Rosé POV
I woke up this morning feeling refreshed from a good night's sleep. It's the first time in a while I was excited to get on with my day. I wasn't sure why I wasn't that tired today. Maybe it's because Lisa's not here. Ha, just kidding. But she did leave for her trip to Thailand last weekend.
Today was thanksgiving and I was planning on spending some time with my own family after a doctor check-up. I just did some simple scans and tests to see if my body's doing alright, or if my hormones are imbalanced and what not. After that, I headed home to eat a small lunch and right as I finished cleaning the dishes, someone rang the doorbell. I opened it to see that my parents and my sister were here for a visit! I guess they beat me to it.
"She looks horrified. I knew we should've called," my dad said. Without wasting another second, I hurried to wrap my arms around him, hugging him tightly. I felt the vibration of his chuckle in the comfort of the hug being returned.
"I've missed you guys so much," I said then gave my mum and sister a hug after letting them all into the apartment. "I was about to go see you too! I can't believe I let you guys come to me first."
"Oh, so you can wake up before noon," my sister, Alice, joked and swung an arm around my shoulder.
I playfully glared at her and crossed my arms, "Hmph, I have a job so I actually wake up way earlier than noon."
"Well, I figured since Lisa is finally able to go back to Thailand again, your apartment would be empty so coming to you sounded like a good plan. It's thanksgiving, don't be ungrateful that we're here," my mum teased and I wrapped my arms around her.
"I love you, mummy~ Thank you for coming."
"And we brought some ingredients to cook thanksgiving dinner. You should thank mum for that too," said Alice.
I gasped, noticing the bags of food they brought over then I stared at my mum with love. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and thanked her again.
"Enough kisses, let's start preparing the turkey," she said and I reluctantly let go.
"Already?" I asked.
"Yes, already. It's so we'll have more time for dinner to catch up on how great you're doing with Saint Laurent," she said then pinched my cheek, "My little girl is getting too famous."
I smiled shyly, "Mum..."
She smiled back and turned me towards the kitchen, "Go help your dad with the vegetables."
"Okay."
As we prepared for our feast, I put on some music in the background. We sang along to Korean music of the 80s and 90s for my parents, and American music of the early 2000s for my sister and I. You can never go wrong with the classics.
After what felt like an entire day's work, only two hours had passed and my stomach was growling for dinner already. Taking a break, I sat with Alice on the couch and she turned to me with a smirk.
"So, Rosie... Where's the boyfriend?" she asked. Alice knew about Asa but my parents were oblivious to it. I've even introduced Asa to her and everything was fine, but to be honest, I didn't know how my parents would react to him. He's pretty different from my ex...
"I... I don't have one," I replied and gestured with my eyes for her to shut up. I didn't want my parents to start asking me.
"Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend, Rosie?" my dad asked. "No dating allowed," he said sternly and my mum gave him a look of judgment.
"She's an adult. Let her date."
"She's not an adult. She's like... 8."
I didn't know if this counted as favouritism but my mum had a hint about Asa. I might've mentioned him to her a few times before but only because she was cool about it. My dad, however, was my dad—he was too overprotective.
"How are things with Asa?" Alice whispered this time. Since my parents were distracted with their own conversation, I decided to reply.
"Perfect. He's everything I've ever dreamed of."
"Hm, okay~" she smirked, "When will he meet mum and dad? He made a great impression on me so he can't be that bad for the oldies. Besides, you describe him like he's the most charming guy in the world," she laughed.
Well, in my opinion he was. He was the most charming man I'll ever know. He had the most beautiful hazel brown eyes and the cutest little smile. If anyone saw how he was with Areum, they'd fall in love with Asa too.
I'm not saying I was in love with him though... That's not what I meant....
The doorbell rang and the four of us shared surprised looks. None of us were expecting any guests. Alice went to get the door and I followed. Behind the door was the devil himself, Asa. He had a bottle of wine in one hand and a simple bouquet of flowers in the other but my dumbass was in shock and slammed the door on him. Shit, what do I do? My parents were already on their way over to see who it was...
"Who is it?" my dad asked.
"That's him right...?" Alice began and gave me a look.
"Mhm," I nodded, knowing she was referring to Asa. She nodded awkwardly and I opened the door again. There was no one there but I saw his feet hiding behind the corner. "You can come out of your hiding place, Asa. It's okay..."
After a few seconds, Asa approached the door again. He bowed to my family members, "Hi... I'm, uh..." he looked to me for help.
"Boyfriend?" my dad asked.
"Boyfriend, or not, let the poor man inside," my mum said and pulled Asa into the place by his arm. "Would you like a drink? I'll get you one."
