Minji was growing fast, and the chaos around her only grew with her. Now that she was crawling and babbling more, her little world was expanding rapidly. The once calm and collected Sunoo had become even more protective, especially when certain idol "uncles" started getting a little too comfortable with his baby girl. But nothing could have prepared him for the day Minji experienced her first crush.
It all started innocently enough—Minji was playing with her favorite toy, a soft rattle, while Sunoo was sitting nearby chatting with the other members. But when a familiar face showed up at the door, things took a wild turn.
“Is Minji here?” asked none other than Jeonghan from SEVENTEEN, with his signature bright smile and a gift bag in hand. He’d been visiting often, and Sunoo had long since gotten used to his easygoing presence. Jeonghan had an almost gentle aura, one that Minji seemed to love.
“Yeah, she’s here,” Sunoo replied, a little distracted as he looked at his phone. “But we’ve got a bit of a situation with—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Minji looked up from her toys and caught sight of Jeonghan standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened, her tiny lips parted into a smile that was far too big for someone so little.
"Jeonghan!" she giggled, her hands reaching out for him as if magnetized.
The members, who had been lounging around, turned their heads at the sound of her giggle. But it wasn’t just the giggle that caught their attention—it was the way Minji’s face lit up when she saw Jeonghan.
Sunoo blinked, momentarily confused. “Wait... Did she just—”
“Jeonghan?!” Jaeyun said, his voice full of amusement. “Is she... calling him?”
The room fell silent as the other members watched in awe. Jeonghan, of course, was oblivious to what had just transpired. He was holding out the gift bag toward Minji, smiling warmly.
"Hi, Minji! I brought you something," Jeonghan said, stepping inside.
Minji immediately crawled toward him, giggling the whole way, completely ignoring her usual shyness with new faces. Sunoo couldn’t help but smile, though a tinge of concern crept up. He had seen how fast Minji bonded with people, but this was different. There was something undeniably special about the way she had reacted to Jeonghan.
“Sunoo, you’ve got a problem,” Sunghoon said from the corner, eyeing Minji and Jeonghan. “She’s totally smitten.”
Before Sunoo could respond, Minji reached up with both hands, eager to be held by Jeonghan. Jeonghan bent down, gently scooping her up into his arms. “What a beautiful little girl,” Jeonghan cooed, his eyes soft with affection. “I think I’m in love.”
And that was when the storm hit.
From the moment Minji was in Jeonghan’s arms, the other members turned into overprotective uncles.
“Hey, Jeonghan, give her back,” Sunghoon demanded, stepping forward as if to intercept. “She’s still our Minji, you know?”
“Sunghoon, don’t be such a drama queen,” Jaeyun teased, smirking as he stood on the other side of Jeonghan, trying to claim Minji for himself. “She’s totally fallen for Jeonghan. Look at that smile.”
Meanwhile, Riki, who had been silently watching from the side, suddenly marched up to Jeonghan, arms crossed. “You’re getting too close, Jeonghan. Minji doesn’t need any more uncles falling for her.”
Jeonghan laughed, clearly unbothered. “She’s got a whole army of uncles. But none of them have a smile like mine, huh?”
“I’m telling you, Jeonghan,” Sunghoon continued, “that smile is going to be the end of us.”