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I. The First Time
The first time Jaegal Lin did it, he didn’t even realize, too caught up in the joy of seeing baby Cheonhee. It happened during the first three days after Jin Cheonhee turned into a baby. Jaegal Lin was still adjusting, always feeling surprised when he called for his disciple and came face to face with an eager baby, and when he called for Cheonhee and saw his disciple sitting in his cot, smiling sweetly at him, Jaegal Lin moved without thinking.
It wasn’t until Yooho cleared his throat and looked at Jaegal Lin questioningly that he realized what he had done.
Jaegal Lin had kissed baby Cheonhee’s cheek.
With that realization, Jaegal Lin felt surprised, and then he was… calm. Well, he didn’t think he would one day kiss his disciple’s cheek, and surely kissing an adult Cheonhee’s cheek would be considered rather strange, but since his disciple was in the form of a baby, Jaegal felt like his actions could be excused.
Besides, his baby was way too cute.
Jaegal Lin looked at baby Cheonhee, who hadn’t so much as flinched when Jaegal kissed him, and felt his heart melt.
“Cheonhee,” Jaegal Lin called, and Cheonhee’s eyes snapped up to him immediately.
“Mash, ter,” Cheonhee said softly, prompting Jaegal Lin to pinch his baby’s cute cheeks.
“Mash-ter!” Baby Cheonhee protested, “No, bad, noo…”
Jaegal Lin laughed and did not stop, grinning mischievously as his baby pouted.
“You are the best, Hee,” Jaegal Lin said, gently patting his baby’s head.
Baby Cheonhee smiled at that and hugged Jaegal Lin.
II. Nightmare
One afternoon, as Cheonhee was taking a nap, he had a nightmare.
Jaegal Lin didn’t realize it at first. He had placed the sleeping baby Cheonhee inside his cot, right next to Jaegal Lin’s table in the study, and Jaegal Lin himself was reading reports from his subordinates. It was just the two of them, and Jaegal enjoyed the comfortable silence.
The quietness, however, was broken by the sound of baby Cheonhee’s whimpers. It was soft, almost too soft, but Jaegal Lin was a keen observer and he was always attentive towards baby Cheonhee, even if he was immersed in his work.
“Hee?” Jaegal Lin asked aloud, quickly abandoning his work and standing next to the cot.
Baby Cheonhee’s eyes were closed, but Cheonhee was gripping his blanket tightly, a painful frown on his face as he whimpered.
Jaegal Lin felt his heart twist in pain and he stretched out a hand to soothe his baby, but then Cheonhee started sobbing.
If baby Cheonhee’s laughter was music to Jaegal Lin’s ears, then Cheonhee’s soft sobs were like screams of pain — Jaegal Lin’s frown deepened and he rubbed Cheonhee’s back, hoping to calm down his baby.
“Mash, ter, Mass, ter,” Cheonhee was crying in his sleep. “Sor,ee,” Cheonhee whimpered, “Shorry.”
“Hic, hic, Mashter…” Cheonhee whimpered.
Jaegal Lin felt like he had been doused in cold water.
Moving almost mechanically, Jaegal Lin bent down and picked up the crying baby Cheonhee, cradling him in his arms and rocking from side to side.
“Cheonhee, Cheonhee, shh, shh, it’s okay,” Jaegal whispered, hoping his voice would calm his baby.
Jin Cheonhee, though, continued sobbing, his tears running down his cheeks as Jaegal Lin frantically wiped them with one hand.
“Cheonhee, Cheonhee,” Jaegal said in a hushed tone, bending down to plant a kiss on Cheonhee’s forehead.
As if Jaegal’s kiss was infused with magic, Cheonhee gradually calmed down, his sobs subsiding as he clutched Jaegal Lin’s finger.
Jaegal Lin took a deep breath, feeling relieved now that his baby was no longer crying.
“Sleep well, Cheonhee,” Jaegal Lin whispered, rocking from left to right and kissing Cheonhee’s forehead again.
III. A Small Bump
Baby Cheonhee loved sitting on Jaegal Lin’s lap when they ate together, and Jaegal Lin enjoyed it too. Previously, when he had no disciple, Jaegal Lin’s mealtimes were rare and almost non-existent, especially since he knew he was dying and he was a martial artist who didn’t need to eat anymore.
Now, though, with baby Cheonhee, who needed to eat regularly, Jaegal Lin found joy in eating as well.
Today was one of those days, as Jaegal Lin scooped up the soft baby food and held it in front of Cheonhee, who obediently opened up his mouth and took a bite.
After feeding baby Cheonhee, Jaegal Lin put down the spoon. On the other side of the table lay an empty plate, since Jaegal Lin had finished eating his own food.
“Cute,” Jaegal Lin muttered as he gently rubbed Cheonhee’s arm and watched Cheonhee chew.
“Mash-ter,” Cheonhee grinned, moving his arm and—
“Ooww,” Cheonhee whimpered in pain, glancing at the table that his arm had hit.
“Hee?” Jaegal looked down in concern, frowning when he saw that Cheonhee’s arm was turning red. He glared at the offending table and rubbed Cheonhee’s hand soothingly.
“Are you okay, Hee?” Jaegal Lin asked.
Bringing Cheonhee’s hand up, Jaegal Lin placed a kiss on it and rubbed it again.
“There, it won’t hurt anymore,” Jaegal declared, and Jin Cheonhee broke into a smile, nodding happily.
