Doing as asked, Chanyeol brought Sehun to one of the few places he frequented. As Sehun drunk himself away, Chanyeol watched regretfully. Before he was even on his second bottle, Sehun was on his fifth.

“Slow down, will you?” Chanyeol asked. “At this rate, I’m going to be called a sleaze.”

Without listening to him, Sehun gulped the bottle down like water, set it down and reached for another. Chanyeol watched quietly as Sehun tore himself up.

“What are you upset about?” Chanyeol finally wondered. He waited for Sehun to respond. When the cap tipped off and clattered against the table the music overhead finally came to an end. A sleepy instrumental played next, sending the chatter around them to another island. The acute pain in Sehun’s eyes turned into water and pressing a hand against his eyes to keep them at bay, inhaled loudly, shaking as it came and went.  

“They left me.” The words slid out before he growled, “So shut up.” Chanyeol would have taken the bottle away from him, but stunned by what he’d just heard, didn’t. It was no wonder Sehun was in ruins. All effort gone to waste.

“Have you tried looking for them?”

Lasers shot from his best friend’s eyes, condemning him for even saying that. Taken aback, Chanyeol glanced off elsewhere until he heard Sehun drinking again. They had gotten into scuffles before, but that was when they were younger. Growing up and maturing together, they’d often compromised during unfavorable situations to avoid slamming heads. Right now, Sehun seemed like he was ready to slam heads whether Chanyeol wanted to or not.

“Have you gone to Muju?” Chanyeol wondered. “What about that apartment they stayed in? Wait…never mind. Of course they wouldn’t go there. Where else have you looked?”

“Do you think they’d go to a place I know of?” Sehun spat the words angrily.

Dazed eyes spoke of his drunken nature. Even in his seat he appeared unsteady and wobbly. It almost appeared as if Sehun was ready to topple forward, the chair bringing him with it, but he just settled his elbow onto the silver table, buried his face into his palm. Breathing shakily again he suddenly appeared more exhausted than ever. Deep red lines were more apparent on the whites of his eyes. Sehun suddenly stared down at the table top, the earlier anger now gone.

“Did you know,” he began somberly, “that Namjoo cried when she finally gave up and agreed to marry me?”

No, of course he hadn’t known.

“She must have…really hated me,” voice quiet, solemn and composed of all the sadness in the world. It was as if he was bearing all the populations' sorrow. “She was so angry when mom and Eun Bi attacked her, when I said I was Soo Ae’s father. Namjoo would have stuck a knife through my heart if she could.” Then he laughed as if the memory amused him. “Even if she didn’t want me around and always told me off, she always cooked for me and let me do as I wanted. Namjoo never changed all this time. Tough outside, but sweet inside.

“We were going to move out. I was going to let them have their own space, so Soo Ae could run around as much as she wanted and become a healthy kid. Namjoo wouldn’t have to live being oppressed. I was going to let her work again, do as she desired. She could live doing what she wanted. Have you seen her at work?” He reminisced. “She looks capable, independent, and happy knowing she’s on her own for even just a few hours. A happy mother makes a happy child.” Sehun barely smiled before his pain stricken expression quickly dominated. His eyes barely glowed, as if replaying all the good things he’d seen between mother and daughter, but it disappeared in the flash of a second.

“We could have gone on a trip, just us three. To the beach, another amusement park, wherever Soo Ae’s never been before. We could have started our own family, have another child, but it only sounds like a petty dream.” His face contorted and for the first time in many years of their friendship, Chanyeol witnessed tears of despair. Sehun’s agony with strong claws like steel seemed to reach across the table and clutch onto him. “They left me.” He cried. “I couldn’t protect them like I promised. Now we’re all strangers again.” As a useless act he rubbed the back of his hand across his face to wipe his tears. He only cried more. “I love them so much…”   

When he returned home in the evening, he didn’t know what to feel. That Namjoo was single again and he should celebrate in anticipation or help Sehun, his best friend.

If he thought about the situation hard, he never knew Namjoo as a person or her daughter. How they lived, the kind of things they had to push through in order to keep surviving, and how Namjoo had fared as a young single mother against the rough winds of life. How those obstacles made her the person she was today.

Chanyeol didn’t know anything…

At work the next day, he watched Sehun work without reason. Again, Sehun asked him if he wanted to accompany him for drinks after work. Chanyeol refused, surprising himself. He never gave up a night out, especially if it was to be with Sehun and enjoy old times together. Dejected, Sehun didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day.  

After walking out of work, the first thing he did was drive around the city, stopping at random points to inquire about a woman and a child. He believed someone would have seen them, remembered a lone mother running with her child in the middle of the night. It was only then that he wished he had a picture of Namjoo and Soo Ae to help him. In the end, he didn’t get very far. When the sun began to set he decided he would try again tomorrow and the day after.

