"Dating is evil" Taehyun concludes.
Hanuel blinks up at the young man, not understanding what he had written at all.
"Have you not learnt all these maths?" Taehyun questions.
Hanuel shakes her head.
"Damn" Taehyun frowns.
"What the hell are you teaching her?!" Beomgyu smacks Taehyun's head from the back.
Yeah, Taehyun takes it back when he thought Beomgyu doesn't get violent or attack anyone. Beomgyu is protective.
"I'm teaching her life lessons that'll save her in the future" Taehyun replies calmly. "Do you want her to date?"
"God, no!" Beomgyu exclaims.
"Exactly."
Beomgyu looks at the younger man and sighs. "What else have you taught her?"
"That the opposite sides of a die will always add up to seven..."
"Okay, and...?"
"If you open your eyes in a pitch black room, the colour you see is called 'eingengrau'..."
"And...?"
"You are 13.8 percent more likely to die on your birthday..."
"Stop right there. Why?!"
"I don't know. It's according to a Swiss morality statistics from 1969 to 2008."
"That's so weird, how the heck do people determine that?"
"I don't know!"
"I thought you were smart!"
"I'm not an expert in that!"
Hanuel watches as the two men start bickering and looks down at the paper Taehyun was using to write.
"Why is dating evil?" She asks innocently, still not getting it.
"Because it requires time!"
"Because it requires money!"
Both men frown as they stare at each other for a few seconds.
"Hyung, you don't da-"
"Wait" Beomgyu stops him when his phone rang. He walks away to take the call, leaving Taehyun and Hanuel alone again in the living room.
"I want cupcakes" Hanuel looks up at Taehyun.
"We don't have cupcakes at home."
"Buy them."
"I'm broke."
Hanuel crosses her arms and frowns. She stares right into Taehyun's eyes.
"Staring at me won't get you cupcakes."
"Hanuel, Taehyun-ah, I'm going to leave again! Soobin's rushing me, take care!" Beomgyu shouts from the second floor as he rushed down with his laptop in hand.
When he passes the living room, he gives Hanuel and Taehyun both a kiss on the forehead, not thinking too much into it.
"What the fuck dude!" Taehyun rubs the spot where Beomgyu had pecked him.
"Language!" Beomgyu says hurriedly as he scurries to the door.
"Wait!"
"What!"
"Hanuel wants cupcake, give me some money!"
"Come here!"
Taehyun jogs towards Beomgyu and reaches his hand out.
"Here" Beomgyu places a credit card on his palm. "Use it well. I'm off now!"
"Yeah..." Taehyun looks down at the card in his hand and shrugs.
He returns to Hanuel and waves the card between his fingers. "We can get cupcakes now."
"I want strawberry cupcakes" Hanuel says as she peeks over Taehyun's shoulder, who's sitting on the floor scrolling through the order page.
"Okay" Taehyun adds two strawberry cupcakes into the cart.
"You like strawberries too?"
"Yeah" Taehyun replies and adds more different flavoured cupcakes into the cart.
"You have good taste. What's my oppa's favourite fruit?" Hanuel asks curiously.
Taehyun's finger hovers above the pay button and frowns, "I don't know..."
"How can you not know? Oppa told me that you've been living together for a year now!"
"I just don't..." Taehyun sighs as he pays with Beomgyu's credit card. "Let's ask him when he gets back later."
Hanuel frowns as well and stares as Taehyun got up from the floor all of the sudden.
"Oh fuck, I have yet to pay my tuition fees."
"You cuss a lot!"
"Well thanks for pointing out the obvious" Taehyun walks back to his room with the little girl following behind. "I have to set my monthly budget too..." he mumbles to himself and sighs heavily as he looks through the numbers on his screen.
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"You left Hanuel to Taehyun?!"
"Yeah, lower your voice, Soobin."
"I don't know if I'd trust a kid to Taehyun."
"Don't worry, how much of a demon do you think Taehyun is? Even my parents trust him enough to go last minute shopping today."
"I don't know Beomgyu."
Beomgyu sighs softly. "Well I don't know too. When I went home to grab my laptop, I saw him teaching my sister that dating is evil and a bunch of useless facts. Something about... engine...eingen... whatever shit it is."
"Mhm."
"I think he'll be fine though. They don't hate each other, that I am sure of. Taehyun's softer than you think he is. He'll be good with kids. I can see that. Hanuel kind of likes him too. Kids like weirdos."
"You just called him a weirdo?"
