It was a Sunday morning. Jongin and Seulgi were seated on one of the park benches alongside the Han River. It was one of the few weekends, they both barely had any work to do and nothing to worry about, and it made the sunlight and the breeze all the more invigorating. Seulgi sat in silence, Jongin reading a book on her side, an arm over her shoulders. She perked her head sideward in his direction, observing the square-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, his bronze skin glowing under the sun. A sound of a sharp high-pitched laugh caught her attention, jerking her gaze back to the front. A man was raising his daughter up in the air waving her around like an airplane, the little girl squealing in complete delight. Not so far, a woman was seated on the ground on a mat, a bunch of untouched food and half-empty plastic tupperwears laid out around her, laughing in amusement as well. She must have been the girl’s mother, Seulgi analyzed. It looked like a picture straight out from a movie. One side of Seulgi’s mouth tilted up at the sight.

“Want one?” Her boyfriend’s voice startled her.

Jongin was watching them like she was now, eyes and attention torn away from his book. “Want what?” She returned the question, sitting up.

“A baby.” Jongin responded with no hesitation. “Want one?—Ow, god, what was that for--” A hand went straight for his arm, thankfully protected by the cotton of his sweater. “I didn’t mean now, I’m just asking if you want one or I don’t know, two ever.” He claimed, rubbing at the part Seulgi whacked. “Do you?”

“I don’t know,” Seulgi cringed at him. “I’ve never thought about it.”

“Never?” He echoed. “You never thought of having kids?” Preferably, with me? Jongin whispered internally.

“No, I just never thought it through.” She shook her head, glancing back at the family who were now all seated down on the picnic blanket. “I mean, it’s not like I’m in any rush to have a family. I still have my whole life left to live.”

Jongin cocked his head to the side. “But it’s not like your life will end at having a family, either.”

“But a big part of it will,” Seulgi retorted. “When has an idol ever been successful while raising a child?”

Jongin kept quiet. He had no argument to that.

---

Jongin was staring out at the view of the exact park from his office in dismay. The memory passed his head at the mere sight of a single bench. The entire park looked puny from his sight at the moment, but everything else was vivid. He pocketed his hands, sighing.

The peace was cut off by the door of his office down the hall banging open, random voices following.

“Kim Jongin,” Luhan scolded, more than greeted. He stepped inside the room, Baekhyun and Chanyeol trailing after him. Jongin whirled around slowly.

“What happened to never not replying again?” Baekhyun questioned sternly.

Chanyeol nodded. “We didn’t even know you’re already back in Seoul.”

“Back too soon, actually.” Luhan clapped a hand on his shoulder, afterwards draping his arm completely on him. “Honeymoon didn’t go too well?”

“How is Seulgi, by the way?” Chanyeol asked from behind, spinning around on Jongin’s leather seat behind his desk like a five year old. “Last time we heard about her was on the news.”

“Work must be stressing her out, boss.” Baekhyun intercepted, comfortably putting his legs up on the coffee table in front of one of the couches he was seated on after serving himself a glass of Scotch. “Is that what the honeymoon really was for? To get her away from work?”

“That,” Luhan chuckled, a smirk toying with his lips. “And probably to get laid again after thirty seven decades—speaking of which, please tell me you did—“

“Seulgi’s pregnant.”

The entire room grew completely silent. It felt like time stopped the moment everyone’s heads flicked towards Jongin. Luhan’s hand dropped from his shoulder. Chanyeol’s eyes looked like they were seconds close to bulging out. Baekhyun was choking on his drink, but no one was bothering to help him. “I’m s-sorry… she’s wh—wha--” Luhan stammered, gaze trembling.

Chanyeol shook his head in denial. “Did you just—“

“Say Seulgi’s pregnant???” Baekhyun, after collecting himself, reiterated at a volume so loud, the entirety of the Korean press must have already found their headline for the rest of the day.

Jongin heaved a sigh, leaning back on the windowsill and shoving his face in his hands. “Seulgi’s pregnant.”

“Seulgi’s pregnant.” The three boys echoed at the same time. Luhan found the nearest couch so as to not drop on the floor. Baekhyun put down the glass, keeping all things fragile away from him. Meanwhile, Chanyeol was the only one who managed to stand up and walk next to their friend in need.

“Well, that was fast...” Baekhyun muttered to himself.

“She has been for two months.” Jongin yelled into his hands.

“Is it yours??” Luhan practically screamed, Baekhyun flinging a throw pillow directly at his face in the hopes that Jongin didn’t hear.

“Two full months, and I never knew--”

“That’s not your fault, Jongin.” Chanyeol interjected.

Baekhyun nodded in agreement from afar. “What’d you say when she told you?”

 “I just…” Jongin slumped his hands back to the side, recuperating his thoughts and himself. “I just called the office, and asked them to deal with the media, and told her we’ll deal with it, get married soon and—“

“YOU WHAT??” Luhan’s voice thundered through the office.

“What?” Jongin stared at him in confusion. “Why? Shouldn’t we get married?”

“How in god’s name are you the most successful among all of us?” Luhan grimaced, running a hand through his face. “Do you know anything about women?”

“Man, you screwed up big time--” Baekhyun heatedly added.

Jongin winced. “Excuse me, I’m pretty sure I know more than any of you do—“

“Not the point here guys,” Chanyeol shook his head, diverting everyone’s attention. “Where’s Seulgi now? You shouldn’t even be at work.”

