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Zhong Daegal is the world's luckiest Bichon.
Born on the 23rd of September in 2020, she lives happily with her dad, Zhong Chenle, in their humble abode, and everyday is a fun day for her.
Often, she begins her days hunting for socks and giving good morning licks to her favourite human- on his face, hands and toes. Daegal quite enjoys the yelp Chenle makes when she does that, often accompanied by warm hands lifting her up to cuddle her.
Daegal loves her dad, and the attention that comes with it.
So she finds it rather distasteful whenever this tall human intrudes into their home and steals him away.
To set things straight, Daegal isn't that possessive of her dad. She knows that her dad has many, many friends, and she is proud about it. Her dad is awesome.
But this friend fiend is different.
This human is always coming over. And nine times out of ten, he takes her dad with him when he leaves! Chenle doesn't stay even when she barks or whines or paws pitifully at his ankles. He simply rubs her head fondly before following the horrible human out the door!
Daegal doesn't like this human that takes her dad away from her. Even the one out of ten times that he doesn't, he takes his attention!
Her dad fusses over him whenever that human stays, always playing with him and teasing him and laughing with him. In short, he forgets about her. Sometimes he doesn't even pick her up anymore, too engrossed in his game with that poopy dumbo, and they don't cuddle or play as much as they would have if that human wasn't around.
Daegal doesn't like feeling lonely in her own home.
But what bothers her most is that even when he isn't around, he's still there. That human goes, but his scent lingers. Daegal can always smell this human on her dad- the same sickening candy-sweet smell on his clothes and hands. Daegal finds her own fur smelling like it sometimes, when Chenle pets her after coming home before washing his hands.
Her dad doesn't wash much, always advocating about saving water. Daegal thinks her dad is amazing for trying to save the world. Besides, it's not like she showers everyday either. The only downside is that Chenle reeks of that sugary smell, and Daegal herself ends up smelling like that too.
Daegal growls.
"...I think she doesn't like me." The human points at her, eyes wide. He uses the opportunity to hide behind her dad, which makes him laugh.
Daegal doesn't like how the tall human is clinging to her dad. She also doesn't like how he's spreading that candy scent everywhere. But she likes hearing her dad laugh, so her tail wags in spite of herself.
"ARF!" Maybe if she barks at him, he will leave.
"Woah!" He does not leave. Instead, the annoying human sticks even closer to her dad.
"Are you scared, Jisung-ah?" Her dad teases, a large smirk on his face as he leans into Jisung's space. "Don't be scared, I'll protect you."
Daegal can't believe her own dad is protecting the enemy.
They're so close they might lick faces. Daegal is the only one who can lick her human's face.
Daegal barks at them.
"Oh, maybe she's hungry." Her dad muses, and yes, Daegal is always hungry, but that wasn't why she barked!
Nevertheless, it seems to pry her dad away from the looming human. Daegal dashes in between them, barking once more to separate them. There's a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes as her dad moves further away from the tall menace.
"Ah, Jisung-ah, wait there. Let me feed Daegal first."
Daegal's tail twitches.
That's right, the tall, timid human Daegal considers an enemy is none other than Park Jisung.
…
"Daegallie~!"
Daegal smells chocolates before she feels warm hands hoisting her up. Her world spins for a brief moment, and then she feels a human face smush into the back of her fur.
"Is Daegal a towel?" Daegal wonders why the tall man is here again. If he was going to trespass into her home, he could've at least come back with her dad instead of this human now holding her up.
"I can't help it! I love her so much." Daegal's ears twitch as the loud human behind her whines, rubbing his face harder into the back of her head.
"Is our Daegallie hungry?" He coos, cradling her against his chest as he saunters to the kitchen.
Well, this human was fine too.
"Eat up, Daegal~" The human fills his bowl with the food her dad prepares for her every week, before setting him down beside it.
"Aigoo, our Daegallie is so cute!" The human squats down beside her, occasionally giving her headpats, and waits patiently for her to finish her food while squealing at her.
