Wu Yifan tried to balance his phone between the junction of his neck and shoulder as he glided through the wooden stairs of his home. The man crudely surveyed how trashed the place looked. His books, his daughter's toys and an odd pair of socks strewn about the periphery. Wow, his house was such a poignant portrayal of his life: a general mess.

"Yes, okay. I got it." Yifan says to the speaker on the other end of the line. "I'll meet you guys at five. And yes, Baek I won't forget to bring Sophie. Alright, fine. I got it —ow !"

"What happened, are you alright?!"

Yifan takes his phone away from his ear, a stream of pained expletives muffled against the back of his closed fist.  The man stares down to sneer angrily at the cause of his current misery and comes upon a complicated mine field which consists of his daughter's large Lego pieces. Yifan eyes the damned floor and screams into the phone. "I told you not to give Sophia Legos. For god's sake, she's three!"

"Oops. Sorry Ge, it slipped my mind."

Yifan let out a sigh before hanging up. He tosses his phone haphazardly, thinking that the device would land on the couch. But due to a horrific turn of events, Yifan looks on as his newly bought mobile phone sails through the air, hits the backrest of the sofa and plummets with a sickening clang against the tiled floor. He almost cries when he sees the three-inch crack, smack right at the center of the damned thing.

So far, Yifan's day was going swimmingly.

//

Three hours later, a few seconds of mental breakdown, a broken phone, and bribes of ice cream to coax his three-year-old out of the bath tub, Yifan finally parks in front of this new pizza place which was currently all the rage in town. He could see Baekhyun's loud red, locks from where the man waved at him.

"Daddy!" Sophia excitedly giggles and makes general squealing noises from her booster seat. "It's uncle Baekhyunie and uncle Luhanie and uncle Sehunie and uncle Chanie and … and auntie Krystal and and—"

Yifan exits the car with a tired sigh but not before forgetting to remind her daughter not to panic. "Okay, Sophie. Dad's going to take you out now, wait a bit." Yifan envelops the little girl to his embrace, battling with her crazy cowlicks and she laughs into his shoulder. Yifan might have been extremely exhausted but hearing Sophia's laugh always cured his days. He is always grateful for his daughter.

"Okay, settle down." Yifan says as he prods the car door closed with his knee. "You'll get to see your uncles in a bit."

When they're inside the restaurant, Yifan places his daughter on an empty high chair and he all but slumps into the vacant seat between Chanyeol and Baekhyun, he eyes the huge slice of pizza on the couple's table and plucks it off its plate without warning. Yifan takes a bite and immediately crinkles his nose. "Vegetarian? Seriously

Baekhyun freely laughs at his face and Yifan wanted to punch him so badly. Instead his gaze falls on Krystal—his friend, and soon to be sister-in-law —and pouts. "They're such terrible bullies."

"The pepperoni should be served any minute now Yifan ge." Krystal says and turns back to playing with Sophia.

"So how's the divorce going?" Luhan asks. Yifan merely sighs. "Haeran hates my guts but she tries to hold it in. I feel bad for Sophia though; her mother doesn't want custody of her own friggin' daughter. It's f— ugh!"

Luhan gives him an apologetic look and a friendly pat to the shoulder. "Don't worry Fan, everything should be fine." Easier said than done, Yifan wanted to tell him, you're happily married living a perfect life with the perfect partner. Yifan shuts up instead and tries to re arrange the messy braid he'd done to his daughter's hair.

 "If only I could sue Haeran for doing this to you and Sophia, I really would have. That bi— woman deserves a piece of my mind."   Yifan smiles tiredly at Baekhyun's offer. He was sometimes, a ty best friend, but was considerate enough to give Sophia large Lego pieces. Baekhyun delivers Chanyeol’s home cooked meals (because Baekhyun can't cook to save his life) over at Yifan's house too and Yifan is always ultimately grateful for that. He had so much on his plate, the divorce, his blueprints and Sophia crammed into him all at once and he would have crumbled to pieces already if it weren't for the support of his friends.

