pairing: xiuchen.
word count: 5400.
rating: PG-13.
genre: fluff, attempted(!!!) humor.
warning(s): implied (very very very) minor character death, author doesn't know children, the existence of byun baekhyun.
summary: minseok's daughter keeps getting her clothes dirty.
 

Minseok loves Yujin, he really does. She's the light of his life, his favorite person in the universe, his sweet little princess, whom he has absolutely adored since the very day she was born. But when he goes to pick her up from school and has to take her home covered in mud and dirt for the third time in as many days, it stops being cute and start getting worrisome.

“Hey, Yujin-ah?” Minseok calls out as he collects her dirty clothes and drops them into a plastic bag. He has to raise his voice to be heard over the sound of the water running while Yujin is cleaning the mud off her skin in their bathroom. She's gotten so big now that she doesn't want his help with these things anymore, and every time she blatantly refuses Minseok, his heart breaks a little more. He doesn't want to admit to himself that she's growing up. “Sweetie?”

“Yes, daddy?” comes her small voice.

“Is everything alright at school? The other kids aren't bullying you or anything, are they?”

“No, daddy,” she says with the tone of someone long-suffering. “I already told you we were just playing and I got knocked down. Everything is fine.” Minseok chews on his bottom lip, standing in front of the slightly open bathroom door. She doesn't seem different from her usual, cheery self, and she doesn't sound like she's lying to him, either – he'd like to think he can tell when she is.

Still, as a dad, he can't help but worry about her. “Okay, but... you'd tell me if someone's bullying you, right? If they're pushing you around or being mean to you. Right?” The thought alone is enough to make his stomach knot. “Promise me you'd tell me if that happens, okay?”

The door opens, and Yujin steps out in the clean clothes Minseok brought her to change into. There's still a streak of drying mud across her cheekbone that she missed while washing up, because no matter how much she wants to be all grown up, she's still not tall enough to look herself in the mirror. Not even while standing on her small stool. “I promise, daddy,” she nods, and Minseok smiles and her damp hair, not quite able to shake his concern. Yujin looks at the bag in his hand. Her face lights up. “Are we going to the laundymap today?”

“Laundromat,” Minseok corrects her gently. He casts a quick glance at his wristwatch. It's already after five, and he still needs to make them dinner, and Yujin has homework, and he needs to get her to bed at a reasonable time, and there's that quarterly progress report he needs to have in his boss' inbox by the end of next week. “Maybe not today, sweetie.”

Yujin's expression fades from excited hopefulness to something more somber. She takes his free hand into both of her tiny ones and gives it a squeeze. “Daddy,” she says slowly, with purpose. “I really think we should go to the laun–... laundrymat.”

“Don't you have those math problems to do?” Minseok asks, but he already knows he's fighting a losing battle. Whenever she's looking up at him like this, eyes big and wet, he always has a hard time saying no to her.

“I'll bring my homework so we can do it while we wait!” Yujin suggests enthusiastically. Minseok lets out a heavy sigh. These crusty clothes need to be cleaned as soon as possible, he knows that. Yujin's mom would probably have had some sort of neat trick to allow them to leave the washing for later without the clothes ending up completely ruined in the process, but...

Yujin squeezes his hand again, making her eyes even bigger and even wetter, and Minseok feels the last tiny bit of his resolve crumble. This girl is going to grow up to be a heartbreaker. “Alright, how about this? If you eat all your vegetables at dinner, we'll go after.”

“Thank you, daddy!” Yujin grins, hugging him around the waist and then skipping off to her room, and Minseok wonders idly to himself when she got so interested in laundry of all things.
 

The laundromat is located on the corner of the building opposite theirs. Yujin holds Minseok's hand tightly the entire way, even tighter while crossing the street, and doesn't let go until she's within distance to hold the doors open so Minseok can haul their giant bag of laundry through. There ended up being more than expected. Maybe it's a good thing she talked him into this after all.

