Everything he ever wanted had always been handed to him on a silver platter, which is why, staring at three small children, he is completely out of his element. Nothing has ever prepared him for this challenge.

Kyungsoo has never looked after children before, but he’d always thought it would be no trouble. He would be Pack Leader, in essence. They would surely listen to him.

He is wrong. Four and five year olds don’t seem to listen to anyone.

So right now, he is staring at three small children, who are running riot around the park. They’re his brother’s daughters, and Kyungsoo had most definitely not volunteered himself. There are better things he could be doing with his time, like reading, or finishing his essay. But he’s learning that sometimes he won’t automatically get his way.

They’ve been here, in the park, for forty minutes and the girls show no signs of tiring. Kyungsoo hopes they will soon, because he was only supposed to be out for an hour or so. They had bounced in the car on the way here, which is dangerous, and he hopes they won’t do it on the way back, too. Kyungsoo values his life and his lack of grey hairs (though he might have a few now). He doesn’t care for screaming brats.

Finally, it’s time to leave, after another ten minutes have passed by. That gives him ten minutes to get the children ready.

“Alright, kids! We’re going home,” he says.

They resolutely ignore him, continuing to chase a couple of girls who’ve joined their game.

“Come on!” Kyungsoo calls. “Appa’s waiting!”

(Nothing.)

Kyungsoo is ready to tear his hair out, when a young woman comes over to him. He hadn’t been paying attention to any of the parents of the other kids, just making sure that he never let the three girls out of his sight. He can only imagine the outcry that would happen if something happened on his watch. (It doesn’t really bear thinking about.)

The woman had come with one of the girls the kids are playing with, Kyungsoo thinks. He doesn’t actually notice her for a moment, until she says, “Yours?”

He startles and turns to her for a brief second. She’s pretty, young, and maybe taller than him, with shoulder-length brown hair. She’s dressed comfortably in sweatpants and a nice t-shirt, and Kyungsoo thinks he probably should have worn the same before coming out. His smart trousers are sticking to his thighs with sweat and it’s not ideal. “My nieces,” he explains. “They won’t listen to me.” He pouts.

She smiles. “Don’t worry!” She cracks her knuckles with a smile. “Girls!” she calls out. “I’m sure you don’t want to make your Appa or Uncle wait, so you should probably come soon, and behave yourself, so you get home to Appa faster!”

Kyungsoo would scoff at the suggestion that it would work on the devil spawn, except that it does work, and suddenly Jaeeun, Yeeun and Naeun are there, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“Sorry, Uncle Kyungsoo!” Jaeeun, the oldest one, says. “We were just having so much fun with Seah and Jinsol! We don’t want to leave them!”

“Sorry, but we’ve got to go and see Appa,” Kyungsoo says. He turns to the woman. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem!” she says. “Seah’s a bit like that too—” She points to a girl with a long face, who is running back over to Kyungsoo’s nieces. “She never likes losing friends to play with.”

“Will you come back?” Seah asks when she reaches them, voice small.

Kyungsoo turns to her mother and feels his stomach flip-flop. She is really pretty, after all. “Maybe,” he says. “I’ll have to ask their Appa.”

The four girls grin.

“I’m Chanwon,” Seah’s mother and Kyungsoo’s saviour says. “We’re here every Tuesday after four.”

“I’m Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo says. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’d like that.”

Under her gaze, inwardly, secretly, he melts.