don't need your love ° nct dream

eight

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"please don't cry, no, no, please." jeno could hear his friend's voice begged. he rolled his eyes in amusement when he heard the kid cry, wailing loudly as jaemin kept trying with his baby voice.

it was his first day working behind the scenes of the studio, and because the studio was more known for family pictures than modelling, the first client he got was of a toddler. what was annoying was that the shooting space was an earshot away from his editing space, meaning whatever sound came from it could be heard when he's working.

after a moment, the crying became more annoying than amusing, and jeno sighed in his seat. he leaned back against his chair, a frustrated expression on his face.

when the crying won't stop, he decided to take matters to check out what was happening outside.

the two parents were talking to the owner, occasionally turning to their kid in concern. their kid, who was a girl looking around six years old, was crying into her hands, pouting. jaemin was crouching next to her, trying to cheer her up with the annoying baby voice of his.

"jaem, what the fu- flip?" he asked, quickly correcting himself as he turned to the girl.

the blue haired boy shrugged, an exasperated look on his face as he stood up and turned to his friend. "i don't know what to do."

jeno rolled his eyes, trying his luck as he began to crouch down. gently, his hand grabbed hers, making her look at him in curiosity. for a moment, her crying died down, and he took the chance to talk to her.

"hey there, what's your name?" he asked softly, smiling at her.

maybe it was the sight of his charming eye smile, maybe it was the calming vibe he has around him, but the girl stopped crying. with little sniffles and hiccups, she replied. "j-jiwoo."

"well, jiwoo, why are you crying?" he asked, still holding her small hand.

she hiccuped, wiping her snot while tears flowed down her face. as she shook her head, she pointed to her feet.

he looked down to her feet, inspecting the white flowery shoes on them. "is it uncomfortable?"

she nodded with sniffles, pouting with a deep frown.

jeno nodded at her, slowly taking off the latch and pulling her foot out of the shoe. he spotted a scar on the spot behind her heel, as he predicted.

"uh, jaem, is there any first aid kit around here?"

his eyes widened, and spotting the red spot on her foot, he nodded and rushed off. jeno stood up, then walked to the parents holding jiwoo's hand, who was barefoot.

"excuse me," jeno interrupted their conversation politely, "but is there a chance you have a spare pair of shoes?"

the mother's eyes widened a bit. "why?"

"you see, the shoes made jiwoo uncomfortable, and she even got a scar from it." he explained slowly, making the parents gasp a bit.

the mother crouched next to her daughter. "why didn't you say so sooner?"

jiwoo hiccuped, turning to her mother. "i wanted t-to look pretty."

jeno mentally cooed at the adorable kid, but he cleared his throat instead.

"i think we have a spare in the pickup, i'll go grab it." the father said, turning to jeno and nodding before leaving the studio.

seeing jaemin come back with the red box, he turned to her. "don't worry, ma'am, i'll treat her."

the mother nodded in response, leaving her daughter in his care while she talked with the owner. when he sat her down on a nearby bench, she still seemed to be upset, a frown on her face while her cheeks puffed, tears and snot running down.

"are you afraid you won't look pretty?" jeno asked her softly.

the upset girl nodded, crossing her arms with a pout.

he chuckled. "don't worry. even with slippers, i'm sure you'll still look as pretty as elsa."

jiwoo gasped in a wondrous manner. "i can be as pretty as elsa?" she breathed out the question, eyes sparkling in delight.

jeno nodded. "from the looks of it, you're already as pretty as elsa." he remarked as he treated the small wound on her feet.

the girl giggled in response, clapping her hands shyly.

the photoshoot went well. jeno was kept in the room as jiwoo seemed to have taken a liking to him and would pout whenever he left the room. jaemin kept teasing that jeno was ready for a kid, making the latter glare at him to no avail.

as the family start to walk to exit the studio, the mother smiled.

"thank you for taking care of jiwoo." she told jeno, a grateful smile on her face.

jeno smiled back, nodding. "it's no problem, ma'am. she was a delight to play with."

jiwoo, who was pouting because it was time to leave, was holding her mother's hand, glaring at the floor. in amusement, he chuckled, then crouched down to meet her height.

"don't be upset. you can always come back next time." he said with his eye smile, making her smile also. after a high five and a small hug, the family bid their goodbyes, promising to return sometime soon.