ACT VII | SCENE XXXI

❝PROMISES❞

ONE LOOK AT haneul and yoongi knew she expected him to come up to the apartment. not that he wasn't prepared to, anyway. he didn't plan to let rian carry all those bags and hold haneul's hand all by herself.

stepping out of the car, he picked up most of the bags, leaving only a couple for rian. she took haneul's hand in her free one as they walked ahead. it was quiet between them until they stepped into the elevator. "daddy, are you're going to tuck me in?" haneul's small voice drew his attention. yoongi nodded almost nonchalantly, already expecting the question.

feeling eyes on him, he turned to meet rian's gaze. understanding the look on her face, he gave her a reassuring nod. she pressed her lips together in response, eyes blinking briefly.

they stepped off the elevator a few moments later, walking the short distance to her apartment. as soon as rian opened the door, haneul practically bolted inside, already knowing what she was expected to do. watching her go, yoongi almost laughed at her enthusiasm.

"where should i put these?" he asked when rian shut the door behind them, holding the bags he held up. "um," she bit her bottom lip in thought, "those should go in haneul's room, i guess." her head tilted slightly to the side. he let her lead the way to haneul's bedroom, though he could still remember how to get there – it was pretty straightforward.

stepping inside the small bedroom, he carefully placed the bags on the floor. this time, he let his gaze wander around the room briefly as he straightened, taking in the cosy space. it was simple. the small bed against the pale yellow wall. the little posters of cartoon characters he didn't recognise and doodles of what appeared to be mostly sunflowers on the walls. the nightlight with little flower prints on it. a stack of children's books on a small shelf in the corner. and a few framed pictures spread around the room.

he couldn't get a good look at them as rian cleared her throat. "thank you." she smiled when he looked at her. simply nodding, he pointed towards the door. "i'll go wait in the living room." he told her.

"okay," rian watched him go for a moment before turning to the bags on the floor. blowing out a breath, she crouched down and began sorting through them. "so many toys." she remarked with a small smile playing at her lips. "he really let her go all out."

she took out a couple that haneul seemed to particularly favour, placing them on the bed next to her pillows along with ryan, peanut butter and the puppy pillow. moving around the room quickly, she put most of them away. stepping back to assess, she had to admit it looked more like a little girl's room now. her smile grew unwittingly.

spinning on her heels, she headed for the bathroom where she knew haneul was. "little slice of heaven," she called, leaning against the doorjamb. haneul looked at her with a bright grin on her face, her hands in her hair in an attempt to tie it up.

"are you really going to go to bed so early?" rian asked softly, moving inside to help her pull her hair up. the girl bobbed her head in response. "i'm sleepy. and i want daddy to tuck me in before he goes." she answered, watching rian tie her hair from the mirror. smiling when the woman got her hair out of her face, she picked up her toothbrush and held it out to her.

taking the little yellow and white toothbrush, rian squeezed a pea size of toothpaste onto it. gently, she helped haneul brush her teeth, humming softly as she did so. "thank you." haneul beamed when she was done, holding her arms up to be lifted. "you're really tired today, hm?" rian noted before lifting her up into her arms.

returning to haneul's room, she asked the girl which pyjamas she wanted. "the duckies." she replied easily. rian got her changed quickly, noticing she seemed to be getting even sleepier as time went by. she lifted her into her arms once more, walking swiftly to her living room where yoongi was waiting.

she found him sitting on one of the sofas, staring at the sliding door that led to the balcony like it was the most interesting thing in the world. his persisting awkwardness almost made her laugh. his eyes found hers when she stepped into the room and he was instantly on his feet. haneul reached for him and he held his arms out without much thought, taking her from rian with quick ease.

again, they made their way down the short hall to haneul's room. as he stepped inside, he instantly noticed that the toys he'd gotten the child in his arms had already found their living spaces in the room. taking long strides, he stopped next to the bed and pulled the covers back. gently, he laid the six-year-old down, pulling the covers over her once more.

he turned the nightlight on, smiling when he saw haneul beaming tiredly at him. "daddy?" she called and he tilted his head in response. "you'll keep the promise, right?" she asked, voice heavy and words sluggish. his brows knitted in confusion. "what promise?"

