My Best Friend's Secret Baby

The Subtle Signs

The first few days after MinYoung's birth felt like both a dream and a blur.

The hospital room that once echoed with medical sounds now buzzed softly with coos and quiet laughter. Every few hours, the newborn would cry—tiny fists waving in the air, mouth open wide, demanding attention—and every single time, it was Chaeyoung who reached her first.

It didn't matter if it was two in the morning or just after dawn—she was always there, alert and gentle, already halfway out of bed before Mina could even sit up.

"I got her, babe," she would whisper, her voice still rough with sleep. "Go back to bed."

She'd cradle MinYoung against her chest, swaying softly by the window while humming lullabies in that low, raspy voice that somehow made the baby calm down almost instantly.

Sometimes Mina would just lie back and watch them—the way Chaeyoung's fingers traced circles on their daughter's back, the quiet devotion in her eyes, the way her whole face softened when she looked at MinYoung.

It made her heart ache.

By the third day, Chaeyoung had filed an official leave from work, citing "family reasons."

When Jinyoung, their department head, read the request, she almost choked on his coffee.
"Two weeks? Chaeyoung, you're a psychologist! What about your patients?" she said over the phone.

"I'm also a parent now," Chaeyoung answered simply.

That silenced Jihyo for a moment. "You're serious about this."

"Completely."

And she was.

The moment they came home from the hospital, Chaeyoung transformed into a whirlwind of energy. She cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, sterilized bottles, set alarms for feeding times, and even downloaded parenting apps to track MinYoung's sleep schedule.

When Mina tried to help, Chaeyoung would gently stop her. "No, hon, sit down. I'll do it."

"But you've barely slept," Mina protested one morning as Chaeyoung prepared warm water for the baby's bath.

"I'm fine," she replied, flashing a tired but bright smile. "You carried her for nine months. Let me handle the rest for now."

And she meant it.

Chaeyoung changed diapers, learned how to swaddle properly after watching countless tutorials, and even practiced burping techniques on a stuffed toy before trying them on MinYoung.

There were moments of chaos, of course—like when MinYoung decided to pee mid-diaper change, or when she cried nonstop for half an hour despite every soothing trick in the book—but Chaeyoung never lost her patience.

If anything, she only grew softer.

At one point, when Mina offered to take over, Chaeyoung chuckled and said, "If I could breastfeed, babe, I would. I swear I'd do everything."

Mina laughed, but her eyes stung a little. Because she knew Chaeyoung meant it. Every word.

Each night, after finally putting MinYoung to sleep, they would sit together on the couch—Mina leaning against Chaeyoung's shoulder, exhausted but peaceful.

"You're incredible," Mina murmured one night. "You didn't have to do all this, you know."

Chaeyoung tilted her head to look at her. "Of course I did. You and MinYoung are my family now. I'm just doing what any good parent would."

Mina's chest tightened. Family. The word felt warm and dangerous all at once.

She wanted to tell her everything—to confess that the baby she was cradling so tenderly wasn't just her daughter by choice, but her daughter by blood, her child in the most literal sense. That the science experiment Mina had once conducted out of heartbreak and longing had succeeded. That MinYoung was made from both of them.