Boa manages to carry Taeyeon past the gates to the zoo when the girl decides she wants to venture around and explore on her two feet. Gently placing Taeyeon on the ground, Boa watches as the girl studies at her surroundings with a large gaping mouth before looking up at her.

“Do you want to climb back up?” Boa asks, laughing when Taeyeon shakes her head and waddles up to a sign post. Boa counts down to three seconds before Taeyeon turns around and her head to the side.

“Where are we going pretty-unnie?” Taeyeon asks, looking confused when Boa lets out a hearty giggle and ruffles her hair.

“We’re going to see some tigers and lions first,” Boa says, blinking in shock when Taeyeon squeals in delight and runs off towards the tiger and lion exhibit without her.

“Yah Taeyeon!” Boa says, chasing Taeyeon and managing to stop her before she ends up being lost in the zoo. Boa stares at Taeyeon but feels her panic fading away when Taeyeon gives her a lovable pout and apologises for running away from her. She clutches onto Boa’s hands tightly and together they walk towards the cat exhibit. Taeyeon stops in her tracks every now and then and Boa looks down at her, wondering if the girl has a question or she’s spotted something that has piqued her interest. Instead, Taeyeon just beams widely and continues walking forward.

“You little dork,” Boa says, ruffling the girl’s hair and eliciting a bubbly laugh from Taeyeon, who begins to bounce happily beside her.

The pair finally reach the lion enclosure and Taeyeon giggles to herself, tugging Boa over and staring at the lions sleeping. Boa fishes around her bag and takes out her clipboard and pen before turning to the appropriate page and reading the questions they have to answer. forms an ‘o’ when she realises that the questions are very simple and she shakes her head, tapping Taeyeon’s shoulder to get her attention.

“What’s an animal that is a cat and has a large mane and four legs?”

“Eh? Taeyeonnie doesn’t get a clue?” Taeyeon says, baffled by the sudden question. Boa chuckles and pinches the girl’s cheeks, noticing the glint of mischief in Taeyeon’s eyes.

“Ai, I gave you three hints already and I think you know the answer.”

“More! More!”

“Taeyeon,” Boa says, sighing in defeat when Taeyeon unleashes her secret weapon: the biggest pout and puppy eyes she can muster as she tugs on Boa’s hands and swings them from side to side.

“There’s a famous book that I told you about a few weeks ago. It had a talking animal, a witch and a wardrobe. Do you remember what that animal was?”

Taeyeon looks back at the animals in the enclosure before a grin appears on her face.

“Lion!” Taeyeon points out, turning her head to look at Boa to confirm her guess. Boa giggles and ruffles her hair, beaming when Taeyeon’s eyes sparkle up at her.

“That’s right Taeyeon; it’s a lion.”

“Ryan!” Taeyeon says, catching Boa off guard when she spins around in circles. Boa laughs at the girl’s actions until she realises what Taeyeon’s trying to show her. She helps Taeyeon take off her bag and smiles softly when Taeyeon bounces up and down and points to the keychain that Yoona gifted her for her birthday.

“Ryan!”

“Yes yes Taeyeonnie, Ryan is a lion,” Boa says, smiling when Taeyeon’s chin dimple pops out and she giggles happily to herself. Her mood quickly changes when a sudden realisation hits her and she frowns deeply.

“But pretty-unnie, why does Ryan not have a mane?” Taeyeon says. It’s a question Boa doesn’t expect and she blinks in surprise.

“I’m not sure Taeyeonnie. Maybe they shaved it all off of Ryan. Anyways Taeyeonnie, shall we answer the next question?”

“Can Taeyeonnie play with lions first?” Taeyeon says, tugging on Boa’s hands. Boa relents, a small smile appearing on her face when Taeyeon cheers and jumps around in circles before running over to have a closer look at the lions.

Boa shakes her head as she holds onto her clipboard and follows the bubbly girl.

