The woman who was not chosen

Extra 2

Eight years ago.

"Dara, are you out of your mind?!" Bom Kwon huffed as she watched her pregnant friend waddle up the staircase leading to the second floor of the library.

"If my brother sees you like this, he'll have a heart attack!" Bom Kwon exasperated as she rushed up the Mahoney oak staircase.

Standing in the corner of the second-floor library was a woman who could give birth any moment now. Yet, she handled herself with grace and idiotic stubbornness. She allowed people to do tasks for her, whether it was putting on her shoes or tying her laces, but getting a book? She could handle that task on her own.

"Relax, Bommie," Dara mused as she raised her head from the large history book in her hands. "Everything will be fine. You panic so much, that it feels like you're the one giving birth."

"I'd be a lot more responsible!" Bom Kwon angrily huffed. She crossed her arms and peered over her best friend's elbow. In the meantime, she grabbed onto Dara's arms, in case the young woman needed any guidance.

"What are you reading? Is it a picture book? Ooh, I just love it when a book has more drawing than words!" Bom Kwon squealed. Her excitement quickly died down when she saw there was only a single picture surrounded by bodies of text.

"Oh gosh, I'm getting dizzy looking at this educational stuff," Bom Kwon grumbled. It was half the truth. In reality, she was too lazy to read. On the other hand, she wanted her friend to be seated, and not standing.

Dara shook her head in amusement. "I have to read these things to the baby. I heard they can come out smarter that way."

"A history book is so boring!" Bom Kwon huffed. "Come on, let's sit. I'm tired of standing."

Dara's lips curled into a fond smile. Sometimes she wondered if she was going to be taking care of her child's godmother as well.

Dara finally relented to her best friend's whining. She was certain that her overbearing husband had employed Bommie to be a bodyguard.

"Fine, fine," Dara said. She allowed herself to be gently tugged to the side where a plush couch awaited them.

Bom Kwon couldn't help but fret over her best friend. Every little movement seemed more dangerous than the next. Slowly, she eased her friend onto the couch. "You know, Dara, that belly is so large, I'd think there were two babies inside!"

Dara let out a laugh. "I didn't ask the OB-GYN for any details about the gender. I also kicked Kwon Jiyong out of the room. I only told her to mention the important health issues, and so far, there was none."

"But that's so dangerous. Are you sure OB-GYNs are allowed to do that?" Bom Kwon asked as she settled into the couch. She leaned against Dara and offered her support.

"I'm not sure, but she was a private doctor, so who knows?" Dara shrugged. "If my baby is a girl, I hope she turns like this woman," she said whilst pointing to the book.

Bom Kwon squinted down at the page and read out a familiar name that every little girl knew of. "Li Xueyue the Wise," she read out loud. "Wasn't she uh.... some important woman in history?"

Dara clapped her hands sarcastically. "Wow, Bommie, for a student who viewed history class as nap time, I'm impressed you know this stuff!"

Bom Kwon rubbed her nose and let out a small giggle. "Well, you know, Seunghyun likes smart woman, so I did a bit of research. This section of the book is called..."

"The Rise of Xueyue," Dara responded.

"Yes, my favorite!" Bom Kwon exclaimed. "Her origin was so interesting, it's the only documentary I finished watching before falling asleep."