Ye Jun

Mom smiled all excited and clapped her hands lightly. "We were going to wait until dessert but since you’re both here. Your father and I have been talking and we decided it’s time for a second honeymoon. Just the two of us. Two weeks in Jeju next month. We think it’ll be good for us to reconnect you know? The family unit has been so busy lately with work and everything." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I nearly dropped my chopsticks. A second honeymoon? That meant the house would be empty which sounded great until I realized it also meant they were doubling down on this perfect family image right when everything was falling apart. Si Woo’s face stayed mostly neutral but I saw his jaw tighten.

"Nice," he said keeping his voice even. "You two deserve it."

Dad leaned back in his chair looking proud. "Exactly. And while we’re gone there’s more. I got a big promotion at the company. Regional director for the new branch. It means more responsibility and possibly some travel. Si Woo I want you more involved. There’s even talk of sending you abroad for a few months to oversee the setup over there. It’ll be a great experience for you son. What do you think?"

The table went quiet for a beat. Si Woo stared at his plate then looked up at Dad. "Abroad? For months? When?"

"Possibly starting late next quarter. It’s not set in stone but it’s a real possibility. This is a huge opportunity for the family. More money more stability. Ye Jun you’ll be fine here with your position right? We can hire help if needed after we’re back from our honeymoon."

I felt my stomach lurch for real this time not just from nerves. Si Woo abroad for months? While I was stuck here getting bigger and dealing with whatever complications this mixed pregnancy decided to throw at me? The panic hit hard and fast mixing with anger because how the hell were we supposed to handle clinic visits and hiding a baby if he was on the other side of the ocean?

"That’s... a lot," I managed to say pushing more food around. My voice came out tighter than I wanted. "Congrats Dad. Really. But Si Woo going abroad sounds intense. He’s got stuff here too right?"

Si Woo shot me a look across the table his eyes saying shut up but also thanks. "Yeah I’ll think about it. Not sure I want to be gone that long right now."

Mom waved her hand. "Oh it’ll be fine. It’s good for young men to have adventures. And we’ll only be gone few weeks on the honeymoon so the house will be quiet for you boys. Perfect time to bond as brothers don’t you think?"

Bond as brothers. I almost laughed out loud because the irony was choking me. Instead I forced a weak smile and nodded while my leg bounced under the table. Si Woo’s foot nudged mine again like he was trying to steady me and I kicked him back harder this time muttering "behave" under my breath when Mom wasn’t looking.

The conversation kept going Dad talking about all the details of the promotion and how proud he was and Mom planning honeymoon outfits like this was the best news ever. I kept pushing my food around feeling sicker by the minute because every word made the family unit feel tighter and more suffocating like they were wrapping us up in this perfect picture while I was sitting there with a secret growing inside me that could blow it all apart.

Then it hit. A real wave of nausea rolled through me fast and strong. My mouth went watery and my stomach clenched hard. I stood up so quick the chair scraped loud against the floor.

"Excuse me," I muttered already heading for the bathroom my hand over my mouth. Behind me I heard Mom’s surprised voice.

"Ye Jun? Are you okay honey?"

Si Woo was up too his chair moving fast. "I’ll check on him."

"Sit down both of you," Dad said but we were already moving. I barely made it to the bathroom before I was dry heaving into the toilet the sound echoing loud and embarrassing. Si Woo slipped in behind me and closed the door locking it quick. He didn’t say anything at first just stood there while I knelt on the floor gripping the bowl.

When the heaving finally slowed I sat back against the wall wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "This is your fault you know. Your half baked mistake is trying to kill me right when they’re planning honeymoons and promotions and shipping you off to abroad. Perfect timing asshole."

Si Woo crouched down next to me his hand hovering like he wanted to rub my back but he pulled it back at the last second remembering we were supposed to be stopping. "I know. Fuck. I’m sorry. You think they bought the bug story?"

"Mom looked worried. Dad looked suspicious. And my scent is getting worse I can feel it. If they come check on us and smell anything off we’re dead." My voice cracked a little at the end because the sadness was creeping in now under all the sarcasm. The thought of Si Woo leaving for months while I dealt with this alone made my chest hurt in a way that wasn’t just nausea. I had spent all this time pushing him away calling it a mistake but hearing about him going abroad made me realize how much I didn’t want to do this without him even if admitting it sucked.

"Don’t push it." I sighed and rested my head back against the wall. "We still have to go back out there and finish dinner like nothing happened. Act normal. You keep your leg to yourself and I’ll try not to puke again. Think we can manage that without fucking it up?"

"Probably not but we’ll try." He stood up first and offered me a hand. I took it and he pulled me up careful not to hold on too long even though I saw the way his fingers lingered for half a second. We washed up quickly and headed back to the table where Mom and Dad were waiting with worried faces.

"Feeling better?" Mom asked reaching out to touch my forehead.

"A little. Sorry about that. The pain is nasty." I sat down and picked up my chopsticks again pushing food around while Si Woo sat across from me shooting me one more glance that said we weren’t done talking about any of this.

Dad cleared his throat like he had something to say and my stomach dropped.