My mum sat him down at the couch and my dad pulled me to the side. I already knew by the look at his face that he didn't really like Asa... I just knew it.
"Rosie, please don't tell me that's your boyfriend," he said quietly so they wouldn't hear us. "He's got tattoos all over his arms a-and piercings on his ears. He's got drug dealer and gang member written all over him."
I glance at Asa sitting with my sister and mum. He smiled shyly at my mum when she handed him a drink. He mixed the drink and took a sip. When he smiled and thanked my mum, I almost smiled too but I stopped myself before my dad could see me.
I cleared my throat, "He's not that bad, daddy." I cringed slightly after saying that... Asa completely ruined it for me. "He's actually a really sweet guy and I think if you get to know him, you'll realize it too."
"Pft, that's what they all say..." he grumbled. "What's his name?"
"Asa."
"That's a foreign name! No wonder he looks like he's up to no good."
"Daddy, you named me Roseanne, you know?"
"Yes but I also named you Chaeyoung—I perfectly nice Korean name. Does he have a Korean name? Is he even Korean?"
"I..." Wait, was Asa Korean? He was, right? "Does it matter?"
"What's his last name?"
"Ah, excuse me. Sorry." We look over and Asa was a meter away from us. God, I was already feeling embarrassed of having him here but now I'll feel bad if he heard anything my dad was saying... "I'm gonna go now. Happy thanksgiving, Rosé. And you too, sir."
I felt so bad for him. He must be as uncomfortable as I was in this situation... And with his cheeks tinted pink, I just wanted to hug him dearly and comfort him.
"Why don't you stay for dinner? It's thanksgiving after all," my mum suggested. I knew she had good intentions but I was afraid my dad would try to strangle Asa after cutting the turkey.
Asa scratched the back of his head and sighed, "Oh... I don't know."
"Why's he itching his head. Does he have lice?" my dad mumbled and my mum glared him down.
"Um, could you just give us one second?" I said and took Asa down the hall with me. I brought him to my room and closed the door quietly. I turned to him and hugged his chest. "I'm so sorry, Asa. Thank you for coming but... I wish you didn't."
I let go and he chuckled softly, "It would've been better if I didn't, but now that I'm here, do you want me to stay?"
"That's your choice. Do you want to?"
He thought for a minute then walked me over to the bed to have a seat. "I would love to but parents tend not to like me very much at first. And as far as I can tell, your dad looks like he hates me." He chuckled gently which made me smile and kiss his cheek.
"I'm sorry about that too. So, you'll go then?" I asked with a little pout.
He pinched my cheek lightly, "Well, my parents said they wanted to see me today but I didn't have the courage to go yet. I was hoping you'd give me a push..."
"Mhm." I smiled at him but suddenly there was a sharp pain in my lower stomach. I didn't react much to it but I clutched my stomach softly.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Asa asked with his eyebrows furrowed in worry.
I put on a smile again, "Nothing. I'm just hungry."
I managed to convince him I was okay and he smiled back at me. I've had these slight pains like once or twice today but they don't last. I figured it wasn't much of a big deal but I'll be sure to speak to my doctor about it.
Asa's eyes traveled down my body now and I became shy from the growing smirk on his lips. "Beautiful as always, babe." I turned my face away and blushed. My heart began to race even faster as he stared, then he put a hand on my cheek to make me look at him.
His thumb brushed lightly against my cheekbone and he leaned closer to my face. I closed my eyes but before we could kiss, there was a knock on the door and Asa moved away immediately. Maybe too frantically at that because I opened my eyes to him on the ground. I chuckled at how flustered he was right now. I'd never expect him to be the type of man to be shy around others.
"It's just me, don't worry," Alice said and poked her head through the door. "I sent our parents to grab some missing ingredients so if you want to leave, Asa, give it a minute or two."
I helped Asa up from the ground and we left the room. "Thank you for helping," I said to Alice and she smiled.
"I know what's it's like when dad's being over protective... And it's not like you've never had a boyfriend before. You've even been married," she said but then she covered her mouth, glimpsing at Asa. "He knows right?"
"Yes, he knows."
She sighed in relief and I rolled my eyes at her dramatic reaction. I swear she acted just like this the first time she met Asa.
"So what's with the shyness, Asa? You used to be a very cool and composed person but it looks like you're sweating buckets in front of our parents."
Asa clenched his jaw and cleared his throat, "Well, ah, meeting Rosé's parents is different than meeting anyone else's, you know? And I want them to like me because I really like Rosé and I would like to marry her one day and..."
