Namjoo wanted to stand like a rock, hard like a real diamond; unbreakable by even the touch of a hammer. But she sounded too convincing.

Truth was; Sehun had stepped up their relationship again because he wanted to get closer to Ki Hoon. Everything shook inside Namjoo’s head like a nightmare and the tears flooded down her face.

She was too angry for words. In this moment of confusion she didn’t know what to believe. She was so…lost.

The tears were hot with her anger and Namjoo didn’t know what to say to fight the woman back. She just knew that she hated her so much. She didn’t want money. Nothing could compensate for all she’d done in order just to give birth to her baby.

Ki Hoon was worth more than a piece of gold.

He was her baby…

Nails dug into her skin when she gripped her hand with all her might, debating whether to hit the woman or not. In the end, she decided that Sehun’s mother wasn’t worth her energy.

“One hundred thousand?” The woman asked. “Or should I make that ten hundred thousand?”

Now the urge to fling a hand against her face was overwhelming, so Namjoo squeezed her fingers against her palm. She had to hold back for her dignity.

“I don’t want your filthy money,” Namjoo muttered, “I want my son!”

The woman tossed her head to the side with a snort, “Please. Where do you think your son came from? My boy obviously. I don’t like how things are, but Sehun wants your son. If things were going to be like this you should have pulled that boy out of your body before he was born.”

Namjoo’s hand shook before she tripped backward and a grip tightened on her arm. Luhan shoved Sehun’s mother back.

“Get off my property before I call the cops on you,” Luhan warned with heat in his voice.

He sounded beyond angry, strict, and strong. A dry tone with none other than power and force hinted that he wasn’t going to joke or cut things short.

The relief that flooded through Namjoo that she wasn’t alone melted her heart and she wanted to weep. She couldn’t do this alone.

“Acting all mighty,” Sehun’s mother commented underneath her breath. Then spoke to Namjoo, “So you aren’t alone after all. Think about my offer and call me when you’ve decided on a sum.”

Turning around on her heels she returned to her car which in less than a minute disappeared down the road. The gas from the exhaustion pipe fluttered swiftly over them as it went off. As Namjoo watched it disappear she reminded herself to stand strong and crumbled to the ground when it went around the corner.

Her breathing became short and severe as the tears flooded down her face with no mercy.

“What am I going to do?” Namjoo sobbed as her nose quickly clogged up and her speech became difficult. “He took my son…”

“We’ll get Hoon back, I’ll get him back.” Luhan promised as she grasped onto his shoulder.

“He took him…” Namjoo felt her heart burst as the sobs came through more powerfully. It hurt so bad, she was in so much pain.

Who was she to believe now?

“We’ll get him back,” Luhan’s promise came through again.

+++

“Airplane, airplane!” Ki Hoon screamed when Sehun lifted him up with his feet as he lie down on his bed.

From underneath Sehun watched mesmerized by the joy in Ki Hoon’s face as he wiggled around in the air. During the moment they remained lost in each other Sehun thought he was the second happiest. It would have been better if Namjoo were there with them.

Sehun still wanted to return Ki Hoon home, but he didn’t want to give up their time alone. It was selfish of him. In anyway, he still had to think of some way to get a car or a cab without money or his keys. But at least Ki Hoon didn’t seem too distressed here with him.

Grabbing Ki Hoon’s torso Sehun sat up and planted the boy onto the bed in front of him before playfully attacking him with a head.

“I’m a bull, Ki Hoon, I’m a bull.”

Ki Hoon laughed before jumping onto all fours and lunged at him growling.

“Lion!” Ki Hoon shouted.

They played a bit more until there was a knock on his door, which brought them to a stop at once. Ki Hoon climbed around him as they waited.

When no one came in Sehun turned to direct, “You stay here.”

Walking toward the door Sehun found Chauffeur Kim standing on the other side.

“Your mother’s home.”

“So?”

Why should he care?

“She wants to see you.”

Sehun tightened his lips and closed the door in his face. There was no chance he was leaving Ki Hoon alone this time.

“We have to go somewhere, you have to go with me, is that ok?” Sehun asked.

Ki Hoon stared up at him quietly.

“It’ll be ok, I promise.”