Oh my god, he was going to cry.

Yifan buries his nose into Chanyeol's neck and almost sobs when Sehun starts massaging his fingers. "Ge," the younger says, "Please leave the house sometimes would you? Go travel or take a walk along the beach or something. You've been cooped up in that dank hole since Haeran left. And honestly, she doesn't deserve an ounce of the thought you put into her."

Yifan does not necessarily think of Haeran that much. He believes that they never really loved each other to an extent that they would have wanted to save and fix their failing marriage. Yifan does not blame her, sometimes marriages just don't work and their marriage belongs to that category of dysfunctional relationships. He does not blame her really, but he kind of loathed the fact that she did not want to see Sophia too, after all they were crazily in love once —or maybe they were just both crazy. Is there even a difference? — Sophia deserved a mother but if Haeran does not want to be that mother, then screw her, Yifan will stand for both. They will be just fine.

He hoped.

Yifan directs Sehun a tired smile and lifts his head from Chanyeol's shoulder. Sophia tugs at his sleeve and the single father has to crane his neck to see what the fuss is all about. "Daddy, hello kitty." She says while probing him with those big brown eyes that were thankfully a mirror of Yifan's own. "Daddy I want."  Yifan looks at what this Hello Kitty fuss is about but sees nothing so he turns to Sophia again. "Sophie, there's no Hello Kitty here."

The look on his child's face is that of complete disappointment as her pretty lips purse in contempt. Yifan looks on, horrified as Sophia gets ready to release the water works even before Yifan could pluck her from her high chair and placate her outside.

 Oh god, someone send help.

"DADDY!" The child wails and Yifan silently cringes at her loud voice. A few stares turn toward their direction as Yifan tries (albeit futilely) to calm his sobbing daughter down. He lifts her from her seat and cradles the three-year-old into his embrace. "I'm sorry, Sophie." Yifan soothes, running a palm down her back. His friends look at the situation worriedly so Yifan placates them all with a reassuring grin. Yifan stands up from his seat and paces from side to side to try and pacify her.

. "D-daddy, S-sophie want hello kitty. Daddy —"

"Excuse me sir, is there a problem here?"

Yifan turns to the waiter who'd queried about his current state of distress. His expression already set into that of an apologetic stare.  To be honest these kinds of situations where Sophia suddenly pulls a temper tantrum on him occur on a regular basis. She just turned three after all and it had been worse, way worse when she first started to take her rudimentary steps. Do believe old wives when they warn about the terrors of the terrible twos, Yifan had been there, done that.

The name tag primly set upon the waiter's left pocket concisely says "Junmyeon". The man —boy, he looked like he was Yifan's younger brother's age — looked neat and pretty in his black and white busboy uniform while soft looking amber eyes prod Yifan about his current predicament. "I apologize for the inconvenience." Yifan explains, his huge palm still running up and down a softly sobbing Sophia's back. "She just wants Hello Kitty. Do you happen to have anything remotely Hello Kitty here?"

Sophia removes her face from Yifan's neck. Snot and tears messing her shockingly Haeran looking visage. Yifan sometimes hates the fact that Sophia only got his eyes. The little girl stares at the waiter and cutely blubbers, "Can you give me Hello Kitty angel ge?"

The waiter smiles at her adorable syntax and Yifan has to pause and look away for a second because the boy is innocuously beautiful and staring at him for another heartbeat would feel like committing a crime.

Wu Yifan, for god's sake you are thirty years old, neck deep through a divorce, spare the child and have some decency!

"Alright but meimei has to smile and keep quiet first and ge will go to the kitchen and get Hello Kitty. Is that okay?"

Sophie smiles as instructed and gestures for her father to put her down. Yifan mentally sobbed. "Thank you really. Just add whatever it is on the bill."

The waiter nods and chirps a cheerful. "Alright sir. Please enjoy the rest of your dinner." Before turning around and sauntering away.

Yifan replaces his daughter on her high chair and gives her the stare. "Can Sophie promise not to cry again?" The girl fiddles with her thumbs and nods. Yifan gives her an indulgent grin and pats her messy curls. "Good girl."

