ACT IX | SCENE XLI

❝ROSES❞

HAVING TO EXIT  the restaurant separately was certainly an inconvenience. but an inconvenience they had to bear to avoid much worse. the last time seokjin had coincidentally left a restaurant around the same time as someone else, it had caused statewide hysteria of which he didn't want a repeat and yoongi and rian didn't want firsthand experience. especially after what happened a month ago.

it meant that yoongi had to wait all of fifteen minutes for rian and haneul to leave the restaurant. rather fifteen minutes of waiting than fifteen minutes of fame, rian had said. and he wholeheartedly agreed. seokjin was the last to leave, waiting a little under ten minutes after rian and haneul before heading where his manager was waiting, as he didn't want them to be all by themselves. and he thought it was best yoongi left first to prepare for a quick getaway.

tinted windows up, yoongi watched the two approach his car. he might have stepped out to help with the doors if he didn't think it was best to avoid being seen. rian reached for the back door first, stopping in her tracks when she saw what was waiting inside.

her wide-eyed gaze travelled to his face through the door. he maintained eye contact for all of two seconds before reverting his attention to the front, fingers drumming against the cool leather of the wheel halfheartedly. seeming to snap out of her daze, she quickly helped the six-year-old into the back and the car seat that could only be for her. she clasped her in, haneul appearing much more comfortable than the seatbelt usually allowed.

still reeling from the surprise, rian shut the back door and pulled open the passenger door, slipping inside quickly. she'd barely shut the door after her before yoongi was zooming off.

she found herself glancing back more than once to confirm that she wasn't, in fact, hallucinating. but every time she looked, the car seat was still there and haneul was still in it, playing with the dancing daisy seokjin had gifted her before they left. the sound of a breath – that sounded amused rather than exhausted – leaving yoongi's lips made her turn to him.

he still stared straight ahead but the way his lips thinned and his shoulders straightened told her that he was very much aware of her blatant staring. "you can just ask." he finally said, eyes still on the road. "i'm sure you already know what i'm thinking without my asking." she blurted without much thought.

he offered a half smile at that, head nodding once. "better you than jin hyung." he muttered just loud enough for her to hear. "i didn't like the way the strap of the seatbelt sort of chafed her skin." he mumbled out after a moment's silence. "she always looks a bit uncomfortable when you strap her in, even after your adjustments."

she didn't say anything for a minute, mulling over his words. she twisted around to look at the child who was bobbing her head from side to side, imitating her new toy. "so you just upped and bought a car seat?" her eyes were back on him. he shot her a sideways glance at that. she seemed to be getting more comfortable speaking with him. it was a bit strange, seeing as he'd had a limited number of people to communicate casually with for the longest time.

he only shrugged in reply. "it was recommended." he added. she simply gawked at him in disbelief. "if she's going to be in my car, the least i can do is make sure she's comfortable and not having her neck and collarbone constantly scratched up by a seatbelt."

rian couldn't even hide her gobsmacked expression. "i guess you've adjusted and really invested yourself into this role." she commented under her breath. but he was still able to pick up her words. "i promised." he told her quietly.

"i know. but i can't help but feel like this is a little unfair to you." she sighed heavily. "i'm fine." he assured her. "so you say. but i can't imagine that any of this is easy. i mean you were kind of tossed into this whole thing unawares." she retorted almost immediately. "i offered myself for this role willingly and it still took me almost a year to get a hang of taking care of a child full time. i still fumble from time to time. i can't imagine how it feels for you." she confessed quietly.

"it's getting better." a small smile softened his features as he spared her a cursory glance. "it's actually not so bad. there's no need to worry." he added as an afterthought.

she folded her arms over her chest and looked away from him, to the tinted view outside. "okay, mr independent." she muttered childishly, taking him by surprise. his brows arched, eyes blinking in her direction. he definitely hadn't been expecting that from her. she suddenly turned to him and yoongi quickly averted his gaze to the road. "just saying, it's okay to admit when things are bit hard." she said, arms still folded over her chest, slight scowl tugging on her brows.

he sucked in a breath, resting an elbow against the door so that only one hand remained on the wheel. he wondered if she expected him to be a bumbling hopeless mess at parenting. "i am aware." he said stiffly.

"i'm not saying that you're supposed to be the nuclear disaster that i was when i took up her guardianship. i know that and this are completely different. you're far more put together than i am. and you don't have to be nearly as involved, so your path probably isn't as riddled with obstacles. but i know it's not all roses either."

yoongi was stunned speechless, trying to recall a time when she'd said this much to him at a go all whilst contemplating the possibility that she was a mind reader. where her conversations with seokjin were easy and flowing, theirs were more awkward and almost floundering. so this – her speaking so easily and in an almost chiding tone, nonetheless – felt like new territory. and he was beginning to call her supposed alcohol tolerance into question, suspecting that the glasses of wine she'd had earlier now coursed through her veins as liquid courage.

truth was, rian had full control of her mental faculties; it was simply that the wine and her little chat with seokjin had loosened her up the slightest bit. she was well aware that yoongi would view it as out of character, but she was only being more of herself around him. after all, seokjin had told her she needed to relax and stop being so stiff around his best friend.

"i'm not saying that it is." he decided to say. "but you'd rather figure things out on your own." she finished for him. he exhaled deeply at that.

"mr min, we've only known each other for about a month now but in that short time, i know your life as you know it has been all but upended. that can't be easy for anyone to come to terms with. i haven't come to terms with it. and that's okay. you've been really gracious about this whole situation from day one which i find rare and extraordinary. to be honest, i can't help but be in awe of you."

"is this all because of a car seat?" he asked, feeling acutely aware of himself again. scratching his ear, he fingered one of the cool silver hoops in his ear. she let out a sigh. "i'm just saying i'm worried that you haven't really thought about this and the implications it might have in your life." she said softly.

his lips curved at that. "believe me when i say all i've done for the last month is think, miss son." he told her. "you're buying car seats and toys and letting me interrupt your work with calls like this is all a part of your life plans."

"so this is about the car seat." he felt the need to joke. she shot him a look at that and he straightened. "well, it is now. i'm aware i can't control everything that life throws at me, but i'll do my best to work around what i get. i can't help but feel like i've adopted her, so naturally i should take care of her. miss son, i wouldn't be doing this if i didn't want to." he answered.

"fine then. do you need help figuring it all out?"

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ahem ahem 👀👀
have a lovely week bubs! 💛