“Jessica,” Wendy says, sighing when Jessica sits down on benches and stares into space instead of being interested in the the animal enclosures and asking questions. Wendy sits down beside Jessica, looking up at Tiffany staring at the birds from the bird enclosure with adoration. She returns her gaze to Jessica and taps her on the shoulder, smiling softly when Jessica looks up at her with a blank look.

“You wanted us to finish early so that we could see the dolphin show on time.”

“But I just want to see the dolphin show. I don’t want to see these other animals,” Jessica says, tugging lightly on Wendy’s sleeve. Wendy giggles and ruffles Jessica’s hair.

“You’re supposed to answer these questions,” Wendy says, beckoning Tiffany towards her. She pulls out a clipboard from her bag and clicks her pen.

“Feathers, wings, fly, nest and ostrich,” Jessica says, gleaming as she points to the worksheet. Wendy stares at her in disbelief; for a girl who spends most of her time sleeping or being overly possessive of Taeyeon, she sure is a bright child.

“That’s correct,” Wendy says quietly, blinking when Jessica cheers happily. She can’t help but smile when Tiffany gives her a confused look before joining Jessica in running around in circles around the bench. Wendy lets out a deep breath and places the clipboard back into her bag. Jessica and Tiffany seem to understand that it’s time to move onto another section because they run up to Wendy and begin to drag her away from the bird exhibition.

“It’s stinky!” Tiffany says, wrinkling her nose as they leave the area.

“I want to see Taengoo!” Jessica says, trying with all her might to pull Wendy along. Wendy tries to hold Jessica back when the girl suddenly races forward, causing her to stumble along behind her.

“Taengoo!” Jessica says loudly, tugging on Wendy’s hands as she tries to run towards her friend. Taeyeon glances up and looks from side to side to see who called out her name, a beam appearing on her face when Boa points towards Jessica, Tiffany and Wendy.

“Sica!” Taeyeon says cheerfully, tugging on Boa’s hands as she hurries over to the trio. Stumbling after the energetic girl, Boa can only shoot Wendy an apologetic look as Taeyeon and Jessica release their grips on their teachers and wrap their arms around each other.

Tiffany stands beside Wendy with a pout on her face.

“Taetae’s mine!” Tiffany says, breaking up Taeyeon and Jessica’s embrace and sliding in between them. She shields Taeyeon behind her body and looks up and down at Jessica with a stern glare. Tiffany doesn’t back down when Jessica flashes her an equally cold glare and crosses her arms in front of her chest in displeasure.

“Stay away from Taengoo!”

“You stay away from my Taetae!”

Boa and Wendy yelp and try to pry the two girls apart to stop them from hitting each other. The teachers successfully manage to separate Jessica and Tiffany from each other and sigh at the two girls.

“That was not a good idea, Jessica and Tiffany,” Boa reprimands, internally sniggering when Jessica and Tiffany lower their heads in shame and softly apologise. She glances over towards the person of their affection and smiles when Taeyeon is standing to the side and waving her dragon plush toy around in excitement, completely oblivious to everything else.

“It’s probably not a good idea that Jessica and Tiffany are together, right Unnie?” Wendy says, shooting the two girls a concerned look.

“Well, you have to figure out a way for the both of them to be on good terms,” Boa says, patting her junior on the back. Boa holds out her hand and giggles when Taeyeon waddles over and holds onto her. They then walk off further into the lion and tiger exhibit.

Wendy holds onto Jessica’s and Tiffany’s hands, shaking her head when they both look up at her with pouts on their faces.

“You two girls are naughty. Why can’t you both be friends?”

“Because she stole my Taengoo!”

“You stole my Taetae!”

Wendy sighs and tugs Jessica and Tiffany away from the tiger and lion exhibit.

Taeyeon stares in fascination at the sleeping tigers from a distance. Rubbing her face against her Toothy plush toy, she beams widely and looks up at Boa.

“Tiger!” Taeyeon says, pointing towards the feline animals.

“That’s correct Taeyeon. Did you know that I’m born in the year of the tiger?” Boa asks, giggling when Taeyeon shakes her head and bounces up and down in front of her.

