Chapter 22

0 Years Old to Superstar Episode 22

After returning from the playground, Brownblack and Seojun washed their tear-streaked faces.

Hwang Yejun, who had been diligently practicing storytelling, sat Seojun on his thigh and read the story while showing pictures.

Seojun loved fairy tales. The main characters and other figures were often animals like pigs, dogs, or tigers, and sometimes even plants, which made him feel nostalgic.

“Squeal!”

Seojun screamed loudly and clapped his hands. With Seojun's enthusiastic response, the storytelling session came to an end. Hwang Yejun smiled brightly as he put away the book.

“Seojun's approval makes all the practice worthwhile!”

Ding-dong—

“Oh, it’s time to feed Seojun and put him down for a nap.”

As the alarm rang, Choi Siyun, who had been dozing on the sofa, jumped up and said.

After dancing, crying, washing, and listening to a gentle fairy tale, Seojun's eyes began to droop. Kevin yawned widely.

“Hmm.”

Seeing the members' state, Park Seojin pondered. In his hand was a bottle of milk at the perfect temperature, which he had prepared. He had become quite the veteran in just two days.

“After Seojun eats and takes a nap, shall we sleep too?”

“Sure!”

“Agreed!”

“I’ll spread the blankets.”

Kevin quickly got up and laid out Seojun’s and the members' blankets in the living room. Park Seojin put the nipple in Seojun’s mouth.

Seojun’s eyes curved into a half-moon as the milk flowed in at the right time. The other members gathered around Seojun.

“Ahem.”

“Oh, Seojun is so cute.”

“He looks cutest when he’s eating.”

Seo Eunchan quickly brought a camera and took a close-up. When Seojun’s eyes met his through the camera screen, Seo Eunchan clutched his heart. Huh! Is this what it feels like to be a doting uncle!

The nap was short but sweet. After a deep sleep, Brownblack and Seojun were full of energy.

Park Seojin prepared sticky rice powder and seaweed for a sensory play session, and with Brownblack’s teamwork, which had been honed through late-night study videos, Seojun’s messy bath was quickly finished.

The fun time passed in a flash. It was already the second night with the older brothers.

“Round eyes, small black nose—”

“Wearing a black fur coat—”

Hmm. Lying on the soft blanket, Seojun thought. Are these older brothers just using my lullaby as an excuse to sing?

He could see Brownblack leaning over his crib, just like yesterday, looking at him.

Seeing them all smiling and singing nursery rhymes, he didn’t think his thoughts were wrong.

“Cute baby bear.”

[The connection of the orchestra conductor has been activated.]

‘Well, their singing skills have improved by 0.3 times in just a couple of days, so they must find it fun to sing.’

Hmmm.

Still, today they didn’t sing all six songs for Brownblack’s album like they did yesterday. The gentle nursery rhymes that Brownblack had practiced continued.

Seojun gradually fell asleep.

A man downstairs, waiting for the songs while feeling the cold wind through the open window, didn’t notice as the 48 hours with Brownblack and Jun came to an end.

* * *

Morning came. The atmosphere was a bit somber, unlike the lively mood of the previous day.

Even with a slightly gloomy expression, Brownblack handled their tasks perfectly.

Seojun drank his milk and played as usual, then took a nap. After eating baby food, he played energetically. The time that seemed endless passed like a flash of light.

“This is the last time we’ll mix milk, Yejun-ssi.”

While mixing the milk, Choi Siyun spoke without realizing it.

“Don’t say that. It’s sad.”

Hwang Yejun, holding Seojun, said with a downturned gaze. Seojun, who had been looking at Choi Siyun mixing the milk, suddenly screamed.

Ding-dong—

“Sharp as a knife!”

As Seojun’s alarm and the phone alarms rang, Choi Siyun quickly checked the temperature and put the nipple in Seojun’s mouth.

Squish. Hwang Yejun held Seojun in a way that made it easy for him to eat and headed to the living room.

“Now, once we decorate the Christmas tree, it’s really over.”

Park Seojin and Kevin had neatly arranged the decorations for the Christmas tree in the living room.

The two were sitting on the floor, sighing, with the twinkling lights and small figurines.

“Will the ground cave in just because of that?”

“The older brothers are just feeling nostalgic.”

Park Seojin looked at Seojun, who was enjoying his milk.

“At first, it was really overwhelming…”

“Yeah. Changing diapers was really hard.”

“Changing diapers is still hard.”

“Parents are amazing.”

Hehehe. Feeling shy under the older brothers’ intense gaze, Seojun smiled. Now, Brownblack didn’t panic and smiled softly.