“Gosh, Sophia’s got you wrapped around her dainty little finger.” Luhan comments. Yifan rolls his eyes. “Don’t give the girl more ideas.”

Minutes later, 'angel ge' emerged from somewhere carrying a covered dish. Sophia cranes her neck and smiles gleefully at the waiter. "Daddy angel ge is here!" Yifan chuckles. "You will wait for angel ge right?" The child nods enthusiastically. Once the covered dish is on the table, nothing could stop Sophia's small shout of glee.

"Open! Open!"

The waiter chuckles as the cover is removed. Yifan is also a bit surprised to see an oddly perfect Hello Kitty shaped pie on the table.

"I hope she's not allergic to strawberries, nuts or chocolate." Yifan shakes his head. "Sophie's allergic to not getting what she wants. Other than that, it should be fine. And thank you so much for this. I'll leave a good word for you."

The smile Junmyeon gives him is blinding.

"Why'd you know so much about Hello Kitty anyway?" Yifan asks when the waiter is done slicing Hello Kitty's face into little portions. Baekhyun looked aghast at the action muttering an 'oh god' that would have mirrored Sophia's upset. Chanyeol knocked him on the head.

"My younger brother, he likes her."

"You a chef then?"

Sophia’s voice cuts through the amicable conversation and for one fleeting second Yifan is annoyed that his daughter took after her mother, too talkative. “Angel ge, would you like some?” Junmyeon, the waiter, shakes his head at the offer and bends down to put a slice of the pie on Sophia’s plate. “It’s okay, you have to eat lots to grow up strong.”

Sophia vigorously nods her tiny head and gives Junmyeon her characteristic toothy grin. “Of course, Sophie will grow up tall because daddy is tall!”

The waiter laughs. “Sure you will Sophia, but you should call me, Junmyeon. Junmyeon oppa.”

“unmyeon?”

“Junmyeon.”

“Junmeon oppa?”

The waiter laughs and the sound is truly beautiful. To romanticize, Yifan thought that if peace and happiness had sounds it would be the young waiter’s laugh. Wow, this must be the start of the infamous midlife everyone was talking about. Yifan has officially reached a point in his life where he thought that young men’s laughter is happiness’ sound. He is so screwed.

Junmyeon turns to face him and says. "No, sir. I'm a waiter. Anyway, I probably should get going."

Yifan merely nods as the busboy turned his back on him the second time that night. "Yah!" It was Baekhyun's knuckles on his temple. "Stop giving the poor child suggestive looks. You grandpa."

Yifan spears the redhead an annoyed glance and averts his gaze. "I'm not giving anyone looks and I'm definitely not a grandpa."

"But the waiter was cute don't you think so?"

Yifan could feel the heat on his neck, he does not say anything when Baekhyun laughs at his expense. "You're a erted old man."

“Byun Baekhyun!”

“It’s actually Park Baekhyun, Yifan ge.” Chanyeol quips.

“Tsk.”

//

"It must be tough to be a single dad." Baekhyun says a while later as Yifan tries to clean the hazelnut spread smeared around his daughter's mouth. Sehun and Luhan had left a few minutes before so they were now seated before the messy table with only four adults left from originally six.

Sophia loved Junmyeon’s confection to bits and pieces, Yifan felt bad about feeding her too much sugar but her happiness was tantamount Yifan let the issue rest. But yes, he is not an irresponsible father and he already made a mental note to feed his daughter less sugar next time.

"This is parenthood Baek. It's smelly, nasty and generally messy but those are nothing against the things you do for love. Sophia is everything."

Baekhyun makes cooing noises at the three-year-old and quiet Chanyeol watches his longtime partner with endeared fondness.

"I can't wait to have one with Jongin." Krystal dreamily says. "He'll be the most handsome boy there is and Jongin and I will love him to bits."

"He?" Yifan quirks a brow. "You want a boy? And here I was thinking that modern wives-to-be preferred girls for a first born."

