PIA 128

‘Now I really must stop thinking about that other world.’

Though he seriously resolved this, it wasn’t an easy problem. It surprised Ji-an that Jeong Hee-seo was somehow sensing something.

Could he see into his mind when he thought of the other world? When Jeong Hee-seo said he felt anxious like Ji-an might disappear, his expression truly looked like someone trembling with fear.

Ji-an felt he needed to be careful not to make him anxious.

On the way to meet his mother, Ji-an changed clothes roughly in the car. He put on the hoodie Jeong Hee-seo brought over his short-sleeved shirt and changed into sneakers.

This reflected Jeong Hee-seo’s opinion that he wanted to start by getting close to his mother first, rather than beginning with a heavy meeting like a formal introduction. The three of them agreed to meet in comfortable attire and go to a quiet restaurant in the suburbs for a delicious meal.

Of course, contrary to the agreement, Jeong Hee-seo’s attire was far from comfortable. From his shirt to his tie accessories, it was evident he had put more effort than usual into his appearance. Ji-an had to secretly swallow his laughter, thinking even a man of steel has things he finds difficult and worries about.

As they slowly entered an alley of luxurious houses with high walls, Ji-an’s family home came into view in the distance. Since Jeong Hee-seo had visited frequently from the day he first came to get Ji-an until they started living together, he had no trouble finding the way.

Ji-an, who was about to take out his phone to call his mother saying they had arrived, rubbed his eyes. He saw someone who shouldn’t be there.

“Is that my grandmother?”

“Indeed. It’s Madam Kang. I wonder why they’re both out together.”

“Hyung. You know I have no intention of eating with my grandmother, right?”

Ji-an was firm. He didn’t care if he was seen as ill-mannered or lacking respect for the elderly. Jeong Hee-seo wouldn’t misunderstand that way anyway.

Yoon Ok-hee waved at Ji-an with a slightly anxious face. She seemed to have spotted the car Ji-an was in. Kang Boon-nam stood with her hands behind her back, her face thoroughly displeased and contorted.

Jeong Hee-seo parked the car at a slight distance. When Ji-an unfastened his seatbelt and tried to get out, he reached out to stop him. Ji-an looked at him questioningly, and Jeong Hee-seo subtly shook his head.

“Ji-an, you wait in the car. I’ll bring your mother.”

“…Alright.”

Though he wondered if this was okay, honestly, he was glad. Excited to see what he would do, Ji-an opened his eyes wide. While it was disappointing not to see his grandmother’s expression up close, thinking of Poggles in his belly, he felt it was right not to even hear his voice.

When Jeong Hee-seo got out and closed the car door, it completely blocked out the outside noise. Only the ticking of the hazard lights echoed in his ears.

Jeong Hee-seo approached the two women with large strides. The three of them briefly glanced towards Ji-an in the car, perhaps asking why he hadn’t gotten out, before turning away.

From the car, Ji-an could only see Jeong Hee-seo’s back. So he couldn’t even guess what he was saying. However, even from a distance, he could clearly see Kang Boon-nam’s face turn bright red, then purple, then white.

Though the story had diverged from the original, it started in a world of makjang drama. With a character like Kang Boon-nam, who embodied drama in every fiber of her being, her life itself was a never-ending makjang drama.

“Pfft…”

Though no one could hear him, Ji-an covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. The heavily tinted glass prevented anyone outside from seeing him, but he did so unconsciously.

Occasionally, fragments of Kang Boon-nam’s shouting broke through the soundproofing like single-syllable screams, but the content was unclear. From the movements of her mouth, Ji-an guessed she was saying things like “How dare you,” “Who do you think you are,” and “ill-mannered”.

“Ah… what should we do. She might collapse at this rate.”

As Ji-an was muttering this concern without a shred of sincerity, Yoon Ok-hee and Jeong Hee-seo walked over and got into the car. Ji-an turned to greet his mother as he climbed into the back seat.

“Mom!”

Yoon Ok-hee responded with an awkward smile to Ji-an’s cheerful greeting.

“You were worried grandmother might try to come along, weren’t you? I couldn’t win against her…”

“It’s okay. We ended up going just us anyway.”

Yoon Ok-hee’s gaze briefly touched on Jeong Hee-seo before falling away. He was fastening his seatbelt and slowly turning the car to leave the alley. Through the window, they could see Kang Boon-nam still glaring at them. Ji-an started to feel a bit worried.

“I’m comfortable with it, but won’t he torment you later, Mom? Are you okay?”

