Ch.157157. It Really Happened

Tuesday morning.

After spending the night practically wide awake, I bolted upright. Perhaps because I hadn’t slept properly, my eyes felt dry, as if they were full of sand.

What time is it now? Judging by the light seeping through the curtains, it doesn’t seem to be dawn anymore. I was about to rub my eyes with the back of my hand when I stopped. I remembered Hwa Nabi’s warning.

“She told me not to touch them with my hands…”

Didn’t she say rubbing them would damage my eyesight? I let out a long yawn while scratching the back of my hand. The wall clock showed half past six in the morning. It’s morning now, so it should be fine to wake her up. I turned my head to wake the woman who should be lying next to me, but to my surprise, the space was completely empty.

“Did she get up first?”

She wouldn’t have gone out at this hour, so she must be somewhere in the house. Maybe she woke up before me and is using the test kit. After all, I wasn’t the only one who had trouble sleeping last night—Hwa Nabi was just as tense as I was when we went to bed yesterday.

No, actually, Hwa Nabi must be more nervous than me. No matter how close we are, I’m still another person, and ultimately, what she has to endure is her burden alone.

I can share the burden with her… but I can’t bear it for her.

“……”

My heart is pounding even though I’m just sitting here. I wasn’t this nervous even on the day of my teaching certification exam results. Unable to stay still, I flopped back onto the bed.

Looking up at the spotless ceiling, I thought about it. The procedure Hwa Nabi had received was called Implanon. I looked it up briefly before going to sleep and found that the failure rate is less than 0.1 percent for three years after the procedure. Of course, it would vary depending on the frequency of intercourse, but that’s not really important, so I’ll skip over that.

They say 0.1 percent, but… the actual probability is probably lower than that. That’s usually how it works, right? Even when the probability is close to 100 percent, they mark it as 99.9%. The failure rate for the Implanon procedure is probably indicated in a similar context.

In other words, for pregnancy to occur after the procedure, one would have to beat astronomical odds.

“Right, it can’t be.”

That must be right. Surely, a contraceptive procedure that could be called the culmination of modern science wouldn’t be so flimsy as to fail at a mere 0.1% probability.

Having reached that conclusion, my trembling stopped. I got up from the bed with a much lighter heart.

“Still… just in case.”

Since nothing in this world is 100% certain, even though it’s unlikely, you never know what might happen. Maybe I should make some preparations.

Muttering to myself, I reached for the drawer. Click, the second drawer where my things are kept, at the very back. I grabbed the edge of an envelope that even Hwa Nabi doesn’t know exists.

“Hmm….”

Inside the envelope, disguised to look like nothing special, was a ring box I had prepared without her knowledge. I bought it in advance to give her as a gift for her upcoming birthday, but surely this won’t become an engagement ring?

“No way, that’s impossible….”

That can’t be. Smirking, I neatly folded the envelope and pushed it back into the corner of the drawer.

That’s when it happened.

—Creeeeak.

Just as I was closing the second drawer, coincidentally, Hwa Nabi opened the bedroom door. In her right hand was something thin, which upon closer inspection turned out to be the pregnancy test kit we had bought from the pharmacy yesterday evening.

“Um, Siwoo.”

“Oh, yes.”

I was in an awkward position but finally came to my senses. So she did wake up before me. Seeing that she’s still in her pajamas, she must have gone to the bathroom right after waking up.

“First, don’t be surprised, okay?”

“…What is it?”

Hwa Nabi, who had made this suspicious request, took a step forward. Why is she suddenly acting like this? I glanced at her right hand, trying to peek at the test result. But since she was holding the display part with her hand, I couldn’t see it from this position.

“I just tried the test kit.”

“And…?”

Hwa Nabi took a few more steps until she was standing right in front of me. Slightly flushed cheeks, wavering eyes. Slightly trembling hands. It’s a reaction that clearly says “I’m nervous!” to anyone who sees it.

Even though she hasn’t said anything yet, I think I know what she’s going to say. But just in case, I swallowed hard and waited quietly.

Hwa Nabi extended her hand toward me, who was stiff with tension. She probably means for me to check it myself. Somehow feeling like I should receive it with both hands, I took it with both hands.

Moving just one finger would reveal the test kit’s display. I’ve read the instructions dozens of times.

One line means not pregnant, and two lines… means pregnant.

“……”

Feeling like I couldn’t see it with my naked eyes, I closed my eyelids tightly. Then I moved the finger covering the test kit display and slowly, carefully opened my eyes.

And the result was.

—One line.

But that’s not the end, there’s another line next to it.

A total of two lines.

“…Huh?”

Am I seeing something wrong? Hwa Nabi had earnestly asked me not to rub my eyes with my hands, but I couldn’t help it and rubbed my eyes. Then I checked again.

It’s definitely two lines.

“No… this is.”

