.” He didn't need to mention that Victoria's SM labelmate didn't have kids yet.

Victoria still threw him a suspicious look. “Dana isn’t pregnant.”

“How can you be sure? Maybe that’s the reason why she wanted to talk to you – and you turned her away.” Victoria really could be stubborn at times. Once she had set on a trail of thought, it was hard to stop her from speeding through that line like a bull seeing red. It was Nichkhun’s turn to look down at the direction of this frustrating woman’s tummy and threw the question to their unborn twins:

“Noreunja…Ireumi…Ottokhae? What's Daddy to do now? Sounds like Mommy wants to give Daddy away to another woman. Can you both hold on tight to Daddy and promise to never let go? Daddy’s scared to lose you both and mommy.”