In a Split Second || BTS

Chapter 21

"Cherisse, come look at these," Hoseok says, staring at the bright screen of his phone with a wide smile on his face.

"Really, Hobi, I don't want to." I've been avoiding looking at that phone screen for the past hour in the fear that I might have opened a door to hate. The look on Hoseok's face indicates that all comments are positive, but if I see even one outlier, it could be a tipping point in my life where I can't handle the spotlight anymore.

"Seriously, Cherisse, I've only seen ten hate comments in the past hour," Jimin insists, crunching loudly on his tteokbokki crackers. I wince – the very phrase "hate comments" chips a small piece out of my heart. It is horrifying that fellow human beings would choose to publicize their hate for a person they have never met – they have simply formulated a preconceived opinion and decided to share it.

"Browniegirl989 commented, 'Cherisse is the–"

"I'm not playing," I say quickly, pausing the tapping of my anxious foot to stare at the two. "I don't want to hear any of them."

Jimin frowns, crumpling the snack bag into a ball and tossing it at the garbage can a few feet away from us. It bounces off the side, but before I can pick it up and properly dispose of it, a passing staff member does the job for me.

"We starred you as part of our summer package for a reason, you know," he says, sitting back lazily against Hoseok's shoulder. "You should know what effect it is having on the public."

"If there are still hate comments, my presence must not have had a positive effect."

"Ten hate comments in the past hour is far less than I get, Cherisse." He speaks somewhat casually but swallows hard at the end of his sentence, and his gaze drops to the floor for a split second. My teeth snag at my lower lip; he never told me that he was getting hate comments.

"Just come read a few," Hoseok pleads, sensing the shift in my demeanor. I exhale deeply and steel myself for the worst, walking what feels like a death march to sit by his side. The phone is buzzing rapidly with the rate of comments fans are firing off. Many of them are directed at the boys, and there are a few so risqué that my eyes widen a little and I glance to Hoseok in shock.

He clears his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah, we get... um, a few of those... now and then..."

Jimin smirks upon noticing one such comment. "Can I reply to that one?"

"No," Hoseok scowls, holding the phone away from him.

We wait for a few moments as the app slowly updates with new comments and one with my name pops up. The cold chill of fear spreads through my body, and I pull my knees up to my chest, mentally preparing myself for what I might see.

The comment reads: "OMG, Cherisse has to be one of the cutest people I have ever seen! UWU! She is so sweet and cares for our boys so well."

"Oh," is all I can murmur as Hoseok looks pointedly at me.

"What did we tell you, Cherisse?"

"What does UWU mean?" I ask quietly, still in a slight state of shock that someone would speak so kindly about me.

Hoseok chuckles. "It doesn't really mean anything – it's just another representation of a smiley face that shows happiness."

I reread the comment with that prior knowledge but furrow my brow in confusion. "I still don't get it."

"It's okay – the UWU isn't what matters."

Another comment pops up on the screen, and my eyes only have to scan a few words before I know this message will be very different from the previous one. "CHERISSE IS SO FAKE! Don't believe ONE WORD of what that self-righteous bit–"