Chapter 37 - Pickles and Gucci

Chapter 37 - Pickles and Gucci

5 Months

"Hi Babies, how are we feeling today?" Jimin kissed both Soujin and her stomach, greeting her as he and Jungkook walked into her apartment. Anderson was gone back on tour with '2-Step', so once again Soujin was alone and fending for herself.

"The demon has decided to do karate every night at 3am," Soujin said through gritted teeth.

"Hmm, can we not call it a demon?" Jungkook said disapprovingly.

"Well then tell it to stop asking for fucking kimchi and chocolate ice cream and then forcing me to throw it up after I give it to it. That is DEMON behavior!" Soujin yelled.

Jungkook placed both of his palms on either side of Soujin's stomach in order to shield the baby's ears from Soujin's salty language.

"Where are my shoes? I. Can't. FIND. MY SHOES!" Soujin screamed and then started to cry. There was a half-eaten pickle laying on the counter. She picked it up and began to eat it in the midst of her gestational tantrum.

Jimin and Jungkook were there to escort Soujin, per their normal routine, to her Doctor's appointment. Both were saddened to see the degree of angst she was experiencing due to her pregnancy symptoms that were now in full swing.

She apparently had not acclimated to her new pregnancy figure because she was still wearing the same old clothes from her pre-pregnancy days; all of which had grown much too small. The tank top she was wearing said "Blue Smurf" and had a picture of Poppa Smurf smoking a marijuana cigarette. Her pregnancy bellow hung below her shirt exposing her bare skin. She was wearing a black super short skirt that she couldn't get past her thighs. The shoes that she so desperately seeked were on her feet and for reasons no one could understand, she had two pair of socks pulled over the shoe on her left foot. Jimin and Jungkook figured that she really couldn't see her feet because of her blossoming belly. Soujin was wearing a pair of fuchsia pink granny panties and her hair was tied into a pony tail by a Koya headband.

It was a good thing that Jimin and Jungkook only lived a few blocks away. It made it easy for them to check in often and take care of her when she needed it. Today was a day where she definitely needed it. Jimin and Jungkook looked at each other. They had less than an hour to get Soujin together and get her to her Doctor's appointment. Today was the day they would find out the sex of their baby.

Jungkook looked to Jimin. Jimin knew exactly how to handle delicate situations such as these. It was a scene that played out again and again where Jungkook stood back and watched Jimin spring into action.

"So, I have a present for you Soujin." Jimin smiled his beautiful wide grin.

"And I have a present for you," Soujin turned her head to the right and threw up in the nearby trash, "there, you like it? You like that? That's from your demon baby with love," she continued eating her pickle.

"Hm, I don't want your present. But, the present that I have for you is much better." He continued to smile as he stepped away from the trash can full of puke. He looked up at Jungkook.

"I'm on it." Jungkook with absolutely no trepidation grabbed the trash and took it outside. He emptied the bag that contained Soujin's collection of demon puke and added a fresh new bag. As Soujin and Jimin continued to talk, he quietly brought in the clean trash and sat it gently next to Soujin.

"I was at the Gucci store and I found a few things that you might like." Jimin pulled out an exquisite leather suitcase full of clothes, some he had custom made, others he found at exclusive Gucci boutiques in Italy. It was all for Soujin. "I think you should wear this one today. Jungkook picked it."

Jimin unwrapped the first ensemble. It was a rose gold cashmere one shoulder dress with a pair of ivory leather boots to match. There was also a parjmeana that matched the boots. Jimin lined the outfit up along the edge of the couch. Soujin took one look at it and burst into tears.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I don't deserve it. I probably can't even fit it. And the demon's just going to throw demon spawn all over it!" Soujin wept full of sorrow.

"Here's the wonderful thing," Jimin said brightly, "we have a great dry cleaner's around the corner. If anything happens, we will just get it cleaned. That goes for everything in this suitcase. Nothing can't be cleaned. It's all very comfy and Prego friendly."

