“I want our baby to have your eyes, the first feature of yours that I fell in love with.”

***

It was late into the night but both girls were still up, flipping through an old photo book that Seulgi brought from her parents' place. Spooning on the couch, Irene laughed at how the younger girl sported similar expression in almost every one of them. 

"One simply does not deny the Kang's genes." 

Seulgi chuckled as she ran her fingers through Irene's hair, elbow resting on the shoulder. 

"We look like twins, don't we?"

Irene was still in awe at how much Seulgi resembles her elder brother, even with the age difference of three years. 

"This is probably how you will look like if you were a guy, wouldn't you?" 

"I guess so." 

"That's definitely a heartthrob."

Seulgi shrugged with a tingle of cockiness. 

"I still am."

Irene’s laughter was unintentionally loud, to which Seulgi forged taking offence to. 

Locking the petite girl in a headlock, she pinched the cheek with her free hand playfully, but soon showered it with her kisses instead. 

“Don’t tell your brother this but I think you look better.”

Irene leaned fully into the crook of Seulgi’s neck, looking at how the cockiness vanished, replaced by tint of pinks on the face. Letting her fingers traced the features, she smiled wider. 

“If it ever happens, I want our baby to look like you.”

Seulgi’s heart was warmer than her reddened cheeks from the compliment, remembering Irene’s words after their first ion night about wanting to start a family. 

“Yeah?” Irene nodded earnestly and Seulgi cradled tighter. “What part of me should she take after?”

“I want our baby to have your eyes, the first feature of yours that I fell in love with.” 

“She shall have your nose then, the perfect masterpiece.”

“She should have your height.”

Seulgi made a funny face.

“I’m not that tall, baby.”

“But baby,” Irene reluctantly admitted. “I’m really short.” 

Seulgi laughed but kept it down when an elbow concave into her stomach. She cradled closer and pat Irene on the head like she was doting on a little girl.

“If she has my height, then she should at least get your talent in the kitchen.” 

“No deny on this part.”

They shared a giggle. 

“But you know what I want our baby to have the most?”

“What is it?”

Seulgi looked at Irene who was already looking at her with eyes full of admiration. She pecked lightly on the lips as a push for Irene to say those harbouring words.

“I want our baby to have your family name.” 

The younger girl merely froze upon the declaration. 

Honestly, Seulgi never thought too much about the chances of having a child together as much as she wishes to start a family with Irene. After all, the obstacles they have to face would be legally bounded. 

Nevertheless, it didn’t stop Irene from picturing how things would be like if they had an easier way out. 

Her heart beat was accelerating at the thought of such possibility, even though it may be slim. 

It raced even faster because with those simple words of Irene, she was more than sure about how badly she wanted everything to happen with Irene. 

Slowly but sure, a huge grin cracked on her face. 

As if she had been holding her breath all these while, Irene heaved a sigh of relief at Seulgi’s reaction, mirroring the same silly beam. 

“Anything you say, baby.”

Seulgi leaned in for a kiss and whispered. 

“Anything you say as long as someday, you will marry me.” 

Watching Irene’s sleeping figure on the bed, Seulgi ghosted a smile at the memory.

More than anything else, Seulgi wants for their baby to take after Irene’s perseverance and bravery.

Eyes travelling down the wounds, her heart was still hot from aching. 

“It still looks red but at least they aren’t bleeding anymore.”

Seulgi covered the back with a huge piece of gauze after applying medicine, then chuckled after realising she was speaking to herself. 

“Baby?” She brushed the sleeping girl’s hair. “You got to take your medicine now.”

Irene opened her eyes, only to have them closed again after seconds. She fidgeted uncomfortably at the thermometer in her ear, brows furrowed lightly. It beeped at 38.3 degrees, and it was Seulgi’s turn to cease her brows. 

Overnight, Irene began to have a low fever and Seulgi didn’t wink at all, afraid that her condition might worsen because of the injuries. Although it subsided by a little, Irene’s body still felt warm. 

Leaning in to press her lips repeatedly on the burning forehead, Seulgi couldn’t help but sighed.

“I know you are tired baby, but be awake to take your medicine.”

“Hmm..?”

Painfully, Irene forced herself to respond to the calling.

“Just have these pills and you can go back to sleep, okay?”

“No, Seul.. I don’t-” Irene fell back asleep for a brief moment before slurring again. “No medicine..” 

Although she was worried, Seulgi found the sight of the dazed older girl extremely adorable. 

“It will help you feel better so be good, have them.”

“Just one..”

Seulgi pinched the sharp nose playfully. “No, silly. You need to take them all.”

She kissed between the brows again before half cooing, half forcing her love to swallow one pill after another, totalling up to three with gulps after gulps of water being sipped through a straw. 

Seeing how Irene’s face distorted at the aftertaste of the dissolved pills made Seulgi giggled, but not forgetting to kiss the ill on the lips as a praise. She ran her fingers through the hair until Irene was at peace again, quietly admiring the pale yet beautiful face. 

“Seul..?” Irene stirred. “Thank-Thank you.” 

Seulgi hummed her respond to the girl who was about to fall back asleep, tender hand caressing the cheek.

“I love you..” 

A wide, loving smile spread across Seulgi’s face.

“I love you too.” She gave one more kiss. “Get well soon, my baby.” 

Done with her task to feed Irene the medicine, Seulgi then remembered she had another guest to cater to, sitting outside in the dining room. 

