chapter four
CHAPTER FOUR
At the sound of the 7 AM alarm, Bohee and Seongwoo jolted up from their sleep, feeling a particularly strange feeling from body heat - someone was too close. Seongwoo could smell Bohee's floral shampoo, feeling her hair nearly in his mouth. This wasn't the weird part though, since Bohee has long hair. The weirdest part was where the his arm was resting. Which was on Bohee's waist. He could feel Bohee tense as soon as the alarm stirred her awake.
The boy immediately flung himself off the bed, "I am so sorry! I don't know how that happened. I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!"
This was probably the first time Bohee has seen her husband so flustered. And despite the heat rushing to her cheeks, she just nodded in understanding with her back still facing him before heading for the bathroom - she didn't need him to see she was just as flustered as he was from their close proximity. Or hear her heart that's louder than fireworks.
Seongwoo didn't help her into the restroom this time, still too much in shock to react properly. Bohee also missed the shade of pink on his face and his heartbeat that was pratically ready to gallop out of his chest.
Finally settling his heart back down, Seongwoo headed into the kitchen to prep for breakfast. He researched healthy pregnancy breakfasts and decided to go with the seomthing called a Green smoothie. Smoothies were less tedious and much quicker so it was ideal in every way. When Seongwoo was done making the blend, he poured them into two different bottles. Just to make sure Bohee was full, he boiled some eggs as well. He peeled the eggshells then put the eggs into a bag, setting their little breakfast on the counter. Bohee was out of the bathroom by now so Seongwoo went in to do his morning routine.
When he was done with his side of things, Seongwoo knocked from inside the bathroom door,"Miss Ong. I'm done with the bathroom. Is it okay for me to come out?" This was something Seongwoo has done the past month they have lived together. He wanted Bohee to have more room to change so he made sure she changed in their bedroom during his time in the bathroom. He'll signal when he's done and once Bohee gave a-okay, he came out to change.
Bohee was already waiting for him at the couch by the time he put on his scrubs. Seongwoo helped Bohee up from the couch, grabbing their breakfast off the kitchen counter on the way to the door. At the door, Seongwoo set the bag on the floor and kneeled down, helping Bohee change from slippers to the slip on shoes he bought for her. Trusting the good reviews he read from other pregnant women, he bought it for Bohee one day into her moving in with him about a month ago. Per usual, Seogwoo was going to drop Bohee off at the place she works. Since Bohee worked at a cafe nearby, they arrived after a ten minute drive.
Bohee couldn't finish her smoothie and didn't want to - it wasn't up to her taste this morning, although she didn't mention it. She was about to leave the car when Seongwoo grabbed her hand. "You barely drank the smoothie. Why don't you eat an egg for protein?" Bohee would resist, but Seongwoo already had an egg in his hand, motioning for her to eat it. So she did.
Seongwoo then unbuckled his seat and ran around the front of the car to open the door for Bohee, leading her into the cafe with her arm linked in his. Bohee was slightly embarassed by his action, despite the amount of times he has done this, and kept her head down. She looked up when she heard her boss greet her with a warm welcome.
Bohee unlinked her arm from Seongwoo's - causing the boy to pout ever so slightly - while she hugged her boss, Shin Yejin, and offered a greeting.
"Remember I'll be picking Bohee up at 4 today," Seongwoo whispered to Yejin once Bohee was out of earshot, going behind the counter to put on her work apron and cap.
Yejin nodded, ushering Seongwoo out the cafe doors while handing him a drink. "Yes, I remember. Here, take this latte for your morning and go before you arrive to work late." Seongwoo attempted to bypass Yejin so he could help Bohee put on her apron although Yejin shut the cafe door in his face. She didn't let go of the door until Seongwoo got into his car, laughing to herself at his attempt to glare at her. Seongwoo drove off seeing Yejin helping Bohee with the apron herself.
Jieun was up before her alarm rang, because she could feel the weight of someone's arm around her waist. She arched a brow in confusion - Joowon is at Jung Gyumin's house alongside the Doosan Bears team. Or was supposed to be anyway when Jieun realized her husband was sleeping soundly next to her with his arm around both his childhood teddy bear and her body. Jieun grabbed her camera from the night stand to snap a picture of her favorite person doing what her favorite memory of him is. Jieun waved the polaroid picture, a fond smile making their way on her lips. As much as she loved the view before her though, the girl also knew Joowon should be getting back to his team members.
Jieun snatched the teddy bear in Joowon's arms, giggling when she watched his arm wandering the bed in search for his plushie. The boy can't help it if he has to hug something in his sleep. Joowon finally lifted his head from the pillow, opening half an eye trying to see where it went.
"Why are you here?" Jieun questioned as soon as she saw him awake.
"Because I missed you," the boy answered instantly, trying to wrap his arm around Jieun when he realized his teddy bear was in her arm.
