Soo Ae giggled loudly and bashfully covered with her hands. “And how are you going to give that to her, daddy?”

“I don’t know,” Sehun’s mind went blank. He had originally planned on just presenting her the flower without doing anything special, but Soo Ae made him think otherwise. “How should I do it, Soo Ae?”

“Hide it behind your back,” Soo Ae hid the flower behind her tiny back to show him, “and then tell mommy to turn around and just when she does, give her a kiss!”

Baffled by her idea, all Sehun could do was laugh.

*****

Today was hers and Soo Ae’s laundry day. As she climbed up the stairs with the basket she glanced back toward the kitchen, wondering why Soo Ae and Sehun were late coming home.

A few minutes later she heard Soo Ae running up the stairs. Namjoo expected Soo Ae to run into the room and jump against her, but the little girl didn’t come for her greeting. When silence presumed she turned around to see Sehun standing there with that little mischievous smile he had when he was up to something with Soo Ae. Namjoo only shot him one look before turning back around to continue folding the clothes.

“You’re back?” She asked. “Where’s Soo Ae?”

“In her room.”

“You two are little late today.”

“Are we?” he asked, surprised at not expecting to hear that remark, “but Namjoo.”

“What?” She set Soo Ae’s shirt down before picking up another. “If you’re hungry there’s some leftovers in the fridge.”

“It’s not that.” Sehun replied. “Namjoo.”

“What?” If he wanted to say something she wished he’d just say it.

The sound of his shuffling footsteps made her turn, assuming he was on her left. Instead, he wasn’t.

“Not there, I’m here,” Sehun’s voice came from her right. Upon the turn of her head, she saw him push over the pile of clothing she had stacked up while simultaneously surprising her with a peck on the lips.

“Sehun!” She screamed when he immediately turned to run out of the room. Flustered, she turned back around swiping her hair off her shoulder and glanced down at the mess he’d made. After restacking the pile of clothing she spotted the rose neatly wrapped in translucent packaging sitting on the bed.

He was getting a little stranger each day, she thought. Once the basket emptied she picked up the pile of Soo Ae’s clothes to find her swinging her head from side to side while admiring something on her bedside table.

“What are you doing, Soo Ae?” Namjoo opened the drawer, her eyes on her daughter. Too busy staring at whatever was there she only turned at the sound of her voice.

Immediately grinning, Soo Ae asked, “Did you get your present, mommy?”

“Present?”

“Silly mommy,” Soo Ae called. “Daddy wanted to give you a surprise. I told him to do it in a special way.”

Neatly stuffing the rest of her clothes into the drawer Namjoo walked toward her daughter and peered at the single flower sitting in a translucent purple vase. Catching her eyes on the flower, Soo Ae asked, “Isn’t it beautiful? Daddy bought it for me.”

“Did he?” Namjoo asked feeling like she was being drenched in Soo Ae’s innocent joy.

Nodding, she asked, “So, did you like your present?”

“Of course,” Namjoo smiled.

“Since you do, you should go give daddy a big thanks!” Soo Ae suggested. “You should kiss daddy, too.”

“Where are you getting all these ideas?” Namjoo sat down beside her.

“Don’t people who love each other kiss?” Baffled, Namjoo combed her fingers through her daughter’s hair. “So, do they or do they not? Doesn’t daddy kiss you, mommy?”

“Ok, lets stop here,” Namjoo said and watched Soo Ae pout.

“But you’re going to give daddy a big thanks, right?”

“Yes, I will.” She promised. Wherever Sehun was, it would only depend if she saw him on the way downstairs. She wanted to find out whoever it was that was influencing Soo Ae. Maybe she’d been watching too much TV?

Not wanting to be caught late for dinner preparation she headed for the kitchen, but instead of Sehun’s mom she found him there. Her brow shot up when she reached the entryway under the arc. His mother seemed to have a love for patriarchal rules, never allowing men to put their fingers on the knives or cutting board. Namjoo decided that if Sehun wanted to cook, she might as well let him learn.

“What are you doing?” Namjoo stepped toward him to peer over his shoulder. He was peeling off shrimp shells, a mess of it on the side. “Do you need help?”

“No.”

Namjoo turned back, expecting to see his mother walk in on them and start barking her ear off at why she was letting Sehun do the work. In fact, his mother was nowhere which she thought was utterly strange. Now that she thought of it, she hadn’t seen his father on her way down either.

“Where are your parents?”

“You mean our parents?” Sehun corrected. “I enticed dad to take mom out for something nice. Meanwhile, we have the house to ourselves.”

“Why?” Namjoo asked. “Is today a special day?”

He glanced at her without turning his head, “No.”

“Then…why?”

“Because,” he began, “I just want it to be us. You don’t want to have a family meal with me and Soo Ae?”

“Did I say that?” Namjoo asked.

The corner of his lips drew up in response. “Sit down. Today I’ll do everything.”

Namjoo raised her brow again, confused over whether this was some kind of special treatment. Pulling a chair out she sat down, watching him continue to work quietly. Soo Ae’s voice ran circles  in her head.

