CHAPTER 16

            “What do you mean you were pregnant?” So Min asked in complete shock.  “What happened to the baby?”

            “Hyun Joong didn’t want it.”

            “What do you mean Hyun Joong didn’t want it?”

            “I think I’ve said more than enough.  Why don’t you ask Hyun Joong to tell you the rest of the story,” He Ra said and was completely indifferent to So Min’s reaction.  “I’d better go.  I have another appointment.”

            So Min was tempted to stop He Ra.  It was not fair for her to drop a bomb like that then leave.  But it was He Ra.  She knew this was her intention all along and So Min was determined more than ever not to give her the satisfaction. 

            “I won’t stop you then.  Thanks for stopping by,” So Min said pretending to be sincere.

            As soon as He Ra left, So Min ran for the couch.  All of a sudden her knees felt weak and couldn’t support her weight.  She was trembling and could not think straight.  She sat on the couch for a while thinking what He Ra just said.  So many questions kept popping in her mind.  Was He Ra telling the truth, and if she was how come Hyun Joong did not mention anything to her?  So Min felt exhausted and fell asleep on the couch.

            So Min heard someone calling her name. 

            “Hey, why are you sleeping on the couch?”

            So Min opened her eyes and it was Hyun Joong.

            “Are you okay?  You don’t look too good.”

            “I’m fine.  I’m tired that’s all.  Did you have dinner yet?” So Min asked.

            “No.  Not yet.  If you’re tired do not worry about making dinner.”

            “I actually don’t feel like eating dinner.  Can I just go to our bedroom and turn in for the night?”

            “Sure.  I’ll probably just make myself a sandwich,” Hyun Joong said.

           Before So Min could get up, Hyun Joong already lifted her from the couch and carried her to their bedroom.

            “Are you sure you’re okay?”

            “Yes.  I’m really fine.  I just want to go to bed and sleep.”

            Hyun Joong gave So Min a good night kiss and left the room.  He made himself a sandwich for dinner and watched the news.  Since So Min went to bed early, he turned his computer on and did some work before joining So Min in their bedroom.

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            So Min woke up the next day with a headache.  It was almost eleven o’clock in the morning.  She couldn’t believe she slept that long.  She got up and realized Hyun Joong already left for work.  Hyun Joong left her a message on the fridge which read, “Good morning sleepy head.  I hope you enjoy the breakfast I made for you.  Call me when you get up.”

            So Min picked up the phone and called Hyun Joong.

            “Hey, nice to hear from you.  I said if I don’t hear from you by noon, I’ll come home to check on you.”

            “Sorry, I just got up.”

            “You don’t have to be sorry.  Are you sure you’re okay?”

            “I think I might be coming down with a cold.  I’ll just stay home for today.  I have a few appointments but I can cancel them.”

            “Okay then, just call me if you need me.”

            “Yes, I will.  Bye.”

            So Min was starving and gobbled up the breakfast that Hyun Joong prepared for her.  After breakfast she felt tired again.  She went back to the bedroom and in no time fell asleep again.  If was close to four o’clock when she woke up.  To her surprise Hyun Joong was already home.  She found him in the kitchen making porridge. 

            “That smells good,” So Min said.  “How come you’re home early?”

            “I thought you might need something warm for your cold so I decided to come home early and make porridge for you.”

            “Yes, I’m actually starving.  But let me take a quick shower first then I’ll eat.”

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            “Hhmm…this really tastes good,” So Min said savoring every spoon of her porridge.  She was so hungry she finished two big bowls of it.   Hyun Joong watched her in amazement. 

“What?  I didn’t have lunch!” So Min was defensive.

            “By the way, I have good news for you,” Hyun Joong said.

            “Really?  What is it?”

            “I finished the urgent things I needed to do here.  I also did some reorganization in the office so someone can cover some of my responsibilities.  This means we can go back to Seoul this weekend.”

            “Wow.  That’s great!”  So Min tried not to sound too excited.  She didn’t want Hyun Joong to feel bad for making her stay with him in New York.  In the middle of her excitement, she remembered about what He Ra said.  She wanted to ask Hyun Joong but didn’t have enough courage to do so.  “It would be nice to see my parents and Seung Ah again soon,” So Min said instead.

            So Min couldn’t sleep that night.  She was dying to find out what happened to He Ra’s pregnancy.  She looked at Hyun Joong who was sound asleep next to her.  “What’s your story Hyun Joong?” So Min whispered.

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            So Min was busy catching up with work in her office.  It had been a little over a week since she and Hyun Joong returned to Seoul.  So Min was excited to see her parents again.  She missed them so much and her father had been constantly meeting with Hyun Joong to talk about business.  As usual her father was in high spirits every time he and Hyun Joong were together. 

            “Hello So Min.  Why don’t you stop working for a few minutes and eat your lunch,” said Seung Ah.  “Here’s the tuna salad sandwich you’ve ordered.”

            “Thanks Seung Ah.  I’m starving.”

            As soon as Seung Ah left her office So Min took a bite of her sandwich.  For some reason the smell of the sandwich made her nauseous.  She had to go to the bathroom to throw up.  She sat down to catch her breath.  So Min froze when she looked at her desk calendar and realized she missed her period.  It had been two weeks but she had been too busy to notice.