“Can Taeyeonnie please have a look at the tigers?” Taeyeon says, tugging on Boa’s hand. Boa nods and lets go of Taeyeon’s hand. She stands and watches as Taeyeon waddles towards the enclosure and waves eagerly at the cats in the enclosure.

Boa blinks and rushes forward instinctively when the tigers roar and Taeyeon cries out loud and runs back towards her. She just manages to get down on her knees when Taeyeon flings her arms around her and begins to sob loudly. Taken aback by the sudden change in behaviour, Boa tries to quell the girl’s bawling by patting her back and pressing gentle kisses on Taeyeon’s head. She manages to reduce Taeyeon’s cries to soft sniffles and lightly nudges the girl so she can wipe the tears off her face.

“Is Taeyeonnie scared of the tigers?” Boa asks, smiling softly when Taeyeon nods her head vigorously and buries her face into Boa’s neck. She tightens her arms around Boa’s neck and quietly whimpers, sniffling as Boa pats her back and her hair to pacify her.

“But you’re not scared of the lions Taeyeonnie.”

“Taeyeonnie scared of tigers,” Taeyeon mumbles, hiccuping as she rubs her face on Boa’s shoulder.

“Aigoo,” Boa says, continuing to kiss Taeyeon all over to calm her down. She giggles when Taeyeon hiccups and looks up at her with puffed up cheeks and pouty lips. Holding tightly onto Taeyeon so that she doesn’t fall from her arms, Boa stands up and exits the cat enclosure. She glances down at Taeyeon every now and then and grins when Taeyeon hides behind her shoulder but stares intensely at the tigers that grow smaller and smaller with every step.

Boa’s about to carry Taeyeon to the next exhibit on their list when she spots an ice cream van parked on the side. An idea pops up in her head and she beams widely. Boa carries Taeyeon over and presses her lips on her forehead to grab her attention.

“Which ice-cream do you want Taeyeonnie?” Boa says, nodding her head towards the menu stand beside the van. Taeyeon blinks, rubbing her eyes before looking up at Boa.

“Taeyeonnie doesn’t know,” Taeyeon says, burying her face into Boa’s neck again. Boa sighs and stands in line, smiling when it’s her turn to order.

“Have you decided yet Taeyeonnie?” Boa asks, lightly nudging the girl in her arms. She laughs when Taeyeon bunches her fists in front of and ponders her options. Taeyeon shyly points towards the chocolate ice-cream cone before hiding into Boa’s neck again. Boa fishes around in her pockets and hands over a few bills to the ice cream woman before standing to the side and waiting for the ice cream to be made. When her name is called forward, Boa accepts the snack but blinks in surprise when she notices the extra scoop of ice cream on the cone.

“The extra scoop is on me for this little one,” The lady says, smiling softly when Taeyeon shyly mumbles a thank you and holds onto the ice cream cone. Boa thanks the woman and she carries Taeyeon over to an empty bench. She’s about to place Taeyeon on the seat beside her when the girl lets out a whine and remains in her arms.

“Okay Taeyeonnie, you can sit on my lap,” Boa says, holding Taeyeon by her waist to prevent her from falling. Taeyeon finally beams widely and is about to take a off her ice cream when she furrows her eyebrows and thinks deeply. Taeyeon catches Boa off guard when she raises her ice cream cone towards Boa’s face, accidentally covering her cheek with the cold snack.

“Taeyeonnie!” Boa squeals, blinking in shock before letting out a hearty laugh. She’s about to fish around for a packet of tissues when she feels a wet tongue the ice cream off her face.

“Did you just my face?” Boa asks, sighing and shaking her head when Taeyeon nods eagerly and her ice cream cone.

Boa just shakes her head at the silly girl.

Wendy checks her watch, her eyes widening when she registers the time. Gathering her belongings, she hurries over towards Tiffany and Jessica and taps their shoulders.

“Girls, it’s twelve twenty. We have ten minutes to get to the dolphin show,” Wendy says, reaching for the girls’ hands and pulling them away from the pig enclosure.

