Sometimes I forgot I was pregnant.

Honestly. My pregnancy had been so easy so far, just the normal sore s and occasional overwhelming exhaustion. So, when Jimin and I pulled up to the gynecologist’s office for our second trimester appointment, my heart skipped a beat in nervous anticipation.

“What are you thinking about?” Jimin stole a quick glance at me as he maneuvered the car into a parking space.

“Being pregnant.” I answered vaguely, scratching at my chin. “It doesn’t feel real?”

“It doesn’t, does it?” Jimin agreed, his tone thoughtful. He turned off the ignition, but the sounds of Neon Bunny’s “It’s You” still filled the car. “When you were pregnant with Haru, I always thought about it. It’s kind of chill this time. I don’t know how I feel about it.”

“Yeah, right? After the initial excitement passed, I kind of just got used to it.”

Jimin snorted. “Hardly. You complain about not being able to drink all the damn time.”

I socked him gently in the arm. “With a husband like you, I need a drink every now and again.”

He rolled his eyes and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Yeah, I’m so hard to handle. I’m the worst husband in the world.”

I blew him a kiss as he stepped out of the car. He pretended to catch it, then threw it to the ground and stomped on it. I gasped, and he flashed me a wicked grin.

We held hands in the uncomfortable waiting room. A young girl was there, looking nervous as she filled out a patient information form. She kept tapping the pen against her teeth and the noise began to grate on my nerves.

“Why do you look so glum, chum?” Jimin cocked his head at me, snapping his fingers in my face to attract my attention.

I yawned. “I’m tired.”

“What else is new?” He absentmindedly ran his thumb over the back of my hand. “You’re always tired. I feel like I’m living with a bear I accidentally woke up from hibernation.”

“You’re quite rude today.” I commented, glancing at the girl to see a small smile gracing her face. We made eye contact and she hurriedly looked away.

“A chip off the old block, eh?” Jimin elbowed me in a jocular fashion.

“And weird.” I added, shoving his elbow away from my stomach. “I’ve got a baby in here, sir. No elbows allowed.”

“I wish you had a million babies in there.” Jimin mused. “Or seven.”

I made a face at him. “I wish you would shut up.”

“What if you really were having seven babies?” He asked, rubbing his hand along my stomach. “Where would we even live?”

“Honestly, I don’t think I would survive that birth, so that’s up to you to worry about. I will pass peacefully into the afterlife and leave you with the seven babies and Haru.”

Jimin looked stricken. I laughed at his expression.

“Baby.” He scolded. “Don’t make jokes about you dying in childbirth. That’s one of my fears.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Jimin, it’s not the Joseon era. I’m not going to die in childbirth.”

“You never know!” He insisted. “So, don’t joke about it! I don’t need to have another nightmare and wake up in a cold sweat again.”

I giggled. “I forgot about that. Man, you love me too much.”

He scoffed. “Like you never have dreams about me dying. You cling to me in your sleep all the time and tell me not to go.”

I glanced swiftly up at him. “I do?”

Jimin grew subdued at the sight of my face. He shrugged in an effort to seem casual. “Sometimes. I mean, not all the time. Just sometimes.”

“Hmm.” I hummed noncommittally, although I was inwardly reeling. Was my fear of losing Jimin really so strong? Maybe I did need to see a marriage counselor.

Jimin slung an arm around my shoulders and rested one hand against my stomach.

“What if we’re having twins?” He asked quietly, mouth close to my cheek.

“We’re not.” I replied flatly. “We’re definitely not having twins.”

“You never know.” He sang. “They might not have seen the second embryo the first time.”

“I believe they call it a zygote these days.” I corrected him.

“Mr. and Mrs. Park?” An inquisitive female voice called across the waiting room.

Jimin looked up with a laugh. “That’s us.” He answered, a smug smile on his face.

“I knew I should have never let you fill out the paperwork.” I grumbled, pinching his arm.

“I didn’t do it, I swear.” He laughed again, holding up his hands in innocence. The nurse looked between us, confused, then flushing as Jimin explained her mistake to her.

“I-I’m sorry.” She stammered, glancing at me in apology. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“It’s quite all right.” I assured her. “Besides, my husband gets a kick out of it anytime anyone addresses me as ‘Mrs. Park.’”

“It just has a nice ring to it.” Jimin sighed dreamily.

“It reminds me of your mother.” I retorted. He lost the sparkle in his eye at that and frowned down at me.

The nurse smiled and led us away to the examination room.

“Well, you seem to be doing fine.” The friendly female doctor told me after we went over the preliminary examination. “You can find out the of your baby in about three weeks, at the earliest.”

