Work Text:
It started with a trail of green dots on the hallway wall.
Tiny, sticky fingerprints that led to the living room, where Haerin sat in the middle of a masterpiece — purple swirls, a sun with too many rays, and a smiley face drawn directly on the hardwood floor.
“Appa!” she beamed, holding up a blue marker like a trophy. “I made a whole town!”
Jay froze in the doorway.
Jungwon appeared behind him a second later. He took in the scene — the uncapped markers, the ink on Haerin’s fingers, the proud tilt of her head — and smiled softly, despite himself.
Jay’s mouth opened. “Haerin. You know you’re not supposed to draw on the walls. Or the floor. Or—”
“But it’s washable,” she interrupted, as if that made it okay.
“That’s not the point,” Jay said, trying to stay calm. “We’ve talked about this.”
Jungwon stepped in, crouching beside Haerin. “It’s a really beautiful town,” he said gently. “Can you tell me about it?”
Jay sighed from behind him, arms crossed.
Haerin launched into a story about how the smiley face was the mayor, and the purple lines were roads, and the sun was magic. Jungwon nodded patiently, asking questions, even laughing once.
Jay exhaled again, sharper this time. “Won, we can’t just—she needs to know there are consequences.”
“I know,” Jungwon said, not looking up. “But she’s four. She also needs to know she’s not in trouble for creating something.”
Jay ran a hand through his hair. “You always do this.”
“Do what?”
“Make me the bad guy.”
Jungwon finally looked up. “Because you get loud first.”
Jay froze.
There it was — the quiet tension between them, the thing they danced around more often than they admitted.
Haerin blinked at them, sensing the shift.
Jay dropped to a seat on the edge of the couch. “I’m not trying to be the bad cop. I just… I don’t want her to grow up thinking there are no rules.”
“And I don’t want her to grow up afraid of breaking them,” Jungwon said gently.
For a long moment, it was quiet except for the hum of the fan.
Then Jay leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Okay,” he said. “You talk to her this time. I’ll get the cleaner.”
Jungwon smiled softly. “Thank you.”
As Jay disappeared into the kitchen, Jungwon turned to Haerin. “How about we draw the town again — but this time, on paper?”
She nodded and scampered off to find new sheets.
Jay came back with a cloth and crouched beside the wall. Jungwon joined him.
“Maybe we just take turns,” Jay said. “You do the soft part, and I do the firm part. As long as she knows we’re on the same team.”
Jungwon looked over at him. “That’s the part that matters.”
Jay smiled faintly. “Still think she takes after you, though. That whole mayor thing? Definitely your imagination.”
Jungwon chuckled. “And the marker on the walls? That’s all you.”
Jay laughed quietly. “Fair enough.”