Chapter Text
Ever since Cheonhee turned into a baby, Jaegal Lin had made it his top priority to make as many new memories as possible with his beloved disciple. He loved seeing his baby disciple’s reactions to anything and everything, and Jaegal Lin had made a calendar, marking the date when Jin Cheonhee first turned into a baby, when Cheonhee first cried, and when Cheonhee first touched snow…
In fact, Jaegal Lin had two separate calendars, one to mark baby Jin Cheonhee’s significant milestones (which was practically every day), and one to arrange specific activities to do with Jin Cheonhee.
For instance, Jaegal Lin had arranged a date for him to go ‘clothes shopping’ for baby Jin Cheonhee for one whole day — he called it ‘shopping’, but really he would just be trying on different cute clothes on baby Jin Cheonhee… Like that bunny pajamas, Jaegal Lin couldn’t wait to see baby Jin Cheonhee with bunny ears—!
He had even called several professional painters to document his adventures with baby Jin Cheonhee, hoping that every moment he had with his baby would be remembered forever. (Yooho had the gall to ask him if calling several painters was necessary. Of course it was! One painter could only paint one scene from one angle in one style, but Jaegal Lin wanted to capture all 360 degrees of his baby and him, in various different styles! Was that too much to ask for?? Besides, a construction of a hall for Cheonhee’s baby paintings was already underway, since Jaegal Lin wanted a grand space to admire his baby’s paintings.)
Well, that clothes shopping day was for another time. Today, Jaegal Lin had arranged for baby Jin Cheonhee to bake cookies with him. Yooho had even found an old recipe that was tried and tested — it was definitely tasty, and it could be shaped into cute figures too.
It was called gingerbread cookies, and Jaegal Lin couldn’t wait to make cookies shaped like his Cheonhee.
It was strange, really, a few years ago Jaegal Lin had pretty much given up on his life. He was dying, he knew that, and a dying man did not have the luxury of enjoying life. Besides, he had no family, no one he would call his friends, and nothing to look forward to… At that time, he would’ve never thought that one day he would be baking, of all things.
After meeting Cheonhee, though?
Jaegal Lin wanted to live for a long, long time. He wanted to live and laugh and bake and sing and do everything with his disciple.
And with baby Jin Cheonhee…? Jaegal Lin wanted to live forever.
Jaegal Lin combed his white hair, smiling as he thought of Cheonhee biting and nibbling on his hair again. Ever since he knew Cheonhee loved his hair, he made it a habit to wash and properly take care of it.
When he was done, Jaegal Lin peered into his baby’s cot and smiled when he saw Cheonhee rubbing his eyes blearily.
“Good morning, Hee,” Jaegal Lin greeted.
“Masher~~ Mo-ning,” Cheonhee said, trying to reach for him.
Jaegal Lin smiled and reached out a hand, pinching his baby’s cheeks.
“Mash-ter~” Cheonhee pouted, swatting his hand away. “No, no.”
Jaegal Lin chuckled, avoided Cheonhee’s hand and continued pinching his cheek.
“Come on, baby, we’re going to bake cookies today. We’ll make gingerbread cookies, and we can decorate them together, and when it’s baked you can eat it…” Jaegal Lin was already smiling at the thought. “What do you think, Hee?”
Cheonhee had grabbed his cheeky hand and held his finger tightly, pouting whenever Jaegal Lin tried to move it to pinch his cheeks.
“Coo-ki?” Cheonhee asked, looking questioningly at Jaegal Lin.
“Yes, baby, we’re going to bake cookies,” Jaegal Lin said, reaching out with his other hand to pat Cheonhee’s head.
Baby Jin Cheonhee cooed, smiling happily, and Jaegal Lin felt his heart melt.
“It’ll be a perfect day, baby,” he grinned.
“Good! Masher, like!” Cheonhee giggled.
Jaegal Lin smiled.
…The day was not perfect, not at all.
Jaegal Lin and baby Cheonhee were in the kitchen and they had just finished kneading the dough. Baby Cheonhee had flour on his cheeks, clothes and hair, and Jaegal Lin himself had flour, drool and traces of eggs on his blue robe.
