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

19. Figuring Us Out

H A N N I

"Yes, I'll forward you the rest of the documents, thank you," I spoke into the phone, ending the call with my lawyer as I leaned back onto the bed, sighing against the soft material.

I shut my eyes, begging for a moment of peace. It was all so sudden, and for once, I am finally making my own choice. I’m divorcing him. And I plan on telling my parents only after it's done. I can't let them destroy me all over again. I'm an adult now. I should be able to make my own decisions.

I heard the door click open, and a smile immediately found its way to my face as I opened my eyes again.

Minji groaned, tossing her bag on the couch, pulling off her student ID card as she slumped down on the bed in front of me, making me sit up.

"How was your day?" I asked, running a gentle hand through her silky hair. Minji smiled, resting her head in my lap.

"You're the best part of it," Minji mumbled, getting comfortable.

"So cheesy. Are you hungry? Do you want me to make us dinner—"

Minji’s head almost sprang up from my lap as she looked at me with a very disapproving look. "No way in hell am I letting you cook. I'm a very good one myself, I promise," she insisted.

"Babe, you burned our lasagna last night," I chuckled slightly, watching as she rolled her eyes and sat up.

"That was one time, Hanni. Let's leave it alone," Minji said, standing up from the bed. "But it’s also why I brought takeout from the Chinese restaurant downtown."

"See? You don’t even trust your own cooking skills," I pointed out.

Minji paused, clearly caught. But she shrugged it off. "Maybe, but I want you to have a meal that’s not burnt for once. We’ve been eating the most random stuff for the past week."

"Which really makes me wonder, how did you survive before?" I asked.

Minji shrugged again. "Coffee."

The room fell silent. "And?"

"There’s supposed to be more?" Minji laughed, but I was too serious to join. She awkwardly stopped and cleared her throat.

"Minji, can we talk?" I sighed, patting the space in front of me, asking her to sit down again. Minji nodded, sitting back down.

"I—this is just," I bit my lip, "I’ve been on bed rest for the past week, and, the divorce... It took me long enough to find a suitable lawyer through a university friend of mine, but... I just—I’m sorry."

Minji’s brows furrowed. "What are you sorry for?"

I sighed again. "You work so hard every day, and I’ve been nothing but useless. I’m messed up, my entire life is, and I haven’t been able to give you anything."

Minji’s jaw clenched. She looked away for a moment, sitting up straighter. "We're not having this conversation again."

"We have to have this conversation, Minji."

"Don’t you understand? You give me everything. Love is all I need from you. You’ve struggled for so long, and I don’t want you to feel like this," Minji spoke carefully.

"For how long, Minji? How long will love be enough? I need to do something with my life. We—I love you a lot, but we don’t know what we want," I admitted shamefully.

"Are you saying you don’t know what to do with all of this?" Minji asked.

"I have a child on the way. I have to manage her expenses even if Guwon pays child support—I would have to ground myself, I have to raise the child, get a job, and you’re also a student. We’re both still so young," I rambled, not sure of what I was getting at.