“Pick which one you want,” Minseok says and watches with a fond smile as Yujin runs off to survey the surroundings. There are plenty of rows of unoccupied machines, and yet she ends up picking a washer next to one of the few ones that are already in use. For some reason, those tend to be her first choice. Minseok smiles and her hair. “Alright. Go to the tables and get your school things out. I'll be there in a few minutes.”

Not until he hears the sound of Yujin's voice does Minseok realize that they're not alone. He stands up quickly from where he was crouched down to load the washing machine, glancing over to the area with the chairs and tables. There's a man sitting in the chair across from Yujin's, a stranger, and she's talking to him. Minseok rushes to shove in the last of their clothes, starts the machine, then speedwalks towards Yujin with a frantic spring in his step and his pulse pounding in his ears. A strange man is talking to his daughter. “Hey, daddy,” she says as she looks up at him with a smile. “Ahjussi was just helping me with my homework.”

Ahjussi, as Yujin had called him, looks Minseok up and down. Minseok can feel the heat of his gaze as it sweeps over him, and although a small part somewhere deep within him secretly enjoys the attention, he doesn't actually appreciate this stranger striking up conversation with his daughter while she's alone. “That's nice, sweetie,” Minseok says tightly. He can't help but place a protective hand on her shoulder, nor can he keep the reprimand from slipping into his tone as he says: “Didn't I tell you not to talk to strangers, though?”

“Oh, but ahjussi isn't a stranger!” she protests. “He's handsome laundrymat ahjussi! Me and grandma met him here that one time you had to work somewhere else for a week.”

“It's true.” Now that Minseok looks at the man's face for the first time, he can see why Yujin would call him handsome, because he most certainly is. Kind eyes, strong jaw, playfully curled lips, bone structure to die for. He looks young, probably younger than Minseok, and he doesn't really fit the stereotypical image of a predator. Minseok isn't taking any chances, though. “We did actually meet before,” the man goes on to say. “And as much as I enjoy being called handsome, my name is actually Jongdae. Kim Jongdae. You know, just... for the record.”

Minseok isn't sure if he should give his name to this stranger, who was talking to his daughter, but Yujin makes the choice for him before he can decide: “We're Kim too! I'm Yujin and my daddy's name is Minseok.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jongdae says. His smile curves up his eyes and creates wispy lines at the corners of them, and as much as Minseok hates to admit it, it makes his pulse pound for a different reason entirely. It doesn't make him let his guard down. Maybe Jongdae is genuinely a good guy, and maybe it's wrong for Minseok to distrust him right away, but his first instinct will always be to protect Yujin, and he doesn't like random strangers talking to her.

“Yeah,” is all he says in response. His dismissive, standoffish behavior makes the atmosphere awkward and tense. Yujin seems to be able to sense it with the way her eyes go a bit misty, how she looks up at Minseok as if to ask if she did something wrong. He smiles to placate her and her hair. “Let's take a look at those math problems, shall we, sweetie?” He sits down next to her just as Jongdae stands.

“I think my laundry is just about done, anyway.” He does a jerking motion with his thumb over his shoulder. “It was very nice to meet you. Both of you.” With a quick bow, he turns to leave, and Minseok stares pointedly down at the page of addition and subtraction in Yujin's book and most definitely does not look at Jongdae's legs as he walks away (even though they look really good in those skinny jeans).
 

Yesterday was milk spilled down Yujin's front at lunch. The day before that was a painting project at school gone awry, and the day before that again was another mudfight. Today it's toast dropped into her lap during breakfast, which results in strawberry jam smeared on her pants. "Oops," she says, looking at Minseok with wide eyes, and he sighs and sends her off to change her clothes before they have to leave.

It's Minseok's day off, so after he has dropped Yujin off at school, he goes home to collect all the dirty laundry that has accumulated over the past few days. Most of it is Yujin's. Smears from food, marks from various art supplies, stains from grass and dirt and mud and even something that looks like coal, which Minseok has no idea how got there. He knew having a child would go hand in hand with a lot of extra chores, but this just seems extreme. At this point, he isn't sure if it's unnatural clumsiness, an issue with Yujin's basic motor skills, or if he should make a phone call to the school to figure out if everything is really as alright as Yujin claims it is.