It wasn’t the drool or the flour that made Jaegal Lin upset, though. His baby’s antics would never make him angry; even if baby Cheonhee thought it was funny to throw a bag of flour on his own head (Jaegal Lin had panicked, worried the flour would crush his baby), even if baby Cheonhee decided to crush an egg on Jaegal Lin’s clothes (when the egg broke, Cheonhee’s surprised expression was priceless), and even if Cheonhee decided to take a nap and drool on Jaegal Lin’s arms in the middle of their dough-kneading time (Jaegal Lin was forced to stay in an awkward position for a long time, not daring to wake his baby)… Even after all of that, Jaegal Lin would never, never get angry.
No… The day was ruined because of one person’s appearance.
Jaegal Lin was holding baby Cheonhee in one arm and glaring at the intruder, while the five painters he had hired were huddled in different corners of the room, still painting vigorously. Yooho, standing behind the person, looked as apologetic as ever, while Cheonhee seemed confused, nibbling on Jaegal Lin’s hair and looking back and forth between them.
The intruder was… none other than the Killer Star.
Yeo Halyun.
“Master, I’m truly sorry,” Yooho said, bowing his head. “He appeared out of nowhere, and insisted on finding the Young Master, and I couldn’t stop him…”
Jaegal Lin frowned at Yeo Halyun, and the black haired youth glared back at him.
“Where’s Hyung?” Yeo Halyun asked, coldly eyeing Jaegal Lin.
God, Jaegal Lin hated how this thing called his disciple ‘Hyung’, as if they were brothers.
“…He’s not here,” Jaegal Lin said coldly. “He’s busy doing surgery in another clinic, I sent him there for experience.”
Yeo Halyun cocked an eyebrow. “You sent him to another clinic for ‘experience’? Please,” he scoffed, “We all know you wouldn’t let him go somewhere without at least a dozen bodyguards. If he was in another clinic you’d be there with him.”
Jaegal Lin hated how right the Killer Star was.
“…Which means Hyung is here right now,” Yeo Halyun said, looking at Jaegal Lin with a scrutinizing gaze.
Jaegal Lin set down baby Jin Cheonhee on the table, where Cheonhee had his own cushion, and handed Cheonhee a ball of dough to play with. Gently prying his hair away from Cheonhee’s mouth, Jaegal Lin patted his baby’s head and turned to face the Killer Star with ice in his eyes.
“Yooho, tell that thing to leave now. If my disciple were here, I would give it the courtesy of walking out of here with dignity, but since Cheonhee isn’t here, I’m afraid I don’t have that much patience. If that thing doesn’t walk out with its own filthy paws, I’ll throw it out and break its bones in the process,” Jaegal Lin said, his aura overbearing. His eyes were sharp and his internal energy was putting pressure on Yeo Halyun, his demeanor cold and unflinching.
Yeo Halyun opened his mouth to reply sarcastically, but a small voice made everyone turn their heads.
“Hee, is, fil-thy?”
Jaegal Lin whirled around as quick as lightning, a horrified expression on his face.
“Hee, no! Don’t say that, okay?” He coaxed, rubbing Cheonhee’s arm and looking him in the eye. “Don’t, don’t copy what I just said,” he said almost desperately. He had forgotten that Cheonhee was at the stage where he wanted to copy Jaegal Lin’s words and try to communicate, saying anything he could even if he didn’t understand the meaning….
Out of all the words he said, why did Cheonhee have to choose that word….
“Hee, fil-thy?” Cheonhee asked again, patting Jaegal Lin’s hand and looking at him with an adorable pout.
“No! Hee, not, filthy!” Jaegal Lin was almost screaming. “Never say that! Bad, bad!” Jaegal Lin said quickly.
“…Why do you keep calling him Hee?” Yeo Halyun had walked closer to Jaegal Lin and was observing the baby with a questioning gaze.
“…Don’t tell me that’s Hyung,” Yeo Halyun said, chuckling nervously.
When Jaegal Lin ignored him and instead rubbed Cheonhee’s head affectionately, understanding dawned on Yeo Halyun.
“Shit, he really is Hyung, isn’t he?” Yeo Halyun was losing his composure. “No, that can’t be it! How could Hyung turn into a baby?! Shit, this is your fault, isn’t it?! Hey, I’m telling you, if you did some kind of messed up thing to Hyung, turning him into a baby, I swear I’m going to fucking kill you!” Yeo Halyun hissed.
