Thirty Seven

REDEMPTION

"Yeah!! Nam!!! What's taking ya so looonggg??" Irene stomps her feet impatiently. She looks around and huffs.

"Coming!!" Namjoon quickly arrives with his bike, "Sorry!! Appa Bae called to get some works for the party done!!"

"That's okay! Let's go!!"

They ride to their usual hangout spot, the 7/11. Irene sits on the bench while Namjoon gets the ramyeon cups quickly.

"Oh Namy!! Today for you we got late!! Now let us eat quickly!! I am starving..." Irene begins to devour her food.

Namjoon smiles at her, "I was helping Appa Bae with your own birthday party!! And here you are accussing me?! Anyway, why did you want ramyeon now?!"

"Well...first of all, I am Irene Bae Joohyun. I do what I want. Secondly, how can my birthday be celebrated if I will not have this...," Pointing at the cup,"...with you..."

Namjoon's heart swells with affection. "Really?" He asks softly.

"Yep! Besides I am not a teenager anymore!! I am 20 and I should celebrate it my way!!!" She grins, finishing her food.

Namjoon smiles slightly,"You are like three weeks younger than me...still you don't call me oppa..." He is anticipating her answer.

"Ewe...That is for Jace oppa only!! Are you my elder brother?! It gives of a sibling type vibe!!" She shudders.

Namjoon sits straight in his chair. She does not consider him a brother. Maybe she harbours the same feelings as his...

"Ren...I wanted to tell you something..." Namjoon gulps. He prays to the God that he can succeed.

"Hmmm..?What?" She asks, busy eating Namjoon's portion now.    

"I...I made this for you..." He takes out a hand-carved wooden bracelet.                   

"Wow, Namy!!! It is so beautiful!! Thank you!!" She pinches his cheeks and gushes over the jewellery.

"I am glad you like it..." Namjoon feels really proud of himself.

He looks at her tenderly,"I...I wanted to tell something more..." He takes a deep breathe.

"Yep. What is it?" Irene is busy admiring the object around her wrist.

" Ren...I..."

"Hey!! Irene!!"

A voice interrupts him. They look at its direction to find their neighbour Kim Seokjin is standing outside the shop with his expensive car. He has his usual charming and adoring smile directed at the girl which becomes strained as soon as he makes an eye-contact with the guy. Namjoon rolls his eyes in annoyance. Why can't his Ren see this man is interested in her?! 

"Oh Hey Jin!!" Irene waves at him.

Namjoon's eyebrows quirks up in shock. Since when she has started to call him with nicknames. He crosses his arms infront of him and shakes his head.

"Nam!! I should go and talk with him!!" She excuses herself and runs towards Seokjin. They talk for sometime and she comes back inside.

Namjoon's lips curves upward with hope but it gets crushed with her next words...

"Namy!! Jin told me he has a special birthday surprise for me!! I will leave with him right now so that I can be back before the party!! Inform Appa for me!! Please!! He won't scold if he will know that I went out with him!! Thanks! I will see you at home then!! Oh!! Take my bike with you as well..." Without giving him any chance to say anything, She rushes back to Seokjin and they drive away.

Namjoon leans back in the chair, sighing. He touches his cheek to find that he is crying. He quickly wipes them and stands up. He throws the empty cups and proceeds for home.

His heart is pumping vigourously. His feet is cutting through the snow. Every step resonates the crushing of his heart. He feels so...  This is nothing new. Recently he has been left out by Irene so much...She seems to choose Kim Seokjin's company over his. Whatever happened just now, has become a regular thing. Then after coming back, she looks so happy and impressed. He had voiced his objections but was shunned off. So he has stopped saying anything...Then why today? Why he feels like his world has been destroyed by a blizzard?! Why everything feels to be so dry, cold and dead?! Today is his Ren's birthday!! It has always been one of the best days of his life!! Then why such ominous feelings....He shakes his head, trying to brush off any such emotions. He is overthinking and jealous...Noel aunty is right. He is jealous...Because he is in love with Irene and she is his soulmate...also his wish to confess and propose did not come true...that is why!! He decides and walks back...

