Chapter 21: Baby Talk – December 31, 2024 – January 17, 2025
“Appa, I’m ready!” Dahui called.
Myeong smiled at Haewon. “She can’t wait to see her cousins again.”
“It was nice of Nari to include me in the invitation to her New Year’s Eve party tonight,” Haewon murmured.
He gave her an odd look. “Why wouldn’t she include you? She knows we’re dating.”
Haewon shrugged. “Still. It’s nice to be invited. You have to remember I spent years not going to parties.”
“Well, that is all about to change now, isn’t it?” He smiled at her.
—
They had joined all of the Beoms at the Mins’ home a short time later. They’d enjoyed a couple hours of good food and excellent conversation while their children played together when Myeong suddenly turned towards Haewon.
“Come with me,” he whispered as he bent his head towards her ear.
She shivered under the breeze of his sweet breath as it danced across her skin. Her eyes connected with his as she looked curiously up at him; then, as his fingers wrapped around hers, she allowed him to gently tug her out of the living room towards the library. Once they were there, he smiled down at her.
“You love books, don’t you?”
Her eyes lit up, and she bobbed her head vigorously up and down. He smiled. Her love of literature was a trait he shared.
He glanced around. “Have you ever been in Nari’s library before?”
She shook her head.
“Have a look. Do you see any books that interest you? Anything that stands out?” He followed her across the room towards one of the bookcases. When she stopped in front of it, he bent over her from behind and whispered into her ear, “I seem to remember that you have a fondness for poetry.”
She turned her head to smile up at him. “I do. It’s true. And I seem to remember a man who was quite clever with a pen.”
“Or, at least, with his fingers on a keyboard,” he smiled. “Though, perhaps this time a pen is a more apt description…”
Puzzled, she wrinkled her brow. “What?”
His gaze returned to the bookcase. “Does anything stand out to you?”
Her eyes followed his, then they began to scan the shelves quickly. After a few moments, her gaze settled on a particular bookshelf before backing up. Her own name had caught her eye.
“Wait a minute! That doesn’t look like a book. It looks like a binder. And the author sounds familiar.”
She gave him a wide grin as she stepped forward and pulled the binder in question down from its shelf. Then she read its spine. “Poems for Haewon. By Kang Myeong.”
She glanced up at him in surprise. “What’s this?”
He smiled mysteriously down at her. “Have a look.”
She opened to the first page. And began to read aloud. “Death tried to break you.”
But he interrupted her as he reached for the book.
“Allow me,” he murmured as he gently pulled it from her grasp.
“Death tried to break you.
Your heart did ache too.
The coals did rake you,
Scarring your weak heart.
But you got breakthrough.
You got a new start.”
He paused for a moment and met her eyes. She smiled faintly at him, so he continued to recite the poem he’d written for her.
“Now you know the wilder side of life.
Saved from the wicked blade of hatred’s knife.
“Your true heart, kind core, the innermost one,
Was always drawn to life under the sun.”
He paused again then took a deep breath before continuing.
“Would you dance with me?
Would you come and see
Life as it was always meant to be?
Safe in my embrace.
Can’t think of a kinder place.
Just want to hold you, dear, face to face.
“Would you hold my hand…?”
He held his hand out towards her. Haewon glanced at it before sliding her fingers along his. He drew her closer and whispered to her softly.
“If we don’t understand
All we’re walking through?
I’ll still be all right with you.”
He drew her even closer to him before he spoke the next words.
“Come into the sunlight.
Come dance in my delight.
“I love you; I want you; I need you.
No matter what you’ve been through,
Sweet delight, you’re my precious treasure.
My love for you’s without measure.
“Let’s live our days in the sun.
Marveling at this love we’ve won.
Lift your face to its gentle rays.
Come dance with me all your days.”
He stopped to smile at her before he spoke the last two lines to her without reading them off the page. He tugged her closer still and bent his head until his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers.
“Haewon, will you be my wife?
Will you come share my life?”
Her face broke into a wide smile. “Of course, Myeong. Of course, I’ll be your wife.”
She closed the tiny space between them, and her lips brushed his. A moment later, he bent to put the binder on the floor before straightening himself to claim her lips once more. After several sweet seconds, she smiled against his lips and murmured a question.
“Does this binder mean that there will be more poems written for Haewon by Kang Myeong?”
“I think it does. He’s going to fill them with lovely poems for his beautiful wife. During all the most important seasons of their life together. Their wedding day…their first night as husband and wife…the birth of their first child…”
She drew back.
His heart skipped a beat as a tremor passed over her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I want a baby, Myeong, but for me it’s not that easy. There are risks.”
