During times like these, So wishes he did not have to carry the burden of running a country. Once in a while, he wishes the only responsibility that he had to bear was Soo and their growing family. However, the person doesn't always choose the responsibility; sometimes, the responsibility chooses the person.
He was traversing the cobbled stones of the palace, massaging the back of his neck as he does so. The sky was already a deep blue, his eunuch was steadily walking in front of him with a square lantern. He passed by a few residences in the palace, and each of them had a warm light emanating from the translucent paper windows. It made him long for his wife more. So couldn't see her as often as he wished.
Today was not a particularly eventful day, as far as most of his days go. So was pretty thankful that the court activities finished earlier than usual, and that he can go back to Soo while she was still awake. He couldn't help it. These past few weeks, he had to leave her while she was still asleep, and he can't help but come back late at night finding her in the same predicament that he left her in. They haven't been able to do the chores that they usually do for each other, and it was ridiculous that he was feeling incredibly stressed by them not being able to physically take care of each other.
So was close to reaching their private quarters, and he was mildly surprised to find himself still giddy at the prospect of seeing her. After all these years, the excited rhythm of his heartbeat never changed. It's still the same when he watched her sing at Eun's birthday; it's still the same when she stole a kiss from him; it's still the same when he saw her in her blue, red, and gold hwarot, smiling in front of him, so willing to marry him; and, it's the same when she told him in a soft voice that she was pregnant with their child.
"What did the Queen do today?" he asked the eunuch behind him.
"Hwanghu-nim did her usual inner palace duties, Pyeha; but she mostly instructed the court ladies this time to inspect in her stead and submit a written report to her. She also visited the 13th Prince's residence and had lunch with him and Lady Wo Hee."
The King was glad that Soo was making herself busy, but was also taking care of herself the same time. Call him overprotective, overreacting, or anything over, but he just did not want Soo to exert herself while she was pregnant. The court can do without her for a couple of months, and of course, the ministers will understand. As the mistress of the palace and the nation's queen, she has to take care of herself, even if she always insists that she's fine and there's nothing to worry about.
He was in front of the steps of their quarters now, and he could see how the inside of the room was dimly lit. It made him wonder, since it was just past six in the evening and it was supposedly their dinner time. Is she resting? The thought disheartened him a little. He wanted to talk to her for a while before tucking her to their bed himself. He hasn't been able to that, and he feels incredibly upset and guilty about it.
As So entered the room, he quickly noticed that their dinner table was already set, and the food was just waiting. But where is she? She couldn't have possibly gone out; he would have been informed. So fully stepped inside, and the eunuchs slid the door close. He looked around, before he finally noticed a bit of movement in the dressing room. He sauntered towards the area, and the sight in front of him stunned him, to say the least.
Soo was standing still in front of the mirror, stripped and bare. She hadn't taken note of his presence yet, and he had to thank his light feet and martial arts for that. So also didn't bother telling her that he was already there. He was curious at her display, curious at her current state.
She was intently staring at herself, her body. So look at her reflection in the mirror and he saw how her eyes traveled from her head to her belly. Soo slightly turned in order for her to see the side of her body. She brought her hands to touch her elbows and arms, squeezing them lightly thereafter. Soo also touched a bit of her backside, before letting her hands fall to her hips.
So gaped in amazement as Soo did what could be deduced as a self body examination. Just like her, he noticed the changes in her body too, and it was beyond magical for him. As she touched her arms, he saw that the skin on her limbs which used to hold only on bones and muscle, were now clinging to a bit of flab. Her pale hips and bum were also showing signs of plumpness. And how could he forget her belly which now obviously showed the signs of a growing life? The sight in front of him, and her very existence for that matter, warmed him to the core and fills him with gushing amounts of adoration.
The signs of pregnancy on Soo's body was also evident on her face, although in a different manner. Every time he saw her, she seemed so radiant, so illuminated, that he thought the sun and stars couldn't possibly have anything on her. She was beautiful, already so beautiful in his eyes; and it was unbelievable for him that she could grow even more beautiful. To think that this, the growing life inside of her, was because of their oneness.
The masculine side of So was proud that he was the one who did this to her. There was something incredibly familial and romantic about it, and yet, it was also carnal. Meanwhile, the emotional and spousal side of him was overwhelmed with feelings. He did not expect that he would experience this much sentiment because of the pregnancy.
So's musings were halted when Soo finally took notice of him. Before approaching him, she covered herself up in her white robes. She walked over to him and took his hands, slowly guiding him towards the dining table where their food had long been waiting.
"Have you been here for a while now?" Soo inquired. Confused why he didn't alert her of his presence sooner. He definitely saw what she was doing in front of the mirror.
"Not really." So squeezed her hands and looked at her, smiling while doing so. They reached the dinner table, and he helped his wife sit on the wooden chair.
When they started to eat, So noticed that Soo was barely touching her rice. "Why aren't you eating your rice?"
"I'm fat." she simply stated.
"Hmm," So took a pickled radish and ate it before speaking again. "Only a bit."
Of course, Soo stared at him, positively scandalized and maybe even seething. It was the perfect time for her overbearing hormones to take over, "What did you just say? Husband, I'm carrying your child! This is your fault, you know?! I wouldn't look like this if you didn't..."
"You're completely and perfectly gorgeous too, by the way." he cut her off before she could threaten him. His statement worked. She immediately grew quiet, her lips forming a small pout while her cheeks were reddening. So smirked at Soo's abrupt reaction. She didn't usually fall for compliments, but the effect of the pregnancy in her emotional state was jamming with her usual hard-hardheadedness.
"If I had known you'd look this stunning, we should have made a baby sooner." So stifled the urge to laugh at his own joke. "After the first baby, I probably won't be able to help myself. We should immediately make another one." he looked at her and toothily grinned.
"YA! Pervert!" Soo shouted at him, unbelieving.
The rest of the dinner went on without much ado, save for the incessant bickering and laughs. Finally, So thought. His previous weariness instantly went away.
Author's notes: I've always been fascinated with several things about parenthood, but most especially, what a husband/boyfriend thinks when he sees his pregnant wife/girlfriend. I've watched reaction videos of men finding out that their partner is pregnant. I've also read a topic on reddit about what a man thinks when he sees his pregnant wife. I think it's incredibly beautiful, since we rarely get to know what men think. I wanted to put that into words, thus, this chapter. I hope you all enjoy!
BTW, shout out to one of my readers PixelButterfly! She corrected me about my very small understanding of the Korean language hahaha! Thank you! It just pushed me more to study the Korean language, and I've decided to finally take classes this January until April. I've always wanted to learn East Asian languages, and I want to start in Korean. Good luck to me!
And, I was SO SO HAPPY when Joon Gi showed up at IU's concert OMG! Be still my shipping heart! 3