Touching the back of the couch he soaked in the sight of her sleeping figure with a slow smile escalating over his face. Trying to recall if he’d heard her come in the middle of the night. She should have said something. Woke him up. Or come to sleep on the bed.

Deciding not to bother her he reached over to adjust the blanket over her shoulder before leaving her be. Moving into the kitchen he quietly the stove and pulled out the remnants of last night’s dinner to reheat. Instead, he saw packed containers of food she’d brought from home.

Choosing her mother’s food instead Jongin closed the fridge and poured them into a pot to warm. Then he filled a glass with water and dropped in a slice of lemon. By the time he started scooping the warm food into a bowl Namjoo was already up.

“Are those mine?” he asked spotting the plastic bag of goods on the table.

“No.” She answered. Then she said, “I’m lying.” Pushing the bag toward him she explained, “I didn’t forget your prize. Banana chips.”

He chuckled snatching the bag and replacing it with the bowl. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“It’s the skills of a ninja.”

He scoffed at her. “Funny.”

“I know,” she brazenly replied. Taking a sip of her glass she announced, “I’ve decided to return to work today.”

“You just got back.” He said the obvious.

“I took a long enough rest,” Namjoo said. “I feel better.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

Jongin glanced down at the floor thinking about what Mina had said when he returned. He hadn’t heard from her since. Unsure if she’d gotten to cooped up with her new modeling job or if she was just apparently avoiding him. Maybe she was waiting until the chance when she could run into Namjoo again.

“My parents talked down the wedding,” Namjoo told.

His eyes landed on her. He hadn’t expected to feel so relieved hearing it. Imagining that there was no more Seojun. No other man handing Namjoo a list of orphanages where she could dump their baby. No one dictating whose baby Namjoo could and couldn’t have. No more Seojun trying to take Namjoo to an abortion clinic.

She was safe. His baby was safe.

They were really having the baby.

“Yea?” He asked with a smile.

“You’re not sitting down?” Namjoo asked.

“Oh, right.” Realizing he was still standing Jongin quickly sat down forgetting all about Mina. “When do you see your doctor?”

“I don’t remember. I’ll have to look it up.”

“I’ll go with you,” he offered.

“If you’re busy you don’t have to.”

“I want to.” Jongin persisted. “When you find out, let me know.”

“Ok.” She promised. Her eyes lowered then drifted back up to him. “Your hair’s kind of…”

“Oh…” he touched his head and laughed, “I know.”

Resuming their morning ritual, they ate, washed the dishes, and dressed in separate rooms. Heading out to the elevator together. Namjoo looked refreshing in her work clothes. More energetic. A little brighter. It made him feel good to see her alleviated.

“You’ll be ok driving?” he wondered when the elevator reached the lobby.

“Of course,” she answered as they walked outside.

Hesitation filled him but they were getting closer to the parking lot. “Can I stop by for lunch?”

Anxiety started dripping into his veins when Namjoo stopped and turned to look at him. Had he spoken too soon?

He said to explain himself, “I thought we could have a meal to celebrate your return.”

“That would be nice.”

An unstoppable smile flashed across his face. “I’ll see you then.”

That would be nice.

That would be nice.

He repeated it in his head as he drove to work.

Today was going to be a really good day.

֎֎֎֎֎

Jongin constantly tapped his feet at work keeping his eyes glued to the clock. His phone chimed midway through the morning from an unknown number. Opening the message, he looked at the date and time sent to him with no other information. His mouth started stretching into another smile realizing it was Namjoo. And she’d just told him to come to her next OB/GYN appointment.

He would go. He would go see their baby with her.

Excited, he went into the settings to type Namjoo’s name down. After a little thought he added baby’s mom in front of her name then tucked the phone into his pocket.

When the clock finally struck noon Jongin left his desk. Wondering if Namjoo was also looking forward to having lunch with him. Would she have picked a place out? Or would she let him choose today? Whichever way it worked they would have lunch together.

As Jongin drove into the parking lot a gray sedan pulled in after him. Without paying attention to it he dashed into the building not wanting to waste any more time. Waiting in the lobby he sent Namjoo a text and waited. Observing the cool black marble pillars to the shiny tan floors where the lights reflected like sunlight on water. The elevator dinged and he turned to see the gray doors opening.

He tried not to foolishly wave when they’d seen each other just that morning.

“Sorry, did you wait long?” she asked walking up to him.

Jongin opened his mouth to speak but someone yelled, “Namjoo!”

They both turned to see a woman in a fur collared jacket strutting up to them. Her pearl earrings rubbing against the fur as she made her approach. The jewelry she adorned did not outmatch the deep red color on her lips. The woman looked as intense as a mother about to reveal her claws to a rebellious child.

Slightly recoiling as she shifted Namjoo’s shoulder brushed his arm. The woman’s stern eyes landed on her before she took four small steps toward them.

