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Now, Taehyung isn’t perfect. He doesn’t believe that a perfect person exists and most definitely would never say that he was anywhere close. Over the years he has made some undesirable decisions and caused problems and he will admit that. He himself did not believe that a human can be perfect. That was until Daeshim was added into the mix. If you asked him some years ago he would tell you that his biggest mistake was sleeping with the bratty girl in his photography class. Overall, she wasn’t a nice person, she blackmailed other people just to get her own way and would show off her father’s money as if she had made it herself. However, when his body was introduced to copious amounts of alcohol, the bratty girl seemed like a dream. She was his biggest mistake. To cut a long story short, Taehyung spent the night with her and found himself having to do the walk of shame the next morning. It wasn’t until much later he found that the big mistake of sleeping with her had created a little mistake too. By the time she had found out and told, or rather, screamed it at and slapped it into Taehyung, it was too late to do anything about it. Taehyung was appalled by the idea in the beginning. The thought of having to look after a child as well as himself and the brat he spent one night with for the rest of his life was much worse than anything else he could ever imagine. He did feel slightly guilty but at the same time wanted nothing to do with her or her child. He just wanted to walk away from the problem, and for a while, that is what he did. He kept the child a secret after her family threatened to sue Taehyung for everything he had if he spread the news anywhere. How they would sue him he has no idea, but he was more than happy to ignore the problem altogether and pretend that nothing had ever happened. That was until she turned up on his doorstep and shoved a small crying thing into his arms which had half resembled a shrivelled alien. She handed over some of the essentials that he would need and left, telling him that she didn’t want it either so everything was down to him. The first year was the hardest for him. He didn’t have many friends to help him and he lived away from his family. They sent him money occasionally to help out since he didn’t receive much money working from home. He couldn’t find a job at the time since he was finishing his finals for college. But it was definitely, by far the most difficult year of his life. There were multiple times where he was so close to giving up, so close to giving him up. The recurring thought of dropping him off at an orphanage, where he would someday have a much better family to look after him seemed to get more and more appealing as the days went on. It took him months to even name the child, he really was struggling, but finally, he settled on the name Daeshim.
After the first year, things seemed to get progressively easier, he finally got to grips with how to look after a child, since he had absolutely no clue when he was first given Daeshim. He started picking up on Daeshim’s little cues, like how he scrunched his nose when he was unhappy and about to cry and needed to be held or how when he was hungry he would make little whining noises. These things might seem obvious to someone who had even a very limited knowledge of babies but Taehyung was completely clueless.
Now, however, Taehyung has started to believe that a perfect human does exist. He looks at his son sometimes and wonders what it would be like if he had broken and given him up but he always shakes away the thoughts as quickly as they appear and gives his son the warmest hug he can muster. At this point, it would ruin him if anything happened to Daeshim or if he had to be taken away. He wouldn’t allow it. Taehyung thinks he has done well by Daeshim. He has tried to raise him the best he could, giving up bad habits; like constantly drinking alcohol, in favour of being in a state of constant closeness with his son to make sure that he doesn’t mess anything up. He wants Daeshim to have the best life that he could possibly have.
Daeshim is now five years old, and he is a creative boy, albeit slightly strange and he radiates a sense of eccentricity, just like his father, despite his young age. So far he has turned out okay in Taehyung’s opinion. He is far more advanced and mature than normal for a five-year-old, he is polite to everyone he meets and tries his hardest to be a good boy for his father, though he is a little mischievous at times.
