“How’s your baby?”   “Paris is good. She got 100% on her Maths test!” Amber proudly shares with her brother. She beams, staring at his figure on the Skype video.   Jong Hyun chuckles and rolls his eyes. “That is great! But I was actually asking about the one still inside...”   “Oh,” she finally grasps on things and laughs at her misunderstanding, “he is okay.”   “Oh, so it’s a boy?” he wonders, despite trying to be less eager.   She shrugs. “The baby had its legs closed during the ultrasound.”   “What does your instinct tell you?”   She purses her lips and considers. The pregnancy feels a bit different to when she had Paris. The difference may indicate different gender of the baby, but sometimes not. Thus, she is not going to gamble on anything yet. Beside, it could be the fact that she had that 10 years gap before she became pregnant with this second one.   As she gazes down at her now prominent abdoment, she contemplates on how fast time has flown. She has already reached 25 weeks and it is now two weeks left before she departs to Seoul. She is looking forward to seeing Myung Soo again; either it’s the pregnancy or their long period of separation that causes her intense longing to be by his side, she has no idea. It’s not even desire, it’s need. It doesn’t feel right when she passes a day without speaking to him, she’d feel restless until they do speak. Only work could take her mind of it.   Being the Amber Liu that everyone knows, she remains working 12-hour shift five days a week. But it’s not like anyone could change the situation, she just feels so much energy as soon as she leaves her first trimester, in contrast to when she was pregnant with Paris. She wonders again whether it’s the difference in gender of the baby or it was the situation where Myung Soo wasn’t around to support her back then.   On the other hand, Jong Hyun is finally coming to terms with her decision. He still doesn’t acknowledge Myung Soo, though. He makes sure to leave Myung Soo out of the discussion and avoids the conversation deliberately when the latter comes in. He is still raising the Sung Yeol flag, for all everyone knows. “You’re going to regret this, Amber. Sung Yeol was all you could ask for!” he keeps telling her. It would be a lie to say that she isn’t affected at least a little. Myung Soo isn’t there to help her argue back to Jong Hyun and she couldn’t debate anymore on the subject because she has no idea of what the future holds. But then she reminds herself, and Jong Hyun, that, “I don’t regret my choices, Jjong. I’ll go with the flow. If this turns out negative, Myung Soo and I will take full responsibility of it.”   “Uncle Jjong!” Paris runs out of the bathroom in her towel and waves to the screen. Jong Hyun bursts into laughter as the little girl grins widely at him.   “Paris, go put some clothes on!” he says, in a tone as if he is teaching her manners.   Paris giggles. “Oh!” She exclaims brightly when a small window comes up to the centre of the screen, signalling an incoming call. Pointing to the laptop screen, “It’s Dad!”   Amber could see Jong Hyun’s eye-roll as the man groans in dismay. He remains composed for Paris’ sake and says, “Alright, I’m going to have lunch. I’ll talk to you later, kiddo!”   When Jong Hyun hangs up the call, Paris already manoeuvres the mouse to accept Myung Soo’s call before Amber could. The room is immediately filled with Paris’ exuberant greeting as Myung Soo laughs at the way Paris presents herself.   “Oh, Amber, I thought it was you wrapped in a towel!”   A sheepish grin tugs at her lips as she shakes her head. “You just wish you’re that lucky!”   He laughs again and tells Paris to get dressed. Within seconds, she has already sprinted to the closet while her parents instantly engage in their own conversation.   “Alright, show me!” he prods impatiently.   Standing up, Amber sighs. This has become a routine ever since she reached 20 weeks, to show him how much she has grown. That’s one of the things she could do to keep him involved. They aren’t with each other physically; it’s the best way to let him know that she is, in fact, growing.   The swell protruding out of her stomach is much more prominent. He goes silence for a moment as she stares at him tiredly, turning here and there to show all sides of her body, cradling and carressing her bump tenderly.   “I’m getting fat,” she grumbles, pouting to him on the screen. She didn’t get to do this when she had Paris. Her heart sinks even further looking at growing bottom.   “No,” he refutes. “You look great!” he says with sincerity. “You’ve... definitely been growing. There’s a baby in there.”

 

∞

      She sits back down on her chair and replies wryly, “What else do you think is in there?! A cow?”   He chuckles at the glare she sends him. He finds it easier to give her his laughs and encouraging words when she complains about her body changes. After all, he wasn’t there when Paris was still inside Amber.   He takes a glimpse at the book placed next to his keyboard. He has received a packaged from overseas on the day of his birthday and discovered that Yuri and Min Ho have sent him a present to prepare for what awaits him in the months to come. He still hasn’t finished reading; he tries to read at least a chapter a night, but it doesn’t work that way. He is almost finished, though, only four more chapters to go and he still has another three months before Amber’s due date, 27th September.   Amber has no idea that he has been reading books on preparation for fatherhood. In a course of twelve hours’ trip from Seoul to Paris and then Toulose, he became the father of a nine-year-old girl. He wants to make sure he is prepared this time around for what is to come. Another thing he doesn’t mention to her is the fact that he has been in regular contact with Yuri about her development, asking questions every now and then.   “You look gorgeous, Amber! You just want me to compliment you, don’t you?” he teases.   She laughs at his words. His heart warms as they lock gaze, her twinkling eyes mirror his and the rosy colour of her cheeks makes him want to carress her. He misses them, especially holding her.   Her hair is blond no more. It is now brown and has grown longer, almost reaching her shoulders. She hasn’t had time to take a trip to the hairdresser for a trim cut. She had got Yuri to dye her hair brown when the older woman was doing her own.

 

Due to Sung Yeol’s presence at the airport, Myung Soo and Amber had decided not to be too affectionate in front of him. What resulted was an awkward farewell of goodbye.   But they had promised to see each other when Sung Yeol left to the hospital. Except, he ended up staying until it was time for the mother and child have to go to the boarding gate.   Myung Soo knew very well that Amber could be late to board the plane if she came out again, however the urge to bid her properly was so great that he just gambled with himself. After sending Sung Yeol to his father’s car to be taken by the chauffer to the hospital, Myung Soo sped back inside into the airport.   He searched for Amber and Paris through the glassed door where they had gone to before he left with Sung Yeol. Seeing no familiar figure, he went to the nearest chairs where people usually sit to wait for their boarding time or someone from checking in. A voice led him to them.   “Mum, we have five minutes until the gate opens,” a little girl spoke in English as she looked down at her watch. “What are we waiting for?”   “We’re just going to see your dad for a minute, Paris,” Amber replied as she kept glancing at the entrance door.   “But we just saw Dad,” Paris made a point and crossed her arms in a huff. “He left with Sung Yeol Oppa already.”   “Amber!” Myung Soo shouted and the mother and child looked up to see the one they had been waiting for waving and running towards them.   Amber raised from her seat with a pleased smile and ran into his arms, only to be picked up by the waist as he held her in a tight embrace.   “You came back,” she whispered.   “And you did too,” he sighed in relief. “I’m late again.”   He caressed her cheek before pulling her in for a long, languid kiss. As they rested their forehead on each other’s, Amber felt her heartbeat pick up staring into his eyes.   “We’ll get married when this is all over, okay,” he said, in a tone as if he was taking her on a holiday, no