Namjoo turned away unable to meet with anyone’s eyes and slowly pulled her hand out of Luhan’s. His eyes glazed over her reluctantly and to further avoid his eyes she bent down to look at Ki Hoon.

“Lets get ready, huh? Han Han’s going to take you this morning,” Namjoo told before taking his hand and led him toward their room, her heart wrapped in guilt.

+++

Luhan watched Namjoo disappear along with Ki Hoon into their room and reminded himself to stay upbeat. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed anything was off. He believed he knew Namjoo best since all the time he spent with her.

Namjoo was not one to talk much nor was she one to express her feelings through words, so he learned to observe her. He didn’t think she knew it, but her face read of all the feelings she tucked inside. Though he hadn’t shown it, said or confronted her; he knew she had been slightly away from him the past few weeks.

Her mind wasn’t with him.

He had no clue about what had happened to her so, but Luhan didn’t want to push his way in. Even if he loved her much, he respected her to the point that he’d never force her to do something she didn’t want. She’d said nothing to him thus far about anything uncomfortable that had happened to her, so he trusted her in silence. He loved her like how a butterfly loved a flower. In a soft, quiet, gentle way.

While Namjoo dressed Ki Hoon he took to clearing the table and washed the dishes. He was just about done when he recognized Ki Hoon’s loud footsteps rushing toward him.

“Han Han!” Ki Hoon screamed tackling then grabbing onto his leg.

When Luhan peered down Ki Hoon glanced up at him with a happy giggle.

“You should get going,” Namjoo said, “you’re going to be late for work.”

And he wished so much that this was their life, their marriage life. He’d wake up to Namjoo preparing breakfast and he’d help her set the table while Ki Hoon still slept. Then when Ki Hoon woke up he’d feed him while he let Namjoo catch up with her rest and her meal. She’d take to dressing Ki Hoon and he’d take Ki Hoon to the Day Care. Their morning would end with a hug and a kiss; simple and realistic.

If only Luhan could just ask for that…

“Ok,” he replied and took a step toward her. “Your shift starts late? When are you done?”

“Not too late, they know I have to pick Ki Hoon up,” Namjoo replied.

“Ok,” he gave in. “Are you coming for dinner?”

Namjoo smiled and nodded, which itself lit another onto his face. Giving her a quick peck on the forehead he turned to take Ki Hoon’s hand and led him out.

+++

Sehun turned to look out the window when Luhan drove past before stepping out of the cab that had just stopped by the side of the road. He couldn’t help, but stare down the road before turning to stare up the road toward Namjoo’s house.

Walking up he paused in front of the door and knocked. No one came to the door at first, so he knocked again and finally stopped when the door opened. Namjoo looked at him with a hint of surprise on her expressionless face.

“What are you doing here?”

She didn’t sound as happy as he’d expected her to, but he didn’t expect anything less.

“Should we go on another date?” Sehun boldly asked. “I mean…I want to spend some time with Ki Hoon this time around, but with you too…you know.”

Sehun almost shied away, but told himself not to. If he did, he’d look like he couldn’t do anything and he didn’t want to look like a helpless and useless person.

“How about it?” Sehun pushed on.

Namjoo’s eyes swayed back and forth with uncertainty leaving him to silently pray for the answer he wanted.

“I’m done at two. You can meet me in front of Ki Hoon’s Day Care around then,” Namjoo said.

A smile unconditionally filtered over his face and he nodded.

+++

Whether this was a good or bad idea, Namjoo didn’t know. She did think Ki Hoon needed some time with his real father. Sehun’s son should at least recognize who he was.

At work while she wiped the counters clean her eyes remained on the clock, watching every strike of the second hand. To be honest, she was quite anxious for this family date. She worried about how Ki Hoon would react when he realized it wasn’t Luhan going with them.

Namjoo hurried out the door the moment her shift ended and headed straight for the Day Care. Sehun was standing beside his car when she arrived and the smile he leant her made the sun shine even brighter. Her heart paced somewhat faster, but restraining her excitement she walked toward the front door.

“You want to come in?” Namjoo asked.

+++

Sehun glanced her way before following. The lingering softness of the scent of children wafted through the air toward them as they walked in. He peered at all the crayon drawings that had been posted on the walls and glanced at the colorful carpet that floored the entire building.

It looked fun to be young; a child without knowledge of adult difficulties.

Without realizing a smile covered his face and he stopped somewhat beside Namjoo when the Day Care coordinator stopped to talk to her.

“Is this Ki Hoon’s father?” The coordinator questioned slightly leaning to the side to look at him.

She was a woman with graying hair somewhere in her late forties. She was probably a mother two twenty-something-year-old adults. A proud mother was what Sehun would classify her as. The deep wrinkles she wore in her face talked of her fun youthful days and her successful adult years.

