Kyrah had always imagined that preparing for a baby would be exciting.
She hadn't expected it to be so overwhelming.
There were too many things to consider.
Clothes.
Blankets.
Bottles.
Diapers.
A crib.
A changing table.
A stroller.
And toys.
So many tiny toys.
She stood in the middle of her apartment, staring at the shopping bags scattered across the living room.
"How can someone so small need so many things?"
Peppa moved.
Kyrah placed a hand on her stomach.
"Don't answer me. You're the reason we're in this mess."
She bent to pick up a bag.
Then stopped.
Her back protested.
She straightened slowly.
"All right. I see how it is."
She looked around.
The apartment was still her home.
The same apartment she had moved into when she first arrived in Hong Kong.
The same place where she had cried over Jinyoung, worried about her future, and spent countless nights wondering whether she would ever feel settled again.
But now, something was changing.
The living room had begun to fill with baby supplies.
A folded blanket sat on the sofa.
Tiny clothes were arranged in a basket.
A box of diapers stood near the wall.
And in the spare room, which had once been used for storage, Kyrah was beginning to create a nursery.
A room for Peppa.
Her son.
The thought still felt unreal sometimes.
She smiled and picked up her phone.
Linda answered the video call almost immediately.
"Finally! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me."
Kyrah laughed.
"You're the one who never answers when I call."
"That's because I'm busy being fabulous."
"Of course."
Linda adjusted her phone.
"Now, show me."
"Show you what?"
"The baby things!"
Kyrah turned the camera toward the shopping bags.
Linda gasped.
"Oh my God!"
Kyrah laughed.
"Linda, please."
"No. No, don't tell me to calm down. Look at those tiny clothes!"
She leaned closer to the screen.
"Wait. Pick up the blue ones."
Kyrah reached for a small outfit.
It was a soft blue cotton set with little buttons and matching trousers.
Linda made a sound that was almost a squeal.
"That is so tiny!"
"I know."
"He's actually going to fit into that?"
Kyrah smiled.
"Apparently."
Linda pressed a hand against her chest.
"You're actually going to be someone's mother."
Kyrah laughed.
"I know."
"No, but do you understand what that means?"
"It means I'm going to have a baby."
"Kyrah!"
"What?"
Linda shook her head.
"I can't believe it."
Her expression softened.
For a moment, she simply looked at Kyrah.
Then she smiled.
"I'm so happy for you."
Kyrah's eyes warmed.
"Thank you."
Linda cleared her throat.
"Now show me the rest."
Kyrah laughed.
"You're impossible."
"Show me!"
She spent the next twenty minutes showing Linda the clothes she had bought.
Tiny socks.
Little hats.
Soft blankets.
A pair of blue booties.
Linda became increasingly emotional with every item.
At one point, Kyrah held up a small knitted cardigan.
Linda covered her mouth.
"Stop."
Kyrah laughed.
"What?"
"That's too much."
"It's a cardigan."
"It's a cardigan for your baby!"
Kyrah shook her head.
"You're more emotional than I am."
"Of course I am. I'm not the one who has to push a whole human being out of my body."
Kyrah burst out laughing.
"Linda!"
"I'm just saying!"
They laughed until Kyrah had to put the phone down.
When she picked it up again, Linda was smiling.
"Listen to me."
Kyrah settled onto the sofa.
"What?"
"You're going to be a wonderful mother."
The smile on Kyrah's face softened.
Linda continued.
"I know you're scared. I know you have a lot on your mind. But you're going to do beautifully."
Kyrah looked down at her stomach.
"I hope so."
"You will."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Linda grinned.
"And when he comes, I expect to be the first person to see his face."
Kyrah laughed.
"You're not going to be in the delivery room."
"I didn't say I wanted to be in the delivery room! I said I want pictures!"
"You're ridiculous."
"And you love me."
Kyrah smiled.
"Unfortunately."
Linda blew her a kiss.
"Now go and organize your baby's things."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And don't lift anything heavy."
Kyrah rolled her eyes.
"Not you too."
Linda narrowed her eyes.
"Seojun has already infected everyone."
Kyrah froze.
Linda noticed.
Her grin widened.
"Oh?"
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
"I was simply observing that a certain handsome man has become very involved in your life."
Kyrah groaned.
"Goodbye, Linda."
Linda laughed.
"Love you!"
The call ended.
Kyrah stared at the screen for a moment.
Then she smiled.
She had never imagined that her life would look like this.
But somehow, she was happy.
And that happiness frightened her less than it used to.
The doorbell rang just after noon.
Kyrah walked to the entrance and opened the door.
Seojun stood outside, holding a toolbox in one hand and a paper bag in the other.
She blinked.
"What are you doing here?"
He looked at the toolbox.
"Installing furniture."
She stared at him.
"What furniture?"
"The crib."
Kyrah's mouth fell open.
"Seojun!"
He smiled.
"You said you hadn't assembled it yet."
"That doesn't mean you have to come and do it!"
"I know."
He lifted the paper bag.
"I also brought lunch."
She looked at the bag.
Then at him.
"You're impossible."
"So I've heard."
She stepped aside.
"Come in."
Seojun entered and placed the toolbox near the wall.
He looked around the apartment.
The baby supplies were everywhere.
A stack of folded blankets sat on the sofa.
Tiny clothes hung from the back of a chair.
A half-open box of baby bottles rested on the dining table.
He smiled.
"You've been busy."
Kyrah sighed.
"I think I bought too much."
He glanced at the bags.
"Maybe."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're supposed to reassure me."
"I can help you organize them."
She smiled.
"That works."
He held out the paper bag.
"Food first."
Kyrah took it.
"What did you bring?"
"Something you can eat without spending the afternoon cooking."
She opened the bag.
