I heard a splash of water, a surprised gasp from Yong, and a groan of pure and utter disgust from Byul. Yong screamed a painful cry while Byul whined how Yong peed on her shoes and pants. That spoiled rich can be quite insensitive sometimes. When I looked up from my work tablet, I even saw her glaring at the pregnant woman who’s already having a hard time breathing.

I abandoned work and pushed Byul away from Yong. “Call Wheein. Tell her Yong’s water broke already”

My back was to the door and all I heard were Yong’s anguish cries that I didn’t notice Wheein was already coming back in the office after she went to the bathroom. I heard her gasp so loud, louder than Yong’s earlier, and heard something solid drop on the floor. It’s probably her phone.

I have to deal with a panicking Jung, a whiny Moon and a very pregnant Kim who’s about to give birth already. And between the four of us, I’m the only one who has experience being with someone who’s about to give birth. I had to stay calm or else Yong would give birth to their first baby in this office.

A Kim heir right from their very first moment here on earth.

Wheein ran to Yong and reached her hands to her wife but retreated. Her eyes were moving wildly and her feet could not stay still. She wanted to do something but didn’t know what she should do. If it was any other day, I would’ve laughed at her. She looked so completely lost.

She suddenly turned to Byul who was just standing and watching Yong, lost and confused like Wheein too. “Do something!” Wheein said desperately.

Byul turned to Wheein, looking even more confused now. “Why me?! She’s not my wife. You’re the wife!”

Wheein turned to Yong, whimpering as she fidgeted in front of her. “Wha—” She gulped hard before she knelt in front of Yong. “Wha—at should I do, Yong? Tell me what to—”

“Ah!” Yong screamed again, her grip on my hand made me clench my teeth hard from how painful it was.

“That’s from the contractions” I whispered then turned to Wheein who’s already latching onto her hair and pulling them. “Where are your keys?” I asked her.

This one’s about to pee already. She’s not even listening to me. She’s been jumping on her heels and pulling her hair out. And I think she didn’t have plans on stopping until she’s completely bald already.

“Wheein!” I shouted, trying to grab her attention and effectively had hers and Byul’s attention. “We’re going to the hospital. Bring the bags and the car keys”

“Wha—what was that again?” she whispered, her voice shaking while her eyes had started to glisten up from her tears.

I offered her a gentle smile as I said a little slower this time, “Yong’s about to give birth, okay?”

She nodded vigorously and moved closer to Yong. She held her wife’s other hand before she pressed a kiss on top of her head. “I’m sorry. I’m nervous. This is making me nervous” she whispered to Yong.

“Don’t leave me” Yong whispered, her eyes closed as her hand loosened her grip on mine. She sat on the couch, sweating profusely while breathing heavily. “Don’t leave me, Whee”

“I won’t.” Wheein looked at me again and gulped hard from nervousness. “What should we do?”

“You prepared a bag for when she’s about to give birth, right? Bring the bags and the keys. Byul and I will help Yong up”

“Okay!”

I turned to Byul who’s far more nervous than Wheein. She looked away when I met her gaze and tried to act as if she’s not in the same room as us.

“Byul!” I called to her, making her flinch.

She slowly turned to me and flinched once again when Yong screamed from another contraction.

I let the contraction pass first and tried to comfort Yong as much as I could. When she was not whimpering a lot anymore, I turned back to Byul who looked so worried about Yong now. “Byul, help me bring Yong up”

Her lips were parted as she looked at me with her eyes trembling from worry and panic. Her feet stayed rooted from where she was standing.

“Hurry up!” I said impatiently.

She ran her tongue on her lips and hurriedly moved to me. “Sorry…” she whispered as she stood on the other side of Yong.

I smiled at her to calm her down as I stood up from the couch. “It’s fine”

We helped Yong stand up. We held her on either side while Wheein ran back to us. She carried all of our bags while hugging a vase of sunflowers to her chest. I looked at the flowers and her face full of sweat while my eyebrows furrowed from confusion.

“What’s with the flowers?” Byul asked, voicing out my question as well.

“Huh?” Wheein looked down at the flowers and just stared at it, looking lost once again.

“Hold Yong’s hand, Wheein.” I grabbed the vase from her and placed it on the table. I grabbed the bags from her as I stared at Wheein intently. “Stay close to your wife. She needs you now more than ever” I said, grunting from the bags. I softly patted her cheek just to keep her focused. “You’re about to see your baby soon”

She still looked nervous as she gulped hard but she nodded at me. I could see the determination in her eyes despite how it’s trembling so badly.

