Kisa’s breath catches. Angrily, Seokga punches the tiny little letters on the screen into what he feels is an elegant way of defending his—of defending Kisa.

Seokga: fucko ff leave her OUT of ti his!!

With gusto and some pride at his improving texting skills, Seokga shuts off his phone and rams it back into his pocket. A hesitant light yellow color blooms on Kisa’s end of the thread, and when it reaches him, Seokga is surprised to feel such warm gratitude from her.

“Your spelling is still atrocious,” she says quickly, looking embarrassed.

Seokga smirks.

“While we wait for Hajun and Somi,” Kisa adds a long moment later, almost shyly, “perhaps we can take Hwanin to the sundeck? Babies need air, you know, even if the air here isn’t exactly…well, fresh…”

Seokga hesitates. Jeoseung’s ungodly blazing red sun will be out, and even as an adult, Hwanin’s skin was abnormally sensitive to heat. “I don’t want him to get a heat rash,” Seokga explains after a moment, feeling a strange surge of protectiveness toward the child.

Kisa smiles. “That can be easily prevented,” she reassures him, and ten minutes later, they’re in one of the SRC Flatliner’s many shops, browsing for a tiny pair of sunglasses and a tiny sunbonnet for the former heavenly emperor.

“This one,” Kisa suggests, holding up a bright pink atrocity with little flowers all over it. Seokga gags.

“It’s too cheerful,” he snaps before he can stop himself, and winces. But Kisa—to his pleasant surprise—laughs softly.

“You like fashion,” she guesses, returning the hat to its shelf and picking out another, this one a dark green that Seokga immediately likes. “You always look…You’re always in style. Don’t you ever wear T-shirts?”

“I would rather die.” He’s holding Hwanin uncomfortably in his arms, and he could swear the infant snorts at his dramatic words.

The dokkaebi at the boutique’s counter snickers before Seokga glares at her and she turns her attention back to the glossy magazine she’s flipping through. It’s an issue of fucking Godly Gossip. The headline reads, Hunky Hwanung Follows in His Father’s Footsteps! Read More About the Interim Emperor Here! Hwanung is winking on the cover in a way that makes the trickster god want to set the page on fire. Perhaps he will.

Seokga clenches his jaw and refuses the urge. With difficulty.

Dr. Jang should be proud.

“Even this one?” Kisa asks, holding up a horrible tie-dye. His face wrinkles in disgust before he can stop it.

“Hwanung’s tits—” On the atrociously blotty fabric, big bubble letters read: Let’s Get Ship-Faced!