Chapter Text
Chin-hae could admit it, he was obsessed with his daughter.
From head to toe she had to be the cutest damn thing to ever grace this earth. A bundle of sunlight built from his own hands, he had the right to fawn over her a-lot-a-bit. Her shiny blonde hair that was almost verbatim his own, her cute button nose that he wants to just bite off, and especially her adorable little voice. She talks so confidently, she's learned insanely quickly, developing faster than a normal kid her age the doctors had said. But that wasn't a bad thing, meant she was just very smart and growing in a very supportive household. He couldn't be more proud of that big brain sitting in her tiny head, building itself to achieve greatness someday. He's gotten to watch her grow first hand from simply a bundle of atoms, into a fully functional mini person. It was honestly a bit crazy, if you asked him. The fact that something so very small could become something so much more, and mean so much.
But for all of himself that he sees in Nari, he really shouldn't have been surprised for all of them he sees in her, too. Them being, of course, their family. Not the ones who made him, no, Nari is nothing of those cold glares and cutting remarks. The ones who took him in, when he was broken and fragile, and mended his heart softly back together with golden glue. His flaws were never hidden with them, yet they were always seen as just another part of him to adore. He wishes he could rewrite the whole english dictionary just to create a word that could easily sum up all the things he feels for them, but he simply doesn't have time for it. His studies are already enough... The thing is, it took him quite a while to realize just how much Nari learns from each of them. Kids are simply big bundles of curiosity and mimicry. He should have seen it sooner really.
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The clock ticked heavily down the corridor, bouncing off the walls and reverberating in Chin-hae's head. It was almost as comforting as it was annoying. The sound itself wouldn't be so bad, usually lulling if anything, if not for the fact that it signified every moment he was sat in this uncomfortably warm chair. He hated studying. The purest form of torture for anyone, but especially a college student. He enjoys ethics, really he does, but if he has to read one more sentence about the principles a human "ought" to follow, he might go start breaking all the laws he can think of just to spite everyone who wrote these fat textbooks of hell. He sighs.
"I can't do thisss.." he whines, because he deserves to whine a bit. His eyes hurt, and he wishes for nothing more than to get up and go stretch his limbs on an ice rink. Twist his body into contortions most couldn't even fathom doing so he wouldn't have to feel human anymore. Be human anymore. Because being human means this, and this sucks. He lets out another whiny groan, his head shifting forward to lightly thump onto the open textbook on the table. Maybe, if he pushed his head against the dumb book hard enough, the knowledge would just absorb into his head so he wouldn't have to do any of the actual hard work. His mumbles come up barely audible pressed against the pages. "My ankles are getting stiff."
A small hand traces his calf softly, and he can't help the small smile that immediately tugs at the corner of his lips from the feeling. "Do you wan' a hug?" A high voice gently goes, ringing into his ears like the perfect melody to calm his tense muscles. He turns his head to the side, shifting his smushed cheek slightly across the book till he looks over the side of the table down at his panda-faced daughter. Her cheeks are just so adorably squishy, while her eyes are big and deep like an anime character. His heart fills with warmth at the sight of her, mood immediately lifting. He grins assuringly at her, his eyes wrinkling slightly.
"A hug would be very nice, Icicle." He says fondly, voice lilting in that doting way it does naturally every time he talks to Nari. Not babying, just so utterly filled with affection. He sits up, only to bend back over in his seat, reaching down under Nari's arms to hoist her up off the ground and onto his lap. She brings her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around his neck, squeezing lightly. He grins wider, a light feeling in his chest as he takes one hand to support her back while using the other to tuck her head neatly into the crook of his shoulder. He tilts his head against her, soaking in all the warmth she gives off. Just like a mini radiator. Soooo cute, he could cry. Really he could, he HAS cried over Nari, many times honestly. But for now, he just presses a soft kiss against the top of her head while gently rubbing her back. "I'm okay honey, studying is just very bothersome," he mumbles sweetly against her head, "enjoy these years while you've got em." He whispers that last part, but he's sure she heard with the tiny giggle he not only hears, but feels against his collarbone.
He only grins, choosing not to comment on it to instead scoot his chair back and come to a stand with Nari still cradled in his arms. "You just got up from your nap, right? Would you like a snack?"
He knows what the answer will be before she says it, already gracefully starting toward the kitchen. "Yes please, papa." Such good manners, so cute.
