Ryujin falls onto the couch and heaves a long, loud sigh before closing her eyes.
"Oh don't exaggerate. The movers did everything," Yeji says as she walks past her wife to switch on the robot vacuum cleaner. "Set temperature to twenty three degrees," she orders the central controller of the apartment and gets a beep in response as the temperature cools down.
Ryujin can hear Yeji going about the apartment but ignores her wife. Moving day is always taxing no matter how much the world has changed. Yes, nearly everything's automated now but they still have to get someone to install things for them and program everything correctly and securely. As for their furniture, contrary to old sci-fi movies and cartoons, comfort is forever a necessity so not everyone's a fan of the thin, metal framed, modern and minimalistic design. They're among those people so there was a lot of rearranging heavy pieces of furniture involved which basically meant a lot of pushing, lifting and assembling for Ryujin.
The doorbell rings and Yeji checks her watch to see the visitor. "They're here!" she shouts, announcing their friends' arrival to Ryujin. "Get the door!"
Ryujin grunts and pushes herself off the couch, muttering about how they shouldn't have disabled the voice command or the remote function to open the front door even though they did it for precaution. The last thing they need is to accidentally open the door for strangers. They like to do it the old fashioned way for as much as they can.
She opens the door and grins. "Hi there, neighbor! Welcome to our humble abode," she says as she steps aside and bows.
"You're cheerful," remarks Yuna on her way inside the apartment, followed by Chaeryeong. "We got you a housewarming gift."
"Oh? What is it?" Ryujin closes the door and sits down on the couch.
Chaeryeong goes to the kitchen to assist Yeji while Yuna takes a seat next to Ryujin.
"This." The tall woman shows Ryujin her tablet. "It has just arrived in my inbox earlier today."
Ryujin takes the tablet, reads the email and exhales. "This is real?"
Yuna nods. "You made the cut. The doctor's willing to help you. He told me that he was sincerely impressed by how much you two love each other although he also said that he would not want to be near you two once the treatment starts. To have two women with mood swings living in one house would be worse than being caught in a super bargain sale at a shoe store." She laughs when Ryujin glares at her. "Hey, his words, not mine. Anyway, now all we need is the sperm donor. Samchon has arranged to bring our top candidate over next week. I've spoken to him. I think you'd agree that he has the qualities you seek."
Ryujin takes another deep breath and rereads everything, just to be sure that this is real and she's not dreaming.
"Why so serious, Jinnie?"
They turn their heads when they see Yeji and Chaeryeong coming out of the kitchen.
"What's that?" Yeji asks as she sits down next to Ryujin, looking at her with surprise when she suddenly kisses her cheek. "What? What's happening?"
"This." Ryujin hands the tablet over to Yeji and waits for her reaction.
Yuna and Chaeryeong can only smile while stealthily holding each other's hand when they see Yeji nearly jumping up in her seat before hugging Ryujin, squeezing the daylight out of her. The tablet nearly falls to the floor but luckily, it stays in Yeji's grasp.
"Y-yah!" Ryujin coughs and gasps, trying to breathe. "Calm down," she says once Yeji has released her and grins when she saw the woman's teary eyes. "Great news, huh?"
"Great is an understatement," Yeji says. "This is awesome." She wipes her eyes and laughs shyly before looking at her friends. "Thank you," she tells them as she returns the tablet to Yuna.
"We didn't do anything but you're welcome," Chaeryeong says.
"You've done a lot and I'm forever grateful for that. So all we need now is the sperm donor?"
Yuna nods. "Your father will bring him next week to meet you and if all goes well, we can set up an appointment with the doctor to get him checked and tested. Then if it's all good, we can get the process started immediately," she says. "I'm kinda glad you waited this long even though you ended up choosing IVF. The whole procedure is less painful and much faster these days. There's less chance of you two going at each other's throat during the hormone treatment."
"It's a good thing I always have a bed in my office," Ryujin tells Yeji.
