~~~~~

Concentration was difficult to achieve when Jongin reached the office. He was anxious over where Namjoo had gone. Was she meeting with Kyung? Who else was there for her to see? Jongin couldn’t think as he paced his office. He quickly spun around when the door opened and Namjoo walked in. Jongin breathed a smile onto his face but held himself from going overboard.

“You’re here?” he greeted walking toward her. Namjoo glanced up at him when he stopped before her and unable to help himself, breathlessly smiled from being so overjoyed that she was here…with him.

“Where did you go? You came back quickly,” he commented then over-worrying he might have stepped over her boundaries he excused, “never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

Jongin nervously smiled when he met her eyes and urged to occupy his hands with something he grabbed the collar of her blouse to unnecessarily smooth it out. His anxious breathing calmed after a few seconds when Namjoo said nothing. Feeling courageous at last like the confident person he’d been last night he lifted his eyes up to hers.

God, she was so perfect.

Moving his hand to touch her neck he parted lips and leaned in to kiss her, was nearly there before the door opened and someone immediately apologized. Clamping his eyes shut in frustration Jongin let go of Namjoo and turned to see Secretary Hong. Either it was the door that wasn’t locked or someone just had to interrupt them.

Heaving an angry sigh Jongin touched Namjoo’s arm as he walked by. Pushing Secretary Hong out he closed the door after him. “Do you not know how to knock?”

Swerving to follow him quickly Secretary Hong apologized again, “I didn’t mean to walk in on you and the secretary…”

“She’s my wife,” Jongin growled, halted, and then turned to look at the young secretary. He spoke softer this time, “She’s my wife. We were married two years ago.”

“Yes, of course,” Secretary Hong nodded as they started toward the elevator. “I kind of noticed something was going on.”

“Was it obvious?” Jongin wondered stepping into the lift and pressed the button to close the doors.

“Very.” Secretary Hong smiled.

~~~~~

Jongin didn’t return to the office the rest of the day. It was nothing new, but the emptiness of the office without him was starting to heavily set in. Her eyes had darted toward his desk numerous times during the hours that passed. Having enough of it she went out to join Kyung for lunch when he rang her up.

“What’s going on?” he wondered as she bit into her club sandwich in front of the window. “Something about you looks different today.”

The corner of her lips curved up and she scoffed loudly, “Like what? Nothing’s happened.”

“Really?” he shifted so they were sitting on their stools side by side with arms almost brushing. “If I had to use words to describe you, I’d say you look happy today. It must be something good. Is Hwan having another baby?”

A burst of rainbows exploded inside her and she smiled while looking at her sandwich. Something about having come clean about her determination to stay beside Jongin made her feel so much lighter. All she could look forward to were the good times they would be having.

“Is this what you’d call happy?” Namjoo wondered. “It must be it then.”

Kyung frowned, “I haven’t seen you smile like that for a seriously long time, Namjoo. What is it? What’s making you so happy?”

Watching a car drive past she said, “I’ve decided I’m ready to try and accept Jongin. I realized that what I did two years ago came back to hurt me and coming back to have Jongin in my life again scared me. I was afraid I would hurt myself again if I repeated history by being close to him, but you were right. I was just running from everything; from myself, from him, and everything that ever occurred between us. I feel a lot better now, knowing this.”

Lighthearted, Namjoo turned to look at him to feel the smile fade from her face. His eyes were despondent but a light remained lit in them for her.

“Is that so?” he asked. “I’m glad for you Namjoo.”

“What’s wrong?” she worried.

Kyung shook his head, “I’m really happy for you. I’m glad you see that, Namjoo.” Heaving a deep sigh he turned away to look out the window. “Do you know how hard it was to see you smile the past two years? You were so anxious that when the date of our return home neared, you barely slept, but you’re here smiling like there’s no tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, Kyung,” it was only natural to apologize. “That you always saw me like that, but I’m glad it was you with me. You’re always with me. If I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t have anyone else.”

Kyung brightly smiled and turned to her, “Of course. Not like you can tell Hwan everything.”

Even though she wholeheartedly shared his smile she knew deep down that he was disappointed by her decision. Kyung had crushed on her for such a long period of time and he was her sole backbone; the only one who’d attended her wedding despite bearing opinion against her decision and even when her marriage broke and she left that night, it was him who had come for her, taken her elsewhere in hopes of letting her heal. Maybe he had known that night when she told him she might love Jongin that her heart was already far from his grasp. Yet Kyung had stayed by her side even when her depression cost him his happiness and opportunities to find someone better.