He glides into the kitchen, setting her easily on the marble counter. She immediately tucks her hands in her lap and starts kicking her feet lightly against the cupboard like anyone should. He turns to a higher cupboard, reaching for a box of Cream of Wheat. An uncommon snack from his own childhood, as his parents weighed heavy on him staying healthy with vegetables and less reliant on snacks. It developed a slight eating disorder for most of his childhood that he would never put upon his own baby. He would probably let her veg out to her highest desires if she asked, but thankfully she doesn't. She has a very balanced unhealthy to healthy diet, but she seems to have a naturally high metabolism, so despite her chubby cheeks–it's only really baby fat, the rest of her rather skinny. He would be worried, but the doctors assured him everything was in perfect condition.
He grabs a pot from the cabinet below the sink and fills it up with about a cup and a half of water, some butter, sea salt, and sugar because that's the way Nari likes it best. He moves it to the stovetop to let it boil, and turns to Nari with a cheeky grin.
"So, tell me about your new little friend~." He asks playfully, his excitement barely hidden. He doesn't mean to tease her, but he's just so overjoyed at the prospect of it. Nari making her first friend! How cute! A small, secret fear of his was that Nari would grow lonely without a friend her age. Sure, she had an entire household filled to the brim with struggling college students ready to bend to her every whim, but having someone her age to play with is important for development. She's too young for school, and living on a college campus there aren't many others around sporting their own adorable kid on their hip. Chin-hae always felt a little guilty for not being able to give her more, at least a friend. So one could imagine how his heart nearly exploded when one day Nari bursts through the front door babbling on giddily about a girl at the park who protected her from a jerk. Amaiyah quickly reprimanded her for using that word, but Chin-hae didn't mind it so much, only giggling lightly. When he turned to Keren–who had taken Nari to the park that day–he was overjoyed when she said she had gotten the mothers contact so the girls could hangout again sometime. He figured the mom was in the same boat he was and was willing to jump on any opportunity for socializing as well.
Nari piped up immediately at the question, that sunshine smile lighting up the room in seconds. "Oh, she's wonderful! She's a little taller than me, has this curly hair, and she's totally buff. Intimidating, but super cool!" She beamed, practically bouncing in her seat as she began to ramble. Chin-hae could only smile. She knew the word intimidating! She's so smart, how could he not adore her.
He lets her go on, turning to the pot again, listening to her rambles like they were the most angelic music in the world. To him, they were. He felt very lucky to have such a chipper daughter, though he knows she's only so open because she was raised by such open people. As he pours the Cream of wheat in a big lump in the middle of the pot, he can't help but feel beyond grateful to have the family he does. It wasn't luck that got him here, it was kindness from people who were willing to give it and then some. He grins to himself, moving to grab milk from the fridge and pour some into the pot surrounding the lump. He stirs around it for a moment, before breaking up the lump into smaller parts. Usually Cream of Wheat is just creamy, but Chin-hae makes it like this because Nari enjoys the texture of the lumps. He was in a rush one day, and made it like this. It's stuck since. After adding a bit more sugar, he can tell it's about ready.
The little spitfire had been talking the whole time, she really did like her new buddy. Chin-hae plated Nari's food, getting a bowl for the Cream of Wheat and a smaller one to give her some fruits as well. He moved to bring it to the dining table, resting it on a table mat. He was going to go grab Nari as well, but when he turns he sees her strolling in with a napkin and cup of juice. His heart swells at how capable she is, because despite the tasks she completed being impossibly mundane, getting off the counter herself to grab a drink and napkin, he couldn't help but be proud of every little thing. They're all accomplishments in his eyes.
He sits back down across from her, where his spread of textbooks and notebooks were left waiting. He glares slightly down at the offending objects, but feels a bit better after the small break. He sighs exasperated, but picks up his pencil and turns the page in his textbook. He's about to commit himself to the horror of ethics in all its glory, when he hears it.
A clink of a spoon against a plate, a soft slurp. "Mmm!"
Chin-hae glances up, and raises an eyebrow at her. What.. was that?? Nari had never done that. Sure, saying "mm" after a good bite isn't all that weird, but he swears he recognized it from elsewhere. He just couldn't place it. Praising food after the fact wasn't weird at all, Nari had a billion manners tucked into her tiny mind and compliments to the chef were definitely sorted into them somewhere along the line. But humming happily was just something she had never done yet. It caught his attention, but he supposed humming could certainly come naturally, so he brushed it off easily and glanced back at his book. Yet, maybe he didn't brush it off that easily. "Uh, sweetie- where did you learn that?" He asked simply, trying not to act weird by pushing something so random but something about that specific action was pulling at his mind funny. Nari glanced up at him, stilling. She looked so funny. Chin-hae almost laughed. Mouth open, spoon in the air, looking at him with questioning eyes, it was a silly picture.
