Chapter Text
Wan found it quite strange to find his wife exceptionally quiet the entire day. After their visit to his brother-in-law's house, he had asked her if he should take her back to the office, but to his surprise, Huiju said no. 'Let's take the rest of the afternoon off, jagiya,' she had said softly, looking up at him. 'We can go for a walk, maybe get some dinner. I just want to be with you today.'
That night as they lay in bed, Huiju had all but crawled into Wan's space, her cheek pressed against his shoulder and her body nearly melting onto him. She was still quiet, but Wan knew her well enough that her mind wasn't. He pressed his lips against the crown of her head and Huiju drew a slow, shaky breath before she snuggled further in his embrace.
"Is there something on your mind, Huiju-ya?" Wan asked, one that she responded with a hand stroking his chest. "This is quite unlike you."
"It's just..."Huiju paused, pulling away to look up at him. "I was just thinking about us."
If this was a conversation Huiju opened up 3 years ago, Wan would've bristled at the discussion at hand. However, the years have passed and they have both burned that disastrous piece of paper before his ascension to the throne, as it was something that they never wished to see again. At that point, they both knew that the idea of having a divorce was not something they were ever planning to do in this lifetime and all their plans had then shifted into building their life together.
But still, the tone of Huiju's voice have caught Wan a little off guard and he leaned back, propping his head on one hand to look at her fully. Huiju offered him a small smile.
"Earlier..." she paused, chewing on her lower lip in thought. Huiju met Wan's warm eyes and the brewing nervousness beneath her skin seemed to have dissipated at that moment. "When we were at oppa's house, it had me thinking about some things..."
The corner of Wan's lips lifted. "Such as...?"
"A baby?" Huiju said in a small voice, eyes lifting to look up at her husband. She could see Wan's lips curl up into a full smile, his eyes warm and shimmering in delight despite not speaking. She continued. "I know, we talked about not rushing it especially after everything that happened but... maybe now it's the right time?"
Wan chuckled softly, reaching out to cup her cheek. "Is this what you call baby fever?" he asked with a curious expression on his face. He had seen the way Huiju had been looking at Ha-yeon earlier and he also noticed the way she was looking at him when he carried the baby. He isn't blind to his wife's expressions, but rather he has learned to read her even when she doesn't say anything.
"Tch, no," Huiju huffed, though a small flicker of a smile was evident on her lips. She didn't want to admit it, but yes, it was baby fever. Maybe it's the fact that everyone around her were already having children, or maybe it was because her oppa had a baby. And he was happy. And she wanted that kind of happiness too. Looking back at her husband, she narrowed her eyes at the barely concealed grin on his face. "You like this."
"Us, having a baby?" Wan tilted his head in question, to which Huiju replied with a shrug. "Of course I do like it. I've always wanted it."
Truth is, he might've felt the same baby fever earlier when they visited Taeju and Da-yeong's house. He doesn't have much experience with children except for Yoon, and even that was a display of advanced maturity for a child because of circumstances.
So if he was asked if he liked the idea of him and Huiju having a baby? The answer was yes. And an absolute one.
It wasn't even an answer that he had just magically produced out of nowhere. Aside from the fact that former court lady Choi (which he now affectionately calls imo) kept pestering him about having an heir, he had been thinking about family for a while. He had originally thought that a year or two after the abolition would've been a sufficient time, but things had gotten hectic for both of them. With him now heading the Royal Historical Foundation and with Huiju finally getting her reigns back at Castle Beauty, some discussions seem to have been passed over by time.
Until now.
Huiju's eyes widened in surprise at his answer. "You never said anything about it," she said, voice still soft. "Why didn't you say anything? I didn't know you were thinking about these things."
"It's not that I didn't want to talk about it," Wan said as he shifted, sitting up in bed. "But things had been a little hectic for the last couple of years. Building our home, fixing relationships with our family, setting up the foundation, you getting back to work on Castle Beauty... it's been a lot, hasn't it?"
"It has."
"I knew that we had to be ready before we ever thought about having a baby," he continued, cupping his palm against her cheek. "I wanted you to want it first."
'I wanted you to want it first.'
Wan had always wanted to have his own family. Growing up with a father who had never showed him love and affection has always made him dream of becoming a better man. He promised himself that when the time came for him to be a father himself, he would devote his life to his children. To be the kind of father he had wished for himself.
Marrying Huiju made this desire to have a family even brighter. He imagined having a child with her intellect and her strength, a child who would grow up with love. Holding Ha-yeon in his arms earlier fanned the flames of this dream again, and the vision of Huiju carrying a child in her arms made his heart fill with longing. She looked absolutely beautiful. He knew she would be radiant as a mother.
But Wan also knew of Huiju's reservations on being a mother even if she didn't say it. He knew the scars she carried about not knowing how beautiful a mother's love is, and he knew that growing up with Seong Hyeonguk had been difficult. He knew that having a baby would mean a great deal of sacrifice for her—her body, her emotions, her mental state. He knew that Huiju had to be the one to decide if she wanted to go through this journey. And whenever she felt ready and that she really wanted to finally grow their family, he promised that he will be there every step of the way.
"The desire to have a family with you will always be there, jagiya," he said softly. "But a baby will be a lot of sacrifice for you and I know it can be hard."
A small drop of tear fell on Huiju's cheek and Wan wiped it gently with his thumb. "I want us to have a baby when you are ready, not because we simply have to have a child. You are already my family. To me, your happiness comes first and if that meant that you didn't want to get pregnant yet, I would accept that."
She blew out a shaky breath, her lower lip caught between her teeth. "But if I do want it... now?" she asked.
"Then by all means, I'd be very happy to help," he chuckled softly before leaning down to press his lips against hers. Huiju offered him a small, watery smile. "Didn't I tell you that I intend to give you everything that you ask for?"
She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Huiju crawled into Wan's open arms and buried her face in his neck, allowing herself to be wrapped in the comfort of his presence. What she thought would be a lighthearted conversation over baby fever turned out to be a decision that would change their lives, and she was thankful for the universe for allowing her to love and build a life with her husband.