“So when exactly were you going to tell me the news?” Ryeo-wook asked in an irritable voice.

Jiyong turned to find his friend leaning against the door frame of his office.

Even though they shared a suite of offices, Jiyong hadn’t seen his friend in quite some time. With his other partners, it was understandable—ever since they’d gotten married, Dong Wook and Ill Woo spent most of their time over-seeing projects on their respective islands where they’d settled with their wives. But Jiyong had to admit that he’d avoided Ryeo-wook ever since the night he and Bom had left Taeyeon’s housewarming.

Bom was very good friends with Taeyeon, and Taeyeon was nothing if not intensely loyal. She’d probably already filled Ryeo-wook’s head with all the ways in which Jiyong was a first-rate jerk.

Jiyong sighed and motioned Ryeo-wook in with a wave of his hand. Ryeo-wook ambled forward and dropped into one of the chairs in front of Jiyong’s desk.

“Well?”

Jiyong swore under his breath and took a seat in his leather executive’s chair. “Well, what? I’m sure you know the whole bloody story by now. With the way Bom’s avoiding me, you probably know more than I do at this point.”

Ryeo-wook raised an eyebrow. “Avoiding you? Don’t tell me that fatalistic charm of yours is an epic fail?”

“Charm has nothing to do with it,” Jiyong bit out.

“Evidently.”

Jiyong sighed. “Did you just come to put the screws to me or do you actually need something?”

“More like I was wondering why my best friend doesn’t bother to tell me he knocked up my wife’s best friend.”

Jiyong winced and closed his eyes. "Ryeo-wook, you think I set out to do it on purpose? You of all people should know this is the very last thing I’d ever want.”

Ryeo-wook slowly nodded. “Yes, I do know. Which is why I found this all a bit strange.”

“It was supposed to be a one-night thing. I was attracted to her. She was attracted to me. Things kind of came to a head the night of your housewarming and we went to my place.”

“You brought a woman back to your cave? I knew you had the hots for her but didn’t think you were serious about taking her back to your place.”

The utter disbelief in Ryeo-wook’s voice annoyed Jiyong. It wasn’t as though the decision was earth-shattering.

“It made no sense to drive back into the city and get a hotel or go back to her place when my house was a quarter mile away.”

“Of course,” Ryeo-wook said mockingly.

“Whatever,” Jiyong muttered. “The point is, this was not planned. In fact, the effort was made to prevent it. Unfortunately, the damn broke and here we are, both about to be parents. She isn’t any more thrilled about it than I am. I mean, with the way it happened. Hell, I’m making it sound like neither of us wants this baby. We do. We just don’t agree… Well, we don’t agree on anything so far.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ryeo-wook said sincerely.

Jiyong waved the sympathy away. It did him no good at this point. “Have you seen her? Has Taeyeon said anything about her at all? She’s avoiding me and it’s starting to piss me the hell off.”

Ryeo-wook cleared his throat. “Bom was out at the house the other night. She’s pretty upset at the moment.”

Jiyong sat forward. “Upset about the pregnancy? Has she changed her mind about having the baby?”

Ryeo-wook held up his hand. “Slow down. Nothing like that. As far as I know, she’s taking the pregnancy very well. Things aren’t going so well for her business plans, though. Apparently the lease she’d signed for her shop fell t