Hwang Yejun recalled the two days ago when they would make a fuss over a baby’s laugh and call a doctor over a single tear.

“It really feels like the 48 hours passed in the blink of an eye.”

For four days, Park Seojin practiced singing and dancing, and in between, studied parenting.

He placed his index finger in Seojun’s small palm. Reflexively, Seojun grabbed Park Seojin’s finger.

“At first, I just thought it was a filming to promote our name…”

Now, it felt like they had become a real family.

Choi Siyun looked at Seojun with teary eyes. Thanks to this little baby, his singing and dancing skills, which had been stagnant, had improved significantly.

“It feels like we’re creating a lot of happy memories.”

Kevin gently stroked Seojun’s hair. It was a noisy and happy break from their routine of constant practice.

“It’ll feel empty when we get back to the dorm.”

Everyone laughed at Kevin’s words, agreeing with their laughter.

“It will feel empty, but we’ll be busy. We have a music show in a month.”

Seo Eunchan, who was scribbling something on a piece of paper in a corner of the living room, said. Brownblack nodded in agreement.

While listening to Brownblack’s conversation, Seojun, who was enjoying his milk, held the empty bottle for a moment before letting it go.

“Oops!”

Before the empty bottle hit the floor, Park Seojin caught it in one go.

“Hahaha.”

“Good catch, leader?”

“After dropping it so many times, I can’t afford to miss it now.”

The scene showed the familiarity of the past 48 hours, and both Seojun and Brownblack smiled brightly.

“Okay, let’s turn off the lights.”

The curtains were drawn to darken the room. The bright living room turned dark like night, thanks to the blackout curtains Park Seojin had brought.

Hwang Yejun held up the heavy blackout curtains with a genuinely bewildered look.

“Why did you bring these?”

“Better to have too much than too little.”

Park Seojin, who didn’t expect that every time he appeared on a variety show, the subtitle ‘Better to have too much than too little, Park Seojin brought this much again!’ would appear, was unaware.

“Seojun, you turn on the lights!”

Seojun, sitting on Choi Siyun’s lap, reached for the switch of the colorful lights on the Christmas tree. Choi Siyun’s hand was on top of his.

Seojun, who had been watching the tree being decorated with a look of ‘What are you doing now?’, tilted his head.

The tree was decorated with figurines, a star, and beads, and before he could even admire it, the lights were turned off. Moreover, the sunlight coming through the window was blocked by the curtains.

“Eh?”

“Come on, Seojun. Watch closely.”

Choi Siyun, who was being patted by Seojun’s palms, was stopped by Hwang Yejun, who sat next to him. Park Seojin and Kevin also sat next to Choi Siyun.

Sitting in the dark living room, they all looked at the Christmas tree.

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

Choi Siyun turned on the switch. Seojun’s fingers moved together.

Click!

Twinkle!

The tree twinkled. Red, blue, green, and yellow lights flickered.

Seojun was surprised and looked at the tree. The yellow star at the top of the tree spun and shone!

The beads that were invisible before now sparkled in the light of the tiny bulbs wrapped around the tree. The decorated figurines were also clearly visible.

“Eh?”

‘What is this?’

Click, and the lights came on. But not the white light of the living room lamp; it was colorful.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the beautifully lit tree. So pretty! So incredibly pretty!

“Seojun, Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!”

“Indeed, native pronunciation!”

Everyone cheered and clapped. Seojun, who had been mesmerized by the tree, also clapped with the older brothers. Even though he didn’t understand what they were saying, it was incredibly cool! The best!

“Squeal!”

“Isn’t it pretty, Seojun?”

“Yeah!”

Seojun, who was bouncing on his bottom while looking at the twinkling tree, saw the mysterious switch between Choi Siyun’s and his hands.

So, if I click this. Seojun put force into his hands. While Choi Siyun was saying “Oh,”

The living room instantly went dark.

“What? What?!”

“Siyun?”

“No, not me! Seojun!”

“What?”

Seeing the older brothers’ startled expressions, Seojun’s mischievousness flared up, and he laughed, putting more force into his hands.

Click!

The tree lights came on again. The colorful lights danced once more.

All of Brownblack’s attention was on Seojun, sitting on Choi Siyun’s lap.

Seojun smiled cutely. Brownblack couldn’t help but laugh.

Hehe, this is a fake!

Click!

It went dark again.

Click!

The lights flickered on.

“Oh, Seojun, that’s enough.”

“Let’s stop now!”

“Curtains! Curtains first!”

