Kim Jinhee was not like other kids around her age. While her classmates enjoyed doing any outdoor activity, returning home with their clothes wrinkled and partially covered in dirt, she preferred spending her afternoons locked up inside her room. Usually, she would be found against her favorite corner, with her nose buried deep down a book. She would be surrounded by plush cushions, and there would be, without fail, a glass of soy milk with a touch of cinnamon and vanilla (because she was lactose-intolerant), and a plate of some homemade oatmeal cookies by her side. If the afternoon was chilly, she would be covered by a thick Snoopy blanket.

There was no doubt that Taehyung adored his daugther with every fiber of his being. They were best buddies. He always sought after what was best for his kid, prioritizing what made her the happiest and spoiling her to his content. She was a smart girl. They invested their time together doing what Jinhee liked the most: learning new recipes of extravagant foreign dishes, trying out food from fresh-on-the-market restaurants, going downtown for recitals, theatrical plays and classic concerts, or taking long walks around Busan in search of antique libraries where Jinhee had heard they could find original manuscripts. Everyone expected Jinhee to have a rotten, unstable character, since Taehyung hardly knew how to deny her things, but, in reality, she was one of the politest, most diligent girls Taehyung had ever seen (and he was not that biased).

Yet, as much as he valued every moment spent alone with his daugther, Taehyung was starting to get worried. Jinhee had a pleasant character, but she did not like socializing. She mainly gave her undivided attention to her father and uncles, and her lack of social skills was apparently becoming an alarming issue. Jinhee’s teacher had asked to see him in private because of that. Mrs. Kim had praised his daughter’s sharp intelligence and dedication before dropping the bomb, harshly pointing out how disappointing her awkward behavior around others was. Taehyung tried to coax her to understand his daughter’s innate shyness and how she, as the wise head of the classroom, should encourage other students to treat her with upmost patience. The teacher, however, had refused to listen to his reasoning. She had shooed him with a warning about his inefficient parental guide, giving him a colorful flyer of a summer camp held in Sokcho as her solution.

So, there he was, with a recently printed confirmation of his daugther’s enrollment in the camp, nervous to knock at Jinhee’s bedroom door. The summer camp would last a month, and Sokcho was far enough for his ten-years-old child to be at a safe distance from—in the sweet words of Mrs. Kim—‘Taehyung’s overbearing protectiveness’. With his daugther six-hours away from him, Taehyung was free to reflex upon the path of life he had chosen, and ponder about new alternatives to improve his daughter’s lifestyle and socially-productive habits.

It was, supposedly, a win-win situation.

“It’s going to be good for her”, Jimin had assured him while they were eating lunch that day. “Jinhee’s going to be forced to live out of your daddy radar, and you’ll have some space to think about yourself. You’ve not gone out in years, Yeol.”

“But I don't want my baby breaking our bond now! It’s too early for that… I need at least six years more to prepare myself for this, Jimin. And I do go out. In fact, I’m out more often than you.”

“You know what I mean, idiot—your downtown trips, where you follow your little princess like a lost puppy, don’t count. Stop being a clingy father and let the kid enjoy himself for once. You should do that as well.”

Let the kid enjoy himself.

He knocked, eyes fulminating the stupid piece of paper that would provoke his daughter’s premature departure. “Jinhee-ah? May I come in?”

Her soft response sent Taehyung’s broken heart six feet under. “Yes, appa, you may.”

Taehyung gulped and stiffly advanced inside. The pastel colors and plushy surfaces of his daughter’s bedroom created a soothing atmosphere, which served to calm his raging nerves. He just hoped his smart girl would see the situation as beneficial as Mrs. Kim and Jimin had said, because Taehyung could hardly do it.

He picked his daughter’s acoustic guitar from the twin-sized bed and took a seat, absently strumming the cords of the instrument. He did not know how to break the news to his lovely daugther without breaking her heart in the process.

“Baby, what do you think about traveling out of the city this summer?”

Anticipation made Jinhee’s beautiful eyes shine, and turned her snow-white cheeks a little pink. She nodded in happiness, which made Taehyung feel as the worst parent ever.

“If you have time, I wouldn’t mind, appa… Where are we going?”

“Well, I was thinking about visiting Sokcho…”

Jinhee gasped in sheer excitement. “We could go to Sinheungsa Temple—!”

“—and leaving you there for a summer camp.”

Taehyung winced.

There was a tense silence, before his confused kid’s tragically whispered. “You mean I’ll be by… myself? Why?”

“Baby, don’t panic. Listen to appa.”

She just blinked, as calm as any ten-years-old could be. “But appa, I’m not… I just… I don’t understand…”

“I just thought this would be a good opportunity for you, princess. You can make some friends and try new things for fun, like playing volleyball or basketball. You surely have gotten the height for that, haven’t you?” He mentioned while putting his large hand over her head, as if he was measuring her. Indeed, she was taller than most of her classmates. “It’s going to be better than being stuck with appa for the rest of the summer, isn’t it?”

She grasped her ruffle-layered nightown. “Does appa want to get rid of me?”

