A/N: For those of you who wanted more about Gary and Jihyo's life together, I wrote a sort of epilogue. There isn't really any explicit content, so sorry to those who wanted that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

“Can I see that one?” Gary pointed.

The employee nodded, using his key to open up the glass display case. “This is a bypass ring made of 10K white gold. The band is lined with diamonds with a marquise-cut diamond for the center stone.”

Gary looked at the ring, imagining it on her finger. He could see her eyes smiling up at him, her lips already parted to receive his kiss. “I’ll take this one.”

“Good choice, sir. This is a ring she will definitely say ‘neh’ to.”

Gary smiled. “I hope so.”

Tomorrow would mark the two-year anniversary since he and Jihyo had officially started dating. When they had passed the one-year mark, Gary had asked her to move in with him, and after happily cohabiting for almost a year, he felt it was the perfect time to pop the question. He had booked a private room at her favorite restaurant, and all the food and decorations were planned out. He would take her to dinner tomorrow night and surprise her.

The light hit Jihyo’s face, and she squinted her eyes, pulling the covers over her head.

She felt herself drifting off to sleep again, but then her stomach growled. She yawned and threw off the blanket, sliding out of bed. Walking into the kitchen, she was greeted by the smell of food already out on the table. She sat down, glancing at a note placed by the dishes.

“Mongji, I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be out most of the day. Enjoy your breakfast! -- Gary xoxo”

Jihyo frowned. Had Gary forgotten their anniversary? They were supposed to spend the entire day together. She shrugged off her disappointment. Jihyo, don’t expect so much. As relationships progress, things always get more casual. It’s comfortable now, so don’t complain. With that, she dug into the food which her stomach received happily.

Jihyo felt sick. She didn’t know when the sudden change occurred. One minute, she was enjoying her eggs and kimchi; the next, their scent made her ready to vomit. Her stomach gurgled, and she made a dash for the bathroom, making it just in time to throw up into the porcelain bowl.

After she finished emptying the contents of her stomach, she rested for a moment, leaning her head against the wall. She hadn’t thrown up in years. Had she eaten too quickly?

There are other reasons for women to throw up, a voice in her head nudged.

“Andwae… we’re always careful…” She paused, thinking back to a night two months ago, when they hadn’t been as cautious. She had forgotten about it, but now she realized that she was also over a month late. She had chalked it up to stress, or perhaps the very early signs of menopause, but now there was a more likely explanation.

Still, she decided to remain calm until her suspicions were confirmed. Washing out , she then got dressed and headed out to the store.

Jihyo’s fingers fumbled as she opened the pregnancy test. She pulled out the stick and read the instructions on the back of the box. Then she opened the four other pregnancy tests she had purchased. She needed to confirm that the results would be accurate. She could not afford to get it wrong.

After peeing on each stick, Jihyo sat back to wait the required five minutes. Her mind drifted to her absent boyfriend. He should be here with her, holding her hand through this nerve-wracking moment.

Gary stood with his arms held up and to the side, his legs spread apart. His tailor was making sure that the new suit fit perfectly. Gary wanted to look good when he asked Jihyo to marry him. He knew she would be beautiful no matter what she was wearing.

Leaving the shop with his new suit, Gary pulled out his phone and called the restaurant, confirming that the room had been set up already and the food was ready to be prepared.

Right after he hung up, his phone started ringing. Mong Girlfriend calling…

Gary smiled to himself. Did she miss him already? Or maybe she was calling to berate him for forgetting their anniversary. He was about to answer the call when he thought, I’m bad at lying. Jihyo will sense something is off right away, and I want tonight to be a complete surprise. He made up his mind to cut off all contact with her until he picked her up for dinner.

He let the call ring out, then tapped on Jihyo’s contact information. He smiled as he optimistically changed her contact name to Mong Fiancee.

Jihyo set down her phone. Gary hadn’t picked up. She sighed, then squared her shoulders, flipping over the tests one by one. Each one displayed two lines: pregnant.

She suddenly felt faint. She was pregnant and unmarried, a social taboo. They hadn’t even discussed marriage yet. At the same time, she felt a happiness blooming in her chest. She was going to have a baby -- Gary’s baby. She had thought she might be too old to have any children, but this was a happy surprise.

Her mind drifted to Gary again. How would he react to the news? Would he be thrilled or feel burdened? What would she do if he wanted nothing to do with the baby? Deep down, she knew Gary would help her raise the child no matter what, but worry still gnawed away at her.

She plopped down on the couch by the door, awaiting his return.

Gary inserted the key into the lock, turning and opening the door. He immediately noted the darkness and silence in the house. He looked around, smiling as he saw Jihyo curled up on the sofa, fast asleep.

Despite his best efforts to keep quiet, she began stirring as he entered the room. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly. Before Gary could wish her a happy anniversary, her sleepy gaze immediately turned into a glare.

“Kang Gary! Do you know how long I’ve waited for you?” She stomped over to where he stood and jabbed an accusing finger at his chest.

“Mianhae, Jihyo. I was just getting some things ready for --”

Jihyo cut him off. “And you forgot our anniversary today! I know that we’ve been together for a while, but that’s no excuse!”

“Actually, I wanted to take you out for dinner --”

“And I’ve been waiting for you for hours! I’ve just been in the house, waiting!” Jihyo finally stopped her tirade, catching her breath.

“Jihyo, please, just let me explain --” Gary paused, suddenly seeing the tears gathering in his girlfriend’s eyes. “Jagiya, what’s wrong? You called me earlier. Did something happen?” He reached out, pulling her into a hug.

