The Life We Live

Chapter 1

"You don't need hormone therapy, Myungsim," Dr. Cho Seo-yoon said, smiling at the nurse.

Oh Myungsim visited the OB-GYN's clinic today, thinking she must be losing her mind. These days, her fatigue felt twice her usual, working at the hospital and taking care of a two year old child. She also stopped having her period a couple of months ago, and then it started again, just last week but only for a couple of days. She was sure it's the onset of her menopause, even though she just turned forty-seven about a month ago.

"You can't be serious?" Myungsim responded indignantly. "I'm pretty sure my hot flashes are starting soon and I really don't want to experience that full force, especially now that it's almost summer and I have to constantly run after a two-year-old! You need–"

"You're perfectly healthy and I'm 110% sure there will be no hot flashes for you anytime soon–at least not one caused by menopause,"

"Wha–what do you mean? Just because I'm healthy doesn't mean–"

"You're pregnant, Myungsim-ssi, that's what you are–congratulations!" Dr. Cho beamed at the nurse as she delivered the shocking news.

Oh Myungsim gawked at her doctor, unable to fully grasp what she heard.

"No–that can't be right. Dae-hyun just turned two–"

"Yes, I'm right. And it has nothing to do with Dae-hyun. You obviously have a healthy relationship with Kim Sabu, so I don't think I have to spell that out for you," the doctor chuckled, surprised by Myungsim's reaction.

"I know but–"

"But? I thought you were taking pills? Didn't we discuss that a few months ago when you visited for a check-up?"

Myungsim covered her face as it finally registered to her what happened and why it happened. She groaned, wanting to put all the blame to her husband but knew very well that she couldn't.

"Ugh! We've changed the brand of my pills several times but all of them make me dizzy and the migraines I get from it are insane so I stopped it! I didn't think I could still get pregnant," she moaned.

True to her word, the migraines Myungsim got from her pills were so bad, they rendered her almost paralyzed. There were even a couple of instances wherein she had to go home before her shift ended because she just couldn't function at all, she needed to lie down, which she didn't want to do while at work. Kim Sabu was, unfortunately, oblivious to these because Myungsim had explicit instructions to her staff not to tell the surgeon. Obviously, the young nurses were far more scared of Sussaem's wrath over Kim Sabu's. 

Dr. Cho rolled her eyes smiling, amused at the nurse's reasoning.

"Jinjja? You're a grown woman, Myungsim, and you're having sex with your husband. I don't know how you managed to conclude you will not get pregnant–"

"But I didn't realize I'm this fertile! I'm old! I just recently stopped pumping breast milk! I should be starting menopause now not thinking about another pregnancy!" Myungsim groaned, unable to believe her fate.

"You're not that old, and most women these days prefer to have their kids at your age. You're also perfectly healthy. Can we stop with the dramatics and let me take an ultrasound? Let's see how far along you actually are," Dr. Cho said, reassuring the head nurse, who inadvertently became her friend.

She realized that Myungsim did have the tendency to be too critical of herself and needed some reassurance here and there. The last two years for them was quite a journey.

It would take a while before Dr. Cho would completely forget how the nurse suffered from postpartum blues for having such a hard time breastfeeding Dae-hyun, and in general, for being a first-time mother.