Oh My God, The Quest For The Perfect Valentine's Day Cards!

"Appa! Appa!" Infi came running into the kitchen to hug her father, having just arrived back home from a playdate. While excitedly squealing as she spilled the beans, "Mrs. Jaekyung says that we're having a Valentine's Day party next week!"

"Uwa!?" Gyu pretended to react surprised, "Really? That sounds like so much fun," because he'd already known about it from the daycare's monthly email. While, otherwise, juggling both composing his new song on the kitchen counter and cooking dinner at the same time.

"Ne! And-And that we should go shopping for yummy snacks and Valentines Day cards! Because I need lots and lots!" Infi exaggerated the amount by making a big circle with her arms. 

"Lots?" Gyu chuckled, "You mean 14?" The number of her classmates. Noting that the party was set up the Western way - where both boys and girls would receive gifts, to be fair and equal. Instead of being split with White Day.

When "Agh...?" Infi mumbled as she began doing the fictitious math in her head, "Umm, yeah! 14!"

"Uwa~ then should we go shopping tomorrow?"

"Ne!" Infi jumped up and down, "But Appa I have a better idea! Let's go right now!"

But Gyu shook his head, "No, Honey."

As Infi frowned, "But I want to go now~."

"We'll go tomorrow. But right now, dinner's almost ready," he reminded her. "And you know that it's too late to go out. You need to be in bed by 8."

"Ok.." Infi pouted, as she sneakily backed out of the kitchen to go ask Daddy to take her instead.

"Tch," but it's not like Gyu didn't know his daughter. Cutting her off as he shouted, "Woohyun, dinner's ready! Make sure Infi washes her hands!" without even looking up from the pot. Safe to say, Infi didn't get her way that night. Regardless of how well she behaved, or how many yucky vegetables she ate.

Woohyun was quite pleased, however, "Uwa~ did my little angel eat a whole brocollli~? Yes, she did~."

"Yuck!" she instantly spat the half-eaten mush back out. Because truly, broccoli (and spinach) were the worst.

When, "Infi," Gyu warned her with a scornful look. Making her spoon it back into and swallow it. 

While Woohyun just laughed, "Haha, you really want to go shopping tonight, don't you~?" As he steadily began whining alongside her, "Aww~ but Hyung, why can't we go right now~?"

Yet, Gyu only met his innocent protests with a glare. Obviously unamused.

"Agh..ha..sorry, Infi. Daddy tried," Woohyun hung his head.

**********

Later on that night, Gyu got up to make sure that Infi was asleep in bed. Where he, instead, overheard her asking Yoogeun to take her out shopping. When just then, he coincidentally also caught Woohyun already in the act of sneaking out of the house, "Where are you going?"

"Oh?" Woohyun chuckled, "Where else? I'm going Valentines Day shopping~."

"...Don't you dare," Gyu warned him. I mean, it's not like Gyu enjoyed taking his easily excitable daughter out into the world (where she could terrorize all of her unsuspecting victims). So, he'd rather Woohyun get it over with instead. But, he'd already said no. And no was no! Whether he took Infi with him or not. 

Alas, Woohuyn only coyly responded, "Wae~? But, Hyung, Infi reminded me~. I have my own Valentine's shopping to do too~." Winking as he opened the door, "Don't wait up, Babe."

"Aish," Gyu cringed at his husband's cheesy implication, "Tch, we're already married, Idiot. So you can stop trying to impress me."

Which upset his lover, who griped back at him, "Hmph, who says I'm trying to impress you. I'm going shopping for someone else!" as he childishly stuck his tongue out. Before shutting the door behind him.

But Gyu knew that it was for him, as he rolled his eyes. It always was. Because Woohyun always had something greasy up his sleeve for every holiday and anniversary. Which, only put pressure on Gyu to outdo Woohyun ...Then again his lazy would probably just buy him another stuffed animal or new shoes. And then sleep the rest of the day away...again.

That's right, holidays are meant for sleeping.

**********

The following morning. 

Oh, the horror of his daughter throwing a full-on temper tantrum in broad daylight as they vigilantly shopped for the "most absolutely perfect Valentines Day cards ever." Which were beginning to look like they didn't even exist.

