Chapter 19

"Relax Jinnie. I don't know why you're freaking out so much," I said.

The well dressed man beside me who you'd never assume lost his cool was currently having a mental breakdown while tightly gripping the steering wheel.

"I can't relax Yubin! Your mom is singlehandedly the scariest woman I've ever met, and I work with business people," he shuddered.

I smacked him upside the head, "Watch it. This is my mother you're talking about."

He grabbed my luggage from the trunk and left his since Driver Son would come pick him up in the morning.

I amusedly watched him trudge with the luggage to the front door. It seemed my mother had made quite an impression on him.

I knocked on the door, it opening to reveal my very tired looking my mother.

Still she managed to wear a bright smile at the sight of me and instantly pulled me in for a tight hug.

"MY BABY!" She squealed.

I laughed, "Hi mom."

She pinched my cheeks and cooed at my baby bump. Seokjin was awkwardly standing off to the side, trying his best to hide in the dark from her.

But I firmly grabbed his hand and pulled him into view beside me.

My mom looked at him in shock to which he just averted his eyes awkwardly and refused to make eye contact with her.

My mom was smirking playfully, giving the both of us an appraising gaze.

"Glad you could make it CEO Kim. Dinner is almost done. Why don't you two come in? I'll get your bag," my mom said, shooting Seokjin a special glance.

Seokjin squeezed my hand while shuffling behind me. Honestly, starting to see what he meant.

When we got inside, the first thing I noticed was my dad sitting on his chair distantly.

My heart dropped at the sight of his figure. He looked a lot slimmer from the last time I saw him. On top of that, he looked so pale and sickly. It was a senile sight and that broke my heart.

I sat beside him, taking his shaking hand in my own.

"Hi dad. It's Yubin," I said, loud enough for him to hear in his good ear.

But he didn't respond.

"Daddy?" I asked again, worry laced in my voice.

Seokjin shot me a sympathetic look as I helplessly looked at him.

"Dad—"

"Who are you?"

Three words. Just three simple words that were enough to break me. A lump formed in my throat as I struggled to find the words.

No child should have to go through the day where their own parent forgets who they were.

It momentarily made me think of my baby girl. I refused to let myself ever forget her. I'd rather be dead than do that.

Seokjin sat beside me, comfortingly rubbing my back while I took a deep breath.

"Dad...I'm your daughter...Yubin," I said shakily.

"Oh," he said softly.

And that was it. Nothing else. It was like he barely even registered the fact that he had daughters.

But I was determined to keep talking to him. Even if he couldn't remember, I knew deep down inside of him, he'd at least be able to understand what I was saying.

Maybe he'd be proud of me and internally telling me how happy he was for me and how much he loved me.

"Dad...baby Suyeon is doing great. I'm so excited to meet her. I'm practically counting down the days at this point even if it's still two and a half months away," I chuckled to myself, letting the warmth of Seokjin's hand in mine give me comfort.

Thinking of our daughter always made me unconsciously smile, and I hoped it made my dad do the same deep down.

"You know dad, I wish I could ask you some embarrassing stories of me from when I was younger. I'm going for my first birthing class in a few weeks and I'm honestly so curious what you did when you took mom. Lord knows Seokjin will need the advice," I teased.

"Hey," Seokjin pouted.

"Oh that reminds me. I don't know if you knew dad, but I'm dating Kim Seokjin. Like the Kim Seokjin. Worldwide handsome CEO as you called him," I said, motioning for Seokjin to say something.

He cleared his throat nervously, "Ah. Hello sir. I'm Kim Seokjin, your daughter's...boyfriend."

My dad didn't reply but I could tell Seokjin wasn't discouraged. It was actually really sweet to see Seokjin jumpstart a conversation with him like it was the easiest thing in the world. Even without response or reaction, Seokjin got comfortable rather quickly and was acting as his normal quirky self.

My two favorite men were getting along like a house on fire and that touched me in ways I couldn't even begin to explain.

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder that pulled me from my thoughts.

"Hey honey, the food is ready," my mom murmured, keeping a gentle eye on the interaction between Seokjin and my father.

"What about dad?" I asked.

"He already are. I'm going to get him up to bed," she said.

"Let me help you."

She shook her head, "You're way too pregnant for that honey. You two can start eating, I'll be just a second."

I pulled Seokjin away from my dad, watching solemnly as my mom helped my dad into his wheelchair and brought him to his room.

I silently led Seokjin to the familiar dining table where I spent my entire youth talking my family's ears off about my day.

He noticed that I was being uncharacteristically quiet and immediately stopped me from doing anything.

"Hey baby. You okay?" He asked.

I held the handle of my fork tightly. Was I okay?

"Honest answer?"

"It would be appreciated."

"I want to curl into a ball and cry. We should all be celebrating the fact that there's going to be a new life brought into the world. But instead, I'm worrying about bringing a new life into the world, and keeping an old life from leaving it," I admitted, helplessly burying my face in my hands.

