“Joonie!”

The little girl flung herself into his arms the moment he walked into the apartment. He chuckled and caught her, snuggling her close as his eyes landed on Yoon Hee. His brow creased in instant concern when he saw her lying on the futon, eyes closed and her fingers massaging her temples. “Are you alright?”

Yoon Hee cracked her eyes open to stab him with a piercing glare, which was made less potent by the slight groan of pain that followed. Instead of answering she rolled over on her side and slid her eyes closed once again. She could hear Joon’s quiet laughter as his feet shuffled over the floor and she felt his heat as he settled beside her and began kneading the muscles of her neck.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong.”

“My birthday is this weekend and Mommy forgot.”

“Soo Jin!” Yoon Hee jerked up and scowled at her daughter before her shoulders dropped in defeat. She felt Joon’s hands return to her neck and the heat of his fingers chased the tension away. She allowed herself to lean against him, take comfort in his presence. “It’s not that I forgot. It’s just that with working so late at night and sleeping most of the day my days got mixed up.” She groaned in frustration. “Why do her birthday and Christmas have to fall on the same day?”

“What do you normally do for Soo Jin’s birthday?”

Sighing Yoon Hee leaned further into his warmth, didn’t flinch away when his arms looped around her, held her close, comforting her with his strength. “Usually I just buy one or two presents and we have a quiet meal at home, but this year has been a little harder since we moved into this apartment since it was closer to work. What I had saved up went into the deposit.”

Soo Jin sat down in front of them and Joon’s heart wrenched at the sight of the little girls shimmering eyes, the tears that she was trying hard to keep from falling. “Mommy told me I’d have to wait for a couple of more weeks so that she could save up some more money.” The tears finally spilled over and Joon caught her when she flung herself into his lap and jostled her mother out of the way. He her hair as she cried, his heart breaking, their misfortune stabbing at him. “I don’t want to wait. It’s not fair.”

He didn’t know what to do to console Soo Jin and his nerves became even more rattled when he heard Yoon Hee sniffled beside him, felt her warm tears drip down his arm when she laid her head against his shoulder and wept. It was the first time he had seen them so broken, lost and wretched.

Joon made soothing sounds until Soo Jin’s cries turned to sniffles and she lifted bleary eyes to look at him. “Soo Jin why don’t you tell me what you want for your birthday. Maybe your mom and I can figure something out.”

She screwed up her face and Joon chuckled at the look of deep concentrations wrinkling her brow. She was silent for several long moments and Joon could feel Yoon Hee tensing up in preparation for her daughter’s decision. He wrapped an arm around her to calm her just as Soo Jin’s eyes brightened and she flushed a pink shade of pink, her expression bashful.

“I like the way you sing. Will you sing for me on my birthday…you and the other members of MBLAQ?”

He heard Yoon Hee’s sharp intake of air. He understood the tension now making her body taut. The other members hadn’t been told about Soo Jin, he had kept quiet about her, but he knew that if he has mentioned her they wouldn’t have minded. Each one of them enjoyed being around kids, had learned to take care of them from their time on Hello Baby, and he knew that they would have fallen for Soo Jin just as he had.

She gazed at her daughter’s hopeful expression, her heart hammering in her chest as Joon remained quiet. She knew that the other four members of MBLAQ knew nothing of Soo Jin. Joon had kept her a secret from them, protected her from whatever the others would have thought. She wanted to give her daughter what she asked for, but not this. Not when it meant that she could be hurt by people she wanted most desperately to see. She sighed, prepared to tell her daughter that she would have to make due with something else, but Joon’s answer surprised her.

“If you’re mother says it’s okay then I don’t see why we can’t sing for you. I know the others won’t mind.” He turned to her. “What do you think Yoon Hee? Is it okay if the others come and sing for her?”

She knew what he was really asking and she was weary of more people coming into Soo Jin’s life, but she also knew that her daughter was getting older and there was no way that she could protect her forever. Plus she had spent more time with the others since the night they shared chicken and she had to admit that they were all nice men, that she had sensed nothing mean spirited about any of them. Gazing at her daughter’s hopeful face once again she smiled at her before turning to Joon and giving him a small nod.

