21 Apologies

Akane was anxious to day the least. Ran had called her the night before and informed her that her father had been admitted in an hospital a night before. Ran said that it's exhaustion and stress, she had heard the doctors informing uncle Kim.

Akane knows that Ran calls Jin Kwang uncle Kim and he's gonna be there when she visits. She don't want to face the man right now but the situation was calling for it.

There wasn't time for her to actually cook so she picks an her order from a cafe and makes her way towards the hospital. She tried to sneak in but she didn't thought there will be a huge crowd of paparazzi in front of the freaking building. She had parked her car a block away for that exact purpose and now what?

Akane scowls at the number of people near the entrance. Then she rolls her eyes and decided to just went through with it. So what if the world knows that she's visiting the famous music producer there is at the moment.

With her head held high she walks up and side steps the reporters as she quietly can and makes her way towards the entrance. They sure noticed her but it was in the last second and she had already entered the building and they could only get a picture of her back (correction: her ass).

Ran had given her the information when she called so Akane just went up the stairs to the correct floor and into the room as sneakily as she can managed in this huge ass hallways filled with nurse and patients coming in and out.

She heard her name being called and in second she had a armful of a ten year old girl.

"I missed you, don't let papa to take me away from you again."

Akane hummed and hold the girl up in her arms with one hand and walks up to put the paper bag on the side table. The bed was empty and she assumed the man is in the toilet.

"How is your father?" Akane asks, cooing as she brushes the girls hair as she sat down by the couch pushed up in the corner.

"Papa is an idiot, he kept saying how he was so mean to you." Ran grumbles, burying her face on curve of the elders' warm neck. "He is sorry, please forgive him." she warps her tiny arms and snuggles close, yawning tiredly and humming to herself.

"Hey, I brought sandwich and your favourite strawberry milk, eat it before going back to sleep." Akane coos softly, just for the girl, rocking them side to side while patting the girls back affectionately. Ran seemed tired more than she thought and the kid just hums and fall asleep instead of staying awake for the breakfast.

"Yoon, what are you doing here?"

Joon Ki walks from the washroom door and stood by the bed, he looked tired with dark circles and dull complexion. His already pale skin looking dead pale. It made Akane's stomach uneasy.

"Ran called last night, said you're not looking after yourself. She's worried." Akane replies, giving a small hesitant smile at the man.

"I brought breakfast if you're hungry, there's tea." she says pointing at the paper bag on the table.

"Thank you." Joon Ki seem to relax a little and smiles back. The women seem to be understanding and showing patience for his awkward self anyway and he may just go along with the flow. He do need to apologise though, but that could wait for a day.

They didn't went back home and stayed with Jin Kwang, Joon Ki says, informing the women since he felt it right to. Eun Yoon have the right to since she was the one who saved his daughter in the first place.

"I can be discharge today, Jin Kwang hyung is coming to get us." Joon Ki informs and watch as the women lay the child down on the bed, careful not to move so much to wake the kid up.

"I can go if you want." Akane nods her head, a little sad by the news. She's worried but she don't know if the man wants her to be here for him or not.

Joon Ki sighs and grab the others hand and pull them to sit on the couch facing each other. He should just do the apology and be done with it as soon as he can. Yoon looking sad and ready for rejection is just eating him up, making him feel guilty and hurt to see the other like this.

"Yoon I'm sorry." Joon Ki days and the women looks at him, waiting for him patiently to speak up, "I- you told me it could happen in the beginning and I freaked out when it actually happened and I'm really sorry for it. I didn't mean to hurt you or make you feel like... like that at all. And I'm sorry I took so long to apologise for it. Ran has been scolding me for leaving you on the road for weeks now. She misses you..."

"I missed you too, and I hope you can forgive me for being a chicken and running away from the situation you clearly inform me that it could happen."

Joon Ki was holding on to her hand too tight, but maybe he didn't noticed it and Akane wasn't going to tell him to let her go. She was just happy to be here and that the man still want her.

"I hope we can be okay now?" Joon Ki smiles and Akane just nodded her head and pull her hand from the man's grasp to hug the other. Joon Ki was surprised but he didn't hesitate to hug back.

"If you don't mind, you can come to my house with me." Akane suggest, snuggling close as they sit together on the couch, finally eating breakfast but the drinks have went too cold so they option for water instead.

"I would love to but I need to sort things out first and Nam Joo noona would have my head if I didn't get back to their house by tonight." Joon Ki replies, frowning as he ate his second sandwich. "And Tae Ho is coming tomorrow and he wants me to pick him up from the airport, says I can kiss him goodbye if I didn't show up. He's so demanding." he complained, unaware that the women found him cute like this: pouty lips and grumbling like a kid, slurring his words.

"You know I grew up with them right?" Akane ask and Joon Ki nodded his head.

"Hyung told me after I mentioned you to him."

"If he's demanding of you than he's absolutely clingy and needy when it comes to me." Akane says and chuckles when the other scoffs at it, " If he knows it's really me, he's gonna go nuts over the news. He's a younger brother to me and Jin Kwang."

"He's a grown ass adult now, his gay ass has a husband and three kids and I don't think he'll be like how he was back then." Joon Ki retorts as a matter of fact and the women just giggles at him.

"To be honest, both Tae and his husband can actually keep up with their kids running around all day so I won't be surprised if he do act like a kid around you." Joon Ki chuckles, putting his arms around the woman's shoulder as he's done with eating breakfast. "And just to warn you, Ran loves their oldest kid. The boy, Ho Jung is kind of a prodigy and had already claim that he'll marry my baby Ran when they grow up. They act like grown adults when they are together and Ho Jung's younger siblings follow them around like ducklings or they just cause trouble wherever they go."

"Well, they sound cute to me."

"Cute who? oh-" Jin Kwang was at the door, seemingly surprised to see Akane in the room, on the couch cuddled up to the man.

"So you ignored me for months while you can make up with this trash in only a week. Wow, I thought I mean something to you. I thought i was your brother." Jin Kwang look at them pointedly and stomps in and sat down on a stool by the bedside.

"For starters, you are my brother while he is mine, like literally mine." Akane snaps, sharp but not loud enough to wake the sleeping child.

Jin Kwang rolls his eyes and Joon Ki chuckles at her statement.

"I sent you an apology didn't I?" Akane looks at the older and watch as the man nodded his head in defeat.

"How are you?" Jin Kwang questions, glancing at the sleeve covered arms of the women. "I heard from Ran what actually happened at the house. Did you found out who sent them?"

Joon Ki was too preoccupied in his mind he realised, he didn't even ask his kid what happened at the house. How irresponsible of him to neglect his child, he wouldn't have known if Jin Kwang didn't point it out and question right now.

Akane hummed and noticed how Joon Ki has tighten his hold on her waist. Maybe he is worrying over it, and she sighs at the older for asking the question right now.

"Assassins, they were after me for some reason I haven't found out." Akane replies, a half lie because there's no way she would tell them about how the Park's is behind all this. She is sure Jin Kwang will go after the old man if he heard even a slight remarks about it. But Akane wasn't really looking for revenge right now and she would hate to see anyone she cared about getting hurt because of her.

"I'll have my men look into it, whoever it is, I can't afford to lose you again to them." Jin Kwang looked determine to find out whoever it is.

"You don't have to, it done and I'm alright." Akane tries but failed since the older just glares at her and gave her a look. She's happy that the man cared for her even after all this years but it's not war she's looking for right now.

"I'll help too, hyung." Joon Ki speaks up and Akane looks at him defeated.

"Just don't cry if you get shot. If you die of panic attack, don't blame me." Akane grumbles and push herself up, away from the man and stands rolling her eyes at the two men.

This conversation is useless and it's not going where she wants it to be. Akane couldn't do anything to change their mind anyway. The two men are as stubborn as she is and she knows it.