Eight months.
That was how far Kyrah had come.
Eight months of carrying a little life inside her. Eight months of watching her body change in ways she had never imagined. Eight months of learning that motherhood began long before a baby took his first breath.
And now, with only a few weeks left before Peppa's arrival, her pregnancy had become impossible to hide.
Her belly had grown considerably, making even her most comfortable clothes feel different. Walking from one end of the office to the other took more effort than it used to, and standing through long meetings had become increasingly uncomfortable.
She was still Kyrah.
Still the woman who could walk into a room full of executives and defend her project with confidence.
Still the woman who refused to let anyone underestimate her.
But she was also tired.
And for once, she was beginning to understand that admitting it didn't make her weak.
That morning, she stood in front of her bedroom mirror, trying to fasten the waistband of her trousers.
"Come on," she muttered.
The fabric refused to cooperate.
She tried again.
Nothing.
Kyrah stared at her reflection.
"Well, this is ridiculous."
She finally abandoned the trousers and reached for a loose dress.
After getting dressed, she placed a hand on her stomach.
"Your fault, little man."
Peppa responded with a movement that made her smile.
"Don't look so pleased with yourself."
She picked up her bag and headed out.
By the time she arrived at the office, she was already thinking about the mountain of work waiting for her.
HANEUL HOME was approaching another important development milestone. The team had made tremendous progress, but there were still details to finalize before her maternity leave.
She had been telling herself that she could finish everything in another week.
Then another.
And another.
Seojun, however, had apparently run out of patience.
She discovered this when she entered her office and found him standing beside her desk.
"Good morning," she said, putting down her bag.
"Good morning."
She glanced at him.
"Why do you look like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you've come to deliver bad news."
Seojun placed a folder on her desk.
"You're taking leave."
Kyrah blinked.
"What?"
"Your maternity leave."
She stared at him.
"I know what you mean."
"Good. Then we understand each other."
"Seojun, I still have work to finish."
"The team is handling it."
"I need to review the final projections."
"They're ready for review."
"I need to oversee the next testing phase."
"Youning is handling it."
She folded her arms.
"And the client presentation?"
"Xiumin has the technical demonstration covered. I'll handle the executive review."
Kyrah stared at him.
"You've planned all of this?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Over the last two weeks."
Her mouth fell open.
"Two weeks?"
Seojun nodded.
"You've been saying you'll leave when everything is finished. The problem is that you keep finding something else to finish."
"Because there is always something to finish!"
"Exactly."
She opened her mouth to argue.
Then she stopped.
Seojun looked at her.
"Kyrah."
There was something in his voice.
Not anger.
Not impatience.
Concern.
She sighed.
"You're very stubborn."
"So are you."
She laughed despite herself.
He pulled out the chair beside her desk and sat down.
"Listen. I know how much this project means to you."
Kyrah's smile faded slightly.
"Then you understand why I don't want to leave now."
"I do."
He leaned forward.
"But I also understand that you're eight months pregnant. You're exhausted by the end of the day, and you've been pretending otherwise for weeks."
"I'm not pretending."
He raised an eyebrow.
She looked away.
"Not all the time."
"Kyrah."
"Fine."
He smiled faintly.
"I don't want you to feel as though leaving means abandoning your team. It doesn't."
She looked at him.
"What if something goes wrong?"
"Then we'll handle it."
"What if they need me?"
"They'll call you if they need your input. But they won't expect you to be sitting in this office every day."
She lowered her eyes.
Seojun's voice softened.
"You've built a team capable of doing this work. Let them prove it."
Kyrah rubbed her stomach.
Peppa moved.
She pressed her palm against the spot.
Seojun noticed.
"He's agreeing with me."
She gave him a look.
"Don't use my child against me."
He laughed.
For a moment, they simply looked at each other.
Then Kyrah exhaled.
"All right."
Seojun blinked.
"All right?"
"I'm taking leave."
His expression softened.
"Thank you."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Don't thank me like you've won something."
"I haven't?"
"No."
He smiled.
"Of course not."
She shook her head.
But she was smiling too.
By lunchtime, the entire team knew.
Not because Seojun had announced it.
Because Kyrah had walked into the HANEUL HOME workspace and told them herself.
"I'll be starting my maternity leave next week."
Xiumin stopped typing.
Youning looked up from his laptop.
Flora froze with a cup of tea halfway to her mouth.
Then all three spoke at once.
"Next week?"
"You're leaving already?"
"Finally!"
Kyrah stared at Flora.
"Finally?"
Flora put down her cup.
"Yes. Finally. Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to stop pretending you're not exhausted?"
"I'm not pretending."
Xiumin raised his hand.
"With respect, Kyrah, you fell asleep during a meeting last Thursday."
Kyrah turned to him.
"I was resting my eyes."
Youning burst out laughing.
"Your eyes were resting for twelve minutes?"
"It was a long meeting."
Flora shook her head.
"You're impossible."
Kyrah laughed.
And for a moment, she forgot that she was leaving.
Then Xiumin stood.
"Well, we should do something."
Kyrah frowned.
"Something?"
Youning closed his laptop.
"A small send-off."
"No."
All three looked at her.
Kyrah raised her hands.
"I mean it. No fuss. I'm going on maternity leave, not moving to another continent."
