Morning Sickness and a Blue Porter Truck

The kids pried open the lids of the tteokbokki and sundae containers. In an instant, the spicy-sweet scent of gochujang and the gamy meat smell of sundae filled every corner of the cramped department room. It was one of Som-i's absolute favorite meals — the kind that could have jolted her out of a dead sleep.

And yet.

The moment the billowing steam hit her, Som-i's face drained to the color of dirt. A sudden wave of nausea washed over her, and cold sweat broke out across her entire body.

"Som, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick somewhere?"

Ye-ji asked anxiously, ladling some fish cake broth into a paper cup for her. At the same time, Som-i felt the gaze of Kwon Hwi-young, seated across the table, fly toward her like an arrow and lodge itself in her skin.

But there was no room in her to care about that right now. Her stomach lurched as if she'd ridden the Viking ride a dozen times in a row. Why was this happening? Had she eaten something bad?

One hand clamped over her mouth, Som-i shot to her feet. The sudden movement knocked the paper cup Ye-ji was holding, and hot broth splashed across the table.

"Aah!"

Senior Ji-na, sitting across from her, shrieked and recoiled backward. The broth had apparently splashed onto her wrist.

"I'm so sorry—"

Mid-apology, Som-i couldn't get another word out, the rising bile choking off her voice. As Ji-na scrambled up in horror, Hwi-young beside her swiftly pulled out the wet wipes from the table and wrapped them around her wrist.

"Are you okay? Did it burn you?"

"I don't know... my clothes seem a little wet too."

Senior Ji-na grumbled, pinching the hem of her clothes to show him. Watching the two of them in a daze, Som-i suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth as another surge of nausea hit. Then she shoved through the crowd of people and bolted out of the department room.

BANG—!

The door slammed shut behind her, and Som-i doubled over the toilet.

"Huu—augh, ugh..."

The silent bathroom echoed with nothing but the sound of Som-i retching her guts out.

How long had she been emptying herself like that? A knock sounded on the closed stall door, followed by Ye-ji's voice.

"Som, are you in here? Are you okay? What's going on?"

Som-i hurriedly wiped her mouth and answered.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine."

Then she forced her breathing to steady and added,

"I'll be out soon, so go back and eat without me."

After a moment, the hesitant footsteps outside the door faded away.

Feeling the room spin before her eyes, Som-i leaned against the bathroom wall and slid down into a crouch. She'd thrown up until tears streamed out, and there wasn't a shred of strength left in her.

So this... was the morning sickness she'd only ever heard about?

It was a strange feeling. She'd had an ultrasound at the hospital and everything, but apart from her period simply stopping, she hadn't noticed any real change in her body at all.

That made it feel like the baby's little wave hello — a way of saying I'm here — and something deep in her chest stirred at the thought.

And of all moments, it had to happen now.

Som-i smiled bitterly as she recalled the image of Kwon Hwi-young tenderly fussing over Ji-na just a few minutes ago.

The truth was, she'd known all along. She knew exactly what kind of man he was. Someone unfailingly sweet and kind to everyone — women in particular. Rumor even had it that his relationship with his ex-girlfriend had fallen apart for that very reason.

Hadn't she herself floundered around for a while, dazzled by that spring-sunshine smile and his prince-charming manners?

But the sun didn't shine for one person alone. It existed to light up everyone — and that meant it could never be claimed, never be pulled indoors and possessed by any single one of them.

Before his smile, she would feel like someone special — and then the instant she witnessed that same tenderness directed at someone else, she would shrink down, impossibly small.

She knew the truth all too well, but today, of all days, it stung with a peculiar sharpness.

He hadn't even finished the three days he'd promised her, yet already it felt as though Som-i had read through to the ending of this whole story.

Meanwhile, the baby was only just beginning to announce that it existed.

Cradling her still perfectly flat belly with careful hands, Som-i let out a heavy sigh.

Even after emptying her stomach completely, that seasick sort of queasiness wouldn't settle down. There was no way she could face the department room again. Just remembering that smell made her stomach flip all over. After a moment of deliberation, Som-i pulled out her phone and texted Ye-ji.

The reply came right away, complete with a winking emoji.

Som-i rinsed her mouth with water, dried her hands under the hand dryer, and was just stepping out of the bathroom.

Huh?

Kwon Hwi-young was leaning against the corridor wall outside the women's restroom. With Som-i's backpack slung over one shoulder, no less.

"What are you doing here, sunbae...?"