Minseok ends up leaving the apartment loaded with two giant bags of assorted laundry as well as his laptop in hopes of getting some work done while he waits. A day off certainly doesn't mean he's free to do whatever he wants, not when his boss is expecting Minseok to be a top performer as always, and he still has half of that report to write.

Opening the door to the laundromat while carrying bags, whose combined size are almost as big as his own modest frame, is a challenge, but he manages to enter unscathed and with his dignity still mostly intact. Against his better judgment, he lets his gaze drift towards the waiting area. Jongdae is sitting there again. He's at the same table as last time, and he seems to perk up when he sees Minseok (or maybe Minseok is just projecting). Minseok keeps looking straight ahead as he beelines for the nearest available washer.

By the time he has filled three whole machines full of clothes and begins making his way towards where Jongdae is sitting, Jongdae seems to suddenly have found a great interest in his phone, staring at it even as Minseok seats himself a few tables down. For a moment, Minseok deliberates whether or not to greet Jongdae. He decides there's probably no harm to come from it. Even though Minseok might feel still feel wary of him and his intent, always being polite is an ingrained part of his personality by now. “Hello.”

This time Minseok is sure he isn't just imagining the way Jongdae sits up a little straighter in his seat and turns towards him. “Hi!” he says, smile near-blinding. His phone is immediately abandoned. “How's it going? No Yujin today?”

Minseok doesn't like that. He doesn't know the motive behind Jongdae asking about Yujin, and so he doesn't like it. Still, he dryly deadpans: “It's a school day.” He starts setting up his laptop and pulling out files and folders, partially to put on the act of being busy so that maybe Jongdae will leave him alone, partially because he really does need to finish that report. He already had to beg to have his deadline postponed once.

Jongdae nods. “Ah, right. That. She must be in, what, the first grade, right? Or second? I have a nephew, who's in the first grade, and, well, I don't know how old Yujin actually is, but she seems to be about the same age as him.” All Minseok does is make a noncommittal noise in reply. He's aware that he's the one, who initiated conversation in the first place, but he's starting to regret doing so. Several words passed through Minseok's mind during Jongdae's rambled monologue, and one of the words Minseok caught before violently shoving any notion of it out of the way was 'cute'. He doesn't want to find Jongdae cute. “And you?”

“What about me?”

“No work today?”

Minseok drums his fingers against the keyboard. Jongdae is leaned more than halfway across the table he's sitting at as if he's subconsciously trying to be closer to Minseok, his gaze focused unwaveringly on him as he waits for a reply. It is cute, his enthusiasm. He's cute. The attention is flattering. “No,” Minseok finally says. “I have a day off.”

“Looks like you're still working as we speak, though,” Jongdae comments, gesturing at the laptop as well as all the papers scattered on Minseok's own table. Minseok nods, which makes Jongdae retreat slightly. “Ah, I'm sorry. I'm probably being really distracting with all my talking, then. I'll shut up and leave you to it.” Minseok says nothing.

Silence falls over them – as silent as it can be with the constant whir of washers and rush of water through pipes, that is – and it should be a relief, yet Minseok can't seem to concentrate on what he has to do. The little cursor has remained in the same spot of the page for several minutes and seems to be blinking almost tauntingly at Minseok, more and more so the longer he looks at it. A glance at Jongdae shows that he has pulled his phone out again. His dejected expression makes Minseok feel like , which definitely isn't helping his focus. He needs to fix this. He lets out a heavy sigh. “I'm sorry.” Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jongdae's head snapping up. “I'm coming across as really rude. I just didn't like you talking to Yujin while I wasn't there.”

“Hey, it's okay,” Jongdae says softly. “I get it. Really, I do. You're just looking out for your girl.”

