thirty-eight.
[flashback]

Months have passed already, but Jeongguk couldn't stop himself from giving Seolmi endless gifts, wherein he would always use Jimin or Jin as an excuse, and the two would always pretend that those gifts were from them. Taehyung never had any suspicions though. He always believed and entrusted Seolmi to the two, knowing that they too can protect and keep Seolmi away from Jeongguk... but he was absolutely wrong.

Jeongguk was sitting on his swivel chair, his attention focused on the laptop in front of him. He was already running out of ideas on what to buy next for his daughter, so he apparently needed help from "Google." Just as he was scrolling down the results, a certain thing caught his attention.

It was a lovely necklace with a snowflake as its pendant, perfectly fit for his daughter. It was as if the gods led him to access the item and buy it for his daughter. Without any doubt, he stood up from his position, and stormed out of the room, not forgetting to grab his coat from the rack.

"Where are you going? It's almost dinner time," Yoongi said, eyeing the younger suspiciously, scrutinizing his actions. Oh right, Jin hasn't told them about everything yet because for sure they'd probably freak out (especially Yoongi).

"I'm just gonna buy something, hyung. I forgot to buy it on the way home and I remembered it just now. I'll come back quickly!" Jeongguk said in a hurry and immediately slammed the door shut, not even waiting for Yoongi's reply to avoid any further interrogations from the older. Yoongi just rolled his eyes and pretended he never saw Jeongguk go out.

Jeongguk strolled around the city, his hands tucked inside his pocket, as he slightly shivered from the cold. The cold weather was still present in the air, because winter season just died down and the warm weather wouldn't be up too soon, probably not until around March or May.

"Daddy! Let's go to the park!" Jeongguk heard a little girl squeal not so far from where he was walking. He looked at them, a little girl and his father, their hands swaying along to the rhythm of their footsteps.

"But mommy's already waiting for us at home, dear. We don't want mommy to get angry at us, right?"

The little girl pouted when her father rejected the idea. But instead of pulling out a tantrum, she silently nodded her head and continued chatting with her father happily.

Jeongguk's vision followed them until they were already nowhere to be seen. Jeongguk's imagination swallowed him once more, as he thought of a happy family with none other than Kim Taehyung, the only man he would want to spend his life with.

He imagined how it would feel like to hold and cradle Seolmi in his embrace everyday, how he would spoil his princess without hiding and lying with the help of Jin and Jimin. How he imagined every little thing that the three of them could do as a family.

Sighing, he assured himself that someday, he would definitely get his family back in his arms.

Jeongguk almost passed by the jewelry store he intended to go to, but thankfully he snapped out of his reverie.

The shop was small, but it was presentable and pleasing to the eye.

"Hello, sir. Good evening. What can I do for you?" A middle aged woman greeted him. Jeongguk looked at her before fishing out his phone from his pocket and showing the necklace he found beautiful.

"Do you still sell this?" He asked. The woman smiled warmly before going inside a stockroom.

"Your timing is just perfect, sir."

Jeongguk paid for the necklace excitedly and scurried his way out the store. He just couldn't wait to give this one to his daughter, let alone the fact that he will personally give this to her. Jeongguk waited for the perfect timing, wherein he would be able to gather strength and courage to face his daughter for the very first time. And that time has finally came.

At first, Jeongguk didn't know what to do exactly. He was frantic, afraid that Taehyung might see him and push him away, but luckily, he didn't.

It was just him and Seolmi, both of them talking at the playground, laughing about nonsense topics. When Jeongguk had to bid goodbye, he felt a little tug on his hand and as he turned around, he saw his daughter beaming widely at him.

"Daddy?" The kid whispered. Jeongguk was shocked, probably because he didn't expect for Seolmi to say that word. He bent down the child's level and held her small body inside his arms.

"Y-you know I'm your daddy?"

"Dada's pictures... uncle Chim's too..." Jeongguk's heart clenched when he saw the tears falling from his daughter's eyes.

"Daddy... Seolmi misses you... Seolmi loves you so much, daddy!" The child screamed before releasing her cries. Jeongguk cried with her, as he engulfed her inside his arms.

"I love you, daddy!" The child said once again. A smile creeped on Jeongguk's lips as he pecked his daughter's forehead.

"I love you too, my Seolmi."