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🏁 009: 𝙅𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙔 𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 𝙊𝙄𝙇 🏁
MAY 26, 2006
6:47 AM
TOKYO, JAPAN
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"FIVE BASICS I WOULD SAY ONE SHOULD know about fixing cars is changing oil, flat tires, spark plugs, car batteries and wipers."
Nearly 7 in the morning and Naomi was starting the question why she was even here. Not just in Hoseok's garage where everything that had a state of matter reeked of motor oil, gasoline, and toxic masculinity, but in Japan, working with the police. Lack of sleep was beginning to make her delirious. The sun had barely even risen into the sky and yet the city was terribly alive. They say New York never sleeps, but New York isn't special. Tokyo never sleeps, Seoul never sleeps, Los Angelos never sleeps.
And apparently Naomi never sleeps. Hoseok insisted that they start early.
Naomi chewed with abhorrent passion on her pink bubble gum as she spectated with utter disinterest Hoseok examining to the rusty old 1990 Honda Accord. He looked almost excited to teach her about his passion for cars; for fixing broken things. His eyes are brighter than usual, sparkling with the enthusiasm he was attempting to suppress without a casual tone.
Hoseok liked taking things apart and putting them back together like he's Frankenstein. He likes knowing how something works, being able to alter it to work more efficiently. It's been a bit of his since he was young, a fascination of sorts. At some point, that fascination for general objects and toys turned into one for cars.
Naomi was really just focusing on keeping her eyes open. Hoseok offered her coffee which she promptly refused in disgust. "Why did we have to do this so early?" Her groan bordered on a pitiful whine. Hoseok shrugged, taking the opportunity to drink the coffee he had once offered her. Pitch black and unsweetened like his moral code. "Because we could." It's the time he usually comes to work, usually with only 3 to 5 hours of sleep in him. So most time Hoseok finds himself running on fumes and self-loathing.
Hoseok eyed her up with a smirk which he hid behind the chipped mug he held to his lips. "Plus, you had enough energy to get dressed all nice and pretty like you aren't gonna get all that shit dirty."
If there was an opportunity for Naomi to dress up,she'd take it. After all, no matter what she was doing, a princess was always a princess. And she made sure everyone knew that.
Currently, the 23-year-old sported a pair of baggy light denim jeans (to protect her legs from the hot oil they would be surrounded by today), a short cropped sleeveless pink shirt with the simple word diva in the middle, spelled out with rhinestones. On her feet she surprisingly didn't wear platforms, reminding Hoseok of how short she truly was. Her white Reeboks accented in hot pink looking as if they were fresh off the shelf captured his attention when she first came to the shop. That pristine state wasn't going to last long. He had grease, oil, and just general grime on at least halfof his wardrobe.
Long braids pulled up in a ponytail, the tips just a few small inches away from her pretty piercings only defining the small dimples in her back. Hoseok noticed her jewelry was kept to a minimum. The small, silver hoops in her ears being the only ones besides her belly button ring and dimple piercings. She actually looked quite adorable. Like a little princess mechanic. But the clothes weren't practical for working on cars.
Hoseok didn't stick around long enough for her to ask what was wrong with it and instead began on their lesson.
"Now usually before I do any of that, I have to ask what type of oil the driver usual puts inside of their vehicle. Me being a mechanic, I'm aware of what's supposed to go inside. But if the driver tells me something different then we have a problem."
Naomi nodded as she looked down into the hood. Hoseok had been talking for a solid ten minutes about absolutely nothing. She regretted bringing up her interest in learning about fixing cars. He was offering her nothing of real use, just talking about oil like it was liquid gold.
"Mimi?" Hoseok murmured her name to ensure she was paying attention. Naomi looked upwards, turning her head. "Yeah?" She stretched her arms into the air and yawned with an annoying amount of volume.
"Are you even listening?"
"Of course." Naomi said, slowly dropping her arms down so that they fell to her sides. Hoseok quirked a brow in denial. "Really? What did I just say?" He asked. Naomi sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Ask what type of oil the driver uses because there might be an error. I'm listening." She says.
Hoseok licked over his lips, giving her yet another once over. "Just making sure." He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Even when supposedly dressing down she still looked a thousand times prettier than anyone he's ever met.
