ACT V | SCENE XXIV

❝A MAN❞

AWE GLIMMERED IN rian's eyes from the moment yoongi left his car in the care of the valet outside the apartment building till they were up in the penthouse. seokjin's warm private home had been incredibly impressive, but there was something about yoongi's apartment that had her jaw slacking.

everything was in stark neutrals – blacks, whites, greys. the walls, the floor, the furniture, the décor. it was all pristine, minimalist, organised and just so clean that it practically sparkled before her eyes. where seokjin's had a rustic, cosy feeling, this was far more modern in style.

there was a distinct scent in the apartment. it wasn't overpowering, but soft and pleasant like it was a lingering memory of a fragrance that once hung in the air. rian couldn't exactly decipher what it was, but she appreciated it more than the strong smell of disinfectant that permeated the hospital, which she had unfortunately grown accustomed to.

an aroma wafted into the air, mixing in with what seemed to be the natural scent of the apartment. food. he'd already had dinner prepared and waiting for their arrival. the thought made her smile a bit.

haneul seemed to notice too, because her eyes went wide and she sniffed the air cutely. "food!" a squeal fell from her lips and she abandoned yoongi and rian to try and locate the source of the aroma. rian chuckled, watching her waddle ahead of them into the living room, appearing to recall all the warnings not to run around carelessly.

a woman made herself known then, stepping out of what rian could tell was the kitchen. "welcome, mr min." she smiled graciously. "good evening, miss lee." he returned the gesture almost immediately. miss lee's gaze cast down to haneul who had come to a stop right in front of her before moving up to meet rian's. "good evening." she said politely, head dipping in a short bow. mirroring her actions, rian replied with a soft, "good evening, miss."

"miss son, this is miss lee, my housekeeper. miss lee, this is son rian. and that's choi haneul. they are my guests for the night." yoongi swiftly introduced them.

"hello!" haneul chirped before anyone could speak, eyes sparkling. "hi, cutie." miss lee's lips pulled up in a small smile. "you're really pretty." the six-year-old said, seemingly in awe. the housekeeper's smile only grew. "so are you." she responded sweetly, the corners of eyes crinkling.

she looked back up at yoongi, gaze wandering to the bags he easily held. "let me take those to the guest room." she made to take a step forward but the man shook his head. "no worries. i'll put them away and show miss son to her room for the night." he said. stepping back, miss lee nodded in understanding.

"miss, did you make dinner? something smells delicious." haneul called the woman's attention back to her little face. glancing momentarily at the child, yoongi began to walk across the room. rian followed, gripping some of the shopping bags that held haneul's new toys tightly in her hand.

he walked with a purpose, she noticed. his steps were brisk and deliberate as he led her through the large monochrome apartment. for some odd reason, she couldn't help but think it was fitting. the interior of the apartment felt like him in a lot of ways. at least, the bit of him she had gotten to know. not overtly flashy but still exuding class, value, opulence. organised, neat, streamlined and cool.

he pushed down on a door handle, pulling her out of her thoughts. she peeked in as he swung the door open wider. it matched the general colour palette and minimalist design of the entire apartment, but it looked warm and cosy, especially with the muted orange covers over the white sheets on the bed. she assumed that was miss lee's doing.

yoongi was waiting for her to step inside first, so she did. "i didn't know if you would prefer haneul to stay with you or not, so i asked that the second room be prepared just in case." he rasped as he placed their bags by the bed. she glanced at the queen sized bed and back at him. "ah, she'll stay with me here. thank you." she smiled gratefully.

he nodded once, taking a step back. "alright. you can change and come out for dinner. miss lee's cooking is one of a kind." he told her as he reached the door. "okay. thank you, mr min." she responded, meeting his gaze. "don't mention it." he turned away from her and shut the door behind him.

left alone, rian blew out a breath from her lips. she let her eyes travel around the room in wonder. underneath her feet, there was a grey rectangular rug and even with her house slippers on, it was the softest thing she had ever walked on. there was a small desk and a chest of drawers framing a corner in the room, both a crisp white like the walls. a white nightstand next to the bed was home to a beautiful black and cream pearl lamp.

through the full-length mirror, she could see her reflection and the small white cushioned wicker chair behind her. on the wall, the second hand of a sterling black wall clock ticked steadily. another wall was decorated by three intentionally askew black and white photos of nature. and the curtains in the room were a shade of grey that match the soft rug.

she knew penthouses were large, but did they usually have this grand of a floorspace? even the balcony she'd spotted through the french windows in the living room was ridiculously large. and she had noticed the floating stairs that clearly to led up to a second floor. did penthouses typically have two floors? she wasn't sure. she almost laughed at the fact that she was so concerned with the architecture of the apartment than anything else.

rian couldn't remember the last time she felt this awestruck. and honestly, somewhat out of place. it was probably when she went on that trip on a whim. a small smile tugged on her lips at the memory. she took a seat on the bed, the soft mattress dipping slightly under her weight.

her index finger came up to poke her cheek, reminding her that this was all very much real and not a long-winded hallucination. she was really in the house of a man whom she barely knew and who, as it turned out, was the creator of the app on her phone she found herself constantly on.

a man who was awkward around children and wasn't all that great at making casual conversation. a man who acted aloof but was thoughtful. a man who seemed to like to keep a safe distance from the world and preserve his precious personal space. but who, nonetheless, had invited them to his home to stop a six-year-old from bursting into tears. a man she didn't quite understand.

she stretched, hearing the crack of her tired bones. her gaze flickered to the clock and she got on her feet abruptly. more time had passed than she'd anticipated. she should hurry up and go have dinner with haneul and that same man, min yoongi.

🌻🌻🌻

alexa, play whatta man by ioi