It was already three days since the last time he met Joohyun. But she still didn’t give him an answer. Yonghwa might tell her to take her time, but he felt so worry actually. A hundred times he tried to call her first, but he held it. He couldn’t force her. He just hoped even if she rejected his proposal, she still could let him meet their child in the end.

Yes, he already prepared for the worst.

But suddenly his phone rang, and his heart beat rapidly when he saw Joohyun’s name as the caller. He took a very deep breath before answered it.

“Ne~ Joohyun-ssi…” he greeted first.

“…can we meet outside?” she asked hesitantly.

THUMP!

This is it…he concluded inwardly.

“Ne~, just tell me where we’re going to meet…”

Joohyun was already there when Yonghwa entered the café. She wore an oversized sweater to keep herself warm from cold weather outside. And Yonghwa felt so relieved. She looked so healthy. She didn’t look so pale like the last time he met her.

“I hope you’re not waiting too long, Joohyun-ssi. Mian~” Yonghwa greeted her right away as he sat on the chair in front of her.

“Don’t worry, Yonghwa-ssi. I just arrived five minutes ago.” She replied calmly.

After he ordered Iced Americano to the waitress, he looked at her again. But she suddenly looked so awkward again.

“Don’t you want to tell me something, Joohyun-ssi?” Yonghwa asked her first in the end.

Joohyun exhaled deeply before she said, “Ne~, Yonghwa-ssi. But before that, can I ask you first?”

Yonghwa stunned by her question, and the way she looked at him was full of determination. “Ne~, go ahead…”

She took a very deep breath then silenced for a few seconds. “I just want to make clear this first, what kind of marriage that we’ll have if I agree to marry you?” she finally asked.

“M – mwo?”

“Don’t be offended, Yonghwa-ssi. We know exactly that we’re not even lovers to start this marriage. But I need to know, will we be a real family that learn to love each other or we’ll just registered ourselves as a family for the sake of the baby then we’ll divorce after the baby born?”

Yonghwa was so speechless. He didn’t expect she would ask him that question. But no, he didn’t feel so offended by it. It was his fault for not explaining her about his good intention from the beginning.

Yonghwa then exhaled deeply too in the end. “I’m sorry if I made you worry with my sudden proposal, Joohyun-ssi. But why don’t you tell me your thought too? What kind of marriage that you want?”

“I asked you first, Yonghwa-ssi. So, please answer my question first, before you ask me back.” she said sternly.

Yonghwa stunned again by her answer, but then he smiled warmly. “Mian~ Joohyun-ssi.”

Yonghwa didn’t give her an answer right away. He took several seconds before he said, “First of all, I emphasize here that I’m single. And if I conclude from what you’ve said to me, you’re single too. We maybe are not lovers, but we’re good friends since the beginning.” He stopped his explanation to look at her again, then continued, “And now…we’re expecting our baby together. I think…we have a lot of good reasons to become a real family…” he silenced after that for seconds to look at her expression again.

And as he expected, she looked surprised by his explanation. But that was his true intention. He really wanted to be a good father for his baby. And being a good father meant he needed to be a good husband too for his baby’s mother.

Yonghwa exhaled again before he continued, “Ne~ Joohyun-ssi, I want us to be a real family. I’m not marrying you just for the baby’s name, but for our baby’s future too. I want to build a good family for our baby, Joohyun-ssi. Could you help me?”

It was her who stunned at that time. She looked so speechless.

“Joohyun-ssi?” Yonghwa started to worry because she silenced too long.

“I – I…mian~, Yonghwa-ssi. I’m too surprised, mian~” she said honestly.

Yonghwa found her was so cute. She was so honest.

So? Yonghwa really wanted to shout it loud but he just asked inwardly in the end. He couldn’t force her.

And Yonghwa waited as he stared at her.

She blushed right away when their eyes met. But then she closed her eyes. Yonghwa saw her rubbed her belly as she took a very deep breath.

And when she opened her eyes again, and she looked at his eyes directly, Yonghwa felt his heart pound rapidly. He didn’t know what the reason of this.

She exhaled deeply then said, “Ne~ Yonghwa-ssi, I’ll try my best…”

“…” Yonghwa felt his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

“Let’s get married…” she said it in the end.

He didn’t absorb it right away. He just blinked several times, couldn’t believe with what he just heard.

Oh My God…then he felt his heart pounded harder than before.

She accepts my proposal…

They silenced again after this.

But Yonghwa realized that he needed to say something.

“Are – are you sure, Joo – Joohyun-ssi?”

She turned crimson right away after that and couldn’t manage to reply him. She just nodded lightly then sipped her tea as she looked away.

