Thirty Two

REDEMPTION

....

"When will Jooyy wek up?" 

"She is tired...and baby wants more sleep....Since he or she is inside her, Joy is also sleeping..." Now how to explain pregnancy quirks to a 4years old??

"Awww...Baby-ah likes to sleep?? Sleep well...Baby-ah...I luv ya..."

Joy has woken up but is not willing to get up. She cherishes her pregnancy but cannot wait for the baby to be out of her body. The last few weeks were the hardest for her. According to the doctor, today is supposed to be her due date. No. Sorry, was supposed to be...it is night time now...

The whole day everyone was anxious. Noel did not let her do anything. The bag is packed days ago. Cheonsa called every hour and even visited in the evening. Jimin called a couple of times all day and Yeri...she came to stay with her. By chance she gets into labour. Aera was all giddy with anticipation. 

Joy told them many times that it was not obvious that the baby will be born on this very day. But as per Noel and Cheonsa, it meant it could happen anytime now.

The baby's movements have been erratic sometimes but she did not feel anything else other than this. Now she is lying in her bed with her eyes closed listening to Aera and Yeri's conversation.

She slowly opens her eyes and smiles.

"Jooyy!! You wek!!" Aera hugs her bump.

"Yes..." She yawns and kisses the girl's cheeks.

"Good!! Now you can fall asleep again...It's 10 in the night now..." Yeri smiles sarcastically.

"What?! I slept for 3 hours?!" Joy slaps her forhead and shakes her head. Goodness she has turned into such a sloth!!!

"Yep! We all had our dinner!! Only you are left..." Yeri helps her to sit up.

"Namjoon's home? Did he eat??" The words come out of as her second nature.

"Yes..." Yeri stares at her.

"Aera...have you brush your teeth?"

"Yesh!!! I'll go to Noel aunty's roon now!! I come to check you!! And say you and Baby-ah good nite!!!" She rubs her nose on the bump. She will be sleeping with Noel and Yeri will be here with Joy. If something happens at night it will be very helpful to have the young lady there...

"Aww...Good night Sweetheart!!! Jooyy loves you so much!!!" After a lot of hugging and kissing, Aera leaves for Noel's room.

Joy smiles and sees that Yeri is still staring at her.

She frowns slightly, "Yeri?! What happened?!"

She blinks, "Hmm...? Nothing. You should eat something...What will you eat?"

Joy can sense her mood has dampened a bit, "Hey...what's wrong??" She nudges her softly.

She sighs, "You...are always so worried for Namjoon-sshi, right?"

She can understand where Yeri is going with her question. She smiles a bit sadly, "Yeah...yes I do..."

"Still after all these??"

"Yeah..."

"I  never questioned you but today I want to know...why?" Yeri wonders.

"Uhhh..." Joy thinks for sometimes, "May be cause he is even more miserable than me...and also we have similarities  more than the eyes meet..."

"You can come and stay with me and my family, if you want!! My parents really like you....You can work in my dad's cafe...which will be mine soon..." she adds lightly.

Joy smiles, "Oh Thank you Yeri!!! It means a lot!! But...I wish I got this offer...some 9 months before..." She sighs and puts her hand on her bump.

Yeri nods," I understand...but you can still leave..."

"Yeah...but I won't be getting a divorce...So...what's the use?" Joy looks down. She is not feeling well now. The baby is moving a lot and her back really hurts...

"Well...forget all that!! Tell me what will you like to eat??" Yeri changes the topic. She can sense her being uncomfortable.

"Huh? Well, nothing...I don't feel like any..." Joy shakes her head. Her back...

"That won't do...Joy!! Joy, are you okay??" Yeri asks worriedly. 

"Yeah...It's just...it's just my back... it is hurting too much...what time is it??" She asks.

"Around 10.30 now..." Yeri look at the clock, "Are you okay? Should I call for Aunty Noel...?"

"Hmmm...? May be...it is a false alarm. I had this for some days now...It can be that..."Joy shifts into a comfortable position,"Can you please rub this oil on my back?" She passes her  the bottle.

