Chapter 12 Monroe
The flowers disappear almost as quickly as they turned up.
Jin removes them as soon as we discover them, throwing them out in the trash. The card from the mysterious Black Shell meets the same fate.
I’m watching him pace the living room from where I sit on the couch, still confused about what’s going on. Why would flowers and well-wishes provoke such a strong reaction out of Jin? What is it that I’m missing?
The gesture seemed kind, but then again, who calls themselves Black Shell? How would this person even know we’re having a boy when we just found out this afternoon?
Jin runs a hand through his hair and comes to sit down next to me.
Though he hasn’t revealed what’s troubling him, his set jaw and tense mouth do.
His tattooed throat works as he gives a hard swallow and releases a breath he’s held in, elbows propped on his thighs and hands clasped as he leans forward.
“Jin,” I say, breaking the ice. “You can tell me whatever it is. Who’s Black Shell? Why would he send us flowers? How did he even know we’re having a boy? I’d like to think he’s a friend of yours… but by your reaction, it seems he isn’t.”
“We need to move,” he says. “Find a new place that’s more discreet and unknown.”
“But—”
“There are plenty of properties where we could go,” he explains. “There’s a home available in Haeundae that I’ve seen in listings. Very nice and luxurious. Most of all, very private and secure. We could be there by the end of next week.”
“I don’t want to move. This is our home. We’ve already built a life here. I love our new apartment and the neighborhood too. You haven’t even explained why we would need to leave.”
His dark eyes flit over to me, finally meeting my gaze. His internal conflict is etched in them, easily readable for someone who knows him as well as I do.
“I don’t know who is after us. Not yet,” he begins.
Then he pauses for another labored sigh and clench of his jaw.
His long fingers trace over the knuckles of his other hand as if mapping out his tattoos.
Symbols that spell out Baekho inked on his skin.
“He calls himself the Black Shell and claims we will see each other soon. He seems to be an enemy from my past, but I haven’t been able to identify which one.
That’s what I’ve been investigating. It’s why I was late to the appointment. ”
“Do you have any leads? Any ideas who it can be?”
“The only lead we had turned out to be a dead end. I’ve made many enemies, but none that call themselves the Black Shell. Most are dead, crippled, or elderly by now.”
“How would he know we’re having a boy?” I ask, eyes rounding. “Was he at the hospital with us?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. It’s certainly possible. He could have insiders somewhere. But it’s clear we’re being watched in some capacity.”
“Which is why you want us to move.”
“At least temporarily. I’ll arrange it for us. Until then, we’ll have security here. Twenty-four hours a day. In the building and outside our door.”
“Oh… Okay.” I blink a few times, still thrown by this twist of events. Not exactly sure how to even react.
I thought we’d be celebrating the fact that we’re having a baby boy, not plotting how to go incognito from some apparent enemy of his.
“In the meantime, you need to tell me if anything feels wrong. Anything at all. Do you understand, Tokki-ya?”
“I will. I’ll… I’ll let you know about anything off.”
He gives a stern nod, his hand sliding up the side of my neck to cup my face.
“I want you to take a leave of absence from the school. I know you wanted to keep teaching while pregnant, but until I figure out who this man is, I’m not comfortable with you teaching.
There’re too many variables that can go wrong. ”
My first instinct is to refuse. Teaching is mine—it’s the career I’ve always wanted, a vital part of my identity and something I’ve genuinely enjoyed. It feels like the piece of my life that still exists independently of my relationship with Jin and our future together.
But then my mind fills up with thoughts about how exhausted I’ve been. Symptoms like the swelling in my feet and the aches in my back have only become worse. I’ve been fatigued no matter how many hours of sleep I get, and the nausea hasn’t been easy to manage either.
Mom warned me that the women in our family have difficult pregnancies, and she wasn’t exaggerating. I was already planning to take most of my third trimester off.
This would just be... starting a little early.
That’s beside the fact that if Jin’s actually admitting there’s a credible threat, then it’s something I need to take seriously.
“Okay,” I say after a few seconds hesitating. “I’ll put in my two weeks’ notice for a leave of absence.”
“Monroe, two weeks—”
“I have to give them notice,” I interject gently.
My hand comes up to cup Jin’s cheek like his rests on mine.
“If I don’t give the proper notice, then it goes on my EPIK record and I won’t ever be able to teach in South Korea again.