Sehun reached for Ki Hoon’s hand to which he extended hesitantly. Holding his hand securely Sehun led him out of the room. As they started down the stairs Sehun patiently waited for Ki Hoon to take each step carefully suddenly thinking that this was what a father was; someone who guides and someone who promises.

It felt good.

When they neared his mother’s study Sehun wondered if she’d received the blood test results from earlier. He knew that no matter what, his mother would doubt to no end Ki Hoon was his son.

His mother lifted her head up to first glance at Sehun then to Ki Hoon, who she looked at with disapproval. Ki Hoon, like Namjoo, cowarded and slightly backed up behind him for cover. His small hands clutched onto Sehun’s pants.

“What do you want?” Sehun started.

“I went to see his mother,” she told sitting with a straight back.

“Mom, why…”

“We’re going to compensate her.”

Sehun’s lips pried themselves apart as he stared unbelievably at his mother. Just how far was she going to go with this?

“You took him from her!” Sehun raised his voice. “And you still have the decency to go ask her if she wants money!!? What is wrong with you!? Are you really my mother!?”

Sehun felt his heart race and his blood boil. He could only imagine the things his mother had said to Namjoo. The thoughts drove him insanely mad. She was playing them against each other. It reminded him of the story Namjoo had told him about her father. How she was so upset about the things his mother may have said to her father, but never told her.

This moment right here was history replaying itself.

“Do you have a heart at all!?”

“Don’t be silly.” His mother shrugged him off. “As long as you have him, you won’t go back to her, right?”

Sehun felt like tearing the whole room down. She just didn’t get it.

“You know that by now she won’t believe you anymore,” she pointed out. “She’ll think you only came to her for her son. And now that you have him, you don’t have to worry about it any longer.”

Sehun glared at his mother. There wasn’t anything to say. His words were waste of strength. He also didn’t want Ki Hoon to witness a dirty argument with no real meaning.

Carrying Ki Hoon up he left the room. His mother had rung a bell though. By now, Namjoo would be suffering from mass confusion. She wouldn’t know who to believe or which story was real. She’d gone through so much already that this would just lose her trust in him.

That meant Sehun would have to start all over. All the time and effort that had gone by were seemingly useless.

He couldn’t return Ki Hoon like this. Namjoo would want nothing to do with him and he couldn’t have it as is. She’d lock herself and his son from him. Sehun couldn’t have that, he wouldn’t permit it.

Ki Hoon didn’t look at all happy when they returned to his room. He sat very quietly on his bed.

“Is something wrong?” Sehun asked.

His son didn’t reply. For the first time Sehun felt as if Ki Hoon had cut him off from his world. The things that were in Ki Hoon’s head were unreachable.

“Ki Hoon,” Sehun scooted closer to him, “what’s wrong? Can you talk to me about it?”

Ki Hoon shook his head.

Worried about prying into Ki Hoon’s privacy without his permission Sehun pressed his lips together to let it go. Lying flat onto his stomach he peered into the face identical to his.

“Ki Hoon, do you know who I am?” Sehun questioned trying to get a change of mood.

The small boy turned to look at him.

Sehun took a gulp of air unsure of whether to continue or not. He’d never said it before, but he’d been waiting for Ki Hoon to say just this. He suddenly felt nervous and anxious.

“I’m your daddy.” Sehun told. “Can you repeat after me? Daddy.”

Ki Hoon stared right back at him for a long time and Sehun’s heart lurched forward when he opened his mouth.

“Nice Man.” Ki Hoon called. “You Nice Man.”

Disappointed, Sehun flashed a smile onto his face and patted Ki Hoon’s head before sitting up.

“Want home,” Ki Hoon lie down against his pillow in a fetal position. “Han Han. Mommy. Home.”

Sehun turned back to look at him and lowered his head. Forcing a smile onto his lips he reached a hand out to Ki Hoon’s hair.

“I’m sorry.”

+++

Namjoo turned away from the warm tea Luhan placed in front of her, “I don’t want it.”

“Have it. It’ll help freshen you up.”

Unable to turn away his sincerity Namjoo wrapped her cool hand around it. They sat in utter silence for a long time. His parents weren’t yet back. It’d been at most an hour since Sehun’s mother stopped by. She was still angry, but more contained and controlled.

