***

That afternoon I found myself sitting in my academic advisor's office, crossing my aching legs and leaning back into one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. I had been pulled from my class with a note saying he wanted to have an urgent meeting with me. I waited nervously for him to come in and tell me what was going on. I was chewing absentmindedly on my thumbnail when the door opened, Dr. Jung finally entering...

...followed by my father. I sat up immediately. "Uh...hey Dad. Dr. Jung."

Dad nodded curtly in my direction, having a seat in the chair next to me while my advisor settled at his desk across from us. Dr. Jung smiled at me easily, his salt-and-pepper bear reaching the corners of his eyes. "Sorry to pull you from class Soojung, but this was the only opening your father had in his schedule before Spring Break starts."

"Oh. Okay." I fiddled with the short sleeves of my slate hued blouse, the only other shirt I had that wasn't currently wrinkled since Sehun ruined my other one. "Is there a problem?"

"Not a problem, per se," Dr. Jung shook his head, "but your professors have expressed some concerns about your work this semester."

My forehead wrinkled in confusion as I frowned. "Really? I turned in my thesis early and I think the lowest grade I've gotten on any of my papers is a B."

"Which would be adequate for another student, but you've had a 4.0 average for the past three years, not counting the amount of extra credit and study hours you've logged. It's relatively normal for fourth years to relax a little their final semester, but you're a bright young woman. We'd hate for you to start losing steam now, especially before you begin our graduate program in the fall." Dr. Jung leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers. "Your father informed me you've recently married. Congratulations."

I turned to my dad, feeling a little embarrassed he'd divulged my personal life to my advisor as if it were some kind of excuse. Dad tapped his finger on the arm of his chair as he addressed me, "Soojung, you know I think Sehun is a perfectly fine young man. However, I don't think he understands how much effort and dedication it takes to excel in the corporate world. Skipping classes, assignments not up to par - you've been distracted. You have a certain drive about you that we don't want to see you lose."

"Luckily, I believe we've found a way to help keep you motivated," Dr. Jung interjected. "Every year the Economics department has one alumni who graciously offers a highly coveted internship at one of their companies. An opportunity to work under them and gain a multitude of experience that will not only aid them during the program, but will cultivate contacts and relationships that will carry them through the rest of their careers. This year your father is offering his tutelage at his investment firm."

I blinked for a moment, taking in what they were suggestion. "I'm sorry, you want me to come work for you?"

Dad nodded. "It would be much more than your typical entry-level position. You'd be shadowing me personally. You'd sit in on meetings and conference calls, eventually handling accounts of your own. It is an incredible opportunity, one that is not usually offered to undergraduate students." He grabbed my hand and the personal gesture was a little shocking. "You have amazing potential Soojung. If you allow me to harness it and help you grow there is no telling how successful you will be."

I blew out an incredulous breath as I took my hand back and placed it in my lap, my sparkling wedding rings catching my eye. "Can I have some time to think about this? It's a big decision and I need to talk to...I need to mull it over for a bit."

Dad's expression hardened for a second before his poker face glazed over it. "Of course, but please try to give me an answer in the next week or two. Otherwise we'll have to go to the next person on our list." He stood and shook Dr. Jung' hand before leaving silently. I started gathering my bag and jacket so I could make it to my seminar when he cleared his throat. "Soojung, listen. You're a exemplary student - one of the best I've had in my years here at Yale - and I'm sure you know what's best for you. I would be a terrible advisor if I didn't push my pupils to achieve as much as they can. I strongly urge you to consider this opportunity from your father. To learn from the best is a gift, even if it comes in the form of nepotism."

I smiled, his dry joke lightening my mood. "I will. Thank you Dr. Jung."

"Oh, one last thing?" he started as I approached the door, "We received the rankings for graduation - as of now you're third in your class. Even if you decide to pass on your father's offer you should be very proud of your hard work here, and I'm confident you will go far no matter what you choose."

I thanked him again and left his office, trotting down the stairs and out of the administration building into the sharp bite of the cold air. I sat down on the stone steps and set my elbows on my knees, resting my chin in my hands and let the thoughts bounce around my skull for a moment. Not really in the mood for an anxiety jumble in my brain I fished around in my bag for my cell to text the one person I really wanted to be around at a time like this.

***

"Can I just say I love that you're skipping school not even an hour after you got busted for skipping school?" Sydney chuckled as she sipped her martini. We had escaped the hallowed halls of our school and settled at the River House Tavern, a sports bar near her apartment. It was dark and a bit of a dive, but it was mostly empty and they had my favorite beer on tap.

I exhaled slowly while I slowly twirled my mug around on the wooden bar top. "It's been a long day and I'm really trying not to flip out. Thanks for coming out with me."