“In Busan.”

Everyone was gaping again.

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Luhan stood up, rubbing his hands against each other in deep thought. “Your pregnant girlfriend who is now also the mother of your child, whom you also asked to be your wife, is alone in Busan while you’re here working like nothing’s happening?”

Jongin was left in a daze too, apprehensively nodding.

“Jongin, bro,” Chanyeol clapped a hand on his shoulder. “With all due respect, I think they’re right.”

Jongin looked up at him.

“You screwed up big time.”

Luhan furiously nodded, Baekhyun did so too. “And you totally know zero about women.”

---

“How ‘bout you?” Seulgi settled herself back in the nest of Jongin’s chest, and warmth.

Jongin tilted his head back at her. “I want two kids.” He confidently responded with no hesitation. “A girl and a boy. Or even better, two boys. Whatever, I just want the first one to be a boy.”

“ist.” Seulgi mumbled so softly, only she could hear, rolling her eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She claimed, continually looking straight ahead at the family. The little girl fed the father what looked like an apple slice, shoving it up closer to his nose than into his mouth. The father’s face crinkled in surprise. “You don’t want daughters?”

“My life’s objective is to bless the world with a new set of Kim Jongins.” Jongin smirked down at her. Seulgi’s hand naturally rose in reflex to whack his smug face, but Jongin’s reflexes to avoid her usual attacks noticeably improved too. “No, but seriously. I think I’d handle sons a lot better.”

“Why?” Seulgi raised an eyebrow. “Do you think a bunch of Kang Seulgis is too difficult to handle?”

“See, you have thought of having a family with me.” Jongin teased, sticking a tongue out at her. Seulgi did the same. Of course, the thought crossed her mind. It was hard for it not to when they were practically married already in her head. “And to answer your question, it’s not that. It’s me. Me being a father. That’s the difficult part.”

“You’re practically fathering an entire company, and you don’t think you can be a decent father to one or two kids?” Seulgi questioned, turning her head to face him.

“That’s the thing, I don’t want to be just a decent father.” Jongin disputed, shaking his head. “I want to be the best one. The one my father never was to me.”

Seulgi kept silent, leaning back on him. She didn’t have any arguments to that either.

“But,” Jongin added in the midst of the quiet, chuckling faintly. “Just not now. I want to raise this company first, before I raise a kid.”

Seulgi quietly took note. But it wasn’t as if she didn’t feel the exact same.

---

Seulgi leaned back on the rocking chair set on the porch of their house, gaze steady on the practically empty road before her. A family of three passed by hand in hand along the sidewalk, as the thought passed through her head. The morning Busan breeze trickled through her pores, as her hand slid down to her stomach. She caressed the cotton of her sweater downward feeling the tiny bump of her front, both a million thoughts and worries whirling inside of her. “Hi there…” She uttered, cutting herself off, not knowing how to address it-- she meant, him. Or her. Who knew. “Do you happen to have any idea what I’m supposed to do now?”

“About what?”

Her father’s voice startled her, lurching her hands back to her side in what she hoped looked as subtle as possible. “Dad,” She placed a hand on her chest. “You surprised me.”

“Sorry,” Mr. Kang tittered, sitting down on the empty seat next to his rocking chair where Seulgi was, a cup of coffee in his hands. Seulgi sat up, cementing her feet back on the ground so as to stop the motion of the chair. “But really, about what?”

“It’s nothing, dad.” She said, plastering on a smile to make it seem more convincing.

“Is it Jongin?”

Seulgi’s head shifted up at him. “No, he just went out to do some work.”

“I’m old Seulgi, not foolish.” He raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly. “You expect me to believe everything’s okay after your boy storms off back to Seoul?”

“How’d you know he’s in Seoul?”

“Boy was respectful enough to leave a note saying a proper goodbye and thank you.” Her father revealed.  

Seulgi gawked at him, pursing her lips in awe.

“Tell dad what’s wrong.” He insisted, placing a hand on top of hers.

She shook her head. “We just had a little.. argument.”

“About?”

“Our…” She wavered for a moment. “Our futures… and I said some stuff, and he said some stuff and other… stuff.”

Mr. Kang furrowed both his eyebrows. “What stuff?”

“Dad, I’d really prefer to keep some things private and not discuss all the details.” She forced, dodging his gaze.

Her father simply nodded. “Alright, I understand.” He kept quiet, the atmosphere growing obstinate by the second all of a sudden.

“I’m sorry, dad, it’s just—“ Seulgi hesitated, her hands ending up over her face and sliding down. “It’s just that we don’t fight a lot. And this one’s pretty big. And I’ve never seen him act the way he did, and say the things he did, it’s just—it’s just extremely frustrating. And I… I don’t know what to do.”

Mr. Kang wordlessly watched her, waiting as her daughter calmed herself and allowed her anxiety to subside. “Seulgi, I don’t know that boy as well as you do. God knows, I probably never will.” He huffed. “But I do know that boy cares about you, maybe even more than he cares about himself.”

Her gaze swung up.

“And that anything he said or could have said, was because he cares about you.” He added, a small smile forming on his lips, taking Seulgi’s hand this time and giving it a gentle squeeze. “And that you should trust him enough to believe that.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

A long, sweet, less heavy chapter to make up for the previous extremely heavy one. Hope you enjoyed that! Continue leaving your comments down there. Thanks for reading guys! Til’ the next update. ♡