His forehead wrinkled in concern. “What risks?”
“There’s the possibility that my heart or one of my other organs could fail.”
A spasm passed across his face. “I can’t go through that again.”
“What?”
“Losing another wife. To childbirth. I can’t do it. I can’t lose you. I don’t even want you to risk me losing you. I don’t want to raise another child without her eomma. I don’t want Dahui to lose another eomma.”
“I don’t want to risk putting her through that either,” Haewon murmured. She took a deep breath. “I like being alive. I like having years to look forward to. It’s a novel experience.” Her lips twisted wryly, but then her eyes flooded with angst as they met his. “I don’t want to risk leaving Dahui or you.” She inhaled sharply again because this decision still hurt. “So I’ve decided not to get pregnant.”
He looked at her with concern in his gaze. He could tell this was hurting her. “You’re okay with that? Never having a child of your own? It’s a lot to give up.”
“I’ve thought a lot about it since meeting Dahui. I can see – as wonderful of an appa as you are – that growing up without an eomma has been hard for her. I love her. And I know she loves me. I know she’s begun to adopt me as her eomma. I most definitely see her as my daughter. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that special bond. Or to leave her too soon. I also don’t want to give birth to a child that I can’t mother. So I’m at peace with this decision.”
He was frowning down at her. “Are you absolutely sure?”
Her lips twisted into a rueful smile. “You forget that I wasn’t supposed to still be here. Not at all. I should have died more than two years ago. I would have if Eunho hadn’t died. I spent my life simply battling to stay alive. To breathe for one more year. I didn’t even think I’d ever get married. It was a complete shock to me when Eunho proposed to me.
“I would never have believed that two men would ask me to marry them. I never thought for one moment that I’d really have children. And though I would love to have a houseful, I don’t want to leave you or Dahui or my baby. I don’t even want to risk it. For me, after the trauma you both endured, it’s not worth it. I love you too much.”
He sighed with relief and bent to kiss her pretty lips. But his heart released a pang. He could tell she wanted a baby, a child to raise from birth. It was clear that the woman was a born mother. He’d wanted more children once too. But he had to put Haewon’s safety first.
—
A few moments later, hand in hand, they entered the living room.
“Dahui,” Myeong called to his daughter who was sitting playing a game with Ajin and Jungju.
The girl glanced up at her father.
“Can you join me and Mrs. Wang in the other room for a moment?”
Now he’d drawn the attention of Nari and Minha. Eyebrows ascending in curiosity, they both looked at the couple before exchanging a speaking glance between themselves.
Dahui followed her father and her teacher out into the foyer. She glanced expectantly up at her appa. He smiled sweetly down at her.
“Dahui, how would you feel about having an eomma?”
The little girl’s eyes widened in surprise and delight as they flew to Mrs. Wang’s face. “Mrs. Wang?”
Her father nodded. Dahui squealed and threw herself at Haewon who caught her and returned her hug affectionately.
“You’re getting married?!” Dahui shouted.
Myeong glanced ruefully at Haewon. “Well,” he remarked dryly, “I guess we won’t need to announce it ourselves.”
Dahui grabbed Haewon by the hand and dragged her towards the living room where the whole party was now assembled. “Everyone,” the little girl announced, “my appa and Mrs. Wang are getting married!”
Minha and Nari grinned at each other. Naru stood up to slap Myeong on the back and congratulate him. Yoongi, who was holding Junghee, smiled at the newly engaged couple. Mr. and Mrs. Beom beamed at them.
Ajin came running up to Dahui, but she glanced up at her uncle and asked, “When are you getting married?”
“Well, Ajin, that’s a good question.” Myeong turned his eyes on his fiancé. “When are we getting married?”
“I…I don’t know. How big of a wedding do you want?” she asked him.
“My love, I would leave that up to you. Do you have a lot of people you want to invite?”
“Myeong, you know that I have very few friends. I’m sure my parents would be delighted to invite some people. But, for my part, I just want to be married to you. I don’t care about a fancy ceremony.”
“I feel the same way. I don’t like having to drive you home every night. I want you with me,” he slid his arm around her waist and drew her in close to his side.
“Dahui and I have the next month off of school. It would be nice to get married during that break and have time for a honeymoon.” She glanced questioningly up at him.
He nodded. “I would love that. But…I have no one Dahui can spend a week with.”
“That’s not true,” Minha spoke up. “You have us. Ajin doesn’t have school either. And I’m sure she would love to have her cousin sleep over for an entire week.” Minha smiled at her daughter. “What do you think, girls?”