"I'm speaking from a kid's perspective. Taehyun's weird and strange to kids. Like, imagine you as a child and you met someone like Taehyun, you'd think he's one weird ass adult. Cold yet warm, realistic and shameless."
"You're not wrong."
"He's babysitting for free?"
"Of course not" Beomgyu snorts at that before popping a strawberry into his mouth. "There's no way that he'd do it for free."
"Sounds like him alright."
The two best friends sit in silence, Beomgyu typing away on his laptop while snacking on strawberries while Soobin looks through the files on his desk.
"Beomgyu."
"Hmm?"
"Dating is evil."
Beomgyu hums in reply, his eyes focused on his laptop screen.
"You agreed?"
"Maybe" the long haired man leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "Dating requires time. I don't have a lot of time. My schedule's only more flexible now because of this documentary and you allowing me to leave work earlier. You know how all my past dates failed because I couldn't commit. I have no time."
"People can still date while working though, why can't you spare time for dating?"
"I definitely can spare some time for dating... but it's just... I want time to myself as well? I want to use my free time to do things that I want. And going out on dates isn't really on the list. If I want to date, I need someone who can compromise with me. And preferably someone who respects my privacy as well. And someone who's willing to live with me and not feel lonely when I'm busy. Someone who focuses on their own lives as well. And when we have time to focus on each other, then we will. Like, going home and seeing each other after focusing on our own responsibilities during the day, and just cuddle and have mini home dates at night. What my past dates wanted was unconditional attention. That's just bullshit to me. I can't give them attention 24/7. I have a life. I have hobbies. Dating was stressful to me, it was eating me alive, you know? So in a way, dating can be evil. I can go on with this but I doubt you want to hear me rant."
"No, you're confusing me. If you're not into dating, then..."
"Is it about Taehyun?" Beomgyu turns to look at his best friend. "I can date him. We already live together, and he fits everything that I'm looking for. He focuses on himself during the day. Well, all the time... which can be a problematic but that's not the point here. He's quick to adapt too. In the mornings, he cooks breakfast for us both. He sets his academic schedules to fit in such small things, like cooking breakfast and dinner for us, and part time job in the afternoon and evenings. He busies himself when needed. He's independent and doesn't need my time. He's also definitely the type to be content with just simple bonding time at night. Or me giving him money" Beomgyu jokes the last part. "Anyways I don't have much time, he doesn't need my time. He doesn't have money, I have money. I think we're a perfect match."
"Interesting" Soobin nods his head, convinced by Beomgyu's speech.
"And what about you? Why are you not dating if you said that people can spare time for dating even if they're busy working?"
Soobin's face srunches up at that and shakes his head, "are you fucking serious right now? We've been together for YEARS and you still don't know? I'm autoromantic."
"Yeah right" Beomgyu rolls his eyes at the joke.
"I just don't have enough exposure yet" Soobin shrugs. "Haven't met the one."
"Man, you're already 28. Chop chop! Don't think you want to die single!"
"Don't rush me!"
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"What's oppa's favourite colour?"
"I don't know..."
"He likes white! How can you not know?!"
"He never told me" Taehyun shrugs as he eats the beef bulgogi he had made for dinner.
"You're dense!" Hanuel stabs her fork into her veggies, frustrated.
"I don't think dense is the right word here."
"I'm six! I have a very limited vocabulary bank!"
"Time to expand it."
"I don't care!"
"Just eat then."
"You're so annoying!"
"Oh yeah?" Taehyun says, unamused.
Hanuel huffs in annoyance and spends the rest of the dinner eating angrily.
"Taehyun!" Hanuel demands for the young man's presence in the living room after their dinner.
"What?" Taehyun sighs as he steps into the living room from the kitchen.
"Play with me!"
"Nah."
"How can you refuse?!"
"Because I can."
"You're the worst!"
"Glad to know" Taehyun says nonchalantly and heads back to the kitchen to do the dishes.
Hanuel follows him into the kitchen and stands beside him, watching him wash the dishes.
"Why don't you use the dishwasher?"
"I trust myself more than a machine."
"Can we get ice cream?"
"You're craving for ice cream?" Taehyun asks to confirm as he rinses the plates and puts them onto the racks.
"Yeah."
"Okay" Taehyun wipes his hands with a towel and looks down at her, "we're going to make our own ice cream."
"Why make them when we can buy?"
"Because it's fun this way. I used to make ice cream for myself when I lived alone" the silver haired man opened the fridge and pulled out the ingredients needed.
He then helps Hanuel to stand on the standing stool. "Making ice cream is really easy. Just mix milk, cream, vanilla extract and sugar together."
