After washing up Namjoo tip-toed out of the room. Voices filtered down the hallway from the next room and she listened to Sehun tell Soo Ae a story he'd once read. As they laughed and he matched his excited pitch with hers Namjoo felt a sense of calm wash over her. 

There was nothing to worry about. 

Walking back into the room she began opening the boxes she'd packed earlier in the day and started sorting through all the clothes she had. Neatly folding the clothes up to the side she felt her eyes hover over the drawers Sehun had given her. He must've had so much to himself and now half his space belonged to her. 

At the sound of the door opening she turned to see him walk in. 

"You're still awake?" He questioned as if she shouldn't be. 

"It's not that late," Namjoo barely mumbled. 

"Soo Ae's in bed, get some rest too." 

She listened to him walk by and within a minute the door to the bathroom shut. 

Whatever happened next was going to be really hard for her. 

*****

Leaning against the wall after slipping into some fresh clothes he listened to the water drip from the shower head. The steam that had collected from the heat of the water was drawing in like the fervent uneasiness gathering inside him. As it expanded in size he found it harder to move toward the door. Whether Namjoo was still awake or not wasn't really the problem. In all honesty, he'd never imagined this before.

Sharing a bed with her.

Sehun hadn't actually thought about it seriously while they were in the process of talking about marriage. Now that it was happening he was nervous, tense, and shy. Namjoo probably didn't want to do it either, but it wasn't like they could use separate beds now. 

How was he to approach her so that it seemed natural? He didn't want to seem like some kind of turn-off or ert. 

Before this, he'd imagined that his first night sleeping in the same bed with the woman of his life would be romantic. Hugging and cuddling were what they would do and he'd kiss her on and off, hold her for the rest of the night. In reality, it had turned out like this and he'd taken this path of his own will. 

How was he supposed to lay in the same bed with someone who detested marriage, the touch of a man? To no point did he want to make Namjoo uncomfortable, but it wasn't like she wasn't already uncomfortable. 

For Soo Ae's sake, he'd have to be really good to Namjoo. 

Finally gaining some courage he opened the door and stepped out. Namjoo was already laying down on the bed on her side, her back to him. It was strange, but he had to admit he was a little relieved. They wouldn't have to look at each other before climbing into bed together.                    

Walking around the bed he turned the lights off, slipped under the covers. A wide gap enveloped the space between them. The dark silence seemed even quieter than when he slept alone. 

It was insanely awkward. 

Neither of them moved for a long time. Finally turning his head to look her way he saw that she hadn't budged an inch. Was she really sleeping? 

Digging his head back into the pillow he stared up at the ceiling that couldn't be made out from the shadows of the night. This...was really new. All throughout his life he'd never shared a bed with anyone once. He worried if he would ever be able to adapt to this. 

About a long hour passed by without him unsuccessfully getting a shut eye. All of a sudden Namjoo finally moved and clamping his eyes shut he felt the weight on the bed lessen. The moment the door opened he opened his eyes to see a thin light streaming in through the crack of the door. Where Namjoo had gone he didn't have to think hard. She was in the next room looking over the daughter she missed. 

Sleep wasn't coming, he realized, as he lay there on his back staring at the ceiling he could finally see. For a long sanction of the night he lie there by himself. He didn't know when Namjoo finally returned, but when he woke up the area beside him was as empty as when she'd left. 

Soo Ae wasn't in the next room when he walked by so starting down the stairs he heard soft voices in the kitchen. When he neared he saw that Namjoo was feeding Soo Ae breakfast. It wasn't home cooked, he noticed. 

"Good morning, daddy!" Soo Ae cheerily greeted. 

"Hey, you," he greeted cheerily in return and noticed Namjoo look at him quietly then away as if there was something to be guilty about. 

"Have some breakfast," she said. Setting down the spoon in her hand she got up to grab him a fresh plate. Sehun suddenly wondered if she'd slept with Soo Ae last night. 

"Thanks," he said when she placed the clean plate in front of him then looked at her, "what about you?" 

"I already ate." Was her simple reply. 

"Did you go out to buy this?" He wondered. 

"Your dad bought it." 

"But why didn't you wake up with mommy?" 

At this Sehun shot a glance Namjoo's way. Again, she seemed to ignore him as always, but it also meant she'd come to bed last night. It was something he had to sink in. 
 
"Finish your plate, Soo Ae," Namjoo told, "we have to get ready by the time your grandparents return." 

"Where did they go?" Sehun asked. 

"To check the venue out," Namjoo answered. "You better eat quickly too." 

Busy with tidying the table up Namjoo didn't seem to lean her attention his way. Turning he caught Soo Ae staring at him. The second she caught his eyes she beamed a broad smile at him and reaching over he rubbed her head. 

