I woke up in a state of disorientation that morning.

The savory aroma of bacon wafted through the apartment, and I rolled over realizing I wasn’t in my bed but on a sofa. A rough one. I groaned as my back was hurting as hell remembering that I’d been smashed to the ground a dozen of time by one of Chaerin’s admirers the day before. The guy was a beast. I was just a songwriter.

Blinding several times as the light was piercing the windows, I heard the murmur of voices coming from the kitchen and figured Haru must have gotten up already. And Chaerin was the one cooking breakfast.

We kissed the night before. I could remember that for sure. The rest of the night was filled with soft caressing kisses and cuddles. It was truly a scene of peace. It was tender. Intimate. Maybe too much as I think I fell asleep into Chaerin’s arm. She was the second person who knew about my secret after my mother. I was kinda ashamed speaking about it usually because people would treat me with pity and would denigrate me. I couldn’t stand their sympathetic look on me. Because I couldn’t have children didn’t mean I wasn’t a man anymore. But Chaerin made it easier because I knew she would understand. There was nothing holding us back anymore, nothing weighing down on our shoulders.

I stepped up groggily and stretch my arms above my head and shuffled into the kitchen.

“Yong-Yong woke up!” little Haru greeted me and I kissed the top of her head. I wanted to do the same with Chaerin but the latter was concentrating on not burning the bacon.

“You know our apartment is not a hotel Kwon Jiyong?” she teased me as she gave me a warm smile.

She sat next to me with a plate of bacons and I could feel her studying me intently.

I patted my head smiling back at her, “Well, your arms were comfortable.”

The tips of her ears flushed red, her tone sheepish as she said, “Yours too.”

My lips parted, my eyes filled with surprise as our eyes locked. I knew I was supposed to do something stupid or teasing or just anything that would break this tension cropping up between us. I always did in order to ease Chaerin. But I didn’t need to do that anymore. Not when Chaerin had already confessed to me. I knew she wouldn’t reject me anymore.

I moved slowly and pressed in closer to Chaerin until our lips met in a warm embrace. I didn’t move to deepen the kiss, nor did she, yet there was something to be said for the intimacy of such simplicity.

But then I felt a light tug on my pant leg, and I look down to find Haru shyly waiting for my attention. Oh yeah, we had been kind of neglecting her, hadn’t we?

“What is it kiddo?”

“Can you stay with me today?” she begged

“Hmm, let me think…” I sighed.

I wracked my mind trying to remember what my parents had done with me for fun when I was four, but jeez, that was more than twenty years ago and who actually remembered stuff from way back?

I could agree to take Haru somewhere but I remembered I didn’t really know how to interact with kids!

Where could we go? Haru liked music but I knew the studios were at this moment full of people and Haru was a shy girl. She liked… Gaho. No she loved Gaho and more generally animals. It gave me an idea.

“Okay, you can spend the day with me!” I smiled boyishly proud of my idea

“But Bom unni was supposed to look after you Haru!” Chaerin frowned now aware that her daughter had been there all the time while we were glued to each other.

“Where are we going?” little Haru asked totally ignoring her mother as she was now too excited too mind about her or Bom noona.

I pressed my lips into an enigmatic smile. “You’ll see when we get there. If that’s okay with your mommy.” I turned genuinely smiling to Chaerin waiting for her to approve.

Haru turned huge, luminous eyes on Chaerin, and I wondered if she ever managed to say no to that face. I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to. “Mommy?”

Apparently Chaerin was made of tougher stuff than me (at least when it came to kids) or she had a damn good poker face because she didn’t say yes immediately. Instead she turned her attention to me to ask, “You’re not going to tell me where you’re taking my daughter either?”

I pressed my lips together and lifted an eyebrow, “No. It’s a secret. Unless you torture me.” I gave her a cheekily smile poking her side.

Chaerin rolled her eyes but I knew she didn’t mind about my idiocy. She liked when I make her laugh. And I loved it too.

Haru tugged on the hem of my shirt, “Come on. I wanna know where we going!”

“Wait, Yong-Yong need to eat first.” I patted her head

“Be quick then!”

I smiled when I saw Haru staring with wide eyes at all the growing crowd filling in the zoo. Families, young teenagers and couples were advancing toward the zoo’s enter with good cheer.

“We’re going to the zoo?” she asked in a high tone visibly too much excited to control it.

“Yep. It’s your first time?”

The little girl nodded rigorously. I took her bag in my hand and swing Haru up easily onto my shoulders, “Now you can see everything, like a bird!”

“Fly Yong-Yong!” she laughed flapping her hands in the air mimicking a bed’s wings.

“I can’t do that and carry your bag, I’m not your slave you know!”

“Please? For me Yong-Yong?”

I could not resist so I braced myself and ran until we reach the entry of the zoo. People around us must thought we were fools but I didn’t care.

Indeed I breathed in with relish. I loved this. Spending time with Haru. After all it was thanks to her if I was the happier man on earth. Because it happened that Haru loved me and it happened that her mother was Lee Chaerin.

