"Oh love of my life I wanna wake you up
Shine a light, no matter what anyone says, you’re like a star
You’re so dazzling, a mysterious light in between, shine a light

Clearly, as if you’re whispering, you shine on me
You’re my vitamin, so sparkling

My dazzling crystal, you’re my star
Just with your twinkling eyes, you shine a light in my glass-like heart, crystal
It’s such a relief
You’re my lucky charm 
You light me up, sweety girl, you’re a mysterious crystal!"

"Y-yah!" Sunggyu stammered. 

The man was so startled by Sunggyu's sudden appearance that he jostled the toddler in his arms, almost dropping her and successfully giving Sunggyu a heart attack. He immediately reached for his daughter and took her from the stranger's arms, who gave her up without a fight. "Uh, who are you?" Sunggyu asked, bringing his daughter tightly into his chest, protectively.

"Oh, I, uh," the other stammered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously and turning off the music from his phone. He was interrupted by a sudden beep. "Oops," the man muttered under his breath as he walked over to the microwave, taking out the milk he had warmed up in there. He screwed on the cap as he explained with a forced grin, "You're home early. You weren't supposed to see me. I'm your nanny's son, Nam Woohyun. Uh, here," he said with a nervous chuckle, offering the cup to the little girl who was stretching out her arms for it, but Sunggyu intercepted it to test how hot it was (and if there was something weird in it). It seemed fine, so he gave it to his whimpering daughter. He then looked over to Woohyun who was leaning against the island. "Umma went to buy you groceries. She should be back soon."

"Do you do this often?" Sunggyu asked, bouncing the girl up and down.

"No, no! Umma's always here," Woohyun quickly denied, waving his hands in the air. "I'm just in between jobs right now. And it's cold outside. She just thought it would be better if Gyuri stayed inside," he spoke, taking a step closer to Sunggyu and Gyuri. Woohyun Gyuri's head softly. "It's flu season."

"Yes, it is." Sunggyu shifted his weight onto his other foot, also shifting the girl away from Woohyun's hand. Woohyun looked up at the other, peeved, but Sunggyu couldn't help feeling like the other was a potential threat. The excitement that he felt moments before turned back into agitation. And there was something about Nam Woohyun that he just didn't like. "Well, I'm here now so…" he allowed the other to fill in the blank.

"So I'll just hang out here and wait for Ma," he finished for the other and sat himself on top of the island. Well, that went against what Sunggyu had expected. Woohyun offered an apologetic smile, noticing the father's disgruntledness. "I'm her ride home," he explained.

"Oh," Sunggyu let out, not knowing what to say next. 

"Appa! I wanna go down," Gyuri whined, squirming in her father's arms. She lightly hit his chest and repeated. "Down!"

"Okay. Okay. Down," Sunggyu gave in setting her down onto the floor. She probably just wanted to run around. But her arms remained outstretched even after she let go.

"Up."

Sunggyu sighed. He quickly glanced over to the other man. "Riri, not now," the father warned. It would be embarrassing.

Gyuri bounced on the balls of her feet with arms stretched in the air. "Up! Up! And down!" she demanded. Sunggyu sighed and bent down to pick back up his daughter again. And right as they were both up straight, Sunggyu dipped, bending his knees and bounced right back up.

"Up and down. Up up and down. Up and down. Up up and down," he recited the lyrics from the song as quickly as he could, until he was finished. Then he extended his cheek out to his daughter. "Now kiss," he added. Gyuri planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," Sunggyu said as he put her back down on the floor. He knew that she liked running around, showing him every little thing she did that day (and several times over). As Gyuri ran over to grab her coloring book and set her bottle elsewhere, Sunggyu whipped his head to face the man who was barely holding in his snigger, still sitting on his island. Through gritted teeth he commanded, "Don't laugh, and get off from there. I make food there." To be honest, the only thing he had been making in his kitchen lately had been coffee and messes. But Woohyun didn't need to know that. Besides, you don't just enter an other man's house without his permission and sit on his counter. Rude.

"Sorry," Woohyun apologized briskly, slipping off the countertop. His cheeky grinned widened. "So, you like EXID?"

Sunggyu took that as more of a rhetorical than actual question and did not even deign it worthy of a response. Luckily, Gyuri came to his rescue. She gestured at him to pick her up, with coloring book in hand. "Appa!" she called out once she was safely in her father's arms. He had expected her to share her newest scribbles, but this he should've expected as well. Judging by her tired eyes and dark circles, Gyuri had not taken her nap today. Sunggyu was sure that he had Nam Woohyun to thank for that. "Hungry. Can, can I haf bread?"

"Not yet," Sunggyu quickly rejected. "Halmoni will me home soon. Can you wait until then?"

"No," Gyuri whined with a pout and dropped the coloring book to the floor.

"Riri, ple—"

"Noooooooooooooooooo!" the child wailed and went completely slack, dangling in her father's arms like a limp noodle.

Woohyun chuckled and took a step forward. "What is she doing?" he asked.

Sunggyu sighed in frustration. For him this wasn't a laughing matter; it was a reality. "I guess everyone throws tantrums their own way. She…" he paused to wrangle his daughter back down as she tried to flop out of his arms. "...does this."

"She's cute," Woohyun commented, raising her head that was upside down. He laughed as he watched the small head fall back down after he had let go.

Sunggyu extended his arms, offering his tantrum throwing toddler to the other. "You want her?" he asked in all seriousness. Seconds later, he brought her back into his arms as she began flopping again.

"Woohyun-ah! Riri! I'm back!" an aged voice called out from the front door. Mrs. Nam soon joined them in the kitchen. "Oh, Sunggyu, you're back too. How was work?" her voice sounded flustered and her face was flushed. Her eyes quickly darted over to her son, who was quick to help her with the grocery bags. She was embarrassed to have been caught slipping out of the job, even though with good reason.

"Good," Sunggyu responded with a smile. He bounced Gyuri in his arms, who had now calmed down, having been distracted by her nanny's appearance. "How was she?"

Mrs. Nam walked over to the couple and her gently on the head. "Bobae was good, weren't you?" she cooed, poking at the toddler's cheek.

"Yea!" Gyuri chimed in. Then she turned and shyly looked at her father. "I'm good girl, A-appa."

"Really?" Sunggyu asked, exaggerating the surprise on his face and in his voice.

"So I'll take it you met my son," Mrs. Nam said with an embarrassed chuckle. She was putting away the groceries into the cupboard. "Sorry for not warning you ahead of time."

"Ah, no, I understand," Sunggyu stammered out as he put Gyuri down and told her to 'help' the nanny (which only consisted of putting only one or two items into a pantry). A sharp snort caught Sunggyu's attention. He looked over to see Woohyun smirking at him. Sunggyu narrowed his eyes on the other, clutching his hands into fists. That's when he realized that he was still holding the cosmetics bag in his hand. His hard expression melted, as did his voice, "Oh I have something for you. It's just a thank you gift for taking such good care of us." He walked up to the nanny and politely offered up the bag.

"Sunggyu, you shouldn't have," Mrs. Nam immediately responded as a reflex after accepting the gift. Then she opened it, her eyes wide in shock and her grin widening as well. "Oh my! You really shouldn't have! I never get things this nice," she exclaimed.

Woohyun walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, frowning for the first time since Sunggyu met him. And he was frowning deeply. "Ma, let's go," he grumbled and lead her out of the kitchen.

"In just a bit," the nanny added, slipping out of her son's grip. She quickly gave instructions for Sunggyu about dinner. She had bought him some take away meals from the store. Sunggyu nodded to every little thing she said. And then with pecks from Gyuri and Sunggyu, Mrs. Nam left the duo to their own devices.  

Sunggyu sighed, gearing himself up for another long night. He looked down at his daughter, who was leaning next to his leg. "It's just you and me now, kid," he spoke in a light tone.

"F-food?" she asked, tugging on his pant leg.

