Once More, Love 2

36. Reciprocated

"Here." Chaeyoung hands a mug with hot beverage to Mina who is sitting on the long chair of the mini balcony of his hotel suite.

"Thanks." The dancer smiles and reaches for the cup of coffee but just stares at it for a moment.

The painter looks at her in curiosity as he sits right beside the girl. "Wae? Is there... something you don't like in your coffee? The last time I knew you always wanted it unsweetened and with milk. I didn't have oat milk though which I remember you love the most. What I only have is full cream—"

"Ani." Mina softly smiles. She sips from the mug and puts the mug down on the glass topped coffee table in front of them. "It's not that, Chae. I just— I just want to take precautionary measures. I forgot to tell you to not make too much for me. Sorry. I think I'm only drinking half of what you made for me."

"Okay... But—" Chaeyoung asks innocently. "Precautionary measures...? For what?"

The dancer pauses for a second. She turns away from the man beside her to gaze at the view of the horizon with city buildings. "Same reason with the alcohol."

Chaeyoung scrunched his eyebrows, obviously not getting what Mina meant while trying his best to crack the code on the girl's simple riddle. "I'm... m— mianhae, Yeobo. I can't— I'm not sure I'm following."

Mina rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Irresponsible boys."

"Huh? What— what are you saying?" The painter perks up and puts also his mug down on the coffee table. He consecutively holds both of Mina's shoulders and gently turns her so that the two of them are facing each other. "I— irresponsible? Me? Is— is that what you're saying? What— what did I do this time? Tell me. I— I promise to make it right. I will do everything to make it right. Please."

The dancer chuckles. "Are you panicking right now?"

"And what if I am?! I don't want to push you away without me knowing!"

Mina just laughs loudly at how Chaeyoung answered immediately to her.

"Ya!" The painter's face is nothing but serious. "Mina! JINJJA. Tell me what it is!"

The dancer calms herself and smiles sweetly at him. She slowly reaches for each of Chaeyoung's hands to pull and slide them down to her lap where she gives them a tight squeeze. "Yeobo."

"N— ne?"

"Have you seriously never thought about it?"

"UGH. About whaaaat?" Chaeyoung whines like a kid. "I'm asking you because I don't know what you're talking about! Can't you just pinpoint what it is?! You know that in between the two of us, you're always the brighter one!"

"Jinjja." Mina playfully rolls her eyes and sighs. "Chae."

"Wae? What is it? Tell me. Pali!"

The dancer pauses for a second while the guy in front of her is in full attention of whatever she has to say. "You... Chae, you..." She inhales deeply and squints at him. "You could've made me pregnant, you know."

Chaeyoung's eyes slowly widened. His jaw falls off as he visibly tries to make words out of thin air but miserably fails to produce anything.

The dancer promptly chuckles at his reaction. "That's right. Take your time, my love. Let it sink to you."

The painter rapidly blinks and shakes his head furiously for a couple of seconds as if shaking something literally off of his face. When he seems to have recovered his decent mind, he gulps and stares at Mina. "You— you— you mean— when we did— in bed— in—" He points to Mina. "So you never— the pills— I thought— you—" Then, he points to himself. "When— when I— I was— Mina— I— inside—"