Seokjin didn't say anything which I was honestly grateful for. I didn't want advice, I really just wanted someone to listen to me. And I think he was the first person that ever understood that.

He quietly served me with some of the food my mom cooked before serving himself. But even after that, he pulled my hands from my face and positioned a forkful of food at my mouth.

I gave him a small smile before taking the food in my mouth. I let the lovely flavors fill my senses, reminding me of my mother's cooking from so long ago that I had missed out on.

"Feel better? Food always makes you happier," Seokjin remarked.

I rolled my eyes, "I think it makes baby happy, and if baby is happy, then I am."

My mother came back from laying my father down from his rest and pulled up a chair beside me.

She quickly served herself and very obviously kept her head low to hide her tear-stained cheeks.

My heart clenched, but I decided not to say anything and just enjoy dinner with my boyfriend and mother without acknowledging the looming dread hanging over the table.

Dinner was pretty peaceful, enough so that Seokjin was beginning to relax around my mom. But I saw the way she looked at him like she had some weird, overprotective mother thing to say to him.

And just as I had assumed, she began her weird series of questions.

"So CEO Kim. What are your intentions with my daughter?" My mother blatantly asked.

Seokjin and I simultaneously choked on the air as we heard her absurd question.

"Umm—I'm not sure what you mean."

She scoffed, "Use that genius brain of yours. I've seen the news and heard the stories. You better not be using my daughter."

"Oh my god no! Ma'am, I'm sorry that you ever got that impression from me, but I would never ever do that to Yubin," he said hurriedly.

"Actions speak louder than words CEO Kim. I want the best for her. I may have suggested that she call you up all those months ago, but that doesn't mean I like you," she said.

I noticed Seokjin's expression fall a bit and he went silent.

I shot my mom a deathly glare, "Mom. What is your problem? He's trying really hard to impress you and you're shooting him down without a chance. For the sake of your granddaughter, could you drop the mother act and talk to him like the responsible adult you are?"

My mom cocked an eyebrow at me, "Woah, looks like the pregnancy temper is on full blast."

I knew that look on his face. The way his jaw clenched and his jawline was put on full display. He folded his hands neatly over the table, which was a habit he had whenever he got serious.

I was slightly intimidated by him, only because whenever he did this, even though half the time it was because he was about to scold someone, I found it extremely attractive. And I think he knew that.

"Missus Kwon, I understand the concern you have about me being with your daughter. However, with all due respect, your distrust for me is based on a person you only saw in the media. Believe it or not, I'm not that way with her. Ever. With her, I'm willing to get on my hands and knees for her and our baby. I don't feel the need to prove myself, because I know that I love her and show her enough love that she knows it. So I hope you'll come around and see me as an extension of her rather than another crappy boyfriend."

My stomach churned at the tense atmosphere, but it quickly disappeared when my mom let out a satisfied chuckle.

"Okay, I like you CEO. No one has ever sounded so serious about her," my mom hummed.

I facepalmed, "Wow mom. Way to go."

I half-expected Seokjin to rip my mother a new one, but his lips were pressed into a thin smile.

"I like you Missus Kwon. I think we'll get along famously," he grinned.

My mom nodded cheekily, nonchalantly popping a cherry tomato into her mouth.

I on the other hand was embarrassed and confused in forty different languages but just let my mother and Seokjin have their bonding moment.

After dinner, I decided to head to my old room to clean up and shower.

I wasn't exactly sure about leaving my mom and Seokjin alone, but they were lost in their own world talking, so I decided to give it a shot.

Seokjin POV

Once Yubin had gone for a shower, her mother pulled me into their couch and looked at me seriously.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

She sighed sadly, "Not really. I just wanted to give you a word of warning beforehand."

"About?"

"You saw her father. He's suffering in ways that none of us can even fathom. When I took him to the doctor a few days ago, they told us some unexpected but obvious news. He's not gonna make it. They think he'll pass away in about a month or less..."

The air was thick with the weight of her words. That sweet old man that I'd never get to know. I didn't have my own parents and now my future father-in-law was about to die too.

"I feel so guilty about it. For Yubin especially. That girl grew up for the sake of others. She never once got to do things for herself because she was always caring about her younger sister or us. The reason I was so wary of you was because we were nowhere as well as off as you are. We've struggled and while we're managing, the things we've had to sacrifice in leu of that eats at me everyday. Yubin was a big dreamer when she was younger. She was so passionate about life and doing what she loved. So you can imagine my shock when she told me she was going to university to study managing and hotelier work instead of what she loved to do. And on top of it all...god, she was working five or six part time jobs just to help my husband and I pay off a bit of debt, the house, and help buy Eunbi the things she wanted. A big reason she got pregnant was because of her father, though I'm sure she wanted to as well. Despite that, she's so close with all of us. I just know this stuff with her father is eating her alive. Unfortunately, it's not preventable. It'll inevitably happen and it'll crush her. Just...be there for her. I know she'll pretend she's alright but I can't have her struggling alone. Not when there's a dependent human inside of her that needs her to stay strong. Promise me you'll be her pillar."

