* * *

Jo Ana, who was about to punch Taeshin in the face, was barely stopped, and we had a time of explanation at a cafe.

Yoon Yijun, who was quite surprised, and Jo Ana, who glared at me accusingly, finally calmed down a bit after I explained the situation.

“Our ancestors were right when they said being smart and being wise are different. What’s the point of being good at studying? Using contraception should be a given, you idiot.”

Jo Ana sneered and ridiculed Taeshin. She always had a blunt manner of speaking, even back in high school.

She often used strange insults against Taeshin, accusing him of being sly and manipulative.

“Wait. So the reason you cried after drinking before was because of this?”

“W-what? When did I cry…?”

“What? Moon Sunwoo, you cried?”

Yoon Yijun brought up something that had happened months ago. I signaled him to keep quiet, but Jo Ana’s curiosity was piqued. Despite my silent pressure, Yoon Yijun ignored it and spilled the details of that night.

“Taeshin, how did you handle things so badly that Moon Sunwoo cried? You jerk.”

“Damn it, I thought it was Moon Sunwoo’s fault again.”

“Taeshin, you’re such a jerk.”

Yoon Yijun revealed my past of crying while drunk, which even Taeshin didn’t know about.

Jo Ana, who now knew the backstory, and Yoon Yijun, who joined in the scolding, along with Park Kangseop, who also started cursing, made me pout. Jeez, don’t curse at Taeshin.

“So you handled Moon Sunwoo crying over the phone?”

“You mean you only dealt with Moon Sunwoo crying over the phone?”

“Uh? I didn’t talk to Taeshin on the phone….”

Once again, accusatory glances were thrown at Taeshin. I didn’t understand where the phone conversation came from since I had fallen asleep after crying.

Looking to my side, Taeshin was nonchalantly sipping coffee while fiddling with my hand.

I then remembered that Taeshin had appeared in my dream that night.

“…Did we talk on the phone?”

“Yeah.”

“…Really? Not a dream?”

“Yeah. Sunwoo said to me, ‘Sorry, um.’”

“Whoa!”

No way! That can’t be! I clamped my hands over Taeshin’s mouth and shouted.

My face burned with embarrassment over something that happened long ago.

So, while pretending to forget everything and denying any incident, I had apologized while drunk!

Good grief. It was so embarrassing. Taeshin’s drunken behavior of whining and begging for kisses was much better.

In my delayed shame, I covered my face with my hands and buried my head on the table. Taeshin chuckled and patted my forehead.

“Hey, details.”

“Moon Sunwoo, after making a mistake with Geukja….”

“Shut up.”

Yoon Yijun started to reveal more as Jo Ana pressed him. I glared fiercely, but he just snorted and continued talking.

Jo Ana, who figured out the situation, burst into laughter, and it became a comedy filled with betrayal and ridicule, revealing that Park Kangseop already knew.

“Anyway, Moon Sunwoo, just tell everyone. How long are you going to hide it?”

“Tell everyone?”

“Can you hide it forever? Your baby will be born soon. Just tell them yourself. If you can’t, I’ll do it for you.”

“Hey, hey!”

Park Kangseop lounged back in his chair, urging me to confess while grabbing his phone. I hurriedly stopped him and glanced at Taeshin.

“I’ll think about it.”

I grasped Taeshin’s hand tightly under the table as I responded.

Jo Ana made a sharp remark to Park Kangseop, who asked what there was to think about, calling him a thoughtless idiot. And she was right. Park Kangseop really didn’t think things through.

Having unexpectedly spent a long time outside, I felt extremely heavy and tired. After coming home, I quickly washed up and lay down on the sofa. Taeshin grabbed my feet and began massaging them gently.

“Taeshin, what do you want to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Telling the others.”

With a grunt, I lifted my upper body, burdened by my swollen belly. Taeshin, who was pressing on my feet, tilted his head.

“Well, whether we tell them or not doesn’t really matter. In the end, it’s our business. Do what you want, don’t worry about it.”

As he continued to massage my feet and legs, Taeshin looked up at me and smiled softly like a spring breeze. Watching him give such a simple answer to my worries, I lay back down again.

Taeshin was right. Whether we told them or not, it was our business. What was important to us might just be a passing moment for the others. Feeling much lighter, I opened the group chat with my high school friends on my phone.

[Me> (photo)]

[Me> Get ready for presents]

[Me> It’s coming soon]

[Jung Dayoon> ?]

[Hwang Joonbong> ??]

[Kang Eunwon> ????]

I sent them the ultrasound photo of Haeju that I had saved on my phone. A few question marks popped up, followed by a confused conversation about what the photo was.

[Shin Ilkim> What is this? Is this an April Fool’s joke?]