 

 

 

Namjoon sighs heavily looking out the window. How he was right about it that day?! How he wishes if he got some indication that his fears were so right?! He tilts his forehead on the window. That was the last birthday of Irene they celebrated together. After few months of her twentieth, Mr. Bae died of  heart attack and the whole business along with the loans and pending troubles came on Irene's shoulders. Jace has always been an useless scum...And the rest of the incidents followed...

The day has been very tiring for him. Especially with Irene's birthday and all...he hopes she'll like his gift. A diamond set. All these years even if he was away from her, he has never forgotten to wish and get her a gift. And with his flourishing position, his gifts gradually got more expensive and less impassioned...But then again, isn't that what they want? Funny how in these few lines the word "gift" appears so many times...

 

"Namjoon... are you all right?"

His dazed mind takes some time to acknowledge the voice.  He just nods at her once, permitting her to get in.

She walks slowly towards him, "Is everything okay? I..." She can guess what must be wrong. It's Irene's birthday. No. It was...It's half past 12 in the midnight. The day is gone yet there are some remnants...

"No...I just have a headache..." He groans in pain. He looks at her closely now and raises his brow in question.

She looks down and smiles, "Well...I was putting Deiji to sleep, walking in the hallway. I saw the lights of your room switched on." She pats the baby slightly, who is bound to her front.

Namjoon looks at them with amusement. The baby, he reminds himself, Deiji, is tied with some long cloth to her body and from what he can see, she is sound asleep.

"Is it uncomfortable?" He asks, looking at the sleeping face of the child. Is that her nose? That looks like a tiny ripple on cream...

"Huh? No! It is easy as my hands are free to work!" Joy pecks Deiji's head.

"Ohh..." He is still trying to figure out her nose.

"Shall I get you something? Would you like some tea?" Joy asks worriedly.

"No...it is okay..."He waves her off.

"Please do not have any alcohol. It will worse it!!" She shakes her head.

"Hmm...I will just have some sleeping pills..." He walks towards his bed-side table to get them.

Joy fumbles with her fingers, "Ummm...if you don't mind...I can give you a head massage...I mean I am good at it..." She looks down.

Namjoon sighs. He is about to refuse but he is so tired that he ends up shrugging, "Okay."

She has not expected him to agree so easily. Actually, not to agree at all. So keeping her excitement within, she moves towards the bed and gets a small bottle out from the drawer.

Namjoon frowns, "What is that?"

"This is peppermint oil. It's good for migraine headaches." She replies.

"It...it was here?!" He looks at the bottle.

"Huh...yes. I thought it will be helpful for you and you won't need to drink..." She shrugs.

"But you did not tell me?! I could have used it..." He shakes his head in slight annoyance.

"Sorry...I forgot..." She smiles sheepishly. It was during her pregnancy. She forgot to inform him due to her "preggy-brain".

"Yeah whatever..." He rolls his eyes and flinches at the pain.

"Okay...so can I...can I put Deiji on this side of the bed? I mean I had to leave her alone in room then..." She asks awkwardly. Aera is sleeping with Noel as Joy has to wake up multiple times and it will be disturbing for both of them. Deiji will be alone. The young mother will not wake them up for this.

Namjoon stares at them. He could have asked for the tea but he is not sure it will be that effective.

"Okay."

Joy smiles and begins to untie the swaddle around her, "Don't worry, She is wearing her diaper."

Namjoon quietly watches as she put the baby on his bed beside him and makes a barrier using a pillow so that she may not have any accident.

"Lie down please..." Joy dims the light of the room, "You need to lie on my...on my...I mean please put your head on my lap..." She avoids his eyes and looks down.

He raises his eyebrow and gets up a bit to give her place. She sits on the bed cross-legged and looks at him with a slight blush.

Namjoon snorts and lies on her legs.

Joy, controlling her heartbeat and smile, pours some of the oil on her fingers and begins to rub it on his temples.

