Coming into the main room, Shi-hyun-nim looked at me.
"What are we going to do?"
"What do you mean, what are we going to do?"
I know it's a serious matter. But it wasn't something we could choose.
"First, we'll go to the hospital, and Saet-byeol-i and her boyfriend have to decide."
If they decide to have the baby, we'll help as much as we can and take care of the child. Isn't it our grandchild? We can't just do whatever we want.
Actually, there's no need to go to the hospital. The moment it showed up on the pregnancy test, it was practically confirmed. But the reason for going to the hospital is because we need a doctor's note.
"What do you think his side will say?"
"I don't know...."
I haven't seen Geon-u that much, but when I met him, he seemed like a decent guy. I don't know about his parents, but they're reasonably educated, so they won't act rudely. The only thing that worries me a bit is that Geon-u is an only child, right?
"He'll take responsibility and marry her."
I thought optimistically. They've been dating for over 10 years. Doesn't that mean they've been thinking about getting married?
"Hoo."
Shi-hyun-nim seemed to have calmed down, and his expression returned.
"Even if you see her boyfriend tomorrow, stay calm."
"Okay...."
We made a plan for what to do. First, we assumed that the pregnancy was confirmed.
"What if they want to abort it?"
At my words, Shi-hyun-nim frowned.
"Then they deserve to be hit, yeah, they deserve to be hit."
Seeing Shi-hyun-nim exuding murderous intent, I was scared.
"But isn't it Saet-byeol-i who has to decide, not us?"
"That's true too."
What if Saet-byeol-i decides to raise the child alone? Could we stop her? I don't think I could ever do that. In the end, I'd weaken and give my permission.
"I should go ask Saet-byeol-i."
When Shi-hyun-nim tried to get up, I stopped him.
"You stay here. Are you going to threaten her like you did earlier and try to follow her?"
"Then?"
"If you're there, she'll be too scared to say anything."
Shi-hyun-nim closed his mouth, feeling guilty.
"First, I'll talk to her quietly, and since she's probably contacted her boyfriend by now, I'll ask her about it."
"Alright."
I left Shi-hyun-nim and came out of the room. Then I headed straight for Saet-byeol-i's room.
"Saet-byeol-a, it's Mom, can I come in?"
"......Yeah."
I carefully opened the door and entered the room, then closed and locked the door.
"Have you calmed down?"
"Yeah."
She seemed quite calm, with her usual expression. I was worried, but... seeing her condition, it seemed like there would be no problem talking to her.
"Have you contacted your boyfriend?"
"Yeah......."
Her reaction was subtle. Is there something wrong?
"Um, uh, Mom?"
"What is it?"
I reacted as calmly as possible.
"Um, uh, Geon-u said he's coming home."
Ah... is he coming to apologize? Anyway, that means he's not an insensible person, right?
"Okay, I understand that."
It was time to ask the most important question.
"What do you want to do?"
I looked at Saet-byeol-i's lower abdomen. Saet-byeol-i noticed my gaze and covered her belly with her arms.
"Um, um...."
Has she not decided yet? Her reaction was ambiguous.
"I, I want to have it......."
I held back a sigh.
"It's a difficult path."
"I, I can do it."
"What about university?"
"I can still go!"
She started acting stubborn. Roughly calculating, the period she'd be attending school would be the stable period, so it wasn't impossible. And the due date is around the vacation? It's possible. It is possible....
"Who will take care of the baby?"
I can take care of it. But I asked anyway.
"Um, I, Mom during the day...."
Saet-byeol-i avoided my gaze.
"I can help, but it's going to be tough."
Taking care of a baby is not as easy as you think.
"Um, but I absolutely can't abort it."
Saet-byeol-i clutched her lower abdomen. Is she already showing maternal instincts? A faint smile appeared. If she's that determined, she'll endure even if it's tough, right?
"Okay, do as you please, do as you please."
Saet-byeol-i's face brightened. I was so proud of my daughter that I hugged her.
"But you know you did wrong, right?"
