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joonary · 2 years

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banana clip | jhs

↳ summary: he’s your roommate and your best friend. that was enough of a reason for the heartsick feeling in your stomach at the thought of him leaving, wasn’t it?

but even so, with him in tokyo and you in los angeles, you can’t help but wonder if he looks both ways every time he crosses your mind.

↳ genre: fluff; angst; roommate au; study abroad au (is that a thing? i’m making it a thing); friends to lovers; jung hoseok x reader

↳ rating: pg-13

↳ warnings: swearing, mild alcohol consumption, pining and overthinking, timeskipping but all of it is denoted by timestamps, introvert hoseok indulgence

↳ word count: 25.1k

↳ a/n: can you believe i plotted this fic in 2019? and then it ended up being nothing like my original outline LOL. heavily inspired by hoseok being an infj and his s-tier instagram usage. unbeta’d as per usual, but dedicated to rose @kinktae for her roommate hobi dream (which i included, minus the **** ******** unfortunately). messed around a lot stylistically and characterization-wise in this fic, please feel free to hit me up and let me know what you think!

[date unknown, 2022; 1:46 AM PST]

Laundry is always best done in the presence of another.

Well, not necessarily. If you think back to the days when you lived at home, you would purposely do your own laundry in the wee hours of the night, the presence of your mother or siblings in the cramped laundry room with you being more counterproductive and energy-consuming than anything else.

Not even to mention your first year of university, where you had done your laundry in pockets of time between classes, feeling the awkwardness and dread bubbling up in the back of your throat the second you poked your head into the laundromat and saw another student doing their own chores at the same time as you.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t even try to make conversation with you; you preferred to do household chores alone–often popping a playlist on and letting your brain run on autopilot as you cleaned–and there was nothing wrong with that.

But this–this is different. Hoseok looks just as sleepy as you and twice as stubborn, refusing to hit the sack until at least all of your shared and sorted piles of clothing have made it into the dryer.

(Clothes today, sheets and blankets tomorrow. That was what your agreed-upon, riveting plans for the weekend with your roommate entailed.)

He makes for a good laundry partner though, the pair of you sitting cross-legged on the living room carpet (which was vacuumed this morning by the man himself, by the way), your shared Spotify playlist turned into white noise with the dozens of quick conversations you’ve thrown back and forth between the soft thuds of folding clothes.

“I’m gonna get some water, want something?” you ask, standing up and dusting non-existent dust off your pants.

(They’re not even your pants, actually, but a pair of Hobi’s basketball shorts that you were borrowing for the weekend alongside one of his sweatshirts. When it came to clothes, his closet outnumbered yours ten-to-one, which is exactly how borrowing his clothes while yours were in the wash for the weekend became just another part of your routine.

All of his shit was vastly more comfortable than yours was, anyways–it almost had you looking forward to weekends like this.)

“Mmm, maybe a CapriSun?” Hoseok decides, eyes lighting up like it’s the best idea he’s had all night. And it is.

“Shit, I might get one of those instead too,” you contemplate, already making your way to the refrigerator.

“Wild cherry for me!” You know by now that that was exactly what he would say next.

“You’re the only person who likes that flavor, I swear.”

“I only like it because you drink all the Pacific Cooler every time we buy.” He cranes his neck enough to make eye contact with you at your place in front of the fridge, a dramatic lilt to his voice. “It’s been so long that I don’t even remember what any non-Wild Cherry juice tastes like…”

Now he’s just fucking with you. With a roll of your eyes and a smile way too big to hide any fondness behind it, you toss the juice pouch halfway across the room towards him, which he catches effortlessly in one hand.

You’re in the middle of puncturing the thin film of where your straw is supposed to go in your own juice box when the washing machine beeps to signal yet another finished load. Your roommate is already springing to his feet before you can react, muttering a quick “I’ll get it” as he squeezes past you into the hallway, one of his hands brushing against your upper arm and making your heart leap into your throat.

The feeling doesn’t dissipate, even as you make your way back to your makeshift laundry-folding station on the floor.

Hoseok brings forth yet another basket of warm clothing from the dryer, and you fall back into your routine without addressing the incident. Like you always do–physical contact wasn’t anything amiss between you two, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t cause mild jolts of flusteredness every so often.

(Okay, sue you. It was perfectly normal to find your friends physically attractive without thinking about it any further, right? You were perfectly content with your relationship with Hoseok at the moment without wanting to take it any further.)

It’s nearly an hour later when Hoseok speaks again. There’s usually never this little chit-chat between you two for this long, but the late hour and the task at hand is mind-numbing enough for the pair of you to bask in at least a little silence. Or the effort of speaking is what’s truly exhausting–it’s not an uncomfortable lack of conversation, and the still-running playlist has you both occasionally humming along at random intervals to whatever track is playing.

(Yes, you’ve been at this for hours, and your music has yet to come to a halt. Living together for nearly two years and sharing a surprisingly large amount of taste in music from the get-go has resulted in a playlist of a whopping nine hours and forty-six minutes.)

Whatever the case, the next words out of your roommate’s mouth are ones that shouldn’t surprise you as much as they do.

“I’ve always wanted to study abroad.”

Now that’s something you’ve never heard him mention before. “Really?”

He hums in confirmation before elaborating. “Yup. Deadline just passed for Fall semester programs, so I’d be planning for Spring instead.”

“Aren’t we graduating next Spring though?”

“Yeah, I went to advising and depending on the program, I should be back before commencement in June. They don’t recommend it, but it’ll only be one semester,” he assures. The seam of his lips seals like it's a promise. “January to May, that’s it.”

Shit, he went to academic advising for this? And the way he talks makes it seem like this is something that’s been on his mind for a while now, something he’s been planning and only just now geared up enough confidence to mention to you.

“Yeah, I’ve always thought that studying abroad would be fun. But damn, six months is still a pretty long time.” You can’t even remember what you’d been up to six months ago. Off the top of your head, at least.

“Mhm, it’s just an idea though,” Hoseok says casually. But you can tell already that this is much more than that.

Months of preparation in advance before telling you or not, for you, he’d be willing to throw the entire idea down the drain and you know that. So you voice exactly what’s on your mind.

“I think it’s a great idea,” you smile. You revel in the way his eyes light up at your input. You value his input in your own turmoils just as much–it feels good to know that your friendship will always be mutually beneficial. “It’s not like you don’t have the money, especially now that Jiwoo’s out of grad school. Perfect setup for new experiences.”

“Experiences for what?” he can’t help but laugh, heart-shaped smile breaking yours in two. “The Instagram aesthetic? The chance to be humbled because I’m not really as trilingual as I put on my resume? There’s nothing I don’t have now that I could want out in Japan.”

“A girlfriend,” you joke. “You don’t have a girlfriend. But seriously, does there really have to be something in mind that you want in order for you to go? Sometimes you just gotta take the leap when you get the opportunity to, and the best experiences come that way.”

“Damn, someone’s getting existential,” he says with an expression of mock-surprise flashing across his brows, playing off your words easily. He takes another sip from his CapriSun pouch. Yours has long since been flattened and discarded to the floor. “Now it seems like you’re just trying to get rid of me.”

Brushing his snide remark aside with a playful eye-roll, you realize that he’s already got a country in mind. You shouldn’t be surprised, given the other extensive amounts of research he’s apparently done so far.

“Japan, huh?”

And for what feels like the hundredth time since this conversation began, he nods, only furthering your previous assumptions. It’s just like him to have all of his own thoughts organized before sharing them with you.

“Looked at other countries too, but their programs ran way longer than our own semesters do. Plus it just–I don’t know–caught my eye.” He elaborates even further, his interest in this endearing to you. “I went with my dad a couple times when he had business trips over in Tokyo and Osaka, but I think nine-year-olds appreciate vacationing completely different from how twenty-one-year-olds do.”

“I mean, it’s like two-thirds of a vacation, considering you still have to go to class and shit.”

He huffs out a small laugh. “Back then it was like two-thirds of a vacation too. I had a lot to learn.”

“Guess so,” you sigh. You know he’s always had this immense pressure to manage a portion of his family’s country in the near future, but from what he keeps you updated on as of late, he’s much happier to be working in marketing, amongst other projects he’s taken on.

When you first met Jung Hoseok nearly a year-and-a-half ago, he was a closed book. Not in the silent, mildly awkward mannerisms type-of-way like your neighbor Yoongi, but in the sense of where it was damn near impossible to know what he was thinking, and getting him to open up about anything about his personal life and work at all was like pulling teeth.

You’re happy to know that he’ll gladly confide in you in just about everything now, but nonetheless, it always intrigued you with how good he was at only showing people exactly what he wanted them to see. Maybe it was all the wide smiles and loud outfits.

Brushing your speculations aside, you propose another idea. “Hey, maybe now instead of being managing director of the Los Angeles branch of the company, you could be one over in Tokyo?”

Hoseok gives a narrowed eye smile. “Seriously, if you’re plotting to get rid of me, it’s not gonna be that easy.”

You smile with a wrinkle of your nose. “Damn. Back to the drawing board, then.”

Despite his words, you would never even dream of getting rid of him. Hell, even his proposed leave left something akin to loneliness to settle in the recesses of your mind.

He’s your roommate and your best friend. That was enough of a reason for the heartsick feeling in your stomach at the thought of him leaving, wasn’t it?

[January 1st, 2023; 11:46 PM PST]

“You’re not bringing the condom shirt?”

Hoseok pops his head out of the closet at your question, the strips of tin foil in his hair gleaming in the change of lighting like a shitty 5’10” disco ball.

“Should I?” he shoots right back, holding up a different button-up shirt by its hanger before laying it out on the bed beside dozens of other various articles of clothing.

“Ooh, I got a better idea. Lay it out over here and you can wear it to the airport instead, and I’ll take a shit ton of pics for you to post later.”

“You’re a genius, you know that?”

You’ve always admired Hoseok’s sense of fashion. From the brightly-colored ten pound shoes he wears to the plain white t-shirts, he manages to turn every place he goes into his own personal runway. He carries himself so coolly that he can make anything look good, honestly.

His organizational skills leave nothing to be desired, and this is no exception–for tonight, he’s just laying out all the clothes he plans on bringing with him to Tokyo, and tomorrow he’ll have that impromptu fashion show you’ve been begging him for as a secondary measure of what really should go and what should stay. Then it’s to the ironing board for all of it before hitting his suitcases.

You’d think by now that you’d have picked up on at least some of his tidiness, but a side-by-side comparison of your closet to his would easily debunk that theory.

This has been going on for hours, both of your opinions on certain outfits being thrown back-and-forth like a ping pong ball.

(Remember what you said about him having trust in your judgment? Apparently that weight becomes lessened in terms of fashion, because Hoseok is having way too much fun debating you on how good his questionable outfit combinations were.)

Eyes beginning to grow heavy with sleepiness, you check the clock. His hair should be done right about now, right?

You approach him, standing while he sits on the edge of his bed, carding your fingers through the newly dyed mouse brown strands. You unfurl the nearest strip of tinfoil, triumph creeping into your smile when the highlighted strip turns out exactly the shade you pictured it to.

“Good?” he asks, eyes wide with anticipation.

“Nah, sorry but we have to shave your head now.”

He playfully shoves at your shoulder with a laugh before letting you pull him to his feet. And he follows you to the bathroom, making an incredibly good point when he tells you that even if it looks bad, he looks good in beanies anyways.

But the backup plan isn’t even necessary–he looks a little too good, if you’re being honest. You were by no means an expert at dyeing hair, but with the way Hobi’s highlights turned out, it might as well have been done professionally. He makes goofy faces at the mirror while you undo each chunk of tinfoil, growing more and more impressed at your handiwork as you go along.

“Holy shit,” is all you can say as you ruffle your fingers through his hair.

“You like it?” he asks with a tilt of his head, meeting your eyes in the mirror. Always asking you for your input. He only laughs in disbelief when you nod your head vigorously.

“I’m serious! Like damn, I just got weak in the knees a little.”

He snorts this time. “You’re so ridiculous.”

You step beside him, inspecting his strands from a different angle. It’s seriously so unfair how pretty his side profile was.

“I can’t tell if you’re staring at me, or if you’re just tooting your own horn for how good it turned out,” Hoseok jokes pointedly, making his way back to the bedroom after you declare your answer that both were true.

Aforementioned tidiness gets abandoned after a few more hours and tens of shirts later, when the realization settles in that Hoseok has too much clothes on his bed and too little surface area for him to be sleeping.

“Fuck this, we’re gonna do laundry again before I pack anyways,” Hoseok mutters, sleepiness overpowering his usually stable judgement as he shoves aside the pile of potential pants to pack to make enough room for the both of you to fit on his mattress.

You honestly don’t even remember the exact moment that the both of you had nodded off to sleep, but you recall lying side-by-side like fish in a tightly-packed can while you chatter about all the things that are going to change in the coming months.

(Hoseok expresses disbelief, like he still can’t believe he’s actually going through with this. You flick his forehead while you reassure him that in ten years from now, he’ll be glad he went.)

You stay like that until the morning sun peeks through the blinds that he has perpetually drawn, the light scattered across the array of colored clothing that was now cast to the floor.

[January 7th, 2023; 3:33 PM PST]

The thing about California that you’ve grown to both love and hate over the years is the lack of a chill to the air, even amidst the peak of Winter.

It’s a welcome break from the sweltering heat that overtakes more than two-thirds of the year, but the lack of low temperature and wind leaves the air feeling stale. Or perhaps that was just you seeing the grass being greener on the other side where Hoseok will be going.

(In this case, the grass wouldn’t be greener, but covered in a blanket of snow like every romance drama’s winter. But you digress.)

You feel as though you’re even more jittery than he is when you look at the boy through the rear view mirror, who has his phone out and camera aiming towards the LAX sign, the setting sun reflecting off the metal and bathing them in a lazy pink glow.

Yoongi’s behind the wheel and Hoseok insisted that you should sit shotgun, leaving him in the backseat with all his bags. Jiwoo had wanted to tag along as well, but she had gotten caught up at work and compensated by inviting you both over for dinner the previous night. There isn’t much being said currently, just the three of you humming along to whatever music you allow to come up on shuffle.

You can’t really blame Hobi’s uncharacteristically quiet attitude though. He’s been running around nonstop throughout the duration of this week trying to make sure that himself and all of his belongings would reach their destination safely, and even when he wasn’t moving physically, he was on the phone or sending emails back and forth with the university to ensure that the process was going smoothly.

At least he’ll catch up on rest while he’s on the plane. Or perhaps right now too, with how (predictably) horrible LAX traffic was going.

“See, this is why we leave for the airport at least three hours early,” Yoongi says matter-of-factly. He takes his hands off the steering wheel to emphasize that your vehicle is currently at a complete stop.

“You sound like your dad,” Hoseok shoots right back, causing you to laugh.

Yoongi shakes his head. “Fuck, I am getting old, huh?”

Hoseok and Yoongi have known each other longer than you have known either of them, but the three of you get along so well that it feels like you’ve known each other your entire lives. Which is funny, honestly, considering that you and Hoseok hardly ever saw Yoongi to begin with. Not only because you have other friends and each other that you opted to hang out with more, but because Yoongi spent so much time working in his studio that even him taking a few hours off to take Hoseok to the airport–and to have lunch with you two beforehand, too–felt sentimental.

The car’s painfully slow movement leads you all to resort to classic road games to pass the time. By your sixth round of iSpy, you finally make it to the parking structure.

Airports feel like liminal spaces to those who are immersed in it, but for those who are only there for drop-off and pick-up, all you feel is the chaos. From the traffic, to the checking in of bags, to finding the correct areas to go, you’re easily growing exhausted. The security line where Hoseok’s flight has directed him to go feels like a force field, knowing that this is where you’re going to have to say your final goodbyes.

It’s a shame that Hobi can’t bring you and Yoongi all the way to the gate to wait with him. It only makes the countdown of time you have left together feel even shorter.

Even with that in mind, no more sentimentalities are left to be said, you all opting for a much more casual line of conversation.

“What are you guys gonna do now?”

“Not even gonna lie, I’m hungry again,” you throw out.

“Yeah,” Yoongi nods in agreement. “Figured you would be too, so I already planned not to be working for the rest of the evening so we can go somewhere.”

Hoseok looks just as shocked as you are at his planning ahead, but you’re the one who comments on it. “Damn, Yoongi’s just constantly playing 4D chess with himself, huh.”

Hoseok throws his head back in a laugh so hard that you feel like you don’t even deserve it for your shitty quip. But the body language of his laugh is contagious, and you find yourself snickering right along with him. Even Yoongi lets out a pained laugh at his own expense.

“I’m already hungry too,” Hoseok nods after he settles down from his laughter. “I’m so excited. I love airport food.”

He’s so strange that it’s endearing. It’s not even the airline food he was excited for (which, understandable), but the overpriced Panda Express on the other side of the security check that he was setting his stomach on. Things he says like this only contribute to the ongoing list of things about your best friend you’ll never understand.

Eventually, you know when you should leave though. Despite the fact that you almost selfishly want to stay here forever, if only to bask in the time you have left with Hobi, your excitement on his behalf reminds you that you’re stalling. The weariness you had seen in him in the car has also seemingly been replaced with the same enthusiasm you were feeling, now that he was alert and awake under the fluorescent LAX lighting.

“I’ll see you in March,” he promises. Just like what you had agreed on a few nights ago. He’ll be back for Spring Break for sure–but even with that promise in mind, there was three months separating you until then, so you hug him with enough strength for you to remember his presence for four. And he hugs you back equally tight, until you both can’t help but squeeze out a laugh at how close you are.

And then he does the same for Yoongi, and in place of where Yoongi will usually pull his tsundere act and resist Hoseok’s affection, he revels in it the same way you had instead. It’s so blatantly obvious how much the both of you are going to miss him, and how much he’s going to miss you in return.

Yoongi and you can only watch as he proceeds forward towards the escalator, bag slung over his shoulder and head of brown hair fluffing as he moves. Every few steps he casts his gaze back, shooting you a smile and a wave before he continues onward.

He faces you one more time before the walkway meets the escalators, throwing another goofy grin your way as his facial features grow less and less distinguishable the further up he goes. Be it the distance or the growing anticipation in your gut that makes it so, but he’s disappearing out of sight and he’s disappearing fast.

You wave your last goodbye, and with the next blink that may or may not have had tears accompanying it, Hoseok is out of your line of vision and onto another chapter. And so are you.

[January 7th, 2023; 7:44 PM PST]

When you leave the airport, the LAX lettering is illuminated from below by a soft hue of blue against the canvas of a pitch black sky. The excess of city lights makes seeing stars nearly impossible, and absentmindedly you wonder if Hoseok has a better view of them from seven miles in the air.

“Don’t hate me.”

Your head cocks up and towards your companion from where you had been absentmindedly staring at the road, the blur of the city passing by. Yoongi’s hands have a tight grip on the steering wheel, like he’s expecting you to sock him because of what he says next. “You know how I said I figured you’d want to go out to eat after we leave the airport?”

You wait for him to continue in lieu of a response. “I invited a friend to come to dinner with us.”

A blink. Then, “Why?”

Great. As well-meaning as Yoongi was, you couldn’t believe he would spring something–or rather, someone–on you like this. He was just as socially awkward as you were, for crying out loud! You would have at least appreciated more of a warning than this.

(Ideally four business days in advance, but you’ll take anything more than what he’s chosen to give, honestly.)

It’s not like you had any means of dodging the situation either–Yoongi was your ride home, unless you wanted to throw yourself into oncoming Los Angeles traffic instead of taking your chances with whatever friend-of-a-friend he was bringing along. You pretend you don’t actually contemplate it for a moment.

He shrugs, eyes forward and lips pursed in a slight pout. “Don’t know. He’s nice–I promise–and I thought it’d be nice. I figured we’d have more fun together than letting you just go home and mope about how much you’re gonna miss Hobi.”

You cock and eyebrow at him. “Don’t act like you don’t miss him already too.”

“I’m not pretending anything,” Yoongi pouts, raising his eyebrows and flexing his fingers against the steering wheel in self-defense. “But I know it’s hitting you five times as hard as it is me.”

“Pfft. I’d say someone is projecting a little,” you dismiss with a laugh. “And don’t say it’s a roommate thing, because if Namjoon were the one leaving instead of Hobi, do you really think you’d be as miserable as you think I am right now?”

Yoongi only wrinkles his nose in response. Cutely, you might add. “No. But that’s the difference between our households. You and Hoseok are best friends and do everything together. Namjoon is just some guy that lives in my house.”

You shake your head with a laugh. He’s unbelievable. “Yeah, whatever. And your brilliant solution to cure the loss of my best friend is to drain the life outta my social battery?”

He heaves out yet another sarcastic sigh as he puts his car in park outside of the restaurant.

“Trust me, if I wanted to kill your social battery that badly, I wouldn’t have given you a warning at all. So speak to me nicely.”

[January 7th, 2023; 9:06 PM PST]

Per his word, Yoongi’s friend is nice.

The thing that strikes you the most about Kim Seokjin is his sense of humor, or rather, how much it contrasts from your own. And Yoongi’s too, for that matter–it makes you wonder how the hell the pair of them became friends to begin with.

They play off of each other well, though. Seokjin makes self-inflating jokes and outlandish claims, and Yoongi is always ready with a dry and quick-witted comeback. If Hoseok were here, he would say that the pair of them were like their own comedy skit.

“Okay, hear me out. What’s your MBTI type?” Seokjin leans forward, as if to increase your engagement from where you sit across from him in the booth.

Yoongi lets out a groan. “Not this shit again.”

“Just shut up and let her answer, man.”

You frown, needing a second to think. It’s been ages since the last time you took the test. “An INTP, if I’m remembering correctly.”

“Perfect. Riddle me this then, Y/N,” Seokjin says, folding his hands together like he’s about to ask you a question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. “Do you like fishing?”

What?

“I mean, I guess so.” You can’t remember the last time you’d even thought about going fishing.

