Substitute Soulmate

Closing Bridges

A while was spent sitting in her parked car outside of Yeol's home. Did she belong here? Did she have the right to come back? Especially after what her heart was currently doing. She was betraying them. Their trust in her.

Namjoo glanced down at her phone. Would she call and make an excuse?

What to do?

With a split moment of courage, Namjoo pulled out her keys from the ignition and stepped out. When she married Yeol, she had promised him she'd treat his parents like her own. That no matter what happened in the future, she would always be there for them.

But fate was cruel. Yeol had been ripped from all their lives. They suffered the same pain. Loss and grief. Whether Namjoo wanted to run away and hide, she just couldn't. Yeol had believed in her. Yeol's parents were her family. They loved her like their own. Accepted her abruptly. How could she abandon them?

Namjoo pressed the doorbell and waited. Maybe this was her fate, too. Maybe she didn't deserve a future. It was completely wrong for her to try and love again. Because what would happen to Yeol's parents if she left? If she became part of someone else's family, what would they do without her?

Guilt plundered her.

How could she, in her very right mind, even think of falling in love again?

The memory of Sehun hugging her crushed her insides.

"Namjoo," Yeol's mother said when she opened the door. "You're here. Oh, come in. We've missed you."

And once more, Namjoo glanced around the home Yeol had grown up in. So much of him here. How could she dare try to move on?

"How have you been? You must be so busy." The woman wrapped a motherly arm around Namjoo as she led her in.

"How is father?" Namjoo worried. "I'm sorry I haven't called."

"He's just fine," Yeol's mother assured. "He has another therapy session this Thursday."

"I'll drive you two there," Namjoo offered.

"You don't have to. I don't want you getting in trouble by making you leave work so often," the woman said. "We will be fine."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Namjoo excused. "I just want to be there for you."

"Namjoo," the woman shifted to face her and held her hands between her own, "you don't have to think about us so often. Don't you have a friend you see?" smiling, she went on, "I'd like you to relax, too. Of course, we'd also love you here but we're doing just fine nowadays. Unless anything happens, I will call you."

Gripping the woman's hand Namjoo returned the smile. "Is father awake? I'd like to see him."

"Yes, he's lying in bed. We bought a TV a few days ago, so he's always watching television shows," the woman explained. "Would you stay for dinner?"

"I think I will."

¤¤¤¤¤

That was right. Namjoo still had her in-laws, who relied on her. When would she ever be her own person again? When would she start making her own decisions again? When would she start listening to her heart?

Sehun wanted to be greedy, but he couldn't force her. First, he needed to respect her decisions. Whatever Namjoo felt she needed to do, he would let her. It wasn't like they were in an intimate relationship where she would listen to him anyway. And it wasn't like they were so close he should be telling her what he thought.

He had dinner alone, showered, and sat in front of the TV. Even as the TV show ran on, he would turn and imagine Namjoo sitting beside him with her dog sleeping between them. Getting her to come over next time would probably be a challenge.