“Mother,” Namjoo instinctively called.

“Are you going out for lunch?” the woman asked. “Good. Lets talk.”

Namjoo opened but the woman already turned to walk away expecting her to trail along. Troubled, Namjoo glanced up at him then at the woman who suddenly stopped to look back at her. Authoritive eyes impatient and demanding. She was no woman who would wait for anyone but be waited on.

“Who is she?” Jongin wondered.

Picking at her fingers suddenly, Namjoo quietly said, “Seojun’s mom.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

“It’s ok. Don’t do that.”

“I’ll wait for you,” he repeated again not wanting to leave her alone. If Seojun had been insensitive, what would his mother say and do?

“I’m sorry,” Namjoo apologized.

“Go ahead.” Jongin urged. “I’ll be behind you.”

֎֎֎֎֎

Folding her hands on her lap, Namjoo nervously waited for the waitress to set their cups of tea down before leaving. No food had been ordered. Namjoo had rejected the offer when Seojun’s mother asked. Jongin was waiting for her outside and she didn’t want him to waste any more of his lunch break than he already was.

She really didn’t want to kill the mood between them. He had appeared genuinely happy that morning. Seeing it made her realize he had really waited for her return. This new development between them was something she didn’t want to disappoint.

“I am very disappointed in you,” Seojun’s mother started taking a sip of the warm tea. “You are not who I believed you were. You’ve caused your father and I much shame.”

Namjoo swallowed in hopes of soothing her dry throat. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize,” the woman tilted her head up so that at an angle she could stare Namjoo down with her resentful gaze. “If there is an apology to be done, you kneel in front of my son and beg for forgiveness.”

Namjoo remained silent.

“How dare you do this to my son?” The woman angrily demanded, voice shaking. “He loved you! He would put his life down for you and you go and turn your back on him! Not only that, you used your parents as a shield! How insolent!”

Namjoo blinked taken aback, trying not to be upset because she understood the woman’s feelings needing to protect her son’s dignity. To bring up her parents though was like adding fuel to the fire.

“Mother,” Namjoo started not sure what to call her anymore, “I said I couldn’t marry Seojun.”

“You are carrying his child!” The woman nearly shrieked, her voice pitching so high it sounded like she was choking. “The nerve you have to drag this marriage out so absurdly!”

Her hands folded into a small fist on her lap. “I am pregnant.” Namjoo verified then dropped the bombshell. “Seojun isn’t the father.”

The woman’s angry face dropped. She looked like she might roll over any second. Gasping with her pretty manicured hand pressed tight against her s.

“You witch! Why I oughta…”

“That is why Seojun never told you,” Namjoo went on despite the woman threatening to leap across the table. “Seojun asked me to get rid of the child.”

“Then do so! My son had the courage to forgive you! The least you could do is bow down to his wishes! You are just a woman whose job is to have my son’s child!”

Namjoo gritted her teeth as her eyes went a little wider at the remark. “I will have the child. I am sorry we could not get married. Please stay healthy and tell Seojun I am sorry.”

Grabbing her bag, Namjoo rose and turned to walk out the door. Not even two steps outside and the woman was scurrying after her. Stepping away from the wall of the building Jongin turned toward her.

“I am not done! How dare you excuse yourself!” The woman screamed after her.

Tightening her grip on her purse so hard that her nails dug into her palm, Namjoo turned around to face Seojun’s stubborn mother. She hadn’t noticed before how much alike mother and son were until now.

When they first met, the woman had crooned over her. Doted and treated her like she was family. Always speaking gently that Namjoo didn’t think she can get upset. Namjoo never imagined the woman could speak with so much venom. Stare at her like she was a worm writhing on concrete.

Love had blinded her.

She was truly disappointed. Seojun’s mother was not who she had hoped she was. Seojun hadn’t done a thing to come to her defense.

There was really nothing left of this bitter relationship but a load of leftover emotions that weren’t worth it.

“Oh, hello,” Jongin interrupted coming up behind her. Looking at her he asked, “Are you done chatting now?”

Namjoo glanced at Jongin then to Seojun’s mother who was breathing smoke from her nostrils. A dragon’s face seething rage. Namjoo imagined no one had walked out on her before.

“I am talking to this woman,” Seojun’s mother hissed through gritted teeth. “Who are you?”

Still freshly upset that she was just considered a living incubator, Namjoo inched back and wrapped a hand around Jongin’s arm. “The father of my baby.”

Surprisingly, Namjoo felt not an ounce of emotion as she witnessed the woman’s face distort. Becoming reddened with anger then disgust. Pivoting away from them the woman stomped off pulling her phone out of her bag, screeching into it as she turned around the corner. Perhaps calling Seojun to tell him he was lucky to be rid of such a .

