Seojun walked Kyrah home, refusing to let the fact that she had accepted his love distract him from the fact that she was eight months pregnant.
"Slowly," he reminded her as they approached the entrance to her building.
Kyrah turned to him.
"Seojun."
"Yes?"
"I am walking."
"I can see that."
"Then why are you telling me to walk slowly?"
"Because you're walking quickly."
She looked down at her feet.
Then back at him.
"I am walking at a normal pace."
He gave her a look.
She burst out laughing.
"You are going to be an exhausting boyfriend."
"I've been told I'm very patient."
"By whom?"
"Myself."
She laughed harder.
He grinned, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
When they reached her door, he waited while she unlocked it. Then he followed her inside after she invited him in.
"Sit down," she told him.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You're giving me instructions now?"
"Yes. You have been bossing me around for months. It's my turn."
He laughed and sat on the sofa.
Kyrah went to the kitchen to get them water, but Seojun was on his feet before she had taken three steps.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Getting the water."
"I can get it."
"I know."
"Then sit down!"
He stopped.
They stared at each other.
Then they both started laughing.
"Fine," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I'll sit."
"Thank you."
She brought the water over and handed him a glass.
He took it with a smile.
They sat beside each other, their shoulders touching. Every so often, Seojun glanced at her, and every time Kyrah caught him, he smiled.
Finally, she nudged him.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're staring at me."
"I'm looking at my girlfriend."
Her cheeks warmed.
She picked up a cushion and held it against her chest.
"You need to stop saying that."
"Why?"
"Because I like it too much."
His smile softened.
"Then I'll say it more often."
She threw the cushion at him.
He caught it, laughing.
A few minutes later, his expression became thoughtful.
"Can I ask you something?"
Kyrah groaned.
"Here we go again."
"It's a normal question."
"All right. Ask."
He looked at her stomach.
"How is Peppa?"
She smiled immediately.
"He's fine."
"Has he been moving a lot today?"
"Yes. Especially when I'm trying to sleep."
Seojun laughed.
"He takes after you."
"Excuse me?"
"You're both very active when other people need rest."
She stared at him.
Then she gasped dramatically.
"Did you just compare my unborn son to me?"
"I did."
"You have been dating me for less than an hour, and you're already insulting me."
"I'm observing similarities."
She shook her head, laughing.
Then she took his hand and placed it against her belly.
"Here. Feel."
Seojun's entire expression changed.
He became still, his eyes fixed on the place where her hand guided his.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then Peppa moved.
Seojun's eyes widened.
"Was that him?"
Kyrah smiled.
"Yes."
He looked at her, then back at her stomach.
"Peppa."
Another small movement.
His mouth fell open.
Kyrah laughed at his expression.
"You look like you've just witnessed a miracle."
"I think I have."
His voice was so sincere that her smile softened.
He kept his hand there, waiting.
When Peppa moved again, Seojun let out a disbelieving laugh.
"He's strong."
"He's been practising his football skills in there."
Seojun smiled.
"Peppa, please be gentle with your mother."
Kyrah burst out laughing.
"He cannot hear you properly through my stomach!"
"That doesn't mean I shouldn't talk to him."
She stared at him.
Then her eyes filled with tears again.
Seojun immediately looked alarmed.
"Oh no. What did I do?"
She laughed and wiped her cheek.
"Nothing."
"Kyrah."
"You just said you were going to talk to my baby."
"Our baby?"
The question slipped out of his mouth before he could think about it.
He looked at her immediately.
"I mean—if you're comfortable with that. I don't want to assume anything. I just—"
Kyrah placed her hand over his.
"Our baby," she repeated softly.
He stared at her.
She smiled.
"At least, that's how I feel when I look at you with him."
For a moment, Seojun couldn't speak.
Then he bent forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her belly.
"Hello, Peppa," he whispered. "It's me."
Kyrah covered her mouth, smiling through fresh tears.
"I know you can't understand me yet," Seojun continued, "but I hope you know how loved you already are."
He paused.
"And I hope you know your mother is one of the most incredible women I've ever met."
Kyrah sniffed.
"Seojun..."
He looked up at her.
"What?"
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Making me cry."
He smiled and rested his cheek against her stomach for a moment.
"Then I suppose I'd better get used to it."
She stroked his hair.
"You're going to be very good with him."
Seojun looked up at her.
"I hope so."
"You will."
He kissed her hand.
"And you're going to be an amazing mother."
Kyrah smiled.
"I hope so too."
"You already are."
She looked away, overwhelmed by how easily he said things she had once struggled to believe about herself.
Seojun noticed.
He didn't push her to respond.
Instead, he sat beside her and held her hand, letting her take her time.
And Kyrah thought, not for the first time that evening, that perhaps this was what love could feel like when it was safe.
Not perfect.
Not without uncertainty.
But safe enough to breathe.
---
Later that night, after Seojun had finally left with promises to call her when he got home, Kyrah stood by her apartment door for several seconds, smiling at absolutely nothing.
Then she shut the door, leaned against it, and grabbed her phone.
There was only one person she needed to call.
Linda.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Kyrah? Everything all right?"
Kyrah took a breath.
Then she said, with the biggest smile on her face, "Guess who has a boyfriend?"
Silence.
A full three seconds of silence.
Then Linda screamed so loudly that Kyrah had to pull the phone away from her ear.
"WHAT?!"
