Chapter Text
“Congratulations! You are 6 weeks pregnant.”
This exact same line has been on repeat in Joonhwi’s head since they got out of their visit from the OB-GYN. It was almost as if the smile on his face had been plastered on permanently; it never ceased to exist until this very moment he was driving himself and Sol back home.
Of course this doesn’t go unnoticed in Sol’s eyes. She has seen how excited Joonhwi was ever since she showed him the test that said positive.
Alongside those emotions were also the fear and anxiety that comes natural for parents-to-be. She remembers him sharing his sentiments about the thought of actually being a father. He wonders how could he possibly take on a role this important to another life form when he lacked in so many ways, including the love he was deprived of from a real family? How could he ever learn to become an admirable father to his future child through just books or articles when all his life it was all he ever did to get him to where he wants? This was completely different and no books nor any articles could perfectly explain how to become a good parent.
Sol has her own list of how’s too but knowing that she was in this whole journey with Joonhwi was enough to make her feel confident and at ease. She knows, more than anyone else, that he had so much more love to give.
Seeing the dimple showing off his cheek while he was driving made Sol smile in return. “Are you that happy?” she asks.
Joonhwi looks to his side and directly towards her, his smile growing wider and his eyebrows raised as if she just asked a very ridiculous question.
“Of course,” he replies before turning his eyes back on the road. “We’re starting a family.”
She feels her heart skip a beat at his remark. She looks at her front once again as she leans her back down, letting out a breath. “I still can’t believe this is happening... I’m pretty sure that fortune teller ahjumma said it won’t be until next year though.”
Joonhwi scoffs, teasing his wife. “When did you even get a reading? You don’t believe in those.”
“Park Geuntae dragged me into it. He said she makes pretty accurate fortunes about marriage and children.” Sol crosses her arms, her face scrunching at the memory of her firm partner literally dragging her into the old woman’s booth when she suddenly expressed to him over lunch break her worries of eventually having a baby and starting a family.
Joonhwi just chuckles, reaching over for her hand to intertwine it with his as a sign of comfort and assurance.
Sol was happily talking to Seungjae and his wife, Juyeong, over the phone as they arrived back home. The medical couple heard from their colleague who checked up on Sol that the pair visited the hospital they were currently working in and attempted to ask for either of them to supposedly administer her checkup. Though failing to catch each other even in the hallways, Seungjae and Juyeong immediately called them up at lunch break to congratulate them upon hearing the news.
“I’ve informed Dr. Park that I’ll be assigned to your care from now on. I’ll also start scheduling your monthly checkups and email you some dos and don’ts while in your first trimester. It’s the most crucial part of pregnancy,” Juyeong eagerly tells Sol, obviously thrilled about her being pregnant.
“Thank you unnie. I feel more relieved that I have someone I know to professionally guide me through this.”
Meanwhile, Joonhwi unpacks groceries on the kitchen counter, stocking up their fridge with fresh packs of food that Seungjae advised would be good for Sol and the baby. He particularly has new recipes bookmarked on his phone especially good for Sol’s health while she goes through her pregnancy (he worked on them half past 2am this morning because he couldn’t sleep thinking about it).
Just as Sol ends the call with Juyeong, the doorbell rings and she immediately checks on the monitor to see who the unexpected guests were.
It was her mom and Byeol.
With eyebrows furrowed wondering why her mother and little sister suddenly decided to crash into their place after they just had their checkup, Sol walks towards the door to welcome them nonetheless. Joonhwi follows her not long after.
“Eomma , what are you doing here—”
Upon seeing her daughter’s face, Sol’s mom runs to her and enveloped her for a hug, stroking her hair in pure bliss. “My precious daughter... I can’t believe I’m finally going to have a grandchild!”
“Congratulations, unnie!” Byeol chimes in.
Sol’s mouth was agape trying to think of something to say as her mom pulled away from the hug, still holding on to her shoulders. How did they already know? She didn’t even get to call them yet.
“Joonhwi called us about it last night but you were already fast asleep,” her mother answers her question as if she heard it out loud.
Of course. Joonhwi.
She shoots her husband a glare, his smile of admiration all gone as he guiltily avoids it, running back to the kitchen to finish what he was doing.
Her mother and Byeol start to take off their shoes as they enter, neatly piling it beside the couple’s in the foyer. “I brought you some tonic. I drank it everyday while I was pregnant with Byeol. It should be good for you and your baby.”
Rushing towards the kitchen counter to lay down all the bags she was carrying, Sol’s mother unveils bottle after bottle and container after container that were packed in them, making Joonhwi move quicker to clear the counter full of remaining groceries. Sol was in even more shock at just how much her mother brought to their apartment and while some look delicious and appetizing, most of them looked queer and disgusting that she feels like puking any second just by looking at them.