Kevin opened the curtains wide. Bright sunlight flooded in. It was midday, so it was very bright. No matter how many times Seojun clicked the switch, the bright sunlight made no dramatic change.

“Hahaha.”

Seojun, with a pout, showed the switch. Turn this on. His eyes sparkled. Brownblack tried to avert their gaze. Hwang Yejun and Kevin whispered quietly.

“Cute, but…”

“It’s not possible.”

Hwang Yejun quickly diverted Seojun’s attention.

“Shall we give Seojun his Christmas presents now?!”

At the mention of presents, Seojun put down the switch. Presents! I love presents! Seojun raised his arms in excitement.

“Hehehe.”

“Thankfully, he’s simple.”

Choi Siyun quickly moved the switch of the tiny lights out of Seojun’s sight.

Brownblack searched their luggage for the presents they had bought for Seojun.

At that moment, the immature uncle, Seo Eunchan, who was filming, sparked a new idea. He couldn’t miss such a fun moment!

“Are you going to rank your affection?”

They paused.

The living room, where they were searching for presents, suddenly became quiet. The four men slowly looked at each other, all with confident expressions.

“Sure.”

“Let’s do it.”

Brownblack quickly cleaned the living room and sat Seojun in front of the sofa. Brownblack sat opposite Seojun, each hiding their Christmas presents behind their backs. Park Seojin spoke.

“The first person Seojun goes to is the winner. You can use the presents however you like.”

“I don’t need this; I’ll win anyway!”

“I’m the best.”

“We’ll see who’s the longest and shortest.”

While the four men were sizing each other up, Seojun sat there blankly.

The tree… it was so fun… It was completely twinkling! Being with the older brothers was so enjoyable and completely new!

“Seojun!”

Brownblack called Seojun, who was still in the afterglow of the Christmas tree. They decided to show their presents to Seojun one by one.

“Eh?”

Huh? What are the older brothers doing there? They said they would give me presents?

“Here, a super cute rabbit doll!”

First was Hwang Yejun, who had won the rock-paper-scissors. Hwang Yejun cheered and pulled out something from behind his back. It was a doll.

Unfortunately, Hwang Yejun’s doll was identical to the comfort doll, Todor, that Seojun had abandoned at five months. Seojun pouted. That’s boring.

Seeing Seojun’s poor reaction, Hwang Yejun was disappointed. No, Mr. Toy Store! You said this was the best seller!

Next was Choi Siyun’s turn.

“Seojun, look! Isn’t this amazing?”

Choi Siyun pulled out a snow globe. When he flipped it, snow fell. Uh, Seojun’s head turned toward the display cabinet. There were about ten snow globes. Seo Eunchan’s small voice came from behind the startled Choi Siyun.

“Sorry. I bring them as presents every time I come. Snow globes.”

“Ah, sigh!”

Next was Park Seojin’s turn.

A bag appeared from behind Park Seojin. It was snacks. Baby snacks. Park Seojin, confident of winning, shook the snack bag.

“Seojun, are you hungry? Here are some delicious snacks. There’s banana flavor and apple flavor.”

The crinkling of the bag was heard, but Seojun didn’t react much. He just tilted his head.

Why? Why? While Park Seojin was pulling out the snack bags from his bag and making a mountain of them, Choi Siyun found the reason and showed his phone.

“It was a great present that perfectly matched Seojun’s taste, but the timing was bad. Seojin-ssi, it’s still a long time until snack time.”

“Damn… Bad biological clock!”

Control your language. Next was Kevin’s turn.

After the other three failed, Kevin swallowed hard. Hmm. This is a big problem.

“I give up.”

“Give up? Why?”

In response to Park Seojin’s question, Kevin showed the presents behind his back. Hwang Yejun’s rabbit doll, Choi Siyun’s snow globe, and Park Seojin’s snacks were there. Kevin shrugged.

“You didn’t say to buy only one.”

“This shameless…”

Hwang Yejun pointed at him. Although he couldn’t say it out loud with Seojun and the camera, his face was full of curses. Choi Siyun and Park Seojin had the same expression.

After cursing with their faces for a while, Park Seojin came to his senses.

“Well, then. It will be a pure ranking of affection.”

“Right. Trying to win with presents is just a bribe!”

Reinvigorated, Brownblack put away the presents and sat down again.

“Okay, let’s start again—”

Ding-dong.

Just as they were about to start, the doorbell rang. Reflexively, Brownblack’s eyes went to the clock.

2:00 PM sharp.

The 48 hours with Brownblack and Jun were over.

Hey, older brothers. It’s 2:00 PM. Did you forget something?

“Ahhh!!”

“A! Seojun’s milk!”

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