"You mean before we turn said office into a nursery?"
Ryujin opens her mouth but changes her mind. She deflates, knowing that she can't win any argument her brain can come up with. "I've spent so much time and money on decorating that space," she mumbles while shaking her head.
"You went and did that on your own. The plan was to make that room a nursery. You were just too stubborn."
"I need my own space."
"Then convert the other room."
"But that's our storage room!"
"Just divide the living room," Chaeryeong speaks up. "You can work alongside Yeji unnie."
"I can't. She makes so much noise when she sews," replies Ryujin.
"I doubt I'd have time for that with a baby in the house," retorts Yeji who then pauses after hearing her own words. "A baby..." She looks at Ryujin as she breaks into a huge grin. "Jinnie..."
Ryujin nods, smiles and kisses Yeji's cheek. Just a little bit more, Yeddeong, and we'll have our own little family.
-------
"So your mother is the immortal?" Yeji asks the man sitting across from her.
From the moment she laid eyes on him, she knew why her father and friends have put this man on the top of their list. He has superior features - although not exactly movie star handsome - but he is definitely attractive.
They're having dinner while talking about his family background after a short introduction about what he does now and where he lives. Yeji doesn't want to go into too much details yet because Ryujin is running late thanks to a business meeting and traffic. She wishes to wait for her before they get to the more serious part.
"Yeah," he says. "My father passed away half a century ago, when I was thirty six. Mother didn't take it well. She left a couple of years later to travel the world - or so she said. She'd update me from time to time from wherever she is. She knows your father on a personal level." He gestures at Mr. Hwang with a smile.
"We had a thing when we were young," says Mr. Hwang nonchalantly.
"She said you had a huge crush on her and always followed her around," replies the man who chuckles at Mr. Hwang's surprised look. "I also did my homework. Gotta take the necessary precautions before I agreed to meet you," he explains. "You two should catch up. She said she hasn't seen you in over a century. The last time you two met was when you left China back in the twenties."
"Ah yes." Mr. Hwang sips his drink solemnly thanks to the memory of that particularly dark era. He had tracked her down, in need of comfort. There aren't many people he can trust so he sought help from those he does trust: his own kind. "She's a good friend," he says, in case his daughter misunderstands. "We tried to keep in touch albeit sporadically. Usually when we had something to brag about our children. I invited her to my wedding but she couldn't make it because her son was in the hospital with an acute appendicitis."
"Sorry to have made my mother miss your wedding. That appendicitis was bad. I will never forget that pain." The younger man winces a bit. "Anyway, back to the matter at hand. I don't mean to sound sleazy or anything," he shifts his gaze to Yeji and smiles his best, most charming smile, "but you're too beautiful to be a single mother. I refuse to believe that no one is good enough for you to be your partner. However, should that indeed be the case, maybe I can offer you a less painful way to have a child. I mean, the natural way is still the best way, right? Maybe we should get to know each other better first before you decide on going through with the treatment."
"Over my dead body."
All heads turn towards one side of the table where Ryujin stands, glaring at the man with her hands clenched and her nostrils flaring.
Yeji quickly stands up, greets Ryujin with a kiss on the cheek and places an arm around her shoulders to calm her down.
"Tim, meet my wife, Ryujin," she introduces her to the shocked man who rises to his feet, bows his head and smiles apologetically.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know she was taken," he tells the small woman who's still eyeing him suspiciously. "I thought she wanted to be a single mother. I apologize for my improper attempt to flirt with your wife. I will never do that again. Ever. I swear on my mother's life."
"Jinnie, breathe please. It was an honest mistake." Yeji rubs Ryujin's back until the woman starts to relax. She then guides her to sit next to her, making sure that they stay close to each other so Ryujin can feel more at ease.
"I'm sorry, Ryujin. Sincerely," he says after he has taken his seat. "I didn't know. But now everything makes more sense."