Sunggyu nodded and answered cheerfully, "Yes, we're going to eat now."

"Yay! Food! Food!" Gyuri began chanting as she toddled over to the table. Sunggyu joined in her babbling chant. And soon the began the routine that they had every night: dinner in almost silence but filled with sloppy messes, followed by a quick cleaning of the kitchen and of the toddler, then after dressing Gyuri in her favorite yellow pajamas, Sunggyu tucked her into bed, his bed. He knew that it wasn't probably good for either of them, but Gyuri slept at his side almost every night. And he would gently her hair until she fell asleep. He would stay in bed with her, either going over some more paperwork or watching the television. He would then fall asleep early with the glow from the television and to the soft snores of the two year-old.

---

While Sunggyu was brushing his teeth, there was a loud knocking at his door, resounding through the small house. Sunggyu furrowed his brow in confusion and left the bathroom with the toothbrush still hanging from his mouth. The nanny rarely knocked anymore, never since Sunggyu had given her a spare key. He cautiously opened the front door. "Oh, it's you," he remarked, toothbrush now in his hand, brandishing it like a weapon (of cleanliness).

"Yea, it's me," Woohyun retorted with a yawn that he didn't even bother to hide. Afterwards, the corners of his mouth quickly picked up into a smile. "So remember how I said it was flu season? Well, Ma caught it," he explained.

"So she sent you," Sunggyu filled in the gaps. 

Woohyun nodded and joked, "This is what I get for being unemployed. Can I?" he asked for permission to enter, and already stepping inside.

"I guess," Sunggyu mumbled, stepping aside for the other to brush past him. Sunggyu didn't like this. He didn't like it one bit, entrusting his precious daughter to a stranger purely on the basis that he was the nanny's son. The rational side of him kept trying to tell him that if Mrs. Nam looked after Gyuri well, she probably was even more careful with her own son. However, that side of him was drowned out by his parental paranoia. Nam Woohyun could be a psychopath or a e, and Sunggyu was leading him right into his bedroom. Sunggyu huffed. He'd have to cut his workday short and take the rest to do at home so he could rescue his daughter from Woohyun.

"Okay, so you know she might be allergic to—" Sunggyu began but he was soon cut off by the other.

"Shellfish, I know. And she's two. I'm not planning on feeding her lobster," Woohyun joked with a light chuckle.

Sunggyu just rolled his eyes and continued his instructions, "She naps—"

"After lunch," Woohyun interrupted again.

Sunggyu nodded and gripped the doorknob to his bedroom. "Do you have my phone number? Ah, just in case of emergencies," he quickly added.

Woohyun nodded, rubbing his tired eyes. "Yes, got it from my mom," he answered through a yawn.

"Only for emergencies, okay?" Sunggyu emphasized, wagging a finger in the other's face.

Woohyun slapped the hand away and frowned. "What do you think that I'm going to do with it?"

"I don't know. I don't know you," Sunggyu quickly fought back. That admission sent shivers down his spine and put him on edge. But what could he do? He sighed and opened the door. "Riri," he called out to his small daughter, stirring in the bed. He walked over and her cheek. "Woosung—"

"Woohyun," the other corrected him.

"Ah, right. Woohyun ahjussi—" Sunggyu tried to continue.

"Oppa," Woohyun interjected.

"Woohyun ahjussi," Sunggyu went on with a slight edge in his voice. "Will be looking after you today, okay? Appa will be back soon, okay?"

Gyuri grabbed at her father's arm, clinging tightly onto him. "No. Appa, don't go," she pleaded, snuggling into Sunggyu's arm.

"I have to," Sunggyu replied with a resigned sigh. Even though this was a daily occurrence, it didn't tug at his heart strings any less. He patted her gently as he explained, "Appa has to make money to buy you pretty things and to buy you bread." Gyuri nodded, avoiding her father's eyes. Sunggyu kissed her and then stood up from the bed. "Hey, do something to distract her while I leave," he ordered the other man as he grabbed for his suit coat and put it on.

"Like what?" Woohyun asked.

Sunggyu shrugged and picked up his briefcase. "Get creative. I got to go. I'm late." And with those words, the young father was gone, leaving Woohyun with a toddler who began wailing the moment Sunggyu left her sight. Apparently Woohyun hadn't distracted her soon enough.

And apparently, Woohyun wasn't creative either. As a (now) freelance writer, he prided himself on his inventiveness, but Gyuri challenged Woohyun to strain his creative muscle. Unlike the day before, she wasn't so captivated by his singing nor was she interested in anything on the television, nor his vocal imitations, everything. Almost giving up hope, he called his mother.

"Umma, does she normally cry this much when he leaves?" he asked, plugging up his free ear with his finger. It had almost been an hour since she started.

"Sometimes," his mother answered with a hoarse whisper. She coughed before continuing, "It might be worse because I'm not there. And Gyuri is really attached to her father." She took a moment to regain her breath. "It makes sense. It's normally just the two of them. Just read her a book." 

With a goodbye, he hung up the phone and turned to the small girl still whimpering on the floor. "Gyuri," he called out. No response. "Riri?" he tried, his voice quivering. Gyuri looked up at him with red and puffy eyes. He sighed, after everything he had tried he doubted this would work, but he trusted his mother. "Do you want to read a book?" Gyuri shut her lips tightly and nodded, rubbing her wet eyes. Well I'll be damned. "Okay, why don't we go get one?"

After reading Pat the Bunny five times in a row, it was finally time for lunch, which was kind of fun. Gyuri wouldn't stop babbling, telling Woohyun about everything, the dog across the street, his mother, and especially her father. He couldn't understand her for the most of it, but she was so enthusiastic that he got caught up in it. And now with a fully belly, it was nap time (probably for the both of them). Woohyun tucked her into her bed and watched her close her dark eyes. When he thought she had fallen asleep, he walked into the living room. "Now it's time to work," he spoke lowly, pulling out the laptop he brought from his bag. It was about time that he resumed his job search. But after a few minutes of scrolling through the job postings on the internet, Woohyun heard light footsteps patter throughout the house. He looked up from his computer and over to the right. Gyuri was in the doorway, rubbing her tired eyes. She was in obvious need of sleep.

"Riri, why aren't you napping?" Woohyun asked.

"C-can't," she stuttered, waddling over to her babysitter. "I can't sweep," that statement was broken by a yawn. She tried to crawl up onto the couch, and with Woohyun's help, she made it. Within seconds, she was on his lap, resting her tiny head on his chest. "I'm not sweepy," she insisted. 

"Are you sure?" Woohyun said with a chuckle, moving his laptop away so that he had more room for the little girl. "You look pretty tired."

"No. I'm not. I don't wanna," she fought back, and fought back a yawn. She then pointed at the document on the laptop. "What's this?"

He drew the girl closer to his chest and started her soft hair. "It's a resume," he answered. "I'm trying to get a job."

"Why?"

"Because I want to make money."

"Why?"

Woohyun paused, wondering what answer would stop this ring of questions. Then Sunggyu's words from the morning echoed in his mind. "Because I want to buy you pretty things and to buy you bread."

Gyuri leaned into Woohyun's hand and snuggled into his chest. "I like bread. I love bread," she mumbled. Her words were starting to slur together. "I'm gonna marry bread."

Woohyun chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head. "You're a funny kid," he praised, playing with the ends of her hair.

"I'm funny," Woohyun could barely understand the toddler saying that, but he assumed she parroted whatever he had said.

"Yes you are," he responded, casting his eyes down only to see the child's eyes closed and her body slack. He laughed again and her cheek with his knuckle. "Oh! And I thought you weren't sweepy," he teased. If only if you were like this all the time…He sighed. "Maybe I should get a puppy."

---

"You again?"

"Yea," Woohyun answered Sunggyu teasingly. "turns out that you can't get over the flu in one day."

"Oh right," Sunggyu muttered, looking down at the floor as he stepped aside to let the other inside. "How is she?"