Feeling abruptly empty Namjoo blinked before releasing Jongin. She hadn’t listened in on the phone call her parents had made for her sake. At dinner they had announced that she no longer needed to worry about Seojun and his family. First, she had felt regretful all over again. Sad. A loss of hope and faith in the man she loved. Then she had waited to see if he would call her. Cry and beg and apologize.

Seojun didn’t call.

Assuming one chapter of her life was over Namjoo had waited a day before returning to Seoul, because Jongin had said he would wait for her. Because her father had said she should go. Having sat with her one afternoon at the back of his restaurant he had asked how long she planned to stay.

“I don’t know,” she had replied.

“What about that guy?”

“Jongin?”

“That guy,” her father nodded. “I can tell you,” he pointed at his eye, “he has a good eye. Choosing my daughter after me.”

“What are you talking about?” Namjoo laughed amused.

Patting her back he comforted, “Before I decided apple was my favorite fruit, I liked strawberries. Then I saw my parents sweating in the sun as they worked to farm our land. Their skin burned from the sun, their bodies were always sore, but they were grateful. Crazy I thought. As I got older I learned to appreciate what it meant to grow an apple, to savor the taste my elders worked for. Supporting and feeding your family the fruits that came from your sweat and effort. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“A little?” Namjoo frowned having missed the point.

“I’m saying, don’t be sad that Seojun isn’t the one,” her father explained. “Instead, be grateful you met him. That you two tried. Your sweat and effort did not amount to nothing. You have good memories to look back on. Cherish those over the bad. In life, we take wrong turns until we’re rerouted onto our designated path. He just wasn’t meant to make you happy. A man who loves his woman wouldn’t make her cry.”

“You’ve made mom cry.”

Her father laughed. “Because I love her. I have to test her every once in a while, just to make sure she still loves me.”

Namjoo laughed.

“A man who loves you will put in the sweat and effort to take care of you,” her father continued. “We don’t always immediately love people but we learn to love and appreciate having them. Your mom and dad would like to see you lead a blissful life. Go on home, Namjoo. Go be happy.”

Seojun’s mother was out of sight now. Yet Namjoo stared after her wondering if this may be one of those moments that would reroute her onto the road that would lead to happiness.

Was it over? It was over she wanted to believe a little regretfully.

So it was done…just like this.

Namjoo felt an urge to call her father and cry. Ask him if she had tried hard enough for the sake of her and Seojun’s future. To hear someone confirm that yes she had tried her best and this was all it would come to.

Seojun would never exist in her world again.

“Are you ok?” Jongin leaned forward to look at her.

What had her father seen in Jongin that he had urged her to go to him?

“I’m fine,” she answered.

That evening she watched Jongin chop up ingredients for dinner. He’d gone shopping before returning. Walking in with grocery bags dangling off his arms. Then he’d handed her a bag of banana chips as he started on dinner. Telling her to snack as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt while the water ran over a bowl of bell peppers.

“Do you need help?” She asked for the third time.

“I’m almost done,” he answered concentrated on the task at hand.

All she did was get the plates, spoons, and forks.

Alone she had reminisced her father’s words. Thought about Seojun again. The few years they had shared as their love grew. Trying to outweigh the recent days with the joy they used to share. In hopes of trying to banish the tears Seojun had made her shed. It was much harder than said.

She glanced at Jongin. Curious about what he had thought when he’d seen Seojun’s mother that afternoon.

“About Seojun’s mother, I didn’t think you’d have to meet her,” Namjoo said.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Jongin stated.

“I was actually heartbroken when Seojun said he wouldn’t let me have the baby,” Namjoo admitted picking at her food. “Part of me honestly hoped he’d say we could do it. He’d let me have the baby and still marry me. Then when he lied that the baby was his and he’d still get rid of it, I couldn’t believe him anymore. He disappointed me, too. He hurt me, too. I wanted to say that to his mom today.”

“Do they bully you?” Jongin asked.

“Well, I haven’t heard from Seojun since.”

“Good,” Jongin said. “You don’t need those kinds of people in your life. Now, are you going to eat?”

“I will,” she said then stabbed a sautéed green.

“Does it taste good?” Jongin asked.

Namjoo shrugged and watched him scoff at her.

As she lay in bed that night she fondled with the sleeve of Jongin’s pillow. Feeling nostalgic about Seojun. Her eyes passed over the vacant spot beside her to the wall ahead. The spot she imagined Jongin would lay on. She was starting to get curious now. Confident that Jongin and her father had spoken about something she didn’t know of.

What was it?

What had made her father choose Jongin?

***Now that it's really happened, Namjoo is finding it hard to accept the reality that Seojun will no longer be a part of her future. And then there's her father who told her to go back home to Jongin where she may find happiness. That puzzles her. If she finds out Jongin made a pledge to marry her what will happen then? Remember they said they wouldn't talk about marriage?