She never expected Sehun to like her, but to treat her this way was despicable.

“You’re pathetic,” Hayoung sneered. “You’re even worse than Kai.”

She watched his hand draw up into a fist.

“Kai?” Sehun laughed mockingly. “You can’t insult me like that.”

“Why not?” Hayoung asked. “At least he had some consideration for Namjoo. You can’t even compare.”

“Don’t talk about him!” Sehun raised his voice so loudly that nearby tables turned to stare. His eyes bulged in a way Hayoung never saw before. Gritting his teeth he stared at her like a mad man. “I am better than him.” he breathed harshly. “If my woman already had a lover, I wouldn’t touch her.”

“Do you honestly believe that anyone knew about you and Namjoo?” Hayoung asked. “Don’t get so ahead of yourself Sehun. I’ll tell you something.” She crossed her arms and stared tauntingly, “Namjoo didn’t do anything wrong. Did you come out and let anyone know you liked her? No. Of course you didn’t. Who’s the real coward within all this? Should I tell you?”

His lips trembled before he pressed them together.

“That’s right.” Hayoung concluded. “You know it too. You didn’t do anything, so who are you blaming for your failure? You had some power when Namjoo had none. You could have done something, but you didn't. You could have shown up at the wedding, you could have wrecked it, but you didnt. Don’t use me as your pawn for a petty and ridiculous revenge. Namjoo is a married woman. Kai is her husband. His family will have expectations for her and she will work to meet them. If you’re going to marry me, re-evaluate yourself.”

Standing up she pulled the ring off her finger and set it onto the table then turned to strut out. 

\\\\\

Namjoo ate, slept, woke up, ate, and slept again. During the days that Kai went to work Nanny Jung often called and he heard the same things several times a day. That she didn’t go out and stayed locked up.

The bags of maternity clothes he’d given Nanny Jung to pass over to Namjoo were still sitting in her room untouched when Kai returned home. Sometimes, even looking at Namjoo was pure torture. It felt like he was living with a mute.

That weekend he pulled her out of the house and rented a tandem bicycle by the river. Namjoo needed some light exercise. Staying in would only increase her stress level. He wanted her to do something. 

“You know how to ride a bike?” he asked and watched Namjoo’s long expressionless face turn away from him.

Grabbing her arm he pulled her onto the bike saying, “Just pedal.” Then hopping on up front he started pedaling forward with the fresh air blowing at them. The heavy weight he was forced to drive with made his legs ache after a few minutes and he glanced back to see Namjoo blankly sitting there, gripping onto the handles, her feet unmoving. It was frustrating but he could not yell at her. He felt for her and she was too important for him to hurt. 

Sighing, he continued on for half an hour and turned back to find an empty area to rest. While catching his breath he sat down with Namjoo, watching the waves slap the shore before receding. Namjoo neither said a word nor turned to look at him. It was starting to feel more and more like a punishment.

\\\\\

Namjoo was seven weeks pregnant that next week. Monday morning felt like any usual day. Right after breakfast Kai left for work and Namjoo returned to her room to read. By the day, she realized, it was starting to feel emptier. Everything inside her was starting to wash out until it felt like she had no more emotions.

Soon, Sehun would be starting his new life. This was her life with Kai and would forever be like this. Sehun's wouldn't be any different. The thought was devastating.

As she sat there with her eyes hovering over the words that filled up the pages her thoughts continued their torturous run. Several weeks had already passed since she moved in and she was finding herself more foreign to the environment. These walls around her, the fluffy mattress, and soft blanket was starting to lose its warmth. She no longer felt protected. She was becoming too lazy to open the curtains these days. This darkness around her made her so tired of everything. Inside her chest this heaviness continuously gained pounds and it was harder to breathe everyday.

That early afternoon she realized she was almost finished with the book she’d grabbed from Kai’s room and it felt like her life was also coming to an end with it. All had been calm and she simply felt nothing. Upon waking that morning she expected it to be just another dreary day before Kai would come home to be good to her again. Seconds later Namjoo looked up when Nanny Jung opened her door with concern plastered all over her entire face. Her eyes held an ominous feeling Namjoo did not want to yet detect.

