Ahahahahaha I'm going on vacation tomorrow and I have 0 things packed. Being an adult is hard. So... yeah, I'm going to Jeju Island tomorrow. Gonna be cool. Not allowed to take my laptop... so I will try to respond to comments on my phone now that I somewhat have the time. I really really love reading your comments! They honestly help me so much when I write :)

-PB

Hae Soo

She smiled softly, waiting for So to arrive. Straightening the things on her desk, she wiggled in her seat, already forgetting the majority of what she had just spoken to Chae Ryung about.

She pulled at her shirt, smoothing her pants and hastening to take her wedding ring off and dump it into her desk. The diamonds clacked against the wood bottom of the drawer she tossed it into, uncaring of where it bounced off to. So was coming, and she did not want him to see her ring if she could help it.

Standing from her seat, she leaned against her desk, trying to come up with a way to greet So. Her palms tingled and her stomach fluttered with excitement as she was finally about to see her boyfriend for the first time that day.

Soo went through multiple poses, wondering if So would want to see her drop a pen as he walked in. She unbuttoned one part of her shirt before buttoning it again. Her hands clasped the sides of her desk before she decided against it and stood straight. She tossed her hair to one side before huffing and tossing it onto the other side.

Does he like my hair parted a certain way? Am I wearing enough perfume? Am I wearing too much perfume?

Soo pressed her hands to her blushing cheeks, too excited for her own good. Her stammering heart leaped at the sound of a knock on the door. Three sharp raps and Soo was smoothing her clothes one last time, finally deciding to just sit against her desk.

"Come in," she called.

The door opened and Soo raised her eyebrows at So, noting a gleam in his eyes even though his face was blank. He wore his usual suit, but today his shirt was a dress code-breaking shade of black and he wore no tie. Soo wondered if she really was being too lenient...

But he looks amazing today.

"Close the door, please."

The door was shut and Soo muffled her laugh when So rushed forward and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her close. Holding him tightly, she smiled when his warm scent enveloped her: clean laundry and cologne.

She toyed with the lapels of his jacket, tugging at his front and giggling when So reached down to hold her bottom. He squeezed her ass and Soo wrinkled her nose at him, accepting his kiss.

When they parted, Soo let her bottom lip jut out as her expression changed into a pout. She looked up at So, meeting his narrow eyes. "Chae Ryung tells me you were being bad during the vacation," she said. So's hands moved to hold her waist and his eyebrows rose.

"Oh really?"

Nodding earnestly, Soo heaved a sigh. "She says she passed by your hotel room and heard you having sex with someone." Soo failed to hide her spreading grin and So smirked at her words. Holding a reprimanding finger up to her boyfriend, she continued. "As your employer, I must tell you you're not supposed to have romantic or sexual contact while on the job."

She giggled when So frowned and bit the tip of her finger, taking it into his mouth and sucking on the digit. His hot tongue rolled over her skin and Soo pressed just a bit closer.

"What if," he said, releasing her index finger, "it's my job to make my employer feel good? What if my employer is the reason I have to get romantic and sexual?"

Their lips met and Soo melted into So's embrace, following him as he swayed. "As your employer, I can't argue with that," she said with a sigh.

"Good."

Guiding So to her seat, Soo told him to sit before moving to perch on his lap. So's arms snaked around her waist as she sat on top of him, gazing at her partner's handsome face. "I'm supposed to be telling you how to do your job," she said. So's hand moved to touch her stomach and his fingertips lightly drummed against her shirt. "Chae Ryung doesn't like that you break dress code and talk to Mi about cats. She thinks you break too many rules."

So hummed and Soo felt his lips brush her cheek, his rebuttal soft and his caress even softer. "But does she know my girlfriend likes my sense of style and my girlfriend's kid loves talking about cats? Does she know her employer has strange tastes in men?"

A laugh escaped her lips and Soo pressed a kiss to So's mouth before offering him tea. "You must be tired from working such long hours," she said, scooting off of his lap to make for her drink stand. "Having to protect your girlfriend's family… keep her kids happy… keep her happy… How do you do it?" Soo glanced back at So and watched as he lazily turned in her seat, his eyes flitting between her and the picture frames on her desk.

"My job comes with an Italian espresso machine," So said back to her. "That and the sex is phenomenal."

Soo smirked and started the electric kettle. She used a tiny pair of silver tongs to place a few tea leaves into her teapot, waiting for the water to boil. The teapot was the color of dirt, its traditional body glazed and decorated with black patterns. She ignored the sugar cubes and looked away from the little container of honey. So liked things kept unsweetened.

"You know I was super sore after we had sex in Guam?" Soo asked. She turned to look at So as he gave her a smug look. "I could barely walk straight." She expected a snarky response from her usually quick boyfriend, but this time So just nodded and looked back at her pictures. His hand reached to pick up the picture of Wook holding Yoon for the first time. Soo wondered why So was interested in that one.

