She wasn’t sure how long she had been sobbing on her bed. All she knew was that her eyes now hurt, she was sniffling really badly, and felt dry. She wanted nothing more than to curl up against her Daddy’s chest while her Appa made her a glass of her favorite lemonade.

But, no! She was angry at them! They didn’t love her! They were going to have a new baby and love him more!

Minji’s day had started out ordinary. She had been excited to go to school because it was Show and Tell day, and she brought their family picture from their trip to Disney World in Tokyo over the summer. It was her first time in Disney World (and out of the country, really), and she rode a lot of rides, her Appa won her many games, and her Daddy bought her a lot of yummy food. They also took pictures with all the princes and princesses and Mickey and his friends. It had been the best summer ever!

It was no secret that Minji had two daddies and no mommy. As her Appa once told her, that fact made her special and stand out amongst her classmates. And now, she was going to be a big sister to a new baby brother, so she excitedly told her classmates that her Daddy promised that they would go back to Disney World with her new brother in the future.

That was when she heard the mean voice of Jinyoung, “That means your daddies don’t love you anymore!”

Of course, Minji got defensive and retorted that her daddies loved her very much. But, Jinyoung continued to insist that they didn’t, because having a new baby meant that they were tired of their old one. He would know because it happened to him when his parents brought home a baby sister. But, of course, as the child of Kim Sunggyu and Nam Woohyun, Minji didn’t back down and a full blown argument ensued, and their distressed teacher tried to intervene.

And then… the dreaded words. “You’re not even their real baby! They got you at the orphanage! They got tired of you that’s why they’re getting a new one!”

And with that, Jinyoung was given a time out and a long lecture by their teacher. But, it was too late. The words already seeped into Minji’s little head and the seeds of doubt grew in her heart.

Which was why Minji said those hurtful words to her beloved fathers. She didn’t want to. But they came out before she could stop herself. She was only 8, after all, she was allowed to be impulsive.

Wiping her eyes, Minji sat up from her bed and hiccupped. With her favorite stuffed dog Coco in her arms, she slowly tiptoed to the door and placed her ear against it. She could hear nothing, so she slowly opened the door. There was no one there. She walked up to the staircase and descended a couple of steps. If she went down far enough, she could see the living room.

She peeked and saw that her parents were sitting on the couch, silently.

Sunggyu had an arm around Woohyun, whose head was on his shoulder and arms around his waist. He was sniffling, tears running down his cheeks as Sunggyu rubbed his shoulder.

Seeing her Appa crying, it made Minji feel guilty. Her Appa was always laughing and joking around. Seeing him upset hurt her, but it was her fault that he was crying in the first place. Hugging Coco tightly against her chest, she stealthily turned to go back upstairs. She was about to enter her room when the open door down the hall caught her attention. She recalled her parents telling her that once they got settled, that room would be the new baby’s room.

Thus, the 8-year old found herself walking towards that room and entering it. She closed the door behind her and locked it.

The room wasn’t bare. It had a few boxes still of their things from the old apartment, as well as a few appliances. Her Appa had been working on getting their home ready, and Minji had been helping him.

She remembered that the TV set that was here was supposed to go in her parents’ room but they didn’t have anywhere to put it yet; the dresser they ordered wasn’t arriving until the weekend (because Woohyun had to have the mahogany dresser, which was out of stock). So, instead, they put it in here.

Bored, she decided to go through some of the boxes. Maybe some of her toys were here; she knew not all of them had been unpacked yet.

With that thought, she went for the box nearest to the TV set. The little girl went down on her knees, placed Coco against the box, and took hold of the tape on the side and slowly tore it off. But, instead of finding her toys, what she found were CD cases and little heavy books: photo albums. She took one of the albums out and went through it.

It was filled with baby pictures of her, posing in cute and ridiculous outfits. There was one of her in a pretty white dress, in a frilly nightgown with puppies, in a funny looking hamster onesie with the hood over her head, in a pumpkin costume, in a white shirt, tiny leather jacket, and black bootie ensemble, there were so many!

She closed the album and set it aside and picked up one of the CD cases. It wasn't labeled, and that sparked her childhood curiosity.

What’s this? she asked herself, as she stared at it.

Then, she stared at the TV set. She had watched her Daddy set up the DVD player before back in their small apartment during movie nights, so she knew what to do. She looked back down at the DVD. Something was nagging at her. That something was curiosity. 

I want to see this, she finally decided.

The clever little girl took the wires attached to the DVD player and hooked it up to the back of TV. She then took the TV’s plug and scanned around the room for a socket, finding one near the door. Thankfully, the plug’s cord was long enough to reach. She turned both the TV and DVD player on and with nimble fingers, carefully removed the disk from its case and into the player.

Minji then got herself settled on the floor, tucking Coco in between her legs, before pressing play on the player.

Sunggyu popped up on the screen, looking through the camera lens, as if to check if it was working.

Daddy looks different, the 8-year-old girl thought to herself.

