It’s subtle but everything changed the morning Yoona woke up wrapped in the white downy sheets of her pretend-boyfriend. She doesn’t notice it at first, too busy thinking about what to do now that she was out of school, waiting to graduate and to register for the next National Physicians Exam in a year.

She had decided, even before meeting Changmin, to take a gap year to study and spend as much time with her father as possible. She hadn’t factored in the highs and lows of being in a relationship—even a pretend one had its moments—but it was there, still, wedged between her daddy-and-daughter plans, graduation practices and review hours.

Her father loved knowing that Yoona had a life outside of taking care of him and he told her so every time they found themselves sitting together for meals and leisurely hours. Im Sanghyuk had taken to Changmin as Yoona’s love interest in a way that he never had with Donghae, even though technically he’d known and worked with Donghae much longer. He constantly now whenever she got back from a ‘date’, waiting up for her some nights even though he never used to before. It made Yoona blush bright red whenever her father would give her a knowing look when she summarized her night out with Changmin, but she would take the embarrassment with her head held high if it continued to bring a happy smile on his face.

Something had to be said about Changmin’s surprising ability to create bonds without having to actually speak. And Yoona wasn’t about to complain when it made her father so at ease since his homecoming.

“Do you have plans tonight, dear?” Her father casually asked over breakfast almost a month after her major after-birthday hangover, sipping his chamomile tea as Yoona cut his eggs into small, bite-sized portions. “A date, perhaps?”

“You know when you say it like that it just makes me not want to tell you anything.” Yoona replied, grinning despite her mock-stern tone. Taking a bite from her breakfast sandwich, she tilted her head to the side and met her father’s knowing and expectant gaze head on. Something about the look in his eyes made her suspicious and she couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose and ask him point blank.

“Okay, what do you know, Mr. Im?” She waved her half-eaten sandwich at him threateningly, uncaring of how unladylike (or unhygienic) the gesture was. “Speak or I will make you eat the week-old tofu salad in the fridge!”

“Oh no! Not the tofu!” Her father wailed dramatically, clutching at his heart as though he was really in pain. And if Yoona hadn’t been looking at him, she would have believed that he actually was—if not for the treacherous grin that gave his amusement away.

“You’re hilarious,” Yoona deadpanned, rolling her eyes and staring pointedly at her old man until he stopped playing sick. She grinned at him once he settled back into his seat, spearing his bite-sized portions of egg and eating them with a relish that reminded her of earlier, happier family times. Times when it was just the two of them left to share a breakfast, when her mother used to cut her eggs for her too. The very sight of her father enjoying his simple meal made her simultaneously want to cry and laugh at the same time.

“That was a serious question, Yoona. I really do want to know if you’re going out tonight.”

“And if I wasn’t?” She asked, tilting her head in question.

Her father feigned innocence, shrugging casually as he picked up his tea again to take a hearty sip. “I may have invited a few of my colleagues over for a poker game tonight…”

“Ah, so you want me out of the house so you can drink, huh?”

“It’s not right to withhold liquor during a poker game, darling.” He argued, pointing his fork at her, mock-indignant. “It’ll be utterly cruel of you to ban me from the joy a sip of good scotch can bring. I’ve already nixed the cigars, may I remind you.”

Yoona thought it over in her head before reaching out to pat her father’s hand comfortingly. “Okay,” she said, smirking when his expressed lightened in excitement, “You can have a drink but only a few, alright? And absolutely no smoking! I’m going to ask Nurse Yura and Mr. Kang to watch you like a hawk so I better not hear you breaking the rules when I’m not here.”

“Funny. I thought I was the parental figure in this house.” Her father teased, warmly squeezing the hand holding his.

Yoona shrugged. “I’m the one who graduated with the MD though.”

“Ah, but you haven’t graduated!”

“Yet!” Yoona huffed, narrowing her eyes at him before they both dissolved into laughter. “I don’t have plans tonight but I can call Hyoyeon if I have to.”

“What about Changmin?”

She grinned at the inquiring and interested way her father asked about her pretend-boyfriend, tallying another point in Changmin’s favor. “He’s supposed to be working at his construction site tonight. The building where he’s foreman is supposed to add another floor sometime this week so he has to be there to make sure everything runs smoothly.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall when it was he’d told her he’d be working late before reeling back and realizing she couldn’t remember. “I haven’t checked with him again since he let me know about it the other night, but I suppose I can call him and ask.”

“You should call him and set a date if he’s free. You’ve already spent enough time with Hyoyeon over the years anyway.”

“Look at you being all ‘progressive’ and ‘open’ dad on me,” she said in mocking manner, grinning when her father raised his eyebrow at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so cordial with any of my past boyfriends.”

Her dad laughed at that, shaking his head. “To be fair, you’ve never really introduced any of your boyfriends to me. I’ve always had to hear about them through your sister or Hyoyeon when they set out to tease you.” He fixed her with a playful but knowing look; a look that made Yoona’s cheek burn in embarrassment at the underlying message it projected. “I’m inclined to think that Shim Changmin might mean more to you than you let on.”

“Changmin is…” A mystery. An incredibly good-looking, stubborn but interesting mystery I’ve been trying to figure out for weeks now. Except I don’t really think I want to figure him out. I like him just fine the way he is. “He’s different. Definitely not like anyone I ever met or dated. He constantly surprises me.”

“Then I don’t see why couldn’t want to spend more time with him while you’re free.”

Yoona studied her father for a long moment. Her heart stuttered a little at the thought of being alone with Changmin for no reason other than to just be toge