Daegal quite likes this human, even though he always crushes himself against her. He plays with her lots, and yells at the tall human a lot. Daegal doesn't really understand what he's yelling about, something along the lines of, "Isn't she just the cutest?!", "Aigoo, you are so cute!" or "Jisung-ah, why are you so tall? I hope you stop growing."
This human even pinches Jisung's cheek and ear lots, and make him turn shades of red often with words like, "your eyes are pretty.", "no, you are just so cute!" and "you dance so well."
Daegal doesn't understand human speech, only certain words and intonations like her name, "walk" and "food'. But she thinks that whatever this Haechan human says must be bad, because it makes the tall human shirk away.
Besides, Haechan doesn't allow the tall human to lay his hands on her when he's around, monopolizing her to himself. Daegal appreciates that, even though it means she has to stay glued to some part of Haechan all day.
*ka-chak*
Daegal perks up at the sound of the door, tail wagging furiously as she tries to go to the hallway. Is Dad home?
Haechan doesn't let her go, but lifts Daegal up so she can see the familiar silhouette of her dad.
Daegal yips.
"Ah, you're back?" Haechan tosses him a fleeting glance, before returning his attention to Daegal.
"Welcome back." The tall human gets up from the couch. Daegal wants to get up too, but Haechan lifts him back onto his lap with ease, and cages him in his hold.
"Sometimes I feel like a guest in my own home." Chenle shakes his head with a sigh.
Daegal frowns. Her dad looks sad. Daegal thinks it must be because she wasn't at the door to welcome him home. She yips at her dad, raising her paws in hopes to get his attention.
But the tall human steps forward, hovering around her dad in her place and blocking her from his view. Daegal can only watch as her dad smiles and laughs with that bad human.
Her tail droops.
Daegal realised one thing about the bad human- it's that he isn't bad for her dad at all.
"Daegallie? What's wrong?" Haechan coos, "Are you sleepy?"
Daegal rests her chin on Haechan's knee, curling up as Haechan pets her soothingly. His hands are warm and nice. He's not her dad, but it's comforting. Distantly, she can hear more laughter from both the tall human and her dad. She wishes it would be louder. Slowly, she drifts off to sleep. Maybe the tall human will go away when she wakes up, and she can have her dad all to herself again.
…
There's a commotion when Daegal slowly stirs awake.
There are more humans now, crowding the living room as they all sit around the couch. Daegal's tail wags as she hears her dad cackle. She's still on Haechan's lap, but now Chenle is sitting on her left. She jumps onto him, tail swishing as she paws at his shirt.
Chenle picks her up, placing her on his shoulder, and it's one of Daegal's favourite spots. She nestles there comfortably.
Looking around the room, Daegal spots two more humans. She recognizes them- Dad's friends. She doesn't see them as often, but she remembers their faces from the pictures pressed between glass frames around the house and inside the glowing box Chenle carries around.
Chenle pets her idly, and Daegal melts into his touch, content.
"Daegallie is so cute!!" Haechan coos.
Daegal flinches at the volume, ears twitching as she hears the smaller human beside him sigh.
Haechan turns around abruptly at that, eyes twinkling with mischief as he hones in on his target.
"Argh!" The smaller human groans as Haechan plants a wet kiss on his cheek, suffocating him in a tight embrace.
"Awww, is our cute renjunnie feeling neglected?" He pouts, batting his lashes coyly as he presses himself further to the human- Renjun's side.
"What? No-!" Renjun tries to push him off, but that only seems to make Haechan even more delighted.
Daegal thinks that these humans are weird.
"There they go again." Jisung shakes his head with a fond smile.
"It's funny." Chenle cackles as he watches his hyungs fight.
"It's childish." Jisung replies, "I can't believe I'm the most mature one in NCT Dream."
"Is he mocking us?!" Haechan shouts from where he's plastered to Renjun, hair sticking out at odd angles from where Renjun had tousled and pulled at it.
"Yah, calm down." Renjun holds him back.
Daegal can hear another human cackling with wide gestures from across the room. She remembers him- Mel. Or Melk? She can't recall exactly, but that's what Haechan always shouts.
