The minute the day changed, Hoon received a message on his phone. “Merry Christmas!” It was followed by several emojis of Christmas themed items. The message was from Serin. He smiled.

“You know,” he typed, “one of these days, I’ll actually get to spend Christmas with you.”

“I could have come to Japan,” she replied.

“But I couldn’t have spent it with you. Not like how I want.”

His phone started ringing then. She was calling him. The manager was asleep in bed below him, so he answered the call and whispered, “Give me a second.”

“Oh. Okay,” she replied quietly.

He climbed out of bed carefully, carrying his phone with him. He was headed to the living area of their dorm, which would be empty, and so he needed more clothes on that just his boxer briefs. He pulled on pants and a t-shirt, and stealthily crept out of the room. “Okay, I’m out of the room. The manager was asleep, and I didn’t want to bother him,” he told Serin after putting the phone back to his ear.

“I figured.”

“What’s up? Why did you call?” Hoon asked, as he sat down on the couch in the living area.

“You seemed sad,” she replied.

“Sad? I wasn’t sad.”

“You’re sad that you can’t see me on Christmas,” she stated.

“It’s not really that I’m sad. Just a bit regretful. We’ve never really gotten spend a romantic Christmas together.”

“Awww Hoonie,” Serin said, “that’s sweet. But you get to see your girlfriend, Sumi-chan, instead.”

Hoon chuckled. “I do. But it’s not the same.”

“I’m sure Eli feels the same. Never getting to spend Christmas with his wife.”

“It’s the same for us, though.”

Serin replied, “Well… yes.”

“She was pregnant last year, and this year you are—well, you know.” He didn’t want to say it out loud. That this year, she was pregnant. He didn’t want anyone to overhear the conversation. “I just wish I could cuddle with you on Christmas. More than anything else.”

“I could have come to Japan to be with you.”

“No, I don’t want you flying by yourself right now. What if… something goes wrong?” He was paranoid regarding her current pregnancy after her miscarriage several months ago. She was 8 weeks pregnant, and he didn’t want her taking any unnecessary risks.

“We’re going on a vacation in like two weeks, Hoonmin. One that’s going to have an approximately 14 hour flight. A little trip to Japan would have been fine.”

“It’s not even that,” Hoon expressed. “It’s this deep fear of not being there for you if something goes wrong. And I don’t mean with the travel. I know you can handle the travel.”

“This is about the baby, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he agreed.

She went silent. Hoon knew she worried about the baby too, probably more than he did. “That could happen now, Hoonie. While you’re gone. It could happen at any moment. And I can’t let myself be afraid of maybes,” she said, voice quavering. “I can’t. I’ll fall apart.”

“I know,” Hoon said. “I’m sorry. You’re doing well, right? The doctor says everything is okay? I haven’t seen you in so long.”

“The doctor says I’m okay. Mostly, I’m just feeling tired. The baby is kicking my .”

“Do you think it’ll get worse?”

“Definitely,” Serin expressed. “The longer it goes, the more taxing on me it’s likely to be. And I’m guessing I’ll start feeling sick pretty soon.”

“Sick?”

“Yeah. Morning sickness. Hopefully that holds off until after the trip.”

“Oh. Yeah, it would be good if it was after the trip. Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.

“Just let me complain to you a bit,” Serin replied. “I most likely will just need some understanding and compassion.”

“If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll do whatever you need.”

“I will.”

Hoon sighed into the phone. “It’s getting late. You should be sleeping.”

“It’s Christmas, and also it’s Sunday. I will be okay since I can sleep in.”

“Are you going to see my parents tomorrow? Or today rather.” Hoon asked.

“That’s the plan. Go see them in the morning, and then go visit my dad and brothers.” Then she tacked on, “And I guess Yoobin and my nephew will be there, as well.” Her tone suggested she wasn’t especially happy to have to see those two. Hoon wasn’t surprised. Yoobin bounced between treating Serin either very coolly or very cattily. And Serin’s nephew, Woohyun, could pick up on his mother’s attitude toward her and was often rude to her.

“Don’t let Yoobin bother you too much. She’s just jealous that you’re married to someone as awesome as me,” Hoon joked, hoping to make her smile.

Serin laughed. “I don’t know. She’s married to Seunghyun. There’s probably not too many women she’s jealous of.”

“I doubt he loves her as much as I love you,” Hoon insisted. “And Seunghyun may be extremely handsome and rich and kind and pretty much perfect, but he doesn’t have a good singing voice or an exceptionally cute and loveable personality.”

Serin was laughing harder. “Ah, you’re right. His singing voice is terrible. Thanks, Hoonie. You’ve made me feel better. I’ll try not to let Yoobin get to me.”

“I was hoping I would cheer you up. Plus, you’ll have Hyunsaeng there with you. Yoobin probably won’t bother you with him around. I think she hates him more than she hates you.”

“I think he hates her more, honestly. I don’t understand how she can stand it. It’s always so tense when we’re all together, and she is really the source of it all.”

“Some people need drama like air,” Hoon said simply. “And she is apparently one of them.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Are you going to tell them about the baby?”

