with seola’s boundless energy and the boys' attempts at childcare, laughter echoed. everyone was paired off—seungmin with gunil, jungsu with hyeongjun, jiseok with jooyeon. you were left on your own, third-wheeling all the duos. you didn’t mind; you weren’t one to compete for attention. the twist came when she clung to you without hesitation, choosing to nap on your lap, letting you feed her, and hold her hand. aside from seungmin, no one else managed to gain her trust so fast.

they joked about how she thinks you’re her mom. you laughed it off—until the moment you cradled seola who smelled like baby powder. laughter outside faded as memories hit: your younger brother, midnight cries, bottles you prepared half-asleep, first time he smiled at you. you hadn’t realized how much you missed those, how deeply your heart ached for the weight of a child in your arms—not out of burden, but love. your tears spilled, the ache turning into gratitude.

the members' laughter paused when your manager walked in. “she’s crying.” heads turned, confusion sparking instantly—but seungmin’s reaction was immediate. his whole body went still. “what?” he said, already standing. “why? what happened? is she hurt?” his eyes were wide, voice laced with panic. the members looked at each other, stunned. he was always caring, but this level of urgency? it was different. “i’ll be back,” he said, ignoring them as he hurried off.

without a word, he rushed to your side and dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms tightly around you. “baby… baby, what’s wrong? don’t cry, please don’t cry. it hurts seeing you like this.” you tried to assure him it wasn’t a bad kind of cry, but he wouldn’t let go. he kissed the top of your head, temple, cheeks. even when you’d calmed down, he kept holding you close, pulling you into his lap and rocking you gently like you were the one who needed to be taken care of. his clinginess wasn’t annoying or overbearing—it was love, raw and real, from someone who just couldn’t bear to see you cry.