Why are there two lines? Was that 0.1 percent probability this high? Putting that aside, she’s really pregnant? Can I do well? I shouldn’t disappoint her. In that moment, a thousand thoughts flashed through my mind. I had so much I wanted to say, but I couldn’t organize my thoughts properly, so I just opened and closed my mouth.

Hwa Nabi’s soft hand overlapped mine. Her fingers were trembling slightly.

“…I kept thinking it couldn’t be, but it really is.”

Not just her hands, but her voice was trembling too. No, not just her voice, but her entire body. She’s trying to act like it’s nothing, but she must be scared.

“So… what should we do?”

I’m trembling like this, so how much worse must it be for her? As soon as that thought crossed my mind, my arm moved first.

“What do you mean, what should we do?”

I put down the test kit and wrapped my arms around Hwa Nabi. I buried her in my embrace, her breathing irregular from anxiety. I placed my hand on her trembling back and gently stroked it.

As if caressing something precious, I patted her carefully and gently, and her trembling gradually subsided. I whispered in her ear.

“What do you want to do?”

“…What happens if I tell you?”

“Nothing happens. Whatever it is, I’ll respect your choice.”

I wonder if my sincerity got through to her. I patted her back and waited for her answer. Hwa Nabi hugged my back and gently rubbed it like I had done, then suddenly let out a long sigh and pulled away.

Her cheeks were still flushed, but her eyes were resolute, as if she had made a decision. She looked at me straight for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth to express her opinion.

“Well, I…”

“Yes, you?”

“I… I want to… have it.”

“You want to have it?”

“Yes. That’s what I want… but what about you?”

“I told you. I’ll respect your choice. If you want to have it, then we should have it.”

“…Really? You’re okay with that?”

“Yes, I’m fine with it. If you’re okay with it, let’s have it.”

Just because the test kit showed two lines doesn’t mean it’s 100% pregnancy, so it might still be just excitement between the two of us, but honestly, I was leaning toward having it too.

After all, if she really is pregnant, that baby would have beaten the odds of less than 0.1%, right? It probably won’t be an ordinary child. I think it might become someone great later on.

While I was having these useless thoughts, Hwa Nabi’s lips trembled. Is she happy? I moved my face closer to look more carefully, and suddenly Hwa Nabi pulled me into a tight embrace and pressed her lips against mine.

“…?!”

I was really surprised by this sudden attack while I was off guard. Moreover, it didn’t end with just a kiss; she leaned on me as if entrusting her body to me, causing me to lose balance. Since the bed was right behind me, there wasn’t a big impact, but I couldn’t prevent myself from falling over.

“Mmm… I like it, thank you.”

“You’ll have a harder time than me, so there’s nothing to thank me for….”

We’re continuing the conversation as usual, but our position is strangely suggestive. I’m lying down looking at the ceiling, and Hwa Nabi is on top of me. I tried to get up first, pressing my hand against the bed sheet.

At that moment, Hwa Nabi’s hand overlapped mine. As if trying to prevent me from getting up.

“…What are you doing?”

“Oh. Siwoo, do you know?”

“No, I don’t know.”

Somehow feeling uneasy, I tried to avoid answering by saying something irrelevant. But Hwa Nabi paid no attention and looked down at me intently.

“During pregnancy, they say you should avoid activities that put pressure on the abdomen.”

“Well, that’s obvious….”

Even without specialized medical knowledge, that’s common sense. But what about it? When I asked with just my eyes, Hwa Nabi’s eyebrows curved beautifully like half-moons.

“So I looked into it. Which position is good during pregnancy.”

“…Position?”

I couldn’t help but flinch at the unexpected topic. Hwa Nabi firmly held my wrist to prevent me from moving and looked at my face quietly.

“They say woman on top is good.”

“Well, shouldn’t we go to the hospital first? We should get a medical examination first, no matter what.”

“We have plenty of time anyway, right? Hospitals usually open at nine.”

“No, many obstetrics clinics are open twenty-four hours… mmph.”

My mouth, which was about to speak, suddenly closed. Hwa Nabi frowned slightly and put her index finger on my lips.

“I’m pregnant, you know.”

“……”

Using that as a weapon, of all things. It’s difficult to assert my opinion like this.

“Ah… okay, I got it. But be really careful, okay?”

“Yes, I understand. This is why I love you, you know?”

Tuk, tuk. With each touch of Hwa Nabi’s fingers, one pajama button comes undone. I stared blankly at her half-exposed chest and said abruptly.

“We need to leave before nine to arrive on time.”

“Yes. So?”

“…That means we need to start getting ready by eight.”

In the blink of an eye, Hwa Nabi took off her pajama top and placed her hands on my chest.

Tuk, tuk. Undoing my pajama buttons one by one, she said,

“I’ll try to finish as quickly as possible.”

…After that, by the time we arrived at the hospital, it was already well past nine o’clock.