An originally light heart got weighed down slightly when she left for the outside. 

“Is she feeling better?”

Seulgi only nodded timidly, hands politely tucked before her stomach without daring to look at the lady before her. Mrs Bae let out a worrisome sigh.

“Sit here, Seulgi.”

Without any prompt, the youngest quickly obeyed, but only to sit across the table from where Mrs Bae was at. Seulgi was busying nursing Irene when the arrival came uninformed. 

“This relationship has been going on for more than two years, am I right?”

Goosebumps raised on Seulgi’s arms. She felt tears in her eyes, fear surging through her veins. She was only facing Mrs Bae who had always been treating her well but she still couldn’t help it. 

She didn’t even want to imagine what Irene had to go through when she outed herself, to both her parents, of which one was homophobic. Nevertheless, Irene did it, for her. 

“Almost a quarter over two years…”

“Gosh,” Mrs Bae chuckled. “The two of you sing the same tune, even the answers are the same.” 

The mother continued when Seulgi hung her head lower.

“When we first met, I thought, you must be somebody special to Joohyun in order for her to bring to our family gathering, a best friend or some sort.”

Seulgi smiled sadly.

“The next time I saw you, Joohyun rather embarrassed herself in front of you than to acknowledge you as an outsider to our family matter. Then I thought, you must be like a sister to her.”

Mrs Bae sighed again.

“She reached out to you first, you who was crying like a scared baby after that tight slap across her face which probably burnt. The way you held onto her made me think, you must be protective of her, just like how she is to you.”

Mrs Bae pulled out the chair next to hers, which Seulgi knew it was her cue and she moved. Flinching when a motherly touch reached for her hand, the one with the promise ring on, her heart pumped faster. 

“When I saw the ring on your hand, the one that looks exactly like the one which Joohyun wears on the chain, I didn’t think it was a promise ring until you admitted. I was surprised.” 

“You-You saw hers too?”

“You probably didn’t notice but since you girls arrived for dinner with Ilhoon that night, Joohyun had been fiddling with it. What surprised me even further was how you had to look at her for approval to admit that it is a promise ring that you are wearing.”

“I’m so sorry..” 

“A mother always knows, Seulgi.”

Seulgi messed up her hair, some falling to cover her teary eyes. Mrs Bae only smiled. 

“The way your eyes lit up when Ilhoon had to leave, the way your eyes burnt with jealousy when he kissed Joohyun, I saw it all. Joohyun left with bite marks on her neck, which she didn’t have until you both entered the bedroom. A mother always sees it all.”

It was then confirmed that it wasn’t Seulgi’s mind playing tricks on her that night at the Bae’s residence but Mrs Bae was indeed aware of their cuddling in the room. How she wished there was a hole to bury herself in right then and there. 

“See Seulgi, my point of telling you all these is that as a mother, I see how my daughter became a better person because of somebody she loves and that’s you.”

Seulgi’s head shot up at the words she never thought she would get to hear. 

“Aren’t you the one she loves? Why are you so surprised like you don’t know she loves you?”

Mrs Bae joked and it took Seulgi awhile to react, letting out a brief laugh with tears beaming eyes. 

“I-I know, and I do too, very much.”

“I was on the verge of fainting when I saw how her dad was going wild on her. He was lashing at her, screaming at her to leave you, to stop her acts.”

Seulgi frowned at the images Mrs Bae instilled in her mind, polluting it with scenes she would never want to ever witness. Her body was heating up, from the thought of Irene having nowhere to hide and resulted in the marks that scarred her milky white skin. 

“All she did was endure, barely groaning even though tears fell. She told her father, getting hit a thousand times would still hurt lesser than you leaving her.” 

Scalding tears were welling within the frames and the young one’s hands shook inevitably. It was definitely guilt masticating on her insides that made her weak. 

It was her who sent Irene to hell, to receive the undeserving pain. 

All she wanted to do at that moment was to envelop Irene’s petite, injured figure in her embrace and cry herself blind. 

“I’m nobody to evaluate who loves who more but I know for sure, you are her everything.”

Mrs Bae wrapped her arm around Seulgi’s shoulder, warm and accepting. 

“I’m may be old, but not narrow minded. As long as my daughter is well loved and protected, I don’t care who she is with, girl or guy. I don’t want her to fit into the society’s norm if it strips her happiness. So Seulgi, can I just ask for these two things from you? To love and protect my child?” 

“I promise with my life to always, always do that for her, Mrs Bae.” 

“Seulgi,” The voice softened further. “Stop calling me Mrs Bae anymore.”

Seulgi’s brows knotted. 

“Like I said, you are like my own too so call me Mum, just like Joohyun does, okay?” 

Tears finally let loose, streaming down the cheeks. 

“Okay, Mum.”

Seulgi mirrored the wide smile tearfully and she knew, it was what it felt like to be completely blessed.

***

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Happy SeulRene Day guys 💖💛

As we proceed more towards the brighter side of this story,

it also means that it will soon end.

Examinations are coming for me (probably some of you too),

so do pardon my slow updates... 😢

My new ongoing is sitting in my drive so do look forward! 💖💛💙

Thank you for all your support and do stay with me through this journey~

All the subscriptions, upvote and views... One million thanks will never be enough.

I will try my very best to write more favourable stories to repay, promise. 

Till the next update, do leave me a comment please! 💘

PS: WATCH RUSSIAN ROULETTE 💖💛💙💚💜