“Yongkeey, let’s go!” I said excitedly the moment we were outside Yongsun’s apartment. Yongkeey responded with an excited bark as well while I instantly regretted getting both our energies up. “Shh… Let’s not wake up Yongsun” I whispered to her as I walked faster towards the stairs.

Yongsun is already at the end of the second trimester of her pregnancy. Her baby bump is also really evident now. Her cravings were still there but they were now limited to mint chocolate drinks and apple cakes or tarts. Dr. Chae also said that Yongsun and her baby are growing steadily healthy together.

On her most recent checkup, Dr. Chae told us that she could now identify the baby’s gender. I was excited when I heard this but Yongsun refused to know. She told Dr. Chae that she didn’t want to know the gender yet. I was disappointed but I was in no position to interfere with her decisions. Until now, only Dr. Chae knows the gender of Yongsun’s baby.

The past few months have been very rough on Yongsun. Her morning sickness has stopped but when the second trimester started, new forms of pain entered. She’s been complaining about her back aches, thigh pains, and the numbness of her hands. One of her hands was always on her back when she walked now because her baby bump was getting heavier in front of her.

I’ve been helping her with stretching and small exercises to alleviate a little bit of those pain. I’ve been going with her to her checkups and childbirth classes. I’ve been cleaning her apartment and doing her laundry as well. I’ve been getting involved like what Hyejin said but all I’m doing is helping her so she won’t be stressed over small things.

Because of this, I’ve spent a lot of time with her and in her apartment. I only go to my own apartment to shower, change, and sleep. I’ve been sleeping more frequently during work as well. Hyejin would sometimes glare at me, wanting to scold me for my involvement in Yongsun’s pregnancy but she never did. I know Byul is also worried about me, but instead of glaring at me like Hyejin, she chose to just help me instead by making my drink in the morning or buying my meals for me.

I pulled the hood of my hoodie up on my head to cover my face from the cold morning winds. I’ve been walking Yongkeey consecutively now but I’m still not used with the cold morning winds. The only thing that improved is that I didn't have to run with her if she wanted to. I’ll just let her run on her own and she’ll come back to me when it’s time to go back to Yongsun.

When we reached the park, she headed to the bushes right away to pee. Once she was done, I detached the leash from her collar before I patted her side. “Go…” I whispered to her before she bolted running in the park while I headed to an empty bench to sit down and watch her.

I smiled and greeted other dog owners who frequented the park like I do. There’s this guy named Henry who owned a poodle that I’d always see in the park. His poodle and Yongkeey would always play in the park together, but I’ve never talked to the guy other than when we introduced ourselves to each other. I would only bend my head low to bow at him before I continued watching over Yongkeey.

I gulped hard when Henry approached the bench I was sitting on, feeling suddenly nervous. I guess this would be the day that he chose to interact with me. He smiled at me while I tried to return his smile before averting his gaze right away.

“May I sit beside you, Wheein?” he asked while I immediately scooted to give him space as I nodded at him.

My heart was racing in my chest. I chose the most secluded bench so no one would approach me. I don’t like talking to people but I don’t want to be rude as well. I’ll just shut my mouth and try not to engage in any form of conversation with him.

He suddenly pointed at Yongkeey as he asked, “Do you own that dog?”

I shook my head and inserted my hands in the front pocket of my hoodie. Then I curled them into fists while I subtly breathed deeply from nervousness.

“Yong… Yong… sun? I remembered she owned a dog like that too”

My eyes widened as I whipped my head towards him. “You know Yongsun?” I whispered softly then immediately averting my gaze away from him, mentally punching myself for talking. I did really plan not to engage in a conversation with him. My ears just naturally perked up after hearing Yongsun’s name.

He softly chuckled before he said, “I did remember her name right.” He cleared his throat and leaned back on the bench, getting comfortable while I’m growing uncomfortable from our close proximity. “Is that her dog?”

I nodded at him and promised not to talk anymore at all.

“Hmm… Where is she now? It’s been so long since I haven’t seen her”

I closed my eyes to gulp since his question couldn’t be answered with a shake or nod of my head anymore. “She’s just tired. I’ve been walking her dog for her”

“Are you her girlfriend?”