"When are we going to actually begin? Didn't you say your employees would be here today?" Naomi asked restlessly, beginning to walk around the car. There was nothing particularly out of the usual about it, and older car, growing with rust but still functioning and reliable.
"When I think you're ready." Pushing his hair back on his head, Hoseok slowly begin to trail behind Naomi. The tip of his tongue resting on his bottom lip. The little silver spheres sitting on the soft pink skin. Naomi captures a glimpse once she looked over her shoulder at him.
"I've been ready." She insisted. "I think...the issue with this car is..."
Naomi stopped in her tracks, tapping her chin as she thought carefully. Although she was a beginner, saying the wrong thing would just be embarrassing. She knew Hoseok would tease her endlessly about it and she didn't feel like hearing that shit. It was bad enough she already had to tolerate his ass.
"An oil leak maybe?" Naomi took a guess, looking over at him for confirmation.
Hoseok didn't do anything to confirm nor deny her statement so Naomi was confused. She nibbled on her bottom lip nervously as he smirked and leaned against the door, lips upturned in a smug expression.
"Why do you say that mimi?" He asked. Naomi popped her bubble gum. A sticky aftermath on her lips; she licked them before pointing to the ground beneath the car. A steady drip was coming from the bottom and it smelled heavily of old motor oil.
"I mean look at all the oil on the ground."
"Doesn't mean there's an oil leak." Hoseok chuckled. Naomi kissed her lips. "Be for real, Hobi."
"I am being real, princess." He laughed at her brewing attitude. She's so easy to rile up. Any little thing that didn't go her way and suddenly everyone had to feel her wrath. "Tell me why you think so. Because oil on the ground doesn't necessarily mean an oil leak. Could just be from one of the other cars I was working on."
Naomi was starting to grow accustomed to the name. It left his lips like butter, smooth and easy with an air of teasing. It's always matched with a smile or a smirk and a glint in his eyes that simply ask for her say so. To what? Naomi doesn't know. All she knows is that he's waiting for something.
"Well...." Naomi cleared her throat, squatting down to get a better look. "The oil looks darker than it should be despite the shadow. I bet if we move it up the spot would be black almost. If not already. And the oil's still wet so it can't be from another car."
Tilting his head, Hoseok stepped back to see what she was getting at. She was right about the oil being wet, a darkened brown with a filmy layer of grease on top. And perhaps she was on to something by mentioning an oil leak. He doubted the driver knew himself. Perhaps he should've paid attention to his oil light. Hoseok would have found it eventually through his routine check, she just found it sooner.
"Well, shit." Hoseok whistled gently patting Naomi on her exposed shoulder in praise. "You're probably right. Let's see."
"Help me up." Naomi said, holding out her hand. Hoseok took her hand and pulled her up as gently as possible. As Naomi wiped her hands on her jeans while hewent towards the corner to get the lifts to elevate the car so that they could take a better look. They'd probably have to drain it anyways.
There's an obnoxious roar outside one of the four open garage doors, the one Naomi stood before. The car was an average, unimpressive Mitsubishi, nothing bright or flashy, unlike her own car. Naomi continued chewing nonchalantly at her gum as she watched the car come to a slow park just a few feet from the garage door, "Think one of your employees is here." She called over to Hoseok who was busy lifting the car enough for them to walk beneath it.
His brows furrow, as he steps away from the lift machine to go see who it was. "Told them not to come til later."
It was a tall man, dressed in a black shirt, presumably to hide the stains from his labor, and old, faded jeans designated solely for work. He's attractive by most standards, attractive by Naomi's standards with features so sharp she felt she'd cut herself if she continued to stare.
Hoseok brushed past her leaving only a breeze of gasoline and faded cologne in his wake as he goes to greet him.
"Satoshi, I thought I told you and the others to come in late," Hoseok murmured softly with disgruntled annoyance while casually greeting him as usual. Satoshi had a slightly crooked smile, one side extending a bit farther than the other, but it offers charm when accompanied by the rest of his features. "This is late for me, you know that. I usually show up before even you."
Hoseok doesn't miss the way he sneaks a glance at Naomi, nor does he miss the way his smile becomes just a tad larger. "Is that the reason?" He asks as his gaze returns to Hoseok who stood just slightly shorter than Satoshi himself. "Who's she?"