“Let’s go” I said as I turned to look at both Byul and Wheein. “Wheein, grab her chair. Let Yong sit while you and Byul support her. Byul, you drive us to the hospital later. Wheein, stay with Yong always. More contractions will follow” I said, silently scoffing at the smirk on Byul’s face.

“Yes, mam!” Byul said, looking more entertained now than earlier.

They all scrambled to follow my directions. Wheein ran to Yong’s swivel chair, almost tripping on her way behind Yong’s table. They both helped Yong sit down. Byul stood behind Yong to push her chair while Wheein stood beside Yong and never let go of her hand. She made sure that her wife’s comfortable.

I led the four of us out of Yong’s office. I stopped by my desk to grab my bag. I was about to release a notice that the president is dealing with an emergency. But with how Yong was screaming and how Wheein and Byul were panicking, I think by now, the entire building already knew she’s about to give birth.

“Please excuse us. We’re in an immediate emergency” I said, asking the employees to clear out the elevator.

Once we’re inside the elevator, that’s when the complaints started flooding out of Yong’s mouth. And the recipients were none other than us, especially Wheein. Every time Yong hears a laugh from Byul, she glares at her and starts a round full of ramblings at Byul. Byul would apologize to her and then Wheein would ask her to calm down, which redirected Yong’s ramblings from Byul to her wife.

I stayed on my corner and quietly scanned my ID for the VIP pass before pressing the button for the basement parking. I stayed quiet but it’s difficult when I could hear the married couple argue. I even had to cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing.

I placed all the bags in the trunk while Wheein and Byul helped Yong in the backseat. Wheein stayed with her while Byul and I were on the front seats. We left Yong’s chair in the basement parking and drove straight to the hospital. I already sent a text to the Kims’ doctor that Yong’s water broke.

More screams came from Yong as we got out of her company’s parking lot. Byul took advantage of this to lean closer to me.

“Fast and furious, babe” she whispered, smirking at me.

“Just focus on driving or else Yong would scold us nonstop”

“Byul! Why are you stopping?!” Yong shouted from the backseat.

I gave her a pointed look that said ‘Told you so’. I grinned teasingly and winked at her before I looked away.

The ten-minute ride to the hospital felt like an hour with all the shouting and scolding from Yong. Yong’s painful contractions caused panic to Wheein and Byul. Although I was slightly annoyed by the noise, everything’s understandable. I would’ve panicked too if I was either Yong or Wheein in this situation.

During Yong’s active labor, Byul and I stayed close to Wheein. We provided water for her and Yong, brought food for them, and basically whatever they wanted. We stayed in the hospital for hours for them. By the time Yong was ready to give birth, Byul was pacing restlessly. I stayed seated because I was already exhausted. Even watching her pace tires me out too.

I patted the space beside me and said, “Sit down. You can’t help Yong to deliver her child if you keep pacing”

Her shoulders dropped as she released a huge sigh. She dragged her feet and walked towards me before she sat on the empty chair to my left. She hugged me sideways and snuggled her face to my neck. She released another sigh, tickling me slightly.

“Close your eyes. I’ll wake you when they’re done already” I whispered as I patted her head.

She propped her chin on my shoulder instead and just looked at me. I raised an eyebrow, silently asking her if she wanted to say something. She just continued to stare at me and didn’t say anything. I quickly kissed her forehead before I nestled her face on my neck.

“Take some rest while we wait for Yong and Wheein”

She pulled me closer to her as she nodded on my neck. “Okay…”

We waited for almost an hour before a nurse told us that the Kim heir was already born. Byul and I rushed to wash our hands before we followed the nurse. They told us to tie our hair and wear what they called isolation gowns. We wore caps over our heads before the nurse escorted us to the delivery room.

Wheein and Yong were both sitting on Yong’s hospital bed. A bundle of white cloth was in Yong’s arms. We walked closer to them, excited to see their baby. I could see their baby’s face peeking from the cloth

“Hyej, Byul. It’s a boy. We now have a baby boy” Wheein said with a proud smile, making us smile back at them.

“Can I carry him?” I asked, my hands already reaching out to them while my eyes were glued on their baby.

He’s so tiny… My nieces used to be this small and fragile. But now, they’re so loud when they’re together and run a lot like the little piggies that they are.

Yong passed her son to me and I cradled him in my arms, cooing at his tiny nose lips. His tiny lips. His tiny eyes that are still close. Everything about him is so tiny and cute and adorable. I could squish him in my arms because of how cute he is.