Reaching her hand out she touched his hand for his attention. Suddenly shy, she averted her eyes, “Thanks, for the rose.”

Sehun fought not to let his smile show too visibly, “Do you like it?”

“It’s pretty.”

“You never got a flower before, huh?”

“No.”

He glanced at her, “Good.”

Namjoo frowned up at him, wondering if he was up to something else.

Dinner, in the end, was spent and eaten well. The hour went by awfully fast, yet filled with smiles and Soo Ae’s cute acts, even singing a song for them. For the first time, the three of them cleared the table together, Soo Ae their little helper. As she wiped the table clean, Sehun and Soo Ae both went upstairs to prepare for bed. While listening to their footsteps fade upstairs and the peace filled in, Namjoo felt like she was back in the apartment – where evenings had just been her, Soo Ae, and Sehun.

Contentment wrapped her heart in its warm hand and she smiled at how homey she suddenly felt. Once she finished up, she slowly headed up the stairs with the desire to keep the evening long and lasting. Soo Ae and Sehun’s voice drifted from her room as she neared. She had expected Soo Ae to procrastinate on her bath if she was with Sehun.

Leaning against the wall, she poked her head forward and glanced inside to see Sehun waltzing around the room with Soo Ae, as if she were the princess at the ball and he the prince charming. A backdrop of music came noisily from Sehun’s phone on her bed. The imagery of how perfect they were melted her heart. There was a glow on Soo Ae’s face, her smile radiantly expressing how loved and appreciated she felt with her father. Namjoo would never take that from her.

The music ended and instead of stepping away from each other, Soo Ae threw her arms around Sehun. “Lets be together forever, daddy. You, me, and mommy. So please love mommy for a long, long time.”

Stepping away from the sight, Namjoo leaned against the wall, knowing well the two of them were going to fight to keep her there forever. She’d known all along that it’d be like this. When she thought about it, it suddenly felt like they’d come so far. From Muju to when she and Soo Ae had nothing to suddenly having everything. Whenever she thought of how Soo Ae prized Sehun she felt her heart weaken .

There was nothing she could do now. About anything.

Stepping away from the wall she went for her shower, wanting to clear her head. When she stepped out Sehun was fooling with something by the bedside table. It was a lamp he’d just bought, one he hadn’t needed before for his room.

“Why’d you buy that?” Namjoo questioned.

“Huh?” He turned to her then back to the lamp. “Oh…just because.”

Namjoo watched him give her a smile before tapping his fingers against it and at once the light brightened like magic.

“Cool, isn’t it?” He inquired. “Are you done? I’ll go take a shower now.”

Namjoo watched him walk into the bathroom and turned to stare at the unneeded lamp. Never minding it, she swerved around to check on Soo Ae. As expected, the young girl was still up and playing in her room, but at least she’d washed.

“You’re not sleeping?” Namjoo asked.

“I am,” Soo Ae immediately drew her covers over and got under. “See?”

Grinning at her, Namjoo sat down at the edge of the bed. “Did you have a good time with your dad?”

Smiling guiltily, she nodded. “Mommy, you have to be really good to daddy too, because I know he loves you so, so, so much.”

Unwilling to tear apart her wishes, Namjoo adjusted the blanket over her. “Go to sleep.”

“You should go to sleep too,” Soo Ae urged. “Daddy’s going to be lonely if you stay here too long with me.”

Namjoo snorted at the thought, but got up to turn off the lights. “Good night, Soo Ae.”

“Good night, mommy.”

Closing the door she retreated to the room now rightfully hers. Climbing into the bed after turning the lights out Namjoo stared at the ceiling. The glow from the lamp gave life to the room, chasing the darkness away. From where she lay she could hear the hairdryer running from inside the bathroom before it suddenly went quiet and the door opened. The tall man that Sehun had grown into appeared before joining her. After a few seconds she felt him shift to watch her.

“Did you go see Soo Ae?” He asked.

“I did.”

“I bet you thought I didn’t make sure she took her bath before going to bed.” She caught that contradiction of tease in his voice and turned to look at him. Even though the light shone from behind him, as it sparked the room up she could see his eyes glimmering.

A gentle smile stretched across his lips. “Namjoo.” His voice coaxing and gentle.

“What?” And she felt like she knew why he’d bought the lamp as her eyes fixed on his.

“Can we hold each other tonight?” He asked. The way his eyes melted into hers made the yearning there as obvious as the sun during the day. After coming so far, after crossing the bridge she didn’t want to step foot on, it was already too late.

Just as he stretched his arms out she shifted closer until she felt him fold them around her and she was snuggled near his chest. The tip of his chin gently rested atop her head and she ran her hand across his back to clutch onto his shoulder. Her heart raced, but she was warm and more awake than she wanted. The solid physique of Sehun’s body within her hold was so real.

If she opened her heart up a little and let him put a foot inside, would she lose it after momentarily gaining it? Or would he continue to step in until he was fully inside? And would she be able to keep the happiness as it was? Or would it let go of her first?

The thoughts continued to run until she fell tired and finally drifted off, comfortably in her husband’s arms.