“I think you need to come down,” she faintly whispered.

Without a word, Namjoo could feel the urgency in her face alone and set down the book. Getting up from the recliner calmly she started down the stairs and toward the front door where she saw two police officers standing.

“Lee Choonhee?” the gruff man in the standard uniform asked.

“Yes?” she was not as scared as she thought she would have been weeks ago. Instead, how everything came crumbling down right in front of her eyes felt like she was starting to see light again.

“You’re going to need to come to the police station with us,” he finished.  

\\\\\

The phone rang intensely, repeatedly for minutes. Bursting into the room after a long two hours of meeting Kai set down his binders and picked the machine up.

“This is Director Kim Jongin, how may I help you?” holding the phone between cheek and shoulder he his computer ready to return to work.

“Namjoo…Jongin…” Nanny Jung’s voice trembled.

“What is it?” Kai held the phone again, alarmed upon hear Namjoo's name.

“Namjoo…” the nanny cried, “the cops came.”

\\\\\

The room was dark and to her left she spotted a darkly tinted window. Namjoo was sure someone was recording or watching, listening to them. Seated at the table under the shadows with just a single light hovering above her she held her hands on the tabletop clasped together. She had not been handcuffed but had been simply escorted there, like she was a guest visiting jail. 

The interrogation room was a lot smaller than she’d imagined. Just a regular sized room that looked like a box. The table she sat at was old, she could tell from the markings on it. It also felt kind of sticky, as if through aging it had lost its smooth texture.

She turned when the heavy door behind her opened and an officer walked in. “Good morning, ma’am,” he greeted her, “I’m Officer Lee Jae Hee, and I’ll be conducting your interview.”

Faintly smiling Namjoo nodded. She could feel it in her heart that this was it. What she’d feared all along and what she needed now so very desperately was coming.

“Due to some information, we have some suspicion we need to clear up first,” he started. “Can you start by telling me your name?”

Namjoo stared at the officer with her deep eyes. He looked like the gentle kind of man on the street, who behind that smile might be someone holding a dagger or someone holding a cross. She hoped that he would be holding the cross.

“I’m,” she breathed and clamped her hands tighter together, “my name…” she felt choked, “is Kim Namjoo.”

He nodded and marked something down in his papers. By this point Namjoo felt her insides welling up with utter relief, none that she had ever felt before. Suddenly she was breathing, she was dancing along a grassy green field of flowers under a shining blue sky and a large sun. She was free. She was the bird Choonhee had desperately wanted to be and she was going to fly. 

Closing her eyes she nodded, listening carefully to the officer and shed quiet tears as she told him about what she’d done.

\\\\\

Kai stampeded into the police station, alarming the few officers seated at their desks upon his arrival as he flew in.

“Whoa!” one of them shouted immediately holding him back. “Slow down there.”

“No, I don’t have time,” he shook his head furiously. “My wife…my wife is here! Where is she!”

“Calm down, sir,” the officer tried restraining him. “Lets talk first. Who’s your wife? What is she doing here?”

“This isn’t right. She didn’t do anything wrong!” was all Kai could think of shouting, pushing against the thin man with all his might. “Let her go! My wife is in there!”

“Someone help,” the officer grunted to the others.

“Look, sir, whatever is going on she’s probably in questioning right now. It’ll be over soon. If you can go over there and sit down,” a bigger man suggested, gesturing toward chairs in the corner. “We’ll promise to get back to you shortly.”

Huffing, Kai turned to walk away pretentiously then immediately turned when the officers dispersed toward their seats and began running the way he had been headed. Shooting back toward him quickly they pulled him back, restraining him.

“My wife is in there!” he screamed from the top of his lungs desperately, unwilling to give up his struggle. He needed to save Namjoo. She needed him. And he needed her. 

\\\\\

Right after the questioning Namjoo was put in a holding cell where she sat alone in the corner quietly. While listening to the noises of paperwork and phones ringing around her she felt a kind of solace wrap its invisible arms around her, telling her it would be ok. Warmth seeped through her veins and she closed her eyes wanting to rest for the longest period possible. She was at peace. At last. 