I started laughing from his cute little 'and's and 'like's. Those were the reasons he was so flustered in front of everyone? He's getting way ahead of himself. I'd like to marry him, yes, but that's not what I was thinking of right now. I just want to enjoy being with him.
"Why are you laughing, he's making a confession here," Alice scolded and pinched my arm.
"Sorry," I laughed and stood in front of Asa to pinch his cheeks lightly, "You're just so cute when you're shy~"
"I'm not shy," he defended, "This isn't me being shy. It's more like being nervous."
"Mhm," I hummed and gave him a quick peck on the lips. I took his hand and went for the door, "Time to go."
"So fast? We've barely had a conversation," Alice complained. "He didn't even have enough time to sit down to have a drink."
"He'll be back soon enough. On a good day, right, Asa?" I asked.
Then the door bell rang again... I opened the door and my parents were back already. Did time speed up? Hasn't it been like two minutes, how are they back so fast?
"We left the missing ingredients in the car," my mum replied as if she read my mind.
"And he's still here," my dad grumbled.
"Daddy..." I scolded softly and Asa gave me a look of guilty surprise. He didn't smirk but I knew what he was thinking when I said that word... I'm gonna beat his ass for ruining the word for me.
My dad stood in front of Asa to get a good look at his face. "Where're your parents from?" he asked.
"Dad," I scolded again.
"Ah, my mother's from Seoul and my father's from Gangnam," Asa replied.
"So you're Korean then?" my dad asked.
"Yes, sir. I'm Korean."
"Do you speak Korean?" he asked Asa in Korean.
"Yes, I can speak Korean," Asa replied in Korean using one of the higher forms of honourifics.
My dad stared at him and sighed through his nose. Then he looked at me and said, "I like Tony better," before walking into the kitchen to join my mom. Well, he wouldn't like Tony anymore if he knew what happened between us...
"Sorry about that, Asa. Please don't take it to heart. Our dad is not easy to please," Alice said and touched his arm. "I'll go talk to him."
He stopped her before she could leave. "It's okay," Asa smiled confidently, "He clearly doesn't know Tony like I do. And I'm way better than him."
I was starting to think it was absolutely necessary for me to know the entire relationship between Asa and Tony... I wanted to know Tony like Asa did. Maybe he'd be able to give an explanation for Eris... and why Tony seemed so different now.
Asa walked towards the kitchen and I grabbed his hand, "Where're you going?" Of course, it'd be nice for him to stay but I thought he was leaving to see his own parents.
"I think I'll stay. I'm gonna convince your parents to let me marry you one day," he said and kissed my cheek before walking away. He entered the kitchen quietly and helped my mum with the vegetables in her hands. "Is the offer for dinner still on the table?"
My mum smiled at him dearly, "Of course." Alice and I joined them in the kitchen and my mum nudged me with her elbow, "How'd you convince him? He was a wreck earlier."
"I think he just likes me too much," I joked.
As Asa struggled to offer my dad some help, I was mashing some potatoes and laughing at them with Alice. My dad reluctantly gave up and made Asa put the turkey in the oven and Asa even had to teach him how to use the oven.
"All these damn buttons... the only one you need is temperature, START and STOP," my dad grumbled and Asa smiled.
"You're only complaining because you're old," Alice teased.
"I'm not that old. I bet I could lift as much as I could as if I was 20."
"Don't listen to him, he's lying," my mum said. My dad seemed offended so I gave him a hug. Only then did he chuckle and move on from the topic.
As we prepared dinner, the time had finally come where we could actually eat it. I was so excited to eat as I bounced up and down, waiting to get my portion. Asa chuckled happily at me and I stared back at him, "What?"
He pinched my cheek, "You're so happy to finally eat."
"Well, it's been a long day. Can't I be hungry?"
He placed a hand on my lower back and kissed my head, "No, it's cute. You remind me of Areum when Alex used to make her favourite dish."
I thought of what he said and smiled, remembering that Areum was always so happy whenever her father cooked for her. She was happy with Jennie too but when it came to food, Areum was a daddy's girl.
"Ahem!" my dad cleared his throat loudly as a prompt for Asa to take his hand off of me, which he did, and the air became a little awkward. I smiled weakly at Asa and he returned a shy look.
When we all settled down at the dinner table with our food, my mum asked me a question before I could even take my second bite. I'm tried not to pout as I put my spoon of food back down.
"What are Jisoo and Jennie doing for thanksgiving today? I know Lisa went back to Thailand, so are they spending some time with their families as well?"
"Mhm, Jisoo should be with her parents right now and Jennie said she'd visit her husband's family for dinner," I replied.
