One Day at a Time

Chapter 1

The night was growing dark quickly as the cool, fall wind tousled his dark hair. It was the time when families began to sit around the kitchen table to eat dinner, but for Hongjoong, he still had to walk to his parents' house. His day at work was terrible and ended on a sour note. From being pushed around by his manager, to the HR being on his ass about every tiny thing he did wrong. He could never catch a break from it.

Today, however, his employer had enough of him and they let him go. Hongjoong was jobless once again.

It wasn't as if he was doing it on purpose. People just didn't like him. They told him he was a show off, said that he was being too good at his low level job and that he needed to stop making the others look bad. It wasn't 'good for the company's image' they would say.

He scoffs at the memory of early. His manager screamed his head off about how he was a smart ass and how he always talked back, which was far from the truth.

Hongjoong was always about doing the right thing and striving to be the best at what he does. The people he worked with found that too intimidating. It hurt him.

He just wanted to be appreciated and respected. Why was that so hard to find?

The familiar cliche grey siding house with the same old, worn down wrap around porch that he always knew, finally came into view. He never really missed living here. It had too many sad, childhood memories attached to it, but here he was, still walking up to the same home he knew.

The moment he reached the front door, he could hear a familiar scream followed by a high pitch laughter. It made a smile grow on his face as he opens the door.

"Daddy!!" A small body slams itself into Hongjoong as a laugh erupts out of him, causing him to wrap his arms tightly around his favorite person.

"Princess!" This was one thing he enjoyed after a long day of work. His daughter, Mina, was his best friend and the sunshine in his dark, cloudy life. "Ready to go home, cutie?"

She quickly nods, running to grab her things. While he waited for her, his mom walked briskly over to him from her standing position on the other side of the room.

"Hey, thank you for picking up Mina again from school. They had me stay late again, but I can assure you that I won't be late again tomorrow," he says, feeling the scowl of his mother beam down on him.

She scoffs while crossing her arms, "Really? What's the excuse this time? Or did you forget you had a daughter? It's been seven years and you can't get your act together."

"I'm trying, Mom. It's hard on my own." He says with sadness melting into his words.

She stares at him before shaking her head, "Excuses. Anyways, why did they have you stay late this time?"

Hongjoong looks down at his feet, shame rising in him. He almost didn't want to say, give her a lie so that she wouldn't berate him. "They let me go."

The only response he received from his mom was a slap on the arm. He didn't need her to say anything for him to know what that meant.

"You know, I think it would be best if Mina lived with us. I'm tired of your terrible behavior and you not caring about Mina's well being. Hongjoong, I'm giving you a week to fix this act of yours. If you can't get it together, then Mina comes to live with us and you have no choice in the matter." She purses her lips, glare evident on her face, before she turns around to leave the front entry way.

Once again, nothing he did was good enough. His heart felt bruised and mentally, he was extremely worn out. There was the disappointment he was always used to receiving.

"Okay, Daddy! Let's go home!" His favorite person laughs and runs out the front door, expecting him to run after her. So, he does.

He runs over to match her running pace and the moment he reaches her, he picks her up and swings his daughter around. The sound of her laughter in the night echos in his ears. This was the moment he felt most alive. Nothing could take away the love he had for her.

"Okay, so, I need to ask you a very important question." Mina nods in response. "Were you a good girl at school today?"

She giggles looking at her dad, Hongjoong still holding her in his arms. "I was, Daddy. I even made a friend, too! Her name is Chaeyoung and she's Mr. Sanshine and Mr. Yuyu's daughter. She's really fun!"

"Ahh, really? I'm so proud of you for making a friend, bubs. I know it's been hard lately. Those other kids don't know what they're missing! You're the coolest girl in the whole wide world!" Hongjoong smiles widely hearing her laugh in response. He pokes her nose causing her to wrinkle it up.

"And you're the coolest boy in the whole wide world, Daddy!" She beams proudly.

Hongjoong gasps, "The coolest?!" When she nods, he lets his jaw fall open further which fueled her laughter. He loved these moments with Mina. They were the perfect distractions from his hardships and made everything worth it.

"When we get home, since it's late, we have to get ready for bed. What story do you want me to read you?" He asks as they continue their walk.

She pulls out a face full of thought, with her eyebrows furrowing together and her lips pursing into a tiny pout. "Actually, can you sing to me tonight? I love hearing you sing."

Hongjoong lightly laughs before nodding. He would do anything to make her smile because she was his source of happiness.