"You're supposed to be sleeping at Gyumin's house, when did you sneak back in here?"
"Around 4 maybe? I couldn't sleep because I missed you so much so i came back." Joowon cheesed really hard with his eyes closed, causing Jieun to laugh.
"Well I think it's time for you to head back to hurry and wash up. I'll drive you back over."
"Just ten more minutes please," Joowon fell back into the pillow and again tried to wrap his arms around two of his most favorite things in the world. He pouted when he felt Jieun get off the bed, begrudgingly getting up to follow her into the bathroom. He gave her a backhug and didn't let go even when they got into the bathroom and she was brushing her teeth.
"C'mon, you have to wash up too." Jieun already put toothpaste on Joowon's toothbrush and tried to put it in his hand.
Joowon took his arm away, "can you brush my teeth for me Jieunnie-nim? I'm so tired from only getting four hours of sleep," pouting in case Jieun would say no. Jieun shook her head, putting the toilet seat cover down so Joowon could sit on there and helped him brush his teeth. Because Joowon was already grinning ear to ear, it made the process much quicker. Of course, his arm was still wrapped around her waist.
I never cheated
Deleted everyone 'cause they made you uncomfortable
(No oh, oh baby, no)
These accusations
I can't apologize for something that I didn't do
(No oh, oh baby, no)
I won't beg for your love
Won't say please
(oh no, won't say please)
I won't fall to the ground on my knees
(on my knees)
You know I've given this everything
Baby, honestly, (baby, honestly), baby, honestly
Joowon had his phone out, recording Jieun jamming to Charlie' Puth's Done for Me. He sang along as well but just wanted to find a way back at Jieun for leaving him hanging yesterday. Jieun was too into singing and driving that she didn't take notice of what Joowon was doing.
When she turned towards him, Joowon immediately set his phone down and sang even louder to show that he's also just as into the song as her. He even started to move around in his seat trying to mimic the dancer from the mv although the seatbelt limited his movements greatly.
Jieun would've mirrored his actions if she wasn't driving right now, only laughing to herself because of Joowon's ridiculous face expressions. At first, he had a poker face as his arms moved around but now he was just outright making derp faces. Boy has no control over his face, who can help it?
The ride to Gyumin's house breezed by due to the couple's passion for their carpooling karaoke session. Joowon's closest team members were waiting for him at the front of their house. As soon as Joowon opened the car door to step out, arms stretched out ready to give his teammate's a hug, the two boys shoved Joowon aside. Both clamored up to the car, knocking on the window. Jieun laughed at their antics, opening the window to greet the two.
"Hi Gyumin, Minsoo. Sorry for the trouble if Joowon caused any from leaving without telling you guys last night." The two boys waved off her words.
"Joowon's not important when our vip is here! Are you going to come for the game? How's work going? Any new pretty workers you can introduce to us? Gotten sick of Joowon yet?" The two were visibly very excited to see Jieun again after a while. Jieun didn't have a change to answer - from their nonstop comments overlapping each other to Joowon pulling the two boys back with his arms wrapped around each of their necks.
"My darling has to go to work so off." Gyumin and Minsoo gagged at Joowon's use of darling but waved to Jieun as she drove away.
"So is sis in law coming to the game tonight?"
"Nope, because she's going to have to prepare for the aftergame at night." Joowon laughed at the boys' reactions, releasing his hold on them. "You guys didn't tell coach that I slipped out last night right?"
"Wow, I am offended that you even had to ask," Minsoo started before the two boys quickly ran away from Joowon, out of his reach.
"It was Minsoo!!" Gyumin called out, the two boys cracking up to themselves when Joowon's attempt to throw a shoe at them was stopped by their coach. All Joowon could do was let out a cheeky grin, dodging the coach's incoming attack before flying up the stairs after the others.
"Joowon!!!!!!!!!"
Unlike the other noisy mornings in the Bear household, Soojin and Minseok woke up without greeting each other - a first since their marriage. Minseok headed for the bathroom as soon as he got off the bed while Soojin headed for the kitchen to prepare breakfast. She fried some eggs, toasted some bread, and laid out jam for Hanbyul and butter for Minseok at the table.
Soojin also double checked Hanbyul's bookbag, laying out everything her daughter needed for school by the doors so she won't forget them later. The mother then headed to Hanbyul's room, gently shaking her daughter up with the best forced smile she could muster up. Hanbyul didn't move so Soojin took to tickling her daughter, until the poor baby bear almost rolled into the floor. Instead, Hanbyul landed in Soojin's arms. At the feeling of falling, the child finally cracked open an eye.
Hanbyul offered a tired smile at Soojin, "Good Morning, Mama Bear."
