I tugged on the tie that felt way too tight around my neck to get some much needed air as we sat in the doctor’s office of the surrogate centre.

This had been our third visit there and even though they’d already – and extensively - explained the procedure to us, I was still left with a bitter taste in my mouth.

I was restless, my foot tapping against the marble flooring of the high-end facility, waiting for something to happen.

To my left was my wife of five years Naeun, legs crossed and examining her manicured fingernails, letting out a dramatic sigh every now and then.

I didn’t know if she was just as nervous or uncomfortable as I was as we waited or if she was simply bored.

Her poker face had become second nature to her that even I sometimes had a hard time telling what she was feeling.

For all I knew, this was just another hurdle she wanted to overcome. Another thing on her list that she could check off.

The doctor who was sitting behind his lavish mahogany desk was currently in the process of shuffling through some papers and placing them in order before he cleared his throat and looked up at us.

His name was Dr. Lee Jinki and he had been recommended to us by Naeun’s parents since he was the best in the field and his reputation apparently exceeded him.

From what I’d seen of him, he was a pretty decent guy, though it wasn’t him personally that made me feel on edge.

It was simply the whole concept of surrogacy that I hoped would eventually become easier to digest.

‘So, I finally found a good match for you two.’ he finally spoke, placing a document in front of Naeun and I, pointing out a few bits to us.

It appeared to be a profile of the potential surrogate mother, listing all the relevant details.

There was no picture of her, but an extensive report of necessary information so to speak.

‘The girl is 22 years old and has an IQ within the range that you were looking for. Her medical history is excellent, no past complications of any sorts and she’d been privately educated up to a high school standard.’ he explained, looking very pleased with himself.

‘Now she had a very basic upbringing, per say. But I’m sure the mannerisms that you’re looking for will be more the result of your education and raising techniques.’

‘What do you mean by basic upbringing?’ Naeun immediately cut in, not satisfied that her request to have her child come from a background of luxurious lifestyle and money had been ignored.

I sighed at the thought that she simply didn’t understand that girls only really agreed to being surrogates for the money and not because they came from it.

But how I knew my Naeun, she probably expected to raise the next Prince William if she had anything to say about it.

‘She was orphaned at the age of six and lived in a facility until she was 18. She was able to attend a private school due to a scholarship. After that, she was employed as a live-in maid for four years. The family let her go just a month ago, however.’

‘So, she was the help.’ Naeun spat back and crossed her arms, yet again not happy with the way things were going.

‘Naeun,’ I tried to intervene, hoping she’d get that the tone of her voice was anything but polite.

‘Let the doctor explain first, ok?’

She sighed her hundredth sigh that day but was quiet then, relaxing in her chair a little as she waited for the doctor to continue.

‘I understand that this might not cover all aspects of the request form that you’ve submitted but I really do believe that she is genetically the best hit we’ve had so far, and honestly speaking I have doubts we will be able to find someone more suitable.’

I nodded, taking in the words and trying to process them.

A surrogate.

This was not necessarily something I was happy about, but after trying to have a baby for two years, we finally caved and went to a doctor who confirmed our suspicion that something wasn’t quite right.

Naeun was devastated to find out that the fertility issue was on her part and because of it, fell into a slump and depression for almost a year.

Our marriage wasn’t an easy one to begin with, having been matched by our parents for the benefit of uniting our family businesses surely didn’t scream a fairy tale come true.

But we saw it as our duty, and after my father retired due to ongoing health complications, we finally tied the knot so I could take over the businesses.

Before we knew it, five years had already passed and we had successfully merged the companies with me as CEO.

Naeun and I weren’t in love by any means, but we decided to make the best of it, compromising most of the time and trying to keep an open conversation between the two of us.

However, the baby problem was a big blow to our families who expected the business to be passed on from generation to generation which ultimately resulted in Naeun developing her love / hate relationship with the topics pregnancy and babies.

Sometimes she’d almost be obsessed about it, buying the latest herbal treatments to help women with the same problem and drinking odd coloured teas.

Other times, she’d completely avoid the whole