“Shit!” Baby Jin Cheonhee said, clapping his hands playfully and giggling.
Jaegal Lin turned to Yeo Halyun with a murderous face, and Yeo Halyun winced (not because he was afraid, of course, but because he realized that he might’ve just taught his Hyung how to swear…).
“Mash-er,” Jin Cheonhee was getting restless and patted Jaegal Lin’s hand. “Coo-ki?”
“Yes, yes, baby, we’ll make cookies. Don’t say any of those words, okay?” Jaegal Lin said, smiling soothingly at his disciple. He turned around and hissed at Yeo Halyun with killing intent.
“Did you hear that? Cheonhee wants to make cookies. You better scram!”
Yeo Halyun rolled his eyes at Jaegal Lin’s face changing technique and looked at his Hyung hesitantly. The entire reason he came here was to meet his Hyung… But since his Hyung was a baby…
“How did he turn into a baby?” Yeo Halyun asked, glaring intently at Jaegal Lin. If this man lied, or hurt his Hyung in any way…
“I don’t know either, Yooho is still investigating the cause and effect. For now, I’m spending time with baby Cheonhee as much as possible,” Jaegal Lin replied and waved his hand, gesturing for Yeo Halyun to move away and put some distance between him and Cheonhee.
Yeo Halyun ignored the hand gesture and inched closer instead, hoping to see more of his Hyung. Looking at it now… seeing his Hyung as a baby was… adorable.
“Stop staring at him,” Jaegal Lin snapped. Jaegal Lin really, truly wanted to kill this bastard, but Cheonhee was in the same room with them, and baby Cheonhee probably wasn’t used to violence…
Besides, if Cheonhee returned to his normal self and couldn’t find Halyun, he would definitely be sad….
Now whenever Jaegal Lin thought of a sad Jin Cheonhee, he could only imagine a baby Jin Cheonhee crying and hiccuping, calling “Mash-er” with tears in his eyes….
The image was…
Fine, Jaegal Lin decided not to kill the Killer Star.
But just because he didn’t kill this bastard didn’t mean he couldn’t do other things…
“Mash-ter,” Cheonhee was tugging on Jaegal Lin’s sleeve.
“Yes baby?” Jaegal Lin’s face softened immediately.
“Who, dat?” Cheonhee asked, pointing at Yeo Halyun and sucking his thumb.
Jaegal Lin felt his blood pressure rise almost immediately.
Why! Was! His! Disciple! Asking! About! That! Thing!!!
“Hee,” Jaegal Lin crouched down and spoke seriously, trying to regulate his blood pressure. “That thing is a Killer Star. A Killer Star, you hear me?”
Beside him, Yeo Halyun was rolling his eyes and shooting daggers at Jaegal Lin’s back. Jaegal Lin, of course, didn’t care. He focused on Cheonhee and spoke slowly, hoping his beloved disciple would understand his meaning and dislike that thing. Love and hate, these two things, should be cultivated from a young age… Since Cheonhee loved his Master, that was naturally a good thing… As for the Killer Star…
“Repeat after me Cheonhee, that thing is a Killer Star. It’s bad. Bad, do you understand?”
Cheonhee tilted his head in confusion and looked at Yeo Halyun, eyeing him up and down. Suddenly faced with his Hyung’s scrutinizing gaze, Yeo Halyun couldn’t help squirming. He didn’t want to be hated by his Hyung, of course, but faced with a baby, Yeo Halyun felt really helpless…
What was he supposed to do? What if his baby Hyung cried? Worse, what if his baby Hyung cried because of him? Halyun felt uncomfortable.
If Jaegal Lin wasn’t here, Yeo Halyun would’ve tried to hold his Hyung’s baby form, maybe he would try to coax his Hyung, make his Hyung smile… Or maybe he could trick his Hyung’s baby form to call him Hyung instead….
But with Jaegal Lin here, and considering how much the man hated him, Yeo Halyun felt a stab of irritation. His Hyung was kind, much too kind, but even the kindest person would hate a demon like him.
Since his Hyung was a baby…
Yeo Halyun sighed and decided to leave now, before it was too late, before his Hyung called him disgusting or shied away from him….
