A man started toward them.

‘Hello, kids!’ He said cheerily, and the kids start to clamber all over him.

‘Ahjussi!’ ‘Hyung!’

Simultaneously, they cry out, ‘You’re back!’

Yoo Mia watches quietly, awkwardly standing at the back.

The man’s wary gaze flashes to her. She meets his eyes confidently, but

his eyes startle her.

They’re blue.

Deep, blue eyes like the sea on a particularly beautiful day; or the night sky filled with stars—

Why are they so sparkly??

Mia looks away quickly, dropping her eyes to her friends in his hold. Thus, she misses the look of confusion that passes over the man’s face as he scrutinises her features.

He carefully disentangles himself from the two children, his face softening again as they grin at him.

‘So… will you guys introduce me to this lovely girl here?’

‘Ahjussi, that’s our new friend! She just moved to town with her auntie!’ Lee Gilyoung tells him.

‘And Mia, this is my Ahjussi!’ Shin Yoosung smiles at Mia.

‘No, he’s my Hyung!’ Gilyoung pops in.

‘No, he’s my-’ Mia zones out their quarrel.

She turns her attention to the man approaching her.

The man has a very nice looking face, she thinks. She can’t quite make it out though, for some reason…

‘Hello,’ he says, kneeling in front of her, ‘My name is Kim Dokja. What’s your name?’