"Tim's mother is Dad's old crush," Yeji tells Ryujin in order to lighten the atmosphere up. "His father was a mortal, just like my mother."
The man doesn't miss the chance to ease the tension and starts telling Ryujin about himself in a jovial way.
Soon, Ryujin is able to stop glaring at him and begins asking questions pertaining to his family's medical history and anything else that might affect the baby.
Once they've covered everything they need to know, Ryujin looks at him and asks the most important question of all. "Why are you here? Why are you willing to help us?"
He takes a sip from his drink. "I have an older sister, a half sister. Well, had is the proper word. She passed away many years ago," he says. His smile never leaves his face but his eyes have grown sad. "She was my father's daughter from his first marriage. My mother raised her like her own. I didn't even know that she wasn't my biological sister until I was in high school."
The man chuckles to himself. "It was so silly, now that I think of it. We looked so different. She was Caucasian. Blond hair, green eyes... while I look like this," he points at his face, highlighting his mixed-race features. "But we were raised as siblings and I never thought of her otherwise. It hurt so much to see my mother grieve my sister's death. She told me that no parent should ever outlive their children and her experience secretly scares me. It's why I've never gotten married. I don't know any other immortal and I can't risk having a child that doesn't inherit my immortality. Mother said the chance was fifty-fifty for my offspring to become one of us and frankly, that's not good enough for me."
He lifts his head to look at Ryujin and Yeji. "When your father contacted me and told me that I could help his daughter who wanted a family but had that exact same fear, I thought of my mother and my sister. We were happy, you know. Not perfect, but happy," he says with a small smile. "So if I could help someone be as happy as we were then who am I to say no? Besides, Mother would've kicked my butt if she knew that I refused her friend's request for help," he adds while grinning.
"Thank you for your honest answer," Ryujin says. "Can I ask you one more thing? But please don't be offended by my question."
"I won't. Fire away, Ryujin."
"Where do you see yourself in our child's life? I mean, it's only normal that you feel like you're part of the baby because he, or she, would have your DNA."
"When you came in and tried to kill me with your glare, I was shamelessly trying to get your wife to sleep with me but I didn't offer to help her raise the child, did I?" he asks half jokingly and laughs when Ryujin's eyes widen. "Calm down, Ryujin. I was just kidding. My point is, I don't see myself in your child's future. I can't even imagine having a child of my own. Not for the next few decades, at least. I'm here solely to help you conceive. I'll donate my sperm and leave the rest to you. I've made that clear to Mr. Hwang. I guess it's one of the reasons why he chose me." He looks at the older man who nods in agreement. "I like my life the way it is now and that's how I'd like to keep it."
Ryujin is obviously relieved as she exhales and turns her head, meeting Yeji's eyes. "So?"
"I'm sure Yuna and Dad have done the necessary research," answers Yeji. "It's your decision, Jinnie. I trust you."
Ryujin shifts her eyes to Mr. Hwang and Yeji then, finally, looks at the man. "Do you mind giving us a couple of days to decide? I mean, you're great... perfect, even... but it's a huge decision."
"I understand," he says. "I'll be here all week and if you can't make up your mind by then, I don't mind coming back if I have to. I run my own business so my schedule's pretty flexible."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"Don't mention it and don't feel bad should you end up choosing another donor. I'm totally fine with it."
Ryujin nods, thanks him again and finishes her meal as Mr. Hwang directs the conversation to something more fun and trivial.
Later that night, as the two of them are sitting on their bed to get ready to sleep, Ryujin suggests that they should ask Yuna for the full background information on him, just to be safe.
"It's not that I don't trust her or Appa, it's just... I need to feel convinced," she tells Yeji.
"Of course. Do what you have to do. Like I said, I trust you." Yeji leans in for a quick goodnight peck then takes her tablet to read.
Ryujin observes Yeji for the next minute until the latter feels the eyes on her and turns her head.
"What?" asks Yeji.
"I can't believe someone flirted with you right in front of me."
