When A Ghoul Falls In Love

"You look paler today." He rests his forehead on mine to measure my temperature. "You don't have any fever."

He's so close. My stupid heart still skips a beat. I mean, why? I already know that I love him. My heart doesn't have to signal it all the time. I don't hate it though.

Baek Joon Woo sighs. "Is it because of the punishment? Mrs Solomon must be really angry at me."

After we were found on the bed by my mother, she grounded me. I must go home after school. I did escape a few times when she was visiting my step-father's parents with him for two days.??

Because I had to go to school, I stayed home. I am sure that she knew. But my mother always forgives me.

My mother forgave me for killing her child. She was pregnant with my step-father's child.??

It was a mistake. I left my skates on the floor and she bumped on to it. She couldn't get pregnant again.??

But I have a feeling that she wouldn't forgive me for getting pregnant like this.

Smiling at him, I sit up and shift away from him.??

"No, it's fine. It will be over tomorrow."

Unless I tell her that I am pregnant, my punishment should be over.??

I am tempted to tell him.

Would he be disappointed or happy???

It's not like we are married. He won't be happy about this. We are still in high school. The society will judge both of us if they find out that I am pregnant and he's the father. I can hide the fact that he's the father, but Baek Joon Woo isn't the type of person who runs away from his responsibility.??

"You are hiding something from me, aren't you?" He grabs my hand, knitting his brows together. "You promised me that there won't be any secret between us."

"It's not exactly a secret." I am going to tell him that I am pregnant. It's not like I can hide it forever. The entire school knows that Baek Joon Woo is my boyfriend. Even my parents know about it. I let out a heavy sigh. "I was thinking about my mother."

He blinks his eyes and asks me with a concerned tone, "Is she alright?"

"She's fine." If she hears that I am pregnant, it would be a disaster. I am not worried about getting grounded for a lifetime. That's the minimum punishment that she might give me. "Just thinking about her and my father, that's all."

"Your father?" He probes. "What about him?"

"You know, the weird things that have been happening to me???" I glance at my palm. "I don't think that it came from my mother. It has to be my father."

My biological douche father slept with my mother and left her with me in her belly. That's why she hates the fact that I have a boyfriend. She would not have minded it so much if I had married Baek Joon Woo. My pregnancy would be her nightmare.??

"I know that she thinks I would leave you." Baek Joon Woo smiles at me brightly. "That will never happen. It's one of my dreams to get married to you and start a family. I want a big family."

"Big?" He seems open to the idea of having children. "How many do you want?"

He laughs. "How many can you give me?"??

"Don't answer my question with a question." I make a face at him. "Tell me the number. I will think about it."

"Three." Baek Joon Woo contemplates, "My little sister is cute, but she cries about having a younger sibling. My parents regret not having another kid. I don't want our second child to go through that."

Isn't that a stupid reason to have three kids? He's quite ambitious, isn't he? I shake my head. "What if the third child also wants a younger sibling?"

He grins with an excited look in his eyes. "We will have a fourth child then. We should have as many as we can while we are still young."

That's??? I am speechless.

"It might take a toll on your body." He furrows his brows. "Let's stick with only three. We will get a cat for our third child if he wants a sibling."

"You want to raise a cat too." I scowl at him. "Aren't you too demanding?"

"Our nest will be full of happiness." He gazes at me warmly. "I can imagine that future. You and me with our kids and a cat in a house??? I would reject everything in the world for that future, Nell. I will meet your mother and ask for her permission to date you."

"We are already in a relationship." I squint my eyes. "She saw us n.a.k.e.d on the bed."

He turns his face away, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "Don't remind me of that. It's the most embarrassing memory in my life."

"You got beaten into a black and blue pulp by her." I let out a pained laugh. "I didn't think that she would do that to you."

"For the first time, I was hit by sandals and a broom."??Baek Joon Woo has a haunted look in his eyes. "And I belong to an Asian family."

Asians have a reputation. I don't know how his family treats him. I have visited them a few times. They seem okay to me.

Then again, my mother also seems okay to other people.??

"It's not good to have stereotypes." I shrug my shoulders. "My mother hates you because my biological father left her without a word. He practically ghosted her. My mother loved him. I think that she still loves him. It's not that she doesn't love my step-father. My step-father is a great person. But she often stares at my face as if she is trying to search for someone else."

Baek Joon Woo listens to me quietly, waiting for me to finish.??

"I know that she still loves him. I wish I could find him. If my mother meets him and finds out the reason why he left her, she might get some closure."

He creases his forehead. "Do you want to find your father?"

"I will look for him." I lean on him. "It's not that I want to see that person. I have no interest in him. My mother raised me. That person made no contribution other than donating s.p.e.r.m."

When I look up at him, he pecks my forehead gently. I know that I can show him my ugly side without any worries. He will not hate me for it. Even if I say that I want to kill someone, he won't hate me for it.??

He will stop me from committing murder though while Maisie will research how to get away with murder.??

I am blessed with the best people in the world. Everyone needs a Baek Joon Woo and a Maisie in their lives.

"He probably had a reason to leave," He says to me.??

It's irritating to hear him say that, but I know that his words are logical. I argue defensively,??

"My mother told me that she found out about her pregnancy after my father left her. But I still can't feel anything good about him. Why didn't he look for my mother once? I am sure that I am not the result of a one-night-stand."

He nods in agreement.

"My mother is still in love with that man. They must have had a close relationship. Eighteen years are a long time. He didn't even properly break up with her after sleeping with her. I get it. Maybe he had a good reason to leave. But why didn't he do it after breaking up with her? That kind of thing leaves hope in someone's heart. It's a cruel thing to do."

Baek Joon Woo pats my head. "We will look for him "

The way he pats my head always calms me. I relax my shoulders, signing. I am so worked up about the arsehole-s.p.e.r.m-doner when I have something bigger to worry about. I need to talk to my mother and Baek Joon Woo.??

"Joon Woo, I want a hug."

He pulls me into a tight embrace, burying his face in my hair. I close my eyes and whisper to him, "I am sorry, Joon Woo. I am pregnant."