“Jagi are you okay? So how was it? What did the doctor say?” asked Jungwoo as soon as Youngjae entered the house. Youngjae was still in pain that she was walking while bending forward to ease her pain a little bit. Youngjae was silent. She didn’t have the energy to talk about her condition. Jungwoo helped her sit down on the couch and got her some water before sitting next to her.

 

“My poor baby.. Mani appa? Do you need anything? Do you wanna eat anything?” asked Jungwoo again. Youngjae just shook her head, she scooted closer to Jungwoo and wrapped her arms around him because she felt like crying. She never felt so helpless, useless and the pain she was experiencing was intolerable.

 

“Baby…

 

“Mmmm..

 

“If I tell you this.. promise me one thing..”

“Youngjae ah.. I love you.. Just tell me what it is..” said Jungwoo which made Youngjae now crying. She was leaning against Jungwoo’s chest and she sobbed hard before even telling Jungwoo about her condition.

 

“Jung ah..

 

“I’m in pain… so much pain.. I don’t know how long this pain will be in me.. Eotteokaji Jungwoo yahh..”

 

“Jagi… Wae geurae.. You’re scaring me..”

 

“I have a cyst growing in me.. an Ovarian Cyst” said Youngjae finally letting it out. Jungwoo was shocked when he heard it. Tears started falling after he realizes how serious this matter was.

 

“D-did the doctor say if you needed surgery or how we can treat it?” asked Jungwoo concerned. He tightened his hug with Youngjae comforting her.

 

“It is still small for surgery and the doctor suggested that I take birth control pills to flush it out of my body. But Jung ah.. I don’t want to eat it..”

 

“Waeee.. If its gonna help you.. Why don’t we just do as told..”

 

“Nooo. Jung ah. You don’t understand..”

 

“Yes I dont understand. Make me understand then!” Said Jungwoo now slightly raising his voice.

 

Women in pain usually are more sensitive than they already are in real life so without Jungwoo realizing, him raising his voice even the slightest bit had affected Youngjae.

 

“Why are you raising your voice to me? Is my condition burdening you? Look.. I don’t wanna eat those pills because it will make me less of a woman!”

 

“There are side effects of me consuming it.. Me having an Ovarian cyst is already putting my ovaries at risk from not being able to conceive in future and if I take the pills, it will not just make my hormones go haywire. But it will elevate the chances of me not having a baby for life!”

 

“But Youngjae.. it’s okay if we don’t have a baby. We don’t need to have one. Health comes first alright.” Said Jungwoo now understanding.

 

Youngjae stood up and went up to her room leaving Jungwoo alone at the sofa. Ya sure, it’s okay to not have a baby. But Youngjae was already thinking ahead. In the long run, maybe two to three years down the road, after the cyst had exited her body. They will be ually active again and who knows Jungwoo might want a baby then. And what if she was unable to conceive?

 

Then what? Jungwoo will start having less and lesser feelings for her.

 

And then he will get bored of her, starts cheating and eventually leave her in the end. Assumptions of thoughts were in Youngjae’s mind the whole day. WooJae couple silent treatment makes it harder for them to even breathe under same roof. Jungwoo texted Johnny and left the apartment without saying anything.

---

 

 

 

At Youngwon’s apartment

 

“Youngwon ah.. Jungwoo is coming over.”

 

“Ehh? Wae?” Youngwon replied while she was in the kitchen

 

“Molla.. he texted me asking where I was and I replied that I’m here. We’ll find out when he arrives I guess. Ahahah what a day right?” said Johnny. Youngwon nodded as she starts to prepare the ingredients to cook lunch. Since they will be expecting a guest, she decided to cook a little bit more.

 

Jungwoo then arrived an hour after with an annoyed face. Very unusual of him but Johnny figured something was up. He greeted the guest in and made him feel at home.

 

“Wow this is my first time at Youngwon noona’s house.”

 

“Welcome hahahah. Come, I’ll grab you a drink. Youngwon is cooking now. Have lunch here okay?” said Johnny while Jungwoo acknowledged it. After grabbing a glass of drink for Jungwoo, Johnny is now seated. Ready to hear the story. “Okay spill.”