Hoseok wasn't one to claim people. He doesn't care about other people or what their affairs are before or after himself. Yet, the blatant desire in Satoshi's eyes makes Hoseok feel...threatened in a way. The corners of his lips twitch in distaste as he says flatly, "old friend who came to visit."
"Are all of your old friends that sexy? If so, you need to hook me up." Satoshi doesn't wait for a response from Hoseok as he begins to make his way over to Naomi with more confidence than he should have. She's leaning against the frame of the garage door with a brow raised at the approaching figure.
"What's your name?" Basic Japanese, hard to forget even for Naomi who, despite having a Japanese name, could not get a solid hold of the language. He seems nice enough, the nicest man she met since she's been here. So she gives him her name because even that, she withholds like it's her darkest secret. How many mixed-Korean women with the name Naomi are there in Japan? A very small amount she assumes.
"Naomi."
Satoshi hums, nodding his head while tattooing her name against the forefront of his mind. "Pretty name for a pretty girl." He isn't very original when it comes to his compliments, Naomi noticed but it was nothing she couldn't get past. He was pretty and didn't outwardly seem like an asshole. She smiled, pushing her gum between her molars. "Thank you. I don't get compliments on it much."
He smelt right through he rlie. "Impossible."
Hoseok was suddenly upon them once more. The warm, calloused palms of his hand was wrapped around her slim wrist. "Get to work, Sato since you're here." He spoke dismissively to Satoshi as he began to pull Naomi away from him. "We still have work to do, Mi."
"Nice to meet you, Naomi." Satoshi called tp her, earning himself just the smallest glance over her shoulder at him. She was more amused than anything but Hoseok's blatant jealousy, meant that she was getting somewhere with him. If she could just twist that into making him open his mouth, feeding her the information she needed to be his demise.
She just wanted him to admit to what he did. If not for anything else, just for him to feel the crushing weight of guilt for stealing her brother from her.
Hoseok was adamant on her keeping distance from the others once they arrived, one by one. 3 others showed up on shift, all of them offering their own unique version of a wolf whistle. No one really called for her attention other than Satoshi though. Sweet enough to bring her a water bottle when Hoseok left to go find a tool he had misplaced.
Satoshi quickly figured out that Naomi wasn't too well-versed when it came to speaking or understanding Japanese. She could only give simple responses to simple questions.
He nudged one of the others while retreating from Naomi. "I've always wanted to try out a foreigner." He laughed along with his colleague while glancing over at Naomi bent over beneath the hood of the car she was working on with Hoseok. "She's so desperate, basically begging for it. Look at her. Maybe we can share her."
Hoseok was just coming out of his office without ever finding those pliers he was looking for. He was about to go ask Satoshi for his when he overheard the last part. His eyes trail over to Naomi, completely unaware of how fucking disgusting he was being.
"Excuse me, what the fuck did you just say?" Hoseok's jaw tightened and his voice if inflicted with offense on behave of Naomi. His voice was loud and angry enough to draw her attention towards the men.
Satoshi scoffed at Hoseok's anger. "Oh, don't pretend like you don't want a peace of that, Hoseok. You were gonna fuck her if I never showed up." Hoseok had no right to pretend like he was above the rest of them. He was just another filthy dog, frothing at the mouth every time a pretty woman crossed his path. The only difference was that Hoseok never dehumanized anyone. He never talked about passing people around like they were a cigarette so everyone could take their hit. They were always a person at the end of the day, just a person he happened not to care all that much for. Not to say he wouldn't treat someone with a baseline level of respect, but he isn't going out of his way for them. Not like he's about to go out of his way for Naomi.
Hoseok's fingers curled over Satoshi's shoulder, digging into that sweet, tender point just below the collarbone. "How about you keep your fucking mouth shut and start respecting people as people." He smiles and it's full of passive aggression as he conjures up the self-control not to press his face against the burning engine he was working on.
"Talk to her again, look at her again, even think about her again, and you will be kicked to the goddamn curb, got it?"
Satoshi nodded with fervent understanding. "G-got it." He stuttered, attempting to pull himself from Hoseok's grip. Hoseok scoffed and let go of him just enough for Satoshi to stumble back away from him.
"Anybody else have something to say?" He raised his voice, looking at the other two who went entirely mute. They shook their heads, holding them low while noticeably taking steps back. Hoseok was satisfied with their responses and yet, still pissed off.