"Ye-ji's busy stuffing her face with sundae right now."

"Oh..."

When Som-i's eyes flickered faintly, he tugged the corner of his mouth into a small smile and added,

"Don't worry — I made up some excuse and slipped out so the kids won't think anything's weird."

His tone made it clear he saw straight through exactly what she was worried about. Som-i gave a small bow of her head.

"Thank you."

Hwi-young regarded her quietly for a moment, then turned and took the lead.

"You're heading to the dorm, right? Let's go."

"What?"

Som-i lifted her eyelids in surprise.

No. Why?

She'd asked for three days, and barely one had passed — could he really have reached his conclusion already?

In that instant, the words he'd tossed out earlier — probation, and whatever else — went spinning around and around in her head.

Clenching her lips between her teeth, Som-i climbed the sloped road leading to the dorms behind him. Then, struck by a sudden thought, she asked his back,

"Um, what about Ji-na-sunbaenim?"

Hwi-young, who'd been trudging silently up the hill with her bag slung over his shoulder, slowly turned around.

"She wasn't hurt badly, was she?"

"She's fine. I checked — it barely splashed her at all. I think it just startled her, having something hot land on her out of nowhere."

Relieved to hear it, Som-i nodded.

"And you?"

"Sorry?"

"Why did you bolt out of your seat like that? You didn't burn yourself somewhere, did you?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. I just..."

She hesitated for a moment. Should she be honest and tell him her morning sickness seemed to have started? How would Kwon Hwi-young react to that?

But she quickly shook her head. What would be the point of saying it? What difference would it make?

As Som-i sealed her lips instead of answering, Hwi-young looked down at her through narrowed eyes. Without turning his body back around, he kept his gaze fixed on her and began walking up the hill backwards, matching her pace.

When Som-i cautiously lifted her head, the scenery beyond Hwi-young's shoulder drifted into her view. Sunlight shattered through the blue-green leaves, too dazzling to look at directly. Or maybe — just maybe — it was his relentless gaze that made it impossible.

Everywhere his eyes touched seemed to catch fire, and Som-i couldn't even draw a deep breath. Still, Hwi-young kept stepping backward, careful to keep stride with her. All the way up the hill, that strange companionship continued — the two of them walking face to face.

Then Som-i's gaze drifted past Hwi-young, toward the dormitory entrance. A blue Porter truck — somehow, inexplicably familiar — was parked there. Sure enough. The business name painted in bright yellow letters along the truck's side caught her eye.

Som-i froze on the spot.

Now that she thought about it — today was the day. Her parents were coming up to Seoul for a food court delivery job and had said they'd stop by the campus for a bit.

"Mom! Dad!"

The moment Som-i shouted toward the truck, Hwi-young, walking ahead of her, whirled around in alarm.

"Som-i! Our baby girl—!"

Her parents came scrambling over the instant the truck door opened — and then their footsteps faltered. Both their gazes shot straight to the man standing beside Som-i.

"And... who might this be?"

Mom and Dad's eyes brimmed with curiosity as they looked Hwi-young up and down.

"Ah. Well..."

While Som-i fidgeted, Hwi-young bent smoothly at the waist.

"Hello. I'm Kwon—"

"He's a sunbae!"

Her knees going weak for no good reason, Som-i cut him off mid-sentence. Three pairs of eyes swung to her all at once.

"H-he's just a sunbae from my department. We ran into each other on the way..."

Worried she'd made too big a deal of it, Som-i shifted awkwardly and bit her lip.

"Her bag looked heavy, so I was carrying it for her."

A relaxed voice cut in from beside her.

Som-i whipped her head around. Kwon Hwi-young, with an entirely composed face, gave her backpack a little lift in his hand to show them.

The problem was... the bag was flat. Too flat. Practically empty, thin as a sheet of paper, it looked feather-light to anyone with eyes.

To say something so obviously baseless with a completely straight face. Som-i wanted to die of embarrassment, her face burning crimson. He could have at least pretended it was heavy. Why was he swinging it around like that?

"Ahh, the bag was... heavy, was it."

And sure enough, her parents' eyes curved in a distinctly knowing way.

Hwi-young bowed once more, his expression betraying nothing.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kwon Hwi-young, Som-i's sunbae."

Som-i, who'd been anxiously chewing the inside of her cheek, lifted her head.

He knows my name properly...

As if he'd felt her stunned stare, Hwi-young turned his head toward her. And then, deliberately, he folded his eyes into slender crescents and smiled.