"Good morning, baby bear. Time to wash up if you still want to have time for breakfast. I even made you the sunny side up eggs you like so much." Hanbyul immediately lit up at the words sunny side up eggs, scrambling out of her mother's hold for the bathroom. Soojin followed Hanbyul, making sure Hanbyul didn't miss a single spot while brushing her teeth. The little girl sat down at the dinner table with a grin on her face, digging into her food while Soojin spread jam on a piece of toast for her.
Minseok came out from the room shortly after, grabbing a piece of toast in his mouth before rushing to the door with a quick "I'm leaving for work."
"Papa bear, you forgot to give mama bear a goodbye kiss today!!" Hanbyul watched her father, believing him when he uttered he was in a rush, although that didn't mean the little girl was going to stop there. "But you never leave without giving mama bear a kiss. How long can a kiss take?" By this point, Hanbyul was pouting too hard for Minseok to say no, so the father quickly took off the shoes he already put on.
Minseok rushed over to Hanbyul's side, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before moving over to Soojin. Usually, Mama Bear would be laughing about something Papa Bear says by now, although Hanbyul is still too young to understand what they meant. Today, Mama Bear didn't have much reaction, just like Papa Bear. And little Hanbyul was going to figure out why and how to fix this. With little Hanbyul figuring out that her parents were probably mad at each other. And she knew just what weapon Papa Bear has no defenses over.
Per usual, Mama Bear picked Hanbyul up afterschool. Although Hanbyul asked Soojin if she was allowed to go to the park, Soojin gave a strong no because she had a lot of housework to cover. So once the mother-daughter got home, Hanbyul had a snack then took a nap. After the short nap, she did her homework with Soojin.
By 6, it was free time and Hanbyul wanted to watch tv, the duo deciding on the movie Duck, Duck, Goose. Half way through, Hanbyul who was already bored with the movie left her bedroom to play with the little blocks in the living room. Soojin started to cry near the end of the movie - when the goose was risking his life to save the two ducklings' lives. Soojin was too into the movie to hear the sound of the door unlocking but Hanbyul bounded over to greet who she knew can only be papa bear.
Hanbyul had a finger to her lips as soon as Minseok opened the door. Minseok took off his shoe, scooping Hanbyul into his arms quietly like Hanbyul instructed. "Where's Mama Bear?," he whispered.
"Mama Bear is crying. I think Mama Bear is very sad." Hanbyul purposely omitted the information that Soojin was currently watching a movie, causing Minseok to panic slightly at the news - although you never would've been able to tell from his lack of reaction on the surface.
Maybe i was too harsh yesterday night? He set Hanbyul down lightly and tiptoed out of the house again, after whispering to Hanbyul he's going to buy something to make Mama Bear stop crying. Hanbyul grinned when Minseok closed the door behind him. Of course, no boy can resist tears.
Although this couple originally had thoughts to take a nap then wake up for dinner, their bodies decided otherwise. It was already 9am of the next morning when the two woke up. Seojun awoke a few minutes earlier than Yeonhee, propping himself on his arm to stare at his wife through half lidded eyes. He would cook breakfast for them, but decided it'd be nice to eat out instead. It was only an excuse to admire his wife for a while longer though.
Seojun greeted Yeonhee with a forehead kiss when she woke up. The girl grinned before even opening her eyes, wrapping her arms around Seojun's neck to repay him with kisses on his cheek. Other than that though, the two made no attempt to move again.
"Are you hungry," Seojun asked, retaining his habit of playing with Yeonhee's hair. He twirled it around his index finger as he waited for her to respond.
"I am famished! We even skipped dinner last night. But I had a much needed sleep."
Seojun nodded in agreement, "Let's get ready and head out for breakfast. We can even go to the pet shop so you can play with a bunch od dogs before we head in for our doctor appointment."
"Sound's like a wonderful day in the making," Yeonhee grinned as she leaped up from the bed, a big motivator being dogs.
Seojun laughed and went into the bathroom with her, although Yeonhee acted quickly and sat down on the toilet first.
"A morning where I don't have to fall into the toilet bowl is a wonderful way to start off a good day indeed." Seojun made no response as if he doesn't understand just what she was talking about. He put toothpaste on Yeonhee's toothbrush and handed it to her before he did the same for himself. When the two finished their morning routine, they headed for a restaurant near the clinic. A dog cafe was also next store, Seojun expensed much effort pulling Yeonhee away from the cafe to get breakfast first. The girl has no self control whatsoever in front of dogs.
The couple entered the clinic with a lively spirit, even the receptionist had to advice Yeonhee to pipe down a bit. She was still spazzing and squealing over how cute the dogs were.
Soon enough, Dr.Yoo called the couple into his office, pulling up their health record after a quick greeting. His face was unreadable, but Seojun already had a bad feeling.
"Is something wrong," Seojun questioned when Dr.Yoo kept quiet.
"Mr. Jang, have you been under a lot of emotional stress lately?"