"No~! I'm the most popular! I need the best Valentines Day cards ever! The best!"

"Ne?" Gyu sweatdropped for the fifth time since they'd arrived at the store, "Not this one either? But you love poop emojis."

"I do~~ but Sojin loves poop emojis too!" Infi complained, "We'll have the same ones! The same ones, I know it! "

"Alright then.." Gyu sighed as he diligently reminded himself that at least he got a good nights rest before this whole drama started. "What about this one?" he handed her a different brightly colored option.

When Infi huffed, "Princesses? If I wanted princess cards I would have asked Daddy to help me!" Stomping her feet as she marched off. While clearly forgetting that she did ask Daddy to take her that morning, again. Only to change her mind like five minutes later and break his heart. 

"Hey! Hey, get back here, Little Missy!" Gyu called after her as she ran further away from him.

"No! I need to find the perfect cards!"

"Ya, don't you dare climb up that shelf!"

"I'm not climbing it!" she blatantly lied back to him. Already halfway up the display - like King Kong on the Empire State Building.

As Gyu finally lost his temper. Scolding her, "Ya, don't you lie to me!" as he pried her off and set her back down on the floor, "No! If you run away from me or climb up anything else one more time we are going home with no cards! Do you understand me?"

"Hmmmpf!" she unpleasantly huffed with her arms crossed over her chest in defiance. Ready to accept that challenge any second now.

While Gyu narrowed his eyes at his little troublemaker to make sure that she knew that he was serious. Alas, he calmed himself down like a cool-headed father and grabbed his next offer. Because the sooner this was over with, the better, "What about these cards right here? They come with lollipops. The other kids will love lollipops."

"Mmmm," Infi groaned, "But are they all strawberry lollipops?" Her anger slowly dissipating at the thought of candy.

"Let me see," Gyu flipped the box around, "No, they're a mixture of strawberry, cherry, and grape."

"Next."

"Ok then," he sighed, "But do you like or dislike the lollipops?"

Infi had to sit down and think about it. Still a little grumpy, "I like it."

"Good, we're making progress," because he could at least narrow down his focus to candy-inclusive boxes. "Oh, what about these gummies?" he additionally asked after spotting an adorable collection of individualizable boxes full of heart-shaped gummies.

Which did, indeed, spark Infi's interest, "Are they yummy?"

"Are they yummy?" he asked himself too. But flipping the box around wasn't going to help them this time. "I don't know, I haven't tasted one. But I'm sure that they are. They're gummy candies."

"Oh...Can I eat one?"

"No Sweetie, we can't open the box unless we buy it."

"Oh..." 

"...But should we put this one in our basket and keep searching? Is that ok?" he asked as he wishfully crossed his fingers. 

"Umm...ok."

"Great," Gyu smiled with relief for the first time all day. Before spotting a box of edible gummy wrist bands, "Oh, these look really cool too."

"Uwa! What do they say?" Infi eagerly agreed. While jumping up to snatch the box away from her Appa - to get a better look at it herself.

"It looks like, You're Sweet, So Cute, Best Friends, and more cute phrases like that," he pointed out after kneeling down next to her.

Alas "Hmmm...I don't want it," Infi handed it back to him.

"Agh? It's a no?" Gyu gasped. He'd thought that this was the winner for sure. It was cute, unique, and sure to surprise everyone. "But, why?

"Nu-uh," Infi shook her head, "The messages are all wrong."

"They're wrong?"

"Ne, Best Friends, You're Sweet, that's not the kind of message I want to send to my peasants."

"Oh...tch," Gyu snickered as he nodded his head, "Agh, I see. I see." Encouraging her wild (ruthless) imagination.

"Ne, I need something like, I am your God!"

But "Aigoo~" as her father, he really couldn't do anything but shrivel up and cringe, "Ne~ But Sweetie, I don't think that's what Valentine's Day is about."

"No? Why not?" she asked just then. Because, really, in Infi's mind, why else would she give someone else a gift, if not to declare her authority over them? The world belonged to her and only her. So why should anyone else (except maybe Ubi and/or Daddy) receive a present from Her Highness?

"Because," Gyu tried to explain as he put the box back up on the shelf, "Valentines Day is about love and friendship. Not world domination. You can't rule the world every day. Somedays you just need to relax and show your friends and family how much you care about them."

