it's the day when the Dreamies had numerous meetings for their upcoming comeback, few months before the album release. the schedules weren't too packed, but they had to attend various meetings, recording sessions, and other preparations. this time, the meetings were conducted via Zoom.
"so, we've come up with this concept for the comeback. if you guys don't have any questions, we'll proceed with the samples," the composer asked through the screen.
"i think we're all okay with it... yeah, let's move on," Mark responded as he saw the others were nodding at the suggestion before he leaned back in his chair.
Daeun was still in bed, sleeping while Mark were participating the meeting —each of the members were in different places and the leader happened to be the only one left in the dorm.
every now and then, he would peek over his iPad to see her still asleep, her small frame cocooned in the thick duvet, with only her head peeking out.
she stirred awake just as an unfamiliar man asked Mark about the concept for the project. though she had gotten enough rest, Daeun sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. this caught his attention, and he immediately turned his focus to her, lowering the volume on his iPad.
"little one, come here," he gestured for her to come over, seeing her looking clueless after waking up to an empty bed. she pry away the heavy duvet and slowly pattered over to him, holding a plushie in one hand.
she sat next to him, hugging his arm before Mark took her onto his lap. she buried her face into his chest as Mark gently patted her head. "did you sleep well?" he asked softly. she nodded into his shirt without a word, her eyes already drifting shut again
"omo, is that the pretty princess Daeun?" one of the staff members exclaimed through the video call, seeing her for the first time.
Mark chuckled, unmuting himself and turning up the volume slightly. "yeah, she just woke up," he replied, rubbing her back while she nuzzled further into him, whining softly. "Daeun-ah, hi~" another staff member chimed in cheerfully.
she peeked out from behind Mark's shoulder, her eyes widening at the sight of the crew staring at her through the screen.
"hi~" she greeted quietly before hiding again, clutching his shirt with her small fist. Laughter erupted from the crew, complimenting her shyness.
"she's always a little shy in the morning," Mark smiled into the camera, hugging his pouting daughter as he gently encouraged her to greet the elders, despite her just waking up.
throughout the meeting, Daeun sat quietly on Mark's lap, playing with his hair, babbling, and amusing herself with filters on the iPad while patiently waiting for breakfast. half an hour passed, and the meeting finally wrapped up.
unaware that her other appas had left for their individual schedules, she looked around the dorm for familiar faces.
"babaa, let's eat," she called, wandering into Renjun's room, but he wasn't there.
"Jisung appa?" she called again, only to be met with silence. "Jeno ap-"
"they're not here, baby. they're all busy today. let's stay with appa for now, okay?" Mark said, scooping her up as they headed to the kitchen. he served her scrambled eggs Haechan had made earlier, grabbed an apple for himself, and they sat at the dining table.
Daeun's frown didn't go unnoticed by Mark. she was disappointed—there was no one to play with, not even Daegal. breakfast was unusually quiet as Mark was also busy checking on his phone.
after a few minutes, she finally spoke, her big eyes glistening with a request that Mark couldn't refuse.
"appa, can we go to umm.. Daegal?" she asked, hopeful. knowing Chenle's house was nearby, she figured a short car ride wouldn't be too much trouble.
Mark thought for a moment before calling Chenle. "yo Chiller, you home? your kid wants to see Daegal—oh, you are? alright, we'll be there in 10."
-
as soon as they stepped into Chenle's house, Daeun spotted the fluffy white dog snoozing on the sofa. she tiptoed over and gently patted the soundly asleep Daegal. Chenle scooped her up from behind, earning giggles as he lifted her into the air and made a beeline to his room to fetch his phone.
"what did you eat earlier? scrambled eggs? did appa make them?" Chenle asked in mock disbelief.
Mark laughed and clarified, "nah, Haechan made them before going out."
Chenle let out a relieved sigh. "wahh, thank godness. i was worried there for a second." they both laughed, knowing Mark's less-than-stellar cooking skill.
"Lele appa?" Daeun asked in a small voice.
"yes, kitten?"
"when will she wake up?"
"maybe in 30 minutes. why?"
she shook her head, gazing at the sleeping dog as her own eyelids grew heavy. watching Daegal sleep was making her sleepy too.
Mark, amused, recorded her quietly yawning and holding onto Daegal's ear. she slowly drifted from talking to dozing off completely. as Mark was about to pick her up and move her to a bed, Chenle stopped him, laying a comforter and pillow beside the fluffy bichon for her.
"she'll want to see Daegal when she wakes up," the younger reasoned. they both kissed her forehead before quietly slipping away to the kitchen for some food he had prepared.
"let's eat. she'll be fine there," Chenle said, leading the way. Mark nodded, feeling at peace watching his daughter sleep so soundly next to her little dog friend.