A few minutes later keys jingled and the cell loudly unlocked.

“Kim Namjoo?” a voice called out. “You can come out now.”

Opening her eyes she stared up at the woman questionably.

“Someone paid your bail,” the woman told. “Come out.”

Wondering who would Namjoo slowly rose to her feet and listened to the woman close the cell before following her down the winding hallways. After a few turns she spotted Kai waiting desperately for her, his eyes lubricated with concern and helplessness. A half smile of relief and desperation climbed onto his face before he quickly shook his jacket off. Namjoo stood and stared, frozen and shocked that he was in the police station with her.

She hadn’t expected him to come. If his parents knew, his image would be tarnished. He’d get in trouble; the entire family would be ruined. They would be mocked and the company would lose out on sales. Stocks would drop. She had assumed she would stay in the holding cell for the night until her papers were processed through the court so she could be transferred to a real jail.   

“Wear this and keep it over your head,” he ordered.

“Kai, you don’t have to,” she shook her head.

“I said do it!” he exclaimed underneath his voice seriously and that was when she noticed an unfamiliar man behind him. The lawyer he just hired.

Namjoo felt him pull his jacket over her head and tuck it under chin to keep her face hidden before putting an arm around her. Then they headed towards the door the lawyer opened for them and all at once she heard cameras flashing and voices chanting out questions to them. Confusion hit her at once. Stunned by all the faces trying to stick their microphones her way she looked around and felt Kai push her head down before hurrying her along.

A car pulled up and opening the back door he pushed her in before following her. Once they were on the road she turned to look at him. For the first time since she came to know him the most fragile smile shakily sat on his lips and he her hair affectionately. He looked downright scared. 

“Are you ok?” he whispered. “Did they do anything to you?”

Namjoo stared and quietly shook her head before he hugged her so tightly she almost couldn't breathe.

\\\\\

When they arrived at his home his parents were at the front door, their faces stoic and gazes worried yet cold.

“Kai! Choonhee!” Seulgi called out like a wailing mother lamb as they headed toward the house with Kai’s arm protectively around her.

“What is going on?” his father demanded deeply. “Tell me.”

All Kai said was, “Please leave. We want to be alone.”

“Kai!” his father screamed. “You owe us an explanation. Who is she?!”

Namjoo turned her head ashamed.

“Please!” Kai begged, his voice shaking. “Go. I want to be alone. I’ll talk to you when I can. I promise, so leave.”

His father’s face reddened before he brushed by, his footsteps loud and heavy, a clear expression of his rage. Namjoo listened to them go before Kai urged her in. His parents were going to kill him when the truth came out. 

“What’s going on?” Nanny Jung cried out when they walked in. “I’ve been so worried. The news…they’re broadcasting crazy stuff. I’m so confused.”

“You can go,” Kai excused her, his grip firm on her shoulder. Then added, “Please.”  

Nanny Jung’s face crossed with worry before finally nodding and once the door closed leaving them enveloped in peaceful silence, Namjoo turned to Kai with a smile. He didn't need to be frightened for her nor did he have to care so much. It made her feel...sorry. 

“Are you hungry?” Kai asked turning to face her with his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll get you something to eat. You must be tired.”

Releasing her at last he started to walk away but Namjoo grabbed his arm, “No. I’m fine. Can we sit down for a moment?”

He turned to her with a hopeful smile and nodded like a child. Once they were seated Namjoo slid off his jacket and set it aside, relaxing in the solemn silence. She first looked around the room, relishing in its warmth. It felt as if she was starting to see it clearly for the first time. The home had been empty when she first walked through the door with Kai. There had been nothing that said this was theirs. Now it was furnished and decorated thanks to Kai's hard work. He really had provided her with a home, a really nice home she wouldn't forget. 

“I’m going to go,” Namjoo spoke up and felt her eyes burn as hope soared through her.

