"Kyrah!"
Linda's voice echoed through the apartment.
Kyrah, who was already in the kitchen, immediately started laughing.
"What do you want?"
"Save me!"
Kyrah leaned against the kitchen counter, shaking her head.
"What happened to you?"
"Water!"
"You drank too much."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Linda groaned from the bedroom.
"I overdid it with the wine."
"You overdid it with the wine while spending half the night teasing me about Seojun."
"I was having fun."
"You were having too much fun."
Kyrah grabbed a glass and filled it with water.
"I told you that you were going to get drunk."
"Whatever."
Linda slowly walked into the living room, looking completely defeated.
"I'd rather drink now before I get with child."
Kyrah burst out laughing.
"Before you get with child?"
"Yes."
"Linda, please."
"Because right now, you're the one with child."
Kyrah shook her head.
"Really? I don't think you're hungover enough."
Linda took the glass from her.
"I feel terrible."
"You can still tease me, so you're clearly recovering."
Linda drank half the glass in one go.
"Don't talk to me."
Kyrah laughed.
"Sit down."
Linda collapsed onto the couch.
Kyrah looked at her for a moment.
"You need food."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Linda groaned.
"You're acting like my mother."
"Good."
Kyrah headed into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the delicious smell of ramen filled the apartment.
Linda lifted her head.
"What are you making?"
"Ramen."
"For me?"
"Yes."
Linda slowly sat up.
"Kyrah…"
"What?"
"You're an angel."
Kyrah laughed.
"Come and eat."
Linda dragged herself toward the dining table.
Kyrah placed the steaming bowl in front of her.
Linda stared at it like it was the greatest thing she had ever seen.
"Wow."
She picked up the bowl and took a careful sip.
Her eyes widened.
"So refreshing."
Kyrah sat across from her.
"Eat slowly."
Linda nodded obediently.
For a few minutes, there was nothing but the sound of Linda eating.
Then Kyrah's phone began ringing.
Linda looked toward the counter.
"Kyrah, your phone is ringing."
Kyrah didn't move.
"I'm not picking up."
Linda stopped eating.
She looked at Kyrah.
That expression.
She knew that expression.
"Don't tell me."
Kyrah sighed.
"Yes."
Linda's face changed.
"Jinyoung?"
Kyrah nodded.
"He keeps calling."
Linda slowly put down her chopsticks.
"Why?"
Kyrah looked away.
"I don't know."
"I thought you were going to hear him out."
"No."
"You didn't?"
"No."
Kyrah's voice became firm.
"I didn't hear him out, and I don't want to."
Linda studied her for a moment.
Then she quietly stood up, walked around the table, and sat beside Kyrah.
She reached for her hand.
"Tell me something."
Kyrah looked at her.
"How did you feel when he called?"
Kyrah was silent.
"It was strange emotionally."
She swallowed.
"But generally…"
She paused.
"I didn't feel anything."
Linda squeezed her hand.
"I was just numb."
Linda nodded slowly.
"Maybe it's because you don't really love him anymore."
Kyrah looked down.
"No."
Linda waited.
"I don't think we ever really loved each other."
Linda's eyebrows lifted.
"What?"
"We were just two people who slept together."
Kyrah shrugged.
"We're ordinary people. It doesn't have to mean anything more than that."
Linda immediately shook her head.
"No."
Kyrah looked at her.
"No?"
"You wouldn't do that without having feelings for somebody."
Linda held her hand tighter.
"I know you, Kyrah."
Kyrah's eyes dropped.
"You loved him."
"No."
"You did."
Kyrah didn't answer.
Linda continued gently.
"You were just hurt so badly that you've become numb to it."
Kyrah swallowed.
Linda's voice softened.
"Maybe that's why you don't feel anything now. Sometimes when something hurts enough, your heart doesn't keep reacting the same way."
Kyrah stared at their joined hands.
"I don't want to talk about him."
"I know."
"I don't want him in my life."
"I know."
"I don't want him to be part of Peppa's life."
Linda took a breath.
"But there's one thing you can't change."
Kyrah already knew what she was going to say.
"He's the father."
Kyrah's expression tightened.
"You hate that."
"Yes."
"And you wish things were different."
"Yes."
"But that fact isn't going to change."
Kyrah remained silent.
"At some point," Linda continued, "you're going to have to give him a chance to say what he wants to say."
"I don't want to."
"I know."
"I don't even want to think about it."
Linda nodded.
"Okay."
Kyrah looked at her.
"Okay?"
"I'm not going to force you."
Linda squeezed her hand.
"But don't make decisions today because you're angry. Give yourself time."
Kyrah nodded slowly.
Then she suddenly pointed at herself.
"Okay. Enough about Jinyoung."
Linda laughed.
"Fine."
"Let's talk about me."
Linda looked at her.
Kyrah stood up and turned sideways.
"Look at me."
Linda stared.
"What am I looking at?"
"I'm getting bigger by the day."
Linda burst out laughing.
"Kyrah!"
"It's true!"
She tugged lightly at her shirt.
"Look at my stomach."
Linda looked.
Then Kyrah turned around.
"And look at my—"
"Okay!"
Linda covered her eyes.
Kyrah laughed.
"My body is changing."
"I can see that."
"So what am I supposed to do when people at work start noticing?"
Linda's expression became more serious.
"Sooner or later, your colleagues are going to know."
"I know."
Kyrah sat back down.
"That's what worries me."
"HANEUL HOME is already launched."
"Yes."
"And now?"
Kyrah sighed.
"Now the project enters the next phase. Deployment, client onboarding, system monitoring, international partnerships…"
She rubbed her forehead.
"There is still so much to do."
"And you're going to have a baby."
Kyrah nodded.
"Exactly."
Linda looked at her.
"So what are you going to do?"
Kyrah hesitated.
"I've already talked to Seojun about it."
Linda's eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh?"
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
Linda smiled innocently.
Kyrah shook her head.
"Seojun and I discussed everything."
"And?"
"I'll have to take maternity leave eventually."
Linda nodded.
"Of course."
"But I don't know when to tell everyone."
"Why?"
Kyrah looked toward the window.
"Because I don't want anyone thinking I can't handle my job."
Linda's expression softened.
"You just led one of the biggest projects in the company to a successful launch."
"I know."
"You stood in front of investors, executives, journalists, and the entire company."
"I know."
"And you did it while carrying a baby."
Kyrah smiled faintly.
Linda squeezed her shoulder.
"Kyrah, you're not failing because you're pregnant."
Kyrah looked at her.
"You're just going to have to learn how to do things differently."
Kyrah nodded.
"Seojun said something similar."
"Of course he did."
Linda smiled.
"He seems to care about you."
Kyrah gave her a warning look.
"Linda."
"I'm just saying."
Kyrah laughed despite herself.
Linda picked up her ramen again.
"Whatever happens, you don't have to figure it all out today."
Kyrah smiled.
For a moment, she felt lighter.
There were still unanswered questions.
Jinyoung.
Her pregnancy.
Her career.
Maternity leave.
The future.
But Linda was sitting beside her.
And somehow, everything seemed a little less frightening.
Kyrah looked down at her stomach.
Her hand rested gently over it.
"I'm going to figure this out."
Linda smiled.
"I know you will."
And , Kyrah believed it too.