When his parents returned they rushed out. As buildings, clouds, and the sun followed them along the road Sehun felt Soo Ae squeeze his hand, clutching onto Namjoo's with the other. The very moment when his knuckles brushed against warm skin he turned to see Soo Ae holding both their hands on her lap. Namjoo was busily staring out at the city scenery when he raised his eyes and momentarily, he wondered if she was yet having second thoughts. 

Yoo Jin, a long time friend of his who'd gotten married just last year was waiting outside the church when they arrived. He'd invited her specially to help Namjoo with her dress. By any means she'd know how to proceed with the wedding better than he. She quickly waved when he stepped out of the car and greeted them. 

"Wow!" She exclaimed delightfully when she caught sight of Soo Ae. "I'm jealous, Sehun. I thought I already beat you with getting married, but you already went ahead with one of your own. How sly." 

"Don't make me look bad," he warned with a slight smile before placing a hand at Soo Ae's back, "say hi. This is Aunty Yoo Jin. She's going to be helping your mommy today." 

"Hello Aunty Yoo Jin." 

Cracking up with happy laughter Yoo Jin slightly bent down to meet Soo Ae face to face, "Aren't you cute. As long as you don't take after your daddy you will grow up well." 

Sehun shot her a frown before she straightened up to look at Namjoo. 

"Namjoo, I'm guessing?" She smiled. 

"Yes," Namjoo slightly smiled hoping she wasn't appearing awkward, "hi." 

"Seems like Sehun has it too well," she teased before gesturing her head toward the church, "lets head inside. We only have a couple of hours to waste." Then she turned toward Soo Ae, "Do you want to come too? We're going somewhere your daddy can't go right now." 

Soo Ae peered up at her before grasping Sehun's hand, "I'll stay with daddy. You'll make my mom really pretty, won't you?" 

"Of course," Yoo Jin brightly smiled and patted her head. "Leave it to me." 

When they walked off Sehun stepped inside. The interior of the church was simply decorated with flowers on two short stands up front. Long thin white chiffon cloths were weaved around the wooden pews tied into bows at the back. That was all to it. Nothing splendid, nothing elegant. 

To be honest, he thought it looked a little sad but it wasn't like they'd asked for much. Yet, since this might be the only wedding he'd ever have he suddenly thought he should have put more effort into it. While tables were being set out in the yard outside with the food his mom had specially ordered, he would have to get dressed in order to greet the guests later to come. 

"Come on, Soo Ae," Sehun urged, "lets go wear your pretty dress now." 

They were getting married today. 

*****

With a finger underneath her chin Yoo Jin tilted her head back. The soft sweep of Yoo Jin's brush swept gently across her skin. This was perhaps the very first time she was wearing real makeup. 

"Sehun said you two were classmates in high school," she said. "I heard from some friends that he had a girlfriend then and got in big trouble once. I'm guessing that was you?" 

Namjoo peered up into the very yellow bulb in the ceiling. They were in a really small square room with nothing but a desk and the bench in front of it. A long window built near the ceiling allowed the sunlight to filter in through the leaves on the tree outside. As the shadows danced on the ground quietly Namjoo's nerves seemed to dance in unison. 

"Yea..." 

Softly smiling Yoo Jin continued, "That guy needs to spice up his life a little, get out more. I've heard the only exciting thing that's happened to him was in high school. All he's doing now is work, work, work. Now, you know what you should do? Make him your prisoner. Husbands should always be his wife's prisoner. Never let him stay out late, you can never trust men, but I'm sure you know that. Especially, Chanyeol. He likes to play around a lot. Sehun went on a lot of blind dates because of him. Do you know him?" 

"Who?" 

"Chanyeol," Yoo Jin replied. "He went to school with Sehun too, so that means you three went to the same school. Do you remember him? Tall, funny looking guy." 

Namjoo tried to remember, but she'd never paid much attention to the students in her grade. Without much success, she shook her head slightly. 

"You'll probably meet him later," Yoo Jin said certainly. "Ah...he works with Sehun too. You'll probably see a lot of him in the future. Don't let Sehun hang out too much with him."

"Oh..." was all Namjoo managed. 

She wasn't sure what they were talking about anymore and she was confident she could care less about who Sehun met up with and who his friends were. Right now she just wanted to get everything over with. 

*****

Voices chirped noisily in the yard when Tao stepped out of the car he'd borrowed from one of Il Kyeong's newly made friend. Everyone seemed to be either formally or semi-formally dressed and engaged in very intimate conversations. The two large dome doors leading to the white Cathedral Church were wide open.
 
It was a perfectly warm day for just about anything outdoors. Blue skies with pretty clouds and mild wind, not too hot or too cold. Trimmed green grass crunched softly underneath the soles of his shoes, echoing like the silence of blooming flowers as he neared the doors. In his immediate sight he could see young Soo Ae standing side by side with her new father, her used to be number-one Uncle. 

