Chapter Text
It started innocently.
After finishing a particularly chaotic livestream — where Jiahao had cooked ramen for the members, Junseo had scolded Anxin for nearly spilling soda on the practice laptop, and Sangwon had launched himself dramatically into Junseo’s lap claiming he “was tired and needed his dad” — the group went to their dorms to rewatch the live while eating delivery chicken.They gathered around the laptop, passing it back and forth, laughing at the way they looked on camera. Then they noticed the comments.
Junseo scrolled through:
“LMAO, not Jiahao being the mom and Junseo the dad of the group 💀”
“Tell me this isn’t the most adorable idol family dynamic ever.”
“Sangwon is so the chaotic middle child, and Anxin is the artsy youngest child who’s always getting into trouble 😭😭😭”
“Ald1 family tree: Junseo (Dad), Jiahao (Mom), Anxin (Teen Son having too much fun), Sangwon (Teen son with too long speeches). I don’t make the rules.”
At first, there was silence.
Then, Sangwon burst out laughing so hard he nearly choked on a piece of chicken. “I TOLD YOU! I said the fans find it funny my speeches are long!”Anxin dramatically pointed to himself. “So having a lot of fun is a crime now??”But two members weren’t laughing.
Kim Junseo and Zhang Jiahao.
Junseo’s ears — typically the only thing that betrayed his emotions — had turned red. He wasn’t one to get flustered, not easily. But something about being called "Dad" next to Jiahao being "Mom" made his brain go... weird.
And Jiahao? Jiahao’s heart was racing in his chest so hard it echoed in his ears. He blinked rapidly at the phone, replaying the comment in his mind:
“Junseo (Dad), Jiahao (Mom)”
It wasn’t that it embarrassed him. No — it was the opposite. It made him feel something warm and shy in his chest that he wasn’t ready to name.
Later that evening
The dorm was unusually quiet.
Anxin had knocked out early, sprawled across his bed like he’d been in a battle with choreography (he had). Sangwon, after a chaotic 15-minute skincare routine, had finally gone to bed — though muffled sounds of him humming through his retainer still echoed faintly from the shared room.
That left the living room dimly lit, faint shadows from the streetlights outside casting long stripes across the hardwood floor. Junseo sat alone on the couch, his phone resting face down on his knee, his thumb tapping rhythmically against the cushion — not from boredom, but from thought.
He didn’t know why that one comment had been replaying in his head.
“Junseo (Dad), Jiahao (Mom).”
He’d heard fans call idols parents of the group before. It was always playful. Harmless. But this time, something about it hit different, as Sangwon would say.
He wasn’t the type to overthink. But right now? That title — Dad — made his skin warm. Not because it was silly, but because of who the “Mom” was.
And the worst part?
It felt right.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” a voice asked gently behind him.
Junseo turned to see Jiahao standing there, dressed in a loose black tee and sweatpants, hair still a bit damp from his shower. His voice was soft, almost careful, as if he didn’t want to startle him.
Junseo shook his head. “Just… up.”
Jiahao moved to sit beside him, not asking permission — he didn’t need to. He pulled his knees up onto the couch and let the silence settle between them like a blanket.
They sat like that for a few minutes. No words. Just quiet.
Then Jiahao chuckled under his breath.
“I can’t stop thinking about that comment,” he admitted.
Junseo glanced at him. “The ‘Mom and Dad’ one?”
Jiahao nodded. “Yeah. It’s been… stuck in my head.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of Junseo’s mouth. “It’s weird.”
“It is,” Jiahao agreed. “But also… not?”
Junseo’s eyes studied him for a moment, catching the way Jiahao’s fingers played with the hem of his sleeve — something he always did when he was nervous.
“I mean,” Jiahao went on, “I do cook for everyone. And you always end up cleaning up after us like some kind of tired, underpaid father.”
“Underpaid?” Junseo scoffed.
“Severely,” Jiahao smirked.
They both laughed — but it faded quickly, replaced by something softer. Quieter. Heavier.
“I didn’t expect to be blushing over something so silly,” Jiahao murmured suddenly, almost to himself.
Junseo turned to him. “You did.”
“I know,” Jiahao said, cheeks tinging red again. “But it wasn’t because I was embarrassed.”
Junseo’s heart skipped, just once — barely noticeable, but enough to make him shift slightly in his seat.
“Then why?”
Jiahao hesitated. The answer sat at the back of his throat like something fragile.
“Because it felt…” he paused, then laughed nervously. “...kind of nice.”
Junseo said nothing, but his silence wasn’t cold. It was loaded — with agreement, with understanding, with unspoken thoughts.
“I know it’s silly,” Jiahao continued, “but I liked the idea. Not just because the fans think we act like parents but… because they see us together. Like we belong.”
Junseo looked at him for a long time.
And then — in a voice lower than usual, almost hesitant — he said, “I liked it too.”
Jiahao turned his head, surprised.
Junseo’s expression hadn’t changed much, but there was a warmth in his eyes now. Something open. Something that said, You’re not alone in this.
They sat there, side by side, as the hum of the city outside filled the silence.
Eventually, Jiahao rested his head lightly against Junseo’s shoulder.
Junseo didn’t move away.
Instead, he leaned just slightly — enough to let Jiahao know it was okay. That he was okay.
And though neither of them said the word out loud that night, it settled quietly between them like a promise.
Something was changing.
And maybe — just maybe — the fans had seen it before they did.
From that day, things changed — not dramatically, but subtly.
Junseo would check on Jiahao more often, bringing him tea when he stayed up late practicing vocals. Jiahao, in turn, would fix Junseo’s hair during photoshoots, unprompted.
The younger members noticed.
Anxin: “They’re like, lowkey married. Should we say something?”
Sangwon: “No. Shhh. Let them parent us. I’m getting snacks out of this.”
Fans noticed, too.
The "ald1 family" meme exploded. Fan edits poured in. Artworks of Jiahao in an apron cooking food for his kids next to Junseo with a tray of cookies popped up on fan sites. Someone even wrote a webtoon about the ald1 family, which went viral.
Junseo would now blush and smile at the term “Dad.”
Jiahao — though he playfully complained about being called “Mom” — would always cover his face shyly whenever fans mentioned it at fan-signs.
One day, during a live broadcast, a fan asked, “So who’s really in charge at home, Mom or Dad?”
Jiahao immediately replied, “Me, obviously.”
Junseo just gave a small smile and didn’t deny it.
Sangwon and Anxin gave each other a side eye at that "Ts can't be real", "No way bro.."
On a New Live Stream
The four of them sat cramped on the couch, reading fan comments aloud.
Anxin: “Omg, someone said: ‘At this point, Jiahao and Junseo are just married and raising two problematic sons.’”
Sangwon: “WE’RE NOT THAT BAD.”
Junseo: “...No comment.”
Jiahao: “He’s lying. They’re that bad.”
The comments were flying.
“I KNEW IT. THE PARENTS ARE IN LOVE 😭”
“They literally hold hands in the background now and think we don’t see it??”
“Sangwon and Anxin are going to need therapy from growing up in a house this emotionally charged.”
Anxin leaned into the mic dramatically. “Blink twice if you’re dating.”
Junseo didn’t blink.
Jiahao winked.
The fans exploded.
Sangwon sighed. “Okay, but like... who’s paying for therapy?”
Jiahao threw another pillow.
Ok lmao that was it, I don't know any more, I LIVE FOR JIAHAO AS THE MOM, I DONT BELIEVE IN TOP JIAHAO