“Eunmi-mimimi~” Changmin singsongs as he scoops his daughter up when she tries to make a quick escape, squealing and giggling in delight as he sits on the small bench near the door of their apartment. He holds the squirming girl as tightly as he can while wiggling her small feet into brand new shoes. “You’re so energetic today,” he comments with a laugh, tickling her sides once he’s managed to get both her shoes on before she bolts from his grasp back into the kitchen.

“Eunmi-ah! Come on! We have to leave now or you’re going to be late,” he insists, and the little girl comes bouncing along quickly enough, picking up a small green backpack as she waits for her father to open the door.

They’ve only recently moved into the area – Changmin took a job he was offered in the kitchen of a more upscale restaurant than where he’d worked previously, and he’d been lucky enough to squeeze Eunmi into what seemed to be a nice kindergarten that emphasized outdoor playtime and learning about nature. Today is her first day, and he’s quietly thankful that he won’t have to have a babysitter for his daughter all the time anymore. Now, there will only be a few hours between her being dropped off via bus at his sister’s place and him getting off work to go pick her up, and he starts late enough in the mornings that he can bring her to school himself.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Once he’s parked the car and she’s promptly m