Saet-byeol-i and Geon-u did wrong, not the child that was conceived. So, I'm enduring it.
"Yeah...."
After roughly finishing the conversation, I opened the locked door.
"More importantly, your boyfriend is coming?"
"Yeah...."
"It's very late."
Of course, the current situation wasn't something that could be postponed just because it was late.
"Are you going to stay in your room?"
"No."
After coming out of the room, I told Saet-byeol-i to open the door if he came, and I went into the main room.
"Did you come?"
Shi-hyun-nim had his eyes closed, and he gently opened them the moment I came in.
"Yeah."
"What did she say she's going to do?"
"She's going to go to school and can't give up the baby."
As expected, Shi-hyun-nim frowned.
"What can we do? She said she's going to do it, so we should just cheer her on."
"It's better than aborting it, but still, that's how it is."
Come to think of it, there was something important.
"Ah, her boyfriend is coming."
Shi-hyun-nim was slightly surprised to hear that.
"Now?"
"Yeah, I told you he's not a bad kid."
"That's something we'll know after hearing what he has to say."
Shi-hyun-nim was full of complaints. But Shi-hyun-nim's feelings are understandable, right...? I told Shi-hyun-nim in advance not to scold her boyfriend too much.
"That depends on what that bastard says."
"That might be true...."
While I was persuading Shi-hyun-nim, the sound of the front door bell rang.
"Is he here...,"
I heard Shi-hyun-nim muttering softly. It was so fierce and ominous that my body trembled.
"I'll greet him, so you stay on the sofa."
Leaving those words behind, I immediately came out of the main room. And I followed Saet-byeol-i, who was heading to the front door.
"Saet-byeol-a, you stay inside."
It's cold, why are you trying to come out in your pajamas?
"But...."
"It's cold."
I stopped Saet-byeol-i and went to the door and opened it. And in front of me was Geon-u, standing there in a state of fear.
"Ah, ah, hello! I'm Saet-byeol-i's boyfriend!"
He immediately bowed 90 degrees when he saw me. If you look closely, he was also holding a set of drinks in his hand. It wasn't something to be welcomed, so I was worried about how to accept it.
Of course, the worry didn't last long.
"Okay, come on in."
It was cold, so I brought him inside first. Saet-byeol-i was restless when she saw her boyfriend.
I glared slightly at the pathetic Saet-byeol-i, but she didn't notice and started worrying next to her boyfriend.
Who is worrying about whom right now....
"Let's talk inside."
That's great, is she already taking care of her husband? Saet-byeol-i was holding her boyfriend's hand tightly. It was a bit of an eyesore.
When we went inside, Shi-hyun-nim was sitting in a solemn posture. It reminded me of the time when I met my dad with Shi-hyun-nim in the past.
The way he was acting serious was very funny.
Of course, it was working on Saet-byeol-i and her boyfriend, giving them fear.
When Saet-byeol-i and her boyfriend stood in front of Shi-hyun-nim, I carefully sat next to Shi-hyun-nim.
"Ah, hello! I'm Saet-byeol-i's boyfriend! Kim Geon-u!"
He gave the same polite greeting he had given me earlier.
"And, and this is a small gift."
He held out the juice set he had brought, but Shi-hyun-nim didn't accept it and uttered words full of dissatisfaction.
"It is small."
It was an openly dismissive remark.
Geon-u kept holding out the gift until it was accepted. If he had given up here, it would have been a deduction, but... he kept holding it out for almost a minute.
I felt sorry for him, so I took it from Shi-hyun-nim.
"You didn't have to bring something like this."
"Ah, no."
"Why did you accept it?"
Shi-hyun-nim looked at me with a dissatisfied expression. Isn't that too much, no matter what? Was this how Dad felt? Still, Shi-hyun-nim was able to get through it well....
I poked Shi-hyun-nim's side to ease the atmosphere even a little. Kokkok, I poked him repeatedly, but Shi-hyun-nim didn't budge and endured it.
"First, sit down."
"Saet-byeol-i, come here."
