He wasn’t wrong and he hadn’t planned for it. Maybe Kihoon was up to his own devious tricks, Sehun wouldn’t know. When they arrived at the dentist he screeched, cried, kicked, punched, and threw a long-lasting tantrum. Howling the second he saw the dentist’s tools, the chair, the metal tray. Certainly, the child size cutout board advertising clean teeth hadn’t freaked him.

Sehun smiled embarrassed trying to calm Kihoon down. Failing to lift Kihoon because he thrashed and flailed too wildly. Pitying him the receptionist tried a lollipop, which Kihoon swatted angrily to the floor.

“I want my mommy!” he shrieked. All the waiting occupants stared at them. Watching the scene unfold.

A young boy had pointed at Kihoon asking loudly, “What’s wrong with him?” to which his mother quickly hushed him.

Sehun grew hot neck down. Within three minutes of arrival and he failed to do something Namjoo always did.

Kihoon screamed from the top of his lungs when a mother approached to help causing her to retreat. “Where is his mother? Maybe you should call her.” she suggested.

Sehun’s last resort was calling Namjoo away from the restaurant. This was her week off to do as she liked, and she deserved it. One look at upset Kihoon and he sighed. Walking out without his son was impossible. He couldn’t just lug Kihoon like he was an item. He didn’t want to look like a bad father and he didn’t want to hurt Kihoon. Not wishing for his son to grow up and remember this as a bad memory.

Taking his phone out he finally called. Two patients went in as he stood in the lobby waiting for Kihoon to finally quiet. Sehun’s heart leaped when he spotted Namjoo coming down the street. Climbed the two steps and pushed the glass door open.

Spotting her, Kihoon ran to her arms wide open wailing, “Mommy!”

Crouching down for him Namjoo yelped when he bumped into her with force. “Aww, honey. What’s wrong?” but Kihoon didn’t answer. He just cried in her arms like Sehun had taken him away for months and was just bringing him back.

She glanced over Kihoon’s shoulder inquiring him for an answer. Sehun hoped he didn’t appear useless in her eyes. Being Kihoon’s father he should have made him go in to get his teeth cleaned.

“He wouldn’t go in.” Sehun said feeling ridiculous.

“Did you say you’d go in with him?” Namjoo asked.

“Well…” his eyes started sliding away. It was one thing he hadn’t thought about on the way here. “I promised him ice cream afterward.”

Namjoo heaved a sigh, which said he’d done it all wrong. “That’s all right, but say you’ll be with him in there next time. He gets scared when he’s by himself.”

“Note taken.” He promised and tried a smile, which he felt didn’t quite ease the situation.

Kihoon finally went in ten minutes later. He lingered by the doorway as Namjoo stood beside the dentist explaining to her the state of Kihoon’s teeth. More brushing for a longer amount of time. Teach him to start flossing. No cavities. A win for them both.

“You could have scheduled the appointment on your week,” Sehun murmured when they walked out of the room.

“There were schedule conflicts,” Namjoo explained. They thanked the receptionist and Sehun apologized again.

A nice cool breeze washed over them outside. Holding tightly onto Namjoo’s hand Kihoon happily skipped between them.

“Do you have tissue?” Namjoo asked. “His nose is runny.”

“Oh…” he dug inside his coat pocket then the opposite one and handed over a wad of tissue.

“Is he sick? You should have made him wear a sweater.” Namjoo wiped Kihoon’s runny nose grinning with him as she dabbed his snot.

“Namjoo.” Sehun called. “If it’s ok, why don’t we have lunch together?”

Her wandering eyes landed on him, like he was a stranger talking to her. A greater part of him instantly knew she would say no. She was in a hurry.

“I was gonna return to the restaurant. Why not get something there?” Namjoo suggested.

“Lets go somewhere else.” he interjected.

They stopped a block down at some friendly oriental restaurant. Grabbed some booth by the window, the only table available. The restaurant was scarily filled to capacity. They the only family with a child. A kind elder woman took their order and gave Kihoon a fortune cookie to gnaw on while they waited for food to arrive.

“Did you take off today?” Namjoo wondered.

“Half day. I still have to go in later.” Sehun replied.

“Then he’ll be going to your parents?” Namjoo a hand across Kihoon’s hair. The cookie crunched between his teeth noisily as he eyed her, widely smiling with a cute laugh, and kicking his legs under the table before looking at his father.

“About his schooling,” Sehun hated to say this, “my parents want us to start talking about it.”

“Sure,” Namjoo agreed glancing at Kihoon, “it’s something we should start doing, huh?”

He glanced at her focused on their son then at the table.

“We could arrange for him to start pre-k in the fall,” Namjoo suggested still not looking at him, “then kindergarten once the new year rolls around.”