At present, Taehyung and Daeshim are out shopping, Taehyung needed to buy a new shirt for a job interview at a photography studio and Daeshim has been begging for some coloured felt pens for weeks, wanting to learn how to draw properly, just like his father. Taehyung obviously gives in. He could only say no to Dae for so long since the small boy always manages to change his mind sooner or later. Taehyung is completely and utterly whipped for his little boy. Naturally, Daeshim goes for the most expensive pens in the shop as any child would, even without realising. Taehyung would give anything to be able to spare the money to buy his boy exactly what he wants, but the felt pens are way out of his price range and so he guilty has to tell Dae that he can’t get those ones and hands him a cheaper packet. Daeshim happily takes them despite them not being his first choice and doesn’t complain once, simply excited at the prospect of getting some pens. Taehyung smiles at the boy he has raised, the boy who never complains that he has less than other children, the boy who is always thankful and polite no matter what. It is moments like these that make him overwhelmingly glad that he managed to keep up with looking after that screaming child that was thrust into his arms five years ago.
It gradually gets closer to dinner time as Taehyung finishes up paying for his shirt, in what is their last shop for the day. He thanks the cashier for their time and wishes them a good day as he playfully nudges Daeshim’s shoulder and tells him to get moving; that dinner awaits. Daeshim, as happy as ever almost sprints out of the shop in favour of getting food. Though he is only young and small, he could eat for the whole of Korea. Taehyung chuckles and hurries to catch up with his son. Before long Taehyung spots a small, inviting looking cafe which he points out to Daeshim. He asks the small boy if he wants to try the food there, to which Daeshim nods quickly and rubs his stomach, signalling his hunger.
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Yoongi sits with his friends around the slightly sticky table and sips on his now lukewarm coffee. He listens to each of the others complaining about how bad their day has been, rolling his eyes occasionally, especially at Seokjin being dramatic about the rude woman who he was sat next to on the bus. Hoseok and Jimin were complaining about how half of the people who were meant to attend the dance class they were holding didn’t turn up and the other half learnt hardly anything during the entire session. Jeongguk complained about gaming withdrawals since all of his gaming controllers had run out of power at the same time when he went to use them. Then it was Namjoon’s turn to complain. So far, Yoongi had been sat quietly, not making offhand comments at the misfortune of his friends for once, but Namjoon decides that today, it is Yoongi he is going to complain about. Yoongi suddenly gives his full, undivided attention, ready to argue his case against the accuser.
Namjoon and Yoongi both work together at a tattoo and piercing shop. With one look at Yoongi, anyone would take an educated guess that he would work in a place like that because of his appearance. Yoongi has multiple piercings in his ears, with the addition of one in his eyebrow and sleeves of tattoos on his arms and some visible around his neck, though he has many more under his clothes. He is what you would imagine an employee at a tattoo and piercing shop to look like.
Namjoon however, though he works in the same place, doesn’t look like a stereotypical employee, he has one piercing in each of his lobes and has no visible tattoos. He has a soft and gentle face which means he mostly deals with nervous customers and children. Though him having to work with the children is not because of his innocent appearance, it is really because Yoongi refuses to work with them. Yoongi cannot stand children, claims they give him migraines when really the other just argue that he likes to be difficult. To him, all they do is cry and whine until they get their own way and treat you like shit. He cannot recall one child that he has ever liked after meeting them. He doesn’t get why people coo at children as if they are really as adorable as they make them out to be. Children annoy him and if Namjoon ever calls him out for purposely glaring at children and making himself look more intimidating so they won’t go near him, then he’s not going to deny it. He and children do not mix well and because of that, Namjoon always finds himself stuck with having to deal with them. So, Namjoon starts off his complaining by saying that he had to suffer through giving two teenage girls helix piercings as their parents sat with their screaming child in the front of the shop. Meanwhile, Yoongi disappeared for his second ‘break’ in eight minutes because he couldn’t deal with the presence of the child in the shop. Namjoon also complained about Yoongi stealing his last energy drink from off his desk. Yoongi rolls his eyes again, this time at Namjoon, refusing to comment on him taking an extra and unnecessary break to escape the screaming child and instead just claims that he needed the extra boost of energy more than Namjoon did to “fight off his migraine”.