“My, how handsome; Ki Hoon looks just like him,” the coordinator press on with a gracious smile.

Both Namjoo and Sehun only offered smiles in utter silence.

“Ki Hoon should be playing with the other children in the playroom, go on ahead,” the coordinator nodded before walking off.

He turned, curious about the reaction her face might display, but Namjoo continued walking forward without giving him attention.

A few steps forward brought him to a room in which he could hear kids screaming, blabbering their children language, and laughing. The noises that accompanied them were the toys that continuously crashed into the walls and onto the ground. When Sehun peeked in he saw Ki Hoon playing with a large yellow toy truck in the midst of the wilderness of toddlers. Sehun thought he looked content and happy in his own way even if his face was almost as expressionless as his mother’s.

“Bah…bah…bah!” A child sounded crawling toward Sehun before repeatedly slapping his shoe. “Bah!”

Sehun peered down at the round headed child and smiled.

“Hi,” he crouched down to greet the baby. “Where are you going?”

There was drool sliding down the baby’s mouth and Sehun didn’t quite know what to do at first. He turned to ask Namjoo for advice, but she wasn’t beside him anymore. Sehun turned to the baby still slapping his shoe and reached the bottom of his wrist out to wipe the drool. Before he just about touched it Namjoo pulled his hand back and shoved a napkin into his hand.

Sehun glanced at her before wiping the drool off the baby’s face and heard him try to laugh while smiling. In another second the baby whammed a hand against his face joyously before the staff in the room lifted the baby up.

“What are you doing? Apologize to the Mister,” the woman teased the baby.

Sehun managed a smile, “It’s ok. Bye bye now.”

The woman gently grabbed the baby’s wrist to wave back before walking off and that was when Sehun saw Ki Hoon staring at him from beside Namjoo. For some reason Sehun felt embarrassed and turned away.

Ki Hoon didn’t whine like he was afraid he would. Instead he sat silently with Namjoo in the backseat talking very quietly with her, telling her stories of his day at the Day Care. The way Namjoo leaned over to talk to her son mesmerized him. All the love that was there was evident in his eyes that he continuously kept staring into the rearview mirror to watch them.

When they started toward the entrance of the zoo Sehun held his hand out for Ki Hoon to take. To his expectation Ki Hoon sidestepped closer to his mother and reached up for her hand. He wouldn’t expect that Ki Hoon felt no safer anywhere else than with Namjoo.

“What’s wrong?” Namjoo asked. “You don’t want to hold Nice Man’s hand?”

Remaining silent Ki Hoon clutched onto Namjoo’s leg with his extra hand all the while staring up at Sehun.

“He just shy,” Namjoo comforted running her hand over Ki Hoon’s head.

“I thought he’d be,” Sehun replied peering down at Ki Hoon with longing.

When they entered the zoo they calmly walked around before a squad of penguin excited Ki Hoon who pulled Namjoo after him tirelessly. Sehun ended up following as if he were their chaperone. Once the squad of penguins stopped Ki Hoon would stop along with them, bend his knees a little to get a closer look at them, and squeal in delight. When he glanced to his mother hoping that she was sharing the same joy Sehun thought he was perfect.

That face, that smile, and those eyes…they were perfect. What he and Namjoo had between them was irreplaceable.

Ki Hoon was theirs.

Ki Hoon didn’t seem particularly interested in anything else as they walked throughout the zoo. He even seemed afraid of the butterfly garden they walked through. As one flapped near his face he fell down and crawled toward Sehun, who he thought was his mother, sobbing deliriously.

Unable to do anything, Sehun pulled him to his feet before lifting him up. He walked out with Ki Hoon in his arms before Namjoo found them outside of the building a few minutes later. When Namjoo first smiled teasingly he thought she was doing it for him, but realized a second too late that she was joking with Ki Hoon.

Finally noticing his mom Ki Hoon on his thumb while lying with his head pressed against Sehun’s shoulder.

“I thought you were scared of Nice Man, what is this?” Namjoo teased, poking Ki Hoon in his sides.

Ki Hoon shuddered and tried to hold back his laugh in Sehun’s arm, but was unable to. Shriveling up Ki Hoon turned away to dodge his mother’s fun attacks; Sehun spinning in a circle to tease Ki Hoon in his escape. And they laughed together for the very first time.

When Ki Hoon started walking again he hurried a few steps ahead, paused, and turned back to look at them. Once they caught up he would start rushing forward again and Sehun thought it was so much fun with his little guy. During this moment he didn’t need words or a conversation with Namjoo because Ki Hoon made up for the gap of quietness between them. The joy in his face and his laugh muted out the sorrow that had been planted inside them.