“Hee, not hurt,” Cheonhee said, smiling at Jaegal Lin with so much trust and adoration.
Jaegal Lin smiled back.
IV. Bedtime
After that one night when Jaegal brought Cheonhee to sleep with him on his bed, baby Jin Cheonhee refused to sleep in the cot alone. He insisted on sleeping with Jaegal Lin and hugging his Master to sleep. Jaegal, who was originally weak to his disciple’s pleas and enjoyed hugging his disciple anyway, agreed.
Now, whenever it was bedtime, Jaegal Lin and baby Cheonhee had built a routine. Jaegal Lin would help Cheonhee change into his pajamas, and then Jaegal Lin would change his own clothes and tidy his hair while baby Cheonhee waited for him on the bed.
Afterwards, Jaegal Lin would slip into bed, pull the blankets and tuck in baby Cheonhee under the covers before giving him a goodnight kiss on the forehead.
“Goodnight, Cheonhee,” Jaegal Lin usually said, and Cheonhee would wish him goodnight also, cooing and smiling at him.
Sometimes, when Cheonhee still lay awake, Jaegal Lin would turn to the side, smiling wordlessly at his baby and memorizing every detail of his disciple. Cheonhee would try to stay awake too, but after a few minutes, his baby usually fell asleep, and then Jaegal Lin would use his internal strength to flick off the candles, give Cheonhee another goodnight kiss, and then close his eyes.
If his baby was still awake, though, sometimes Jaegal Lin would talk. Even though Cheonhee didn’t fully understand his words, Jaegal felt somewhat comforted as he talked about the clinic and about his day to the sleepy baby. Usually, the sound of Jaegal’s voice would slowly lull his baby to sleep….
V. Cuter In Real Life
Jaegal Lin had ordered several painters to constantly follow him and his baby wherever they went, and whenever their paintings were done, Jaegal Lin would proudly hang them and even bring baby Cheonhee to admire the paintings as well.
Today, Jaegal Lin brought baby Cheonhee to the special hall he had dedicated to Cheonhee’s paintings and he admired them one by one, pointing at the paintings and talking about how adorable Cheonhee was.
“You know, Hee,” Jaegal said wistfully, “No matter how many painters I bring in here and no matter how talented they are, I truly think they can only capture a fraction of your cuteness.”
Baby Cheonhee shook his head, the tips of his ear slightly red. Sometimes baby Cheonhee didn’t understand why there were so many paintings of him in this room, but since Master seemed to like it, baby Cheonhee decided to be magnanimous….
“Mash,ter!” Cheonhee called, tugging slightly at Jaegal Lin’s sleeve.
“Yes, Hee, I know,” Jaegal Lin said, smiling as his eyes remained fixed on baby Cheonhee’s painting.
It was a painting of Cheonhee sitting amidst the snow, his doe-like eyes fixed on the white substance in his hand. It was one of those days, Jaegal Lin realized, at that time Cheonhee had been so confused and so enraptured by ‘snow’, and Jaegal Lin found it endearing.
Baby Cheonhee, though, was not happy. He had called his Master several times, and yet Master wasn’t looking at him!
Baby Cheonhee looked at the ‘fake Cheonhee’ and then turned to his Master.
“Mash-ter,” Cheonhee called out sadly.
“Hee, cute! Dat, not, cute!” Cheonhee declared, glaring daggers at the painting.
Jaegal Lin tore his eyes away from painting and laughed.
“Baby, you’re adorable,” he grinned, lifting his baby up and planting a kiss on Cheonhee’s cheek.
“Baby is right,” Jaegal Lin nodded. “You’re the cutest of them all. No painting could ever compare to you, right?”
Baby Cheonhee nodded immediately.
“Mm,” Jaegal Lin smiled and kissed his baby again.
That’s right, why should he bother with the paintings when he had the real deal in front of him?
+1. Sleep Well, Master
In the dark of the night, as Jaegal Lin lay asleep on his bed, the blanket shifted, and a small head poked out of the bed.
It was baby Jin Cheonhee, who was awake and had sat up.
Baby Cheonhee blinked in the darkness and turned to his sleeping Master, observing quietly as Jaegal Lin’s chest rose and fell rhythmically. When he realized that Jaegal Lin’s chest was still moving, baby Cheonhee let out a small breath in relief, pursing his lips.
For a few minutes, it was completely silent in the room, and baby Jin Cheonhee didn't move an inch, simply looking at Jaegal Lin with a subdued gaze.
In his sleep, though, Jaegal started to frown slightly, murmuring under his breath.
When baby Cheonhee noticed his Master's restless movements, Cheonhee moved immediately, stretching out a small hand to smoothen Jaegal Lin's brows.
“Night-mareee, go, a-way!” Cheonhee whispered, making shooing gestures with his hand and driving away the “nightmares” around Jaegal Lin's forehead.
When Jaegal Lin continued frowning, though, baby Cheonhee started to pat Jaegal Lin's head in a soothing motion, copying Jaegal's movements when he usually patted Cheonhee's head.
“Sleep, sleeepy~” Cheonhee whispered, his frown loosening when he noticed that Jaegal wasn't groaning anymore.
Then, baby Cheonhee bent down, planted a kiss on Jaegal Lin’s forehead, and smiled.
“Nighty, night, Mash-ter,” Cheonhee whispered, patting Jaegal Lin’s forehead one last time before huddling back inside the blanket and hugging his Master to sleep.
That night, Jaegal Lin had sweet dreams.