Daughter's question

Chapter 3

The morning was peaceful until Aerina, wide-eyed and curious as ever, crawled onto the bed where her parents lay wrapped in each other’s arms. With her bunny in hand, she shuffled between them, eyes gleaming with the questions that had been swirling in her little head.

“Eomma! Appa!” she called, her voice sweet but insistent.

Taehyung groaned softly, barely opening one eye. “Mmm… morning, princess,” he mumbled, pulling the blanket up to cover Jungkook, who was still fast asleep, his face nuzzled into Taehyung’s chest.

Aerina, impatient, tugged at Jungkook’s arm. “Eomma! I have a question!”

Jungkook stirred, blinking drowsily. “Hmm? What is it, sweetie?”

Aerina wasted no time, sitting up straight. “Why do you and Appa always sleep so close together? It’s like you’re glued!”

Jungkook's sleepy eyes widened at the sudden question, his cheeks turning pink. “Uh… w-well…” He glanced at Taehyung, silently begging for help.

Taehyung stretched with a sly grin on his face, clearly amused by the situation. “It’s because Eomma likes to cuddle,” he teased, watching as Jungkook’s face flushed even more.

Aerina frowned, thinking hard. “But why? You two are always hugging and kissing, even in bed. Is that what grown-ups do?”

Jungkook choked, looking helplessly at Taehyung. “W-Well, when people love each other, they… they like to be close,” he stammered, trying to maintain his composure.

Taehyung, enjoying Jungkook’s flustered state, smirked. “That’s right, angel. When you love someone, you want to hold them close. It’s just something special we do.”

Aerina blinked, clearly not fully understanding. “But you kiss a lot too! Do you have to kiss all the time?”

Taehyung chuckled, leaning back on the bed. “We don’t *have* to kiss all the time,” he said, his voice dropping teasingly as he gave Jungkook a playful glance, “but I like to.”

Jungkook’s face turned an even brighter shade of red as he buried it into the pillow. “Tae…”

“Why though?” Aerina continued, her curiosity growing. “Does kissing make you love each other more?”

Both parents froze again, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation that wouldn’t lead to even more awkward questions.

“Well…” Taehyung started, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Kissing is a way to show love, yes. But it’s also something that makes us feel happy and connected.”

Jungkook nodded quickly, still trying to avoid eye contact. “It’s like giving a hug, but… different.”

“Different how?” Aerina asked, blinking innocently.

Jungkook was out of words at this point, his brain scrambling. He glanced desperately at Taehyung, who was clearly enjoying every second of his flustered state.

“W-Well, sweetie,” Jungkook began cautiously, “it’s just something grown-ups do when they’re in love. You don’t need to worry about it right now.”

Aerina, however, wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “But what about when Appa kisses you and makes those noises at night?”

Both Taehyung and Jungkook turned crimson, completely caught off guard. Aerina’s innocent curiosity was pushing them into dangerous territory.

“What… what noises?” Jungkook stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

Aerina shrugged nonchalantly. “Sometimes you sound like you’re… uh… out of breath? Like you’re really tired but happy?”

Jungkook’s face went from pink to bright red in an instant, while Taehyung let out a soft laugh, trying to hold it together. “Well, angel,” Taehyung began, trying to sound casual, “sometimes Eomma gets a little… excited when we’re close.”

Jungkook elbowed Taehyung in the side, mortified, while Aerina seemed to think deeply about this new information.

“So, is that why you tickle Eomma at night, Appa?” she asked, her innocent gaze locked onto Taehyung. “I’ve seen you do it when you think I’m asleep.”

Jungkook buried his face in his hands, groaning softly. “*Tae, stop laughing,*” he mumbled under his breath, his whole body radiating embarrassment.

Taehyung, on the other hand, was clearly having fun with this. “Well, sometimes I like to make Eomma laugh. It’s fun to see him smile when he’s sleepy.”

“But Eomma always makes those funny noises,” Aerina pressed on, frowning slightly. “Like… like he’s out of breath.”

“Ah…” Taehyung grinned, quickly swooping in to pick Aerina up before she could ask more. “Maybe you should stop sneaking into our room at night, angel. That way, you won’t hear anything funny!”

Aerina pouted, kicking her legs playfully in Taehyung’s arms. “But I like sleeping with you!”

Taehyung laughed, swinging her around in the air as she giggled. “Well, we’ll see about that. Maybe tonight you’ll get your own cuddles from your bunny instead.”

Jungkook, still blushing, sat up slowly, shaking his head. “Tae, you’re terrible at this…”

“I thought I did pretty well, actually,” Taehyung teased, giving Jungkook a wink as he carried Aerina off toward the kitchen.

Jungkook groaned but couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as he followed them. Despite the endless awkward questions and blush-inducing moments, there was never a dull day with their curious daughter.

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