“Eomma. We literally just came from our first check up, when did you even prepare all of this?” Sol asks but her tone sounded more like she was complaining.
“That doesn’t matter. I will walk you through all of these after you eat, okay?” her mother replies, oblivious of all the glares her daughter has been shooting at her, hands busy bustling over all the stuff she brought.
Sol turns her attention to Byeol who was standing right beside her, eyes twinkling as she looks at her older sister in admiration and joy. Sol spreads her arms wide, waiting for her sister to come in for a hug. Byeol was gentle when she landed in her embrace, cautious of the fact that her sister was now carrying another human being inside of her.
“Don’t you have school today?”
“It’s a Saturday, unnie.”
“Oh right, right.” Sol finds herself yawning after discovering what day it is. “Your sister hasn’t been paying attention to the days lately. I just know that I’m tired all the time.”
Byeol chuckles. “It must be because your body also has to take care of your baby now.”
“You think so?” she tilts her head slightly to the side to peek at her sister who was tall enough to be at shoulder height now, letting out a small laugh. “I used to be able to run on just two hours of sleep but now I can’t even survive past 9:30.”
Byeol pulls away after the sweet embrace she shared with her sister after a long while, looking up at her with nothing else but a huge smile. “I hope it’s a baby boy.”
Sol sneers and proceeds to stroke Byeol’s hair off its tangles. “We won’t know that until the next few weeks. What if it’s a baby girl?”
“I’ll love her just the same.”
Joonhwi was chopping vegetables for the soup he was preparing when his mother-in-law offered to finish them for him. He strongly insisted at first, pointing out how they were today’s guests but she safely grabs a hold of the knife and slowly pushes him out of the way.
“Aigoo,” she exhales, “It’s about time you both gave me what I wanted, eh?”
Joonhwi smiles once again, shyly ducking his head down recalling how he excitedly dialled his mother-in-law’s number to share with her the good news. He looks back at her when he heard the halted sounds of the knife against the chopping board.
She completely sets down everything she was holding, wiping her hands dry on the sides of her pants before giving Joonhwi a warm, tight hug. “My son... I’m so happy for you.”
Joonhwi lets himself be the little boy he once was to his own mother, cherishing another moment where he is reminded that he’s now got himself a real family. He returns his mother-in-law’s— his mother’s hug, letting himself be comforted by the pats on the back she was giving him before she lets go and eyes the vegetables left unchopped once again.
“She’s not giving you a hard time, is she?” She was referring to Sol. “Sol is already cranky enough not pregnant so you better watch out for when it becomes even worse.”
“Eomma! I can hear you from here, you know?!” Sol shouts from the living room just a few steps away.
Joonhwi laughs. “Don’t worry, eomeonim. I’ve dealt with it just fine throughout the years.”
“Ya Han Joonhwi!”
Sol’s twin, Dan, hears about the news not long after her family’s visit. Accepting her sister’s request for a video call, she sits up on the couch and aligns the phone to her face.
“Congratulations,” Dan greets her in her usual stern expression but with a smile creeping in as she catches the sight of her sister from the other line.
“Thank you, Dan-ah. Can you believe it? I’m actually pregnant.”
“Well, you don’t look like it yet so I understand why it doesn’t really sink in completely.”
“What do you mean?” Sol stands up and walks as she switches the call to the back camera to show Dan a reflection of her form in the mirror. “I’m gaining so much weight! I’m hungry all the time but I also sleep all the time. And my breasts hurt like crazy!”
Dan widens her eyes but laughs at her twin’s complaining. “My fiancé is with me here right now, Sol. Just so you know.”
“Ah.” Sol purses her lips, heat rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment when Dan pans the camera to her companion and he waves hello. “Sorry about that.”
“How’s Joonhwi? Is he with you right now?” Dan brings back the camera to her.
Sol slowly walks back to the couch and drops her whole weight on the comfort of it. “He’s fine. He’s still working on that case I asked you about so he’s been very busy.”
“Well then do him a favor and make efforts to take care of yourself okay?” her twin sister nags. “I wish I could be there to help.”
“You know, you could always help us financially…” Sol jokes which makes Dan laugh unrestrained.
“As if you both aren’t earning more than enough,” the Harvard graduate rolls her eyes.
The twins spent almost three hours on the phone catching up with Sol’s pregnancy, their mom and Byeol, Dan’s work and her preparations for her upcoming wedding. It was always difficult for her to just fly to Korea and spend some time with her mom and sisters as her job overseas was too demanding and her everyday schedule is too tight to fit an actual break in so they settle for video calls even when it meant it’s daybreak for one of them.