Jihyo allowed herself to sink into his embrace, calming down as his fingers traced lazy circles on her back. Aish, why do I have to be so hormonal right now? She wiped her tears and extracted herself from Gary.

Looking him in the eye, Jihyo asked seriously, “What do you think about marriage?”

Gary laughed nervously, unsure of whether she had figured out his plans already. “Marriage? I think that’s still pretty far away for us, Jihyo. We said we didn’t want to rush this relationship, right?”

“How far away?”

Gary shrugged. “I think a few more years, at least. Why are you bringing this up now? I think we’re fine in our current situation.” He inwardly winced at his terrible lying, hoping that Jihyo didn’t notice. He really wanted to surprise her.

Jihyo’s heart sank at his words. A few more years? She didn’t want her baby to be born out of wedlock. It would lead to a harder life for the child.

Gary almost blurted out the truth after he saw Jihyo’s disappointed look, but he steeled his resolve. In a few hours, she would hopefully be overjoyed. “Jihyo, I made plans to take you out for dinner. Let’s go.”

“Wait, I need to tell you something else.”

Gary waited.

“I… I… I’m…” Jihyo had trouble getting the words out. Giving up, she pulled him by his arm into the bathroom, where the pregnancy tests lay in a row.

Gary stared for a few seconds, uncomprehending, before a look of surprise spread across his face. “You’re pregnant?”

Jihyo nodded, unable to speak.

“But… how? When? We’re usually careful.”

“Two months ago.” When he still looked confused, she added, “In the shower.”

Gary felt a faint smile spread across his face at the memory, and it widened into a full-out grin when the situation finally sank in. “We’re going to have a baby,” he half-whispered with wonder.

He leaned towards Jihyo for a kiss, but she was frowning. “Oppa, do you realize the social consequences of having a baby out of wedlock?”

“We can get married.” He reached for her hand.

She pulled it out of his grasp. “I don’t want to force you into a commitment you’re not ready for.”

Gary frowned. “You wouldn’t be forcing me.”

“So what you said before, about not wanting marriage, that was a lie?”

Gary hesitated, torn between telling the truth about his plans and still keeping the surprise secret. “I --”

She misinterpreted his hesitation. “See? You’re still unsure about it. I think we need some time apart. To think about what we’re going to do.”

Gary watched as she marched into their room. He heard the sound of her rummaging through the dresser, and then she exited, carrying a duffel bag with her. “I’m going to stay with my parents for a while. You can stay here. I’ll call you in a few days.”

“Wait, Jihyo, can’t we talk about this?”

“Mianhae, oppa. I’m upset right now, and I’m not thinking properly. I just need a few days to work this out.” She was almost at the door.

“Saranghae.”

She paused, her back still to him.

He continued on, before she could say anything. “Saranghae, Song Jihyo. I’ve loved you since the moment I set eyes on you. And each moment I spend in your presence, I can’t help but fall in love with you a little bit more. The moment you agreed to let me into your life, you made me the happiest man in the world. I could have died that day, I thought nothing else could make me so impossibly happy. But you did it again, so many more times. The first time you made our relationships status known to the world, when you agreed to move in with me, the first time we -- ahem.” Here, he cleared , a bit embarrassed. “What I’m trying to say is, will you make me the happiest man of all time? I promise I will spend every day cherishing you, loving you, doing anything I can to make you happy.” He paused. “That was the speech I was planning on giving tonight, when I asked you to marry me.”

Jihyo turned around, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. The duffel bag slid off her shoulder and onto the floor.

Gary was down on one knee, a small velvety box in his hand. “Song Jihyo, will you marry me?”

She couldn’t speak for a moment, overcome with emotion. Finally, she choked out, “Neh, oppa, I will.”

Gary jumped up, pumping a fist in the air, then immediately pulled her to him for a kiss. After a few minutes, he picked her up, about to carry her into their bedroom.

“Wait, oppa. Don’t I get to see the ring first?” Jihyo’s voice was teasing, her eyes already smiling at him, her lips already swollen from his kisses.

“Aish, Jihyo. You make a guy feel like you’re only marrying him to get a ring.” Still, he set her down and opened the box, enjoying her gasp of surprise. He slid the ring onto her finger and picked her up again.

“It’s beautiful, oppa. Komawo.”

“Only the most beautiful ring for the most beautiful girl,” he said, planting one more kiss on her lips before carrying her off towards the bedroom.

Seven months later, they were in the hospital again, both of them leaning over the bundle in Jihyo’s arms.

“She looks just like you. Perfect,” Gary observed.

“She definitely has your calmness. Look how peaceful her face is.”

“I think we should start trying to give her a younger sibling right away.”

She swatted his arm. “Aish, get your mind out of the gutter.” Still, they shared a laugh.

Gary smoothed her hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear before bending down to kiss her forehead. “Komawo.”

“For what?”

“For doing it again. For making me the happiest guy in the universe.”

Jihyo smiled up at him. “Then komawo, yeobo, for keeping your promise and making me happy every single day.”

“If this were a fairytale, I think this would be the point where they say: ‘And they lived happily ever after,’” Gary remarked.

“And if this were a fairytale, you would be kissing me right now.” She tugged on his shirt.

“Your wish is my command,” he said obediently, pressing his lips to hers.

And they were both happy in their belief and trust in the other, confident in the knowledge that theirs was a love that would never fade.

The End