"How's Areum doing?" my dad asked. They still worried about Areum even after a year that Jennie's husband had passed. I'm sure everyone was.
"She's doing really well actually. As well as we all are."
"It must be hard for Areum to grow up without her father around, especially since she was old enough to have a meaningful relationship with him," Alice said. I looked at Asa who seemed pretty quiet. I wondered what his childhood was like because of how complicated his relationship with his parents was.
"I worried about that too at first," I admitted, "But I think Asa really balances it out for her. Areum loves Asa almost as much as she loved her father."
I put a hand on his shoulder and he smiled weakly. "I see her as my own daughter sometimes too. You know, as much as Jennie lets me," he chuckled. "And since Jisoo and Jennie both leave for work pretty early, I take Areum to and from school everyday. I also look after her until one of them comes home."
My mum smiled at him, "It's very nice of you help Jennie. Being a single mother isn't easy. Looking after Areum like that, I know you'll make a great father one day. What was your family like growing up?"
I watched as Asa gulped a little harder. "Ah, well, it was just like anyone other family. But actually, my grandma raised me most of the time."
I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable, and I knew it wasn't my mum's intention, but talking about this topic in general must be hard for him. I signalled with my eyes for Alice to help me distract everyone and thankfully, she read my mind.
"Rosie, you said that Areum's been really into art these days, right? Didn't Jennie say she was considering letting Areum take some painting classes?" Alice asked.
"Ahh, yes. She loves to do art at her school. Every time I visit her now, she shows me what she draws or paints in class. It's so adorable."
"And what about you, Rosie?" my dad asked, "Did you have time to draw anything these days?"
"I didn't know you liked to draw," Asa said with his face lit up, and my dad rolled his eyes slightly.
"Of course you didn't know. My daughter loves to draw. You should at least know what her hobbies are." My dad was being awfully arrogant right now. I didn't know what's gotten into him. He's usually not like this. He's one of the nicest people I knew but all of a sudden he didn't like Asa? Why not?
"Ah... sorry," Asa said quietly.
"Rosie, you should go see the new exhibition in the museum downtown. Everyone's always talking about it and I was thinking of seeing it soon."
"Oh, he means the one with the cherry blossom tree," my mum added.
"Are you talking about Distant Fate?" I asked and he nodded in agreement. "Actually... Asa-"
"I took her to see it already," Asa interrupted.
"The name of the piece sound familiar. I think my friend went to see it earlier this week," Alice said. "Who was the artist again? A... something."
"I think his name was Aaron," my dad replied.
"It's Asa. Asa made it," I stated.
Everyone shared surprised faces. My dad was especially shocked and almost choked on his food, making Alice pat his back gently.
"You? You with the tattoos and bad Korean son demeanour?" my dad asked, and Asa smiled uncomfortably. "You made something as amazing as that?"
"Yeah. That's me," he said as naturally as possible but it was almost as if he didn't really want to be recognized for it. I didn't understand why. His work was amazing and people should know it was him behind it all.
"Where did you get the inspiration from?" my mum asked intently. Asa gave them a similar answer to what he gave while at the museum—his inspiration was his grandma. Everyone stared at him in astonishment and my mum elbowed my dad, "See? This is why you shouldn't judge people by their appearances."
My dad nodded awkwardly and picked at his food. He made eye contact with Asa and quietly took his harsh words back. "I'm sorry, Asa. I might've been to judgemental. It's a fatherly instinct to want to protect your youngest daughter."
"What about me?" Alice asked with a pout.
"You've never brought anyone home before. I'd be happy if you even look at a man," my dad teased and Alice hugged him with a chuckle.
"It's been forgotten," Asa said and raised his glass. "Let's just enjoy our delicious thanksgiving dinner. I think Rosé's getting fussy with the full plate in front of her."
I playfully glared at him and raised my glass, along with everyone else and we wished each other a happy thanksgiving. After that, dinner went smoothly. There was no bickering and no tension in the atmosphere. My dad and Asa even talked about other artworks of the museum. My dad was an art fanatic and I see Asa was too. Hopefully they'll continue to get along.
After dinner, as Asa helped everyone clean up, I left the kitchen to make a phone call in my room. I missed a called from my doctor so I wanted to call back. On the phone, we talked about some test results from this morning that came back and something else...
"While checking your estrogen and progesterone levels, there seemed to be an unexpected increase. It's unexpected but you've also said that you've been spotting so I took a closer look at things. I noticed this earlier today, which is why you I asked you to do some simple tests that could check my hypothesis and it turns out, Rosé that... you're pregnant."
"W-what...?"
You Were My
Everything