 

“Haigoooooo. Where do I even start.. I don’t know Hyung.. Youngjae complained about having stomach pain a day after we came back from the party.”

 

“I thought she was going to be fine after a sleep but no. This morning I woke up and found out that Youngjae went to the hospital alone. She could have wake me up though. I was worried. But then earlier just now, she came back from the hospital. Crying. And when I asked her what happened..”

 

“She told me, that she was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. Honestly Hyung I don’t know how serious it is. But it made her angsty and all when she told me that she didn’t want to take the medication that the doctor prescribed her.”

 

“And im like why don’t we just do as told. She went on and said if she consumes it, its gonna affect her hormones and stuff. And high risk of her not being able to conceive in future.” Explained Jungwoo.

 

“Did you tell her health comes first then?” asked Johnny.

 

“I did. And I did told her that it’s okay if we can’t have baby in future.” Said Jungwoo again. Johnny shook his head after hearing it. At the same time, Youngwon had called for the two for lunch. The conversation was put on paused while they walked to the dining table.

 

“Hey BabyWoo what’s up… How are you…” Youngwon exclaimed while pulling Jungwoo into a hug.

 

“Not good Noona. I don’t know what is wrong with Youngjae..”

 

“Well, I overheard you guys talking.. and I must say.. I can relate to what Youngjae is feeling.”

 

“Seolma.. You have a cyst too?”

 

“Anirago!!”

 

“Jungwoo yah.. There is so much things you still gotta learn about woman. I can’t believe I’m saying this cause I am a woman myself but you know, Woman are complicated and sensitive human beings.” Said Youngwon as they talked over lunch.

 

“I don’t know why she is so against the idea of eating the birth control pills.” Expressed Jungwoo in frustration.

 

“Because it’s risky Jung ahhhh! Aigoo jashikk.. A cyst is something not to be taken lightly. Okay Woman Anatomy 101.“

 

“About once a month, females who have gone through puberty will experience menstrual bleeding aka Menses. This happens because the lining of the uterus has prepared itself for a possible pregnancy by becoming thicker and richer in blood vessels. If pregnancy does not occur, this thickened lining is shed, accompanied by bleeding. But it gets abnormal when they either bleed too much or not bleeding at all. You get what I mean?”

 

“Many women have ovarian cysts at some time. Most ovarian cysts present little discomfortness and are harmless. The majority disappears without treatment within a few months. But of course there are worst case scenarios where you experience sudden severe abdominal or pelvic pain, vomiting and fever. And I’m guessing Youngjae experienced all of that. Am I right to say that?”

 

“Eo..” answered Jungwoo short.

 

“And that’s why Kim Jungwoo. Having an ovarian cyst is already harmful enough. Can you imagine if Youngjae takes the birth controls pills that will cause her to have hormonal problems as a side effect. Okay then, let’s say her cyst decided to stay. Don’t you think that it will then create another problem? Forgot about having babies. What if the cyst develop into a tumour. Worst. Cancerous?”

 

“Do really want to see her suffer? Plus are you sure, that you might say the same thing of not having a baby two years down the road?”

 

“Are you sure you will be loyal and faithful knowing that she is sick?” nagged Youngwon at Jungwoo making him lose his appetite. He then realized that he might overlooked on the situation. Johnny who had been quiet listening to Youngwon next to him, nudges her to stop for a while. Jungwoo is also quite a sensitive and emotional smol bean.

 

“What do I do hyung?” asked Jungwoo after realizing his mistake.

 

“Apologize and support whatever her decision is. That’s all we can do for now right?” answered Johnny. Jungwoo just looked down and stare at the food.

---

 

Fast forward to the New Year, End January 2021

 

Seulgi and Haechan went to the Gynaecologist to check on their little one. Seulgi is now in her first trimester of her pregnancy. So far they have been keeping it lowkey as Seulgi wasn’t showing an obvious baby bump yet. Seulgi also likes to wear oversized clothes so she was able to hide it from the public whenever she goes for baby checkup with her parents. Haechan was not able to accompany her due to his back to back schedules of his two units NCT127 and NCT Dream.