Yeji chuckles. "He didn't know," she says as she goes back to reading.
"You liked it, didn't you?"
"You bet. I felt young and attractive again."
"You are young and attractive, Yeji. Appearance wise, I mean."
"I hope you're not implying what I think you're implying," replies Yeji flatly, not taking her eyes off of her tablet.
"I'm telling the truth. You don't look a day older than when I first met you," says Ryujin who then snorts at her own words.
"..."
Ryujin lies down under the blanket, turns the light on her side of the bed off and shifts to get comfortable.
She closes her eyes and tries to go to sleep but her brain won't shut down. It keeps replaying their conversation with the man and then Ryujin starts thinking about the other candidates whom they haven't met, wondering whether they'd be better than this guy.
Finally, she hears a click, senses the room darkening and hears the rustling of sheets followed by the shifting mattress as Yeji settles down next to her, ready to go to sleep.
Ryujin turns around and opens her eyes to see Yeji lying down with her back to her.
She takes her time and just watches her sleep, noting the subtle rise and fall of her wife's upper body and the sound of her steady breathing.
Simply knowing that this woman will always be right there next to her no matter what will come their way infuses her mind with a sense of peace and Ryujin finds herself gradually relaxing, slowly becoming sleepy.
DNA is not everything, she says to herself. What kind of person our child will grow up to be will be mostly determined by us, by how we raise him or her, and not by what that man has done or accomplished in his life.
That thought sets her at ease but she keeps her eyes open and her sight fixed on her sleeping wife.
It's strange how she still finds her so beautiful even though the only things she can see are the back of her wife's head, her long hair and the curve of her neck and shoulder.
I don't know what I did to deserve you but I'm glad you're mine.
Right at that moment, Yeji suddenly moves, turning around to face Ryujin. Her right foot shoots out, hitting Ryujin's leg where it stays, toes resting against Ryujin's shin; while her right hand lands on the edge of Ryujin's pillow, inches away from the latter's face.
Ryujin can't stop herself from inching forward, pressing her lips ever so softly against the long and dainty fingers. Then she takes hold of the hand, placing it against her chest.
"I love you," she whispers. "Let's have that baby."
-------
The doctor comes out of the room then beckons Ryujin and Yeji over to follow him into his consultation room where a nurse is waiting to assist him.
"How is it looking, doctor?" Ryujin asks as she takes a seat next to her wife. Their hands are clammy from holding onto each other for so long but they don't intend on letting go.
"Very good," says the doctor. "We've taken a look at the sperm sample and chosen the best looking ones among the bunch. They will be frozen until we're ready to fertilize the eggs." He then looks at the two. "How are you two doing?"
"Nervous but okay," Ryujin says. "No mood swings or headaches, thankfully."
Both of them have started the first step of the IVF treatment and were put on birth control pills along with a couple of medication injections. Now they're ready to get their first ultrasounds and blood work. They've chosen this process instead of the less complicated IVM or other fertility treatments such as artificial insemination because it simply has a better success rate and proven track record of healthy babies being born from it. The process is thankfully no longer as painful as it was half a century ago and the medication used in the treatment has improved, reducing the side effects to harmless mood swings and light headaches instead of the more severe syndromes that could cause swollen ovaries, abdominal pain and vomiting. Injections have also been simplified since they no longer use syringes. The device used to deliver shots is practical, fast and considerably painless. All they have to do is place the vial of medicine inside the device and press the trigger-like button to inject it. They will feel a split-second sting but that's pretty much it. There's no long scary needle that needs to be carefully inserted into and pulled out of their flesh.
"That's good. Now don't worry, I know it's uncomfortable to have these tests done while you're on your period but it'll go by in a flash," he says. "Who wants to go first?"
"I'll go." Yeji stands up before Ryujin can say a word. "Let's get this over with."
The doctor tells Yeji to lie down on the examination bed and swiftly goes about his task with the help of the nurse.
Ryujin stands on the other side of Yeji holding her hand.
