Namjoo turned to look at him. He did the same. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other as if he’d just confirmed something important.

Turning away she placed her pillow back into place and laid down, “I’m tired. Good night.”

“Good night, Namjoo,” Sehun turned out the lights. As Namjoo lay on her side staring into the dark she felt a sense of contentment spread throughout her body. She awoke after an hour and to her back then turned to look at Sehun.

So there were no feelings at all for Eun Bi. Namjoo allowed the fact to sink in and reached over to readjust the blanket over him.  

*****

“Are you and Namjoo planning on having another baby?”

“I…we…no.” He stuttered. “I don’t think we’re ready for it.”

“Well I think you should consider it. No, I think it’ll be better if you two have another baby,” his father told. “It’ll settle your mother and before we get any older, I’d like to hold another grandchild in my arms.”

A baby…

As he lay there that morning after Namjoo left, he stared at her empty bedside with the words running rounds inside his head. At some point he had thought about having his own kid, but he hadn’t felt the strong desire to have one. When Namjoo entered the picture, that thought was even less to occur to him.

Soo Ae was definitely enough, but now his parents were mentioning it. The moment his father mentioned having a grandchild, Sehun had sensed something within the depth of his voice – longing.

Of course, as a son Sehun felt obligated to listen to his parents, do as they wanted. He would like to give his father that grandchild, but it wouldn’t work like this. But then he also realized, he would like one of his own.

As his thoughts closed in he tried to formulate the image of his son or daughter running around. Whose genes would dominate? Who would the child take after? Since Soo Ae was his daughter, he wanted a son. One boy, one girl. They should have big eyes, he thought, he wanted them to have big eyes. Their smiles should be pretty.

Namjoo had a pretty smile…

Her smile. The kids should have them.

“Daddy!” The door burst open and Soo Ae ran in, surprising the life out of him. As she jumped onto the bed he literally flew up before laughing when he regained himself. “Wake up!”

Falling onto her knees she leaned over, “Are you awake yet?”

“Yes, yes, I’m up,” he pulled himself up to sit.

“If you sleep there does that mean mommy sleeps here?” She patted the bedside that belonged to Namjoo.

He nodded and watched her giggle.

Maybe another daughter would be fine too. He wanted her to be as pretty as Soo Ae, as kindhearted as her, as adorable as her.

He watched Soo Ae jump up and pull his hand to get him off the bed. He allowed her to drag him away, happiness flurrying through him like a raging snowstorm. And as they made their way down the stairs, Sehun realized something he’d kept in the dark was coming to light.

*****

Eun Bi kept her eyes trained toward the kitchen entrance for Sehun. She’d dolled up today especially for him. She even thought to herself that she at least looked prettier than Namjoo, who didn’t seem to put much effort into how she looked. Namjoo was the definition of disgrace to womankind.

Eun Bi watched Namjoo set the table quietly. Namjoo hadn’t spoken a word to her when she came down and Eun Bi really hoped that what she’d said yesterday was really getting to her. She should be thinking things over, Eun Bi thought, and she better take advantage of it before I do worse.

A voice drifted from the living room and Eun Bi turned with an expecting smile when she saw Soo Ae leading Sehun in by the hand. She was prepared to grin at him the moment he glanced her way. Instead, he walked over to the table, immediately glancing at Namjoo. Something in his eyes sparked the jealousy within Eun Bi and biting her lower lips, turned to turn the stove off.

His all-so-happy eyes for Namjoo made Eun Bi want to chuck the pan of hot food at them. She wouldn’t literally do it, but she wanted to show that she was in the room as well. Sehun should at least look at her!

Pressing her lips firmly together to maintain her pride, she poured the hot food onto a clean plate. Starting toward them she set the plate on the center of the table, “Good morning, Sehun. Good morning, Soo Ae. You’re looking very happy today.”

“Daddy’s in a good mood today,” Soo Ae announced then turned to Sehun, “aren’t you?”