Namjoon mirrors Yoongi and rolls his eyes and continues complaining about random instances throughout his day where Yoongi has supposedly done something worth complaining about. Namjoon is too caught up in his ranting to realise that Yoongi isn’t paying attention to him and is staring off wondering how he can escape from the situation without being caught and get to his bed. A ring of the bell above the entrance snaps him out of his daze and he notices how Namjoon still hasn’t stopped complaining about him, sure that some of the things he is talking about haven’t even happened recently.
Yoongi glances around the cafe and sees two old people sat across from each other. The old man pours - who Yoongi guesses is his wife - another cup of tea from a teapot and adds two sugar cubes to the drink. The man looks fondly at his wife and stirs the sugar into the tea before pushing the cup towards the lady. The old woman returns her husband’s fond look with a warm smile and puts her hands around the cup. Yoongi wonders just how long they have been together and smiles internally whilst watching the exchange, hoping to have that kind of beautiful long-lasting relationship with someone. He then turns his attention back to the boys around the table. Though it is nothing against his friends or their characters, he doesn’t think that he would share those kinds of longing thoughts with them. It’s not that he doesn’t trust them, but they know that he hasn’t had it good with past partners and if there’s one thing that Yoongi can’t stand, it’s pity. He wouldn’t tell them because he wouldn’t want to have their pity every time a relationship doesn’t go right, or whenever they can tell he is lonely; even if he doesn’t say it aloud.
He’s certain, however, many others would expect him to avoid feelings and long-term relationships like the plague because of his “bad boy” appearance, without a second thought. It’s not that he avoids feelings, he just likes to keep quiet about them. If something is to be said, whether it may be something that is bothering him, or even expressing love for something, Yoongi will say it, but apart from that, his feelings are his own and nobody else's.
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Taehyung and Daeshim stand in line, waiting for their turn to be served at the counter. Out of the corner of his eye, Taehyung notices Daeshim, not so sneakily taking his new pens out of the bag in his hand. He only smirks and opens the bag wider so Dae can retrieve his pens as Dae jumps, realising that he has been caught. He cheekily smiles in return and thanks his father when the pens are in his hand.
Taehyung looks up towards the menu board which is on display above the counter and tries to spot something that Dae might like to have for dinner. As one might suspect from a small cafe, the menu mainly consisted of cold food which was a blessing since Daeshim always seems to spill something on his clothes. Taehyung looks down at Daeshim and asks if he would like a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with some pombears and orange juice, to which Dae nods and smiles widely. Tae smiles back and continues looking through the menu for something himself, hastily flicking his eyes over the items when he realises that the person directly in front of them has started to be served. Meanwhile, Daeshim leaves his father’s side on the hunt for a table, not even thinking to tell his father first. Taehyung also decides that he is going to get a toasted sandwich, his with chicken and cheese and a bottle of water for himself. He smiles knowing that he has just enough money on him to pay for dinner and transport home. He steps forward when the woman in front of them in queue finishes paying and sits on the nearest free table, putting the number of her order given to her at the counter on the stand on the table. Taehyung gives the visibly tired server a look of sympathy and waits to be beckoned forward as he watches the server pass the order ticket through a small window to the kitchen.
Daeshim weaves in and out of full tables, trying to spot a place for him and his father to sit while they eat dinner. He passes a table where a girl with bright purple hair is sat with four mugs and an open laptop. He also passes a table where a frail old man sits, looking sadly at the empty chair across from her. Deeshim spots a table with nobody sat on it next to some booths in the corner of the cafe. He manoeuvres around a table where an old man and woman sit together, careful to not accidentally bump into them where they sit and finally reaches the empty table. He puts his pens on the table and starts to pull out a chair but startles when he hears someone trying to talk to him from the booth full of boys across from him. The boy who is sat on the end closest to him beckons him forward. He remembers his father telling him not to go anywhere with strangers but figures that he is safe in the cafe and won’t be leaving without his father any time soon, so he steps forward towards the booth after picking back up his pens. The boy has round glasses on and smiles at him, revealing his teeth which Daeshim thinks makes him look like a bunny rabbit. The boy softly asks if he is okay and if he has been left or if he is alone, to which Daeshim shyly tells him that he isn’t alone and that his dad is with him. Daeshim also looks at the other boys around the table and notices that they all are looking between him and another boy who is sat on the other end of the booth close to him. Daeshim looks at the boy and his mouth opens slightly when he notices the pictures which cover his neck and arms. He shyly moves closer to him, trying to get a better look at the drawings on his arms, too entranced to see the other boys looking between himself and the boy, this time with wary looks on their faces.