Shi-hyun-nim patted the spot next to him. Saet-byeol-i looked at both Shi-hyun-nim and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend gestured for her to go, and Shi-hyun-nim pressured her to come quickly.
Saet-byeol-i hesitated and stood next to her boyfriend.
"Heo...."
It was a heartwarming sight. But it seems like she really likes him.
"You've heard the story, right?"
"Yes! I, I will definitely take responsibility!"
"Is that what you should be saying?"
The way he was nitpicking even the smallest things was truly artistic.
"Ah, no, I'm sorry."
He looked so pitiful with his head bowed. It was amazing to see Shi-hyun-nim acting like this.
"Isn't it awkward? Because of you, my daughter has to give up university."
Saet-byeol-i, who was surprised by Shi-hyun-nim's words, stepped forward, but Shi-hyun-nim didn't budge.
"Dad!? I'm going to school."
Saet-byeol-i shouted. But it wasn't the right thing to do in this situation. Geon-u seemed to know that and stopped Saet-byeol-i by holding her hand.
And Jae-won-i peeked his head out of the room, curious about the noise.
I gestured for him to go back into the room with my eyes. Jae-won-i tilted his head for a moment, then looked at Shi-hyun-nim and quietly closed the door.
He has good sense.
"You may want to, but I don't know if you really can."
In my case, thanks to the strong body of an Awakener, I didn't experience much discomfort. But Saet-byeol-i, who is a normal person, was likely to suffer.
"That's...."
"I will help her from the side."
"How?"
"If I apply to the same department and take the same classes, it will work."
Saet-byeol-i looked at her boyfriend with a surprised expression.
"Hey, I heard you're going to medical school."
Medical school? Was he planning to become a doctor? Don't tell me he's giving up his dream because of Saet-byeol-i?
"It's okay."
Shi-hyun-nim's expression softened a little. I didn't know he would show that much responsibility.
"Ho, are you giving up your dream?"
"Is a dream more important? The woman I'll spend my life with is more important."
Wow... is he really saying that much? My face flushed with embarrassment. Saet-byeol-i was the same, with her head bowed.
"So, you're thinking about getting married?"
"Yes! Of course!"
It was a really likable action. But I couldn't forgive him easily.
"If you get married, are you even going to live on your own?"
"That, that's...."
It was a difficult question to answer easily since he wasn't earning money.
"And who will take care of the child after she gives birth?"
He hadn't thought that far, so he couldn't open his mouth.
"Have you told your parents?"
"Not yet......."
"Can you just come here and decide everything on your own?"
"No...."
Right, all right.
"I know how you feel about my daughter, but to talk properly, we need to hear your parents' opinions too, right?"
"That's a valid point."
"Let's not end it with just confirming your feelings today."
"Then...."
Saet-byeol-i looked at Shi-hyun-nim with a face that suddenly brightened.
"The exact details will be decided after some time, after talking with your family."
"Yes, that's right."
"Go back today and tell your parents."
"I understand, I'm really sorry."
Shi-hyun-nim didn't look at Geon-u, who was apologizing and bowing his head, and didn't see him off either. I was next to Saet-byeol-i, seeing him off, but I didn't do much.
Geon-u smiled brightly at Saet-byeol-i and then left.
"Dad is too much."
Saet-byeol-i, this kid? She still hasn't come to her senses.
"Dad was acknowledging it in his own way."
If he hadn't, his fist would have flown. Saet-byeol-i was still dissatisfied, puffing out her cheeks.
"Geon-u said he'd take responsibility."
"It's easy to say."
"Mom, I heard you and Dad got married early too."
The target suddenly changed.
"But it was later than you guys."
In the first place, we were properly adults!
"Still...."
"We have to go to the hospital tomorrow, so go to bed early."
"Okay...."
I helped Saet-byeol-i go to her room. And Jae-won-i came out, curious about what was going on.
I told him that his sister had caused an accident and explained it simply.
"Wow, my sister is so wild."
"Who says she isn't?"
I looked at Saet-byeol-i's room and sighed.