eleven

  As she took slow and hesitant steps through the doorway of her, or rather, their bedroom, she felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. Truthfully speaking, she did not know why she had come back. It was ridiculous for her to come back at such a moment, especially when she had already put up such a tough fight for the past two weeks.

  But, her heart did not will her to sustain her stubbornness. When she heard the panicked voice of her son, when she was faced by Sehun’s severe gaze, and as the image of her husband lying on the ground formed on her mind, she had found herself practically ready to dash all the way home barefooted. Thank goodness Sehun had been around, for he was the one who drove her back, he was the one who had helped to carry Lu Han back to the main bedroom, and he was the one who offered to take care of Jun for the moment being.

  As she saw her husband lying limply on the bed, her heart broke. All she could feel was guilt and anguish when she saw how pale, how thin and how lifeless he seemed to be, and she knew she was the core reason for it all. His palm felt warm, too warm, when she placed her hands on his, holding his hand tightly as she sat by the bedside. She reached towards him, tracing the contours of his handsome face, with small tears dripping down her cheeks as she did so.

  His eyelids fluttered open, and despite the fact that he initially could only see a blurry figure, he immediately recognize that person to be her. He had ached for her long enough to recognize her even when he could not see her face clearly. The warmth of her hands, the scent of her rose perfume, and her steady breathing… He knew it all too well. He blinked a few times until his vision became a lot clearer, and true enough, his eyes soon fell upon her.

  “Yoona…” He breathed slowly, setting his eyes on her, reaching towards her, as if she was just a part of his dreams. “…Yoona…I…” He reached towards her cheek, and no, she did not inch away from him. And as he touched her cheek, feeling her wet tears underneath his palms, his heart trembled. “…Yoona.” He flung his arms around her, hugging her tightly whilst mumbling her name several times.

  He was warm, just too warm. He was having a fever, and she was well-aware of that. She knew that the fever was a product of the fatigue of working too much and having sleepless nights, thus leading to him collapsing. But no, she was not afraid. She could no longer hold herself back, to continue to be stubborn. Soon, she found herself hugging him back, sobbing as she buried her face in his chest.

  “I’m sorry.” Lu Han murmured softly, a tear trickling down his cheek as well, as he locked her in a tight embrace. “…I…I’m sorry… I’m…I’m sorry.” He could barely say anything else, just repeating the same line over and over again.

  “…I’m the one who’s sorry, Han…” Yoona blubbered as she hugged him. “I didn’t mean to go for two weeks, I really was just so upset and I… I didn’t know what I… And I’m just so sorry but I… I… Gawd!” She cried loudly, looking up into his eyes. “Do you know how much it hurts me to see you like this? Why didn’t you sleep, huh? Why must you get yourself so sick that you collapse in front of your son? I leave you for two weeks to take care of our son and you-“

  He could not stop himself as he kissed her, tightening his grip on her. It had been two weeks, and it was a lie, a complete lie if he said that he didn’t miss his wife. She encircled her arms around him, deepening the kiss as she pressed herself to him. It had been two weeks, and definitely, definitely she had missed her husband so much that she blamed herself for all his pain.

  “…I love you.” He uttered, as he ended the kiss. “Don’t leave me again… Not even for one day. Don’t ever leave me like that again.”

  “Make me a promise then.” She made an attempt to smile, as she dried her eyes.

  “Hmm?”

  “…Make sure you accompany me to buy some new maternity clothing after you’ve recovered from your fever.”

  His eyes widened, barely able to contain his emotions as she said those words. “You…You…You’re pregnant?” And his grin just seemed to become wider, as she nodded her head bashfully. “Yoona!”

  Little Jun smiled from the doorway, as he watched his parents lip-lock once more, shooting a cheeky glance at his uncle.

  “Are they gonna start taking off their clothes now, Uncle?”

  Sehun’s jaw nearly dropped.

  “What do you think of the Maldives?” Sulli was rather hopeful as she pointed to the picture in the magazine, showing it to her fiancé. “I hear that it will be completely submerged underwater after twenty years or so… It would be quite a good feeling to know that we’ve visited before it’s gone, right?”

  Taemin glanced at the picture for a moment, before frowning then continuing to stare at the television screen. “Nah. It’s romantic, but still, if we grow old and we want to go back to the place we had our honeymoon, we won’t be able to go because it’s now the honeymoon destination for fishes.”

  “How about going on a cruise?”

  “I don’t want there to be a repeat of the Titanic.”

  “Well, how about Puerto Rico? It’s-“

  “Nah, the name’s weird.”

  Sulli heaved a sigh, completely exasperated. “Taemin, you’ve been saying no to all the options I’ve given you. I really, really want to go overseas for our honeymoon, you know?”

  “Ssul, we haven’t even decided on our wedding date and our wedding venue yet, so why are you so hyped up to choose our honeymoon place?” Taemin chuckled softly, pinching her cheek. “Is it just me or are you becoming extremely impatient?”

  “Aren’t you the impatient one? Aren’t you the one who cannot wait for the day I’m officially branded as yours?” There was a hint of sarcasm in her words, but only slightly, just to give a slight feel of humor.

  He chortled. “You’re mine already. No one’s going to change that.”

  “And you’re not worried that it will change?” Sulli challenged him.

  “Nope.” He replied confidently.

  “Just a few