“Yes!” Both girls exclaimed at once, squealing. They threw their arms around each other and danced around the room.
Myeong laughed. “Hmm. I guess that settles it. The question is: is there anywhere we could get married in the next couple of weeks?”
“Sure!” Nari exclaimed. “As long as your guest list isn’t too large, you can get married here. We have that beautiful hall at the back of the house. It easily seats a couple hundred guests. And we have several friends who love to cook. I feel sure that we could get them all to pitch in and help with the meal.”
She glanced at her phone. “We could do January eighteenth. Would that work for you?”
Haewon peered up at Myeong. “I need to check with Eomma and Appa.” She picked up her phone and headed to the kitchen to make a phone call. She had some good news to deliver.
__
“Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?” Myeong murmured to Haewon as he drove home at half-past midnight.
Dahui was sound asleep in the back seat of their car.
Haewon glanced sharply at him.
“I can take the couch. I just thought…it’s so late. And I have something for you. I don’t want to take you home yet.”
“Oh. Um. Isn’t your couch terribly uncomfortable?”
“I’ll survive.”
“Or you could have Dahui sleep on the couch, and I could take her bed,” Haewon pointed out.
“An excellent notion. Except…I’ll take her bed. It’s pretty small.”
Haewon glanced at him and burst into laughter. “Myeong, have you taken a good look at me? And at yourself? If anyone needs a big bed, it’s you. She glanced down at her petite frame. “I am a tiny mite. Her little bed will suit me just fine.” She slid a glance his way. “But I’m very curious…what is this thing you have to give me?”
“Nope, you’re not getting anything out of me until we’re in my apartment. My lips are sealed.”
“I bet I can unseal them,” she whispered.
Now he chuckled. “Look, you little minx, we’re almost there. Hold your horses.”
“Too late. They’ve already left the paddock.”
He smiled at her. She was simply beaming.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were extremely happy tonight.”
“I am,” she grinned. “I have a fiancé. Soon to be husband. And I’m going to become a mother in less than three weeks. It’s a dream come true.” Her eyes filled with tears.
His gaze slid her way again, and he thought of his late wife. There was no way she could have known that her tragedy would one day lead to another woman’s happiness. Life was so strange. That something beautiful could come from so many ashes.
A few minutes later, Myeong hauled his daughter up into his arms, and Haewon shut the car door. They walked into the apartment building and rode the elevator in silence. But as soon as they were settled in the elevator, their eyes found each other, and they were grinning like silly, little kids by the time they reached his floor. He deposited his joyful burden on the couch and then reached out to slide his fingers along Haewon’s. He pulled her into his bedroom and gazed down at her with an intense light in his eyes.
“I cannot believe I forgot to do this. We started talking about having children, and I guess I just got distracted. But I feel like a complete dunce now.”
Puzzled, she furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?”
He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. It was a deep blue. She gazed down at it. He opened it up. Inside was a beautiful ring.
“I noticed that you still wear your wedding band and your engagement ring. They’re both silver. So I bought you a golden band.”
Haewon gazed down in wonder at the ring.
“You are golden to me, Haewon. I want our life together to be golden, filled with all those moments in the sun that you never experienced as a child. I want to fill our lives with them. That you would get to experience those moments as an adult with Dahui. She’s still a child. Perhaps through her – with her – you can experience what was off limits to you when you were little.”
She peered up at him. “Myeong…” Her voice trailed off. She was speechless.
She dropped her gaze to the ring once more.
“It’s called a radiant-cut diamond,” he murmured. “Radiant like the sun. Radiant like you. You light up my life, Haewon. I’ve spent so many years alone. Wandering around in the dark. Too afraid to risk my heart again. Until I met a woman with more courage than I can fathom. Who had every reason to fear life, yet she fearlessly grasped it and ran after her dreams.
“You, Haewon. You’re that fearless fighter. You lost the man you loved. But that didn’t stop you from loving again. You recuperated from heart transplant surgery. Which must have been grueling. Then you found the strength to return to college, to finish your degree, and to take on a classroom full of busy fourth graders.
“I’m in awe of you, Haewon. You throw your heart out there time and again. I see the way you love Dahui. And all your students. But, most of all, I see the way you love me. And I’m humbled by it.
“I wanted to find a ring that revealed to you how I see you. This is it, Haewon. You are this radiant diamond, the light of your eyes rescuing me, giving me hope, making me feel loved.