*****

For a week Sehun drank every day after work, returning home only when he was in his drunkest state. That was when he could assure himself that he wouldn’t be thinking of Namjoo or Soo Ae. Now, he believed Namjoo was hiding so well that he would never be able to find her, but when he slept soundly he could feel them beside him. When he woke up he would wake alone with his heart plunging into a deep black abyss. Being alone had never haunted him in such a deadly way before.

“Just where the hell have you been?!” he could hear his mother screaming after him. “Do you know how long Eun Bi waited for you?! And you’re putting on this sorry act?! How dare you! Are you my son?! Have you forgotten about how that woman dumped you, left you to pay the hospital bills for the kid that isn’t even hers?! Are you going to be this useless! Sehun! Come back here!” her voice even followed him up the stairs. This whole week he hadn’t had a proper meal, which left him fatigued and drained of energy.

Instead of walking into his room where the remnants of Namjoo lay, he turned straight into Soo Ae’s, crawled onto the bed and curled up with one of her dolls hugged tight to his chest. Within moments he was out like the light.

From below his father emerged from his office. This whole time he had remained patient and quiet. Every step up the stairs made him think about how well Namjoo had tended to the household, cleaning every day, yet still tending to his son and her daughter.

Disappointed, he had let Namjoo go for the lie she’d fed them. Betrayal and embarrassment had no doubt crossed his mind. He hadn’t, in all his years, ever thought of kicking a daughter-in-law out of his home along with her young daughter. Never before had any young woman left him so dumbfounded, so clueless. He hadn't known how to react after witnessing such a young woman kneel before him. Namjoo hadn’t begged for forgiveness, but begged him not to hate her daughter.

Now all he could think about were all the mistakes he’d committed. It made him feel like a useless elder for not looking into the woman Sehun wanted to marry before giving the nod of his head. Left with a blank state of mind, he had been incapable of doing anything to protect the young woman and her child from his wife’s fury. He knew he was at fault, too.  

The house was quieter now. No joy emanated from the walls and he had to admit, he missed that little girl who brightened his days, but he couldn’t disregard what his wife wanted. He had raised his son with that woman and at least owed her respect and an ear to her opinions. It was his duty as husband and father. Now that Namjoo and Soo Ae had really left, his son had turned into a complete mess. This, too, he had not foreseen.  

He hadn’t raised Sehun to become a drunkard, but now that was just what he was. As a father, he was a failure. His heart stung seeing Sehun, who used to work so hard, turn into a slob, living as if he had no reason at all.

Reaching the top of the stairs he recalled how he used to watch Sehun play with his toys, turn to his studies as he grew up, and how his personality and attitude became more defined to the times they often talked about his hobbies. As he turned back the time he realized how aged he was and what a man his son had become. Once an obedient, well-mannered child and now a responsible man who’d become a husband and a child’s father. So much had changed during that stretch of time when his son schooled and he worked.

The pride he had as Sehun's father came swimming back into him with the fact that would forever leave him in awe; Sehun had grown up.  

As a father he had played an oblivious eye to his love life, believing that his son could make judgments for himself. He had lectured Sehun, pounded virtues into his brain, and guided him before leaving him to make his own decisions. He had been certain Sehun had done it right. He believed Namjoo wasn’t a bad person with improper values. For a woman so young to throw away pride and courageously kneel before him, take fault with all that had happened, even pleading to let Sehun off, was an expression that she was beyond mature. She understood what life was, knew what sacrifice meant. If Sehun couldn’t understand anything she would be able to lead him. Despite what his wife threw a fit about, he knew that such a person could take care of his son when they were gone.

Opening the door to Sehun’s room he turned the light on to discover the room empty. Piles of clothes sat scattered on the ground appearing as if a thief had just gone through the dressers. The room smelled of sweat. Dust had gathered on the top of the drawers. The divorce papers still sat on the night table where Namjoo had left them. Walking over, he lifted them up to find Namjoo’s signature scrawled on the first page. Sehun had still to sign his part.

Closing the door he stepped out and found his son in the next room deep asleep, hugging a stuffed animal as he once had as a child. Sehun appeared innocent, but the real picture depicted pain and a need to escape. 

*****

Namjoo was feeling helpless by now. Soo Ae appeared more drained and tired. She wasn’t getting the sufficient meals she needed because Namjoo couldn’t cook for her. There was no stove here and she couldn’t ask to borrow the kitchen. Her account was draining because they’d been staying at the hotel for too many days. The last thing she wanted was for Soo Ae to slip into a fever and she detested taking her back to the hospital.

