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One and a half years later…

As the guard opened the door Namjoo stepped out basking in the sunlight. With undying sympathy for her, her sentence had been cut short thanks to the jail counselor. Namjoo didn’t think she ever felt so good before.

Stretching her arms back as the steel door closed behind her she wholeheartedly smiled up into the sky, inhaling deeply. Summer was in the air. She could smell the fresh tree leaves and the dirt on the concrete as well as the pollution in the air. All of it welcoming her back into civilization.

“Namjoo!” she turned at the voice and saw Tao waving at her. Broadly grinning Namjoo raced toward him, throwing her arms around him.

“I’m out,” she squeaked.

Hugging her in return, “As you should.” Then releasing her he nodded toward his bike. “Come on. I’ll take you around. You hungry?”

Smiling she nodded, “You bet.” Taking the helmet from him she slipped it on and climbed onto his motorcycle comfortably hugging him as he revved the engine and they were off.

After a hearty meal of street food she’d missed much he drove her downtown toward a shabby area of mobile homes. It stank of dew and metal but it wasn’t too run down and a perfect place for an individual to live.

“I moved out of my mobile home,” Tao explained, “I would give it to you but someone already claimed it. The old owner here agreed to settle this place for five-hundred.”

“Five-hundred?!” she repeated with a gasp. “You didn’t have to.”

“Don’t worry. It was a bargain,” Tao handed her the key to the tiny mobile home and smiled. “It’s yours. Open it.”

Accepting the silver keys from him Namjoo unlocked the door and stepped in with a quirky grin. dropped in awe when she stepped in. Everything was secondhandedly used, but not in such poor condition that she needed to revamp everything. This was even better than she had ever imagined. There was even a TV, a couch, and a table for eating.

“Recognize it?” Tao asked hitting the table with his knuckles. “It’s mine. Still in top shape. You can keep it.”

Touched, she turned to him, “Thank you.”

“And here,” he handed her an envelope. She grabbed it to find a stack of money inside. Looking up surprised he said, “Congratulations on coming out. Use this to buy new clothes, you'll need it. I put some food into your fridge for you and I also put my old phone in your bedroom. Use it to call me if you need anything. Remember that fish soup restaurant behind my place? I chatted with the old woman. Her husband has fallen ill, if you go meet her in the morning she can get you a job there.”

“Thanks Tao, I owe you so much.”

“You owe me nothing.” He assured. “It’s what a friend would do for a friend.” Then he patted her arm. “Welcome home, Namjoo.” 

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Settling in had not been difficult at all. Namjoo was happy and loved that she was by herself again. Following Tao’s instructions she went to meet with the restaurant owner and as promised, landed herself a job.

Sometimes she would take a stroll after work, stop by food vendors along the street and eat. Other times she would shop alone, searching for the lowest priced foods. She wore jeans again and found clothes from thrift stores. She met, greeted, and chatted happily with regular customers at the restaurant with no fear of her words, and being herself again. And it felt as if she’d never left the life of Kim Namjoo. Everything was normal and everything was good.

Namjoo honestly didn’t think she could be any happier.

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Regardless of his desire to stay with the publishing team Kai was forced into the position of CEO after Sehun resigned. His days were onslaughts of paperwork and meetings that filled up the hours. He was partially glad for the diversion, for it kept him from thinking about Namjoo.

At nights when he returned home he would open the door to her room, as if expecting to see here there. Nights were lonely and painful. He had started seeing a doctor and began taking sleeping pills due to insomnia. It still hadn’t gotten any better.

But now…now he had some hope again. Just yesterday he’d gotten a call from his lawyer. Namjoo had been released two months ago. The person who had come to pick her up was none other than Tao. And the jerk had had the nerve not to say anything to him.

Delaying his work that Thursday morning he parked by the curb of Tao’s workplace. Walking in to ask for Tao he had been told the guy would be with him in thirty minutes, but after thirty minutes Tao had not come out. Instead, a co-worker covered in black grease came to say Tao was busy.

“Tell him I’ll wait,” Kai stubbornly said and watched the man nod before heading into the garage. As the hours passed and the sun grew warmer Tao’s manager, a round man, walked out.

“Sir,” he said, “you’re obstructing our business. Can you please move your car elsewhere?”

“I can do that,” Kai nodded, “only after I see Tao. Will you tell him to come out?”

“Look here,” the man patiently went on, “we’ve had a lot of cars coming in for repairs. Tao is a prized employee of mine, and we’re busy right now. I’m afraid I can’t.”