The thought of it was funny. Tao was curious about how, in such a short amount of time, Sehun had climbed up the list so fast. From stranger to uncle and now to father. 

It was really something. 

Maybe it was instinct, he believed, or something else that had to do with this huge distrust toward Sehun. Something was there that made Tao feel uncertain about this marriage. 

"Tao Tao!" Soo Ae excitedly screamed, jumping in spot with countless waves of her arms when she caught sight of him. 

Smiling happily that at least Soo Ae acknowledged him he hurried over. Catching her in his arms he swept her off her feet and spun her around once before setting her back down. Others turned to look curiously, but he could care less about the attention he received than the attention he would get from Soo Ae and her mother. 

"You really came?" Soo Ae asked. "Does mommy know?" 

"Your mother told me to come," Tao patted her cheek instead of her hair that was neatly combed back. 

"Nice to see you," Sehun lightly greeted, "go on in and sit down."

Tao shot him a quick glance that said he didn't want to. "Where's Namjoo?" 

"Mommy's getting ready," Soo Ae answered. "Daddy's friend is making her pretty today. Do you want to go see her? Mommy will be happy to see you." 

"Yes," he nodded. "Is it down that hallway?"

Soo Ae nodded and with a smile Tao waved to her, "I'll see you later, Soo Ae. Do a good job today." 

Smiling brightly, Soo Ae waved. Since the church wasn't anything grand Tao easily found his way down a bleak narrow hallway that smelled of dust and clean chairs. The only open door down that hallway was where he found Namjoo with another woman who was packing up. Leaning against the frame of the door he knocked against it and awaited Namjoo to turn. 

"Tao," her blank expression brightened when she saw him. 

"I'll see you later," the woman smiled at Namjoo before nodding at him. 

Once she disappeared down the hallway Tao finally glanced Namjoo over in the snow white dress she was wearing. Just like Soo Ae promised, Sehun's friend had really made her pretty. She was a work of wonders. 

"You're pretty today," he complimented and watched her give him a small smile. "You don't look very excited." 

Stepping away from the door frame he moved to sit beside her on the bench like how they often sat together when Soo Ae started crawling. Those days seemed long gone.  

"Did you see Soo Ae?"  

"She looks excited," Tao offered, "and pretty like her mother."  

A proud smile lit Namjoo's expression at the mention of her daughter yet, her head still hung down. It was a deploring sight for Tao. Thinking of how she looked now compared to how miserable she might be in the future made him regret he hadn't tried harder to convince her to call off the marriage. As a friend, how could he let her walk down a road that she was forcing herself down?  

"Namjoo," he started, "shouldn't a bride be happier than this?"  

When she said nothing he asked, "Did you think about what I said? Soo Ae's getting what she wants, but what about you? To me, even though living in Muju isn't as comfortable as in the city, you were happier there. You talked a lot more and you always enjoyed the air."

"I miss Muju too, but Soo Ae won't have a good life there. That small village won't have enough opportunities for her to grow. As long as she can take a different path than me, I don't think it matters."

"You know, compared to anyone else who doesn't know you, when I look at you I know deep down you don't want to do this," Tao added hoping she would listen, "Soo Ae will still have a bright future no matter what, because she has you as mom."

A moment of silence fell upon them while he waited patiently for Namjoo to process her own feelings as well as his own.  

"Do you," he began, "want to leave?"  

Raising her eyes up from the ground she stared at the empty wall ahead of her. "How can I do that now?"  

"If you want to, you have every right to."  

Locking his eyes with hers when she turned he hoped to offer her the strength she lacked when it came to Soo Ae. No matter how many times he questioned why Namjoo felt Soo Ae needed a father when she alone had been enough for her, he couldn't find the answer. Even in Muju they were never alone. Friends of all ages adored Soo Ae and aunts always dropped off food they made at Namjoo's. 

Or did everything have to do with Sehun the moment he showed up? With one single word from him Namjoo had packed up and left.

Sehun...what was it about him?

At the very sight of him Soo Ae would begin to leap in joy. Just one word from him had Namjoo giving up everything she could, would, and did have. Through all this Sehun had stirred everything up. Even if he were to become Soo Ae's father at this very moment, Tao just couldn't trust him.  

There wasn't much time left. In a few the music would start playing and Namjoo would have to walk down the aisle. Imagining himself sitting among the guests watching as she made her way toward her husband-to-be wasn't a picture that sat very well in his head.  

He knew he didn't have the power to make a change and he knew he didn't have the right to destroy whatever happiness Namjoo and Soo Ae could have. If one of them were to live comfortably with happiness through her lifetime while the other couldn't, what kind of love was that? Only Sehun would be the only one benefiting and that was greed. 

Sliding his hand off his lap he eased his fingers around hers.

***P.S. Nah, Tao isn't the third-party. It's gonna be Chanyeol