"Not me though. I can't wait to officially be Wu Soojung."

"I hope you don't regret saying that a few years from now."

The playful banter immediately dies down after Yifan's offhanded remark and the taller would have cringed at the looks he is receiving if there is no truth in his words. Haeran had been like that in the beginning but they burned out scarily fast.

"I won't be like her ge. I won't hurt your brother and I would never leave him like what Haeran did to you."

"I'd appreciate that a lot Soojung."

Sophia must have an inner inkling about awkward adult situations because her timing could not have been more perfect.

 “Daddy, I want milkshake.” Her daughter looks at him with the most imploring eyes and a small pout and Yifan will never win against this look. God knows he will cave time and time again.

“But Sophie, don’t you think you’ve eaten a lot of sweets today? Don’t you want something else?”

His daughter ponders the words for a while and Yifan mentally prays that please no more sweets. “Okay daddy can I see Junmeon oppa instead and…water?”

“Huh?”

“Junmeon oppa!”

“Oh yeah, yeah sure.”

The looks Baekhyun gave him would have made Yifan wilt. Instead, he dutifully stands up and searches for the short waiter, a small voice in his head is rejoicing but Yifan shuts that down immediately. He stands before the counter and fiddles with his thumbs trying to look as small as possible like he isn’t six foot two and towering over everyone in the nearest vicinity yeah, sue him.

“How may I help you sir?”

Yifan stares at the waitress in question and scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Uhm, can you call Junmyeon for a second. I have a favor to ask, oh and maybe a glass of water?”

The woman looks at him quizzically for a while before answering. “Oh of course sir, anything else?”

Maybe his number?  “That’s all.”

The waitress turns to look for Junmyeon while Yifan stands waiting, Baekhyun is still giving him weird looks and the taller wants to slap those off his face. The man is truly embarrassing, why they’re best friends in the first place, Yifan will never know. Too much college parties and hangovers probably forged their friendship.

“You were looking for me sir?”

The voice successfully peels Yifan from his thoughts of mentally strangling Byun, no, Park Baekhyun (why the hell did Chanyeol marry that bastard, again Yifan will never know)

“Uhm,” Yifan could feel the embarrassed flush and he wills it down by sheer force. “Sophia, my daughter, wanted to see you. Could you, uh, please go see her for a bit? I’m really sorry for all the inconvenience.”

Junmyeon gives him a small reassuring smile and Yifan is almost blinded again. “Oh sure.”

//

“So did you love the pie Sophie?”

One enthusiastic nod from the girl elicits a pleased smile from both Yifan and Junmyeon. Yifan watches as Junmyeon ruffles Sophia's already messed up curls. Meanwhile Sophia actually managed to ask permission before shamelessly wrapping her short arms halfway around ‘angel ge’s’ waist.

“Sophia, say goodbye to Junmyeon, and don’t forget to say thank you too.”

“Junmeon oppa thank you! Sophie love you!”

Junmyeon colors a bit at his daughter’s bold words but nonetheless laughs it off. “Thank you too Sophie, you be a good girl okay?” Sophia nods before sullenly relinquishing her embrace. Junmyeon somehow looks a bit regretful as well.

“Don’t be sad Sophia, daddy will bring you here again to see Junmyeon. So you be a good girl okay?”

“Daddy do you promise?”

“Of course, Sophie. Of course.”

//

“I must have been an extreme nuisance, but seriously thank you so much for today Junmyeon.”

“It’s okay sir. It’s my job after all, I’m glad I could be of assistance.”

Before leaving the restaurant, Yifan makes sure to leave a huge tip with a concise note that it be given to the waiter. He feels oddly at ease and somewhat thankful that nice people still existed in the world. It rejuvenated him because later when he puts Sophia to sleep, he’ll be facing piles of unfinished blueprints and answer a ton of pending emails.

But at least, even for a while, Yifan could flee his reality and somehow he greatly appreciated that.

He’ll come back for sure and he will be expecting to see the same pretty face with a smile so dazzling it was sunshine.

1/? of Arbitrary