            So Min took her purse and walked to the nearby pharmacy and bought a home pregnancy test kit.  Her heart was racing as she went back to her office.  The test strip said positive.  She called her doctor right away and set up an appointment for that afternoon.

            “Congratulations, So Min.  You are six weeks pregnant!” Dr. Seo Jung Eun said.

            “That explains it.  I’ve been extremely tired and nauseous lately,” So Min said then took a deep breath. 

            “I’m sure Hyun Joong will be ecstatic to hear the good news.”

            “I’m sure he will,” So Min answered but doubting if that was really the case.

            Dr. Seo prescribed prenatal vitamins to So Min and scheduled her prenatal visits.

            So Min called Seung Ah and told her that she was not feeling well and would not return to the office.  So Min went straight home from the doctor’s office.  She spent the rest of the day thinking when she should tell Hyun Joong about the pregnancy.  The conversation she had with He Ra kept coming back to her.  She was confused.  For the most part she did not believe Hyun Joong would not want a child.  But for some reason there was a tiny part of her doubted if Hyun Joong would welcome the baby.  She went back and forth but eventually trusted her instinct. She remembered their honeymoon days and how Hyun Joong was excitedly talking about having babies.  She also remembered how comfortable Hyun Joong was with Sean and Sam.  Besides, He Ra couldn’t be trusted she thought.

            So Min’s phone rang.  It was Hyun Joong.

            “Hey, it’s me.  Just wanted to let you know I will be meeting with clients tonight so I won’t be home for dinner.”

            “It’s okay.  I will probably go to bed early anyway.  I’m pretty exhausted.”

            “Are you sure you’re okay.  You’ve been tired lately.”

            “Yes, I am fine.  Don’t worry about me.”

            So Min decided she would tell Hyun Joong the following evening.  She decided she would prepare a nice dinner for him and break the good news.  So Min went to bed feeling excited about the child in her womb.  She touched her belly and went to bed happy.

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            She woke up the next morning and Hyun Joong was already in the kitchen eating breakfast.

            “What time did you get in last night?” So Min asked.

            “It was quite late and you were sound asleep so I didn’t bother to wake you up.”

            “What’s your plan tonight?”

            “I think I’m free tonight unless things change when I get to the office.  You know how unpredictable my work schedule could be.  Why did you ask?”

            “How about I make special dinner tonight?”

            “Sounds good.  What’s the occasion?”

            “Nothing.  I just want to treat my husband to a nice dinner especially he’s been very caring the last couple of days since I wasn’t feeling too well.”

            “After dinner, what else is on the agenda?” Hyun Joong asked and made a naughty laugh.

            “I don’t know.  It’s up to you,” So Min responded and kissed Hyun Joong on his lips.

            Hyun Joong grabbed So Min by the waist and kissed her back.  He ran his fingers up and down her back and So Min moaned with pleasure.  Hyun Joong then lightly pushed So Min against the table and kissed her even harder. 

            “Oh So Min, I want you right now,” Hyun Joong whispered and carried So Min to their bedroom. 

            “I thought you need to leave for work now.”

            “Nah, work can wait.”

            With that So Min completely surrendered to her husband’s urgent desire.

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            So Min’s day in the office turned out to be a busy one.  She and Seung Ah prepared the schedule for the upcoming new sessions.  It was almost three o’clock in the afternoon when they finished all the schedules.  So Min looked up some recipes on the internet for the dinner that evening.  She found a couple of interesting and yet simple to make recipes.  She told Seung Ah she was leaving early so she could do some food shopping.

            “What’s the occasion?” Seung Ah curiously asked.

            “Nothing.  I haven’t prepared dinner for Hyun Joong in a while so I thought it’s about time.”  So Min was dying to let Seung Ah know about the baby but she could not until she tells Hyun Joong first.

            So Min purchased the ingredients from the store and was looking forward to having dinner with Hyun Joong that evening.  She loaded the groceries in her car and drove home.  She was approaching an intersection and the light was about to turn red.  She slowed down and suddenly heard a loud crashing sound.  Her car was hit by the driver behind her.  So Min was barely conscious when the ambulance took her to the nearest hospital.

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            Hyun Joong was in a meeting when his assistant, Mrs. Moon Jae In, gave him a note saying an emergency call had been waiting for him in his office.  Hyun Joong immediately got up and ran to his office.

            “What?  Where is she right now?” Hyung Joong asked in complete shock.

            Hyun Joong asked his driver to take him to Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.  He was not in the right condition to drive himself.  He was extremely worried about So Min and couldn’t wait to get to the hospital.  He was panicking inside.

            Hyun Joong proceeded to the Emergency Room area and looked for So Min.  He was greeted by Dr. Hong Tae Sung. 

            “I’m Dr. Hong, Mr. Kim.  Your wife and your baby are doing fine.  Luckily the impact of the collision was not that strong.  Your wife only suffered a minor concussion.  She is awake now and should be able to recover soon.”

            Hyun Joong was not sure he heard it right. 

            “Baby.  What baby?” 

TO BE CONTINUED