"Sure!!" Yeri begins to apply the oil.

"You know...I wanted the baby to be born tomorrow..." Joy smiles slightly.

"Oh...? Why?" Yeri has kept the bottle and gets down the bed to get some food.

"Cause...tomorrow is Namjoon's birthday..."  She looks down at her bump.

"Ohhh....So that baby and appa will share the same birthday...??" Yeri muses.

"Yes...I know this is absurd, but I really want that to happen!!" She laughs.

"Well you never know...now Let me help you get up..." She make her sit properly and walks to the kitchen to get some snacks and tea. Joy does not want to eat anything heavy...

 

 

 

Namjoon groans. He checks the time. 11.09 p.m. Who would call him at that time?!

"Hello..." He says groggily.

"Namy..."

His eyes shot open. Irene?!...

"Hello? Namy? Can you hear me?" She asks hesitately.

"Hmmm..." That is all he can make...

"How...are you?" She asks awkwardly. It has been years they are talking to each other. There is a mixture of anticipation and nervousness in both hearts.

"I...I am fine. How are you doing now? You began working again, right?" NAmjoon is trying to keep his tone normal but fails. The quiver in his voice and heart do not go unnoticed by her.

"Heh...How awkward do we sound...?" She smiles wryly.

"Yeah..." He sighs. His heartbeat is not getting in control.

"I called to...this will sound so weird!! I should not have called..." 

 Namjoon can imagine her biting down her lower lip. She does that everytime she is nervous.

And on the other side of the call, Irene is actually biting her lip! These two know each other so well...

"No...Just say it..." Namjoon says softly.

"It's...it's your birthday tomorrow..." She laughs awkwardly, "Morelike in less than an hour..."

Namjoon feels his heart leap to it, " You...remember?!"

"Remember?! Namy...there are things which are engraved into one's mind, heart and soul..." Irene stops immediately realizing what she has just said.

Namjoon smiles brightly. So she does feel like that...just like him...

After a good pause, she clears ,"I...I wanted to celebrate your birthday...tonight at 12...Just as we did at our favourite place...that 7/11 shop??"

Namjoon smirks disdainfully. Really? I thought you once said our old hangout place was too shabby for your status as the new CEO of The Bae Exports...

Before he can voice out his thought, Irene sighs, "Yeah I know what you are thinking...that the place is too 'cheap' for me...I know I once said that..." Her voice is full of remorse.

He shakes his head. There they are...again reading each other's minds, without even looking at each other...

"It was so nice...right, Namy? Such happy and care-free days...when we used to be so happy at the slightest things..." She gulps, "Now...even the most exquisite and extraordinary objects cannot provide the slightest...all because of one wrong decision..."

There is pin drop silence on both sides of the call. Namjoon wipes his tears and Irene sobs.

"So...can we meet?" She chokes out. She is pleading to get some glimpses, some moments with him.

"I...what about your...hus...husband?" Namjoon asks. The constrict in his heart emerges.

"Huh...? Oh...he...he is out of town..." As if she has just recalled that she has a husband.

"But...the shop has been closed for years now... Now there is some stationary shop or something..."

"Yeah...I know. We can...we can meet at the other 7/11 store just infront of the old one..." She suggests desperately.

Namjoon frowns a bit. That store...Lee Cheonsa is the shopkeeper...Park Sooyoung's friend...

"Allright...I'll meet you..." He quickly gets off the bed. It is 11.50 p.m. He cannot wait to meet her. It has been so long...They will celebrate his birthday like the old days. Only them...

 

 

 

" That will be... 2000 won..." Lee Cheonsa smiles brightly at the young man. It is almost 12 now. Her shift will be over soon. She prepares to leave as her co-worker is already here. She is giving him some briefings about the sales when she sees a young lady enter. She looks familiar...Cheonsa raises her eyes slightly in recognition. She is Bae Irene...Joy's sister-in-law and...