"Good," Woohyun chirped, already making his way to the bedroom.

Sunggyu picked up his step to overtake the other. There was still no way he'd allow the other to reach his daughter first. "So are you going to be here all week?" he tried to ask casually, but his tone still sounded hostile…or tired.

Woohyun shrugged. "Probably."

"Terrific," there, that sounded like the sarcasm Sunggyu was aiming for. He opened up the bedroom door and the two walked inside.

"Oppa!" Gyuri cheered, popping up onto the bed.

"Yea, oppa is here!" Woohyun matched her enthusiasm. 

Sunggyu frowned, looking back and forth between the two. "No Riri," he admonished his daughter. "He's an ahjussi not oppa." He then turned to the other man and snarled, "What are you teaching my kid?" Woohyun only answered with a laugh and a shrug.

---

This day was easier than the last for Woohyun. He was starting to get a handle on the two year-old, starting to understand how she thought and worked. He knew exactly how to handle her tantrums and how to get her to sleep. At the end of the day, while the two were playing with her stuffed animal and Woohyun was mimicking and correcting the sounds that she was making, the handle of the front door began to jiggle. Gyuri must've developed an acute sense for it, because she was standing up within seconds.

“Appa!” she cheered, waddling over to the door with her stuffed lamb in hand.

“AP—Oh?" he held back from mimicking the girl this time after realizing what it meant. He lifted his head and saw the grumpy widower whose face lit up, seeing his daughter. Woohyun got up with a dog puppet still on his hand. "You’re back. I guess that I’ll get going now," he stated, pulling off the puppet and throwing it onto the couch.

“Okay," Sunggyu curtly responded, picking up Gyuri. "I’ll see you tomorrow.” He then walked into the kitchen.

Woohyun followed. “Are you about to cook?” he asked with a curious smile.

“Yea," Sunggyu answered, casting a weird look back at the other. "What of it?”

“Nothing," Woohyun said with a chuckle. "It’s just that Umma said you were hopeless with it.”

Sunggyu put down his daughter and rolled up his sleeves. “I made dinner last night,” he stated as proof. He then turned around and began picking through his fridge.

“I’m sure you did,” Woohyun mumbled back, watching the two year-old tug incessantly on her father's pant leg. 

“Not now, Riri," Sunggyu reprimanded her. Woohyun then turned around, prepared to leave, but a voice stopped him. "Hey, Woohyun.”

“Hm?”

“How do I cook this?” Woohyun turned around to see the widower holding a package of frozen chicken. The babysitter sighed and began to roll up his own sleeves. He walked up to Sunggyu and took the chicken from his hands. “What are you doing?” Sunggyu blubbered.

“Let me do this," Woohyun offered, putting the chicken on the countertop. "You play with your daughter," he commanded, nodding down at Gyuri who was riding on her father's leg as he walked around the kitchen. "She hasn't seen you all day.”

"Okay," Sunggyu relented, picking up Gyuri and taking her into the living room.

Woohyun sighed and looked at the chicken on the counter. He didn't know what he was going to do with it either. He was going to have to call his mother again.

---

Although it took longer than it probably should have, Woohyun finally got together dinner with only minor burns (on the food) and scratches (on himself…chopping vegetables was hard). He then stayed for dinner because, hell, if he worked this hard for dinner, he might as well enjoy it himself. Sunggyu didn't seem so pleased when the other had invited himself over. However, Woohyun was too stubborn to acknowledge the other's gruff remarks. Besides, he wanted to know if Gyuri would like his food.

“I could’ve made this,” Sunggyu stated as he picked through the food.

Woohyun scoffed, “Cooking isn’t rocket science.”

“Exactly," Sunggyu said, looking up at the other with a smirk on his lips. "If you could do it, it can’t be that hard.”

Was the other teasing him? Or was he just being rude? Woohyun didn't know, so he decided to push him further. “Ah, I think I can understand now,” Woohyun acted as if he had the realization of the century.

“Understand what?” Sunggyu asked.

“Why people spit in other’s food," Woohyun quickly retorted. "You work hard and don’t even get a ‘thank you.’” Now he was starting to understand some of the nagging that his mother did when he was a child.

“Thank you, oppa!” Gyuri exclaimed, smacking her lips loudly. Well, at least the only person who really mattered was appreciative. 

“What good manners! You’re welcome, Riri," Woohyun cooed, pinching the girl's cheek softly. He then looked over towards Sunggyu expectantly.

“Whatever. I pay you,” the father dismissed, but he still stuffed the food ravenously into his mouth so it couldn't have been that bad.

---

The next day, Woohyun also stayed to cook. His mother was right, Sunggyu was hopeless in the kitchen, even more so with the weight of a two year-old dragging him down. Woohyun thought it was also a good opportunity for himself as well, a chance to learn new life skills and how to actually cook. There was something about cooking that he found soothing, whether it was the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board or the water boiling in the pot. Also there was something romantic about cooking, making it for the one you adore, literally filling them up with love. Maybe one day when he starts his own family, he'd be the main cook for it. Also Gyuri was adorable when she ate, and not even Sunggyu's brashness could detract from that.

But there were times that the man looked…young? Underneath the dark circles and worry lines, the widower might not have been as old as Woohyun assumed. "How old are you?" the babysitter asked as he watched Sunggyu mimic the way his daughter ate her spaghetti.

"27," the father bluntly replied.

"Wow!" Woohyun exclaimed and clapped his hands as if being 27 was a grand accomplishment. "I thought you were over 30."

"Yah! Punk," Sunggyu snarled as his fork hit the table. He then sighed and turned to Gyuri, who had red sauce all over her face. Sunggyu began to dab away at it. "I'm young."

"But you have a kid and…stuff." Woohyun didn't dare to mention the other's wife, but how many people lose their life partner so young? No wonder why the other was starting to get wrinkles.

Sunggyu's eyes were still on Gyuri as he answered, "Well, I got married at a young age." Then he his thumb and with it, tried to vigorously rub a stubborn red spot on her cheek.

Woohyun watched them carefully, twiddling his own thumbs in his lap. "Couldn't wait?" he asked.

The father sighed and gave up trying to make his daughter clean, especially after she took another big bite of spaghetti and most of it fell onto her shirt. "Guess not," Sunggyu curtly replied. It was obvious that he wanted the topic to be dropped.

So Woohyun diverted the conversation. "Hey," he raised his voice, and Sunggyu finally turned his head to face him. "If you're only two years older, why do you keep calling me 'kid'?"

"Wait," Sunggyu spoke. Creases formed between his brows as he tilted his head in confusion. "Only 2? I thought you were younger than that."

"Really? Why?" Woohyun asked as he rested his forearms on the table and leaned forward. "Is it my playful and refreshing personality?" he suggested.

"You're unemployed," Sunggyu bluntly stated. And Woohyun slunk down in his chair. The father sniggered a bit at the other's reaction and continued, "I thought you just graduated from school."

"What? I can't have an early mid-life crisis?" Woohyun joked. He quickly decided that they weren't close enough to divulge his hectic job at the newspaper, his horrible boss and the unreasonable deadlines. He had lost weight, hair, and sanity over it. In contrast, even though it came with stresses of its, unemployment was treating him well. Very well.

Sunggyu scoffed. "If you have it now, what else do you have to look forward to later on?" he challenged. He then looked over to the side and tried his best to keep curses from slipping past his lips. When he wasn't looking, Gyuri had grabbed some noodles in her hands and smashed them all over her face in an attempt to feed herself.

There's a lot, Woohyun thought while chuckling at the sight. But he pretended to agree, "Right."

