Jonghyun waved down a taxi, barely registering the cold air biting his skin as it seeped through his turtleneck. The cold didn’t matter right now, the only thing that did was getting into a taxi and to the hospital as soon as possible.

When a cab finally pulled up, Jonghyun rushed inside, barking out his destination in an attempt to stamp down the tears he knew would flow if he let his emotions take over. The cab driver looked at him through the rearview mirror, raising his eyebrows skeptically before merging back into traffic.

“In a rush there, buddy?” Jonghyun could only nod, checking his phone once again to see if there was any word from his girlfriend. “I’ll get you there in good time, I promise.” He was grateful for the cab driver’s kindness but couldn’t find words as the reality of the situation finally sank in.

He almost hadn’t believed Gwiboon when she told him that she was at the hospital; but, the obvious tears in her voice had convinced him that whatever was happening was real. And he needed to get there. Now.

The city passed by his window but he couldn’t appreciate the holiday cheer or twinkling lights. Instead of rushing to meet Gwiboon at their favorite restaurant - like they had planned -  he was rushing to the hospital with no idea what awaited him.

When they reached the hospital, Jonghyun paid his fare and rushed out, jogging through the lobby until he reached the front desk.

“I’m looking for Kim Gwiboon-ssi?” An elderly woman smiled kindly at him, turning to the computer before giving him the room number. He hastily signed the visitor log before heading to the elevator and pushing the button impatiently.

A little boy ran up and pressed the elevator button excitedly, bouncing up and down as he turned to his mother. Jonghyun smiled at their interaction, the patient mother easily replaced with Gwiboon in his mind as their recent conversation about getting married and starting a family came to mind and made his stomach clench with anxiety. That conversation had nearly killed him when Gwiboon had all but pouted about her lack of ring and his lack of interest in pursuing the topic when she brought it up. It killed him because he had been planning to propose for months but wanted to wait until everything was perfect.

The elevator finally arrived and Jonghyun motioned for the mother and her little boy to enter before following after and pressing the button for Gwiboon’s floor. The little trio slowly ascended as the elevator rose floor after floor. Jonghyun tried not to dwell on how tonight should have gone – a candlelit dinner followed by a romantic speech and eventual proposal – and determined that whatever news awaited him in that room, he would stay by her side no matter what.

Jonghyun wished that the elevator would move faster, hating that Gwiboon had been alone in her room for more than a few hours. She had hated hospitals ever since her mother had passed away when she was still young and she had spent days at a time in her mother’s room waiting for her father to get off of work. He couldn’t imagine how hard this would be now after the recent passing of her grandmother, and itched to get off the elevator and take the stairs the rest of the way, only to realize that it had finally reached his floor.

He exited the elevator and followed the signs to Gwiboon’s room, knocking lightly on the door before pushing through. The harsh white of the walls combined with the medicinal smells made his heart beat faster and his palms sweat as he entered the room and saw Gwiboon laying on a hospital bed, a blanket drawn around her slim frame as she flipped through a magazine.

“Gwi?” he gushed, moving forward until he had wrapped her in his arms and kissed her soft hair. Tears finally leaked down his cheeks as he sat gingerly on the tiny bed next to her and relished the light pressure of her returned embrace.

“Jongie? Why’re you crying, jagiya?” Jonghyun couldn’t answer her, so settled for leaning back against her bed and drawing her down with him. Jonghyun made sure to be careful of the IV in her arm and pulled the blanket back up from where it had fallen down. He felt Gwiboon sigh into the embrace as she snuggled into his chest and laid her head against his neck while he her hair gently.

They sat like that for several minutes, content to be in each other’s arms. Jonghyun worked to steady his breathing and gain control over his emotions so that they could talk, but before he got the chance another knock sounded on the door and a doctor entered the room.

“Ah, Gwiboon-ssi, I see that you have a visitor. Is this Jonghyun-ssi?” The doctor couldn’t have been that much older than the couple on the bed, but his friendly demeanor and calm aura instantly made Jonghyun like him.

“Yes, Doctor Jinki-ssi,” Gwiboon answered, sitting up so that she no longer leaned against Jonghyun but still keeping a firm grip on his hand that was entwined between both of hers. Jonghyun sat up too, curious to hear what exactly was going on.

“That’s great! I hope that he’s just as happy with the news as you were,” the doctor smiled a bright smile at the pair. The words and the action caught Jonghyun off guard, unsure exactly what he was supposed to be happy about. “Now, that scare earlier shouldn’t happen again, but you never know with first timers. I’m going to prescribe lots of bed rest for the next week or two. Jonghyun-ssi-“

Jonghyun was caught off guard at being spoken to, and had to shake himself to pay more attention. He was already behind and couldn’t afford to miss out on anything else.

“That means it’s up to you to make sure Gwiboon-ssi is taking care of herself. She needs to take her vitamins and be careful about what she eats – here’s a list of foods to avoid.” Doctor Jinki handed her a piece of paper and Jonghyun glanced over her shoulder to read it, only registering what was at the top of the page after the doctor had continued speaking. His heart seemed to be hammering in his chest as the words finally sank in.

“YOU’RE PREGNANT?!” Both the doctor and Gwiboon stopped talking, turning to Jonghyun before Gwiboon smiled at him goofily, pinching his side.

“Yes, dummy, what did you think was going on? I told you a week ago that my period was late…” she trailed off, seeing tears once again rolling down her boyfriend’s face. “Yobeo,” she cooed, leaning in to kiss him lightly while gently wiping away his tears. Jonghyun breathed deeply as all of the horrible scenarios he had envisioned melted away and he realized what this all meant.

“I’m going to be a father?” Gwiboon nodded, her face glowing and eyes glistening as tears now rolled down her cheeks. The doctor cleared his throat and said that he would give them a minute before exiting the room and quietly closing the door behind him.

“I love you so much,” Jonghyun breathed, leaning in to kiss away her tears. He gently reached out his hand to place it on Gwiboon’s tummy and caressed it lovingly. She smiled up at him as her own hand covered his and they sat there for a moment, soaking it all in.

“Marry me?” he asked abruptly, drawing a shocked gasp from Gwiboon. Her eyes grew wide and a hand covered as Jonghyun pulled a tiny black box from his jeans pocket, opening it to reveal her mother’s wedding ring. She sobbed out a heartfelt, “Yes!” before wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder.

He let her happiness sink in before lightly teasing her, “Good, because that could have been awkward,” kissing her head and tightening his arms around her to show that he was only kidding.

“Oh shut up!” Gwiboon hit his back, making Jonghyun chuckle. He was happier than he could have ever dreamed of being for this holiday season, even if everything hadn't worked out quite the way he'd planned.