“Yes!” he cheers, like he’s a physicist who just discovered a new subatomic particle. Yoongi full-on face plants into the table. The former takes that as an opportunity to clarify: “I’m trying to convince Yoongi over here of my theory that all INTPs like fishing. We now have three pieces of evidence to go into my thesis: you, me, and him.”

“For the last time, Jin, I’m not an INTP, I’m an ISTP. ‘S’–as in you’re a fucking Sucker for thinking this is a valid theory. And besides, Y/N’s answer was half-assed and the only reason I like going fishing is because you drag me with you all the damn time.”

You laugh. “My answer was not half-assed. If you ever need funding for further research, you know where to find me.”

Yoongi looks more and more miserable the further you and Seokjin drag along the bit. He begins to regret introducing you, the biggest enabler known to man, to Jin of all people, the man who definitely does not need any more enabling outside of what he undeservedly already gives himself.

He has to admit though, he’s glad that you’re entertained by tonight’s antics–that was all part of the plan. He wasn’t kidding when he said that he didn’t want you to be sulky over Hoseok being gone.

He knows that the pair of you were just friends, and had no plans of that changing in the future. But still, you didn’t have to be in a romantic relationship for you to miss him as if he were a significant other.

The set line of concentration between Yoongi’s brow is dissolved when Seokjin nudges him to ask to maneuver through and out of the booth, telling him that he needs to use the bathroom.

As he scoots out, Yoongi wonders why the hell he didn’t sit in the deeper end of the table to begin with. Two drinks paired with Jin’s already fidgety nature made for a bad combination this early on in the night, especially before food had arrived to distract him. Bladder: 1, Seokjin: 0.

But with the new friend’s absence, you can converse with Yoongi more comfortably.

“This is so weird.”

“What is?”

“I can’t remember the last time I went out and Hoseok wasn’t there.”

You love Yoongi, you really do. But you wish he would stop looking at you from across the table like the “No Bitches?” meme of Megamind. As if he were any better.

“Don’t look at me like that! You act like I don’t know that you spend sixty-nine percent of your time cooped up in your studio.”

Yoongi sighs and shakes his head at you again, whether it be from your actual comment, or your inopportune choice of number. But either way, you’re spurred to continue your rant. “And you spend the other thirty-one percent of your time sleeping or with Hoseok and me! So don’t act like I’m the only one who misses him.”

“You know the more defensive you are, the more you’re only proving my point right?”

Before you can form a response to his dry and pointed question, Seokjin’s speaking to announce his return.

“The bathrooms are really nice here,” Seokjin says, eyes lit with approval as he sits back down across from you, as if he were commentating on the interior design and not the efficiency of their plumbing. “The toilets probably have the same sucking force of a black hole.”

And before you can even speak, Yoongi’s already shooting back his own deadpan comment. “That wouldn’t be possible because toilets have a max PSI of fifteen.”

You really do wonder if they’ve considered starting a podcast together.

Small talk has never really been your forte. Which is why you’re glad that Seokjin seems to be comfortable enough to circumvent that, aside from initial questions about what the other is studying and what you both do for work. But what catches his interest the most is when you mention that you play PC games on occasion.

“Do you play MapleStory?” he questions immediately, eyes lit with anticipation.

You think for a moment. “Haven’t in a good while, but I definitely used to play a ton in high school.”

“Oh my God,” Seokjin says. “Can we get married?”

“Jin!” Yoongi says, brows knit in concern at his friend’s sudden question. Only for the older boy to raise his hands in comical defense.

“In the game, in the game!” he assures, causing you to laugh. “If we get married, we get bonus items, plus we share all of our Mesos and materials.”

“Like a two-man guild?”

“Exactly like a two-man guild!” Seokjin smiles as he nods excitedly. “See Yoongi-chi! She gets it!”

Yoongi definitely decides that introducing the pair of you is either the best or worst decision he’s ever made in his life. He’s still unsure of which side it’s leaning more towards.

At the end of the night, Seokjin asks you for your phone number. But like Yoongi said, his intention wasn’t to set you two up. All he wanted to do was expand your friend circle now that you couldn’t spend twenty-four hours a day with your roommate.

And if that comes in the form of a guy who wants your contact information solely to help him grind in MapleStory, so be it.

When you finally arrive home and bid Yoongi goodnight before slinking into your own now-empty condo, you find a follow request from what appears to be Seokjin’s Instagram account. Moments after you accept the invitation, you find another notification telling you that you’ve been tagged in his story.

You inspect the photo to ensure you don’t look stupid (for the intents of purposes of uploading it to your own story, yes, but also because Seokjin has a hell of a lot more followers than you, and who wouldn’t get nervous over that kind of thing?), but you’re relieved to find that you admittedly look really good.

You can’t say the same for Yoongi though–the poor guy looks as though he were mid-sentence when Seokjin snapped the photo, leaving him partially blurred and cheeks puffed out. Not that it has any negative impact on his appearance; as Hoseok once said, Yoongi looks cute doing just about anything.

Swiping into Seokjin’s DMs, you type out a quick message.

[9:54 pm] jin 😗: Mentioned you in their story

[10:06 pm] you: You mentioned jin 😗 in your story

[10:06 pm] you: nice meeting you today :) also can you send me this pic?

[10:16 pm] jin 😗: yeah of course

[10:16 pm] jin 😗: IMG_298.jpg

[10:19 pm] you: thanks!

[10:19 pm] jin 😗: mhm :)

[10:20 pm] jin 😗: nice meeting you today too!

You heart his message before promptly sliding your phone into its charging port on your nightstand, commencing in your nightly routine.

Without Hoseok here, there’s no music playing throughout the entire house. There’s no loitering at the sink while you wait for your turn in the shower, no menial conversations about your day and the funny things that you overheard while you were on campus.

You twiddle your thumbs for a moment once you’re ready for bed. You contemplate calling Hoseok to check in, but he should be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean right about now. Even though it’s more likely than not that he paid for in-flight WiFi, you’d rather let him sleep to prepare for the long days ahead.

With that thought in mind, you find yourself settling into bed sooner than usual, and drifting off into a heavy sleep.

[January 8th, 2023; 8:27 AM PST]

When you awake, you habitually reach out towards your phone’s place on your nightstand. It’s part of the luxury that comes with the weekend that you awoke naturally, rather than by an alarm clock. You only have the next few days to bask in that though, with the upcoming semester starting next week already.

Fumbling to unlock your cell phone, you swipe away any notifications that could be dealt with later. But your sights focus on one bubble of an Instagram notification in particular.

[5:12 am] jung hoseok: Replied to your story: replaced me already? :(

Unplugging your cell phone from its charger before rolling back over in bed, you grin at your screen, uncaring about how silly it must look—who else was home to judge you, anyways?—as you type out your reply.

[8:29 am] you: you know i could never

[8:29 am] you: how was your flight?

You smile at the incoming call notification that greets you almost instantaneously.

[January 14th, 2023; 11:21 PM PST]

It’s not until a week later that you hear from Hoseok again. Not that that’s a bad thing, per se; you’re sure he’s had a ton of things to settle in, from his room, to his class schedule, to even just the mundanities of his day-to-day life that he’s had to adjust to accommodate living in another country.

[11:21 pm] hobi 🌱: I’M A LIAR AND A CHEATER

[11:21 pm] hobi 🌱: 😭😭😭😭💦

[11:22 pm] you: ?

[11:22 pm] you: also PLEASE do not use 💦 as a crying emoji

He’s always done this—using emojis without a single drop of irony in his tone, regardless of whatever implications it may have to the broader internet.

[11:23 pm] hobi 🌱: JUST LISTEN

[11:24 pm] hobi 🌱: i know i said i wanted to study abroad because my japanese was rusty as fuck

[11:24 pm] hobi 🌱: turns out i’m REALLY rusty

[11:24 pm] hobi 🌱: BUT MY ROOMMATES ARE BOTH KOREAN

[11:25 pm] hobi 🌱: AND THE GIRL I MET IN CLASS YESTERDAY IS FROM TEXAS

[11:26 pm] hobi 🌱: SO I’VE PRETTY MUCH ONLY BEEN SPEAKING KOREAN AND ENGLISH

[11:26 pm] hobi 🌱: I HAVE PROBABLY SAID THREE SENTENCES IN JAPANESE OVER THE PAST WEEK

Okay. Maybe he’s not quite as settled as you assumed he’d be this early on.

[11:27 pm] you: LMFAO

[11:27 pm] hobi 🌱: that’s all you have to say

[11:28 pm] hobi 🌱: your best friend is committing cardinal sins as we speak and all you have to say is “LMFAO”

Why the fuck is he so fast? Whether it be text messages, Instagram likes, Twitter replies, you name it–he responds within seconds, like he’s somehow mastered the art of telepathy with his iPhone screen.

You quickly erase your initial message in lieu of responding to his sudden accusations.

[11:29 pm] you: at least give me a minute to type 😟 goddamn

[11:29 pm] you: actually

[11:30 pm] you: are you good to call rn?

[11:30 pm] hobi 🌱: wait wait i don’t need to be roasted THAT hard

You snort, pulling yourself off your bed to make yourself look at least somewhat presentable before you hit that FaceTime button.

[11:31 pm] you: you’re an idiot

[11:31 pm] you: and you promised me a dorm tour so

[11:32 pm] you: if you say no now then you’d REALLY be a liar

[11:32 pm] hobi 🌱: fuck

[11:33 pm] hobi 🌱: Incoming FaceTime Call

When you pick up, you’re suddenly hit with a wave of something that feels like relief when you see Hoseok. It’s nice to see his face–you didn’t even realize just how badly you’d missed him, too wrapped up in your own bustling schedule, until he was right in front of you. At least, the two-dimensional version of him was in front of you, trapped on the other side of your phone screen.

“Hobi!”

“What’s up!?” His smile is so big and bright that you’re nearly certain it has healing properties.

There’s so many things that you want to ask him that you don’t even know where to start. You want to know how classes have been, how his dorm is, the people he’s met, the food he’s had–the list could go on for miles, so you settle on the first thing that comes to mind: “What are you doing right now?”

“Check it out!” he replies excitedly, lifting up his phone to show you a 360° of his dorm room behind him.

With his hand now in the frame, he points out several amenities in his new bedroom. “Bed. Desk. Window. Bathroom. Closet. Jimin.”

At the mention of his name, the boy you’ve never seen before spins around in his office chair from where he sits at the desk that runs parallel to Hobi’s. “Hi!”

“Hi!” You wave back in return.

The room looks a lot smaller than yours does at home. Hobi’s never dormed before, so you’re sure that it’s definitely a change of environment for him.

(Not like the rest of the trip wasn’t, but you digress.)

As if reading your mind, Jimin chirps in. “Sharing a room shouldn’t be too bad. We would’ve let Hoseok-hyung have the single bedroom, but Taehyung arrived three hours before both of us so he got dibs. But I promise you that he’ll be in good hands.”

Your eyes narrow playfully as you joke. “He better be, because you’ll be the first person I’m throwing under the bus if anything happens.”

Jimin throws his head back with a laugh. Hoseok turns the camera and your attention back to him, flipping the screen to continue touring you through his desk setup. True to his tidy nature, everything is clean and color-coordinated, and essentially every study aesthetic blog’s dream setup.

There’s only one thing out-of-place that you see amongst his desk, which is–

“Hey, your alarm clock is still set to PST!”

The digital alarm clock matches the exact time that sits on the corner of your phone screen. Hoseok doesn’t even bat an eye before he offers his response. “Oh, I know.”

When you tilt your head in confusion, he elaborates with a laugh. “I wanted to be able to see what time it is over there too, so I know if it’s a good time to bother you or not.”

“That’s genius.” You honestly had forgotten all about the time difference. Sure enough, you can see the bright sky behind clouds illuminating the university campus out the window in his background, when you know that the only thing out your own window is darkness and the faint twinkle of distant stars.

You lean over your phone to reset your own alarm clock time to match the one it should be in Tokyo, clicking a solid sixteen times before the hours coordinate with his time zone. You shake your head in mock annoyance when Hoseok makes a remark about you being a copycat.

“C’mon,” he says as he stands up from his desk, as if you were physically there with him and not trapped behind his phone screen to go wherever he chooses to take you.

“Where are we going?”

He places his phone on the floor so that you can see him lacing up his boots–he’s wearing rubber boots because it’s snowing over there, which was just another thing that you had forgotten about the distance between you: he might see snow frequently in Tokyo because it’s still winter, unlike Los Angeles where even in January the heat was hardly tolerable.

Shrugging his overcoat on, Hobi regards you with a grin. “You haven’t seen the rest of campus yet.”

[January 25th, 2023; 5:14 AM PST]

You absolutely detest doing laundry with other people.

But with one arm holding a basket full of sopping wet clothes, you have no choice but to knock on the solid door in front of you.

Yoongi’s puffy and sleep-ridden face greets you, but despite the dough-like quality of his features, you know that the reason that he’s even awake at this ungodly hour is not because he’s an early riser–but because he hasn’t slept at all yet.

He gives you a half-assed nod of acknowledgement as if to ask what you need from him.

“My dryer’s broken,” you state simply. You don’t elaborate and you don’t particularly need to, as Yoongi shrugs and moves to let you in.

“Stay as long as you need to,” he says as he maneuvers to the kitchen, starting up the coffee maker like it’s second nature to him. You murmur your thanks before approaching his washer and dryer system.

“Namjoon’s not home?”

“Nah, they got him working night shifts at the hospital again,” Yoongi shrugs. “Honestly, a part of me thinks that he prefers night shifts over daytime. Crazy bastard.”

You cast a gaze down the hall to where Yoongi’s studio-slash-bedroom is, and sure enough, the door is cracked open and the light is shining through, further solidifying your earlier assumptions that he was up and active before you had even arrived.

With that, you snort. “Yeah, I can’t imagine who else would willingly want to spend their night working.”

He only huffs a guilty laugh with his back turned in response.

Like in your own home, the closet containing the laundry unit faces the kitchen, causing Yoongi to resort to washing dishes to keep you company in your chores, which you appreciate. But once he’s done with that and you’re a few loads deep into your laundry, he traverses to the bathroom to get dressed for the day.

It’s at this moment that your phone rings.

It’s still early enough in the day for anyone to be calling to be pegged as unusual, but a glance to your screen shows you that it’s Hoseok.

You mentally count on your fingers how many hours ahead of you he is, before determining that it is a reasonable hour, for him at least.

As soon as you pick up the video call, he’s going off on whatever story he had to tell you, similar to how he does when he’s at home. You miss the exposition of his story as you adjust your phone volume.

“—so after the class ended I stood up, right? And then Jungkook—that’s his name—got up really fast too and then his camera bag smacked me square in the face! It was a little embarrassing because it didn’t hurt but I was just so shocked that I wasn’t sure what to say so I went ‘ow!’ and of course that made Jungkook feel bad and—wait.” Hoseok pauses his storytelling when he takes in your appearance.

For one thing, even though you’re still dressed in pajamas—one of his hoodies, actually—you already look awake and alert, which isn’t what he had been expecting at all. He was anticipating you to still be sleeping and for him to be the minor inconvenience that woke you up. He blinks.

“Good morning,” you chirp in a deadpan tone, continuing to fold the pair of pants in front of you. “Night? Afternoon?”

You start counting on your fingers again to figure out exactly what time it is in Tokyo, but Hoseok isn’t even paying any mind, still trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

At first glance, whatever residence you’re currently at resembles your own to a tee. But Hoseok knows that there’s supposed to be a crack in the ceiling above the kitchen island where you’re sat, caused by the time you threw one of your shoes up there to (in)effectively kill a spider. And also the stools at the island are a different color and shape. And it almost appears as if the entire layout of the place is inverted. What’s even more jarring is that the whole place looks vaguely familiar.

Hoseok blinks. Again.

“Mind if I ask what you’re doing at Yoongi’s place at”—He makes a show of leaning back his chair until he can see his designated Pacific Standard Time clock—“six-twenty-seven in the morning?”

You don’t miss a beat, eyes focused on folding the edges of your shirt properly rather than the phone screen when you reply: “Why, are you jealous that I found a new laundry partner already?”

The lack of response has your gaze snapping back up accusingly. “Oh my God, you are!”

Hoseok sputters, a laugh of disbelief bubbling out. “Am not! I’m just saying, it caught me off guard to see you guys together so early. Had me thinking you guys were a thing or something.”

You and Yoongi, a thing? Has he met either of you?

Laughing again, you don’t miss the opportunity of fucking around with your best friend. “Damn, that obvious? Hey Yoongi,” you begin, taking notice of the man padding back into the hallway with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. “Wanna come over and eat ramen? Do you want to come see my cat?”

The look on Yoongi’s face is one of downright horror, but what Hoseok can’t see through the screen won’t hurt him. “Okay, okay, you can stop now!” Hoseok says, waving you off to take the attention away from the redness in his face.

Hoseok is the dramatic one out of the pair of you, the one who laughs with his entire body to a point where he’s nearly falling to the floor—but right now you think his reaction is so funny that you’re about to fall out of your chair.

“It was a serious question!” He whines. “But yeah, I called to tell you that I think I made a new friend today.”

“The guy who hit you with his camera bag?” you ask with pinched brows.

“Yeah, even though I said, like, two words to him after the incident. But I have class with him again tomorrow.”

“Damn. First impressions only happen once though.”

“Don’t remind me,” Hoseok groans. “Or else I’ll just be a hermit and skip going out with Jimin tonight. In fact, I just won’t leave my room again until June. Wait, seriously though, are you guys together now?”

You wrinkle your nose with another cryptic laugh at his lingering curiosity. “Go to dinner, dummy!”

And before he can get the last word, you beat Hoseok to the punch when the sound of you hanging up the FaceTime call rings in your ears.

[February 14th, 2023; 7:58 AM PST]

You never schedule classes in the morning.

But today, you find yourself leaving for campus much earlier than you normally would choose to. According to a girl you had spoken to briefly in one of your classes, some student society is giving out free boba in favor of Valentine’s Day, and you weren’t about to pass up the opportunity in exchange for another undeserved hour of sleep.

At least, that was the plan.

When you swing your front door open, a petite package sits on your welcome mat, your own name and address staring back at you on its shipping label.

You don’t recall ordering anything lately. With pinched brows, you bring the package to your kitchen counter to assess.

Sliding the rectangular box out of the manila envelope, you turn it over in your hands. It doesn’t feel particularly heavy, and the box shape is reminiscent of the kind you would only find when you purchase jewelry.

It couldn’t be a Valentine’s gift, could it?

Biting the inside of your cheek, you do what you always do the second that you have a moment of doubt.

“Hello?”

Hoseok picks up right away, like he always does.

“Hey Hobi, look at this. I got a package addressed to me that I don’t remember ordering.” You wave the box in front of the FaceTime screen to show. You were going to mention your suspicion that it was a potential Valentine’s gift from someone you didn’t know, but you opted not to out of embarrassment of sounding vain.

(If Hoseok comes to the same conclusion as you, however, then you’d feel a lot more confident in your own suspicions. You trust his judgment a hell of a lot more than your own, honestly.)

Hoseok leans closer to the screen to observe. “Holy shit, open it!”

“Are you sure that’s okay?” you ask, as if you aren’t already prying the lid off the box with curious fingers.

And inside the box sits a bracelet. It’s gorgeous, a thin silver chain with several deep green pearls lining the rim of it. It’s prettier than anything you’d ever buy for yourself. Your eyes widen and so do Hoseok’s, although for different reasons.

“Oh.”

“Oh!” Hoseok says, an embarrassed smile on his face like he was the world’s biggest idiot.

“That’s from me!”

It was?

“Look!” He lifts up his own right wrist, which adorns a bracelet that was identical to the one in the box in front of you. “I got this in the first week after I moved to Japan. It reminded me of you the second I saw it, so I knew I had to get one for you too.”

“Oh my God, you really didn’t have to,” you say worriedly. You can’t wrap your head around how pretty the piece was. “Thank you!”

“Of course,” he beams. “I forgot that shipping all the way to L.A. would take a few weeks before it got to you. I guess I just assumed you had gotten it a few days after I sent it.”

“And you just thought I wouldn’t say anything about it?”

Hoseok laughs. “I don’t know! Maybe you didn’t like it or something!”

“Hobi, this is beautiful, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you shake your head. You can’t express your thanks enough.

He smiles, satisfied at his pick and your reaction. He’s always had a good eye for jewelry, alongside his meticulous fashion taste. “When I was buying it, the lady said that green pearls are supposed to symbolize new beginnings. I thought it was fitting.”

“It really is, huh?”

“I’m glad you like it,” he says warmly. You feel like you could cry. “Hey, listen, I gotta head out now, but I’m really glad you called today. I miss you.”

“Miss you too,” you nod your agreement quietly, still at a loss for better words.

He says your name, causing you to look at his illuminated face on the phone screen one more time.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

And then he’s gone.

Even minutes after Hoseok hangs up, you still find yourself rooted to your place in front of your kitchen island. Screw the free boba. It probably sucked in comparison to whatever this was.

He got you a bracelet simply because he was thinking about you.

In your opinion, a hey-I-was-thinking-about-you-today gift from none other than your best friend had a hell of a lot more sentimentality than a secret valentine from someone random.

He got you a bracelet simply because he was thinking about you.

You turn the sentence over and over in your head, the same way you roll one of the pearl beads between your fingertips idly.

[February 17th, 2023; 12:11 PM PST]

Your phone is propped up against your book bag across from you, filling the space where Hoseok would usually be.

“Happy Birthday!”

Nobody ever looks good on a goddamn FaceTime call, but Hoseok always does. Even now, when it’s a little bit past 4AM where he’s at, even when there’s a drunken pink tinge to his cheeks and an irritable expression to match.

(You had joked once that Yoongi and Hoseok switched personalities when inebriated, which both of them had vehemently denied.)

There’s a happy little smile that decorates his face when he thanks you, dimples on full display.

