Childish laughter and excited chatter filled the air as the preschoolers filed out from the school's main building, cautiously walking on the slippery path to the main gate.
The rest of the Ri family was standing outside the school gates, waiting for their youngest member to join them for lunch at her favorite pizzeria, before doing some Christmas shopping at the mall.
"Oh, there she is!" Se-ri pointed to her little girl, easily recognized by her pastel pink unicorn jacket and white knit leggings.
Initially smiling, Jeong Hyeok raised a hand to wave, before freezing in mid-air upon realizing something was amiss.
Instead of leisurely walking with her friends, Jin-ah was alone, taking long, swift strides as if bent on increasing the distance between herself and another girl trailing behind.
"Why are you walking so quickly, if you didn't do anything wrong?" The other girl, whom Se-ri quickly recognized as one of her business competitors' daughter named Kim Sujin, was following closely, clearly engaged in an argument with Jin-ah.
Despite the taunts from her classmate, Jin-ah did not reply.
Instead, the six year-old trudged ahead, keeping her eyes on the ground.
"Ri Jin-ah is a coward! North Korean!" Her classmate was relentless.
Se-ri gasped as Jin-ah came to an abrupt halt in her footsteps; the rest of the family could not really see the little girl's facial expression from the way her head hung low, but it was clear that Jin-ah was being bullied.
To Ri Jeong Hyeok, it no longer mattered if discrimination came his way— now close to mid-forties, he has long moved on from the days when he used to mind how others viewed him.
He wasn't quite worried about Se-ri facing prejudicial treatment for choosing a North Korean spouse.
If anything, Jeong Hyeok would certainly fear more for the safety of the individual who'd dare let the heiress find out about his or her intolerance towards North Koreans.
However, when it came to Jeong Hwan and Jin-ah, things were entirely different.
As much as it irked him to acknowledge the harsh reality, the typically-fearless ex-military captain feared.
He was constantly burdened by the possibility of his children facing injustice out there on their own; Jeong Hwan and Jin-ah are so precious, they are his world and more.
Yet he knew he couldn't always play guardian angel to them.
Jeong Hyeok was aware he could never constantly shield them from all the evils in the world, so like every other parent, he held his own fair share of concerns.
Truthfully speaking, he wasn't too worried when it came to Jeong Hwan.
The boy has always kept a cool head and displayed resilience in times of adversity, choosing to quietly resolve problems instead of facing them head-on with ferocity.
Jin-ah was very different from her older brother.
His little sweetheart, for all the cuteness and love she housed in her 117cm frame, had inherited Se-ri's temper and most certainly outshone her mother in terms of her feistiness.
Back in toddlerhood, Jin-ah was always the one who bit or pushed other little kids first whenever they vied for toys in preschool.
Initially, Se-ri had felt grossly insulted when her little girl was accused of aggression, until it got too obvious to ignore.
So Jeong Hyeok came to terms with the fact that they had a little spitfire on their hands, especially when even Se-ri herself subsequently gave up, settling for apologizing whenever their daughter got into trouble at school.
As his little girl gradually grew up, Jeong Hyeok's efforts at managing her fiery temper has culminated in a promise on Jin-ah's part that she would not resort to physical violence when resolving issues.
Now, witnessing his daughter suffer in front of his eyes, the pianist felt like his heart was being clenched in a tight fist, excruciatingly painful and yet helpless. He would have loved to give that child a piece of his mind, but that wouldn't place Jin-ah, or their family, in a good light.
"I'm talking to you! You North Korean girl!" Came Sujin's voice again, loud and clear.
"Jin-ah!" Her protective brother gasped as the conversation unfolded, before turning to his parents. "I have to go help her."
"No, wait." Se-ri placed a hand on Jeong Hwan's shoulder.
The eight year-old retorted. "But that girl is bullying my sister!"
Squeezing her eyes shut, the six year-old clutched her lunch bag in a white-knuckled grip, silently counting to five.
Mommy always said, the insecure ones make the most noise. Giving bullies a minute of her time or even an ounce of attention, would be too much.
