Rei stepped out of the shower, shaking his head so droplets of water scattered across the floor. He didn't know why he always did it—it just made him feel lighter, more awake.
He pulled on a pair of blue shorts and sat on the edge of the bed, towel in hand, drying himself off. His gaze drifted as water traced slow paths down his skin.
"Haa…" He let out a quiet breath of relief and reached for his phone, noticing the time had already crept past eight.
He placed both hands on the mattress and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, now washed in a soft blue glow from the night light.
He rolled his head from side to side, as if trying to ease a tension that wasn't really there.
That was when a knock sounded at the door.
"Can I… come in?"
It was Minji.
There was something different in her voice—hesitant, almost careful. Like someone who'd said something they couldn't take back. Like someone trying to fix a misunderstanding before it grew any bigger.
"Uh… yeah," Rei replied.
The door opened, and Minji stepped inside, closing it softly behind her.
"Just showered, huh?" she said, moving closer before sitting down on the bed beside him.
"Yeah," Rei answered, giving his damp hair another shake.
"Hey!" Minji laughed, leaning away as a few stray droplets flew her way.
Then, suddenly, the room fell quiet.
The silence felt heavy, stretching between them, making both of them shift uncomfortably.
"So, uh—I…" Minji started, breaking it first.
Rei's gut told him he was right. She hadn't come here for nothing.
She adjusted her posture, trying to look more at ease than she felt, eyes dropping to the floor. You could almost see the thoughts running through her—whether to speak, whether to trust him with whatever was weighing on her.
In the end…
"He's my ex."
She did trust him.
Rei turned to her, completely confused. "Huh?"
"The guy," Minji added. "You know… on the street."
And then it clicked.
The tall man. The one who'd nearly thrown a punch at him.
That guy was Minji's ex?
"What?" Rei blurted out, disbelief written all over his face.
He couldn't wrap his head around how someone as solid and sharp as Minji could've ever dated a guy like that.
"Yeah—I know. Unbelievable," Minji said, her sarcasm dull around the edges, like even her usual bite was tired of carrying everything.
"Uh…" Rei let out a slow breath. He looked down for a moment, then back at her, pulling his lips inward and shrugging. He honestly had no idea what to say. His mind felt blank—hollow.
"You know," Minji added suddenly, shifting, "you have really pretty eye colour."
She bent her knees and rested her chin on them, watching him.
Rei had taken out his red contacts before his shower, so now his lavender eyes caught the soft blue light, almost glowing. He blinked, caught off guard. "Why'd you change the topic?"
Minji paused.
She straightened up, eyes dropping to her feet.
"I…" Her voice faltered.
She took a breath, then blurted it out—
"I'm pregnant."
It took Rei a full five seconds to process what she'd just said.
And when it finally hit—
"WHAT?!"
Minji flinched, jumping slightly at his sudden shout, her hand flying to her chest.
"Rei!" she snapped. "Do you have a volume control?"
The waterfall kept trickling behind them, completely unaware that Minji had just dropped a bomb in the middle of the room.
Rei stared at her, eyes wide, mouth opening and closing like his brain was rebooting.
"…You're—wait—pregnant?" he finally managed.
Minji exhaled slowly. "Yeah. That pregnant."
The blue light above them suddenly felt a lot heavier.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Rei's throat felt dry. He rubbed the back of his neck, pacing a step before stopping in front of her again.
"Okay," he said slowly, more to himself than to her. "Okay. We're… breathing. That's something."
Minji let out a tired huff. "Bare minimum, but sure."
She hugged her knees closer to her chest. "I found out a few weeks ago," she said. "And I told them. My parents."
Rei stilled. "You did?"
She nodded. "Didn't want to lie. Didn't want to hide it either."
The waterfall filled the silence she left behind.
"They didn't take it well," Minji continued, her voice flat. "Actually—well would be generous. They stopped calling. Stopped answering. Like if they pretend I don't exist, this doesn't exist either."
Rei sat down, closer this time. "So that's why you're here. Alone. In this… ridiculously expensive place."
She gave a small, bitter smile. "Luxurious exile."
Rei winced. "That's… rough."
She shrugged, but it didn't quite hide the sting. "This house was the only thing they didn't take back. So I stayed."
Rei hesitated. "And your ex. The baby is—"
Minji's jaw tightened. She nodded once.
Rei exhaled slowly. "You really got hit from every direction, huh."
She didn't laugh this time.
"What do you want?" Rei asked gently.
Minji looked up, surprised.
"Not what your parents want. Not what he wants," he said. "What you want."
She stared at the blue-lit ceiling for a long moment. "I want… to stop feeling like I did something unforgivable just for existing."
Rei swallowed. "You didn't."
Minji glanced at him, searching his face.
He didn't look away.
"…You're weird," she said quietly.
Rei shrugged. "Yeah. But I'm on your side."
The room settled again, the soft sound of water filling the space between them—not empty this time, just steady.
To Be Continued... ...