“The faster he comes talk to me, the faster he can return back to work,” Kai held his ground. “Will you tell him to come out? I can wait here all day.” Crossing his arms he leaned back against his car and raised a brow. The manager shook his head before turning to walk in.

When it started growing darker and workers began walking out in their heavy clothes to leave for home, Tao finally walked out with a frown clearly unhappy to see him. Kai stepped off the curb and toward him with hands in his pockets.

“What are you?” Tao asked. “You should have left.”

“You,” Kai began trying not to be angry, “why didn’t you tell me Namjoo was released?”

Tao gave him a once over, “Why should I? Who are you to her?”

Kai firmly pressed his lips together, hurt.

“I just want to see her.”

“She hasn’t asked about you,” Tao said, “or Sehun for that matter. Just leave her alone.”

“Please,” Kai begged, “where is she?”

“You’re a sore in the eye, you know?” Tao asked.

Kai bit his lower lip, “Please. Just once. I just want to see her once.”

“I told you, no,” Tao refused. “She’s living well and happy without you jerks around her. Is that good enough?” he turned to go but Kai ran around him, blocking his way.

Groaning, Tao glared. “What do you want from her? Force her into another miserable marriage? You don’t think what you’ve done to her is already enough? She went to jail for you, for Sehun, for Hayoung, and all those money powerful bastards.”

Looking ashamed and despairingly sad, Kai slowly withdrew and lowered his head. “I just want to see her, because I missed her.”

Suddenly overwhelmed with sympathy for them, Tao rolled his eyes.

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It was evening. The sky was just glowing prettily with an aqua and blue hue. Stars were making their way out. Through the silence Kai’s soft footsteps thudded against the concrete, looking around at the run down homes and litter around him. It smelled of cats and old things.

The mobile homes were spaced widely apart, some with doors facing each other. Through the windows Kai could see that the lights were on. Families were inside or individuals living alone, like Namjoo.

She’d had nothing on her, Tao told him, but she looked happy and excited. When was the last time she’d been excited for anything? Kai couldn’t remember. All he could remember was her long face and how she stubbornly told him she wouldn’t marry him. When he thought about it now, they seemed like good memories too. They were all he had of her.

Then he reached. In a three minute walk he was at home number 6, a yellow home that appeared dirty white with the sun down. Kai traced the exterior of the home with his eyes, wondering what Namjoo might be doing inside. Reading? Sleeping? Or was she eating?

He missed the days he would find her in the kitchen with Nanny Jung, who would later exclaim to him she’d been practicing how to cook. Had her skills detoriated already? He wanted to eat her sloppy food again.

Pausing in front of the door he wondered how he should greet her. Like an old friend? Or as her ex-husband? Or were they strangers now?

Determindedly pressing his lips together he stepped forward and gently knocked against the door, listening to the plastic window shake.

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Namjoo had just finished dinner and putting the dishes away. Work had made her feet sore, but she was feeling uplifted and glad. She would rest well tonight and rise early for work. Pulling her short hair out of the tiny ponytail she ran a hand through her hair to let it loose and stared into the mirror.

She liked the short cut she’d gone to get a few days ago at a salon down the street from work. She liked it. It made her feel different, like she was really starting over. Smiling to herself she put down her hair tie and turned around, preparing to slip out of her faded shirt but stopped when there was a knock at her door.

Lowering her hands she wondered who it might be. Tao had, earlier on, told her that he had a full shift and wouldn’t be able to have dinner with her. Or had he decided to visit after all?

Turning around she called out, “Tao?”

When no one replied she frowned and walked through the living room before pausing in front of the door. Something made her feel a tad bit anxious but shaking it off, she reached out to open it with a smile calling, “Tao?”

Her entire whole froze. The smile quikly dissipated and she stared at the figure in front of her as shock washed over her. Her eyes grew blank and empty as she quietly stared.

“Can I come in?” Kai quietly asked.

Namjoo turned away, uncertain whether she was dreaming or if this was really happening. She wasn’t ready. She’d liked her peace. So why was he here?

Gulping, she pulled her hand away from the door. “Oh…” she muttered and felt herself step back without meaning to.

Grabbing a hold of the door Kai stepped up the short flight of stairs and entered her home. She watched him look around without so much as a word, and felt ashamed that he had come here. This wasn’t the rich or modern place he was used to. This was her casual run-down kind of life.    

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It was just like Namjoo, Kai felt. The kind of place she would want to live in than his home. So this was Kim Namjoo, he thought and turned to look at her in that old tee and the jeans she liked so much. The pair he’d gotten for her was still at his home. Thinking about it, he realized he hadn’t seen her wear it once.

