The morning rush at Sunshine Kindergarten was as chaotic as ever.

Children ran around with backpacks bouncing behind them. Parents hurried to work after dropping their kids off.

At the classroom door stood Lee Minho, a gentle kindergarten teacher with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Yuna!"

"Good morning, Teacher Lee!"

One by one, the children entered the classroom.

Then a small figure came running down the hallway.

"Teacher Lee!"

A little boy launched himself directly into Minho's arms.

"Whoa!" Minho laughed, catching him. "Good morning, Jiwoo."

Five-year-old Kang Jiwoo wrapped his tiny arms around Minho's neck.

"I missed you!"

"You saw me yesterday."

"That was a hundred years ago."

Minho chuckled.

"You're getting more dramatic every day."

At that moment, a deep voice spoke from behind them.

"Jiwoo."

The little boy immediately froze.

Minho looked up.

Standing there was a tall, handsome man in a tailored black suit.

Kang Taehyun.

CEO of Kang Group.

And Jiwoo's father.

The man looked cold and intimidating enough to make most adults nervous.

Yet Jiwoo simply pouted.

"Daddy, you're scary."

Taehyun sighed.

"You were supposed to say goodbye before running away."

"I was busy hugging Teacher Lee."

Minho tried not to laugh.

Taehyun glanced at him.

For a second, their eyes met.

Minho quickly looked away.

He had met Jiwoo's father many times during pickups and drop-offs, but the man always seemed distant.

Polite.

Quiet.

Impossible to read.

"Thank you for taking care of Jiwoo," Taehyun said.

"It's my job."

Jiwoo suddenly grabbed both their hands.

The two men blinked.

"Daddy."

"Yes?"

"Teacher Lee."

"Yes?"

The little boy grinned.

"You should get married."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Minho nearly choked.

"W-What?"

Taehyun looked equally stunned.

Jiwoo nodded proudly.

"I thought about it all night."

"Jiwoo—"

"If Teacher Lee marries Daddy, he can live with us."

"Jiwoo!"

"And then I can see him every day."

The little boy looked incredibly pleased with his own genius.

Minho covered his face.

Taehyun pinched the bridge of his nose.

For the first time ever, Minho saw something unexpected.

The CEO was trying very hard not to laugh.

And somehow...

That tiny smile made him look much less scary.

Meanwhile, Jiwoo looked between them.

Mission one had begun.

And neither adult had any idea.

Part 2. Operation Daddy's Husband

After making his shocking marriage proposal, Jiwoo happily skipped into class.

Leaving two very embarrassed adults behind.

Minho crouched down and cleared his throat.

"Jiwoo has... quite the imagination."

Taehyun nodded.

"Unfortunately."

Minho laughed.

To his surprise, Taehyun's lips curved upward slightly again.

The smile disappeared so quickly that Minho almost thought he imagined it.

"Have a good day, Mr. Kang."

"You too, Teacher Lee."

Taehyun left for work.

But neither of them noticed Jiwoo secretly peeking through the classroom window.

The little boy sighed dramatically.

"They're hopeless."

That evening...

Taehyun arrived to pick Jiwoo up.

As usual, Minho walked the children to the gate.

"Goodbye, everyone!"

"Goodbye, Teacher Lee!"

Jiwoo suddenly grabbed Minho's sleeve.

"Teacher Lee."

"Yes?"

"Daddy works too much."

Taehyun immediately felt danger approaching.

"Jiwoo."

The little boy ignored him.

"He eats alone."

"Jiwoo."

"He comes home late."

"Jiwoo."

"He doesn't smile."

Minho blinked.

The child looked genuinely worried.

"Really?"

Taehyun sighed.

"My son likes exaggerating."

"It's true!"

Jiwoo crossed his arms.

Then he pointed dramatically at Minho.

"Teacher Lee should eat dinner with us."

Both adults froze.

Again.

Minho nearly dropped the stack of drawings he was holding.

"D-Dinner?"

Jiwoo nodded enthusiastically.

"Daddy needs friends."

"I have friends."

"No, you don't."

"..."

"..."

Even Minho couldn't argue with that.

The CEO's face darkened.

Jiwoo looked victorious.

Later that night...

Taehyun sat at the dining table while Jiwoo ate his rice.

The little boy suddenly asked,

"Daddy."

"What?"

"Do you like Teacher Lee?"

Taehyun almost choked on his water.

"What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one."

"You're five."

"And you're avoiding the answer."

Taehyun stared at his son.

Sometimes he wondered if Jiwoo was secretly forty years old.

"I respect him."

Jiwoo narrowed his eyes.

"That's not what I asked."

Taehyun remained silent.

The truth was...

He had noticed Minho long ago.

The gentle smile.

The patience with children.

The way he always listened carefully whenever Jiwoo spoke.

But that didn't mean anything.

Right?

"Daddy."

"What."

"I think you're blushing."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

Jiwoo grinned.

The CEO suddenly felt like he was losing an argument to a tiny lawyer.

The next morning...

Minho arrived at school.

As he entered his classroom, he noticed something on his desk.

A folded piece of paper.

Confused, he opened it.