"What papa?" She questioned, blinking at him like he had grown a third head. Maybe he had, because now he felt like the question was insanely stupid and had to have come from a different brain.
"Oh uh- just, you hummed when you took your first bite."
"I did?"
"Yeah.. never mind sweetie, enjoy your food." He said softly, and quickly turned back to his notebook. Well now he looked weird. She hadn't even realized she'd done it, so it was probably just an instinct thing. Not a “mimicking someone else on purpose” thing. Interesting, a new thing Nari developed then. He tucked the interaction away for later, and told himself to stop stalling and do his damn work already. He sighed lightly, and went back to reading, scribbling things down every once in a while. Getting lost in his studying again, he missed the way Nari observed him while sipping her juice, straightening her back in the same way his own perfect posture was.
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Chin-hae was lounging on the couch watching an animal documentary on Octopuses, tuning in and out of it as he sketched in his notebook. It was only messy scribbles, no meaning behind the lines except to keep his mind in this entranced relaxed state it was currently in. Maybe that is the meaning, if there's one. He finished a swooping line, enjoying the hypnotic swirls his charcoal pencil engraved on the page, before looking back up at the TV again. This part was talking about the abilities of an Octopus. How with their endless flexibility and tiny stature they are able to squeeze into practically any small space thinkable. They are also insanely capable and small creatures, able to use tools and figure out puzzles all on their own. It made him think of Nari, and that thought made a small giggle bubble up from his gut. Nari was an Octopus. She was tiny, so very clever, and she might as well have three hearts with her kindness to body size ratio. It is insane how much love one little girl can have stored up in a body that's hardly 3 apples tall (so what if he's exaggerating).
"What's got you all giggly?" A sweet voice sings from behind him, and then two slim hands tickle at his neck making him giggle a bit louder, before resting softly on his shoulders. He tilts his head back, resting it on the back of the couch so he's face to face with the one and only Amaiyah Howard. The woman with quite possibly more love stored in her heart than even Nari, she might be the softest yet most strong-willed person to ever grace this earth. Chin-hae had always admired that about her, how she never seemed to break, but he had also always wondered what it would take to see tears roll down her face. Sometimes he wondered if she was really so strong, or if she just forced herself to be. He snapped out of the train of thought when her bright smile wilted the slightest bit, and he realized he was staring for a bit too long.
"I was just thinking," he sits his head back up and points at the TV which is currently showing an octopus diving into a crack in a rock to hide from a predator, "that Nari is an octopus."
Amaiyah looks at the TV, too, and thinks on that for a moment. Then, a light giggle bubbles up from her, just like Chin-hae's. "Yeah, I suppose she is like an octopus. Certainly has the smarts for one."
"See, you get me. Are her studies coming along well?" He asks curiously, tilting his head back again to blink up at Amaiyah. Nari and Amaiyah have lessons every other day, so Amaiyah not only gets practice in teaching for the class she TA's in, but so Nari can also be ages ahead of the game before school ever comes.
"They're going great, actually!" Amaiyah immediately pipes up excitedly, moving to swiftly move around the couch and plop down next to Chin-hae. She kicks her shoes off, not carelessly though, setting them neatly by the coffee table, before resting her feet on Chin-haes lap. He moves his sketchbook to the coffee table, before relaxing back down and taking a hand to gently rub circles into her ankle. "She's picking up things reallyyy fast, I mean she's already at a kindergarten level. She can count to 100 in under a minute, and is breezing through addition and subtraction. Plus, yesterday she managed to read me a whole chapter from her Magic Treehouse book." She goes on excitedly, this spark glowing in her eyes and brightening her whole face up with it. He loved that she wore her passion on her sleeve, she never did anything without love infused into it and you could always tell. Like he said, admirable. He felt beyond lucky to not only know her, but get to be one of the people she put this adoration on.
He grinned at her words, letting pride swell in his gut just a little. He made that smart girl, his smart, talented, amazing baby girl. "That's good, that's really good." He sighs happily, tracing the joint bone of her ankle softly. He was just so proud of her, though he probably would be even if she couldn't talk yet. He was proud the day she took her first breath.