You wanted to call him right when it hit midnight in Japan, but he hadn’t picked up. You tell him just as much. He tells you that his friends planned a little get-together that started with plans for birthday dinner at midnight, and ended a mere twenty minutes ago after copious amounts of drinking.

You play up how butthurt you sound. “I wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday.”

“Damn, you really had nothing better to do, huh?”

“The hell is that supposed to mean? It’s your birthday!”

“I don’t know, since I’m not there, you could always hang out with different people now, try new things!” You blink, and then your eyes narrow. What was he trying to say, exactly?

“You callin’ me a loser, Seok?”

He looks flabbergasted, like you had struck a nerve. “Of course not. I’d rather spend my birthday with just you and Jiwoo, honestly. Like last year.”

Last year, your lives had been majorly different. You had been approximately a year-and-a-half into your lease with Hoseok, and in that time you had already grown close enough to own the title of being his best friend.

When you first met Jung Jiwoo, you had admittedly been jealous of Hoseok.

Not everyone had sisters like her–a constant stream of love and support, and not to mention damn good fashion taste to go with it.

But that envy that you had felt faded away easily, because Jiwoo was quick to adapt to treating you as if you were another one of her own siblings.

Like Hoseok, she just clicked with you. And even in Hobi’s absence, she still made time for you, still invited you to come to the mall with her and to take Mickey on walks. And when Hoseok was around, you had been around for all of her milestones that she allowed you to be a part of, including her wedding.

The memory makes you smile, actually.

Jiwoo and Hoseok bickered very rarely, but they had gotten into a squabble that resulted in hours of not speaking to one another over what had happened first: Hoseok asking you to be his plus one, or Jiwoo asking you to be one of her bridesmaids.

(“I asked her to be my date first!”

“Well, she won’t just be a guest anymore! This is like an upgrade!”

“But now her being my date won’t be the memorable thing!”

“Memorable? Did you forget that this was my wedding we’re talking about? Being your plus one doesn’t mean shit because I would’ve invited her anyways!”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t even have known her if it weren’t for me!”)

Even though the memory of last year is something to be cherished, you know that how he’s spending it today will be something just as great to reminisce about. “Yeah, but when are you ever going to spend your birthday like this again?”

“You’re right,” he huffs out with a satisfied sigh.

He looks radiant as ever, like the weather in Tokyo was working wonders for his skin over the past few months. But then again, his skincare game was top notch at home in LA too. The sun shines brightly no matter where it is on the map, no?

“Check it out,” you say, chest the only thing visible on your screen as you reach over your phone’s perch to retrieve something from your bookbag.

“What’s that?” Hobi questions, eyes wide like he doesn’t already have a sneaking suspicion about the plastic container in front of you.

“You’re so mean,” he whines. You only giggle in response.

“First, Jungkook thinks the most appropriate birthday gift for me would be for us to go skydiving,” Hoseok lists miserably. “And now you’re taunting me by buying my favorite cake knowing damn well that I can’t have any.”

“What am I supposed to do? Mail it to you?” You pout.

Ignoring you, he only continues to whine. “This is so fucking foul.”

“What do you mean?” You feign ignorance, procuring a spoon to eat your cake with. “I’m just celebrating your birthday with you.”

“I can’t believe you’re torturing me even though you’re thousands of miles away.”

Smiling around the spoon in your mouth, you repeat the same words he told you before he was miles and months out of reach from you.

“Well, if you were plotting to get rid of me, it’s not gonna be that easy.”

[February 21st, 2023; 3:51 PM PST]

The first thing you see when you refresh your Instagram feed after class is a story post from none other than your best friend.

It’s a mirror selfie showing off his outfit and the iced coffee in his hand, and despite it being a simple outfit of a white t-shirt tucked into acid washed jeans, he looks good as ever. He wears a closed lip smile, dimples on display.

Pushing out the doors of your lecture hall with one hand, you don’t hesitate for a moment before throwing out your reply.

[3:52 pm] you: You replied to their story: why are you so cute? :>

“Oh my God, Y/N?”

Freezing, you pray that the voice isn’t who you thought it was.

The grin you had mustered up stays plastered to your face when you turn to face the source of the voice. “Yujin!”

You thought you’d have a mouthful to say the next time you saw the girl.

You thought you’d want to rub it in that you’ve got a great roommate now, and that you’ve even got a job lined up for you after graduation. You were so petty that you wanted to do all that just because she was such a horrible roommate to you four years ago.

But now she looks like someone else entirely.

Long hair that was once dyed in that “new city, new me” shade of brown was replaced with a sleek but trim cut in its natural color. She stands up straighter than you remember; does her makeup with more refinement than that eye-catching quality that she always had four years ago.

She looks like she’s grown so much in the years since you last crossed paths, and the way her gaze is pinned on you makes you think that she must be thinking the same about you.

“How have you been?”

“Busy,” you summarize with a soft laugh. “You?”

“Same,” she murmurs.

As you continue to talk, you come to find out that she had taken a gap year last year due to family reasons so she won’t be graduating alongside you, but now she was a RA at the same dorm building you had shared. Yujin tells you that she’s glad that you have a solid roommate now.

Your lives had branched out in such different directions, but even you can admit that it relieves you that there was no bad blood between either of you.

When she says she has to leave for her next class, you let her go, but promise that you’ll have lunch again sometime. Usually when you make plans like that, you don’t mean it, but you genuinely want another chance to catch up with her.

Exhaling a breath as she takes her leave, you spare a glance down to your new notifications and smile dumbly at your best friend’s words.

[4:09 pm] jung hoseok: why are you so cute too? :>

You grin with a shake of your head.

You had spent so many years thinking that Yujin was awful and selfish and a million other words that had negative connotations attached to them, but in reality, she was just a normal but mildly inconsiderate roommate. The childish and petty behaviors that you recalled from nearly four years ago were nothing atypical of the fresh-faced and wide-eyed college freshman that both of you were. She’s probably telling her current roommate horror stories of similar caliber about you, and honestly? You probably deserved all of it just as much.

But then again, your time with her wasn’t anything like the dynamic between Namjoon and Yoongi that you’ve come to know. The pair of them are like passing satellites, on the same wavelength, but only communicate when necessary. They know each other’s schedules, but differ so much in personality and behavior that they see the other asleep more often than they do awake. They label everything in their refrigerator with names and never cross the doorway boundaries into each other’s bedrooms. And it works for them.

But Hoseok–he was in a category of his own.

He takes care of you, and you know that you do the same for him without question. You both know when to joke around, and when to be serious. Even now, though technically living together, you still cared so much about each other.

That had to mean something, didn’t it?

[March 2nd, 2023; 1:21 AM PST]

“Man, I fucking hate this place.”

“Same.”

Your eyes are burning. You can’t remember the last time you’ve stared at a computer screen for this long for something that wasn’t academic-related, let alone a game with graphics that haven’t been improved whatsoever in the past twenty years.

You release your fingers from the keyboard and lean back in your office chair, your in-game character going stagnant.

Jin’s character does not, and you continue to watch as his caricature falls from the tree branch platforms for the nth time. He’s probably ten seconds away from tearing his hair out, but so are you.

“They don’t call it the Forest of Endurance for nothing. This has gotta be like what I imagine sitting on your own balls feels like.”

“Yeah, pretty accurate.” One thing you appreciate about your short-lived friendship with Kim Seokjin was the lack of a small talk phase; unlike a majority of the people you’ve met in university and lost contact with after the menial small talk came to an end, you and Jin jumped straight into the comfort level where vulgar jokes didn’t have any resounding tension or odd looks. “Next time, let’s just play League or something.”

You wrinkle your nose, despite the boy not even being able to see your face right now. “I’ll die before you get me to touch League of Legends.”

“Hm. Valorant?”

“Maybe.”

But like all activities where you can feel your social battery crash coming soon, you know a good cut-off point when you see one. “You gonna stay on?”

You hear the clacking of Jin’s keyboard through your earbuds. “Oh shit, are you gonna go soon?”

“Yeah,” you sigh out, concealing your yawn from the mic to avoid him hearing it on the other end. “I’m getting sleepy.”

“Oh, yeah go ahead,” Jin replies, and you watch his character continue to swing his weapon as he bounces around the screen.

“I’ll probably stay on ‘til I hit Level”–He pauses as he contemplates the level needed to enter the dungeon he was telling you about a few hours ago–“207.”

You hover over his character, confirming that his character was on Level 201. Yeah, he’s definitely going to stay online for a good while longer. “Damn. Good luck.”

Seokjin offers a small, pained laugh. “Tell me about it. Goodnight, Y/N. Sleep well.” You can practically feel his tiny, endearing smile through your headphones.

“Yeah, goodnight Jin.”

Wheeling your office chair away from your desk as soon as you hang up, you flop backwards onto your bed in record time.

Without even thinking, you find yourself with the phone app of your phone open and hovering over Hoseok’s contact information.

He picks up on the first ring.

“Hello?” There’s a pause on his end, like he’s taking notice of the odd hour for you. “Is something wrong?”

You breathe out a heavy, sleepy sigh. “Hey Hobi. Nothing’s wrong, I just felt like hearing from you.”

“Oh.”

“Man, I can’t wait for Spring Break already,” you sigh out, already daydreaming with eyes closed about the notion of sleeping in after midterms.

“Dude, same. I’m so burnt out.”

“Got plans?” You wonder if he remembers his promise. You really, really hope that he does.

“Leaving as soon as my last exam is over on Friday. I have some business to take care of with the company in Seoul, so I’ll be staying there for a few days.” A beat. A breath you didn’t even realize that you’d been holding. “And then I’m coming home.”

Home. To you.

Because you don’t know how the hell you could ever doubt your place in his life when he’s always said otherwise. His school was in Japan, his work was in Korea, and his home life? Well, that was wherever you were. If you had joined the study abroad program alongside him, he’s sure that his home would be found in that quaint dorm with the pink-glowed lighting.

“Good. You better come home–I’m sick of doing the dishes,” you smile with your lips sealed, masking your relief from eyes that can’t see you. “Anything new happening with you?”

“Yeah, actually!” He says, and you can feel rather than hear the way he bubbles with excitement. “You know how I got promoted to Project Manager a few months ago? Well, I just got approved to lead my own project from start to finish.”

That’s incredible. You’ve always admired the inner machinations of Hoseok’s mind, so to see him finally get the opportunity to express that fully makes you almost as excited as you’re sure he is. From the concept, to the name, to the packaging, Hoseok is so meticulous with every aspect of his life, and you have no doubts in your mind that this will reflect that perfectionism and hard work.

“Any ideas yet?” You question.

He pauses, like he’s contemplating telling you or not. You can feel the dimpled decisiveness on the answer he lands on. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

You sigh out both your content and discontent in the same breath before Hoseok continues. “What have you been up to?”

“Me? Not much. Just finished playing MapleStory with Jin and now I’m exhausted. Just glad I don’t have work tomorrow, to be honest.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re still up, huh?” Attentive as ever. “You should sleep then, since your social battery is probably drained as hell.”

“You’re my battery,” you let out a yawn. Hoseok laughs at your nonchalance, imitating the iPhone charging noise just for kicks.

“I’m serious,” you say. “Talking to other people exhausts me, but I never feel that way about you.”

You’re so fucking tired.

Your phone is thrown onto the pillow next to you, and with the way you roll onto your side, the muffled rasp of his voice through the pillow almost makes it feel as though you’re laying on his chest.

Your eyes drift shut, and you almost bask in wondering if he would run his fingers through your hair if he were actually here.

Wait, what?

This was Hobi you were talking about, for crying out loud! You must be more sleep deprived than you initially thought, or maybe your hormones were fucking with you or something, because there’s no rational explanation as for why you were indulging in the sheer thought of receiving such affection from your roommate.

Pumping the breaks on your own mind, you shoot straight up in your bed, stiff as a board. Your heart is racing for reasons you don’t want to think more about, and it’s at this moment that you tune back into what Hoseok is saying.

“Are you even listening?”

“...Yes.” You weren’t.

“Liar!” he accuses, knowing all too well the telltale signs that your attention span had dropped off. If only he knew that the reason wasn’t drowsiness, but something way out of left field that you hadn’t even seen coming.

If you’re not mistaken, it sounds like Hoseok is also settling into bed.

“Wait, what time is it over there?”

A pause. Shifting around, like Hoseok is checking the time himself. “Almost six. I have a group project to work on with Jungkook and some others around eight, so I have time to get a nap in.”

Hoseok never takes naps.

At least, not routinely, and judging from what he’s debriefed you on about the details of his day so far, there’s nothing in particular that would invoke him to do so.

Naturally, you question it. “A nap?”

“I’d be sleeping too if I were over there, no?”

Well, yeah. But he wasn’t here and you weren’t there, so what reason would justify syncing your sleeping schedules?

“I guess so,” you say. You wish your heart rate would slow the fuck down so you could just fall asleep already. “Doesn’t mean that this makes sense still.”

“Shh,” he giggles, and the sound beams brighter than the sun even through the receiver. “Just go to sleep.”

“Maybe I could if you weren’t so loud!” you shoot right back, pinning the blame on him rather than your own racing heart.

“Is this better, then?” he whispers. If his normal voice was enough to sufficiently scramble your thoughts, then it's a wonder that you weren’t flatlining right now at the hands of his low rasp.

Fuck.

The laughter peters out immediately, and there’s such a long pause of silence as your breath catches in your throat that it almost appears like you had fallen asleep.

More shuffling on the other end of your phone line, and you have half a mind to wonder if he was going to hang up now that you were no longer at attention. But he doesn’t. You hear him settling down comfortably once more, and with a clearing of his throat, he whispers two more words so softly you feel like you could melt: “Goodnight, Y/N.”

You can’t find your voice to respond, and you can only pray you don’t talk in your sleep. Even versus your overactive heart and mind, slumber finally wins.

He stays on the line until he too has fallen asleep and had to awake once more, but he lingers in your mind for much, much longer.

[March 27th, 2023; 9:46 AM PST]

You don’t feel like getting out of bed. You should really be using the empty schedule of your Spring Break for good rather than evil, but the storm raging outside makes wanting to be a productive member of society exceedingly difficult.

It also makes for soothing background noise to your slumber.

You really don’t have anything of importance today, save for picking up Hoseok from LAX later in the evening. You’d be on your own tonight, with Jiwoo away and visiting her husband’s family in Seoul and Yoongi claiming he was busy with work tonight.

You don’t mind, honestly. You just want to see Hoseok already.

Because he was your best friend, and because he’s been gone for three months, of course. Absolutely no other reasoning or feelings imposed any influence on your desire to see him.

But two words that light up your phone screen are enough to dampen your mood, like the rain that dampens the clouds like a wet rag outside.

[9:49am] hobi 🌱: flight’s delayed 🥲

It’s funny, how you were across the world from one another, yet the weather was just as abysmal where the both of you were. Except you were in bed–rumpled sheets that smelled like no one but yourself weighing you down into your own bubble of safety from the rain–and Hoseok was stuck at the airport for God knows how long now, wet shoes and the impatient travelers attached to them surrounding him.

It’s not funny at all.

Because you’re so similar in nature that it feels like there’s no physical distance between the two of you sometimes, and even after three months apart you find yourself waiting to exchange mundanities with Hoseok each night only to be greeted with an empty bedroom.

The bedroom that will apparently remain empty for even more hours than previously anticipated.

The only thing that can reel you back in from your negative thoughts was the notion that his bed will only be unoccupied until tomorrow, whereas the past months felt as though there was a hole in your heart and in your apartment that you simply needed to get used to.

But to be honest, you’re nervous as fuck. And you’ve never felt this way about Hobi of all people, not even when you had first met him from that stupid roommate ad he made and plastered around town.

You’ve told yourself again and again that this week together would either confirm or deny those recent blips where you felt as though you and Hoseok had the potential of becoming more. Like when he bought matching bracelets because he knew you’d like it. Like when he fell asleep with you on the phone. Like all of the sweet promises he’s made to you in between the lines of texts and through imaginary phone cords.

Fuck. The more and more you replay those memories, the deeper you fall into your own turmoil.

What if you’re imagining it? What if Hoseok has always talked and acted like that, and the distance has really gone to your head, making you think that you were more significant to him than you really were?

You don’t want to be heartbroken if you get your hopes up.

If heartbroken were even the appropriate term to be using. You weren’t sure how to interpret Hoseok’s intentions, but hell, you weren’t even sure how you felt and how you wanted this to go.

With mussed hair and an even messier mind, you drag your hands across your face, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

You shouldn’t think about this any harder than you need to. Overthinking has never done you any favors.

You draw out a response to Hoseok’s text message, typing and retyping as you figure out what it is that you want to say, before you finally resign and call him instead.

“Hey!” There’s a big grin on his face when he answers. He’s wearing a pair of yellow-tinted sunglasses that he looks ridiculously good in. He looks exhausted–and judging by his Spring Break plans that he had outlined to you a few weeks back, he had every reason to be.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just tired and wish I was on the plane already. Sorry.”

You blink. “What is there to be sorry for? It really isn’t your fault.”

Hoseok breathes through his nose, a laugh that you can tell through the phone line does not reach his eyes or even the corners of his lips. “I dunno. I just wish I could be on my way to see you already.”

You pretend that that simple sentence doesn’t have your heart leaping out of your throat. Your next admittance doesn’t help at all to mask that: “I wish you were here already too.”

There’s a few moments of staticy silence that you know can’t be attributed to shitty airport cell service. You wonder if your words carry as much weight to him as his do to you.

“We’ll see each other soon, okay?”

There he goes again, making promises to you at the drop of a hat. And he has still yet to break a single one.

“Okay.”

The thunderstorm doesn’t let up, but neither does the one in your heart.

[March 28th, 2023; 1:31 AM PST]

You’re awoken by a jarring noise that definitely was not thunder, but a rapt knock against your door.

Grabbing your pepper spray off your nightstand, you make your way over to the door. You feel both startled and relieved to find that the man on the other side of your door was none other than Jung Hoseok.

“I don’t have my keys,” he explains simply.

You shrug. You don’t know why you had expected him to, considering all the ways his routine has changed in the past months, likely including the tidbits of his life that he keeps on hand. Or rather, in his back pocket.

Once let in, he drops his suitcases to the side in favor of enveloping you in a vice-like hug, the kind that makes up for three months without any physical contact.

Through your sleepy haze, you follow him through the apartment like a lost puppy as he rolls his suitcase around to settle in. And when you make your way back into your own bedroom, he follows.

You flop down on your side of the bed, still warm from where you had been curled up and sleeping just half an hour ago. Hoseok sits on the opposite end, legs dangling over the side. He fishes his cell phone and wallet out of his pocket before setting them down gently on your nightstand, and that’s when you notice something else odd that he’s placed down with them that has your brows creasing.

“You smell like apples, by the way.” There’s a heart-shaped smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, revealing the same pretty teeth you’ve gotten acquainted with over the past three years. “Don’t tell me you finally caved and bought that custom shampoo you were eyeing?”

“You’d be surprised at how much I can get done without you here and constantly distracting me,” you joke with a wrinkle of your nose. There’s irony itching at the back of your throat, considering Hoseok is quite possibly all you’ve been able to think about in his absence. You wish it didn’t feel like you were lying to him.

Your friendship wasn’t built on lies. You can’t be a good roommate based on that either.

“Your keys are on my nightstand.”

At your statement, Hoseok looks caught, but not guilty. “Oh. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the real reason I didn’t use them.”

“Bet.”

You’re not expecting much. Maybe he just didn’t want to catch you off guard if you had been sleeping? You certainly would have taken that into consideration if you were him and he were you, given Hoseok’s jumpy nature. Or maybe he just–

“I just couldn’t stand the thought of waiting another night to see your face.”

What the hell are you supposed to make of that?

You try to stop your heart from leaping into your throat, now wide awake. Keyword: try. Because friends don’t say that to each other. You’d never say that to Jiwoo, or Yoongi, or Namjoon, hell, even Seokjin.

But friends also don’t say the next words that come out of your mouth.

“Then it’s a good thing you’re sleeping in here, ‘cause you can look at me all you want.”

The sarcastic lilt to your voice makes it easy for you to pass off your own words as an empty invitation. Your eyes are already falling shut, body comfortable in your sheets and your heart content with the knowledge that Hoseok made it home okay. You hear Hoseok let out a laugh, the infectious kind that forces your eyes open to question him what the hell he thought was so funny.

“I’m sleeping in here?”

It’s at this moment that you take in the weight of your previous words. But blame it on the sleep deprivation–or the years of friendship, or the funny feeling in your chest that you’ve only just begun to acknowledge–for your refusal to withdraw the offer. “I mean, it’s not like there’s sheets on your bed.”

There’s a slight crease in Hoseok’s brow that disappears before you can even think about why it was there. “Guess so,” he tosses out casually, getting up quietly to pull back your duvet on the side where he once sat. He’s not even in pajamas, just whatever comfortable clothes he had worn on the plane, but you can’t bring yourself to care.

You don’t think you’ve ever been this close to your roommate–not even the time you two got stuck in the elevator at IKEA three days into your lease could compare to the tension that you suddenly feel. But as always when it comes to this boy in particular, he finds a way to shatter it.

“Your feet are so fucking cold!” you yelp, flailing to put as much distance between you and him as possible without falling off your own end.

The laughter that fills the air eventually simmers down to a near silent chit-chat of all the things missed over the last three months, stories bridging the gaps of time between your semi-weekly phone calls.

It’s nice, the way that your lowered volume makes the lack of physical distance between you and your best friends palpable. You almost still can’t believe that he’s right in front of you and not trapped behind the glassy exterior of your phone screen.

And just like that, the contentedness in the pit of your stomach makes way for sleep to pull you under.

[March 28th, 2023; 1:31 PM PST]

Falling back into your old routine is easier than you expected it to be.

You and him sit sprawled on the couch, just like old times, as if he was never gone at all. One of his legs is tucked over yours, effectively trapping you to the fabric-lined couch prison, a water bottle tucked snugly against his lap. You don’t let your eyes linger.

