PJ (Hyunjin) short story collection

We'll be able to do well, right?

A fierce storm in mid-February pounded mercilessly against the apartment windows, and the torrential sheets of rain beating against the glass created a steady, violent rhythm. The room was bathed in the warm amber glow spilling from the bedside lamp, like a cozy refuge shielding it from the winter chill—but to Hyunjin, that peaceful atmosphere seemed not to apply at all.

He was pacing restlessly on the wooden floor in dark gray oversized training pants, his broad shoulders hunched tight, a picture of dramatic panic.

"I can’t do it. I feel like I’m going to break G. Seriously, my hands are just way too clumsy." He waved frantically toward the cradle in the corner of the room, chattering loudly. In his flustered state, his voice shot up a full octave. Inside the cradle, his close friend’s newborn baby wriggled beneath a knitted blanket, making tiny whining sounds. Hyunjin bent over the cradle, his long, elegant fingers—adorned with thick silver rings—trembling anxiously, but he still couldn’t bring himself to touch the baby. "Look at my fingers! These were made to play piano keys, not handle a tiny baby like this! What if I drop it? What if I hurt the baby because my hands are too rough!"

I leaned back against the mountain of soft pillows piled high in the middle of the bed and let out a quiet laugh. My hand naturally settled over my own belly, firm and rounded now that I was full-term beneath my soft sweater. I was eight months pregnant. "Hyunjin, you’re never going to break the baby. You just need to support the neck properly."

"Easy for you to say! There’s maternal instinct and all that!" When the baby let out another faint cry, he widened his black eyes in a terrified expression and whined helplessly. "All I’ve got is the instinct of a giant dog that causes accidents! I’m basically a time bomb!"

"Come here." I gently instructed him, patting the spot right beside the bed.

He let out a pained groan but obediently came over and sat on the edge of the bed. I leaned forward and carefully lifted the tiny, fragile baby out of the cradle. Wrapped snugly in the pastel blanket, the baby in my arms felt like a soft, warm miracle, as light as if it weighed nothing at all. I turned to Hyunjin and tapped his elbow. "Sit back against the pillows. Cross your legs."

He swallowed hard, leaning back against the headboard. With his jaw clenched tight, the way he fixed his legs into a rigid cradle shape made him look like someone trying to defuse a bomb.

Very slowly and carefully, I lowered the tiny baby into the space between his chest and knees.

The moment the weight shifted into his arms, Hyunjin’s loud, noisy energy vanished without a trace, as if by magic. The room was swallowed by breathless silence. Looking down at the baby sleeping against his green shirt, Hyunjin’s whole body visibly froze stiff, his mouth slightly open. The raw realization of how light and soft this small, precious life was seemed to strike him like a physical wave.

The physical contrast between the two of them was breathtakingly beautiful. Hyunjin’s long, artistic pianist’s hands wrapped around the little knitted blanket with careful tenderness. The precise, fluid elegance he showed when pressing piano keys was all there in the way he held himself. Like he was handling the most precious porcelain in the world, he gently adjusted his touch, curling his long slender fingers inward. In the quiet room, the vivid sight of the baby’s skin against the blanket blended perfectly with Hyunjin’s soft, comforting idol aura.

The baby gave the tiniest satisfied sigh and burrowed its face deep into the soft fabric against Hyunjin’s chest.

Hyunjin stared at the baby for a long moment. The soft amber light gently illuminated the graceful silhouette of his face, and a tender smile lingered faintly at the corners of his lips. Still swaying gently, he slowly lifted his head. His soft, warm gaze met mine directly, then quietly followed my hands resting over the child still not yet born.

The silence between us grew deeper and heavier, filling with faint, unspoken promises. He reached out with one hand, and with his other arm still securely supporting the baby, he softly laid his warm, smooth palm over mine. Then he pressed it gently against my belly.

"We can do this, right?" he whispered. The heat of his overflowing emotion shimmered in his eyes, tightening my chest too. "In just a few more weeks... we’ll be able to hold our baby."

"You’re going to be such a good dad, Hyunjin." I replied softly. The scene before me was so achingly beautiful that my eyes stung red with tears.

He let out a soft laugh tinged with relief, leaned over the bed, and pressed a tender, lingering kiss to my forehead. Then he pulled the two of us firmly into his arms. We held each other close in the dark, quiet room, sharing our body heat. I watched the small life nestled in his arms, and together we waited for our new future to arrive.