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excelsi-or · 4 years

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just a little sweeter (pt.2)

I was genuinely blown away from the response to the first part of this series. I’m glad so many of you enjoyed it.

BIPOC time: If you guys can, please check out this linktree by antiracismdaily on IG. It has links to donate for Jacob Blake and the Milwaukee Freedom Fund. As well as a link to demand justice for Jacob. (I know this blog is a scenario blog for Jihoon, but this is important.)

w.c. 1.7k (fluuuuuuuff)

pt. 1

Eunha is driving him nuts. She refused to have her usual breakfast and instead wanted sweet cereal. They had fought so tirelessly all morning just waking up and getting ready that he gave in to the cereal. And now his daughter is experiencing a sugar rush and he can’t focus on anything with her running around his studio. At least she doesn’t scream.

Seungcheol pops his head in to ask about lunch. He takes one look at Jihoon’s rigid posture and Eunha throwing things and trying to catch them, and says, “You wanna grab a coffee?”

Jihoon glances over his shoulder. “Coffee?”

Seungcheol’s eyes fall to Eunha, who glances over at him before going back to what she’d been doing. “Yeah. Just to burn some energy.”

Jihoon nods and gets to his feet. “Sure. Give me a second.”

It’s another five minutes of trying to get Eunha’s shoes on. Eventually, Seungcheol steps in to help. He makes cute faces at her and makes stupid voices to encourage her. Once ready, she grabs Seungcheol’s hand firmly and refuses to look at Jihoon.

Seungcheol looks back at his friend and stops him from trying to collect her things together. “We’re only going to be gone for a little while. You can leave her stuff here.”

Jihoon blinks. “I’m so used to taking it all with me.” He puts the backpack down and follows them to the elevator.

“We’re going to take the stairs,” Seungcheol says to Eunha. “Right?”

Eunha stares up at him, her eyes all her mom, but the rest of her face screaming Jihoon. Seungcheol raises his eyebrows in question and a smile busts out on her face. “Okay!”

“Take the elevator. We’ll meet you in the lobby.” Seungcheol leads Eunha towards the staircase door.

In the elevator, Jihoon rests his back against the wall and closes his eyes. Days like today are difficult. And while it’s nice to have the boys pitch in and help, it’s really not their job. He runs both his hands over his face before stepping out of the elevator. He takes a few deep breaths and puts a smile on his face for when his daughter bursts out of the stairwell with Seungcheol at her heels.

Eunha ploughs straight into his legs, arms wrapped around his thighs. His hands instinctively go to her back to hold her there. Between the giggling and Seungcheol singing as he tickles her sides, Jihoon can tell he’s forgiven.

“Coffee for you then?” Seungcheol asks.

Jihoon looks down at Eunha, who is already staring up at him. She stretches her arms up for him to carry her. He obliges and rests her on his hip. With her between the two of them, the men make their way to a coffee shop near the company building. They chat about music and Jihoon comments on the lyrics that Seungcheol had passed him the day before.

“I finally had a chance to look at them today.”

“And?”

“Do it again,” Jihoon says simply. “You can do better.”

Seungcheol snorts. “Wow, that’s you being nice?” He holds the door open for Jihoon, and when he puts Eunha down, she scampers forward to scope out the scene.

“That’s me being honest,” Jihoon answers. “Eunha-yah, do you want anything?”

“Chocolate!” she squeals. She reattaches herself to his leg.

Jihoon shakes his head. “No. Something for lunch.” He holds her hand and guides her up to the display fridge. There are sandwiches and wraps on display, but her eyes go straight for the desserts on the lower tier.

“Cake,” she states, pointing at it.

“Sandwich,” Jihoon counters.

“Cake.”

“No.”

“Cake!”

“Eunha.”

A gentle voice cuts in. “May I suggest this sandwich, kiddo?”

Jihoon’s gaze lifts and his eyes widen in recognition. The woman from the medicine aisle smiles at him, but places her arms on top of the display fridge to peer down at Eunha. “It has bacon in it. And it’s in the shape of a dinosaur.”

“Dino…saur.” Eunha stands on her toes to see the sandwich. Jihoon scoops her up so she can see it better. He points through the glass.

“Dinosaur!” Eunha exclaims. She turns her gaze to her dad who nods his head.

“Anything for you?” the woman asks as she goes to grab a fresh sandwich.

“Iced Americano.” He turns to Seungcheol. “Hyung?”

“Same,” Seungcheol announces. He reaches for Eunha and hands Jihoon his card. “I’ll take care of her.”

“Is it my birthday?” Jihoon teases.

“Considering you basically told me my lyrics were garbage too, I must really like you today.” He winks in Jihoon’s direction and then carries Eunha to an empty table to wait.

She punches in his order in the register and motions to the card reader. The sandwich goes into the Panini press and she gets to work making the drinks.

Jihoon passes the card over the card reader. “You work here?”

“I mean…” She glances over her shoulder and makes a point to look down at her apron.

He shakes his head at the stupid question. “Sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you here.”