I instantly shook my head while feeling myself blushing hard from the question. That would be wonderful but I don’t think that’s possible, given her situation now. She needed to focus on her baby and being healthy.

“Oh… I thought you were. She used to date my friend Eric before” Henry said and when Eric’s name was mentioned with the words my friend in one statement, alarms started blaring in my head. “I knew they broke up months ago already. Is she available now? Can you get me her number? You seemed to be good friends, Wheein”

No. No, I don’t think so.

“No,” I whispered to him before I stood up from the bench. I saw Henry standing beside me as well while I clapped my hands and shouted, “Yongkeey! Yongkeey! Let’s go!”

“No what? Is she not available anymore? Can’t you get me her number?”

I crouched down and smiled at Yongkeey when she’s running towards me already. I patted her head and whispered compliments to her while I attached her leash back to her collar again. “Let’s go home, Yongkeey” I whispered to her and smiled wider when she barked in response, making me flinch by how loud it is.

Yongkeey’s standing height is somewhere close to my knees now. She has grown to be a good and loyal girl to her Mommy. She’s very obedient too. She gets excited when she sees me or Yongsun but she somehow contained her energy now, like she already knew when and where to burst out from excitement.

“What do you mean, Wheein?” Henry asked as I stood up and held onto Yongkeey’s leash.

“No to both,” I said to Henry, staring at him intently before I started walking.

“I thought you’re not her girlfriend. Why are you acting like one?”

I clenched my teeth and gripped Yongkeey’s leash tighter. I ignored Henry’s question and continued walking. Luckily, he never tried talking to me anymore or asking me for Yongsun’s number just to hit on her. I didn’t trust him. Maybe if he never mentioned Eric’s name and that they were friends, I might’ve not trusted him less.

“Looks like we need to find a different spot next time, Yongkeey” I whispered under my breath while Yongkeey responded with a bark.

When we got back to the apartment building, what Henry told me actually got stuck in my head. Was I acting like Yongsun’s girlfriend? I don’t think so. I was helping her. I never made a move on her. I never kissed her or hugged her. I only hugged her back if she initiated it. I might’ve held her hands but that was to reassure and comfort her and that classifies as helping her and not acting as her girlfriend.

I closed my eyes and groaned while I shook my head, trying to get rid of these thoughts. It just made me conscious and if I’d distance myself away from Yongsun, she’d know something was up with me.

I sighed heavily when we reached Yongsun’s apartment door. Then I punched in her code, unlocking the door before I pushed it open. I released Yongkeey from her leash next while she dashed to drink water right away. I closed the door behind me and kicked off my shoes while I rolled Yongkeey’s leash.

“Good morning,” I said to Yongsun who was sitting by her dining table already showered but still in her bathrobe. I placed Yongkeey’s leash on its place, my eyebrows furrowing from confusion. It’s almost time for her to go to work but she’s still not yet ready. “Something wrong?”

“I don’t want to go to work” she mumbled while staring at nowhere.

“Why?” I moved to sit across from her, slightly pouting at her now.

She closed her eyes and groaned so loudly while she rested her hands on her baby bump. Then she leaned back on the chair as she mumbled, “My jeans don’t fit me anymore. My back hurts so much. I have stretch marks everywhere. I have patches of dark skin all over my face. My body itches so much. I sweat so much”

A small smile slowly formed on my lips as I watched her complain in front of me. Then I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing because she really looked so adorable in front of me.

“You can wear those maternity dresses. They’re pretty” I suggested before I bit my bottom lip when she groaned again.

“No, they aren’t. I just look like one huge ball in those dresses. I missed my skirts and my jeans and my shirts. They would make me look presentable but with my huge stomach, I couldn’t anymore. I looked ugly. I feel ugly”

“No, you aren’t” I answered right away, pouting a little bit at her.

She might have started showing up spots on her face, she might've had those stretchmarks on her body like she mentioned, her previous clothes might not fit her anymore, and she might’ve grown bigger in size, but those things just made her even more beautiful. It’s amazing how a human is growing inside her. It’s amazing how she’s carrying her child and I’m impressed with that so much.

