when they arrived at the house for the shoot, Daeun perked up immediately. she ran happily in the front yard, chasing a playful puppy. all giggles and babbles, she didn't notice the rock in her path until she tripped over it. she fell hard on her knees and started crying loudly.
Haechan, who had been watching her the whole time, smiled brightly and opened his arms, signaling her to get up and come to him. "it's okay, it's okay. come here, we haven't explored this big house yet, right?" she slowly got up, tears still brimming in her eyes but managing to hold them back.
Haechan noticed her limping and saw her left knee bleeding. he kept a calm face, not wanting her to freak out, and quickly ran to scoop her up, looking for the staff in charge of injuries. "Haechan appa, i got a boo boo," she sniffled.
"i'm here, don't worry. let's get it treated. where's your unnie, cutie?" he looked around, and a staff member called him over to treat her wound.
the staff member quickly and gently cleaned the scrape and applied a bandage, chatting with Daeun to keep her distracted.
"there we go, all better," Haechan said, giving her a reassuring smile as the staff member finished up.
Daeun looked at her bandaged knee and then back at Haechan. "all better?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"all better," he confirmed, kissing her forehead. "you're a brave girl, aren't you?"
she nodded, a small smile returning to her face.
--
"a week out for appas' schedules, and you have your knees wrapped, huh? have you had them injured before, angel?" Jaemin teased gently as he held her. Daeun, still quiet and pouty with freshly dried tears, avoided meeting anyone's eyes.
not all of the Dreamies were aware of Haechan and Jaemin's earlier parenting efforts. "aigoo, aegi, did you injure your knee? let me see? Jaemin-ah, let her down a sec," Mark said.
in a moment of silence, Daeun climbed onto Mark's lap. he gently caressed her injured knee and squeezed her rosy cheeks. "appa, it hurts," she cried out suddenly.
Haechan's mission to avoid her crying had failed. Mark looked at Jaemin, who was shaking his head, having tried hard to prevent her from crying earlier.
"hey, hey, shhhh, little one. now relax, appa's got you, okay? it's okay, things happened," Mark soothed, pulling her closer to lean on his chest. he smoothed her hair and kissed her temple. her cries slowly subsided as she relaxed, sipping apple juice on Mark's lap.
--
"why is it so quiet in here?" Jeno asked as he approached the staff's room after the shoot to pick up Daeun. there was almost no sound from the closed door, not even the usual chatter from the staff.
he opened the door to find her on the sofa, wrapped snugly in a staff member's jacket. little snores escaped her as she slept, her tiny hand curled into a tiny fist. she was probably exhausted from the day's events and crying.
Jeno quickly snapped a photo and then walked over to the sofa, sitting gently on the armrest. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, causing her to stir slightly. "good afternoon, princess. had a good nap?"
Daeun blinked sleepily and slowly opened her eyes, squinting at Jeno. "Jeno appa?" she mumbled, her voice still heavy with sleep.
"that's right, it's me," Jeno smiled, brushing a gentle thumb over her cheek. "you look much better now. ready to go eat?"
she nodded, rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists and letting out a soft yawn. Jeno carefully lifted her from the sofa, holding her close as he walked towards the door.
"i'm hungry," she mumbled.
"sure enough, appas are waiting for you to eat lunch together"
he carried her to the dining area where the Dreamies had gathered in a half-circle. he placed her in the center to eat lunch that Haechan ordered. the moment they saw Daeun, a chorus of "awws" and "hellos" filled the room. they watched as she rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists, still looking a bit sleepy.
she settled on Jisung's lap as they unpacked the food. Jisung quickly got to work, feeding her some kimchi jjigae with rice. Daeun's face lit up with delight, and she clapped her hands excitedly. "as expected, baby girl, you are just like me," Haechan chuckled, enjoying her reaction.
"looks like we'll have to eat kimchi jjigae during meals again, but this time without force since she enjoys it," someone joked, causing everyone to chuckle.
Daeun and Jisung were in their own little world. he kept feeding her everything they ordered—dumplings, fried chicken, and more. "good, munchkin? want more?" he asked, his smile widening as she nodded eagerly.
she was a big eater, her eyes darting around to other appas' plates. spotting Renjun's food, she reached out and took a small bite of pickled radish, savoring the new flavors. he hesitated, thinking it might be sour for her, but she bravely munched it down, though she didn't ask for more. now she understood why Jisung didn't offer her that food in the first place.
