﹄✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ﹃

hyerin.

yoongi's mouth gaped wide as his gaze met the one of yejin's mother. thorny vines wrapped around his throat, pulling tighter and tighter as the seconds ticked by. nobody spoke.

finally, yoongi found the nerve to speak, "what the hell are you doing here?" yoongi demanded, his blood beginning to boil. he suddenly felt a steady hand wrap around his wrist, automatically knowing that jihye was on his side. hoseok stepped in, "yoongi... i... ran into hyerin while i was in daegu... and..." he looked at hyerin as if he was waiting for her to say something. yoongi locked eyes with her, she was trembling and her eyes were glistening.

"yoongi, can we talk in priva-"

"save it." yoongi snapped, "get the hell out." suddenly, he felt a familiar pair of lips brush against his ear, "give her a chance..." jihye whispered. "hear her out."

yoongi loosed a breathy chuckle. "give her a chance?" he hissed back, loud enough so hyerin could hear it. "if i remember correctly," he turned to face hyerin, "the last words you said to me were 'this child means nothing to me'." he felt jihye's hands grip him tighter.

"please...yoongi." hyerin begged, genuine fear and remorse in her eyes. "i don't have any excuse for what i said. but... when i saw hoseok at the airport, i knew i needed to meet you,"

"and do what, exactly?" yoongi demanded.

"i-i wanted to apologize."

now this took yoongi back. he met eyes with hoseok, and his friend just nodded. and when yoongi didn't reply, hyerin continued.

"for the past five years, i've felt guilty for leaving you with the child for all this time." hyerin said, her lower lip quivering, "i was being selfish, immature," she paused to inhale a shaky breath, "and... i'm sorry."

something, deep down in yoongi's heart softened. but he ignored it.

"i'm sorry." she breathed out again. "if it weren't for me, you might've lived a happier life without the burden of a child,"

she was now sobbing, "please... please find it in your heart to forgive me."

"yoongi..." jihye's voice whispered in his ear, "can i talk to you?" thankful for an escape, yoongi tugged jihye's hand and led her into the kitchen. jihye grabbed his hands, "hey," she said.

yoongi puffed his cheeks.

"i know that you've been holding this grudge for years now," she said softly, "but..."

"but what?" yoongi asked, looking down at his girlfriend, his vision blurring slightly.

"you don't... regret having yejin, do you?" she asked, holding his cheek with her delicate hands. images of yoongi's daughter flashed across his mind. "of course not," he murmured.

"your life would be completely different if it wasn't for hyerin," jihye whispered. the two glanced out of the kitchen door, hearing hyerin and hoseok's voices talking quietly amongst themselves.

"i guess so," yoongi mumbled, "but i can't forget the things she said about yejin." he looked down into her dark, starry eyes. she blinked, her dark lashes falling gracefully. "what did she say, love?"

"she said... that yejin got her ugliness from me," yoongi muttered. something in jihye's expression altered slightly, but it was far too swift for yoongi to take much notice.

jihye sighed, "you might not be able to forget what hyerin said. but just look at her," jihye began as she pointed out from the kitchen, "she was upset, yoongi. when people are upset, they make bad choices. they say things that they don't really mean."

"jihye..."

"you might not forget, but at least forgive."

yoongi looked down at his hands, gripped by jihye's soft ones. if it weren't for hyerin, i'd never meet you. he thought. he felt her finger on his chin, forcing him to look up. his eyes met hers, and they were full of compassion and sincerity.

"you need to forgive her, yoongi."

yoongi released a breath he didn't know he was holding and squeezed jihye's hands.

"are you ready to forgive her?" jihye asked him. yoongi nodded very slowly, "i-i think so." so together, they stepped out of the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

hyerin looked up at them, her entire face soaked with tears. hoseok's face was grim.

"hyerin," yoongi began, his voice shaking slightly, "yejin... was the best thing that ever happened to me." he said softly.

"w-what?"

"yejin." yoongi murmured. "my daughter."

all eyes were on hyejin and her own eyes widened slightly at the mention of the child. her hands were still shaking.

"and..." yoongi swallowed and took a deep breath, "i think it's time i forgive you."

relief flooded into hyerin's expression and a small smile crept onto her face, "thank you." she whispered. "and, yoongi?"

he met her gaze.

"can i... can i see her?" hyerin asked. something in yoongi's mind objected, but louder than all of the other voices in his head was jihyes, 'give her a chance' echoed amongst the racing thoughts.

he nodded slowly as hoseok stood up, "she's watching a movie in my room," he said quietly, "i'll go get her."

a moment later, the five-year-old appeared, smiling like always as she followed hoseok through the hallway. her smile faltered when she saw the stranger in the foyer, but she said nothing.

hyerin and yejin locked eyes.

"this is yejin." yoongi said quietly. hyerin said nothing, but smiled as a tear streaked down her face. she looked up at yoongi and jihye. "thank you," she whispered. she smiled at hoseok, then the couple before stepping towards the door. and just as fast as she arrived...

she was gone.