Checking her phone messages, Sol was surprised at the amount of colleagues and friends who sent her congratulatory greetings for her pregnancy. How does word spread so fast?
Scrolling down to the oldest unread message she had, she groans, “Aish, how does Yebeom even know already?!”
The first doorbell ring she heard the next day woke Sol up from her sleep. Seeing how Joonhwi was still slightly snoring beside her, she assumes he just had his taste of rest after going over tons of his files. Straightening down her hair and fixing her sleeping clothes, she checks the monitor to see a delivery guy holding up a huge box. Sol rushes to the front door.
“Delivery for Ms. Kang Sol?” the man asks.
“May I ask who it is from?”
“It didn’t state her name on here but the message says, ‘Congratulations, roomie’.”
It was from the other Kang Sol.
Sol takes the box from the delivery guy and expresses her thanks. Closing the door with her foot, she smiles at the fact that: (1) Sol B sent her a gift and (2) she addressed her as “roomie” which Sol has only ever called the younger one in their law school days.
Refusing to open the package before she could reach Sol B via phone, Sol resorts to cooking breakfast for her and Joonhwi. Fried rice was her limit when it comes to quick food but coffee was a talent of hers. She knows exactly how Joonhwi wanted his morning drink.
Sol guessed her husband was on leave today as well when she doesn’t hear the annoying ring of his alarm. As she was about to walk back to their room to wake him up, the doorbell rings for the second time today, showing another delivery guy on the monitor.
“Delivery for Mr. Han Joon—”
“Who is it from?”
“Mr. Seo Jiho.”
As Sol turns back, kicking the front door with her foot, she notices her husband standing along the aisle and walking towards her, the sleep in his eyes still evident and hair couldn’t be bothered to be fixed.
“What’s this?” he asks her in his groggy voice as he takes the huge box from Sol. Sol instinctively reaches up to his hair to fix it.
“It’s a package for you from Jiho. Funny because Sol B just sent me one not long ago, too.”
Both settled in their living room after breakfast as Sol rings her old roommate’s phone only to have it unreachable. Joonhwi tries to call Jiho instead, who surprisingly answers right after the first ring.
“Jiho-yah.” Joonhwi puts the phone on speaker, cutting through Jiho’s package as he speaks while Sol was opening Sol B’s. “You sent me something?”
“Ah yes, hyung. It’s for you and Sol noona. Congratulations on the baby.”
“Thank you, Jiho-yah!” Sol chimes in. “My roommate sent us one too. Did you team up for this?”
“Really? What did she send you?”
“A stroller. For the baby,” Sol B’s voice could be faintly heard from the other end. Sol and Joonhwi were surprised that Jiho and her were in the same room.
“What??” Jiho exclaims, sounding annoyed. “You said you were gonna send them a baby walker??”
It wasn’t long after when Joonhwi realized Jiho’s gift was a stroller too. Sol now laughs at their argument heard over the phone.
“Yes, I was but they wouldn’t be able to use it until later after unnie gives birth. So I got them a pretty stroller.” Sol B’s tone was still monotonous as she defended herself from Jiho, whom neither Sol nor Joonhwi didn’t know why Sol B was currently with.
“Well I also got them a stroller—” They hear Jiho sigh mid-sentence. “I really hate you, Kang Sol.”
“Ya, why me?” Sol interrupts and Joonhwi shakes his head at her, reminding her that wasn’t the only Kang Sol in the conversation. “Oh.”
“We could always use them interchangeably, don't worry,” Joonhwi breaks the funny tension. “Thank you for these. We appreciate them.”
Sol decided to tease them, “But I’d like to ask my roommate why she never answered my calls when all this time she was with Seo Jiho?”
“Uhh… we have to go now, sorry. Congratulations agai—” They hang up.
Noticing the time on the clock, Sol hurries to the bathroom as she starts to get ready for a meetup with Yeseul who had to beg Joonhwi for it. He wondered why Sol had so much energy for day and night outs with friends and colleagues but none for when she had to work or stay at home.
Women.
Fatigue, excessive morning sickness and frequent urination technically made up Sol’s first trimester highlights.
With her firm partner decreasing her work responsibilities to just doing the paperwork instead of physically meeting clients for consultation, Sol still finds herself barely getting anything done as she feels tired and sleepy for most parts of the day.
Joonhwi was skeptical about the fact that she still wants to continue reporting to work but succumbs to her request anyway as he also can’t bother anyone to accompany Sol in their home while he’s away for work. At least Geuntae is with her in their firm to look out for her until he picks her up from work (though he knew their senior easily freaks out at the sight of Sol rushing to the bathroom to vomit, he trusts him enough anyway as he is also a father himself). And probably as often as Sol needs to pee or vomit was also how often she would receive texts from her husband reminding her to take care of herself while he isn’t physically there.