They traded smiles and Eun Bi would have thought they were sharing a message only the two of them were able to decrypt.

“I always knew Sehun would be a good father,” Eun Bi commented, “you’re really lucky, Soo Ae.”

“I have the best mommy ever too!” Soo Ae added. “Daddy always makes mommy have fun, and mommy always makes daddy happy. It’s like they’re meant for each other, right?”

A frown threatened to take over her face, but Eun Bi managed to smile. “Well things always change,” she turned to look at Namjoo standing beside her, placing utensils down beside the plates, “right?”

Namjoo only gave her a glance before returning to work. Namjoo was only purposely avoiding her, because she knew she was right. Suddenly, Eun Bi felt even more confident that Namjoo didn’t love Sehun. It was only their daughter she cared about.

Then Eun Bi suddenly wondered if she was willing to raise someone else’s kid as her own. It was a hard thought to fathom but if that kid was Sehun’s, she’d be willing to do it. She’d raise that kid for Sehun, but not as her own. Only for Sehun’s sake she’d do it.

As they waited for Sehun’s parents to come, Eun Bi’s eyes zoomed in on Soo Ae and Sehun.

*****

He’d stayed behind to help with the dishes, even though his mom didn’t allow it. Although both Namjoo and Eun Bi had everything under control, Sehun couldn’t dismiss the slight tension in the air. He wanted to be around if his mother and Eun Bi gained up on Namjoo, which he knew they wouldn’t hold back doing.

“You should’ve gone up to get dressed instead of wasting time down there,” Namjoo told him as he followed her up the stairs.

“Why rush,” he wondered, “when you and Soo Ae are here? I have so much more time to waste now that you’ve moved in. How convenient.”

Namjoo turned back to frown at him and he replied with a smug smile. When they turned the corner Namjoo headed off to help Soo Ae get ready. Grabbing his clothes he stepped into the bathroom to change and when he came out, found Namjoo shuffling through the drawer – his drawer. It had him raising a brow surprised. Before he could speak, she her arm out. Like usual, her eyes were elsewhere. Sehun immediately brightened up when he recognized his tie dangling from her hand.

“Don’t forget it,” her voice was quiet, but the words quick. She placed it on the drawer and turned to head out, but he hurried forward to grab her wrist.

“You’re not going to put it on?” he asked. His heart trembled with excitement. He was both shy and happy.

quivered into a stuttering laugh when she turned to him. She was flustered. “You can do it yourself. What are your hands and feet for?”

A laugh echoed from his lips and he placed the tie into the palm of her hand. “I told you mom would be upset if you can’t even do this.”

She huffed out a breath, rolled her eyes to the side. He waited and then she finally shifted toward him and tightened her fingers around the tie. Sehun was amused how she had to raise herself on tiptoes to link it around his neck, but it ultimately brought her closer.

He liked it.

After completing the first step she paused for a long time. Her eyes were concentrated and she bit her lip as she sought her memory for help. The way she did it made him want to laugh from amusement and pat her on the back, but he stared because he hadn’t seen her this way before.

Her lashes were long, her hair shiny and silky. Though he doubted she looked much after herself, her skin appeared smooth and her lips soft and tender. She’d really grown up from the last he remembered of her. No longer that teenage girl who smelt of cigarettes and walked the streets fearlessly as if she owned it. Her appearance had matured in fair heights to her mentality. His eyes set on those lines under her eyes that made her look aged. Namjoo still looked good. In his eyes, greater than anyone.

Smiling, he bravely reached out to place his hands atop hers to help her. Namjoo would have slipped her fingers away if not for the extra strength he used on her. Her hands followed the movement of his and he hoped one day she’d memorize the few steps to complete this ritual every morning.

When they pulled the end through the loop he finally allowed his eyes to stray over her face. She was striking. His heart raced.

Pulling her hands away she slowly peered up into his eyes. The room became very dense and warm bringing the bubbles inside his stomach to life.

Smiling even more, he quietly said, “Thanks.”

*****                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

I love him. She had said.