*****

Sehun wished the night didn’t have to end. He would have slept forever if he could have, but eventually the sun rose and Namjoo left for breakfast duty. When his eyes opened, the first thing he thought of was that nighttime would quickly fall again so he could have her in his arms, like she belonged there.

When she completed fixing his tie for him gladly kissed her with a, “I’ll see you later.” As he raced outside with Soo Ae he felt bubbles forming inside his stomach, intoxicating his whole body.

“Sehun!” A voice called out.

Looking up from where he was helping Soo Ae into the backseat of the car, he spotted Eun Bi standing on her lawn watching them. He suddenly realized he hadn’t seen her all day yesterday, a miracle if it wasn’t God given.

“When are you coming back from work?” She asked.

“Around four, why?”

She smiled, “I was just wondering. The weather’s good today, but you should still be careful. Drive slowly out there. Wouldn’t want you or your daughter to get hurt.”

Sehun stared at her blankly, “Thanks.” Closing the door after Soo Ae he got in and drove off.

*****

Eun Bi could feel her hands shake after Sehun drove off. Not only was he acting as if she no longer existed, but he was ignoring her. Now she was upset with both Namjoo and Sehun. Namjoo for making Sehun like that and Sehun for choosing that unworthy woman over her. The only satisfaction she could feel now was if she separated them both for good. That was the only way to restore her hurt pride after waiting for him for so long.

The results were supposed to be out that afternoon. The police station said they would call when the papers came out and that was all she was waiting for. Right when Sehun came from work, she and his mother would confront them. She snickered at the thought of the shock on their faces when their lie was found out. And she knew his mother would have Namjoo out of their home. His righteous father would no longer adore that little girl or favor his daughter-in-law.

It would be the end of their happy marriage life. Too bad it wasn’t meant to last long, and it was only too bad Sehun would never be able to cut his parents out of his life and choose Namjoo over them. The filial son that he was would never have the guts to do that.

*****

Namjoo busily vacuumed their rooms upstairs, calmly spending her day away. She was in a good mood strangely. Things had been turning out weird the past few days. Once again, she figured it was Sehun getting to her.

When the vacuum suddenly switched off and the silence deafened around her, she turned to see Eun Bi. She looked mightily calm for once.

“Come downstairs, mother wants to see you.” Eun Bi told and turned around to walk off as if she’d never come up to speak to her. Wondering what it was they wanted, Namjoo immediately left the vacuum and headed down the stairs.

Sehun’s mother calmly sat on the couch with eyes glued to the wall. Eun Bi stood beside her. Instead of sitting down with her, Namjoo walked toward them and stood adjacent to them. She expected to get lashed at, but neither said anything. It felt as if she was there to be condemned or made a fool of.

“Is there something wrong?” Namjoo started.

Neither replied, so she was left standing there until the back door opened. Soo Ae’s immediate voice excitedly flew through the air before she came bounding into the room with Sehun calmly following.

“What are you guys gathered for?” Sehun wondered, curious. Soo Ae immediately clutched onto her in anticipation of what was going to happen. The back door opened again minutes later after he came to stand beside her, his hand on their daughter’s head. The moment his father walked in Sehun’s mother finally stood up from where she had been sitting, a yellow envelope clutched within her hand. Namjoo suddenly realized she’d missed the sight of it.

“This, this,” her voice shook as she pulled out the papers within it. “If it weren’t for our Eun Bi, you would’ve tricked us all. How dare you?!”

She first glared at Sehun, raised her voice, “You think your mother and father who raised you are fools?! Is that it?! Do you know what we went through to raise you?! And you return us your favor by doing this to us?!”

“Calm down, what are you getting riled up for?” his father hurried over and grabbed her arm, which she shook off.

Taking another step forward with the papers tightly grasped within her trembling hands, her eyes filled with rage as she tossed them into Namjoo’s face. “You !” Before Namjoo could react she felt a sting across her face and the whole room turned chaotic as both men tried to restrain the enraged mother.

Namjoo stumbled back while Sehun tried to keep his mother at bay, from lunging at her and Soo Ae.

“Let go of me! Let go of me!” Sehun’s mother warded them off, anger flowing from her like electric waves. Wrath seethed from her teeth as she stared Namjoo down. The only one who moved was Eun Bi who bent down to pick up the papers, her icy eyes meeting with Namjoo’s when she handed the papers to her.

Namjoo glanced at it and saw percentages at the bottom of the sheet before Sehun snatched them. “Enough.”

Alarm finally rang in her heart when she glanced at the sudden anger in his face. “Soo Ae, go upstairs.”

“No…but mommy…”

“I said go upstairs,” he deepened his voice with order and Namjoo watched her daughter's eyes unwillingly leave her as she headed upstairs and closed the door to her room.

His mother snorted an angry huff. With her eyes on Namjoo again, “Get out of this house right now, you despicable thing. You have no shame.”

“Mom!” Sehun raised his voice, but she continued to ignore him.

“Get a divorce, pack up and leave immediately,” his mother demanded through gritted teeth. “I want you to cut off all ties with this family.”  

***So long to all the happy parts!