Bonus Chapter: The End

It was the night before Sam Soon and Jin Hun had to go back to Korea so they planned to have dinner with Henry and Hee Jin. They’d expected to have a quiet dinner at their place but Hee Jin changed her mind because all their furniture had already been sent to Baltimore. Sam Soon and Jin Hun were waiting outside the restaurant when they heard someone call them from behind. They turned around and hugged the rest of their slightly late party.

After raising a brow at the sight of Soo Jin, Sam Soon dryly said, “I thought doctors were expected to be punctual.”

“Just because people expect it doesn’t mean that we always are,” Hee Jin said, leading the way into the restaurant.

“Exactly,” Henry piped in. “We only have to be on time when someone’s life depends on it.”

Sam Soon rubbed her belly. “Trust me; someone’s life does.”


***
“Hmm,” Jin Hun said as they walked into their private room. He looked at the exquisitely handcrafted furniture and commented on the extravagance.

“Wow. You’ve really changed, Jin Hun. It’s not like you were frivolous with money before but you were never like this.”

Sam Soon reached across and patted his thigh. “I’ve trained him well,” she joked.

“Yeah, it’s kind of expensive but this was the only way I could bring Trish with us and also have a really nice meal,” Henry explained.

“Trish?” Sam Soon repeated.

He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that’s her American name.”

“Oh.”

“She is American, after all,” he went on, “even though my mother-in-law likes to remind me that she’s three-quarters Korean. I’m not arguing with that but she is American and she needs to also learn to respond to her American name.”

Sensing the slight tension that had suddenly permeated the air, Jin Hun decided to change the subject. “You said you had to bring So— I mean, Trish along. You couldn’t find a babysitter?”

Henry shook his head. “She’s too young to be left with a stranger and my mother-in-law refused to baby-sit.”

“I see,” Jin Hun said, realizing that the subject he’d picked wasn’t so different after all.

“Yes, she’s complaining that she has her own life and that she doesn’t see why we should go out and have fun and leave her home alone with a baby she didn’t give birth to. Not that I blame her -she’s already done with raising kids.”

“She’s only venting because she’s moving away with us,” Hee Jin said dismissively. “She secretly loves taking care of Soo Jin and trust me, I didn’t really have to convince her that much.” She turned to Jin Hun who was sitting next to her. “Could you hold her for a minute? I need to go to the restroom.”

When she left, Henry said to them conspiratorially. “Am I wrong for wanting Hee Jin to stay home till Soo Jin is old enough to go to school?”

Jin Hun and Sam Soon nervously glanced at each other while Henry continued.

“Throughout history, that’s always been the best option. And we can certainly afford to live on my income. In fact, studies have shown….” He ranted on about the benefits of a non-working parent for a few more minutes.

When Hee Jin walked back in, he stopped talking.

Noticing the instant change in his behavior, she studied his face for a few moments then shook her head and turned to Sam Soon and Jin Hun. “You’re shocked, right?” she signaled for Jin Hun to give Soo Jin back to her but he refused.

“She likes it here,” he said as he moved her to a more comfortable spot on his lap.

“Back to him,” Hee Jin said, pointing at Henry. “You didn’t think he was such a caveman, did you? Suddenly he thinks a woman should be in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant.”

Henry shook his head. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

At that moment, the waitress came in and took their orders. When she was gone, Hee Jin continued. “I really don’t understand why we need to keep having this conversation, Oppa. After all the years you spent in Medical School, after all the years you spent as a resident, are you willing to give it up to stay home with our daughter?”

“Doesn’t family come first?” he countered.

Sam Soon and Jin Hun silently watched the exchange as if it were a tennis match.

“Of course it does. But why aren’t you willing to make the sacrifice you’re asking of me?”

Henry’s response was a sigh of fatigue. She had a point but it didn't really change the way he felt. After glaring at her for a few moments, he reached over and covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry this keeps coming up but I guess I’m just a little frustrated. I wish we didn’t have to ask your mother to live with us. As much as I love her, it’d be great if I only had to live with my two favorite girls. I’m not used to this whole communal living thing.”

“How is it communal living if it’s only my Mom staying with us? And it’s not forever.”

“I know. I know,” he said, softly stroking her hand.

As if he’d only just remembered that they weren’t alone, he turned to look at their friends. Slightly embarrassed, he said, “It’s funny, isn’t it? I always thought I was this liberal man, even a feminist, maybe. I always supported a woman’s right to live her life as she saw fit but when it comes down to it, I’m just like so many other guys. Imagine that! I can’t believe that on some level I’d love to have a housewife who’d stay home and took care of the kids. Isn’t that sad?”

"It's not sad... it's valid," Jin Hun said.

Sam Soon eyed him. "What?"

Jin Hun shrugged then looked back at Henry who was still sulking about his self-discovery.