Jungkook sat fascinated as usual. He always felt a deep admiration for Jimin's ability to soothe psychological aches and pains.

Jungkook noticed that the pickle Soujin was eating had come from a jar that was sitting not too far from him. He thought it would be rude to interrupt Jimin just so he could ask Soujin for a pickle, so he decided to help himself to a couple of them while Jimin wrapped this up.

"I don't deserve youuuuuuuuuuu." Soujin looked at Jimin and Jungkook and then flung herself on the couch and continued to weep.

"No, sweetie, we don't deserve you. The sacrifice that you're making for us is something we can never repay. We know this is hard. But we'll be with you every step of the way ok? So. Let's get you in the shower. There's puke in your hair. Then we'll get you dressed and get you to the Doctor." Jimin said happily.

Somehow, Jungkook wasn't exactly sure how he did it, but somehow Jimin got Soujin showered and dressed. Jungkook stepped in and offered to do her hair and make-up.

"I like this tone on you. Your skin is absolutely glowing." Jungkook gushed over Soujin.

"Thank the demon for that." Soujin said sarcastically.

Jungkook found great eyeshadows to balance against Soujin's natural grey eyes. It was a very unusual trait for a Korean woman to have grey eyes. The only time they had ever seen Soujin's natural eye color was the day of Jackson's funeral. But they were so oddly unique, that both Jimin and Jungkook assumed they were contacts. Jimin tried to get her to talk about it during their visit while she was in jail. But she refused. Now here they were, years later and the subject was in front of them again. This time, Jungkook took the lead.

"What is the story of your grey eyes?" Jungkook asked innocently.

"I'm cursed. You didn't know?" Soujin seemed serious.

Jungkook looked at Jimin. Jimin said nothing. He gave Jungkook the slightest hint of head movement. This was a signal for Jungkook to continue taking the lead to talk to Soujin.

"It is said that my great ancestor was cursed for spying on his own men and giving secrets to the enemy during the first Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. He eyes were turned a soul less grey so that all future generations would be able to recognize when there was a spy amongst them. No one seems to know from whence this magical power to change a person's physical traits originated but they are very certain that it existed." Soukjin recounted the story with great detail and eloquence. It was a side that Jungkook had never seen from her before.

"That is fascinating. You don't' believe that you're cursed, do you?" Jungkook asked.

"I never did, until Jackson. Surely a sister who is forced to kill her brother, a man who was her best friend and her life, is a cursed soul. For a very long time after his death, I felt the curse was real. Then when my parents distanced themselves from me, I KNEW the curse was real. It was too much suffering for one person. I've worked through most of that bullshit with my new therapist. Not feeling so cursed these days. Especially with you two by my side." Soujin looked away as if she were holding back tears.

"Soujin, I don't remember your eyes being grey when we were kids." Jungkook prodded a little further.

"That's because my mother, very well intentioned, used to make me wear brown contacts to cover up the grey. She was worried about me being teased in school. There was another reason she covered my eyes. The Elders of our family were a bit freaked out by seeing the eye color. They loved me of course, but that cursed bullshit ran deep and many of them truly believed it. They had a tough time embracing a child who was a constant reminder of cursed lineage. I was never really warm and fuzzy with the Grands and whatnot. They always thought me a be peculiar. They worried if I really had a soul. You picked a great surrogate didn't ya'? Good job boys, good job." Soujin seemed unnecessarily critical of herself.

Jungkook took a seat in front of Soujin. He moved as closely to her as possible without their faces touching. He used both of his eyes to intently focus on both of hers. He looked at her left, then her right, then her left again. It should have been an awkward moment, but somehow Soujin felt proud to show Jungkook the trait that he admired so.

"Whoa, they're beautiful. You can't cover these up. You just can't" Jungkook said as he continued to stare at each of her light grey eyes.

