Adjustments

For the first time in the past two days, you were left alone in your apartment. The silence was a far cry from the symphony of laughs, chatter, moans, and whimpers that filled it a day ago. It usually feels daunting, but not today. There’s peace and assurance in you now, mainly radiating from the thoughtful gift that was wrapped around your wrist. With the plates all washed and properly put away, you dive into the couch ready to sleep for the rest of the day. As you get comfy on the sofa, browsing through netflix to find something you can sleep through, you notice your phone on the coffee table. You’re suddenly reminded of the legal document that was sitting in your inbox. For that, you need to make one more phone call before you can finally relax.

After a few rings, a man answers the call.

“Chris?”

“Hey Uno, is this a good time?”

“For my favorite client? Always. What’s up?”

“The team sent a new version of the contract. Could you go over it? Maybe check if they missed anything?”

“Alrighty. But I clearly remember that we asked to pause negotiations during the break?”

“We did tell them that, but they still sent a copy anyway. Probably because I asked for the film from the game the other night. Almost got me into hot water when Yoona saw the email.”

“Yikes. She didn’t see the contract right?”

“No. Just the email.”

“Okay, but I’m assuming that you already told Dahyun too.”

“Yeah. The cat’s out of the bag anyway. I’m not going to lie to them anymore, and maybe I shouldn’t keep things as big as this completely secret from them.” you reason. “Anyway, I skimmed over the contract and it seems like the team’s willing to accommodate my terms. Though I’m still on the fence with the overall duration.”

“Why are you even bothering with renegotiating when there’s a better offer on the table?”

“Uno…”

“It’s the Lakers, Chris! The fucking Lakers! Your dream team! This should have been an easy yes the second they offered it to you!”

“It’s… it’s not as easy as you think.”

“Why? Your favorite team in the NBA comes knocking with the offer of a lifetime and somehow you’re thinking about it? Why, Chris?”

“I’m not in player development anymore, you know that. It feels like a step down. I want to work with the entire team, not just focusing on a singular player.”

“Oh bullshit.”

“Uno…”

“There’s another reason Chris.”

“No, Uno. There isn’t.”

“You’re lying to yourself. I know it, and deep down you know it too.”

“Alright, fine. You really want to know why I haven’t said yes to the Lakers yet? Maybe I don’t want to leave the life I've built here for a tokenized inclusivity-hire of a position. Dahyun and Yoona brought me back from the brink. When I’m with them, I feel happiness that I haven’t felt since before my early retirement. What I have here feels like a second chance at the life I had envisioned. So yeah, it may look like an easy decision, but it isn’t. I’m not just going to give up my happiness here for a step down position.”

The line goes silent after your outburst. It takes a while before Uno gets back to you. 

“Didn’t need an essay from you Chris. But I get it. I’ll go over the new contract from the team. Just keep me in the loop for your final decision, okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry for exploding at you, Uno. Thanks for looking out for me.”

You end the call before finally sinking into the couch. 

Sullyoon’s in the back seat of the company van, happily going through tiktok when her phone suddenly rings. On the screen was Dahyun’s name, and she immediately answered it. 

“Hi Unnie!”

“Hey Yoona. Seems like our plan worked.” Dahyun’s voice rang through the phone. “He really likes the gift we made him, along with the little extra you prepared. I could hear it in his voice.”

“I wouldn’t really call it little, Unnie.” Sullyoon jokes before they both laugh over the phone. “By the way, did Oppa tell you about his contract negotiations?”

“Yeah. It’s still early so I understand why he hasn’t said anything before. How’d you find out?”

“Accidentally picked up his phone. FaceID unlocked it and went straight to the email.”

“Oh. You didn’t cry, did you?” Dahyun teases the younger lady.

“Only almost, Unnie!” Sullyoon whines.

They both share another laugh on the phone before sullyoon asks something serious.

“Did you take the test, Unnie?” 

“Yeah. It was negative, Yoona.” Silence grew between the two women.

“I can’t believe you forgot you weren’t taking your birth control pills anymore.” Sullyoon says as she breaks the silence.

“I swear it totally flew over my head. It only hit me the morning after.”

“You still took the plan b right?”

“Yeah. The pregnancy test is just to double check. Though, I probably need to take another one in a few days just to be sure.”

“Still, when you told me that you were starting fertility tests without oppa knowing, I didn’t think you’d do something risky like this.” Sullyoon jokes.

“Again, Yoona, I forgot.” Dahyun sighs through the phone. “We got carried away celebrating the other night, so you can’t really blame me.” Sullyoon could see the smirk through Dahyun’s words.

“Alright Unnie. Though, are you sure about not letting oppa know? Having kids… seems like a big step for the both of you. Something that he should be in the loop about?”

“He should be, Yoona. Yes. It’s just with all the birth control, hormone blockers, and irregular diets from the past decade, I just want to make sure it’s possible. I don’t want to get his hopes up for nothing. Besides, it’s my fault for forgetting. The specialist needed me off the pills for a week before tests could start.”

Silence falls over the call because of the serious topic.

“So… you’re sure that you’re both on the same page with having kids, Unnie?”

“Yeah. We’ve talked about it.” The serious tone in Dahyun’s voice lets Sullyoon know of her sincerity. “He’s told me it's one of his dreams to become a dad. At least… one of the few dreams he thinks he can still achieve. After his injury and early retirement from playing, he said this was the one thing that he keeps clinging to that was part of his original plan. That it was the one aspect of his life that wasn’t derailed by that one singular moment. That’s why I wanted to start early on the fertility tests. I want to know that it’s possible for us. I want to know that I won’t disappoint him.”