“If you don’t think it will be too much trouble then I guess I’m okay with it.”

Soo Jin squealed in delight as she launched her little body at the two of them. Joon laughed as he and Yoon Hee held the little girl together. He smiled down at Yoon Hee, her returning smile bright as she Soo Jin’s hair. Joon knew that in allowing the other members of MBLAQ to know and meet her daughter that she had chipped away a little more of the ice that surrounded her, protected her. He was well aware of that fact that she wanted to do all she could to keep the ugliness of the world and the people in it from touching Soo Jin, but he also knew that her guard was slipping and she was finally allowing her and her daughter to have a more normal life, a life with people in it to laugh and share with instead of the two of them always being alone.

Joon wanted to make Soo Jin’s birthday special for her and since it fell on Christmas he also wanted to do something nice for her and Yoon Hee. He held them close as ideas swirled in his head.

Seung Ho led them through first one toy store and then another, but Joon didn’t complain as he followed his friends. They had taken the news of Soo Jin in stride, hadn’t seemed bother by it at all and had quickly gathered together to form a plan of action for both shopping and a party of Soo Jin.

They walked into yet another toy store, their arms aren’t laden with gift bags, but they didn’t seem to care or notice as they scattered and began prowling the many aisles of toys. Joon left them to it as he slipped from the store and entered a store with coats of various fashion on display. He ran his hands over the fabric of one of the coats on one rack, the thick fleece lining the inside before he pulled it from the rack and studied it in detail.

It was a gorgeous coat, the color a deep crimson, the fleece snowy white and as soft as down. He pictured Yoon Hee in and knew at once it was the coat for her. He draped it over his arm as he moved on to the display of hats, gloves and scarves at the back of the store. With a critical eye he flicked his eyes over the items and finally settled on a thick white hat with matching gloves and a scarf of the same crimson color as the coat with white and navy stripes.

He paid for his purchases before moving on to the next store. Thinking of Yoon Hee, his mind measuring her body he picked out pants and blouses, sweaters and dresses. Satisfied with his choices he paid for them. On the way back to the toy store a pair of boots on display caught his attention and a grabbed those as well before continuing on.

Joon reached the toy store just as the others were leaving, their arms weighted down with even more gift bags than before. He shook his head knowing they had probably gone overboard, but he was sure that Soo Jin wouldn’t mind a bit. The thought made him smile as they wandered through the shopping center until they found a party supply shop. There was color and texture everywhere and Joon knew that they’d be in the shop for a while. This was no simply decision to make because when MBLAQ threw a party they did it right.

Joon settled into bed, his arms tired, sore, but in a good way. They had carted bags upon bags for hours as they had gathered everything they would need for Soo Jin and Yoon Hee. Then upon returning home had sat amidst wrapping paper, tape, bows with no inkling as to what to do with it all. After several failed attempts G.O had finally gotten the hang of it and had overseen the rest of the wrapping.

It had taken them a couple of hours and then a couple of hours more to wrap every last gift and label it. They had all laughed and joked the entire time, cut up and goof off. All of them had had a light heart and a smile and Joon was more than thankful to his friends for all the help they had given him, all the hard-earned money they had put into buying the gifts, the careful consideration they had given each one.

None of them had paid much mind to the giggling gathering of fangirls as they weaved through them to shop for each other, meeting up again when they had completed each task, the fangirls all still gathered to whisper and giggle at them as they were want to do. It had taken hours to complete their shopping, to maneuver through the fans as they pushed for autographs and begged for pictures. They had returned home exhausted and even now Joon could hear his friends’ snores through the paper thin walls of their dorm.

Settling more comfortably into his covers he closed his eyes and sighed into his pillow, sleep creeping up on him, embracing him like an old friend. He welcomed it, allowed it wrap around and ease his tired muscles as he slipped into a blanket of oblivion. His last thought was of the happiness he hoped that he and the others could bring to Yoon Hee and her daughter. One last slow creeping thought tickled at the edge of his mind, but he was too far into sleep to pay it much mind, but his heart knew it, felt it and even in sleep he understood.

He was in love with Yoon Hee and her daughter and he couldn’t be happier.