Yoon Ok-hee was a bit taken aback by Ji-an speaking so openly about family matters in front of Jeong Hee-seo. It wasn’t something to be proud of, and she worried about his son being so carefree in front of his future spouse. But thinking back to the conversation between Kang Boon-nam and Jeong Hee-seo just now, she felt like he had seen it all.

Yoon Ok-hee let out a short sigh. She was all too familiar with these situations—so much so that she had grown used to them.

“It’s fine. One target for the old lady’s anger is enough. Don’t worry about it, Ji-an.”

Jeong Hee-seo’s presence was imposing as he drove without saying much since earlier. Yoon Ok-hee felt a bit upset and her pride was hurt due to the ruined first impression. She wanted to show only good sides for her son’s sake, but she felt diminished thinking there wasn’t a single good point to show.

As she was staring out the window with a somewhat dejected expression, Jeong Hee-seo pulled the car over to the side of the road.

“Since we have some distance to our destination, I’ll go buy some drinks. Ji-an, you want a strawberry smoothie, right?”

Looking at the familiar franchise cafe right in front, Ji-an answered.

“Hyung, please buy me a hot dog too.”

There happened to be a hot dog stand next to it. Jeong Hee-seo nodded as he followed Ji-an’s gaze.

“Alright. Then… would you like coffee, mother?”

Ji-an turned his head and smiled broadly at Jeong Hee-seo’s uncharacteristic hesitation when addressing Yoon Ok-hee. As he whispered, “Hyung gets shy too—”, Jeong  Hee-seo raised his hand and gently pushed Ji-an’s face away. Yoon Ok-hee stared at the two of them blankly.

“Uh… I’ll, um, have the same as Ji-an, please.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Ok-hee was a bit flustered as he swiftly closed the door and left. He even blushed slightly. She didn’t know he could be this gentle. She started to understand Ji-an’s words that she would like him as soon as they met.

“See? I told you Hyung is nice.”

Ji-an said with a giggle as Yoon Ok-hee followed Jeong Hee-seo’s movements through the window. His voice sounded so triumphant that Yoon Ok-hee couldn’t help but laugh out loud at how cute it was.

“You’re right, he’s really nice.”

Feeling that some of her usual small worries might be alleviated, Yoon Ok-hee reached out and patted Ji-an’s shoulder. Her heart felt much lighter as she could finally envision her son’s happiness.

* * *

Ji-an turned his head at the sound of the strong heartbeat coming from the ultrasound machine. Jeong Hee-seo, standing beside him, squeezed his hand tightly.

“It’s growing well. There’s nothing concerning, everything looks good. You’re doing a great job.”

The doctor smiled brightly as he praised Ji-an while looking at the monitor. Ji-an felt a bit embarrassed since all he had done was eat well, sleep well, and play well.

Recently, Jeong Hee-seo had been the busiest, so Ji-an thought if anyone deserved praise, it should be him. But it seemed the doctor hadn’t thought that far.

“Please praise Hyung too. Tell him he’s doing a good job.”

“Oh, of course. You’re both doing great.”

As the time to meet Poggles (their nickname for the baby) drew closer, the intervals between regular check-ups had grown much longer. They were told it was not just stable, but even robust now. There was no need to worry, which made them proud.

Looking back from the moment they first confirmed the pregnancy at the hospital until now, Ji-an felt there were many things to be sorry about, to the point where it was embarrassing to receive praise for doing well.

“They say we’re doing well, Poggles. Hurry and grow up so we can meet.”

As Ji-an muttered to himself while leaving the examination room, Jeong Hee-seo chimed in.

“You know Yi-seo is waiting too, right?”

“Oh, of course. Yi-seo even gave a name. Jeong-Po…”

“That’s not happening.”

“Such a cold uncle.”

As Poggles’s birth was approaching, they were informed that they needed to make plans with the hospital for the coming days. From desired dates to reserving a hospital room. While Ji-an was filling in the blanks on the forms they received at the desk, a passing nurse interjected.

“Oh my, you two are already getting close to welcoming your baby. You know what? We’re all so excited about it.”

While any couple expecting a baby would be affectionate, Ji-an and Jeong Hee-seo were quite noticeable thanks to Jeong Hee-seo. Ji-an felt a bit embarrassed as it seemed they were considered somewhat overzealous.

The nurse’s gaze fell on the ultrasound picture Ji-an was holding tightly.

“Wow, how cute— How does the baby already have such a high nose? It looks just like the dad.”

Ji-an’s eyes widened in surprise. Who? Which dad?