Daeshim looks up at the face of the boy and then back down to his arms before quietly saying, “I like your pictures, Mister. They’re really pretty.”
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The others hold their breath, praying that Yoongi behaves himself for once in his damn life and puts aside his hatred of children for the sake of not saying something stupid and getting beaten up by an angry dad. Yoongi, however, is more surprised than annoyed at the child in front of him. Usually, he intimidates children and they do absolutely anything to steer clear from him and that is the way that he likes it - even his cousins keep their distance sometimes - but never once has a child had the guts to get so close to him, nevermind complement the art that decorates his skin. The surprise shows on his face as he looks down at his arms for a second then looks at the boy before him again. Some adults often scoff at his appearance as he walks past them, some move their children away from him and some even go as far as to cross to the other side of the road when they see him coming. Yoongi looks curiously at the boy, happy that his parents haven’t brought him up to be rude to other people because of what they look like since he’s also had his fair share of children try to tell him that he shouldn’t look the way he does. In his head, he knows exactly what the other boys expect him to act like towards the child, yet he isn’t a monster. It is true that he prefers children to stay away from him and will sometimes try to deter them from coming too close, but only to reduce the headache and problems they cause him. However, calm, polite and non-judgemental children like the one stood before him are the ones he can tolerate, they seem few in numbers, but it feels like a breath of fresh air when Yoongi does meet them.
Yoongi smiles at the young boy and thanks him sincerely for the compliment, much to the other boys’ surprise. He also asks the boy what his name is to which the boy enthusiastically responds as if rehearsed especially for an occasion like this one.
“My name is Daeshim and I am five years old.”
Yoongi smiles at the boy again and tells him his name in return and that he is twenty-six years old. Daeshim gasps when he hears his age and replies saying that his dad is nearly Yoongi’s age. He looks around the table and is met with different expressions, some look confused, some look curious and Seokjin sits there grinning as if Yoongi had just told them that he binge-watches SpongeBob on the weekends and is actually a softie at heart. Jeongguk looks like he is about to ask Daeshim another question until the younger boy opens his mouth first and asks Yoongi a very serious question.
“Can I colour your pictures please?”
Yoongi’s mouth opens slightly in shock when he hears the boy ask him that, sure, the kid is adorable and is actually tolerable but to let the kid use him as a colouring book is something else. He debates in his head on how he should let the kid down kindly but then looks at the excited expression on his face and crumbles a little inside. He’s never met a kid so passionate for colouring that they’d gladly ask a stranger if they could colour on them. He sighs internally and decides that he can’t let the kid down, not when he can see the hope sparkle in his eyes. He never wants to hear his friends say that he is a heartless bastard ever again, not after this. He mumbles a quick “sure” back to Daeshim and puts his arm on the edge of the table so he can reach it better as he watches the child scramble to open his packet of pens. Yoongi and the other boys silently watch as Daeshim takes out the pink felt pen and uses it to start colouring in the stripes of the lighthouse which Yoongi has tattooed on his forearm. The boy also takes out a blue pen and uses it to colour the flag as well as a yellow to colour in the light. Yoongi notices how Daeshim sticks his tongue out slightly to the right side of his mouth when he colours; like a true little artist, Yoongi thinks.
Daeshim just finishes colouring in the final pink stripe on the lighthouse when he is gripped by the shoulders and turned around. Yoongi immediately notices how attractive the male who spun Daeshim around is, despite the look of worry etched onto his face.