Soujin inched the smallest centimeter closer, then crossed her eyes and blew a raspberry at Jungkook. Jimin's loud obnoxious laughed filled the room startling both Soujin and Jungkook. Jungkook wiped the spit off of his face and laughed too. OK, maybe I shouldn't stare at you like a zoo animal. I'm sorry. But I really am loving the eyes. You're TRUE YOU, is beautiful." Jungkook pulled away.

After learning her plight of growing up as somewhat of a pariah within her family, Jungkook felt a stronger bond with Soujin. His admiration for her only deepened. Now if he could just get her to stop calling his baby demon, they may make more progress.

Jungkook finished off Soujin's look by putting big bouncy spiral curls in her long luscious hair. They laughed a lot as she offered him stories about life as the creature with the grey eyes.

For all of her internal angst, Soujin looked stunning on the outside. Due to the pregnancy, she hadn't been able to bleach her hair with her normal slew of rainbow colors so now her long beautiful natural black hair hung flowingly down her back. The pregnancy glow that she attributed to "the demon" had turned her skin a rich olive color. Couple that with Jungkook's fantastic make-up skills and Jimin's $8,000 dress, and Soujin looked like something straight off of a runway, pregnant belly and all. **

The trio arrived at the Doctor with fifteen minutes left to spare. Jimin and Jungkook, although listed as the Bio dads with full rights to be there, excused themselves during the exam to give Soujin some privacy. Dr. Matsufuji did a complete exam to check Soujin's progress. When it was time to do the gender reveal, the two were called back into the exam room. They followed the nurse back to the exam room where Soujin and Dr. Matsufuji were waiting.

"Wait!" Jimin stopped in distress. "We haven't discussed this. What do we want a girl or a boy? I've been so focused on it just being healthy, I haven't even thought about it. We have a preference, right?"

"I don't care." Jungkook was simple in his response. "I don't think you care. Whatever it is Jimin, we will smother it with love." With that, the two continued down the hall behind the nurse.

Jungkook could feel his heart beating through his chest. He held Jimin's hand with his left and held Soujin's hand with his right. All three of them grasped each other tight as Dr. Matsufuji circled around Soujin's belly with the ultra sound wand.

"Let's see here, 24 weeks, very, very good. Strong little thing. Great vitals. Great lungs. Strong heartbeat. Definitely got a little dancer on your hands there." Dr. Matsufuji beamed.

Jungkook made no attempt to hide the tears that had started to stream down his face as he watched the tiny outline of his baby wiggle about.

Dr. Matsufuji made small talk while he continued to get baby to reveal itself. It seemed like the little one was determined to keep its back side to its Dads. Jimin leaned in close to Soujin's belly and began to jokingly sing Serendipity. To everyone's surprise, the baby looked over its shoulder towards Jimin's voice.

"Keep singing Daddy, the demon likes your voice," Soujin clapped excitedly.

Jimin continued to sing. "Just let me lo-ove yooouuuuu, Just let me looooo-oooovvv YOUUUUUU."

Jungkook and Soujin sang back up in unison, "Let me love, let me love you".

And just like that, little baby Park Jeon turned completely around to face her parents. "Well look at that. It's a girl." Dr. Matsufuji proudly proclaimed. Jungkook laid into his arms and began to openly weep.

"Ohh Jungkook, Babe," Jimin was patting him on the back trying to figure why Jungkook had suddenly fallen overwhelmed.

Jungkook sniffled. Through his weeps he answered, "I wanted a girl soooo bad! I'm so happy!"

Jimin laughed so hard that he punched Jungkook in the shoulder.

"YOU BRAT!! You told me it didn't matter." Jimin doubled over in laughter.

"I LIED. I wanted a girl! I wanted a girl so much!" Jungkook grabbed the Doctor and gave him a large unsolicited hug. Snot and tears fell onto the Doctor's coat when Jungkook buried his head on his shoulder.

Dr. Matusufuji, slightly disgusted, handed Jungkook a tissue, "Well with that, I'm going to give you some privacy. I have to see my next patient. I took pictures of your little one, so you can pick them up at the nurse's station on your way out. Congrats guys. See you in a few weeks.**