---

After dinner was finished, Sunggyu rushed off to give his daughter a bath, leaving Woohyun all alone with the mess in the kitchen. He couldn't fault the other. Gyuri even managed to get some sauce on the walls in addition to all over herself (and even her father as he carried her off to the bath). And so when Sunggyu asked him to clear the table, Woohyun did so, and he washed the dishes, cleaned the wall and floor, and did more than he was asked. Woohyun laughed at himself. He went from a journalist at a respected newspaper to looking like his mother, wearing an apron over his clothes and rubber gloves up to his elbows. What had happened to him? Maybe unemployment wasn't treating him all that well.

"Thanks for helping out." Woohyun jumped at the sound of Sunggyu's voice. He turned to see the widower standing in the threshold. He then walked over next to the babysitter and grabbed a dishtowel. "It would've been hard to clean all of this up by myself." He smiled and began wiping the dishes dry.

"You didn't give me much of a choice," Woohyun declared, handing the last plate over to the other. "Can you clean this up? Thanks," he imitated the brusk manner in which Sunggyu requested of the other.

Sunggyu pouted and roughly took the plate. "Well, this is the last one. I can take care of the rest. You can go home now," he grumbled.

"Will do," Woohyun excitedly chirped as he began to peel off the rubber gloves. "By the way, did you know that Riri can't sleep unless you her hair?" he asked with a slight grunt. One glove came off with a snap.

"Well, she is my daughter, so yea," Sunggyu answered, putting the dishes away in the cupboard.

"Why is that? Is she a puppy?" Snap! Another glove came off.

"No," the voice was small, as if he was a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "I do it. She must've gotten used to it."

"Ah," Woohyun spoke as if he understood perfectly well. "You guys are really close." He took off the apron, folded it, and placed it on the counter. The babysitter then looked up at the other. Sunggyu wasn't sparing him a glance. The widower seemed too embarrassed.

"Well, we're all each other has," Sunggyu excused his behavior.

"No," Woohyun quickly denied. Sunggyu turned his head to look at the younger. "You have Umma…and me," Woohyun added the last part quickly after a hard swallow.

Sunggyu turned away and began putting the dishes away again. "Eung," he grunted. "I'm glad Riri has you guys."

Woohyun sighed and rapt his fingertips against the counter impatiently. Dummy, you have us too. Sunggyu perked up at the sound of the tapping and looked at the other. "What?" the elder asked.

"Nothing," Woohyun dismissed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya."

---

Sunggyu was feeling happier these past few days. He knew why. It was nice talking to and being around someone his own age for once (even though he paid for Woohyun to be there). Sure, there were people around his age at his work, but all they would talk about was work and all Sunggyu wanted to do was escape from it. Woohyun was a nice break from the dreary and repetitive cycle that he had fallen into. The younger was unpredictable. Sunggyu never knew if he'd be coming home to the babysitter and his daughter fast asleep on the couch or to the two of them painting the walls of his living room with a "masterpiece" (well, that hadn't happened yet, but Sunggyu wouldn't be surprised if it did). What was also unpredictable was that Sunggyu was starting to think of Woohyun less and less as a temporary employee and more and more like a friend. It was unpredictable, but it was a nice feeling. For the longest time, it was just him and his wife after they moved into the city, then him, Gyuri and sometimes Mrs. Nam. Now could he add Woohyun?

Before he could dwell on that thought anymore, the bell rang. He walked out to the front door with the toothbrush hanging from his mouth. “How’s Halmoni doing? When do you think she’ll be back?” Sunggyu greeted the other after he opened the door.

“Are you getting tired of me already?” Woohyun asked with his usual smile as he brushed past the other and went inside.

“Yes,” Sunggyu immediately retorted. He hoped that the other had caught onto his dry sense of humor. And judging by the soft chuckles coming from Woohyun, the babysitter had figured it out. This friendship was starting to look promising.

“She plans on coming Monday," Woohyun answered and began making his way to the bedroom. "She’s just waiting until it passes.”

“Smart woman,” Sunggyu said with a nod. He reached the door before the other and grabbed the doorknob.

“Well, she did raise me,” the other boasted. Woohyun's thoughtless bragging and baseless confidence must be a defense mechanism to cover for his insecurities, much like Sunggyu's thick sarcasm. Little by little, they were starting to understand each other.

“Yea, you’re right. I guess everybody makes mistakes,” Sunggyu quickly teased with a cheeky smile. He then opened the door before Woohyun could respond with whatever witty comment he could muster. Now that the toddler was in their presence, they both had to behave. Sunggyu chuckled at his own brilliant timing and walked up to the bed. His daughter was still peacefully sleeping, but she must've sensed the others enter because by the time two had reached the bed, she sat up and began rubbing her small eyes. “Riri, are you awake?” Sunggyu asked softly as he brushed through her messy hair with his fingers.

Gyuri blinked open her bleary eyes, and soon they began to sparkle. “Appa is back!” she mumbled excitedly.

Sunggyu snorted, “Well of course I am, silly. I live—" the rest of the words clung to his throat. Gyuri lunged forward and hugged Woohyun tightly. Nam Woohyun could burn in Hell for all Sunggyu cared. 

Seeing that his daughter was well distracted, and stolen from him, Sunggyu took it as his cue to leave. But he didn't make it much farther down the hall until he made out the footsteps following him. "Ah, thing is," Woohyun sounded timid. Sunggyu turned to see the thief carrying the prize in his arms. The toddler's head was nestled into the man's shoulders. She looked so at ease. It made Sunggyu sick. "Appa doesn't sound that much different from oppa. She probably got confused," Woohyun tried to explain.

"Right," Sunggyu brushed him off and continued to walk down the hall.

"It's not like she called you umma," Woohyun called after him, trying to make light of the situation. The usual grin was on his face, slightly forced this time under Sunggyu's cutting glare. "She just got confused."

"Why do you keep saying that?" the widower asked, stuffing his feet into his shoes.

"Why do you keep looking like that? So upset?"

Sunggyu straightened himself up and grabbed his coat. His gaze met the other's. A fire was blazing behind Sunggyu's eyes. "Because my daughter called a stranger 'appa.' How can I not be upset?" he challenged. Then nothing. No retort from the normally quick-tongued Woohyun. Sunggyu scoffed, "Whatever. I got to go to work" And then he left.

---

But the feeling didn't leave him. It hung around him like a dark cloud for the entire work day. Sunggyu knew it was probably a slip of the tongue. Heck, Gyuri could barely walk straight. That's what the logical side of his brain was telling him. The irrational side was shouting that Woohyun turned Gyuri against him. The vengeful side was imaging himself throttling the babysitter. That only gave him little solace. There was thunder rolling in his cloud and a thought nagging in the back of his mind.

When he came home, it became evident that Woohyun felt guilty about that morning. Gyuri now was emphasizing the "oh" and "ah" in "oppa" and "appa." While it was a nice thought, Sunggyu hoped that it wasn't a permanent change. He'd hate his daughter always sound like she was constantly performing aegyo with her over-pronounced vowel sounds. Then Woohyun himself offered to clean up the kitchen after dinner. And Sunggyu gladly let him (and also wondered what else he could possibly milk out of the guilt ridden Woohyun).

So that left Sunggyu tucking his daughter into his bed. As usual, he brushed her soft hair in between her fingers and watched her eyelids grow heavy and her breathing match with the rhythm of his hand. All the sudden, the nagging thought grew louder and was screaming at him. "Riri?" Sunggyu softly called to her and she looked up at him with eyes half-open. This was probably the best time to ask if any. He could always blame it on her languid mind. "Can you remember Umma?" Gyuri shook her head. 

Of course she wouldn't. She's just a baby, Sunggyu thought to himself as he snuck out of the bedroom. But that made one person who already forgot about his wife. How long would it be until someone else did too?

Sunggyu let out a heavy sigh. He needed a drink.

However, on his way to the kitchen he almost tripped right over Woohyun, who had bent over to pick up the toys littering the living room. “You’re still here?” Sunggyu asked, trying to coolly play off how he almost fell over. Luckily the other hadn't noticed.