"My husband works as a physical therapist so he's stressed about his patients' conditions a lot."
"So you're also around x-rays a lot?" Dr.Yoo inquired. Seojun nodded. "There's an abnormal amount of count, much lower than it should be in order to conceive a child. "I wanted to ask about emotional stress and other environmental variables first cause there's a chance that it's not because of an illness. But we'll also need you to go through some examinations to double check. But from what you have told me so far, I believe the main cause is emotional stress and excessive exposure to x-rays."
"What should we do if it is because of emotional stress and exposure to unhealthy environments?" Seojun was nervous for the answer but he needed to know, feeling more courage when he felt Yeonhee slip her hand into his.
"I would advice you to cut down on the hours you spend at the hospital firstly. But if the exposure has been going on for too long, you may need to quit immediately to not damage production permanently."
Seojun remained quiet. What else can he say? Dr.Yoo basically just gave him an ultimatum - career or family. If he gives up his career, he'll be able to make the family that him and Yeonhee have been dreaming of. If he chose career, he'll have to give up on the idea of having their own kids. How was he to face Yeonhee now?
Yeonhee watched her crestfallen husband. She could already see what he's thinking, that it's all his fault, and putting more blame on himself than he should have. "Thank you for seeing us Doc. We'll make an appointment for my husband to come back for more tests later."
Dr.Yoo nodded, "Don't worry too much about this for now. These are just surfaced based observations. Besides, there are other ways to have children too if something was amiss, given the surge in technology nowadays. I'm sure we can help make something work."
The ride home was pretty quiet. Yeonhee drove to give Seojun some time to himself before she talks it out with him at home.
Seojun tried to weigh out the pros and cons of each option although that didn't really help him feel less broken. How can I possibly choose between career or family?
Sehun woke up one and a half hour earlier than Nova, doing his usual morning workout for an hour before returning to the apartment with some breakfast. Today, it was the rice noodles Nova was annoying him about for the past three weeks. The boy set the breakfast on the table before heading into the showers, wincing slightly when his hand touched his shoulder - there was a stinging sensation. He checked his shoulders in the mirror after showering to find a bite mark. Confusion lit his features as he tried to recall the memories from the prior night.
"Sehun, are you asleep?" The boy stirred lightly feeling someone shaking him, although he had no intention to do anything else. "You stole all the blanket ." Sehun could hear Nova mutter to herself as the girl tried her hardest to pull a portion of the blanket back over herself. The boy smiled and instead of helping his wife out, turned his back to her, the blanket rolled around his body adding weight on the blanket to make it that much harder for the girl.
"Sehun you lil , wake up." The girl hissed quietly, having some hope that Sehun would move again to make it easier for her to snatch the blanket without actually waking him up. Out of frustration, the girl cuddled up as close to her man as possible for warmth, eventually giving his shoulder a bite for his poor sleeping habit. She was obviously not going to be able to grab the blanket.
The boy who was originally grinning at his distraught wife, bit his lower lip to hide that he was awake, flipping himself so that he was now facing Nova, without actually opening his eyes. He wrapped his arm and leg around the girl's body, holding in his laughter at the girl's struggles to get out. As his own little revenge since he knew how much Nova hated the feeling of being confined.
"I just wanted some blanket," the girl whined exasperately, eventually accepting her poor fate. Sehun fell back asleep soon thereafter with the memories of just now barely lingering in his mind.
Once Sehun successfully recalled what happened, he laughed in amusement before heading to wake Nova. The alarm just rung so he could see Nova reach over to turn it off. Seeing her about to push herself off the bed, Sehun helped pull her up. "Carry me to the bathroom," the girl pleaded with her arms stretched out, eyes still closed.
"I would, if someone didn't bite my shoulder last night. Look at this bite mark, the mouth is as big as a wolf!"
"Yah you little . If you were awake, why didn't you give me the blanket! And what do you mean the size of a wolf, the amount of disrespect!" Nova was reenergenized as she jumped up from the bed. Until realization dawned on her and she narrowed her eyes at Sehun. "You wrapped your arms and legs around me on purpose. And purposely didn't give me the blanket."
Sehun shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about." And the boy heels, hightailing out of the room with Nova hot on his heels. The boy could only laugh as he watched Nova get even more agitated with each passing second from the futile attempts of trying to reach him for a good smack.
" you and your stupidly long legs!" Nova finally gave up and turned to head into the bathroom.
"Babe, don't be mad. I bought you the rice noodle you've been craving." Nova faced Sehun to see him holding the little bag of breakfast as if showing off a trophy. Instantly forgetting everything that happened, the girl grinned and skipped over to Sehun, embracing her man in a big bear hug. "You're the best hehe."
The boy immediately flung himself off the bed, "I am so sorry! I don't know how that happened. I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!"
