* * *

“I want to eat pizza. With lots of cheese.”

“I’ll get it right away.”

“And some cola, and wedge fries.”

“Sunwoo!”

Just as I was listing the foods I wanted, the hospital room door burst open. My mom, pale as a sheet, rushed in.

“Mom! Haeju is here!”

“Oh my, already! Are you okay? How’s your condition? Is everything alright?”

Waving my hand excitedly, Mom ran over and grabbed my face and arms, inspecting me from head to toe with a worried expression. Her touch squeezed my cheeks.

“Ouch, I’m fine! Both Haeju and I are healthy.”

“Really? You’re okay?”

“Yeah. I kept telling Haeju to come out quickly, and he really did.”

Rubbing my sore cheeks, I spoke. Adding a bit of exaggeration, I said that Haeju’s birth was so smooth it surprised the doctor.

Contrary to my fears and worries, delivering Haeju was much easier than expected.

Despite everyone saying childbirth was excruciatingly painful, it only hurt a bit. It seemed like Haeju was already being a good daughter.

Hearing this, Mom finally relaxed and sat down heavily on the nearby sofa. Soon, Dad came in looking equally pale and fussed over me.

“Sunwoo!”

Taeshin’s parents were the same. Both sets of parents were worried about the early delivery, but we reassured them and then ate the pizza Taeshin brought.

My mom insisted I should eat seaweed soup after giving birth, but I insisted on eating what I wanted.

We were in the middle of this debate when the nurse brought in Haeju.

“Oh my goodness…”

“Wow, look at that…”

The sight of Haeju made Mom stop her nagging.

Taeshin’s parents, who had been watching us with curiosity, also came closer.

“He looks just like Taeshin.”

“Exactly like Taeshin when he was a baby.”

Both mothers marveled at Haeju’s resemblance to Taeshin, despite his tiny, reddish face and unopened eyes.

Dad and Taeshin’s father also found it amazing how much Haeju looked like Taeshin as a baby.

They couldn’t take their eyes off him.

“This is not the time for this. Both of you did a great job. Sunwoo, focus on recovering.”

“Are you and Dad leaving?”

“You need to rest now. We’ll visit again tomorrow. Let us know if you need anything.”

“Yes, Sunwoo. We’ll be heading out now. Taeshin, take good care of Sunwoo.”

“Take care.”

“Please take care, too, Mom and Dad.”

Our parents emphasized not overdoing it before leaving the hospital room.

Finally, the nurse came to adjust my awkward hold on Haeju and teach me how to feed him.

“Oh, he’s drinking!”

As I followed the nurse’s instructions and offered the bottle, Haeju latched on and started sucking.

His tiny face looked even smaller as he vigorously sucked on the bottle. Taeshin and I watched in amazement as he drank without pause.

Gradually, his drinking slowed as he got full.

“Huh? Are you sleeping?”

“Is Haeju asleep?”

I thought he was just resting, but he had fallen asleep with the bottle in his mouth.

Taeshin and I chuckled at the sight.

Following the nurse’s earlier advice, Taeshin gently burped Haeju after feeding his.

“He’s so tiny.”

Even though he was already small, she looked even tinier in Taeshin’s arms. I was captivated by how cute he looked, his little mouth tightly shut in sleep.

As I studied his face, I understood why our parents said he looked like Taeshin. Despite his newborn features, he strongly resembled him.

Carefully, I took photos and videos of Haeju, capturing his tiny movements and yawns. Suddenly, my phone screen changed, and it started vibrating.

“Oh? Grandpa~!”

“Oh my, dear! You gave birth? Are you okay? Is the baby healthy?”

“Yes! I’m fine, and Haeju is fine too! he just drank milk and fell asleep.”

Taeshin’s parents must have informed him.

Grandpa’s voice was filled with concern, asking questions rapidly. I answered softly, and his voice soon brightened.

I switched to a video call to show him Haeju.

“Grandpa, I’ve switched to video call! Can you see us?”

“Oh dear, you look so worn out. Are you really okay?”

“Yes! Grandpa, here’s our baby~!”

“Oh my, he looks just like Taeshin.”

“Right? Our parents say the same.”

Grandpa leaned in closer to the screen to see Haeju better.

After chatting a bit more, inviting him to visit when he could, we ended the call. It was time to take Haeju back, so Taeshin and I reluctantly headed to the nursery.

“Haeju, Mom will come again soon.”

“Haeju, see you later.”

We waved at Haeju through the nursery window, seeing him in the crib with the “Mom: Moon Sunwoo” card. After one last look, we returned to the room.

