Sehun took Seulbi home immediately. She was sleeping soundly when he laid her down on the bed. Her hair was soaked from tears. He wiped them away from her face and sat on the bed for several minutes, watching his daughter sleep.

Relieved that Haewon hadn’t gotten far. The principal, the teachers had stopped her, and Seulbi had found solace in the protection of Namjoo.

He would always make sure Seulbi was safe. His daughter would always come first.

Leaving the room, he sunk into the couch. Easing low until his legs stretched out. Now that it was calm his face actually hurt. Chanyeol had landed a punch in defense. Sehun hate that he actually afflicted injury on him. What the hell had he been fighting for?

No way.

The possibility made Sehun feel sick.

Chanyeol had feelings for Namjoo? Was the dinner a ploy to show his claim on her?

Sehun scoffed. Disbelieving.

Now he really felt pissed.

Park Chanyeol, who exactly was he? How much did Namjoo know about him?

※※※※※

It wasn’t midnight, but it had completely darkened. Misty clouds hovered. A gem covered night sky beautifully lit up above the groaning ocean. Few people were out. Miles away noise punched through the silence.

Chanyeol crossed the abandoned street toward the rows of buildings closed for the day. Nothing resonated from the other side of the windows. Shadows here. Shadows there. Quiet now.

Chanyeol kicked the concrete and cut straight toward the narrow alley, where on the other side, nature bellowed. The mood had shifted gravely when he got home. Showering had stung the cuts and bruises on his face. Sehun had punched him real good.

Right now, he felt really bitter. Other than the painful throbbing in his face Chanyeol didn’t want to be the losing party. The message had been received. Sehun had physically fought him out of jealousy.

Scoffing, Chanyeol subconsciously rubbed his bruised lip. The sound of waves became greater. Sweeping a harsh wind into his face when his foot sunk into the sand. Browsing the darkened beach, he realized he wasn’t alone.

He breathed a surprised laugh. Jolly almost. Namjoo was pacing the length of the beach. In her hands her flipflops dangled. Burying her toes into the sand with every step unaware of the new presence. Chanyeol wasn’t aware she prowled the abandoned beach at night.

Silently moving forward until he was six steps behind her, he continued to pace behind her. A smile cradled his lips simply cheery. He paused when Namjoo paused. Locking his hands at his back, waiting. Feeling go lucky when Namjoo turned to retrace her steps. Halting abruptly when she finally noticed him.

The night world was suddenly ever radiant when Namjoo’s eyes landed on him. Not stars but shooting fireworks. Brilliantly illuminating the darkness. Blithe swarming through him like moisture in bloated clouds before rain. The smile on his face broadened.

“Hey.” He greeted.

Namjoo stared back.

“What?” he asked. “You’re not even going to act surprised?”

His heart beat full force when Namjoo strode closer. Peering up into his face. Time seemed to linger like an echo in a tunnel lasting ages.

“Did you get into a fight with someone?” Namjoo asked.

“I lost.” Chanyeol told. “Are you going to console me?”

She didn’t answer. Felt like her eyes were tracing every cut, every bruise. Determining the amount of pain he might be in. This close and he recognized a familiar scent from her.

“You were drinking?”

Finally, Namjoo looked away. Avoiding his observation, but what could she hide? Obviously, something was weighing her mind. Chaeri? Sehun?

Chanyeol wouldn’t dig. Not until she came back to him to take everything on her mind away. And when they were in his bed, he would make her do the pillow talk she never wanted. In this minute he would cheer up first. Isn’t that what she always sought from him? To make it all better momentarily.

“Chanyeol!” She scolded when he grabbed her flipflops and tossed them aside.

Cheekily grinning he, too, kicked off his shoes. She breathed a grunt when he wrapped an arm around her waist tugging her near. “Come on.”

Palming his chest to push away, she ordered, “Let go. What are you doing?”

“We’re going to dance.” he said grabbing her hand and stretching their arms out. Directing, “Hand on my shoulder. Three steps back. Four to the right.”

Namjoo almost tripped. “Are you insane?”

