More Than Friends ~ Vernon x Nancy

Chapter 14

*4 Years Later*
It is the year 2028, Nancy and Vernon have returned to South Korea, after spending about three, almost 4 years in America. In the meantime, they had a baby boy who is 2 years younger than Naomi, they named Noah. Since moving back to Seoul, they will go by their Korean names; Chwe Kyungmi(추경미)
and Chwe Kyungsoo(추경수). At the time of the very sad day of Vernon's enlistment, Kyungmi is 4 years old and Kyungsoo is 2 years old. Kyungmi cried a lot, watching Vernon march off and join his rank. Kyungsoo, who was a bit too young to get to know Vernon, was a little confused as to why his 아빠 (papa) had to leave.
"아빠 has to go to serve our country, Kyungsoo. He will be back soon, okay." Nancy explained in a gentle voice.
"아빠!!" Kyungmi exclaimed with tears in her eyes.
"I promise you, he will be back soon." Nancy said.
"No! I'll miss papa." Kyungmi said.

For the next 18 months or so, Nancy will have to raise her kids on her own, without Vernon. Nancy understands why Vernon has to go. It's just because of how the rules of the Korean government. Every able-bodied male from the age of 18 - 35 must serve 18 months in the Korean military. Those are just the rules, and it's been like that for a very long time. Nancy has great friends here in Seoul, so she definitely won't be doing this completely alone. Her former Momoland members would be happy to help her out. Ahin in particular would love to meet Kyungmi and Kyungsoo because they spent the first years of Kyungsoo's life in America, so she weren't able to meet Kyungsoo.

Ahin and Hyebin came over to visit Nancy. When they met Kyungmi and Kyungsoo, they kept saying how cute they are, and mistook them for twins. They are so close in age that they could be mistaken for twins, so it makes sense why they did. Nancy had fun hanging out with her ex members whom she still considers some of her best friends. It's also fun because Kyungmi and Kyungsoo would often switch between English and Korean, just like their parents. Sometimes, it's hard being two different cultures because they don't know which language to use half the time. They are going to a regular Korean elementary school and mostly speak Korean, but then they also spoke English back in America. It's quite confusing, but they'll figure it out one of these days.

Later that same day, Ahin and Hyebin had returned to the Momoland dorms. Nancy was left alone with the kids once again. She had lots of fun hanging out with the kids every day after Kyungmi came back from school. Kyungmi would often tell Nancy what she had learned in school that day, and how much she loves school. Kyungmi is hard working in school and always turned in assignments on time. She never missed a due date, and is high ranking even in her kindergarten class. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, is still has to stay at home, and can't attend preschool until he turns 5 or 6.

The next few months after Vernon's enlistment, for the first time, since her trainee days, Nancy was feeling lonely. She is surrounded by her wonderful kids and friends, but she can't help but feel lonely. She doesn't know if the reason is that Vernon is away, serving the country, or her past as an idol is catching up to her. She doesn't know what it is, so she sought out some professional help to guide her. She saw a therapist for the first time in her life. . .
"Uh, hi. Yes, I'm just feeling lonely as of recently." Nancy explained to therapist Choi.
"I see. Is there anything big in your life that happened recently that could contribute to your loneliness?" Mrs. Choi asked.
"Well, my husband enlisted a few months back." Nancy said.
"Ah, I have counciled many girls in the past that have felt this loneliness because their husbands have gone away to the military. Trust me, I've heard many stories. Please tell me more so I know exactly how to council you." Mrs. Choi said.
"Okay, so Vernon and I first met as kids, as child models. Then, we didn't see each other much after that shooting until we finally met again here around 2017, 2018. Somewhere around there. We began dating in 2020, and then the rest is history." Nancy said.
"I see. You have a long history with Vernon. I see why you are feeling this loneliness. When you have a relationship for so long and then suddenly, they're gone, you can start to have feelings of being lonely because they were with you for long. I suggest having video calls with him whenever he's available and just voice your feelings to him. Tell him before it gets too bad." Mrs. Choi said.
"Okay, thank so much for the talk today, Mrs. Choi. You're a lovely lady." Nancy said, bowing to her.
"It's no problem. If you have anymore concerns, feel free to contact me. We can always talk it out like we did today." Mrs. Choi said.
"Will do. See you later." Nancy said, walking out of her office.

Talking about her feelings to a therapist really helped Nancy, and now she's feeling much better. Meanwhile, Vernon is about ready to go to bed when he checks his phone. His phone notification reads: 5 Missed Calls From Nancy💕💞.
"Huh? Is she okay?" Vernon asked to himself. Then, he presses call on Nancy's number, "Yeah, hey. You doing okay?"
"Oh, sorry if I scared you. I was just feeling lonely these days. I wanted to talk to someone and you were the first one to come to mind." Nancy said.
"Okay, you're sure you're okay now?" Vernon asked.
"I'm good. I went to a counselor." Nancy said.
"Okay, thank God. I just didn't want anything to happen to you. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something did happen." Vernon said.
"Hey. I'm gonna be fine now. You don't have to worry." Nancy said.
"Okay, okay. Well, I'm heading to bed. I've got a tough day tomorrow." Vernon said.
"Okay, love you." Nancy said.
"Love you too. Fighting!" Vernon exclaimed.