Indeed, her Daddy looked much younger, his hair a caramel brown instead of the dark ebony it was now. But his pale complexion was the same… same button nose and thin lips, and even his eyes, they were still small, but full of seriousness with a hint of mischief.

Satisfied that the camera was working, Sunggyu smiled softly.

“So, Woohyunnie is still sleeping right now,” he whispered to the camera, excitedly. “And I’m going to surprise him with the good news. He doesn’t know anything!”

He pressed a finger against his lips before making his way down a narrow hallway. He reached a door and slowly opened it before tiptoeing inside – it was a bedroom. And on the bed was his sleeping husband, dark hair sticking up everywhere.

Sunggyu carefully placed the camera on the side dresser on his empty side of the bed, so the lenses captured him and Woohyun. In his hand was a manila envelope, which he sneakily hid under his pillow.

At first, he simply watched the younger male sleep, smiling lovingly at him. Then, he leaned down and pressed his lips to Woohyun’s in a short peck, before nudging his nose against the younger’s.

“Hyunnie… wake up,” he said, before pressing another kiss to his lips.

The younger groaned as his eyes opened and blinked wearily up at him. He scrunched up his nose before turning away and pulling the blanket over his head, mumbling something incoherent.

Sunggyu paused before reaching over to shake his shoulder.

“Hyunnieeee, wake up,” he whined, brushing his nose against Woohyun’s shoulder.

But the younger only mumbled more incoherent things. Sunggyu turned towards the camera with a frown, before breaking out into a mischievous smile. His hand reached under the pillow and pulled out the envelope.

With one last wink at the camera, he sighed loudly. “That’s a shame,” he said in a disappointed tone. “We just got a letter from the agency, but I guess you’re not intere-“

Woohyun threw the covers off of himself and turned to Sunggyu with wide eyes. “The agency?!” he almost shrieked.

The older man smirked and waved the folder in the air, still looking at the camera with his back to his husband. Meanwhile, the younger scooted closer to him and grabbed the envelope, turning it over in his hands.

His brows furrowed before looking at Sunggyu, who was watching him now.

“You opened it,” he said, accusingly.

Sunggyu chuckled before shrugging, not saying anything. Woohyun huffed before almost tearing the envelope open and taking out the papers inside.

He scanned the first one with quick eyes before placing a hand over his mouth, eyes wide.

“We… We’re approved,” he whispered. He looked up at Sunggyu who was smiling, widely. “We’re approved! We’re having a baby!”

With that statement, Woohyun flung the papers and the envelope aside and threw himself at Sunggyu, attacking the older’s lips with his. Tears flowed from the younger’s eyes as he kissed his husband.

When he pulled away, he was sniffling, but smiling from ear to ear. “We’re having a baby,” he repeated, softly. “We’re finally having a family, Gyu.”

Sunggyu nodded, placing his hands on each side of Woohyun’s face. “Yes,” he answered. “We’re having a family, Woohyun. Just like we’ve always dreamed of.”

Woohyun nudged his nose against his husband’s. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” Sunggyu whispered back before pulling him in for another long kiss.

When they pulled away, Woohyun wrapped his arms around his husband, eyes still closed but flowing with happy tears. When he opened his eyes, he saw the camera.

“Gyu?”

“Hmm?”

“Is that camera recording us?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, it is.”

“So, it saw me crying?”

“Mmhmm.”

“And making out with you?”

“Mmhmm.”

Woohyun pulled away, grabbed a pillow, and started hitting the older man with it. “Turn it off!” he demanded. “I look awful right now! Turn it off!”

“Yah! Woohyun-ah! Stop!”

“Turn it off!”

“But you look so cute!”

“Kim Sunggyu, if you don’t turn it off right now, I swear to God, you won't be getting any y times for a month!”

Sunggyu looked at him in horror. “You wouldn’t.”

Woohyun narrowed his eyes, still holding the pillow, threateningly. “Try me.” Then he continued to hit him with the pillow.

“Aish, arasso! Arasso!”

Sunggyu grabbed the camera and turned it off.

Minji blinked, wondering what "y times" meant.

But, before she could ponder more, a new scene came up.

Woohyun was seated on the floor in front of the coffee table, where it was covered in papers and photos. He was reading each one, intently, his lips pursed in concentration.

A chuckle was heard as the camera was put down. Sunggyu then appeared and sat next to him, picking up one of the papers with the attached photo.

“Anyone catch your eye?” he asked, reading through the file.

The younger sighed and shook his head before putting the file he was reading back down on the table.

“There are so many of them,” he said, his eyes scanning the files and photos. “All of them sound so wonderful, I want to take them all home.”

Sunggyu chuckled. “Woo, I know I said before that we should have a soccer team, but not all at once!”

Woohyun hit his arm. “Pabo! I know that! It’s just…” He looked back down at the files and picked one up. “We’re not adopting a puppy… This is a child! Our child… I can’t explain it… but, I feel like… one of them is meant for us, Gyu… we just have to find him or her.”

The older leaned in to kiss his husband on the forehead. “And we will. Don’t worry, Woohyun-ah. We’ll find our baby.”