"Looks good," says the man as he observes the screen. "No cysts. Your turn," he tells Ryujin.
Ryujin switches place with Yeji and waits anxiously, squeezing Yeji's hand.
"No problem here either," the doctor says, causing Ryujin and Yeji to exhale simultaneously. He smiles at them. "Don't be so tense. It's going to be okay. Now let's get your blood tested."
The result of the blood test comes out fine and they are allowed to proceed to the next level which consists of more injections to increase the production of eggs. They don't need that many eggs luckily, thanks to the advancement of science, so this stage of the treatment won't take long. However, this is where the most mood swings will occur so the doctor warns them to be calm and to come back to the clinic for regular monitoring.
Surprisingly, Ryujin is more affected by the mood swings than Yeji. She becomes mellow and easily offended. It reaches a point where she would be chirpy when waking up, quiet during breakfast, normal during lunch and emotional during dinner.
Yeji almost throws her out of the apartment one night after arguing with her over ketchup.
They run out of the red sauce - Ryujin's favorite - because Yeji forgot to get some when she went grocery shopping earlier that day and Ryujin takes it extremely personal. According to her reasoning, Yeji knows that it's a must to keep at least one bottle in the house so to suddenly forget buying it means that Yeji doesn't care about Ryujin anymore.
Yeji rolls her eyes when her wife keeps ranting about it in tears and walks away, slamming the bedroom door behind her. She knows she can't blame Ryujin for the illogical state the woman is in but it still makes her blood boil to face such ridiculous accusations and arguments.
That night isn't the first, and is definitely not the last night that Ryujin spends sleeping on the small bed in her office but it's certainly the most memorable fight they've had to date - one that she would be reminded of over and over again for many years to come.
Yuna and Chaeryeong are well aware of what's going on across the hall so they make extra effort to console Yeji and cheer Ryujin up.
When the day comes for them to move on to the next step, Yeji literally throws an air punch and shouts "Woohoo!" in the examination room, causing the doctor and nurse to laugh while Ryujin just stares at her in confusion.
They get a different shot and are told to come back the next day to get their eggs retrieved.
"I feel like I should apologize," Ryujin says during dinner, glancing over her plate to see her wife breaking into a grin.
"You should. You were so... ugh." Yeji pretends to shudder. "You must have been one emo teenager. I'm so glad I didn't know you back then."
Ryujin blushes slightly and keeps her head down, feeling embarrassed for what has happened. She's supposed to be the older, more mature one. To have acted the way she did is something that she never expected to happen and deeply regrets.
"Hey," Yeji calls out softly when she sees how quiet Ryujin has become. "I was just kidding. Don't be so hard on yourself. It was the hormones that made you act that way. You simply weren't yourself." She puts her fork down and reaches out to pat Ryujin's arm.
"I'm sorry."
"I've forgiven you, Jinnie. Now finish your food. We promised Yuna and Chaeryeong we'd go over to their place to watch that new movie together."
-------
"Ready?" the doctor asks the woman who's lying on the bed. "Don't be tense, okay? Relax. It's painless. The most you'll feel is slight discomfort or very light cramping."
Yeji nods and tightens her hold on Ryujin's hand.
It's been nearly a week since both their eggs were retrieved. The procedure to combine the DNA contained in their eggs was successful and so was the fertilization. Now it's time to transfer the fertilized eggs inside Yeji's uterus.
"Did you bring your tablet like I told you to?" the doctor asks Yeji.
"I did."
"Good because you have to stay in this bed for a couple of hours after this. I wish you didn't have to but it's one of those things that you just can't do much about. We can improve the medications, quickens processes that happen in the lab, alter DNA and even reduce pain but some things, like how our body works, can never be changed, unfortunately. Nature needs to take its course."
"We understand. Don't worry, doctor, I'll keep her entertained for the next couple of hours," quips Ryujin while winking at Yeji, causing the latter to shake her head at her.
