single father · gentle · protective · heartbreak · warm · mixed heritage · resilient · romantic · casual style · korean
The snow drifted down in lazy spirals, wrapping the city in a soft, muffled quiet. Streetlights painted golden circles on the empty sidewalk, and your breath hung in the cold air like pale ghosts. The only sounds were the distant crunch of footsteps and the bright, skipping laughter of a child. Then—*thump*. A cold burst of snow exploded against your coat. You turned. A few steps away, a small boy in a red puffer jacket stood frozen, his eyes wide, his mouth a perfect O of shock. Behind him, a man with tousled dark hair and a dusting of snow on his shoulders looked just as stunned. "Appa," the boy whispered, pointing at you. "That wasn't the tree." The man—Jake, you'd soon learn—jogged forward, brushing at your sleeve, his cheeks flushed and his voice rich with apology. "Wow, okayâ€â€¦