Minseok lowers his eyes, chewing on his bottom lip. He feels ashamed of himself. Jongdae really seems like a nice guy, polite and understanding even when Minseok has been nothing short of a to him. “I know I'm being paranoid and overprotective, I just... I just feel like I have to be because it's just me and her now. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to her, too.” He doesn't even want to think about it.

“Well, I'm not a e or anything.”

“That sounds exactly like something a e would say,” Minseok says, narrowing his eyes mock-suspiciously, and Jongdae grins a sheepish grin. Minseok finds that he likes that expression on his face much better than the sad one. Using his foot, he pushes the chair across from him out from the table, and Jongdae doesn't hesitate to take the invitation.

“If it makes things any better, she talked to me first, both times,” he says, and Minseok resists the urge to curse. He already had the 'don't talk to strangers'-talk with Yujin, but it seems like he'll have to go over it with her again. “She's a cute kid.”

Minseok agrees with a nod. “Yeah, she's great. She's really smart, she's rarely fussy, she treats her elders with respect, and she does as she's told.” For the most part, at least. There's still that whole 'talking to strangers'-issue, but Minseok will get back to that. “Apparently she has some issues going a day without nearly ruining her clothes, though. Hence the frequent visits to this place.” He gestures around the room, specifically at the several washing machines he loaded earlier.

“My roommate is both very persuasive and much better than me at Mario Kart,” Jongdae says to explain why he's here. “We have an arrangement where the loser has to do all the laundry. And by 'arrangement', I mean I keep trying to get out of it, and my roommate keeps talking me into continuing our deal. The problem is that I lose our games approximately nine out of ten times, so... here I am. Again. For the second time this week.” Minseok can't help but chuckle, and Jongdae smiles as well, seeming pleased with himself. He rests his chin in his propped up hand. There's something impish about the way the corners of his lips curl. “It's okay, though. Being here means I get to talk to cute people like you.”

Flustered is a feeling Minseok isn't very familiar with, but there it is. He doesn't even know what's causing that emotion. There's just something about the way Jongdae looks at him that makes him feel like a blushing, giddy schoolgirl, and he doesn't know if he likes it or not. Minseok smiles bashfully. He's pretty sure he sees Jongdae's eyes drop to his lips, if only for a second. Jongdae looks like he wants to say something else, but then his phone goes off and breaks the moment between them, and Jongdae curses under his breath, shooting Minseok an apologetic look. “Go ahead and take it,” Minseok says.

Jongdae shakes his head. “It's just my alarm,” he says. “I do have to go, though. I promised to meet my friend for lunch, and he's going to literally choke me if I blow him off. So I really have to go.” The look on his face as he rises from his seat is one of genuine disappointment. If Minseok has to be honest with himself, he's disappointed by the turn of events as well.

Nonetheless, he smiles. “That's fine, I have to work, anyway, but it was nice talking to you. Maybe I'll see you around.”

“You probably will. We're kind of neighbors.” Minseok didn't even think of that prior to this, but if they go to the same laundromat, there's a good chance they live fairly close to each other. It's that thought that keeps Minseok from feeling too crestfallen as he watches Jongdae walk out the door (although he doesn't really know why he would feel that way in the first place).
 

Minseok finally catches on when he comes into the kitchen one day and finds Yujin in the middle of squeezing an entire juicebox onto her own body. “What are you doing?” he asks, equal parts surprised by the situation before him and horrified because he just washed that dress. The guilty look she shoots him tells him everything he needs to know. A lot of things suddenly click in his head, like individual pieces of a puzzle finally coming together, and he says with an air of disbelief: “Kim Yujin. Have you been doing this on purpose?”

At first she says nothing, stubbornly refusing to even look Minseok in the eye, but the longer he stares at her with his stern expression, the more her resolve starts to crumble. “I'm sorry, daddy!” she finally blurts out. “It's just because I met handsome laundrymat ahjussi when I was with grandma, and he seemed really nice, and grandma said he was charming, and I thought you'd really like him too, and grandma said you're lonely after mommy went to heaven and you need to meet someone nice, and, and...” By the time she stops to breathe, she's red-faced and wet-eyed. “And so I wanted you to meet him, and I didn't know how else to do it, so I just kept getting dirty so you could go to the laundrymat, and then he would be there, and you could talk and be friends.”