You two always sit like this, partially out of the comfortable usage of your entire couch space, but also because it became something of an inside joke for you to remain trapped until you two definitively pick something to watch. Yes, even with Hoseok’s physically energetic nature, he notices that you become extra hyperactive when you find yourself indecisive over something.

Your thumb roves over the remote, scrolling past movie selections that you don’t even bother to read the descriptions of.

Biting your lower lip, you contemplate your options. You and Hoseok had opted to stay in today, courtesy of the rain showers just outside your building, and also to give him another day to recover from the jet lag. Maybe you should watch something you’ve already seen before, just in case he nods off to sleep?

(As annoying as it is to rewatch an episode when the other falls asleep, you both do it every single time the incident occurs, just because getting to see each other’s reactions to the plot happenings is half the fun of binge watching together.

At least, that was your reasoning. You’re not sure if the same applies to Hobi.)

You stop your scrolling while some new Netflix suspense film is on the screen, the trailer automatically playing. Not because the title caught your eye, but because the boy right beside you did.

His hair roots are recolored in a way that is nearly identical to how you had done it, and while you initially whined your disappointment that he hadn’t waited for you tou do a touch-up, you have to admit that you’re glad he stuck with the same style you had decided on together.

(“Like a Smucker’s Goober Jar,” you had said, reminiscing on the look of those peanut butter jars that you haven’t seen since childhood. “Which is perfect, since you’re such a goober.”

“Such an asshole,” he complained with the world’s biggest heart-shaped grin on his face, and with that he knocked the three boxes of the dye and bleach you had held up into the shopping cart.)

You had chosen his hair color together, dyed it together, but days after it was said and done he was on the other side of the globe. You hadn’t gotten to fully appreciate the look until now.

It suits him really well, but you said that already. Numerous times, but it will never really be enough. The fluffed quality of it provides the most beautiful juxtaposition to his sharp jawline and the distinguished slope of his nose.

Fuck, his side profile really is a work of art.

You catch yourself staring before he’s able to, and with a swift lick over your dried lips you resume flicking through potential shows to watch.

You can’t watch anything horror because that wasn’t exactly conducive to winding down from jet lag, especially if the person in question was Jung Hoseok. But you also aren’t in the mood to watch any romance movie, because no matter how grown and mature you become, you still get awkward seeing sex scenes in films.

Damn, your entire mouth is dry.

Indecisive and growing restless, your thumb drops from the remote scroller again. Maybe you should get up to get drinks and snacks and then come back to choose something with a fresh pair of eyes? Yeah, that could be good.

Except there’s one very burdensome barrier in the way: Hoseok’s leg.

He doesn’t even notice the way you squirm, once again caught up in whatever nondescript trailer has begun playing when you relinquished control of the remote.

You don’t even try to fight your way past him, already accepting your fate that you’re stuck here until further notice.

There’s still the water bottle sitting on his lap.

Your stupid fucking brain connects the dots of what you’ve done a second too late, too caught up in the very obvious problem (dry mouth) and the even more obvious solution (drinking water) that lay less than an arm’s length away.

It’s when Hoseok curiously turns his head towards you that you realize that the water bottle now pressed against your lips was definitely not your own. In fact, you didn’t even have your own presently, nor could you even remember the last time you drank water.

But he doesn’t react in any way to your actions, even with the wide-eyed pause that you give when you become cognizant of your actions. He just shrugs like this was regular Tuesday behavior, and you take an excessively large gulp of water, as if to challenge him.

He laughs, shaking his shoulders, before proceeding with what he wanted to say. “Just pick whatever you wanna watch. It’s already been like twenty minutes.”

“How about The Haunting of Hill House?” you ask, scrolling over to your to-be-continued list. You lower your other arm, the water bottle now settled in your own lap.

“Isn’t that scary?” Predictable. You shrug.

“I watched a couple episodes with Yoongi and Namjoon. It’s scary, sure, but it’s more like… introspective horror? If that makes sense.”

He snorts. “Of course Joon wants to watch something that can be called introspective horror. And you too.”

“It’s good, seriously!” you pout. “Yoongi’s just as much of a chicken as you are, and even he could manage to watch!”

“Put it on,” he nods, caving easily. For some reason you don’t think that using his other friends as ethos was the reason he agrees. “But if I get scared again, I’m sleeping in your room anyways.”

There it is. “Yeah? Says who?”

He smiles his dumb, heart-shaped grin. “I don’t have sheets on my bed, remember?”

When you smack his chest in annoyance, he only offers another laugh, mirroring your prior actions when he reaches his hand across you to pluck the water bottle back from where you held it in your lap and bring it to his mouth.

Letting it go with a stunned loosening of your grip, you realize that him reciprocating what you had done made you even more flustered than before.

You taking his water bottle from him was one thing, but him taking it back just meant that he didn’t mind sharing back-and-forth.

You don’t know what to do with your empty hands now–now that you know yourself far more than you’ve ever let yourself before. It feels like you’re new to this. New to this feeling in your chest, new to being human.

Clearing your throat, you proceed to hunt down your series of choice in your Netflix list. You can feel Hoseok looking at you from the corner of your eye, and you avoid it for as long as you can before you offer him a soft turn of your head.

There’s this look in his eyes that you’ve never seen before, and it’s so warm. Not in the same way that his smiles felt like sunlight filtering through an open window, or how the softness of his voice felt like a gentle summer breeze. No, this warmth felt like it was for you and could only be felt by you, the kind of warmth that seeps into your bones and stays there, the kind that couldn’t be described by any analogy in any language.

Has he always looked at you this way? How the hell could you have never noticed?

No–it didn’t matter how long this gaze of his had existed, if it even did before this very moment. What mattered was that it was there now, and where you go from here.

Hoseok only tilts his head at your gawking. He looks like there’s something else on his mind, something more that he wants to say to you, but he swallows it down alongside another sip of water he takes from the same bottle you had drank from.

Perhaps you were both guilty of the same thing.

[April 1st, 2023; 5:27 PM PST]

Hoseok pokes his head into your room the same way he always does.

He may be a good roommate who kept his boundaries, but one thing for certain was that you almost never spend a moment alone in his presence. Maybe Yoongi was right, you were attached by the hip.

But his presence was never bothersome and this time was no different, with him entering your room to sit cross-legged on your bed, a cardboard box no bigger than a loaf of bread sat on his lap.

When he asks if you’re busy, you explain that you were just restarting your computer because Seokjin finally begged hard enough to convince you to install Valorant. Hoseok tells you that he wants to meet Seokjin sometime.

“I think you and Jungkook would get along really well,” Hoseok thinks aloud.

“How come?”

“He’s afraid of microwaves.”

“Seriously?” You swivel your desk chair around to face him. You’re asking both for confirmation of Jungkook’s oddities, and how the hell that would make him similar to you.

“Dead serious.” You don’t know which of your questions Hobi’s response refers to.

“You’d like all of them, honestly,” he hums, and from what you’ve heard through the grapevine about each person, you don’t disagree. “Y’know when you were a kid and you wished that you and your friends could all live in the same neighborhood with all your houses side-by-side? That’s how I feel about all of you.”

When you laugh, Hobi throws up his hands as a soft defense. “Hey—it’s not childish! I just wished that everyone’s schedules would align and you all could finally meet.”

After hearing your PC whirr back to life, you abandon your seat at your desk to make your way over to the bed with Hobi. “I’m sure that’d be nice.”

He nods in agreement, but you don’t miss the way his nails almost nervously tap at the cardboard surface he holds.

“What’s in the box?”

His response is instantaneous, like he was anxiously waiting for the opportunity to present itself.

“Remember I told you I’ve been working on that project at work?” You nod. “Well, they just sent me a box of the lip balm samples to make sure the formula was how I wanted it to be before we start thinking about packaging.”

“Nice!” you say, interest suddenly piqued at the new information. It’s a bummer that the product in question was lip balm though; you were incredibly sensitive to particular formulas that left your lips dry and cracked and were counterproductive to the product’s purpose. But if Hobi was the one whose idea it was, you’d buy their entire stock, honestly.

Peeling back the wings of the box, Hoseok regards you.

“Here,” he says, scooting closer. “I know you said flavored lip balms were the ones that caused the most problems, so I made sure all of them are unflavored and unscented.”

What?

“What?”

Hoseok has bright lights in his eyes, clearly excited to be indulging you in his thought process. “You told me once that it’s hard to find lip balm products that don’t give you allergic reactions, so I wanted to make sure that whatever I made was something that would be good for you.”

He remembered that? You don’t even remember when you had even brought up that issue to him, unless it had just been something quick in passing. “Really?”

You hate how short your answers are, but you really are at a loss for words.

“Yeah, of course!” He takes the several small pots out of the box before unscrewing one and dipping his fingers into it. “Now come here so we can test it out–hey, don’t look at me like that! My hands are clean!”

Fascinated, you lean towards him, allowing him to swipe his fingertip across your lips. “Let me know if this one feels dry or itchy at all,” he murmurs, expression so focused on your mouth that it makes you flush with heat.

How the hell did this one already feel much smoother than any other lip balm you’ve used before? You rove your tongue over your lips, then blot them together to evenly spread the balm.

“I really like this one,” you say simply.

“Oh, already? There’s still, like, six more for you to test out!” he exclaims, making you laugh. “Also do you like lip balms in pots like this, or do you prefer the sticks?”

You have no preference, honestly. “Doesn’t really matter. I wanna see what packaging you come up with.”

Hoseok makes a disgruntled facial expression. “This is about you! Just pick one, doesn’t matter what I have planned.”

You click your tongue. “Fine. I like the chapsticks better because it’s easier to keep in my backpack and purse.”

He pulls out his phone before quickly typing what you’d said into his Notes app.

You wonder just how much time he spent thinking of you amongst the vast blueness of your lack of contact, and how that amalgamated itself into him making you something like this.

Ever interested in his work, you question, “What’re you gonna call this line?”

Hoseok gives you a small, dimpled smile, eyes soft. “Blue Side.”

You could cry.

“Hoseok.”

“Hm?” he questions, still barely a few inches from your face.

You had almost forgotten about your own gift for him. Now was as good a time as any to bring it up, not that it even compared to half of what he’d done for you. “I bought you those cookies and cream waffles that you really like. They’re next to the fruit bowl in the kitchen.”

His eyes light up instantly, and he’s pulling himself to stand even faster. He’s already making his way to the kitchen with the speed of a true cookies and cream enjoyer.

“Oh my God, can we get married?” he nearly moans, and you envy how easily the words come out without making him need to fight down ninety layers of emotional constipation to do so.

It’s because of that hindrance that you can’t bring yourself to say that you were just thinking the same thing. In a joking, lighthearted manner, of course.

You beg him to show you more pictures from his trip, and he happily obliges you between bites of his beloved waffle.

“If I ever need to go to Japan again for work or something, I’m definitely taking you with me.”

Your heart skips several beats. “Would you really?”

“Of course,” he says with a grin. “Yoongi too. There’s so many things that I want to show you guys, and these pics are definitely not enough. Unrealistic, but if I could, I’d travel the world with you guys, honestly.”

You look at him across the kitchen counter, and you can’t express how right it feels now that he was back home, that he was back by your side.

Fuck.

You never want this week to end.

[August 10th, 2020; 3:42 PM PST]

You’ve never been much of a firm believer in fate.

There’s something unsettling about the notion of putting all your trust into something like red strings and falling stars to sort out your life for you. Because if that were the case, you’d have gotten into your first-choice university, you wouldn’t have landed yourself the world’s shittiest roommate as a college freshman, and you wouldn’t have promptly given up on the entire collegiate dormitory system as a whole.

You wouldn’t be without a stable living situation a mere two weeks before the beginning of your sophomore fall semester like you were right now.

But today–today, there’s something strange about the atmosphere, and it’s not just a result of the sweltering Los Angeles heat. The summer sun doesn’t make a habit out of drawing people into one of the pricier boba tea stores on this side of downtown, especially people who are already worn down from yet another unsuccessful morning of apartment hunting.

You’re sitting at the lacquered table in the corner of the shoebox of a place, right beneath the air conditioning vent. There’s a corkboard on the wall opposite you, clusters of it tacked with polaroid photos, some of whom you recognize to be the bubble tea shop’s current staff.

There’s one of those neon pink papers tacked up as well–the kind that’s practically made of cardstock and costs a shit ton of money at any local craft store–that effectively kills the entire board’s aesthetic. If the creator’s plan was to make it stick out like a sore thumb, they’ve certainly done a good job at it. Even the font is distinct enough to be read from where you’re currently seated.

LOOKING FOR A ROOMMATE (OR FIVE)!

Hi! My name is Jung Hoseok (19M), and I was joking about the five roommates thing, but I’m sure there’s a way that we could make that work if necessary. I’m currently a college sophomore, and an avid finance major. My favorite cereal is Lucky Charms, I’m really good at folding laundry, and I have shared custody of my Shih Tzu named Mickey with my older sister.

Apartment Location: 903 Hydrangea St., Building J, Unit 26

Amenities include:

in-unit laundry

quick access to the LA Metro Rail

complex is pet-friendly, has a gym, pool, and secure package-delivery

two bedroom (one for me, one for you!), one bath

Splitting rent and utility costs 50/50 would be ideal, but I don’t mind stretching to pay 60/40, or even 70/30. Anything you can do would help!

CONTACT ME HERE ↓

It’s awful.

The graphic design makes it look like he had looked up “how to make a killer roommate advertisement” on Google, then proceeded to follow all of the WikiHow page’s instructions without even bothering to realize that the page hadn’t been updated since 2009.

There’s a mismatch of photos of the apartment in question, all either a) printed in an ink too dark to make out its features or b) taken in such abhorrent lighting to a point where no details of the photos were even salvageable to begin with.

There’s those flimsy little paper tabs at the bottom, pieces of his contact information condensed between dotted lines and fine print out for the taking. All five tabs are untouched.

It’s awfully convenient.

You try to rationalize your way around it.

What nineteen-year-old is so trusting of the world, to the point where he’s willing to put his full name, age, address, and phone number out into the public like that? Sure, it was a smart move on his part to advertise at a mostly college-aged occupied place like this, but you could never be too cautious about sharing your information publicly. Hell, your Instagram profile is still private out of that same sense of paranoia.

He’s bold and that makes you a little concerned, even if you have never once met the guy.

Besides, who even uses paper flyers to advertise things like this in this day and age? Most other students would resort to your university’s plethora of Facebook groups or even Reddit to maximize the outreach of their situation.

Well. To be fair, all of those aforementioned sources that you had contacted winded up being fruitless endeavors anyways.

It’s like the more you try to rationalize against it, the more tempting the offer becomes.

What are you even saying? You shake your head, as if to physically clear the thoughts away. It works momentarily, even if the suggestion lingers in the back of your mind as you finish your milk tea.

You stand, checking the area around your table to ensure that nothing of yours had dropped out of your flimsy tote bag. Your laptop has long since died, which is probably a good enough indicator that it’s time to return back to your hotel room.

The hotel that will only be yours to stay in for the next week. Fuck, the things you’d do to have a permanent address right now.

Your body fills itself with dread as you even think about dragging yourself back through the public transportation system in this heat. Your eyes flit back up to the corkboard, the tacky pink poster serving as a last-ditch effort at stalling before you can leave this air-conditioned paradise.

Fuck it.

Tearing off the first and only missing swatch of contact information from Jung Hoseok’s roommate ad before leaving the café, you allow the sun to warm your skin and the work of fate to warm you from the inside out.

[August 10th, 2020; 8:19PM PST]

The paper is beyond crumpled after making itself at home in the back pocket of your jean shorts all day, but the digits are still legible enough as you dial them into your phone and hit call.

[April 9th, 6:52 PM PST]

After Hoseok leaves, your apartment feels somehow emptier than before.

Nothing about your dynamic has progressed, but then again, you hadn’t made any moves for it to. No matter the way you had felt in the days approaching his arrival, nor the moments you had shared in the short time he was with you, your feelings hadn’t been made explicitly clear. So it wouldn’t be fair for you to go expecting things to change.

There was one dumb thing that you had agreed to do together once he left: to have a dinner date eating the same thing together for once, rather than him eating breakfast while you ate dinner, or vice versa.

(“Ooh, sushi would be a good idea,” Hobi had said, getting ahead of himself already. “There’s this really good sushi bar near campus, but it’s kind of pricy so if I go there, you better not half-ass your end and get fucking gas station sushi or something.”)

True to your promise, as the clock approaches seven, you find yourself trekking back to your apartment after picking up your takeout from the local sushi restaurant that you and Hoseok liked most here.

You make sure that you look decent on your FaceTime camera. This wasn’t a formal date, but still, your newfound nervousness around the boy had you feeling just about as anxious as someone who was currently being hunted for sport.

Not that it mattered though. You don’t know a single person who looks flawless when stuffing their face with sushi, so your behavior is kind of gratuitous.

Hoseok told you that he’d call you first, so when the clock hits seven, you wait.

The clock ticks. Five minutes pass. Ten. At the twenty minute mark, you cave and call instead. The phone rings once. Twice. By the fifth ring, you end the call.

You wonder if last week during Spring Break was a mistake. You let your heart do all the talking while your mouth said so little, and it was the closest you’d ever been to him. Close enough to crash and burn.

As the hour bleeds onward, your sushi becomes room temperature. You pop the styrofoam container back sealed with shaky hands and shove it into the back of your refrigerator, out of sight.

You’re not hungry anymore.

[August 12th, 2020; 6:52PM PST]

It’s only a mere two days later when you schedule to meet up with Jung Hoseok for the very first time.

Over the phone, he seemed polite enough. His voice rings loud and clear when he introduces himself; not enough to startle you with the volume, but distinct and animated enough to relax your guard from his genuinity.

His rambunctious advertisement makes sense now. If you recall the phrasing and general loudness of it, you can practically hear all of the printed words being said in the exact cadence of his voice.

Muffled sounds of a dog barking and of a woman’s voice in the background during these phone calls also helped corroborate at least some of the legitimacy of who he advertised himself to be. He tells you that his and his sister’s lease was coming to an end, and the renewal process presented itself with the opportunity for her to finally move in with her long-term boyfriend instead.

(“And leaving me to fend for myself! I’m fighting for my life out here!” he adds, overexaggerating enough for a distant “shut up!” to be heard over the receiver, most likely from the aforementioned sister.)

He also tells you that there was a slight change in plans from what he had advertised: his sister would be taking their dog, instead of splitting its time between apartments. According to Hoseok, he’s generally well-behaved and potty-trained, save for the time that he pissed in his sneakers to get his attention, but even as much as Hoseok would miss him, he’d rather not stress him out by the constant change of location.

He reminds you again and again that him saying all of this and even scheduling a meet-up with him did not mean you had to feel obligated to agree.

If the cocktail of oversharing and professionalism was his attempt to make you feel more at ease about the entire situation, it was a damn good one. Because you find yourself agreeing quickly, allowing him to choose the restaurant for you to meet at in two days time.

The restaurant that you find yourself standing outside right now, nerves being the only barrier from entering.

A sushi restaurant, to be exact. So the silver lining of the evening is that even though you could potentially not move forward with the lease, you’d at least enjoy yourself at dinner.

(You do text your mother and one of your friends from university the place’s address, just in case you wind up getting kidnapped or something. Laugh all you want, but you can never be too cautious.)

You heave out a sigh of relief when you spot Hoseok, whose presence is exactly how you’d expected him to be: radiant, bubbly, yet with an aura of seriousness to him.

He introduces himself, and the first thing that you notice is how good his fashion sense is. You’re relieved that the outfit you chose for tonight is at least somewhat presentable in comparison.

It’s a little awkward at first, but that was expected. He asks you questions about yourself, and you offer him similar questions in return. If this is how cordial he’d be as a roommate, you wouldn’t mind it though, honestly. It wasn’t like you had any other options.

The conversation picks up from its staleness when you find yourself both ordering Philly rolls, which in your opinion, were easily the best sushi roll you could order. Not to mention that they were consistent, so even across different restaurants, they didn’t vary by outrageous amounts in taste, and they generally weren’t that messy. Hoseok agrees with each one of your points, expressing relief at your words because his sister vehemently disagreed–

“Hi!”

Snapping your gaze upward, you’re greeted with who has to be the prettiest girl you’ve ever seen in your life. Not just in the way her hair was curled to perfection, or her manicured nails, but the way her eyes lit up with interest as she regarded you, the way her dimpled smile matched Hoseok’s.

“I’m Jiwoo, Hobi’s sister,” she states, punctuating this by extending her hand towards you.

“Nice to meet you!” you chirp in response. “I’m Y/N.”

“Ah, Hoseok mentioned you a few days ago! I really hope you do decide to move forward with the lease, it would make me feel a lot better about moving out and leaving him,” she says with relief creasing between her brows.

“You don’t have to worry,” Hoseok frowns. “I’m not a baby.”

Jiwoo laughs, voice melodic. “I know, but still. I’m always worried about you.”

After more idle chatter, Jiwoo tells the pair of you that she’s meeting her fiancé at another table in the restaurant, and with that, she takes her leave.

Hoseok exhales a breath. “Hope you didn’t mind my sister springing a surprise visit on us like that. I was planning on introducing you two if we moved our arrangement forward, but she was just so excited that someone actually reached out that she couldn’t help herself.”

The puzzle pieces itself together one-by-one. “Jung Jiwoo… as in Mejiwoo the clothing brand? And Base Line Cosmetics?”

“Yeah, that’s us.” There’s no hesitance in his answer like there would be if he were privy to sparing you the details of his family’s wealth, but there was also no marked cockiness, as if he were flaunting it.

At your visible sense of interest, he elaborates. “Base Line is owned by our family, but Jiwoo was always more interested in working in the fashion industry over cosmetics, so she went and started her own business off it. Technically, her company is still a subsidiary of ours, but props to her because she did pretty much all of the start-up work on her own.”

