m a g i c ; 

Everything is in place. A myriad of colourful balloons and shiny streamers give life to the pastel yellow walls of the house, and on one of the walls, a birthday streamer made up of silver, cursive letters that spell out "Eunji Turns 5!" hangs from one end to the other. Beneath the birthday streamer, there is a long table covered in a rainbow-coloured table cloth where a variety of party foods have been arranged in little trays; Hyukjae had made sure to prepare sandwiches and fruits, aside from the usual cupcakes and candy, being mindful of the children's diets. In the middle of the table, is a tall, white two-tier birthday cake decorated with little cartoon characters made of fondant and buttercream icing; Eunji's favourite. Hyukjae stands near the back of the living room with his arms folded. He watches as children run to and fro, from the living room out onto the backyard through the big, open sliding door with balloons tied to their wrists and parents lounge around in the living room and backyard with plates of food in their hands, chatting away happily. Music fills the air and complements the happy atmosphere, and for a moment, it's as if time is standing still. He looks at his daughter, once a small, feeble baby that fit snugly in his arms, now playing in the sandpit with her playschool friends. He smiles. He would give absolutely everything to ensure little Eunji's happiness, and as if sensing her father's eyes on her, Eunji looks up from the sand and smiles back at him.

"Hyukjae," Siwon calls out, patting his best friend on the shoulder. He pops a grape into his mouth and waits for the man to turn around. With his arms still folded, Hyukjae turns and grins at his friend of fifteen years, bearing his teeth and gums. No words could explain how content and happy the scene makes Hyukjae, but Siwon doesn't need any words; he's known the man long enough to know how he feels just from the earnest smile on his face. Hyukjae takes a step back and puts his arm around Siwon, pursing his lips in a bid to physically suppress his happiness.

"Hey, Siwon," he answers back, moving his gaze from his daughter at the sandpit to his friend. "Thanks for helping me plan this. I couldn't have done any of this on my own, really. You know how bad I am at planning parties."

Siwon swallows and smiles, the muscles on either side of his face dimpling. "Don't thank me. You know that's exactly why I helped you out. Wouldn't want another weird birthday party with you accidentally hiring a strip—"

"Uh uh uh uh, nope!" Hyukjae squeezes his eyes shut and covers his ears playfully. "Do not ruin this beautiful day for me by recalling that disaster, please! We promised not to speak of it."

Throwing his hands up, Siwon surrenders, mouthing a silent okay okay as he walks over to the table at the front of the room to grab a handful more of grapes for himself. He returns to where Hyukjae is standing at the back of the room and looks around, smiling contentedly and popping another grape into his mouth. Everything is running smoothly and according to plan, so far. Siwon looks at the black and white analog clock on the wall above the birthday streamer and chokes, coughing violently.

"Dear god, what the heck, Siwon!" Hyukjae pats his best friend on the back hard until he regains composure. "Ease up on the grapes, won't you?"

"I—" Siwon coughs a few more times and clears his throat. "I forgot to tell you something about the party."

Creasing his forehead, Hyukjae eyes his best friend suspiciously and folds his arms again, waiting for the man to elaborate.

"I invited somebody. A magician."

"A magician?"

"Yeah, and he'll be here by half past four..." Siwon trails off, nodding towards the clock on the wall. "...which is right about—"

The doorbell rings.

"—now."

Hyukjae glares at his mischievous friend, dubious, and walks to the front door. He peers through the frosted glass panels and sees the blurry, dark silhouette of a man and shrugs. Unfastening the hasp, Hyukjae slides its latch downwards and to his right before turning the handle. He pulls the solid white timber door inwards, leaving the doorway wide open. Barely a meter ahead of him is a man with sun-kissed skin and dark brown hair sporting a top hat, a black tailcoat tuxedo with a white shirt  that has its first three buttons unfastened underneath, and matching black boots. There is a large red tote bag slung over his left shoulder and a bright yellow sunflower in his right hand. Bringing the sunflower to his lips, the man; presumably the magician Siwon had been talking about just moments ago; smiled.

"Hello," he greets gently, doe-eyed. "I'm Lee Donghae, the party magician."