"What's so funny?!" Haechan yells, standing up, and the human only laughs harder.
"He said you're childish-!" Mel hiccups between laughs, and it starts off another round of bickering and shouts.
Chenle laughs voraciously before leaning into Jisung. "You know what this calls for? Popcorn."
"You have popcorn?" Jisung's eyes widen, interested.
"I still have the popcorn Jeno gave me the other time."
"Oh? Where?" Jisung beams, and Daegal has a sinking feeling from where she's perched comfortably on Chenle's shoulder.
"In the kitchen, let me show you-" Chenle shifts, carrying Daegal up and placing her onto the ground.
Daegal has never wanted to bite a human more.
As if on cue, a chew toy lands in front of her. Daegal blinks. It's her favourite one.
Mel grins from where he's kneeling on the carpet, more toys in his hands and Daegal's tail wags.
Oh well, she supposes she can entertain their guests while her dad is busy.
...
*ding-dong*
Daegal perks up, bolting to the door as she wonders who else has come.
Chenle comes out to open the door, Jisung trailing behind him, and two more big humans step inside.
One of them reaches forward, hugging Jisung immediately while the other one frowns.
"Uri Jisungie~ did you miss me?"
"Ay, Jaemin-hyung-"
Chenle chuckles, eyeing them with amusement before picking Daegal up, leading them back into the living room.
Oh, does Daegal like Jaemin.
Jaemin doesn't come over often, but when he does, he's all over Jisung. He clings to the tall human and coos at him, hugging him and keeping him away from her dad.
However, whenever he comes, so does the other human- Jeno. Daegal recognizes the expression on his face, smelling the emotion from ten feet away. It's the same one Mark has whenever Haechan ignores him for her. But unlike Mark, she is free to go wherever she wants without Haechan hugging her. It's a golden opportunity to cuddle her dad, but she was taught to always entertain guests.
So when Chenle puts her down to talk to Mel, she pads over to the big human, circling around him as her tail wags.
The human- Jeno, stares down at her.
She stares back.
There's a pause before he picks her up gently, and then he sits down on the floor, placing her on his lap. He pats her lightly a few times on the head, and it's nice.
They sit in comfortable silence, both casting longing looks at their respective humans. Daegal rolls onto his back, staring up at Jeno.
Their eyes meet, and understanding flits between their gazes.
Jeno rubs her belly, eyes crinkling into crescent slits, and Daegal licks his finger.
Hm, this human is not so bad either.
…
"Hyung, have you seen my wallet?" Jisung asks as they get ready to leave.
"No, did you leave it in the kitchen?" Chenle gets up, offering to search with him.
Daegal doesn't yip or bark when Chenle puts her down and leaves with the enemy. She does not follow them either. The humans are looking for something, something that belongs to the tall enemy. Daegal has a clear view of the living room from where she is, so Daegal does not move.
It's not in the kitchen anyways.
"I can't find it."
"Hyung, have you seen Jisung's wallet? The brown one that Jaemin bought for him for his birthday."
"What? You lost the wallet I bought for you?" Jaemin gets up, lips twisting into a frown.
"I swear I had it when I came here." Jisung scratches his head in confusion. "I think?"
"Yah, do you know how expensive that was?" Jaemin admonishes, but he's rifling through the pillows on the couch as he nags, and everyone gets up to search for it as well.
"It's not in the room." Chenle checks.
"Toilet?"
Renjun shakes his head.
"Not in the other room either." Mark shrugs, switching off the lights as he comes out.
"I checked the other bathroom." Haechan adds. "Not there either."
"The couch?" Jisung probes hopefully.
"I checked the living room with Jaemin. It's not here either. Are you sure you had it with you when you came?" Jeno shakes his head as he pets Daegal.
"Yeah dude, maybe you lost it on the way here." Mark reasons.
"Well, where else did you go today? It might be there." Haechan prods.
"I was at the dorm, then I went to the mall with Chenle…" Jisung drifts off.
Jaemin's face darkens.
"It could be at the dorm." Mark suggests.
"Yeah, we can go back and look for it." Renjun diffuses the tension, dragging Jisung by the arm.
