Chapter Text
Nayeon was getting to be that age. That age, the one where they won’t stop running around and getting into everything. It felt like Gyeongseok couldn’t turn his back for a second without risking losing sight of her. She was constantly sprinting, skipping, jumping, and dirtying up everything by tracking mud in with her little light up sketchers. He had told her a million times to take them off before coming inside, but she wouldn’t listen. It was painstaking.
It was the best thing that had ever happened in his life.
Nayeon was healthy. For the first time in their lives, Nayeon was healthy enough to be a nuisance. She was slowly but surely becoming a normal child again. When Gyeongseok got the news of her remission, he sobbed hysterically, snot dripping down his nose. He dropped to his knees beside her hospital bed, and the five year old just giggled at him and said “Ew, daddy. You’ve got boogers!”
Gyeongseok had never realized just how much heaviness he carried around with him in his day to day life. He never noticed how the looming darkness of Nayeon’s illness was shadowing everything, until sunlight had broken through. One day, she drew all over the walls of her bedroom in purple marker. Stars, stick people, and hearts littered the once clean light pink walls. Two years ago, she was so weak she could barely draw a circle. He didn’t even yell at her, he just dropped to his knees again and cried like an absolute disaster.
Gyeongseok was whipped. His daughter, his healthy daughter, was getting stronger every day, and he couldn’t be happier. He lived and breathed for her. His every waking moment, he thought of her.
So one day, when Nayeon complained that she had nobody to play tag with on the playground, Gyeongseok knew he had to do something.
After missing her first two years of school due to her illness, Nayeon was slightly behind the other kids at school. Academically she was doing just fine—she had always been very smart, and she’d taken to reading quickly—but she struggled socially. She had joined halfway through the school year and most of the kids had already found their friend groups. She was shy, and didn’t want to ask others to play. She told Gyeongseok that she spent her lunches with the teacher and sat alone during recess. She was restless, bored, and lonely, it seemed.
That would not do.
So here he was. On the sidelines, in a fold out camping chair. Watching a bunch of five and six year olds kick a ball aimlessly at each other. Watching his little Nayeon run, and smile, as the wind whipped her hair (that had been growing back steadily) around in her face. He smiled to himself. He tried not to cry. He was in public after all.
“Is this seat taken?”
One of the moms flipped her chair open and sat down next to him before he could answer. His smile was strained. This was not the first time this had happened. As one of the only dads who came to these games, the single moms tended to buzz around him like bees and attempt to flirt with him. It was flattering at first, but by now it had become an annoyance. All he wanted to do was watch his daughter.
The woman yapped on about her daughter, how she was a very talented soccer player—oh yes, very talented, she even played first string!— She went on about how the child would be a prodigy in a few years. How she would get a college scholarship for it, maybe even a full ride. Sure.
Gyeongseok tuned her out in favor of watching his little girl. She was playing defense. She was chatting with the girl playing goalie as the ball bounced around on the other side of the field. It warmed his heart.
He might be biased, but for this only being her third game, he thought she was doing pretty well.
“Excuse me, did you even hear what I just said?
Fucking hell.
He had to put on a brave face. He couldn’t ostracize himself, for Nayeon’s sake. He hoped that soon enough she‘d be running up to him with another little girl in tow, asking for a playdate. In that case, he had to be on good terms with the other parents.
“Ah, sorry, I was distracted,” he lied, “what were you saying?”
He learned quickly that talking with most of these women was like a series of puzzles with dire consequences. One wrong move, and he’d be done for. So usually he stuck to just listening. If he nodded his head, and mumbled “mmmhmm,” or said “right,” every once in a while, he could usually escape unscathed.
The game was over. Their team had lost, but at this age it really didn’t mean that much to anyone. The kids ran excitedly back to the bench. The woman next to him kept talking.
He watched as one of the coaches finished up her pep talk with the kids, and sent them on their way with tokens for the snack bar. The other coach had her back turned as she packed away soccer balls into a large net-like sack. Gyeongseok internally groaned as the woman next to him prattled on. He prayed for his suffering to end.
”I’m so sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Park, could I have a word with you for a moment?”
Prayers answered. His head snapped up at the deep, feminine voice. It was authoritative. He felt like he was being scolded at school.
Except, this woman was not like any of his teachers back in school. Not one bit. Even as she looked down at an awkward angle, she was beautiful. Her full, Cupid’s bow lips were quirked in a slight smile and her eyes were the kind of dark brown you could easily sink into like quicksand. She had her hair tied back into a short ponytail, exposing her pretty neck. Her bangs cut a delicate line across her forehead. He struggled to his feet. Upon standing, he realized she was about as tall as him. The short sleeves of her t-shirt were rolled up due to the heat, her arms crossed over chest and—wow, her arms were muscular—were women even allowed to have strong arms like that?—she clearly worked out, probably lifted weights, he imagined, and the image his brain supplied him with of it was more than he could handle at the moment—
She was hot. Plain and simple.
She reached out to grab him by the arm, and he jumped at the contact.
“Sorry,” she quickly apologized, pulling back.
“It’s fine!” He nearly shouted, his voice pitched up. He was such an idiot. She led him away from the gaggle of parents and kids (without reaching for him this time, he noticed with regret) and he followed.
“Sorry again, um, I just noticed your face as you were chatting with Mrs. Lee.” She started, ”You looked uncomfortable.”
Damn, he really had no semblance of a poker face.
“Yeah, that Mrs. Lee can be…”
“Pushy? Flirtatious? Annoying?” She had a gleam in her eye.
“Exactly,” he laughed.
The slight grin on her face worked its way to a knowing smirk. His heart stuttered. That smile was lethal.
“She has a reputation for running off the few supportive dads we do get here, and I couldn’t have her scaring you away.”
He swallowed thickly, “Why’s that?”
“Well I simply adore Nayeon,” Her smile softened, “and she adores her dad, so I imagine you two are a package deal.”
Gyeongseok let out a breath. Of course, yes, of course it would be about his daughter. Right. Yes. That made the most sense.
“Yep. A two for one.”
She nodded. “We can’t afford to lose our star defender already.” She shoved her arm out for a handshake. He took it gladly. Her hands were soft, but her grip was firm. The combination made his knees weak.
“Coach Hyunju at your service,” she said.
She must’ve been the coach who was packing away equipment before. He knew his palm was probably sweaty and gross, and that realization made him heat up in the face.
“Gyeongseok. Nayeon’s dad. Well, I mean, I guess you…you know that already, actually—“
She giggled in a broken, unhinged way, as if she could barely contain it. She must’ve felt embarrassed because she quickly covered her mouth; it made for a slightly girlish expression that was altogether very very charming.
The sight was enough to evaporate his own embarrassment over the mistake. She seemed a little flustered.
“Um, I should get back. Assistant coach Youngmi can’t lift those bags for the life of her.”
He thought of Hyunju’s arms flexing to haul the sack of soccer balls over her shoulder. He could’ve swooned like a damsel right then and there.
“Would you like any help?”
“Oh no, it’s no trouble. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult for me.”
He believed it.
“Besides, Nayeon will be back any minute. Tell her I said congratulations on a great game,” she smiled that knowing smile again, and for some reason he felt exposed. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing eachother again. If Mrs. Lee hasn’t scared you off, that is.”
“It takes more than a little flirting to scare me off.”
She winked at him, “Glad to hear it.”