Minseok is speechless. He had expected to hear her say that she liked the laundromat or that she used it as an excuse to spend more time with him, not that it was all some elaborate scheme to set him up with a guy. He doesn't know how to react. Should he be angry about all the time and money he has spent, all the clothes that are irreparably damaged? Should he lecture her about the waste of water and the effect it has on the environment? Should he laugh it off and tell it to his friends and family as a cute anecdote? Maybe a mix of all three, but he finds it hard to be mad at her when she looks so guilty and worried. Her lower lip is trembling, and she has long mastered the perfect puppy eyes, which Minseok always had a weakness for. All he can do is sigh. “Yujin-ah...”

“I'm sorry.”

“How long would you have kept doing this?” he asks. “What if Jongdae-ssi was from out of town and never returned to that place? What if we always went there at different times?”

She hangs her head. “I didn't think about that,” she admits, voice small. “I just wanted to help.”

Minseok sighs again. He has a feeling the conversation they're about to have is going to be too important to take place in the kitchen with a sniffling Yujin dripping juice everywhere. “Go change your clothes and come to the living room afterwards,” he says, and as Yujin shuffles off to her room, Minseok grabs a roll of tissue paper and starts wiping the floor clean.

Yujin comes back with the same downcast eyes and timid demeanor, her hands dutifully folded in front of her. She walks over to sit next to Minseok on the couch when he gestures her over. “Are you very mad, daddy?” she asks.

“No,” he says. “I believe you when you say you were just trying to help.” He her hair, fluffs up her bangs. It's getting long, now. She'll probably need to get a haircut soon. Her mother was always better at keeping up with things like that. “You wanted me to be friends with Jongdae-ssi?” Yujin nods. Minseok bites the inside of his cheek as he thinks back to their interactions – how Jongdae had looked at him, how he had called him cute. “I think maybe... maybe Jongdae-ssi wants to be more than just friends with me.” Yujin's eyes go round, and forms a small 'o'. “Do you understand what that means?”

“Like... like boyfriends?” She whispers the final word and giggles after.

“Yeah,” Minseok says. “Like boyfriends. Would you be okay with that?”

For a moment, she looks pensive. “Hmm. Yes!” She takes his hand and holds it in both of his and says sagely: “My teacher said that a boy and a boy or a girl and a girl can be in love if they want to, so it's okay.” She's kicking her legs and wriggling in her seat, her sad puppy expression vanished now that she knows Minseok isn't actually mad at her. “Do you want to, daddy?”

Minseok opens his mouth, then closes it again. Does he? It's been four years since Yujin's mother passed away, and he hasn't been with anyone in that time, more out of lack of engagement and time and effort than because he didn't have the urge to do so. “I'm not sure,” he replies honestly. It feels a little strange to have this conversation with his six year old daughter, but it's probably good for him to talk it out, and maybe she has some input other people wouldn't. “I don't really know how to go about it.”

“You should just walk up to him and say that you think he's nice, and that he has a pretty smile, and you want him to be your boyfriend,” Yujin suggests matter-of-factly, and Minseok almost laughs out loud, but manages to stop himself. Devaluing her advice might make her upset.

“I'm afraid it's not that simple, sweetie.”

The look she shoots him is one of genuine surprise. “Why not?”

“Well,” Minseok says. “Grownups are complicated.”

She blows a raspberry. “That's stupid.” And, well, Minseok can't disagree with that. Relationships, romantic or not, would certainly be easier if he could tell someone exactly how he feels without repercussions. He just can't. “Besides,” Yujin continues. “He likes you back, anyway.”

Minseok blinks at her, taken aback. “How do you know?”