Hanuel listens to Taehyun as he instructs her on pouring the necessary amount of ingredients into a measuring jug. While the small girl stirs the mixture, Taehyun prepares a bag of ice and pours salt in it.
"Salt?" Hanuel tilts her head curiously.
"It lowers the freezing temperature of the ice and this is called freezing point depression" Taehyun explains and adds, "like how salt water has a lower freezing point and why the ocean's water is less likely to freeze than lake water. Adding salt allows the ice to reach a temperature of below 0 celsius and effectively get low enough to freeze the mixture to make ice cream."
Hanuel frowns, not understanding anything except for ice and freezing and ice cream. She shrugs and continues to mix.
Once Hanuel was done mixing, Taehyun pours it into a smaller zip lock bag and placed it into the bag of ice. "Now you shake for about 5 minutes."
He passes the bag to Hanuel with a towel wrapping it to prevent the cold from getting to her hands.
As Hanuel shakes the mixture, she observes Taehyun quietly from the side.
"You don't have a family?"
"I don't" Taehyun answers as he scrolls through Youtube on his phone.
"Why?"
"I'm an orphan."
"They abandoned you?"
"Yeah."
"That's... sad."
"Is it?" Taehyun looks up from his phone. "Maybe to you guys with families, it's sad. But to me, it's not. I never had one ever since I was born. So it's not sad. You guys can't imagine not having a family because you have one. I can't imagine having a family because I never had one. I don't particularly feel anything about me not having a family."
"Do you want one?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know a lot!"
"Yeah" Taehyun admits. "I think the ice cream's done, give it to me."
Hanuel passes the bag to Taehyun, allowing him to finish up and scoop the ice cream into the small bowls Beomgyu owns.
"How does it taste?"
"Average" Hanuel eats her ice cream in tiny licks and bites.
"Does it not taste good? You made it yourself. Self made food tastes the best... well second to free food."
Hanuel blinks up at him before looking back down at her simple and plain ice cream. A smile spreads across her face and she nods, agreeing with him. "It tastes good! Since I made it!"
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"Taehyun? He's cute, isn't he?" Beomgyu smiles as he walks into the elevator with his parents. He had went to fetch them after work.
"He's a good child" Mujin says.
"You like him, don't you?" Chohee asks.
Beomgyu doesnt reply but his ears are tinted red.
"You must really like him for you to be serious about it."
"Mhm" Beomgyu holds the elevator door open for them once they had reached the top floor. "He's a little difficult though. Not the best person in the world. He's pretty much still a little brat."
The couple laughs at that.
Beomgyu unlocks the door and enters the house. "We're home!"
Hanuel runs to them with a paper wand in her hand. "Look! Taehyun made it for me!"
"Is that so? It's cute" Mujin smiles and lifts his daughter up.
"We made ice cream too!" Hanuel happily reports the activities they had done together to the couple.
Beomgyu walks into the living room to see Taehyun with a paper crown on his head.
"What is this?" He bursts out laughing and takes the crown off Taehyun.
"Hanuel wanted me to wear it."
"Did you have fun?"
"I'm goddamn drained" Taehyun sighs as he lies down on the mat in the living room.
Sitting down beside the younger, Beomgyu gazes down at the space necklace Taehyun's wearing. He reaches to touch it and gently holds it in his hand. "You've done well. Thank you."
"Yeah, better pay me well" Taehyun looks up at the older.
"I will" the long haired man chuckles and pulls his hand away. "Taehyun."
"Yeah?"
"Maybe dating doesn't have to be evil."
"What's your favourite fruit?" Taehyun completely ignores the statement made by him.
"Strawberry."
"For real? Since when?"
"Since forever."
"What the fuck? I didn't know?"
"Maybe you should pay attention more, Hyunie."
"Fucking stop with that nickname I swear to god."
"Awww, Hyunie. It's cute and it fits you!"
"Fuck off! You're annoying as fuck!"
"Only annoying for you" Beomgyu winks down at him.
Taehyun groans and puts a frustrated arm over his eyes. "For fucks sake...!"
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ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ Q&ᴀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʜᴇʟᴅ! ᴅʀᴏᴘ ʏᴏᴜʀ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛᴀᴇɢʏᴜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ ꜱᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ! ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏ ʟɪᴍɪᴛꜱ! ᴀꜱᴋ ᴀꜱ ᴍᴀɴʏ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ!
ᴀʟꜱᴏ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴘʟᴀʏ?