"We're home, honey!" a voice rang through the house. The sound of a door closing  and keys jingling carried down the hallway a few seconds later. Hakyeon stood from his desk, making his way to the kitchen where he could hear the rustle of plastic bags and the patter of feet.

                He had offered to go with them to help carry things, but Eunji had insisted - with a grin and a 'pretty please' - that he stay home and relax; a girls' day out, she had said.

                Hakyeon rounded the corner just as Eunji reached up to hang her keys on the rack on the opposite wall, grabbing her around the waist and planting a kiss on her cheek before she could protest. "How was your trip?" he smiled and turned to the island counter where she had set two grocery bags.

                "Daddy!" A head of dark hair peeked up from behind the counter as Hakyeon ruffled through the groceries, pulling out instant noodles, some fruit, and a package of flour. He felt little arms wrap around his legs. "We got banana milk! And you can't have any!"

                "Oh, really?" Hakyeon countered, lifting the five-year-old under her arms and placing her on his hip. "Why not?"

                His daughter giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Because it's my favorite so you can't have it!"

                "We'll see about that," Hakyeon smiled, letting the child back down on her feet and wadding up a grocery bag.

                "Why don't you go get your banana milk from the car, Jiyeon?" her mother cooed, mussing her hair. "We need to put it in the fridge. And take your father with you, won't you?"

                "Okay!" The little girl grabbed Hakyeon's hand. "Come on! There's a lot of heavy groceries for you to carry!"

                The door closed behind them as they made their way to the car, its trunk standing open in the small driveway. "Mommy said we can go to the park later! And get ice cream!"

                "Did she really?"

                Jiyeon nodded her head so vigorously that Hakyeon thought it might fall off. "Because of your birthday! And we're going to - " she held her hands up to , her eyes widening. "Oh. Mommy told me not to tell you. It's gonna be a surprise."

                Hakyeon fluffed his daughter's hair, closing the car trunk after grabbing the last grocery bag. "Alright then.  When are we going to leave?"

~~~

                Hakyeon squeezed his eyes shut, as Eunji had instructed, and stepped out of the car just as he felt her hand on his elbow.

                "Alright, here we go," she pulled him along, walking slower than usual so he wouldn't trip. "There's a step up here," she guided her husband a few minutes later. Hakyeon could hear Jiyeon walking beside him, her flip-flops slapping against the concrete ground.

                There was a warm breeze blowing, ruffling his hair and shirt; he could hear it in the trees around them as the leaves brushed against each other. "Are we almost there?" he asked, his head turning toward Eunji, eyes still shut.

                "Be patient," she squeezed his arm. "We're getting close. Come through here," a high-pitched ding sounded as he was ushered through a door, and a few seconds later was accompanied by the stomach-dropping sensation of an elevator. "You can open your eyes now if you want."

                Hakyeon slowly peeled his eyelids open, taking in the atmosphere around him.

                "But Mommy, we're not at the top yet!" Jiyeon pulled on her mother's pant leg.

                "It'll be okay, honey. The surprise is up there," Eunji smiled, taking her daughter's hand. "There's not much to hide about an elevator anyway."

               The doors of the elevator slid open with another ding, and the three stepped out into a circular room with an outer wall made of large panes of glass. Hakyeon had been here before;  it was the top of Namsan Tower. His parents had taken him when he was young, and the view was still just as breathtaking. The outline of the city painted the horizon, the hills in the distance brightening the picture as Eunji pulled on his arm yet again.

                "Over here," she singsonged. "We have something to show you."

                Hakyeon let himself be led to the left, all the way to the edge of the room - Jiyeon skipping ahead of them - until they all were standing inches from the glass wall.

                "Look down there, daddy!"Jiyeon grabbed her father's hand, pointing toward the ground below them. As his eyes traveled to where his daughter was pointing, a smile crept onto his face. On the concrete at the end of the parking lot was written in sidewalk chalk, "Happy birthday, Hakyeon! We love you!"

                "Oh, you guys are too much really," Hakyeon chuckled, turning to his wife and placing a kiss on her lips. "Thank you so much," he smiled. "I love you, too."

                "Happy birthday, daddy!" Jiyeon jumped up and down at his feet.

                Hakyeon laughed, picking her up and onto his hip. "And you," he tickled her side, earning a howl of laughter from her and a giggle from Eunji. Jiyeon turned sideways in his arms, forcing Hakyeon to return her to the ground. He pecked her on the cheek and ruffled her hair. "I love you, too."

               She grinned, shaking her hair as if to put it back in place. "You should take a picture! Before the rain washes it all away."

               "Alright, I'll take a picture," Hakyeon said, drawing his phone out of his pocket and stepping toward the windows again. The shutter snapped and the image appeared on the touchscreen. "Now I can remember it forever."

               "Does this mean we can have ice cream now? " Jiyeon turned to her mother, who looked at Hakyeon. He smiled back at her, putting his phone back in his pocket.

               "Yes, we can have ice cream now, " Eunji beamed.

