thirty-four.

"Baba Jinnie? Dada and daddy still sick?" Little Seolmi asks when Jin picks her up from her room to feed her breakfast.

"Your dada might be well now, sweetheart. I don't know about your daddy though," Jin scrunches his nose after answering the little girl. Seolmi just keeps quiet until they reach the dining room. Jin settles her down the chair, telling her not to move too much for she might fall down.

"Do you want to eat cereals or just milk?" Jin asks her from the kitchen.

"Cereals, Baba Jin," she mumbles. She starts fidgeting with her bunny plushie as she waits for Jin to come back with the food. Not so long after, Seolmi smiles when she sees a bowl of colorful cereal loops in front of her, with some extra blueberries.

"Thank you, Baba Jin!" She squeals. Jin just laughs at her before ruffling her hair and sitting down beside her.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Seolmi starts to eat the cereal, careful to not spill it on her pajamas or on the table. Jin watches her as he also eats the pancake he prepared for himself. In the middle of eating, Seolmi speaks up.

"Baba Jinnie... there's baby inside your tummy?" Jin smiles at her question before nodding.

"Yes, sweetie. There is a baby inside my tummy. You excited?"

Seolmi shows him a toothless grin and scoots closely towards Jin. She rests her hand on Jin's tummy, patting it lightly which eventually makes Seokjin laugh.

"I am, baba Jinnie! Want to play with baby already because dada can't give me baby," the little girl says with a frown on her face. Seokjin feels bad for Seolmi. He always know how Seolmi wants to have a complete and happy family; how the little girl just dreams of her parents making up and raising her together.

"Seolmi, are you okay?" Jin whispers, asking her that cliche question, albeit he already knows her answer.

"Seolmi not okay baba Jin..." Seolmi looks up at him, her doe-like eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh, sweetheart."

Jin picks her up from her chair and settles her on his lap. Seolmi finds tranquility on Jin's arms and her arms cling unto his neck tightly.

"Room, baba Jinnie. Don't want it here," she manages to mutter against Jin's neck. Jin looks at their unfinished food and sighs before deciding to leave it at the table for a moment and just clean it up afterwards. He carries Seolmi back to her room and cuddles with her on the bed. Silence envelopes the room for a matter of time before Seolmi speaks up.

"Baba Jinnie, is dada happy to have me?" Jin looks at her in shock. He is honestly not expecting a kid to ask him that kind of question.

"And why would you think he's not happy with you, baby?" Jin composes himself. He looks at the kid's eyes, stroking her hair.

"Just because... was I a mistake, baba?"

Jin's mouth gapes because of the second question. He is at loss for words, not really knowing what to answer her because the questions she asked him caught him off-guard.

"Okay, first thing's first, where on earth did you fish out these kinds of questions, Kim Seolmi?" Jin asks her sternly, making the little girl pout.

"Dada's k-dramas..."

"This is what parental guidance is all about but Kim Taehyung fucking failed on this one..." Jin mutters under his breath, careful not to let Seolmi hear about it. After moments of mental rants, he turns his attention back to Seolmi.

"Sweetheart, don't you ever forget that your dada and daddy loves you very much. If they didn't love you, you will not be here. Dada Taehyung and Daddy Jeongguk made you out of their love for each other. You are not a mistake, Seolmi. You are our angel. Our little snowflake. You are our sweetheart, and your dada and daddy are very happy to have you," Jin assures the little one, planting butterfly kisses on her face. He notices the wet spot on the younger's cheeks and that's when he knows that she is crying.

"Baba Jin, why don't they ever love each other again? Why can't they be together again? Hurts Seolmi. I just want my dada and daddy! Am I a bad kid, baba Jin?"

This time, Seolmi stops suppressing her sobs, and she wails so hard. Jin already has tears in his eyes as he pulls Seolmi closer to him, hugging her tightly and rubbing her back, making sure she doesn't have to struggle on breathing.

"Baby, I know. I know it's very hard for you and I'm sorry. I'm sorry because you have to go through all of this in such a young age. But, hey, there's one thing that I can assure you. Your dada and daddy love each other so much, Seol. They will find their way back in to each other's arms and the next thing you know, you will be complete and happy," Jin mutters softly, wiping her face with his bare hands.

"You promise?" Seolmi whimpers. Jin nods repeatedly.

"I promise."

"It's almost Christmas, baba Jin. Do you think Santa will give me what I wish for?"

"Of course, sweetie. Santa will give you what you wish for. So continue to be kind, okay?"

"Okay..."

That is the last thing Seolmi said before she flutters her eyes close, still hoping that by the time she wakes up, her dada and daddy will be together again.

〰️

Jin gets out from Seolmi's room after making sure the little girl is tucked in bed nicely. He rubs his tummy while going downstairs back inside the kitchen.

"I'm sorry for being so stressed out lately, little jam," he whispers. Yes, he named the fetus inside him "little jam" because it reminds him of Jimin.

"Jinnie?" Namjoon calls out for his name. He did not bother to turn around and look at his husband.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?" Namjoon asks. He feels strong arms encircle around his waist tightly. His husband rests his chin against his broad shoulders.

"I'm cooking breakfast for you. I fed Seolmi a while ago but she went back to sleep after crying," Jin emits a sigh. Namjoon turns him around in order for him to face him and tell whatever happened.

"I feel bad for Seolmi, Joon. The kid said she's hurting so much and she even thought she is just a mistake. How can someone that young think about those kind of things, Joon? She's too pure and she doesn't deserve this!" Jin lets out everything that's been bothering him ever since his and Seolmi's conversation. His body shakes as he cries against his husband's chest. Namjoon can't do anything but to whisper assuring things in his ears.

"Joon, please. Please help me fix all of these. Let's make Seolmi happy," Jin whispers, his voice cracking.

"Of course, we will, Jin. I'm here, okay? I will help you. For better or for worse, remember?"

"For better or for worse."

Namjoon closes the gap between them, kissing his husband fully on the lips.

〰️

"Yoongi hyung, I think it's time to make a move," Jimin says to his lover after witnessing the scene inside the kitchen. Yoongi had a straight face but he definitely agrees.

"Let's talk about it with them and plan it out carefully, okay?"

Jimin bobs his head up.

"You will be happy very soon, little snowflake."