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“Kim Daeshim, how many times have I told you that it is important to stay by my side when we’re out. Anything could happen to you. Do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t see you next to me, hm? Don’t wander off like that again.”
Taehyung was not very happy, as soon as he had finished deciding what to order, paid and turned around to find that Dae was not by his side his stomach turned immediately and he no longer felt hungry. He faintly remembered hearing the bell on the door chime as he was debating on what to eat, the thought of Daeshim leaving the cafe or being taken from it was too much for him and he felt panic rise through his system like bile up his throat. He bobbed and weaved his head as his eyes scanned the cafe quicker than he’d done anything in his entire life. He didn’t see Daeshim the first time but when looking quickly for a second time before he planned to run straight out of the cafe and start searching, he saw the familiar head of head stood at the side of a table in the furthest corner. Taehyung dodged his way through tables and people who were standing to reach the far booth. In his rush, he barely noticed the number of men seated in the booth, let alone the fact that his son was graffitiing on one of them.
“What made you think it was a good idea to walk off on your own?”
Before even letting his son answer he turned to the people sitting in the booth and was starting to apologise but hardly got out more than a few words when he noticed Daeshim’s new pack of pens was open on the table and the arm laid next to it had been coloured on. His mouth opened in shock and disbelief and started to apologise profusely to the man attached to the arm without even looking at his face. He turned back to Daeshim and started to assure the man that Daeshim would not be using any colours for a long time and would be in very serious trouble when he got home. Taehyung turned to properly apologise to the man, face to face this time but his words were cut short when his brain decided that processing the beauty of the man his son had graffitied on was more important than processing words and using them to form an apology. He quickly realised that he was not being subtle in finding the man attractive and felt his cheeks and the tips of his ears growing warmer with each awkward passing second. The attractive man laughed and Taehyung could feel his heart quicken slightly when he heard what surely must’ve been angels singing. In one look Taehyung knew he was whipped and he knew it was a huge problem.
“It’s okay, I said he could colour them. In fact, I think you missed a spot here.”
Taehyung was so focused on what the attractive man was saying, yet his brain took its sweet time processing the sweet noise coming from his mouth. He saw how the man was pointing to a black and white tattoo of a traditional Chinese dragon on the back of his hand. He also saw Daeshim shyly walk towards the man before he was lifted up and sat on the tattooed man’s knee so he could continue colouring. Taehyung felt frozen, his brain wasn’t working fast enough for his surroundings and he stood there dumbly with his mouth hanging open as his son continued to colour in the tattoos of a stranger. He faintly heard the man say that his name is Yoongi and that he really doesn’t mind Dae colouring on him, in fact, he jokingly adds that he has been meaning to get them filled in for a while. Taehyung weakly smiles, still not having caught up everything going on around him. Yoongi suggests that he can pull a chair up so he can sit at the end of the booth with them if he would be more comfortable, he also mentions that Daeshim must’ve been trying to save the table next to booth for them since that is where he had headed first before Jeongguk asked if he was okay and if he was lost. Taehyung turns to look at Jeongguk as Yoongi pointed at him and thanks the boy, realising then that the group seem trustworthy. Taehyung says sorry to the group once more for Daeshim bothering them to which they all start assuring him that Daeshim was no trouble. Another one of the boys introduces himself as Namjoon as says that Daeshim is very polite and open-minded for his age and he also adds an offhand comment about how even Yoongi, who hates children, thinks Daeshim isn’t bothersome. He sees Yoongi throw a glare at Namjoon before turning back to him with a smile quickly replacing the scowl and trying to defend himself, saying that he doesn’t hate children, just that both he and them usually don’t get along and he tends to keep his distance. Once again making sure to tell Taehyung that he doesn’t hate children. Taehhyung laughs gently and assures him that he knows what he means, that he didn’t care to be around children that much before Daeshim.
The rest of the boys all introduce themselves and send knowing looks between one another as they all watch the interaction between their usually grouchy friend and their new friend who unknowingly already has their grumpy friend wrapped around his finger.