“I don’t know if you can see it right now, but under the right light, this diamond throws rainbows around the room. That’s you. That’s what you’ve done in my life. Your heart has released rainbows, splashing color against my pale existence. Reminding me that life is meant to be embraced, enjoyed, lived to the fullest. That’s what I want with you. With you and Dahui. A full life. Smiling under the sun together.”
Her eyes shining with tears, she gazed up at him. “It’s beautiful, Myeong. Almost as beautiful as your words.”
He laughed. “I didn’t used to have any. But Dahui dragged them out of me. She insisted that if I was ever going to woo a woman, I would need to become a poet. I never understood it because she already knew I liked her. And she liked me too. So why would I need to woo her? But to humor her, I practiced writing poems. I think it was in preparation for you. Not that she could have known…but it’s so odd, isn’t it?”
She nodded, then she leaned towards him. “But I love your poems, Myeong. I can’t wait for you to write me another.” She stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his lips.
A moment later, he whispered against that luscious mouth, “Would you like to wear it?”
His heart was hammering in his chest. He knew he was asking her to remove her rings from Eunho. She had always worn that flashing ruby heart. He knew it must mean so much to her. Especially now that Eunho had died saving her. And he had given her his actual heart too.
“It’s okay with me if you want to keep wearing your ruby. I understand if it’s important to remember what Eunho gave you.” He had also noticed the matching necklace that she wore every day. “After all, I named my daughter after my wife. Forever, you will have a constant reminder that I was married before.”
She smiled up at him. But it was a little wobbly. “Myeong. I don’t ever want you to forget her. I know you loved her with all of your heart. I’m just glad that somehow there is enough room in there for me now too.
“I know that the man you are – the poet I fell in love with – became who he is because of her. She was a huge part of your life for a very long time. I know she will always have a special place in your heart. As Eunho – who died for me – will have in mine. I don’t need to wear his rings anymore; though, I may still wear the necklace from time to time.
“Eunho wouldn’t begrudge me anything. He always felt like he owed me the entire world. He wouldn’t have wanted me to spend my life alone. He would have been happy that I found you.”
She slid the rings off and put them on her other hand. Just so she wouldn’t lose them. Then she held her hand out as he slid the ring onto her finger. Tears filled her eyes as she glanced down at it.
Eunho’s rings were gone. Just like he was. This radiant diamond was the sign of the beginning of a whole new chapter in her life. Of a new love. Actually, of two new loves. For the daughter was as embedded in her heart as the father was.
“It’s stunning, Myeong,” she whispered.
“Just like you.”
__
A few days later, as Haewon was in the midst of packing up her apartment in preparation for moving in with Myeong and Dahui, she decided to run out and grab a quick bite to eat. But as she opened her apartment door and stepped into the hallway, she noticed her young neighbor standing in front of her own door. Her head was bent, and she seemed to be fighting with the lock.
“Bada, how are you?” Haewon asked as she crossed the hallway.
She couldn’t help but notice the forlorn cast of the girl’s bent head. But she was unprepared for the tear streaks that met her gaze when Bada glanced up at her.
“Not good, Haewon. I’m in a world of trouble.”
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
The girl glanced down the hallway at two teenagers headed their way. Haewon noticed.
“Come to my apartment with me. I’ll make us both some tea. And maybe a little lunch?”
A few moments later, they were settled on her couch, so Haewon turned towards Bada.
“What’s going on?”
The girl gulped. “I – I – I’m pregnant.”
“What?” A sad kind of awe filled Haewon’s voice. “Are you sure?”
Bada nodded. “I’ve taken three tests.” She burst into tears. “How am I going to tell my parents? I’m too young to be an eomma. I have two years of high school left and at least four of college. I’ve been working hard to get a scholarship. I’m going to have to drop out now and raise my baby.” Tears were pouring down her cheeks.
“Is Bitgaon the appa?”
Another nod.
“Have you told him?”
Bada began to sob. “Yes. It freaked him out. He hasn’t talked to me since New Year’s Eve. He said he wasn’t ready to be an appa. He suggested we give the baby up for adoption.”
“Are you willing to do that?”
Bada lifted her tearstained face to meet Haewon’s eyes. “I don’t know. I want to know my baby! But I don’t think I can raise her. I’m just a kid.”
Yes, you are.
Haewon’s heart began to beat harder in her chest. “Would you be willing to give your baby to adoptive parents if it was an open adoption?”
“What’s that?” Bada wrinkled her brow.
“It’s when the adoptive parents and the birth parents know each other and are in contact with each other. The birth parents get to visit their baby, but the adoptive parents are the baby’s legal guardians and raise the child as their own.”
Bada’s face brightened a little. “There’s such an arrangement?”
Haewon nodded.
