episode_0154

“Hehe, heh, hehe…”

“…Unnie, what happened during the holiday that you can’t stop laughing?”

“It’s nothing, you don’t need to know.”

“Come on, tell me. You keep teasing me, so I’m curious.”

“Customers are here? Go take their orders.”

“Ugh… I can tell, you’re going to make a fuss and make me throw up.”

After a long holiday break, the early morning was quiet with few people around.

Shaking off the clingy lead actress, I started doing the dishes while recalling the conversation between Jaehyuk and the fox spirit guest I overheard.

“…Ugh! I should have just pretended not to know!”

Unintentionally hearing the word “proposal” while always focusing on Jaehyuk, I couldn’t help but get excited.

His efforts to keep his word were so endearing that I couldn’t contain my excitement and blurted out, “You fool, idiot, blockhead…!”

Caught preparing a secret proposal for his lover, what man wouldn’t feel disappointed?

Feeling guilty for growing excited, I silently asked Jaehyuk for forgiveness in my heart, while also starting to look forward to his future proposal.

“Will you marry me?”

Just imagining hearing those words made my panties slightly damp.

My heart, which had been beating leisurely, suddenly raced like it had been given a stimulant, and a hot flush seemed to radiate from my face.

How sweet would it be to hear it in person?

How fragrant would the scent be from the bouquet he offered?

And… and…

“Haah, haah…”

The more I thought about it, the more my excitement spiraled out of control.

Afraid of making the same mistake as before, I quickly took a red pill to calm myself down.

“But… how do I tell other people about this?”

The heat that quickly dissipated after taking the high-performance red pill.

As dark problems loomed in front of me, various worries about when I was happy began to surface.

At twenty-four, getting married was considered early in modern Korea.

If I told my parents about my mistake, how would they react?

Maybe the future in-laws would take it in stride.

Didn’t they witness my embarrassing moment on the last day of Chuseok?

They might be somewhat prepared and, if I play it off well, it might go smoothly.

But my parents…

“They’ll go crazy… won’t they?”

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem like it would go well.

It was just a simple request to make sure to use contraception, but I ended up getting pregnant.

Even if my mother was gentle, wouldn’t she be furious this time?

“Telling my parents is one thing… but my job is another.”

I know the boss is a good person, but I’m scared to reveal that I’m pregnant.

Hired to work, but suddenly getting pregnant and having to face my colleagues as a pregnant woman…

With the recent increase in customers and already short staffed, wouldn’t the boss see me as a liability?

“…Honestly, I have no excuse, I’ve been slacking off.”

I worked diligently compared to other employees, but taking various breaks and making excuses, how could I possibly look good?

But thinking like this makes me feel ashamed.

Experiencing a heavenly work environment and then having to work in a normal place, it’s daunting.

Staring blankly at the boss who was diligently carving ice, I finished washing the dishes and returned to my seat.

“First, let’s put out the urgent fire… and then think about it.”

The most urgent matter was, of course, informing my parents about having a child.

If it wasn’t for this upcoming Hangul Day holiday, it would probably have to wait until December.

Every break time, I found myself constantly pondering what to say to my mother and mother-in-law.

—–

“It doesn’t seem like any more customers are coming in, let’s close early today. Yejin, can you change the sign for me?”

“Yes, boss.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve worked, so I’m a bit tired… I’ll head up first, make sure to clean up nicely before you leave. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

It was a day with fewer customers than usual.

As the cocktail bar quieted down around three in the morning, the boss ordered the closing and left for the second floor.

With fewer customers, it was only natural that the cleanup would be done quickly even though we closed early.

The bartenders, who were now enjoying an earlier than usual closing time, smiled happily as they left for home, and I started walking the dark early morning streets with the silent Jaehyuk.

“…”

“…”

Whether he had caught wind of my secret proposal plans or not, Jaehyuk avoided eye contact the whole time and let out a deep sigh.

Why did I even bring up that topic…

As I fiddled with my messy hair in regret and guilt, staring at the ground, Jaehyuk was the first to break the silence.

“…Is there something you want to eat?”

“Uh, what? Oh, um, I’m craving something salty. How about we go back to my place and have frozen potato snacks with a drink?”

“That sounds good, but you can’t drink, can you?”

“I-I can drink non-alcoholic beer! I have some left at home!”

One of the best ways to break the awkward atmosphere was to discuss what to eat.

As we discussed what late-night snack to have back at my place, the uncomfortable tension seemed to dissipate, and in the slightly improved atmosphere, I cautiously brought up the events of the early morning.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to hear that!”

“…Hear what?”

“The proposal! You know how sensitive vampires are to these things, it was inevitable, really…”

If he hadn’t been focusing on his senses, he might not have heard it, but still!

Not acknowledging what he heard was a big mistake.

So, I stopped in my tracks for a moment and offered an apology to Jaehyuk.

And then.

Pat, pat –

Jaehyuk unexpectedly started patting my head, then enveloped me in his warm and cozy embrace.

“Wha…?!”

I hadn’t felt the warmth of a loved one’s embrace in days due to my recent withdrawal symptoms.

Could this be the feeling you get when you finally smoke a cigarette after going through withdrawal?

Gasping for breath from the exhilarating pleasure that enveloped my whole body, Jaehyuk chuckled mischievously and playfully whispered.

“I knew you were sensitive, but I didn’t expect it to be this intense. No wonder you reacted so strongly in a place where there’s no water…”

“…Let go.”

“Sorry, I tried to make a joke because you seemed so serious. I’m really sorry. You don’t need to apologize, it was my mistake, so why are you saying sorry?”

“Well, it hurts my heart, that’s why. How can you not feel guilty when I’m feeling so dejected?”

Looking at me with a stern expression, Jaehyuk met my gaze and then flashed a relieved smile.

He then lightly kissed my forehead and began to comfort me in a tender voice.

“As you said, my plans have all fallen apart, leaving me feeling perplexed and disappointed, but on the other hand, I feel a bit lighter. Hearing that everything is okay gave me some courage, I suppose?”

“…But if you do something too strange, like proposing or running away, I’ll definitely bolt.”

“When did I say that anything is okay?”

“Noisy.”

He didn’t want to leave behind the memory that should have been the happiest moment like a black mark.

Giving a fierce warning that it absolutely couldn’t happen, Jaehyuk cautiously released his arm that was wrapped around my waist after a few fake coughs.

What was he thinking to react like that?

My curiosity grew rapidly, but for some reason, I had a strong feeling that if I heard it, I would hit the roof.

I quickly tried to change the subject and brought up the most urgent and serious issue at hand.

“Speaking of that… Jaehyuk? We really have to tell our parents about the pregnancy now, right?”

“…Yeah, we do?”

“I… I’m at a loss for what to say, I have no idea how to approach this. Do you have any good ideas?”

“…”

I asked as if borrowing a cat’s paw, but Jaehyuk just looked puzzled and didn’t say a word.

Probably meaning he was at a loss for words himself.

Helplessly, I turned my gaze towards my phone and started to carefully think about what to say to my mother.

“How can I tell her in a way that won’t shock her too much…”

The more I thought about it, the deeper I fell into a maze.

Why can’t I come up with a single clever idea?

Should I just give up and go with the Simple is Best strategy?

Feeling exhausted from thinking, I jokingly typed out the words that came to mind in the message box to clear my head.

Oh no… I was about to press the delete key, but accidentally hit the send button instead.

[Mom, I’m pregnant]_4:11 AM

For a moment, my mind went blank, but since it was four in the morning, I thought I could delete it right away.

Yes, I was sure of that…

[?]_4:12 AM

Wh… Why are you awake?