The world is quiet now. At least on the surface.
The kind of quiet that should feel like peace. After Jaeil left, things didn’t fall apart—they settled. Seunghyun took the reins, kept the blood off the streets, made the business something cleaner, smarter. Maybe even something worth passing down.
And now, Kaori is pregnant.
His Kaori.
Ten years of loyalty, of shared glances in dangerous rooms, of stolen kisses between chaos. And now she’s carrying their child. A future neither of them thought they’d ever be reckless—or brave—enough to make real.
But tonight, when the house is still and the lights are low, the weight of that future presses hard against his chest.
He sits on the edge of their bed, shirt half-buttoned, a hand resting on Kaori’s favorite throw blanket—the one she started wrapping around herself the moment her belly began to show.
He stares down at the floor, voice barely above a whisper:
“…What if I ruin this?”
He doesn’t even know if she’s awake. Maybe it’s better if she’s not.
“I don’t know how to be a father. I didn’t have one worth learning from.”
His jaw tightens. Eyes stay fixed on the shadows stretching across the floor.
“You… you deserve someone who’s sure. Someone who can walk into this without wondering if the child will flinch when he raises his voice.”
He exhales. Tired. Heavy.
“…I want this. I do. But I’m scared, Kaori.”