Chanyeol twirled her out, listening to her shriek in the process. Their fingers locked as she clung on in order not to fall. He spun her back catching her back into his arm.

He laughed underneath his breath. Didn’t give her a beat to catch her breath as he started stepping in patterns again. Namjoo huffed baffled.

“What are you, a ballroom dancer on the side?” Namjoo dubiously questioned.

“I was enrolled in dancing lessons when I was younger.”

Namjoo scoffed, but she seemed amused and that was good. “You’re really bad.”

He spun her in a circle in retaliation. Namjoo shrieked jovially the entire time. Pulling her back toward him he placed a hand at her mid back and bent her over.

Namjoo half-laughed half-screeched when she straightened. “My back!” she lightly hit him.

“Smooth, right?” he joked.

Namjoo hit him again. Wearing a slanted, but partial smile. No longer appearing troubled.

※※※※※

 “You were surprised, huh?” Sehun Seulbi’s head, trailing fingers through her silky hair.

She nodded, focused on her tablet in bed. The pillow propped at her back as she sat.

“Mommy scare me.” She muttered still not looking at him.

“It’s ok. She won’t do it again.” Sehun assured.

They had bathed, eaten, and turned in for the night. Handing her tablet over, so the day’s incident wouldn’t prowl her mind. Sehun didn’t like her watching cartoon in bed. Bedtime was bedtime, but tonight was an exception. Seulbi had slept fitfully. Crying in the middle of her sleep. He’d run to her with a fright, shushing her back to sleep.

Curse Haewon for scaring his daughter. Attempting to kidnap her. Sneaking in on the class during their naptime.

Sehun stayed up all night with Seulbi. Watching her shows on the tablet until they fell asleep in the wee hour of the night. She was still sound asleep when he woke up groggy. It was already late, so he decided it was best to let Seulbi rest. Best to let her enjoy a day of calm before returning to school. He also called in to work.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Seulbi raced into the kitchen. Wide awake just as he completed their breakfast. Sehun swiftly swooped her into the air catching her with a grunt.

“You’re so heavy now.” He wheezed. His daughter happily giggled uncaring. “Ok, let’s eat.”

Swinging her through the air he set her into a chair. A plate of food followed before he joined her.

“Daddy?” Seulbi stuck a spoonful into . “I see Miss Namjoo today? I want go school.”

He had tried not to think about her. Hear the somberness in her voice. Not a goodbye Sehun, but I know why you didn’t call now. It struck him real hard, because yes, it was true. Haewon had awakened the depths of his male instincts. The hunger and desire he always kept on a leash went rampant.

“Daddy.” Seulbi called again.

“Eat up. We have to go somewhere after this.” Sehun urged.

Once the dishes were done and put away, he changed Seulbi, grabbed his wallet and keys, and left. First stop was the bank. Making certain Seulbi stayed on his tail he went up to the counter to withdraw money. Back to the car and he made the round trip. Driving along the coastal waters. Glistening aqua-blue on a clear day. Splashing onto the giant granite rocks on the opposite side of the guard railing that curved protectively along the highway.

The blue stretched out into the bay. Ending up at uninhabited islands overgrown with fern and wild trees. No one went there. Midway the ocean grew rough and dangerous. High waves could sink and drown boats. Only skilled fisherman crossed the line on the calmest of days and that was rarely.

Twenty minutes and the blue rooftops became viewable. A mural had been painted on a tall white wall bordering this side of town. Illustrating divers, an octopus, and flying birds.

“Wow!” Seulbi exclaimed staring out the window. “Daddy, look!”

The roads were wider, but bore deep cracks. Anyone could travel on feet to any place here. Clusters of homes peeped at them. Narrowly spaced apart, offering the faintest peek indoors when at the top of the rolling hills. Tiny metal gates led into concrete yards connected to private houses.

The structures identical white. Mere clones of each other. If not taken care of properly the exteriors turned stale and darkened from earthly elements. Including spiders and their obnoxious webs.