“Yea, I’m just cleaning up," the babysitter said with a grunt as he straightened himself up. His default smile fell as he saw the other's face. "What’s wrong? If this is still about the ‘appa’ thing, I swear that I didn’t tell her to call me that.”

“No, it’s not that," Sunggyu waved that petty problem away. He abandoned his plans for drinking (or at least put them on hold until the other left) and sat on the couch instead. "It just got me thinking.” That now would be a good time for a friend.

“About what?” Sunggyu turned his head and saw that Woohyun sat himself down next to the other, still with Gyuri's dog puppet in his hand.

Sunggyu reached over and took the puppet away. “If she can’t remember what she calls you, then there’s no way that she remembers her mother," he voiced his worries as he placed his hand inside of the puppet. "No way at all," he emphasized the point by shaking the puppet's head. He laughed sadly at it. He then glanced over at Woohyun, who was staring at him all too seriously…and silently (who knew that the babysitter was capable of doing that?). Woohyun placed his hand on the puppet's head and forced the hand back down onto Sunggyu's lap. The widower got the message loud and clear. Now wasn't time for jokes made in self-defense. It was time to be serious. And now, Sunggyu found it hard to speak. The next admission sounded strangled, "And she'll never know what kind of person she was. It kinda struck me right now."

"But at least she doesn't miss her," Woohyun pointed out, trying to find some semblance of a silver lining inside of Sunggyu's cloud.

"Sometimes I'm feeling like I'm missing her enough for the both of us," Sunggyu confessed. That one came out a bit easier. "She was great."

"How so?"

Sunggyu snorted and asked, "Do you really want to hear about my dead wife?"

"Eung!" Woohyun nodded.

Sunggyu faced forward and closed his eyes, recollecting the best he could. "She was," he began, struggling to find the right words to describe her. But once he found them, they came rushing from his lips. "...adorable, and without even trying really. She would do this little wrinkle thing with her nose. Like a bunny. She was also just a good person. She looked after people well, very affectionate. But incredibly stubborn...in the best way. There were a lot of times that I just wanted to give up but she...was just so…stubborn." Sunggyu paused for a second, fondly smiling. He then faced Woohyun again, getting really into his description, growing more animated. "She could also be temperamental. Something could just set her off, and she'd not tell me what it was." The words halted. He had found them, but they were clinging to his throat, not wanting to come out. He cleared his throat and continued in a voice just above a whisper, "There were a lot of things she didn't tell me, and I could've helped." 

"Didn't she tell you about the…" Woohyun didn't dare mention anything about the cancer. Probably because Sunggyu had never told him personally. But based on the stories he heard from Mrs. Nam about Woohyun, his mother had loose lips.

"The first time, yes," Sunggyu answered. "Actually, I was the one who practically pushed her into the doctor's office to have it checked out. But the second time...It was kinda like we were both refusing to acknowledge that she was actually sick, that something was wrong. I finally took her to the hospital to get it checked out, but it had advanced too far. But she had to have known things were getting worse. And she hid it so well." He looked down at his lap, wanting to distract himself with the puppet as he spoke. Instead, he found Woohyun's hand gently fondling the puppet's ear as if he was petting a real dog. Sunggyu wondered how he hadn't noticed the weight of the other's hand before.

But Woohyun didn't seem to notice what he was doing either. He quickly retracted the hand after Sunggyu's eyes fell onto it. He then rubbed his nose with it. "I'm sure that she just didn't want you or Gyuri to worry," he commented with a sniff.

"Tsk," Sunggyu scoffed. "Gyuri was just a baby. She wouldn't have known."

“You’re not a baby," Woohyun quickly retorted. "You act like it sometimes though,” he ended with a teasing remark and cheeky grin.

“I do not," Sunggyu responded, and like an indignant toddler too. Sunggyu then pulled on Woohyun's ear with the puppet, making it look like the dog was "biting" his ear. "Aish! You have no respect for your elders,” he cursed and let go of the ear after a few good tugs.

“Elders?" Woohyun gasped in mock disbelief. "You are just 2 years older than me. So you only deserve this much more respect." He pinched the tiniest bit of air in between his two fingers, showing how little he cared for the other.

“But I was married, I have a kid, I have a job," Sunggyu listed, trying to count each off on his puppet-clad hand. "In that respect, I’m much older than you.”

“Should I start calling you Apuji then?” Woohyun suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Huh? No, that’s weird,” Sunggyu shook his head, disregarding it.

But the babysitter wouldn't let it go, or let go of Sunggyu either. Woohyun gripped the other's upper arm as he shook him, chanting, “Apuji, Apuji, Apuji!”

“I take it back. It does suit me because you act like a complete baby,” Sunggyu joked.

Woohyun played along and babbled like a baby, “Eung-eh! Eung-eh!” He still shook Sunggyu with every word.

“Naughty baby," Sunggyu remarked, pulling off the other. He then raised the puppet into the air threateningly. "Should I spank you?”

The playful atmosphere turned weird. Woohyun cleared his throat and got up from the couch. “And that’s my cue to leave," he said as he gathered his things, preparing to make a quick exit.

“Woohyun-ah,” Sunggyu stopped him. “After talking to you, I feel better. Thank you.”

Woohyun smiled again, brightly. “No problem. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here," he offered. "I’ll always be here because I have nothing better to do.”

Sunggyu laughed at the lame joke, “Thank you for being unemployed for my benefit.”

“The sacrifices I make," Woohyun said with a fake sigh and with a pitiful expression of his face. But he couldn't hold it for long. A smile was breaking through. Woohyun waved as he made his way to the door. "Bye, hyung! Your wife sounds like she was an amazing person.”

Sunggyu waved at him until the door shut. He then sighed and picked at the puppet in his hands. “She really was,” he said under his breath. After awhile, Sunggyu took off the puppet and went to rejoin his daughter. The clouds were clearing.

---

And that was the last day Woohyun babysat for Sunggyu…but that wasn't the last time that he had come over, or the last time that they talked. Mrs. Nam began calling her son to join them for dinner because she was sick of making two separate meals. Sunggyu didn't mind the other joining them at all. In fact some days, he instigated it. Eventually, the boys took their relationship to technology and began texting each other. At first the texts were just, "Your mom wants you to eat here again." But quickly they morphed into something more like, "You butthead, I hate you for telling me to ever watch Game of Thrones" and sending each other pictures of Gyuri that they randomly took, using them as memes. It's safe to say that they were friends now.

However, at times, it seemed like Woohyun was something more than a new friend. Sometimes, Woohyun didn't feel "new" at all, but familiar, washing Sunggyu over with nostalgia. Often, especially when picking at his food, Woohyun would scrunch up his nose. It was unconscious, of course, and didn't mean much of anything…at first. But then Sunggyu realized how exceedingly stubborn the other could be. Woohyun couldn't be pushed around easily. And Sunggyu was okay with that. More than okay actually. He was already used to it, but not because of Woohyun. Stubborn people just seemed to collect around him.

Recently though, those feelings were lessening. Woohyun was becoming busier, picking up several freelance opportunities. He came over less often. So Sunggyu supposed that those feelings before were just because of longing. He was just making something out of nothing. But that didn't mean Woohyun wasn't a good friend. Soon, Woohyun was his best friend, but it wasn't like he had plenty of competition. Woohyun had only beaten out his own mother and a toddler for the title. It was a stacked contest.

But Woohyun wan't the only one who was busy. Things were picking up for Sunggyu at work too. He had to bring more and more paperwork with him each night. In fact, that's how Mrs. Nam found him one evening, at the dinner table, surrounded by stacks of paper. 

“What are you doing tomorrow?” the nanny asked.

“I might take Riri to the park if its nice," Sunggyu answered distractedly. After signing a document, he looked up at the old woman. "Why?”

“Why don’t I come and watch Bobae, hm?” she offered with a mischievous grin. Well, at least Sunggyu knew where the other got it from. And it made him feel uneasy just like Woohyun's.