“Namjoo…”

“At max, I’ll only serve two years,” Namjoo told, “since I turned myself in.”

“No,” he breathed. “You can’t. You’re pregnant. I'll take good care of you. I promise.”

“I want to finish it as soon as I can so,” she couldn't look at him, “they won’t know until I’m already in…but I can’t raise the child, so you…you do it.” Her eyes welled up and tears fell. “I grew up in an orphanage. I don’t remember being held by my mother. I don't remember my dad’s face. I was alone my entire life.” she shook her head, “I don’t know how to be a mother or what a mother is like, so I can’t raise this child. When he comes, you come get him. Even after divorce, people will know we were married once so, you can be his father.” Her lower lip trembled. “You at least owe me that.”

Namjoo reached up to dry her tears but they only ran more. “We can process the divorce papers when I’m in jail and end this once and for all.” She cried again when she admitted, “Thank you, Kai, for being kind to me, even if nothing went well. I'm most thankful for you. For keeping your promise to let me live well, for calling me by my name, for feeding me, and taking me to the doctor. To be honest, I was really scared. I even thought of going to get rid of the baby.” She breathlessly laughed, hurt by it. “But when I think about what happened to Choonhee, I became scared. I don’t want to disappear like her. So thank you, for everything.”

She turned to look at him to see him sitting there with his eyes turned away from her, as if angry and upset but unsure how to express it. She reached over to squeeze his hand.

“You’re not so bad after all,” she smiled, “you can become great again after this. I know you’ll be ok. And I’m sorry I won’t be able to wear the clothes you got me.”

\\\\\

“Oh my goodness!” his mother came screaming into the living room where Sehun was trying to finish going through some paper work in quiet. “You have to listen to this!”

“Mom, be quiet,” he muttered.

“No! This is top news!” the woman screamed, searched and grabbed the remote turning the TV on at once.

Sehun’s eyes drifted from over his papers when he saw what was on TV. The anchorwoman was passionately going over breaking news. Not humored he stood up to leave.

“Where are you going?” the woman screamed after him. “Sehun! Sehun! That son…what is wrong with him nowadays?”

\\\\\

It was quiet now, felt as if the whole house was engulfed in darkness. Not even a ghost lingered about. His heart stung but seeing Namjoo choke up with tears from relief and misery made him feel sadder. And it hurt real bad. 

He turned when the kettle screeched and immediately turned to turn the stove off. Sighing, he pressed a hand against his forehead before lifting the kettle up to pour warm water into the teacup. Setting it on a tray he carried it up to Namjoo’s room to find her standing in front of the open window staring out into the evening sky. He thought that even her back appeared happy. 

Placing the tray onto the table he turned to stare at the sight of her wondering when he would ever be able to see her like this again. Suddenly walking over to her on impulse he hugged her from behind, burying his face into her shoulder, and slid his hand across her belly to hold her. In the silence he felt Namjoo return the gesture by placing her hand over his.

“Can I…sleep with you tonight?” he shamelessly asked.

“I want to go somewhere for a bit,” Namjoo said.

“Where?”

“I want to see Tao.”

\\\\\

Bewildered by what he was seeing on TV Tao immediately turned it off and stood up to pace. It didn’t feel real. None of the news seemed factual and he couldn’t believe that in such a short amount of time this was happening.

He quickly turned when there was a knock on his door and hurried toward it. Pushing it open he spotted Namjoo standing outside. Without hesitating he pulled her in letting the door slam loudly behind her.

“How…why…what are you…”

Namjoo’s tired eyes looked up at him and she even had the guts to smile. “Did you see?”

He breathed, flabbergasted by her.

“I came to say goodbye before I go.” 

***I cried a lot writing this chapter. As you can see, Namjoo got so depressed that when the police came she was actually happy. And you know, as she turned herself in she also gave Hayoung away - and Hayoung knows what's coming. Poor Kai though, his heart is crushed. And Sehun is cold now. He doesn't give a damn. But lets soak in the fact that Namjoo really could have turned out to be Choonhee. If Sehun didn't ruin anything, KaiJoo might have ended up as a happy couple.