seola was only a year old, and she made sure everyone knew it. the moment pd-nim introduced her, she clung to his leg, big teary eyes darting around at the unfamiliar faces. the members took turns trying to hold her, but every attempt ended in disaster—jungsu barely got near before she wailed, jooyeon tried peek-a-boo and got a louder scream, and hyeongjun looked so panicked that he backed away before she could even start crying. but when you crouched down, hands outstretched, seola hesitated. she looked at you, then at seungmin beside you, and after a tense moment, she reached for you. then, to everyone’s shock, her tiny fingers clutched seungmin’s sleeve too.

seola refused to be held by anyone else. she clung to you, her little head resting against your shoulder, while seungmin trailed beside you, occasionally adjusting her hat or gently rocking her when she got fussy. the other members were baffled. “she cries when it’s us,” jiseok grumbled as seola sat happily on seungmin’s lap, playing with his fingers. gunil shook his head, watching the way seungmin instinctively wiped a crumb off your cheek while holding seola close. “they’re too natural,” he muttered, and jungsu nodded in agreement. even the staff couldn’t deny it—whispers spread that you two look like a couple raising their child, fueled by seungmin’s effortless affection toward both you and her. you both are a couple, js without a child, yet.

as filming wraps up, the staff announced it was time for seola to return to her father, but the little girl refused to let go. she stretched her arms toward seungmin first, letting him hold her, then reached for you, nestling between you both as if she belonged there. the members gawked. “she’s saying goodbye in her own way.” seungmin, resting his chin on seola’s head, glanced at you with a soft expression. he didn’t say anything, just held her a little tighter before reluctantly handing her back. his hand brushed against yours, a silent promise lingering in the space between you.

“i love you, so much.” he says