But then the girl’s countenance fell. “But who would want me to be part of my baby’s life if they were going to take all of the responsibility for her?”
Haewon took a deep breath. “I would.”
“What?” Bada glanced up at her in confusion.
Haewon began to speak haltingly. “I want a baby, Bada, but I’ve had a heart transplant, and that increases the risks for me if I become pregnant. I have decided not to get pregnant. But lately I’ve really been sad at the prospect of never having any children of my own. However, if I adopted a baby from birth, that child would be like my own. I would know him or her from the very beginning of their life. I think for me that would be enough.”
Bada just stared at her. “Are you serious about wanting to adopt my baby?”
Haewon bobbed her head. “Yes. I was already thinking about adoption. I would need to discuss it with my fiancé first.”
Bada’s eyes grew large. “You’re engaged?” She glanced down at Haewon’s hand and took note of her big diamond for the first time. “Congratulations!” She smiled at her friend.
“Thank you. I’ll talk to Myeong about adopting your baby. I’m going to see him in a couple of hours. Can we come find you after I talk to him?”
Bada sniffed and reached for a Kleenex to blow her nose. “Yes! Absolutely. I feel better already.” She glanced at Haewon. “Can I wait to tell my parents until you and I have worked out the details?”
Haewon nodded. “The only thing is…do you think your parents will want you to keep your baby?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think they’ll want to take care of her. They’ve always pushed me to excel in school and drummed into me the importance of a college education. I think if they knew that my baby would have a good home, they’d tell me to give her away.” She sobbed again suddenly. “Is this the right thing? To give my baby up?”
“I can’t decide that for you, Bada. Only you can decide that. But I can give your baby a good home if you decide you need to.” Haewon was privately hoping she would.
__
“Myeong,” Haewon’s eyes were shining like two obsidian stones as he entered her apartment an hour later. He could feel her excitement. It was palpable.
“What is it?”
“Can I speak to you in my bedroom for a moment?” she whispered. Then she turned towards Dahui. “Sweetheart, I’m packing up the drawers in my kitchen. Do you think you could get started on moving everything from that big drawer on the bottom of the rightmost cabinet into the box on the floor?”
The girl grinned up at her. “Sure, Mrs. Wang.” Dahui grimaced. “Um, can I ask you both something?” She looked suddenly quite sheepish.
“What is it, honey?” her appa queried.
“Can I,” her eyes flew from his face to Haewon’s and back again. “Can I call Mrs. Wang Eomma?” She had found the courage to say the words, but now she found herself holding her breath.
Myeong’s eyes widened before colliding with Haewon’s.
“Are you okay with it?” Haewon breathed in his direction.
He nodded.
Haewon’s face split into a wide grin. “I would be delighted, Dahui!”
She walked forward and pulled the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly. “Of course,” she whispered into her ear, “you’ll still have to call me by my married name at school, but that will be a change for everyone because I’ll be Mrs. Kang then!”
They could both hear the joy in her voice. Dahui’s grin lit up the entire apartment then. She squeezed Haewon close to her.
“I’m so happy that you’re going to be my eomma. I’ve wanted this for four months!” she admitted.
Haewon’s heart melted. “Oh, sweetie! So have I.”
Myeong glanced sharply at her. “You have?” he responded in surprise.
Her eyes met his over the top of Dahui’s head, and she nodded.
A couple of minutes later, she faced him in her bedroom after quietly closing the door behind them.
“Myeong, how would you feel about adopting a baby with me?”
His eyes brightened. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that for a few days.”
“You have?” she asked, surprised.
He bobbed his head up and down. “I think it’s a delightful idea.”
“How would you feel about doing it in about eight months?”
He pulled his eyebrows down close to his nose. “What?”
“Do you remember Bada? The girl that lives across the hallway?”
He nodded.
“She’s pregnant.”
Incredulous, he asked, “Isn’t she fifteen?”
“Yes…she wants us to adopt her baby.”
“What?”
“In an open adoption.”
“Are you okay with that?” he asked suddenly.
“After what your wife went through? Absolutely, I am,” she answered smoothly. “I love Bada. I would love her baby too. And I’d be very happy to have them both in our lives.”
“What about the father?”
“He’s just a kid too. A scared kid who isn’t talking to her right now.”
Myeong sighed. “It might involve a little drama, you know.”
Her eyes met his. “I can handle it. My whole life has been a drama. And if we can help this sweet girl out and gain a son or daughter in the process, I think our lives will be the richer for it. Don’t you?”
He smiled. “Absolutely.” He reached for her. “Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?” Then he bent his head and kissed her lips.