As always, Luhan was reliable.

Why did she leave him in the first place?

“What should we do?” Namjoo asked.

“I could get a lawyer,” Luhan offered. “Deeming the case as kidnapping might give us an advantage.”

“We can’t fight her,” Namjoo glared into the table. “She’s just going to bribe those jerks into making us lose in court.”

“Namjoo…”

“Don’t tell me that won’t happen. Look at all she’s done already and she won’t have the guts to give a thousand dollar bribe?”

Luhan remained quiet in defeat.

“I’m going to get him back. Ki Hoon’s mine. I’m going to step on them.”

“What are you going to do?” Luhan sounded somewhat worried.

Staring hard into the cup of tea she felt as if she could foresee the future. She was determined. She would bring Ki Hoon home, and she was angry that she’d been used. Sehun had used her for her son. There was too much evidence to support it. All along it had been about getting close to his son. All along it had been about getting Ki Hoon a father…and look at where everything had ended.

She chewed her teeth bitterly.

Sehun was a liar.

She had been played.

“I’m going to see him.”

Luhan stared at her as if she’d said something absurd.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

“You going alone might just make things worse. If they manage to use anything against you and it’s unfair, you’re going to need a witness if this gets to court. We’re going together.”

+++

Hayoung was surprised to have received a call from Sehun the next morning. She was no longer expecting to hear from him since giving herself out to him at the Day Care. As she stepped out of her car she wondered why she had really come.

Was it to get a chance to look at him? Or did it have to do with the urgency in his voice?

Whatever the reason, she was there in front of his house.

Walking up to the gate she rung the bell and the gates immediately became unlocked. Pushing the door open Hayoung stepped into the winding driveway and after a few steps spotted Sehun walking out hand in hand with a child. Strong confusion strung her while she stopped.

This was strange. Sehun’s house wasn’t a place for children. As they neared Hayoung literally felt her jaw drop. It was Ki Hoon that Sehun was with. And she realized then that something had happened. Why hadn’t she heard about anything?

“What’s going on?” Hayoung asked without greeting when Sehun approached. “Why is he with you?”

“It’s…a long story.”

Hayoung frowned even more, “What happened?”

“I need you to take him. Just for a few hours.”

“What!?” Hayoung raised her voice surprised. “I’m not going to take him without some kind of explanation. What is he doing here with you? How did he even get here?”

Her mind spun at all the possibilities she was drawing up in her head. This felt wrong. It looked wrong. Ki Hoon should be with his mother in his home surrounding by those he knew and loved.

“I think he has a cold from being in a place he’s not used to,” Sehun told, “but I can’t use our family doctor. My mom won’t let him come if she knows. Please help me.”

Hayoung backed up a little and overlooked them with an even deeper frown.

“I don’t know…

“Please, I’m having a really hard time doing anything right now. I’m sorry, Hayoung, for needing you in a situation like this. I really need your help right now.” Sehun begged. “My mom’s pinned Namjoo against me and I can’t let Ki Hoon back before I can set things straight with her, or she’s never going to want to see me again.”

Hayoung stared at him at a loss.

“Are you crazy? Why are you dragging a little boy into all of this?! It’s your affair; you shouldn’t be using your son as an excuse.”

“I know I’m bad,” Sehun gave in, “but he’s the only card I have left. Get him checked up. I’ll call you in a few hours.”

He bent down to look at Ki Hoon and explained, “You remember Day Care Auntie, right? She’s going to take you to play for a bit. Mommy will come get you in a bit, I promise.”

Ki Hoon nodded and Sehun stood to his feet before handing his son over.

***About two more chapters left! Then this story will be complete! I'm currently typing with only 9 fingers at the moment since I split my right pinky open -.- And the semester's about here i~i Since I've granted you guys' wish for a HunJoo oneshot turned into a whole story, I'm going to have to turn over to my abandoned stories and try to finish those. Then there's the oneshot request I promised to write. Aigoo~~ Lets hope my brain cooperates with ideas.

***Also, take it that it's only natural Ki Hoon can't refer to Sehun as dad yet. It's difficult for him to call a complete stranger that.