My Best Friend's Secret Baby

Minyoung

The news spread faster than either of them had expected.

A quiet civil wedding between two of the hospital's most respected doctors was enough to set tongues wagging. Within a week, the whispers grew into stories, and by the time the weekend came, even their families knew.

No one could believe it—especially because it had only been days since Chaeyoung's supposed wedding with Jungkook was called off.

"What do you mean you got married?" Nayeon had demanded over the phone, her voice high with disbelief. "You disappeared from your own wedding, and now you're telling us you married Mina in a span of only days?"

Chaeyoung could only sigh, pressing the bridge of her nose as she sat at the kitchen counter. "I know it sounds crazy, unnie, but... it just happened."

"Just happened?" Momo exclaimed from the background. "You don't 'just happen' to get married, Chaeng!"

Across from her, Mina sat quietly, sipping tea, trying to suppress a smile as she listened to the chaos on speakerphone.

"Guys," Chaeyoung said calmly, "I know it's sudden. But we're serious about this. We're married now. That's all that matters."

There was a long pause on the other end, followed by Jeongyeon's low, skeptical voice. "You do realize people are going to talk, right? About you and Mina. About what happened with Jungkook."

"I know," Chaeyoung replied. "Let them."

Mina looked up, her heart tightening at the way Chaeyoung said it—firm, fearless, protective. She didn't ask for any of this, yet here she was, standing by her side like it was the most natural thing in the world.

When Mina's pregnancy eventually became public knowledge, the rumors intensified. People whispered in the hallways, speculated in cafeterias, and exchanged knowing looks during hospital meetings.

But whenever someone tried to question them, Chaeyoung would smile politely and say, "We're expecting a girl. Mina and I are so excited to welcome our first child!"

Her voice never wavered. Her eyes always told the same story.

And in time, people stopped asking.

Their families were slower to accept it. Mina's parents had been shocked at first—her mother in tears, her father stern and silent—but when they saw how Chaeyoung took care of their daughter, their anger softened. She attended every prenatal appointment, cooked meals, and stayed up through Mina's bouts of nausea and fatigue.

Even Mina's mother had eventually sighed and said, "If you're going to do this, then at least love each other properly."

Chaeyoung smiled then, but Mina couldn't bring herself to answer. Love. The word still scared her.

Months passed, and the hospital slowly grew used to seeing them together. Mina's belly rounded beautifully, and with each passing day, Chaeyoung's protective instincts only deepened. She wouldn't let Mina lift anything heavy, made sure she took her vitamins, and scolded her whenever she skipped breakfast.

"You're acting like my mother," Mina teased once, amused.

"Then listen to me like the good girl you are," Chaeyoung shot back, spooning soup into her bowl.

Sana, who often dropped by their apartment, would just shake her head with a knowing smile. "You two are ridiculous," she'd mutter, though secretly, she adored watching them like this.

But deep inside, the secret she carried gnawed at her. Every time she saw Chaeyoung rubbing Mina's back or whispering to the baby bump, she wondered how long Mina could keep the truth hidden—that the child really was Chaeyoung's, not by accident, but by design. Being the only person who knows about the secret origin of the child, being the one who assisted Mina with the insemination, is starting to bug the hell out of her. She wants nothing but to have Mina tell Chaeyoung the truth, with how much love and effort the younger was giving the expectant motber and their child. But then again, it's not her story to tell.