A SMILE IN THE MIND || VK

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Jeongguk woke up to Ji-ah's cries in the morning. He jolted up from the bed and immediately rushed downstairs as soon as he heard Ji-ah's faint cries. He was still squinting his eyes but managed to not trip on the stairs, ignoring all the pain in his lower back. 

Rose was pacing around the living room, holding Ji-ah's bottle of milk in one hand and holding the little one in the other. Ji-ah's cries echoed throughout the house, as her tears kept dripping down her small face. Rose tried feeding her milk but she would just turn her head away. 

"Hey, princess" Jeongguk rasped in his morning voice as immediately picked her in his arms and grabbed the bottle that Rose passed to him, worriedly. Jeongguk still had his bed hair that was sticking around in all directions with his eyes barely open, trying to look through his lashes vehemently. 

"she has been crying ever since she woke up" Rose reasoned out as she looked out how Ji-ah was calming down in her father's arms, clutching onto his shirt with his small hands, tightly, who was swaying her around to soothe her. 

Jeongguk whispered sweet words into her ears, saying he was here now she doesn't have to be worried about him not being around. Ji-ah's cries immediately reduced to sobs and then hiccups. 

"She might have missed me" Jeongguk mumbled but audible enough for the elder to hear it. "Yeah, You are busy these days, barely spending time with her. That's not fair, Kook!" Rose folded her arms to her chest as she frowned. 

Ever since Jeongguk started his job as a professor in the college, he barely has time to spend with Ji-ah. The only time he gets to spend was in the morning before he leaves for work to feed her and dress her up. It has become rare to feed her at midnight cuz she seldom wakes up from her sleep anymore in the middle of the night. And sometimes when he gets really busy with work or if he comes home late, Ji-ah sleeps in Rose's room with her the night. 

"I will spend today and tomorrow with her," Jeongguk muttered as he wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb, carefully, trying to harm her tender skin. 

He rubbed off his sleep later and looked at her with starry eyes as if she was the most beautiful girl on the planet. Ji-ah looked at her dad with her wide innocent, glossy eyes and a pout. Jeongguk swiftly pecked her pout away and carried her to their room. 

"I'll come back down after we get dressed, Ro" he announced, earning a nod from Rose who trudged back to the kitchen to carry on with her work. 

Jeongguk passed by Taehyung's room and looked at how the younger squirmed on the bed, kicking his duvet away. "Look how messily taetae sleeps" Jeongguk spoke to Ji-ah in his arms he made his way to the younger to cover him properly. Ji-ah just let out incoherent voices and flapped her hands as soon as she saw taehyung. 

"Did you miss taetae too, princess, Hmm" He tickled her sides, earning a fit of giggles from his daughter. "Let's give taetae his morning kiss, okay" Jeongguk pecked Ji-ah's pudgy cheeks before helping her hover her face above taehyung to leave a small peck on his nose. Jeongguk smiled at how taehyung scrunched his nose in his sleep while Ji-ah giggled. 

"good job" Jeongguk pecked her cheeks again. She was just getting too cute as the days passed by. He leaned down and pressed his lips against taehyung, leaving a peck. He left the younger's room closing the door shut quietly. 

Looking at the mess they had created the night before, Jeongguk walked to his room and sighed. Today, his task was to tidy the room. He made the decision to feed Ji-ah first and continue working before he did anything else. He also remembered that he needed to create the test's question bank and he also recalled that the youngster wouldn't touch the book if he didn't prepare him for the test; otherwise.