"Okay then. Let's do this."
Yeji never lets go of Ryujin's hand during the entire process but like the doctor said, it's painless so she gradually starts to relax, dismissing the slight discomfort of having a thin tube inserted into her body.
"There you go. All done," the doctor says minutes later. "We have to wait two weeks to see whether this works. I'll prescribe you progesterone supplements that you would need to take," he tells Yeji.
"Is there anything that we should do or avoid during those two weeks?" asks Ryujin.
He shakes his head. "Just go about your life as usual. Don't stress or think about it too much. Have fun, relax. Try to get your mind off the waiting. You can even resume your sex life. I know that it's been put on hold for the past few weeks, hasn't it?"
Both Ryujin and Yeji turn slightly red in the face and grin sheepishly.
"I'll be back in two hours. Don't sit or stand. Don't even move," he tells Yeji. "Have fun, kids," he says next, leaving the room.
Ryujin pulls a chair closer to the bed and sits down. "So," she says, "what shall we do for the next two hours?"
"Sleep? I'm so comfortable right now even though it was so weird to have that thing inside me."
"You can take a nap if you want." Ryujin takes the tablet out of the bag to play a game while she waits. "If you wake up and I'm not here, that means I've gone out to find something to eat."
"You're going to leave your wife for food?"
"Yeah."
"I wish I could smack you upside the head right now."
Ryujin laughs. "Well you can't so go get some sleep. I'll wake you up in two hours."
———————
"Yeddeong?"
Yeji nearly drops the plastic stick, startled by Ryujin's voice. She quickly pulls out a drawer and hides the thing inside, just in time to see Ryujin appearing at the doorway.
"What are you doing?" asks Ryujin.
"Nothing," replies Yeji as nonchalantly as possible. "I thought I'd rearrange the cabinet."
"Why? It's fine the way it is." Ryujin eyes Yeji then steps forward, reaching for the drawer. "Unless you're hiding something."
"Why would I?" Yeji grabs Ryujin's hand before it touches the drawer and pulls her out of the bathroom. "Hey, let's go get ice cream."
Ryujin stops in her tracks, gently pries her hand free from Yeji's hold and goes back to the cabinet to pull the drawer open. She sighs when she sees the home pregnancy test kit and pushes the drawer close without taking it out.
Yeji looks away guiltily, afraid to meet Ryujin's eyes. Then she feels Ryujin's arms around her and feels even guiltier.
"I know you're anxious. Me too, actually, but we have to wait," mumbles Ryujin against the side of Yeji's head, right after she places a kiss on her temple. "It's only been days."
"I'm sorry." Yeji leans against Ryujin and closes her eyes.
"There's nothing to be sorry about. It's okay to be worried and impatient but I don't want you to take the test too early because I don't want you to be disappointed or get false hope," Ryujin says. "Have you talked to the support group today?"
Since they started considering IVF treatment, both of them have been actively searching for information online including reading up on other people's experience. They found a support group for same sex couples who wish to have kids this way and had been sharing bits and pieces from their own experience with the people in that group. Of course, they couldn't be honest about everything but they found encouragement there.
Yeji nods. "Andie told me about her what-ifs and the obsessive things she used to do during her two week wait. It was entertaining and it made me feel like I'm not the only crazy one around here," she says, mentioning one of the people she talks to the most.
"You're not crazy." Ryujin loosens her hold and cups Yeji's face. "Wanna go shopping?"
"Now?"
"Uh-huh."
"Don't you have work to do?"
"I have no urgent deadlines."
"Are you sure?"
Ryujin nods. "We'll go shopping then have a nice romantic dinner at Ryeong's restaurant." She leans in for a kiss. "Then who knows, maybe we'll go see a late movie or take a walk or maybe even dance the night away?" she asks as she starts to swing her hips while humming a random waltzy tune.
Yeji can't help but laugh as she's swayed from side to side. "You can't dance even if your life depended on it."