“Yea,” he quietly agreed darting his gaze to the window, “that sounds fine.”

“I’ll look at schools. You should, too, then we’ll decide which sounds better.” Namjoo went on. Finally turning, “Sound like a plan?”

“We can do that.” He nodded meeting her eyes this time. They turned when the elder woman brought over a tray of their food. Then they ate with Namjoo tending to loveable Kihoon who looked at his mom with so much love in his eyes. Giving Sehun a longer chance to soak in the sight of mother and son. Watching 15 minutes later as Namjoo walked away again.

⸎⸎⸎⸎⸎

How often did Sehun take a day off from work? Namjoo didn’t remember. Having a child came with so much responsibilities, didn’t it? She always wondered if Sehun yearned to do more than having a child so early in life. It was what his parents would have wanted. For him to achieve greater heights before settling with a woman he randomly met.

“I don’t even know where you came from!” his mother had scolded her once when she’d done something she didn’t like. Whatever it was however menial Namjoo didn’t really remember.

In his parents’ perspective, she had clung onto Sehun, their son who was meant to do so much more. Purposely getting pregnant to tie him down. Forcing him to forsake a grand future.

Maybe.

She was the one who had come onto him that night. She had called him a second time. Namjoo had just graduated college when she met Sehun. She was heartbroken and trying to pick herself up again. Working part time at a coffee shop and splitting hours between a family restaurant waitressing. Studying their menus, their customers, their business. When she tired and couldn’t sleep she called Sehun.

Those days he helped her sleep. She relaxed with him in whichever motel room they used.

Those were the only days she slept well.

Beside him, she always slept well.

Namjoo didn’t plan ahead. When to stop. When to delete his number from her phone. If she would find someone else to spend her time with. She just hadn’t done it.

She was that close to reaching her goal to opening her restaurant when she got pregnant. The news unexpected and frightening. What would she tell her parents? When they thought she spent her nights sleeping at a friend’s house but had really been with a man she didn’t know?

It took her three days to call Sehun. She lacked the courage to walk inside the abortion clinic. Pacing back and forth in front of the glassy doors. Gripping her fists tightly against her s. Watching young and older women disappear inside and come back out aided by a friend. Some limping, some staggering. Their pale faces awash with pain.

She didn’t have the strength to break the news to her parents when she sat with them at the breakfast table. Listening to them happily start the day as she sat there drowning in guilt. A good daughter gone to waste, because she’d done something foolish.

Namjoo had never slept on and off with a man before. Starting such a relationship with Sehun from the start was no one’s fault, but her own. This was her lesson for deciding to do something she’d only ever heard of.

For the first time she held Sehun’s hand. Tightly. When they walked up the lane that led to his house that day, her heart had thundered harder than it had for the man who left her. Hearing nothing as Sehun led her into the house. Not his mother’s voice welcoming him home and then asking who she was.

“Just let me do the talking,” he had comforted her during the ride to his house. So he pulled her along with her a step or two cowering behind his broad back.

And then his mother’s hands were shaking when he said she was having his baby.

“What?” his father airily gasped.

Sehun had shielded her when his mother threw a couch pillow and another pillow at her. Bewildered at the news he just broke. A strange girl, how dare she!

That day Sehun had shielded her from his parents and he had tried his best to protect her when they got married, but it hadn’t been enough. His mother continuously used words to slaughter her until she gave up. And she never went back.

A year now, was it, that she hadn’t seen his family. Every time she stepped out into the street, she prayed to never run into them. Would they sneer at her? Whisper that she was such a successful woman, why had she met Sehun?

On the drive back to the restaurant Namjoo gazed into the rearview mirror even though she knew the dentistry was long behind her. Sehun and Kihoon far away. Perhaps on the way home. Perhaps he was dropping Kihoon off at his parents.

He would do his own thing and she would do her own thing.

Namjoo spotted a woman standing on the sidewalk when she pulled into the parking lot. Catching her eyes with curiosity when she left her car and started toward the building. At first assuming it was Han Seol again. She was tall. Slender. Hair much shorter than Seol’s.

“Hayoung?” Namjoo called out.

She whirled around smiling happily.

“Why are you standing out here?” Namjoo neared.

“I thought I should wait for you.”

Namjoo frowned, partially smiled. Pulling the door open she invited, “Come in.”

“Hey, boss!” Eunkyung called out. “Sorry, I got the call late. I came as fast as I could. Did your family emergency go well?”

“It’s fine. Tell Junhee to bring me a pizza.” Namjoo ordered. “And two sodas.”

Once Eunkyung disappeared, Hayoung asked as Namjoo led her to a table, “Is your family ok?”

