It was another quiet afternoon at the dorm—until the loud sound of a baby crying shattered the peace.
Sunoo, who had been sitting on the couch playing a video game, blinked in surprise and immediately looked up. "Is that a baby?" he muttered, barely believing what he was hearing. The rest of the members were scattered across the living room, either scrolling through their phones or chatting, when the cry rang out again.
"I'll go check," Sunghoon said, getting up with a sigh. He opened the door to the hallway and found... nothing. Only a small baby carrier, with the most adorable infant inside. The crying stopped as Sunghoon approached, and he gently lifted the carrier into the dorm.
"What is going on?" Jay asked, his voice full of confusion.
"I don’t know," Sunghoon replied, looking around, "but someone left this here."
The baby, no more than a few months old, stared up at them, her big eyes full of innocence but somehow heavy with unspoken questions. There was a note tucked into the carrier with a single line written on it: Please take care of her. Her father is gone.
Sunoo stood up, his eyes wide as he walked over to the baby. Something about her face seemed familiar, almost like a fleeting memory. But before he could think too deeply about it, the baby made a soft gurgle and slowly blinked her eyes open, focusing on Sunoo.
The moment their gazes met, a soft, almost magical silence filled the room. The baby smiled—then, to everyone’s shock, she let out one simple word:
"Dad."
Sunoo froze, his heart skipping a beat. The others stared at him in shock, their eyes wide. He was speechless, a mix of disbelief and confusion taking over his face. "Did she just...?"
"Did that baby just call you 'dad'?" Jaeyun asked, blinking rapidly.
Sunoo, in his shock, could only laugh nervously. "That’s impossible. I’ve never seen her before in my life." But his voice trailed off as he found himself inexplicably drawn to the baby, an overwhelming sense of responsibility settling over him. "But... what if she’s right?" he whispered, almost to himself.
"Bro, you can't be serious," Sunghoon chuckled, trying to ease the tension. "You just got called 'dad' by a random baby who was left in front of our dorm."
"I—I don’t know what to do," Sunoo admitted, his eyes softening as he gently reached out to hold the baby. Her small fingers curled around his thumb, and the warmth of her touch melted his uncertainty. "I... I guess I’ll take care of her."
The chaos that followed was inevitable. The group of seven members, who were used to chaos of their own making, suddenly found themselves in the midst of parenting 101. Heeseung tried to soothe the baby by singing, but it only made her cry louder. Riki, the youngest, looked horrified at the thought of changing a diaper. And Jungwon, despite his maturity, looked utterly lost when it came to handling a bottle.
Jay couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. "This is so wild. I can’t believe Sunoo’s a dad now."
"I’m not a dad," Sunoo corrected, flustered but determined. "I’m just... taking care of her. For now."
"But she called you ‘dad,’" Sunghoon teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Looks like you’re stuck with the title, Sunoo."
Despite the playful teasing and the chaos of the situation, Sunoo’s heart felt fuller than it ever had before. There was something about the baby, her innocent eyes staring at him like he was the one who could fix the world, that made him feel like he was meant for this. Maybe, just maybe, he could be the father she needed.
And so, in the middle of all the mess, the group began their new, unexpected journey into parenthood, with Sunoo taking on the role of a single dad—whether he was ready for it or not.
