The marriage had been a spectacle—a flawless merging of two powerful families that made headlines for days. But behind the shimmering lights, the applause, and the vows spoken through gritted teeth, Wonwoo felt an ache that no amount of luxury could soothe.
At first, life with Mingyu was cold, like the marble floors of their shared home. They moved around each other as if invisible walls kept them apart. Mingyu was polite but distant, his touches brief and devoid of warmth. Wonwoo couldn’t help but feel like an inconvenience, a reluctant guest in his own life. The echo of the life he had dreamt of, with laughter and shared moments, remained unfulfilled.
Weeks turned into months, and with each passing day, Wonwoo’s feelings for Mingyu deepened despite himself. He watched the way Mingyu’s brows furrowed when he concentrated, how his laughter, rare as it was, filled a room. Every time Mingyu was near, Wonwoo’s heart betrayed him with a flutter.
But Mingyu, oblivious, continued as if nothing had changed. He spent long hours at work and came home late, the scent of cologne and city air following him into the house. Conversations were short, stilted. Wonwoo would sit at the edge of their bed, eyes trailing after Mingyu’s silhouette as he changed, hoping for a glance, a sign that he wasn’t alone in this growing turmoil.
The turning point came one evening when Wonwoo discovered he was pregnant. The room spun as he stared at the test in his shaking hands, the reality crashing down on him like a wave. He was carrying a piece of Mingyu—a symbol of their bond, however fractured it might be. Wonwoo’s heart raced, caught between joy and fear. Would Mingyu even care?
Dinner that night was quiet, as always. The clinking of silverware filled the space between them until Wonwoo gathered the courage to speak. “Mingyu,” he said softly, eyes fixed on his plate, “there’s something you should know.”
Mingyu’s gaze shifted, a rare moment of attention that felt like a spotlight. “What is it?”
“I’m pregnant,” Wonwoo whispered, each syllable carrying the weight of hope and trepidation.
For a moment, Mingyu said nothing. His expression was unreadable, dark eyes searching Wonwoo’s face for an answer to a question he didn’t know how to ask. “Pregnant?” he repeated, as if the word were foreign.
“Yes.” The silence stretched, a taut wire ready to snap. Mingyu’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood up abruptly, leaving the room without another word. The echo of his departure was louder than anything he could have said.
Wonwoo’s chest tightened, the sting of rejection cutting deeper than he thought possible. He sank back into his chair, wrapping his arms around himself as if it could shield him from the cold that seeped in.
Days turned into a blur. Mingyu stayed away longer, his absence a constant reminder of how little had changed. Wonwoo withdrew into himself, finding solace only in the thought of the life growing inside him. It was during one sleepless night that he wandered into the kitchen, the loneliness clawing at him. The house was dark, but the dim glow of the city lights painted shadows across the walls.
The creak of the floor startled him. Mingyu stood at the doorway, disheveled and weary, eyes locking with Wonwoo’s in the half-light. They stood in silence, the weight of unspoken words filling the space between them.
“I didn’t know how to react,” Mingyu admitted, voice raw, as if it had been clawed from him. “It scared me.”
Wonwoo’s fingers tightened around the edge of the counter, the cool surface grounding him. “It scared me too,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “But I’m still here, waiting.”
Mingyu’s eyes softened for the first time in what felt like forever, the distance between them shrinking. He took a hesitant step forward, and then another, until he was close enough to see the tear that slipped down Wonwoo’s cheek. Without thinking, he reached out, brushing it away with a thumb.
“I’m sorry,” Mingyu said, the words weighted with sincerity. “I’ve been so focused on what this meant for me that I didn’t think about what it meant for us.”
Wonwoo closed his eyes at the touch, the warmth of Mingyu’s hand a balm to his frayed heart. “I just wanted you to see me, Mingyu. Not just as an obligation, but as someone who loves you.”
The confession hung between them, vulnerable and bare. Mingyu’s breath hitched, the realization settling over him like dawn breaking after a long night. He pulled Wonwoo into his arms, the embrace tentative but real, and for the first time, they held on, not out of necessity but out of choice.
Outside, the rain began to fall, soft and steady, a melody that whispered of change and new beginnings.
