Yoohyeon stepped out of the shower, the warmth of the steam still clinging to her skin, wrapping herself in a fluffy towel, the scent of lavender soap still lingering in the air.
Today had been hard on her, both mentally and physically. There was a new litter of abandoned puppies brought in the shelter, hungry and scared. She had spent hours cleaning them up, wrapping each puppy in a warm blanket, making sure they had their tummy full before she headed home.
It killed her on the inside, the thought of someone willingly leaving these innocent animals out on the streets, but regardless of these hard days, she loved working at the shelter, helping the puppies find their new home. After all, that’s how she met her best friends, Cherry and Pie.
As she stepped out of the bathroom into the comforting warmth of their bedroom, she saw the two pups sleeping soundly in their beds at the feet of the bed. She smiled at their peacefulness, the thought of how they found so much comfort in their home.
She was quick to get in bed beside her other best friend, the love of her life, her beautiful and very pregnant wife, a book in hand, resting it on her tummy. The sight made Yoohyeon’s heart skip a beat, just like always.
“You are staring.” Minji said teasingly.
“Can you blame me? You are so pretty like this.”
And it was true, Yoohyeon never saw anything more breathtaking then her wife, carrying their child in her belly.
Yoohyeon pressed a kiss on her head before moving lower to start her nightly routine. She did it every night ever since Minji’s tummy got bigger and bigger, not daring to skip even one day.
Minji put her book aside on the bedside table, the last few pages she read long forgotten the moment Yoohyeon made her way to lay next to her.
Yoohyeon lifted her pajama shirt to reveal her baby bump, kissing it softly. “Hi baby.”
“We can’t call her baby forever, you know that right?” Minji cut her off.
“Why not?”
“Because you call me baby, and we will need to find her a name soon anyways. It’s only a matter of time until she’s born.” And Minji was right.
For the past couple of months, they were looking for the perfect name for their baby, but nothing seemed right. Nothing felt like their little princess.
“Hmm..” Yoohyeon thought hard. “What about.. Sunmi?”
“We will absolutely not name out child after your favorite singer.” Minji rolled her eyes.
“Damn it!” Yoohyeon cursed under her breath, taking a mental note not to do it again when her daughter can hear it too. “Jinah?”
“No.”
“Harin?”
“No way.”
“Boram?”
“Too similar to Bora. We would never hear the end of it.”
“Ugh you are right.” Yoohyeon sighed. “Sol?” she asked. “Short and pretty. Also gender neutral, in case she would have an identity crisis when she’s older.”
“I don’t know.. isn’t it too simple?” asked Minji. She liked the sound of it, but not quiet. Like something was missing.
Then, it all clicked.
“Jinsol.” She whispered, just low enough for the two of them to hear. Yoohyeon looked up at her, watching as Minji smiled softly at the feeling of the name rolling off her tongue. If felt perfect, she knew it was.
“Jinsol,” she said it out loud as well, a bit louder, turning back to Minji’s tummy. “You like that, little one?” she asked her daughter, softly poking at the tummy, making Minji giggle.
“Hey, that tickles.”
“I think we just found a name to our princess.” Yoohyeon said.
“I think we did, yes.” Minji smiled. Yoohyeon couldn’t help herself, she crawled back up to be face to face with her wife and kissed her slowly. “Now go back to what you were doing, dork.” Minji pulled back before Yoohyeon got too excited and started initiating something that would be impossible to go through with, given that Minji was struggling to even get out of bed at this point.
“Okay okay, back to the baby.” Yoohyeon went back to talk to her daughter. “Sorry, got a little distracted there. So, hi Jinsol.” What a pretty name she thought. “It’s your mommy Yoohyeon speaking.” She felt a soft kick in response.
“Hold up, why are you mommy? I’m mommy. You are mama. We talked about this before.”
“Well yeah, but it would make more sense for you to be mama. Like a mama bear, you know?”
Minji didn’t say anything, but the glare she sent Yoohyeon’s way told her everything she needed to know.
“You could be my mommy if you want to.” She said, sending a cheeky smile to her unimpressed wife’s way.
“Go back to what you were doing before I smack you in front of our daughter.” Minji warned her, the faintest smile on her face. Yoohyeon considered that a win for herself.
“Soooo, what was I saying? Oh yes, it’s your mama Yoohyeon here, but you must already know that by my voice. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and your mommy, and how much I miss you whenever I'm at work.” She started caressing Minji’s baby bump. She felt another nudge against her palm. “Oh you like to hear that huh?”
Minji hummed, her hand slowly finding its way to Yoohyeon’s head, fingers threading through her hair as she let her continue.
“I’m usually a pretty patient person, but please, my little princess, you make me really impatient here. I need to see you already, hold you in my arms, feed you and care for you. Please be healthy and come greet us soon, okay?” another kick.
She started tearing up. The thought of holding her daughter in her arms, the same daughter who is right there in front of her, a few layers of skin and muscles away.
Their daughter.
She looked back at Minji, her eyes glistening with tears as well. She knew Minji was thinking about the same thing as her.
“Please Jinsol, I know the world is a scary place, but we are waiting here for you, with all the love we could possible give you. Also, I can’t cuddle with your mommy like this, so please hurry up buddy.” She chuckled, kissing Minji’s belly one last time before pulling her shirt back down and going back to lay beside her wife.
“Really? We cuddle every night. What is your problem with it?”
“Sorry baby, but you can’t even lay on your side, it feels like cuddling with a log.” She said as she shifted up to press a lingering kiss to Minji’s lips before settling down against her again, head on her wife’s chest and one arm draped over her belly.
“Then go and turn the other way.” Minji faked a scoff.
“No, I love you too much to do that.” Yoohyeon smiled, closing her eyes as she let the steady beat of Minji’s heart lull her to sleep. “Goodnight, my love.” She whispered. “Goodnight, Jinsol.”
And as Minji drifted off to sleep, Yoohyeon imagined their future, a little girl running around them with Cherry and Pie with unsteady feet, her tiny fingers sticky from melted ice cream.
Soon, their daughter would be here. Their family bigger by one. And their future – so bright, so full of love – would finally begin.