The Flowers We Saw

Tale of Our Lives

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"No, that's unacceptable. Just bring her home," Sehun's mother had argued at the meeting.

"That's right," his father backed her up, "what will the elders think? It is humiliating for her to live on her own when that child is our son's. That child belongs to our family. Since it's happened this way, there's no other choice but to let her under our roof. Sehun will marry her. The two will take responsibility for what they have done."

Was Sehun's parents' persistent case when their families met for the first time. Not at some special VIP restaurant. In a private reserved room paid for specially by his family. No special course meal. But they had met at his parents' place. They refused to meet in public. It was probably embarrassing for them and under their roof perhaps granted them more power to speak volume.

Sehun's parents would have no other way. It was shameful and damning to their family name if she lived apart from Sehun during her pregnancy until marriage. Regardless whether they accepted her or not, she was already carrying his baby. Her fate was sealed. She belonged to him. His family. The child would make it so.

"It shouldn't be this way, but it has to be this way," her mother comforted. Stroking her hair as they both tried not to shed tears the day she emptied her room to leave.

"I'm sorry." Namjoo squeaked remorsefully.

"Now that you're finally going, you have to take care of yourself," her mother cried. "Always remember to eat and don't sleep too late. I won't be the one looking after you anymore. You have to take care of yourself."

"Be patient," her father had advised gently squeezing her shoulder before she walked out of her home, "it'll only be hard now, but it'll get better."

Sniffing Namjoo wiped her tears nodding.

"Your mom and dad will always be here for you." Her father promised. "Don't forget that."

Namjoo never forgot their tears the day she left home. The distinct way her heart had shattered as she left her family to walk into another's.

It had never been comfortable living with Sehun. Namjoo was just a month along when she packed up to live with him. His sister had moved out after getting married, so majority of the second-floor space belonged to them. She moved into Sehun's room. Cramming her clothes with his in the drawers and the closet. She had to share his bed and the same view of the stop sign outside his window.

They had been mere strangers. Despite having shared many nights in random motel rooms, that first night they just sat at the foot of his bed. Soaking in reality. The mistake they'd made. Struggling to come to terms with their shame and embarrassment. Figuring who it was harder for.

A good son whose parents blamed him for this. A random girl who wasn't welcomed, but had to be there.

One day Namjoo heard his parents gossiping, wondering if she was really having Sehun's child. How hearing that had punched her in the guts, literally.

Until she gave birth to Kihoon and he looked exactly like Sehun. She only cried when her water broke and Sehun drove her to the hospital. She had wanted her mother, but Sehun's parents didn't like a daughter-in-law associating with her family because she was already their person. So he had stayed with her in the delivery room holding her hand.

Namjoo remembered these exact things.

Many of it why she would never dare to go back.

High heels, sneakers, or whatnot Namjoo didn't even know what type of woman Sehun liked. He'd just married her to take responsibility. Namjoo had dealt with that hand life handed her because she had no other choice. For them it had always been one and the same reason.