His son abruptly stopped in his steps with head tilted up high watching a family walk by with a child a year older sitting on his father’s shoulders. Sehun looked as they passed by before Ki Hoon trotted over to Namjoo.

“Mommy, up!” Ki Hoon raised his arm up, pointing toward the sky. “Mommy!”

“Just for a bit, Ki Hoon. We’re almost done,” Namjoo coaxed, but Ki Hoon jumped up and down.

“Han Han give up up!” Ki Hoon slightly raised his voice demandingly.

Namjoo shook her head and crouched down to his level, “Mommy can’t do it, Ki Hoon.”

Wondering if they’d forgotten about him, Sehun stepped over to crouch down beside her.

“You want to ride on my shoulders?”

Ki Hoon stared at him quietly as if he’d already forgotten the earlier fun they’d had together. He shly grasped his hands before Sehun reached out for him.

“Come on,” Sehun urged lifting him up and slid his legs around his neck before standing. “There we go!”

Ki Hoon’s mouth gaped open widely and he exclaimed, “Up!”

Holding onto Ki Hoon’s little feet he turned to look at Namjoo hoping to share this small moment of joy with her. He wanted to talk to her, say, “Look what I’m doing with our son!” They instead met each other’s eyes and smiled the perfect kind of smile only families found within each other.

Ki Hoon fell asleep on the way back home, so when they arrived Sehun carried Ki Hoon up. It really felt like they were a family that had gone on a whole day’s outing only to return home happily exhausted. He felt content and he hoped Namjoo felt the same way.

Sehun watched as Namjoo pulled the Nemo blanket over Ki Hoon before they stepped out. He almost didn’t want to leave his son’s side.

“Thank you,” Namjoo thanked as they stopped in the kitchen. “Ki Hoon had a lot of fun. He’s been upset recently, so I’m glad for today. Thanks.”

What had Ki Hoon been upset over? Instead of asking he smiled and nodded his head thankful that she’d agreed to it in the first place. And he thought Namjoo didn’t look an ounce unhappy or uncomfortable with him. That mere fact alone made him jolly.

Today…was enough.

“I,” she started, “will tell Ki Hoon about you.”

As if part of him had been holding his breath all along he let out a deep sigh as if in relief. Namjoo glanced up at him calmly and he felt his heart accelerate with each second. It was crazy, but he felt as alive as ever and he couldn’t let this moment pass.

Tucking his hand underneath her jaw he kissed her without hesitance, enjoying those lips in his possession. The familiarity of her ignited a spark which set off a flame in him before he quickly kissed her again; engulfing her breath, her taste, her tongue, and her lips. Namjoo gripped onto his shirt as she fell a step back, the air over them thickening into a pool of romance.

Sehun had waited for this. He had yearned for this moment for such a long time that it tore at his heart painfully. After such a long wait he was being rewarded.

He grabbed at her body and skimmed his hand up and down her back just to make sure this wasn’t a dream. He caught the sound of her gasping, but refused to release her.

He knew all along, Namjoo still loved him. This right now was no mistake.

A small cry escaped her lips when he lifted her up onto the table and s a hand around the back of her head to keep her lips on his. He saw Rosemaries and clear blue skies just as clear as they were when he looked out an airplane window. Through the language of kisses he told her no one would ever be as great as she and that she deserved everything above him. He told her through the kisses; he still loved her as much as ever.

They breathed onto each other breathless when he withdrew himself; his eyes roaming over her face seduced by her luring eyes. Namjoo’s calm gaze rested on his face before she rose them up to peer into his eyes. With a smile he intimately leaned forward to press kisses against her forehead.

“I’ll go now,” he whispered beneath his breath and with a last peck on her cheek turned to walk out.

As he walked along outside he jumped around and skipped all the way to his car overjoyed.

+++

Namjoo lay curled in bed to sleep that night, her heart still pumping with adrenaline from the earlier kiss. She was happy and she wanted it to happen again. She was sure now that she knew what she wanted.

Her plan was to talk to Ki Hoon about who his real father was then sort things out with Luhan. Things would work like that and it would go well no matter what. Namjoo promised herself like that. The hopeful smile hidden under her expressionless façade was quick to disappear the next afternoon when a woman donned in European attire walked into the Cellular Store.

“Namjoo, someone’s here for you,” Sun poked her head into the back room.

Namjoo walked out wondering if it was Sehun, but instead found her greatest nightmare waiting for her.

Sehun’s mother took off her glasses revealing her neatly made up eyes and smiled. The redness of her lipstick shone radiantly against her porcelain skin with mocked humor.

“We meet again,” she greeted in a not so friendly, but business manner. “Do come outside.”

***Oops, a war is coming up next. 

***Thanks for subscribing!