VHope Fluffshots

Under My Care

Jung Hoseok lived a rather simple life. 

His job as a pediatric therapist provided him with a decent-sized apartment in the more suburban parts of Seoul, a reliable car (that he rarely used, since he could either walk or take the metro), lots of food and other luxuries. He was able to visit his family and hang out with his friends often, which kept him so cheerful; the people he loved gave him strength. 

He didn't have a roommate, but his best friend, Kim Namjoon, was over so often it was as if he lived there. Lately though, he was spending more and more time with Park Jimin; Hoseok knew that they were basically dating, but neither one of them would admit it to their friend group. 

The friend he rarely saw was Jeon Jungkook. Unlike everyone else, Jungkook took a wrong turn in his life choices and was now a part of some underground empire. Hoseok understood that Jungkook didn't mean to choose the career path that he did, but the younger man couldn't leave the underground empire unless he wanted to get wacked.* 

No one knew what Jungkook's exact role in the crime syndicate, but he has hinted that it wasn't very pretty and he didn't want his friends to believe that he enjoyed it (it was obvious he didn't enjoy it. He would tense up whenever he spoke about work in shadowy detail); Hoseok and the rest of the friend group never judged Jungkook or displayed any resentment towards him. 

On this particular day, Hoseok was going to find out what Jungkook's job actually was. 

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It was around three in the morning when Hoseok was scared out of bed by someone shaking him. 

"Intruder! Intruder!" he screeched, blindly reaching for the can of pepper spray that rested on his nightstand.

"Hyung, chill. It's me, Kookie," Jungkook whispered, sounding rather out of breath after wrestling Hoseok until he was pinned underneath him on the floor. 

The older man immediately relaxed upon focusing on Jungkook's eyes, which swam with anxiety and fear. He frowned and pushed Jungkook off of him, but remained on the floor. "What's wrong? What happened?" 

Jungkook helped the older man up, breathing still a little heavy as he ran a hand through his hair, pulling hard enough to do some damage. Hoseok noticed that he was dressed in his usual suit and tie, meaning he either just got off of work or was in the middle of it when the younger decided to bother him at three in the morning. 

"Hyung, I did something that could possibly get me wacked." The younger shook his head rapidly, pacing Hoseok's bedroom. "Scratch that: I will get wacked. I'm gonna get wacked so hard I won't even be able to have a proper funeral. Or burial, in fact." 

"Hey!" Hoseok growled, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and forcing him to lock eyes. "Snap out of that shit, Kook. Just tell me what you did, okay? Whatever happens, I love you and never will I think of you as a monster. None of us will, okay? We love you with all our hearts." 

Jungkook sniffled and nodded, allowing his friend to sit him down on the bed so that he could explain. They held hands in silence for a few minutes, then Jungkook took a deep breath in, eyes trained on the floor. 

"Hobi-hyung, I deal with slaves. Like, child slaves, sort of. My boss is in partnership with this scientist who takes children from a very young age - either kidnapping them, or their family sells them - and uses them for experimentation. They blend their DNA with different types of animals to see if they can create hybrids. When they succeed, they groom the children until they reach a certain age, then sell them into slavery, if you know what I mean."