ACT V | SCENE XXIII

❝TOY STORE❞

LETTING GO OF rian's hand once inside, haneul skipped ahead, head turning everywhere and taking in everything as bursts of giggles spilled from her lips. the two adults watched as she twirled around happily. her gaze fixed on yoongi and she ran back to grab his hand and pull him ahead.

yoongi stumbled forward, bent forward slightly as she tugged him along. he glanced back at rian to find her slightly amused at what he had clearly walked into. haneul walked back and forth, not quite sure where to begin and pulling yoongi along with her the whole time.

finally, she made a decision, much to his relief, stopping in front of a shelf of stuffed animals. he straightened, waiting for her to make a choice, but she just stood there. he glanced down at her curiously to find her already looking at him. "what's wrong?" he asked, confused. "can i really have any one i want?" her voice was small but full of awe.

his brows pulled together, gaze flitting to rian whose countenance was one he couldn't particularly decipher. it seemed to be a mix of different emotions but he could tell she recognised this action. his eyes shifted back to haneul. "of course. and you can have as many as you want." he let a small smile grace his lips. beaming at him, she began to scan over the toys. his attention moved back to rian in question. "why...?" he trailed off, not sure if he should be so curious. after all, it wouldn't exactly matter after today.

"she has a habit of doing that when she gets something she wasn't expecting." rian explained softly. "she did that when i got her ryan too, when her mother told her she could pick any dress she wanted for her first day of school here, and when hoseok bought her a pair of boots she'd been admiring. she did it yesterday too, remember? it was just with a bit more enthusiasm. even her mum doesn't know why she does that." her eyes were on the girl.

yoongi's gaze followed hers to see haneul seriously scanning over the shelf. his head tilted slightly as he was momentarily lost in thought, his lips pursing and cheeks puffing out. why did it stir a subtle familiarity in his gut? he couldn't put his finger on it now but it reminded him of a vague, distant memory. perhaps, he used to know someone like that once upon a time.

a small gasp left haneul's mouth when she spotted something she liked, pulling him out of his thoughts. "the kitty!" she pointed to a row of stuffed kitten toys too high for her to reach. they reminded yoongi of a popular anime cat as he reached for one with a cream crescent on its forehead. he grinned, thinking of his company.

rian took it from his hands, placing it in the shopping cart she had picked up. "which other one do you want?" he inquired. "hm, the yellow and white ducky!" haneul's eyes sparkled as her gaze fell on the stuffed toy. closer to it, rian was the one to pick it out.

yoongi let haneul drag him around the store. she seemed to think seriously before she made a choice, gaze raking over the shelves carefully before she picked a toy. it was fascinating for him to watch a young child show such concentration and thoughtfulness over something as simple as stuffed toys. he'd expected a more frenzied approach where she picked out nearly everything that she saw.

in spite having all the childish tendencies he naturally expected, she surprisingly possessed a maturity he didn't think a child her age would. were all children actually this mature and thoughtful? was it his inexperience with kids that led him to believe wrongly? or was haneul really just different?

"daddy! daddy!" she hopped excitedly when she noticed something, pulling him out of his train of thought. "the puppy pillow!" she pointed. his gaze followed her finger, landing on the brown and white fuzzy face. "you want one?" he asked and she nodded excitedly. "okay." he reached up and picked out one of the plush pillows, handing it over to rian.

he lifted his arm up and his eyes drifted to his watch, checking the time. they hadn't been there that long but he feared they might be closing soon, and miss lee was probably waiting to serve them dinner before leaving. rian seemed to notice his frown because she tilted her head towards haneul, smile on her lips. "is that everything, little slice of heaven?"

haneul's cheeks puffed out for a second before she bobbed her head. "mhm," she answered. suddenly her eyes rounded and a gasp left her lips. she let go of yoongi's hand and ran ahead, surprising the two adults. they watched as she picked something she was tall enough to reach before waddling her way back to them.

"peanut!" she announced with a toothy grin, holding the plush toy to her chest. "rian, look, it's a peanut that won't make me sick!" she lifted up the brown peanut shaped plush toy with a goofy face stitched on for the nurse to see. rian beamed at her sweetly, reaching out to pat her head.

yoongi watched the interaction curiously, processing haneul's words. only one conclusion made sense to him. there was only one reason she would imply that peanuts made her sick. haneul had a peanut allergy. he pressed his lips together. hopefully, the dinner miss lee was preparing didn't contain peanuts.

"now, is that all?" yoongi asked the girl, hoping his voice didn't come off as harsh. "yes!" she giggled in reply. "alright then." he nodded, immediately heading for the checkout counter. haneul hurried after him, slipping her small hand into his. surprised, he glanced down at her but made no comment.

rian trailed behind, observing the two with interest. yoongi's form was still very much awkward but he was not as stiff as the other times. he appeared to be slowly adjusting to haneul's clinginess from the looks of it. her lips curved up in the slightest at how straight his back was and the way he stared straight ahead. it was so obvious he wasn't used to being around kids of any age.

he stopped at the checkout counter and glanced back at her, causing her feet to move faster. neither of them spoke as he pulled his card out to pay for the toys haneul had selected. rian kept her gaze away from the display screen showing his bill, feeling a bit strange. but one look at haneul's face and the discomfort squirming in her belly settled down.

yoongi glanced at her like he caught her strange expression in his peripheral vision. he did. however, he remained quiet, deciding it was best not to say anything or think much of it. he grabbed the shopping bags full of soft plush toys, rian picking the last one. haneul snuck her hand into his occupied one anyway, beaming from ear to ear as they made their way out of the store.

now, it was inevitable. no more detours or procrastinating. they were definitely going to his home.

🌻🌻🌻

double update so i hope you didn't miss the first one! thanks for reading!