“How about you?”

He offers a shrug. “I’ve helped my sister design a couple pieces just for fun, but honestly? I’m having fun just working in marketing for Base Line.”

If you’re being completely honest, you don’t know the exact schematics of what working in a business like that would entail, but you can piece together enough. You’ve seen his Instagram feed, hell, you’ve seen his outfit as he sits at the table across from you–he seems like the kind of person who was keen on aesthetics, and marketing seemed like exactly where he belonged.

“Which reminds me–you’ve gotta meet my neighbor Yoongi,” he says, eyes lit with excitement. He covers his mouth as he swallows down his spicy tuna roll before continuing. “He’s got the prettiest lips I’ve ever seen in my life and we’re trying to work on advertising for our new lip gloss line that’s in progress right now, but he keeps turning down my offers of modeling for it. Hey–you’d make a great model for it too, actually! If you want to or if you know anyone who would, I can contact our agency about it.”

He’s grown so animated talking about the business that it makes you endeared. “Signing this lease isn’t secretly a pyramid scheme for model recruitment, is it?”

“Caught me,” he laughs, throwing his head back in amusement as he does. “Was hoping you wouldn’t read the fine print.”

It’s at this moment that you realize exactly what it was that intrigued you about Hoseok so much: He talks to you like you’ve known each other your entire life, like you’re an old friend that he can tell anything and everything to, but a new person for him to show all of his colors to and let you do the same.

And you want to. His genuine attitude is enough encouragement for you to open up about yourself with the same amount of zeal, filling your end of the conversation with stories about your own family, your plans after university, and even pulling out your own phone to show him pictures of your parents’ dog.

It’s like his presence alone is enough to make you see the world with rose-tinted glasses.

By now, you’ve long since abandoned the notion that moving in with him was merely for the sake of both of your necessities, but because you wanted to.

It’s so easy for you to fall into conversation with him that the next time he mentions the lease, it’s the easiest decision that you’ve ever made when you hold your hands out for him to give you the rest of the paperwork to look over before making your arrangement official.

[April 10th, 2023; 6:11 AM PST]

The fact of the matter is that you should’ve seen this moment coming.

No matter the title of roommates, or the late night talks, or the fact that he has a copy of your class schedule saved to your phone, or the fact that he fucking applied lip balm on you because he wanted to, you didn’t have any claims to stake over his time.

He cared for you well when you were around, but that didn’t mean you had any permanence in his mind when you weren’t. He’s Jung Hoseok for crying out loud.

[6:13 am] hobi 🌱: Incoming FaceTime Call

Unlike the butterflies that you hadn’t even consciously recognized them to be every time you saw his name flash across your phone screen, seeing it now only makes you anxious.

You brace yourself for any explanation he may have. Prepared to not let any cracks show in your smile when you answer, because technically he doesn’t owe you one.

But the face that greets you when the FaceTime call rings through isn’t your best friend–in fact, there’s barely a face visible at all. A girl’s forehead is visible, camera angle definitely one that you are familiar with from all the instances you’ve stayed on the line with Hoseok while on the move.

Multiple girls actually–you can count at least three heads who are all now crowded over the screen of Hoseok’s phone. None of them are the aforementioned boy.

“Oh my God, she’s so pretty!” The girl who says this clearly gets smacked by one of the other voices present, if the yelp she lets out immediately after was anything to go by.

“Hi! You must be Y/N! Hoseok was in such a rush to go home earlier that he left his phone in my bag! None of us realized that you called, sorry.”

You let out a breath. Fuck. Never mind the fact that he puts his phone in this girl’s bag frequently enough for him not to know when it’s missing. And for over twelve hours at that.

“Hi,” is the only small and pathetic answer that you let yourself share.

“Here, let’s stop right here,” the girl who was presumably holding his phone states, seemingly directing the rest of the group towards somewhere for them to stop walking.

There’s fumbling, more words that go over your head are exchanged, and then the camera is propped up against a café table where you can now see the three girls clearly. You recognize them individually, all three of them being girls who had made occasional cameos amongst Hobi’s social media posts of his group of friends he had made internationally.

“Okay, okay, there we go. It’s really nice to meet you! I’m Momo, and this is Mina and Sana.” She gestures to the two other girls present.

“Ah, Hoseok told me a lot about you guys! I’m really glad that he’s made such great friends over there,” you nod. There’s so much going on right now that you can’t even make good conversation.

“Yeah, Hoseok’s told us before that he really wishes you could’ve studied abroad too. He keeps going on and on about how much you’d love it here,” Mina states.

Sana’s quick to agree, adding more anecdotes atop the other girl’s words. “He’s always talking to us about you, it’s like sometimes he doesn’t even realize how much he does it. Like we went shopping a few weeks back, and he was explaining to me your lip balm allergy and he was really intent on making sure that his Blue Side lip balm would be perfect for you. It’s seriously so adorable how much he likes you–”

Clearly Sana is the one out of the three who has a knack for oversharing, because Momo gives her a swift pinch to her side before redirecting the conversation. “We’re on our way to Hoseok and Jimin’s dorm now!”

For the first time, you don’t hesitate to cut in. You barely even need to glance at your designated clock of Hobi’s time zone to know that it’s late at night already. “At this hour? Seriously, I appreciate it but you really could’ve just waited until morning.”

Sana is quick to shake her head, pink curls bobbing as she does so. “We’ll be careful, I promise! Plus we’re all together, Mina has her pepper spray, and we’re almost there already. Thank you for worrying!” Her warm smile damn near melts your heart.

“Plus we know how important this call was to Hoseok!” Momo chimes in. The other two girls nod. “If we weren’t already heading over, I guarantee that he would’ve been banging on our door ten minutes from now.”

Really? You could believe it if it were just about the fact that he had lost his phone, but you being the reason why he was sent into a goose chase to get his phone back as soon as possible was somehow hard to believe.

There’s suddenly laughter and muffled voices that you can’t decipher speaking to one another on the other side, and you see rather than hear the way Hoseok and Jimin make their way into the FaceTime camera radius.

“Y/N!”

You’d recognize the way Hoseok calls your name anywhere.

His heart-shaped grin, his fluffy head of hair, how good he looks in a simple black t-shirt. Although the FaceTime quality is fuzzy around the edges due to the poor cell reception of the area, you recognize him immediately.

“I’m so sorry,” Hoseok says, face coming close enough to the screen to make your heart pick up several paces. “Mina and I have the same phone case, so she must’ve accidentally taken my phone along with hers when we went grocery shopping this morning. Jimin and I literally turned our apartment upside down looking for it, and then Taehyung told me to retrace my steps through every lecture hall we went to today–”

“Only for him to realize that he had no classes today,” Jimin finishes, wrinkling his nose with fondness. “For someone so smart, he has the memory of a goldfish.” Hoseok slaps him on the shoulder in reply.

You laugh along with their storytelling, and then you can’t hear the pair of them as they speak to each other about what to do next.

“Since it’s late, Jimin and I are gonna walk the girls back to their dorm before we head back home. We’ll catch up later, I promise,” he fills you in, and with that you say your goodbyes.

So he didn’t miss your dinner date. Relief washes over you as his words echo in your mind.

We’ll catch up later, I promise.

Who are you to not believe him?

[April 21st, 2023; 1:17 PM PST]

You never thought you’d be doing this.

Running into Yujin that one time was something of a coincidence, and even though you had made peace with the grudge you’d previously held onto, you never thought that you’d want to see her again, much less in an effort to become friends.

But you could use a fresh face to talk to. Your free time was mostly occupied with Hoseok, Yoongi, Seokjin, Jiwoo, and occasionally Namjoon, and as much as you loved all of them, your head’s been a mess ever since Hoseok left after Spring Break ended and you have a feeling that speaking to any of them regarding the man that all of them were inevitably close to wouldn’t be the most productive idea.

(Re: Yoongi would hit you with a big fat “I told you so” hammer, Jiwoo was his sister, and Seokjin was… well, he was Seokjin. So yes, you were running low on options.)

You’re not necessarily looking for someone to vent about him to, but a distraction is nice.

It also helps that Yujin is somewhat familiar to you, but still a new person all the same considering how much her personality has changed from what you remember.

It’s nice to converse with her much easier than you had four years ago, it really is, but even Yujin begins to notice how you’re practically itching to get something off your mind. And per her usual mannerisms, she attacks the issue head-on. That much hasn’t changed about her.

“Oh my God, there’s a guy, isn’t there? That’s what’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

“Nothing’s bothering me,” you lie, but you know damn well that it’s not convincing in the slightest. Defeated after meeting Yujin’s unimpressed gaze, you continue.

“So I have this roommate now.”

“Mhm,” she recalls, sipping her drink through her straw. “The one studying abroad?”

“Yeah that’s the one.” You take a breath, your mind a mess as you continue. “He came over to visit for Spring Break, and I dunno, it just felt like something’s changed since I last saw him.”

Yujin’s brow creases. “In a good way or a bad way?”

“That’s the thing,” you say, voice laced with frustration. “Like, I started feeling like this a little bit before he came, and then some things happened during the week that made me feel unsure if I’m just reading too far into the situation.”

“Things meaning what?” Yujin cocks a brow in interest, causing you to elaborate further into your recount of the week.

“So we were on the couch and he had this water bottle on his lap, right?” Yujin nods, and you take a breath before continuing. “But like, one of his legs was kind of slung over mine so I didn’t wanna get up, and God, I don’t know what know possessed me to do this, but I reached over and—“

”Oh my God, you accidentally grabbed his dick!?”

“No!”

A pause.

”You grabbed his dick on purpose!?”

You wince, embarrassment flushing through your mind. You had been so caught up in the casual intimacy of what you had actually done to even consider where this story sounded like it was going. “No, Yujin, I did not grab his dick.”

“Damn.” You ignore the fact that she sounds almost disappointed.

“As I was saying, he had a water bottle, and I just reached over and grabbed it out of his lap and drank from it! Like, what the hell, right? We’re close, but we never share drinks or do anything like that!” You attempt to laugh off the disbelief, but you should’ve known that airing out your feelings would come with inevitable prodding.

“So why’d you do it?”

Fuck. You don’t even know the answer to that still.

But you take the first step to figuring out what the hell you’re feeling by putting all the pieces on the table so you can put the puzzle together in due time. “That’s the thing–I have no fucking idea. But I did it so easily, as if we do it all the time, or like he hasn’t been gone for three months.”

“Do you think you’re falling for him?”

And there it was. There was the question that you were dreading having to answer, not only to yourself, but apparently now you put yourself in a situation where another person’s input was involved.

At your lack of verbal response (even though your body language spoke volumes, in Yujin’s opinion), she pins you with another, slightly easier question: “What do you want to do now?”

It’s like her words open a dam, and you find yourself spilling your thoughts. “I want to talk to him about it. And about the bracelet he gave me, and the fucking lip balm formula that he made specifically because he knows my skin is sensitive. I need to know if it’s just me that’s feeling this way because I’ve never felt so comfortable around someone before and maybe the distance is what’s making me overthink–”

“Wait, he made you a what?”

You explain to Yujin Hoseok’s family brand, and his new project, and how he told you himself that he made sure that it would be specifically catered to your best interest. Her jaw only drops even further.

“That has gotta be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.” You wave her off with a groan.

“I’m serious!” Yujin continues earnestly. “It’s not everyday that you hear that a guy cares about someone to a point where they’d fucking create something for them, friend or not. All I’m saying is that if you do feel something for him now, it’s pretty fucking obvious why.”

When you can only huff out a laugh, she tacks on another statement. “But I mean, talking it out would only do you good, and there’s no need to rush into starting something once he gets back home.”

Home. You feel your heart rate pick up several paces every time you get reminded of the fact that his home is where you were. That you and your quaint little place that you’ve curated to suit both of your needs and wants were his anchor amidst everything else going on in his life.

But Yujin’s right. There was no rush, and you take peace in that reminder.

“But also keep me posted, ‘cause I really want to see you guys end up together.”

You only laugh with a roll of your eyes.

[May 6th, 2023; 2:01 PM PST]

Talking it out really does help.

That much should have been obvious, really—literally every study and every piece of media shows that communication will almost always do more harm than good.

So when Yujin helps you realize that your feelings for Hoseok were much deeper than you had previously assumed them to be, it doesn’t feel like a weight sitting atop your chest anymore. If anything, it felt more like a balloon tied by a string to you now, a part of you wherever you go, not holding you back but simply an extension of your day-to-day life.

But for now, you’ll deal. Complicating your relationship with thousands of miles between you would do you no good, and besides, you had to focus on graduating soon. Yeah, you can hold off for another few months before deciding what to do.

What was another couple months when these feelings have been accumulating for who knows how long?

You heard through the grapevine (otherwise known as Min Yoongi) that Namjoon is never home because he’s a PA. And that when his day isn’t occupied by work, he often spends it out of the house anyways.

Previously you had assumed that that would mean going out with friends, or partying, but from the rare instances that you had spoken to him, you had found out that more often than not he spends those excursions alone, visiting museums and bonsai gardens and wherever the hell he was in the mood to go at the time.

He’s mastered the art of taking himself on dates, honestly.

Which is how you find yourself taking a page out of his book, sitting at a café you’ve never

been to in a part of the city that you never find yourself having a good enough reason to be at.

It’s a cat café, to be specific. You’ve always wanted to come to one of these, but your busy schedule never allowed you to even consider that you’d have the time to do so. Being here now only proves that you had only convinced yourself that you never had time to take for yourself all these years.

You snap videos of the cute felines that come your way and are hasty to publish them to your Instagram without even checking them for potential flaws. Because it doesn’t need to be perfect. You don’t need impeccable evidence of where you’ve been, you’re just happy that you’re here at all.

You hardly check your phone throughout the day, but when you do, the notification that greets you makes you smile.

[2:19 pm] jung hoseok: Replied to your story: so cute! you gotta take me here when i get back 😩

You tap out your reply promising him that you will.

And afterwards, you take a trip up to the Griffith Observatory. You hadn’t gone since you were a kid. Long before college, long before Hoseok.

Hoseok. Your best friend that you’d had no idea would ever occupy this much space in your mind.

Attraction. Fondness. Dependency. Love. All of them look similar, but they aren’t the same.

But you’ve spent so much time trying to figure out which one was closest to what you felt that you’ve come to realize that your feelings for Hoseok couldn’t all be encapsulated using a single word.

Not only does he take care of you as a roommate, but he cares for you even when he isn’t physically there. He wants you to live well, and he’s shown again and again that he’s constantly thinking of you when you’re not around.

You wonder if you’re on his mind just as much as he is on yours.

[May 15th, 2023; 11:46 PM PST]

These days, you find yourself enjoying things on simple terms.

You enjoy your sleep, so you try not to get home too late. You hate the feeling of cramming for exams, so you start studying little by little a week and half early.

You have nothing better to do on your Saturday so you do laundry. You have nothing better to do on your Sunday so you and Namjoon go to the duck pond.

You stay in and cook dinner instead of ordering in when you may have splurged a little too hard on a cute top you saw at the mall.

The only downside is that living your life day by day rather than keeping everything planned to a tee has reduced the frequency of you and Hoseok’s phone calls.

But you don’t mind, he’s busy and so are you.

You message him about his frequent adventures on his Instagram posts, and he texts you to ask what you’ve been up to every few days. When you do call, the conversations aren’t any less boisterous as usual, and the longevity of the calls aren’t any shorter.

To anyone else, things are as normal as it gets.

But you still miss him so, so badly.

[June 1st, 2023; 4:44 PM PST]

This time, you do everything right.

There’s no thunderstorms, there’s no miscommunication of landing time, there’s no surprise knocks on your door in the dead of night, there’s no bed sharing.

The drive home through LAX traffic was stale, your playlists were stale, and Hoseok opting to sleep on the sheets that had been left on his bed since he left in March felt stale too.

The problem was that there was no problem at all; a year ago, hell, two months ago, you would have pegged this as normal behavior amongst the pair of you. The problem was that you wanted things to be different, that you wanted there to be more to your relationship dynamic.

But things don’t change overnight. So why did it feel so different from how this went down back in March?

[June 13th, 2023; 10:44 PM PST]

Graduation comes and goes easily.

You and Hoseok both make a mutual agreement to take two weeks off of work after graduation, just a slow inhale and exhale of a break before you two come to terms with the fact that the rest of your life will be filled with nothing but day-in and day-out monotony.

As promised, you take Hoseok to all the places that you had grown fond of during your little escapades around Los Angeles. He tells you–”it’s silly, I know,” he had mumbled with a shake of his head–that he feels like a foreigner in a place where he’s spent four years living already, and he gives a relieved exhale when you say that until recently, you had felt the same way.

Despite the fact that you now have a degree, the crowning accomplishment of your past four years of hard work, you can’t ignore the other ways in which your life still feels unfinished.

You should’ve known that your feelings would bubble up to a precipice like an unwatched boiling pot, that there’s no planning this sort of thing–that eventually you’d spill the mess of what’s on your mind when you least expect it.

It happens like this.

It’s a surprisingly cold evening for June in Los Angeles, and like the oddball he is, Hoseok takes that as a reason to celebrate.

In favor of the occasion, he makes spicy tofu soup because in his words, “how often do you really crave soup in the middle of Summer?”

(You don’t tell him that technically the Summer solstice wasn’t for another week.)

He presents you a bowl of his hard work with a raw egg on the side, because even though he could have cracked it into the soup for you easily, he knows you take odd satisfaction in the feeling of cracking eggs perfectly. And you eat dinner together like old times, with quiet chatter and spoons clanking against bowls.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately,” you start. Hesitant.

You feel stupid already.

You contemplate chickening out when you close your eyes in a drawn-out blink, but you somehow find it in you to continue, the silence splitting like a fragile eggshell to make way for your sunny-yellow emotions to spill out.

“When I first met you, I had no idea that you’d mean this much to me.”

You want to tell him that his presence in your three years of friendship has left a mark on you in a way that no other person has. That you can’t appreciate him enough for the little things he remembers about you and the things he buys for you without a second thought. That on both high and low days, he’s the first person that you want to be around and the last person you want to see before you nod off to sleep.

You want to tell him that you hope that he can lean on you and rest just as much as you do on him. That you love when he tells you about what’s on his mind, and when he shows you pictures of moments he’s captured on film of the world through his eyes. That you love how he fills every room he enters with sunshine that reflects off every person he meets, how he always knows what to say to make others feel significant in his presence.

You want to tell him that meeting him was devastating.

What is love, if not devastating?

Was this love?

A near-silent exhale, and then you continue. “And I meant it when I said I was happy for you and I’d always be there for you when you went abroad. But the space and time apart made me realize that there’s this huge Hobi-shaped place in my heart that just wouldn’t go away.”

You’re not even sure if you’re making sense anymore, but you push onward. “What I’m trying to say is that our time apart made me realize how much I don’t want to just have you as a friend. Even when you came to visit during Spring Break and when you came back two weeks ago, I just kept having this feeling that I need you around. Not in the way that things used to be, because we always had that and it was never awkward between us, but a step further.”

“I found myself wishing that we could go to dinner and to museums and the beach and actually call them dates instead of just saying that we’re hanging out together,” you continue. You want to look away from his gaze, but you refuse to. “I want to be able to call you my boyfriend when people ask what we are, and I want to be able to hug you and hold you without feeling like I’m crossing a boundary.”

Hoseok only looks at you with those unreadable eyes again. His gaze is always full of enough light to rival the warmth of the sun on your skin, but right now it feels as though you’d burn up if you dared to let your gaze linger.

“I’m sorry if it’s just me.”

Your breath comes out shaky now. The last thing that you can do now is cry–because you really don’t want his pity. And you don’t expect him to feel the same way, despite the rest of the world telling you that he does, and the fact that you just spilled out all your wants straight to him.

Yes, that’s it–you just needed to get this off your chest. You’ll still be roommates first, friends second after this moment passes, and now that you’re graduated, your lives are just getting started and you’ll only keep moving onto bigger and better things. The world never felt so big and overwhelming and fuck, it must be the late hour that makes you feel like you need to escape.

The sound of his voice is enough to drag you back down to Earth.

“Y/N,” he says softly, scooting his chair towards you and placing his hand against your back. You think he’s gearing up to let you down easy, so the question he prompts you with catches you by surprise: “How long?”

How long have you been feeling this way?

You try to think. And then you verbalize it. “Since you bought me the bracelet.”

The bracelet that adorns both your wrist and his right now. The one that was meant to symbolize new beginnings for both of you, but now felt like the final nail in the coffin of your friendship.

You’re taken aback when he shakes his head with a smile. “Hoseok?” You ask, feeling small and vulnerable, needing him to say what’s on his mind before you combust.

“I’m an idiot,” he begins. He continues before you can question what he means by that.

“Do you remember when you were doing laundry at Yoongi’s house?”

When you nod, he looks like he’s fighting down layers of embarrassment to say what comes next. It’s rare that you ever see Hoseok expressing emotion beyond what he wants you to see.

You take an odd amount of comfort in it.

“You were right–I was jealous. But not because he was spending time with you, or because I really did think that you guys were together. It was because I realized how much I missed getting to spend every second of every day with you. Throughout the day, I find myself wanting to tell you about every place I go and everything I do, but I found myself wondering what you were up to even more.”

“What I’m trying to say is… I’ll be yours if you let me,” Hobi says, and you break. “I want to take you on dates wherever you want to go, and I want to hold your hand and come home to you after work every day. I want to share all my thoughts with you, and I hope you’ll do the same for me. I know we do a lot of these things already as friends, but I want to try to be more.”

“Yes,” you breathe out. Yes, a hundred times over. “I want that too, Hobi.”

It’s out there. Both of your feelings are out in the open air like freshly-hung laundry, and you’ve never felt so much relief. The tension in the room dissipates, even more so with what Hoseok says next.

“So… around the same time, huh?”

You cringe through your smile. “Yeah… around the same time.”

