Twilight of Shadows

Chapter 27: Dino's Little World

Mingyu stumbled into the house, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion. The day had been grueling—meeting after meeting, mediating disputes, and finalizing alliances. The weight of leadership bore down on him, but all he wanted now was to collapse onto the couch and drift into oblivion.

He barely registered Jeonghan’s soft greeting as he kicked off his shoes, his body slumping against the doorway. "Long day?" Jeonghan asked, concern lacing his voice.

Mingyu could only nod, his eyes half-closed as he let out a deep sigh.

But before he could take another step toward the couch, a familiar squeal broke through the fog of his weariness.

"Dada!"

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Little Dino's Big Welcome

Mingyu opened his eyes just in time to see Dino barreling toward him, his little hands and knees moving as fast as they could in a determined crawl. Jeonghan chuckled, stepping aside to let their son claim his prize.

"Dada, play!" Dino demanded, tugging on Mingyu’s pant leg once he reached him.

Mingyu smiled faintly, sinking to the floor. "Dada’s tired, baby," he murmured, reaching out to ruffle Dino’s hair.

But Dino was undeterred. He crawled onto Mingyu’s lap, grabbing his shirt with his tiny hands. "No tired! Play now!" he insisted, his adorable broken baby words causing Jeonghan to stifle a laugh.

"Play what?" Mingyu asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Crawl race!" Dino exclaimed proudly, his cheeks puffing out with determination.

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The Reluctant Race

Jeonghan knelt beside them, trying to hide his amusement. "Looks like you’re in for a race, Dada," he teased.

Mingyu groaned but couldn’t resist the sparkle in Dino’s eyes. "Alright, buddy. Crawl race it is."

The three of them lined up on the living room floor, with Jeonghan acting as the referee. "Ready... set... go!"

Dino took off like a rocket, his little body moving with all the enthusiasm in the world. Mingyu crawled after him at a much slower pace, pretending to struggle as Dino giggled uncontrollably.

"I win!" Dino declared as he reached the finish line—a pillow at the end of the room—and flopped onto it triumphantly.

Mingyu reached him moments later, collapsing dramatically beside him. "You’re too fast for Dada," he said with a smile.

Dino beamed, clapping his hands. "Fast Dino!"

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Showing Off New Words

After the race, Dino wasn’t done. He crawled back onto Mingyu’s lap, his little face glowing with excitement. "Dada, I show!"

"Show me what, baby?" Mingyu asked, though he was already bracing himself for whatever Dino had in store.

Dino pointed to a toy truck nearby. "Truck!" he said proudly, looking up at Mingyu for approval.

"That’s right," Mingyu said, his smile widening. "That’s a truck."

Dino’s confidence soared. He pointed at the couch next. "Couch!" Then at Jeonghan. "Mama!"

Jeonghan laughed, clapping his hands. "Good job, baby!"

Dino turned back to Mingyu, his little hands on his hips. "Dada tired?"

Mingyu chuckled. "Not so much anymore."

Dino grinned, his mission accomplished.

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A Soothing End to the Day

As the evening wore on, Dino finally began to tire. Jeonghan scooped him up, cradling him in his arms as Mingyu watched from the couch.

"Thank you for waking Dada up, baby," Mingyu said softly, his eyes filled with warmth.

Dino yawned, his little head resting on Jeonghan’s shoulder. "Dada... play again 'morrow?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Always," Mingyu promised, reaching out to kiss Dino’s forehead.

As Jeonghan carried Dino off to bed, Mingyu leaned back on the couch, his exhaustion replaced by a deep, abiding love. No matter how tired he was, no matter how hard his days became, moments like these made it all worthwhile.

In Dino’s little world, he wasn’t a leader or a strategist—he was just Dada. And that was all he ever wanted to be.