ACT I | SCENE IV

❝APOLOGIES❞

ONCE THE ADDRESS was input into the gps, the car drive was silent. far too silent for yoongi's comfort. all he could think of was how his schedule for the day had completely been skewered by the events at the grocery store. he would have to reschedule his meeting for another day and the upset in his plans was irking him far too much.

he was afraid that if his mind kept circling around those thoughts, he would end up lashing out. he was more afraid that it would be directed at the innocent woman seated beside him or even the child. and it would leave a very ugly mess in its wake. he didn't want consequences he couldn't deal with, so he did his best to push thoughts of his now useless schedule out of his mind. the effort that went into distracting himself was inciting a heavier throb in his temples.

in the back, haneul was sound asleep, chest rising and falling steadily. yoongi supposed that she had expended a good amount of energy crying, running and clinging on to him to stay awake. he glanced at her again through the rearview mirror and her face was the image of peace.

"um, thank you for doing this. and i'm really sorry." rian spoke up from her side of the car. "nice to meet you, i'm really sorry. i'm min yoongi." he replied, trying to ease the tension in the air. he felt awkward but tried anyways. after all, if he stayed upset, his headache would only get worse. a small laugh reached his ears and his gaze flickered to the side. "actually, it's son rian."

"you don't have to apologise, miss son." he told her earnestly. it wasn't like he blamed her. she seemed tired from the incident. and if her posture was anything to go by, she had long been exhausted before the fiasco. "it's not your fault haneul believes i'm her father."

"it's just strange. she's never done that before. she doesn't even talk about her dad, ever." rian glanced back at the sleeping child. "so her father's not in the picture?" he asked before he could stop himself. "no. i don't even think he's even aware he has a child out there. that's if he's still alive."

yoongi's brows arched at the information. he hated to admit it but his curiosity was growing. why would a child who never seemed to bother about having a father figure, pin a stranger as one? and why did it have to be him? exhaling deeply, he stopped himself from asking any further questions. "i see." he chose to say instead.

it was silent again and yoongi used the time to think of how he was going to fix his now messed up schedule rather than bemoan it. his thoughts kept clashing as he found himself glancing repeatedly at the child in the back of his car. her head lolling, a small hum escaped her slightly parted lips.

he scratched his ear to distract from the amused smile forming on his lips, finger grazing the silver hoop hanging from his lobe. he pursed his lips in thought, cheeks puffing at the action. he caught rian's small smile when she glanced at him. he let his gaze shift to her for a brief moment, one brow raised in question.

"oh, sorry. it's just that i've seen haneul do that a lot when she's trying to concentrate on something." she explained, seeing the look on his face. he sucked in a breath before speaking. "do you generally apologise a lot, or is it something of an occupational hazard?" he queried, one hand steering the wheel as he expertly took a turn to the left.

"what?" the skin between her brows creased in confusion. "you've said sorry no less than six times since we first met. even for things you have no need to apologise for. it's almost like instinct."

"and i'm guessing you don't have it." she looked at him in question. "no, not really. it's usually the other way around." he answered honestly, drawing in another breath. "so you don't ever apologise?" one thick brow quirked incredulously at him. "i try my best not to do things that i'd have to apologise for." he shrugged in reply.

he felt her eyes on the side of his face. "what?" he queried. "so, for example, you've never made a mistake at work that you had to apologise to your boss for?" she asked seriously. one corner of yoongi's mouth twitched in a smug smile. "i don't have a boss." he told her. "i'm sorry, what?" her features pulled in a frown. "there you go again." he pointed out.

"what do you mean you don't have a boss? are you jobless or something?" she ignored his words, letting curiosity lead her instead. "no, i am not jobless." yoongi tried to keep the slight offence out of his voice. "then how is it that you don't have a boss?"

he shot her a pointed look, waiting for her to catch on. seeing the way her eyes widened in realisation, he almost laughed. he didn't mind the casual conversation, seeing as it was distracting him from stressing over his ruined plans. "oh," she mumbled, staring straight ahead.

"you know, you really should stop apologising so much." he advised after a minute of silence, eyes focused on the road. "it's like you're accepting that you're wrong even when you aren't." he tapped his fingers against the smooth leather of the wheel. "so i shouldn't apologise anymore?" she gave him a look, one thick brow arched in question.

he shook his head, tutting softly. "i'm saying you should save your apologies for when you are actually in the wrong." he responded, glancing out his window. rather than replying, she let out a heavy breath in response.

the computerised voice of the gps announcing their arrival at their destination made him slow down. as he eased his way into a free spot in the parking lot, yoongi glanced up at the tall building in front of them. his lips parted in surprise.

the last thing he expected to see was a hospital.

🌻🌻🌻

not really any yoongi x haneul interaction but dw, you'll get enough those to give you cavities as the story progresses haha. but i thought we could take a sneak peek into their lives while haneul sleeps. thank you for reading and for all the love! i can't believe this is already at 1k reads! y'all amazing truly 💛