JIMIN’S POV

I let myself into her apartment quietly, trying not to disturb her if she was sleeping. I hated this place, to be honest. It had all of our old furniture, our old decorations, and even our bed, but it wasn’t my home. It was really strange every time I walked into her living room and saw the curtains my mom had made for us back when we first moved in together. I really hated it because it just reminded me that even though I spent most nights here, we didn’t live together. I had a couple of weeks before I had to go back to Seoul and I wanted her to come with me. I wanted us to live together again. In a cozy little apartment, just like it used to be. I missed those days more than I let on. I was afraid she’d say no if I asked, but if she was pregnant, everything would change.

I went into the kitchen and put away the plain crackers and ginger tea I’d picked up for her. The only thing left in the small black plastic bag was the pregnancy test. I fished it out and held it carefully in my hands. This little stick was going to determine the rest of our lives.

I threw the bag out and held the test tightly in my hand. My heart pounded against my chest as I walked over to her bedroom and slowly opened the door. I smiled at the sight of her sleeping soundly, her hair splayed out over the pillowcase. It had been getting long; she’d refused to go to any salon other than the one in Seoul. She was so picky about her hair. I’d cut her bangs the other day and she’d cried because I messed up one spot. I was happy she was growing it out. I loved her short hair, but her long hair reminded me of when we had first met. That style would always have a special place in my heart.

I walked over to her, my heart in my mouth, and knelt down beside her head.

“Hey, baby.” I called softly, her hair. She blinked drowsily at me. “How you feeling?”

“Sleepy.” She mumbled, eyes drooping shut. “My stomach hurts.”

I kissed her forehead. “You don’t have a fever.” I told her, checking again with another kiss.

“Did you get the test?” She asked, yawning. She opened her eyes and gave me a tiny smile.

“Yeah. Right here.” I held it up to show her.

“Whew.” She said, taking a deep breath. She sat up and stretched. “Ow.” She moaned, clutching her stomach. “Is being pregnant supposed to feel this way?”

“I don’t know.” I said. “I’ve never dealt with a pregnancy before. What was it like for your sister-in-law?”

“Easy.” She grumbled. “She had a great pregnancy. It was a lot harder for my oldest sister when she had her first baby.”

“I guess it depends on the person, huh?” I held out a hand and helped her stand up.

“Yeah, I guess so.” She said softly as she wrapped her arms around me. She bent down and kissed my collarbone. “I love you, Jimin.”

“I love you, too.” I whispered, hugging her back. I kissed her hair. “No matter what.”

She took the test from me and looked up into my eyes.

“Here goes.” She whispered, a smile tugging at her lips.

I followed her as far as the bathroom. She took my hand and kissed it before she closed the door. I leaned against the wall, feeling sick with anticipation. Yukon scratched at the door, whining pitifully.

Truthfully, I wanted her to be pregnant. I knew we weren’t ready. We weren’t even married or living in the same place. My schedule was incredibly hectic and I wouldn’t be able to be around as much as I’d prefer if she was having a baby. Our finances weren’t even “our” finances anymore, but I knew she was making a lot less these days than when she lived in Seoul. If she had been stressed about the cost of a wedding, then she’d be really stressed out by the cost of a wedding and a baby. Because if she was pregnant, I was going to take that ring from around her neck and put it on her finger where it belonged. If she was pregnant, we were doing this , and we were doing it right. We were going to be a family. And I wanted that. I wanted that more than anything I’d ever wanted before.

I honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole thing. I knew she was scared. , I was scared, too. But we had been in a weird kind of limbo since getting back together. We didn’t actually live together anymore, even though I spent most of my time here with her. I didn’t live in Busan anymore, but she did. I only had like two weeks before I resumed my normal activities. We hadn’t even talked about what we were going to do. Even if she wasn't pregnant, I wanted to marry her. I wanted to take her back to Seoul with me and start the rest of our lives together. I wasn’t sure what she wanted. I could never tell with her. And a part of me was afraid to find out.

“Jimin, I need you.” The sound of her fearful voice broke into my thoughts. I immediately straightened up and opened on the door. She was sitting on the closed toilet seat, fully clothed, tears streaming down her face.