" Excuse me...Hello. Can you please tell me in which aisle the ramyeon..." Irene stops mid-sentence and a cheerful and satisfied smile graces her face.

Cheonsa turns her head towards where she is looking and her usual polite smile turns into a sour grimace.

Namjoon is walking towards the store with soft paces. A mixture of peace and elation is adorned on his face. They are looking at each other as if there is nothing in this world, except for them...

Their smiles broaden. 

Cheonsa's cell phone starts to ring. 

"Hello..." Her voice is a bit shaky. What she has seen, her heart breaks for Joy...

"Hello!!! Cheonsa!! Come to the hospital!!! Joy's in labour!! She...slipped in the loo!!! Hurry!! We're taking her to the hospital..." Noel disconnects.

Cheonsa quickly excuses herself and runs out. She passes Namjoon who is still standing at the glass door.

 A call on his phone brings him out of his reverie. Namjoon is about to disconnect and switch off but does not. It is Park Jimin. He gets a bit confused and worried as to why he would call him that time?! 

"Hello..." He answers.

"Hello! Mr. Kim?! Jimin here! Joy slipped and is in labour!! We're taking her to the hospital!! I came upstairs but you're not in your room..." He does not say anything  else but Namjoon can hear Joy's cries and Noel's panicked voice. The call disconnects. He can now guess why Lee Cheonsa rushed out in the direction of their house. 

Namjoon looks down at the phone and then at Irene who is waiting eagerly inside for him. He...should go to the hospital...But here is Irene. This meeting...How long they have waited?! How they have longed for this day?! It means...everything to him. To them...They are going to celebrate his birthday together...like their childhood and teenage days...

If he enters the store, everything will change. He can feel it in his bones...It can grant him his life-long desire...his only desire...

But what if he does not?! Just two steps, either forward or backward...both has the capacity to decide his destiny...

He snaps out of his thoughts when he can hear two cars driving away. They are his cars and he saw Joy in one of them wailing in pain. The window is open in such cold. Must be for ventilation...

He looks back at Irene who is frowning in confusion. She is about to approach him outside when she gets a message.

She opens the application and freezes at the spot...

 

Park SooYoung is in labour now...I have to go there...But let us plan for some other day...I am sorry....

 

Irene quickly gets out of the store but there is no sign of Namjoon...anymore.

 

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nuz123
OH MY GOODNESS!!! Almost a whole year of this story!!!
I know, I know...I said there will be no more chapters...
But then I thought why not celebrate 1 yr of this story with a bonus?
So here it is!! I hope everyone will like it! Enjoy :D

Comments

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Irreplaceable_hjj_ #1
Chapter 38: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/1281610/38'>Thirty Eight</a></span>
Idk ...whether to laugh or cry or be angry at Namjoon's phrase - 'old man' - Ajusshi
Irreplaceable_hjj_ #2
Chapter 29: Awwwwww ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ•́ ‿ ,•̀ Namjoon and Aera moments are sooo cute
Irreplaceable_hjj_ #3
Chapter 27: It is past 10 am ...great , he is late (≧▽≦)
Irreplaceable_hjj_ #4
Chapter 23: Namjoon feeding the soup to Aera, wiping and gifting her some colour pens is the cutest one 😍🥰😩
zerotoblack
#5
Chapter 58: I don't know how many times I've read this already now but one thing I am sure of is that I am not getting sick of reading this. Still one of the best stories out there.
Ode2kdrama #6
Hoping to get an update on the anniversary date!!! This is one of my favorite story in AFF.
eatPie
#7
Chapter 40: re-read this again and i just remembered how irl namjoon loves to talk with himself ^^ ah, so cute
Lane0910 #8
Thank you authornim! Such a wonderful story and great casting! Re-reading again ?
Charu2791 #9
Chapter 58: I read this amazing story in one go. I can't quit smiling for a single minute.
Mariam4 #10
This is probably some of the most amazing things I've read in a while !! Loved Namjoon and Sooyoung's character development so much ❤️ Thank you for this amazing read !! Hope you are keeping safe love xx