"Did you see that shooting star tonight?
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
'Cause now I'm shining bright." 

“Too bad I can’t stay here for long, daddy. I would’ve loved to have just one more day here.” ByulHee said sadly, burying herself deeper in her thick blanket. The night breeze at her daddy’s village sure was cooler compared to in the city. Here, there were more trees too, and lifelong memories.

They were just sitting at their balcony that night, enjoying the last few hours they had together before ByulHee returned to the city the next day. MinYoung would pick her up in the morning, as she said that she wanted to avoid traffic and didn’t want ByulHee to be too tired for school on Monday.

Chen laughed softly at his daughter’s whine and her head. He was thinking the exact same thing his daughter did, but he knew that he couldn’t say it aloud. If he did, then departing with her would be difficult the next day.

“I know that, dear but you have school on Monday, right? You do know how much I don’t like it for you to miss school. Besides, your friends would be wondering where you would have gone if you don’t turn up on Monday. They seem to be very fond of you. Do you always hang out with them on weekends?” Chen queried, suddenly interested in ByulHee’s friends.

When his daughter told him that she made some friends earlier, he was beyond thrilled. Finally, ByulHee was able to mingle around and be friends with people. It was so difficult for her when she was still living with him, as according to ByulHee, she didn’t need anyone else other than her daddy.

“Are you guys close?” Chen asked again, popping a rice roll inside his mouth. They often had late night snacks whenever they hung out at the balcony, or at the playground, and they wouldn’t miss it on that day too.

ByulHee tipped her head at the question, pondering it as if she wasn’t sure what to answer. Sipping her hot chocolate, she answered, “Well, I wouldn’t say we’re close. I mean, we just have gotten to know each other and it hasn’t been that long. But all of them are very friendly and supportive, and make me feel accepted being in their little circle.”

Nodding his head, he teasingly asked, “But you did mention that you’re closer to one of them, aye? What’s his name again?”

“Oh, do you mean JongIn?” ByulHee said. “Well, out of all of them, JongIn was the one who talked to me first and I’ve known him longer than the others. Yet again, we’re not even as close as other bff’s.”

Chen crossed his arms and stirred ByulHee’s hot chocolate, making sure that all the chocolate powder dissolved. “You know, when you first told me that your friends there are all boys, I was really surprised. I’ve never thought that you’d be able to make some friends there, let alone with boys so it was actually a little out of the blue. But, I’m glad that they are treating you well.”

ByulHee lifted her shoulders and rested her head on her knees, “They’re nice and a hilarious bunch of lads. But noisy and childlike, more like.”

“Well, I’m not being doubtful of them boys or anything,” Chen said carefully, “But I still want you to be careful around them. They’re still boys, ByulHee, young ones and immature at that age, too, I might add. Sometimes they might get into a brawl, and that’s when I want you to stay away a little. Boys, they’re always fired up whenever they’ve been challenged or dared, and that is what leads to a fight.”

ByulHee smiled to herself when her daddy mentioned the word ‘fight’. Oh, yes, the boys got into many fights amongst themselves and she witnessed them. But the funny thing was, they often fought about something that was a very small of an issue.

Even the largest issue was solved in matter few minutes, which was the chicken contest.

Speaking about fights, ByulHee couldn’t help but to ask while they were on the subject, “Did you fight with omma before?”

 Chen raised his eyebrow at her, and as he pondered the question, a small smile appeared on his face. “No, not even for once.”

“Really? Come on, daddy, you two must’ve fought for at least one, right?” ByulHee said unconvincingly.

Chen shook his head and looked at her in the eye, meaning to say that he really wasn’t joking. “No, pumpkin. I’m serious. We’d never fought before. Throughout the years that I’d known her, your mother was cool with the whole thing. Especially after we got married, she agreed with me on every single thing I said and did. Sometimes I thought she just did that because she didn’t want to hurt my feelings. But when I asked her about it one day, she said it was because she trusted me.”

ByulHee smiled wider, and looked at her dad in wonderment. She’d always loved it when her dad told her stories about SuBin, and she could hear it repeatedly without feeling bored.