"Actually, Hae-hae! I'm kinda hungry, you wanna go get some grub? There's this new Mexican spot that opened up and I haven't gotten the chance to hit it up yet." Amaiyah excites, sitting up and kicking her shoes back on like she already knows he'll agree. Which- he will, so he supposes nothing was out of line. He rises to his feet and stretches. He connects his hands and brings them up above his head. His back pops loudly, but the small warmth that spreads is heavenly. He loves stretching, it might be his favorite part of being alive, because it reminds him that no matter how confined or trapped he might feel, there's always room to spread out. He stretches everyday. It reminds him that he's alive.
He watches on as Amaiyah skips off to her room, probably to grab some fresh clothes and take a quick shower. Chin-hae figured he should probably change too if they were going out, considering his sweats and baggy t-shirt weren't exactly outside clothes. But first, he was on a mission. He slides gracefully across the floor in his socks, ending up at the stairs, taking each step with a learned grace that left not even a creak behind. He quickly moved to knock on the second door in the hallway. He pushed it open slightly after getting a sluggish affirmation to enter. He tilted his head inside and gave a placating smile. "Just wanted to let you know that me and Amaiyah are going out to eat, if you wanna sleep in my bed." The offer wasn't a demand, but the implication that the woman who was now shifting to blink lazily at him from under her covers would be home alone with Nari was certainly an incentive to be in close quarters with her. The woman being Keren, of course.
She grumbled something nearly inaudible back at him, but he knew in a couple minutes she would probably get up and go lay in his bed instead. Nari's own bed was in the room adjacent to Chin-haes, so if she got up to ask for something and saw Keren there she'd know Keren was probably the only one home. It was a process that had quickly developed in the years after Chin-hae and Nari moved in.
"Thank you, lovely!" He sing-songed to her, sliding back out and closing her door, before heading back downstairs to his own room to change. Normally Chin-hae would offer Keren to join them, but he knew it was her first day off in ages and she had already eaten dinner. A fat nap was the only course of action in her heart right now. And well... he was excited to hang out with Amaiyah alone, it had been a while since he had gotten her bright smile all to himself.
He grabbed a simple outfit, honestly just something random from his closet. He slipped on his shoes and a jacket and waited in the living room until Amaiyah was ready. It wasn't a long wait, not even above 15 minutes later she came barreling out of her room like a bullet bill locked on him. He screamed when she jumped at him, nearly dropping his phone in the process of catching her so she wouldn't fall to her doom. Luckily, Chin-hae now had years of carrying Nari under his belt and scoops her up not-so-gracefully by under the legs and around her back. It takes a bit of struggle to fully hoist her up, because she is a fully grown woman, but eventually he's standing with her comfortably cradled in his arms. He chuckles a bit, rattling her in reprimand even though he didn't mind so much; the cheeky grin on her face was worth the effort.
"You should save the jumping on people for your girlfriend." He whispers teasingly, turning them and walking towards the front door. Amaiyah squawked in embarrassment, face going red as she hit his chest lightly with her fist.
"I haven't even talked to her yet- you're all so crude." She defended, but the heat behind her words was completely washed out by the new red tinging her cheeks. She got flushed so quickly when her crush was brought up, this tall woman, apparently a 'sight Aphrodite calls perfection', who worked at the local café. Amaiyah hadn't even spoken to her yet, just spotted her through a window and couldn't keep her eyes off since. Everyone has been trying to encourage her to make a move, but Amaiyah always defends saying she shouldn't flirt with someone who's on the job. If you ask Chin-hae, personally he thinks Amaiyah just gets too weak in the knees at even the idea of talking to her crush. He laughs at the thought, and sets Amaiyah down in the foyer. She kicks on a pair of Andrews shoes because they're almost the same shoe size and snatches up her keys from the pot on the hallway desk. She turns and grins mischievously at Chin-hae, and he can't help but crack a smile back.
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"HEY, BITCH! DO YOU REALLY REALLY REALLY WANNA GO HARD!?" The duo screams to the wind, the windows rolled down as they roll down the road. They weren't going above the speed limit, Amaiyah would never, but it was just fast enough that when Chin-hae ducks his head out the window his hair flows beautifully in the wind. He loves this. All of this. The feeling of the breeze kissing his face and tickling his scalp. The laughter that bubbles from him when Amaiyah sings so loud she nearly chokes. The way their hands squeeze each other, as a reminder of the love that was intertwined in every crevice of this moment. He laughs breathlessly, bringing his head back in the car.
He stops belting with her, content to just let her sing her heart out as he melts into his seat. Her voice is so smooth. It's nearly lulling to bed. Despite the.. loud nature of the song her vocals are truly beautiful. Her and Andrew have the voices of angels, he thought, letting his eyes flutter shut to the sound of her. Really it was a rather quick drive, so they got there in less than 20 minutes.