Byul placed her arm around me to stand closer to me. I turned my body to her so she could see the baby. I softly chuckled when I heard a soft coo from her. I held my breath when the baby moved and smiled wider when he showed us his dimple.

“He has your dimple, Wheein” Byul whispered while I nodded in agreement.

“You’re such a cute baby, aren’t you?” I whispered, trying to catch his attention when he opened his eyes.

Byul held me closer and leaned her face down to look at the baby closer. “He’s so tiny…”

“He is…” I turned to his parents and asked them, “Does he have a name?”

“Not yet. Wheein’s naming him” Yong responded.

“I can’t think of anything right now” Wheein said while Byul and I softly laughed at her, mindful of the baby in my arms. “The only thing that’s running in my head is how beautiful our baby is”

Spoken like a true mother.

“Oh, he really is beautiful” Byul agreed, reaching to gently pat his head.

I looked at Byul and asked, “Do you want to hold him?”

She immediately shook her head and held me closer to her. She propped her chin on my shoulder and focused on looking at the tiny human in my arms. “You hold him. I’ll hold you” she whispered.

The short comment instantly made me smile and I couldn’t resist leaning forward to rub my nose right on her jaw. I turned my attention to the baby. He was squirming earlier but he finally settled to sleep.

The nurse that fetched us from the waiting area came back to take the baby from us. I pouted at her and reluctantly carried him back to his parents so they could say goodbye to them. We said our goodbyes to the Kims and then finally headed back to my apartment.

It was already dark when we exited the hospital. We hailed a cab and rode it back to the company since we left Byul’s car there in our hurry to get to the hospital. When we reached my apartment, we quietly prepared for bed since we’re both exhausted already.

Byul was lying on the bed already when I walked back to the bedroom from the kitchen. She opened her arms when she saw me and I dove into her arms and snuggled to her.

I pressed a kiss to her check before I nestled my face on her neck. “Good night, Mansaeng” I whispered, sighing from the tender caress she had on my back.

“Would you want to have your own baby someday?” Byul suddenly asked.

I remained closing my eyes and snuggled to her as I nodded my head. “I do…” I whispered with a smile. “I dreamed of becoming a mother and having a daughter one day”

“What if you’ll get a son like Yong and Wheein? Will you be okay with that?”

“Of course! Also, it’s not like I can’t try again for a daughter.” I pulled back from Byul’s chest and said, “It’s always fun if you have siblings. There’s three of us in our family and it’s always fun being around my sisters”

I turned to look at Byul and wanted to ask her if she wanted to have a baby too but immediately trashed the question. I smirked and shook my head at her before I snuggled back to her chest.

She pulled back and lightly pushed me away to look at me again. “What? I know you wanted to say something”

“I wanted to ask you if you wanted a baby too, but then I remembered that you don’t even want to commit to a relationship. I already got my answers”

Her eyebrows furrowed while she frowned at me. “Maybe I still don’t want to be in a relationship. But maybe I wanted to have a baby too”

“Hmm…” I hummed, nodding. “Did Wheein and Yong’s son make you change your mind?”

She shook her head before she whispered, “Maybe seeing you carry him changed my mind”

I pulled back some more and blinked my eyes to clear me off from being sleepy. “And what do you mean with that?” I asked, eyebrows twitching while my breath hitched from what she just revealed.

“Maybe I wanted to have a baby with you…” she whispered while I shook my head before she could even finish what she said.

I completely pulled away from her embrace and stared at the ceiling. I didn't have the energy to look at her.

“I want to have a family with the person I love and with the person that loves me back. To give and receive love. A family of my own. I want to be married. I want to be in a stable relationship.” I shook my head again and sighed heavily as I whispered, “Whatever is between us and what we have… this won’t work, Byul. I’m honestly just waiting for the moment that you decided that you don’t want this exclusive partnership anymore”

“Babe… I won’t ever do that. You know I can’t do that. I would never leave you” she said as she tried to pull me to her again.

I was the one who refused to receive her touch and affection this time. No matter how much I desired it. I pushed the blanket to the side and sat up from the bed. Byul immediately following beside me.

“If you’re so confident that you won’t leave me, then why not be in a committed relationship with me, Byul? Why settle for this exclusive partnership?”

“Why don’t you trust me?”

I stood up from the bed and turned around to look at her. “It’s not about trust, Byul. It’s about reassurance and making things official. It’s about bringing a peace of mind to me that you wouldn’t walk away when things are difficult between us. Be my rock. Be my home”

“I told you I don’t do relationships, Jin”

“Then what if I told you that I don’t do exclusive partnerships? What if I’m the one who refuses this time, Byul? Will you reconsider?”