“What’s wrong, baby?” I asked anxiously, crouching down in front of her. I brushed away her tears with my thumb. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m just scared.” She whispered, looking down at me. “I’m really afraid I’m going to this up. What if I’m not a good mom?”

“Are you pregnant?” I asked softly, running a hand through her hair.

“I don’t know.” She said miserably. “The test isn’t ready yet.”

“Well, then let’s just wait for it together, hmm?” I murmured, sitting down on the floor and pulling her clumsily into my lap. She fell against my chest, letting out a small laugh despite her tears. She wound her arms around my neck and buried her face in my neck.

“Jimin, I love you.” She whispered, letting out a sigh.She sniffled and wiped away the last of her tears. “I’m so glad it’s you here with me.”

“Me too, baby. Me too.” I reached up and her hair. “How long do we have to wait for?”

“Ten minutes.” She mumbled, kissing my neck.

“That long? Seriously? How long has it been already?” I asked, taking her hand in mine. She immediately interlaced her fingers with mine.

“Two.” She sighed, leaving another soft kiss on my neck.

We sat there for what felt like a long time, just holding hands quietly.

“This is the longest eight minutes of my life.” I said eventually. “Did you set a timer or something?”

“Yup.” She said, sitting up and checking her phone. “Oh my gosh, we’ve still got seven minutes. It’s literally only been a minute, Jimin.”

“You’re lying!” I cried, snatching the phone out of her hand and checking for myself. “Oh, you’re not. .”

She giggled and settled herself back down against my chest. “Jimin, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, baby.” I turned my head and kissed her forehead. “What is it?”

“Jimin…how do you think this looks?” She held up her left hand for me to examine. I glanced at it, wondering what she was up to.

“What the !?” I cried, grabbing her hand and bringing it closer. “Is that my engagement ring? On your ring finger? Is that my ring on your finger?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s my ring now.” She said, giggling. “What do you think? Does it look good?”

“What do I think?” I practically shouted, pulling her up and staring into her eyes. She beamed at me. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

She nodded enthusiastically, looking for all the world like an excitable little puppy. “Let’s get married, Jimin.”

“B-But we don’t even know if you’re pregnant or not yet.” I stuttered, overcome with happiness. This felt too good to be true.

She frowned at me, a cute little pout that I quickly kissed away.

“.” She whispered, pulling away from my kiss and resting her forehead against mine. “Even if I’m not pregnant, I still wanna marry you.”

“Why all of a sudden?” I demanded, kissing her again. I kissed her three more times before she could answer me. I just wanted to kiss her forever.

“Because,” She began, leaning back and looking into my eyes. Her expression was so warm and sweet that I thought I would melt. She reached up and brushed my hair out of my eyes. “Because there’s no one else I would rather spend my life with. Because I want to wake up every morning to the feel of your body against mine, because if I’m pregnant I want you to sing songs to my belly and kiss it and take care of me, because I can just imagine you waking up in the middle of the night when the baby cries, climbing out of bed and kissing my forehead saying, ‘I’ve got this, babe.’ , even if I’m not pregnant, even if we don’t have kids, I want to live with you forever. You are my home, Jimin.” She said softly, winding her arms around my neck and resting her forehead against mine. Her warm breath fanned across my face and I felt myself falling even more in love with her. “I love you and I want to make you my family. I want to be your wife.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say those words.” I whispered, blinking away a few tears. She kissed them away. The feel of her soft lips against my skin made my heart beat erratically. “I’ve wanted to hear them for so long.”

“You’re always doubting my love for you.” She murmured, kissing my cheek softly.

“No, baby.” I said, turning her face and kissing her on the mouth. “I’m always wondering how I ended up so lucky to be with you. Every time you tell me you want to be with me is still so miraculous to me.”

“You’re so cheesy.” She murmured, leaning back and smiling at me.

“No.” I said softly, looking at her with a solemn tenderness. “I’m so in love.”

“Jimin.” She whispered, kissing me again. “Jimin, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” I breathed, pulling her closer to me. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”