When Namjoo returned to their bedroom Sehun was still in the shower. Closing the door she turned to look at the TV he’d set up and walked toward it. It had been ages since she’d touched anything so new. If she thought about it, she was in awe. This TV was hers. The thought of restricting Sehun from watching it amused her.

At the click of the bathroom door she turned to look at Sehun, their eyes locking before she turned to sit down on the bed.

“So where’s the remote?” She started.

Removing the stack of papers with directions aside on the dresser he picked up the remote, handed it to her.

“How much was it?”

“Huh?” He seemed surprised after sitting down beside her.

“The TV,” she gestured her chin toward it, her eyes focused on the channels she was flipping through.

“That’s a secret.” She turned to look at him to tell him that was an unacceptable answer. “Don’t you know it’s kind of a clause not to share how much a gift costs to the receiver?”

“Nope,” her attention swerved back to the TV.

“From now on it is,” he stated.

Namjoo waited a few seconds then said, “Thanks. For this.”

There was no reply so she turned to find Sehun staring at her, his expression awed or what she thought was blank.

“What?” She asked and watched him break out into a laugh with a smile. She continued to watch, confused.

“I thought you’d yell at me. ‘Cause you know, you always seem to do it whenever I do something.”

Narrowing her eyes, she turned away. “I promised Soo Ae I wouldn’t.” Then she handed him the remote, “What do you like watching?”

“I don’t really watch TV.”

“Ha,” she laughed sarcastically, “me too. Guess we have something in common.”

Grabbing the remote from her, “Then we’ll have to find something we like watching.”

*****

They grew bored and turned off the lights out after an hour. Sehun slept well. He was glad Namjoo seemed to enjoy the presence of the TV. It was probably the only thing so far that she hadn’t scolded him for. He was sure she would have if it weren’t for Soo Ae, who always bought her way into their hearts so easily. The way Namjoo always gave in because of her helped him to a slight advantage. Sehun felt blessed.

He suddenly awoke in the middle of the night when their bedroom door opened, paving way for light to sneak in. Surprise encapsulated him before he saw the little figure at the door. Namjoo only awoke when he raised himself up on his elbow. Immediately turning around alarmed she stared at Soo Ae.

“Soo Ae?” She called.

“Mommy, I had a bad dream,” their daughter squeaked.

“Come here,” Namjoo called.

The door closed and Soo Ae scurried in, climbed onto the bed, and made her way between them. Sehun felt kind of sorry for the loss of space from being closer to Namjoo when she was asleep. Pulling the covers over Soo Ae, Namjoo lie back down and hugged the girl. Sehun only noticed then, how close the three of them were, barely snuggled against each other. And Namjoo was closer. She paid him no heed, but it didn’t matter.

While her hand repeatedly patted Soo Ae’s small back to comfort her, Sehun watched and listened as Namjoo quietly spoke to her. It was a heartwarming sight he hadn’t seen before. He was aware that before they got married, Soo Ae slept with Namjoo and was, every night, secured by her mother’s presence. All that changed when he married her. He was a bit apologetic for ridding Soo Ae of that warmth.

Not before long, Namjoo drifted back into sleep with Soo Ae cuddled against her. Sehun couldn’t sleep. For a duration of the night he lay there just watching them with a kind of devotion and love for them spreading through his body. Soo Ae awoke when he readjusted the blanket and finally turned toward him. Through the dark he could make out that grin on her face and even thought her eyes were laughing at him.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered.

“Isn’t mommy pretty when she’s sleeping?” Soo Ae asked, keeping her voice low in volume.

Sehun smiled. “Yes.”

“Daddy,” she said, “have you ever held mommy’s hand before?”

“You’re not going back to sleep? The monsters are going to come find you,” Sehun warned playfully.

Soo Ae giggled, “There are no monsters. So, did you?”

“Soo Ae,” he called with warning.

Soo Ae pouted. For a second he thought she was paying heed to his warning, but felt her pull his hand over her. Soft warmth touched his hand a moment later. Confusion swept him before he realized Soo Ae had made him latch onto Namjoo’s hand wrapped around Soo Ae.

“Now you’re holding hands, right?” Soo Ae whispered.

“Yes.”

“Daddy, I’m happy. Lets be together forever. You, me, and mommy.”

Sehun didn’t know when he drifted off, but when he woke up the next morning only he and Namjoo were in the room. Again, like that second night he and Namjoo spent together, warmth clustered up into him. A movement of his hand had his eyes opening and he inhaled a familiar scent.

Namjoo’s shirt brushed against his nose and his hand skimmed up her back one more time before he stopped. His mind froze and heart thudded when he recognized Namjoo’s arm around him. He’d been sleeping with his head tucked under her chin, their arms around each other. The particular sleeping position had him growing more nervous than embarrassed.

He gulped, listened to her breathe, and reluctantly slid his arms from around her. Moving with care so as not to wake her, he slowly got up and turned to look at the time. It was 7:30, a little later than usual.

