Jungkook, a single father of his five year old daughter aera, His daughter longs for her mother, who vanished five years ago.
Jungkook, haunted by the ghosts of his past relationship, had yet to explain why her Mommy wasn't there.
A mistake, a rash...
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"What's your name, little one?" he asked softly. Aera sniffled again, wiping a snotty tear away with the back of her hand. Her grip on his shirt loosened slightly, she looked up at him with eyes that shone red and puffy.
"A-Aera"
The moment Aera said her name, a gasp escaped Taehyung's lips. His eyes widened in shock, pupils dilating as if struck by lightning, He stared down at the little girl in his arms
Aera. It was the same name he whispered to himself every night, the name of his own little girl. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision, He tightened his hold on her subconsciously, afraid to let her go.
"You know," Taehyung whispered, wiping a stray tear away with his thumb
"Since you think I'm your M-Mommy," he continued, his voice cracking slightly, "you can call me that if you want. It's okay."
After hearing tae's soothing words, Aera's watery eyes widened in surprise A big, genuine smile, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, began to form on Aera's lips. It was a smile that lit up her entire face, chasing away the remnants of tears and replacing them with a newfound joy.
"Yay! Mumma!" she exclaimed, she giggled cutely showing her bunny teeth, her eyes crinkled in corners as she laughed, It was a sound so similar to J-Jungkook's melodious laughter that it sent a jolt through him, a bittersweet moment of his life he desperately missed.
Aera squeezed Taehyung even tighter in a hug, burying her face back into taehyung's embrace Taehyung chuckled as he hugged her back tightly, his arms wrapping around her small frame, He leaned down placing a soft kiss on her forehead
"Come on, let's go back to the class, Aera," Taehyung smiled patting her back softly
Aera pulled away slightly from his embrace, she tilted her head in confusion, her large, tear-washed eyes gazing up at him. "No, Aera," she said, pointing at herself with a chubby finger, "papa calls me princess."
Taehyung laughed, the sound of his laughter echoing in the empty classroom. It had been a long time since genuine happiness had graced his lips
He brushed a stray strand of hair from Aera's face, the simple gesture surprisingly calming. "Alright, alright, Princess Aera," he said, his voice teasing yet gentle "Ready to go back to class and see your friends?"
"Yes! I am ready!"
Aera beamed, her earlier tears completely forgotten, She took Taehyung's hand, her small fingers fitting perfectly within his large ones.
"Let's go, mommy!" she smiled, a happy skip in her step as they walked back to the classroom, taehyung chuckled, the sound echoing warmly in the hallway. He squeezed her hand gently
The bell rang its loud "ding-dong!" sound, letting everyone know that school was finally over! The classroom erupted in cheers and happy claps. Children, jumped out of their seats, backpacks bouncing, eager to greet their parents and siblings waiting outside.
Taehyung stood near the door, waving goodbye to each smiling face as the students ran out. But then, his eyes landed on a little figure on a chair at the back of the room.
It was Aera. Her usual bright smile was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her tiny lips were formed into a pout, and she had her chin resting on her small hands, looking like a sad little puppy.
Taehyung quickly excused himself from a conversation with a group of parents and walked over to Aera, Taehyung knelt down beside Aera. "Hey, princess, Where did that beautiful bunny smile of yours go?"
"Dada late, late," Aera pouted, her little brows furrowed. Taehyung patted her head with a sigh thinking how Aera's father is irresponsible cant pick her up on time "Maybe dada just has a lot of work today, princess," he reassured her.
Suddenly aera made a weird face, taehyung raised his eyebrows
"What happened prince-"
"Aera wants to go potty!" she said in her high pitched voice hopping off her chair.
Taehyung also stood up to accompany aera, but Aera stopped him with a giggle.
"No Mommy," she said "Aera is a big girl now! She will go alone!" Taehyung's smiled He watched the little princess bolted away, her tiny ponytail bouncing with each step.
Taehyung saw aera's books sprawled on the table, "big girl" taehyung mumbled with a smile as he picked up from the table putting the books back on Aera's bag
As he zipped up the bag, his fingers brushed against something smooth and cold. Curious, he reached inside and pulled out a small photo frame.
The moment he saw the picture inside, Taehyung's breath hitched, It was a picture of him and Jungkook, and a tiny baby swaddled in a blue blanket.
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In the photo, there was a big bunny smile on jungkook's face, his arm was wrapped around Taehyung's shoulder. candle lights glinted off their youthful faces, casting a warm glow on the scene. Taehyung held the baby girl close, their eyes filled with love and happiness.
Taehyung stared at the picture, they took the photo at the night of aera's birth, Taehyung's mind raced, He clutched the picture frame tightly, his eyes glued to the happy family.
Everything suddenly started to make sense – Aera kept calling him "Mommy", Aera's longing for her Mommy also the same name which taehyung gave his daughter
Could it be...? No, it couldn't be... but...
Aera, his daughter?
Taehyung's heart pounded in his chest He needed answers, He rushed towards a small cupboard in the classroom. He opened the door, revealing shelves filled with folders and papers.
With trembling fingers, he pulled out a big, thick book of special list with all the students' names in it. His eyes darted across the pages, searching for Aera's name.
He scanned line by line, his pulse quickening with each passing second. There, nestled between the names of yeonjun and Hanni, was the entry he craved. Aera (Last Name: Jeon). Age: 5. Guardian: Jeon Jungkook (Relationship: Father).
Jeon Aera. And below it, a date that took his breath away. Her birthday. It was today, December 14
Taehyung's gasp echoed through the empty classroom. taehyung gulped realising that Aera... is her daughter. His own flesh and blood, his precious baby girl, a piece of his heart he thought he'd lost forever, stood before him this morning
Taehyung's eyes blurred with tears, taehyung clutched the photo frame tight against his chest, tears streamed down his face like a broken dam
