Past and the Furious

“Impregnate me.”

“...”

“Impregnate me.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Her words echoed in your mind like a ripple in a cave of nowhere.

“HEY!”

You snapped to the sound of a loud slam.

“H-huh??? Oh! Ms Baek! You’re there.” You didn’t know how long she had been there since you’d been drowned in thoughts of Jieun’s absurd proposal last night.

“I’ve been standing here for a while already. You’re daydreaming in the middle of work!” She sets down a can of coffee.

This girl needs something.

“Sorry— wait a minute! Aren't you chatting with your friend in a coffee shop in the middle of the day!?” In fact, it’s not like you usually zone out during working hours; it just happened that you’re in the most surprising state you’ve ever been in.

“Yes… WAIT! SO IT’S YOU!” She points to you as if you did something wrong- did you?

“Huh?”

“I can’t believe you tried to ditch me at the HR office a day ago!” She got it right; when it comes to gossiping, Jiheon is one of the usual suspects.

“Uhhh… I didn’t.” You denied; you didn’t plan to ditch her- just curious whether she went home early.

“You didn’t, since I happened to be the one who picked up the phone!” She had a point.

“Whatever. What do you want?” You took the can of coffee she had for you, opened it, and had a sip.

“I heard Saerom came yesterday.” Her eyes squinted. Right, Saerom mentioned that she was the friend that she met up with. This girl didn’t even mention her, not even once.

“Yeah, Ms Lee called her. You didn’t tell me that you’re friends with her.” You sulk; it’s not like you always wanted to meet Saerom. You felt a little betrayed since you and Jiheon have been together for a long time.

“Why would I? And… Did she say anything weird?” You recalled the conversation you and Saerom had, and there was nothing weird about it.

“Like what?” In fact, Jiheon’s the one who’s being suspicious right now.

“Like… wait, so she did not say anything.” She almost slipped; too bad.

“What?” You emptied the coffee she got for you.

“Never mind! I’ll go in; Ms Lee is inside, right?” She turned around, refusing to elaborate further.

“Yes.” You watched her go in like you always do.

The silence followed after it only did one thing.

“Impregnate me—”

“Aish! Why did she have to ask that!? And why can't I get it out of my mind!?” You slapped yourself in an attempt to regain your focus. “Jiheon should’ve bought two coffees– no, three— maybe four— Aish!” You left for the pantry.

You fortunately forgot what happened last night; it happened naturally when you got yourself occupied with tons of paperwork, reschedules, new appointments, and processing proposals for her to review. Apparently, Jieun is as busy as you; she has not called or commanded you something yet.

Even last night, her last words were asking you to be a father to her child. That’s it; she actually left right after she said it. She’s not drunk, mad, or even showing any emotions you can compare to love.

Ring! Ring!

Finally, your intercom rang.

“Is it her? I should be ready. Ahem.” You cleared your throat and prepared yourself for whatever was coming; she’s capable of surprising you with anything.

You picked it up.

“Hello? …h-huh? Who visits!?” It wasn’t Jieun; it was… someone else.

“M-mom! Dad!” You rushed to the reception lobby in an instant. Are you visitors? Your parents.

“Oh? There you are.” Your dad spotted you first and greeted you with his warm hug.

“I’ll take care of them.” You let the receptionist and the guards know that they’re with you; they’re quite strict, so you can’t blame them for doing their job. They immediately let them go and apologized for their manners.

“We’re so sorry; we came unannounced. The girls wanted to look around for another dormitory and insisted on accompanying them.” Your mom approached you for a hug as well.

It’s been so long since you’ve seen them in the flesh, and meeting unexpectedly is actually heartwarming.

“So we decided to visit you since we’re just around the area.” Your dad added.

“I see… so where are the two?” Your parents said that they’re with them, but you can’t see two annoying girls yapping.

“They went to the restroom.” Your mom responded, looking around, might be checking if they’re back as well.

“OPPA!” The younger one shouts the moment she sees you; her name’s Lia.

“OPP— oops.” The older one thankfully has enough decency to tone her voice down. She’s Yeji.

They’re your sisters, and they just jump into your arms for a hug, a tight one.