Youngjae held his head very still, not even daring to breathe. The brush ran over his cheeks and dabbed at more rouge. The powder was getting into his nose, but goodness forbid if he sneezed. Her face was contorted in concentration as she ran the brush over his forehead. Youngjae closed his eyes, not wanting to picture how he looked.

            He felt her place something on his head and then step away. “Ta-dah! You’re all done! Daddy, come look at the mirror!”

            Youngjae gulped. Anything but the mirror. But when his daughter came running back in with the looking glass, he had no choice but to look. He almost passed out. Now he understood the expression, “breaking the mirror.”

            She had painted red streaks on his forehead and his cheeks were a bright scarlet, hinting at high fever. Around his eyes, Minjae had drawn in two dark circles. His lips were a bruised pink and she had placed a hideous crown on his head.

            “Do you like it? Daddy, you’re a real princess now!”

            It had been her idea to play dress up. Youngjae had no choice but to comply. What he didn’t have in mind was that she had wanted to use him as the mannequin. He had accepted it until she told him the topic.

            “We’re going to play princess, daddy!”

            He had hemmed and hawed, trying to get out of it, but she took his hand and dropped him to the ground. She already had out her set of makeup and had ordered him to close his eyes. Next time, he was going to tell his wife that she was not to touch makeup until the age of twenty. This was ridiculous.

            Youngjae touched the “crown” on his head and grimaced. “What is this?”

            “We made this at school daddy! I have one too!” But she took out a tiara from her Halloween costume. Youngjae sighed. Guess he’ll have to play the ugly duckling princess.

            “Okay, so daddy you’re going to be the big princess from the other land. You want to marry my prince but he’s my prince, okay? Daddy, is Youngsuk-Oppa home yet?”

            Youngjae checked his watch. “We’re not picking up your brother until three.”

            Minjae pouted. “Okay.” She grabbed their beagle and placed him in her lap. “Snoopy will be my prince and daddy you want to marry him. But when you come to our palace, we become best friends and I tell you that Snoopy will marry me, okay?”

            The dog pawed at the ground and finally gave up. It, like Youngjae, had realized that in the firm grasp of Yoo Minjae, it was powerless. Youngjae nodded. “Yes, Princess.”

            “Okay!” she clapped her hands and the dog attempted to escape but she grabbed around its head. “No, Snoopy! My prince!”

            Youngjae walked to the other side of the room, waiting for her cue. “Okay, daddy, come to my palace!”

            Youngjae hummed a few notes of fanfare and courtsyed as he walked. He pretended to bow to the cushion officials Minjae had set up around the room. He dipped his head and waved, getting into the role. When he came up to Her Royal Highness, he dropped onto the ground.

            “Hello, Princess.”

            “Hello, Daddy,” she giggled. “What do you want?”

            “I wish to marry Prince Snoopy!” Youngjae held out his arms and took the beagle away from her. Minjae’s face fell.

            “No! You’re not supposed to take him! Redo!” Youngjae hastily returned the dog back to her, wondering if all the fathers had to suffer what he was going through now.

            He stood up and dropped again. “Hello Princess.”

            “What do you want?”

            “I want to marry the Prince.”

            “You can’t, he’s going to marry me.”

            Youngjae placed a hand to his heart and feigned devastation. “But we were meant to be!”

            “No you’re not. We’re best friends now. Daddy do you want tea?”

            He laughed out loud at the insistent need to stick to the plot and nodded. “Yes, please, princess.”

            She got up and scrambled into her room, grabbing her tea set. She placed a cup in front of him and said imperiously, “You may drink now!”

            Youngjae pretended to drink and then gagged. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he choked, landing on his side. Minjae ran over. “Daddy, are you like Snow White after she ate the bad apple?”

            Youngjae opened one eye and nodded. “Yes, save me. I need a hug from the princess.”

            Minjae wrapped her arms around him and youngjae flipped up, engulfing her tiny body. She shrieked and squirmed and Youngjae stood up, twirling her around. “Whee, Minnie’s dancing and twirling!”

            The crown had fallen off and Youngjae managed to wipe away the majority of the makeup. He placed her down and she gasped, giddy with excitement and out of breath. She swung her legs and laughed. “That was so much fun!”

            Youngjae grinned and tapped her nose. “I know. Next time, Daddy is going to be the King though. I’m too manly to be a princess.”

            She wrinkled her nose in the exact imitation of her mother and beamed. “When oppa gets home, he can be the princess then!”

Yay for Princess Jae