 

Seulgi is currently suspended from promoting actively with her group for the time being as that was a collective agreement made by SM their label and Seulgi after deciding on letting her keep the baby. Seulgi will just be on hiatus till she gives birth to the little one. The couple didn’t want public attention as this was an unplanned pregnancy and the fact that they are not married will just raise unhappiness to their fans.

 

The young parents went in for Seulgi’s 10^th week ultrasound.

Gynae: In the image, you may see that your Baby’s eyelids are developing, and Baby's ears are fully formed eventhough if it’s not in position yet. The neck is forming into a curve. Baby’s fingers and toes are becoming more defined. I will show a 3D ver of it too.

 

Gynae: In the 3D image rudimentary forms of all the Baby’s organs are present, and cartilage is beginning to ossify and turn into bone. At the end of this week, your embryo will become a fetus. She's now approaching two inches in length. If you could see her, you'd be pleased to note that her body is more in proportion; her head doesn't seem as large in comparison to the rest of her. You'd see that her ankles and wrists have formed, and her fingers and toes are now visible too.

 

“Hyuck ah.. are you seeing this. It’s our baby..” said Seulgi tears falling down slowly. Haechan who was next to her, wiped her tears and was admiring the ultrasound image of his baby. They could even hear the baby's heartbeat. This was what happiness feels like he thought.

 

After the scan, they went into the consultation room to have a chat with the doctor.

 

“Make sure to take the supplements regularly, eat healthy and do less strenuous activities.”

 

“Donghyuck ssi, please cooperate with your wife even when you feel unfair on the decisions she made. Less stress for the wife, less headaches for the husband.” Joked the Doctor. Haechan just gave an awkward laugh to the joke the doctor made. They then left the room, took the prescribed medication and walked to the carpark.

 

Haechan had walked ahead of Seulgi as he was trying to find where their car was located.

 

“Chan ah..”

 

“Eo??”

 

“Let’s register our marriage!” said Seulgi.

 

“Bworago??!!” exclaimed Haechan.

 

“I’ve been thinking about it and I actually have the documents in the car. If we just signed it and send it for registration. We will then be legally married Chan ah.”

 

“Yah Kang Seulgi! Marriage is not just about papers. It’s not a contract agreement. Its a lifetime commitment! The answer is No. Not now. Why are we discussing it at the carpark. Get in the car and we will talk about it when we get home.” Answered Haechan.

 

“JINJA NO??! DO YOU NOT LOVE ME? Are you forcing yourself to be stuck with me because I’M PREGNANT?!”

 

“Kang Seulgi. Did you misunderstand that? It’s not that I don’t want to be legally married to you. I’m just focusing on what matters most now. Which is our baby.”

 

“Then do you not also care about me? I’m not married but I’m pregnant. Now jobless too. The least you could do is make me your wife. At least people will look at me differently.”

 

“Why do you care about what people have to say about your life. It’s our mistake that you are pregnant and we should be responsible for it.”

 

“You got me pregnant. If you didn’t released it in me. I would still be promoting with RV.”

 

“Now you’re blaming me? Kang Seulgi neol wae geurae?”

 

“F*** everything.. I’m just gonna leave. Go back on your own.”

 

“YAH KANG SEULGI…”

 

Not looking left or right.. Seulgi just turned around and a car that was cornering hit her from the side.. Screeching noise of the car brakes and horns were heard. Haechan ran to Seulgi dropping everything he was holding. When he approached her, blood was streaming out from her legs. Seulgi was unconscious.

Haechan screamed for help and the driver that had hit his girlfriend immediately called for the ambulance. Since they were at the hospital, the paramedics that was at the Emergency ward immediately attended to the accident. Seulgi was brought in to the Emergency room.

 

Their gynae that they had just met for appointment earlier was paged and was already in the room when Seulgi was brought in. “You have to wait outside Donhyuck ssi..”

 

“Please Kim Ssabu.. you must help me save Seulgi..”

 

“Because of the impact of the external forces the pregnant woman’s placenta drop out too early.. which had cause a lot of bleeding..”

 

“To protect the mother, I have to do the induced labour surgery urgently..”

