YOONGI GOT ON his feet as soon as the door opened and he spotted rian being guided to their private table by a waiter, with haneul's hand in hers. next to him, seokjin was doing the same. the man was still adamant on not speaking to him. seokjin waved at rian and she smiled in reply.
haneul looked their way and her eyes immediately transformed into a swirling portal to the stars the moment they fell on yoongi. her hand slipped out of rian's and suddenly she was barrelling towards him. yoongi steeled himself for the impact, realising she hadn't seen him in weeks. "daddy!" she squealed as she wrapped her arms around his legs. he was somehow able to avoid toppling over, a smile tilting one corner of his mouth unwittingly.
he pet her hair gently. "hey, little one." his voice was unusually soft so that only haneul could hear his words. she tilted her head back to look up at him, flashing him the brightest smile – a gesture he returned.
"i can see who your favourite is. obviously, your uncle isn't important to you." seokjin remarked with faux dejection as rian bowed in thanks to the exiting waiter. seokjin let out a dramatic sigh, staring down at his feet. "uncle jin!" haneul let go of yoongi and waddled towards him, wrapping her arms around his legs. "now you notice me." he huffed, folding his arms over his chest and pushing his nose in the air.
"uncle jin," haneul repeated with a pout, making her doe eyes even bigger. "you're lucky you're cute." seokjin gave in with a smile and lifted the girl up into his arms. she giggled happily at his words, her eyes crinkling into crescents.
seokjin smiled back at her before looking at rian who had just reached their table and was taking her coat off. "nice to see you again, rian. you look beautiful as always." he gave her one of his charming boyish smiles. "nice to see you again, jin. and thank you." she grinned with a quick bow. "hello, mr min." she turned to yoongi, dipping her head in a bow.
"hello, miss son. glad you could make it." yoongi bowed, using the opportunity to take in her appearance then. she was wearing a knee length dress – it was the first time he'd be seeing her in one. it was pastel pink, complementing her skin tone quite nicely. it was a bardot dress that showed off her collarbones, the loose sleeves going all the way to her elbows. her blonde hair wasn't up in a ponytail as it usually was, falling around her shoulders in soft waves. and her nose ring had been replaced by an understated stud. she looked different. in a really good way.
clearing his throat, he looked away from her. he reached for the chair beside his, pulling it back. "please," he gestured for her to take a seat. "thank you." she smiled graciously as she sat. he simply nodded, adjusting the chair before moving to sit back down.
seokjin placed haneul on the seat between him and yoongi, where an extra cushion had been placed to help the little girl see the top of the table properly. "okay, then." he breathed, picking up a menu that had been left on the table for them. "order whatever you like, rian. it's on yoongi." he flashed her a smile.
"uh," rian's lips parted slightly, gaze shifting to yoongi with uncertainty. he sent a small reassuring smile her way. she hesitantly picked up the menu in front of her, eyes scanning over the options. "don't worry about the price. it's his apology and bon voyage treat." seokjin told her, noticing her hesitation. "bon voyage?" rian's brows shot up at his words.
"oh, i'm leaving for japan tomorrow for a shoot." he told her. "tomorrow?" she echoed in surprise. "uncle, you're going away?" haneul looked up at him with wide eyes. "only for a little while." he replied with a soft smile. "daddy, are you going too?" she turned to the tech mogul. "no, i'm not." he answered, shaking his head.
she turned back to seokjin. "when will you come back?" she asked him, eyes blinking. "hm, i don't know yet. but hopefully i won't be very long." he said with a hum, the skin between his brows crinkling slightly.
there was a knock on the door and the waiter returned, ready to take their orders. the conversation was put on hold as everyone tried to make their meal choices. yoongi helped haneul pick what she wanted, confirming that there were no peanuts in any of the things she asked for. the corners of rian's lips softly tugged upwards as she watched the interaction.
as soon as the waiter was gone, haneul's attention was back on seokjin. "uncle jin, you're going to japan?" she asked and he nodded in answer. "can you speak japanese?" she blinked her doe eyes at him, curiosity sparkling in them. "yes, actually. i had to learn because i go there a lot. why?" he replied, tilting his head to the side. "i want to learn!" she bounced in her seat.
he chuckled at her apparent excitement. "you do?" he arched a brow. "mhm," she bobbed her head enthusiastically. "since i won't be around, your dad can teach you." he told her. "he can?" she glanced at the man in question. "yes, he speaks japanese really well. maybe even better than i do."
both haneul and rian turned to yoongi in surprise at that. "really, daddy?" haneul questioned cutely. "mhm," seokjin answered before he could. "he even speaks english and chinese." he added. lips rounded in awe, haneul stared at him. "you do?"
yoongi's mouth curved in a small shy smile, avoiding their gazes. "yeah, well," he muttered with a little shrug. his gaze flickered to find rian looking his way in fascination. "i want to learn english too! daddy, can you teach me?" the six-year-old was practically jumping in her seat. a blithe breath left his lips at her actions. "hm, sure." his shoulders moved in a casual shrug.
an enthused gasp slipped past haneul's lips. "really?" she clapped her hands together. "mummy used to teach me english but she can't like before." the exuberance in her voice dropped as she went on. lips pressing in a line, yoongi reached up to pat her head comfortingly. "i'll teach you, hm?" he whispered. skin flushing, haneul beamed up at him.
seokjin and rian watched the two with smiles on their faces, their exchange appearing to be nothing short of pure. "i told you." seokjin mouthed to the nurse who simply wrinkled her nose in begrudging concession. he chuckled at the look on her face. that she admitted it didn't necessarily mean she liked it, at least not the way he'd practically boxed his friend into this.
taking a breath, yoongi placed his hand back on the table. his eyes darted around the room as he realised he was being watched. "more languages to learn!" haneul cheered, seeming to just realise that yoongi had actually agreed to teach her both english and japanese. "more?" seokjin's brows went up. "rian is teaching me italian!" she explained.
both men turned to the woman in question, making her lips tilt awkwardly at the sudden attention. "you can speak italian?" seokjin was the one to ask. before she could answer, the waiter returned with their orders. once again, there was a halt in conversations as their meals were served, each person momentarily distracted by the savoury aroma that took over the air.
as soon as the waiter was gone, the men had expectant eyes on her again. "well?" seokjin prompted, sounding very eager to know more. yoongi didn't say a word, but he was every bit as curious as his best friend. maybe even more so.
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so the lunch date begins. and our characters are already getting to know each other a little more. and ahem appreciate each other a little more as well. how is/was your day? i hope you're all taking care of yourselves and staying safe. wishing you all the best today! 💛
