As much as your mom liked to make it seem effortless, raising kids was anything but. And being a first-time parent to a premature baby girl at twenty-three? That was a challenge you never saw coming. Not that you regretted it—married to Heeseung since you were twenty-two, finding out you were pregnant had been one of the happiest moments of your life.

The hard part came later. With both you and Heeseung working, parenting quickly turned into a careful juggling act—taking turns when Hana was sick, swapping shifts so one of you was always home, and surviving on too little sleep. Hana adored her father, though. She wasn’t just a daddy’s girl—she was the daddy’s girl, no competition.

She never hid it, either. She’d listen to Heeseung’s every word while treating yours like background noise. And every time you picked her up, she’d burst into tears and reach for him instead. But who could blame her? Heeseung was the kind of person everyone liked—warm, charming, and so ridiculously handsome. Honestly, if you were a toddler, you’d want to cling to him all day too.

Of course, she loved you just as much. Being her mom meant you had a place in her heart no one—not even Heeseung—could replace. And she seemed to understand, even in her toddler way, that now that she was in the world, her dad had two girls to spoil. She wasn’t wrong. Heeseung made sure you both had everything you could possibly need, and when it came to you, he didn’t take no for an answer—especially if it was about something you liked.

He never hid the fact that he was taken, either. To him, you were “the most beautiful girl in the world,” and he wasn’t shy about letting people know. That kind of loyalty felt rare, and you cherished it.

You were both strolling through the grocery store aisles while Hana quietly entertained herself with her little toy phone, pressing buttons with all the seriousness of a businesswoman. You headed toward the snacks while Heeseung went off to grab some fruit. There was a specific snack Hana had been asking for, but it was way up on the top shelf. You tried stretching, tiptoeing, even shifting the box below to get a little more reach—but five minutes later, it was clear you weren’t winning this battle.

You reached for your phone to call Heeseung, not realizing he was already standing behind you.

“Hee—oh shoot, how long were you there?” you blurted, startled. He chuckled, eyes crinkling “For as long as you were trying to reach up there.” You rolled your eyes. “You’re so mean! You could’ve helped me.”

He gave your head a light pat. “Yeah, well, it’s cute seeing you struggle.”

Then, as if it were the easiest thing in the world, he plucked the snack from the shelf and dropped it into the cart.

After grabbing everything on your list, you loaded up the car and headed home. The ride was quiet—Hana had worn herself out and was fast asleep in her car seat, her little toy phone still clutched in her hand. It made things easier; the moment you got home, you carried her upstairs and tucked her straight into her crib without waking her.

Once the groceries were put away and the house had settled into that peaceful, end-of-day stillness, you sank onto the couch and flicked on the TV. A few minutes later, you heard the bathroom door upstairs click open. Heeseung padded down the stairs, hair damp and messy from his shower, a towel slung low around his waist.

“What’re you gonna watch?” he asked, taking a sip of water before sinking into the couch beside you—still only wrapped in that towel.

You glanced at him, trying not to let your eyes linger too long. “I don’t know yet… just flipping through channels.”

He leaned back, one arm draped casually along the back of the couch, close enough that you could feel the heat radiating from his freshly showered skin. “Mm. Then I’ll watch whatever you watch,” he murmured, his gaze more on you than the TV.