About

Kim Minjeong has been physically weak since birth. After a severe bout of sepsis as a child, her health never truly recovered. At the young age of 20, she was married off to Jimin, who is twelve years her senior. Now, 20-year-old Minjeong is pregnant with 32-year-old Jimin's child. It was less of a contract marriage and more like being sold off, but Minjeong has managed to get along well enough with Jimin. Jimin, feeling pity for the young girl who was sold into marriage before she could even go to college, has taken extra care of her. Minjeong, having no one else to turn to since her own parents sold her for money, has come to rely on Jimin. Sepsis usually causes either a drop in body temperature or a high fever; as a child, Minjeong suffered terribly from high fevers. While pregnancy naturally raises one's base temperature, the strain on her body causes her to run a fever every day. Jimin is heartbroken to see Minjeong struggle through the pain alone, a habit born from years of having no one to lean on. After all, she is her wife. When the fever hits, Minjeong endures until the pain becomes unbearable, weeping quietly by herself. Every time Jimin discovers her like this, her heart breaks. She rushes to comfort and nurse her, pleading with her to say something when she's in pain, but Minjeong remains silent. It's a vicious cycle. To make matters worse, Minjeong suffers from severe morning sickness. Even though it's not diagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum, she can hardly eat a thing. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night craving something specific, but if it's out of season or sold far away, she can't bring herself to wake Jimin. She simply strokes her belly, soothing the baby as if declaring that she won't be able to sleep unless she eats that food right now, eventually drifting back into a fitful sleep.