As Namjoo cleaned up for the last time at the salon she thought about Eun Bi. When she had walked into the apartment, she had claimed Sehun has her husband-to-be. Something about it still caught Namjoo’s mind.

Sehun had clarified he didn’t like the girl, but that didn’t mean it settled everything. If Eun Bi got the picture, why would she still hang around? Unless she was that shameless. That was believable, but Namjoo wondered about that promise Eun Bi had mentioned. Sehun said he’d marry her…but then she’d come along and ruined everything.

Namjoo had the urge to snort at how that girl placed blame on her for all sorts of things. It had been so peaceful in Muju that she’d almost forgotten those type of people like Eun Bi and Sehun’s mother existed. If Namjoo had been more careful, knowledgeable about them, she wouldn’t have swayed upon Sehun’s offer that day. Then she wouldn’t be here. Then perhaps, Eun Bi could be achieving her life’s biggest dream: to become Sehun’s wife.

What was so great about that spot anyway, Namjoo wondered. Oh right, because Sehun’s mother was biased toward that girl. With that sudden thought, Namjoo felt really sorry for Sehun, but then this was his problem. Not hers.

“My life is just perfect,” she mumbled to herself.

Four hours later after finally bidding farewell to her coworkers she stepped outside where both Soo Ae and Sehun were waiting for her. They were leaning against his car with the same pose and turned at exactly the same time when they spotted her. They were such a pair, Namjoo thought. Soo Ae was probably very happy to have someone else to look up to other than her.

“Are you hungry, mommy?” Soo Ae questioned, holding out a bag to her.

“What have you got there?” Namjoo took the bag from her and peeked inside to see a carton of milk along with a sandwich.

“Eat, because we’re not returning home just yet.” Sehun told.

Namjoo raised her brow and watched him open the car door for her – a gesture she’d never seen him do before.

Soo Ae giggled from behind her. When Namjoo turned back to look at her questionably, Soo Ae commented, “Isn’t daddy sweet, mommy?”

Her brows literally twitched and she turned to look at Sehun. “My dad’s sending us on an errand. He says, ‘Take your time.’ So eat along the way.”

She watched him gesture for her to get in, but she asked, “What errand?”

“Oh you’ll find out,” Sehun smiled, “get in.”

Abiding, she did as told. About half an hour later they arrived at the market and she stared at the store dumbfounded. During the whole ride she wondered why Sehun was being so cheeky. In actuality his dad had sent them grocery shopping and he’d made it seem like something super secretive.

“This is the errand?” Namjoo asked as she followed him in, paused and watched him grab a cart.

He cocked his head toward her with a smirk, “First time our family is shopping together.”

“I want to push the cart,” Soo Ae pushed her aside and into Sehun before stealing the cart from him. Namjoo swore Soo Ae’s push was so strong she nearly fell over if it weren’t for the fact that Sehun was heavier than her.

“Exactly what are we supposed to get?” Namjoo wondered.

“I don’t know. Whatever I guess.”

She turned to glance at him unable to push aside the thought that they were just being mischievous with her. There was a giggle from Soo Ae and Namjoo turned to look at her daughter confused.

“What are you so happy about?” Namjoo asked. She felt like she was on another whole wavelength than the two with her. Or maybe it just had to deal with the fact that Sehun’s mentality was Soo Ae’s age. She snickered at the thought.

“Nothing,” Soo Ae smirked and Namjoo found it bizarre how her smirk resembled Sehun’s. What the heck had the two of them been doing together?

“Mommy,” Soo Ae recalled her attention.

“What?” Her daughter stepped away from the cart to grab her hand. Namjoo’s mind spun in utter bewilderment before she linked her hand with Sehun’s and pushed them closer together. “Lets start looking for food! You two go first. Come on, daddy!”

Namjoo immediately tugged her hand out of Sehun’s, but suddenly found his grip tight and firm. Within a mere second she was pulled forward.

A sort of gasp dropped from her lips, still wondering what in the world was going on. “Really, Sehun.”

