Midnight Mist

Extra Part - Sssttt... Don't Let Eomma Know

Yuhuuuuu, The Lee family is back!!!

Give them some loves

and enjoy this

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Extra Part - "Sssttt... Don't Let Eomma Know"

Antares leaned against the railing, watching Grace glide across the ice with grace and confidence. A serious and determined look on her face, concentrating on every move as her little figure cutting through the rink with surprising skill for someone her age.

He noticed her little habits—the way she puckered her lips when she was concentrating, or the slight smile when she successfully completed a difficult move. He couldn't help but smile, feeling a deep sense of pride swell in his chest. She really had grown into her own with ice skating. He couldn't wait to tell Luna about Grace's progress.

The instructor gave her a nod of approval as Grace executed an axel jump, and Antares clapped softly from where he stood. Grace glanced his way and noticed he was there. She flashed a big grin, waving excitedly. He waved back, giving her a thumbs-up.

When the class ended, Grace rushed towards him, cheeks flushed from the exercise. "Appa, did you see me? I did the double axel!" she exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on her skates.

Antares bent down and hugged her. "I saw it! You did amazing, princess. I'm so proud of you."

***

They walked hand in hand and left the ice rink. She was still bubbling with excitement as she jumped in every step. He chuckled. "Should we go for galbitang now, Princess?"

Grace stopped her pace. She looked up at Antares. "Can we have pizza, Appa? I really want to eat pizza now," She knew Luna wouldn't usually allow pizza midweek, but Grace's hopeful eyes were hard to resist.

Antares hesitated for a moment, thinking of Luna's strict rule about weekday junk food. But the moment he saw Grace's hopeful eyes, how could he ignore that. He smiled conspiratorially. "Should we?" his eyes borrowed to teased Grace as he said dramatically, "But what if Eomma knows we break the rule? She is so scary when she is angry."

Grace pouted.

And just like that, Antares lowered himself down and swiped her up in his arms. "But she will never know as long as you promise to not tell her."

She chuckled and exclaimed. "Promise! I won't tell!"

They snuck off to a small pizza place nearby, where they shared a large pizza with extra cheese, laughing and chatting about her ice skating class. The whole time, Grace was in a state of pure joy, loving the secret between them.

"Appa, this is the best!" Grace said through a mouthful of pizza, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Antares laughed. "I'm glad you're happy, but remember, not a word to Eomma!"

Grace mimicked zipping her lips shut. "Not a word!"

***

Later that evening, Antares' phone buzzed just as he and Grace got home. It was Luna, finally calling after her long flight to Bali. He swiped to answer, her face appearing on the screen.

"Hi," Luna smiled, her face a little tired but still radiant after the trip. "How's my favorite duo doing? Did you miss me already?"

Antares grinned. "Of course. How was the flight?"

Luna sighed, glancing over at a cranky-looking Eden who was dozing off. "It was okay, but Eden was a little restless. He kept fussing like he was looking for you and Grace. I think he missed you both."

Grace popped into view, waving eagerly at the screen. "Eomma! I miss you too! Eden looks sleepy."

Luna chuckled. "He's finally calming down. We'll be fine once we settle in. How was your skating today?"

Antares' heart softened at the thought of Eden missing them. "Poor little guy," he said quietly. "We'll be there soon enough."

Luna chuckled softly. "You'd better be. He's going to demand extra Appa cuddles when you get here."

"We'll make it up to him," Antares promised. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Luna said. "Just tired from the flight. But Gwen already took care of everything here, so I'll finally get some rest."

"Take it easy," Antares said softly. "Grace and I are doing just fine here."

Luna paused, "No secrets, right?"

Antares glanced at Grace, who flashed him a knowing smile. "Of course not," he said with a grin, giving Grace a wink.

"Okay, okay," Luna narrowed her eyes, but those two on the screen were just grinning. At that moment she already knew, just because she knew them too well, and she would let it slip.

Luna yawned. "I am so sleepy now. I'll call again tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you too," Antares said before hanging up. He turned to Grace. "Alright, Gracey, our secret's still safe—for now."

Grace giggled again, happy to have shared a little mischief with her dad. "Eomma will never know!"

Antares smiled, leaning back on the couch. "Let's hope so."

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