Enamoured by the magician's incredibly good looks (and partially embarrassed at how wide his gaping mouth had fallen for the same reason), Hyukjae blushes and searches for words to speak but to no avail. Luckily for him, Siwon joins them at the doorway, the awkward tension that Hyukjae imagines clouding up the air dissipating. Siwon shoots one of his infamous grins and approaches Donghae, embracing him briefly.

"Hyukjae, this is my good friend, Donghae." Siwon introduces. "He's mainly a singer-songwriter but on weekends, he does birthday gigs as a magician. Donghae, this is Hyukjae, the birthday girl's father."

Tipping his top hat, Donghae bows slightly, beaming.

"It's nice to finally meet you," he says simply, raising the sunflower and pushing the stalk into Hyukjae's hand. "A flower, for the lovely human being that raises little Eunji."

Hyukjae freezes, blinking at the sunflower. "Uh, oh, I don't exactly have a wife to give this to—"

"Oh, I know." Donghae winks. He invites himself into the house, sets his bag down, kneels and begins unlacing his boots. Behind him, Hyukjae is shooting Siwon an iffy look, insinuating an endless list of questions that he'd have to put off asking Siwon until later. Siwon raises his brows, playing innocent. They mouth silent words at each other menacingly, completely unaware that by then, Donghae had gotten his boots off and has returned to standing in front of them, observing as the silent argument plays out. He clears his throat.

"Where do I begin setting up?"

Siwon doesn't waste a single second, ushering Donghae into the backyard where a table covered in a sparkly silver sequined tablecloth has been placed in front of a large sitting mat on the grass. Hyukjae shakes his head, dropping the sunflower into an empty vase that sits on the top of the shoe cabinet next to the door. He closes the door and locks it before joining the magician and his tall best friend in the backyard, stopping every now and then to check on his guests along the way. When he finally arrives at the magician's table, he glosses his eyes over the array of items that magician Donghae has laid out. He spots a deck of cards and some large metal rings, several solid-coloured silk fabrics, a switch bag, some modelling balloons and a black wand with white tips; all of which are items he'd seen magicians use at children's shows before. Then his eyes spot a rather peculiar item nestled next to the magician's wand; a small, blue velvet ring box that is open and empty.

"What's that for?" Hyukjae asks, pointing at the box. Donghae picks up the box and begins to rotate it, showing Hyukjae every part of it. It looks to Hyukjae that it's just an ordinary ring box; no secret compartments, no hidden buttons, nothing. Donghae smiles fervently, setting the box back onto the table.

"Well," he begins, "if you want to find out, you'll have to watch the show." He gives Hyukjae another cheeky wink and continues pulling items out of his red tote bag. Children begin to approach the table out of curiosity, gaping and gasping at the sight of the strange items magician Donghae had arranged on the table. Some of them begin to touch and poke at the items, mesmerised. Siwon grins at the sight of the curious little ones and bends forward, whispering something to them.

"If you want to know what these things are for," he says softly with a hand cupped around his mouth, "then you'll have to get your mummies and daddies to come join us on the mat to watch the magic show."

Just like that, the children run off in all directions, heading towards their parents to beckon them to come and sit in front of the table in time for the show. Donghae sets his empty red tote bag on the ground and picks up the magic wand, taking on a very whimsical, magician-like stance in front of the table. He flaps the tail of his tuxedo jacket and begins waving his wand about in one hand, motioning at guests to come forth with the curl of his index finger. Little Eunji, dressed in a frilly white dress with pink bows tied into her pigtails, leaves the sandpit and runs towards her father, tugging on his arm. They join the rest of the families on the large, plaid sitting mat under the bright sky, shifting about excitedly as they wait for the show to start. Soon the mat is filled, and Siwon walks to the front, standing next to the magician with a portable microphone in his hand.

"Today, we have a special guest at our little Eunji's birthday party. Let's give a round of applause for a very special friend of mine, amazing magician Lee Donghae!" Siwon claps and steps aside, leaving the limelight to Donghae who is bowing majestically with one hand behind his back. The audience applauds, and as soon as the clapping dies down, Donghae begins the show. He tips his hat and begins with the simple trick of knocking metal rings against each other, linking them together and forming a chain. Siwon joins Hyukjae on the mat, sitting with his legs crossed and looking pleased with himself. He frowns upon noticing that his best friend and father of the birthday girl is shooting him a sideways glance. He looks around, making sure everyone else is too engrossed in the magic show to notice. He leans in.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Siwon asks, deadpan. Hyukjae returns his eyes to Donghae, who has begun on another magic trick by stuffing a series of silky cloths into his sleeves. Donghae then points to a child in the audience and asks the child to reach into his own jacket. The child complies, reaching into the flap of his jacket. A look of surprise washes over his face as he mysteriously pulls out a string of silky cloths similar to the ones that Donghae had stuffed into his sleeve. The audience breaks out in oohs and aahs, clapping away.

"I know what you're doing," Hyukjae answers firmly, clapping, his eyes fixated on the magician. "You're pulling another one of your weird ploys on me. I can feel it."

Just then, Donghae begins pumping air into pink and purple modelling balloons. He ties the ends of the balloons and begins to sculpt them into an animal, keeping the audience engaged. "What animal do you think I'm making?" He asks the audience rhetorically. Children begin shouting out all sorts of animals. "A bird!" one child yells. "A snake!" yells another. The audience made up of adults and children is in hysterics, yelling out all sorts of answers. As soon as Donghae finishes sculpting the balloons together, he raises the finished product in the air and asks the audience what he's made. "A rabbit!" The audience shouts unanimously, clapping. Donghae asks for a volunteer, pointing at a little girl in a blue dress from amongst a sea of raised hands. He takes off his top hat and turns it over, asking the girl to put the rabbit balloon sculpture in it. After she does as told, Donghae asks her to tap the hat with the wand thrice, reciting the magic words, abracadabra. He first demonstrates before handing the little girl the wand, waiting for her to do the same.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Siwon smiles coyly, facing forward. They watch as the little girl in the blue dress taps the brim of the top hat, counting to three before saying the magic words. A party popper goes off from inside the top hat, springing colourful confetti and streamers into the air, exciting the audience once more. Donghae tips the hat and asks the girl to reach into it. The little girl tiptoes, pulling out a furry pink and purple bunny rabbit doll. Donghae smiles at the girl and lets her keep the doll, motioning for her to return to her seat. Then he pretends to search the crowd, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand.

"Where is our birthday girl?" Donghae asks as he continues to pretend to survey the crowd, squinting his eyes. Eunji, who is seated on Hyukjae's lap, bounces up and down excitedly, waving her hand. She stands up and runs to the front, turning to face the audience. Donghae bends down so that he meets the little girl eye to eye.

"How old are you turning, Eunji?" he asks with a smile, his pearly whites sparkling like sun rays on powdered snow. Eunji sways side to side shyly, raising four fingers. Even though she isn't Hyukjae's biological daughter, she sure is as shy as he is. Donghae reaches for the blue velvet ring box, smiling handsomely.

"Is there someone here that you love very, very much?"

Eunji nods, her cheeks burning a bright shade of red. She points towards the crowd, past her playschool friends and their families, directly at her father. Hyukjae freezes.

"It's your birthday today, right? That means you'll get lots and lots of presents!" Donghae exclaims ecstatically. "Do you want to give a present to your Appa too?"

"Yes!" Little Eunji shouts, bobbing delightedly. Donghae turns to the audience, frowning.

"Hm, that doesn't sound too convincing," he pouts, feigning disappointment. "Everyone, should we give a present to the birthday girl's Appa too?"

The children chorus in response, yelling out a concordant yes. Donghae then shows Eunji his left hand and asks her to help him remove the ring on his finger. It's a shiny gold ring, with a red ruby carved into the shape of a rose on top. Eunji tugs on the jewelery, shimmying it off Donghae's ring finger. Once the ring is free, she instinctively places it in the blue velvet ring box that Donghae is holding with his free hand and smiles, looking from the ring to her father who is beaming back at her. Donghae closes the ring box and hands it to Eunji, who is about to walk off and hand the box to Hyukjae when Donghae stops her. He wags his finger gently, shaking his head.

"The present isn't ready yet," he claims, picking up his top hat. He raises it towards Eunji, nodding reassuringly. Eunji places the ring box inside the hat carefully and waits for Donghae to give her the magic wand so that she can do the honours. After Donghae places the black and white wand in the palm of Eunji's hand, he raises a brow.

"Do you know what to do?" he asks. Eunji nods delightedly, resting one end of the wand on the brim of the top hat. At the count of three, Eunji taps the brim of the hat thrice.

"Abracadabra!" The audience screams in unison with Eunji. Another pop goes off and more confetti and streamers are launched into the air, drawing bursts of giggles and laughter from the crowd. Some of the children raise their hands in the air, catching the falling confetti and throwing them back into the air. Once the crowd calms down again, Donghae shows Eunji the interior of the top hat, causing little Eunji to gasp upon noticing that the blue velvet ring box is gone, and in its place lay a red, plastic rose with a green stalk and a ring nestled among its petals. Donghae asks her to pick up the rose, sending her off in the direction of her father with it. "Appa! Appa, look!" Eunji calls out, running towards her father. She hands Hyukjae the rose and kisses him on the cheek, sitting back down on his lap. Siwon, who quietly watches as his friend takes the ring out from among the rose petals and studies it with a look of awe all over his face, exhales contentedly. Seeing his friend happy makes him happy.

Donghae does a few more tricks, eliciting all sorts of overreactions from the audience. Once he has executed his final trick of the show; a simple trick involving card flourishing, he picks up the portable microphone that Siwon had left on the table and speaks into it.

"Unfortunately, we have come to the end of our little magic show, as it is now time to sing our birthday girl a Happy Birthday inside." He takes a bow and thanks everyone, prompting the audience to erupt into a standing ovation, with adults and children alike cheering. Siwon gets up and joins the magician at the front, taking over the microphone.

"Everyone, let's give one last round of applause to our wonderful magician, Donghae!" He announces, clapping with a dimpled grin. "Now, let's move back into the house so that we can sing a Happy Birthday to our little Eunji with her birthday cake."

The crowd disperses, making their way back into the house. Donghae puts his top hat on the table and joins everyone, walking towards the living room. Inside, the children have gathered around the table, whispering among each other as they giggled and pointed at the little cartoon characters that surround the white cake. Hyukjae holds his daughter's hand and leads her to the front of the room to stand on a step ladder in front of her birthday cake. Once Eunji reaches the top, Hyukjae whips out a lighter and lights up the four pink candles on top of the birthday cake, counting to three with his fingers. Everybody sings together, loud and proud, clapping to the beat.

"Saengil chukahamnida, saengil chukahamnida, saranghaneun Eunji-ssi, saengil chukahamnida!"

Eunji clasps her hands together and closes her eyes, making a wish.

"I wish Appa and I meet someone who will always make us happy," she wishes aloud before blowing out the flames of the candles. Everyone applauds, snapping pictures and videos with their phones. Kissing his daughter on the cheek, Hyukjae hands her a plastic cake knife and envelopes her hand with his. They pose and wait as Siwon adjusts a camera, looking through the viewfinder. One, two, three! Say cheese! The bright flash of the camera dazes everyone, and right after the photo is taken, Hyukjae guides his daughter to cut the cake. Playful little Eunji picks up some cream with her finger and wipes it onto her father's nose, laughing cheekily. The pair work together and cut the cake into slices, serving them to guests on paper plates. Once all the guests have been served, Hyukjae picks up a slice and puts it on a paper plate, carrying his daughter on his hip as they find a spot to sit down and share their cake. They settle on a leather armchair next to the sofa, digging into the cake. After a few mouthfuls, Eunji runs off to play with her friends again, leaving Hyukjae to his own solitude in a room full of people. He eats his cake quietly, staring at the new ring that he had placed on the ring finger of his right hand. He was surprised it fit when he first put it on after Eunji had handed her the rose from the magic show. Just then, a familiar tailcoat tuxedo-donning figure slides past him and sits on the sofa next to his armchair. Hyukjae darts his eyes nervously, stuffing his mouth with cake.

"Enjoying the party?" Donghae asks, leaning forward in his seat. He cuts into a slice of the vanilla-flavoured birthday cake, smiling benevolently. Hyukjae swallows and starts pushing strands of hair behind his ear subconsciously. He sets his empty plate on the table in front of them and clears his throat sheepishly.