When the water rose to a sufficient temperature, she pulled the kettle away from its base, pouring steaming water into the teapot and watching the leaves inside float.

Reaching for a little tea glass, she added a saucer beneath it and set it onto a tray along with the teapot. She walked the

placement over to her desk and set it in front of So, immediately reaching for the teapot and pouring a glass for him.

Water fell into the cup below, its path directed by hands trained from years of etiquette lessons. Not a single drop fell off the cusp or dribbled down the side of the pot.

"Are you still in pain?" So asked when she had returned to her spot on his lap. She could feel the chair dip at the addition of her weight, but Soo cuddled against her partner as he thanked her for the tea and took a sip.

"Not anymore. I stretched and had time to recover," she replied happily. Soo noticed So's hand returning to her stomach and his dazed look returning as well. His fingers curled in her shirt and Soo felt his hand cross over her skin, touching her belly. "So, are you alright?" Worry laced her voice and she nudged her forehead against his to feel for a fever. He felt completely fine. "Do you not feel well? Have you been sleeping well these days?"

So remained silent for a few seconds, but Soo waited until his eyes met hers. "Are you going to have a baby with Wook?" he asked.

The question caught her by surprise, but realization finally arrived after its sluggish journey. Touching her stomach, holding onto the picture- it was all because he was preoccupied with thoughts about her… and the plans Wook had asked her about.

"Wh-what?" she stammered. "How do you know about that?"

"So it's true." There was dejection in So's voice and his eyes turned away from her in favor of looking at her stomach. Soo wondered if he could see how much it was lurching.

The thought of having another baby was one she had entertained since Yoon learned to walk. She had wanted to add another pair of pattering footsteps to the sounds of the house and hear 'Mommy' from another little person she would give birth to. Her baby would have brought Wook closer to her.

But now, sitting on Wang So's lap, Soo felt that she did not want another baby- not while she was caught between two men. It was already bad enough that she refused to let go of her husband for her lover, but to have another child with Wook would only hurt So. She wanted a baby, but not at So's expense.

"Are you really going to have another with him?" So asked.

He's jealous, Soo thought. The need to apologize to him gnawed at her heart and Soo exhaled slowly, sighing as So's hand grew still against her abdomen. "No."

There was a beat, but So was already speaking, his forehead resting against her shoulder. Soo felt the weight of his head against her as she listened to his deep voice. "Whatever you choose," he said quietly, "I'll support and love you. If you want another baby, then I won't stop you. I know how much you wanted another. If a baby will make you happy, then..." Soo blinked as his lips met her shoulder and his thumb rubbed a circle just beneath her belly button.

"I want you to be happy," he continued. "No matter your choice, I will respect your decision, but let me sway you. Let me argue my case before you."

Turning towards So, Soo caressed his face and gently tipped her forehead against his, their lips a breath apart. As she inhaled, So did the same, their breathing patterns matching. She loved how his hands held her, fitting against her like puzzle pieces. "You don't need to argue your case," she said. Her lips softly brushed against So's as she spoke and Soo closed her eyes. "I won't do anything unless I know it won't hurt you. A baby would only drive us apart… and I..." She could not continue.

Their lips met, soft and loving. A weight formed against her chest as So kissed her—the kind of weight that could only be alleviated with words and confession. However, the words she had in mind were heavy and weighed down for only the most important people in her life. Mi, Yoon, Lily Flower… Wook…

Hypocrite, Soo thought to herself. You can tell Wook but you can't tell the person that needs to hear it the most? You've never felt this way towards a man- even during your best times with Wook.

Making up her mind, she kissed So before pulling away. He was one of the most special people in her life- a facet that she knew she would never be able to survive without.

"Wang So," she murmured. Soo looked at her partner and So's gaze met hers. Reaching forward, Soo brushed his fringe away from his eyes and swallowed thickly. Her focus rested solely on the man that she cherished. Unable to tell him if she would have a baby or not, and unable to put his fears to rest, she said the words that she should have told him so long ago. "I… I love you."

So's eyes widened and his once melancholic face morphed into a smile- a smile that sent the baggage on Soo's shoulders and the weight on her chest flying away. He was radiant and he was hers. Her man. The man she loved.

"I love you," she repeated, tasting the sweet words that made her heart flutter and her palms tingle with excitement.

It feels so good to tell him.

Soo gave a breathy laugh as So blinked, his lips spreading into the widest grin.

The next thing she knew were So's hands as they held either side of her face and his lips as they crashed onto her. She giggled when they pulled away.

Pecking So's lips once more, she held his hips and pulled herself as close to him as she could. "I love you," she said again, her voice filled with certainty.

