I

      He was late.

Running out of his car through the street, the cold wind slapping his face made his eyes water, but it was the least of his worry when he was late : again.

Hyeri was going to be mad at him. She hated to wait for him after everyone else was gone, and he knew something along the line fast food and ice cream would be his only way of apologize. Not that he minded it much -he loved ice creams, but it was getting late and Minwoo still had work to do from home.

Hyeri would not like that much either, but he did not have a choice. As an associate to Kim's law firm, he always had work following him back home when on a case. This was almost over, which meant more paper works and researches for Minwoo. He did not mind this part of the job, because he loved what he was doing; but Hyeri was often feeling neglected at such times.

He was doing his possible to get back at her later on, but he knew it was not always easy on her.

"Daddy !" Shouted the little girl before running into his arms for a tight hug.

Minwoo smiled and welcomed her warmly. "Sweetie. How was school today ?" He asked, slightly out of breath, and Hyeri pulled away from his embrace to pout at him.

"You're late. Again. Even SeulChan left."

SeulChan was Heyri's classmate and incidentally the only other eight year old kid besides her staying behind after everyone else to wait for his mother. Minwoo had often waited with the little boy for his mom to arrive, but today he was the latest one, and nobody had bother to stay with Hyeri until his arrival.

He could not blame SeulChan's mother though. Considering her busy life with five children at home. Minwoo could perfectly understand she did not have time to waste waiting for another kid's father to arrive. Even if he had did it countless times by the past. Five kids included two babies were the best excuse the woman could ever find.

      Smiling, he shifted his daughter's weight up in his arm for a better position and said, "I'm sorry about that sweetie, but there was a lot of traffic on the road."

Hyeri pouted again. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

He could see the tears in her eyes, which broke his heart. "What are you saying sweetheart." He began, rubbing her back before pulling her closer for another hug. "I would never forget you. I'm just late. And I'm sorry about that."

She nodded against his shoulder and sniffled. "I want an ice cream." She said in a sulky voice, and Minwoo could not help chuckle.

"It's two degrees out there. You don't want something warmer ?" He tried, only to get in check with this father's conscious he was supposed to have.

Hyeri shook her head against him and wrapped her arms around his neck to cuddle closer to him.

"I want an ice cream." Minwoo waited a beat for the expected "And a happy meal. With the pocket ball."

He smiled some more and agreed without hesitation to his daughter's request before making his way back to his car. Hyeri was still in his arms with her head reposing on his shoulder, and he felt guilty for making her wait in the cold for so long after such tiring day of school.

He promised himself he would get them both the best holidays ever for Christmas, even if he was not sure Dongwan would not submerge him with work once again. He had the hope his friend would have pity on him and his baby girl.

      Unlocking his car, he placed Hyeri on the backseat and helped her with the seatbelt before patting her panda hat and shutting the door. Hopping on the driver seat, he buckled his seatbelt and started the car. It was really cold today and he could not wait to go home.

The traffic was still heavy, and when he arrived at the fast food's drive, Hyeri was asleep. Checking on his daughter in the rearview mirror, he smiled softly and ordered their diner when a voice greeted him. After paying and getting his bag of food, he drove away and headed home.

Night was already here, and the beautiful lights installed for Christmas were offering a great show. Hyeri loved walking around Seoul at such period, and Minwoo promised himself this weekend would be theirs. The case was supposed to be in court this Friday, and it would mean some break time for him before Dongwan was showing up with another case Minwoo would have to do most of the researches of.

      Arriving in the parking lot twenty minutes later, he parked the car, unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the vehicle with the fast food's bag and his suitcase in hand.

"Come on sweetie." He said softly after opening Hyeri's door. "We're home." He added, unbuckling her seatbelt before taking her in his arms.

She was half awake and did not hesitate to snuggle on him to resume her sleep. Minwoo smiled, shut the door, locked the car and organized himself to keep the food's bag and his suitcase in hand. It was heavy with all the papers inside, but he managed to the elevator then his apartment front door.

Putting down the bag and suitcase, he hit the door's password and opened it as soon as it beeped open. Keeping it ajar with his foot, he leaned forward to pick up what he had left on the floor before entering the warmness of the house.

Hyeri started to stir in his arms when she felt she was home and cracked her eyes open.

"Where's my ice cream ?" She asked in a little, sleepy voice, and smiling, Minwoo snatched the panda hat off her head. Chuckling at the messy short hair of his daughter, he flatten them before getting the little girl on the couch.

"I bought it." He told her before getting ride of his own coat, scarf and gloves. "Give me your shoes."

Hyeri handed him her brown sneakers before taking off her coat, scarf and sweat jacket she all gave to him before scurrying to the kitchen's counter where the food bag was. She climbed up the high stool, sat on it and started looking for her happy meal.

"Yeah !" He heard her say happily and smiled. "I don't have this one." She said before jumping off the stool to run to her room where her other pocket balls were. "Look daddy !" She came back with the arms full of different kind of pocket balls. "I almost have them all." Her smile was so bright that Minwoo could not stop grinning like an idiot.

"Come eat before it gets cold." He told her with a pat of the counter, and smiling, she came back to her seat.

They ate peacefully and discussed about their days, where Minwoo learnt his baby girl had a crush on some older boy she could not stop tease each time she was saying him. He of course did not insist on such fact when she denied her feelings strongly and pouted at him.

Handing his daughter her ice cream, she was quick to forget about her annoyance and ate the cold cream eagerly.