"I, uh—ahem—should be asking you," Hyukjae retorts, leftover frosting off his lips. "How do you know Siwon?"

Donghae takes a sip of punch from a paper cup, placing it on the table. "We met on the set of one of his dramas a few years ago. I wrote the theme song for it."

"Ah yes, you're a singer-songwriter, right?"

"Right."

Hyukjae nods in acknowledgment, fiddling with the ring on his finger. He keeps his head down, avoiding eye contact, turning the ring round and round.

"What about you?"

Hyukjae looks up, puzzled, only to see Donghae staring back at him with his head tilted, doe-eyed.

"How do you know Siwon?" Donghae reiterates, smiling encouragingly. Hyukjae lets out a breathy laugh, rubbing his index finger over the rose ruby welded onto the gold band of his ring. He meets Donghae eye to eye.

"Siwon is my best friend. I've known him since the both of us were in diapers. We grew up together, quite literally. Attended all the same schools growing up too," Hyukjae pauses, raising his brows. "Speaking of which, are you from around here?"

Shaking his head, Donghae scoops another piece of cake into his mouth and chews.

"I'm from Mokpo," he answers simply, scratching his plate with a plastic fork. "By the way, do you know of any good nearby hotels I could stay at for the night? I could use a rec—"

"Stay here!" Hyukjae interjects, worked up. He melts back into his seat and laughs awkwardly, mentally cussing himself out for the overreaction. "Uh, I mean, you could stay here for the night. There's an extra room in the house, and besides it's the least I could do for you, considering I don't actually have anything much to offer you as a form of gratitude for doing the magic show. I'm sure Eunji would love you to stay, too."

Donghae waves, swatting away the apologetic vibes he sensed from the man. "You don't have to thank me. I did it because I wanted to."

"Because you wanted to?"

Just then, a little boy squeezes in between the two of them, facing Hyukjae.

"Uncle Hyukjae, thank you for the party!" The boy says brightly before looking up at a couple standing nearby. Hyukjae stands up and thanks the guests for coming, ruffling the little boy's hair. He ushers them to the door and bows repeatedly with an enormous smile plastered across his face. A few other families follow suit, and Hyukjae ends up standing by the door for a while, bidding farewell to his guests one at a time. The number of people in the house grows significantly smaller by the time Hyukjae is done saying goodbye to a handful of his guests. He closes the door behind the last person to leave and returns to the armchair, surprised to see that Donghae is no longer there. He notices the abandoned plate of half-eaten cake and looks around for its owner, only to see Donghae kneeling in the sandpit next to his daughter. Eunji pushes a spade into Donghae's hand, urging him to scoop sand into a bucket and build sandcastles with her. Donghae whispers something into her ear, and the two of them erupt in belly laughs. Hyukjae smiles. It has been a while since he's seen Eunji this happy.

"Thinking about something, my friend?" Siwon asks, taking a seat at the spot previously warmed by the magician--singer-songwriter. Hyukjae turns and looks at his tall friend, pursing his lips. They look on as Eunji climbs onto Donghae's back, giggling away. Hyukjae shrugs.

"I don't know," he replies, sinking his shoulders. "Did you hear Eunji's birthday wish before we cut the cake just now?"

Siwon nods, sipping from a cup. "What about it?"

"Something about it tells me Eunji...wants a mother." Hyukjae's tone is low and melancholic. "How do I explain to a child that the possibility of having a mother is impossible, considering I'm into men?"

In the distance, Eunji and Donghae are pulling a bucket off the second tier of a sandcastle together, grinning in delight when the second tier emerges successfully. Eunji decorates the sandcastle with flowers that she picked from the garden and places one on Donghae's ear, clapping her hands, thrilled. Siwon nods towards the sight.

"I think you're overthinking," he states firmly. "Look at her."

At that very moment, Eunji stands up, holding Donghae's hands. She tugs on them, prompting Donghae to stand up too, before turning in circles with him, their hands still intertwined. After a few turns, they pause and turn to look at Hyukjae, smiling. Eunji whispers something in Donghae's ear, to which the man nods, smiling shyly. Siwon puts his hand on Hyukjae's thigh and leans forward.

