Elenor 'Nell' Bennett is an overworked and underappreciated cake decorator. Stressed out after being taken advantage of yet again by her manipulative and gaslighting manager, she joins her sister on a trip to Costa Rica. One day while hiking, in the...
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Day 112
It felt like during this month, Jimin and I had spent more time away from the palace than we'd spent at home. Even though the Seed Bearer's celebrations had ended 10 days ago, my boyfriend and I decided to take a slight detour on our way back to Seoul. He wanted to show me some different sights other than his home city. I had to admit, it was nice being with Jimin, especially on his birthday.
Instead of the five days it took to get to Daejeon, the trip home had lasted eight. It was nice seeing the Hanbat Arboretum (where we had a picnic on his 28th birthday and spent the day like the loved-up couple we were), Yongin Dae Jang Geum Park and exploring some of the smaller towns that dotted our journey back to the city. By the end, though, I found myself growing more and more weary of carriage travel. The two days we had back at the palace were amazing, neither of us wanted to leave the bed.
I had hoped to stay snuggled up in Jimin's arms in bed for two reasons. The first was that the weather had turned; an unseasonal cold snap had come through two days ago. Instead of the warm autumnal days we'd been having, the air was filled with a chill that let us know winter was on its way. October in Australia was usually hot and sometimes humid. It didn't feel normal for me to be rugged up in layers the day before my birthday.
The other reason was that I'd become homesick again. It was hard knowing that this would be the first year in our lives that Esther and I were not together on our birthday. It felt weird being without my sister and celebrating solo. There was an unwritten rule between us both that we could be apart any of the other 364 days, but October 22 was the one day when Esther and I would always be together.
'Except for tomorrow.'
As much as I would have liked to have wallowed in sadness, curled up in my loving man's arms, it was not to be. Jimin and I had been invited on a weekend stay-over at Seokjin's palace, where we were gathering as a group to celebrate his and Soon-Bok's pregnancy. I looked at Jimin in confusion when he'd told me this because I thought we had already had a party. He told me that the other one was for the couple's closest friends and family, whereas this one was for the Seoul Seed Bearers group.
I had to admit, I was excited to meet Soon-Bok's sister, who I was told would also be there. I'd learned while we were in Daejeon that even though they were not blood-related, Soon-Bok and her sister were as close as Esther and me. The two had relied on each other when their parents had passed away several years ago, which had brought the diblings even closer.
Each time I came to Seokjin's palace, my breath was taken away by how extravagant the house was. The two-storey monstrosity of a house was equally luxurious as it was homely—most likely because of the perfectly landscaped gardens. Because it felt so welcoming, I loved coming here. It was handy that Seokjin lived not far from the Parks' palace.
"You're finally here," Soon-Bok's excited voice rang out as she brought me in for a tight embrace.
"Soon-Bok," I exclaimed, moisture gathering at my waterline, "You've got a tiny bump." I could feel a slight protrusion of her belly as she hugged me, something that I had not felt when I saw her nine days ago. "When did that happen?"