“But Miss Wendy, we were looking at the piggies!”

“Come on Jessica; you wanted to see the dolphin show!”

Jessica huffs and hurries along after Wendy and Tiffany. She grabs onto Wendy’s hand and together, the three of them dash towards the dolphin enclosure. They just manage to reach the designated area when Wendy spots Krystal waiting outside the arena with Sunny and Yoona engaging in a deep conversation. She calls out to her friend, who glances upwards and waves the group over.

“You’re not late for once,” Krystal teases, bumping her shoulder with Wendy’s as they allow the zoo keeper to scan their barcodes on their wristbands and allow them entry into the dolphin enclosure. Wendy doesn’t reply as they climb the steps to where the rest of the child care groups are and make sure the girls are seated comfortably and safely.

“We were going to be late because your sister was too mesmerised by pigs,” Wendy says, squealing when Krystal slaps her arm.

“Miss Wendy, can I sit next to Taengoo please?” Jessica asks, tugging on Wendy’s hands.

“I want to sit with Taetae!” Tiffany says, crossing her arms in front of her chest and furrowing her eyebrows.

“Both of you will sit here with us,” Krystal says, shooting both girls a glare that makes them shrink into their seats.

“But unnie –”

“You shush and watch the show,” Krystal replies, uncapping her water bottle and passing it to her sister.

Wendy opens to speak when the sound of a microphone being silences her and she redirects her attention to the centre of the dolphin arena.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to the show for people of all ages and one that will have you squealing in delight, it’s ‘The Dolphin Show’!” A booming voice comes out of the speakers.

“That was such a cringe-worthy introduction that my toes and fingers are curling in,” Victoria comments from behind, earning her a slap from Luna who silences her by gesturing with her index finger on her lip.

“My name is Minhyuk and I am very glad to be your host for today’s show! But before we get started, I’d like to tell you that what you are about to see are beautiful animals that you won’t see that often in your daily lives. Feel free to take as many photos as you want but try not to get yourself or your camera wet!”

“Now onto today’s special guests; I’d like to introduce our very first dolphin. Give it up for Daisy!”

The girls squeal when the dolphin leaps into the air to perform a backflip and re-enters the water, splashing the children and the audience.

Sunny looks over at Yuri and notices that the poor girl’s clothes are drenched in pool water. She’s about to open to comment when Krystal notices her staring and pointing at Yuri’s clothes and she groans.

“Don’t say it,” Krystal warns but she’s too late to stop Sunny.

“Yuwee peed her pants! Wee wee!”

Yuri glances down at her clothes before looking up at Sunny. She frowns when she notices Sunny’s equally wet clothes and pouts.

“You peed your pants too!” Yuri says, pointing her finger at Sunny’s shirt and shorts. She watches as Sunny looks down at herself. Her bottom lip begins to tremble and the girl lets out a loud wail.

“I peed my pants!” Sunny cries, rubbing her tears from her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

“Oh dear,” Krystal says, patting Sunny’s back to pacify her. It doesn’t quell Sunny’s cries because she continues to wail in despair at the state of her clothes and her “peeing”. Forced to stop the increasing attention on the group, Krystal whispers to Victoria and Wendy to keep an eye on the girls as she carries Sunny out of the stands. Sunny sniffles and buries her face into Krystal’s shoulder as she exits the enclosure.

Yuri turns to look at Luna with an astonished look on her face.

“Did I do something wrong Teacher Luna?”

“No dear, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Luna replies, trying her best to stifle her laughter at the comical situation. Yuri blinks at her in confusion and she chuckles, poking Yuri’s puffy cheek. Yuri whines and pouts but Luna ruffles her hair and takes her hand to her out of the stands to get changed into dry clothes.

“Teacher Krystal,” Sunny says as Krystal purchases a shirt and shorts for Sunny to change into to reduce the chances of developing a cold.

“Yes Sunny?”

“Did I really pee my pants?”

“No dear, it’s just the water from the pool that the dolphins were in,” Krystal says softly, trying her best not to burst into a fit of giggles. She escorts Sunny to the changeroom and hands her a bag of the newly purchased clothes.