Kyrah burst out laughing.
"Linda!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"
"I said—"
"I HEARD YOU! I JUST NEED TO HEAR IT AGAIN!"
Kyrah laughed harder.
"I have a boyfriend."
"WHO?"
"You know who."
"KYRAH!"
"Seojun."
Linda screamed again.
"Oh, my goodness! OH, MY GOODNESS! I KNEW IT!"
Kyrah covered her mouth, laughing.
"You did not!"
"I absolutely did! I have been supporting this relationship since before you admitted to yourself that you were attracted to that man!"
"Linda!"
"What? Am I lying?"
Kyrah looked toward the sofa where Seojun had been sitting only minutes earlier.
"No," she admitted.
Linda made a triumphant sound.
"I KNEW IT!"
"Please stop shouting."
"I CANNOT STOP SHOUTING! MY BEST FRIEND HAS A BOYFRIEND!"
Kyrah laughed until her stomach hurt.
"Careful," Linda suddenly said. "Don't laugh too hard. Remember Peppa."
Kyrah immediately straightened.
"You are ridiculous."
"And you are in love!"
Kyrah's smile softened.
"Yes."
Linda went silent again, but this time it was a different kind of silence.
"Really?" she asked gently.
Kyrah nodded, even though Linda couldn't see her.
"Really."
"You're happy?"
Kyrah looked down at her hand, remembering the way Seojun had held it.
"Very."
"Then I'm happy too."
Kyrah swallowed.
"He told me he loves me, Linda."
"I know."
"And I told him I love him."
"Oh, Kyrah."
Her friend's voice softened.
Kyrah's eyes filled again.
"I was so scared," she admitted. "I wanted him so much, but I was scared of what it meant. I kept thinking about what happened before, and I didn't want to make the same mistake again."
"You don't have to forget what happened to move forward."
"I know."
"And you don't have to rush just because you're happy."
"I know."
Linda paused.
"But you can let yourself enjoy this, you know."
Kyrah smiled.
"I think I'm finally learning how."
"Good."
Another pause.
Then Linda's familiar teasing returned.
"So, did you kiss him?"
Kyrah froze.
"Linda!"
"YOU DID!"
"I didn't say anything!"
"You don't have to! I know you!"
Kyrah covered her face.
"You're so annoying."
"Was it good?"
"Goodnight, Linda!"
"KYRAH!"
Kyrah ended the call, laughing so hard she had to sit down.
Her phone immediately buzzed with a message.
Linda: I WANT EVERY DETAIL TOMORROW. DO NOT THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME.
Kyrah shook her head, still smiling.
Then another message appeared.
This one was from Seojun.
Seojun: I'm home. Thank you for tonight, girlfriend.
Kyrah pressed the phone against her chest.
A second message followed.
Seojun: Get some rest. Drink some water before bed, and tell Peppa I said goodnight.
She laughed softly.
Kyrah: You know you can tell him yourself tomorrow, right?
His reply came almost immediately.
Seojun: I was hoping you'd say that.
She smiled.
Kyrah: Goodnight, Seojun. I love you.
This time, she didn't hesitate before sending it.
His reply arrived a moment later.
Seojun: I love you too, Kyrah. Sleep well.
She read the message twice.
Then she placed her phone beside her and rested both hands over her belly.
"Peppa," she whispered, "I think we're going to be okay."
The baby moved beneath her palm.
She smiled through the tears gathering in her eyes.
For so many nights, she had cried over the life she thought she had lost. She had prayed for strength when she didn't know how she would face another day. She had asked God to help her find peace, to help her become the mother her baby deserved, and to help her believe that her story was not over simply because one person had chosen to walk away.
She hadn't known what the future would look like.
She hadn't known that a man who remembered her coffee, listened to her worries, respected her boundaries, and loved her child without asking for anything in return would become the answer to a hope she had barely dared to voice.
She didn't believe that everything would suddenly be easy.
There would still be difficult days. Peppa would arrive soon, and motherhood would bring challenges neither of them could fully anticipate. She would still have moments when her old fears resurfaced, and Seojun would have things to learn about loving her.
But she no longer felt that she had to face the future alone.
She had Seojun.
And she had Peppa.
She bent her head and kissed her stomach.
"Your mother has a boyfriend now," she whispered.
Then she laughed at herself.
"Actually, your mother is in love."
Her hand moved gently across her belly.
"And I think..." Her voice trembled. "I think I finally got to have something good."
She leaned back against the sofa, smiling through her tears.
Somewhere in the city, Seojun was probably smiling at his phone too.
And for the first time in a long time, Kyrah allowed herself to imagine a future that wasn't defined by the person who had hurt her.
A future filled with ordinary mornings, shared meals, tiny baby clothes, Seojun's ridiculous concern over whether she had eaten enough, Linda's endless teasing, and a little boy who would grow up knowing he had been loved long before he was born.
She had spent so long believing that happiness was something she would have to rebuild alone.
But perhaps life still had beautiful things waiting for her.
Perhaps, after all those nights of crying and praying, she had finally reached a place where she could stop asking whether she deserved to be loved.
Because Seojun had shown her.
He had waited.
He had chosen her.
And when she was finally ready to choose him too, he had held her hands and promised that he could wait some more.
Kyrah closed her eyes, a peaceful smile resting on her face.
She felt happy for the life growing inside her, the love she had found, and the future she was finally brave enough to welcome.