"Too late," Flora said.
"What?"
"We've already decided."
Kyrah looked at Xiumin.
He suddenly became very interested in his computer.
She turned to Youning.
He whistled.
"You're all terrible liars."
At four o'clock, Kyrah returned from a meeting to find a small gathering in the HANEUL HOME workspace.
The lights had been dimmed slightly, and a little table had been arranged near the windows.
There was a cake.
A bouquet of flowers.
A small gift bag.
And a handwritten card.
Kyrah stopped at the entrance.
"What is this?"
Flora walked toward her.
"Your official send-off."
Kyrah stared at the table.
"You people..."
Xiumin stepped forward.
"Before you start complaining, we would like to point out that the cake was Youning's idea."
Youning raised a hand.
"It was a good idea."
Kyrah laughed.
Flora took her hand.
"Come and sit down."
They gathered around the table.
For a moment, Kyrah couldn't speak.
It wasn't a grand celebration.
There were no speeches prepared by management or expensive gifts.
Just the people she had worked with, laughing and smiling as though her absence would leave a space they were already beginning to miss.
Youning handed her the card.
"Read it."
Kyrah opened it.
Inside were messages from the team.
Xiumin: Thank you for trusting us with HANEUL HOME. We promise not to destroy your project while you're away. No guarantees about the office coffee machine.
Kyrah laughed.
Youning: You taught us to think beyond the next deadline. Now go teach Peppa how to take over the world. We'll keep things running here.
Her smile softened.
Then she reached Flora's message.
To my friend, my boss, and the most stubborn woman I know.
You deserve every beautiful thing coming your way. Take your time. Rest. Enjoy your baby. And when you're ready, come back and get that promotion you've worked so hard for.
Kyrah stared at the words.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Flora noticed immediately.
"Oh, no."
Kyrah laughed through the tears.
"Don't."
"I knew this would happen."
"Flora..."
Flora pulled her into a hug.
"You're going to be a wonderful mother."
Kyrah closed her eyes.
For a moment, she let herself be held.
When they separated, Xiumin cleared his throat.
"All right. Before everyone starts crying, can we please eat the cake?"
Youning nodded.
"Agreed. Emotional speeches are making me hungry."
Kyrah laughed.
The room returned to its usual warmth.
They ate cake, joked about the project, and argued over who would be responsible for keeping Seojun from becoming too demanding in her absence.
At one point, Xiumin leaned forward.
"Seriously, Kyrah. Don't worry about us."
She looked at him.
"We've got this."
Youning nodded.
"And if anything goes wrong, we'll fix it."
Flora smiled.
"Just focus on Peppa."
Kyrah looked around the table.
At the people who had become her friends.
At the team she had worked so hard to build.
And she realized how much HANEUL HOME had become part of her life.
It wasn't just a project anymore.
It was a place where she had found purpose.
Where she had been respected.
Where people had learned to care about her without demanding that she become someone else.
She wiped her eyes.
"Thank you."
Xiumin grinned.
"You're welcome."
Youning raised his cup.
"To Kyrah and Peppa."
Flora lifted hers.
"To a safe delivery."
Kyrah smiled.
"And to HANEUL HOME."
They clinked their cups together.
Later that evening, Seojun found Kyrah standing by the windows.
The office had emptied.
The flowers from the send-off sat on her desk.
He approached.
"How are you feeling?"
She turned.
"Emotional."
"That's understandable."
She glanced at the flowers.
"They made a whole thing out of it."
"I heard."
She smiled.
"Flora wrote that I should come back soon and get my promotion."
Seojun raised an eyebrow.
"She isn't wrong."
Kyrah looked at him.
"You're not going to make me work during maternity leave, are you?"
"Absolutely not."
"Promise?"
He met her eyes.
"Promise."
She nodded.
Then she looked out the window.
"It's strange."
"What is?"
"Leaving."
Seojun stood beside her.
"I know."
"I've spent so much time trying to make this project work. And now I'm supposed to walk away and let everyone else handle it."
"You're not walking away."
She looked at him.
"You're taking a break."
Kyrah smiled faintly.
"That sounds different."
"It is."
He paused.
Then he said the words that would stay with her long after she left the office.
"Come back when you're ready."
She turned toward him.
"Not when the company needs me?"
"No."
"Not when you want me back?"
He held her gaze.
"Not even then."
Her throat tightened.
Seojun continued.
"Come back when you're ready, Kyrah. When you feel like you're ready to return to work. When you want to be here again."
She looked down.
For so long, she had been measuring her worth by how much she could do for other people.
How much she could endure.
How much she could accomplish without asking for help.
And now this man was telling her that she didn't have to earn her place by returning before she was ready.
She swallowed.
"Thank you."
Seojun smiled.
"You've already done enough."
Kyrah looked at him.
Something warm spread through her chest.
She wanted to hug him.
The thought surprised her.
But before she could decide what to do, he stepped back.
"Go home."
She laughed softly.
"You're really enjoying this."
"A little."
She picked up her bag.
At the door, she turned.
"Seojun?"
"Yes?"
"I'm going to miss this place."
He smiled.
"We'll miss you too."
She nodded.
Then she walked out.
leaving didn't feel like losing something anymore.
It felt like making room for something new.