“Change into these clothes Sunny. When you’re done, come out and give me your wet clothes, okay?”

“Okay Teacher Krystal,” Sunny says, sniffling as she enters the changing room store. After changing into her new clothes, Sunny exits the store and stands in front of Krystal. She raises her small hands upwards and taps on her hand to grab Krystal’s attention.

“You’re back! Where are your clothes?” Krystal says. Sunny holds up the plastic bag that Krystal gave her and she peers inside, the wet clothes neatly folded inside.

“You’re a good girl Sunny. Well done!” Krystal says, patting Sunny’s head as she takes the plastic bag from Sunny’s hands.

“Teacher Krystal, will Sunny be in trouble?”

Krystal’s about to reply when she’s interrupted by the appearance of Luna and Yuri in the changing room.

“Go inside and change into your clothes Yuri,” Luna says, pointing to one of the empty stores. Yuri toddles over and steps halfway into the store when she turns around and gives Luna a confused look.

“Can Teacher Luna help Yuri?” Yuri asks, blinking up at the surprised teacher.

“You don’t usually need help Yuri.”

“I’m scared of monsteers,” Yuri says, pouting as she turns her head towards the changing store and back towards the teachers.

“Okay dear,” Luna says, relenting to the girl’s request. She shrugs her shoulders at Krystal and enters the booth to help Yuri change. Krystal ruffles Sunny’s hair and bends down so that she’s eye level with the child.

“Shall we wait outside for Yuri and Luna?” Krystal asks, smiling when Sunny nods. She escorts Sunny outside and they wait together on one of the benches outside. Sunny kicks her legs into the air as she looks from side to side.

Krystal’s too busy checking her phone when she feels tiny hands tug on the sleeve of her shirt. She pockets her phone away and smiles at Sunny.

“Sunny is sorry for making us leave.”

“That’s okay dear, but there’s someone else you need to apologise to,” Krystal says, nudging the girl. Sunny looks up to see Yuri waddling towards her with Luna in tow. With a gentle smile on Krystal’s face, Sunny nods and hops off the bench. She meets Yuri midway and wraps her arms around her friend. Yuri blinks in surprise but raises her arms to embrace Sunny. They remain together for a few seconds until Sunny moves back and holds Yuri’s hands.

“Sunny is sorry for saying you peed your pants,” Sunny says, lightly swinging her arms with Yuri’s from left to right. Yuri looks up at Luna and Krystal and notices the encouraging smiles on their faces.

“Yuri is sorry for saying you peed your pants too,” Yuri says, and together the two girls embrace each other.

At the conclusion of “The Dolphin Show”, Victoria, Wendy and Boa the girls out of the arena. They’re surprised to find Luna, Krystal, Sunny and Yuri waiting for them outside. Hyoyeon dashes forward and hugs Yuri whilst Yoona waddles up to Sunny and pokes her shirt.

“This is a new shirt!” Yoona says, staring at the printed t-shirt with fascination.

“Yeah, Teacher Krystal got it for me!” Sunny says unashamedly, looking up at Krystal with a wide grin. Krystal giggles and ruffles her hair before holding up her bag of wet clothes.

“You need to get these washed when you get home,” Krystal teases, chuckling when Sunny pouts and lowers her head.

Yoona frowns and continues to stare at Sunny’s shirt. She glances over at Yuri and notices the same shirt on her friend. Her eyes widening, she gasps and points fingers at Sunny and Yuri.

“You both got the same shirt!”

Sunny and Yuri look down at their clothes and up at each other. Their eyes widen in surprise and they both burst into giggles.

“We’re twins!”

“Okay, that’s enough girls. It’s time to eat lunch,” Victoria says, clapping her hands to get the group’s attention. One by one, they line up into two straight lines and follow Victoria and Wendy as they walk to a seating area to have lunch.

Krystal begins to count heads when she realises that a child is missing from the group. Realising the gravity of the situation, she begins to panic and search around frantically for Taeyeon.