Inside was a colorful crayon drawing.

It showed three stick figures holding hands.

One was labeled "ME."

One was labeled "DADDY."

And the third was labeled "TEACHER LEE."

At the bottom was a message written in messy handwriting.

Please join our family.

Minho stared at the drawing.

Then he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Meanwhile, outside the classroom door...

Jiwoo peeked through the crack and gave himself a thumbs-up.

"Operation Daddy's Husband is going perfectly."

To Be Continued... ❤️🏡✨

Minho carefully folded Jiwoo's drawing and placed it inside his desk.

He should probably tell the child not to make such jokes.

But...

The drawing was honestly too adorable to throw away.

During lunchtime, the children sat together eating.

Jiwoo suddenly raised his hand.

"Teacher Lee!"

"Yes, Jiwoo?"

"If two people like each other, should they get married?"

Several children immediately became interested.

"Married?"

"My mom is married!"

"My dad snores!"

"I don't want to get married!"

The classroom erupted into chaos.

Minho rubbed his forehead.

"That's enough, everyone."

Jiwoo wasn't finished.

"What if one person is handsome and rich?"

The children gasped.

"What if the other person is kind and beautiful?"

Minho had a terrible feeling about where this was going.

"Jiwoo—"

"And what if they both love me?"

The class turned toward him.

A little girl tilted her head.

"Are you talking about your daddy and Teacher Lee?"

The room exploded.

"OHHHHHH!"

Minho nearly died on the spot.

That afternoon, the principal called Minho into her office.

He entered nervously.

"Principal?"

The older woman looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Teacher Lee."

"...Yes?"

She held up a piece of paper.

Minho immediately recognized Jiwoo's drawing.

His soul left his body.

"One of the children showed this to their parents."

"..."

"The parents found it very cute."

"..."

"The entire parent group chat is discussing your possible marriage."

"...WHAT?!"

The principal burst out laughing.

Minho wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

Meanwhile...

At Kang Group headquarters.

Taehyun was in the middle of a meeting.

His phone vibrated.

He ignored it.

It vibrated again.

And again.

And again.

His assistant looked nervous.

"Sir..."

"What?"

"The kindergarten parent group chat is... very active today."

Taehyun frowned.

"What happened?"

The assistant hesitated.

Then he showed his phone.

On the screen was a photo.

Jiwoo's drawing.

Below it were dozens of comments.

"How cute!"

"They already look like a family."

"Teacher Lee is adorable."

"CEO Kang should hurry up."

Taehyun stared silently.

The assistant prepared for his boss to be furious.

Instead...

A small smile appeared.

Only for a second.

But it was there.

The assistant nearly fainted.

That evening...

Taehyun arrived to pick Jiwoo up.

Minho was waiting by the gate.

The moment their eyes met, both remembered the drawing incident.

Awkward.

Very awkward.

"Good evening," Minho said.

"Good evening."

Silence.

Jiwoo looked between them and sighed.

Again.

"Hopeless."

Both adults looked at him.

The little boy shook his head.

Then he grabbed their hands.

One hand holding his father.

The other holding Minho.

And before either could react—

Jiwoo started walking away.

"Let's go home!"

"Jiwoo!"

"Wait!"

The child happily dragged them forward.

For a brief moment, anyone looking from a distance would have thought they were a real family.

And strangely...

Neither Minho nor Taehyun pulled away immediately.

Part 2: Dinner Invitation

Jiwoo happily marched down the sidewalk, swinging their hands.

Minho and Taehyun exchanged awkward glances.

"Jiwoo, let go of Teacher Lee," Taehyun said.

"Why?"

"Because we're making him uncomfortable."

Minho quickly shook his head.

"N-No, it's okay."

Jiwoo grinned.

"See? Teacher Lee likes holding hands with us."

Both adults immediately looked away.

When they reached the school gate, Minho finally managed to free himself.

He crouched in front of Jiwoo.

"You should listen to your father."

Jiwoo puffed out his cheeks.

"But I want us to be together."

The innocent words made both men pause.

Taehyun gently patted his son's head.

"We are together."

The little boy looked unconvinced.

Just then, Jiwoo's stomach growled loudly.

The child froze.

Minho blinked.

Taehyun blinked.

Jiwoo covered his face.

"I'm hungry."

Minho laughed.

"I think someone skipped part of his lunch."

Jiwoo looked guilty.

"I traded my vegetables for pudding."

"Jiwoo."

The stern voice made him shrink immediately.

"Sorry."

Minho couldn't help smiling.

Seeing the powerful CEO struggle with a mischievous five-year-old was unexpectedly cute.

As they stood there, Jiwoo suddenly had another idea.

A dangerous idea.

"Teacher Lee."

"Yes?"

"Have dinner with us."

Minho froze.

Taehyun froze.

Jiwoo continued confidently.

"We have a huge dining table."

"Jiwoo..."

"And Daddy eats alone every day."

"Jiwoo."

"And I want to show you my room."

"Jiwoo."

The little boy grabbed Minho's sleeve.

"Please?"

Minho looked down at the hopeful eyes staring up at him.

His resolve immediately weakened.

