the best things / jungri

iii. a ghost from the past

Remember when Yeri said that she had two people who she was willing to die for? One of them was Seulgi, and the other was her daughter, Mira.

She had not been expecting a baby nor was she remotely prepared to raise a human being. Alone after Jungkook's disappearance and scared of raising a child as a single parent, she had even considered abortion. However, in the end, she decided to have the baby, and ever since that decision, the human growing inside of her became her sole focus in life.

The nine months of pregnancy was a struggle. Morning sickness, loss of appetite, and irregular sleep schedules in the first few months were all things Yeri had never experienced before. She spent hours searching up the best ways to ensure the baby stayed healthy: what food to eat, what activities she needed to stop doing, what vitamins to consume. The changes her body went through were foreign and different from any other sickness, causing Yeri to unreasonably think them as abnormalities. Constant visits to her doctor (so much that she was positive the doctor was sick of her) were the only thing that assured her that her baby was thriving.

Seulgi also never left her side during the nine months of hell, something Yeri would never forget for the rest of her life and even in her next life. It was Seulgi who bought her medicine and organic products when Yeri was too tired to move around while the baby kicked inside of her. It was Seulgi who held her hand as Yeri screamed and pushed when her water broke. It was Seulgi who laughed with her as they tried to figure out the proper way to change a diaper without making a mess. Seulgi was as much a Mom to Mira as Yeri was.

Yet, despite all the help she got, being a Mom to an infant wasn't easy, and Yeri emerged from the whole pregnancy period with a newfound appreciation for all the Moms in the world. Even now, she didn't know if she was correctly raising Mira. Was she giving her too much food? Was she being too strict or too lenient? What was the line that separated her decisions made as a friend and as a Mom?

In the beginning, she had even panicked, worrying that Mira would be bullied for not having a Dad. Or that Mira would come to resent Yeri for taking her father away. However, in the end, she realized that she couldn't force Jungkook to come back nor find a new father, so she had to be sufficient enough to give Mira a life full of everything a normal family would have. Although she was mostly still fumbling around in the dark, she had survived two years without the father, and she was positive she could continue to provide Mira happiness.

Mira's bubbly "Mama", the only word she could say, snapped Yeri out of her train of thoughts.

"Yes, baby," Yeri cooed. Blowing a raspberry against Mira's chubby cheeks, she felt her heart expand when her baby responded with a loud happy squeal. Everything Yeri did was to make Mira happy, and whenever she laughed, Yeri knew that she would never regret a single choice she had made, not even getting into a relationship with Jungkook. "You're so adorable," Yeri said, peppering Mira's face with light kisses.

"Mira was really happy today," Siwon said, "probably because I allowed her to watch an hour of Peppa Pig."

"Peppa Pig is really exciting, huh?" Yeri gently bounced Mira up and down. "Aren't you such a good and sweet girl?" Mira responded with a happy gurgle. Turning to the babysitter, Yeri gratefully smiled, "Thank you for everything. I'll have the money ready for you by the end of this week."

Siwon shook her head. "I adore Mira, so it's fine. Take your time." Grabbing her backpack from the dining table, she said, "Bye, Mira!" The baby clumsily waved her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told Yeri before leaving.

Just as the door closed, Mira let out the most piercing, screechy, and loud howl, literally scaring Yeri's soul to another dimension. Yeri could only hope that Mira's crys got better as she grew because this noise could rival a banshee's scream. She was surprised no neighbors had filed a noise complaint yet.