BABY MAMA | pjm

XLVII

ACT X | SCENE XLVII

❝PINK TUTUS❞

ROSALIE SWUNG HER legs as she sat in her father's lap, gaze riveted on the elevated stage where a group of girls a few years older than her were twirling about gracefully. the tulle underneath her sky blue dress chafed against jimin's black slacks lightly as she moved.

the way she leaned forward ever so slightly brought an amused grin to his lips. he wondered if she was blinking, having promised to watch every bit of the dance her mother had created for the 'dancing princesses in pretty pink tutus'. he kept a firm grip around her to keep her from falling off his lap with her excited movements.

he was paying just as much attention, if he was being honest. these were jangmi's girls performing after all. they were really coordinated for a group of seven-year-olds which sort of surprised him. but he figured that was because of jangmi. she was an amazing dancer and anyone who learnt from her had to be good. the dance was nearing its end, the girls moving around quickly on their tiptoes. he watched them do one final pirouette before they gracefully dropped to the ground, one leg stretched out in front of them, head bowed down, fingers brushing over the tip of their toes.

the audience erupted in applaud, giving the children a standing ovation. it was the final performance and jimin thought it was a spectacular way to close the show. glancing to the right, he spotted jangmi standing at the end of the stage, most of her body hidden behind the red curtains. she was clapping and by the way the apple of her cheeks were prominent, he could tell she was beaming.

"c'mon, let's go to the back and see mummy." he whispered in rosalie's ear. she bobbed her head enthusiastically making jimin fear that her bun might become a ponytail. adjusting his grip and making sure she sat well on his hip, he sidled his way out of the row of seats. "you'll give that to mummy, okay?" he said softly as they moved smoothly towards the backstage. she sniffed the bouquet of red roses she held awkwardly and nodded.

once they were backstage, they tried to find jangmi in the small crowd of people. "there!" rosalie pointed somewhere to jimin's left. he turned to find jangmi crouched in the middle of the girls that had just performed, grinning as she spoke to them. swiftly, he gravitated towards her, watching as the girls huddled around her, buried her in a group hug. he was close enough to hear her small laugh. "i'm so proud of you girls. now go say hello to your parents." the girls nodded before dispersing like pink butterflies.

jimin reached her as she unfolded herself to her full height. the wide leg pink pants and white velvet boat necked top somehow made her look younger. "for you, mummy." rosalie pushed the flowers in her face. giggling, she took the bouquet from her. "thank you, baby." she kissed her on one plump soft cheek. "thanks for coming." she smiled at jimin. "it was nothing. and your girls were amazing." he remarked, mouth curved upwards. "yes! they danced very pretty! i saw everything." rosalie chimed in.

"i don't think she blinked the entire performance." jimin nodded his agreement, making jangmi chuckle. "you're the best daughter in the world." she lightly pinched the girl's cheeks, nuzzling her. rosalie let out giggles of delight at the compliment. "yes, she is." jimin grinned, hiking her higher on his hip again. "tell mummy what you told me before."

"i want to be a dancing princess and wear pink tutus too!" she made her eyes bigger, iris reflecting tiny gold flecks. jangmi chuckled, perfect white teeth on display. "then mummy will make you a dancing princess, okay?" she said, voice full of promise. rosalie's lips pressed in a cute smile as she nodded her head.

"we're still having dinner together, right?" jimin questioned after a moment's silence. "yeah, of course." jangmi replied, eyes settling on him. "i just have a couple more things to settle here and then we can go." she told him, fingers unconsciously moving over the petals of the roses. he watched her action, the corner of his mouth tilting up a bit. "okay, that's fine."

"mummy will be back in a moment, sweetie." she blew rosalie a kiss before hurrying off to a woman with her hair dyed a caramel colour. rosalie splayed her fingers over her father's chest, feeling the imprint of the necklace he always wore underneath his shirt – the exact replica of which she wore around her neck. he tore his gaze away from jangmi to look at her.

"mummy likes the flowers." she whispered in his ear. jimin's eyes bounced back to the brunette, noting the way she held the bouquet to her chest. his lips parted in a pleased grin. "yes, she does."

☀☀☀

it's finally february after ten years of january