When she looked into So's eyes, she only saw happiness. Nothing but adoration shone in his gaze and Soo knew hers was the same. "I love you," he said with a smile. Soo kissed So's chin as she admired the beautiful grin she had worked so hard to coax out of him. She hoped he would never lose that smile.

Soo stood by the door with Mi and Yoon as Wook took his shoes off. In his left hand, he carried a bouquet and Soo heard her children gasp at the sudden appearance of flowers.

"Hello, darling," Wook said as he stepped into a pair of house slippers. Soo smiled for him as he approached, his arm snaking around her waist. She blinked as his lips met hers.

Kissing her husband, Soo pressed her hands to his chest, noticing how much longer their embrace was than usual. When Wook released her, Soo found herself in possession of a bouquet of daisies.

Wook kissed their children and patted their heads as they chirped about their days. Soo handed the flowers off to Chae Ryung before moving to stand beside her husband.

She loved two men, yet she loved them both for such different reasons.

She felt no flutter in her heart and no need for kisses or laughter with Wook. With him, she only felt history. Wook was the cement holding her past together. He was the father of her children and the reason she had two beautiful girls to adore. She had suffered alongside Wook and suffered because of him. Yet no matter how much she had once hated him, he was her family no matter what.

But with So, she was happy and free; her worries fluttered away and her stress left her body when she was with him. He gave her laughter and unconditional love. He stayed with her even though she was a horrible girlfriend, and he loved her even though she was married. He was someone she could not live without and someone she adored with every piece of her being. She saw a future with him. Though it looked unstable, Soo knew she would fight to keep Wang So by her side.

After dinner, Soo sat in the sitting room, dressed in fluffy pajamas and wrapped in a warm blanket. She flipped through channels on the TV, searching for anything worth watching.

She looked away from the screen when her shirtless husband collapsed onto the cushion beside her, slinging his arm around her shoulders. Soo rested her head against Wook's chest and noticed his pants matched her pajamas.

"I don't know how many video conferences I had to sit through at work today," he said as she changed channels. "How do you do it every day?"

"Practice and comfy pants under the desk," Soo replied, smirking at her husband's complaint. Wook's shoulders rose and fell as he laughed. She blinked when he kissed the crown of her head.

"I should learn how to sit still during video chats from you. You can teach me how to be patient when the wifi glitches. We pay so much for 4G wifi, but does it actually work?"

Chuckling, Soo pulled her legs onto the sofa and laid against Wook. "It does, and Chae Ryung writes nice customer reviews to the CEO of our wifi and cable companies every month," she said idly. "I have our schedules prepared for the weekend. We can meet your parents here or at the restaurant I've booked."

Soo dreaded weekends. She had finally gotten reprieve from her mother-in-law in Guam, but when she returned home, her phone almost burst beneath the number of texts Wook's mother had sent to her, demanding what she was thinking taking the children to the ocean in the middle of winter.

Wook shook his head and Soo sighed, prepared to rebut whatever stupid comment he made about her being nice to his mother. "I'm sorry, dear, but you'll have to cancel the restaurant," he said. Soo frowned and turned the TV off. "I've disinvited my parents from on weekends and without notice. I'm sorry, Soo, I should have done this much sooner."

She sat up immediately, staring at her husband as he offered her a little smile. "I was wrong," he continued. Soo stared through Wook's glasses and into his eyes as her own filled with elated tears.

"Thank you," she whispered. Relief washed over her tense muscles, easing the years of stress that had piled onto her shoulders. Wook's hand met her arm and Soo hugged him tightly, thanking him for finally refusing his mother entrance into their home.

She did not protest when he picked her up from the sofa, carrying her—blanket and all—to their bedroom. He held her the way he carried their children, and Soo crossed her ankles behind his back.

Wook laid her onto their bed and Soo let him kiss her. Her hand met his neck and she smiled. "You know," Wook murmured. His lips pressed to Soo's cheek and she scrunched her nose as he whispered by her ear. "I think we should try for another. A little sibling for our girls."

Soo's eyes opened and her hand touched the light stubble on her husband's cheek. "Not today," she said. Wook rested his weight onto his elbow and Soo laid a hand against his chest, lightly pushing him away. "I told you I don't want to."

There was resignation in Wook's eyes. He silently nodded his head before moving off of her. Soo moved when his arm wrapped around her and dragged her close. Her nose bumped against his chest and she sighed when Wook pulled the covers over their shoulders.

"Then I'll just have to wait until you feel ready," he said. Wook's hand ran up her spine and Soo closed her eyes as her husband continued. "I can wait, Hae Soo. The choice is up to you, but know that I am fully prepared to welcome another baby into our family."

All the love the Krysyuy for keeping me focused and for beta-ing all my stuff. 3