Inside were neatly packed containers of food.
Her favorite fruit was tucked into a separate box.
She looked up.
"You remembered."
Seojun shrugged.
"You like mangoes."
Kyrah smiled.
"Thank you."
He nodded toward the spare room.
"Ready?"
She glanced toward the room.
"Honestly? I'm terrified."
"Of the crib?"
"Of everything."
Seojun's expression softened.
He stepped closer.
"Then we'll do one thing at a time."
She looked at him.
"One thing at a time?"
"Yes."
He picked up the toolbox.
"Today, we assemble the crib."
She smiled.
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, you rest."
Kyrah laughed.
"You're very bossy."
"Only when necessary."
She shook her head.
Then she followed him into the nursery.
The room was small but bright.
A large window overlooked the gardens behind the apartment building. The walls were painted a soft cream, and Kyrah had chosen pale blue curtains.
A white crib stood against one wall, still wrapped in its packaging.
A changing table sat nearby.
There were boxes of baby supplies stacked in one corner.
Seojun looked around.
"This is nice."
Kyrah smiled.
"I wanted it to feel warm."
"It does."
She walked toward the window.
"I used to imagine what his room would look like."
Seojun set down the toolbox.
"What did you imagine?"
She thought for a moment.
"Something simple. Nothing too expensive. Just a place where he'd feel safe."
Seojun looked at her.
"I think he'll like it."
Kyrah smiled.
"I hope so."
He opened the box containing the crib.
"All right. Let's see what we're working with."
For the next hour, they worked together.
Seojun handled the heavier pieces while Kyrah sorted the smaller parts and read the instructions.
At one point, he held up a wooden panel.
"Is this supposed to go here?"
Kyrah studied the diagram.
"No. That's the other side."
He looked at the instructions.
"You're right."
She grinned.
"Of course I am."
He laughed.
"Enjoy it while it lasts."
They continued assembling the crib.
Every so often, Kyrah sat down to rest.
Seojun never made a fuss about it.
He simply handed her water, checked the instructions, and continued working.
When they finished, they stepped back to admire their work.
The crib stood neatly against the wall.
Kyrah stared at it.
"Oh my God."
Seojun smiled.
"Not bad."
She walked toward it slowly.
Her fingers brushed the wooden rail.
It was real.
Not a dream.
Not a distant possibility.
Her baby would soon be sleeping there.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Seojun noticed.
"Kyrah?"
She laughed softly.
"I'm sorry."
"Why?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
She looked at the crib.
"I think I'm just realizing how close it is."
Seojun stepped beside her.
"He's coming soon."
She nodded.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Peppa moved.
Kyrah placed a hand on her stomach.
"He's probably wondering why we're making so much noise."
Seojun smiled.
"Tell him we're almost done."
She laughed.
"Almost?"
He glanced at the remaining boxes.
"All right. Maybe not."
Later that afternoon, they began arranging the baby clothes.
Kyrah sat on the floor, folding tiny outfits.
Seojun was beside her, sorting blankets into a drawer.
She held up a small pair of baby shoes.
They were soft blue knitted booties, barely larger than her palm.
"Look at these."
Seojun turned.
She smiled.
"Aren't they adorable?"
He took them from her.
For a moment, he simply stared.
The shoes were impossibly small.
He turned one over in his hand.
Then looked at the other.
Kyrah watched him.
"What?"
He smiled faintly.
"Nothing."
"You were staring."
He glanced at her.
"They're small."
She laughed.
"That's how babies work."
Seojun chuckled.
He placed the shoes carefully beside the other clothes.
But his expression had changed.
There was something behind his eyes.
Something he wasn't ready to say.
Kyrah noticed.
She looked at him for a moment.
Then she returned to folding the clothes.
"Peppa is going to look very handsome in those."
Seojun looked at her.
"I'm sure he will."
She smiled.
"And he'll probably grow out of them in a week."
"Then we'll find him another pair."
Kyrah glanced at him.
"We?"
He paused.
Then smiled.
"You're right. You'll find him another pair."
She looked away.
But the word stayed with her.
We.
It had slipped out so naturally.
And somehow, it felt like more than a simple mistake.
By evening, the nursery had begun to look like a real room.
The crib was assembled.
The clothes were folded.
The blankets were arranged.
The tiny shoes sat on a shelf beside a small stuffed bear.
Kyrah stood in the doorway, looking around.
"I can't believe we did all this."
Seojun stood beside her.
"You did most of it."
"That's a lie."
He smiled.
"Then we did it."
She looked at him.
"Thank you."
He turned.
"For what?"
"For helping me."
She hesitated.
"For being here."
Seojun's expression softened.
"You're welcome."
Kyrah looked back at the room.
"I don't know what I would have done without you."
The words came out before she could stop them.
Seojun went still.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
Then he spoke.
"You would have managed."
She frowned.
"That's not the point."
"I know."
He looked toward the crib.
"But you don't have to do everything alone."
Kyrah swallowed.
There it was again.
That feeling.
The one that made her heart ache in ways she couldn't explain.
She looked at him.
"Seojun..."
He met her gaze.
"Yes?"
She wanted to say something.
Something honest.
Something that would explain how much he had come to mean to her.
But the words were too close to the truth she was still afraid to face.
So she smiled.
"Peppa is going to love this room."
Seojun held her gaze for another second.
Then he smiled.
"I hope so."
He picked up the empty boxes.
"Now, sit down. I'll take these out."
Kyrah laughed.
"Of course you will."
He walked toward the door.
She watched him go.
Then she looked at the tiny shoes on the shelf.
Her heart felt strangely full.
And for the first time, she wondered whether the room they had prepared for Peppa was becoming something else too.
A place where a new kind of love might one day find a home.