“I hope you know that no matter where I am, no matter who I’m with, nobody compares to you.” You know your face must be scrunched in such an unflattering near-sob, but Hoseok only looks at you with rose-tinted lenses for eyes.

The feelings that you had for him and he had for you was not just tested by the vast blueness of distance between you, but it was because of it.

You don’t know when Hoseok rises from his seat to encase you in a back hug, but he does. He does it tenderly and paired with a kiss to the crown of your forehead, as if to piece back together the eggshell of your heart that you’d been so afraid to break.

You think you love him, but for now you won’t say it.

[August 10th, 2024; 3:42 PM PST]

You roll your eyes when Hoseok kicks you out of your shared bedroom because he needs to pack his underwear.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” you deadpan, and you think the way Hobi’s ears flush red at your words is downright adorable.

“Still,” he pouts, before promptly shutting the door on you. You sigh.

It’s been little over a year since you and Hoseok had officially begun dating, but life moves fast.

You and Hoseok had moved out of your two-bedroom apartment once your lease had ended, in favor of buying a quaint little bungalow closer to the beach. Though initially you were unsure if that was too big a step to be making too soon, Hoseok reminds you that you had already been living together for years–that you had already been his home long before buying one of your own–so what difference did it really make?

It was a bit saddening to have to say goodbye to Yoongi and Namjoon as neighbors, but they promised to visit since you were still barely twenty minutes away from your previous home.

And visit, they did. So did Jiwoo, Yujin, Seokjin, and occasionally Hobi’s friends that he had accumulated in Japan.

(He was absolutely right, by the way. You and Jungkook had clicked immediately and stuck together like glue after he initiated an intense debate on who would win in a fight, between Tony the Tiger and the Kool-Aid Man.

For the record, you and him were Team Kool-Aid Man, while Hobi and Taehyung were Team Tony the Tiger. You’d be bitter that Hoseok disagreed with you, but the look of sheer bafflement when you explained your reasoning made the entire ordeal that much funnier, and worth it, in your opinion.)

Hoseok’s Blue Side line launched earlier in the summer. He had begged you to be the model in the commercial films, but you insisted that you could be his muse, but you couldn’t be that multitalented.

But it all worked out in the end, because you told him to outreach the modeling gig to Seokjin instead, which kickstarted his acting career internationally.

(“Why didn’t you tell me that your friend was hot? He’s perfect for the job,” Hoseok had said, baffled after meeting Seokjin over dinner for the first time.

“Why do you think I told you to ask?” you huff. “And I figured you’d already seen him from my Instagram posts while you were gone.”

“How could I, when you were the only thing I could ever focus on?”

You had smacked his chest softly to hide the way his words flustered you.)

In fact, the reason Hoseok was packing to begin with was for an international work trip in Osaka. One that he had cordially invited you to come with, once again true to the promise he had made to you all those months ago.

“Are you done yet?” you ask restlessly, not giving a shit as you push your bedroom door back open. “I really don’t care if your undies have holes in them or whatever, but at least let me in so I can pack too–”

You pause when you round to your side of the bed, taking notice of the not-so-subtly hidden square velvet box tucked under a shirt or two in his suitcase.

Hobi’s back is turned, facing your shared closet, clearly unaware that he’s done such a shitty job at hiding what was likely supposed to be a surprise. “Yeah, you can come back in now.”

Apparently he’s also unaware that you’d already reentered the room.

You and Hoseok had discussed marriage a handful of times, which had only increased in frequency over the past couple months. Despite the fact that you both concluded that you were still young, you had also pointed out to him that you didn’t ever see yourself wanting to be with someone else, so the wait wouldn’t do you any good. Hoseok also cracked a joke that it’d be good for tax purposes, but you don’t miss the relief that washed over his face that you were on the same page.

And that was where you had left it.

Approaching him and looking at him sideways now, you’re entranced as ever by his features. The sharpness of his jawline, the slope of his nose, the intensity of his eyes as he debates on what to pack.

When he catches you staring, you let him.

“Is something on my face?” he asks, eyes widening as he already starts wiping at his mouth.

“Nope,” you sigh out, uncaring of how lovesick your gaze is.

You lean up to give him a chaste peck to his cheek, which he had clearly not been expecting. “I love you,” you murmur, basking in the dimpled grin he returns.

Yeah, your life is good with him in it.

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hamsterclaw · 1 year

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You r never disappointing, i swear you're the one that keeps the Hoseok/YN Tag alive and going.

Hi lovely, you're in for a TREAT today. I went on one checking out my reblogs for all my fave Hoseok fics and here they are, a curated list of all the banging Hoseok fics that keep Hoseok/YN alive.

Category: Mafia Hobi/gang Hobi

Look no further than the sublime writing of @xjoonchildx - the Hobi in the drabble Close Call is only a taste of how excellent the Gentlemen of the Gajog series is, featuring the rapline.

I've re-read Heartbeat by @joonbird so many times because this Hobi's written so perfectly - a sexy, tough guy who's decent and insecure underneath and also so so so so hot.

Category: Sweet husband Hobi

@bonvoyagenoona is the writer I admire and aspire to be like. I got on AO3 just so I could read her writing. I adore all her work and The Cul-de-Sac cons is the story I come back to when I want to escape, genuinely escape. JK is the romantic pairing but the Hobi in this is such a sweetheart.

Lawn boy Hobi in Hot and Bothered by @sahmfanficbts is glorious crack at its very best. Sam's devoted to Namjoon but when she branches out, it's still ace.

Category: Soft Hobi/nice guy Hobi

Project Dream Girl, a holiday story that's heartwarming and snuggly and full of brilliant details, also written by @bonvoyagenoona She writes with such compassion and feeling I will never get over it.

I've lamented more than once that @gukslut is no longer active because her writing is incredible and if I could only read stories from one writer ever it would be her. The Holiday Hobi is a perfect mix of filthy and sweet.

Useless Magic by @reliablemitten is a feel-good romp of a story with clever, clever writing featuring a sexy banker Joon and a sweet sweet Hobi who teaches toddlers.

There's something about Hobi in the holidays, and Ho-ho-horrible by @ugh-yoongi is a sweet, heartwarming tale of a thoroughly decent Hobi.

For the first time by @candlewaxandp0lar0ids is beautifully written, and features a sexy neighbour Hobi.

Category: Sexy boss Hobi, with a helping of angst

I read the entirety of Jungle Park by the very excellent @jimlingss in one night. I've been reeling ever since. It's perfect. I've never seen better.

Category: Kinky Hobi

@btssmutgalore writes kinks in the most beautiful and inclusive way. Pas de Trois is so incredibly hot and also features a side of JK.

Category: Fuckboi Hobi

An underwritten trope, imo. The Hobi in Flight 18 by @noona-la-la-la is so funny and charming you're pulled in no matter that your thoughts are on that airport outfit.

Flip & Reverse It by @neonlights92 is funny, smart and so so entertaining, check it out, it's the best laugh you'll have all day.

Fuckboi rapper Hobi in Holiday Inn by @bangtanintotheroom is frankly irresistible and it's futile to even try.

I think putting Party Time by @sugakookitty under this category is underselling this Hobi because frankly, he's sexy, unhinged and way too entertaining for his own good.

Category: Historical Hobi

The Hobi in Kanalia by @xjoonchildx is the ultimate brooding sexy man of few words.

Category: Spy Hobi

Lightning never strikes twice by @vyduan is clever, sparky and so so funny.

Category: Supervillian Hobi

Versus by @minisugakoobies featuring Yoongi, Hobi and Namjoon and a kickass superhero lead, is one of the funniest and crackiest fics I've read on here.

Category: Demon Hobi

I honestly think about the demon Hobi from Not today, Satan, written brilliantly by @gimmethatagustd all the time, and the outrageous MC too.

Same for this unexpectedly soft sleep paralysis demon Hobi in Whispers in the Dark from the brilliant mind of @miscelunaaa .

Category: Crack Hobi

This tentacle-wielding, dancing Cthoseok from Unspeakable Horrors by @thatlongspringnight is straight-up crack and makes me ugly laugh.

Popping these at the end because they make me laugh every time:

@bang-tan 's fake subtitles in this have me crying.

@jeonjapan's hixtape tracklist is gold.

So hey, anon, for you and for me, Hobi's got a lot of strong players in his corner and writers who write him like he's the king he is. Happy birthday month, Hobi! 💜

#hoseok fic recs #hobi fic recs #lmk if you have more recs

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tuliproses435 · 2 years

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BTS Fic Recs: August & September 2022

Keynote by @missgeniality | JHS | Summary: Sleep was all you had desired, after dealing with an agitating boss, an incompetent coworker, and an unsurmountable workload. Right up until your hotel room was flooded with an array of noises from the room next door. Shouting, screaming, begging, moaning. Sleep was all you had desired, but after this night, your desires have grown. Tags: Strangers to lovers, smut, fluff

Big Bad Wolf by @joonscypher | KNJ | Summary: Your mom has always warned you not to venture too deep into the forest, for legend has it, in it lives vicious, man-eating wolves. You’ve always listened to her words until one day when your love of animals gets the better of you and you end up in the woods, chasing after a wounded cat. When you stumble across a secluded cottage in the middle of the forest and meet one of these “Big Bad Wolves,” you learn that maybe not everything is as it seems. Tags: Werewolf au, shifter au, angst, fluff, smut, fantasy, strangers to lovers

Half a Heart by @jamaisjoons | KNJ | Summary: you and namjoon have always been the best of friends; who just happen to be in love and are refusing to do anything about it. Tags: Friends to lovers, angst, fluff, smut

Song of the Sea by @jamaisjoons | KNJ | Summary: captivated by the sight of you, he can’t help but watch you swim around his home. and when you turn to leave, he doesn’t know what overcomes him - but as if spellbound - he finds himself following you back to land. Tags: Mermaid au, fantasy au, angst, fluff, smut

Beg by @jinfizz | JJK | Summary: When Jungkook and his friends assume you’re older than them, you decide to play along for a bit and let them call you noona. But after the time to set things straight comes and goes, your oppa might not be so forgiving… Tags: Fluff, smut, friends to lovers

Party on You by @here2bbtstrash | JHS | Summary: the only thing stronger than your social anxiety is your big dumb crush on hoseok - and you're certainly not expecting it when he tells you the real reason he threw this album release party. Tags: Smut

The Monogamy Monologues by @kpopfanfictrash | JJK | Summary: The year? Some point after college. The occasion? Namjoon is getting married and the Rich Man’s Crochet Club has convened once again. Somewhere between the drinks and the laughter, everyone has the same realization: Jungkook has never been in a serious relationship. In the name of all that is holy (Overwatch and booze), the club’s mission is revived. Now though, their goal is much more perilous. Now, they aim to find Jeon Jungkook a girlfriend. Tags: Smut, fluff

Watchdog by @kpopisthereasonihavenolife | JJK | Summary: Being kidnapped, then ‘accidentally’ eavesdropping on a lot of Intel that was specifically not for outside ears, was definitely not your way of being ‘recruited’ into the mafia world. Much less end up with a companion who didn’t seem very fond of you, but stuck guarding and watching you. A Watchdog sort of man he was, and almost entirely too suffocating. Tags: Mafia au, angst

Hypothermia by @httpjeon | JHS | Summary: lost while wandering, you find your life on the line when you begin to suffer the effects of hypothermia. as you collapse, near death, you swear you see an angel… Tags: Shifter au, fluff, smut, angst

Happy Birthday Loser by @jungk0oksthighs | JJK | Summary: after three years of simping over your roommate, you give him one hell of a birthday celebration Tags: Smut

Rough Night by @inkjam-moon | JJK | Summary: You’re at the boy’s apartment waiting for them to come home from a show, but they’re late. When they finally arrive, you’re ignored, and you can’t help but wonder, do they know about you and Yoongi? Tags: Smut, angst, fluff

A Weekend on Jeju by @inkjam-moon | KNJ | Summary: Namjoon asks you to accompany him on a weekend vacation so he won’t be alone, and you decide to use it as an opportunity to confront him about the steamy moment you shared a few months ago, but can you work up the courage? Tags: Smut, fluff

Thirteen Rounds by @monimonimoon | JJK | Summary: JK's boxing coach tells him he can't come for four weeks before his title fight. Ah, four weeks isn't that long, right? ... Right? Tags: Boxer au

Complete Faith by @daechwitatamic | KTH | Summary: It’s Taehyung himself who admits that it’s usually around the one-month mark that he starts to lose interest in his relationships. So even though you’re so drawn to him you can barely stand it, even though he’s attentive and funny, even though you’re helplessly crazy about him… when you start dating, you feel like you’ve got an expiration date from day one. But will it be Taehyung’s issues that get in the way, or your own? Tags: Coworker au, angst, friends to lovers, slow burn

My Queen by @purpleyoonn | KSJ | Summary: Seokjin had just returned to find his court and staff were not treating you how they should when he was gone. You were hurt, and his instincts were telling him to claim you and make sure you were unharmed. Tags: Vampire au, soulmate au, smut, fluff, angst

Helping Hands by @euphoricfilter | MYG | Summary: Yoongi always had a knack for fixing things, and with producing getting him nowhere, he ends up working for the school his long-time friend Seokjin, teaches at. With his new job, he meets you, and although your first encounter hadn’t been the best; at least not in Yoongi’s eyes, he could have never guessed how your relationship would bloom. And Yoongi gets to show you his hands can do more than fix your faulty heating. Tags: Teacher au, fluff, smut, strangers to lovers

Tunnel Vision by @kooktrash | KTH | Summary: you’ve just gotten yourself a job working with the campus crush, kim taehyung. he’s quiet and brooding but everyone is obsessed with him including your best friend. what do you when she asks for your help in dating him when he’s catching feelings for you instead? he’s supposed to notice her but he’s got tunnel vision when it comes to you. Tags: College au, barista au, smut, fluff

The Sheriff by @ppersonna | KNJ | Summary: you’ve always had a soft spot for Kim Namjoon, the local sheriff. seems like he’s had one for you, too. Tags: Smut, fluff

#hoseok x reader #namjoon x reader #jungkook x reader #yoongi x reader #seokjin x reader #taehyung x reader #hoseok fic recs #namjoon fic recs #jungkook fic recs #seokjin fic recs #yoongi fic recs #taehyung fic recs #bts x reader #bts fic recs

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raplinesmoon · 9 months

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Isi Spotlights: Ugh-Yoongi

Hi!! Welcome to Week 1 of my author spotlight project and this week features the incredibly talented Jewel (@ugh-yoongi), who is also a fellow Jin bias 🥺 read on for some picks from her masterlist!

Full-length Features (long form fic feedback)

you suck! - ksj x f!reader, crack, fluff, smut, vampire au.

Read the full review here! Recommended if you’re into Twilight and want a vampire boyfriend.

the retreat - jhs x reader, crack, fluff, smut, childhood friends to lovers

Read the full review here! Recommended if you want to read amazing banter and join a cult (?) lead by Seokjin.

you're the first person to ever ask - knj x reader, crack, fluff, waking up married au

Read the full review here! Recommended if you want to feel single in 20 different languages, but also if you want your drunken fast food choices validated.

Tiny Tidbits (shorter picks from the masterlist)

the dogs of war - ksj x reader, political au.

Listen, all the references to the US political system had me chuckling so hard because they're all true. Like Seokjin and YN would have beef because he spelled something wrong on a bill, which made the enemies to lovers aspect so satisfying. Also I don't buy into politicians, but I would do anything that politician Seokjin asked me to do, he with the suits and million-dollar skincare routine.

when it gets dark - myg x reader, established relationship au

I've already read this before, but listen I didn't know a pwp could make me cry? This fic is genuinely healing, and uses themes of light and dark to tell such an important message about mental health and finding a support system, and Yoongi was the perfect vehicle for it.

the artist - jjk x reader, cyberpunk au

Ok JK in any cyberpunk au has me intrigued, but I kind of loved this a lot. It hits on a lot of commonly seen tropes with JK (cyberpunk, tattoo artist) and turned them on their head. Also the JK in here kind of reminds me of Seven JK with how persistent he is.

Kind Words (I just feel like complimenting ppl ok):

From reading Jewel’s works, I can tell her sense of humour is on point! And she has impeccable music taste from just a quick scroll through her blog. Also she’s a hockey fan >>>> 💕 if you do check out her blog, be sure to leave her lots of love!

#isi spotlights #bts #bts fanfiction #bts fic #bts fic rec #Namjoon x reader #Hoseok x reader #Seokjin x reader #jungkook x reader #Yoongi x reader #bts fic recs #bts recs #namjoon fic recs #seokjin fic recs #Hoseok fic recs #Yoongi fic recs #Jimin fic recs #taehyung fic recs #Jungkook fic recs

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jiminzfilter · 1 year

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Unexpected Miracles

→ Pairing. hoseok x Reader

→ Genre. half-strangers to lovers, blind dating au (kind of), fluff

→ Summary. an old crush comes waltzing into your life when you need a date for a Winter Gala

→ Word count. 5.2k

→ Warnings. reader's family is a bit abusive and likes down-talking her :,(, mentions of light alcohol consumption (be careful when you drink, please!!), mentions of a mental breakdown

→ A/n. this is a gift for @beingsuneone for the @bangtansecretsanta exchange 🎄 Hi Kaillei, I'm your Secret Santa! I hope you enjoy this gift I made for you as much as I enjoyed interacting with you all through December. Somehow, this is the complete opposite of what I planned on writing but I think changing the plot mid-story was the right choice to make. Hope you'll like it :)

-> thank you so much @playmetheclassics for beta-reading this fic!! I’m so grateful for your constant help and support, it really means a lot to me🥺❤️

There is nothing you hate more than the Christmas season. The decorated streets, the storefronts full of fake gifts under an overdecorated tree. Couples wearing matching Christmas sweaters. The Christmas market which blasted holiday music until 2 am and your obnoxiously long yearly family Winter gala.

The gala, annoying as it sounds, takes place five days after Christmas each year and is a reunion of all the town's important people and its surroundings. All of that was exaggerated by some nice Christmas music, a huge decorated tree with presents underneath for the youngest guests… Everything you love.

You glare at your invitation on the coffee table and sigh. Even after you moved out of town (and far from your parents’ grasp), your mother found her way to get you to come to her event. Just as you are about to throw away the gold ornamented card, your phone rings and surprise! it’s your mother.

“Hello, darling! I sent out your invitation yesterday in express mail. Have you received it ?”

Of course, she would be only interested in her stupid event.

“Yes, mother. It’s in my hands right now”, you stop yourself from sighing, wanting to avoid your mother’s reprimands.

“Oh, perfect! Your father and I went to the store to select some dresses for you. You should go try them on by tomorrow if you want to have your dress on time!”

Did I forget to mention the winter gala is also a ball? Well, now you know…

“Well, about that, Mother. I wanted to tell you…”

“Oh, you can bring your companion too! What was his name again? Jake? Please bring him I remember him being such a lovely boy!”

“Not until I found him sleeping with another girl…” You mumble before saying louder “Mother, Jake and I went our separate ways a year ago. ”

There’s a short silence before your mom answers.

“Shame, well, you better come accompanied or you will embarrass of this family. Again. Excuse me, darling, but your Grandfather is calling me again. I shall go. We expect to see you at the gala so do not disappoint us,” she instructs before hanging up

"I'm gonna need a miracle to go” You furrow your brows and brush a hand through your hair. It is infuriating how your mother never pays attention to anything you say or do. You were the fifth child, your siblings were four talented and successful children and your parents never gave you much attention or love. They would ask as much from you as they did with your siblings but never look at you the same even when you excelled in some things.

Kind of like the ugly duckling.

With resignation, you grab the invitation again. Your mother’s call was just a reminder of how required your presence there is even though no one cares about you unless it involves asking whether or not one of your brothers is still single (they do that).

“Well, what do you plan on doing?” Your brother asks and, judging by your deadly glare, he also deducts the answer by himself.

“Come on Y/n, you can’t avoid another family event, especially this one.”

You nib at your straw, taking a sip of your green smoothie -something your friends never understood your liking for (I mean, who in their right mind would be having a kale-based drink when fruits existed?)

“I don’t know Namjoon. I don’t want to face mom and dad after my job application was rejected last month” You almost cry at the thought. Your parents almost seemed proud when you told them you were on the waitlist for a big finance company in Seoul. You don’t even want to imagine their disappointment after hearing the news and you don’t want to hear about it.

“Well, sure. But you can’t keep avoiding us. I was on the phone with grandpa this morning. He told me he would love to see you again. You know, he’s much older now and this year will be his first year alone without grandma. He told me you remind him so much of her. Please, if you won’t come for us, at least come for him” He pleads

The thought of your grandfather feeling alone and the look on your brother’s face only grows your guilt. You think again about the white and gold invitation still on your kitchen table (right next to the trash can, yes) and then look at your brother.

You sigh: “Well if you come to help me get a dress, we only have one problem now: I need a date”

To that, your brother smiles, making his adorable dimple pop off and his eyes turn crescent moon.

That makes one Miracle

“Excuse me…?” A voice speaks from behind you. It was the waitress, back with Namjoon’s drink and your cake “Here is the rest of your order” She places everything on the table and, by the look in her eyes, you feel the question coming.

“Sorry to bother you, sir…” There it comes. You see her play with the hem of her apron “But I was wondering if you would be open to going out with me some days?”

Oh boy, poor girl

You can’t stop the smile that grows on your face. One thing you enjoy most about your family is seeing your brothers struggle to decline strangers asking them for a date. Namjoon is the funniest because he gets so shy when this happens; the boy can’t say no.

You’re about to answer for him when he clears his throat and offers the young lady a reassuring smile “Um, well. I am quite busy right now and we are mere strangers now. But maybe in a few coffees, I will reconsider your offer”

Oh? He pulled it off quite well this time. The waitress’s face crumbles and she leaves with a bitter expression, not knowing how to deal with Namjoon’s answer. Too bad because this one looked sweet and like the type of person your family would approve of. You exchange a look with your brother and start laughing before deciding it’d be better to quietly finish your drinks if you don’t want to get interrupted by more bold women again.