This was where Sehun had grown up. His mother constantly used a broom to remove unwanted spiderwebs woven from the roof to house. In the concrete yard his father grew tall plants he devotedly cared for. Treating them like babies. Often crooning as he watered and picked bugs from the pots.

Parking his car at the end of the narrow street, Sehun helped Seulbi out of her booster seat. Taking her hand, he trekked past the quiet homes. Nostalgia overwhelmed him. Every step of the way he saw his younger self dashing down the street. Going fishing, visiting the convenience store for sweets, racing to school.

Sehun could smell the meat his father always grilled in the front yard. The fish that was his mother’s favorite steaming in the oven. The scent of spring and summer flowing beyond. Snow whistling outside his window. He’d wake to his father burning coal underneath the floor furnace to keep the house nice and warm. Those days had been so cozy.

The house across the street was empty now. Perhaps made home by a new family. Sehun didn’t bother sparing a peek. Instead he knocked on the metal gate. The hinges rattled unsteadily.

“Who is it?!” A man gruffly shouted from the other side. Sehun listened to a man shuffling, groaning. Picturing him stepping out of his house and muttering while coming to the door.

Sehun bowed a greeting. “Uncle.”

Namjoo’s father stared back flabbergasted. His big belly hung over where his stained gray sweats were knotted. Clashing with it a dark navy t-shirt bearing several holes of varying sizes. He looked to be in a sorry state like he’d just climbed out of a dump hill. Appearing more haggard since the last time they met. His once deep brown hair had turned silver and cut close to his scalp.

They were led inside to a dreary home. The lower walls stained with black smudges as if the place was rotting. Cobwebs were plenty. Round spiders crawled around. Ants nestled at the corner of the house. Many dozens of black needle bodies milling around busily. The sight made Sehun’s stomach flip.

Inside smelled of grease and sweat. Namjoo’s father had probably never heard of air freshener or deodorizers. He wondered where her mother was, why she wasn’t taking care of the shape the house was in. Dust streamed from the windows as they turned into the living room. Draped over the couch was heaps of clothes. Unwashed. Socks littered the floor. Empty beer cans overwhelmed the rest of the floor accompanied by six finished bags of chips. The stench of everything combined made him want to plug his nose.

Sehun’s expression twisted. Hurrying over, Namjoo’s father shoved aside his clothes. Throwing a bundle over another bundle. Awkwardly smiling as he switched the television off.

“Sit, sit.” He offered.

Sehun felt awful for pulling Seulbi onto the couch next to him. That his daughter had to be somewhere so nasty. She squeezed herself against his side uncomfortable.

Taking the seat adjacent, Namjoo’s father hastily collected his beer cans into a convenience store bag sitting at the side. Tossed aside due to laziness. “Sorry, your little girl doesn’t need to see this.”

Sehun offered a consoling smile. For some reason the living room felt dim despite the open curtain. The house felt so joyless.

Sehun placed an envelope on the only empty spot he could find on the center table. “I just came for this.”

The elder man raised a brow. The recliner creaked as he leaned forward to take it. Eyes widening when he peered at the money inside.

“It’s for the car repair.” Sehun explained. “It’s only right that I foot the bill.”

Shaking his head, Namjoo’s father slid the envelope toward him. “I shouldn’t. Namjoo won’t be happy. You best keep the money for you and your little one.” He smiled at Seulbi.

“It was me who crashed into you,” Sehun reminded. “I already promised to pay for the damage. Since I already came all the way here, I would like for you to take it.”

The old man sighed. “Where is her mother?”

“We’re not together.” Sehun explained.

“Pity.” He commented. Sehun tried a smile.

“Is auntie at work?” Sehun changed the topic.

At this he sighed a deep deplorable sound. Namjoo’s father’s face pulled back, mouth drooping. Covering his eyes, he massaged his temples with a thumb.

“She left two years ago.” Growing sullen, his hand dropped atop the arm rest. Unable to meet Sehun’s gaze he stared at the swirling dust. Now looking like a lost soulless man. “Up and left me. Nothing but a letter, you know.”