After washing up he started down the stairs to hear Soo Ae lively talking in the kitchen. Upon nearing, saw that she was talking to his father who was unusually up and early and in the kitchen. His mother was in the midst of preparing breakfast. Eun Bi was nowhere to be seen, thank goodness.

“Daddy!” Soo Ae greeted.

His dad turned to look at him, “You’re finally up. Where’s the daughter-in-law?”

“Let her sleep, she’s of no help anyway,” he heard his mother grumble from the stove where her back faced them.

“I turned mommy’s alarm off,” Soo Ae turned to his father, “so she can sleep a little longer.”

His mother snorted, mumbled something under her breath.

“That’s all right,” his grandpa smiled adoringly at Soo Ae and patted her cheek, “look at you acting so grown up, caring about your mother. Let your mommy rest a little then.”

*****

Namjoo immediately jolted from bed, immediately grabbed her phone, and peered at the time. She was sure she’d set the alarm to 7:00. She always woke up at 7:00!

Just the thought of Sehun’s mother barking off her ears made her rush madly down the stairs. Her steps slowed upon nearing the kitchen, where she saw Sehun sitting with his father watching Soo Ae converse with her grandpa. Relief flushed through her, but she knew it wasn’t over yet.

“You’re up?” Sehun’s father first noticed her. “Come sit.”

Pausing in front of them, she glanced at Sehun’s mother. Her back was to them and obviously, she was upset. Very soon her sharp tongue would begin working.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sleep in.” Namjoo apologized.

“Just sit down, what help are you anyway?” His mother scorned.

Namjoo turned to look at her and withheld an eye roll. She didn’t want to look like she was going to childishly fight back in front of Sehun’s father. Doing as told, she grabbed a seat at the table.

“Looks like you won’t be leaving for work anymore,” his father spoke with her, “how do you feel about it?”

Namjoo hesitated about whether to be honest or not. In the end she opted for being honest. Sehun’s father’s kindness to her didn’t deserve her lie. “It’s a shame, but I’ll just pick up work again when everything settles in.”

The way he smiled at her reminded her much of the way Sehun did. The sincerity and kind gestures he meant to convey were drawn into the lines around his smile.

“You know it’s all right to lean on Sehun. He’s your husband and will be with you from now on,” his eyes never left hers, as if make sure his message went through. “I know you’ve shouldered everything by yourself this whole time, but it’s not like that anymore. We’re your family now.”

If only it was that simple. If only Soo Ae was really Sehun’s daughter it would be fine, but she wasn’t. They were living a lie and the reminder of it hit her strong in the face. This sinking feeling of guilt sunk into the pits of her guts. Namjoo felt horrible. She was horrible.

Yet, she smiled, appreciating his support.

After washing dishes, she headed upstairs to make sure Soo Ae was getting dressed for daycare. Her little girl was spinning around in circles like a ballerina with the stuffed doll Sehun had gotten her.    

“Are you all dressed already?” Namjoo asked from the doorway.

Stopping midway in her circle, Soo Ae grinned. “You’re not getting ready, mommy?”

“I won’t have work from now on,” Namjoo walked in and squatted down as she took Soo Ae’s hands, “that means from now on, you’re going to go with daddy every morning and come back every afternoon with him.”

“You’re going to stay home from now on?”

Smiling, she nodded. “Aren’t you excited? You have daddy all to yourself now.”

“Yes! And you’ll get to rest, like I always wanted.”

“Aren’t you a cute girl,” Namjoo patted her bottom before turning when she heard footsteps at the doorway. She first caught the blue tie dangling from his hand before standing back up. “Why don’t you go downstairs first, Soo Ae?”

“Yes, mommy,” she answered and ran off, but not without flashing Sehun a smile.

Without waiting for him to walk in she started toward him. He held up the tie between them when she neared.

“You’re really going to keep this up?” Namjoo asked.

He shrugged, “Why not?”

“Make use of your own hands, Sehun.”

“You’re implying…” he raised a brow to , his eyes speaking figuratively. Namjoo felt like jamming her fist into his stomach. The tie landed into the palm of her hand and he readjusted himself to stand stiffly in front of her, his arms hanging down by his sides, his shoulders straight and still.

“Well, I’m ready whenever you are.” He said.

Heaving a sigh she repeated the exact same cycle she’d been completing the past two mornings. Namjoo still hadn’t memorized how to tie the stupid tie into that damn knot. She grumbled about why it had to be so difficult before Sehun’s hands grazed hers to help her along. Her eyes shot up to glance at him, her mind no longer focused on memorizing the steps to tying the tie. All she was aware of was the touch of his hand and hers moving with his.

Namjoo withdrew her hands away at the last step and felt Sehun’s eyes land on her. Looking back up at him, “What?”

A huff loudly fell from his lips as he smiled, “You ready for today?”

“What about today?”

“Your first day of being a housewife. You know mom’s not going to let you off easily.”

“I don’t expect easy from your mom.”

“Yours too.”

“What?” She frowned.

