“Appa!” Myungsoo heard an adorably squeaky but loud voice shout in his ear. He came to, opened his eyes, and blinked at the blurry figure before him. He then heard the blur take a deep breath and braced himself for what was coming next.
     “APPAAAAAAAA!”
     “Rin-ah, don’t shout. Appa’s awake,” echoed a milky voice from the other room. “Come, Umma has breakfast for you.”
     Myungsoo heard the child mumble something incomprehensible before pitter-pattering away, leaving him to adjust to the sunlight in peace and quiet. He rolled out of bed once he heard inviting laughter come from the kitchen.
     It was Saturday morning, which meant the entire family was home. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, lifting Myungsoo’s mood even more by the comfort it portrayed. He pulled out a shirt from the closet and put it on. He then made his way to the kitchen, where he was greeted by three angelic faces.
    “Appaaaa!” cheered his three-year-old daughter, Hyerin. She threw her hands in the air, gripping tightly to a spoon that spilled cereal all over the table. She crunched and smiled as her mother promptly wiped the table and her face.
     Sitting next to Hyerin was her little brother, Kyungsan. Only six months old, Kyungsan greeted Myungsoo with a toothless smile, mumbling nonsense and spilling mashed banana all over his bib. Myungsoo laughed at the sight of his precious children. They greeted him so warmly!
     His wife suddenly stood up. “Rin-ah, chew your food very well, okay?”
     “Ne, Umma!”
     Myungsoo’s wife went to the sink to rinse off some dishes. He came up from behind and gave her a hug, kissing her shoulder as he cradled her in his arms.
     “Did you sleep well, yeobo?” he asked sweetly as he planted a kiss on her cheek. She nodded and kissed him back. The children ate loudly in the background, neither of them paying attention to their parents.
     “I was thinking we could take them to the park today.” she whispered. Myungsoo nodded and glanced at them.
     “Good idea. I’ll bring the camera.”

     She finished rinsing off the dishes and Myungsoo sat down at the table with his children, apple at hand.
     “Rin-ah, if you finish all your food, Appa will take you and Kyungsan to the park, okay?”
     “Yaaay, the park!” cheered Hyerin once more. She bounced in her seat as she thought of all the fun she could have.
     “Yeah, but you have to finish eating,” said Myungsoo. “Kyungsan too.”
     “Ne, Appa.” Hyerin gobbled up the last of her cereal as quickly as she could manage. She then turned to Kyungsan and helped him eat his mashed banana, forgetting to use the spoon and placing some in his mouth with her bare hands.

—————————

     “Appa, look!” shouted Hyerin as she blew some bubbles.
     “Ah, how pretty!” said Myungsoo as he snapped a few pictures of her. He then tried to catch sight of Kyungsan amidst the other children running around. Kyungsan was with his mother, learning how to walk. She held onto his hands high in the air, and let him fall on his bum when his legs got too tired. She’d gasp and go “boom!” and Kyungsan would look up at her with surprise before he broke into laughter. Myungsoo chuckled to himself.

     “Appa, you’re not looking,” whined Hyerin. She took out the bubble wand and blew on it again.
     “Ne, Appa sees,” smiled Myungsoo. She blew some more bubbles until a giant one got caught on the wand. She gasped and showed Myungsoo, who then faked surprise. In order to be funny, she stuck out her tongue. “Don’t do that, Rin-ah. It will taste bad.”
     Hyerin thought her appa was joking since he wouldn’t stop giggling. She stuck out her tongue once more and the bubble popped right on it! Not only did she get a bad taste, but it popped in her eye, causing it to burn.
     “It tastes bad!” she laughed, rubbing her eyes. Myungsoo laughed as well and said that he warned her. She put the bubbles down and ran to him. She began to cry, taking him aback. “Appa, It hurts!”
     “Of course it hurts,” sympathized Myungsoo. “Appa told you not to do it. Why didn’t you listen?”
     “I thought you were lying,” Hyerin admitted as she rubbed her eye with his sleeve. He patted her on the head.
     “Appa wouldn’t lie to you, okay?”

     Hyerin nodded and turned to look at her little brother. The two of them watched as he walked and fell repeatedly.
     “Kyungsan can’t walk,” she teased.
     “Eyy. A long time ago, Rin-ah couldn’t walk either,” Myungsoo laughed, “Remember?”
     “But I can walk now,” responded Hyerin.
     “That’s right, you can. And pretty soon, Kyungsan will know how to walk too, and then Umma doesn’t have to hold on to his hands anymore.”
     “No she won’t, because I will!” smiled Hyerin.
     “And then Appa can hold Umma’s hands!”
     “But Umma already knows how to walk…” said Hyerin, looking confused. Myungsoo couldn’t help but smile at her comment.
     “Holding hands is different for Umma and Appa.”
     “…Because you’re in love?”
     “Do you know about love, Rin-ah?”
     “Ahh! Yes, I love Kyungsan!”
     “That’s a good love, but Appa is talking about another love.”
     “Oh… I love Umma?”

     Myungsoo chuckled. “You love Umma? Then do you love Appa?” Hyerin stopped looking at him and turned her attention back toward Kyungsan. “Ey, Rin-ah. Do you love Appa too?”
     “Mm, I don’t know…”
     “You don’t love Appa?” badgered Myungsoo. She kept looking between him and Kyungsan, biding her time before she answered. “Appa loves you. Do you love Appa, Rin-ah?”
     “Ne~ I love Appa,” she said finally, smiling shyly.
     “Eyyyy~”
     Myungsoo prepared to tickle Hyerin, but before he could reach her, she caught on. Laughing and screaming, she ran to her mother and Kyungsan, leaving Myungsoo behind to chuckle at the sight of them as he put away his camera.