“Masher, dat is Star?” Yeo Halyun heard the baby ask.
He felt his heart drop.
Jaegal Lin, on the other hand, was ecstatic.
“Yes, yes baby, that’s the Killer Star. He’s bad, you have to kill — I mean, avoid him, okay?” Jaegal Lin said, patting his baby’s head.
“Star! Pretty!” Cheonhee yelled, making grabby hands at Yeo Halyun. “Like, Star!”
!!!
Yeo Halyun looked at his Hyung with a complicated gaze, feeling warmth bloom in his chest. Jaegal Lin, though, was looking at Cheonhee with a betrayed expression.
“H-Hee?” Jaegal Lin managed to stutter out.
“Mashter?” Jin Cheonhee replied, cocking his head to the side.
Jaegal Lin wanted to scream, but instead he reached out and pinched Cheonhee’s cheek, venting his frustration and making Cheonhee pout.
“Mash-ter! Bad! Star! Like!” Cheonhee babbled, hands extended in Yeo Halyun’s direction.
Jaegal Lin’s hand movements did not stop, but he looked at Yeo Halyun with eyes that said, Would you like to be maimed?.
If it was any other person, they would’ve cowered in the face of the White Dragon Godly Doctor. Yeo Halyun, though, was no ordinary person.
“Heh,” he gave Jaegal Lin a victorious smirk and stepped closer to his Hyung, allowing the baby to grasp his finger. Yeo Halyun found himself marveling at how small his Hyung was as a baby. Were all babies like this? His Hyung’s entire hand was only as big as his palm, and his Hyung couldn’t hold his hand, he could only hold Halyun’s finger….
“…Cute,” Yeo Halyun muttered under his breath.
“Of course!” Jaegal Lin instinctively replied.
“…” Yeo Halyun looked at Jaegal Lin with an are you serious look, and Jaegal Lin lifted his chin upwards.
Cheonhee seemed happy to hold Halyun’s finger, looking at him with curiosity and happiness. Jaegal Lin glared at Yeo Halyun’s offensive finger, wishing he could cut it off. How dare this thing touch his baby????
“Cheonhee,” Jaegal Lin said, hoping to distract him. “Look, here’s my hair,” Jaegal Lin said, waving it in front of Cheonhee’s face.
Jin Cheonhee’s eyes lit up and he used his other hand to reach for Jaegal Lin’s hair.
“Yes, baby, come on, use both hands,” Jaegal Lin coaxed.
Jin Cheonhee was about to let go of Yeo Halyun’s hand, but the latter was quicker and wrapped his hand around Cheonhee’s small one.
Confused, Cheonhee looked at Yeo Halyun with a questioning gaze.
“Star?”
“…Hyung, just hold my hand. You can eat it if you want,” Yeo Halyun said.
“That’s dirty, Hee, don’t listen to it,” Jaegal Lin said, gritting his teeth.
Jin Cheonhee didn’t seem to understand, looking back and forth between his Master and his brother.
“Star, and mash-ter, make coo-ki?” He asked, letting go of Jaegal Lin’s hair and pointing at the cookie dough.
“Yes baby, of course we can continue making cookies,” Jaegal Lin smiled sweetly. “We would’ve made great progress by now if it weren’t for a certain someone.”
Yeo Halyun rolled his eyes.
“Hyung, I’ll make cookies too, is that okay?” Yeo Halyun asked.
“No,” Jaegal Lin sneered as Jin Cheonhee nodded at the same time.
“…Hee, you can’t make cookies with him,” Jaegal Lin said, ignoring Yeo Halyun’s glare.
“No coo-ki?” Jin Cheonhee looked at Jaegal Lin with watery eyes. “Why…? Mash-ter…” The last word was said with a hint of pleading in it, and Jaegal Lin felt as if his heart had been shot with arrows.
“…Hee.”
“Mas-ter?” Cheonhee’s eyes were filled with unshed tears, looking up at him and grasping his sleeve with his tiny hand.
“…Alright fine, he can make gingerbread cookies with us,” Jaegal Lin sighed.
So much for a perfect day, he thought.
…Well, any day spent with his Cheonhee was a great day, actually…