Woohyun smiled and nodded before turning his attention back to the files. Meanwhile, Sunggyu got up and went towards the camera.

“Hey, Gyu, look at this baby! She’s so cute!”

The scene turned black.

Minji blinked. Did her Appa mean her? Or another baby? Did they want someone else before her? If they didn’t pick her, they wouldn’t have even loved her, right?

That thought was not helping her mood.

The new scene began.

Woohyun was in an office of some kind, sitting on a chair by the desk, dressed casually but still respectably in a button-down shirt and dark jeans. He looked nervous as he wrung his hands on his lap, his eyes on the door.

“Woohyun-ah, stop fidgeting,” Sunggyu’s voice came from behind the camera.

The younger frowned at him. “Do you have to film me now, Gyu? When did you even start taking an interest in vlogging?”

“Is that what this is called? I just thought it would be fun. Myungsoo and Sungyeol do it.”

“That’s because those two practically do it for a living! The internet loves their slapstick comedy.”

“Well, I want this to be just for us. To someday look back on and reminisce.”

Woohyun narrowed his eyes at him. “Since when did you become so sentimental and… and greasy?! I thought that was my job.”

“Since you started becoming all anxious about this whole adoption process. Relax, Hyun, it will be fine.”

The younger bit his lip. “What if… she doesn’t like me?”

There was only silence and it hung above them for a minute or so before the older finally answered. “I’m scared too… that she won’t like me. I’m scared of being a dad.”

Woohyun’s face fell.

“But…” Sunggyu continued. “This is our dream, Woohyun. Yours, especially.” A hand reached out to take the younger’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. “You’ve always wanted this. A family. Us and a baby, maybe two or three? And if it’s with you, even if I’m scared, I don’t mind, because you’re there next to me. You are my future, you and our baby. And we’re going to be the best dads ever, I promise you.”

On camera, Woohyun was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes shining. But, before he could respond, the door opened. He jumped up, letting go of Sunggyu’s hand as the camera turned towards the smiling woman entering with a folder in her hands, another woman following behind her with a pink bundle in her arms.

“Here she is,” the first woman announced, walking towards the desk in the room.

The second woman approached the nervous-looking but excited Woohyun. The younger raised his arms and the woman placed the baby in them, and he held her, carefully.

“Lee Minji,” the woman at the desk, the social worker, began, looking through the files. “Five months old. Left in this orphanage by her teenage mother when she was only a week old.” She looked up at the couple. “Are you sure you want to adopt an infant? The process might be more difficult for you, especially for first-time parents, such as yourselves.”

Woohyun, who was mesmerized the entire time with the baby in his arms, looked up at Sunggyu with a questioning gaze, as if to ask, “Are you sure?”

He got the answer he wanted as he broke into a smile before turning to the social worker. “Yes, Soojin-shii. Gyu and I…” He looked back at his husband with affection. “We want to experience it all. All the firsts, all the hardships and rewards of being a parent. And we want to experience it all with Minji-ah.”

The social worker smiled and nodded. “Well, we’ve reviewed all of your credentials, and everything seems to be in order. We’ll just need to get the rest of the paperwork all set up. It will take another few weeks, a month the most. Until then, we recommend that you visit Minji as much as you can, get familiar with her and get her familiar with you. Plus, it’s also a reassurance for the orphanage. There have been many cases were potential parents say they want to adopt an infant and when they realize the responsibility that comes with it, they change their mind and back out at the last second.”

Woohyun shook his head, determinedly. “We won’t change our mind!” He looked down at the baby with nothing short of amazement and love. “We believe that Minji-ah is meant for us, she’s meant to be our baby. Right, Minji-ah?”

The baby cooed up at him. Woohyun swooned before looking at the camera, at Sunggyu. “Gyu?” he asked.

“We won’t change our minds,” Sunggyu repeated. “But, we will definitely visit Minji-ah as much as we can.”

The social worker nodded. “That’s exactly what we want to hear! Now, I only need one of you to discuss a few more legal requirements. The other can play with Minji, if you want.”

Woohyun sent a pleading look at Sunggyu, who sighed and said, “I got this, Hyun. You and Minji go play.”

The younger squealed and looked down at the baby. “You hear that Minji-ah? You and Appa are going to play! Daddy will stay here and make sure you come home with us!”

And with that, Woohyun bowed at the social worker and bounced out of the room with the baby in his arms.

“Aish…”

And the scene ended.

Minji blinked. So… that was how she first met her daddies. She never really knew, never really asked about it before. She knew about the orphanage. But, she didn’t know about her mommy who left her there. It never mattered to her. For as long as she could remember, she had always been her daddies’ daughter.

A new scene started again. She wondered what more this video had to show her.

A/N: And part 1 of the home videos is done! Minji doesn't seem confident for now. All adopted kids have thought of what it would have been like for them if their parents had adopted a different baby. I know I have. Hopefully, she'll later realize that she's incredibly lucky to be WooGyu's baby!

So comments, feedback, critiques? Leave them all here!

Thank you, chingus!