After a moment, she murmured against his mouth, “Myeong, can we go talk to her now? I think she’s been very nervously waiting for the last hour for me to talk to you. Let’s put her mind at rest.”
She paused for a moment. “There is one more thing. She hasn’t told her parents yet, so there is the chance they might want her to keep the baby. But she didn’t think it was very likely. Just…be prepared in case we don’t get to adopt her baby.”
“If we don’t adopt hers, we can adopt someone else’s,” he whispered, his breath teasing the skin of her cheek.
Her expression melted as she gazed up at him. “I love you, Kang Myeong.”
He smiled. “I love you too, Wang Haewon.”
Once again their lips collided sweetly.
“Myeong?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we talk to Dahui about the possibility of adopting a baby? I don’t want to make this decision without her. She’s a huge part of our new family.”
He grinned down at her. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.” His eyes twinkled at her.
She giggled and grabbed his hand. “Come on. Let’s go talk to her right now.”
“Dahui,” Haewon called cheerfully as she pulled Myeong towards her kitchen.
The girl glanced up at them both. She noted the hesitant expression on their faces. “What is it?”
“How would you feel about us adopting a baby?” her appa asked her.
Dahui’s entire countenance lit up like the sun had just risen in the middle of Haewon’s apartment. “Really?” she breathed. “I would love that! I want a little brother or sister so badly!”
Myeong’s eyebrows flew sky high. “You do?”
The girl nodded her head vociferously. “I always have.” She frowned for a moment. “But…why don’t you just have a baby of your own? You’re getting married.”
Haewon fielded that question. “It’s not a good idea for me. Because of my heart transplant.”
Dahui instantly grasped what she wasn’t saying. She bobbed her chin up and down once. “Oh. Yes. Definitely adopt a baby.” She didn’t want to lose another eomma.
“There’s a chance that we might bring a baby home in eight months. Would that be okay with you? If it’s that soon?” Haewon asked sheepishly.
Again, Dahui was overjoyed. “Yes! Oh, I’m so excited! I can’t wait! But, Appa,” she glanced at her father, “we’re going to need a bigger apartment!”
He smiled. “We are, aren’t we?” He looked down at Haewon.
“You mean…I’m going to have to move twice?”
__
“Bada?” Haewon glanced up at her as the nervous girl opened her apartment door. “Myeong and I would like to adopt your baby.”
Relief crashed through Bada. “Oh! That’s so good! My parents stopped by to visit, and I told them I’m pregnant,” she whispered. “They’re not happy with me.” She glanced back over her shoulder.
“Are they still here?” Haewon’s eyes widened in concern.
Bada nodded. “I told them you wanted to adopt my baby. I don’t think they want me to keep her,” she murmured very quietly.
“Can we come in and meet them?” Myeong asked softly.
Bada bobbed her head up and down. “Please.” She clearly wanted to use them both as a shield.
Haewon glanced up at Myeong. He slid his fingers along hers before engulfing her hand with his own. Together, they entered the tiny apartment. To find two very disgruntled adults standing in the minuscule kitchen. Glaring at their daughter.
Haewon’s heart went out to her. She closed her eyes briefly to gather her own courage. She didn’t relish dealing with anyone’s anger or disappointment. Not even that of two strangers.
“Appa, Eomma, this is the nice couple that wants to adopt my baby.”
Myeong and Haewon smiled at them and tried to look like upstanding people.
“Appa, Eomma, this is Haewon and Myeong. These are my parents, Chong Yongsun and Chong Sukja.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Chong, it’s wonderful to meet you,” Haewon breathed effortlessly. All her days of greeting parents came to her rescue.
“So, you know of the trouble our daughter has gotten herself into,” Mr. Chong grumbled after the introductions had been made and greetings traded. He glanced at Haewon’s hand. “Are you two married?”
“We will be. In two weeks,” responded Myeong.
The man nodded approvingly. “Good. My grandchild deserves to have two stable parents.” He glanced sharply at Myeong. “I assume you have a good job?”
“We both do,” Myeong replied smoothly. “Haewon is a teacher, and I have my own business. Stocks and bonds.”
The older gentleman’s eyebrows flew high. “So you’ll be covering all the costs of the birth?”
Myeong responded, “As long as Bada signs the paperwork allowing us to become the baby’s legal guardians. But we are in favor of an open adoption so she can see her baby.”
Her eomma sighed with relief. “Then I am in favor of you adopting her child.” She glanced at her husband. “We are too old to raise another child.” She sighed. Then she looked at her daughter. “And she is too young. She would ruin her future if she left school to care for the child.”