Feeling the pizza wasn’t enough, we ordered chicken and lounged in bed, chatting about comparing baby photos later.

We heard quick footsteps approaching.

“Moon Sunwoo!”

Hospitals are supposed to be quiet, and running is a no-no.

It was Moon Jinwoo, rushing in with a pale face, grabbing me and checking me over.

“Are you okay? You look even dumber. How many fingers am I holding up?”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“You almost died giving birth!”

“What? Who said that? I’m perfectly fine. Who told you?”

“Mom said you almost died suddenly giving birth… Damn it.”

Moon Jinwoo, mumbling about what Mom had told him, realized the situation and frowned. It seemed Mom had exaggerated to him.

Understanding that I was completely fine, he glared at the chicken I was eating.

“A new mother should eat proper food, not this junk.”

“What’s wrong with chicken!”

“Still, eating this greasy stuff… sheesh.”

Moon Jinwoo looked down on chicken, which everyone in the country treated like a daily vitamin.

“Have you said everything you wanted, hyung? Should I post your exact words online to see what people think? Let them hear you badmouth a favorite food,” he said, glaring at Moon Jinwoo.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps, as if someone had forgotten hospital rules, could be heard.

“Little Brother-ah!”

The second victim of Mom’s schemes, our third brother, came running in. I had a feeling there’d be one more.

Sure enough, our fourth brother also burst into the room, just as frantically as Moon Jinwoo and the third brother.

Once Mom cleared up the misunderstanding she had created, they all stood there looking dumbfounded.

As they stared at Haeju, I asked the scammed brothers if they had seen the baby yet, and we all went to see him together.

Pointing to the inside of the nursery from the hallway, I showed Haeju to my brothers, who made a fuss.

“Little Brother, is that really the baby?”

“Yeah. It’s Haeju.”

“I can’t believe he’s my nephew. My nephew, born by the youngest sibling.”

“Have you decided on a name for the baby?”

“Not yet. I’ve picked out a few but haven’t settled on one I like.”

I answered their questions while they were transfixed by the nursery.

I had been struggling to decide on a name for Haeju even before he was born, and now that it was time to register his birth, I had to choose.

“Little Brother was this small when we first saw him.”

“Right, he was so tiny.”

“You couldn’t pronounce my name properly and kept saying ‘Geonoo Eong, Geonoo Eong.’”

“Little Brother was really cute. He still is, but he was so cute back then.”

“What’s so cute about this kid? I’m leaving, Moon Sunwoo. You stay put in the room.”

“Oh, it’s time. Little Brother-ah, I’m leaving. Taeshin, take care.”

“Little Brother rest well. Taeshin, take good care of him.”

Moon Jinwoo, who had been watching Haeju as if she were an alien, suddenly snapped and left, muttering about something that bothered him.

The third and fourth brothers also left, and Taeshin and I returned to the room to finish the chicken. Just then, food was delivered.

“Samgyetang?”

“Looks like it’s from Jinwoo hyung.”

“Moon Jinwoo?”

I remembered how Jinwoo had complained about eating chicken.

Why send this if he was angry? I couldn’t understand Jinwoo’s psychology.

I decided to just enjoy the samgyetang.

Despite disliking Jinwoo, the food was innocent.

Jinwoo had a picky palate, and the samgyetang was delicious.

Mom had spread the news of Haeju’s birth everywhere, and by evening, our eldest brother and his wife came, along with relatives sending gifts and money, making the room cluttered with items.

Before going to sleep, I went to the nursery to see Haeju one last time.

A nurse asked if I wanted to feed the baby, and I eagerly said yes. Holding Haeju in the private nursing room, she eagerly nursed.

“So cute… so beautiful.”

“He must know you’re his mom, Sunwoo.”

After a satisfying meal and a burp, Haeju blinked and yawned, then fell asleep peacefully in my arms. Watching him sleep, I felt a warm, swelling emotion in my chest.

The thought of this warmth and light weight belonging to a life made my feelings overflow.

“I’ve decided on Haeju’s name.”

“What is it?”

I had considered many names for Haeju but hadn’t found the perfect one until now.

“Haejun! It keeps the sound of his birth name. How about it?”

Names are important not just for their meaning but for how they sound.

Haejun sounded perfect for her.

The meaning could be decided later, but how about Haejun?

“Nice. Haejun-ah.”

“Haejun-ah~”

Taeshin smiled and called out Haejun’s name. When I softly called her name, he seemed to recognize it and moved his lips as if smiling.

Hello, Haejun. We might be clumsy as your mom and dad, but thank you for coming to us.

* * *