Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids

lvi.

"A million words would not bring you back, I know, because I've tried. Neither would a million tears, I know, because I've cried."

-Unknown

***

"J-jungkook?"

"What's going on?" Lisa whispered, and Namjoon shook his head, confused.

"I don't know," he said, pulling the phone off his ear and cupping his hand over the speaker. "Jungkook said he remembered that he had something he needed to tell me." Namjoon held the phone back up. "Jungkook? What is it?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal but we were watching a show and it reminded me of something that I was going to tell you but I couldn't remember it but now I remember it and Jin made me call you because he said I had to because it could be important but I don't think it is."

Namjoon just listened and nodded. "All right, Jungkook. Just tell me what you remembered."

"It's nothing big. Just that Miss Song was going to have a baby, but the girls in my class said an accident happened and the baby disappeared."

Namjoon sighed. He'd been hoping that Jungkook would say that he remembered seeing Jimin out in the woods or leaving the classroom. 5 years too late, true, but at least it was something.

But this was nothing. This was something they'd already known.

"Thanks, sweetie," Namjoon said, disappointed and unable to hide it from his tone.

"See, I told you he wouldn't care" Namjoon heard from the other end of the phone before the call ended. He set the phone down with a sigh.

"What did Jungkook say?" Lisa asked, her pad and pen ready.

"Nothing new," Namjoon mumbled. "Just that Song Eungi had a miscarriage. But we already knew that."

Lisa frowned. She too had been hoping for a breakthrough, a miracle. But she couldn't tell Namjoon that because that would mean that she had given up. She hadn't. But it felt impossible.

"Thanks for your time," Lisa said to Namjoon's ex-wife, who nodded gravely before leaving, looking slightly disappointed as well that her information hadn't been of much use either.

"I'm sorry," Lisa said a moment later to Namjoon, who was quiet with lost hope.

He looked up with down turned eyes and said the same thing he always did. "Any progress?"

Lisa felt her heart swell with sympathy, but what could she do? "Maybe," she said, attempting a small smile. "Maybe it'll lead to something. I'll check it out."

Namjoon got up with a nod and left the room to pick his kids up from Mark's house.

Lisa, meanwhile, didn't move from the room, instead sitting in the same chair and staring at the pad and pen, willing words to jump out at her and finally make sense, but they never did.

***

"Come on, it's time to go home," Namjoon said tiredly, giving a nod to Mark, who smiled back sympathetically.

"They were good as usual," Mark said, and it wasn't a lie. The agreement between the kids to not make Namjoon worry included being on their best behavior. They were quiet, polite, and they all shared nicely.

Mark thought it was weird.

"Good," Namjoon said, giving a weak smile, and Mark sighed. He wasn't super close with Namjoon, but he felt bad for the guy, both as a friend and as a father.