She laughed again. “Now that would get Yoobin all worked up! Some competition for her precious baby boy!” She continued, “I’ll not going to ruin her day yet. I want to wait until after the first trimester to tell everyone. You and the doctor are the only ones who know right now. I’m planning on telling our families and friends on Valentine’s Day. KissMes… I don’t know. That’s more your decision than mine.”

“Yeah. I haven’t decided yet. I’ll wait until it’s closer to the time. And I’m going to be rather busy then,” Hoon stated.

“Ah, yeah. Your solo song will be coming out!” Serin exclaimed, excited. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

“You’ve already heard it, though!” Hoon replied and then chuckled at her excitement.

“I know. But it’s more… that you’re getting to do a solo and less about the song itself. I love the song. Yukisakura is so pretty. I’m just looking forward to the PV and your promotions. I might force you to take me with you.”

“Ah… that’s maybe not the best idea. And don’t you have to work?”

“Well, I can generally do all my work from home. It’s not that big of a deal if I’m out of the office for a couple of weeks. I’ll just do my work while on the road. It’s not like I don’t know how.” She giggled. It was a good joke for her, the international liaison who was used to traveling all over for work.

“I can’t make any promises,” Hoon voiced. “It depends on if Avex will allow it. I’ll have to get permission for you to stay with me.”

“I don’t need to stay with you. I just want to be there.”

“Serin, I’d want to stay with me. So I can translate for you and make sure you have a good time.”

“But aren’t you going to have a Valentine’s Day fanmeeting? The members will be there eventually. I know I won’t be allowed to stay there with all of you.”

“Yeah,” Hoon agreed. “But I’ll be there by myself for a few weeks and might be able to manage to get permission to have you stay with me alone in the dorms. Well, my manager will be there, too. But I can ask and see how things go. Just don’t start getting your hopes up until I’ve gotten permission. I could be told no.”

“Okay, Hoonie. I won’t,” she promised.

Hoon yawned. “Ah. I’m tired. I should really get to bed. Our last show is this evening.”

“Good luck,” she cheerfully expressed.

“You’re not going to talk to me during the day?” he questioned, pouting.

“I might not have a chance with all the stuff going on today, and you could be on stage by the time I can really chat again. And I wanted to wish you luck before that.”

“Oh. Okay. That makes sense. I’ll do my best! But I really wish I could be at home with you. I miss you.”

“Yeah, I miss you too. I think being pregnant has made me feel extra clingy. I just feel this need to be with you right now. Like a part of me is missing.”

Hoon felt a pang of regret. “I’ll be home soon. I can’t wait to hug you again,” he told her.

“I look forward to it. I really need a hug from you. Not because I’m sad or lonely. But I just… need it. In the core of my being.”

“Don’t worry, Serin,” Hoon assured. “I will be sure to hug you until you ask me to let go as soon as I walk through the door.”

“Thank you. And thank you for talking to me even though it’s late. I called because you seemed sad, but I seems like I needed to talk to you too.”

“I’m happy to talk to you. But really, I need to go to bed. I’m exhausted, and tomorrow will be pretty draining, as well.”

“I know. I love you, okay? Goodnight, Hoonie,” Serin murmured.

“I love you, too. Get some sleep. I’ll be home before long. Have a merry Christmas as well, Serin-ah.” He sighed as he said her name, happy and regretful at the same time.

“Merry Christmas, Hoonie. I can’t wait to see you.”

Hoon knew this conversation would keep going if he let it. Serin had said she was feeling clingy, and he figured that she would not hang up first. It was cute and decidedly out of character for her. He agreed with what she’d said earlier, and he assumed it must be the pregnancy driving her to feeling extra dependent on him. If he were not so tired, he’d have let her continue the conversation. He truly loved when she leaned on him because it didn’t happen very often. Generally, he relied on her. So he always wanted to be there for her when she reached out for him support. It meant she really needed it.

Tonight it would be impossible. His body yearned for sleep. So he responded to her by quietly saying, “Merry Christmas, Serin. And goodnight. I love you.”

“Goodnight, Hoonie,” she stated.

Hoon pulled the phone from his ear and disconnected the call. He stood up and stretched, groaning as he did so. He felt a joint pop somewhere in his upper shoulder area, and then he wandered back to his room. The manager was awake when he walked in. “What were you doing?” he asked Hoon.

“My wife called. I just went out to the living room to talk to her,” Hoon explained.

“Oh. Okay,” the manager agreed. “Well, get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to start pretty early.”

“Yeah,” Hoon agreed. He pulled his shirt off and then climbed into the top bunk. He situated himself under his comforter, closed his eyes, and thought of Serin. He imagined hugging her in greeting, enjoying her scent in his nose and her pregnant belly pressing against him. He was so glad that she was pregnant again. So glad that he’d have another shot at having a child. It had been his personal mission to get her pregnant before he left in November. When she told him that she was during his brief return home in December, he’d been ecstatic. He gradually fell asleep, thinking about his future with Serin, how happy he was, and the baby, the daughter that he wanted more than anything.