"Sometimes, kids sense things without us having to tell them." He hints, reassuring his friend. "Eunji is a bright kid. I'm sure she''ll understand."

Eunji walks towards them with the magician in tow, calling out towards Hyukjae. "Appa! Appa, can Donghae stay here today? Appa!"

The pair halt right next to the armchair, causing Siwon and Hyukjae to put their conversation on hold and look up at them. Eunji tugs on the sleeve of Hyukjae's shirt, lifting only the left corner of . Meanwhile, Donghae pretends to look elsewhere, scanning the walls for balloons, paintings, anything to look at so he could avoid Siwon and Hyukjae's stares.

"Can Uncle Donghae stay here tonight, please, Appa?" Eunji begs, tugging on Hyukjae's sleeve again. "He doesn't have anywhere to stay so can he please, please..."

"Yes, Eunji," Hyukjae doesn't even hesitate to say, wrapping his hand around his daughter's. "Why don't you go and show—"

"Okay, Appa, I'll show Uncle Donghae the extra room!"

Dashing past her father, Eunji runs into the hallway and disappears into a room on the left, dragging Donghae behind her. Hyukjae shakes his head and sighs, looking at Siwon who, at this point, can only shrug empathetically.

"What did I tell you," Siwon quips, smirking, "she knows."

That night, Hyukjae runs a bubble bath for his daughter after bidding goodbye to Siwon. His best friend had left nearly two hours after the party ended to help Hyukjae clean up after the mess, during which Donghae had kept little Eunji busy, playing with her in the living room with her endless amount of toys. Hyukjae rolls up his sleeves and mixes some sort of soapy solution into the lukewarm bathtub water, causing the water to thicken into foam. He throws a few rubber ducks into the tub and swirls the water with his hand, causing the rubber ducks to float around in circles following the motion of the water.

'Eunji ah!" Hyukjae calls out, sitting on the side of the tub. Little Eunji's footsteps get louder and louder and soon, she pushes the bathroom door open and comes in. Undressing herself and climbing into the tub, Eunji splashes about, grabbing a rubber duck. Hyukjae grabs the shower head, turning the tap on. He runs the water over his wrist, making sure that the water is neither too hot nor too cold, before running it over his daughter's head. Eunji squeezes her eyes shut and spits out water that has found its way into , coughing slightly.

"Appa!" She calls out, turning to look at her father. "Can Uncle Donghae read to me before bed later?"

Hyukjae turns off the shower head and squeezes some shampoo into his hand. He returns the shampoo bottle to a shelf near the tub, lathering the solution into his daughter's hair, frowning a little. Reading a storybook to his daughter has always been an intimate moment that he'd shared with Eunji ever since he first had her, so it's oddly perplexing and upsetting for her to be asking someone else to read to her tonight. Hyukjae shakes off the petty thought, smiling at his little girl. 

"Sure," he replies gently, turning the shower head back on to wash the shampoo out of Eunji's hair. "Have you decided what book you want him to read to you?"

Eunji nods, splashing about in the water. "Yes! I want him to read The Little Prince to me, Appa."

Grabbing a towel from a nearby rack, Hyukjae nods in acknowledgment, holding the towel open. Eunji stands up, shivering. Hyukjae wraps his daughter in the towel and helps her out of the tub carefully, reaching for another smaller towel to dry her hair with. He ties the large towel around Eunji's body and dries her hair with the smaller towel quickly, not wanting his daughter to catch a cold. As he dries her hair, he thinks of the time he'd first read The Little Prince to Eunji when she was barely two. Ever since then, Eunji had asked him to read that same book to her almost five times a week, declaring it her favourite storybook of all time. He smiles and reaches for the undergarments and pyjamas that he'd picked out for Eunji, handing them to her. He kisses his daughter's wet forehead.

"Put on your clothes and go to bed, okay?" Hyukjae says tenderly, walking towards the bathroom door. "Remember to put the wet towels into the laundry basket. I'm going to the kitchen. I'll ask Uncle Donghae to come read you your book."