Mrs. Chong gazed up at her husband. “Meet with him.” She inclined her head towards Myeong. “Satisfy yourself concerning their finances. Then, get all the paperwork drawn up. She’ll need to see a doctor in a few weeks. I want this settled before then.”
Bada’s parents seemed to be more concerned with the medical bills their daughter would soon be incurring than they were about her emotional wellbeing. Haewon frowned as her heart sank. She was beginning to understand how Bada had gotten herself into this predicament. Perhaps the attention the girl had been craving her whole life had come to her only through Bitgaon. That sad truth made Haewon’s heart ache for the young woman. Haewon thought of Aejeong and all the pain she’d suffered because she’d been forced to give up her own child. Hopefully, Haewon and Myeong could prevent that kind of pain from ever becoming a reality for Bada.
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“Myeong, I want to discuss an idea with you, but you don’t have to agree. I’ll understand if you don’t go for it.”
“What is it, Haewon?” he asked.
They were standing outside of her apartment. They had just left Bada and her parents.
“I don’t like the idea of Bada being alone while she’s pregnant. And since we need to shop for a new apartment anyway, what would you think of us renting a four-bedroom apartment and inviting her to live with us?”
Myeong just stared at her.
“I mean, I know we’d be newlyweds, but it’s not like we were going to be alone. Dahui will be with us. And if Bada moved in, we’d have a live-in babysitter. We might actually be able to go on a date or two.”
“Wow. We’ve still never had one of those.” His eyebrows jumped up.
She giggled. “Maybe we’ll get a chance after we’re married.”
He chuckled.
She sobered. “What do you think, Myeong? Would you be comfortable moving Bada in with us? I know it’s a risk. We don’t know her well.”
He smiled at her as his face softened. “Haewon, I love you. You have the kindest heart of anyone I have ever met.”
“Did you see how cold her parents were towards her, Myeong? Especially her appa?” Tears were flooding her eyes now. “That poor girl. Growing up with parents like that.” She shuddered. “I probably would have looked to a boy for comfort too.”
“Truthfully, they reminded me of Dahui’s parents. More concerned with making money than raising their daughter.”
“She’s all alone here, Myeong. What if she gets into trouble? I won’t even be across the hall anymore.”
“Let’s do it,” he responded softly.
“What?” she gasped.
“Let’s move her in with us. She needs a family as badly as my wife did when I met her. Do you realize I’m actually old enough to be that girl’s appa? I have a feeling we’re going to be adopting two children, not one, Haewon. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
She grinned. “A baby and a teenager, you mean?” She nodded her head. “Absolutely!” She threw her arms around Myeong. “Can we tell her tonight? After her parents leave?”
“I think we should go tell them all right now. If they care for her at all – and I suspect they do a little, especially her eomma – we’ll set their minds at ease.”
She nodded. They were knocking on the door again a moment later. Bada opened it.
“Haewon? Myeong?”
“Bada, would you like to move in with us?” Haewon didn’t beat around the bush.
The girl gasped. “You want me to move in with you?”
Haewon nodded. “We’re going shopping for a larger apartment to make room for the baby. We’ve agreed to find one with four bedrooms so you can move in with us.”
“Now?”
“In a couple of weeks. I don’t like the idea of you being alone. Especially not while you’re pregnant.”
Bada swallowed. “Would you want me to move out after my baby is born?”
“No,” Myeong responded. “You could stay with us. That way your child would really know you from birth.”
Tears filled Bada’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “What did I do to deserve such kindness?”
Haewon noticed the girl was trembling. Her parents came closer.
“You want Bada to move in with you?”
“Yes,” Myeong responded. “We’d give her a bedroom of her own. She’d have her own space and plenty of time to study. But she’d be close to us if she needed help. And once her baby is born, she’d be able to see her child every day.”
Her parents looked stunned.
“Are you expecting us to give you money towards her rent?”
Myeong considered them for a moment. He could feel the pull of Haewon’s heart next to him. She was leaning into this conversation. She was longing to wrap herself protectively around both this young girl and her baby. Myeong was also measuring the father. He had the overwhelming sense that the man would agree if it saved him some money.
“Only what you think is fair. We will incur some extra expenses with a larger apartment and her care if she comes to stay with us.”
“I will pay you the same amount I am paying for this apartment,” her appa offered.
“I think that’s fair,” Myeong responded.
“Except that this apartment is leased until the end of the next term. I do not have the means to pay you until July.”
“Is it possible to sublet it?” Myeong asked.
“I can try.”
Haewon replied, “I have a similar problem with my apartment. I will still have two months left on my lease when we marry.”