"Hey, I waltzed and I was damn good at it."
"No one waltzes anymore, Jinnie. They've stopped doing that long before I was even born."
"I can also disco, twist, head bang..." Ryujin starts twisting her hips and snapping her fingers.
"Now you sound like my mother's generation."
"Shuffle, rave, twerk, krumping..." She makes weird stiff movements.
Yeji laughs even harder. "You're getting closer to my generation."
"Gangnam style!" Ryujin breaks into the dance for a moment before Yeji stops her by grabbing her arms and pressing them to her sides, effectively halting her movements.
"You're so old fashioned," Yeji says. "In a cute way though."
"And that is why you fell in love with me, right?"
Yeji snorts. "Had I known that you were three hundred years old, I would've run the other way."
Ryujin fakes a gasp. "So what you said about knowing that I was the one for you since the moment you saw me at that gallery... was it all a lie?" she asks dramatically.
"Yes. I was just trying to get you to sleep with me."
Ryujin fakes another, louder, gasp. "How could you?!" she hisses while pretending to look hurt. "I know I exude beauty and charm and possess superior bedroom skills but I have feelings too, you know. I feel objectified and used now."
"Can we stop this now? You're starting to sound whiny. I'm getting turned off."
Ryujin laughs then pulls Yeji close by the waist. "I can turn you on again," she says in a husky voice, right before she tilts her head to place wet open-mouthed kisses on Yeji's neck, slowly trailing up and down the smooth skin. When she feels Yeji move her head further to the side to give her better access, she licks her skin, going all the way up to the back of her ear before switching back to kisses mixed with gentle sucking and biting as she makes her way down, towards Yeji's exposed shoulder.
She hears her moan and feels her claw at her hair, taking it as a sign that Yeji likes what she's doing.
Ryujin starts moving towards the bedroom, guiding her wife towards the bed.
Yeji wriggles her way out of Ryujin's arms and sits down on the mattress. She then slowly, teasingly moves up the bed, giving Ryujin the come-hither look, complete with the finger motion.
"God, you're so sexy," mumbles Ryujin as she quickly climbs onto the bed, crawling to where Yeji is until she's hovering over her. She wastes no time and dips her head down, their lips meeting in a fiery kiss.
Needless to say, their shopping and dinner plan is forgotten for the next hour and ends up being changed to just dinner simply because they want to spend more time with each other, lazing around, exchanging light touches and sharing butterfly kisses.
Ryujin turns to lie on her stomach and scoots down the bed a bit. She starts peppering Yeji's belly with kisses while the woman strokes her hair.
"You have the genes of strong, smart people," she tells the belly. "So use that to your advantage. Stay in there and grow, you hear me? I promise that you can have ice cream twice a week when you get older..."
"Jinnie..."
"Okay maybe not twice a week." Ryujin then covers the side of her mouth with her hand as if she's whispering a secret although Yeji can still hear her. "At least not when your mommy's around."
"Yah!"
Ryujin grins and places one last kiss. "Get busy, eggy. We'll be waiting for you."
"Eggy?" Yeji looks at the woman who's come to lie down next to her.
"I can't call it baby yet so eggy will do. It's our egg, after all, and it sounds much cuter than embryo-gy or embryo-ee."
Yeji laughs. "Embryo-ee?"
"See? It just sounds off."
"You're a dork."
"I know and I'm proud of it. Hot chicks dig dorks," retorts Ryujin who then points at her wife. "Behold! Exhibit A."
"I like being called a hot chick so I'll allow that." Yeji snuggles close, placing her head on Ryujin's chest as she closes her eyes. "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then we'll try again. The doctor has warned us that the chance of having a first time success isn't that high for most couples although we do have the advantage of eternal youth and health," replies Ryujin.
"I can't imagine how other couples with real fertility problems feel," Yeji says. "It's hard enough for us. They must be devastated if the treatment doesn't work."