“Soojung-Unnie?” Taeyeon calls out, her lips beginning to tremble when she can’t recognise any of the faces around her. Hugging tightly onto Toothless, Taeyeon begins to waddle around to find her classmates and teachers. When she can’t find anyone familiar around her, Taeyeon begins to panic. Maybe they left her behind because she was a naughty girl! Maybe they thought she was a bad girl so they decided to punish her!

Tears begin to stream down Taeyeon’s face and she begins to sob loudly, calling out for Krystal to come back.

“Taeyeon?” A voice calls out, making the girl turn around. Taeyeon lets out a loud whimper when she recognises the woman standing a few metres away and runs into Krystal’s arms. She wraps her arms around the woman’s neck and her legs around the woman’s waist, wailing and clinging tightly onto the teacher. Krystal pats her back in a reassuring manner and lands kisses after kisses on the girl’s head to pacify her, smiling softly when Taeyeon wedges her face into her neck and clings on tightly to her dragon plush toy.

“You’re safe Taeyeonnie. I’m here,” Krystal says, relief overcoming her as she carries Taeyeon towards the rest of the group. Taeyeon sniffles and wraps her arms around Krystal’s neck more tightly.

After a lunch of sandwiches and juice, Wendy and Luna decide to play a game with the girls while they wait for their bus to arrive. Krystal is discussing the plan for the next day of childcare with Boa and Victoria when a soft voice calls her name.

“Yes Taeyeonnie,” Krystal says, squatting down so that she’s eye level with the child.

“May I have ice-cream?” Taeyeon says as she looks up at Krystal with a pout.

“You already had ice-cream before, remember?” Krystal says, ruffling the girl’s hair. Taeyeon lets out a soft whine and latches onto Krystal’s arm.

“But but –”

“No buts about it,” Krystal says, tapping the girl’s nose with her finger. Taeyeon scrunches up her nose and climbs onto Krystal’s lap. The woman lets out a squeal as Taeyeon sits on her with her arms still crossed in front of her chest.

“Taeyeon,” Krystal begins to say, only to blink when Taeyeon bounces on her bottom on her lap.

“No butts about it,” Taeyeon says, her chin dimple popping out of her chin.

“Oh my god,” Krystal says, watching as Taeyeon stops bouncing and leans back to laugh.

Fingers tug on Krystal’s hand and she looks down to see a look of disapproval on Jessica’s face.

“Taengoo is my friend!” Jessica says, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Taeyeon hops off of Krystal’s lap and wraps her arms around Jessica.

“Sica is my friend!” Taeyeon says innocently, not understanding Jessica’s possessive nature.

Krystal shakes her head when Jessica looks up at her with a smirk of victory and drags Taeyeon towards the rest of the girls who are playing a game with Luna and Wendy.

“Devil,” Krystal says as she follows along after the two girls.

A/N: Hi. It's been almost 9 months since my last update on any of my stories. I am planning an update for Stay With Me which will hopefully be finished before I go back to uni in 2 weeks but no promises there.

This chapter is a continuation of Zoo Part 1. I decided to split this chapter into 2 because both parts have a combined total of 8000+ words so I thought this was a bit easier to read.

For your interest, one of the clues for Taeyeon to guess that the animal was a lion was “The Lion King” movie but this movie was released in 1994. In this story, Taeyeon’s 4. Although the time period in this story is more modernised (e.g. the use of phones in this story) and can be more approrpriately classified as alternate universe, I decided to change Taeyeon’s clue to the famous novel “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis, who authored “The Chronicles of Narnia” series. The clue that Taeyeon was supposed to receive was “There was a Disney movie made about this animal who is the rightful king but his uncle lied to him so he ran away, then found the courage to come back and become the rightful king.”

In retrospect, maybe I should have gone for "The Lion King" because it's easier for a child to understand.

Also, I cringed so much writing the cheesy ‘The Dolphin Show’ hosting section. And yes, I named the dolphin Daisy.

See you in the next update :)