Han Joonhwi: Have you taken your vitamins?
Han Joonhwi: Sol, how are you feeling?
Han Joonhwi: Please drink lots of water.
Han Joonhwi: Juyeong noona said it’s very important to keep yourself hydrated.
Han Joonhwi: Tell Park Geuntae to give you a break when you feel tired, okay?
Han Joonhwi: Call me when you need anything.
Sol appreciates his sweet gestures, she really does, but she tends to be too tired and lazy to reply to his messages. So sometimes, when she feels really bad about it, she calls him and talks to him instead, even leaving the call going on for hours while they both work just so she could feel like he was nearby.
If there was anything else that Sol feels as much as being tired, it would be hungry. Hangry was the proper term for it when she growls at her persistent cravings for random types of food, clinging to Joonhwi for life just for him to get them for her right at that very moment.
One second Joonhwi would stare at her like usual with his dopey face on while she eats to her heart’s content and the next he deflates in his seat across her at the dining table when she runs to the bathroom to vomit her meal. He knows he’ll still give in to her the next time anyway (it wasn’t even entirely her fault after all) but he always finds himself letting out a loud sigh of mixed emotions everytime this happens.
“Joonhwi-ah.”
When Sol peeps at him working in the living room one night, he knew what it was about before she could say it: another craving. He immediately closes his laptop shut and stands to walk towards her, internally afraid of how many miles he’d have to travel this time.
“Kimchi jjigae.” Thankfully, it was bearable. “Can you make it for me?”
He just laughs at her and pats her head before proceeding to make her the stew she was craving for at 11pm.
Just as he was checking the boiling soup and stirring everything together before adding in some garnish, he feels a pair of arms wrapping around his waist, Sol’s warmth immediately enveloping him as she hugs him from behind. Her head feels heavy against his back, resting most of her weight over to him who just turned off the stove after cooking.
“It’s done. I’ll serve it—”
“Doenjang jjigae.”
“...hmm?”
“I feel like eating doenjang jjigae right now.”
And there goes a sigh. Are there even deliveries for stew at this hour?
Twelve weeks in and both Joonhwi and Sol were starting to get used to the struggles of her pregnancy. If it wasn’t for the help of Seungjae and his wife, they probably wouldn’t be able to cope with Sol’s continual nausea which has been the most challenging for her. She feels like she’s lost enough weight from it when she had surprisingly been gaining almost 10 kilograms throughout her pregnancy.
She still gets emotional when the thought sinks in all over again, mostly when she stops to see her reflection in the mirror and her growing bump would be the first thing she notices instead of the dark bags under her eyes. How was it even possible to grow a whole new human being inside of you? Someone from the legal field would most likely wonder.
“Sol, are you good to go?” Joonhwi calls from outside their room.
She was already in her favorite blazer which she was struggling to button up given the growing size of her bump. Looking down at it for quite some time made her feel even dizzier than she already was. She decided to give up buttoning her blazer and looked right back up as she tries to stand straight. Failing to keep her balance, she grabs a hold of the tank of the toilet where a few personal care items were standing, knocking them off in a spur. Joonhwi was quick enough to rush to her upon hearing the noise and was right on time to catch her before her knees completely went weak and her vision black.
—
Sol wakes to Joonhwi caressing her hand, his worried eyes clear even through her still slightly slurred vision. She roughly hears the words call and noona in his voice as he stands to leave what looked like a hospital room. Not long after, Joonhwi comes back with Juyeong who was relieved to see her awake. She takes the seat beside her bed, ruffling on medical equipment as she gets ready for ultrasound.
“How long was I out?” Sol weakly asks.
“Not so long. About 20 minutes since Joonhwi brought you here.” She looks at Sol for permission before unbarring a few buttons from the bottom of her shirt to reveal her stomach. “You were dehydrated but thank goodness you’re all good and safe.”
She proceeds to rubbing Sol’s stomach with the transducer when the latter asks again, “What about the baby? Is the baby okay?”
“The babies are completely fine.” Juyeong smiles widely at her while the hand holding the transducer continues to glide across her bump.
“Babies…?” Sol looks at her in confusion before turning to Joonhwi who looks just as surprised.
“Do you see this tiny bean-looking circle over here? Well there’s two of those.”
The doctor points her free hand to the monitor where she leads the couple’s attention, smiling excitedly more as a friend of theirs than just their obstetrician at this very discovery.
“You’re having twins.”