“Eunjung, what should we do today?” Kai lifted his baby girl onto his lap happily as her eyes lit up.

“Nooo-nooo,” Eunjung replied brightly bouncing her pink plush toy bunny on her father’s chest. He nodded happily with a big smile on his face. It had been two weeks since his wife had left for London for a conference. Since it was a first time for Kai to be left alone with Eunjung for quite a long time, he struggled a lot in the beginning. But as time went on, he began to treasure every moment that he had with his daughter. It was not every day that he gets to spend time with Eunjung.

“Should we go to the park?” Kai ran his fingers through Eunjung’s dark brown strands.

“Nooo-nooo!” She trilled excitedly.

Her father kissed her cheek gently as Eunjung smiled. Setting Eunjung on the ground, he prepared a few things that he might need for the mini trip.

It was a breezy March afternoon. Kai stared out at the scene before him as he noted just how much the Season of Birth had made its presence known. The lake was lined with a seemingly never-ending line of cherry blossom trees. The salmon pick petals were found in irregular clusters on the wayward branded of the trees. Daffodils were scattered across the landscape, their golden heads hanging low, staring at the ground below. The manicured lawn did its job excellently in concealing the less eye-pleasing mud. Thin steamy clouds of creamy beige were reflected in the pale water of the lake. To complete this picturesque scene, a sky of an azure blue hangs overhead. And it is this thought that immediately sobered him and his wandering mind. If only his wife was there to welcome spring with him…

“What do you want to play first?” He asked, crouching down to her level.

“Nooo-nooo!” She answered excitedly, pointing towards the swing set.

“Then the flying set it is,” he ruffled her hair gently as he led her towards the swings.

After waiting for their turn, he picked up Eunjung and settled her on his lap before he sat on the swing.

Slowly and cautiously he used his feet, to swing gently with one arm wrapped tightly but securely around Eunjung. Soon, peals of delighted giggles could be heard from Eunjung, as the swing began to go higher.

“Do you want to try the slide now, sweetie?” He asked the toddler as he got a bit tired from using his feet to move the swing.

Luckily, Eunjung nodded happily and Kai stopped the swing in relief. She waddled up the stairs with her father’s help. He positioned Eunjung on his lap before going on the slide together with her. A few more times on the slide, Eunjung was bored.

“Shall we take a walk then?” He lifted Eunjung into his arms. Instantly, she wrapped her tiny arms around Kai’s neck and inhaled his scent.

She felt the breeze kiss her more warmly and let her hands explore the overhanging branches of neighbourhood trees to find the swelling buds- buds that would soon crack open to release the soft papery leaves within.  

“See, Eunjung. They will become flowers soon!” Kai pointed to the buds in the trees.

“Nooo-nooo!” The myriad of verdant hues from the grass to the leaves above were of no meaning to her; but their gentle fragrance never was. 

Kai took a new lush blade of leaf and rubbed it between his fingers, releasing its perfume. As a growing girl, Eunjung was curious about everything. She leaned to smell the fragrance and giggled.

The brightly coloured blue butterflies were quite the sight to be seen. They flittered from vase-shaped flower to flower, pausing to drink the sweet nectar inside.  It alighted upon a flower and folded its wings neatly upward. It was as beautiful as painted silk and as delicate as rice paper.

“What’s that?” Kai asked Eunjung as she stared at the butterflies intensely.

“Nooo-nooo!” She whispered as her feet dangled happily as she looked at Kai.

"No...that's not a noo-noo," Kai said gently. "Those are butterflies.”

Eunjung only managed to nod. was slightly open. She had never witnessed such beauty before. The butterflies were like fairies, flitting from flower to flower, Eunjung thought.

“Like petals of the sky- delicate, fragile
pirouetting with the breeze, with distinguished style
Reflecting golden shards of soft sunlight,
their presence though often, could never be trite
They flit between the shades of nature, flutter at a lilt
emanating beauty, enveloping the world like a quilt
brightening the pallor of every relinquished field,
able to rouse the flowers that have dolefully keeled
Dancers of the air- clad in crimson and lime
resembling fairies, unheeding of the passage of time
Frail and vulnerable, with the texture of ice,
through the air, they purposefully slash and slice
They latch themselves to the syrup of the flowers
unencumbered as the sun scorches and glowers
They flitter instinctively, as though in a trance,
forming an illusion as they dance,” Kai whispered to Eunjung softly as he moved from one flower to another to observe the butterflies, occasionally adjusting Eunjung who was hoisted on his hip.

“Appa!” Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

The feeble, dying butterfly flapped around in the palm of his hand. He'd found it caught in a spider web, flapping frantically as a spider rapidly approaches. But the damage had been done to its wings, and Kai was starting to wonder whether it would've been more humane to let the spider poison it.

Kai set Eunjung to the ground. Tears were starting to pool at her eyes. She crouched down and gently touched the wings of the butterfly in an attempt to soothe the butterfly from feeling any pain.

After a while the butterfly stopped moving entirely. A soft gasp escaped from Eunjung lips as she continued staring at the now lifeless beauty. “Should we get a flower for the butterfly?”

The meadow was on a gentle slope and interspersed with beech and oak trees. Waves of yellow cascaded down the grassy slope like so much white water over a river bed. On closer inspection he could see the clover and the honey bees who were merrily visiting each flower. He used his fingers to dig a hole to bury the butterfly.

Eunjung led her father into a small field filled with flowers. She glanced at the flowers scattered in front of her before her eyes fell on one particular flower. The toddler held the flower in her fingertips so that it did not touch her palm. Its stem was the hue of spring grass and its brilliant purple petals so thin that even the air could shine through it, bestowing an unearthly glow.

Kai examined his daughter’s actions and warmth spread through his body. She was still so young but she understood what was happening around her. “Eunjung why that flower?”

“…g-grow,” she said simply. Realization struck his head. Yes, the flower was ugly. Whatever lies on the outside does not matter. His baby girl believed that the flower would be even more beautiful compared to the other flowers in the field if given a chance. Compassion. That was what his daughter had and he was proud of it.

With her father’s guidance, Eunjung placed the flower on top of the soil. Her body began to shook, controlling her tears. Kai picked her up with a slight grunt. He rubbed small circles into her back and she curved herself into her father’s arms. He pressed his lips onto Eunjung’s temple.

“It’s okay, appa is here.”

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Eunjung and Kai moments!!! <3 I hope you enjoyed the chapter ~~ :D

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