Fate || PART 2 of 'Good Luck, Babe!' (Bbangsaz)

1. Seeing Her Again

H A N N I

"Minji?" Her name rolled off my tongue, my voice shaky as I kept staring at her, refusing to believe this was happening.

She looked the same yet so different from how I remembered.

Her dark hair was longer, still as straight as ever. Her features were more defined now, sharper. She seemed like an adult, a completely different person from the soft Minji I once knew.

Minji stumbled back a bit. "You're Dr. Lee's patient?"

I nodded slowly, feeling a small smile tug at my lips, as if in this moment, all the pain was forgotten, replaced by gratitude just to see her again.

"I-this is unexpected. What are you doing in Busan?" I asked, stepping further into the office, carefully closing the door behind me, almost afraid it would shatter the moment.

Minji smiled, and my heart both warmed and ached at the sight. That smile. God, I missed it so much. Missed her.

"Got a scholarship here at a nearby hospital. It happened after I graduated from SNU. Life changes a lot in just five years," she said smoothly, her voice deeper than I remembered, her accent thicker. It was strange hearing it now.

"That's really good. I'm happy for you," I replied, forcing my smile to stay, despite the emotional storm raging inside me.

"I'm happy for you too," she said, though her voice wavered slightly. "Well, knowing your family is growing."

Her words cut deeper than they should have, her eyes avoiding mine, as if neither of us could bear the weight of this conversation.

"I got married," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper. It felt heavy, like the words themselves hurt to say.

"I know. You two are all over the news," she said, smiling again, but this time her smile held a sadness that I could feel from across the room.

I stared down at my hands, fingers fidgeting nervously. Everything about this felt wrong. I wasn't supposed to be here, not like this, not with her looking at me like that.

"Are you still in contact with Danielle?" Minji asked, breaking the silence, her voice bringing me back from the painful spiral I was slipping into.

I smiled slightly at the mention of Danielle. She and Haerin had gotten engaged last month. Their wedding was soon.

"Yeah, I am. Are you still in touch with Haerin?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

Minji nodded, and we both realized the same thing at that moment. Our friends knew everything, but neither of them had told us anything about each other. It was almost as if they had been protecting us both, trying to keep us from reopening old wounds.

"So," Minji's voice shifted, turning more professional. "Let's get started with the check-up. What's the current progress?"

I swallowed hard, trying to focus on the reason I was here in the first place. "Well, I've been taking sleeping pills lately, and I think they're having side effects. My cramps are getting worse."

Minji's expression shifted, something like concern flashing in her eyes before they darkened.

"Sleeping pills? Did you have a prescription for them?" she asked, flipping through my medical record.

"No, I didn't. I just ran to the nearest pharmacy and bought whatever would help me sleep," I admitted, feeling the weight of my recklessness hit me all at once.

Minji looked up, her gaze sharp, almost scolding me without saying a word.

"Hanni," she began, her voice firm. Hearing her say my name like that again sent a strange jolt through me. "You can't keep taking those. They're not safe for the baby, especially not during such a sensitive stage."