“It was Kihoon.”

She gasped. “Did something happen?”

Namjoo waved her off with a sort of scoff. “It’s nothing. He wouldn’t get his teeth cleaned.”

Straightening, Hayoung raised a brow. “That’s an emergency?”

“Sehun couldn’t get him to go in.”

Hayoung snorted. “As expected. What a loser.”

Namjoo grinned. “Did you have business around here?”

Sehun’s sister worked for the city hall maintaining files, running errands where necessary, called residents up when they refused to pay bills, solved customer concerns, went through new resident applications, posted city events up at senior halls, retail stores, and public centers.

She was the successful daughter that made parents proud. Sehun’s parents loved her down to her very toes.

She was the only one who had been on their side.

“I’m on vacation.” Hayoung smiled.

Namjoo thanked Eunkyung when she brought their food.

“Eat up. It’s on me today.” Namjoo urged.

Inviting herself to a slice, Hayoung asked, “What about you?”

“I already ate.”

She was quiet a moment then asked with bigger eyes, “With Sehun?”

Sitting back into her chair she gave Namjoo a sneaky look smirking, “That took him long enough.”

Namjoo eyed the sister. Loudly saying when she noticed the hot cheese sliding off the pizza, “Hayoung! The cheese is dripping!”

Snatching napkin out of the dispenser she handed them to her.

Laughing at herself, Hayoung commented, “Wow, the pizza is fresh.”

Namjoo watched her dab her sleeve sliding the material a way up her wrist in the process. She caught sight of the discolored skin.

“What happened to your arm?” Namjoo questioned.

Quickly sliding her sleeve down to hide the injury, Hayoung awkwardly smiled, excusing, “I hit the counter as I was turning. That’s all.”

Namjoo pondered over the answer and decided to let it slide. “You’re so clumsy.”

“I know, right?” she grinned. Picking up the pizza she took a large bite satisfied. “It’s so good!”

Namjoo smiled, glad. Though they were some years apart Hayoung seemed to live the life she always wanted. Marrying her high school sweetheart. Expanding her career. Making good money. Living a good life with a partner who loved her.

Having everything.

What kind of difficulties could a person like Sehun’s sister ever have that she couldn’t defeat? Namjoo envied her for never having to climb the big mountains that always seemed impossible for her.

“Is that all you did? Have lunch?” Hayoung, mouth full, wondered.

Sehun didn’t usually ask her to eat with him. Anymore. So when he did, she had wondered expectantly if he had something to say. Maybe explain to her that nothing was going on between him and Seol. Or break the news to her that he was seeing someone else now. He would like her support. Turned out it was just about Kihoon.

“We talked about Kihoon’s education.”

“That’s it?” she sounded disappointed.

Namjoo nodded. “Why?”

Making a face she complained. “Gosh, he really is an idiot.”

“You’ve been slandering him quite a bit today,” Namjoo commented.

“Well…I’m just stating facts.” Hayoung took a sip of her soda. “Kihoon was at the house yesterday.”

The house as in Sehun’s parent’s place, where she had lived a part of her life.

“Is that so?” Namjoo asked. It didn’t surprise her. Yet part of her wondered if his parents may have badmouthed her in front of Kihoon. If Sehun said anything to stop them.

The animosity between them would always be fresh. Stains that would never disappear for life. Things their parents would constantly hold over each other, because Sehun’s strict parents wished he had chosen a virtuous girl. Her parents despising them for the way they treated her, adhering to traditional values instead of coming to term with modern times.

“They nitpicked him for not deciding on a school earlier,” Hayoung gossiped. “They thought you should have been the one to bring it up. I could tell he was angry about it.”

“I see.” Namjoo could envision it all inside her mind.

“By the way,” Hayoung began, “I heard someone has a crush on Sehun at work.”

Namjoo’s eyes flittered over the warm pizza on the table. A half of her wondering if Sehun was already dating Seol. Why didn’t he tell her?

“I heard about it.” Namjoo said. “She’s the mascot of the team.”

Hayoung made a hissing sound. “Is she hot?”

Namjoo grinned, amused. Shaking her head, “She’s hot.”

“What a jerk.” Hayoung mumbled chewing the inside of .

“It’s fine. Don’t be angry with him.” Namjoo ensured.

Hayoung shot her a light glare. “It’s not ok, Namjoo. Don’t say it’s ok.”

Stricken with surprise, Namjoo stared at her.

“It doesn’t matter how hot or pretty the next woman on the street is. If she’s in high heels or sneakers,” Hayoung lectured. “There’s just one of you who married my brother. That has to have meant something to you. And if it does, I hope you get back to him. Don’t wait around for the next girl to appear.”

***so...they both blame themselves