Hakyeon rolled onto her stomach, elbowing Hongbin in the stomach. "For the love of God, Shikkie, just ing tell him."

"I can't!" Wonshik cried, slamming her hands onto the wood-panelled floor. "We haven't even discussed living together and I'm pregnant! This isn't an easy fix, Hakyeon!"

Hakyeon rolled her eyes. "Well, you can't raise the child on your own. Your parents would have a fit and tell Taekwoon themselves if you hide it from him and keep the baby."

"Even if you get an abortion," Hongbin cut in, carding a hand through his girlfriend's hair, "you'll want and need love and support afterwards. You can't hide from him and push him away during your recovery time. Even if you don't keep the baby, you shouldn't hide it from him."

Wonshik scrunched up her nose. "I don't want to get rid of the baby."

"Well then, the answer is obvious." Jaehwan muttered, head hanging over the edge of the bed with her boyfriend Sanghyuk's head right next to hers. "Tell Taekwoon-oppa."

"Noona, you literally have nothing to lose." Sanghyuk reasoned. 

Wonshik snorted. "What would you do if Jaehwan," She turned her gaze to Hongbin, "or Hakyeon came to you, telling you she was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby?"

Hongbin stared her down. "I wouldn't be completely thrilled about it - we're really young to take care of children after all - but I would offer her a ring and the option to move into my apartment."

Wonshik levelled him with a judgemental stare. "Oh really?"

"Of course. Like I said, I wouldn't be necessarily happy about it, but it takes two to make a baby." Hongbin raised a pointed eyebrow. "I'm just as responsible for the creation of that baby as she is and the least I can do to make that up is help her as she takes care of the hard stuff."

"I'd do what I could." Sanghyuk spoke up. "I mean, Jae-noona is much older than me, but I would try to come over as much as I could to help her take care of her apartment and help her out when she'd got body issues later on."

Wonshik huffed. "You're so full of ."

Hakyeon made a noise of disgust and pushed off Hongbin's lap, walking over to Wonshik and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Just. ing. Tell. Taekwoon."

The door to Wonshik's bedroom opened. They all turned to stare at the intruder and Taekwoon froze, his hair still wet from his after-work shower. Slowly, he closed the door behind him, leaning his tall and lean body against it, still staring them down like they were going to jump him any moment. "Tell me what?"

"Wonshik's-" She dove on Hakyeon, shoving her hand down her friend's throat. Hakyeon, the cheating- dancer, was stronger than her though and pushed her back, holding her at bay long enough to finish her sentence. "-got something to tell you."

Hongbin reached a stupidly long arm out and pushed Wonshik back by her forehead. She fell back onto her , glaring daggers at the pushy couple. 

"What is it?" Taekwoon asked, his beautiful, sharp features glowing in the afternoon sun as he knelt down beside her.

"They're being s." Wonshik glared harder, but smiled at her boyfriend. He gave one of his heart-stopping shy smiles back. "I'll tell you when they're gone so they don't get to make fun of me again."

Jaehwan poked dher cheek. "It's called being supportive and giving solid advice."

"Yeah-huh. Keep telling yourself that."

Taekwoon looked between the two women, btu dismissed the conversation, sitting down behind Wonshik and puling her into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder as Wonshik broke out into a playful argument with Jaehwan and Sanghyuk and Hakyeon and Hongbin jumped to speak at him.

Wonshik had the worst luck.

"What did they want you to tell me?"

She rubbed the back of her neck, absently noting that she was due for a shave again - her hair had grown in too long for the undercut style. "I was really hoping you would forget about that?"

"Why?" For all his sharp, feline features and imposing stoicism, there was something inespacably adorable about how he cocked his head to the side. 

"Because I went to them for advice not to have my secrets spilled at the first chance they got."

He only seemed to get more concerned, which was the opposite of what she wanted. But that was the predominate theme of Wonshik's life, wasn't it? He pulled her against him in a very uncharacteristic hug and kissed the top of her head. He guided them over to her bed and sat them down, making sure she was looking him in the eye. 

"We're in this together, Wonshik. Whatever happens to you, however you feel, please, share it with me. I know I'm not . . . the best for expressing everything and I don't always share my own stuff, but please don't feel you have to hide it from me."

She didn't know what to do. On one hand, Taekwoon was everything she had ever wanted out of a relationship. He was brilliant and beautiful and considerate and so, so lovely. She had no legitimate reason to hide her pregnancy from him, he'd never given her a reason to distrust him.

"I won't, I promise." She gave him her brightest smile. "Wanna sleep here tonight?"

Taekwoon's stare assessed her for a moment longer, which felt like he could see right through her cover up. After it, though, he just wrapped his arms around her and unceremoniously pulled her back onto the bed, cuddling with his face in her shoulder. 

"I'm really okay, Hamzzi."

He just snuggled closer. She laughed to herself. Despite being the second Taekwoon at his job and taking the pseudo-name 'Leo' to make it easier on everyone, he really wasn't so fierce. More like a kitten than a king of the jungle. 

Wonshik met once more with Hakyeon and Hongbin, this time in the caf of the university Hongbin and Sanghyuk attended. 

"So you didn't tell him? How'd you get out of that one?" Hakyeon asked, disdain dripping from her voice. 