Her mother's voice was so feeble and desperate. My heart broke just imagining how Yubin would react.

My poor babies.

I held her mother's hand delicately, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I really love her Missus Kwon. I care about her so much that it scares me sometimes. I promise you that I won't let anything happen to her or the baby. I want to be her light on dark days and I know I can be," I said.

Missus Kim gave a small smile, "You've got a good heart CEO Kim. You're just...misunderstood. Well, I'm going to bed now. You're welcome to wait in Yubin's room for her."

I nodded as she got up off of the couch and retreated to her room, leaving me with lots to think about.

I took small strides towards Yubin's room, the looming feeling of my departure weighing heavily on my heart. I didn't want to leave her. Especially not now. I wanted to be by her and hold her and kiss her, but instead I was dealing with business deals and stuff that mattered ten times less.

I pushed open the door to her room to find a very 'youthful' looking room. I grinned unconsciously to see all the decor around her room. Honestly, while I adored my lavish space with everything meticulously placed, there was something homey about her messier space.

It was much smaller but it had this warm feeling of memories and teenage fun.

Her desk was strewn with papers, much of which included old notebooks and pictures of her friends.

I admired her adolescent beauty, wondering how she was the second person I had ever known to be gorgeous even as a teen. The first was me obviously.

There was soft humming coming from the bathroom before the door opened.

She squealed, quickly tightening the towel around her body.

I chuckled, "You don't have to be that nervous, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I'd be happy to step outside while you change."

She blushed a deep shade of red making my heart skip a beat.

"You can stay. I'll be quick. But no peeking," she warned.

I grinned teasingly, "As you wish."

I waited for her to finish changing, smiling when she pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek.

I turned, my eyes widening at the sight of what she was wearing. She was in a very oversized hoodie with her bump on display and nothing else on.

I smiled, "You look cute as always."

She grinned, "Thanks Jinnie. And I appreciate you not saying something creepy."

I winked, "I would never baby. I can't go making my girl uncomfortable now can I?"

I took a step towards her, wrapping my hands around her waist and pulling her close to me.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked gently.

She bit her lip seductively, "You better."

Her arms wrapped around my neck while our lips connected in frivolous bliss.

I knew her sex drive was at zero so I didn't intend to do anything more except show her how much I loved her.

I walked forward, causing her to walk backwards. I gently lowered her onto the bed, our lips never breaking contact.

She giggled into the kiss while her hands gently fell from my neck.

"Are you sleepy baby?" I asked.

She pressed one last sweet kiss to my lips before pulling away and nodding cutely.

I smiled, crawling into the tiny bed beside her. Since it was fit for one person, the two of us were pressed rather close to each other. Not that we minded.

I cupped one of her cheeks in my hand, watching as she sleepily leaned into my touch.

Part of me selfishly wanted her to stay up all night. I wanted to utilize every last hour, minute, and second we had left together before I left.

She looked deeply into my eyes, her beautiful brown orbs boring into my soul.

"I'm scared. I'm scared to wake up and not see you there," she mumbled.

I brushed a strand of hair out of her face, "Baby, you know I'll be back in a week."

She shook her head, "Not that. Tomorrow, I'll wake up and you'll be gone. I'll be sad, but part of me knows you'll come back. But what if one day, I wake up and you're gone. And that's it. I'm scared that because I'm not up to status that I'm going to get tossed to the side. I know I told you to tell the people about me so they'd stop bothering you, but I can't get those awful hate comments out of my head. The threats against me, against our child, it terrifies me. I'm scared that you'll believe those comments about being a gold digger and that you'll just leave."

My heart shattered. Had she been dealing with these thoughts silently on her own the whole time? And had I been so stupid as to not reassure her?

I sat up on my elbows, leaning over her teary-eyed figure.

"I'm sorry you've been dealing with these thoughts all alone. I wish there was something I could say or do to show you how serious I am about you. I didn't commit for reasons you're already aware of. But you're not that case. Everyday you wake up, I'll be by your side. Or at work or in the kitchen, but I won't be gone. The day you told me you were pregnant with my child, at first I acted like a jerk, but that same day, I think I ran around my house like a madman because I was so excited. I'm serious about you and I'm serious about our daughter. And what those haters say, I would tell you to ignore it, but they hurt. I know that they do. But you have to remember that their opinion is absolutely worthless. All that matters is how you feel and how I feel. And I am mad about you. So they can suck on an egg because you're not going anywhere. Whether or not you like it, you're stuck with the hottest gem in Korea."

The next words out of her mouth surprised me the most.

"Seokjin...I love you."

I felt my heart loudly hammering in my chest as I tried to process what she had said. We had thrown around the phrase but this felt so much more different. So meaningful.

I smiled brightly, "I love you the most in the whole wide world baby. Even more than I love myself."

She nuzzled herself into my embrace, her beautiful bump rubbing against my stomach.

I was going to keep talking to her, but I began to hear soft snores from her.

I smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Goodnight my love. I'll miss you. But I'll be back before you know it, and then I'll be all yours."