“You’re beautiful, Yongsun. I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“That’s because you haven’t seen my stretch marks”

She suddenly stood up and untied her bathrobe. My eyes widened while I froze on my seat. I didn’t have enough time to react or look away when she did that. I’m just glad that she’s wearing her underwear underneath the robe. I might’ve panicked if she’s beneath the robe.

She opened her robe and turned to the side as she pointed at her stretch marks. “Look at them! They’re ugly” she exclaimed, completely disgusted by them while I tried to calm down.

She’s grown to be comfortable around me. I’m comfortable around her as well. I just didn’t expect that the level of comfortability we have around each other would reach to the point where we’d be showing our bare skin.

I have to clasped my hands under the table. The stretch marks really ruined her skin but the part where her baby bump is looked so smooth and silky. I had to look away so I didn't have the urge to touch it. I badly wanted to touch and feel her skin there. I wanted to feel the growing baby too.

I gulped hard and stood up. I walked around the table and held her shoulders. Then I gently pushed her to her bedroom so she could now change. “You’re not ugly. Go change now or else you’ll be late for work. Have you eaten breakfast already?”

She sighed defeatedly before she whispered, “I have”

“How about your vitamins?”

“Done already,” she mumbled.

I stopped right outside her bedroom and pushed her one last time inside her room. “Then change. You’ll be running late for work already”

“Fine…”

I chuckled at her softly before I closed the door in her bedroom. “I’ll go to the café to prepare your mint chocolate drink”

“Thank you!”

I closed my eyes, fisted my hands, and sighed heavily. Thankfully, I survived when she surprised me by suddenly giving me a glimpse of her bare skin. That picture would be lurking in my head for a very long time.

Yongsun took a long time changing so when she arrived at the café to get her mint chocolate drink, she’d be running late already if she’d have to take the bus. She doesn’t want to ride the taxi as well since she doesn’t want to spend a lot of money, knowing that she’d be spending so much already with the pregnancy.

“Let me drive you” I suggested while she furrowed her eyebrows from confusion. “Stay here. Let me just grab my keys”

“What?”

“Stay here” I said before I dashed to my office for my keys.

“I understand that. Even Yongkeey knows that. What I don’t understand is when you said you’re driving me?”

I heard Yongsun say as I walked out of my office. “I’m driving you,” I said to her before I turned to Hyejin and Byul. Byul smirked at me while Hyejin just looked so defeated, tired of arguing with me already and just nodded her head. “I’ll be back. Call me if you needed me with something”

“What are you talking about?” Yongsun asked, still disoriented from what’s happening.

“I told them to call…”

“Not that” she said, cutting me off as she playfully rolled her eyes at me. “What do you mean by you’ll be driving me?”

I stared at her, slightly pouting my lips as I said, “I’ll be driving you”

“You have a car?”

“I do and I’m driving you to work now”

“No” she said right away as she shook her head. “No. You’re staying here in your café. I don’t want to bother you. I’ll carry myself to work” she mumbled, groaning as she carried her drink and slowly turned around. “Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t handle getting myself to work. Stay here” she said, groaning once again as she started walking out of the café with her hand on her back.

I moved out of the bar and walked beside her. I lifted her bag off her shoulder and carried it for her while she glared at me. I pouted at her as I walked beside her before I whispered, “I just want to help”

“Thank you. I appreciate it so much but I don’t want to bother you while you’re at work”

“I own the place. I can do whatever I want while I’m in here”

“Doesn’t mean you have to go out of this place just because you feel like you want to”

“I want to help…” I whispered softly again.

She suddenly stopped walking right before we could reach the door. Then she turned to face me, staring at me intently while I tried to meet her gaze. “You don’t have to, Wheein. You’ve done so much already”

“You know that I want to, Yongsun”

“Why?”

I love you.

“I told you that so many times already.” I walked towards the door and opened it, motioning for her to move out of the café. “Now, come on. You’ll be late for work”

“I don’t understand you” Yongsun whispered under her breath but moved to go out of the café nonetheless.

We walked back to the apartment building since my car was parked in the basement parking there. I walked beside her while carrying her bag while she took sips of her mint chocolate drink.

“What do you not understand?”

“Why is it so easy for you to offer help? Why are you not even hes