Namjoo didn’t know how to thank him enough for everything he’d done for her. They’d practically grown up together. She had always been annoyed with him looking out for her, but now that she reminisced upon those things she felt ever grateful. Kyung was a good man. He would lead a good life and he would one day, be happy.

~~~~~

By late afternoon Jongin finally returned to the office but Namjoo wasn’t in. Her bag was gone and the laptop was set neatly onto the table. Assuming she’d first gone home he grabbed his jacket and knocked off work.

Jongin hummed to himself during the drive all the way from the company to his house. Namjoo’s car was outside when he pulled up and felt his heart flutter hoping tonight would be another good night for the both of them. Hurrying in through the doors he searched the sitting rooms to no avail. Growing ever anxious Jongin tightened his hand around the knob and smiled broadly as he stepped in.

“Na…” he began to call out but halted abruptly when he saw that it wasn’t Namjoo in his room.

“You’re back?” Yeji asked sitting at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed, as if he was about to be reprimanded.

The only demand Jongin could think of was, “Get off the bed.”

The bed was his and Namjoo’s private space. This entire room belonged to them alone! The thought of another person on the bed they shared made him feel dirty.

“Why? I found no other place suitable,” Yeji coolly stated. “Why? Does it burn your heart that you have another woman on the bed?”

Jongin screamed for the housekeeper, but no one came. He wanted to know who let the woman in because it didn’t seem like his mother or Jaegeun were home. Not even Namjoo.

His heart thrashed like a dying fish. He couldn’t let Namjoo see Yeji on their bed. What would she think?! The last thing he needed was his wife assuming he’d been sleeping with other woman the two years she was gone.

“Get off!” Jongin snatched her arm but Yeji forcefully tugged back.

“No. We have some things to talk about,” Yeji stared up at him with determination seething in her eyes. “And I won’t leave until we’ve talked. Did you know that my father and I visited the other day?”

“I don’t care,” Jongin growled. “Get off my bed.”

“Is this the bed you and your fraudulent wife sleep on? I wonder what you may have done on it,” she sneered tracing a circle on the bed with her free hand. “Why don’t we do some things ourselves? Do you like to tease or going straight to the point?”

Jongin bit his lower lip and nearly managed to pull her off. In that split second Yeji kicked his knee and pulled him forward, forcing him to topple over her. That was when footsteps neared and the door widened.

“Jongin?” Namjoo called out. In one swift movement, Jongin swung his head back to look at her before jumping to his feet.

“Namjoo…” the blood drained from his face when her wide eyes darted from him to Yeji then him again. Her expression turned vapid and her jaw tightened. Spinning on her heel she walked away.

Great.

Namjoo was angry again and after they’d finally had some calm. She probably thought he was a cheating husband; that he was doing this to get back at her. And when they finally managed to put the past aside for a day.

Jongin instinctively started going after her,  but halted and snagged Yeji’s arm before dragging her after him. At the doorway instead of waiting for her to stuff her feet into her shoes he grabbed her heels and opened the door to fling her outside.

As the door slammed behind him he stared at her with a menacing glare, “Give up Yeji. I’m married. I love Namjoo, so you should give up. We’re not getting married nor am I going to divorce Namjoo.”

Yeji coolly stared back unmoved, “Two years ago Namjoo lied to you about her debt, maybe even other things I don’t know. Have you wondered if she’s still lying to you? If you can be caught so easily, are you so confident that she has nothing else kept from you?”

“That’s not your problem. Namjoo and my problems are ours, not yours,” Jongin muttered impatient to get rid of her.

Yeji’s brow slightly rose then she nodded. “You’re not a tad bit interested about her past, where she came from, or if she lied about her parents being dead? For all we know, her parents might have a farm out there in the countryside somewhere.”

“Leave Namjoo alone,” Jongin said.

“I wish I could, because I don’t like her,” Yeji told, “but because of that, I don’t like seeing her linger around. Don’t you think it’s a little pathetic that you’re so caught up trying to please some woman? You can’t stand on your own without her?”

“No,” Jongin confidently replied, “I’m not ashamed. I’m proud. If you live your life under the eyes of everyone, you’ll never be happy. I won’t be that.”

Yeji’s eyes were as cool as smoke. The pair drifted toward his home, “Have you heard that the older you get the more you resemble your father? I wonder if Namjoo will look like her mother or her father? I noticed some odd instances the other day other when your mother was being quite defensive.”

Jongin’s chest boiled with panic. Yes, he’d noticed,  too. The similarities between Namjoo and her mother. He’d began seeing it more often after Namjoo supposedly died. There was no doubt they were mother and daughter.

“I know your mother was bought in to raise you,” Yeji coldly went on, “you’re not one bit interested in finding out where she came from? Who her family were? If she had any children?”

Jongin was quick to answer, “No. Leave Yeji.” With that he turned and hurried back in.

The connection between Namjoo and his mother was a secret no one was supposed to know. Not even Namjoo knew that he was aware. It would become chaotic if Yeji dug further, if she opened . And Namjoo…she would be angrier with him. Jongin feared what might happen if Namjoo knew.

The threat of the divorce had quieted. Would she seriously go through with it when she found out that despite knowing her pain and anger about it, he’d made her come back to face that woman against her will? Would she hate him even more because he knew he’d stolen their mother from them, yet hadn’t kneeled down to apologize?