Unfortunately.

A few minutes later...

Taehyun was driving.

Jiwoo sat in the back seat happily humming.

Minho sat in the passenger seat wondering how his life had reached this point.

He had only intended to go home after work.

Now he was heading to his student's house.

Because he couldn't say no to a child.

The Kang family residence was enormous.

Minho stared at the mansion.

"You live here?"

Taehyun looked confused.

"Yes."

"It's bigger than my apartment building."

"..."

Jiwoo giggled.

Inside, the staff welcomed them.

The moment Jiwoo entered, he proudly announced:

"Teacher Lee is here for dinner!"

The maids smiled.

The butler smiled.

Even the cook smiled.

Minho wanted to disappear.

Why did everyone look so excited?

Dinner was surprisingly warm.

Jiwoo sat between them.

Whenever Minho tried to serve himself food, Jiwoo served him first.

Whenever Taehyun reached for something, Jiwoo passed it to Minho.

The child acted like a tiny matchmaker disguised as a dinner guest.

"Jiwoo."

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Eat your vegetables."

The little boy immediately looked betrayed.

Minho laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink.

For a second, Taehyun found himself staring.

The teacher's bright smile made the entire room feel warmer.

When Minho noticed, their eyes met.

Neither looked away immediately.

And for a brief moment...

The atmosphere changed.

Something soft.

Something unfamiliar.

Something that made both their hearts beat a little faster.

Then—

"Daddy."

Taehyun blinked.

"What?"

Jiwoo pointed at them with complete seriousness.

"You two were staring at each other again."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Minho nearly choked on his water.

Taehyun closed his eyes.

The little matchmaker smiled proudly.

Another successful mission.

To Be Continued... ❤️🏡👨‍👨‍👦

After Jiwoo's comment, dinner became painfully awkward.

Minho focused very hard on his food.

Taehyun focused very hard on his water.

And Jiwoo focused very hard on trying not to laugh.

After dinner, Jiwoo dragged Minho upstairs.

"Come see my room!"

Before either adult could object, he was already pulling Minho away.

Taehyun sighed and followed.

Jiwoo's room was filled with toys, books, and stuffed animals.

One particular stuffed rabbit sat proudly on the bed.

"Mr. Carrot!" Jiwoo announced.

Minho picked it up.

"Mr. Carrot?"

"He protects me from monsters."

"I see."

"He's very brave."

Minho nodded seriously.

"Then I'm honored to meet him."

Jiwoo beamed.

For the next hour, Minho listened to stories about every toy in the room.

Taehyun stood quietly nearby.

Watching.

Listening.

It had been a long time since he had seen Jiwoo this happy.

Usually, after work, he was exhausted.

Even when he spent time with his son, there was always work waiting.

But tonight...

The house felt alive.

Warm.

Comfortable.

Like a real home.

And somehow, Minho was at the center of it.

Suddenly Jiwoo yawned.

A huge yawn.

Then another.

His eyes were already closing.

"Looks like someone's sleepy," Minho said.

"I'm not."

Yawn.

"You definitely are."

"I'm strong."

Yawn.

"Very strong."

Yawn.

Taehyun raised an eyebrow.

Jiwoo glared at both adults.

Then promptly fell sideways onto his bed.

Minho laughed softly.

Together, he and Taehyun helped tuck Jiwoo into bed.

The little boy clung to Minho's hand.

"Teacher Lee."

"Yes?"

"Don't go."

Minho's heart melted instantly.

"Jiwoo..."

The child looked half-asleep.

"Stay."

Before Minho could answer, Jiwoo's grip loosened.

He had already fallen asleep.

The room became quiet.

Very quiet.

Minho carefully stood up.

"He really is adorable."

A small smile appeared on Taehyun's face.

"He gets that from his mother."

The smile faded slightly.

Minho paused.

This was the first time Taehyun had mentioned her.

"I'm sorry."

Taehyun shook his head.

"She passed away when Jiwoo was a baby."

Minho's chest tightened.

Now he understood.

The loneliness in the large house.

The tired look in Taehyun's eyes.

The way Jiwoo always wanted more family around him.

Taehyun had been carrying everything alone.

For years.

As they quietly left the room, a sudden clap of thunder echoed outside.

BOOM!

A second later, the lights flickered.

Then—

Darkness.

The entire house lost power.

A loud cry immediately came from upstairs.

"DADDYYYYY!"

"Jiwoo!"

Taehyun and Minho ran back to the room.

They found Jiwoo sitting upright in bed, tears in his eyes.

The little boy threw himself forward.

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around both of them.

"I'm scared!"

Minho hugged him immediately.

"It's okay."

"We're here," Taehyun added.

Jiwoo buried his face between them.

After a few moments, he calmed down.

Then, in a tiny sleepy voice, he whispered:

"Can you both stay tonight?"

The two adults froze.

Jiwoo looked up hopefully.

"If both of you stay... I won't be scared anymore."

Neither Minho nor Taehyun knew how to answer.

But one thing was certain.

Saying no to Jiwoo was becoming impossible.

To Be Continued... ❤️🌙👨‍👨‍👦✨