It would be considered abandoning my post. Besides, the academy has always treated me well.
I owe it to them. What’s two more weeks if you say we’ll have 24/7 security? ”
I can tell he doesn’t like my stipulations. He’s close to pushing back and insisting the leave of absence starts now. But after a tense second, he nods and accepts.
“Alright. Two more weeks. But I’m arranging for someone to watch the school while you’re there—”
“It’s a school. An academy for young children. Is that really necessa—”
“Yes,” he cuts me off this time. “It’s more than necessary considering the flowers that were left on our doorstep and the mugging that occurred a few weeks ago. This is the compromise, Tokki-ya. This is what’s best for us.”
“Okay… okay, fine. New location. More security. Only two weeks left at the school.”
Relief washes over Jin. It relaxes his normally sharp, tense features. He leans forward and presses a kiss to my brow, lingering for a few seconds before pulling back.
“You’ll see this is for the best,” he murmurs.
“I might regret this. I’m going to be home all day with nothing to do. Don’t be surprised if you catch me binge-watching every K-drama I can get my hands on.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “I’ll take my chances.”
He insists I rest for the afternoon, texting Min-gyu to pick up takeout from our favorite jjigae place.
When the food arrives, we settle back on the couch, the steam rising from the rich, flavorful broth.
Jin pulls my feet into his lap without being asked, his strong hands and long fingers working the swollen arches. I groan in relief, sinking deeper into the cushions.
“My mom wasn’t kidding,” I mumble, eyes half closed. “Apparently it’s only going to get worse the further along I get.”
“All the more reason to take leave now,” Jin says. “You need rest.”
“Mmmm.” I’m too relaxed to argue. His thumbs press into a particularly tight spot, and I let out a sound that’s borderline indecent. “That… ohhhh. That feels amazing.”
“I know.”
“Cocky.”
“What you call cockiness, I call confidence.”
I crack one eye open to look at him. “Speaking of my mom... I was thinking she could come stay with us. For the rest of the pregnancy, and after the baby’s born. To help out and keep me company.”
Jin nods without hesitation. “I’ll buy her plane ticket. How soon can she come out?”
“Pretty sure tomorrow if we let her,” I laugh. “She’s been fiending for a chance to return to South Korea. She loves it here, remember?”
“Then let her know and I’ll set the arrangements in motion. This’ll be good for you too—you need more support. Your mother provides that.”
I smile, relaxed and at ease with the foot massage and the bowl of jjigae in my lap.
For all his rough edges and dangerous reputation, Jin’s never been anything but accommodating when it comes to my family. He tolerates Mom’s fussing and endures her interrogations, even allowing her to call him honey and baby without flinching.
…he’s even made good on her request to call her mom.
“If she stays long enough,” I say slowly, “maybe we could have the wedding while she’s here. Something small, after the baby comes. Just our closest friends and family.”
Jin’s hands still on my feet, his dark eyes connecting with mine. “I’d like that. Then I can finally call you my wife.”
My smile widens. I reach for his hand, pulling it to rest on my swollen belly. As if recognizing his father’s touch, our son kicks only a few seconds later. It’s a flutter against Jin’s palm that brings the same look of wonder to his face as when I told him about his pomegranate size.
“He’s active today,” I murmur. “It must be all the excitement from the gender reveal.”
“He’s listening to his parents. He recognizes us already.”
I hum in answer, content despite the hiccups we’ve encountered this afternoon.
I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know who Black Shell is or what he wants or how this will end. But sitting here with Jin’s hand on my belly and our son kicking, I decide that so long as we continue tackling these issues together, it’ll be okay.
We’ll make it okay.
The faculty lounge is buzzing with its usual mid-morning energy when I find Kelly at our regular table, a stack of ungraded papers in front of her and a coffee cup clutched in her hand like it’s the only thing keeping her sane.
I already know before I even sit down what she’ll want to talk about. At the hospital when Jin was late to our gender reveal appointment, Kelly was the first person I texted about having a boy.
“There she is,” she says, looking up with a grin. “My favorite pregnant teacher.”
“I’m the only pregnant teacher you know.”
“Which makes you my favorite by default. Sit, sit. How are you feeling? How’s Baby Sweet Potato?”
I laugh and lower myself into the chair across from her. “Baby Sweet Potato is doing great. Very active. Keeps kicking me in the bladder.”