Daeun found herself swept up in the bustling activities of the NCT in the studio, by the afternoon. she moved from one group of members to another, her laughter brightening up everyone's day.
Mark, who had just finished his monitoring session, spotted Daeun chatting animatedly with Chenle near the snack table. he walked over with a gentle smile, crouching down to her eye level, gently ruffling her hair. "you good, little one? you aren't tired?" it's his first time letting her be by herself for a long time and she did a good job handling it. he was proud for sure.
"just now she had Kun ge carry her on his back with YangYang chasing them around the studio-" Chenle chuckled. "when he put her down she was asking for you, seeing you wasn't around, she came to me instead" Chenle grinned watching her pouting while staring at the floor, the tiredness was starting to take over her body.
elsewhere in the studio, she saw Haechan had taken a break from his dance practice and was lounging on a couch, scrolling through his phone. Daeun toddled up to him, clutching her plushie tightly. "Chan appa, look!" she exclaimed, showing him the hairpin she had acquired earlier.
Haechan grinned, setting his phone aside to focus on her. "woww, who gave it to you? did you say thank you?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Daeun nodded proudly, showing off her prized possession, a gift from winwin. "appa said we'll meet everyone again at lunch.." she announced. Haechan nodded knowingly. "that's right that's right. we'll all have lunch together soon. are you hungry now?" he asked, glancing around to see if anyone had brought snacks.
Daeun nodded eagerly, her stomach rumbling in agreement. "mmm" she said quietly, pout on display. Haechan chuckled, picking her up and settling her on his lap. "let's wait a bit more, food will arrive soon," he reassured her, his affectionate gaze fixed on her.
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Daeun was seated between Jisung and Jaemin, her small frame was the only one that could fit the space between the buffy duo. Jisung engaged her in playful banter, occasionally stealing bites of food from her plate with a mischievous grin. "munchkin, you gonna finish all that by yourself? should i help?" he teased, earning whines from Daeun as she playfully swatted at his hand.
on her other side, Jaemin watched over her like a doting father, ensuring she ate well. he helped her cut her food when she struggled with the chopsticks and encouraged her to try new dishes. across them, Jungwoo and Haechan engaged in a light-hearted debate about who could eat the spiciest kimchi, their antics drawing laughs from everyone at the table.
the others joined in with their own stories, their voices mixing with the background chatter of the staff members and dancers who had joined them for lunch. throughout the meal, Daeun's curiosity led her to ask questions about how the concert would be. she listened intently, though barely understand, as Johnny explained how they interact with fans during their performances, while Taeyong animatedly told her how there would be bubbles and confetti, also the changing colour lights everywhere.
_
as lunchtime wound down, they all parted ways to go for individual schedules and some going for content shooting at their assigned place.
meanwhile NCT dream, they had to practice more for their upcoming comback, 'ISTJ'. the members gathered around, ready to start a live broadcast on Weverse to connect with Czennies as they had few hours before the practice. the studio buzzed with excitement as they set up the cameras and prepared to go live.
Daeun who had spent a lively and fulfilling morning, was starting to feel the effects of her busy day. she clung to Mark, her eyes drooping with each passing minute.
"hello, Czennies!" the Dreamies chorused, waving enthusiastically at the camera. the comment section flooding the live chat with messages of love and excitement. Mark, with Daeun settled comfortably on his lap, gave a warm smile to the camera. "so, everyone! we have a special guest with us today. meet Daeunie!" the camera panned to show the kid, who by now was nestled against Mark's chest, her eyes half-closed. she gave a small wave, her head resting on Mark's shoulder, looking utterly adorable.
Jaemin leaned in to address the viewers. "she's had a busy day rehearsing with us. i think she's a bit tired now." Jisung, sitting next to Mark, gently brushed a strand of hair from Daeun's face. "yeah, she played- no worked really hard today."
as the broadcast continued, the members shared updates about their preparations for the upcoming NCT Nation concert, their excitement tangible. "ah i'm suddenly craving for pretzel" Haechan intentionally gave hint about their b-sides, making Jisung stiffled his laugh.
which of course didn't went unnoticed by the viewers.
throughout the broadcast, Daeun's presence added an extra layer of warmth. at one point, she shifted slightly, nuzzling closer to Mark, and then drifted off to sleep. the fans couldn't help but flood the chat with heart emojis and comments about how cute she looked.
"okay, Daeun out," Jeno said with a chuckle, pointing to Daeun. Mark nodded, smiling fondly at the sleeping child in his arms. "she had a great day with all her uncles." the members taking turns reading fan comments, answering questions, and even performing a few impromptu song snippets to keep the energy high.
they made sure to highlight Daeun's contributions to their day, sharing funny anecdotes from their time together. Renjun grinned while reading a comment, "Daeun-ah should we change position? give this auntie chance too haha"
Renjun nodded thoughtfully "yeah goodluck with that." the fans were delighted, filling the chat with messages of support and adoration for Daeun and the Dreamies. as they went through the comment section, Jisung couldn't help but to notice few hate comments that had been spamming the comment section since the start of the live. he made a mental note to talk about it the next day with the hyungs.
