even a fool knows this

ch. 4

You were pulled out of your shocked state by the other Manager on duty with you today. 

"Hana, Mr. Park wants to speak with you before you leave for the day."

You looked over to Haemi, still fast asleep. You figured she would be fine for a little bit longer, so you left quickly, hoping the meeting with Mr. Park wouldn't take long.

----

Haemi woke up not long after all the boys came back to the room. If she was anything like her Eomma, it was most likely the sounds of snacks being opened that brought her out of her little dream world. She got up from the couch, dragging Minho's sweatshirt behind her to join the boys on the floor as they ate. Gently rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked around for Minho, and tapped his shoulder. Not verbalizing anything, she simply held up the hoodie as her little teeth chattered, obviously missing the warmth from cuddling with him. As if reading her mind, he pulled the hoodie over her head and sat her on his knee. Picking up the snack he was eating, he teased her once by acting as if he was offering the snack to her, then at the last moment popping it into his own mouth. She pouted, and Minho then offered her the whole bag to herself. Thrilled with her prize, Haemi snuggled into Minho, and happily ate her snack. 

The boys giggled at how cute they were being. They rarely got to see this side of Minho so openly. He was a...unique character. He seemed quite intimidating at first, was weird and said random things, but at his core was a softie who just expressed himself differently. 

"Awwwh, Minho you take such good care of little Haemi! You take better care of her than me, and I'm the maknae!" Jeongin said, fake acting sad. 

"Well obviously, it's Noona's child." Minho deadpanned. 

Chan, quiet during this time, thought deeply about the change in Minho's behavior. He began to wonder what exactly Minho was planning with their Noona. Obviously, for Minho, this was a lot more than helping her out. Minho….did he have feelings for Noona? 

Shaking his head, Chan pushed those thoughts from his head. Minho wouldn't be that stupid, he knew better than to cause problems like that for the group. 

----

"Ah, Ms. Song, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice."

"Of course, Mr. Park! Did you have any luck finding a place for Haemi?"

"Well actually, I had another idea."

You felt your stomach drop, fearing that he had changed his mind and would just fire you. 

"I want to install a daycare in the building, as I began really thinking about other employees and their child care situations. Perhaps having a daycare option here would be a better option. However, this will take a little longer, as I will need to hire staff and have the appropriate facility created. So, with that, you will be allowed to continue bringing Haemi with you to work for the time being. I hear she has been a hit with the Stray Kids members, so I'm sure they'll have no issue with her being around."

You were beyond thrilled, this was absolutely amazing and incredibly generous of Mr. Park. You would be able to check on her as much as you'd like and have the piece of mind that she was close by. You thanked Mr. Park continuously, bowing as he ushered you from his office.

You went back down to the practice room, filled with joy. But there was still a tiny bit of anxiety of having to bring Haemi with you for an undetermined amount of time. Opening the door, you saw your baby once again with your boys, smiling happily. 

You honestly were surprised at how quickly she took to them, especially Minho. Though she was an incredibly friendly child, she kept her distance from men. Maybe it was partly your doing, as you had never dated or brought any men home for her to meet. You also never spoke about her father to her, though in truth she had never even asked you. 

"Baby, maybe it's time to go home for the day. The boy's choreographer is here and they need to have dance practice."

Haemi groaned, clutching Minho tightly and refusing to budge. 

Minho stood up, still holding Haemi.

"I'm sorry Haemi, but you have to go now." 

Haemi looked as if she was on the verge of tears, still clutching Minho tightly.

You were at a loss. You were tired and didn't want to fight with Haemi, but the boys couldn't watch her 24/7. 

Minho, reading the situation, decided on what to do. 

"Noona, Haemi, why don't I walk you home? Would that be alright?"

Haemi nodded vigorously, obviously thrilled with this idea. Without even getting your permission, he grabbed his bag and started walking towards the door.

"Are you coming, Noona?"

----

Since you only lived 15 minutes away from the JYP building, the walk home would be quick. Minho continued to hold Haemi, despite your repeated offerings to carry her. 

"It's fine, Noona. She weighs practically nothing."

You sighed, unfamiliar with this feeling of having a man help you with Haemi. You imagined this is what you probably would have felt if Yixing had stayed and been apart of your little family. 

Eventually, you approached your building. It wasn't much to look at, but it was home and you guys were happy there. 

You went to reach for Haemi again, and once again she refused to budge.

"Haemi, come on, we have to go. Minho has to go back to practice."

"Haemi, how about I promise that I will babysit again soon and we can play and eat snacks again?"

This appeased Haemi, who finally let go of Minho and he was then able to put her down. 

Haemi looked up to you, then looked back at Minho. She then quickly hugged his legs. 

"Thank you for taking care of me."

Letting go, she went to hold your hand. 

"Now you, Eomma. Hug him!"

You laughed awkwardly at her request, and it was Minho's turn to blush. 

"Ah, that's okay Haemi, Minho and I don't have to hug."

Despite what you said, Minho proceeded to hug you anyways. 

You froze, unable to move. What is happening? You had hugged some of the boys before, but usually just side hugs. And you certainly had never hugged Minho before. He had always kept his distance from you, though you had always thought it was remnant of his boyhood shyness. 

You eventually raised your arms to wrap around his waist. 

"Thank you, Minho, for everything. I'm so grateful that you and Haemi hit it off so well."

"Anything for you, Noona. I would do anything for you."