"But I don't care..." Infi bluntly confessed. Before catching onto her own new theory, "Ooohh, you mean that I have to be nice to people at least once a year?"

Gyu snorted at her initial reaction. Oh, the joys of raising a little sociopath... Alas, "Ne, you get the drift of it," he replied. "But, if you never tell someone how much you love them, how will they ever know? And what if something bad happens to them, Infi?" Gyu used Woohyun as an example, since clearly, Infi loved him very much, "What if Daddy had to go far far away? But Infi never told him how much she loves him? How would that make you feel?"

"Something bad?" Infi frowned, not liking where this was going. When she remembered a certain event a few weeks back, like an epiphany, "Oh, you mean like how sometimes Daddy turns into a rhinoceros?"

Gyu deadpanned, "Huh?" That was not the reaction that he was expecting.

*****

Flashback to Infi unintentionally overhearing Woohyun's incessant whining one night, "Would it kill you to at least snuggle with me? I need affection~. I'm dying here~. Love me~."

Skip to the next day, "Daddy, what does mean?"

Woohyun blushed a deep shade of red, "...It's what happens when you become a rhinoceros."

"Oh. So if no one loves you, you're ?"

"... I... Yes."

End flashback.

*****

"...Yeah...like that." And like that, Gyu stopped trying to explain things to her and their search continued. Only now he had to persuade her against, "Please don't turn into a rhinoceros," cards. Albeit, they never did find those perfect Valentine's cards...

That is, until Gyu turned to the internet, "Ok, take two. Infi, look through these." And eureka, there they were! The perfect mixture of cute, unique, praiseworthy, and world domination. A collection of plush monster bracelets with personalized tags tied around their necks, "If only your heart could be mine...to eat."

"Eh, the other parents can't get too mad at me..." Gyu shrugged off the implied violence of each of their attached quotes as he approved of his daughter's final selection. "But should we get the unicorn set too?" just in case her classmates weren't big monster fans (like Ubi, hint hint). "You know, because you'll be extra popular if you bring both monsters and unicorns."

"Omo! Appa, you're right! I want the unicorn plushies too!"

"Deal!" he high-fived his baby.

**********

Elsewhere Dongwoo struggled with the same dilemma, "Should they say I Wuff You, or You're Paw-some?"

"Mmmm..." Ubi pouted, "how about both?"

"Both?"

"Ne, on both sides," she suggested as she scratched the top of her head.

"Omo, but we can only choose one," he pointed out to her because they were choosing between two different sets of cards off of a website. 

Alas, already unenthusiastic over the whole impending party, "..." Ubi only pouted as she dejectedly got up to leave and cuddle with Nicki. She needed her comfort buddy.

As Dongwoo whined in confusion, "Aww, why, why, why?" Not again, he'd only just now gotten his shy daughter to even look at the website for the first time. Otherwise, he'd been shopping all by himself. 

But Ubi was already softly crying into Nicki's fur, having not gotten her way, "Huchk hun huunng~."

When Hoya walked in and gave Dongwoo that look, "Let me guess horrible dog pun?"

As Dongwoo got up from his chair and crawled over to her, "Ubi, what about this?" Willing to negotiate, "What if we make our own cards instead of buying them? And they'll have enough room to write both quotes?"

"Right, and give everyone their very own doggie plushie too," Hoya added, knowing how much Ubi'd love the idea.

But it threw Dongwoo off, "Huh? Plushies?"

"Ne," Hoya smirked, "I just got wind," from Yeol, "that Gyu bought Infi a bunch of cute plushies for everyone. We can't let him beat us, can we?"

"Oh, good idea!" Dongwoo smiled, turning his attention back to Ubi, "Ne, so what do you think? We'll have the best cards because they'll each have two cute phrases on them, and they'll come with doggie plushies~."

Just then Nicki gave her own approval of the idea with a single bark. And that was all it took, "Hmmm ok. If Nicki likes it, I like it."

**********

Meanwhile, Myungyeol dressed Monkey up as Cupid.

Yeol: "Oh, oh! Let's give him the arrows!"

Soo: "Do not give my child weapons!"
 

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Part 2 would be the party itself, but I'm still coming up with ideas.