Taehyung yelped when he noticed his daughter’s watering eyes, jumping out of the bed to give Jinhee a tight hug. “No, princess, absolutely not! It’s not like that—at all! I’ve just realized I’m not giving you enough freedom to explore things by your own. I’m so sorry… appa’s sorry for not being good enough—I promise you I’ll do better. But I really want you to try this. Go over there and enjoy yourself as much as you can, baby. There will be a lot of activities you’ll like, such as music lessons, and painting... You’ll like it there!”

Jinhee did not say much after that.

 

 

Jung Mina was not like many girls around her age. She was overly energetic, and enjoyed playing outside with her classmates until she was soaked in mud and sweat from head to toes. If she was not setting some ridiculous prank or brain-storming a way to mess up an unfortunate adult’s day, she would be practicing one of her favorite sports with her friends. She would never be seen without her duffel bag, which was always equipped with an uniform, towels, a clean change of clothes and a first aid kit. a respective item would be always occupying her hands likewise: either a bat with a pair of hanging baseball gloves, or a shinai.

Jungkook’s entire existence gravitated around his beloved daughter. He constantly took into account her opinions, however crazy they might sound, so Mina would later understand and trust his decisions regarding her wellbeing. They were a team that worked perfectly together.

Moving to Japan had not been an easy decision for Jungkook. His blood was half-Japanese, but he had been raised solely on his father’s land, South Korea. After many financial struggles when Mina was a toddler, they had managed to settle in Osaka. His maternal grandparents owned a popular ryokan-styled inn and had offered them a roof over their heads even though they disliked him for his Korean-heritage. They profusely adored Mina, though, since his daughter’s playful mannerisms reminded them of his deceased mother and her easy character.

Honestly, he could not complain about his grandparents. They practically sponsored Mina’s education, refusing to let Jungkook pay a penny. As a consequence, Jungkook encouraged his daughter to be a disciplined student and do her best, since it was an appropriate way to show gratitude for their blessings. That was why, once Mina’s teacher informed him about his daughter’s grades dropping alarmingly low, he became extremely anxious. His girl was not the brightest bulb out of her classroom, but she was good at school. She was an optimistic fast-learner, and liked to do things right, after all. If she did not understand something, she would annoy anyone until she got an proper answer.

“Mina-ah?”

The girl of big orbs widely smiled up at him. “Papa-ah?”, she answered, mimicking his posture and careful tone.

Jungkook chuckled and childishly flickered her nose. “Is there something wrong? You seem a little off. You’re strangely quiet, even though that anime you like so much it’s about to start...”

The kid shook her head and kept playing with her rice.

“Uncle Taemin texted me this morning. He is participating in that camping thing again this summer. This time, it’s going to be held in Sokcho. Do you remember where Sokcho is?”

Mina looked up with sparkling eyes as she told him its exact location on South Korea’s map. After a few seconds, she wore a bashful smile, which was a really uncommon sight.

“Papa, do you remember that uncle Dae promised to show me a lot of places if I ever visited him?” Jungkook nodded. “I was wondering... Well, I want to go to his camp... I really, really want to go to South Korea, papa. Can I?”

Jungkook’s grin softened.

“I could say something to your grandparents…” Hopefully, they won’t skin me alive for mentioning my motherland, “but… I think there may be little problem. Well, it’s most like a condition.”

“What it is, papa? I’ll do anything!”

“You can trust me with anything… you know that, don’t?” The perplexed girl nodded as Jungkook picked up her almost empty plate. “Do well in school, baby girl. I don’t need a card full of straight As, but I want to know if you’re struggling with anything and need any help. Please.”

“Amano-sensei told you…” When he nodded, Mina blushed and averted her round eyes, playing with the hem of her graphic shirt. “Sorry, papa… I’m just a little… tired of school. Teachers are mean. They say I’m too energetic for my own good.”

Jungkook frowned, thinking he would have to talk to those teachers. “Don’t apologize, honey... I’m sorry for not noticing you were getting stressed. I’ll send you to uncle Dae’s camp, but you must promise me you’re going to have fun there, and return here as my ultimate ball of sunshine. Do we have a deal?”

He extended his hand, which she gladly took and shook.

Mina stood up and beamed. “Leave it to me, papa! I’ll do good!”

 

 

“Jimin, I can’t do this.”

Taehyung was hiding inside his bathroom at two in the morning, dreading waking up his daughter in a a few hours so they would not miss their bus to Sokcho. The tiles of the shower-cubicle were extremely cold under his unclothed thighs, and his deep voice echoed too loudly inside, but he could not risk having this conversation in his room, where Jinhee could enter whenever she pleased and catch some scraps of information not meant to be heard by her.

Jimin grumbled at the other end of the line, clearly annoyed from being woken up so rudely before dawn. “Damn it, Taehyung. Have you seen the time? It’s almost three in the morning.”

“I need moral support here, Jimin, and you’re the only one I know that doesn’t have to rise early for work tomorro”, the other cursed, but did not reply to that. “I don’t like the idea of sending my princess so far. We’ve never been apart for so long. She’s been so… silent and weird. I feel she’s going to return hating me. Am I really doing the correct thing?”

Jimin sighed and stayed quiet for a few seconds. “First of all, Jinhee’s just shocked. You literally told her about this trip three days prior it, and spent two of those pre