* * *

Startled by the sudden appearance of the final boss, I turned around quickly.

Trying to escape through the front door, I couldn’t get far because Taeshin was standing tall.

“Moon Sunwoo, where do you think you’re going again?!”

“Hey, hey. Hurry, hurry!”

The scariest people in the world were my angry mom and dad. Judging by their expressions, they seemed really upset.

Terrified, I clung tightly to Taeshin and tapped his back with my fists, signaling him to run, but the idiot didn’t get it and stayed at the entrance.

“It’s okay, Sunwoo.”

Taeshin’s soft voice reassured me as I buried my face in his back.

“We came here to greet them, right?”

“But…”

With my mom and dad here?

Worried, I peeked past Taeshin to see that my mom and dad, who had been shouting just moments ago, were nowhere to be seen.

“It looks like everyone’s waiting for us.”

Turning my head, I saw Taeshin’s parents as well as mine sitting on the living room sofa. Just as Taeshin said, they were quietly waiting for us.

“…Where’s the quickest escape route? The living room window? The front door?”

“If we need to escape, I’ll buy you time so you can get away through the front door. Now, let’s go greet our parents.”

“…Okay.”

Grabbing onto Taeshin’s clothes tightly, I responded slowly.

Hiding behind Taeshin, I shuffled to the living room and sat as far away from my parents as possible.

“Do you think sitting there will keep you from getting scolded?”

“Wh-what? I just like it here!”

“You brat!”

“Sunwoo.”

As soon as I sat at the far end of the sofa, my mom gave me a sharp look.

Flinching under her gaze, I stuck close to Taeshin, who was trying to soothe me.

“Sunwoo suddenly disappeared, so you must have been worried. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you earlier.”

“As long as you’re safe.”

Taeshin bowed his head first to greet my parents, and my dad waved his hand dismissively. Seeing my dad rubbing his eyes, looking tired from sleepless nights, made my heart ache.

“So, what do you have to say?”

“Since Sunwoo’s parents are here as well, I’ll say it again.”

Starting with a brief introduction, Taeshin took the gift boxes I was holding and placed them on the table.

I thought he had only brought one of the two sets, but there were two gift boxes. Taeshin handed one gift box each to both sets of parents.

“Sunwoo is pregnant. Just over three months. We’re planning to get married after the baby is born.”

“No way. I can’t allow it.”

“Mom!”

As soon as Taeshin’s polite announcement ended, my mom immediately responded. Without even taking a moment to think, she gave a firm refusal, making me turn to her right away.

“Sunwoo, you’re still young. Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you need to have the baby and get married out of responsibility.”

“We’re not doing this out of responsibility.”

“If it’s not responsibility, then it’s reckless. How old are you that you think having a baby now is a good idea? Do you think raising a child is easy?”

“I…”

I was about to shout back at my mom’s sharp tone, but Taeshin’s hand, holding mine tightly, calmed me down. When I closed my mouth and fumed silently, Taeshin answered for me.

“This isn’t a decision we made lightly. We’ve thought about it for a long time and discussed it thoroughly before telling you. If it was purely out of responsibility, we would have had an abortion. If we were being reckless, we wouldn’t have considered your feelings at all. The reason we even considered an abortion was because of you.”

“Because of us? You just found out you’re pregnant and now you’re making excuses.”

“Because you’re so opposed to it.”

Taeshin’s father sneered coldly at him, a stark contrast to the warm, grandfatherly figure I was used to.

“I understand that you’re not just angry and upset. We know we’re still young and that having a baby seems early. But if it were just about responsibility, we would have already taken care of it, and you wouldn’t even know about the pregnancy.”

“If it’s not about responsibility or recklessness, why insist on having the baby now? You can always have another child later.”

This time, my dad spoke up, looking sharper than ever. Despite our parents’ cold and unfamiliar attitudes, Taeshin answered without hesitation.

“It’s not just about now. Neither Sunwoo nor I want to abort the baby. We both want to have this child and are preparing for the future. We know having a baby and getting married will change our lives, but we don’t think it’s too early. We’re clear about what we want to do for each other and our baby.”

“Yeah, we’ve prepared everything.”

“Be quiet, will you?”

“Sorry.”

Despite our efforts to prepare and avoid worrying our parents, my mom scolded me immediately when I tried to support Taeshin’s words. She listened to our conversation but wouldn’t let me speak.

“We may seem unprepared to you, but we’ve thought this through.”

Nodding eagerly, I wanted to show we had truly prepared. Just ask us, and we’ll explain everything.

“Sunwoo, you said you had many plans after high school. What about those?”

“Yes, Moon Sunwoo, what about school?”

Taeshin’s mother and my mom bombarded me with questions, and Taeshin answered as I hesitated.

“Sunwoo will take a leave of absence this semester. After the baby is born, he plans to return to school next year, either in the first or second semester. Meanwhile, I will continue my studies.”

I nodded to confirm his words. My mom’s intense gaze felt like it was burning holes through me, so I couldn’t speak much.

“How will you manage after the baby is born? Balancing school and raising a child isn’t easy.”

“Yes, Sunwoo, can you handle school and a baby?”

“The baby…”

“We asked Sunwoo, Taeshin.”

Taeshin’s mother gently interrupted him, and he fell silent.

“Sunwoo, is the baby’s nickname Haeju?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask what it means?”

“Happy junior, shortened to Haeju.”

“What a beautiful name. You can’t help but love it.”

Answering nervously, I saw Taeshin’s mother smile warmly, which eased my anxiety a bit.

“I’m curious about your thoughts, Sunwoo. Do you think you’ll be okay after having the baby?”

“Yes. I plan to continue school and graduate. Raising a child won’t be easy, but Taeshin will help, and we’ll hire a nanny when needed.”

“We won’t help you.”

“We’ve discussed financial matters as well. Even if you cut us off, we’ll still have Haeju.”

We had secretly prepared everything, even finding a place to live. I answered firmly, and my dad turned away angrily.

“But according to Taeshin, you didn’t agree to this pregnancy. If that’s the case, you don’t have to take responsibility.”

“That’s…! Taeshin didn’t know either. I was in heat, and he wasn’t in his right mind…”

“No matter how instinctive a knotting is during a rut, it’s driven by desire. The idea that he doesn’t remember is unbelievable.”

“I’m appalled. There’s nothing more to discuss. Sunwoo, you’re coming home, and don’t think about seeing Taeshin again!”

Taeshin’s father doubted his sincerity, and my dad abruptly stood up, signaling an end to the conversation.

My parents turned away, and Taeshin’s parents didn’t look at us either.

The situation had suddenly turned disastrous.

I looked at Taeshin, hoping he would do something.

How could he remain so indifferent when our families were about to fall apart?

“Hey…!”

Don’t just sit there! You should do something too! This is no time to be lazy; the situation is very serious!

“Haa…”

Taeshin let out a short sigh. As I urged him impatiently, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

“Sunwoo and I… we imprinted.”

“What?”

“What did you say?!”

At Taeshin’s words, my mom and dad, who had their backs turned, swiftly turned to look at us.

Taeshin’s parents, who had been looking elsewhere, also turned to us with surprised expressions.

Good job, Lee Taeshin! Now we can talk again…

“…Huh?”

“Please calm down and sit. We must not startle Sunwoo.”

I looked up, ready to praise Taeshin for stopping our parents from leaving, but then I thought about what he had just said.

Taeshin, what did you just say?

* * *