Thinking about her I sighed thinking that she must be working at Starbuck while Haru and I were having fun. It was unfair. But I promised myself that I’d take the girls somewhere exciting next week end.

Haru loved animals and so I suggested that I treat her and take her to the zoo.

We started off with the elephants and rhinos as Haru watched them rolling around in the mud and asked me why they did that and she got in trouble for doing it at home. I told her that first she wasn’t an elephant because she had a tiny nose and secondly she couldn’t do that because her mother was a freaky cleaner.

“Oh Pandas! Put me down, I want to go to the railing and speak to the pandas!” she kicked and squirmed until I dropped her onto the floor and composed myself once more, pulling her bag on my back and smoothing out my shirt.

I mentally laughed to myself realizing that Haru didn’t have to go far if she wanted to see pandas as my roommate was one.

“Turn around and let me take a picture of you before the big panda moves away.” I pulled out my Iphone and snapped a picture of Haru growling like a panda in an attempt to look fierce but instead she ended up looking even cuter as her nose wrinkled up. I typed a quick message and decided to send it to Chaerin, I knew it would make her day.

To: Chae

I guess you’ll find out where we are now!

From: Chae

Haru must be excited, she’s cute. I miss both of you.

I smiled then I get an idea. I reached the nearer shop next to the pandas’ enclosure and bought a panda hat. I then took myself in photo with it and send it to Chaerin.

To: Chae

Don’t worry, your fav big panda will be yours soon. I love you as much as a panda loves bamboo ;)

From: Chae

Very poetic cutie^^ But I get the idea. Stop being a kid and took care of my child now

She called me cutie… I sighed. Then I heard Haru scream.

“Daddy!” she cried.

“Oh my gosh kiddo!” I rushed over to where she was. She seemed to have been running and fell down and cut her knee. A concerning looking woman was crouched down beside her glancing around trying to find out who the child belong to.

“I’m here sweetie, daddy’s here.” I pulled her into my arms and her head until her screams were just small wipers of pain. Gosh, my heart was beating so fast, it’s so stressing to be in charge of a child! I hugged her tighter as if I was worried she would disappear!

“Yah, stop hugging me Yong-Yong, I can’t breathe!” she coughed.

“Oh sorry…” I mumbled and gave her some air, “What should we do?” I patted my head as I inspected her cut.

“I-I need a m-magic kiss on my knee. It’s what mommy always do.” The little girl sobbed

I finally breathed out relived realizing that it wasn’t that Haru’s cut wasn’t that serious. I was stressing for nothing. I leant down and kissed her small cut.

“Better?” I looked up at her

“Yep! Thank you Yong-Yong!” she wrapped her little arms around my neck and I stood up carrying her, “Let’s go see the penguins.”

We saw the giraffes and even touch their head and their blue tongue, we get soaked by the sea lions and we contemplated the parrots while whistling mimicking them.

“Whoa, there Haru, let me sit down a bit… You know I’m not that fast as you! I’m old!” I puffed as I stopped for a rest. We had a race to the lion’s enclosure and I was encumbered with the bags that weighed me down. But Haru couldn’t help widening her eyes as she ran with her arms up wide as we approached the enclosure.

“Omo, it’s Lion King! Look Yong-Yong, LOOK!” Haru shouted as she pointed her finger against the strong glass paneling.

The lions were asleep about 3 feet away from the window in a huge bundle. Haru pressed her face onto the glass hoping to get a better look at them, “Can I go inside Yong-Yong?”

“I don’t think your mother will be happy if I tell her that a lion eat you.”

“They are so big… Will Gaho become that big and go raw?” Haru pointed to one in front of her

“Of course not, Gaho’s not a lion, he’s a dog!” I leant against the window for support

“I want one!” Haru clapped, bouncing excitedly when a young lion appeared before us, “Oh, it’s a baby!”

I laughed, beyond happy that Haru was enjoying this just as much as I was and I kept a firm hold on her as she bounced around excitedly. We watched one of the lionesses the head of the little lion tenderly.

“Is that his mommy?” Haru asked, looking up at me for an answer.

“Yes, she’s looking after him you see.” I kneeled next to her to be at her level

“Like you do to me?” she asked, still looking at me.

“Yeah, but I’m not your mommy” I shook my head

“You’re my daddy!”

“No I’m not, you know that Haru.” I laughed knowingly to myself

“But you hold my hand, carry me and feed me… It’s what daddies do right?” she tilted her head on the side

“Yeah, it’s right. But you already have a father.”

Haru’s bottom lip quivered, her eyes growing big and watery.

“My real daddy left. I don’t think he loves me and mommy.” She looked down not anymore excited, “If I could choose a new daddy I would choose you. You’re the daddy I always wanted.”

 “I’d choose you too Haru.” I squeezed her cheek, “It would be a pleasure for me to be your father.”

Awwww, I really surprise myself writing something as cheesy as this XD But hey it's a daddy-daughter moment after all^^

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