"Yeah. I feel bad for them especially those who had to undergo this treatment decades ago. It used to cost so much for just one treatment cycle."
The room grows silent for a moment until Ryujin's stomach starts growling.
"Let's go get that dinner," she says. "I'll call Ryeong to reserve a table while you shower."
———————
"Jinnie..."
Ryujin swivels around in her chair to see Yeji stepping inside her small office with a pale face and fear in her eyes. She jumps to her feet and immediately hugs her, hoping that there's nothing wrong with her wife or the embryo inside her.
"Is everything alright?" she asks softly.
"I... I think I'm going to get my period soon," replies Yeji in a small, shaky voice.
"How do you know that?"
"There are... brown spots and I feel bloated and cranky. I'm even craving cookies and chips like I usually do when I'm PMS-ing."
"The doctor said there might be spotting so you don't have to worry."
"But the PMS cravings-..."
"Maybe you're just stressed and in need of comfort food."
"Maybe but I just... I have a bad feeling about this."
"We can call him and ask but I don't think you should worry too much. It's probably the hormones you're taking."
"But it's been over a week since the egg transfer. Maybe it's not working. Can we test and see?"
"We're supposed to wait until at least twelve days before we do any kind of pregnancy test."
"But but-..."
"Let's call him and ask for his opinion, okay?" Ryujin loosens her hold, rubs her wife's arms and makes the call through her watch.
After explaining everything, he tells them that it's normal to experience such symptoms because of the hormone pills that Yeji's taking. He encourages them to be patient for just a few more days then he will conduct the first pregnancy test himself in order to provide them with the most accurate result.
"See? Nothing to worry about," Ryujin says after she has ended the call. She then pulls her into her arms again. "Just a few more days, Yeddeong. Hang in there."
———————
Ryujin nearly falls off her chair when her watch sends haptic signals to the skin on her wrist, indicating an incoming call.
She sees the doctor's name on the screen and takes a deep breath before answering the call, putting it on speaker so that Yeji can listen in.
"Hello, doctor."
Yeji grips Ryujin's free hand and silently prays for good news.
They've taken the first pregnancy test earlier that day and the doctor promised to tell them the result within a few hours.
"Hello. The results are here," says the doctor. "Are you two sitting down?"
Ryujin's heart sinks a bit when she hears the question. It's a common thing to say before delivering bad news. "Y-yes," she answers shakily.
"Good because this is big." He pauses for a second, torturing the two on the other side of the line. "You're going to be parents."
Yeji deadpans while Ryujin just stares at her watch as if it's broken.
"Hello? You two still there?" comes the doctor's voice.
"Huh? Uh... yes. Yes! I mean, yes we're here." Ryujin can feel Yeji's nails digging into her palm. "Um... can you repeat that, doctor? The result, I mean."
"You are going to be parents. The result is positive. You're pregnant."
"OH MY GOD!" shouts Yeji as she releases Ryujin's hand and squeals in happiness. "I'm pregnant!" She jumps up from her seat and shakes Ryujin by the shoulders. "I'M PREGNANT!"
The doctor hears the commotion and chuckles. "Congratulations. Nurse Lyne will contact you to set up our next appointment. Don't stop taking the progesterone pills in the mean time. Enjoy, you two."
"Th-thank you, doctor."
"You're welcome."
As soon as the call ends, Ryujin finds herself staring at a grinning Yeji who has tears in her eyes. "It... it worked?" she asks her. She's still having a hard time processing everything.
"It worked." Yeji cups Ryujin's face and gazes into her eyes. "Jinnie, we're going to have a baby."
"A baby..." repeats Ryujin slowly, still in a daze. "A baby. We're going to have a baby." She takes a deep breath. "We're going to have a baby?"
Yeji nods. "We're going to have a baby. After thirty four years..." she pauses, choking on the tears that are now streaming down her face.
Ryujin pulls Yeji into her embrace and buries her face in her hair. She, too, can't stop her tears from falling. We're finally going to have a baby.