Amaiyah turns down the music as they pulled into the parking lot. The place in front of them looks dingy, something easy to go unnoticed even if you were trying to find it. For being 'new' it certainly looks older than any other spot around here. When they parked Chin-hae tried not to sound rude, but he couldn't help himself.
"This is the spot..?" The question came out flat, more like a disappointed statement than anything. Amaiyah chuckles, and if she was feeling the same way as Chin-hae she was certainly better at hiding it.
"C'mon give it a shot—don't judge a book by its cover." She reprimanded jokingly, swatting him on the shoulder. Chin-hae wanted to counter that, because look. But.. something deep in him figured that he knew better than that. That it was the proper little boy in him talking because he was raised to stay away from things that presented themselves as 'poorly'. He was still working on getting out of that mindset. And well, if Amaiayah was able to look past his rough exterior to his beautiful inside from the beginning, what right does he have to not view the world in the same vain.
He allows himself one more dramatic sigh though because he was a dramatic prick when he wanted to be. He still nudged the car door open and followed close behind Amaiyah as they entered the building. Amaiyah was all smiles, practically skipping up to the counter with the friendliest grin stapled on her face. Chin-hae observed the menu hanging overhead, and was nearly taken aback by how many options there were. The blackboard was covered in chalk words, and little drawings littered every corner adding a sweet pop of color to the menu. Chin-hae had to admire the love he could see was put in it. He glanced back at Amaiyah and the cashier who were prattling off to each other giddily. He always admired Amaiyah's ability to make friends whenever she went because truly how did they manage to get on the topic of 'the most functional air friers' in the two seconds Chin-hae took to zone out staring at the menu.
He coughed politely, leaning forward to interrupt the vigorous conversation. "Ehm.. Maiyah, have you looked at the menu yet?" He asked softly, directing her attention to the menu hanging above the cashier. Amaiyah blinked, and then her eyes widened slightly.
"Oh shoot- yeah! Oh wow- you guys have so many options.." She whines softly, speaking what Chin-hae had just been thinking. He grinned at Amaiyah, before turning to the cashier himself. She was gorgeous really, deep brown curls tucked neatly in a ponytail, hair only a couple shades darker than her light brown skin. Yet, she had enchanting hazel eyes, the kind that you got lost in if you weren't careful. And with the way she responded in kind to Amaiyah's excitable personality, she must be either insanely good at customer service, or she was just as bright a person as Amaiyah. With the way her face softened when they made eye contact, he concluded it was the latter. Being a light eater, he figured 3 steak tacos would be plenty to tie him over for dinner. He ordered as much, and was met with a sharp grin.
"What's that face for? Something wrong with the tacos here?" He questioned wearily, squinting at the woman. She just shook her head with a laugh.
"No, sir! Quite the opposite." She said sweetly, but didn't clarify further. Chin-hae wanted to question how weird that was, but just when he went to speak-
"Oh! Oh my god you have birria quesadillas?! I need that in my belly right now." Amaiyah practically yells, getting shushed immediately by Chin-hae. He is also brushed off immediately, to which he groans and rolls his eyes lightly. He wasn't really mad though. How could he be? Amaiyah was practically bouncing on her heels as she ordered, asking for two mango shakes as well. She quickly retracts that when she realizes there are also in fact strawberry shakes, to which she then makes the order one mango and one strawberry shake. Because she knows Chin-hae's favorite fruit is strawberry. He smiles at her.
Chin-hae sweeps in to pay the bill, ushering Amaiyah to find them a table over the sound of her rebuttals. He simply tunes her out when she snatches up the number stand that was passed to them and demands to pay him back later. Pay him back for what? Huh? Who knows.
Besides, Amaiyah's presence was plenty of a treat itself. He figured he should treat her in turn to dinner this one time. It definitely wouldn't be the last either, but he conveniently forgot to mention any of that to her.
He saddled up across from her on the booth she picked out after setting their drinks on the table. Shedding his jacket, he finally took a moment to look around the interior of the place. While its exterior was.. questionable, inside it was cozy. There were dim overhead lights complimented by fairy lights hanging around illuminating the room in a gentle glow. There were couches and tables alike spread around, and despite the small space they managed to make it feel so open. It was.. Well it was nice. Chin-hae felt a small guilt swell in his gut at how quick he was to judge. But then he looks back at Amaiyah who's fiddling with their number stand, and a warm smile spreads on his face again. The guilt lifted from his shoulders. Nah, it wasn't him that was wrong, it was just Amaiyah who was so right. She had this thing where she caught all the beautiful things in life nearly everyone else missed. She would find them, and then she would make you love them too. Chin-hae could only grin and let himself get swept up in the light that Amaiyah was.
