When we told everyone the news, I thought the world would explode.
Min-jun stood beside me, holding my hand as I nervously watched my parents' reactions. My mom gasped, my dad froze like someone hit pause on him, and Min-jun's parents exchanged shocked glances.
But then… something unexpected happened.
They smiled.
"We were wondering when you two would finally admit how crazy you are about each other," Min-jun's mom had said, hugging us both tight.
My mom? She cried, of course. "My baby's having a baby," she sobbed, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.
Min-jun's dad just clapped him on the back with that proud father grin that made me tear up. "You're gonna be a good dad, son."
And suddenly, it didn't feel so scary anymore.
---
The days that followed were a mix of emotions. I'd wake up in the morning with Min-jun's arm around me, the sunlight slipping through the curtains, and the tiniest swell in my belly reminding me that everything had changed.
We still went to classes — me with a billion snacks in my bag and Min-jun constantly checking if I was okay every five minutes.
The professors knew.
Our friends knew.
The whole school knew.
There were whispers at first, of course. Looks. Even some rude comments. But then there was Hye-jin, who stood up in the middle of class and shouted, "At least they're in love! What have YOU done lately, huh?"
Queen.
Dae-hyun stuck a sign to his backpack that read "Back off. She's glowing and taken." He was proud of it. Too proud.
---
Min-jun… he was everything.
He'd talk to the baby every night like they were already best friends. He'd cook breakfast (burnt toast counts, okay?) and bring me hot chocolate after class. He massaged my feet, wrote my assignments when I was tired, and even read pregnancy books with highlighter pens.
One afternoon, I came back to our dorm and found him building a tiny crib. I just stood there, watching him mumble to himself about screws and instructions and colors.
"Blue or yellow?" he asked, biting his lip.
"I like yellow," I said.
He smiled. "Yellow it is."
And just like that, he painted our future in the softest, warmest color I'd ever seen.
---
But not everything was easy.
I had my moments. The tears. The mood swings. The panic.
"What if I'm not ready? What if I mess this up? What if—"
Min-jun would pull me close every time. "You're already the best mom this baby could ever ask for. And I'm with you. Always."
I believed him.
Because when he looked at me with that quiet, steady love… it felt real.
---
And then, one evening, as we lay on the couch together, my head on his chest and his fingers lazily playing with my hair, I felt it.
A tiny flutter in my belly.
My breath caught.
"Min-jun…" I whispered, grabbing his hand and placing it over the spot.
We waited.
And then—
THUMP.
His eyes widened. "Was that—?"
I nodded, tears in my eyes. "Yeah. That was our baby."
He kissed me then, softly, reverently. "I can't wait to meet them."
Neither could I.
Because this? This was just the beginning.