Chapter 8

Ji Woo wandered around the room while waiting for her appas to finish changing so that they could have dinner. She heard a familiar voice and walked towards that direction. She peeks slightly, just in case it was one of her appa changing. It was Yoongi, sitting down, humming a song. "Sugar Appa!" she says as she emerges and Yoongi looks up before smiling widely. He really missed Ji Woo a lot.

But his smile faltered when Anna csme towards them, with her nostrils flared. "Why is she calling you appa?" she demanded. "Did you get some girl knocked up?!"

"No!" he immediately exclaims, standing up. He was tired of Anna's accusations but he didn't do anything about it. "She's mistaken... She thinks that I'm her appa. I'm not."

"Then why is she always hanging around you guys?!" Anna asks, almost yelling.

"She's just some kid that tags along with us to live shows," he lies as he glances to Ji Woo whose head was down. "Come on. Let's go have dinner at your favourite place."

Anna's eyes lit up as she linked arms with Yoongi and tugged him away. Ji Woo fought to keep her tears in. Did Sugar Appa really hate her that much? She started to cry at the thought of it. Why is it that so many of her appas hated her. They seemed to like Min Jun more and treated her like trash. She just cried even harder.

"Ji Woo ah~" Hoseok called out for they needed to leave for dinner already. "Ji Woo. Where are you?"

He heard sobs not far away. He frowns as it sounded like Ji Woo's. He quickly rushed towards the sound to see the young girl crying so hard that her body shook violently. "Ji Woo ah!" he exclaims in shock at the state she was in.

She looks to see who called her name. "H-Hope A-Appa," she stuttered in between tears.

He stretched his arms out and the girl flung herself into his embrace, hugging her appa tightly as she continued to cry. "Why is Ji Woo crying?" Hoseok asks as she lifts her head up.

"S-Sug-Sugar Appa said that I was just some kid," she whimpers. "H-He a-almost yelled at me."

Hoseok clenches his fist tightly as he closes his eyes firmly in order not to look for the older boy and beat him up for hurting the kid. "Hope Appa," she whispers as Hoseok's eyes opened to look down at her worriedly. "Does Su-Sugar Appa h-h-hate m-me?"

That phrase broke the dancer's heart. He hugged her even tighter as he shuts his eyes, not wanting to cry at the girl's words. Ji Woo just continued to cry before reducing to hiccups and sniffles. She rubs her eyes tiredly. It broke the dancer's heart to see his kid in this state. She may be adopted but he loved her with all his heart. This is what father protectiveness feels like.

Hoseok wipes Ji Woo's face lightly, clearing the tear stains. He carried her as she leaned her head on his shoulder, tired from crying so much. She snuggles into his shoulder, yawning slightly and soon fell asleep.

Hoseok walked back to where everyone was waiting for him. Seeing Ji Woo asleep on his shoulder, it shocked the members of BTS except for Yoongi who was off having a date with Anna. Ji Woo wasn't someone to fall asleep before night time. She used too do so when she just started living with them but she started sleeping at night for a few months already. Hoseok put a finger to his lips to indicate to them to be quiet. Jungkook saw Ji Woo's slightly tear-stained face. He nudged Su Bin and pointed to Ji Woo. She sigh, seeing Ji Woo like this broke her heart. She walked forward and fixed the younger girl's hair before planting a kiss on her forehead. "Noona," Min Jun calls out, tugging on her hand.

Su Bin knelt down. "Is Ji Woo okay?" the boy asks with his huge eyes.

"Ji Woo is tired. Let her sleep okay?" Su Bin says and he nods, smiling before running to Seokjin and started jumping in front of him meaning that he wanted to be carried.

They left the building as a group and got into their van. As the vehicle moved, Min Jun eventually fell asleep on Seokjin's and Taehyung's lap. Su Bin had leaned her head against the window with earbuds in her ear, the voices of the members playing softly as she drifted in and out of dreamland.

"J-Hope," Namjoon calls out softly, not wanting to wake up either of the youngest three. He eyes Ji Woo who was now on Hoseok's lap, curled up. "What happened to Ji Woo?"

That question made all the members turn to look at Hoseok. He sighs seeing no point in hiding it. "Suga hyung almost yelled at her. He also said that she was just some kid," Hoseok explains as Jungkook clenched his fist, having figured out when they were in the building. "I think she doesn't get why Suga hyung didn't say that she was his kid."

The silence came and the tension was thick. "But that wasn't the point..." he continues. "I found her crying till the point where her small body was shaking violently... She cried so much. And what broke my heart was..."

Hoseok had to stop. He knew he would cry if he continued. He swallowed his saliva and took a deep breath. The other members looked at him curiously. "She asked me if hyung hated her..." he says as he remembers the scene. "The way her voice broke at 'Appa'. Namjoon, it broke my heart so much."

He could feel some tears escaping. "A young girl asking a question like this. No kid should feel like their dad hates them. Especially not Ji Woo," Hoseok whispers, shocking the members.

He wasn't one to easily cry. He was the hope of BTS and even the three kids' lives. Seeing him cry wasn't easy. "Fucking hell," Hoseok cursed softly as tears escaped his eyes quicker. "She's a kid. Thinking that Suga hyung hates her... How can someone hate her?"

Jungkook had his face buried into his hands as tears escaped from his eyes. He could picture Ji Woo asking him that question with those teary eyes and that broken small voice. He took in long and deep breaths. He doesn't know the reason why his heart hurt so much. "Why is my heart hurting this much?" he whispers in between tears and it got picked up by Jimin.

"Because seeing your child in pain, it brings you ten times the pain," Jimin replies softly as his heart clenches for Ji Woo. "Ji Woo and Min Jun have become the kids of BTS. Guarded by their appas."

"Hope Appa?" Hoseok hears Ji Woo's sleepy voice as she rubbed her eyes, sitting up. "Why are you crying?"

"Aniyo," Hoseok lies as he wipes his tears quickly. "There was something in Hope Appa's eyes."

A whimper escaped Min Jun's mouth as he tossed and turned. He curled his body tighter as Seokjin and Taehyung shot each other glances. A louder whimper escaped his lips, gaining the attention of the leader who looked over to Min Jun who was shivering already. "Min Jun," Taehyung says, shaking the young boy lightly. "Min Jun."

Min Jun shot up as sweat formed on his forehead. He looked around to see that he was still in the van. He looks up to see Taehyung's worried face. "V Appa!" he exclaims happily before hugging the older boy tightly. "I thought you left Ji Woo and I!"

Taehyung's heart soften at the sight of the young boy, clinging onto him. "Aniyo Min Junnie," he replies as he runs his hand through the younger boy's hair, wiping his sweat in the process. "V Appa is here. All the appas are here."

Namjoon looks over to Su Bin just in case she would wake up but she was sleeping comfortably and silently which made the leader heave a sigh of relief. At least one of the kids weren't having a bad time.