[Me> Do you think it’s April Fool’s Dayㅡㅡ]

[Me> Guys, it’s my baby]

[Shin Ilkim> No way, seriously?]

[Jjino> Really?]

[Ko Hyungbin> Wow, seriously?]

[Jo Ana> Moon Sunwoo, you need to read the Confucian classics daily as prenatal education. It’ll be a disaster if the baby takes after Geukja.]

[Jjino> Geukja?]

[Jung Dayoon> Geukja? You mean that guy who was a virgin until 19?]

The already chaotic chat room turned into a complete mess with Jo Ana’s comment. The texts were scrolling up so fast it felt like they were making noise.

Yoon Yijun appeared late and explained things to the others alongside Jo Ana.

They got bombarded with questions about why they hadn’t shared the news sooner.

Even though the conversation was moving so fast it made me dizzy, the reactions were more natural than I expected. I was casually watching the chat until one message made me sit up abruptly.

[Park Kangseop> My baby♥]

[Taeshin♥> Take that heart away]

[Jjino> Geukja is really somethingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Hwang Joonbong> The main character is here ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Jung Dayoon> Mr. Geukja, how about you explain this ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Taeshin♥> Explain]

[Hwang Joonbong> Explain, not “marine” ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Jung Dayoon> Typo;; I meant explain ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

Just as I was typing “Remove that heart” Taeshin appeared.

The chat went wild when he joined. After saying just one thing, Taeshin put his phone down and resumed massaging my legs.

[Me> Stop teasing Taeshin ㅡㅡ]

[Jjino> Hey, Moon Sunwoo, when did you get so close to Geukja?]

[Jung Dayoon> You didn’t even notice Geukja had a crush on you for three years ㅡㅡ]

[Hwang Joonbong> Yeah, Moon Sunwoo, you’re totally oblivious]

[Me> What are you talking about? I’m very perceptive! ㅡㅡ]

[Shin Ilkim> No way;;;]

[Jung Dayoon> No way;;;;]

[Kang Eunwon> No way;;;;;]

Even though I insisted that I was perceptive, they didn’t believe me and kept making a fuss. When I got frustrated and scolded them, they asked why I didn’t notice Taeshin liked me.

[Me> That’s differentㅗㅗㅗㅗ]

[Jjino> How is it differentㅗㅗㅗㅗ]

[Jung Dayoon> ㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗ]

[Kang Eunwon> So, are you two getting married soon?]

Just as I was about to clear up their misunderstanding, another question popped up.

Marriage, of course, we’d do it. After having Haeju.

But it still felt a bit far off. Glancing at Taeshin as he was getting ready for bed, I looked down at my hand.

The wedding ring Taeshin had given me was shining on my left ring finger.

I thought about the ring I had bought. I had forgotten about it because Taeshin had proposed first, even amidst all the chaos. He had proposed to me, Taeshin had.

Proposal… Should I propose to him too?

---

The large hall with its high ceiling was bustling with people. With Taeshin’s help, I squeezed through the crowd of well-dressed guests and finally saw my eldest brother.

“Jungwoo!”

“Hey, little bro. Taeshin, good to see you too.”

“Congratulations on your wedding!”

“Congratulations on your wedding, Jungwoo.”

Dressed in a sharp black tuxedo, my eldest brother looked exceptionally handsome today.

As I congratulated him, he smiled warmly. Seeing him like this felt strange.

It was both amazing and awkward. It was hard to believe that my eldest brother was getting married, but now it was starting to sink in.

It seemed like just yesterday he had dropped the bombshell about marrying Jeonghee.

But months had already flown by.

After greeting him, we headed to the bride’s waiting room to meet Jeonghee. She looked even more beautiful than usual in her white wedding dress.

“Congratulations on your wedding, sis! You look stunning today.”

“Thanks, Sunwoo. Hello, Taeshin.”

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

Seeing Taeshin, usually so calm and gentle, sitting stiffly from nerves made Jeonghee chuckle when I gave her a thumbs-up and said she looked truly beautiful.

We chatted briefly and took a few photos before leaving to find our parents, who were busy greeting guests.

Waving to them from a distance, we made our way to the ceremony hall to find our seats. As soon as we sat down, Taeshin gently rubbed my waist and belly.

“Are you very tired?”

“I’m still okay. Haeju is being quiet, too.”

I smiled, stroking the part of my belly where Haeju was. It seemed like even Haeju was being polite today, moving gently for the wedding.

Such a good baby. Let’s just watch your uncle’s wedding and go home, okay?

“Hey, little bro.”

I looked up at the sound of my brothers Geonwoo and Daewoo calling. They were standing there awkwardly.

“Long time no see. You too, Taeshin.”

“…Have you been well?”

It had been a while since I last saw them. They greeted me and Taeshin.

* * *