This was probably the first time Bohee has seen her husband so flustered. And despite the heat rushing to her cheeks, she just nodded in understanding with her back still facing him before heading for the bathroom - she didn't need him to see she was just as flustered as he was from their close proximity. Or hear her heart that's louder than fireworks.
Seongwoo didn't help her into the restroom this time, still too much in shock to react properly. Bohee also missed the shade of pink on his face and his heartbeat that was pratically ready to gallop out of his chest.
Finally settling his heart back down, Seongwoo headed into the kitchen to prep for breakfast. He researched healthy pregnancy breakfasts and decided to go with the seomthing called a Green smoothie. Smoothies were less tedious and much quicker so it was ideal in every way. When Seongwoo was done making the blend, he poured them into two different bottles. Just to make sure Bohee was full, he boiled some eggs as well. He peeled the eggshells then put the eggs into a bag, setting their little breakfast on the counter. Bohee was out of the bathroom by now so Seongwoo went in to do his morning routine.
When he was done with his side of things, Seongwoo knocked from inside the bathroom door,"Miss Ong. I'm done with the bathroom. Is it okay for me to come out?" This was something Seongwoo has done the past month they have lived together. He wanted Bohee to have more room to change so he made sure she changed in their bedroom during his time in the bathroom. He'll signal when he's done and once Bohee gave a-okay, he came out to change.
Bohee was already waiting for him at the couch by the time he put on his scrubs. Seongwoo helped Bohee up from the couch, grabbing their breakfast off the kitchen counter on the way to the door. At the door, Seongwoo set the bag on the floor and kneeled down, helping Bohee change from slippers to the slip on shoes he bought for her. Trusting the good reviews he read from other pregnant women, he bought it for Bohee one day into her moving in with him about a month ago. Per usual, Seogwoo was going to drop Bohee off at the place she works. Since Bohee worked at a cafe nearby, they arrived after a ten minute drive.
Bohee couldn't finish her smoothie and didn't want to - it wasn't up to her taste this morning, although she didn't mention it. She was about to leave the car when Seongwoo grabbed her hand. "You barely drank the smoothie. Why don't you eat an egg for protein?" Bohee would resist, but Seongwoo already had an egg in his hand, motioning for her to eat it. So she did.
Seongwoo then unbuckled his seat and ran around the front of the car to open the door for Bohee, leading her into the cafe with her arm linked in his. Bohee was slightly embarassed by his action, despite the amount of times he has done this, and kept her head down. She looked up when she heard her boss greet her with a warm welcome.
Bohee unlinked her arm from Seongwoo's - causing the boy to pout ever so slightly - while she hugged her boss, Shin Yejin, and offered a greeting.
"Remember I'll be picking Bohee up at 4 today," Seongwoo whispered to Yejin once Bohee was out of earshot, going behind the counter to put on her work apron and cap.
Yejin nodded, ushering Seongwoo out the cafe doors while handing him a drink. "Yes, I remember. Here, take this latte for your morning and go before you arrive to work late." Seongwoo attempted to bypass Yejin so he could help Bohee put on her apron although Yejin shut the cafe door in his face. She didn't let go of the door until Seongwoo got into his car, laughing to herself at his attempt to glare at her. Seongwoo drove off seeing Yejin helping Bohee with the apron herself.
Jieun was up before her alarm rang, because she could feel the weight of someone's arm around her waist. She arched a brow in confusion - Joowon is at Jung Gyumin's house alongside the Doosan Bears team. Or was supposed to be anyway when Jieun realized her husband was sleeping soundly next to her with his arm around both his childhood teddy bear and her body. Jieun grabbed her camera from the night stand to snap a picture of her favorite person doing what her favorite memory of him is. Jieun waved the polaroid picture, a fond smile making their way on her lips. As much as she loved the view before her though, the girl also knew Joowon should be getting back to his team members.
Jieun snatched the teddy bear in Joowon's arms, giggling when she watched his arm wandering the bed in search for his plushie. The boy can't help it if he has to hug something in his sleep. Joowon finally lifted his head from the pillow, opening half an eye trying to see where it went.
"Why are you here?" Jieun questioned as soon as she saw him awake.
"Because I missed you," the boy answered instantly, trying to wrap his arm around Jieun when he realized his teddy bear was in her arm.
"You're supposed to be sleeping at Gyumin's house, when did you sneak back in here?"
"Around 4 maybe? I couldn't sleep because I missed you so much so i came back." Joowon cheesed really hard with his eyes closed, causing Jieun to laugh.
"Well I think it's time for you to head back to hurry and wash up. I'll drive you back over."
"Just ten more minutes please," Joowon fell back into the pillow and again tried to wrap his arms around two of his most favorite things in the world. He pouted when he felt Jieun get off the bed, begrudgingly getting up to follow her into the bathroom. He gave her a backhug and didn't let go even when they got into the bathroom and she was brushing her teeth.