“Don't you think this dress makes me look fat?” You look at yourself in a huge mirror trying to see everything wrong with you and the dress.

Your three brothers, who surely have a better sense of fashion than you do, came to help you pick up a dress (some by choice, others because of your parents’ orders) and can’t hide the annoyance on their faces when you come out of the changing rooms asking the same question. Namjoon takes his eyes off his book to look at you with a stern face. You can see that he is annoyed to hear you talk down about yourself (and so are your other brothers).

Seokjin stands up and positions himself behind you, looking into your eyes in the mirror. “I think…” he puts his hands on your shoulders “that it’s been fifty minutes since we’ve been here and you still haven’t found a dress you like. You look perfect in each of them though”

“It's true” Taehyung adds “I don’t see anything wrong with any of the dresses, or with you. But I will have to agree that the puffy sleeves on this dress look horrendous and way too middle age for you”

You hear the shop owner gasp and a little smile appears on your face.

“How many more dresses do I have to try on?” You ask her with the hope that your pains are almost over. She looks at the tray where all the dresses you were supposed to try are and sigh. “Well, I think only one remains from your parents’ selection…” your shoulders fall and look desperately to Seokjin in the mirror.

“But wait! I remember that your grandfather ordered me to make a dress for you last month. I was asked to send it to you this morning. Still, when I received the call from your mother yesterday saying you’ll come to try on some dresses, I figured it’d be better to give it to you in person”

A smile forms on your face and you look at Namjoon like a kid on Christmas Day. He winks at you

“If you’d like to go to your changing room, I’ll bring it to you immedia”

The gown you see is no ordinary thing. Your eyes become teary with the memory this dress brings you, for it is the same dress that was worn by the princess in your favourite fairytale. Your grandmother would read it to you when you were a child and you’d always tell her how much you loved the blue sparkly dress the princess wore. You are quick to put it on and come out to show it to everyone.

“It’s perfect!”

That Makes Two

It’s almost been a week since you accepted to go to your family winter gala and after you got your gown and your brothers’ help with how you should do your hair and which guests you should avoid, you still needed a date to come with you. It is not specified where it is requested to have a date in the invitation but it is kind of the unspoken rule of the event: who would want to come to a gala unaccompanied?

As the host’s daughter, you are not to come alone. It would bring shame to your family and your mother’s daily messages reminding you how important it is for her that everything goes according to plan is only a reminder of how perfect you are not.

You sigh and scroll down your contact list, hoping to find someone suitable for the event. To your great dismay, every potential date is either busy, taken or unwilling. After hours of trying to convince your old roommate (who still owes you for the time you saved his butt in an embarrassing public situation you don’t miss to remind him), you are out of ideas

“Come onnnnnn Chan, are you sure? I could use your help right now…” You pout. The hesitation is visible on his face but you can see how he brushes a hand through his hair and clenches his jaw so that he won’t give in.

"I already told you, Y/n. I can’t. I need to fly back to Canberra to visit my mom for Christmas. I can’t cancel three days before. She would be so heartbroken. I’m already halfway packed… Sorry”

You almost want to cry to try and convince him but you know it is no use. “You know my parents will kill me if I come alone, right? How am I supposed to survive a ball without a partner? I’d do fine on my own during the dinner but dancing on my own?? I don't even want to think about it.” You take a sip of water.

“I know I know” Chan tries reassuring you “Hey! I might have an idea! Do you remember my friend Hoseok who went to Washington to do business a few years ago? ”

You remember the tall and lean brown-haired guy whom you met a few times when Chan had some friends over at the beginning of your flat-sharing days. You picture his sparkly golden brown eyes and perfect smile that made your heart go crazy back in the day. It didn’t long to crush him hard, even though the only conversation you managed to hold with him was to ask him if he was okay after he spilt his drink on you.

“Barely…why do you ask ?” You lie.

As soon as you ask the question, you get an idea of what your old roommate is thinking.

“Well, I’ve heard that he would be back in town this week and probably be on his own during the holidays…” he offer suggestively.

“What did you say his name was again?” You ask as you open your computer.

A few seconds of research later, you manage to find his social media profile but don’t find much information about him, just the already-made conclusion that he looks hot as hell.

“So, what do you think?” Chan asks and when you say that you would be open to meeting him, he promises to do his best to set up a meeting with him as soon as he is back in town

That’s your Third Miracle.

It has been one week since the last time you talked to Chan and you only have three days before the event. Your mother called again this morning to make sure that you would come and to remind you again how important it is that you fit into the family and that you look great and play nice all night long. Such pressure for such a stupid thing. Helping children in need during the holiday season sure is important but does she have to be on your back like that?

“It’s not because I messed up once that I should be treated any differently than any of her other children,” you huff angrily as you pack a bag to bring to your parents’ place. You still remember that day even though it has been years since it happened. You were still living at the manor with everyone back then and your life was somewhat not a mess. Your mom made you wear an excessively tight dress with lots of tulles and tied your hair in a bun so tight you wonder how she didn’t rip your scalp apart. Then she introduced you to every young man your age that attended the party until she found one who seemed to pique your interest and left you there. That man, whom your mother deemed very well educated and of good composition, turned out to be a complete ass who kept talking down to you. Well, until you threw your champagne cup at him and insulted his whole family tree and ran out (but not without walking on your dress and falling flat on the wooden floor).

Your parents barely managed to keep their business with the boy's parents and you were sent to a boarding school overseas for two years (holidays included). Lord knows those were some of the best two years of your life. You remind yourself of all the good memories you made in England and how you met your boyfriend- now ex- but your phone ringing in the background snatches you out of those moments

You groan, “What again”

The number on the screen doesn’t ring a bell so you answer carefully.

“Hello?” Maybe this is the call you’ve been waiting for.

The person on the other end seems as hesitant as you are “ Hello? Kim Y/n? I'm Jung Hoseok. Remember me? I think one of our friends set us up? For an event ?” Your heart skips a beat, his voice is even more sensual than you remembered.

Fourth miracle ♪

“Oh! Yes, Hoseok! Hello!! It’s nice to finally hear from you! I’m surprised Chan managed to convince you. How are you ?” You try to stay polite despite the more than odd situation

Hoseok clears his throat “Um… I’m- good, thanks. Listen, this is super weird, would you like to meet up? So we can talk more properly?” His tone is hesitant but hopeful (somehow??)

You chuckle, not expecting the offer but agreeing.

“I’m still at my place but I know a nice cafe downtown. It’s very quiet so we can talk without being disturbed. I’ll send you the address and meet you there in… let’s say half an hour alright?” You try to sound as confident as possible despite the furious beats of your heart.

“Okay, see you there!” He hangs up and you let out a breath you haven't even realized you were holding.

You send a message to Chan thanking him for the help, then scold him for not telling you he talked to Hoseok and then freaking out because you have a date in thirty minutes with a stranger you’re supposed to introduce to your parents as your date in three days.

You know you can’t do dates. The fact hits you even harder when you enter the cafe and see him. You suddenly feel way too overdressed for this even though you’re only wearing a plain black dress you still took fifteen minutes to choose. Hoseok is sitting at a table in the back corner of the room, a cup of coffee in his hand and a computer opened on his right. You walk up to him and greet him. “Hello again. It’s nice to see you again.” He stands up and shakes the hand you stretch out. “The pleasure’s all mine. How long has it been? Five years? More?” He says with a smile that makes his eyes disappear and dimples appear at the side of his mouth. “Long enough” Your eyes meet and you suddenly feel very overwhelmed by his presence. It reminds you of how it made you feel: he smells good, looks good and something in the way his eyes sparkle makes your heart weep.

You clear and break the contact before sitting. After a waitress comes to take your order, you and Hoseok start talking, about everything and anything, getting to know each other a little, catching up and you realize that you two have surprisingly good chemistry.

“Well, for example, you ordered black coffee before I arrived. No milk or sugar. So I can say that you’re someone who likes to be efficient in every possible way. You like things to be done precisely in your work but also want to keep things simple there, which might be a reason for your success. You’re wearing a high-end sweater in a very trendy outfit and colour-matched your briefcase to your shoes, which tells me you’re also a very organized person. I didn’t do much research on you, just enough to know what you do for a living and how popular you are with the opposite sex, but based on what I see now I can guess many things about your personality” You conclude your little analysis with a smile and take a sip of your latte, living Hoseok speechless.

Finally, he laughs “Wow, I have never been analyzed this way. Especially on a first date. That’s impressive! Did you study psychology ?”

Your heart skips a beat upon hearing the word date but you don’t let it show. “I was a bookworm as a teenager and my parents have a huge library where I spent most of my childhood. I think I have read dozens of psychology books. It helped me a lot in my college years and then in my work” You smile at him, avoiding mentioning that you read psychology books because you tried to understand why you felt so blue all the time as a child and also why your parents were so mean to you.

“What would your coffee order say about you?” Hoseok asks, pulling you out of your thoughts.

You smile mischievously.

“Well, I’ll try not to be too biased but I ordered a latte so I’d say that I am a people pleaser with a tendency to overextend myself and neglect my needs if I can help someone. I’m probably very generous and helpful but also very sweet and imaginative. I asked for extra foam on top, which could suggest I’m still a child at heart, or that I didn’t have a proper childhood with loving parents and all. I also wanted an extra shot of expresso inside, so maybe I lack sleep or I want my life to be bolder and more adventurous. I think that’s it” You smile at him.

After a brief silence, Hoseok speaks. “I’m sorry that your childhood wasn’t that great.” Hoseok puts his hand on top of yours. It might be a bit inappropriate for a first date with someone you barely know but, for some reason, everything feels right with him. "Chan mentioned it briefly when I had him on the phone the other day after he asked me to be your date for the family event. Life wasn’t hard for me either when I was a child, you know”

You grab his hand

“It’s okay, Hoseok. I’m doing fine now. I have my own place and everything far from my parents but I just have to come to their parties now and then.” You sigh “I still don’t know how Chan managed to convince you though. He can barely convince his mother to make him some dumplings” You laugh.

“I owed him a great deal. He let me crash at his place for almost a year after I broke up with my girlfriend when I was in uni. I was living in her apartment and the dorms were full. Since my parents were too far from the campus and I couldn’t find any apartments or frat to live in, Chan welcomed me in. If not for his help, I wouldn’t be where I am now”

Your eyes grow big. Chan never mentioned it, which is quite surprising because he told you his entire life up to his first memory.

“He never told me” Hoseok shrugs “Well, let’s not beat around the bush anymore! My family is organizing a big gala in three days. It’s an unspoken rule to come accompanied because the dinner turns into a ball when midnight hits. That’s cliché, right? Since my family is the host and my mother is a pain in the ass, I need a partner and you might be able to help me” You raise a brow .

“If you’re willing to do this with me I promise to make it worth your while. There are a lot of influential people coming so I’m sure that you will be able to find some to do business with. It’s a win-win situation! I have a partner to dance with so my family won’t be on my back for at least a few months and you will leave the party with contacts for work. So, what do you say?” You look at him with what you hope to be the best hopeful look you have, and his quick answer surprises you.

“I'm in!”

Another Miracle ♪

He winks at you and you feel your heart giving up on you. “YES! I mean- great! I guess we just have to make up the story of how we met before I introduce you to my family, then”

You try to remain calm because you don’t want to scare Hoseok off, but you’re screaming with joy interiorly. Or crying in panic. Who knows.

After about an hour of talking with Hoseok, you go back to your place with a very big smile on your face, very happy that you finally have someone to go with at the gala (and who might make the night a little bit more fun).

You and Hoseok message each other all night, exchanging information about your life and family. He tells you he is the owner of an emerging finance firm in the country, and that he has a house on the outskirts of Seoul where he lives when he isn’t working overseas. Hoseok has an older sister who got married last summer and a grey cat who’s probably in his house waiting for him to return.

12 pm | Hoseok: He’s probably chasing mice and eating bugs, though so don’t worry about him starving or anything Y/n

His message makes you laugh.

Hoseok turns out to be a very funny guy who has a strong personality and thrives for the success he says he is slowly getting. You notice he never really talks about work and tries to be as vague as possible if he does and you’re very thankful for that because it’s a sensitive subject for you. Especially because your parents have put so much pressure on you to be the best in everything while never giving you any credit for your work when you were still living with them that you avoid talking about any work-related thing you do by fear of being a failure to the eyes of others. Plus, it adds to the mystery around him, making him a whole lot more attractive.

You’re very happy to see that you and Hoseok have a lot in common and you don’t know whether it’s because of the time or the fact that you can still smell his perfume but you react way too intensely to each of his messages and the blush of your face when he says that you look cuter than he thought makes you wonder how long can it take you to catch feelings for someone.

No, it can’t be. You are not catching feelings for your ‘one-night stand’. You tell yourself that you’re too romantic and that the foreign feeling in your stomach is just the excitement linked with the current situation, right?

Hoseok arrived to pick you up at your apartment a little less than an hour ago. But he only found you in a mess of sparkly blue tulle and high heels, a glass of champagne in your hand and tears rolling down your cheeks.

“I can’t do this, Hoseok. I’m sorry”

For someone introverted, you sure were telling a lot of personal things to this somewhat stranger-turned-friend. You tell him about how your mother called again, already blaming you for the bottle of wine your brother broke and every other little dumb thing that went wrong. You rant about how much she hates everything you do despite trying your best to satisfy her expectations.

The whole time, Hoseok just listens, an arm around your shoulder and a hand wiping your tears. It should be weird for you to let a stranger become this close to you this quickly and anyone would tell you to be careful because he is still someone you barely know but everything feels right with Hoseok and you feel like you can trust him completely. You may be wrong but, for now, you just want to enjoy what is happening.

When you manage to calm down, Hoseok tells you some fun facts about himself to cheer you up and then asks if you’re ready to go. You look at your reflection in the bottle of champagne. You’re definitely not ready. Nothing the magic of makeup can’t fix again, thank the lords.

Once you’re sure to be ready, you pour Hoseok a glass of champagne. He is a bit reluctant at first because he will be driving but you insist.

“You’re gonna need it, trust me,” you grab your glass, fill it again and clink it against Hoseok’s.

“Cheers,” you say at the same time before drinking the content of your glasses. Champagne is going to be your way to cope tonight and you know there will be lots of it at the gala. It also helps calm your nerves, if you don’t abuse it.

“Okay, we should get going.” You stand up and grab your jacket and your keys.

Hoseok holds the door open for you and offers to carry your bag, which surprises you. “We’re supposed to play boyfriend and girlfriend from now on, right? So come on, Angel, let me help you.” His smile is so bright and heartwarming that it’s painful to see.

The champagne must be acting up, right?

Or maybe it’s just the nerves and apprehension.

Right?

And Lord knows that you are nervous. And it shows. “So, how did we meet?” You ask Hoseok as you rearrange his scarf for the nth time in the last ten minutes.

Hoseok chuckles, his eyes leaving the road for a second to look at you. “Y/n, you’ve asked me the same questions over and over since we climbed into the car. You don’t have to be this nervous, it’s okay. Breathe”

You try to breathe your nerves out “Turn right at the next stop” You guide him to the manor.

“The nerves are killing me, Hoseok. What if my family sense that we barely know each other?? It would be worse than if I came alone. Oh god, I should’ve drank more champagne” You carefully rearrange a rebel strand of hair in your bun.

“No more champagne for you, Y/n. Unless you want to throw up at your parents’ feet, which I don’t think they would appreciate.” His comment makes you both smile.

You turn your head and look at him; it feels like time slows. Your smile slowly fades as you detail his delicate features. If you weren't already tipsy from the champagne, you would’ve certainly blushed when he catches you staring. But you don’t mind, and it seems like he doesn't either. Has he always looked this glowing? A swarm of butterflies is set free in your stomach and, when your eyes fall down his lips, you can’t help wondering how soft they would feel against yours.

I’m too tipsy for this

You shake your head and look at the road again. You need to focus. You are not falling for your old crush again.

Yet somehow you are.

You are because when your eyes meet his, your heart skips a beat and you can feel chills travel through your back.

You are because the way he grips your hip and holds your hand as you two waltz through the dancing room makes you feel precious. And dizzy.

You know you are and you can’t help it. All it took was 3 days.

This night is going too smoothly to be true: your parents were charmed by Hoseok, he gets along well with your father and can hold a good conversation with pretty much any guest. The dinner felt like it lasted an eternity but you are thankful that Hoseok was there to liven it up. He made you laugh so much you thought you would choke on your food at some point.

Everything he does is so infuriatingly adorable, it only makes you like him more. You can’t help a fond smile from appearing on your face when you look at him.

"I’m such a cliché,” You thought as you ate the last of your dessert.

But you don’t mind the cliché situation you are in right now, waltzing in a princess-like gown with your *previously old* crush whom you met again after 5 years of not seeing him, who is holding you a bit too tight for it to be innocent.

You don’t know if it was because of the wine the alcohol in your veins, the excitement, or some kind of mutual attraction, but somehow between the moment you admitted to having a crush on Hoseok and when he said you were beautiful, you and Hoseok found yourselves hidden in the gardens, his lips on yours. Your grip on his neck tightens when his kiss deepens.

Well, that was not expected

But definitely a welcomed miracle

88 notes · View notes

mochi13 · 2 years

Text

Recs - 5

NOTE : Many of the below mentioned items contain mature/dark themes. Please check all the warnings listed in the fanfic before reading.

-------------------------------------------------------

KSJ

Carnal - @kosmosguk

Our tiny Christmas - @personasintro

Cool'n - @sugakookitty

Fairest - @chimchimsauce

Just what I need - @haliiimede

Scopophilic affection - @bibbykins

Below your mouth - @7deadlysinsfics

PJM

Perfect blue - @cosmostae

See you later - @erotikkook

Do I wanna know - @lookingforluna

Nodus tollens - @99liners

Kiss and make up - @sxtaep

Stray kitten - @guksthighs

Believe it - @writtenwhalien

MYG

Daisy - @cosmostae

Coming home - @jeonstudios

Cake - @kpopyandere

After the honeymoon fades - @onherwings

We got a pawblem - @yoon-kooks

Before you go - @personasintro

Secrets and lies - @smileyoongle

KTH

The other woman - @sweetaesuga

Deceptively angelic - @kosmosguk

Bad word - @personasintro

H.a.t.e.u. - @joonary

Honey and milk - @cosmostae

Seeing red - @borathae

Why don't we - @taegularities

JHS

Mine - @feliix

Over the garden wall - @gorehsk

Shadows - @borathae

Holiday Inn - @bangtanintotheroom

Dinner - @cosmostae

Bloom - @7deadlysinsfics

He so cute - @gimmethatagustd

JJK

Of bane and roses - @hobeemin

Worship - @cosmostae

La belle et la Bête - @chaoticpuff17

Paint me naked - @gimmethatagustd

Faceless beauty - @sxtaep

Insatiable - @kosmosguk

Mommy milkers - @purrfectfae

KNJ

Five o'clock shadows - @gold-gguk

Dancing in the dark - @gold-gguk

Sugarcoated - @underthejoon

Classroom conduct - @chateautae

July kiss - @personasintro

Forget - @kpopyandere

Leather & Lace - @hobeemin

#yoongi fic recs #seokjin fic recs #hoseok fic recs #taehyung fic recs #jungkook fic recs #jimin fic recs #namjoon fic recs #mochificrecs #bts fanfic

131 notes · View notes

temptingempress · 1 year

Text

MORE AND MORE

Word count: 5k

Genre: Psychology, comedic,

summary: when two worlds collide. Opposite who want the other things. When they finally discover eachother they just want to unravel more.

Warning: bad words, mentions of cuts, mentions of glass shards, a little smut just a sprinkle!, heavy making out, cheating, bed squeaks, rushed dramatic backstories lol, uhhhh I think that's it but if there's more inform me through dm 😙

Her skin represents dripping golden honey and her round lips tinted a rose pink. She prances around the small colorful coffee shop in her white long sleeved dress and her golden locks bouncing up and down. "Bye Jimin" she kissed her beloved cheeks before she left.

Areum Bailey

A young adult trying to navigate her life in nyc. She lives by herself... well, with her cat, Mindy. She's been working at this Cafe ever since her auntie passed away taking the lead manager role. It was nice on some days. When the days were rainy and the crowd was calm and collective but on days like these, mid summer days, the cafe was bustling with people of all sorts. Buisness leads trying to rush the baristas, old ladies holding the lines up, and your typical Karens not getting what they want.

But there was one person that the cafe was well known too. A regular you could say.

Jung Hoseok

Everytime he walked in his presence was known. He towered over everyone and his style was too specific. Hard but casual. Just a plain black turtle neck that showed off his wonderful broad shoulders and black cargo pants and not to mention a peek of his tattoo. He walked up to the counter looking down at Areum.

They don't know eachother formally but they do have mutual friends

"Mister Jung." Areum smiled "what will you be having today?"

Hoseok answered almost automatically "the usual. Plain. black. coffee." He emphasized and set more than enough cash down revealing his sleeve and into her eyes. This always happens. He likes to keep eye contact even when it feels unnatural

"Keep the tip. Nice pearls." He stares at her neck for a second then leaves.

"Uh.. thank you." That was as awkward as ever.. she thought to herself.

He was the epitome of nonchalant, getting a genuine reaction out of him seemed impossible. Areum distributed the cash properly. She always wondered about him. "Plain black!" She shouted to the baristas. It was his usual.

He never liked anything frilly or new. He always stuck with what he knew the best. Areum notes that he always came into her shop with nothing but some cash. He always stands up and waits for his coffee. It was like he was in a rush but he wasn't... something in the way he speaks or the way he looks is odd.. like he was hiding something.

"For Jung Hoseok!" She hands the coffee to him and he gently bows taking the coffee from her hands. "Thank you"

With that he walks away, making Areum even more curious about his life but no, she cannot fawn over customers that's improper work behavior. One of her colleagues, Frey often spoke about him in a conversation they were having at the time. "I went to college with him... he's very handsome and was a great student but 3rd year he got kicked out for some reason..." She turns towards Areum "he commits to this coffee shop more than he ever did in school. I think he likes you."