“Because of the way he looks at you.” She says it as if it's obvious. If even a six year old has noticed, perhaps it is. Minseok is clearly very oblivious, though, because he has to ask her to explain, which she does: “Like in the dramas grandma watches when the boy and the girl always look at each other all sighing and stuff but pretend like they don't care.” Yujin is playing with his fingers. “Grandma says it's because they're secretly in love, they just don't know it yet. Handsome laundrymat ahjussi looks at you like that.”

“Is that so?” Minseok says. His heart is suddenly pounding, and his head feels light. The idea of Jongdae liking him is... nice. It's nice. He didn't realize until now that he has actually missed being in a relationship.

Yujin nods vehemently. “Yup! So you should totally tell him how you feel next time you see him.” And Minseok thinks to himself that he just might do that.
 

Now that Yujin's secret plan has been revealed and she no longer purposely gets her clothes dirty, the frequent visits to the laundromat are reduced to a more reasonable once a week. This also means, however, that Minseok's chances of bumping into Jongdae have grown considerably slimmer. He regrets not having the foresight to exchange contact information with him.

Even though Minseok no longer has to spend hours upon hours washing, drying and folding clothes at the laundromat, he still passes by the place a couple of times a week when he walks to and from the store. Every time, he sneaks a glance through the window, just to see if Jongdae happens to be there so he can talk to him. Minseok knows himself well enough to know that the longer it takes, the more likely it is that he's going to chicken out.

Several weeks go by without any luck, but then one day Jongdae is finally there. Minseok is on his way home from a shopping trip, carrying a grocery bag in each hand, and he should probably go home with all this food first, but he doesn't want to miss this opportunity, not when he doesn't know if he'll ever get another chance. He takes a deep breath and walks inside.

Today, Jongdae isn't alone. There's another man sitting next to him, small and pretty and smiling, and Minseok worries he may have misread the situation. Maybe Yujin was wrong. Maybe Jongdae isn't interested after all, maybe he already has a boyfriend. The way Jongdae very visibly lights up when he sees Minseok approaching says otherwise, though. It fills Minseok with renewed determination. “Hey.”

“Hi!” Jongdae says. “Long time no see.” Minseok concurs with a nod. His gaze slides over to Jongdae's companion, questioning, and Jongdae goes on to introduce him: “This is Baekhyun, my roommate.”

Baekhyun has mischievous eyes and long, slender fingers that rest against his cheek as he gives Minseok a drawn out onceover. “Hi there. You must be cute laundromat DILF.”

Minseok's eyes widen, and Jongdae sputters. “Oh my god,” he groans, pulling at his own hair. “I hate you. I hate you so much. Why are we even friends?”

Baekhyun sniffs. “An uneven trade, truly,” he says and continues in a conspiratorial stage-whisper directed at Minseok: “I'm way too good for him. And, to be honest, so are you.” The final sentence is accompanied by another lengthy leer. Minseok is torn between grimacing and laughing, while Jongdae looks like he's prepared to commit a brutal murder, staring Baekhyun down with a scathing glare. Baekhyun doesn't seem very scared for his life, though, not if the way he continues to grin is any indication. Out of nowhere, he pulls out his phone and stands from his seat. “Oh, would you look at that, a very important call that I absolutely have to take immediately. You two discuss amongst yourselves.” He's out of there before Minseok can comment on the fact that he's pretty sure the screen wasn't even lit up.

Jongdae looks like a man defeated, slumped over the table. “I am so sorry about that, please ignore everything he just said and did. Seriously. One hundred percent ignore him. Ignore his entire existence. Byun Baekhyun is dead to me.”

“Got it,” Minseok says, even though he's mostly amused.

“That doesn't look like laundry.” Jongdae inclines his head in the general direction of Minseok's bags, and Minseok reflexively tightens his hold. There's ice cream melting somewhere at the bottom of one of them, and he really should get home fast, but he needs to do this. He needs to get this over with lest he talk himself out of it.

