ACT IX | SCENE XLII

❝RAPPORT❞

YOONGI GLANCED RIAN'S way to find her staring at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. he blew out a breath. why did it feel like he was on the hot seat? he wasn't used to this side of rian. at least this side when it related directly to him.

"maybe a little." he finally conceded. "i may not be an expert at children but i think i'm an expert at one kid." she looked back to find haneul slowly dozing off, her head now bobbing not because of dance but sleep. with a smile, rian reached back to help straighten her.

"are you perhaps drunk?" yoongi couldn't help but ask when she was sitting straight again. she gazed over at him, looking quite scandalised at his suggestion. he almost laughed at the look on her face. "not even a little tipsy." she pinched her fingers together, screwing up her features at him.

it was like someone had flipped a switch in her and yoongi wasn't quite used to a rian that wasn't formal, cordial and apologetic. speaking of which, he hadn't heard her apologise once all day. "a new record." he muttered to himself. "sorry, did you say something?" she asked. his face fell at that. well, there it goes. he sighed. "it's nothing." he said out loud.

"alright. but as i was saying, if you have any questions, you can just ask me." she brought them back to their earlier topic. "i thought i was already doing that. but i will." he replied. her smile was almost childlike in reaction to his words. yoongi couldn't help but feel like he was getting whiplash.

"so what's this sudden one-eighty about?" he just had to ask, his curiosity getting the better of him. "ah, i thought you might feel more comfortable if i was more open." she looked straight ahead and he thought she sounded somewhat shy. "oh," was all he said.

"can i ask you something?" she perked up again, ending the silence that had taken over the small space. "of course." he nodded. "are you and seokjin fighting? you didn't even speak to each other throughout lunch." she questioned. "you noticed." he blew out a breath. "it was hard not to. he was talking to me. he was talking to haneul. he was talking about you, but not to you." she commented. "sorry, if i'm intruding. you don't have to answer if you don't want to." she quickly added, hands lifted up in front of her.

his fingers glided through his hair, another breath slipping past his lips. "no, it's fine." he assured her. "he's just mad at me but it'll blow over probably overnight." he rubbed the bridge of his nose before switching hands on the wheel. "may i ask why?"

his gaze flicked towards her. another deep sigh. "let's just say it was tit for tat." he answered, hesitant to share. "hm," she hummed in understanding. "didn't take either of you to be the petty kind." she remarked offhandedly, amused smile crawling across her lips. "and you're not?" he arched a brow at her. "in the end, aren't we all?" she retorted just as quickly.

he pressed his lips together to hold back a chuckle. she caught the action and the clear amusement on his face anyway. when she averted attention to the road, he could tell she saw that the streets were getting a bit more familiar. they were closer to her side of town.

"mr min," she called suddenly. he hummed in reply. "how about we build a good rapport? you can ask me any question and i'll answer. and vice versa, of course." she suggested. "what? like twenty questions?" he inquired. "if you will." she bobbed her head once slowly. "uh, i guess." he shrugged with uncertainty. "you can go first." she offered.

he contemplated for a few seconds before settling on an easy one. "why did you choose nursing?" he asked. "well, i like helping people. it's like my fatal flaw. being a cop requires too much physical exertion. being a doctor is too hard and takes too many years. so, nursing it was." she listed off her fingers. "and lucky for me, i actually like it."

"so there was a career list." he theorised. "something like that." she confirmed. "my turn. what did you do to get seokjin mad at you?"

this time, yoongi was unable to hide his amusement as what sounded like a snort escaped him. "is this why you asked to play this game?" he questioned. "i may sometimes be opportunistic." she admitted and he smiled. "so?" she urged. "yesterday was the first time i spoke to him in two weeks – well tried to. so now he's paying back in kind. like i said, tit for tat."

"the silent treatment sounds fun." she chimed sardonically. "very," he replied with as much sarcasm. "your turn." she reminded him. "hm," he hummed thoughtfully. "why blonde?" he finally asked, eyes drifting momentarily to her hair. "i think i look better blonde." she unconsciously brushed her fingers over her tresses. "hoseok agrees."

"your friend who was with you at haneul's school back then." he recalled. she nodded in confirmation. "yes, he's my best friend." she said. "did you just cut in line?" she turned to him. "i didn't ask a question. but you just did." he pointed out. "not fair." she pushed her lips out, frown on her face.

he blew out a chuckle and bobbed his head in concession. "it doesn't count. you can ask." he told her. "thank you. so why orbit?" she beamed. "you mean name choice?" he inquired and she nodded. "when you hear the word, what's the first thing that pops into your head?" he asked. "are you answering my question with a question?" she narrowed her eyes at him. "just humour me."

"fine. eye socket." she answered, earning her a look. glancing at her, his brows drew together, one arching higher than the other. "what? i'm a nurse, i can't help it!" her voice went higher in defence. "planets come after." she added.

"yes. but i also think of circles." he replied. "because an orbit is a circular path." she stated with understanding. "my app is supposed to connect people so i chose something that would symbolise endless connection to me. a circle has no distinguishable end or beginning, but it doesn't sound right for an app name. so i went with orbit, which was more fitting and relates to my company name." his head bobbed to the side as he spoke.

"lune, as in the moon, which orbits the earth." her lips curved in amused realisation. "which also has dual meaning." he piped in. "which is?" she asked. "that's another question." he pointed out. "okay, king of double entendres, ask away." she respired.

"what made you jet off to italy for six months right after graduating?" he made an expert turn, glancing back to check if he had stirred haneul but she was still asleep. "the need to discover more about myself and my background. i always felt like there was another side of me that i was yet to explore. i also loved the thrill of an adventure. and it might have been a little bit of a very rash, ill-advised decision with many more following that after i got there." she added the last part quietly.

"rash..." he echoed with a drawl. "i've had more than my fair share of thoughtless decisions. not all of us can always have the providence or general forethought sensibility." she defended. "i didn't say anything. and i'm not always sensible." he replied.

"you mean the alcohol?" she questioned and he nodded. "how did that happen?" she asked curiously. "i'd rather not say." he answered quietly. "that bad?" a laugh escaped her. when he didn't answer, her giggle became even louder. he made a face when she wouldn't stop, nose scrunching. "i'm sorry." she apologised in between giggles. "mhm," he gave her a sceptical nod.

the conversation remained easy thanks to an unrelenting rian. and honestly, yoongi couldn't say he minded much.

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have a lovely weekend butterflies! 💛