"C'mon, you have to wash up too." Jieun already put toothpaste on Joowon's toothbrush and tried to put it in his hand.
Joowon took his arm away, "can you brush my teeth for me Jieunnie-nim? I'm so tired from only getting four hours of sleep," pouting in case Jieun would say no. Jieun shook her head, putting the toilet seat cover down so Joowon could sit on there and helped him brush his teeth. Because Joowon was already grinning ear to ear, it made the process much quicker. Of course, his arm was still wrapped around her waist.
I never cheated
Deleted everyone 'cause they made you uncomfortable
(No oh, oh baby, no)
These accusations
I can't apologize for something that I didn't do
(No oh, oh baby, no)
I won't beg for your love
Won't say please
(oh no, won't say please)
I won't fall to the ground on my knees
(on my knees)
You know I've given this everything
Baby, honestly, (baby, honestly), baby, honestly
Joowon had his phone out, recording Jieun jamming to Charlie' Puth's Done for Me. He sang along as well but just wanted to find a way back at Jieun for leaving him hanging yesterday. Jieun was too into singing and driving that she didn't take notice of what Joowon was doing.
When she turned towards him, Joowon immediately set his phone down and sang even louder to show that he's also just as into the song as her. He even started to move around in his seat trying to mimic the dancer from the mv although the seatbelt limited his movements greatly.
Jieun would've mirrored his actions if she wasn't driving right now, only laughing to herself because of Joowon's ridiculous face expressions. At first, he had a poker face as his arms moved around but now he was just outright making derp faces. Boy has no control over his face, who can help it?
The ride to Gyumin's house breezed by due to the couple's passion for their carpooling karaoke session. Joowon's closest team members were waiting for him at the front of their house. As soon as Joowon opened the car door to step out, arms stretched out ready to give his teammate's a hug, the two boys shoved Joowon aside. Both clamored up to the car, knocking on the window. Jieun laughed at their antics, opening the window to greet the two.
"Hi Gyumin, Minsoo. Sorry for the trouble if Joowon caused any from leaving without telling you guys last night." The two boys waved off her words.
"Joowon's not important when our vip is here! Are you going to come for the game? How's work going? Any new pretty workers you can introduce to us? Gotten sick of Joowon yet?" The two were visibly very excited to see Jieun again after a while. Jieun didn't have a change to answer - from their nonstop comments overlapping each other to Joowon pulling the two boys back with his arms wrapped around each of their necks.
"My darling has to go to work so off." Gyumin and Minsoo gagged at Joowon's use of darling but waved to Jieun as she drove away.
"So is sis in law coming to the game tonight?"
"Nope, because she's going to have to prepare for the aftergame at night." Joowon laughed at the boys' reactions, releasing his hold on them. "You guys didn't tell coach that I slipped out last night right?"
"Wow, I am offended that you even had to ask," Minsoo started before the two boys quickly ran away from Joowon, out of his reach.
"It was Minsoo!!" Gyumin called out, the two boys cracking up to themselves when Joowon's attempt to throw a shoe at them was stopped by their coach. All Joowon could do was let out a cheeky grin, dodging the coach's incoming attack before flying up the stairs after the others.
"Joowon!!!!!!!!!"
Unlike the other noisy mornings in the Bear household, Soojin and Minseok woke up without greeting each other - a first since their marriage. Minseok headed for the bathroom as soon as he got off the bed while Soojin headed for the kitchen to prepare breakfast. She fried some eggs, toasted some bread, and laid out jam for Hanbyul and butter for Minseok at the table.
Soojin also double checked Hanbyul's bookbag, laying out everything her daughter needed for school by the doors so she won't forget them later. The mother then headed to Hanbyul's room, gently shaking her daughter up with the best forced smile she could muster up. Hanbyul didn't move so Soojin took to tickling her daughter, until the poor baby bear almost rolled into the floor. Instead, Hanbyul landed in Soojin's arms. At the feeling of falling, the child finally cracked open an eye.
Hanbyul offered a tired smile at Soojin, "Good Morning, Mama Bear."
"Good morning, baby bear. Time to wash up if you still want to have time for breakfast. I even made you the sunny side up eggs you like so much." Hanbyul immediately lit up at the words sunny side up eggs, scrambling out of her mother's hold for the bathroom. Soojin followed Hanbyul, making sure Hanbyul didn't miss a single spot while brushing her teeth. The little girl sat down at the dinner table with a grin on her face, digging into her food while Soojin spread jam on a piece of toast for her.
Minseok came out from the room shortly after, grabbing a piece of toast in his mouth before rushing to the door with a quick "I'm leaving for work."