“So, eighteen weeks?” Jimin asked, anticipation apparent in his voice. The doctor smiled.

“Yes. Around eighteen to twenty weeks. Feel free to make an appointment during that time. You’re very lucky, Mrs. Park. Your pregnancy seems to be going incredibly well so far.”

I thought it very unprofessional for the staff to not even know my name. Jimin giggled behind me. The doctor looked a little nonplussed at his laughter, but turned her attention back to me.

“The ultrasound technician should be in a moment.”

As soon as she left, Jimin started to tease me.

“Mrs. Park, Mrs. Park.” He sang at me, poking his fingers into my cheeks.

“You’re an .”

“You love it.” He leaned down and kissed me. “You love me.”

“I do love you.” I caressed his cheek as he grinned down at me.

We kissed until the ultrasound technician came in, wheeling a cart and coughing pointedly.

I shoved Jimin away and he reeled back, looking startled and flushed. He caught his hip on the edge of the cart and hissed in pain. I flushed a deep red as he hopped around and the technician smirked knowingly.

“If you could just roll your shirt up for me.” She suddenly stood over me, cold jelly smeared on her hands.

Jimin plopped down in the chair next to me, still rubbing at his side in pain. I reached for his hand and he obliged. I linked our fingers together as the image of our baby came up on the screen.

“Our little fetus.” Jimin said affectionately. He rubbed his head against my shoulder, a smile on his face.

A rapid thumping could be heard as the technician moved the probe over my stomach.

“That’s your baby’s heartbeat.” She informed us. Jimin and I already knew, but we nodded, excited little grins on our faces.

We watched the screen in silence for a minute, the warmth of our interlocked hands pulling us closer together as we saw the little life forming in my body. It was strange to think of and strange to say outside of the conventional phrase of “I’m pregnant,” but I was forming a life inside of me. How could I have forgotten, even momentarily?

We held hands on the way back to the car. Jimin pressed me gently up against the hood and moved so his face was in line with my stomach. He ped my coat and lifted my shirt, kissing along my bellybutton. I felt a splash on my skin and I knew he had started to cry.

“Hey, Jimin?”

“Mmm.” He hummed, sounding very emotional.

“I’m pregnant.”

Jimin let out a hoarse laugh, squeezing me tightly. He rested his forehead against my stomach and I played with his hair. His tears wet my skin and I sniffled too, tears beginning to wet my eyes.

“I love you so much.” He whispered, pressing furtive kisses against my waist. “Baby, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be.”

Jimin held me tightly in his arms and rested his ear against my stomach.

“What are you doing?” I asked, still carding my fingers through his hair.

“Listening to our baby.” He said softly, gently.

“I think all you can hear in there is the eggplant I ate for lunch.” I giggled.

“Shh. You’re ruining the moment.” Jimin scolded, laughing in spite of himself.

“How are you feeling?” I asked quietly, wrapping my arms around his head.

“I don’t know.” He murmured. “I’m feeling like I just want to whisper sweet things to the baby in your stomach and also like none of this is real.”

“It’s different than it was with Haru.” I whispered. Jimin hummed in agreement.

“Yeah. I’m not scared this time.” I felt his eyelashes flutter against my skin and knew he had closed his eyes.

I shivered and he gently drew my shirt back down over my slightly protruding stomach. I brushed his hair out of his handsome, endearing face as he zippered my coat.

“I have a surprise for you.” Jimin leaned in and kissed me, thumbs my cheeks.

“What is it?” I asked, all ears. I loved surprises.

“Get in the car and I’ll take you there.”

“But Jin’s watching Haru.” I protested.

“He already knows.” Jimin kissed my bangs.

I took a quick nap while Jimin drove to our destination. He gently shook me awake some time later, a small smile playing about his lips.

“We’re here.” He whispered, tousling my hair. “Wipe your drool and come on.”

I stepped out into the winter sunshine and found that we were in a neighborhood in Hongdae. I’d often dragged Jimin here before whatever concert we were seeing to check out the murals. I loved Hongdae, with its underground artsy vibe and its garish neon nightlife. Ever since I moved to Seoul, I wanted to live there, but Jimin had never been about that life.

Jimin took my hand and led my down the street, admiring the street art. I silently wondered where we were headed, and then he dragged me into an apartment building decorated with mirrored mosaics.

I followed quietly as we walked up the stairs. He stopped outside of a cheerful yellow door and pulled out a key, a wide smile curving across his face as the door swung open.

