Korean Vocabulary:

1 산부인과 (san-bu-in-gwa): Obstetrician & Gynaecologist.

2 임산부 (im-san-bu): maternity.

 

Amber is at the laundry room putting Paris’ and her own clothes into the washing machine, along with Sung Yeol and Myung Soo’s piled up clothes. Paris likes to wear this certain top every few days during winter and they have only brought five pieces of clothes for their two-week stay. Paris plans to go shopping, to which Amber could only say “We’ll see” to.   As she does so, she ponders over her phone call with Victoria. Victoria has been realising that she is gaining weight twice as fast and decides to consult her GP to find out “what the hell is wrong” with her. He performed a blood test and informs her of their diagnosis on her pregnancy. He sent her for an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and the ultrasound technician said that she is having twins and let her listen to the two heartbeats competing against each other.   Amber smiles thinking back to her best friend’s excited voice. At first, she wondered whether Victoria was messing with her, but she realised that Victoria and Khun are very happy with the news. They cannot even wait for September and have decided to go to the baby store this weekend. Amber had laughed and told her to wait until after the 19 weeks’ ultrasound and Victoria eventually agreed.   “I want to see whether we can find out the gender, but we won’t tell anyone about it.”   Amber is about to close the machine lid when she hears footsteps behind her. She is about to turn just as a familiar voice asks, “What are you doing here?”   “Just washing some clothes,” she answers, changing her mind on turning around and stares at the Korean writing on the machine in befuddlement.   Myung Soo seems to recognise her expression and takes over from her. He puts several clothes into the machine, closes the lids back down, and presses on the buttons to start the machine. Amber watches and makes a note on what buttons he presses for future reference.   “You don’t have to do our washing, you know,” he says, turning to her.   Amber replies, “I was going to wash Paris’ favourite top, but figured I should wash everybody’s too.”   She turns to move the baskets out of the way, however Myung Soo’s arm seizes around her waist, pulling her back to him. For a moment, they stand there in front of the whirring machine in silence.   “I had a dream last night,” he mutters into her ear and sighs in resignation.   Her eyes widen when a memory enters her. She gulps and decides to take this calmly. She does not ask him what it is because she doesn’t want to know, but he proceeds to tell her.   Amber gasped in surprise when she felt his weight behind her. She had just pressed the start button on the washing machine when he had joined her in the laundry room.   “What the hell, Myung Soo?”   He chuckled in response. He had just returned from the hospital yesterday and they decided to stay in today after their morning walk.   “I had a dream last night.”   “Oh, really?” Her laughter rang in his ears. “About what?”   “Well, we were doing it on the washing machine.”   She turned and gave him an are-you-crazy look as she tried to suppress her laughter. God, how he made her laugh so much in those days.   “Hey, it was a dream,” he said in defense. “I didn’t ask for it.”   “Well…” She encircled her arms around his neck and smirked. “Since I’m a nice girlfriend whose boyfriend has just discharged from the hospital,” she pressed her cheek against his and whispered alluringly into his ear, “why don’t we make your dream come true?”   He chortled, grabbed her rear, and brought her onto the vibrating washing machine. He rested his forehead against hers and smirked. “And we’ll make it even better.”   Within the next second, their lips had met and their heads tilted back and forth urgently. Amber’s head hit the corner of the drier and she let out a pained yelp, breaking off the kiss. Myung Soo laughed and rubbed the back of her head gently. He then pulled her into another kiss as she circled her legs around his waist.

 

“You do know that things are different now,” Amber snapped, stopping the image to continue rolling in her mind.   “Yeah, we don’t have a drier here.”   She could hear his smile in his tone. Bothered, she shifts to move out of his grasp, but he holds her steadfastly.   “Are we really over?” His question comes out loud and abrupt. “Do you really not want me anymore?” She hears the pain in his voice, but keeps the wall in her heart up and straight. She opens to answer when he immediately cuts her off, “Don’t answer! I don’t want to hear it!”   Her jaw hardens. “Then what do you want?”   His arms around her waist tighten. After a moment of silence, he breathes, “Just stay like this. I won’t do anything.”   “Myung Soo—”   He drags her backwards and drops down onto the floor, bringing her with him. He leans his back on the wall and allows her to fall onto his crossed legs.   “Until the machine stops,” he begs her.   She lets out a deep, irritated breath. She shifts again out of his grasp, but he pulls her in brusquely and she has to stop when she feels the heat underneath her. Unconsciously, her fingers grasp onto his trousers firmly.   “Myung Soo…”   “I told you I won’t do anything,” he repeats indignantly.   Amber sighs in resignation and places her arms in front of her chest in surrender. Her eyes lay on the washing machine, counting the minutes until the beep comes to announce to them that the washing process has finished. She is feeling uncomfortable; however, as the minutes pass on, Myung Soo keeps true to his words. She relaxes and the only things she hears are their even breathing and the sound of the machine in that enclosed space. She is also aware of his head resting on her shoulder, the side of his head on her side. She ignores him and looks around the room. The wall suddenly becomes very interesting.   After what seems like forever, she feels Myung Soo moves underneath her and his eyes on the side of her face. She almost holds her breath for the time when he would speak up because she doesn’t want to turn and face him.   “Amber, Paris said you got a tattoo.”   “And?”   “She wouldn’t tell us where it is, but who else knows about this?”   Amber creases her brows at the oddity of this question. She almost glares at him if her self-control does not restrain her from doing so. What the hell is his business?   She answers anyway, “No one; just Paris. Why?”   He breathes behind her and the next thing she feels is his lips on the area behind her left ear, towards the line where her hair stops. She shivers feeling his soft lips, suddenly becoming conscious of her arousal. What is going on with her body?   She is still holding her breath when he finally pulls away. “I still know you the most.” She could sense him staring at the tattoo on the area he has just kissed; that shape of a puzzle piece. She had chosen that picture simply because it is small and represents her inner turmoil at that moment. The puzzle pieces in her life are not completed yet. Doubt and confusion are still parts of her. Regarding the spot where she chose to have it, it is the site where he always plants a kiss on her after they make love, one of the most distinct signs of his affection.   She regains her composure and turns to face him. “You said you wouldn’t do anything.”   Her breath is caught in when she finds him just inches away from her. It is not until the beep of the washing machine echoes in the room that they are snapped out of their stupor. She frees herself out of his hold and stands up. He follows.   She glowers and hisses, “Don’t you touch me ever again!”   She almost bolts out of the laundry room to the room where she is sl