She looked away and bent her head low. Her silence means no this time and I know she wouldn’t reconsider. Maybe I was trying to be hopeful to get out of this stagnant and never-ending floating relationship with her. Maybe I can have that progress that I wished for. Maybe I can make her love me like how much I love her.

“Is that a no?” I whispered softly but she refused to speak up. “Then I’m afraid we have to end this partnership”

She groaned loudly and ran her fingers through her hair. “Hyejin… Give me time to think”

“You don’t have to think a lot, Byul. Do you want to be with me? Yes or no?”

“Yes! For ’s sake, yes, Hyejin!” She climbed out of the bed to get to me and held my face. She pressed a kiss on my forehead and looked straight into my eyes as she said, “I told you this already. I only want to be with you. I only care about you, babe. I just…” She shut her eyes tightly before she shook her head. The moment her eyes met mine again, they were teary, desperate, and scared. “I just don’t do relationships. I… I—Let’s just go to bed now…”

She held my hands and tried to pull me back to bed but I pulled my hands from her. “Hyejin…” she cried, wrapping her arms around my waist before pushing her face to my neck. “Let’s just stay like before. I’ll stop talking about wanting to have a baby with you. That was wrong of me. Let’s just stay together. Don’t end this. Please…”

“Byul, you get what you want if we stay like before. But what about me?”

She cupped my cheeks, holding onto me desperately. “I’ll give you whatever you want, Jin”

“I want a relationship, Byul. I want to end this partnership”

“No…” She hugged me tightly again. “Not that…” she whined while I could feel my chest getting heavier for every second she rejected being in a relationship with me.

“It’s unfair to me…” I whispered softly, closing my eyes and sighing defeatedly. “This is not doing good to me. I lo—I’m thankful for everything you did. For whatever we shared together. I don’t even want to end this, Byul”

“Then don’t” she said hurriedly, cupping my cheeks again as she pouted at me. “Let’s no—”

“But I can’t let it keep going too”

She opened to argue but had nothing to say. She just held me while frowning at me.

“It’s unfair to me…” I whispered again while she looked away as she let her head hang in front of her. I cupped her cheek and pressed my trembling lips to her cheek. “I’m sorry…” I said, feeling tears running down on her cheeks. Feeling my own tears running down on my cheeks as well. “When I told you that I’m always here and that you can always call me if you needed me, my words still stayed true. I’m still here for you but not… Not like before”

Even with the silence in the room, I could hear both of our hearts breaking. I wished to love her freely without holding back. I wished she would change her mind after spending time with me. For whatever made her run away from commitment, I wished I could prove to her that it’s nothing to fear or hate. I wish I could change her perspective.

But l know I couldn’t change her mind. Only she can do that. Maybe what we have, it wasn’t enough for her to willingly compromise or even try being in a commitment.

She sniffed back her tears and held my hand to her lips, kissing my palm. “I’ll sleep on the couch” she whispered and then walked away. She lifted Lion in her arms before she went out of my room.

I dragged my feet to my bed and buried my face on my pillow. I hugged myself as I muffled my sobs on my pillow. I wanted to take back what I said. I was tempted to tell her that the partnership is fine. That we could cuddle already. But the pain in my chest now might be a hundred times worse if I let our partnership drag on longer.

I told myself that this is better than the void I feel every time we hang up from our video calls. That this is better than catching myself almost telling her that I love her. That this is better than the uncertainty.

I told myself that I can cry now so I’ll be better tomorrow.

However, it was a lot harder when I woke up to an empty apartment the next day. Byul’s suitcase and things were gone. Lion was also nowhere to be found in my living room. I was all by myself in my apartment. She flew back to New York without saying goodbye to me. Not even a single email was sent that day and the succeeding days.

How are you?

Deleted.

Did you steal Lion from me? Bring back my Lion!

Deleted also.

You know I’m always here if you need someone to talk to, right? Or if you have nowhere to go, you can still come here… Right? We’re still

Deleted and feeling frustrated.

I love you.
I wish I was able to say this before we parted ways. I never demanded you to love me back or force you to love me. I guess… I just want to let you know. It’s also why I cannot simply stay exclusive with you. I’ve grown feelings for you deeper than I thought. I was just… I don’t know… protecting myself while I still can.
I hope you’re doing fine there. Good bye.

Wasn’t deleted but was saved to drafts and never had the courage