His brother had a daughter, the beauty that she brought lost on Woo-young. He had never been more awkward than the first time she was handed to him, a newborn with closed eyes and a scrunched face. It was not as though he had any distaste towards children, just that he was never sure what to do or how to act around them, an MMA fighter not accustomed to having something so small and fragile in his arms. He just stared down at her, waited a second and then gave her to a family member more eager to meet her.

He never thought he would have his own. He was so caught up in streaming, in living his teen years that he had not once paused to consider where his future was leading. He planned to stay on his intended career path, and beyond that he was disinterested. Kids had never occurred to him, and neither had marriage, despite the fact that he had been in a long-term relationship. Even that was a surprise to those around him, that he had managed to stay with someone longer than a few months, that he had taken someone to meet his parents without the commitment becoming overwhelming to him.

As serious as he was about this person, about this relationship, a positive pregnancy test made him hesitate. It had been unexpected, unplanned, and he was not certain how to proceed without feeling as though he had been cornered somehow. He was not that much of a douche, though — and had it ever come out that he abandoned his pregnant partner, he doubts he would escape being scrutinized on social media — so he stays.

He was right to, quiet moments between them and preparing for the future had reassured him of that. And nothing compared to this, his expression almost awed as he stares down at the tiny baby in his arms, wrapped up in one of the blankets he remembers buying months ago. No more than a couple days old, they’ve just been brought home from the hospital, and thus far have been pretty quiet. He doesn’t recall feeling this way when he held his niece, finding it hard to grasp that this one is his.