“No, I...” He inhales deeply, exhales slowly. It's now or never. “I just came in here to talk to you, actually.” That seems to pique Jongdae's curiosity, and he sits up straighter, staring at Minseok with obvious interest. Minseok lets out a meek laugh. His palms are disgustingly clammy. “Turns out Yujin has been getting her clothes dirty on purpose because she thought you were really nice that one time you met each other, and she wanted me to meet you, too.”

Jongdae's jaw has dropped open in surprise. “That's... that's quite the scheme.”

“She's too smart for her own good.” Minseok wets his lips, and Jongdae's gaze hones sharply in on the action, his eyes going dark. Hm. Good to know. “Also... I hear you think I'm a DILF?”

Once again, Jongdae groans. He runs his hands over his face. “Oh god. I told you to ignore that loudmouthed piece of human waste, I swear to every deity I can think of that those are Baekhyun's words, not mine.” Minseok has to stifle a chuckle. He'll admit it, now: Jongdae is cute, especially when he's flustered and rambling. Jongdae sighs heavily, seemingly having resigned himself to his fate. “But... honestly? Yeah. I think you're a DILF. Not just that, though. Like, I think you're really cute and attractive, and I want to talk to you and maybe hold your hand, and if we eventually do... ... I'd be happy. But no pressure. It's not about that for me. I just... like you?”

“Is that a question or a statement?”

“A statement,” Jongdae says without hesitation. “I like you. I want to get to know you better.”

Minseok takes a moment to turn this over in his head. So Jongdae really does like him back, just like Yujin said. Minseok doesn't usually take dating advice from six year olds, but it seems to have served him pretty well so far, so he says: “I think you're nice, and you have a pretty smile, and I want to take you out to dinner some time.” He omits the boyfriend part Yujin had originally suggested. It seems a bit too soon and too scary for commitment like that, but a date? A date he can do. “Just know that I haven't done this in like ten years, so I'm probably more than a bit rusty.”

Jongdae is gawking. “What, really? I mean, yes. Yes, I would like to go. Out to dinner. Please. That would be great.” His eyes are practically sparkling with his eagerness. It's so adorable, Minseok can't stop himself from blurting out just how cute he thinks Jongdae is. At least it makes Jongdae grin, wide and bright, which in turns makes Minseok's heart do things that probably aren't healthy.

And when Minseok types his number into Jongdae's proffered phone, he makes sure to save his info under the name 'cute laundromat DILF', just to watch the color rise in Jongdae's cheeks. Cute.

~*~

A/N: written 75% while I was at my dogwalker job, edited 100% while I was sleepy, inspired 100% by an ad I saw one time.

I don't know, y'all. I really don't know. I just saw aforementioned ad, and my mind took the idea and ran with it. I tried searching for a video to link so I can give credit where credit is due, but I couldn't find it, so just know that I am a ty writer, who can't even think up my own plots. :))))))))))

a few notes:
 - ty title is ty.
 - why do I keep writing stories with children in them when I do not like children at all? literally no one knows.
 - yujin's (unnamed) mother passed away (for undisclosed reasons) when yujin was just two years old.
 - in my mind, everyone is aged up a bit, because although minseok at his current age could totally have a six year old daughter, I imagine him being more like somewhere in his early- to mid-thirties, with jongdae and baekhyun both being a couple of years younger as they are in real life.
 - it's not stated in the story at all, but minseok isn't exclusively into women, which is why there's no inner turmoil when he realizes he finds jongdae attractive (most of the turmoil comes from him being unhappy about being attracted to someone, who could potentially be a predator).
 - yujin is based on a real little girl. her name is jo yujin, she's the friend/classmate of a kid on one of those "celebrities with children" shows, and she's been getting attention for looking a lot like minseok, so I thought she was perfect to be minseok's daughter here.

the day of me posting this story is minseok's birthday. I originally hoped to complete it in time for valentine's day, but I am a failure, who started writing three different valentine's day stories and finished exactly zero. here's this, though. happy birthday, umin, hearteu hearteu bbyong. ♥♥♥

ps. please write me lots of nice comments, as I am struggling with myself at the moment.