Areum laughed a bit as she prepared to close down "Frey, first of all i have a boyfriend and i am not trying to be that girl. he literally comes in, orders like any other paying customer, then walks out. He doesn't like me and quite frankly I hope he doesnt." She scoffed.

Frey sighed, her colleague was also her good friend. She was a fashion student "come on Areum. He comes in, orders a plain black coffee that his ass could just make from home, them leaves to where ever the f he goes!" She laughed. "I'm pretty sure he's coming for a bootycall at this point."

"I'm good with my cats and my current boyfriend thank you." Areum rolled her eyes. "And I'm not gonna get with some college drop out."

"Eieie, you're so harsh. He was a good student but I forgot that you live by whatever the hell your parents say. Arent they the one who set him up with you 'i can only see him once a week' boyfriend. Damn, do they even set up your bootycalls?"

"Can we stop talking about bootycalls in this warm kid friendly environment?" She ran her hand through her hair with a slight chuckle. "And no, I make my own decisions. Jimin and i... are very happy. He's very busy. Hes always on work trips and such" She mumbles the last part. A tiny part in her heart doubts that's true but Areum she has hope in this man... he's the best thing that's ever happened to her... right?

"Sure, whatever you say elmo." Frey ruffled Areums hair. She got her bag and prepared to leave "I'm just saying that you never know. Hoseok might just be right up your alley. Literally. I don't know much about him but the sexual tension is rising oooo, its getting hot!" She teased as she opened the door. Areum threw a empty bottle at her as she laughed and went along with her day.

The day went on and it was finally time for her to clock out and go home. Maybe catch up on some netflix. She drove home and unlocks the door to her own one story house. She was a stable women, with a stable check. Everything her parents ever wanted her to be. She had a good life and good friends but deep down inside she wanted to be living a different life.

She lied down on the couch and grabbed the remote, turning on dancing with the stars. When the show turned on she tossed the remote down and went to the bathroom.

She wanted to be one of them. One of the well known celebrities. She wanted her life to be fabricated. All the glitz and glam she really took care of herself to give that illusion.

Taking a makeup wipe she clears her face.

Even though she had everything she wanted... she wanted more. Like a girl that could never get satisfied. She needed something exciting in her life.. new... interesting. Something to keep her entertained

. "I went to college with him... he's very handsome and was a great student but 3rd year he got kicked out for some reason..."

The words echoed in her ear as she grabbed her face wash and squirted some on her hands. "Jung Hoseok..." She mumbles. Her mind stays on him.. what was he really like.

Jung hoseok..

She opened her computer screen and looked his name up. She couldn't help herself. She found a instagram page of him wearing a suit. It was set to private but the bio said "Secretary of Myrion Corporations"

Curse her lack to respect other people's privacy. Maybe Frey was right.

She looked up the company and apparently it was linked with her father's. A mining company. "What..." She didn't even know her dad had a partner until now. Not that she ever paid attention to her dad's buisness. She looked up the partnered ceo's name which apparently he had the same last name as Hoseok. "Yunho Jung..."

She quickly opened instagram up again and saw that his page wasn't private. "Partnered owner of Myrion Company..." She scrolled down and "bingo." She found a photo of Hoseok. He had a faint smile on his face as he shook hands with some important buisness people the caption said "glad my son is following in my footsteps." All his tattoos were covered

BANG BANG BANG

she hears amd quickly exits all of the tabs. "Who- who is it?" She stutters as she puts her computer away.

"It's your favorite! I came with pizza!" His voice booms. She could recognize his booming voice from miles away. The king of destruction. She opens the door "did you also come with the money you owed me for literally smashing my wall in?" She jested with a fake smile

"I was hoping the pizza would cover for that" he invited himself in. "What chu watching? Bad chics of Beverly Hills?"

She chuckled and helped Namjoon with the pizza. A genuine friend she cant deny. Shes known him since high school. "no, Dancing with the Stars. "

"Boring "

"I can't watch Beverly hills anymore because it rubs off on me! Last week when the mail man came I literally spilled all my junior high drama to him" she pulled a slice of pizza "then I got mad at him for not agreeing with me and then I apologized to him because I-"

"Damn fighting with the mail man, whatta new low for you." He sung. Areum scoffs and throws a pillow at him as he laughed. "Frey told me about your new crush. "

Areum sinks in the couch, pretending not to hear him. Of course she did... "I always loved pineapple on my pizza"

"Don't get with him. He's bad news" Namjoon sighed and took a huge bite. Areum bites her lip trying to hold back her curiosity but his comment made it even more difficult. "What do you mean..."

"Drugs, cheating, stealing, whatever you can think of this man has probably done it"

"Whaat?" She turns to him "no way! He can't be associated with any of those things. He's working under-" oops, her tongue slipped.

"Don't even act surprised that you can't hold a secret either. I know you looked him up. There were rumors going on about him. Him and I went to the same college. He got kicked out cause he was dealing drugs." He licks his fingers "and besides every day of the week he's with every other girl you could possibly imagine. Probably pulled Kim K once HA! You don't want him."

"Yeah i dont... I was just curious.. but aren't those just rumors? I saw his Instagram page and it looked professional"

"That was a font baby" he chuckled "you're better off with your part time boyfriend. Hand me the remote I wanna watch the last of us!"

"Here." She ponders on what he has said and looked at the time. Her eyes widened as she read '1:01' she had work the next morning and so did Namjoon. "Namjoon why are you even here!"

"Rents due."

The next morning was nice. It was the onset of fall and fall break for most young kids. So the cafe wasn't that busy. She set the mood of the cafe putting some lofi music on and welcomed her employees. The day was nice. Nobody called out and everything seemed to be unproblematic until her usual customer stumbled in.

This time besides his cargo pants he was in something more professional. A white button down that revealed a tiny part of his toned chest and grey slacks. Probably because of his new promotion. Everyone fawned over him today. Today was different ... somebody was alongside his hip.

A woman with her hair up in a bun. She wore a mini black flowy dress with business heels and lucky for Areum she knew exactly who this middle aged women was.

"Emma?"

Emma smiled at her "long time no see." Emma was the favorite in her dad's company. She held a much higher authority than Areum will ever. She has her PHD in buisness and yes she was an older girl. In her late 30s which made Areum even more curious why the hell Hoseok would choose her out of everyone

She will not get involved. She doesn't care who Hoseok lays his beautiful brown eyes on. "Long time no see to you." She smiled. Emma excused herself to use the bathroom as Hoseok just stares at her, waiting for her to say something. Areum sighed "your usual?"

"Mhm." Was his response but this time he whipped out his card.

"I didn't know you knew Emma." Areum tried to crack the awkwardness flowing around the air. It was almost painful to her. "Well what do I know huh" she chuckled.

Hoseok remained silent for a bit "you didnt?"

"..." what was that supposed to mean? Of course she didn't. "Of course not." She chuckled "you're just my customer, how would I know."

Chill Areum it's not a huge deal she thought.

He sighed and put his card back into his wallet "you know. If you wanted to know me you could've asked."

"what."

Emma then returns. "Oo! And this" She adds a cake pop to the table "I'll be in the car honey." And then walks away.

Areum waits until she walked away to clear her throat "well mister jung... it's hard to not be curious when a customer walks into your store everyday and orders nothing but a black coffee."

"Whats wrong with black coffee?"

She was thrown off and hoseok just smirks. "If you are that curious about me Areum I'd rather you not stalk my page." He pays for the cake pop. She was out of words because he was right but at the same time it was so embarrassing to get confronted about it. "How did you even know.."

"Spygirl360? You couldn't of made things less obvious. Your number is linked with your account so it shows you. I'm sure that like on my dad's buisness promotion post was an accident eh?"

Areum was silent, twiddling her fingers. He caught her. Now she's wishing he'd just leave "look, would you stop taunting me about it i understand that you're mad.. I'm s-"

"I never said I was mad. Here."

"Whats this?"

"My number. Call me sometimes.. with that he walked away like nothing ever happened. Damn you Hoseok.

The days are long and hard. Ever since the encounter with Hoseok he hasn't been coming into her coffee shop anymore. She felt like Joe Goldberg and even her boyfriend couldn't fill her empty void of curiosity but on the bright side it was their week together finally. Areum was at the store picking out only the freshest wine. She didn't reach out to Hoseok because why would she. She had a wonderful boyfriend. Jimin

She knew him every since they were kids and once they were of age both their parents set them up together. Because they were destined. The agreement was to get married by 30 and they'd have a set life with sufficient funds supported by each of their families. They weren't 30 yet but it was fastly approaching. Jimin came from a rich family. Much richer than Areum's. Some days it felt like they didn't agree among anything. His opinions were always one sided, he was always right but other days of was as if he was the happiest man on earth able to give her anything except sexual intimacy. They both never felt that way towards each other but tonight

Tonight Areum hoped to change that. She wanted to get rid of that void in her stomach. She wanted to try something exciting for the first time in her life so she wanted to take Freys advice to get laid. She threw on her red fenty under her short white dress. Jimin was supposedly already at her house just waiting on her.

"Long time no see." A deep voice approached behind her

Oh no, it was him. The man she's been trying to keep out of her head the entire time. She looked at him "hi."

"Why are you dressed so fancy today?" He walked closer to her "and where are your pearls?" Very close to her and reached for the whiskey above her. She blushed and finally stuttered out "i-I have a date actually!"

Hoseok let out a small laugh "oh?"

"Mhm!" For some reason she felt the urge to somewhat prove to him that she isn't some girl who stalks people all day and reads smut. No! She's definitely not.

"Well if you're looking to get laid that's not gonna get the job done." He took the alcohol put of her hand.

"Yah!" She whined "I'm not... I'm.. we're just gonna chill?"

"Well your fuck me dress says otherwise."

"Excuse me?"

"Look if you're looking to get laid miss innocent I prefer you buy this one." He hands her a bottle of liquor. "Mix it in some orange juice if you can't handle your alcohol." Areum takes the bottle from his hands in disbelief how blunt he was... he wasn't wrong.

"Bye miss Bailey." With that he was on his way. Areum shakes her head from her recent encounter then goes to grab a bottle of orange juice. "Screw you Jung Hoseok." How did he even know her last name?

Once she makes it home she heard squeaking of some sort. "What the..." maybe a fossit is broken or something? "Jimin?" She shouts. She sets her bags down and walks closer to the room. "Jimin!?"

The sound became more clear. A horrible melancholy of his moans mixed with some other girls. "What the hell!" She pulls the sheets up and what she saw shocked the living hell out of her

"FREY?"

That night was a blur. Yelling things out that she didn't even know she had in her mind. As if she turned into a whole nother being. Saying things she'd never say. She threw stuff around her house as her eyes flooded with tears. Her body was on auto pilot but her emotions were on a high. All for a bunch of "how could you" ,"I thought you loved me" , all for Jimin to say it was all a font and Frey to quietly get her stuff and leave. It was too much to take in

That night Areum sat on her living room floor, surrounded by glass thinking this was never what she wanted. What Jimin said "all of it was fake. We never loved eachother. " was true but Areum didn't want to believe that. It wasn't supposed to turn out this was. That night she had drowned herself in whiskey and picked up her phone

She had called Hoseok because why the not? There was a silence before he spoke "Areum?"

"Hey! Wanna come over?" Her words slurred.

On the other end Hoseok had just gotten out of bed. He was just in grey joggers and nothing else and when he heard Areums voice he knew automatically something was wrong. She spoke again "I wanna know more about! Ow!" She shouts then giggles. Hoseok sighed and rubs his eyes. "Areum... send me your address."

When he finally arrived he could see Areum with multiple cuts along her thighs. Her dress was rolled up and it seemed that the glass shards on the floor graced her smooth legs. He quickly picks up Areum from the floor. Her drunken state couldn't feel the pain, she just giggled when she saw Hoseok. "Mister Jung is here."

He sat her on the bed. "Areum look at me." He held her droopy face and paid attention to her to see if she was alright. Areum just laughs "no man has ever held me like that...:

He lets her face go gently and gets a first aid kit she had in the bathroom. He's been in this situation one too many times to know what to do. He sits on the bed and places Areums legs in his thighs. Taking his time time to treat them efficiently. She gasps at the alcohol stinging her skin but blushes at the proximity he was to her.

She had pretty thighs but it pained him to see the cuts on them. He knew her

Areum Bailey, 23, her father always talks about how good she is and how excellent she is at owning her small cafe alongside her supporting now ex boyfriend, Jimin. He follows her recent posts on instagram and he even knew her before she even opened the shop. He always saw her at Myrion. Always admired how outgoing she was, her smile, and her cute little mistakes. A girl who was the definition of successful in her parents eyes. Something Hoseok could never be but he knew there was a part in her that wasn't so innocent and he wanted to dimish her disguise so badly, tear her down, and see what she's hiding

But she didn't deserve that. Not by him. That's what he thought until he saw her in this state. He always visited her cafe to support her cause he has always admired her. He was just not good with his words.

"So I heard you were a bad boy!" She blurts. "Like a drug dealer ! How exciting! " hoseok looked at her, all his thoughts stopped. "I've always wanted to do something naughty"

"Im sure youve heard a lot of things aboht me." He finishes bandaging her legs "and you miss perfect." He gently pinned her down to the bed. Both of her wrist trapped with his hands "what are you hiding?" With that he took his things and left her in bed.

"I..." She could feel herself slowly drifting off in a haze.

Areum woke up the next morning with a major headache. She groans loudly and helps herself up. She simply couldn't remember anything that happened last night... why was her room so trashed. She lifted all the thick covers from her body. "What the?" Why were her legs wrapped in white bandages. She carefully got out of bed and looked around. Her door was closed. She looked in her bathroom mirror to see her makeup smudged and her hair a mess. "Yikes... goddamm did I fight a bear or something?" She turns the shower on and freshens up, letting the hot droplets of water cleanse her skin.

Once she goes in front of the mirror she trues to recollect what happened to her that night. She picks her makeup up and fixes herself. Molding herself into an acceptable image. She looks at herself one last time before going to her dresser. She didn't have work today so she opted for just a oversized black t shirt. She took her dress off in front of her vanity just to be revealed with some very...very. revealing lingerie. Then it hits her.

"Areum?" Her door slides open. It was Hoseok, she quickly covers herself and blurts "did we do anything!"

Hoseok eyes her body. Even though she tried to cover herself up her vanity reveals her backside which Areum is quick to notice. "H-Hoseok!" Hoseok laughed a bit and closed the door, not answering her question.

"Oh my god ,oh my god ,oh my god." She repeats as she quickly takes her lingerie off and changes her clothes. She pulled on some pajama pants and quickly made her way to Hoseok. He was on his way out. "Nuh uh!" She blocks the door. "What the hell happened last night!"

"I dunno princess you tell me." he hummed

She looked at him "no.. no we.." and then she looked around the house. "I broke up with Jimin.."

"Mhm."

"But why are you here. And why was I" her hands swiftly went to her head. She groans as banging pain inflamed. "Whats going on." She whined.

Hoseok sighed as he looked at the time. It was time for hom to go to his job, his father, forced him into working. It wasn't like he wanted that promotion. That time he was promoted his father found out he was dealing drugs in college. Something that he's ashamed of ever since but he did it because he needed the money and he'd do it again in a heart beat.

He was everything his father never wanted...

He sighed as he took Areum by the shoulders leading her to her couch. He picked up most of the glass that night but he fell asleep to finish. He needed to stay and make sure she was alright.

"Sit down." He gets her a glass of water and some pills " look. I don't know what happened all that well but you called me and yoh were flat out drunk I'm guessing because you broke up with Jimin and you didn't mix your alcohol." He sighed.

"And I called you." Everything is slowly hitting her. She remembers what she told him that night and she could feel her heart going down to her stomach. "I'm so sorry." She runs her hands threw her hair and throws her head back on the couch.

"For what?" Hoseok stared at her "all you did was call me a drug dealer. "

"Augh." She drags as she fakes a bang on her head. "I'm sorry for that too! I." She finally gets the courage to look at him. "Look. I've just always been curious about you.. and I've heard things... I was just too scared to ask."

He looks into her eyes, he could tell she was speaking from her heart. "If you must know." He fixes Areums hair "I was dealing at a time in my life. My biological mother needed surgery and my father denied to supply. So I had too."

Areum listened intendly and Hoseok chuckled a bit "everything you heard about me was probably true. I'm not your perfect suit and tie guy." His eyes drift her her lips and defined collarbone. "The only reason I accepted that damn job was because of my mom. Her dying wish was for me to accept it. After all that she still died."

Areum heard him, she really did. He wasn't afraid to go against anyone, even though it was a bad choice it was his. He had his profound own freedom and achieved his own things... even though his ways were twisted but everytime he let out a small laugh she could feel her heart beating a mile a minute. She could feel his eyes mentally undressing her and even when it was silent it wasnt..

"But you. You are little miss innocent right?" He teased "you've never done anything that goes against what your parents say. Always in the modest outfits, cleanest makeup, even the way you speak is proficient"

"I..." Areum sighed, she didn't know of that was a compliment or. She could feel her cheeks getting red again. She hasn't experienced her own life yet.

"It's cute..." He kept caressing her face and lifted her chin. Yes, she still had an agonizing headache but it was as if everything stopped. "I'm guessing you called me because you wanted to change that?"

She was speechless but Hoseok was doing all the speaking for her "thats why I'm here... right princess?"

She meekly nodded her head, a part of her feeling guilty to admitting something she denied to heavily before.

"I will... but for right now I need you to rest." He picks her up and places her in bed. "Goodnight Areum."

That day over. Hoseok left but now she's waiting for him in a flowey lilac dress at a fancy rooftop restaurant she picked out. She really wanted to impress him today. She didn't see him at the shop so her anticipation to see him today was super high. Whenever she saw him it was as if she had a freedom. She chose him.. not anyone else. She did.

He finally shows up wearing a loose white button down and dress pants. "What a fancy place." He looks down at Areum and raises a brow.

As they sat it was silent. A lot of small talk as if they were just... buisness partners. Areum sipped her red wine.. maybe this wasn't gonna work. She couldn't think of a single word to say to him. Hoseok laughed a bit and got up. She finally spoke "are you leaving?"

"You clearly don't have good taste in restaurants so yeah." He extended his hand to her. "Lets go. I know a place not far from here."

She smiles as she took his hand. The elevator door opened for them and they were the only two going down. "I like your pearls." Hoseok complimented.

"Th-thank you." She gets the courage to compliment him back "I like your uh.. jawline."

There was a silence and they both laughed. The rest of the night was better.

Turned out the lady with a PhD owned a small cafe down the street that Hoseok helps out with. The waitress hands them their menus. Hoseok sits right by Areum, thigh on thigh as he points out to his favorites in the menu. He was very animated but not unnatural. She really loved getting to know him. His hands touched her as he leaned closer. "Yahhh." She blushed and giggles feeling his breath on her neck.

"You're such a hopeless romantic." He teased her more.

The night went on and they just visited local shops. Areum bought stupid souvenirs the small town had to offer. "Look! Imma a potato! Im your potato!" She turned to Hoseok with a potato hat and Hoseok smiled at the cashier a little embarrassed she had said it so loudly. "Okay Areum, let's go."

The night ended, it was very late. Areum texted Namjoon not to barge in tonight because she had something in mind... Hoseok had walked with her to her front door. He rested his shoulder on her door frame as he said his last goodbyes. "It was nice seeing you tonight. We should do this again."

"Mhm." Areum really couldn't focus on whatever this man was saying. He pushed all th right buttons today and his deep voice only pushed them in deeper. He continued on "so I guess I'll see you mnhm-!"

She couldn't help herself. She took him by the collar and gave him a deep kiss. She never had sex before but she was a good kisser... well.. at least she thought so.

Hoseok moaned as his firm being hands grasped her waist, pulling her closer. "Mm what a naughty girl we have?" He slightly pushed her into her house. Closing the door behind them he kissed her against the wall. Their tongues waltzing inside one another's mouths.

His hands ran up her curves , eager to just slip underneath her dress. He felt her dirty moans vibrating in his lips. "I wanna remember this." He smirks as he picks her up. He placed her on her kitchen counter and grabbed her thighs, intensly staring her down. His manhood was already hard and quite frankly, he's been hard ever since the date

A similar stare as hw had before in the coffee shop but more intimidating. "I'm gonna fuck you until you can't walk anymore princess " his hands ran up her breast as his lips pranced around her neck finally sucking her sweet spot.

Kissing turned into stripping and Areum revealed to him a new black piece of lingerie, "mmyou were anticipating this?"

"Maybe.." areum giggled making hoseok laugh a little. She finally spoke again "but... I... never done anything like this before."

"Really?" Hoseok looked at her shocked

"Uh.. is that bad. I uhm-"

"No its just surprising. Your so beautiful..." He kissed her lips sweetly before continuing "if anytime you want me to stop or slow down." He kissed up her cheek "just say so baby. I'll go slow."

"Mhm" areum moaned.

Hoseok stopped and lookes into her eyes with a little chuckle "what did I say?"

"Hoseok.." Areum whines from his sudden stop.

"Come on Areum this is serious." He hummed and held her chin up so she could look directly in his eyes

"If I want you to stop... I just say so."

Hoseok nods and then touches her gently, throwing Areum way back.

He wanted to crack her code. She was more than what met the eye.. he just knew it. The night was fantastic towards both of them. They both wanted eachother. Areum wanting to have freedom like Hoseok and Hoseok wanted to do at least something right in his life like Areum but there was more to meet the eye in both of their lives...

As they gently carresed eachother in bed, taking care of eachother after their session they craved more.

There had to be more...

Authors note: and I definitely have more for this "series" if you're interested give me a shout out! The coming chapters will definitely be more detailed on the characters backstories and even more psychologically thrilling.

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