~~~

                Hakyeon turned the doorknob and stepped inside, holding the door open for the two girls behind him. Eunji stepped through, heading to the kitchen to hang up her keys once more. "Jiyeon, honey, you should go take your bath in a few minutes. It's getting late."

                The door closed behind the five-year-old,  who was rubbing her eyes, her footsteps slightly less than steady. "Ohhkaaay..." she sighed heavily, kicking her shoes off on the rug by the kitchen. Hakyeon watched as she trudged upstairs, waiting to hear the sound of running water moments later. He smiled to himself, making his way to the kitchen where Eunji had set a bottle of deep red wine on the counter.

                "Happy birthday," she smiled when her husband rounded the corner. Her hand went up to open a cabinet, coming back to the counter with two crystal Bordeaux's. "You want a glass?"

                Hakyeon answered with a chuckle, hugging Eunji around the waist as she poured a glass, and then another, his chin resting on her shoulder. "Thank you," he said, taking one of the glasses from the counter. "For this, and for earlier. I love you."

                Eunji smiled, sipping her own wine. "I love you, too," her eyes gleamed at him as she set her glass down, turning to place her arms around his neck. He leaned closer to her, his eyes closing as their lips met.

                Twenty minutes later, Jiyeon had crawled into bed, her stuffed animals arranged beside her and the covers pulled up to her shoulders. Eunji had gathered her dirty clothes and was busying herself with the laundry - Hakyeon had made sure his daughter had brushed her teeth and made it to bed.

                Jiyeon yawned widely, turning her head to look at her father. "Daddy," she spoke softly, her eyes blinking slowly. "Can you sing a lullaby?"

                "Any suggestions?" he grinned, stepping his way over to her bed.

                "Something pretty."

                He sat down beside her, smoothing the blanket as he contemplated the selection of pretty lullabys in his mind. "Alright then, how about this one?"

               Jiyeon smiled softly as Hakyeon's voice filled the room, travelling smoothly up and down with the melody -

Neo dasi tae-eonnado

na maneul saranghalkkeoya

naui jeonbu-in neomaneul

dasi tae-eonna geudaega eobdamyeon

ttodareul sesangeul gidarimyeo salkkeoya

                After a few lyrics, a smile was bright on Hakyeon's face as well, and Jiyeon seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open.                

                As the song ended with a

da-eum sesang uri mannalttae seoro dareun moseubirado

nan neoreul chajeul su isseo

                Hakyeon stood up from his daughter's bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. As he was turning around to leave, her voice sounded from behind him, so quiet he almost didn't hear it.

                "Daddy," she yawned once more. "Was this the best birthday you've ever had?"

                He looked at Jiyeon and smiled, his head nodding an affirmation. "Yes, Jiyeonnie. This was the very best birthday ever."

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here's the lullaby Hakyeon sings~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXU-VWHsvuw