"It's getting late sweetie." He said once diner over, and Hyeri jumped down the high stool to follow him to the bathroom -her pocket balls still in her arms. "Leave the door open ! I'll be in the living room doing some work." He told her before doing a quick check of the room to be sure everything was here.

"Daddy !" She called after him the next second. "Can I take a bath ?"

"It's too late sweetheart. Maybe tomorrow." He heard her sulk but could not help grin in amusement.

"Okay." She answered in a mumble before opening the water.

Listening for another second, Minwoo eventually headed back to the living room where he picked up his suitcase and laptop before settling down on the couch in front of the coffee table. ing his white shirt to reveal a white wife beater, he soon got ride of his suit vest he discarded on the couch back.

      He was immersed in some paperwork when Hyeri came back from the bathroom with water trickling down her hair and her teddy bear in arms. She observed him for a second before stepping around the coffee table to sit beside him.

Noticing his daughter's presence, he snapped out of his concentration and smiled at her.

"You didn't dry your hair." He commented with a slight scowl and hand in her wet short hair.

"I did." She answered, and sighing, Minwoo could not help smile.

"Come on." He told her with his hand out, and grabbing it, the little girl followed him back in the bathroom.

Taking a towel, he sat on the side of the bathtub and welcomed Hyeri closer to him. Drying her hair vigorously, the little girl started laughing when the fabric touched her neck. Minwoo smiled and chuckled.

"Stop moving." He said in amusement, and Hyeri wriggled in his arms.

"It tickles." She laughed, trying to get away from the towel.

"I'm almost done." He told her, and wasting no more time, he grabbed the hair dryer he plugged in before using it to finish the task. "Here, all done." He said with a smile, and looking at him, the little girl smiled back before running out of the bathroom. "Don't run !" He called after her, but she was already gone.

With a sigh, he unplugged the hair dryer, get it back at its place and picked up the clothes on the floor just beside the laundry basket. Smelling it, he decided they were belonging with the dirty clothes. Tidying a bit the bathroom and wiping the floor with an already wet towel he discarded in the laundry basket soon after, he sighed softly and headed back in the living room.

Hyeri was watching some TV on the couch, and with a glance at the clock he decided it was too late for such activity.

"It's almost time to go to bed sweetie." He told her before grabbing the remote to switch the TV off. "Get a book if you want, but no TV tonight." She sighed but did not argue.

"Can you read me a story before bed ?" She asked after standing up from the couch on which Minwoo had sat back.

"Sorry sweetie, but I've a lot of work." He did not notice the sad look on her face but smiled up at her before saying. "It's only temporarily, you know that ?" She nodded spiritless and chewed on her bottom lip. "Come here." He told her when he eventually noticed her disappointment.

She stepped closer to him and leaned in his embrace when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck then cheek.

"I love you sweetie."

"I love you too." She answered sincerely against his chest, and Minwoo felt she did not want to pull away so made the hug last a little longer -even if he had an unimaginable amount of work waiting for him.

"You should go to bed." He said softly after a moment and caress of her head. "I'll give you a goodnight kiss when I'm done, okay ?" She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"I love you daddy."

He smiled tenderly and rubbed her back gently. "I love you too sweetie."

He watched her walk to her bedroom with her teddy bear in hand before focusing back on work. He knew how she was feeling at such period, but he did not have a choice either. They were already lucky he could be home with her considering how demanding his job could be sometimes. Other fathers were spending long hours in their office and coming home only when everyone was asleep.

Minwoo had the luck to be out of the office at six and back at home with his daughter around seven -sometimes eight if there was a lot of traffic.

As a single father, he was doing his possible to be there for Hyeri, and, not that he was praising himself, but he was doing a quite good job so far. Even if sometimes he could not devote himself completely to his baby girl, it was for them both he was working so hard.

      The clock was showing a quarter to three when he eventually looked up from his finished work. He was sore everywhere and so tired that he had no energy for a shower. Standing up, he stretched in a groan and headed to the toilet. Once done, he washed his hands in the bathroom and glanced at his reflect in the mirror.

His short brown hair were disheveled -thanks to the numerous times he passed a hand through them, and the bags under his eyes were not as bad as he had expected. Rubbing his jaw, he felt the stubbles under his palm and pondered if he should let it grow out. He liked the unshaven style, but he was not sure it was fitting the law firm's image.

Dongwan was always flawless at work, from his hair to his wrinkle free suit. Minwoo had often wondered how he could be so perfect all the freaking time; then he remembered his friend was single without a kid.

It might explain where he was finding the time to focus so much on his appearance. Unlike Minwoo, he had no one else to take care of. Besides that, Dongwan did not have to spend hours with his nose in paperwork and books.

The guy knew how to maintain his body. The thought made him scoff before he eventually headed out of the bathroom.

Stepping inside Hyeri's room, he smiled softly and took the book away from her carefully to not wake her up. Brushing some black bangs away from her face, he leaned forward and gave her a goodnight kiss. He observed her sleeping daughter for another moment before glancing around the dark room.

Shaking his head softly, he made a mental note to get it clean up a bit this weekend before eventually pushing himself up with a crack of his joints. Taking a look at Hyeri to be sure she was still asleep, he stepped out of the room and let the door ajar before heading to his own bedroom.

He could not wait to get ride off his clothes and in his bed.

A first chapter focused on the daughter/father's relationship and daily life,  I hope you liked it ^^

I don't know much (if not nothing) about law and law firms -I did some research, but it's a bit complicated xD- so mistakes are highly probable, so I'm sorry about it. I hope you'll still enjoy the story.