“I said she’s your mom too. That’s how you’re supposed to refer to your husband’s mom. Just call her ‘mom’ from now on.”

Namjoo stared at him in disbelief. “You know that won’t happen.”

“Should we make a bet?”

“I’m making no bets with you.”

He smirked as he turned away, “We’ll see about that.”

Namjoo stared at him, feeling aggravated for some reason. She didn’t want him to win.

When they all left, she was finally left with Sehun’s mother – the witch.

“Can’t you see how dirty this house has gotten ever since you moved in? Vacuum every corner, every room and the sofas, and mop the stairs. After you’re done, sort through Sehun’s clothes, wash and iron them. His clothes come before yours and your daughters. Don’t touch my clothes, ever, do you hear?” His mother blasted at her, leaving her to look for the vacuum, the ironing board, and the iron machine by herself.

Namjoo set to work, shifting the coffee table by herself, and even made sure she got every corner cleaned. When she paused for lunch, Sehun’s mother returned from wherever she’d been to inspect her work and made her do it again. As she worked, she wondered where Eun Bi was and if she was here, why not lend her a hand since she cared about Sehun so much.

Two hours later when she finally got rid of the vacuum for good she scrubbed the stairs till her back ached. And finally, made it to searching through Sehun’s clothes another hour later. They still smelled clean and fresh from their last wash, which told her Sehun hadn’t touched them. Still, his mother followed her in, went through Sehun’s clothes and told her what to wash.

“Geez, he gave you every space in this room he has none left for himself,” she heard his mother muttering. “Look at all he’s done for you and your daughter, and you can’t even look after him this much.”

Trying not to explode for her own sake, Namjoo kept her tongue tucked in as she resumed work yet again. She swore that even when it was just her and Soo Ae, she barely did this much work. If only she could move out from under this roof.

After throwing practically all of Sehun’s clothing into the washer she went back upstairs with the pressing board and the ironing machine. As she slowly went through Sehun’s button-ups in his closet, listening to the hangers whish as she slid them aside, she eventually paused. A shirt hidden at the end caught her eyes.

The turquoise color was familiar so were the patterned letters on the shirt. Forgetting the button-ups, she reached for the shirt. A slow tremor started its way up from the bottom of her heart. Nostalgia began spreading through her. Running her eyes over it brought back the good memories she once made with Sehun. The kid had always followed her around back then.

The shirt had been cheap and she had once used it to soak up water from the broken toilet. Then after washing it thought it still looked new. She gave it to Sehun a few days later, telling him it was a gift she got from the mall.

He should have thrown it away, she thought, but it was still here and after all this time.

Hanging it back into the closet she turned her attention back to the chore she was supposed to be doing. Suddenly she felt the determination to carefully make his clothes neat as she pressed the ironer against the wrinkles invisible to the eyes.

Sehun’s mom was ridiculing her for something she was well aware of. And she hated how she had never asked for Sehun’s help in the first place, but had gotten it anyway. If she had been more determined with him she wouldn’t be here. Then why, she wondered, couldn’t you have been more adamant he leave you and Soo Ae alone?

Namjoo didn’t know. There was this thing, this way about Sehun she couldn’t decline. Even she hated to admit it, but it was true. It didn’t rely on Soo Ae alone, but there was something about Sehun. God, she hated thinking about it.

Two hours later when Sehun and Soo Ae returned, she could hear her daughter bounding up the stairs to come greet her. She couldn’t say how glad she was that they were home. Finally, she thought, she was no longer alone with the witch. And she realized, when Soo Ae hugged her, that she had really looked forward to their return.

“Your grandpa’s home,” Sehun called and that had Soo Ae leaving the room. Namjoo watched her run off before returning to the basket of clothes on the ground. A pile of his clothes sat on the bed, all folded up neatly. “As the way it should be,” his mother had chanted into her ears, “there should be no leftover creases. Don’t let wrinkles get into them.”

“Here, let me help you,” Sehun walked over, bent down to grab his clothes before she pushed him away.

“Just…go sit down or something,” Namjoo ordered without looking at him.

“Those are my clothes,” he pointed out as if she hadn’t realized. “Why’d you wash so much? I barely wore those.”

He reached down for them again and she pushed him away again, guarding the basket like one of the many guard dogs back in Muju.

“Did you hear me or not?” Namjoo asked. Sehun stared at her bewildered and with a snort, plopped down onto the bed.

“Happy now?”

“Yes.” They were momentarily quiet and she knew he was watching her, something he’d been doing a lot lately. The very same thing Soo Ae had told her, but she didn’t dare turn to meet his eyes.

“You still kept it.”

“What?”

She gestured her head toward the closet, “The shirt.”

He followed her eyes to where a bunch of his button-ups were hung. It took him a minute to register what she was actually talking about.

“Ah…that?”

“You should’ve thrown it away. It wasn’t really a gift, you know.”

“Why would I throw it away,” he said, “when it’s from my first love?” 

***You know what they say about a first love, you don't forget it. Now Namjoo knows he treasured the shirt and it shows something ^^