Hee Jin could see that it was her turn to do the comforting. She stood up and reached across and put her arms around her husband. “You’re lucky I love my caveman,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “There are actually some parts I like about it… like when you throw me over your shoulder and carry me,” she teased.

After dinner, shortly after they’d waved Hee Jin and Henry off, Sam Soon turned to Jin Hun and said, “You have to promise me something.”

Jin Hun groaned. “Another promise?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“What now?”

“Promise me that that’s not going to be us when we have kids.”

“What?”

“You’re not going to change on me and start pressuring me to quit Samsuni.”

“We’ll talk about it when the time comes.” He put his arm around her waist and started walking.

But Sam Soon stayed put. “No! You have to promise me now. I worked so hard to get my business to where it is and I don’t want you to start making me feel guilty for continuing to work. If I choose to take a break, it should be because I want to and not because you suddenly want a stay-at-home wife.”

Jin Hun looked her in the eyes. “I promise that we’ll make the best decision for our family,” he said, nodding, “with the emphasis on “we”. Okay?”


***

They were walking back to the hotel when Sam Soon suddenly stopped.

“What?” Jin Hun asked, looking at her worriedly.

“Where are we?” She asked.

He pointed at the street sign. “You can’t see it?”

She frowned. “No, I mean, which city are we in?” She wrapped her arms around herself to prevent any body heat from escaping. They’d only been out for a few minutes but she could already feel the cold in her bones.

Noticing this, Jin Hun took his jacket off and put it around her. “You’re so stubborn. Why didn’t you bring your jacket along like I suggested? I told you that the weather forecast said the temperature was going to drop this evening.”

Sam Soon rolled her eyes and took the jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to him. “Did I tell you I needed this? Take it back,” she said handing it to him.

Jin Hun sent her a dirty look but made no move to take it back from her.

“Anyway,” she continued, as she dropped her arm, “it’s not going to be cold where we are going.” She took his hand and pulled him away from the road.

“Where are we going?”

She waved her hands in the air. “Take your pick.”

Confused, Jin Hun said, “What are you talking about now?”

“We are in the city that never sleeps and we haven’t even experienced the nightlife yet. I see a little line forming over there,” she said, pointing at a building across the street. As expected, Jin Hun protested but in the end, Sam Soon won and they walked into it.


***
“I don’t know what I expected from a club called The Bed-Room,” he said as they sat at a table, “but I’m not sure this is it.”

The club was decorated to look like it was a bedroom with couches that looked like beds and tables that looked like drawer chests. They even had a good number of bedside lamps and tables as well as vanity mirrors. One would have called it tasteful if it didn’t have that slight undertone of sleaze and all around debauchery.

A waitress dressed in what looked like a nightgown came over to take their order. When Sam Soon ordered orange juice, Jin Hun looked at her curiously. “If you were Catholic, I’d have said you were giving up alcohol for Lent.”

“Very funny,” Sam Soon replied dryly.

“No, but what’s going on? You’ve barely drunk any alcohol since we’ve been here.”

“So?”

“So… what?”

“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging as she glanced at the patient waitress. “Are you going to order something or should she leave?”

Jin Hun ordered a beer and when she left to get their drinks, he continued. “Soonie, I am not letting you off the hook. You’ve been acting strangely. What’s going on?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re going to make a federal case out of me ordering orange juice?”

“No. But you normally like to drink… especially at a place like this. What’s different about today?”

Sam Soon thought about it for a quick second. “They don’t have soju,” was the best response she could come up with.

“You don’t only drink soju,” he countered.

Seeing that she’d been cornered, she got on her feet. She wasn’t about to get into an unplanned conversation. She smiled at him. “Let’s go and dance. I like this song,” she said, moving to Beyonce’s latest hit.

He shook his head. “I don’t want to. Sit down.”

She refused. “Be that way. I’m going to dance,” she said as she backed towards the dance floor.

After a few minutes of dancing by herself, a tall, handsome man came to dance with her. She shook her head and turned around. But instead of taking the hint, the man moved closer and danced with her from behind.

Irritated that he hadn’t budged, she turned back to him and said, “Me. Marry.” She pointed at herself. “Marry… me. Marry. Marry. Me.”

The man laughed and said, “Okay, if you insist.”

Before she could reply, Jin Hun interrupted them and told the man that she was his wife before dragging her back to the table with him.

“I thought you were supposed to be good in English. You just asked that man to marry you.”

Sam Soon laughed. “I would have been a lot better if someone hadn’t made me stop taking those classes.”

“I just said that you shouldn’t go back to that school and not that you should give it up completely.”

“Whatever.” Sam Soon glanced back at the man that had danced with her and grinned. “I think I’m cute in America.”

Jin Hun frowned. “You’re cute to me. Isn’t that all that should matter?”

Sam Soon scowled and stuck her tongue out at him.


***

Sam Soon clapped her hands in glee. “Okay, I have something to tell you.” They were on their return flight back home. Instead of watching the air stewardess demonstrate the safety procedures, Jin Hun was reading a magazine.

