The next update might take a while. Thank you for the comments and for being understanding :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

The new paper smell of the book was strangely at odds with it's old fashioned and battered leather cover, the gilded lettering faded and tatty.

It fell open with an avalanche of pages, their snowy whiteness bespeckled with a flurry of black ink in poetic lines tumbling down the page.

Eunjung glanced at the book in her father’s hands while she was sitting on his lap.

“Nooo-nooo!”

JongIn blinked. “You don’t want to read this book? But it has got unicorns!”

She made a sound of protest. “No want this. Daddy, nooo-nooo.”

I smiled lightly as I watched the both of them. JongIn placed the book on the coffee table.

I stood up from the sofa and made my way towards the bookshelf at the corner of the living room.

The book was old and heavy, the leather felt soft and delicate as I ran my fingers over the faded blue bindings.

I the gold lettering carefully before I opened the cover, paper rustled as I thumbed through the book to find what I was looking for.

Words and pictures appeared and disappeared as my eyes flitted across the pages, quickly picking out anything of importance from the jumble of sentences that littered the world I had become immersed in.

He made a small motion that told me to come closer.

I gave him the book before moving to sit beside him.

“How about this book?” I asked Eunjung as I gave it to my husband.

She opened the aged book.

It smelled warm and dusty, like the inside of an attic. The fragile old pages almost became delicate snowflakes with the touch of her hand.

Most people would have left this book without as much as a backwards glance, but she was enthralled.

She appreciated the beauty of an old book.

Eunjung leaned towards the book and took a deep breath. A smile slowly formed her lips. “Mummy, smell!”

My hands cupped her cherubic cheeks. “You’re so cute!”

Her cuteness could be so overwhelming at times.

JongIn ran his other hand against my cheek. I sighed and relaxed into his touch. “How do you always know?”

I laughed softly at the amazement in his gaze. “I’m her mummy, that’s why.”

He let his fingers tangled into my hair and he leaned into me.

I met him halfway and let my lips lock with his. His lips parted from mine softly, only a breath of space between the two of us.

“Why are you so good at that?” I said on a breathy laugh.

His eyes locked with my slightly glossy ones, “You made me good at it.”

My eyes closed as I laughed at his statement.

“Daddy, read!” Eunjung pointed repeatedly at the book.

Both of us had forgotten about our baby for a while.

JongIn laughed at her outburst but not before pressing soft kisses against my lips then my cheek before flipping to the first page. “Daddy!”

“Okay, okay,” I giggled.

“It was rumoured that in the time of the elders a wise fairy, who was older than any other, made a book of rules.

The story goes that when the fairies obeyed the book there was nothing but peace, prosperity and love. They grew closer in their bonds to nature and their society was great.

They blossomed in their creativity and it was a time when many magic spells were invented.

New magic!

Imagine that. It was the golden era.

Now things are still good, but the story tells of a time when the book will be found and the fairy people will walk once again in the perfect ways…”

He let the book fall closed.

It made an exhausted sound, like a padded door shutting, by itself, at a distance: a puff of air.

The sound suggested the softness of the thin oniony pages, how they would feel under the fingers. Soft and dry, like papier poudre, pink and powdery from the time before, you'd get it in booklets for taking the shine off your nose, in those stores that sold candles and soap in the shapes of things: seashells, mushrooms.

Like cigarette paper.

Like petals.

By that time, Kim Eunjung was fast asleep.

Carefully and cautiously, he lifted Eunjung into his arms and carried her into her room. She snuggled into the soft eiderdown duvet and closed her eyes as it caressed her cheek.

When Eunjung was tucked in, JongIn switched off the lights and pulled the duvet till it was up to her chin.

He could see me kiss the top of Eunjung’s head and mimicked the action.

I walked out the door and headed towards our bedroom.

Upon reaching the bedroom, JongIn pulled me into a hug.

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he nuzzled into my neck. “What are you doing?”

His cheek rested against mine and he turned slightly and whispered softly against my ear.

“Oppa, are you okay? Let me check your temp –”

“I love you.”

I paused in my rant to JongIn about his sudden change in behaviour.

“I love you.”

I never knew before just how powerful a whisper could be.

“I love you.”

3 words had never meant more to me than the words JongIn continued to whisper to me.

“I love you.”