Seunghyun expected Jiyong to kiss him, squeal, jump up and down in happiness, whisper an “I love you” amidst tears of joy, but nothing could've prepared him for this; anger.

"How could you do that?” Jiyong yelled, flinging the envelope back on the table. “And behind my back?" He ran trembling fingers roughly through his hair. "What gives you the right to choose the perfect woman by yourself? I'm as entitled to have a say in this as you are!"

Seunghyun blinked in shock. This was not how he expected the night to go. "Jiyong, please calm down," Seunghyun said gently. Jiyong glared at him with angry tears in his eyes. "And what if I don't? What I'm not allowed to be angry either? You went behind my back and chose--"

"First of all, I didn't choose her. This is me narrowing down the list, a task that you have been avoiding," Seunghyun retorted. Jiyong shifted his eyes guiltily. "And second, will you please just open the envelope and see what's inside? If you don't like her then we'll find someone else."

Jiyong looked at Seunghyun long and hard but didn't make any move to open the envelope. Seunghyun fidgeted under Jiyong's gaze.

"I just thought you'd be happy about this," Seunghyun said in a small voice. "I never meant to go behind your back, I swear. I just thought it would be a nice birthday present that's all."

A few minutes of silence passed as Seunghyun heard Jiyong's breathing calmed. He chanced a glance at his husband who was looking at him with tender eyes. "I knew you were up to something," Jiyong pouted.

Seunghyun chuckled sheepishly; his eyes remained downcast until he heard Jiyong lift himself up.

"Where are you going?" Seunghyun asked.

"We are going home now. You owe me birthday remember?" Jiyong teased.

Seunghyun's eyes returned to the unopened envelope. "Don't you want to see what's inside?" he asked.

"Nope. When I thought about it I realized that I don't need to. I trust your judgement," Jiyong replied, rounding the table and pulling Seunghyun out of his chair. “If you say she’s perfect then she probably is.”

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because you chose me," Jiyong teased, grabbing the lapels of Seunghyun's jacket and pulling him down for a kiss.

Seunghyun embraced Jiyong in tight hug. "You know I only did this because I love you, right?"

Jiyong nodded. "You just have the weirdest ways of showing it sometimes."

"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting? I can come back another time."

They both turned to see a petit young woman with large dark eyes and shiny black hair standing a little ways away. She was watching them with a huge smile on her face. Her eyes shifted downwards as she noticed a flush rising up Jiyong’s face at being caught.

Jiyong pulled away from Seunghyun at the sound of the woman's voice but Seunghyun pulled him right back to him. "No it's alright, June. You're just in time."

Jiyong looked up Seunghyun then at the woman then back again. "Who is that?”

"If you had only opened the envelope like I told you then you would have known," Seunghyun said. "Jiyong, I'd like you to meet June. June, this is my husband, Jiyong."

"I'm so pleased to meet you Jiyong. Seunghyun told me so much about you," the woman, June, said extending her hand.

Jiyong shook her hand, looking at her for a full two minutes without saying a word other than a simple “Hello.” Then he turned to his husband. "Can I have a word with you...in private?"

"Uh...okay. June, have a seat. We'll be right back," Seunghyun managed to say before he was dragged away.

Jiyong glanced at Seunghyun, his eyebrow raised in askance.

"I was about to tell you but then you started yelling and—”

"You brought her here?" Jiyong asked ignoring Seunghyun's rambling.

"Yes. You said you wanted to meet them in person. Since we couldn't go meet her there, I flew her in."

Seunghyun did not expect the bone shattering hug he got from Jiyong. His husband was so unpredictable today. "Aren't you mad?" he asked cautiously.

Jiyong shook his head against the crook of his neck. "I can never stay mad at you."

A minute later, Jiyong untangled himself from Seunghyun. Seunghyun watched him as he straightened his clothes and fixed his hair. Then he looked up Seunghyun. "Is my eyeliner smudged?" he asked, frantic.

Seunghyun chuckled at him as he wiped away the smudge. "You're perfect."

"Okay then. Let's go talk to this perfect woman," Jiyong scoffed and stalked back to their table.

This should be fun.

*

"So...June. Why are you a surrogate?" Jiyong asks his eyes still on the papers from the envelope.

"Jiyong this is not an interrogation," Seunghyun scolded gently. "Sorry about that, June. I think what my husband here was trying to ask is why did you choose to become a surrogate?"

It was the same question, but it sounded less harsh. At least to Seunghyun’s ears.

June chuckled, running her hand through her long black hair. "It's okay. He's just nervous and to be honest so am I. Feel free to ask me anything you want,” she said with a smile. “My parents were always very honest with me,” June continued. “When I was old enough to understand, they sat me down and told me that I was born through a surrogate. My mother could never carry a pregnancy to full term so the doctor suggested a gestational surrogate."

"What's that?" Jiyong asked, curious.

"It's basically using the eggs and from the parents or donors and planting them in the surrogate’s womb. The child won’t be biologically related to the surrogate and this way she won't become too attached,” she explained. “After learning about my birth, I spent a lot of time researching and meeting sur