“Why would you do that?” he asked cautiously.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because it’s your birthday," she replied with a roll of her eyes. That's right, Sunggyu thought as he stared down at the document he had just dated. Tomorrow was his birthday. Tomorrow was his birthday, and he had completely forgotten. He smirked. He must be growing up. He used to count down the days until his birthday, reminding everyone, but now, he almost let it pass without a thought.

The nanny approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Think of it as a gift. I’m giving you the day off,” she said as she gave him a squeeze.

“What am I going to do with it?" Sunggyu challenged. "I don’t even know anyone in Seoul.”

“Go out…maybe with Woohyun,” she suggested.

Sunggyu laughed loudly, leaning back in his chair. “You just want me to get your son out of the house,” he teased.

“Will you please? He’s really starting to bother me. He’s more needy than Riri,” she joked along with him.

Sunggyu thought the offer over. What else did he really have to do besides work? And now that he realized that it was going to be his birthday, his will to complete the paperwork greatly lessened and his urge to celebrate grew. “Okay," he answered happily. "I guess I could use the break.”

That was how Woohyun ended up at Sunggyu's doorstep on a Saturday afternoon with his mother. And as soon as he stepped inside, Gyuri came toddling over, exclaiming, “Oppa! Oppa, play with me!”

Woohyun collected her in his arms and picked her up with an exaggerated grunt. After giving her a short hug, he shook his head and revealed, “No, Oppa is here to play with Appa.”

“Halmoni is here to play with you,” Sunggyu added, trying to pry Gyuri out of the other's embrace, but the two were holding onto each other too tightly. Maybe Nam Woohyun really wanted to steal his kid.

“Oppa will play with you some other time,” Woohyun offered as he handed the toddler to his mother.

Gyuri was obviously upset that her two favorite playthings were leaving. She pouted and mumbled like she was forced, “Okay.”

The two men then gave their goodbyes and gave an approximate time that they would come back. The time Woohyun gave was a lot later than Sunggyu had expected. He thought that this outing would just be a quick lunch, but apparently the Nams took "a day off" seriously. The widower began to grow nervous for what the other had in store for him as they closed the door and set out.

"Gyuri is really cute,” Woohyun commented before any silence could form between them. 

“Thanks, she gets it from me,” Sunggyu bragged.

Woohyun chuckled a bit and then added, “She’s also smart too. She can count pretty high.”

“Thanks, she gets it from me,” Sunggyu bragged again.

“Is there anything that she gets from her mom?” his friend fought back without a thought. But then Woohyun's face fell when he realized how truly thoughtless that was. They rarely ever breached that subject.

However, they must have talked enough about her for Sunggyu to be comfortable to give an honest answer, “Her eyes.”

“Yea, thank god for that or she wouldn’t be able to see,” Woohyun teased and gave the other a nudge.

Sunggyu shoved back. He may be older, but he hardly ever acted like it. And neither of them acted like their real age. “Shut up," he fought back. "You better be paying today, for everything.”

“Of course, it’s a date," Woohyun replied, but then quickly corrected himself, "It’s like a date”

However Woohyun phrase it, it didn't matter to Sunggyu because it all just meant one thing: he was going to have a free meal. He grinned at the possibilities and his mouth began to water. “I’m going to get whatever I want,” he mused happily. Woohyun chuckled at him, obviously not taking Sunggyu's comment seriously. Once they went to the restaurant and Sunggyu did, in fact, order whatever he wanted, which was a whole lot, Woohyun began regretting not putting limits on the other. The table was so laden with food that they hardly had room to rest their elbows.

“Are you going to eat all of this?” Woohyun asked in shock.

“I’m going to try,” Sunggyu retorted as he excitedly rubbed his hands and his lips. He was eager to get started on his birthday buffet. “Riri can’t eat shellfish. Or at least I don’t think," he admitted as he picked up a crab. "Her mom was allergic. She doesn’t like spicy food either. Little kids have a bland palate," he answered between bites. Then he swallowed harshly and reached for a small cup. "And this," he spoke fondly to the small cup of soju. He downed it in one shot and exclaimed, “Ah! I miss this.”

After the elder put his cup down, Woohyun poured him another drink but warned, “Slow down, hyung. It’s still early.”

Sunggyu pouted and spat back, “It’s my birthday.” He then drank that cup while glaring at the other. 

---

After both ate their fill and could not possibly eat anymore, the left the table with slightly rounder bellies and a slight buzz in their head. They still had time left before their promised return, a lot of time. So when Woohyun asked, “So what else can’t you do with Gyuri?” Sunggyu already had a vague idea about what he wanted to do next. It was something that he hadn't done in awhile, and he definitely couldn't take Gyuri to.

“Well…” he began while rubbing the back of his neck. "There's this one thing."

Go see a rated movie, that's what he wanted to do. Just watch a movie devoid of talking animals, baby-talk, and all of those songs. Sunggyu hadn't even gone to the movie theater in years, and now was as good as a time if ever. He had forgotten what it was like to lean back in those plush seats with a bucket of popcorn in a dark room full of mostly strangers. He had missed it. However, Sunggyu's enjoyment of the movie experience didn't last for much longer. The movie that he picked to watch ended up being a horror one, and despite the tough front he put on, deep down Sunggyu was a coward at times. Everything seemed to startle him, especially since the movie included a small child who was possessed. He might even be afraid of his own daughter now.

But he took small comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only coward in the theater. Woohyun was jumping and cringing right along with Sunggyu. And at one point in time, Woohyun had sunk so low in his seat that Sunggyu thought the other had left (and was scared by that too). After that, the widower grabbed onto Woohyun's hand, just to make sure that he was still next to him and didn't leave him alone in the darkness. And a few seconds after that, when someone was decapitated for no apparent reason other than to scare the out of both of them, Woohyun grabbed onto Sunggyu, hiding his head behind the elder's shoulder, which Sunggyu ended up hitting by accident when the possessed child came back onto the screen with some demon crawling out of , successfully scaring Sunggyu senseless. Neither of them would sleep well that night.

And Sunggyu was still holding Woohyun by the sleeve of his shirt as he lead the both of them out of the dark movie theater and into the blinding light of the lobby. The widower was walking faster than ever before, to escape the images and demons behind him. And Woohyun noticed that the other was still shaken (he was too) and lamented, “Why did you even pick that movie? You barely watched it.”

Sunggyu scoffed and dropped the sleeve, now that the both of them were safely in the well-lit lobby.“You saw even less than I did," he fought back. Sunggyu then grabbed Woohyun's upper arm and shook him. He mimicked the other's whining only minutes prior, "Hyung, it’s scary. Hyuuuuung.”

“You were even scarier than the movie,” Woohyun argued rubbing the side of his head that Sunggyu had hit. An exaggerated pout formed on his lips, trying his best to look wounded.

“Heh, sorry. I guess it was a bad pick," Sunggyu gave an embarrassed apology. He knew that the other's head was just fine, but Woohyun had succeeded in making him feel guilty. "The girl was pretty though,” he added as if it were a consolation.

“Is that why you picked it? The girl was pretty?" Woohyun asked in disbelief. Sunggyu unabashedly nodded. "Hul.”

“Shut up,” Sunggyu retorted as he turned around and began to head out of the theater.

Woohyun was quick to catch up, appearing again at the other's side. There was a surprisingly blank expression on his face. “Hyung, have you ever thought of dating again?” he asked.

Sunggyu breathed in the fresh air as they stepped outside of the theater and stretched. “It has been a couple of years. Should I?” he asked with a groan. Woohyun shrugged. The widower became confused by the other's lack of transparency, and normally Woohyun was an easy read. So Sunggyu decided on a straight forward approach, “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I know a friend who might be good for you,” the younger answered quickly.

