Neither he nor Chae Yoon spoke, even if he did he wasn’t sure what he’d say. That they’d been arguing about seeing each other again and whether they wanted to talk or not?

“Ah…something came up,” Chae Yoon stood, “so I have to go now.”

“Already?” Namjoo asked walking over.

Chae Yoon nodded without looking at him, “Text me later, ok? I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Should I drive you back?” Namjoo suggested.

“No, no. Don’t worry about me,” Chae Yoon refused and slightly turned to glance at Luhan. “Thanks for the food.” She told before walking away.

Luhan listened to the door open and close all the while his heart went over a hump of anger before arriving at its painful exit. He hated how his emotions were still out of his control. He hated…seeing Chae Yoon like this again.

“Did you two talk about something?” Namjoo wondered.

“No,” he replied, but found Namjoo observing him as if she knew better.

After a short moment she turned away, “I can change your bandage whenever you want.”

They sat down together a short moment later and he watched Namjoo unwound the bandage. She wasn’t speaking for some reason. In the meantime his eyes drifted to look at her and noticed the bags underneath her eyes, yet she still had the strength to be kind to people like him and Chae Yoon. He suddenly wondered if she knew Chae Yoon had purposely knocked the plate off the table or not.

Namjoo couldn’t be that innocent.

“You tired or something?” He began.

Namjoo glanced at him and smiled before turning her attention back to the cut on his wrist. Without looking he could feel her carefully applying that antiseptic cream around his wound with both care and love.

“Maybe I overslept,” Namjoo answered. “Do you think I should start requesting for first shift only? But then they love me for being an all-around worker.”

He glanced at her quietly before looking away. No matter what angle he saw her from; Namjoo still seemed as good as ever. Was it possible for a person to possess perfection? Were there any flaws to her character at all?

“You must’ve been surprised that I brought Chae Yoon with me.”

Actually, yes; he’d been very surprised.

“I think you two would get along well if you got to know each other,” Namjoo went on.

They did get along well…once. He wasn’t thinking it would happen again.

“Do you feel awkward with her?”

“A little,” he lied. “I don’t hit it off well with strangers right away.”  

Namjoo glanced up at him with a look that said she knew he was lying, but didn’t prod him on.

“Who knows, maybe you might even like her,” she joked.    

He didn’t laugh. It wasn’t funny anymore. Anything that concerned Chae Yoon wasn’t amusing.

“Maybe,” he muttered, “I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

Namjoo’s eyes moved up to look at him again, “Why are you so stiff? I didn’t mean it.”

“I know.”

“How’s work? You said you started again, right?” Namjoo asked.

“It’s ok,” he replied lifelessly as he lifted his hand up to touch the new bandage she’d put on.

“Why does it always sound like you lack energy?” Namjoo wondered. “Are you really…not happy about anything at all? There must be something you look forward to.”

Luhan thought about her words. There wasn’t much he wanted, not anymore. Nothing seemed to hype him up any longer either. Life was just as meaningless as he was.

“There’s nothing I can think of, really.”

Namjoo seemed to think about his disappointing answer, “You should broaden your perspective. If you open your eyes up a little wider you’ll see that there are a lot of things to live for. It’s the little things that make us happy, not people. Take for example, the fried noodles you prepared was a gesture enough to cheer me up from a long weekend. It’s not wrong and I’m not sure what happened between you and your girlfriend, but you shouldn’t base your happiness off that. Whatever has been left over, you should cherish it and still look at the world with love. In the future, what you’re going through now is going to look insignificant; it’s always like that. We all only live once, so love yourself a little. I’d like to see you smile and laugh. You deserve some happiness Luhan.”

Luhan allowed for her words to sink in as he merely stared off into space. Even though it had been a short while since the separation, he’d already forgotten what happiness was. How had he been happy with Chae Yoon? What had made him happy?

That was right; he based his happiness off Chae Yoon. She had been his everything; he’d made her his everything, but not once had Chae Yoon sat down for a heart to heart talk more than once. Yet here he was with Chae Yoon’s friend listening to tell him about the meaning of life.

How was it that he was able to feel Namjoo’s words to heart, but not his ex-girlfriend’s?

“Call me if you need anything,” Namjoo said and got up. “And thanks for the food. I hope the cookbook is helping you.”

“Namjoo,” he turned and watched her look at him, “this weekend…I’ll come.”

“=====”

That was more than enough of an answer to get Namjoo’s heart rocking within her small chest. When she returned home she didn’t regret the stain on her blouse. She could just replace it by buying another one.

After walking out of the elevator she spotted a tall man standing in front of her door, kicking at the ground with the tip of his foot. His hair was a little rustled and he was slightly bent forward, hands in his pockets. Namjoo didn’t recognize him until he turned.

“Namjoo!” The smile lit up his face.

Kai, her step-brother, was not her mother’s biological son, but came from her step-father’s previous marriage. Only the two younger step-sisters, Gil Jin and Hee Jin, shared any blood with her. Her oldest step-sister, Seo Jin, who like Kai came from the previous marriage, didn’t share blood ties with her and was the only one of them siblings who’d married. That made Kai the second oldest of his family and she next in line before the two younger sisters.