"I just . .. couldn't."

Hongbin slipped Hakyeon a five hundred won bill. "Can you go buy me a coffee and a donut?"

Hakyeon raised an eyebrow. 

He sighed. "I have class in a little bit, but I haven't finished my meal yet."

She kissed his cheek, bringing out his dimples, and took the money, going over to the line for the coffee vendor, across the caf and with several tables of noisy uni students between them. 

Hongbin reached across and took Wonshik's hand. "We've been friends since we were kids, Wonshik. I'm telling you this as your friend and a good friend of Taekwoon's and as a man who has been on the receiving end of your kind of confession. You have to tell him. Put your big girl on and just spit it out. There's no words you'll find to make it better or make it go away or lessen its severity. Taekwoon-hyung would probably pass out from sheer joy. He absolutely adores children and if he were to be able to take care of a child that he created with you, he might even shut down in pleasure."

Wonshik swallowed hard, her voice meek when she spoke. " . . . You've been on the end of one of these?"

Hongbin nodded. "About six months after Hakyeon and I got together. I was seventeen and Hakyeon-noona was twenty. She told me she was pregnant nearly as soon as she found out, sitting stoicly on my bed. She also told me she planned on aborting it, because she wasn't ready, but she wanted me to know. I was with her when she got it done and I stayed at her apartment for two weeks until the symptoms passed completely and she was okay again. I was very scared and we both knew it, but I wasn't about to leave her to be more scared than me all alone. And someone like Taekwoon? He'll bend over backwards and change the tides to make sure you're happy. He loves you and I'll be honest - I didn't love Hakyeon at the time. She was my first and I liked her a lot, but I didn't love her. Taekwoon does."

"You really think I should tell him?"

"Yes. Tell him tonight. Doesn't matter if its a word vomit or just the two words, but he needs to know."

Hongbin resumed eating and Hakyeon came back, a tea and a danish in her hand because Hongbin didn't like coffee or donuts and she knew it. 

"Well, your class is starting soon. I've got a shift I've got to get to." She stood, collected her things and gave them a half-hearted wave as she left. 

"What did you tell her?"

Hongbin looked up form his rice, cocking his head. "What do you mean?"

"She looks scare dout of her mind, so she's obviously decided to tell Taekwoon. What did you say to give her that courage?"

He shrugged. "Taekwoon has a craving for children like I've never seen in another man. She didn't know that."

Hakyeon's gaze was appraising. "You're not a very good liar."

He took the tea and danish from her, kissing her cheek. "Thanks for the pick-me-up, jagiya. I'll swing by your apartment after class."

Hakyeon watched him go, wondering absently how she had gotten someone as wonderful as her idiot boyfriend. 

She hadn't meant to surprise Taekwoon so badly when he came home from work, but she had gotten lost in her thoughts over the hours watching the ceiling.

Taekwoon had always been very quiet and his movements were no different, so she hadn't even noticed she he startled so hard he jumped, instinctively tucking himself back into his bookshelf, hand to his heart. When he calmed from the startle, he the lamp and it was her turn to jump.

"When did you get home?" She asked, hastily trying to compose herself. 

"Just now." He replied, sitting on the couch after she pulled her legs away. "What are you doing here? In the dark, no less?"

"I- Uh-" She sighed, giving a rueful smile and a forced laugh. "The words won't come. Uh, well, I've- I'm- I meant to tell you- I want to tell you-"

Taekwoon tangled his long fingers in her hair and let her nervously fiddle with the fingers of his other hand. "Take a deep breath and say what you want."

She did as she was told, staring at his eyes as she summoned all her courage. "I'm pregnant."

There was long silence and tense stillness. Taekwoon's expression didn't budge, he didn't even blink. She wanted to shy away, run as far as possible. 

"Are you keeping the baby?"

She . . . hadn't been expecting that question. "I wanted to, but if you don't, I'll get an abortion." She puffed out her cheeks. "Babies are expensive and a lot of work."

"Are you sure you're ready to handle being a mother?"

Wonshik hadn't been able to break out of his stare. "Yes. I want the baby, but I know I can't do it alone."

Very abruptly, Taekwoon lit up into a dazzlingly radiant smile and he pulled her onto his lap with considerable force. He squeezed her hard enough to make her bones creak. When he released her, he kissed all over her face, finally locking their lips together in the most breathtaking kiss she'd ever had. 

He was breathless too when he pulled back. "Are you serious? Am I goign to be an appa?"

She swallowed thickly again, this time in surprise at the glittering, hopeful shine in his eyes and the way his cheeks were flushed with happiness. "Yeah. Yeah you are."

He hugged her tight again, squeezing a little less firmly. "Thank you so much, Shikkie. Thank you so much. I've always wanted children, always, always. I can't believe that I'm going to have a family and that you're going to be the mother of my children." He was so lost, trying to express all the euphoria trapped in his heart and the glow of his joy made her warm and tingly. "I can't believe I'm so lucky. Thank you."

Wonshik blinked. "Are you serious?"

Taekwoon nodded unfailingly. "Absolutely."

"Like, serious-serious?"

"One hundred percent serious."

"Serious-serious-serious?"

"So serious, I'm about to become a dad."

Wonshik stopped. "Holy , you are serious."

"Isn't that what I just said?"