Too locked up with his intensifying pain and questions, Sehun was unable to hear the approaching footsteps.

“Sehun?”

Pivoting around to see Hayoung behind him he recalled abandoning her earlier.

“What’s wrong?” Hayoung looked worried. “Do you know her?”

Yes or no?

If he hurt Hayoung and his mother found out, he’d be forced to move back home. Sehun liked being by himself; it had been kind of what saved him after Namjoo’s disappearance. At home, no one liked seeing him remember Namjoo. When he was by himself, he could set out anything that reminded him of her. He could stare and get lost into space. His apartment was his personal space.

Not even Hayoung had been there before.

“No.”

“Why did you come? I’m not done until two hours.”

“I…” Sehun felt his mind fall into an abyss of darkness with the way Namjoo had looked at him.

It hurt and he wanted to curl up to cry.

“Wanted to surprise you,” he pulled on another smile of pretense and watched her face light up.

+++

“10 minutes,” Luhan glanced at his watch when Namjoo stepped out of the cab with Ki Hoon in her arms.

“Early or late?”

He stared at her with contradiction before jokingly smiling, “Early.” Then glancing at Ki Hoon said, “Fell asleep?”

“He was crying when I picked him up.” Namjoo explained.

“Poor boy; here, I’ll help you,” Luhan stretched his arms out to take the sleeping Ki Hoon from her.

Namjoo watched Luhan pat her son’s back once his head fell on the broad shoulder. Still asleep and relaxed, Ki Hoon took a sigh wrapping his tiny hands around Luhan’s shoulders.  

“He still likes me after all,” Luhan announced happily then claimed proudly, “the only man he likes.”

The corner of her lip flew up with a sort of laugh before he opened the door for her.

“My parents are waiting for you. They’re going to be a bit disappointed he’s sleeping.”

His hand brushed her back before he closed the door behind them. Luhan and his family were her saviors. It was all thanks to them that she’d given birth to Ki Hoon safely and they helped provide for her during her less fortunate months. That winter when she was bound to sleep outside at four months, Luhan found her and brought her to his home. His kind family befriended her and took to supplying her with maternity clothes, diapers, milk, and baby clothes when Ki Hoon arrived.

She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to repay them.

Sometimes, Namjoo wanted to cry because she was so grateful but Luhan and his family didn’t want her tears.

“Is he sleeping?” Luhan’s mother rose from the chair she was sitting in. “Oh the baby.”

“Must have had a hard day, huh?” His father commented walking over to Ki Hoon’s head. “Bring him to bed. Let him sleep for a bit.” Then turning to her said, “You must be tired, come eat. We were just waiting for you.”

Namjoo offered them a smile and watched Luhan’s mother walk away with her son. When she turned Luhan was glancing at her with a smile, but quickly turned away.

Setting a hand at the back of her head he urged, “Lets eat.”

“How is your pay coming?” His mother questioned after placing some food onto her plate when they surrounded the table richly filled up with food.

“I just got a raise. I’ll be fine this month.”

“We have extra rooms in this house, why don’t you just move in?” His father wondered for probably the tenth time that month.

Namjoo glanced at them and half-smiled.

“I’ll be a burden. With Ki Hoon, it’ll be harder. I don’t want to be a bother. Thank you, but I’m ok.”

“You always say that.” Luhan muttered.

Namjoo turned to look at him, but he was just eating away without looking at her.

“You know, if you ever feel like you need somewhere else, come here first,” Luhan’s mother offered. “We always have a place for you here.”

With a smile, Namjoo nodded.

“You know, my parents are just trying to help,” Luhan said rinsing the dishes beside her minutes later. “If you said ‘Yes’ at least once, it wouldn’t hurt their feelings.”

“I don’t think what I said was wrong. Why are you angry?”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Am not.”

Namjoo glanced at him from the corner of her eye and heaved a tiny sigh.

“Just…your neighborhood isn’t the best,” Luhan went on. “You know my mom always wanted a daughter. You’d be like one if you moved in and Hoonie would be her grandson. We have a lot of room here, why do you think you’re a bother?”

He was trying to feast on her guilt, she knew that. She also knew he’d left something out while talking to her. Namjoo always knew it.