Her jaw literally dropped before rushing forward to hug him. Out of her siblings she was probably closest to Kai. It was perhaps because when the younger sisters took a fight over her toys Kai always took to returning the toy back to her. And she felt that if Kai wasn’t family she would have liked him enough to consider dating him, but he was her brother and she still loved him.

He was very special to her.

“Hey,” he greeted squeezing her with his arms. “I heard you moved out. You haven’t returned home?”

“No,” she laughed and felt him lightly knock the top of her head.

“Rebellious,” he told as they let go and she turned to unlock the door.

“Door code is your birthday, if you want to come over; come anytime,” Namjoo told.

“Really?” He asked.

“It’s the only numbers I remember,” Namjoo explained. “Come in, it’s really nice.”

“Whoa…” he managed in awe as he looked around before walking over to the window to look out. “You have great view. Mom really let you stay here?”  

“The only place they let me have,” Namjoo answered. “Aunt Jin comes by a lot.”

Kai laughed as if he knew how that was.

“Are you hungry?”

“Of course,” he replied turning to follow her into the kitchen. “Where’d you come from?”

“A friend’s.”

“Chae Yoon?”

“No.”

“Really? Then who?”

“Someone I recently met,” Namjoo told sticking some of her mother’s food into the microwave for them.

“Is it a guy?”

“Yea,” Namjoo nodded turning around to lean back against the counter. “Actually he was a patient at the hospital, but he’s just a friend now.”

“Just a friend,” Kai repeated mockingly underneath his breath. “I wasn’t aware nurses could get close to their patients. Can I meet him?”

“Sure,” Namjoo nodded. “I’m not sure how he’d feel about it though.”

“What do you mean by that? What guy doesn’t think of our Namjoo enough that he doesn’t care about her family?”

“It’s not like that,” Namjoo corrected. “He’s currently depressed over his girlfriend. I think their breakup hit him hard. He came into the hospital with a slit wrist.”

There was a moment of silence before Kai went, “Oh…is it ok for you to stick around him? Depressed people can be dangerous too.”

“He’s pretty nice,” Namjoo said. “He’s coming to your party this weekend, you can meet him then.”

Kai eyed her before sitting down at the table, “Food’s done, give me some.”

Grabbing a plate and some utensils she grabbed the food out of the microwave before sitting with him.

“Remember when we used to eat like this at the table at midnight when everyone was asleep?” She asked poking her fork into the food.

“Oh yea, we were like scavengers. Until that one time Hee Jin caught us.”

They laughed and continued to share childhood memories late into the night. Namjoo didn’t think she’d be able to have this kind of relationship with anyone else. In Kai’s company she never had to worry about a thing. He had protected her ever since their parents married and had continued to protect her. Unlike anywhere else where she had to be her own person and protect herself, with Kai it was a completely different story.

Namjoo had always thought of him as her knight in shining armor. Adjusting to her environment had been difficult for her since young. Anything before her mother took her was difficult for her remember, but something about it had pained her much. Right after her mother took her in she married Kai’s father, forever changing her world. She’d been teased and bullied at school and had felt small in her home, but Kai had always defended her. He wasn’t just her brother from another mom, but like a lovely idol – an ideal person of her hopes and dreams, her steel armor.

Kai was the only person she knew who allowed her to lean on him and she depended on him so much for the sake of security. She received pretty much everything from him and she loved him so dearly for that.

He was the one person who never hurt her.

“=====”

A loud unsatisfied scream erected from Chae Yoon’s throat as she threw her purse onto her bed. She was angry at both Luhan and Namjoo.

How dare she approach Luhan?! And how dare Luhan ignore her over Namjoo?!

This wasn’t right. Things weren’t supposed to be like this. Luhan was supposed to be begging for her attention, she shouldn’t have to cry for him to look at her.

This wasn’t fair!

Thinking about how Namjoo talked to Luhan so innocently and happily made Chae Yoon even angrier when she thought back to it. Was Namjoo doing it on purpose to instigate her?

That sly fox…

It didn’t take much for her to realize that Namjoo was hiding something from her. The jokish smile that had appeared on Namjoo’s face at the store held its own story.

Chae Yoon felt a snort fall through her lips.

“How dare you lie to me?” Chae Yoon muttered underneath her breath disgusted. “You obviously like him.”

Crushing her nails against her palm Chae Yoon bit her bottom lip. Never would she let Namjoo have the man she once possessed. Luhan would come back to her and she’d get him back under no circumstance.

When it came to love, Park Chae Yoon was the only one who could be victorious.

That weekend she arrived extra early at the Kim manor to help out. She wanted to be there early to welcome Namjoo and Luhan whenever they arrived. Ki Chan would as well be there too.

“Chae Yoon! You’re here?” Namjoo’s mother greeted her with a warm hug. “Welcome! Thanks so much for coming.”

