Hangers {Kim Namjoon}

Chapter Fifty Seven ~

It was the next weekend. Emma had been staying at Namjoon's all week. Namjoon wondered, as he saw Emma skipping toward his house one afternoon while her mom lagged behind with a couple of boxes, if Ms. Arai even cared. Did she miss her daughter, or did she view giving her up as gaining a few freedoms? Either way, the woman didn't say much during the moving process, not even to her own daughter who sat on the couch the whole time, sniffling and coughing from her cold. The only thing Ms. Arai said was after the last box was delivered and it was a simple good-bye to her daughter.

Not even an 'I love you.'

Emma insisted on sleeping on the couch when Namjoon asked her if she wanted his bed. He didn't feel like he should argue, so as she ate dinner with Hoseok her first night there, he set up a bed on the couch for her. He'd wake up earlier than her and fix breakfast for the two of them and then convince her to take the medicine the doctor prescribed her.

Never once did she question him as to why all her belongings were in boxes littered around his house or why her mom wasn't coming to pick her up. She didn't ask Hoseok why he was in sweatpants and hoodies and not the normal business clothes she always saw him in.

It was as if she knew what was going on. But no one told her what was going on until the Sunday she was being picked up by her long-lost dad.

"Why are you getting rid of my bed?" Namjoon heard Emma ask as she stood behind him. She watched him fold the blankets he had given her before setting them to the side to be put back upstairs in the closet where that had once been.

"Well, Emma, you're going to be sleeping somewhere else soon," he answered, sitting on the couch and giving her a small smile.

Emma pursed her lips. "You're leaving me, too?"

Namjoon frowned, seeing her tear up at the thought of yet another person she liked leaving her. "No, no, Emma, of course not!" He opened his arms and she walked up to him, letting him hug her close. "You're going home with your dad, Emma."

"My dad?"

Namjoon looked at Emma as she pulled away from the hug. "Yeah, your dad. He's going to take you to his home."

Emma was confused. She hadn't seen her father for years and she wasn't even sure if she knew what he looked like. She had seen pictures, but sometimes those pictures were of other people – other "dads" that came and went. She had gotten used to them walking in and trying to take care of her while repeating the same "I'm your new dad" every time they saw her. One after another came and went like a revolving door. The last car ride she had with her mother and Jimin stung in her mind, as he was gone, too. She had to sit in the backseat as they argued, yelling back and forth as little Emma wondered when would be a good time to ask for a cough drop. All this time, she yearned for the dad that had left because Hoseok told her he still loved her and she was always received cards and gifts on special holidays that had handwritten notes inside.

But now that he was here... she wondered if it was real.

Emma sniffled and Namjoon couldn't tell if she was just beginning to cry or if her cold medicine was wearing off. "Will daddy let me come over here still?"

Namjoon thought for a second. The obvious answer was no since Jin lived two hours away and there was no point in having a babysitter two hours away. But Namjoon couldn't bear to see Emma upset. He shrugged. "I'll see what I can do, okay? Don't worry about it. I'm not leaving you, Emma."

"You promise?"

Namjoon heled up his pinky and Emma immediately grabbed it. "I promise."

The front door opened and Namjoon looked at the threshold to the right of him and saw a familiar face peek in.

"I told you to knock, Min Yoongi!" an irritated voice snipped, causing the black-haired male to snicker.

"I did, very quietly, and then I entered," he responded.

Emma cowered closer to her babysitter as she made eye contact with Yoongi. She didn't know him and she figured that the revolving door was starting up again, despite being out of her mom's care. However, a vaguely familiar male entered afterward, who looked at the little girl with genuine love. Emma held her breath and continued to inch closer and closer to the only male she felt safe with.

It had been ages since Jin had seen his daughter physically. The pictures Hoseok would send with the emails between the two never did justice for how much Emma resembled her father. Jin teared up. It was happening – he was finally meeting his daughter and it wasn't for just a moment.

He knelt down on his knees and everything blurred around him as he smiled at his daughter. "Hi, Emma," he choked out, feeling a wonderful burst of joy explode within him. "You might not recognize me, but that's okay." He wiped at his tears, seeing how she was also tearing up as reality seemed to dawn on her. "I'm your dad, Emma. And I'm taking you home."

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I'm so emo :(