"Papa bear, you forgot to give mama bear a goodbye kiss today!!" Hanbyul watched her father, believing him when he uttered he was in a rush, although that didn't mean the little girl was going to stop there. "But you never leave without giving mama bear a kiss. How long can a kiss take?" By this point, Hanbyul was pouting too hard for Minseok to say no, so the father quickly took off the shoes he already put on.
Minseok rushed over to Hanbyul's side, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before moving over to Soojin. Usually, Mama Bear would be laughing about something Papa Bear says by now, although Hanbyul is still too young to understand what they meant. Today, Mama Bear didn't have much reaction, just like Papa Bear. And little Hanbyul was going to figure out why and how to fix this. With little Hanbyul figuring out that her parents were probably mad at each other. And she knew just what weapon Papa Bear has no defenses over.
Per usual, Mama Bear picked Hanbyul up afterschool. Although Hanbyul asked Soojin if she was allowed to go to the park, Soojin gave a strong no because she had a lot of housework to cover. So once the mother-daughter got home, Hanbyul had a snack then took a nap. After the short nap, she did her homework with Soojin.
By 6, it was free time and Hanbyul wanted to watch tv, the duo deciding on the movie Duck, Duck, Goose. Half way through, Hanbyul who was already bored with the movie left her bedroom to play with the little blocks in the living room. Soojin started to cry near the end of the movie - when the goose was risking his life to save the two ducklings' lives. Soojin was too into the movie to hear the sound of the door unlocking but Hanbyul bounded over to greet who she knew can only be papa bear.
Hanbyul had a finger to her lips as soon as Minseok opened the door. Minseok took off his shoe, scooping Hanbyul into his arms quietly like Hanbyul instructed. "Where's Mama Bear?," he whispered.
"Mama Bear is crying. I think Mama Bear is very sad." Hanbyul purposely omitted the information that Soojin was currently watching a movie, causing Minseok to panic slightly at the news - although you never would've been able to tell from his lack of reaction on the surface.
Maybe i was too harsh yesterday night? He set Hanbyul down lightly and tiptoed out of the house again, after whispering to Hanbyul he's going to buy something to make Mama Bear stop crying. Hanbyul grinned when Minseok closed the door behind him. Of course, no boy can resist tears.
Although this couple originally had thoughts to take a nap then wake up for dinner, their bodies decided otherwise. It was already 9am of the next morning when the two woke up. Seojun awoke a few minutes earlier than Yeonhee, propping himself on his arm to stare at his wife through half lidded eyes. He would cook breakfast for them, but decided it'd be nice to eat out instead. It was only an excuse to admire his wife for a while longer though. Seojun greeted Yeonhee with a forehead kiss when she woke up. The girl grinned before even opening her eyes, wrapping her arms around Seojun's neck to repay him with kisses on his cheek. Other than that though, the two made no attempt to move again.
"Are you hungry," Seojun asked, retaining his habit of playing with Yeonhee's hair. He twirled it around his index finger as he waited for her to respond.
"I am famished! We even skipped dinner last night. But I had a much needed sleep."
Seojun nodded in agreement, "Let's get ready and head out for breakfast. We can even go to the pet shop so you can play with a bunch od dogs before we head in for our doctor appointment."
"Sound's like a wonderful day in the making," Yeonhee grinned as she leaped up from the bed, a big motivator being dogs.
Seojun laughed and went into the bathroom with her, although Yeonhee acted quickly and sat down on the toilet first.
"A morning where I don't have to fall into the toilet bowl is a wonderful way to start off a good day indeed." Seojun made no response as if he doesn't understand just what she was talking about. He put toothpaste on Yeonhee's toothbrush and handed it to her before he did the same for himself. When the two finished their morning routine, they headed for a restaurant near the clinic. A dog cafe was also next store, Seojun expensed much effort pulling Yeonhee away from the cafe to get breakfast first. The girl has no self control whatsoever in front of dogs.
The couple entered the clinic with a lively spirit, even the receptionist had to advice Yeonhee to pipe down a bit. She was still spazzing and squealing over how cute the dogs were.
Soon enough, Dr.Yoo called the couple into his office, pulling up their health record after a quick greeting. His face was unreadable, but Seojun already had a bad feeling.
"Is something wrong," Seojun questioned when Dr.Yoo kept quiet.
"Mr. Jang, have you been under a lot of emotional stress lately?"
"My husband works as a physical therapist so he's stressed about his patients' conditions a lot."
"So you're also around x-rays a lot?" Dr.Yoo inquired. Seojun nodded. "There's an abnormal amount of count, much lower than it should be in order to conceive a child. "I wanted to ask about emotional stress and other environmental variables first cause there's a chance that it's not because of an illness. But we'll also need you to go through some examinations to double check. But from what you have told me so far, I believe the main cause is emotional stress and excessive exposure to x-rays."
"What should we do if it is because of emotional stress and exposure to unhealthy environments?" Seojun was nervous for the answer but he needed to know, feeling more courage when he felt Yeonhee slip her hand into his.