“What?” he asked, not looking up.

She tapped his shoulder. “This is big so look at me.”

He did. “What?”

She covered her mouth with both hands and laughed.

He dropped the magazine on his lap and gave her his full attention. “What?”

She laughed again, but this time, far more mischievously as she clapped her hands and looked at him impishly.

“Sam Soon!”

She laughed again. “So how am I going to say this?” she asked herself. “Okay, here goes… come here.” She enveloped her mouth with her hands then whispered into his ears.

“What did you say?”

Sam Soon whispered a little louder.

“You’re—what? Permanent… huh?”

“My God, you’re such a dummy.” She sat back in her seat and frowned at him. “I’m pregnant, you loser.”

His eyes grew to thrice their normal size. “What?”

She smirked. “You heard me!”

“OH MY GOD!” he screamed. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yes. A doctor confirmed it.”

He jumped off his seat. At that moment, a stewardess walked over to him and reminded him to remain seated as they were getting ready for take-off. Jin Hun used the opportunity to ask her for an extra pillow for his ‘pregnant wife.’

Jin Hun sat back down and stared at Sam Soon. Pleased with his reaction, she smiled back at him. He couldn’t believe that sitting right next to him was not one person but in fact, two people. He immediately reached across and hugged her and his unborn child.

He was still hugging her when a steward walked over and reminded him to remain in his seat with his seatbelt fastened. He obliged then picked her hand up and kissed it. He didn’t say anything but instead, reflected on how his life was about to change; how he was going to be the father that he’d always wished for; how he was now living for three people; and how he suddenly felt like he understood his role on earth a little better. At that moment, he vowed to always love his wife and child like they were the only two people in the world.

“Honey, are you okay?”

He turned around and smiled at her. He hadn’t realized that his love for her could grow exponentially in a matter of seconds. Millions of people experienced it everyday but looking into her eyes and realizing that at that moment, she had another living being inside of her made her appear somewhat mythical - like a magical, angelic being that had been created just for him. With a chest he suspected would burst in any moment, he reached across to kiss her. As their lips met, he promised to worship her for the rest of his life and for long after.

A few moments later, the stewardess came along with the pillow, thus interrupting them.

“When did you find out?” he asked her. He couldn’t think of when she’d have had the opportunity to sneak out and see a doctor.

“You promised not to get mad, remember?” It was pretty much a pointless question because she could tell that he was on a high that would take a few days to get down from. She knew exactly how he was feeling because she’d remained in a dream state for a few days after getting the good news from Dr. Kang. But finally sharing it with Sam Shik gave her joy a whole other facet. “You’re not going to get mad, right?”

“Just answer the question.”

“A few days before we left Seoul.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because of this,” she said, pointing at the additional pillow on her back. “You’d have made a fuss and we wouldn’t have been able to come.”

“That’s not true,” he lied. “But how come you didn’t even tell me you thought you were pregnant?”

She shrugged. “I figured you’d had enough false alarms to last a lifetime.”

“Well, that’s bullsh.it. I’m here for both the good and the bad news so never hide anything from me again.”

“Anyway, as I said, I knew you’d have cancelled the trip. And I knew how important coming to New York was to you. I think it had something with you wanting to erase my memories of Tae Young or some other nonsense like that.”

He blushed. It was annoying that she could read him so well “So was it special?”

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Everything we do is special… and this trip was particularly special because there were three of us on it.”

He reflexively put his hand on her stomach. “You think he’ll remember it?”

She put her hand on his and felt their child with him. “She’s only seven and a half weeks old so I’m sure she won’t.”

Seven and a half weeks. He had a seven and a half week old child. Wow. He was so fixated on those words that he almost forgot to counter her. “Don’t you mean 'he'?”

“No. I mean 'she'.”

He shook his head. “That’s impossible. It’s a boy.”

“In your dreams. Trust me; it’s a girl. A mother always knows.”

“And a father always knows when he’s created a boy.”

“Yeah, right,” she scoffed. My great-grandmother’s first child was a girl and the same with my grandma. My mother, as you know, had three girls and not only was my eldest sister’s first child a girl, I believe you were at Yi Young Unnie’s daughter’s birthday party a few months ago.”

He rolled his eyes. “What’s your point? The second son of my family always has a boy first.”

Sam Soon laughed. “We both know that’s bullsh.it.”

“Really?” he asked as he moved closer to her. Could she possibly get any more beautiful? “Prove it,” he dared just before he kissed her one more time.

When they broke apart, he glanced at her before jumping off his seat and sharing the news with the rest of the passengers.

“Yes, he’s going to be a dad!” Sam Soon repeated. She laughed as she mentally visualized the wonderful journey she was about to embark on with the crazy guy standing next to her.

THE END

A/N: Thanks for reading and alodia, you have to tell me what the other thing you were thinking was :)