He nudged her foot under the table, and when she glanced up, he made a stupid face at her. Squished his eyes shut and stuck his tongue out. She giggled, nudging his foot back. When he returned his face to normal, he had to stifle a cackle when she used her fingers to spread her mouth apart and crossed her eyes. They continued to wordlessly goof off, before snapping to attention when two steamy plates of food were set in front of them. They both looked up at the women with smiles and thanks you's on their lips, but paused after she winked.
"Thank us after you've dug it." She hummed playfully, yet there was something excited behind those hazel eyes. She walked off casually, leaving them to their meals. They each turned to each other and shrugged lightly, Amaiyah turning to her food with a fat grin.
"Dang.. this looks really good." She stated, because it does. Even his simple tacos looked like a delicacy on his plate. Not only were they plated with love, the presentation somehow beautiful, but the aroma and shine of the food itself practically had him shaking to take a bite. He could tell Amiyah was faring the same. She was practically drooling at the food in front of her like a dog told to wait for permission to pounce on its bone. Chin-hae squeezed lime on each of his tacos, making sure each one was equally coated. Normally he would tell Amaiyah to dig in without him since he has a lot of particularities when consuming his food, but she seems to be taking her time, too. She squeezes lime into her consommé, mixing it in with the spoon before adding lime to her quesadilla too. It was much less organized than Chin-hae though, with how she was erratically squeezing the lime around. He grinned and picked up a taco, holding it up slightly.
"Cheers?" He asks hesitantly.
Amaiyah looks up at him, her face splitting into a sly grin as she delicately picks a slice of her own cheesy delight up. She brings it to his taco, tapping them together softly. "Cheers!"
She quickly dips her quesadilla in the consommé before swooping in for a fat bite; to which Chin-hae moved to take a bite from his taco. In an instant heaven blesses his tongue. Holy shit.
The meat is juicy and tender, seasoned to perfection without one taste getting hidden under another. The tortilla is soft, with the slightest crunch from the edges that even has a bit of flavor themselves. The cilantro and onions add the perfect tang, and he practically melts in his seat with each chew. Oh this is heaven. He figures this is an example of what people mean when they say Soul food because his heart was currently being cuddled by steak tacos. He's about to shove the rest of his first taco in his mouth when he hears it.
"Mmm~.." Amaiyah hums low, eyes shut in ecstasy at the taste of her quesadilla. A smile spread on her face as she chewed, tilting her head back and forth giddily. She was probably going through the same foodgasm he just had, but he couldn't focus on it because... Oh. There it is. He's practically frozen. That recognition Chin-hae couldn't place a few days ago. He knew he recognized it when Nari hummed, but now he knew where from.
He was so used to it. The way Amaiyah would "Mm" and "Ah" when she ate foods she liked. When Nari did it, he couldn't place for the life of him where he knew it from but now it made sense. The moment he had tucked away neatly for later flooding back to his brain like a tsunami. Nari must be with Amaiyah a lot during meal times on lesson days, so she probably picked up the humming somewhere along the way without noticing. Huh.
He tried not to stare, really he did, but he felt frozen. Something about it was grabbed at his heart and wasn't letting go. He blinked once. Twice. Nari picked something up from Amaiyah. Not just something, a habit. She was exposed to something for a prolonged period of time, so it became a thing she did too. She not only picked something up, she picked it up from Amaiyah. She learned a habit–from Amaiyah.
His heart swells. Painfully, adoringly swells. He squeezes the taco in his hand. His baby was not only learning from their loved ones, but learning to be like them. Nari was not only going to grow into a beautiful human, she was going to grow into a human like the ones who saved his life. It was an intense realization for him to be having at the dinner table of a Mexican restaurant named Mi Mamá Dijo, but he couldn't help the stray tear that spilled down his cheek.
He quickly wipes it away before Amaiyah opens her eyes again, moving to finish off his taco. Amaiyah soon piped up to ramble about how 'freaking wonderful and eye-opening' her food was, to which Chin-hae simply smiled and nodded along.
As Amaiyah practically hawked down the server to prattle about how breathtakingly amazing the food was, Chin-hae simply continued to nod along kindly to her words. He had to agree, his soul is feeling particularly touched after this meal. Good food really is the secret to happiness..