The inside of the apartment was roomy and smelled a bit stale, like it hadn’t been lived in for a while. A huge bay window lit up the living room, where a braided rug lay on the floor. The kitchen walls were painted a bright yellow and a long wooden table with burgundy chairs stood in the middle. The appliances were outdated, but they lent the room a certain charm.

Jimin excitedly pulled me down a narrow hallway and let go of my hand, running down the hallway to fling open four doors. I spied a bathroom and three bedrooms. Each one boasted a bright shade of pastel paint.

“Jimin, what’s going on?” I watched him as he ran back to me, grinning hugely.

“What do you think of it?” He asked, hope shining in his eyes.

“It reminds me of an indie movie.” I answered honestly.

“Doesn’t it? And listen…” He cupped his ear and pointed towards the bay window in the living room. I could hear the soft strains of a piano and guitar mingling together. “Street musicians.”

“Why are we here?” I had my suspicions, but I wanted to hear him say them out loud.

Jimin cocked his head and smiled at me. “You wanna live here?”

“Live here?” I repeated, looking around as if for the first time. “You wanna move? To Hongdae? I thought you said you didn’t want Haru becoming a baby delinquent.”

He brushed aside this worry. “She’ll be fine. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

“She’s three, Jimin. She cries if there’s too many bubbles in the bathtub and she’s afraid of the radiator.”

“I thought you’d be pleased.” Jimin said softly, crestfallen.

“I’m pleased! I’m super pleased!” I exclaimed, grabbing his hand. He looked up at me hopefully; I could almost see his puppy dog tail wagging. “This place is amazing! I love the paint and the location. And the building is super pretty. I’m just a little shocked, that’s all. I thought you would never want to move here.”

“Well, I was thinking about what you said.” Jimin scratched the back of his neck, swinging our clasped hands. “About how you wanted to live in a garret in Rome. And how you wished you had got to travel more. I thought this could be our garret.”

I laughed. “It certainly is a downgrade from our current apartment, but I love it. It’s got so much charm. And three bedrooms.”

“Yeah, three bedrooms.” Jimin smiled tentatively. “Are you sure you like it?”

“I love it.” I kissed his nose. “And I love you, you super sweet, thoughtful boy.”

“Let me show you around some more.” He took my hand and brought me through each of the bedrooms, pointing out electrical sockets and walk-in closets with enthusiasm.

“Of course, we can get the kitchen updated. I don’t want it to be too flashy, though. I want it to look like a twenties apartment. I want you to feel like you’re still living in your twenties.”

“I’ve always felt that our current apartment was too fancy for us.” I agreed. “Although I’ve always loved that kitchen island.”

“Yeah, but Haru can color at that table. She doesn’t need a high chair anymore with those chairs. And Yukon can beg for scraps and when the baby’s old enough, she can crawl under there. We can make blanket forts and play hide-and-seek under a table like that.”

I impulsively kissed his cheek. “Yeah, we can do all those things.”

“And Haru can grow up cool. I mean, I think she’s pretty cool already, but this will just be an added bonus.” Jimin squeezed the back of my bun.

“I love you.” I pulled him close and kissed him. “Jimin, you’re the sweetest, most wonderful, loveliest person I know. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” Jimin murmured, pulling me into the living room. He sat down on the window ledge and pulled me into his lap. I could already imagine the pillows I would place here and possibly some of Haru’s stuffed animals. I’d put a bookshelf in the corner, the bottom two shelves filled with Haru’s books and the top two with my books. It was going to be perfect.

“So…when can we move in?”

Jimin grinned. “I’ll have to hire people to work on the kitchen and update the bathroom, but hopefully less than two months.”

“Oh, jeez. I’ll be so pregnant by then.”

“Six months, baby girl.” He rubbed my belly with both of his hands. “God, I’m so excited.”

“Me too! Dream home, dream family, dream husband. What else do I need in life?”

“Nothin’.” Jimin kissed my cheek. “You don’t need anything else.”

“Which bedroom’s gonna be our bedroom?” I leaned my head against his shoulder.

“Whichever one you want, sweetheart.”

“I can’t wait to decorate the baby’s bedroom.”

“I can’t wait, either.”

“Do you think Haru will like her new home?”

“Yeah. She came with me to see it. She liked the pink room.”

“Did you tell her we were going to move here?”

“Nope. Just told her I wanted to show her a place.”

I turned around and kissed him. His fingers curled in my hair and we rubbed noses. We kissed for a long time. Jimin liked to make out whenever we moved someplace new. He called it “christening our home in kisses.” I thought I would probably let Haru join in and add in hugs.

We left the apartment hand in hand, our fingers linked, wedding rings clinking together.