“No problem,” Chae Yoon smiled. “Namjoo’s not here yet?”

“She said she was picking up a friend,” the woman replied.

“Oh…” Chae Yoon managed. “Would you like any help?”

“The maids all have it under control. Don’t worry about it,” Namjoo’s mother patted her back. “Why don’t you go out back? Kai is in the backyard with the guys. You should go say hi.”

Nodding with a bright smile Chae Yoon turned to walk away. The house was huge. The dark wooden brown walls were decorated with family pictures and ancient painted portraits of rivers and the sea. All of it spoke of confidence and pride, just what Namjoo’s family was built off of.

The Kims was a family of prestigious smart, outgoing children who would carry on the family name. There was no doubt that Namjoo was one of them.

A large staircase connected to the wall led up to the bedrooms, luxurious bathrooms, and guest rooms. Chae Yoon had once stayed over one night and found herself standing inside a mirrored bathroom with both a tub and a shower. She’d never been in a place of such grace until Namjoo transferred to her school.

Heading down the long hallway where a white light was emanating from the backyard Chae Yoon stopped midway to look at a picture of Namjoo hanging on the wall. She was in her graduate gown proudly smiling at the camera with roses, lilies, and moon flowers in her arms. This Namjoo, her friend who led what looked like a perfect life was enviable and always favored by others. Chae Yoon would hate Namjoo one day if even Luhan went to her side. 

Pressing her lips together firmly stepped outside to the large backyard already decorated with circular tables and empty chairs. There were busy maids scurrying back and forth to place food, trays, plates, and drinks onto the table so that they would be starting no longer than eleven o’ clock. No one paid her attention until she walked over to the gathering old man Kai was standing with.

“What’s up?” Chae Yoon greeted. “I heard from Namjoo that you’re back.”

“Oh…” Kai didn’t look one bit ecstatic to see her. “Hey Chae Yoon. I saw your articles at Namjoo’s place. You’re pretty popular nowadays.”

Chae Yoon smiled graciously; glad that at least Kai knew that.

“Of course, I’m always popular,” Chae Yoon complimented herself.

“But popularity is only a phase, isn’t it?” Kai asked and Chae Yoon felt her smitten smile from earlier drop. “There’s a table over there if you’re tired, Namjoo will be here soon.”

He turned away to jump back into conversation effortlessly with the older men, leaving her to stand there by herself. There was always something about that boy that Chae Yoon didn’t quite like either.

Turning on her heels she started toward a table and plopped down, keeping her eyes on the door for Namjoo and Luhan.

“=====”

Namjoo greeted him brightly that morning when she picked him up. She was actually dressed different from every other time he saw her. Unlike the casual outfits she stuck to on days she came by, today she was wearing a pink dress. He felt unintentionally small beside her and wondered if he should have worn something more formal.

Her house was even more magnificent than he’d imagined. It was bordered up with rich panels from probably the most exquisite materials. Each and every window consisted of four panels, all clear and cleaned. He could see into each room and saw that they were all detailed with expensive furniture and paintings. He saw high bookshelves all filled with books of different materials in one room and a collection of more library materials in another. Even the lawn seemed to be detailed right down to the grass’ cores.

Right after driving through the tall gates she led him immediately around the large yard to the back where voices were rising in volume. Along every step of the way there was always someone who would stop to greet Namjoo with a polite bow and passionate smile as they passed. Luhan felt himself fall into bigger awe when he saw women scurrying back and forth busily with trays of food and drinks. There was even an orchestra being set up by the side for live music.   

While the laughter from inside the house Namjoo had excluded him from faded behind him, she seemed to quicken her steps as if in a hurry leaving him behind. He then realized she was headed toward a tall man standing with a group of old men conversing. When she neared that man dressed in slightly formal clothing turned, his face beaming with a broad smile upon spotting her.

“Namjoo! You’re late,” he said when she stopped and wrapped an arm around him almost intimately.

Luhan watched them turn to laugh and smile at each other, their eyes shimmering exuberantly. He swore that the way they locked eyes made them look as if they were lovers finally reunited after a long separation. Stealing a look at the overwhelmed expression on Namjoo’s face had him admitting he was surprised to see such a tremendously happy smile there. In contrast to the soft spoken smiles she always leant him, this one on her face spoke of a lot of things, like she missed him; she was glad to see him; that he was most precious and she was just glad to be there with him.

“You said you’d be the first one here,” the man told her before nudging her head with his knuckles playfully.

Instead of getting angry Namjoo only laughed. When the man wrapped his arm around her wheeling her toward the older men, who let out a shout of surprise upon seeing her, Luhan swore he felt a dark shadow cast over him. 

***There's more than meets the eye here ;)

***I swear I'm not supposed to be getting KaiJoo feels, but I AM. It's horrible i~i But it should make this interesting/slightly disturbing I guess.../sigh/

***Anyway, Luhan is a real needy person who needs to step up and get a hang of himself again. But ya know, after depression you're never really the same. Right now Namjoo is his boulder and in due time he'll need to be a boulder for her too.