The Heart Of Life

Epilogue 2

A contented hum drifts through the quiet of the night, when all she hears is the distant sounds of soft waves rolling in the ocean, and the gentle murmurs of the breezy wind - a nice break from the din of the sleepless city of Seoul.

Immersing herself in the swimming pool, Se-ri takes a moment to revel in the sensation of the cool waters licking her torso, the warm breeze caressing her cheeks, her eyes fluttering close in gratification. All she needs is a glass of red wine to seal the deal, which unfortunately isn't allowed because she's twenty weeks pregnant.

Standing beside the pool with his hands in his pockets, Jeong-hyuk, with the faintest of a smile lacing his lips, is enraptured with the sight of Se-ri floating above the surface of the water of the swimming pool, the incandescent glow of the moonlight illuminating her fair skin, making her more beautiful than she already is.

He decides to do something different for her birthday this year. A trip away from Seoul, from South Korea specifically - to Maldives, for her birthday week. Her parents had graciously offered to care for Eun-a, brushing off their worries and guilt about leaving their toddler for a week. Still, Se-ri dissolves into a crying mess when she transfers Eun-a into her mother's arms because they have to leave for the airport, with Jeong-hyuk quickly intervening, gently tugging her away before she changes her mind.

But, in a way, Se-ri thinks it's quite nice to spend some time with Jeong-hyuk, because they've been occupied with so many things - Eun-a, work, the hustle and bustle of life. Besides, everything will be different when their second child arrives, and with a toddler in tow, it wouldn't be a bed of roses.

Leaving his shirt on one of the beach chairs, he eases himself into the water, the soft splashes alerting her of his presence. Standing close to her with his back against the side of the pool, he continues to watch her intently - her relaxed features, the way her chest rises and fall rhythmically in tandem with her breathing.

"I think we're going to have a boy," Se-ri says, her eyes still closed, breaking the comfortable silence. "I keep having dreams about him," she continues, now rubbing small circles on her baby bump.

A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. Craving for contact, he sidles up behind her and slips his arms around hers to drag her through the water, and with his back against the wall of the pool and bent knees, he lets her nestle her head comfortably on his shoulder, her body bobbing with the motion of the water until it almost lulls her to sleep.

He's quiet still, allowing her thoughts to drift out of her mouth. To think that once upon a time, all he wants is to stop her from talking and now, he can listen to her all day.

"I hope he looks like you," Se-ri smiles dreamily, and pictures a little boy with dark fluffy hair, dimples imprinted on his chubby cheeks, growing up to look as handsome as his father. "He'll have your eyes, your kind eyes, your dimples definitely...why are you so quiet?"

Se-ri turns to Jeong-hyuk, and realises he's looking at her with so much tenderness, and so much love until she feels a blush crawling across her cheeks, and a fount of warmth blooming in her chest.

"As long as you and our baby's healthy, either is fine," he replies quietly, his caving dimples gleaming under the luminescence of the moonshine.

"What if it's neither?" she exclaims dramatically out of the blue, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Ya Yoon Se-ri, you're ridiculous," Jeong-hyuk snorts.

"This a valid worry, I've read about it on the internet before..."

Before she could finish her sentence, he leans in to capture her lips to shut her smart mouth, his strong arms wrapping around her body to prevent her from falling into the water. Se-ri adjusts herself to straddle his thighs, looping her arms around the nape of his neck and kisses him back under the dark sky decorated with millions of bright, sparkling stars, their movements creating cycles and cycles of soft ripples on the surface of the pool.