She spent a long hour that Friday thinking about what to do. There only seemed to be one viable option left. After deciding, she gathered their belongings and urged Soo Ae onto her back. Sparing enough cash for a cab they finally got dropped off at the strong concrete building she’d seen a week ago. If she remembered correctly, Chanyeol lived on the third floor and if she timed his hours correctly, he was home.

“Mommy, I can walk,” Soo Ae offered.

Adjusting her so that she wouldn’t fall, Namjoo said, “We’re almost there. Are you ok? Am I hurting you?” She could feel Soo Ae shake her head and stepped into the elevator, thanking god for the lift. Making it onto the third floor Namjoo travelled along the hallway searching for Chanyeol’s door. After ringing a doorbell she excused herself when she came across the wrong home owner. Three doorways down she rung the doorbell again, praying that she had it right.

No one came to the door at first, so she rung the bell again. After a few seconds she listened to the door unlock from. As the door caked open she held her breath, hoping she would see Chanyeol on the other side. He was the only one she could think of. If she went back to Muju, Sehun could come find them and she didn’t want to return to him. If, just for a while, she had some place to stay and could find a job, she’d be able to move with Soo Ae somewhere cheap, at least for a while.

Chanyeol was her last resort.

Chanyeol’s round eyes stared back at her, growing wider by the second when he recognized her. Namjoo smiled awkwardly, trying not to feel shameful in his presence. She wasn’t sure how to greet him, but he gladly spoke first. “Namjoo,” he gasped, then glanced at Soo Ae. His eyes shot back to her.

“Can I come in?” 

“Oh…sure,” stepping back to let them in he closed the door behind them. “Let me help you.” he offered, taking Soo Ae off her back then set her down. “Are you ok?” Soo Ae nodded before grabbing Namjoo’s arm for security.

Trying to gather some courage Namjoo glanced around the place that felt faintly familiar then turned to Chanyeol. “Can I let Soo Ae lie down?”

“Oh…yes,” he nodded and led them down the hall to an unused room where Namjoo tucked her daughter in under the sheets.

“Sleep for a bit, huh?” Namjoo asked combing her fingers through her hair. “Don’t worry about anything. Just sleep.”

With a nod from her daughter she turned and headed toward the door where Chanyeol watched. He stepped back awkwardly when she stepped out and closed the door. Namjoo wished she didn’t have to do this, but there was no choice.

Looking up at him she asked, “Can we…talk for a bit?”

His brows shot up, not expecting to have heard that. Then nodding quickly he said, “I can get you something to drink.” Following him into the kitchen Namjoo watched him get her a glass of water and invited herself to sit down at the table. Although he lived alone, his studio was neat and rich in decor. It was modest and sophisticated, very modern. The wide window in his living room offered the perfect picture view of the world outside. She could imagine Soo Ae loving the view.

As soon as he sat down after setting the glass in front of her she apologized, “I’m sorry, for suddenly dropping in. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“That’s all right. Don’t worry about it.” he was kind enough to say.

Namjoo felt embarrassed, hoping she would be able to skip the part about Sehun, but knew better. How could she deny it? “I guess by now, you’ve heard.”

“Huh?” he asked out of surprise with his brows shooting up into his forehead again then he quickly nodded. “I know.”

Pressing her lips together she finally said, “We stayed at a hotel the past week, but I’m running out of money and Soo Ae isn’t getting better. If,” she grew slightly hopeful, “you let us stay for a while, I can do anything. I can clean, cook, and do your laundry for you. Just please, while I try to find work, let us stay here quietly. I promise we won’t hinder you.” Then added desperately, “Please.”

Listening intently with eyes on her, Chanyeol’s eyes appeared to be in deep thought. “You know Sehun is looking for you, don’t you?”

At the mention of him Namjoo felt like crying again. Shaking her head she told him, “I can’t go back there. I won’t go back there to let my daughter get hurt again. Please don’t tell Sehun I’m here. If you plan to, I think it’s best we go.”

Namjoo started to stand, ready to get Soo Ae and carry her out, but stopped at his voice. “No. Stay. I promise I won’t say anything. Let Soo Ae stay here and recover.” She turned to glance at him. He looked almost shy. “You don’t have to do anything. Cleaning or cooking, or any of that. Make yourself comfortable and don’t worry about anything.”

Namjoo could have dropped to her knees, cry, and grab his knees to thank him. This was almost too good to be a miracle. While fighting the urge to cry she smiled. “Thank you, Chanyeol.”

*****

This might be one of the worst things he was doing, but also one of the best decisions he was making. He couldn’t let her back out onto the street with a sick child. And in the end, Namjoo was even closer than before. If that wasn’t something that worked for him, he didn’t know what to say about it.

“Are you hungry?” he wondered. If she was hungry, she hesitated to tell him so. “I have some leftovers from last night. I’ll heat it up for you.”

