Donghae sips at his hot chocolate while his daughter rummages through the kitchen cabinets in search of food. “Dad,” she groans, “there’s no food in here!”

“Of course there is,” he replies, eyes not leaving the ebook on his kindle. “There’s bread, eggs, beef, pork sausages and taco shells, just to name a few.”

“I mean food that doesn’t require actual cooking,” Wheein complains, trudging into the room with her bunny slippers dragging on the floor. “I’m fifteen; I need sustenance!”

“At ten pm,” Donghae says flatly, looking over his shoulder to raise his eyebrows. “Why didn’t you eat at seven?”

“It’s Christmas holidays, I’m allowed to be slack!” Wheein says cheerfully, vaulting herself over the couch to land on its cushions. She looks down curiously as Donghae’s phone vibrates with a soft beep. “Work? They can’t have you; you’re mine!”

Donghae chuckles as he unlocks his phone. He opens his messages and stares at the new message. “What.”

Wheein gets curious and leans over. “Hot Face Hyukjae. Like, our neighbour, Hyukjae? Hah! I knew you liked him! Hwasa so owes me.”

“If you tell her anything, I’ll tell her you’ve had a massive crush on her since they moved in,” Donghae says smoothly.

Wheein gasps at the betrayal. “I – you can’t talk!”

“So you do like her,” Donghae says, his voice loud with victory.

A furious blush threatening to take over her face, Wheein snatches the phone. “I’m tired of being scared of whatever’s in your kid’s window,” she reads aloud. “It’s scary.” After a moment, she bursts into laughter. “My cut out! He thinks it’s a serial killer!”

Donghae snorts and takes another sip of his hot chocolate, not noticing the typing n