Luhan didn’t have a girlfriend for a reason and she felt bad if she’d taken any chance away, since he often took to accompanying her and Ki Hoon. The moment she moved in she would become their daughter-in-law; Ki Hoon Luhan’s son.

Namjoo wasn’t so sure about that.

“I…” Namjoo started when he turned the faucet off and reached around her to grab the towels at the side.

Namjoo’s words were cut off the second she felt locked in his arms. The moment lasted only a split second. Pulling his arm away in order to wipe his hands dry and turned around to see Ki Hoon standing behind them.

“Han Han, hunger,” Ki Hoon spoke. “Hunger.”

Walking over Ki Hoon grabbed Luhan’s jeans and grasped onto them.

“Han Han, hunger,” hanging off his jeans with his head tilted up Ki Hoon stared up at Luhan.

Smiling brightly, Luhan crouched down to his level and poked his cheeks, “Hoon, if you tell Mommy to live here; you can eat all the food you want and I’d buy you anything. Now you don’t think that’s such a bad thing, do you?”

Ki Hoon let out a laugh and turned to look at Namjoo who could only reply with a smile.

“Ok, now lets go get you something to fill up that belly of yours,” Luhan poked his stomach playfully and Namjoo watched Ki Hoon twirl his fingers up to laugh delightfully in return.

Carrying her son up Luhan let out a grunt, commenting, “You’re a big boy! How’d you get so heavy?”

Namjoo felt her eyes dart toward the ground when Luhan walked away with her son. Ki Hoon liked him a lot. Luhan was the only father-like figure he had and the only other person next to her who was always there for him. She also knew Luhan liked her son a lot no matter whose son he was and if she ever decided to move in, Luhan would love Ki Hoon unconditionally.

She, though, never told them about Sehun and she didn’t plan on telling Luhan that she’d ran into him that day.

The area in front of her home was a steep road and because Ki Hoon would have trouble walking up, she’d carry him most of the time. That night, Luhan took to carrying him and Namjoo was left with a bag of some treats his parents had packed for them. 

“It’s nice out,” Luhan started staring up at the starry sky. “Good for a walk.”

“You didn’t have to drive us back,” Namjoo insisted again.

“And what? You want to waste money on getting a cab?”

Namjoo glanced at him, “I could’ve taken the bus.”

“Do you know how many crimes happen on a bus at night?” Luhan asked. “You don’t want Ki Hoon to see his mother getting beat up, do you?”

“Oh come on,” she muttered.

“Why can’t you take any of my offers sincerely instead of trying to pry me away? It annoys me, you know.”

Namjoo felt like biting her tongue, “Luhan, you lost your girlfriend because of me. I…”

“I didn’t like her that much anyway,” he cut her off, jumping in spot to readjust Ki Hoon in his arms. “I realized that.”

Namjoo repressed a sigh and looked around at the yellow light coming out of a room, “Still, it shouldn’t have happened. Ki Hoon and I are doing well, and you know that if I’m in trouble I’ll stop by…”

“Namjoo…”

“I have a son. It’s bad for your image if you keep being around me,” Namjoo tried. “You won’t be able to get married.”

“Ok, stop it,” Luhan stated gently, but with a note of irritancy. “I heard you. I don’t want to talk about that.”

Namjoo ended up pressing her lips together until they reached her small house connected to another empty building. Beside her home was a grayish alleyway stuffed with stray cats, trash, and some garbage bins. It was one reason why Luhan and his parents were persistent in getting her to move in, but it was what she could afford right now.

“I can take him,” Namjoo turned to Luhan with outstretched arms for her son, but instead of giving him to her Luhan took the keys from her hand and unlocked the door.

“I’ll come in first.”

Namjoo was left standing there a bit speechless before turning to follow. Shutting the door after her turned out the cool air from outside. Walking past the silver sink beside her she stepped further in to realize that Luhan was tucking Ki Hoon into bed before walking out to meet her. Standing in the space between her tiny living room and the kitchen he looked at her.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow and drop you off at work,” Luhan told. “Your shift ends early right? I can take off then and we can have lunch then pick Ki Hoon up from the Day Care.”

He managed a small smile as if their earlier conversation never took place at all.

“Good night, Namjoo,” he said before leaning forward to give her a peck on the cheek before walking out.

Once the door clicked shut Namjoo fell against the table with a deep sigh.