Eunji nods, and just before her father exits the bathroom, she yells out, "Appa, I like Uncle Donghae! He's lots of fun."

Hyukjae pauses briefly with his back towards the little girl and nods. I kinda like him too, he thinks to himself and carries on.

Hyukjae walks down the hallway towards the kitchen, stopping in his tracks upon seeing Donghae attempt to tidy up his daughter's toys. He intervenes, accidentally brushing his fingers over Donghae's hands, causing the both of them to blush subconsciously.

"You're the guest," he reminds, taking over from Donghae. "You shouldn't be cleaning up!"

Donghae moves aside awkwardly, watching as Hyukjae picks up strewn toys and throws them into a green toy box.

"Eunji wants you to read her a storybook, by the way. She loves The Little Prince. It's her favourite book of all time." Hyukjae pauses, looking Donghae in the eye. He nods towards the hallway, smiling. "I think she's waiting for you."

To this, Donghae stands up awkwardly, and smiles back. He shuffles towards the hallway, turning back once to look at Hyukjae as if looking for reassurance. Hyukjae motions at him, shooing him, and after a few steps, Donghae disappears into Eunji's bedroom. Hyukjae closes the toy box and slides it underneath the television console, getting onto his feet. He walks to the kitchen and begins preparing hot chocolate, reaching into the kitchen cabinet for a jar of cocoa powder. Picking up an overturned jug from the dish rack, he opens up the jar and scoops cocoa powder into the jug with a metal teaspoon before moving the jug beneath the nozzle of a hot water dispenser. He presses a button and waits as hot water streams into the jug, biting his lip. He recalls what his best friend had said earlier over cake. You're overthinking, echoes Siwon's voice in his head. Eunji is a bright kid. I'm sure she'll understand. The hot water dispenser makes some sort of whirring noise and stops dispensing water, snapping Hyukjae out of his daze. Hyukjae picks up a teaspoon with a long handle and begins to stir the hot chocolate, adding some sugar, vanilla essence and milk into the mixture. Once the hot chocolate has been mixed well and turned frothy at the top, Hyukjae pours it into three mugs; a tiny one for Eunji, and two large blue mugs for Donghae and him. He places the mugs and jug on a tray and picks it up carefully, advancing towards Eunji's bedroom.

Standing by the bedroom door, Hyukjae peers in through the crack in the ajar door. He sees his daughter snuggled under her duvet in a dimly lit room, illuminated only by the night light on the drawer next to Eunji's bed. Donghae is sitting on the bed next to her, reading from a storybook which he assumes is The Little Prince. He listens, careful not to make a single noise that would distract the two.

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." Donghae says softly, beating the squeak of a mouse only by a decibel. He turns the page and smiles at Eunji, who lets out a yawn. She rubs her eyes and shifts about in her place, falling asleep.

Hyukjae decides against interrupting the two, walking back to the living room with his tray of hot chocolate. He sets the tray on the dining table and pulls out a chair, sitting down. A simple, contented happiness pools in his chest. Knowing that he'd thrown his beloved daughter a wonderful birthday party, made possible only with the help of his best friend and seeing her happy is all that matters to him. In fact, Eunji's happiness is all that has mattered to him since he first took her home when she was a baby girl. The corner of his lips curl upwards, pleased. He reaches for a blue mug and takes a sip, savouring the thick, warm hot chocolate that swarms his mouth. Just then, a figure moves in the dark hallway, scaring Hyukjae out of his wits. He chokes on the hot chocolate, pounding his chest in an attempt to regain his breath.

"Oh no, Hyukjae! Are you okay?!"

Donghae darts out of the dark and pats Hyukjae's back several times, hard. Hyukjae raises a hand, throwing up his last three fingers in a sign that means okay. He pants, staring up at the brunet man.

"I'm—" Hyukjae coughs. "—okay. I'm okay. Here, have some hot chocolate."

Pulling the chair opposite Hyukjae outwards, Donghae sits down and helps himself to the other blue mug of hot chocolate from the tray. He smiles and takes a small sip, making a contented noise.

"Has Eunji fallen asleep?" Hyukjae asks, raising his mug to his lips. Donghae nods, showing a thumbs up before setting his mug on a coaster that he finds in the middle of the dining table next to a vase. He runs his fingers through his hair before leaning back in his chair, rubbing his chapped lips with his thumb.

