This ended up being longer than I anticipated but so so worth the read I think. Enjoy!
It was 3am and, of course, you were up. Your 5 year-old-daughter, So Young, was normally good at sleeping through the night, but since her dad had been on tour with his band Day6 for so long, she seemed to be having trouble sleeping.
So here you were, singing ‘I Like You’ in her ear, since you knew it was one of the only ways to get her to sleep - thinking of her father singing it softly to her when he was home.
Normally the two of you would only ever have to deal with him being gone for a few weeks at a time, if any. But this time the band was on the European leg of their world tour.
To his credit, he had asked if it was okay for them to pack so many tour dates into the schedule. When it came down to it, you knew how much the fans wanted to see them perform AND you knew you’d rather they packed the dates together than for him to keep flying back and forth. So you’d said it was okay.
And that had been a month and half ago.
You hadn’t realized how much of a toll it would take on you. I mean you’d handled time apart before. You had started with a long distance relationship for crying out loud! But since your daughter had been born, he was never gone for more than two weeks max.
So it fell to you to take care of her little tantrums when you couldn’t get her Daddy on the phone - because she didn’t understand that the timezones really messed with calls. And it meant having basically a photoshoot when she started school so that you could send all of the pictures to her Dad, and Uncles because they were just as involved in her life.
But as you sat there, singing softly and wiping a few dry tears from your daughter’s cheeks, you knew you couldn’t keep this up much longer. Noticing she was sound asleep again, you carefully got up and went to the computer.
It was time to book a flight.
//
You had told the school So Young would be absent for a few days and had called Day6′s manager so he could help you surprise your husband. You packed one suitcase for the two of you, since you were only able to get a few days off for the trip and, before you knew it, you and So Young were buckled in a plane ready to go.
You stroked her hair to help her relax as she clutched her Day6 merch - a bunny actually. All the members found it hilarious, or they were just jealous, that she liked Wonpil’s toy the best. You just told the other Uncles to step up their game whenever they argued you should change out her toy.
Their manager had arranged for a ride to pick you up at the airport. You had a hat and glasses on both you and So Young. Fans were fine with your marriage, but that also meant they kept an eye out for you. And since the group was already in the city, you didn’t want to chance the surprise getting out.
You had texted your husband that you were taking So Young to visit his parents for a few days since she’d been a bit down. Considering how often she cried for his hugs, it was no secret to your husband she was having a hard time being apart from him, so it was an easy white lie to excuse you being off the grid for a bit.
When you were in a taxi with your bags, you noticed So Young starting to bounce around, asking when she could see Daddy.
“So Young-ah, do you want to surprise Daddy?”
“Yes!” she screamed, making the driver laugh.
“Well then you’ll have to wait a little bit longer and listen to Mommy, okay?”
She started bobbing her head, only to freeze and throw herself against the window as the cab passed a Day6 poster.
“Look! It’s Daddy!”
Pulling her back into the right sitting position, you just laughed at her, knowing she was going to be a handful to contain, just like her dad sometimes.
You dropped your luggage off in a room by your husbands that the manager had got for you and then went over to the venue, arriving just after the show had started. You had dressed So Young and yourself in the black hoodies, wanting to represent for your husband.
While waiting backstage, you could hear your husband’s voice clear as day. And so could So Young. She was actually crying a little, so you took her over to a monitor so she could watch.
“Look Daddy’s playing the guitar!” she said.
He’d been trying to teach her since he had found her toddling in his music room one day a year ago. She clearly saw a guitar and instantly thought of her father.
You were a bit mesmerized yourself, but not at the guitar. You never could get over the image of your husband on stage doing what he loved to do - playing for crowds with some of his best friends. You could see him laughing with Young K and backing up to play alongside Dowoon.
“Y/N,” the manager called to you, “they’re getting ready to do their comments.”
You nodded, knowing he wanted you to get So Young ready, so you took one last look at your husband before going to stand behind a stage curtain.
They each took turns talking. First Wonpil, then Young K, then Dowoon. You could feel your hands getting sweaty as the surprise got closer and closer. You knew from previous concerts that Sungjin, as the leader, always talked last. So you steeled yourself, and So Young, ready to release her on her unsuspecting father.
Right as he picked up the mic, the curtain covering you pulled back and the crowd went wild. I mean WILD. He was stunned, not sure why everyone was getting so excited when he hadn’t even said anything yet.
So Young was like a ball of energy waiting to be released, so you leaned down to whisper to her.
“Park So Young-ah, go get Daddy!”
As if she needed any encouragement, your daughter shot off like a rocket straight for her dad’s legs.
“DADDY!!!!!”
Her voice peeled over the crowd and you saw your husband’s head whip around as she crashed into him. Stunned, he looked up and saw you also walking towards him.
*my gif*
Jae bent down instantly to grab his daughter, then ran the rest of the way to you. You barely had time to see the tears on his face before you were in his arms, him burying his head in your neck as he started crying.
“Wha- what? How are you both here? I thought you were going to California?”
You pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before pulling back just enough to look him in the eyes.
“We missed you. And I know you missed us.”
Jae pressed his forehead to yours as he hiccuped through his cries, so surprised and overwhelmed that he didnt even know how to process anything. So Young was latching onto his neck so hard that when her Uncles came over to give out hugs, it was hard for them to pull her away.
Once Sungjin had her, he tossed her up in the air to distract her and make her laugh, then carrying her over to the mic.
“So Young-ah? Want to say hi to the rest of your family?”
If you weren’t already in tears holding onto your husband after a long time apart, watching your daughter politely say “Hi” to an entire concert hall while bowing would have sent you overboard.
Jae just said “Oh god” as he threw his head back into the crook of your neck, leaving you to pat his head to soothe him as you held back tears, watching So-Young play with her Uncles and MyDays.
