Play Dates

Six

"Hot food coming through!" Geonhak warns before getting the oven tray out and laying it on the counter.

Sunyul is standing tip-toe, looking expectantly at the tray. He frowns. "Hum...," his father mumbles, embarrassed. "They look... okay."

"Aren't they burnt?" the boy asks worriedly.

Geonhak uses a spatula to lift one the cookies, which are completely black. They are burnt out. He sighs and looks at his son, defeated. "I'm sorry, baby. We can't eat that. Appa still needs to improve."

"It's alright. At least we tried." The boy reflects for a second. "Next time I can ask Keonhee. He's good at baking." He touches one of the burnt chips on top of the cookies. They are supposed to be pink chocolate chips — Sunyul's special request, because pink is his favourite colour. Well, after yellow, it seems.

Geonhak sighs out of disappointment. There are many things in this single dad situation he still needs to learn. And he is pretty sure that baking with his son is one.

"Well, the school said we had to bring food or drinks, but they never said we had to make them ourselves. We'll buy something on our way there! Now go get changed. You're going to be the most beautiful kid."

Sunyul giggles, tugging on his father's long sleeve so he follows him to his bedroom. Geonhak lets the boy undress and helps him get into his princess dress, which is obviously pink. The blond man smiles as his son admires himself in the mirror. "I'm a true princess!"

"Of course you are, baby. There's just one thing missing. Where's your crown?" He eventually finds it lying on Sunyul's bedside table and places it on his head.

Sunyul's eyes sparkle as his outfit is now perfect. "How about appa?" he then asks.

Geonhak winks and leaves for a few minutes to change and comes back fully dressed as a king. "Wow! Appa's so pretty!"

"Am I?" Geonhak chuckles.

The boy nods frantically and reaches out so his father can lift him up in his arms. Geonhak intently stares at the apple of his eyes in front of him. His son makes him so happy and he does not even realise it. The father smiles softly and gives Sunyul a small peck on the nose. "Shall we, princess?"

They get into Geonhak's car and, after stopping at the bakery and buying perfect-looking cookies — although they did not have pink chocolate chips — they get to Sunyul's primary school. The parking-lot is full, and they have to park further away.

The royal pair walks up to the school gate, Geonhak holding the box of cookies on one side, and his son's hand on the other. The gate is decorated with banners reading "Happy Mother's Day" and colourful balloons.

As they pass the gates, they see many mothers and children, all dressed up, and a few tables with either food, drinks or activities for children held by parents or teachers. Sunyul is standing still next to his father. Geonhak looks down for a second — his boy seems slightly weary, surrounded by all the crowd, all those adults' faces he does not know.

Geonhak finds himself as stressed out as his son is, though not for the same reasons. He also dislikes mobs, but right now he is much more worried about the parents who have stopped their conversation momentarily and are eyeballing them — especially Sunyul.

And he knows how it looks. He's the gay dad who has dressed his son as a princess. And it pains him that people should look them up and down, judge them so hard that he can almost hear their harsh thoughts.

He has thought of dissuading Sunyul from wearing that dress. But he is trying to be a good father. And, for him, that implies letting his child wear what he likes, be who he wants. Even a princess. Especially a princess. Dongju would have let him.