"Alright, honey, I understand… Yes, I know, don't worry… Yes… You don't need to worry…Yes– Alright, enough. Take care of yourself. And of Alex too. Don't let him do anything reckless, and come back soon. I love you. Kiss. Bye~..."
*Beep*
Ga-yeong shook her head as she looked at the screen of her phone. Her hair was gathered in an updo, as she wore a wide robe to make her belly comfortable. She had a smile on her lips, sweet, but also helpless, though full of love and affection.
*Ding-dong~*
The sound of the bell made Ga-yeong turn towards the door. She hesitated, then looked at the broom and the duster she had put to the side to take the call, before she went to the door.
She took a peep through the hole, and saw a woman with short dark hair standing outside, above average in appearance, but with a hint of masculinity to her temperament, and with some rebelliousness.
Ga-yeong opened the door with surprise coloring her feature:
"Kim! What are you doing here?"
Kim looked at the heavily pregnant woman up and down, then peeked inside the apartment with a frown. Dissatisfaction filling her face, she turned to Ga-yeong:
"Unnie, aren't you going to invite me in?"
The older woman in her late twenties smiled good-naturedly, not minding the tone of the younger woman in her early twenty, and moved to the side.
"Did Mark tell you to come pay me a visit? I just finished a half an hour call with him, and if I didn't cut it off, I might have spent more than an hour hearing his exhortations."
Kim moved as she inspected the living room, her eyes like lasers scanning for any incongruity, as she replied dryly:
"I wasn't sent by Mark, I was sent by Alex. He said Mark is a softy who will not be able to make you behave, so I should come to take care of you, and also keep an eye on you."
Ga-yeong's lips twitched, as her smile struggled not to fade, especially as Kim continued after finding some all too obvious signs in the apartment:
"And look, he was right. Don't you have someone hired to clean the place? What are you doing taking over someone else's work? Do you believe that Alex will have you hospitalized for the rest of your pregnancy if he finds out?"
Going to the kitchen to put down the bags in her hands, Kim looked at Ga-yeong and added:
"Mark might not dare, but we both know that Alex would. And not even your husband will be able to protect you."
Hearing that, Ga-yeong's smile turned wry, and she said nothing to refute. She went to gather the tools she had been using to put them away. At the same time, her voice carried her surrender as she pleaded:
"Alright, please don't tell anything to Alex. I'm already bored enough, I can't imagine how I would spend weeks restricted in a hospital room under constant surveillance."
"Humph."
Kim snorted, then said no more. She started taking out the groceries.
Ga-yeong, seeing that her plea had worked, came over with a smile while using a hand to support her waist:
"Let me help you. What do you want to cook?"
Kim raised her head, then rolled her eyes at the big-bellied woman. She pointed at the sofa with a no-nonsense face, and ordered:
"Go sit there, and find something to pass time, like watching a show or the news on the TV."
Ga-yeong's smile froze, and she tried to fight the firmness of Kim's decision:
"Do I really have to? I am only pregnant, I'm not suffering from any infirmity!"
Kim paused what she was doing, and put both her hands on the countertop to lean forward and face the older woman squarely:
"Ga-yeong Seong, I will give you a choice. Either you behave like someone not far from the end of her pregnancy should, or I call Alex, and I tell him that you miss him very much."
Pausing for the dramatic effect, Kim continued:
"I'm certain he will leave everything he is doing and come back immediately. After all, we both know how much he loves his sisters."
Ga-yeong's good mood suddenly deflated. Her smile cracked, and she turned back with a feeling of defeat in her demeanor, going to sit on the sofa as she had been told. She glanced back and met Kim's gaze, making the latter laugh at the sulky look she was sporting, before consoling her:
"Alright, stop making that face. Let me cook something from home to make my nephew start getting used to the taste sooner rather than later."
Ga-yeong looked at the ingredients Kim had left outside after putting the rest away, and smiled with the glowing affection of a mother. She caressed her ballooned stomach, and exchanged:
"Alright, then my son and I will wait for you."
Ga-yeong raised her head to look at Kim, then smiled teasingly:
"I wonder how Tyler would react if he knew that the tomboy he likes can survive in the kitchen."
Kim froze, then looked up with a glare:
"You–"
Seeing Ga-yeong's smile only widen at her reaction, Kim inhaled, then with an exhale, stopped paying attention to the bored pregnant woman.
Ga-yeong's smile lost its teasing edge, and she changed the subject:
"You said Alex called you. Do you know where he is and what he is doing? Mark didn't tell me anything other than the fact that they were outside the city."
Kim shook her head as she washed the vegetables:
"I don't know. He only one-sidedly changed my program for the weekend, saying to take care of you and make sure you behave."
As Ga-yeong shook her head, Kim glanced at her:
"You can just ask him when he comes back. If it is you, he might tell you."
Ga-yeong thought for a moment, then shook her head softly with a sigh:
"No need. Let it go."
Kim took another glance at Ga-yeong, feeling something more behind the sigh. But since no elaboration accompanied it, she decided not to pry. She returned her focus to the work in the kitchen, while Ga-yeong behaved and turned on the TV.