"She fell asleep before I even got to the part where the prince finds a well," he sulks, stretching his arms. "I'm glad she likes The Little Prince, though. It's a good book. It's one of my favourites too."

"Huh," Hyukjae huffs, slurping from his mug. He wrinkles his nose and pouts, deep in thought. Donghae frowns.

"What are you thinking of?" he asks, dragging his chair forward.

Emptying his mug, Hyukjae, too, grabs a coaster made from cork, placing his empty mug on it. He pours more hot chocolate from the jug, stalling Donghae's question. It only incites impatient Donghae to probe further.

"I mean... I know I'm practically a stranger to you," he begins, rubbing the back of his head, "but if you need a listening ear I'd be more than glad to be one."

An awkward quietness ensues, dividing the air between them. For a while, a pin-drop silence takes over, interrupted every now and then by the slurping of hot chocolate. Donghae fills his mug with more hot chocolate, fidgeting awkwardly to Hyukjae's amusement. On the other hand, Hyukjae has loosened up, sitting comfortably with his back against the splat of his chair, his legs outstretched. He leans forward suddenly, staring into his mug.

"It's nothing much, really." He reassures, never looking up from the mug. "I was just thinking about how Eunji has been hinting at me to meet someone. I think she wants a mother. I mean, I would too."

Relieved that the raven-haired man had broken the silence, Donghae, too, leans forward, picking at the dry skin on his lips.

"Is there a problem, then?"

"Yes," Hyukjae quickly answers. "Yes, there is. I don't know how to tell a four-year-old that her father isn't interested in women."

Donghae laughs. He leans back, lolling his head and laughs, hard. His reaction makes the tip of Hyukjae's ears turn red and his cheeks blush. He struggles to understand what he'd said that was worth laughing over. Donghae calms himself and reaches out his hand, curling his fingers around Hyukjae's hand. Hyukjae flinches a little, before consciously releasing the tension in his body. He doesn't pull away from Donghae's touch, though.

"She knows."

"W-what?"

"I said," Donghae repeats, squeezing Hyukjae's hand. "She knows."

Hyukjae darts his eyes all over the table, flustered. "W-what do you mean she knows?"

Laughing again, this time gentler than before, Donghae shakes his head, unable to hide the look of amusement on his face.

"When I was reading her The Little Prince," he begins explaining, leaning forward to meet Hyukjae in the eye, "she stopped me suddenly and told me she thinks you like me. She even asked me if I'd want to be your.....boyfriend."

Donghae laughs once more at the recollection, squeezing Hyukjae's hand in a bid to make the man relax. Hyukjae's shoulders, which had been tense up until this point, fall. He relaxes, both grateful upon finding out that his little girl, like Siwon had said, is indeed brighter than he'd thought. He finally gathers the courage to return the gaze, staring at Donghae whose shoulders are shaking from a hushed laughter.

"What about it, though?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What about it...you know...being my...I mean..."

Donghae's laughter fades, and a serious look washes over his face. He clasps his hands together in front of his face, leaning forward.

"I mean, if you don't want to it's okay, y'know. I was just wonderi—"

Reaching for Hyukjae's hand again, Donghae grins. "I'd love to."

Hyukjae freezes. "You'd what?"

"I said I'd love to." Donghae squeezes Hyukjae's hands again, his eyes wrinkling from his smile. "I mean, I'd love to go on a date with you. Honestly who'd be crazy enough to say know to a man like you? The moment Siwon told me about you I just had to offer my magician services so I could see what you look like in real life and boy, was I not disappointed. In fact I—"

"Okay I get it, now please shut up." Hyukjae warns, slurping some more hot chocolate from his mug. "The more you talk the lesser I wanna date you."

Donghae grimaced. "Alright, alright, I'll shut up."

The same pin-drop silence from before swarms the pair except this time, it's way more comfortable. They slurp from their mugs, hiding their blushed cheeks. Guess the ring wasn't the only gift the magician had brought along.

THIS FIC IS PART OF A 2-PART SERIES:

Magic | What is Love? (Sequel)