She nods and talks over the machine. “Yeah, definitely feel the same way.”

Jihoon isn’t sure how to comment on that. This will be her second time mentioning his ‘fame’.

“The other members usually come and order you something.”

And once again, he’d missed the meaning. “Sorry?”

“The members? They’re regulars.” She lifts an eyebrow in his direction. “You just… never read the name of the establishment on your cup?”

Jihoon pauses. “No, I don’t.”

She smiles. “I guess you’re busy. This little café doesn’t matter much.”

“Hey,” Jihoon protest. “Now that I know, this café is important. It helps me stay awake to do work.”

“Well,” she chuckles, “I guess that’s a good thing.”

“Do you always work alone?” Jihoon looks around the café. There are a few tables occupied, mostly by students. A couple sits near the door, looking at a computer together. Other than that, he sees no staff.

“My employees don’t arrive until the late afternoon.” She sets two to-go cups in front of him. “Then I get the evening to relax.” She tips her head. “Unless someone calls in sick. Then I’m here all day.”

Jihoon blinks. “You own this place?”

She nods, but pauses before answering. “Well, sort of. My parents helped me pay for the lease a few times and pitch in if I’m really strapped for cash. But yeah, technically I own it.”

Jihoon hums impressed, picking up the coffee cups. “Well, your coffee is perfect.”

She grins. “So I’ve been told.” The Panini grill dings. “But it’s usually the young ones that are the most difficult to please.” She wraps the sandwich carefully and helps Jihoon balance it. “I hope she likes it.”

“You’ve saved me from another meltdown. I thoroughly appreciate it.”

She chuckles and nods in Seungcheol’s direction. “Yeah, no worries.” She’s about to turn away, but stops herself. “And don’t worry about bringing your daughter in here. I’ll ask the staff to keep it a secret if anyone asks.”

Jihoon doesn’t know where that came from, but he swears he falls a little bit in love. At least that’s what the tiny flip in his stomach seems to mean. “Wow. Thank you.”

She grins. “She’s cute. I don’t want her to suddenly disappear because you’re worried people will find out.” Then she tugs her towel from her apron and begins wiping down the machines.

Seungcheol and Jihoon exit the café and Seungcheol swaps a coffee cup for Eunha. “So.”

Jihoon glances over at him, past Eunha who happily eats a dinosaur on his hip. “What?”

“Oh come on. A pretty girl? What do you think I’m going to ask you?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Can we not talk about this right now? Besides, she’s just a pretty girl.”

“One that you recognize even though I know you’ve never been in there. You just drink her coffee.”

His eyes dart to his daughter, her wild mane a bit tamer this morning. With a pinkie and careful not to touch her face with his cold coffee cup, he brushes a strand of her hair so it doesn’t get in her mouth while she eats. “We met at the convenience store near the company when Eunha was sick a few weeks ago. She recommended some treatments to help her fever in the pharmacy.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. So thanks for the assist,” he sips his coffee, “but didn’t really need an assist.”

Seungcheol sighs. “I swore that you guys were giving each other the ‘eyes’.” He tips his head back. “I guess I was wrong.”

Jihoon shakes his head. “I’m not… I’m not ready to be in another relationship.”

Eunha, who is normally extremely attentive, has proven to tune out when eating food. It’s the only reason Jihoon would ever talk about, or even just insinuate anything about, her mother in front of her. When Yeri had gotten pregnant, Jihoon panicked. A lot. And when the woman told Jihoon she was going to keep it, he panicked even more. When the mother of his child went into postpartum depression and started drinking, he’d gotten a call.

They had broken up when Eunha was five months old and Yeri had screamed bloody murder about how he would never see Eunha again. He tried, multiple times, to get visitation rights. Due to the nature of his job, there were always doubts about how committed he could be to Eunha. But when he got the call that Eunha was now in his custody because Yeri had to go to rehab, he panicked. Again.

And the insanity of being in a relationship, finding out that he was going to be a father, and then have his daughter taken away and returned, meant that he had no time or energy to now think about dating. Plus trying to explain a partner to Eunha and how the woman wasn’t her mother or replacing her mother?

“No, I can’t even think about it.”

“Jihoon, it’s been over a year since you’ve seen anyone other than us and Eunha.”

The little girl looks to Seungcheol at her name. In her cheek is a ball of sandwich. Seungcheol tips her chin affectionately.

“You can’t be alone forever.”

“I won’t be alone forever. I have this one.” Jihoon kisses her head. “Besides, I’m not the type to just jump on every girl that catches my eye.”

Seungcheol rolls his eyes. “Fine. Fair. That’s true.”

There’s a long pause before Jihoon adds, “I also don’t even know if I remember how dating works.”

“Eh. It’s like riding a bike. You just remember how.”

A/N: Just as a note, Yeri isn’t any face or person in particular. I just needed to give her a name, because then it would get confusing since the OC isn’t going to be named in this series either.

#woozi imagines #woozi scenarios #woozi #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen #svt #lee jihoon scenarios

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