Namjoo was thinner now. Her eyes looked sunken. He wanted to hug her, ask her if she was eating healthily.

“Can I sit?” he asked.

“Oh…yea…” she gestured toward the old chair beside him absentmindedly.

Without waiting for her he pulled it out and sat down. Placing his hands onto the table he entwined them and looked up at her. Namjoo looked frozen, kind of nervous and it was painfully obvious she didn’t want him. Even so, he wanted to be here and he wanted to hear her voice.

“You can sit down,” Kai said and watched her blindly move before quietly sitting across from him.

With two chairs, he wondered, did Tao often come over to keep her company so she wasn’t lonely? Was she lonely at all? And had she thought about him?

“It’s almost been two years, huh?” he asked.

“Yea…” her voice was barely audible.

“You cut your hair,” he noted. “It looks nice.”

Her eyes drifted toward the ground quietly. Why wasn’t she talking to him?

“Are you happy here?” he wondered.

She nodded.   

Pulling on a firm smile he said, “That’s good. You should be happy.”

He glanced at her, for some reason fearing to talk to her. It felt that if he was too loud he would break her. That if he was too direct she would decide not to say a thing. 

“I miss you.” He confessed. “I liked you a lot, I still do. You probably didn’t know that. Or maybe you did.” He rubbed his fingers together. “I’m still at our house. Nanny Jung is still there too. It’s kind of empty now…you know. When you lived there with me, I was happy. I should have told you.”

He noted how her eyes slighty drifted up but not near enough to him. Then he felt her eyes land on the band around his finger.

Rubbing it warmly, as if to keep it in her attention he told her, “It’s…I didn’t remarry.” He stated the obvious. “It’s just…it feels weird without it, so I didn’t take it off.”

And at last, Namjoo slowly drifted her eyes up to his face sadly before faintly smiling. “You don’t have to worry about me. I have a job now and I’m happy here, so…you should move on too. It’s almost been two years. You’re still doing well. That’s enough to know.”  

No, it wasn’t enough. Two years had been a long time for him. And he wasn’t well. He wasn’t doing well at all. He wanted to tell her how pitifully he lived each day, but he couldn’t mutter the words.

“You should go.” The words pierced his heart.

Kai looked away from her, afraid that the longer he continued looking the more he would yearn for her. Blinking, he turned to look away and feigned a smile. He shouldn’t let himself look sad or weak in front of her. Not after all that had already happened. It was too late now. To turn back, to tell her everything; that he regretted being mean and not telling her how he’d felt about her. That when she’d been sad during pregnancy it had hurt too.

Namjoo was right. Tao was right. He didn’t deserve her. To realize it stung even more. He didn’t want this to be the last time he would see her. He wanted to see her tomorrow, too, and the day after that. And again after that.

“Namjoo,” he said, “if you ever feel like you need someone, if you’re ever lonely and you want someone to walk with you, I hope I’m the first person you come to.” He looked at her for the last time then stood to his feet. “You look tired, so I’ll go now. I hope you stay healthy and live happily.”

He turned toward the door, paused, and turned back to see her still sitting there quietly. Then once and for all he pushed the door open and hurried out. Once it closed after him he deeply breathed as tears flushed down his face.

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When Namjoo climbed into bed that night she couldn’t go to sleep. Her mind raced back to the very first time she met Kai in front of Choonhee’s house. And she recalled his backhanded antics to get her trapped into his marriage proposal. Despite all that, he had kept his promise to let her live well. The fact that he’d kept his word had meant much to her, but she didn’t love him. Yet, a part of her remained sad over that.

Kai was a good person but he should forget her by now. They just didn’t belong together. 

***Lets face it, it would have never worked out between them ;; Another sad ending for KaiJoo. Ok, I have to admit, I teared up. He still calls their home 'our' home ;; What's different between Kai & Sehun is that Sehun was 100% honest right from the start w/his feelings. Kai only admitted it too late and when Namjoo wasn't ready to see him again. Their timing is wrong. 

***And we see that Namjoo is glad to be herself again but she's missing something - a piece of herself - she's not completely100% happy. 

***Anywho, I got my very first KaiJoo story going: Next Stop, You

***I realize I'm pretty much the only writer who writes Namjoo x any Exo boy huh? LOL They're my biases so I know them and Namjoo needs more stories so bending their characters inside my head makes it funner and easier to picture! P.S. When I'm bored I look for tweets about my stories on twitter xDD