the kitchen was buzzing with the usual morning chaos as everyone gathered for breakfast together for the first time in a while. laughter and conversation filled the air, creating a warm, lively atmosphere.
Daeun, full of energy, was busy trying to balance her spoon on her nose, giggling as she concentrated. she suddenly recalled what Jeno had promised her last night, made she shot up excitedly, sending her bowl of cereal flying across the table.
milk and cereal scattered everywhere, causing a burst of laughter from the members as they watched her wide-eyed reaction.
"Daeun, watch out," Haechan warned, trying to keep his tone calm despite the cereal disaster.
unfazed by the mess, she turned her wide eyes toward Jeno with excitement. "Jeno appa, can we dance?" she asked eagerly.
Jeno glanced at her with a teasing smile. "i said we could if you got enough sleep."
Daeun's face scrunched up in concentration. she quickly slid off her stool and ran over to Mark, whispering urgently, "appa, how long?"
Mark chuckled. "about 10 hours."
"is that long?" she asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
"yeah, little one, that's a good sleep," Mark confirmed, laughing as Daeun darted back to Jeno and climbed onto his lap.
"appa said 10 sleeps, so we can dance!" she announced triumphantly.
"10 hours, princess, not 10 sleeps," Jeno corrected, laughing along with the others at her adorable mix-up.
"10 sleeps!" she insisted, pouting as their laughter filled the room, making her pout even more exaggerated.
"okay, okay. we'll go to the studio in a bit. what song do you wanna dance to?" Jeno asked, still smiling.
Daeun shrugged, clearly not having thought that far ahead. she hopped off his lap and was about to run upstairs to find her dance shoes when Renjun intercepted her mid-run.
"hey, finish your breakfast first, you eager beaver," he said playfully, scooping her up and setting her back in her seat.
"babaaa, pleaseee" she begged, kicking her legs in a half-hearted tantrum.
"nope. keep those legs still and eat your cereal, or no dancing today," Renjun warned, giving her a stern look. Mark, backing him up, shot her a glance that said, "baba is right."
she sighed dramatically but began eating her cereal, still pouting as she scooped the remaining bites.
after finishing, she was finally allowed to get ready. determined to impress, she picked out a pretty dress that Jaemin had bought her.
"Jeno appa! look!" she called out proudly, twirling at the bottom of the stairs.
"oh wow, that's amazing, princess. but we wanted to dance, so maybe pants would be better. but good job. next time, we'll dress properly, okay?" Jeno said with a grin, ruffling her hair.
Mark scooped her up, carrying her into the kitchen so she could pick out some fruit to take as snacks for the day. "okay, pretty one, when you're dancing, remember to listen to Jisung appa. but he's very... passionate, baby. so if it gets too hard, you can always come to Jeno appa, okay? he can teach you slowly," Mark advised.
Jeno, overhearing, chuckled. "hyung, she barely understands you. see?" he pointed to Daeun, who was happily munching on a banana, completely absorbed in her snack. Jeno took her into his arms, and she pressed her cheek against his, playfully squishing his face.
"she has nothing to worry about," Jeno managed to say despite his squished face, making Daeun burst into giggles. she leaned back, laughing so hard that Jeno struggled to keep hold of her. Mark's heart raced as he instinctively reached forward, ready to catch her.
finally after few minutes, dressed in her dance outfit, with her little backpack filled with snacks and juice, Daeun was ready. Jisung picked her up, and she waved goodbye, blowing kisses over his shoulder.
-
"she'll be fine. she'll get bored in a few hours, and they'll be back," Jaemin reassured Mark over his shoulder, making him jump slightly.
"yeah, it's just...yo i don't know. we go everywhere together, and now she's off alone with Jisung and Jeno. Is this wise?" Mark mused, his concern evident.
"aaa come on, we haven't finished the lyrics draft yet," Jaemin whined, tugging on his arm and dragging him back inside.
"she's fine," was the constant reassurance Mark heard from everyone as they passed by him during the next 2 hours. but the worry was still plastered across his face until Haechan came running down the hall. "HYUNG, LOOK AT THIS" he shouted, thrusting his phone into Mark's face.
Jeno had just tweeted their first official photo with Daeun. someone from the pair had put her hair in a messy bun to keep it out of the way while they danced. the first pic showed them dancing together in the studio, taken by Jisung, with their reflections visible in the big mirror.
another one showed them facing the mirror, with Jeno crouched down and Daeun perched on his knee beside Jisung. they both flashed a thumbs up, with Jeno's hand securely across her back to keep her from falling backward.
the post had already gathered thousands of likes within minutes. everyone pulled out their phones to take a closer look.
thrilled by the positive comments, they were all a bit gutted that Jeno had beaten them to being the first to post about her. but seeing how happy her looked in the photos made it impossible to be anything but overjoyed.
after all, if your daughter was happy and having a good time, then there was no reason to be sad—even if she was off without you.
