ACT III | SCENE XI

❝VISIT❞

GETTING OUT OF taeyang hospital without getting spotted had been surprisingly easier than yoongi had anticipated. the reporters had been too distracted with trying to slip past the security that were chasing them out to notice the people quietly exiting the hospital. he let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding when seokjin pulled out of the parking lot.

taking off his sunglasses, he glanced back to see if everyone was settled in. haneul seemed relaxed, showing off a yellow plush doll to jeongguk and explaining that it wasn't a bear but 'a lion with no beard or hair'. next to her, rian was fishing for her phone which kept buzzing in her pocket.

"okay, so where are we headed?" seokjin asked, drawing his attention. "um, we should maybe go drop them off at their home and—" yoongi's words were cut off by rian's exclamation of surprise. all eyes were on her in question. "what do you mean they are at our apartment building?" she didn't seem to notice the attention she'd garnered.

"well, we can forget about that idea." seokjin chimed, glancing pointedly at the man seated next to him. yoongi pinched the bridge of his nose. nothing, absolutely nothing was working out the way he wanted and it was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"i'd say my apartment but..." he trailed off, throwing a hand up in exasperation. "even if they can't get in, there'll be reporters lurking outside." seokjin finished. "why is this such a big deal, though? it's not like i'm some actor or idol or...you." yoongi glanced at seokjin. "you're big fish, yoongi. scandal free, never been tainted big fish. plus, much like me, you're popular with the women. the whole want but can't have appeal. and now they think someone got you when nobody was looking." the older man answered with ease.

in the back, rian's call was coming to an end. "thanks for the heads up, hoseokie. i'll talk to you later." she sighed out. as soon as she placed the phone back in her pocket, she held her head in her hands and muttered incoherently, clearly frustrated. a sentiment yoongi could very much relate to.

yoongi pulled his hat off, running his hand through his hair once before completely tugging down his face mask with slight aggression. "what are we going to do now?" he asked, at a loss on how to proceed. "let's head to my place, first." seokjin suggested. "when we get there, we'll figure out something."

"ah, this is so frustrating." yoongi threw his head back, hands pushing his hair out of his face. his friend reached out to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "don't worry, yoongi. it'll all work out somehow." he said encouragingly. "thanks, hyung." yoongi managed a smile his way.

"oh?" haneul's voice made them glance at her. "daddy!" she chirped, eyes brightening as her suspicions were confirmed when yoongi's eyes met hers. he froze, remembering that he had taken off every accessory that had hidden his face earlier. next to her, he could see jeongguk's wide eyes as he mouthed the word, "still?"

yoongi pressed his lips together. it looked like that. to the six-year-old, he was still her father. his gaze flickered to rian and he saw the way she stared at the little girl in what he could only describe as confused fascination.

"uh, hi, haneul." he finally replied, not knowing what to say. "are we going somewhere, daddy?" she beamed at him, eyes twinkling in anticipation. he blinked, unsure of how to respond, especially with his apparently new title following her question. "we're just going for a short visit somewhere." rian answered for him. he looked at her gratefully and she sent him a small smile in understanding.

seeing that rian had successfully gotten the girl's attention, yoongi straightened. seokjin glanced at him and they shared a look. "she's never going to accept the contrary, is she?" he whispered. yoongi shook his head, deep breath leaving his lips. "doesn't look like it. at least not anytime soon."

"i can't believe you became a father before me." seokjin let out a dramatic sigh, leaning back on his seat. "not funny, hyung." yoongi shot him a glare. seokjin chuckled in reply. "lighten up, yoongi. if you think about it, it's kind of a compliment. you look like a good father figure to her."

"what exactly about me is fatherly?" he questioned, features pulled in a frown. "how the hell should i know? i can't see it, but apparently kids have special eyes so she probably sees you with some transcendent ultra hd 4k vision or something." seokjin responded with a shrug. "will we ever be able to resolve this if she keeps thinking like that?" yoongi whispered, surreptitiously glancing at the girl in the back.

"who knows? at this rate, you might just have to accept that you have a secret child and call it a day." seokjin shrugged again. "you're really not helping." yoongi remarked lowly with a scrunch of his nose. "well, i'm sorry i don't know what to say because i've never had a child decide to make me their father on a whim." seokjin whispered, both men glancing at the child to make sure she hadn't heard.

luckily, she seemed invested in playing with her little plush doll, a big smile on her face as she bobbed her head from side to side. she danced the doll to rian's face, asking her to kiss its cheek. she obliged, before pressing a sweet one to haneul's forehead. the little girl beamed brightly at the gesture, cheeks flushing a soft pink hue and eyes creasing softly. she turned the doll towards jeongguk, urging the surprised man to give it a kiss on the cheek as well.

heaving a sigh, yoongi looked away. it wasn't that he didn't want a child, it was that he didn't want one yet. this was not the allotted period for a child in his plans. and when he imagined having a child, he always thought that it'd be with a woman he loved. not the child of a stranger he hadn't even met. and certainly not in this manner.

🌻🌻🌻

haneul is back! and she'll be here for a while haha. hope you enjoyed this chapter! thank you for reading!