"I would advice you to cut down on the hours you spend at the hospital firstly. But if the exposure has been going on for too long, you may need to quit immediately to not damage production permanently."
Seojun remained quiet. What else can he say? Dr.Yoo basically just gave him an ultimatum - career or family. If he gives up his career, he'll be able to make the family that him and Yeonhee have been dreaming of. If he chose career, he'll have to give up on the idea of having their own kids. How was he to face Yeonhee now?
Yeonhee watched her crestfallen husband. She could already see what he's thinking, that it's all his fault, and putting more blame on himself than he should have. "Thank you for seeing us Doc. We'll make an appointment for my husband to come back for more tests later."
Dr.Yoo nodded, "Don't worry too much about this for now. These are just surfaced based observations. Besides, there are other ways to have children too if something was amiss, given the surge in technology nowadays. I'm sure we can help make something work."
The ride home was pretty quiet. Yeonhee drove to give Seojun some time to himself before she talks it out with him at home.
Seojun tried to weigh out the pros and cons of each option although that didn't really help him feel less broken. How can I possibly choose between career or family?
Sehun woke up one and a half hour earlier than Nova, doing his usual morning workout for an hour before returning to the apartment with some breakfast. Today, it was the rice noodles Nova was annoying him about for the past three weeks. The boy set the breakfast on the table before heading into the showers, wincing slightly when his hand touched his shoulder - there was a stinging sensation. He checked his shoulders in the mirror after showering to find a bite mark. Confusion lit his features as he tried to recall the memories from the prior night.
"Sehun, are you asleep?" The boy stirred lightly feeling someone shaking him, although he had no intention to do anything else. "You stole all the blanket ." Sehun could hear Nova mutter to herself as the girl tried her hardest to pull a portion of the blanket back over herself. The boy smiled and instead of helping his wife out, turned his back to her, the blanket rolled around his body adding weight on the blanket to make it that much harder for the girl.
"Sehun you lil , wake up." The girl hissed quietly, having some hope that Sehun would move again to make it easier for her to snatch the blanket without actually waking him up. Out of frustration, the girl cuddled up as close to her man as possible for warmth, eventually giving his shoulder a bite for his poor sleeping habit. She was obviously not going to be able to grab the blanket.
The boy who was originally grinning at his distraught wife, bit his lower lip to hide that he was awake, flipping himself so that he was now facing Nova, without actually opening his eyes. He wrapped his arm and leg around the girl's body, holding in his laughter at the girl's struggles to get out. As his own little revenge since he knew how much Nova hated the feeling of being confined.
"I just wanted some blanket," the girl whined exasperately, eventually accepting her poor fate. Sehun fell back asleep soon thereafter with the memories of just now barely lingering in his mind.
Once Sehun successfully recalled what happened, he laughed in amusement before heading to wake Nova. The alarm just rung so he could see Nova reach over to turn it off. Seeing her about to push herself off the bed, Sehun helped pull her up. "Carry me to the bathroom," the girl pleaded with her arms stretched out, eyes still closed.
"I would, if someone didn't bite my shoulder last night. Look at this bite mark, the mouth is as big as a wolf!"
"Yah you little . If you were awake, why didn't you give me the blanket! And what do you mean the size of a wolf, the amount of disrespect!" Nova was reenergenized as she jumped up from the bed. Until realization dawned on her and she narrowed her eyes at Sehun. "You wrapped your arms and legs around me on purpose. And purposely didn't give me the blanket."
Sehun shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about." And the boy heels, hightailing out of the room with Nova hot on his heels. The boy could only laugh as he watched Nova get even more agitated with each passing second from the futile attempts of trying to reach him for a good smack.
" you and your stupidly long legs!" Nova finally gave up and turned to head into the bathroom.
"Babe, don't be mad. I bought you the rice noodle you've been craving." Nova faced Sehun to see him holding the little bag of breakfast as if showing off a trophy. Instantly forgetting everything that happened, the girl grinned and skipped over to Sehun, embracing her man in a big bear hug. "You're the best hehe."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Sorry for the uber delay of the chapter! Lots of arm-waist action sorry not sorry lmao. Also, here's the first guest appearance, indubutably's oc Shin Yejin. you'll be seeing more of her in the upcoming chapters although I won't promise that her love story and husband will show up frequently. I'll try to put in others if they fit. Ofc though, comments are a huge chance booster lmao.
A warning for chosen applicants, since there's only about 2-3 updates per month, anyone who doesn't comment for two chapters will be removed in the third, unless they've notified me beforehand about being busy and are legitimately busy.
A warning for chosen applicants, since there's only about 2-3 updates per month, anyone who doesn't comment for two chapters will be removed in the third, unless they've notified me beforehand about being busy and are legitimately busy.
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