Chanyeol walked over to the fridge and grabbed a styrofoam container out. Pouring its contents onto a plate he stuck it into the microwave. While it ran, he turned around to discreetly glance at Namjoo again. He knew that even if he wanted to disregard it, she looked just as broken as Sehun. Exhausted and drained of strength.

Once the food was heated he took it out of the microwave and set it down before her and sat down with her. With quiet thanks she picked up the spoon, dug a little into the food, and slipped it into . She appeared like a child who’d just runaway without knowing where to go and what she was going to do from now on. Her heart was battered and bruised, the brick wall piling up higher and higher until she could no longer climb over it. Hard times were no longer simply hard times. Every bruise gained from the fight grew in width and stung more each time she let it show.

A tear quickly slipped from her eye and she wiped as fast as it came. With a laugh to shove away the growing sadness she apologized, “Sorry. It’s just…I haven’t had a really good meal this whole week. The food is really good. Where did you get this food from?”

When their eyes met, all Chanyeol was capable of doing in order not to pull her into his arms, was smile. It was easy to see she was lying. The food wasn’t what mattered. She was hurting inside, but she wouldn’t tell him. He hoped she would know that she could trust him, because he, too, wanted to do much more for her.

*****

Sehun woke with a headache and stumbled down the stairs in his disordered clothes – the ones he’d worn out yesterday and came back in. Being drunk hadn’t offered him the necessity of washing and changing. If he smelled the slightest, it didn’t matter to him.

His mother was just setting the table and Eun Bi at the stove with that apron and her hair in a bun. No matter how many times Sehun looked at her, she looked more boring by the day. Without saying anything, he sat down waiting to be served.

“Sehun!” his mother screeched, turning to him with a face of distaste. “What is that smell?! Did you not shower?!”

Grabbing at his shirt he sniffed it, “Well, I guess that’s me.” Then he laughed, as if it was a joke. His father stared at him through narrowed eyes from the head of the table.

“At least groom yourself! Aren’t you embarrassed coming down to see Eun Bi like this?” his mother continued.

Chewing on his lip he focused on drawing a circle on the tabletop then snorted. His lips quirkily drew up suddenly amused. “You’re right. Eun Bi should be embarrassed for trying to look like a married woman as well. You know what they say, those who come from the same crowd will always be the same.” Then glancing at Eun Bi, “Be careful, one day you might end up like me and wake up in embarrassment.”

Before his mother could scold him again, his father stood up, “Sehun, come see me.” As he passed by, Sehun slightly turned to watch him go then finally slid his chair back and followed. Once more, he felt like an empty shell carrying with it a baggage of irritation.

In the study of his father’s small office, Sehun closed the door behind him. The old man was seated behind his desk in his lofty chair. Without sitting down he stared down at his old man and that was when he caught sight of the divorce papers sitting on the tabletop. His eyes shot toward his father.

“Is this how I raised you?” his father started. “Are you my son? How dare you go out and return every night reeking of alcohol. Have I not taught you better? Is this the end of the world? Is this the best you can do?!” his tone was gentle, voice soft spoken, but it carried with it steel and the authority of his wise father, lecturing him for the better.

He didn’t reply.

“Answer me.” he growled.

Suddenly, Sehun was the sixteen year old kid who’d been brought back from the police station and experiencing another interrogation by his parent. “No.”

“Then quit acting like it!” his father scorned leaning back, his eyes speaking volumes of how frustrated he was. There was no reason to comply, no reason to even try any longer. There was no hope. The tunnel was too long and dark. Sehun was just tired.

“Did you know she wasn’t yours or Namjoo’s daughter from the beginning?”

An invisible hand wrapped its fist around his heart, gripping it, driving ache through his entire whole. “Yes.”

A soft exhale from his father. He prepared himself to be reprimanded by the man who hadn’t done it since the DNA test. “Did you really want to become a father to that child?”

Memories about Soo Ae and how she’d happily approached him started to joke with him and touch his heart. It made him want to weep for the daughter he no longer had. Softly, “Yes.”

“Do you really love her? Namjoo, our daughter-in-law?”

Tired, so tired. There was no longer strength to cry. With a nod, “Yes.” Sehun’s eyes drifted onto the clean tabletop then climbed toward the divorce papers where Namjoo had left her signature. The nightmare of rushing home from the hospital to find them gone struck him like an axe to the head.

“Then bring them back,” Sehun’s eyes shot up to stare at his father at the unbelievable words he was hearing. Those eyes smiled at him and reassuringly, he watched the old man nod. 

***/weeps for there is hope! Dundundun! /drumrolls/ So Namjoo went to Chanyeol! Will Yeol really not tell Sehun Namjoo and Soo Ae are with him?