“Really?" To be honest, Sunggyu hadn't given much thought to dating. He assumed that he wouldn't have time for it, and then there was Gyuri. He was afraid to get entangled with somebody for her sake. The toddler needed consistency, and so Sunggyu remained consistently single. Besides, there was something else. The widower sighed and shook his head. "But I don’t know. It’s hard for any other woman to live up to my wife,” he confessed, casting a nervous glance over at the man beside him.

A small smile appeared on Woohyun's blank face, but his eyes were still veiled. “You must’ve loved her a lot,” he commented.

Sunggyu nodded. “Still do. But, I don’t know, it’s different now because she’s not here. More of a longing, but…” he left his confession hanging in the air as he studied that blank face.

Woohyun scrunched his nose unknowingly as he pressed the other to continue, “But what?”

“Sometimes it’s like she’s here," Sunggyu mumbled out. He then cleared his throat and raised his voice, "...because you know, Riri and stuff.”

“Oh,” Woohyun nodded. It seemed to make sense.

A change of topic was long overdue and the sun was threatening to set, but Sunggyu didn't want to go home just yet. “We still have time before we should head back. What else should we do?” he asked.

“Well, I did have something else in mind,” as it would turn out, Woohyun did have something more planned for Sunggyu's birthday.

---

Woohyun fell in love with Gyuri before he fell for Sunggyu. When he unexpectedly took care of Gyuri that day, he also accidentally stumbled on what he was missing in life: someone to love, someone to care for, someone that would motivate him to do his best. The feeling hit him all at once. He was ready to be a dad. For the next few days, he fantasized meeting someone, falling in love, and starting a family all in quick succession. He wanted to be the father to whatever child that would come from that. But at the end of the week, especially after Gyuri called him ‘Appa,’ Woohyun realized that he didn’t want to be the father to just any child; he wanted to be hers.

But she already had a father. A father whom Woohyun didn’t care for very much in the beginning. Sunggyu was rude, pretentious, and lonely. The last part perhaps exacerbated the other two. Then after awhile, he began to see Gyuri in him and him in Gyuri. Woohyun began to understand Sunggyu, began to like him. Not caring for the other soon turned into caring a lot for the other, which soon turned into love.

And whenever Sunggyu spoke about his wife, Woohyun almost felt like the other was describing himself (yes, he was well aware of their similarities). But he didn’t know if this was wishful thinking or not. However, Sunggyu would often look at him with this amazed and relieved expression, almost like he had found what he had lost. That gave Woohyun hope.

He was going to confess, subtly for now. But soon, that confession will grow in strength just like his love had, and maybe one day, he will confess a proper way. But for now, this will do.

“What is this place? There’s only couples here,” Sunggyu whispered to the other as they entered the quiet cafe. His eyes nervously scanned the place.

“Oh, I didn’t notice,” Woohyun tried to make his voice sound as neutral as possible.

Sunggyu scoffed as he finally gave in and relaxed. “Now I guess it’s really like a date,” he joked.

Woohyun cleared his throat. Sunggyu's joke caught him by surprise, and how he wished it hadn't been just a joke. He nudged the other and pointed to the counter, diverting Sunggyu's attention away from the couples and cozy atmosphere. “Let’s get some cake.”

“Hm? But I’ll be having some later with Riri,” the widower only pretended to put up a fight. He was at the cake display before Woohyun was and was already admiring them.

“But you know what they say. You’re only 42 once,” Woohyun teased and chuckled at his own joke.

But the laughter stopped as he inhaled sharply. Sunggyu was stepping roughly on his toes as his own subtle revenge. “Jerk," he swore under his breath. Sunggyu then turned to the cashier and asked, "Yes, what is the most expensive cake you have?”

Luckily for Woohyun, Sunggyu had either only said that to scare him or really didn't want the expensive cake because the elder ended up picking out the cheapest one in the store (which still really wasn't all that cheap still). But as Woohyun approached the counter to pay for it, Sunggyu pushed him aside and handed the cashier his credit card.

“Hyung, I said that I’d pay,” Woohyun complained, still reaching for his wallet, still set on doing so.

“You don’t have an income," Sunggyu curtly replied. Woohyun froze and must've made some startled gagging noise because Sunggyu turned to face him. "What? You don’t," he pointed out again, causing Woohyun's heart to sink even more. "You should be saving every penny you make.”

Some things (people) are worth spending money for, Woohyun thought but he let the issue drop. The cashier had already swiped Sunggyu's card. With a resigned sigh, Woohyun offered “I’ll go find us a seat.” He dragged his feet to the back of the room. There was a table alongside the wall that he had scouted out earlier. It had a nice view of the street, and the two of them could easily make conversation as they people watched. Or that was the plan. It was also part of the plan for him to pay for everything today. He let out a deep sigh again and threw his head back, looking at the ceiling, wondering what was happening with him. He used to be so smooth when it came to dating…but then he remembered that this wasn't actually a date, so maybe he was allowed to be sloppy. Suddenly, Sunggyu's upside down face came out of nowhere and hovered over his. Woohyun felt like he was at the horror movie again and nearly fell out of his seat. Sunggyu laughed and placed two mugs onto the table. “What this?” Woohyun asked, quickly composing himself.

Sunggyu furrowed his eyebrows as he sat down. “What does it look like?” he replied with a teasing question. He then took a sip from his own mug.

Woohyun carefully looked inside his mug. It looked like a latte, with the pale brown liquid swirling inside. He cast a suspicious glare at the other. “Did you spit in it?”

“Maybe…no," Sunggyu was being intentionally vague to play with the other. "Just drink it,” he urged after noticing that Woohyun still refused to let up his glare. The younger, with eyes still on the man across from him, took a small sip from the mug. It tasted fine, but isn't that why people spit in food? Because you can hardly taste it? Then a roaring laughter broke through his thoughts. Sunggyu was laughing. Sunggyu was laughing at him. 

Woohyun sniffed and wiped his lip in case anything was on it. “What?” he grumbled.

“How are we even friends? We fight most of the time we’re together." Sunggyu wasn't laughing at him; he was laughing at the both of them. It wasn't a condescending laugh, now that Woohyun gave it a proper listen, but it was almost fond. Woohyun found himself laughing along.

“Bickering," the younger corrected. "It’s different.”

Sunggyu laughed even louder. “See, we even fight about what kind of fighting we do," he remarked. He then took in a deep breath, controlling himself once again. "But…I like it. It’s fun,” he admitted.

“Me too. I’m glad we met,” Woohyun agreed. And that was it, his small confession. It would do just for now. For now Woohyun was just satisfied with the smile his comment brought to the other's face.

---

A month passed, nothing much had changed between the men, and Woohyun preferred it that way. He didn't want to disturbed the delicate balance that they had. And he didn't want to risk not seeing Gyuri again either. He loved her and took as many opportunities as he could to come over and see her, including today. Sunggyu had called on his mother one Saturday to watch over his daughter, but Woohyun offered to go in her stead. He had wondered why the other didn't ask him to do it in the first place, or maybe the elder just thought that he had something better to do with his Saturday night than to have a date with a two year-old. But Woohyun wanted to spend his night just like that.

Yet, when he came over, he felt strangely unwelcomed. He felt the balance shift. Sunggyu had on a button-down, a tie, and an uneasy smile on his face. “Oh. Why are you here?” he sounded shocked to find Woohyun on his doorstep.

Woohyun brushed past him before the other could deny him entrance (not like he would, but Sunggyu looked really uneasy). “I miss Riri," Woohyun stated with a grin forced on his lips. "Where’s my girl? Riri!" he called out excitedly as if he were calling a puppy. Gyuri responded like one two, poking her head over the couch. "There she is!”

“Oppa!” she called out and stretched out her arms, begging for a hug, and Woohyun gladly picked her up and pecked her on the cheek. Gyuri kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Woohyun felt like her arms were tentacles by how tightly she was clinging to him.