Myeong shrugged. “That’s not much. We can easily cover that. You would have anyway if we weren’t getting married.” He glanced at Mr. Chong. “If you’re able to sublet her apartment, you can pay me for her care for the next few months. If you aren’t able to lease it, then I won’t charge you anything.”
“Nothing?” The man stared at him and narrowed his eyes. “Why would you do that?”
Myeong slid his arm around Haewon and drew her into his side. “Because I want to make my soon-to-be wife happy. She loves your daughter. And her baby. Haewon can’t have any children of her own, so your grandchild is her chance to become an eomma. I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
Haewon stared up at him with glowing eyes, and if the two other women in the room had looked at her with jealousy in their gaze, the whole world would have understood it. Her heart was in her eyes. They were overflowing with her adoration of the gentle man she was about to call her husband.
Mr. Chong nodded his head. “I want to meet with you this evening and discuss the details. Are you free?”
Myeong glanced down at Haewon.
She spoke, “I can take care of Dahui. In fact,” she glanced at Mrs. Chong. “How about I take you and Bada out for dinner? We’ll get a chance to know each other better.” She looked at Myeong. “You can take Mr. Chong out and work out all the details while Dahui and I take these ladies with us. There’s that little place down the street. We can walk.”
Myeong nodded at her. “Sounds good to me.”
Everyone agreed. A few hours later, a successful evening was had by all. Myeong and Mr. Chong came to an understanding that pleased them both. Truthfully, the man was relieved of the burden his daughter had become to him. His wife was simply relieved that someone was going to take care of her child and her grandchild. She could return to her own concerns now.
Haewon was happy. She was quickly transforming from a widow into a wife and mother. With not one child but three. In less than three years, she had gone from being a girl on her deathbed, with no prospects of ever marrying or having children, to a woman who had it all. She was a beloved teacher. She would be a treasured wife in two weeks. A beautiful girl was already calling her Eomma. And now a pregnant teenager was looking up to her as, if not her adopted mother, then a big sister of sorts. In a few months’ time, a tiny baby would be added to the mix. Haewon would be embracing a son or a daughter to call her own. Joyful tears slid down her cheeks as she slipped off into dreamland that night.
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Bada couldn’t believe how blessed she suddenly was. When she’d discovered she was pregnant, she had figured her life was over. If her appa didn’t kill her, her circumstances would. Her future was in ashes. She would have to drop out of school to take care of a baby. Eventually, she’d be stuck with no education in a dead-end job. She would barely be able to make ends meet. She’d be a single mother. What man would want her then?
But Myeong and Haewon had come to her rescue. In so many ways. Not just simply by accepting her child as their own. But they also seemed to be adopting her. She wept many tears later that night in the privacy of her tiny apartment. Haewon felt like the mother she’d never had. Nurturing. Supporting. For his part, Myeong seemed like a protective appa seeking to shield her from the consequences of even her worst mistake.
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Over the next week, Myeong, Haewon, and Bada went apartment shopping. They fell in love with the fifth apartment they toured. It was located in the perfect spot too, close to Haewon’s school. It had the four bedrooms they needed and even two bathrooms. A bonus, for sure, with three girls occupying the same space. There was also a parking garage for stowing Myeong’s car.
They all spent the next few days packing up their apartments in preparation for moving. Thankfully, Bada owned almost nothing, so she had little work to do. Her apartment had come pre-furnished, though, so Haewon took her shopping to buy her a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser for her new room in their apartment. They rented the new apartment a week before the wedding so they could begin to move their belongings into it ahead of time. Bada was going to occupy it while her friends were on their honeymoon.
Three days before the wedding, Myeong helped Haewon to move the remainder of her things into their new apartment. She was going to stay in it with Bada for the next few days. Haewon and Bada bid their old apartments a fond goodbye and headed to their new home to settle in while Myeong and Dahui returned to their old apartment to continue packing up their stuff.
Myeong was able to find a new student to sublet Bada’s apartment. Mr. Chong signed all the necessary paperwork, and Myeong brokered the deal. He also had a friend that needed a place for a month, so Haewon would get a little of her money back while his friend rented her apartment during the month of February. However, Myeong was still searching for someone to sublet his own apartment. He had another six months on his lease. He had decided that, in the meantime, he would keep it as his office.
But he was happy that so many of the details were coming together easily. With every passing day, Dahui grew more excited about her new family. They were all looking forward to living in their new home too. It was even nicer than Myeong’s current apartment. And, of course, he couldn’t wait to be married to Haewon.
I am so sorry for Bada