Besides, she had a promise with her hero to keep.
"My Daddy said all North Koreans are bad people. They can't be trusted." Sujin added loudly. "Is that why you won best artwork, when mine was clearly nicer?"
"Stop saying that!" Jin-ah finally snapped, whirling around. "I won't allow you to say bad things about my Daddy."
"Also, my Daddy said that your Mommy stole our business!"
That came as a rude shock to the heiress. While it was true that Seri's Choice had emerged victorious in clinching a partnership with a certain hotel group to supply their personal hygiene items, there was nothing underhanded in the process.
Se-ri released a shaky sigh, feeling the winter chill more than ever until Jeong Hyeok instinctively pulled her closer to himself in a tight hold.
It was more than discrimination; her baby girl was suffering the fallout from the toxic competition between the adults.
At this juncture, all three members of the Ri family were certain— Sujin was about to be on the receiving end of a massive blow-up.
Silently, Jin-ah stepped forward, stopping only when she was right in front of the slightly shorter girl.
"...you are just jealous, aren't you?" She pointed out coolly, in a tone that screamed Yoon Se-ri. "It's okay if you scold me. Just don't let me hear you say nasty things about my Daddy and Mommy."
Irate at being called out, Sujin stamped her feet in frustration, before giving Jin-ah a hard push that sent the unsuspecting girl to the ground.
The lunchbox in Jin-ah's hands fell to the ground with an ominous thud, rolling to the side of the path.
Not caring if she was still on the ground, the little girl clambered over, frantically opening her lunchbox to check on its contents.
At this point, Jeong Hwan no longer cared, breaking free of Se-ri's hold to sprint through the school gates to where his sister was.
Helping her up, while glaring icily at the other girl, the little boy put his arm around Jin-ah's shoulders after brushing slush off her skirt and leggings.
From where they were, Jeong Hyeok and Se-ri could see their son constantly try to engage his sister in conversation, with limited success.
Lips pressed in a tight line, the little girl remained stonily silent even upon seeing her parents, as they walked to the car.
"I'll go to the back with her."
The heiress met her husband's eyes, before nodding thoughtfully. She will have to talk to Kim Sujin's parents, but that can wait. "I'll drive then."
"Jin-ah, you said you were making a surprise for Daddy, didn't you?" Se-ri asked kindly when everyone was securely seated, glancing into the rear view mirror to watch her little girl's reaction.
Pressing her trembling lips together, Jin-ah shook her head stubbornly, refusing to relinquish her hold on the lunch box in her hands.
Gently prying her fingers off the box, Jeong Hyeok kissed his little girl on her head, before giving her an encouraging smile.
The exterior of the lunch box was still soiled with slush and bits of sand.
"Did you make this for me? That's so sweet of you, my Jin-ah."
"...but it's ruined..." She started in a small voice that subsequently broke, crumbling into tears of frustration, indignity and sadness.
Shaking his head in refutation while keeping a smile on his face, Jeong Hyeok opened the box to reveal Jin-ah's intended surprise.
Broken into four large pieces, with a sprinkling of tiny crumbs sticking to the fondant, was a snow angel cookie with a music note in its middle.
The little girl's sobs grew louder as she caught sight of the broken angel cookie in her father's hands.
It was badly broken indeed, irreparably so.
But to Ri Jeong Hyeok, it was the most beautiful cookie he had ever laid eyes on.
In the bits and pieces of cookie and fondant icing, he saw his daughter's love, the way she had bravely kept to her end of the promise, and how she had defended Se-ri and himself without resorting to violence.
He had always thought himself to be her guardian angel, but Jin-ah proved today, that she was his angel as well.
"Jin-ah, I think the angel broke itself into four pieces, because she knew you'd have liked for all of us to share it."
Popping a piece of the cookie into his mouth, the pianist smiled while chewing, "This is the most delicious cookie I have ever eaten."
As his little girl leaned into his embrace from the car seat, sobbing even harder, Jeong Hyeok found himself blinking back tears.
"Thank you, Jin-ah."