Woohyun cast a glance over to her father, knowing how jealous he could get, but Sunggyu appeared to be in a bit of a daze. “So where are you going?” Woohyun asked. The other was dressed too nicely for a Saturday night of running errands. Woohyun already knew the answer, and although he didn't want to hear it, he knew that he had to.

“Shopping for Riri’s birthday," Sunggyu then took a pause before revealing, "and my mom set up this date with one of her friend’s daughters.”

“I guess you are ready to date again,” Woohyun remarked.

“Or forced into it," Sunggyu responded with a slight laugh. He then took a step closer to Woohyun, bringing his face only centimeters away. "Riri, give your dad a kiss for good luck,” the father commanded, looking at his daughter and puckering his lips. Gyuri did so, and Sunggyu pulled back, patting her head gently.

Woohyun let out a breath he was holding. He craned his neck to look at the girl in his arms. “Give me one too,” he begged, pouting his own lips. Gyuri laughed and gave him another.

“Why do you need one?” Sunggyu snarled. Woohyun shrugged and hugged Gyuri more closely to his body. He was afraid of losing her in his grip, of losing the both of them. Sunggyu leaned forward again and told his daughter, “Give me another." She did and Sunggyu cooed, "That’s my girl." Woohyun scoffed at the elder's pettiness, but Sunggyu bushed it off. "I’ll see you later.” And with that, the widower was off on his date, on the path to losing that "widower" title.

Woohyun sighed as he watched the door close. He then looked down at the girl in his arms. “It’s just you and me now, kid. What do you want to do?” he asked.

“Hmmm....Airplane!” Gyuri answered after about two seconds of thought.

"Alright, climb on my back," Woohyun gave in. And he'd give her as many "airplane" rides or piggybacks or kisses or hugs or anything the little girl asked for him to do. Anything to engrave his presence in his mind. He didn't want to become a forgotten memory to her. He judged that his time with the Kims was soon running out. Even if Sunggyu's date tonight didn't go well, there would be others. And Woohyun might've overlooked an important fact. Sunggyu liked him, but he might not like Woohyun back in a romantic way. After all, Sunggyu had been married before. Woohyun might not even be his type, regardless of how close they had become.

He had heard of  best friends being soul mates, or nearly so. This has happened to Woohyun before. “If only if you were a girl…” Woohyun would just wanted to blurt out in response “If only you were gay!” But he always kept it inside, the hurt. His friends had meant it as a compliment, but how could he not be slightly offended? They would be with him, if only he changed his genetic make-up. He feared that this time would be like those. That it would end in heartbreak too.

---

Sunggyu ended his date early that night, under the pretense that Gyuri appeared sick when he had left. But Gyuri wasn't the one he was worried about. He expected the two of them to be playing in the living room when he came back, but there was no one there to greet him. He frowned as he hung up his coat. Something was obviously amiss. His home was too still and quiet and for a second, Sunggyu honestly thought that Woohyun stole away Gyuri for real, but then he heard it. The soft, deep tones wafting through the house, coming from his bedroom. Silently, careful not to disturb anything, Sunggyu made his way over and carefully opened the door. Woohyun was lying in his bed with Gyuri in his arms, gently singing her to sleep and her hair. Sunggyu leaned against the doorframe as he quietly watched the two, seeing how tenderly Woohyun was treating the toddler. 

Close your eyes and listen carefully to my story
Before my story ends, you will dream
Little star tonight
All night, I will watch over you

When I first met you, it was truly eye-blinding
When I first saw your smile, I felt like I had the whole world
Little star tonight
All night, I will watch over you

When I see you fast asleep in my arms
I can’t take my eyes off you for a second
You’re so pretty – I feel like my breath will stop
How can I fall asleep?

My love, my everything, my angel from heaven
My two eyes, my world – you stole them all
Little star tonight
All night, I will watch over you

When I see you fast asleep in my arms
I can’t take my eyes off you for a second
You’re so pretty – I feel like my breath will stop
How can I fall asleep?

Close your eyes and listen carefully to my story
Before my story ends, you will dream
Little star tonight
All night, I will watch over you

My love tonight
All night, I will watch over you
Forever, I will watch over you

Sunggyu clapped softly at the "performance," also successfully getting the other's attention. “Oh hyu—“ Sunggyu hushed Woohyun, walked over to the bed and kissed his now peacefully slumbering daughter. When he pulled away, he saw Woohyun's slightly stunned expression. The widower gestured to the other to follow him outside. 

Once they were in the living room, Sunggyu finally spoke, “She’s out early. It’s just you and me now.”

“I kind of tired her out," he admitted sheepishly. He then glanced at the watch on his wrist and clicked his tongue. "But hyung, ending a date at 7?”

“Yea, uh," Sunggyu stammered, struggling to come up with a good explanation. "I didn’t like her too much. She was nice and everything. Pretty.”

“Then why did you leave?” Woohyun challenged.

Sunggyu let out a small groan and crossed his arms over his chest. But even though he obviously didn't want to say it, Sunggyu still did, “You know how I said that no woman could ever live up to my wife?”

Woohyun raised an eyebrow curiously and pushed the other to continue, “Yea.”

Sunggyu looked down at his feet, kicking aside a toy that was there. “Well, I found someone who did,” he answered quietly.

“Who?”

“You.”

Woohyun swallowed harshly. Sunggyu was now looking at him and the elder's gaze was serious. He honestly…Woohyun shook the rest of that thought from his head. He didn't want to give up whatever small hope that he had. He never imagined making his big confession so soon, nor being forced into it, but now, it was time to reveal his heart.

“Hyung, I like you, as an…everything," Woohyun revealed with a listless sigh. "And I can’t be just a substitute for you and Gyuri. I want to be the real thing.”

Sunggyu nodded and pursed his lips. “Okay.”

“Okay? Okay what?” Woohyun asked in disbelief. He was becoming very confused now. Nothing made sense. “Hyung, if you…”

Sunggyu cleared the confusion for him by giving him a soft kiss on his lips, and then he gave another just to make sure Woohyun was 'okay' with it too. He was. After the shock of the first kiss was over, Woohyun responded to the second, kissing Sunggyu back. He felt a smile form on the other's lips and saw it when Sunggyu pulled back. “It’s okay. I…I want you to be that too," the elder stuttered nervously. Sunggyu wasn't used to letting his guard down, or falling in love. He honestly thought it would never happen again. And it became all to clear that he was, when he spoke Woohyun's name for the 18th time within the first 10 minutes of the date. The woman didn't seem bothered by it, but Sunggyu was. He was also bothered by Woohyun's forced smile and obvious sadness when Sunggyu announced that he was going on a date. He didn't want to make Woohyun sad. He only wanted to make him happy, to see a real smile on his face. And that's when Sunggyu realized, F**k, I love him.

And lucky for him, Woohyun loved him right back. Maybe a little too much. Woohyun wrapped his arms around the other and pulled the both of them down onto the couch.

“Too fast, Woohyun. Too fast!” Sunggyu objected, trying to wiggle out of Woohyun's tight grip. He felt the grip loosen, but he also felt a soft chuckle vibrating next to his ear and soft hair brushing against his cheek.

“Hyung, I’m just cuddling,” the younger revealed. And he really didn't make more of a move than just that, just holding onto Sunggyu like he held onto Gyuri earlier. Even Woohyun's hands was brushing through Sunggyu's hair in an effort to calm him down.

“Oh…okay then,” Sunggyu mumbled, slightly embarrassed, but he wrapped his arms around the other too and leaned against him. He could never predict Woohyun that well. Sunggyu preferred it that way; it kept life exciting.

Woohyun hummed happily and then whispered, “We can do the other thing later.”

“Ok—Wait. What other thing?”

---

Orpheus wasn't ever able to love another woman again, but that didn't mean that he never loved again. As the tale goes, after losing Eurydice a second time, Orpheus invented homouality to soothe his aching heart (he also died by being torn limb from limb by raving Maenads who were upset that the bard wouldn't join their Bacchic revel, but that is another story for another time).