Work Text:
Sun-woo Chang x Nurse Kim Eun-ha: in which a surprise revelation becomes a pivotal moment in their will-they-won't-they relationship.
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Sun-woo Chang was mindlessly tapping his fingers on the steering wheel when he noticed a woman approaching his car. He got out of the vehicle to meet Kim Eun-ha, one of his former co-workers at Sangook University Hospital. He took his scarf off and handed it to her— but she only stared at it with blank eyes.
"C'mon, wear it," he insisted. The ER nurse wore a baggy hoodie and jacket under her winter coat, but the way she kept her arms close to her side and her hands tucked into her pockets told him she was feeling cold.
Chang draped his striped scarf on her, tucking and looping it enough so that it wrapped Eun-ha's neck snugly. "Are you sleeping in the hospital tonight? I could've met you inside—"
"It's too loud in there. Crowded too."
"What did you want to show me?" Chang asked. He wondered why Eun-ha couldn't have just sent him a photo of whatever it was— and she didn't seem to be carrying anything with her now that she could possibly show him. Still, he was glad that she initiated contact with him first; he was sure he'd beaten a few red lights on his way to Sangook after his shift ended at Gwangsuk Hospital, all in his excitement to see her.
Eun-ha took a folded piece of paper from her coat and gave it to him. "I should've told you about it sooner but I couldn't." Her voice was weak from working all day and her knees buckled slightly due to her nerves, but she kept her sharp gaze on Chang's face. "I'm sorry..."
His eyebrows furrowed together. He searched her beautiful eyes but couldn't understand what she meant. "What is this anyway?" He scanned the document and couldn't believe what he was reading—
It was from Eun-ha's prenatal check-up last week, signed and verified by one of the obstetricians that Chang knew. The routine examination's result showed that she and the child she was carrying were healthy and well. An ultrasound photo was stapled on the upper left corner of the page too, stating that the fetus had a normal, steady heartbeat.
Chang fell back against his car, a gasp escaping his lips. "16 weeks already?"
"That was the last time we saw each other—"
"When Seung-hyo and No-eul tricked us into that double date with them?"
Both of them had unknowingly fallen into a trap that came by an invitation to watch a play 4 months ago. Lee No-eul had called Eun-ha, knowing through Ye Jin-woo— their mutual friend— that the busy nurse would be on her day off on the exact date that the theater performance was to premiere. Gu Seung-hyo, in the meantime, had managed to convince Chang, saying his girlfriend had wanted to catch up since she was visiting Seoul at the time.
They had been in shock upon meeting again, only realizing at the time how they had missed seeing one another since Chang's resignation from Sangook. Then it had turned into a weird mix of embarrassment and exhilaration when they realized Seung-hyo and No-eul had them come for the very purpose of pairing them up.
Despite the strange double date experience though, Chang let slip that he had enjoyed the play and Eun-ha's company, and had finally struck up the courage to drive her home. Eun-ha heartily agreed and, on a whim, decided she'd wanted to cap the evening off with a few beers. Chang had ended up having to spend the night at her apartment to sober up, and the rest was history....
"Seriously?"
"I haven't seen you at all since that night," Eun-ha nodded. "And it's not like I'd have the time to screw around with anybody else. This job is enough to screw me up."
"I'm not saying you slept around, Eunha-ssi. I meant..." Chang looked at the baby's round head and the tiny form that was its body in the attached photo. I meant I couldn't believe I was going to be a father....
"I'm not asking you to stick around, but it wouldn't be fair to my baby if I didn't tell you at least." Eun-ha shrugged. "As promised, no strings attached between us."
"I can't do that." Chang straightened up, looking determined. "I want to stay— I want to be with you and raise our baby together."
"What..." Eun-ha's usually stern face blushed as she stepped closer to him. "You really mean that?"
"I have a spare bedroom in my apartment," Chang said, seemingly out of breath. "I live farther away from Sangook but I'll drive you everyday— I'll pay for all your check-ups and the vitamins you need to take— I'll—"
"Relax, Chang-ssi." She suddenly took his hand and placed it against her womb, but he pulled his arm away, panicked.
"My hands are freezing— how could I even touch our—"
Eun-ha took out a hot pack from her hoodie's pocket and gave it to him. "You think this will work out?"
"I want it to," Chang admitted. "Was it just a one-night stand for you?"
Leaning against his car, she breathed deeply before answering. "I don't know. Should I give us a chance?" Eun-ha mused.
Chang returned the hot pack into her pocket. Gently this time, Eun-ha took his hand again and placed it below her navel. What had once been her flat belly, Chang could now feel a tiny bump that he knew would grow bigger soon.
"Dr. Seo confirmed that we could determine the baby's gender during the next check-up," she said.
"I won't miss it." He rubbed her baby bump and frowned. "It must've been hard for you these past few months."
Eun-ha bent her head, resting it on his shoulder. "When can I move in?"
His heart raced when he heard her question. "Y-you will?" Chang smiled and placed his arm around her. "I'll start tidying up as soon as I get home tonight," he said confidently.
"You sure about this?"
Chang nodded, hugging her and softly kissing her hair. "I'll take care of you, Eunha-ssi."