"uncle jin said that you'll try to visit me as much as you can and let me sleep over when you're not busy." she expatiated. yoongi froze, momentarily confused before the weight of her words finally hit him. an onslaught of emotions flooded through him and he could barely discern any of them at that moment, except one. the urge to murder kim seokjin had returned.

he had intended for this to be their last encounter, or, at the very least, one of their last encounters. but seokjin had already set fire to that plan without yoongi even being aware. he just had to raise haneul's expectations, forcing yoongi into a very tight corner. how the hell was he supposed to dash a little girl's hopes like that?

pressing his lips together to calm himself, his gaze focused on haneul again. she was staring at him expectantly, big doe eyes sparkling with anticipation even though they drooped now and again. "oh, he did." he breathed heavily. "so, do you promise?" she asked.

silence. yoongi glanced back at rian for a second. while she looked a little taken aback, he thought she didn't seem to find it completely unexpected. perhaps she had gotten an inkling something of the sort would happen. she seemed more perceptive than he was. or seokjin had said something.

he tried to figure out when seokjin even had time alone with haneul to tell her that. and while the only moment he could think of was when he and rian went to the kitchen for popcorn, he assumed that there were probably a few other times he was unaware of.

blowing out air from his pursed lips, he took a seat at the edge of the bed. the girl was still waiting, struggling to keep her eyes open and on him. damn it, he thought in frustration. he couldn't bring himself to say no to that innocent face. features softening into a smile, he let his head bob in a quick nod. "yes, i promise." his voice was incredibly quiet.

haneul's eyes creased into crescents of happiness, cheeks rounding softly. a yawn escaped her lips and a breath of amusement left yoongi's. "goodnight, daddy." she yawned again. "goodnight, little one." he replied, patting her hair and adjusting the covers on her.

he stepped back, allowing rian to move forward and press a kiss to the girl's forehead. "sweet dreams, my little slice of heaven." she whispered. "goodnight, rian." the little girl shot a sleepy grin.

the two adults left the room, rian switching the lights off before she walked out. she folded her arms over her chest as they made their way to the living room. "mr min," she began softly, drawing his attention. "yes?" he turned to her. "did you mean it?" she asked. yoongi didn't need her to elaborate to know what she was referring to. "of course. i keep my promises."

"but is this really alright with you? i mean, you've sort of just taken on a big obligation here." she stopped and turned to face him once they were in the living room. he exhaled deeply, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "i guess i have to learn to adjust to it. i'm not used to... parenting or its fragilities." he admitted. "but this isn't exactly a situation i can just walk away from without looking back." thanks to seokjin.

she frowned, concern colouring her features. "i know that, but still..." she trailed off, unsure of how to string her words together. "you don't have to worry. i'll figure out a schedule that works out for everyone." he assured her.

yoongi was honestly surprised by how well he seemed to be taking this. he wondered if he had become desensitised as a result of the whirlwind of events that had occurred over the last two weeks. so many unexpected things had happened that he was beginning to think he really shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.

clearly, he wasn't the only one surprised by his words. rian's lips parted and shut without any words leaving them. "alright. as long it's not a bother for you." she finally said with a nod. he sent her a smile – the most genuine one rian had seen from him – and she thought he had a lovely one.

"well, i should be taking my leave." he stated. "right," she answered before walking him to the door. he opened the front door, ready to step out. "have a good night, miss son." he told her.

she started to nod but then her eyes widened. "oh, wait one moment!" she told him as she took off down the hallway, causing him to shut the door. he tilted his head, one brow arched in curiosity. less than a minute later, she was back out, holding something black in her hands. it took a second for him to realise it was his hoodie from the other time.

"i wanted to return this." she held it up. "ah," he glanced at it and then back at her. "you can keep it. i have another one just like it anyway." he replied. "but—" she started to protest but he cut her short. "really, i insist."

letting out a breath, she nodded in concession. he opened the door again, stepping out. "alright, have a good night, miss son. i believe i'll be seeing you again." he said with the ghost of a smile on his face. "yes. goodnight, mr min. drive safe." she answered. he nodded, before walking away.

rian stood at her door for a moment, staring at the item of clothing in her hands. just as she was about to shut her door, she heard a click. looking up, she found that the door opposite hers had been opened and soft brown eyes were now staring back at her.

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seokjinnie stirring drama whenever he can 😗