The news was crushing. No wonder Namjoo blast him off when he asked about her mother. She should have called him. She should have called him. Namjoo so loved her mother that she endured everyday of their unpleasant life. She must have felt so helpless and abandoned.

Sehun’s eyes swept over the unkempt home. Her father had always been a problem. And now he was hers. Her burden alone. Sehun couldn’t imagine how stressful it was for her.

Namjoo should have told him.

“I wasn’t aware.” Sehun said.

“Wasn’t like you were here,” he pointed out. “I always thought you would marry Namjoo someday. You two wee kids were always running around together. Playing with no one else. Babies to adults. Look at you now, you have a baby of your own.”

Namjoo’s father chuckled proudly. Taking one more glance at Seulbi he warmly smiled in the exact way a grandpa would. Sehun tasted a hint of envy in that moment.

“What if…” Sehun nervously asked, “what if one day I want to marry her, would you let me?”

※※※※※

Seulbi wasn’t in class the next morning. Namjoo wondered if she was feeling unwell. Scared from yesterday’s incident? Or was Sehun being cautious? Maybe he had made up with his ex?

Namjoo’s head pounded. She wanted to stop thinking. Driving all the possibilities up the wall. What did it matter to her? Seriously.

What she should worry about was why Chaeri was giving her the silent treatment. She should have asked Chanyeol if he’d said anything to her. Thinking about it, she was glad to have run into him last night. So wound up in her thoughts she had been feeling low. Sighing now she realized she should have asked him about Saturday’s date.

Next time she would remember. She didn’t plan on visiting him again. As of currently they were over. She didn’t want anything between them. Time to cut it off and return to reality. Seek relief somewhere else. Think of something new. Pick up a hobby? There was always plenty to do.

First, she would talk with Chaeri. Find out what was going on with her. Something was definitely there. Saturday she had expected the friend to return home hyper. Invading her bedroom to ramble about the date. Go into detail about everything Chanyeol had done for her. So handsome, so sweet, so considerate he was.

What exactly had happened?

And then there was her father. Some time now she needed to go check on him. She hadn’t heard from him recently, which was kind of suspicious. What was he up to these days? If not working, was he gambling again? She couldn’t stand him and his incapability to clean up after himself. Thinking about the condition the house was in made her head burst.

The last time she went to see him a years’ worth of dishes had piled up in the sink spilling over the counter. She’d spent an hour scrubbing a stain off the linoleum flooring. Namjoo had really considered hiring a cleaner after taking a look in the bathroom. She had spent the rest of the day gagging, unable to eat.

Suddenly thinking about his laundry made her exhausted. Namjoo leaned into the window of the bus. Listening to the little ones chatter in the back, entertaining themselves. Today she felt depleted. Dreaming of a warm bed excited her.

Namjoo’s attention came to when the bus jolted to a stop and she stood. Stepping off the bus to a round of greetings from waiting mothers. Telling them so and so had done this in the classroom, of course your son is just wonderful yaddy yadda.

Acting without thinking Namjoo poked her head into the bus after the last student. Searching for Seulbi at the back. Seeing no one and suddenly recalling she hadn’t attended class today.

Yea, she really needed a nap today. A cloud of silliness shrouded over her. Strangely needing to laugh at herself. Namjoo scoffed and about stepped back into the bus, but something poked her instinctively. A weird sense of déjà vu hitting her head on.

Removing her foot off the first step into the bus, she peered left. Six yards away Sehun stood clutching Seulbi’s hand. A draft caused the tree leaves to bristle. A quiet voice whispered in the breeze.

Namjoo’s heart did a summersault as she let go of the bus and fully shifted.

“Miss Namjoo!” Seulbi freed herself and ran toward her.

Stunned Namjoo didn’t react by the time Seulbi flung her tiny arms around her legs. Her heart hammered choppily in little fast beats. Looking down at Seulbi broadly grinning at her. She giggled, her tiny body sending the vibrations into Namjoo’s knees.

“We want see you, Miss Namjoo,” Seulbi exclaimed. “Let’s go eat ice cream.”

Her gaze flittered up upon Sehun’s approach. “If it’s ok, can you spare me some time?”