Seo-yeon sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the pregnancy test again. The memory of that night was over, and she was back in the present.
Okay. What now?
She stood up and walked to the window. Then she walked back to the door. Then she sat down again.
"I don't know what to do," she said to the empty room. "I really don't know."
She got up and paced back and forth, thinking. She couldn't take care of a baby. She had barely taken care of herself. She didn't have the money, and she didn't have a plan. Her boyfriend was gone, and the one person she wanted to tell, she couldn't reach.
She stopped in the middle of the room.
My parents.
She had to tell them first. She had to go to her mom and dad and apologize for being blind. She had fought with them because of Daehyun and Yerin, and they had been right the whole time. Then she had to tell them she was pregnant.
She picked up her bag. "Okay," she said. "Let's go."
---
Her parents' house stood at the end of a quiet, tree-lined street in one of the richest neighborhoods in the city. It was a huge white mansion with tall glass windows and a wide stone driveway. Two black cars were parked in front, and a tall iron gate with a security camera guarded the entrance. Beyond the gate was a large garden with trimmed hedges, a fountain, and a row of flower beds that the gardener took care of every morning.
Seo-yeon had grown up here, but she had barely visited since the fight. She stood at the gate for a minute. Then she pressed the bell, and when the gate opened, she walked up the driveway to the front door and knocked.
Nobody answered. She knocked again, a little longer this time.
The door opened.
Her mom stood there in a cream silk blouse and fitted gray trousers. She was in her fifties but looked ten years younger, with smooth skin and shoulder-length black hair that was always perfectly styled. A pearl necklace sat at her collar, and a thin gold watch glinted on her wrist. She had kind eyes and a small mole beside her nose. When she saw who it was, her face went blank.
"Seo-yeon?"
"Mom."
"What... what happened?" her mom said. She had never expected her daughter to show up at her door like this, not after the last fight they had.
Seo-yeon's eyes filled with tears. "Mom, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry for everything. Please forgive me." She wiped her face. "Where's Dad? Mom, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
"Okay, okay," her mom said, pulling her by the arm. "Come inside first. We'll talk about it inside."
Seo-yeon stepped into the house.
Her dad was sitting in the living room. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man in his late fifties, with neatly combed gray hair and thick eyebrows that made him look angry even when he wasn't. His face was square, with deep lines around his mouth. He wore a tailored navy shirt and a silver watch that cost more than most people's cars. He was the owner of a big company, and people who didn't know him thought he was a strict man. When he saw her, he frowned.
"What is she doing in my house?" he said loudly.
"Don't you want our daughter in our house?" her mom shouted back.
He grumbled something under his breath. It wasn't that he was unhappy to see her. He just didn't want to lose his image as the scary dad. He sat up straight and folded his arms.
Then he saw his daughter was crying.
His face softened right away. "Baby, what happened to you?" he asked, standing up. "Princess, talk to me. What happened?"
Seo-yeon sat down on the sofa. Her mom sat beside her and held her hand. For a moment, Seo-yeon couldn't speak. Then she started from the beginning.
"I was at work," she said. "My boss asked me to stay overtime, and I got a message saying Daehyun was cheating on me with Yerin."
Her parents looked at each other.
"I didn't believe it at first. But I went home, and they were there. I saw them." She wiped her eyes. "I should have listened to you. You both told me, and I fought with you. I'm sorry."
"Oh, my baby," her mom said, pulling her close.
"I wasn't thinking clearly after that," Seo-yeon went on. "I went to a club and started drinking. And I met someone there."
"Who?" her dad asked.
"Min Yoongi."
"Min Yoongi?" her mom repeated. "The singer? From BTS?"
"Yes, Mom. That Min Yoongi."
Her dad's eyebrows went up. "And then?"
Seo-yeon looked down at her hands. "I asked him to spend the night with me."
The room went quiet.
"At first he said no," she said quickly. "He said I was drunk and I would regret it the next day. But I convinced him. We spent the night together, and when I woke up, he was gone."
"He left?" her dad said.
"I'm not angry about it. He was taking a huge risk being with me. It could have ended his career." She took a breath. "Dad, please don't be angry at me."
"Princess," her dad said slowly. "How could you do something like that? I never thought you could."
"Daddy, are you angry? I'm sorry. It was a decision I made in the moment. I wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry."
Nobody said anything. Seo-yeon stared at her hands, not knowing how to go on. Then she looked up and met her parents' eyes.
"Daddy. Mommy." Her voice shook. "I'm pregnant."
Her mom's mouth fell open. Her dad's mouth fell open too. You could have fit a whole egg in each of them.
"What do you mean, you're pregnant?" her mom said.
"I'm pregnant," Seo-yeon said again. "It's not Daehyun's baby. It's Min Yoongi's."
Her dad just stared at her, completely gobsmacked.