Surely the topic of her mother stood on a par far from her messy relationship with him. It was something she had spent her whole life agonizing over. Contemplating the many different outcomes had his mind spinning with unease. How would he hide it from Namjoo forever?

Jongin’s pulse hiked up his throat when he saw Namjoo sitting on the couch aimlessly flipping through the channels. Feeling nervous he walked around the furniture to join her, but as soon as he sat down she turned the TV off and got up to walk away.

Great.

Getting up he followed her into the kitchen to find her pulling out fresh greens from the fridge. Jongin watched a bit before figuring out that she was planning on making a salad.

“Do you want help?” he asked hopefully. “I can rinse these for you.”

Eyes strictly adhered to the task at hand Namjoo swiped the bowl right from under his hands and started toward the sink, moving, and working quietly leaving him there helpless.

“What kind of salad are you making?” he asked from the side, hoping to talk with her. He needed to hear her voice. “I like eggs. Are you going to put eggs in there?”

Like usual, Namjoo was a total professional at ignoring him. She was back to not giving a damn at all. His frustration boiled over Yeji.

“It’s not what you saw,” he finally started explaining, “I didn’t know she was here. One of the housekeepers must have let her in. I thought you were home. I saw your car outside. Namjoo…”

She turned away from him, but kept her hands busy with tossing the salad up and mixing everything. Jongin expected a bowl to share when Namjoo completed her quick salad, but she walked away with one fork for herself.

Sighing deeply he watched from afar as Namjoo enjoyed an evening drama. His mother and Jaegeun returned not long after and he spotted the shopping bags in their hands – probably the traveling supplies they would be using on their trip this weekend. He seriously needed time alone with Namjoo.

“What’s wrong?” his mother approached him upon seeing his expression. “You look frustrated.”

“I am,” he muttered with eyes strict on Namjoo, as if to childishly point out the source of his stress.

Hunmi followed his gaze and gently touched his arm with a smile. “You want to come help me with dinner?”

Seeing that Namjoo had occupied herself with Jaegeun, even sharing her salad with him Jongin followed the woman down the hall feeling bitter.

“Can you put these in the fridge?” she handed him a bag with chicken s. “Did you two argue?”

Pulling the fridge open Jongin sought for some clear space to put the content in his hand. “I wouldn’t call it an argument.”

“Namjoo seems upset,” she commented.

“I’m upset, too,” he mumbled as if he needed to make it clear which boat they were actually talking about.

Hunmi smiled gladly, “Can I ask what happened? Well, that is if you don’t mind this old woman meddling in on her children’s love affair.”

Jongin smiled and scoffed, humored. “It must feel funny regarding us both as your children.”

“Not at all. I’m so happy you two have come together, I couldn’t ask for more. You’re a good man, Jongin. I wouldn’t have asked for anyone else for Namjoo.”

“You two look alike,” Jongin commented now leaning against the fridge. “I never noticed it before, but she looks just like you.”

“She’s got good traits,” Hunmi proudly grinned. “So tell me, what’s wrong?”

Jongin peered down the hallway, “I’m getting the silent treatment because of a misunderstanding. Now that I think about it, Namjoo’s never been angry with me until recently.”

“No one stays angry forever,” his mother comforted. “Namjoo just needs time to blow off. Her father used to do it very often. She must take after him.”

“He sounds like a good man,” Jongin complimented.

“Oh, he was,” she nodded. “Don’t worry, Jongin. Being angry with each other, sharing joy and sadness are just some things that allow us to know each other more. You and Namjoo have a very long life ahead of you. You’ve learned a little bit about her and now you’re just learning some more. Don’t rush and be patient.”

He let her words sink in and felt so much better.

“Now, are you going to help me or what?” she asked.

“Yes, yes,” he called walking over, listening carefully to her directions before proceeding onto dinner preparations.

Once they had the stew boiling on the stove his mother hurried over with some fresh greens and quickly dumped them in. The fresh aroma of the soup filled the air exuberantly and Jongin’s stomach grumbled.

“We’re not even there yet,” his mother grinned.

“Mom,” he turned to her, “how would you feel about having a grandchild?”

Hunmi turned to look at him with estranged eyes before she gasped and pressed a hand up to her lips. “Is Namjoo pregnant?”

Flustered, he shook his head. “No. She isn’t.”

“Then…”

“I just…it’d be nice to have a little one around,” Jongin said not sure what he was even doing. He obviously didn’t need Namjoo’s mother’s permission to get her pregnant, but he recalled how uncomfortable she’d been after walking in on them two years ago. She hadn’t wanted Namjoo bound to the destiny of being a young mother.

“Would it?” she asked then smiled. “I suppose it would.”

Feeling content, Jongin glanced behind him where his eyes jot down the hallway. Once he and Namjoo made up he would start planning for it.  

***Uh-oh, the next big hurl is Namjoo and her mother, and finding out Jongin knew about it all along. Lets not forget that Namjoo hates her mother so much because of all the things she and her brother had to go through without her. Namjoo blames her mother for all their misfortunes. History is gonna repeat with Yeji's big mouth. But on the plus side, Namjoo's jealous xD

***On the other hand, lets be realistic. We either look like our mom or dad or both all at once. By now someone would have noticed the similarity between Namjoo and her mom, and that someone is Yeji when she saw them sitting together the other day DDD=