At the very beginning, she’d perceived Luhan’s actions as pure kindness and she was sure they had been from the start. She didn’t know what had gone wrong in between that turned her situation into this. What was there to like about her; a person who had child all alone?

Luhan was supposed to be better off, but he was around her almost as if he were day and night. Namjoo didn’t understand. Yet, right now she’d rather brood over her situation with Luhan than over Sehun.

+++

“Did they get home safe?” His mother, a slightly round woman, walked out of the bedroom when he closed the front door. “Oh I wish Ki Hoon wouldn’t have to go.”

Luhan nodded, “I walked them back in.”

His mother glanced at him with a tenderly soft smile before walking over to the back of his head.

“Mom,” Luhan started, “I like her. I really like Namjoo.”

“I know you do.”

“I want to get married.” He said rather confidently then hesitated after Namjoo’s earlier words hit him. “You don’t mind, do you? That she already has Ki Hoon.”

“Of course not. I like them too.”

“You don’t think it’s a bad thing?”

“It’s not a person’s past that matter. It’s who they are and what they’ve become after it. Namjoo chose to do the right thing by having Ki Hoon,” his mother empathized. “You can marry anyone you want as long as you love her and she loves you.”

Luhan smiled, his mind racing off into the future and beyond. What he saw was a family with Namjoo as his wife, Ki Hoon, and maybe another child of their own. They’d live in a house and Namjoo wouldn’t have to work so hard, so he’d let her stay home to raise the kids. They’d have a green yard and perhaps a dog for the kids to play with. Most importantly, they’d be happy…together.   

“But Luhan, we don’t know if Ki Hoon’s father is still out there,” his mother brought up what he’d never thought of.

Luhan had always assumed Namjoo’s boyfriend had left her or some unfortunate accident had taken his life away leaving her behind. Was he…still alive and well? What if…what if he wanted Namjoo back? Worst yet, what if he didn’t know about Ki Hoon?

“We don’t know if he may still want them or not. There might be a chance he doesn’t know Namjoo gave birth to his son. We should wait until Namjoo is ready to tell us. She may have chosen not to talk about it for a reason.”

“After all this time,” Luhan started, “if Namjoo hasn’t gone out to find him and if he hasn’t come to find her, then he doesn’t want them and she doesn’t want him. It doesn’t matter; it’s already been three years. I want to be Ki Hoon’s dad and I can’t lose her. Mom, help me convince her.”

And added, “Please.”

+++

Before she even woke up, someone was persistently knocking on her door. In a half-asleep state she dragged her feet to the door to find Luhan standing behind it wide awake.

“Luhan?” She squinted due to the sunlight. “What the hell are you doing?”

Raising his hand up to show her a bag of food he’d bought along the way he smiled, “Breakfast?”

After washing up she joined him at the table and rubbed her face into both her hands, the stench of freshly baked rolls and coffee entering her nose.

“Are you crazy? Ki Hoon hasn’t even woken up yet,” Namjoo asked and glanced at the time, “it’s two hours before work begins.”

“I wasn’t able to sleep,” Luhan told placing her roll in front of her on a napkin and then her cup of coffee.

Leaning forward rather enthusiastically he watched her take the roll expectantly. Pausing awkwardly with a hand in midair she slightly frowned at him. her lips she set the roll back down.

“Ok, why are you really here…and so early? You looked like you slept rather well.”

“Nothing,” he shrugged, “and I lied, I slept well. I had good dreams too.”

Snatching her roll she took a bite. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing,” he went on again, but she could see something shimmer in his eyes. After a second of drawing a half-circle on the table he gave in, “I had a good talk with my mom.”

“Talk? About what?”

“I’m not telling you.” He smiled mischievously. “Eat.” Then he pushed his roll in front of her, “You can have mine too.” 

Unable to help, but frown at him she stared as if the longer she watched, the more she’d be able to find out. Luhan did end up not saying anything even after they dropped Ki Hoon off. Throughout the ride to her workplace she listened to him hum beside her.

Indeed, there was something really jolly about him that morning. 

***Shoot! I miscalculated, so I stopped at where I was supposed to update, but it's too far ahead in the story ~.~ Oh well, this is it for tonight! (If I'm in the mood I'll do a double update and post another chapter before I sleep) Enjoy!

***And as we would have it, Luhan's family is perfect for Namjoo and Ki Hoon /cries/