“Well you heard the kid,” Sehun slightly turned his head back to speak to her. “Lets get shopping.”

The urge to roll her eyes became so strong Namjoo didn’t hold back from doing so. The wheels of the cart became louder and she turned to see Soo Ae catching up to them from the side. There was bliss on her little girl’s face so excited about this little family trip together to the store. At her age shopping alongside her parents must seem like such a fun adventure. Unable to help herself, Namjoo smiled and thought for a moment Soo Ae was rubbing off her excitement onto her.   

After leaving the market they finally headed back onto the road with the trunk loaded with all sorts of food. With some pleading she had allowed Soo Ae to eat a bag of chips in the car. All the walking inside must have tired her out because Soo Ae didn’t talk on the way home.

“I have some friends flying in this weekend for a visit,” Sehun started, “they want to meet you.”

Namjoo side glanced at him.

“You’ll like them, I’m pretty sure of that.” He assured.

“Have you always had so many friends?” Namjoo wondered.

He laughed baffled, “What do you take me for?”

Namjoo shrugged, “Guess I don’t have a choice then.”

“Wasn’t going to give you one anyway,” he added then offered her one of his victorious smiles she’d seen so often when Soo Ae took his side.

*****

Urging Namjoo off to relax with a nice long shower after dinner had to be one of the most difficult task yet. Once the water started running he raced down the hall with Soo Ae and carried the TV he’d earlier bought after dropping Namjoo off at work that morning into the room.

“You think your mom’s going to like it?” Sehun asked.

Soo Ae who was sitting on the bed with her legs dangling off the edge nodded, “I know she’ll love it! If it’s from you, mommy will love anything!”

Unable to help himself when he looked at her he laughed.

“I mean it,” Soo Ae emphasized. “Maybe mommy will yell at you, but I know deep down she’ll appreciate it.”

“Will she?”

Grinning, Soo Ae nodded. After plugging all the cords into the right places they turned when Namjoo opened the door and walked out, immediately halting in her steps. Questions lit up her eyes as she looked at them from one to the other.

Finally sliding down from the bed, Soo Ae shouted, “Ta-da! Mommy, look what daddy got you!”

Namjoo’s eyes swerved to the TV and as expected, she didn’t look very ecstatic. She only glanced toward him quietly, her eyes telling him he should have known better than to waste his money on it. Luckily for him, Soo Ae helped ward off the scolding. Wrapping her arms around her, she smiled at up at her mother, easily winning her over.

“Isn’t daddy cool?” Soo Ae asked. “Now mommy has her own corner in the house with her own TV. Don’t yell at daddy, ok?”

Namjoo shot him a glance and he couldn’t discern whether it was a warning that it wasn’t over yet.

*****

“You’re not mad, are you?” Soo Ae asked when Namjoo pulled the blanket over her to tuck her into bed.

“I’m not,” Namjoo assured her with a smile.

“Really? You promise?” Soo Ae stared up at her with her puppy eyes.

Namjoo shook her head. “I promise. You know mommy keeps her promises.”

This time Soo Ae beamed with another gigantic smile, pulled herself up, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

“Mommy, daddy does it only because he wants you to have the best. I know he always worries about you, so don’t yell at him. Do you want to know a secret, mommy?”

Namjoo raised her brows, waited.

Soo Ae lowered her voice as if Sehun might overhear, “When I’m with daddy we always talk about you. After we send you to work, I always ask him if he misses you. Daddy always tells me no, but I know he misses you. Do you know how I know?”

“How Soo Ae?” Whether Soo Ae was babbling her kid nonsense because she wanted to see them as a romantic couple or if she was telling her the truth, Namjoo didn’t trouble herself about thinking it over. She wasn’t about to treat Soo Ae like she was being a fool over some fantasy she wished she was watching.

“Because daddy always looks at you.”

***OMG I was rereading everything over last night and I see so many mistakes. I wrote Luhan when it was supposed to be Sehun in the other chapter /facepalms