Not Too Late || ATEEZ Woosan (ON HOLD)

|01|

"Daddy, I don't want to move." A little girl said as she stood in her driveway, pouting as she held her bunny stuffed animal and stared at her father, hoping her little pout would be enough to convince him to stay.

He chuckled and leaned down, stroking her hair softly, "I know sweetie, but it's for the best. Mommy wouldn't want us to be stuck here in sadness, would she?" He asked her and her pout increased a bit as she shook her head.

"But, daddy, I'm not that sad." She mumbled quietly, her father already knowing that that was a lie.

He let out a sigh, "Come on, Jia. You know that you don't have to lie to me. I heard you crying in your room last night. Crying is perfectly fine right now. You miss mommy and I do too. But, she is still in here, right?" He asked as he tapped her chest softly, signaling to where her heart is and she nodded softly, not wanting to talk about the situation any longer.

Her father smiled, "Alright. Let's go, hm?" He said and she nodded, her father helping her into the car and she buckled up, getting ready for the long drive to their new home.

It was about two hours later when they arrived. Jia had fallen asleep in the backseat and her father, San, was exhausted from driving that far of a distance. He got out of the car and carried Jia inside, placing her in her bed and covering her up with her favorite blanket. He then placed a soft kiss on her forehead before cracking the door shut and heading into the living room of their new apartment.

The two of them moved into an apartment because they had moved from the country-side all the way to Seoul. The rent in Seoul was more expensive than owning their old house, but San wanted to escape and come somewhere where the two of them could have fresh starts.

As he took a seat on the soft, gray couch in the living room, San heard his phone start ringing. He took it out of his pocket and clicked the green answer button, putting the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" He answered, only to hear a very familiar voice through the phone talk back to him.

"Hey, it's me. I just wanted to check and make sure you got to your new apartment safely. I know it's late, so I'm sorry if I woke you up on accident. I know you have a bad habit of falling asleep with your ringer on."

"Oh, hey Seonghwa. I wasn't sleeping, it's okay. I appreciate you calling to check in on me, though. The move went fine. Everything looks like it's here, so there shouldn't be any issues." San replied, enjoying hearing a familiar voice again.

Seonghwa and San had been best friends since middle school. They became friends when they both got detention on the same day. It was quite funny, actually. The two used to hate each other before they got stuck in detention together. The pair would always have minor disagreements and arguments, but one day they got into an actual fist fight, hence why they got detention in the first place.

While in detention, they ended up bonding over how much they hated the teacher that was running the whole thing. After that, they ended up talking more and figuring out that they weren't all that different from each other after all.

"Well," Seonghwa continued, "I'm glad everything went smoothly. What are your plans for tomorrow?" He asked, San adjusting his position on the couch so he was laying down now, his head resting on a soft throw pillow.

San shrugged, "Not much. Well, actually, tomorrow might be a bit stressful. It's Jia's first day at her new school and I have to get her registered to see the art therapist that is just a few blocks away. I also have to figure out my schedule with the library. They never sent me an email about it so I guess I just have to ask about it in person tomorrow."

"I hope all of that goes well for you. And, of course, if you ever need anything, you know I'm always just a call away. And if you need me physically there to every help you with anything or taking care of Jia, I'm only an hour drive away." Seonghwa reminded him, wanting San to know that he was always there for him.

San smiled over the phone softly, "Thank you, Hwa. I always appreciate everything that you do for me. I honestly have no idea what I would do without you. How are things going with Yeosang?" San asked, wanting to change the subject but also wanting to hear about his friend's relationship.

This time, Seonghwa was smiling, "About that...I want to propose to him. As you know, we've been dating for about four years now. I just...I really think this is the time." Seonghwa told the younger, and San could tell that he was just ecstatic saying how he wanted to propose.

This is what San wanted for the happy couple. They had been dating for about four years now and their relationship couldn't have been better. When San was first introduced to Yeosang, he could tell that the two had an unbreakable connection. He loved how he was able to watch their relationship sprout into something so amazing and sweet.

"Awe, I'm so happy for you, Hwa! That's great news. I'm certain that he'll say yes." San replied.

This was different. It was like a wash of happiness took over him. San couldn't even recall the last time he felt something like this. The feeling was...nice, surprisingly. Yet, in a way, sweet.

"Thanks, San. I actually wanted to tell you something else, though." Seonghwa added and San sat up on the couch, running a hand through his hair.

"What's up?" He asked, curious to hear what the older had to say.

"I want Jia to be the flower girl for our wedding if Yeosang says yes." Seonghwa told him and San suddenly felt his eyes filling with tears.

"S..Seonghwa.." He stuttered, his voice becoming hoarse from the tears that were now spilling down his cheeks, "That's so sweet. She would love that and I would be honored for her to be the flower girl at your wedding."

"I thought so." Seonghwa said proudly, "But seriously, she would be adorable and she would do an amazing job. She means a lot to me and it would be really special if she could be the flower girl."

"I'm sure she would love to. Well, it's getting kind of late and I have to take the cutie to school tomorrow morning, so I'm gonna get ready for bed. I really appreciate you calling, by the way. This talk was really nice and I needed it so much. I love you, Hwa." San told him as he glanced at the clock that was hanging on the living room wall.

"Anytime. I love you too, San. Goodnight and sleep well."

"Goodnight Hwa."

~Edited~
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I think I'm gonna try to update the story every weekend if I have enough motivation, ideas, and time. Thanks for reading and I love you all so much!

-Min <3