10. Baby baby (Part I)

Hanbin left the old, shabby, dirty house and went back in the car wondering where Bobby could be, if not in his refuge. In his mind it took shape first Dara’s face and then Nayeon’s: Bobby had to be there with them, and Hanbin had a bad feeling that he wouldn’t have another chance to confront him.

He drove to the huge and luxurious villa where they lived, the large windows that lined the front of the structure allowed Hanbin to glimpse their silhouettes inside, of all of them. They were all there, gathered around the large living room table. Dara was busy preparing breakfast, Nayeon sat on Bobby’s legs that had surrounded her in his strong arms. They looked happy, so happy, and he didn’t want to ruin such a perfect moment.

Hanbin cut the engine and stepped out remaining motionless before the huge wrought iron gate, not knowing exactly what to do or what to say.
At one point, it was Nayeon to notice his definitely unpleasant presence. The expression on her face changed very quickly, she got up in a rush and left the house right away standing there on the porch to watch him with a grim look, as if to protect something or someone - Bobby in this case - from him, from Kim Hanbin.

“Hey!” Bobby joined her, “what’s wrong?” he was kind of confused by her behaviour, he couldn’t understand the reason for her reaction. When Bobby lifted his head and followed the direction of Nayeon’s murderous gaze understood the situation. 

“Let him stay outside” Nayeon said between gritted teeth, she was very irritated by his presence. 

“No” Bobby shook his head, “I want to know what he wants”. 

Nayeon stopped him grabbing him by the arm. 
“Are you sure?” the woman asked.

“Give me the keys” Bobby nodded holding out his hand. 

“Fine” Nayeon gave them to him even if unwillingly, then watched him carefully as he walked away.

Bobby opened the gate and was preparing to face Hanbin who didn’t know what to say or do so eventually followed his instincts and acted on impulse. Hanbin threw himself on him and hugged him trying to get him closer and closer to himself. Bobby stood still, not moving a single muscle. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m terribly sorry!” Hanbin apologized so many times that he lost count, and after this he began to cry like a baby. Bobby hugged him hesitantly, in a tentative way. Hanbin felt like he was going to die of joy, his heart bursting with happiness. 

“You’re such a cry baby, Hanbinnie” Bobby couldn’t help but smile and so did the other. 

“Can you forgive me? Not now, not today, but one day…” Hanbin pulled away but he kept his eyes down.

Bobby remembered Minzy’s words alive, vivid and real in his head like an echo without end: “What are you punishing him for? For falling in love?”.

Suddenly Dara’s voice resounded everywhere, there was a hint of desperation in it. 

“Jiwon!” she called holding her daughter, “she fainted, Jiwon, she fainted!” the woman bending over Nayeon was unable to maintain even a modicum of calm.

Bobby ran to her: Dara was kneeling on the kitchen floor and clutched Nayeon as if she were the most precious jewel she had. 

“You couldn’t revive her?” Bobby asked Bobby after reaching them; Dara shook her head vehemently. 

“I take her to hospital immediately” Bobby picked her up. 

“Do you want me to accompany you? I can give you a ride” Hanbin asked hopeful that they could spend some time together, “I have to go to work in an hour, but I can accompany you without any problem” he insisted, noting the evident hesitation in Bobby’s eyes. 

“Go with him” Dara interjected for the benefit of both, “go with your friend” she corrected herself doing it on purpose, because deep inside in her heart she had always dreamed about the two of them being best friends once again like they were supposed to be. 

“But…” Bobby was about to speak, “I don’t think it’s the best thing”.

“Go with him” Dara repeated reassuringly, “everything will be fine, it’s the right thing” she gave him a kiss on the forehead and smiled sweetly.
 “And take care of her” she added, then she even smiled to Hanbin.

Hanbin got into the car and started the engine, and Bobby settled in the back seat with her.

“You’ll see that everything will be fine” Hanbin said, looking at him through the mirror, “I’m sure it’s nothing serious.” 

“Do you really think that?” Bobby asked watching Nayeon with a very worried look, “she vomited all night” he said, brushing away a lock of black hair from her face and arranging them behind her ear. 

“I saw her last night at the concert and then to the restaurant” Hanbin said, “in fact, she didn’t seem to be very good”.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Bobby and Hanbin were forced to wait in the waiting room along with numerous family members of all the other patients. 

“What if it’s something serious?” Bobby seemed to be talking mostly to himself rather than to Hanbin. 

“No” Hanbin said forcefully, “everything will be fine” he placed a hand on his shoulder gently it. 

Bobby turned toward him resting his own hand on his, without talking, without saying a word, but they only enjoyed being together. About half an hour later Chaeyoung, a young nurse, she approached the two of them holding a medical chart. 

“Well? Is she all right? Is she all right, isn’t she?” Bobby stood up and began to fill her with a lot of questions. 

“She’s resting, but she’s fine” Chaeyoung said, “given her condition she needs to rest”. 

“Condition?” Bobby ran a hand over his face in an exasperated gesture, “what kind of condition?” the fear was so limpid in his eyes. 

“Follow me, please” the nurse motioned for him to come with her, “your sister is pregnant, congratulations!” the girl smiled, then opened the door of a room where there was inside Nayeon lying on the mattress, she was staring into space in front of her, in an unspecified point.
“I leave you alone” Chaeyoung said, so Bobby sat down beside her. 

“I had to tell her that you’re my brother, otherwise they wouldn’t allow you to visit me” Nayeon explained not having the bravery she need to look him straight in the eye. 

“Hey” Bobby took her hand in his, “how do you feel?” he asked already knowing the answer. 

“I don’t want to have children” Nayeon swallowed hard, “I don’t want this thing inside of me!” she said with contempt, with a grimace of disgust painted on her pretty face. 

“It’s Junhoe’s, isn’t it?” Bobby interrupted by moving his hand on her belly, Nayeon couldn’t repress a number of shivers like an electric shock. 

“Of course it’s his” the woman asserted with no doubt about it, “but you know I don’t want children, there is one and only man who I would accept to give a son and is not Junhoe” in her all changed from her expression to her eyes, and the tone of her voice. Bobby knew that she was referring to him. 

“If you don’t want this baby, then you don't have to. But you have to tell Junhoe, you have to talk to him, he has to know about it” he said caressing her belly, unable to not to think that that inside her was growing a creature which would have been a little Nayeon but also a bit Junhoe, a bit all and two, perhaps in the middle between the one and the other or maybe more the one or more the other. 

“I don’t know how it happened” Nayeon muttered back to reality, “we have always taken precautions to avoid an unwanted pregnancy, and instead I got pregnant” she couldn’t comprehend in any way. 

Bobby sat on the bed taking a seat next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders making her lay on his chest, so Nayeon rested her head there batting her eyelashes and then narrowing her eyes to shut them. 

“Do you still love him, don’t you?” she asked aware of the feelings Bobby had for his Jinhwan, always for him and never for her. 

“Yes” he answered