Monday morning came faster than Kyrah expected.
She stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the waistband of her skirt for the third time.
It still fit.
Barely.
She looked at herself from the side.
Then she turned again.
Her stomach wasn't exactly obvious yet.
But it wasn't as flat as it had been before.
Kyrah placed a hand over it.
"Peppa," she whispered.
She smiled.
Then her smile disappeared.
She had been hiding the pregnancy for months.
At first, it had been easy.
Loose dresses.
Large blazers.
Strategically placed files.
Sitting behind her desk.
Avoiding unnecessary lunches.
But now her body was beginning to tell the story for her.
She couldn't hide forever.
And the thought of everyone at work knowing made her nervous.
Not because she was ashamed.
She wasn't.
She was proud of her baby.
But she didn't want people looking at her differently.
She had worked too hard to become the head of the HANEUL HOME project.
She didn't want whispers.
She didn't want sympathy.
And most of all, she didn't want anyone thinking her pregnancy made her less capable.
Kyrah picked up her handbag.
"I'm still me."
She said it firmly to her reflection.
Then she walked out.
---
By the time she reached the office, Flora was already there.
"Good morning!"
Kyrah smiled.
"Morning."
Flora looked at her.
Then at the coffee in Kyrah's hand.
"You're drinking coffee again?"
Kyrah glanced down.
"It's decaf."
Flora raised an eyebrow.
"You're becoming very suspicious."
Kyrah laughed.
"Suspicious?"
"Yes."
Flora pointed toward the cup.
"First you stopped drinking regular coffee."
"Because I wanted to."
"Then you stopped eating certain foods."
"I changed my diet."
"Then you started carrying crackers everywhere."
Kyrah blinked.
"I get hungry."
"And now you carry vitamins."
Kyrah's eyes widened.
"How do you know that?"
Flora smiled.
"Because you nearly dropped them in the conference room yesterday."
Kyrah laughed nervously.
"Okay. Maybe I need to be more careful."
Flora shrugged.
"I'm not judging."
"Thank you."
Flora returned to her computer.
But she watched Kyrah from the corner of her eye.
There was something different about her.
Flora couldn't put her finger on it.
Not yet.
---
The morning disappeared into meetings.
HANEUL HOME was entering another important phase.
The launch had been successful, but success didn't mean the work was over.
There were updates to monitor.
Client feedback to review.
Performance data to analyze.
Teams to coordinate.
Kyrah was everywhere.
She moved from one meeting to another with a tablet in her hand, answering questions, correcting details, and making decisions.
She was still Kyrah.
Focused.
Confident.
Determined.
But around noon, something happened.
She suddenly stopped in the middle of the corridor.
Flora, who was walking behind her, nearly bumped into her.
"Kyrah?"
Kyrah pressed a hand against her stomach.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You don't look fine."
Kyrah took a slow breath.
"I just need a minute."
Flora studied her.
"Sit down."
"I don't need to."
"Kyrah."
There was something in Flora's voice that made her stop arguing.
Kyrah sat on one of the chairs nearby.
Flora crouched slightly in front of her.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing serious."
"Are you dizzy?"
"A little."
"Have you eaten?"
Kyrah hesitated.
Flora sighed.
"You haven't."
"I was busy."
"Of course you were."
Flora stood.
"Stay here."
"Where are you going?"
"To get you something to eat."
"Flora, you don't have to."
"I know."
Flora walked away before Kyrah could argue.
A few minutes later, she returned with crackers and juice.
Kyrah looked at them.
"You're treating me like a child."
"Then stop behaving like one."
Kyrah laughed.
"Thank you."
She took the juice.
Flora sat beside her.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Flora asked,
"Are you sure everything is okay?"
Kyrah looked at her.
"Yes."
Flora nodded.
She didn't push.
But something clicked inside her.
The vitamins.
The food changes.
The nausea.
The tiredness.
The dizziness.
The way Kyrah sometimes rested her hand over her stomach when she thought nobody was watching.
Flora's eyes widened slightly.
She didn't say anything.
Not yet.
---
That afternoon, the team gathered for a project meeting.
Siu-min was presenting updated performance figures while Leo Yunin worked through the technical report.
Kyrah sat at the head of the table.
"Overall performance has improved by twelve percent since the launch," Siu-min explained.
"That is good," Kyrah said. "But let's not celebrate too early. We need another week of data before we make a final conclusion."
Youning nodded.
"I agree."
Flora glanced at Kyrah.
Kyrah was taking notes.
Then suddenly, she stopped.
The smell from someone's lunch drifting in from the hallway reached the room.
Kyrah's face changed.
She covered her mouth.
Everyone noticed.
"Kyrah?" Leo asked.
She stood quickly.
"Excuse me."
She hurried out.
Xiumin looked confused.
"What just happened?"
Flora stood.
"I'll check on her."
She followed Kyrah.
She found her in the restroom, splashing water onto her face.
Kyrah looked at herself in the mirror.
"This is getting ridiculous."
Flora leaned against the doorway.
"Are you going to tell me now?"
Kyrah froze.
"Tell you what?"
Flora gave her a look.
"You know exactly what."
Kyrah stared at her.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Flora's eyes dropped to Kyrah's stomach.
"You're pregnant."
It wasn't a question.
Kyrah slowly exhaled.
She looked down.
Then she nodded.
"Yes."
Flora's expression softened immediately.
"Oh my God."
She stepped closer.
"How far along?"
Kyrah smiled nervously.
"I'm getting there."
Flora laughed softly.
"You've been hiding this from everyone?"
"Not everyone."
"Who knows?"
"Linda."
"And Seojun?"
Kyrah hesitated.
"Yes."
Flora nodded.
"That explains a lot."
Kyrah smiled.
"I didn't want anyone at work to know yet."
"I understand."
"I don't want people treating me differently."
"They won't."
"You can't promise that."
"No."
Flora looked directly into her eyes.
"But I can promise you that I won't."
Kyrah's eyes softened.
"Thank you."
Flora smiled.
Then she glanced toward Kyrah's stomach again.
"It's a boy?"
Kyrah's face immediately brightened.
"Yes."
Flora smiled.
"What's his name?"
Kyrah laughed.
"He has a little nickname."
"Tell me."
"Peppa."
Flora's eyes widened.
"Peppa?"
Kyrah laughed.
"Yes."
"I love it."
"It's silly."
"It's adorable."
Kyrah placed a hand over her stomach.
"He's my little Peppa."
Flora smiled.
For a moment, the two women simply stood there.
Then Flora said,
"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."
Kyrah looked at her gratefully.
"I mean it, Flora."
"So do I."
Flora paused.
"But I have one condition."
Kyrah frowned.
"What?"
"You have to stop skipping meals."
Kyrah laughed.
"That's your condition?"
"Yes."
"You're serious?"
"Very."
Kyrah shook her head.
"Fine."
"Good."
They walked back toward the meeting room together.
Neither of them knew that this was only the beginning.
Soon, Kyrah's growing belly would make the secret harder to protect.
And one by one, the people around her would begin to notice.
But for now, there was one person at work who knew.