Yonghwa couldn’t help to smiled wider because of that. He was so happy but happy was not the right word to describe his feeling at that time. It was more than happy.

“I – I don’t know how to tell you, Joohyun-ssi. But, I’m so happy, jinjja. Thank you…thank you so much. I – I really can’t describe how happy I am.” Yonghwa said as he stammered and drank his mineral water, because his order was not came yet, to calm himself.

“But…” Seohyun hesitated.

“Ne~ Joohyun-ssi?” Yonghwa encouraged her to continue her sentence.

“I’ll try my best to be a good…wife for you, I promise you that. But…can we just register our marriage? Let’s hold our wedding ceremony when – when we are…ready…” she said carefully.

M – mwo?

Yonghwa was so surprised again. He had lost count how many times she surprised him with her unpredictable thought that day. But he really tried to understand her feeling. They were not loving each other…yet. It felt not right if they insisted to hold a wedding ceremony and exchanging sacred vow in front of the God.

“Are you sure…you just want to register our marriage? Will your family agree with it?”

Yonghwa didn’t mind if she wanted to just register their marriage. But he worried with what her parents thought. He was really sincere with this marriage. He didn’t want her family misunderstood him.

“I – I will explain it to them, Yonghwa-ssi…” she replied as she still looked hesitated.

Yonghwa just took a deep breath because of that. It was not what he planned to do. But he really needed to understand her feeling.

“Okay then, Joohyun-ssi. Let’s hold our wedding ceremony, when we’re ready…”

And she sighed deeply after that, looked so relieved. “Gomawoyo, Yonghwa-ssi…”

“Then when will you tell your parents?” he then tried to make a new topic.

“Tonight, Yonghwa-ssi. I intend to tell them after our meeting…”

“Then I’ll drive to Busan tonight. I have to tell my parents too.” he decided it right away.

She looked so surprised. But she just nodded in the end. “Ne~ you’re right, Yonghwa-ssi.”

***

Joohyun rubbed her belly and suddenly felt so hungry. She really wanted to cry at that time. She felt like her appetite was getting crazy. She just ate one hour ago in the café, but she felt hungry again at that time. But she felt so shy to ask Yonghwa to stop in the nearest convenience center to buy something to eat. Beside they were not so far to her parent’s house too.

“Waeyo, Joohyun-ssi? Are you hungry?” but Yonghwa asked out of sudden.

Joohyun turned to him shyly. She really wanted to say no to him, but she couldn’t help it. She was so hungry.

In the end, she nodded.

Yonghwa chuckled because of that, but then he took something from backseat. “I heard that pregnant woman sometimes can get hungry easily. So, I bought it before we left the café. I hope it’s okay for you.”

Joohyun became teary right away. She felt so ashamed but she took that sandwich in the end. “Jeongmal gomawoyo~, Yonghwa-ssi…”

Yonghwa then giggled again.

They silenced as Joohyun enjoyed the sandwich. But suddenly Yonghwa said, “Gomawoyo too, Joohyun-ssi. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to be a good father for our baby…”

It was so fortunate that Joohyun chewed it carefully the moment Yonghwa started saying, because his sentence could make her choke.

Yes, she finally agreed to marry him. She was thinking deeply for three days. She was scared. That was true. But Yuri’s opinion was right too. Be a single mother was not easy. And people still underestimated a single mother in social life. Yonghwa’s proposal was unexpected, but it was a better choice for her. She might not love him yet, but she didn’t mind to be with him for the sake of her baby. Yes, she just wanted try her best for her baby.

“And because we’re getting married, so is it okay for me to call you just Joohyun from now on?” he asked carefully.

Joohyun felt her heart beat rapidly the moment she heard him called her just ‘Joohyun’ for the first time. But she managed herself to answer it, “Ne~ Yonghwa-ssi…”

“Ohh, please don’t call me that too from now on, Joohyun-ahh…”

THUMP!!!

God! Joohyun felt her heart beat crazier with that new endearment. She needed to rub her belly again to calm herself. Without she realized it, rubbing her belly became her new habit if she felt so nervous, as if she wanted to get courage from her baby.

“It sounds so awkward if you still call me that.” He continued as he giggled lightly.

But Joohyun still couldn’t decide how she would call him.

“How old are you?”

Joohyun was still busy calming her heartbeat and didn’t hear Yonghwa’s question.

“Joohyun-ahh?” Yonghwa called her again.

“Ahh – ne~? Mian~” Joohyun felt so embarrassed but she really didn’t hear his last question. “Mian, but what did y