He relaxes. He opens his eyes slightly and turns his gaze towards his right where the baby is sleeping. Deiji...

The name makes his lips curl upward. Joy also turns to her right and smiles. He is smiling at their daughter!! 

"So...is everything okay? I mean it's quite late and you were still awake..." He is still looking at the tiniest human being he has ever seen...

"Yes! All is fine. I had just fed her and was getting her gas out. Then I saw the lights..." How she wishes he would address Deiji directly...

"Oh...Her...her face has changed a bit...I mean she looks different than the day she was born..." He mumbles. He is trying to keep himself awake. May be he does not want to sleep with a headache or may be he wants some company before he sleeps alone.

Joy looks at him surprised. He remembers how she looked at first?!

"Hmmm...Babies tend to change the way they look for months..." She replies happily.

"Yeah...she looked like an old man..." He chuckles.

Joy does not know to cry or laugh. She just shakes her head slowly.

"...but she is cute..." He nods slightly to himself. He has been looking at Deiji this whole time.

Joy grins listening to him, "You think so?"

"Yes..."  

They do not talk any more but she is not complaining. Namjoon looks so relaxed and it has been rare to see him like this. She would never disrupt that! Also she feels so delighted to see him, looking at Deiji with something close to...love?? It feels like he is at ease in their presence...

"Wow. You are actually good at this..." He sits up. The pain is actually gone and he feels so light...and it is not only the migraine... 

Joy smiles happily at the compliment.

"Please get some sleep at once and will you go to work a bit late? I mean after getting some more sleep in the morning?" Joy asks while getting down the bed.

Namjoon thinks a bit, "Yeah...I guess you are right. Wake me up around 10 then..."

"Sure. I'll  also call your secretary first thing in the morning that you'll be late. Don't worry." She smiles lowering herself to take the baby in her arms.

Deiji blinks open her eyes once and smiles in her sleep. He looks at her in shock.

"What happened?" Joy asks seeing his expression.

"Hmm? Nothing..." He lies down, still looking at their daughter.

"Okay...I shall go now. Please let me know if you need anything. Good night..." Joy leaves the room with Deiji.

Namjoon turns towards his right and looks at the place where the baby was lying. He sighs thinking about what he saw just now... his cloned dimples... 

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nuz123
OH MY GOODNESS!!! Almost a whole year of this story!!!
I know, I know...I said there will be no more chapters...
But then I thought why not celebrate 1 yr of this story with a bonus?
So here it is!! I hope everyone will like it! Enjoy :D

Comments

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Irreplaceable_hjj_ #1
Chapter 38: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/1281610/38'>Thirty Eight</a></span>
Idk ...whether to laugh or cry or be angry at Namjoon's phrase - 'old man' - Ajusshi
Irreplaceable_hjj_ #2
Chapter 29: Awwwwww ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ•́ ‿ ,•̀ Namjoon and Aera moments are sooo cute
Irreplaceable_hjj_ #3
Chapter 27: It is past 10 am ...great , he is late (≧▽≦)
Irreplaceable_hjj_ #4
Chapter 23: Namjoon feeding the soup to Aera, wiping and gifting her some colour pens is the cutest one 😍🥰😩
zerotoblack
#5
Chapter 58: I don't know how many times I've read this already now but one thing I am sure of is that I am not getting sick of reading this. Still one of the best stories out there.
Ode2kdrama #6
Hoping to get an update on the anniversary date!!! This is one of my favorite story in AFF.
eatPie
#7
Chapter 40: re-read this again and i just remembered how irl namjoon loves to talk with himself ^^ ah, so cute
Lane0910 #8
Thank you authornim! Such a wonderful story and great casting! Re-reading again ?
Charu2791 #9
Chapter 58: I read this amazing story in one go. I can't quit smiling for a single minute.
Mariam4 #10
This is probably some of the most amazing things I've read in a while !! Loved Namjoon and Sooyoung's character development so much ❤️ Thank you for this amazing read !! Hope you are keeping safe love xx