"Always, babe. You think Red will be on board with the whole job thing?"

"I don't know. Look, my dad's firm is obviously successful, and blatant favoritism is great and all, but..." I thought for a moment as I took a quick drink, then set the mug down with more force than I meant to. "You know what? I would be great at this job. I know I've complained about economics for the past four years, but maybe I don't totally hate the whole numbers game. I'm good at it."

Syd nodded in agreement. "I understand that. I'm ing dreading going to law school next year but, you know, both the parental units are lawyers. It's in my blood whether I want to deny it or not...I mean, not technically 'cause of the whole 'being adopted' thing, but you get what I'm saying. So what's the issue with accepting something you want?"

"It's..." I paused, tucking my hair behind my ears before cradling my glass once more, "It's my dad's assumption that because I'm married I'm not focused on my career. Yeah, I've skipped a few classes this semester and haven't been as neurotic about my study habits, but why is that a bad thing? Why can't I have the job, the husband and the kids and be good at them all? I don't want to be like him, neglecting my spouse and children, just paying them off in retribution. But I don't think I'd want to be a stay-at-home mom either, Lord knows my mom hated her life doing it. I don't know, either way it's a big decision, I'm just rambling at this point."

Sydney's hazel eyes bugged out while she gently pried the half-drained beer from my hand that I was fiddling with. "Holy . Soojung, are you pregnant? Because you just mentioned babies, like, nine times in the last thirty seconds."

"No. Not pregnant." I mentally counted the days since I stopped taking the pill then shook my head. "At least not yet. We've been trying though, he is seriously gung-ho on the baby train."

"But are you?" She rested her fingers on my forearm. "That is a huge ing step and you sound a little apprehensive."

I patted her hand as I straightened my shoulders back. "Of course I'm apprehensive, I'm a nutcase. I'm hyper-busy and super crazy but he wants this so, so badly. There has been so much in our relationship where he gives and gives and I want to give this to him. He's been endlessly patient, kind and accommodating, and he has to deal with his insane woman the rest of his life, "I motioned to myself up and down for emphasis. "If Sehun wants babies, I'm giving him babies. If he wanted me to dress up like Barney and parade down the street in my giant purple costume and tube socks for no other reason other than it makes him smile, I would."

My phone buzzed on my lap, interrupting our conversation with a number I didn't recognize with a Connecticut area code. I slid the answer button across the screen and pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Yeah, hi, Soojung?" The soft male voice spoke through the receiver, "This is Greg. I work with Sehun?"

My heart started thumping in my chest. I thought Sehun had the day off, but...someone from the station wouldn't call unless something was wrong. Panic swelled in my chest but I tried to sound calm. "Of course Greg. Is everything okay?" Please, please be okay.

"Everything's fine, it's just - " A loud voice in the background cut him off and I heard some murmuring through the phone. "Sehun's down at the bar here, and he's...I mean, he's wasted. They called me 'cause they said he kinda mumbled something about you being in class."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." I hung up and swiveled my stool to hop down, turning to Sydney's inquisitive face. "Sehun is...I have to go." She waved me off and I placed a kiss on her cheek as I walked briskly out of the bar.

***

I raced down the highway, arriving to The Steel Room as soon as basic traffic laws allowed. Walking in I spotted my husband slumped over a table in the corner with Greg sitting across from him, sipping on a bottle of water. Making my way over to them I immediately started apologizing, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him. He didn't like, Hulk out or anything, did he?"

Greg chuckled as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "No, nothing like that. Sehun's a gentle giant, he just kinda drank a lot of Jameson and gradually wound down like a kid's toy. He's probably exhausted, it's been a long few weeks."

I Sehun's shaggy hair, he stirred slightly as he gripped his half-empty whiskey glass in his hand but he didn't fully wake. "Has he done this before? I know he's been working a lot lately..."

Greg slid out of the booth, shaking his head. "Nah, never, which is why it's weird seeing him like this. We were out on a bad call yesterday, and he usually takes it in stride, but..."

"Yeah. I get it." I shook Sehun's shoulder, he turned his face from the crook of his arm and looked at me, barely focused with glassy eyes. "Soojungsssh! It's Soojungh, my...my perrrrfect lil' wife."

I bent to hook his arm over my shoulder, awkwardly getting him to stand. "Yeah buddy, it's me. We're going to go home now and get into bed, okay?"

"Yessss'm." He stumbled over his long legs and Greg helped me walk him out to my car. Once we got him down in the back seat I closed the door on his large sleeping form. "Thanks for sitting with him. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem. He's a good guy." Greg rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture I'd seen Sehun do many times when he was nervous. "Don't be too hard on him, okay? I've worked with him for a while and he never does this, he's probably just burned out." I gave him a brief hug and a pat on the back before climbing into the driver'