She was more emotional than usual.
He knew it could happen, but he had underestimated just how much. She was moved by everything and anything, and she lived every emotion very intensely.
She could laugh for hours at a joke he had made, and burst into tears because she had finished her favorite tea. She would go from laughter to tears, from tears to laughter, at breakneck speed.
He wasn't complaining though.
It was unsettling, yes, scary even at times, but it was her, and all that was her was always worth it. Everything. Her mood swings, her pregnancy cravings and her obsession with certain foods.
"Spaghetti alle vongole!"
He glanced at her before returning his attention to the road with an amused half-smile. She had said it with such enthusiasm that it looked like she had just made a life changing discovery.
"Really ?"
"Yes! That's it. I want it."
Then she added for good measure, one hand resting on her rounded stomach, with that adorable smile she used to get her way, cocking her head to the side, her freshly cut hair caressing her bare shoulders.
God, she was so beautiful...
"The baby wants it!"
He burst out laughing and shook his head in amusement. Her eyes were sparkling at the prospect of devouring a dish of her favorite pasta, he wouldn't have been surprised to see her drooling.
She had developed an unconditional love for Italian cuisine since the beginning of the pregnancy, and he was glad to see her back to her usual self, being the happiest when food was involved. The first few weeks hadn't been easy, she hadn't been sick to the point that she couldn't do anything, but she had been quite nauseous and had had little appetite.
Which had worried him a lot, he had to admit. Yejin loved eating, when she didn't, it was always because something was wrong.
But that was all in the past, and now she was jumping on anything that looked like pizza or pasta.
Spaghetti alle vongole.
It was a dish she had made before his brief stay in Milan, and he had to admit that she was extremely talented. What she had been bragging about throughout the meal. As well as the next day. And the day after. He chuckled at the memory.
"That's good, I happen to have made reservations at a restaurant... For the two of us and for Kitty..."
She turned to him, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Did...Is it… the one I told you about?" she asked, incredulous.
Quite proud of himself, he nodded. She put her hands to her mouth, blinking several times.
"But... I only told you about it yesterday..."
He didn't answer, he just smiled.
Nothing of what she said had ever escaped him, since the weeks they had spent traveling through Korea to promote their movie, becoming inseparable, talking for hours, laughing their jaws off. From her unhealthy love for coffee to the snacks she hid in her dressing room, from her childhood in Daegu to the dog she had lost... He had wanted to know everything about her, and he still did.
She turned to Kitty, who was dozing between shopping bags, and exclaimed in a playful tone.
"Kitty-yah, who's going to eat pizza, it's you!"
The puppy seemed briefly intrigued by Yejin's enthusiasm, before dozing off again. Kitty was exhausted, and he didn't blame her. They had been browsing the baby stores all morning, he himself was exhausted and he knew that Yejin's feet were starting to hurt.
He had to admit, however, that it had been exciting.
Being with the love of his life, choosing tiny pajamas for a baby, their baby, was surreal.
He was pretty cartesian, and was always focused on the present, but sometimes, it didn't feel real, sometimes, it felt more like that dream he'd had for at least two decades. To find the woman he would love with all his being. And to build a family with her. It was surreal but it was his new reality.
*****
Yejin turned the plate slightly and dutifully took another shot, looking at the result on her phone with a critical eye.
No, too dark...
The tantalizing aromas that rose from their order made her hurry, she turned the plate again and took another photo. She smiled with satisfaction.
This one was perfect.
"It's okay, I'm done, we can eat and..."
She had just looked up and found her husband hand-feeding Kitty. He looked at her with a small pout.
"We're hungry... Kitty had her pizza right under her nose, I couldn't make her wait, right Kitty-yah…"
He turned his attention to the dog, and patiently waited for Kitty to nibble the slice of pizza he was holding for her. Yejin felt a warmth spread in her chest and her heart melted with love for this man.
For many, he was this charismatic and intense man, tall and strong, a talented actor, model, singer and businessman. A category of his own, a fantasy.
She took a picture and smiled.
For her, he was her best friend. He was this sensitive, intelligent, caring, loving, protective man, her refuge, her home.
The one who took care of the people he loved, away from the media and mainstream attention.
The one who made her laugh, who took care of Kitty as much as she did, who made reservations just because she talked about a restaurant she wished to go to, who held her hand, always.
She wasn't going to post the full picture, but maybe if she just zoomed in on Kitty and his hand… She wanted the world to know how wonderful of an Appa he made, and she couldn't wait to see him taking care of their baby.