 

“Do you mean, take our baby out?”

“This is the consent form of induced labour. Please sign your name.”

 

“Can’t I keep both?”

 

“The situation now is impossible.. Donghyuck ssi.. time is tight. Please sign it quickly.” Said the doctor. Seulgi who is now semi-conscious opened her eyes mumbling “Baby” softly and saw Haechan holding a clip board.

 

“Whats that..” Haechan immediately looked away and try to make it less obvious to Seulgi of signing the consent form.

 

“Hyuck ah jaebal… Jaebal don’t sign it..” cried Seulgi begging Haechan who was in a dilemma.

 

“You don’t have to marry me Hyuck ah. I BEG YOU.. DON’T HURT MY BABY.. PLEASE DON’T SIGN IT.. I DON’T WANT TO PLEASE HYUCK..”

Haechan lets go of Seulgi’s pull and made the decision to sign the form.

 

“I love you Seulgi, but our baby is putting you in danger.. It’s for the best.” Cried Haechan handing the form to the nurse as they started to push the bed into the NICU. Haechan couldn’t bear to look at Seulgi while she was pushed.

 

The automated door closes and left Haechan all alone in the hallways. His legs gave way as he fell on his sitting on the bench nearby. He grasp both his hands tightly, almost regretting his decision on signing the form. He knew it was for the best. He had to save Seulgi. He was left with no choice.

---

 

Seulgi’s POV

 

 

“Annyeongg nuguyaa…”

 

“Why are you playing here alone?”

 

“Where are your mom and dad?”

 

“Can I play with you??”

 

“Where are you going?” as the baby was going away further and further.

 

“Don’t leave me… Where are you going baby..

 

“Baby…”

 

Seulgi woke up from her nightmare. She was unconcious for 4 hours after the operation. Her mother was next to her and asked her if she was hungry or if she wants to eat anything. Yunha and Jaehyun were also present at the ward. Worried about her.

 

“Seulgi ah.. Your mum especially made the chicken soup for you. How about I pour it for you to drink?” said Yunha.

 

Seulgi then felt her stomach slowly. Flat. Empty. She then asked, “Eomma.. I want to see my baby..”

 

Everyone in the room just looked at each other and remained silent. Seulgi’s mother couldn’t look at Seulgi in the eyes when Seulgi asked again. “Eomma.. Where is my baby?”

 

Seulgi had figured that her baby was gone..

 

“Eopseo.. nae aegineun eoptagoo. I have lost my baby right??”

 

“I am such an useless person now..”

 

“I can’t do anything right when I was a kid..”

 

“And now I can’t even protect my baby..” said Seulgi tears falling like a waterfall.

 

“Seulgi ahh. Don’t say that..”

 

“My baby is gone..”

 

“Seulgi don’t say that.. It’s not your fault” said Seulgi's mother crying.

 

“I’m useless..”

 

“No.. Don’t say that..”

 

“I’m useless. My baby is gone..”

 

Jaehyun was crying together with them. Yun-ha who saw it had whispered to him saying. “We promised not to cry when we visit her.. Go out and collect yourself.” Jaehyun heed Yunha’s remarks and went outside the observation ward bumping into Haechan who was standing by the door.

 

“How is she? Is Seulgi alright? Can I go in to see her?” asked Haechan.

 

Seulgi who heard his voice were in rage.

 

She screamed “Eomma don’t let him come in.. I don’t want to see him… My baby is gone…..”

 

“My baby is gone…”

 

“Okay okay. Seulgi calm down..” said Seulgi’s mother hugging her. Yunha was also trying to calm her down.

 

“I don’t want to see him… My baby is gone….. My baby is gone….”

 

Jaehyun then pulled Haechan away from the door and sat in the hallways.

 

“Seulgi said she doesn’t want to see me.. That’s right.. She must hate me so much now.. She must have had a hard time carrying the baby on her own while I was promoting. Why didn’t I notice that?? If it’s not because of the damn marriage registration, we won’t become like this.”

 

“Hyung.. Seulgi wont forgive me right?”

 

“Its not like that Donghyuck ah.. Calm down.”

---