Daegal hops off Jeno's lap as the human goes to comfort Jaemin.
"Text me if you find it!" Chenle waves as they file out through the main door.
Daegal exchanges one last look with the human before the door clicks shut.
"I wonder if it's here somewhere." Chenle frowns, turning his attention back to the house.
Daegal is the picture of innocence as she drops a ball by his feet.
"Ah, you want to play?" Chenle squats down to rub her chin.
"Did you have fun today with everyone?" He chuckles, stroking her head.
Daegal simply blinks at him, before pawing at the ball rolling away.
"Okay, okay. Let's play."
Extra:
The humans are eating.
Daegal sits impatiently at a leg of the table, focusing her best puppy eyes on anyone who would be so kind as to feed her a morsel of delicious food.
Unfortunately, no one caves.
Daegal isn't one to give up though, so she plans to stay. Maybe if she gives them one of her chew toys in exchange…
She dashes back into the living room, hunting for her toy, until she spots the soft brown pouch reeking of mint and sugar.
An idea pops into her head, original purpose long forgotten as she changes course.
"Grrr.." Daegal can't fit the whole thing in her mouth, teeth gnawing at the leather as she tries to pick it up. No one is around, but she doesn't know when someone will walk in or pass by. She decides to drag it instead, lugging it to her favourite hiding spot behind the couch.
Since the tall enemy took her dad from her, she will take something from him too. Call it petty, but Daegal just wants a little revenge. Besides, if the tall human returns her dad, she would return his pouch to him too.
Daegal chews the top of it for good measure, before nudging it into the crevice under the couch. Tail wagging triumphantly, she turns around, ready to run back to her dad after a job well done…
...only to see Jeno standing in front of her, jaw hanging agape.
It would be easy for her to act innocent. She found a chew toy, and she played with it. But her dad would definitely scold her for it. Daegal might be young, but she is certainly old enough to know she did something bad.
She's prepared to be scolded, to hear the tone of disappointment and to hear this human notify her dad. The exhilaration from moments before dies out as Daegal's tail hangs low between his legs.
But strangely, nothing happens.
The human walks off without so much as a word, and Daegal wonders if this is simply the calm before the storm.
She treads carefully into the living room, half-expecting admonishments directed at her, but there's nothing of the sort at all. Haechan gestures wildly for her to go over, and Chenle gives her a fatherly smile.
Jeno is sitting snugly beside the human he likes, and everything seems… fine?
Daegal stares at Jeno, tail slowly wagging as she trots over to him.
Haechan's jaw drops in disbelief as Daegal paws at Jeno's jeans, puppy eyes wide and adoring. Chenle's surprise melts in a flash as he starts cooing over how cute both of them are.
"He recognizes his kind~" He teases, and Mark slaps him on the shoulder, laughing giddily.
"But Jeno doesn't even like Daegal!" Haechan whines, scooting over to slip in pets.
"I never said I didn't like her." Jeno's eyes twinkle as he picks Daegal up. "I just said other dogs were cuter."
"That's the same thing!" Haechan retorts, indignant. "Yah, Chenle, are you hearing this?!"
"-let me finish, Daegal is the best dog ever." Jeno interrupts, scratching along the back of her fur as he pets her.
Haechan is left speechless.
Chenle claps as he laughs, and Mark joins him loudly, knees shaking.
"Who's a good dog?" He coos, unfazed by Haechan's sputtering beside him.
"You told me you didn't like dogs!" Haechan whines, betrayed. "You prefer cats!"
"Daegal is an exception." Jeno hums, lips curling devilishly as he hugs Daegal tight.
Daegal's tail wags furiously as she nuzzles into the human's touch. Jeno doesn't look like he's planning to expose her at all. In fact, he almost seems happy.
Daegal might not understand human words, but she certainly understands the tone that they use- so she's sure that this is one of praise. High praise.
"Daegal is the best."
She preens, yipping excitedly as she noses along his hand.
An enemy of an enemy is a friend. Call it what you will- a partner-in-crime, a brother-in-arms, or a man's best friend.