"Leave and come back when I call for you. We're busy." Hoseok grumbled with disgruntled indignation, turning his back on them and going towards Naomi who seemed a bit distant after what had happened. She watched as they scurried off, but her vision was blocked by Hoseok as he stood in front of her smaller frame. Towering over her like a physical manifestation of all her fears.
Hoseok's jealousy is like the oil on the ground. Black, dirty, and long overdue for a change.
"Uh-" she started then stopped, cutting off her words before they could even begin to leave her mouth. Hoseok grabbed the bottle Satoshi had given her and untwisted the cap. Naomi watched as he took a long swig. His Adam's apple in motion as he consumed the water. Sweat beads falling down his skin and into his t-shirt. He had a rag over his shoulder but he hadn't been utilizing it. Hair hair was left untied, clinging to his forehead and the nape of his neck uncomfortably.
Hoseok sighed deeply, lowering the now half finished bottle of water. He topped up the bottle and held it limply at his sides. "You okay?" He asked as if she had any idea what just happened or what he had said about her. Begging for it, please. Naomi was certainly a beggar, but a girl like her would never beg for something as trivial and momentary as sex. She's the type to beg for something long lasting, like diamonds.
"I'm fine." She whispered softly, unusually quiet. "What did he even say?"
Hoseok shook his head with the simmering flame of anger flaring up just one last time. "You don't want to know." He said, walking past Naomi and towards the back of the garage. Curiously, Naomi followed behind him. He led them into this little room that resembled an office. A small box tv sitting on a desk which displayed different angles of the shop. Another small box TV mounted on the wall playing the news station. Papers scattered everywhere, a fan blowing cold air around the room. Hoseok plopped down on the one chair that was in the room. Naomi stood awkwardly to the side. She figured if the literal murderer didn't want to tell her then it had to be bad but all at the sam etime, something she's undoubtably heard before in some variation.
"What about the car?" She asked. Hoseok waved it off. "I need a break." He said, taking the rag from his shoulder and beginning to wipe his forehead and neck. In one swift motion he placed the rag back over his shoulder before going to dig into the pockets of his shorts. He took out a cigarette followed by his infamous black, BIC lighter. Sparking the cigarette, Hoseok took a hit. Naomi seen how it eased him.
"You know...you didn't have to do that. Assholes are going to be assholes regardless. I'm sure they're going off somewhere to harass more women." As if that made it any better. Plus, Naomi couldn't imagine him being much better. He probably talked like that all the time when she wasn't around, gazing at women like walking meat, walking sex toys just for them to use. She could almost scoff at him, riding his high horse. Hoseok's committed far more heinous crimes.
"Why is that your response everytime I defend you? 'You didn't have to do that'. If not me then who?" Hoseok asked. Naomi was trying to understand why he was so hostile, so wound up over something that affected him so little.
"Myself. I can defend myself." Naomi shrugged, taking a seat on the desk. Her legs swinging back and forth with the heels of her shoes thumping agains the old, chipped wood.
"When you're around me there's no need for that." Hoseok left the smoke escape past his dewy lips. The taste of nicotine is left lingering in the air. "And just because they might be doing it to some other girl doesn't make it right, Naomi."
Naomi sighed. By now she was used to it. She knew that dressing a certain way and looking a certain way came with its cons just as much as it came with its pros. There were times guys complimented her and was respectful about it. Other times she couldn't step out in public without obscene comments being thrown at her. She knew what came with being a woman. What came with being a confident, beautiful, black woman who would never really see her as one of them. But growing up, Yoongi made sure to teach her how to defend herself. Whether it be random boxing lessons out of the blue or pep talks. He made sure she understood she was different but that didn't mean she didn't deserve respect.
One minute Hoseok was just sitting there and the next he was bouncing his leg and shaking his head taking hit after hit of his cigarette to calm his nerves. Naomi frowned at the sight before her. She knew he was fucking batshit crazy but she didn't know it got this bad.
"Well..." Naomi cleared her throat. "Hate to break it to you Hobi but I was defending myself from creepy assholes before you and I can do it now."
She was just poking the angry bear with her constant remarks. Poking and poking and poking. Hoseok couldn't admit it to her. The real reason as to why he was so pissed. It upset him because he was jealous. He wasn't so sure why. He wasn't even sure as to where such emotions had come from. Usually he didn't give a fuck. If Naomi said she could handle it then why should he bother? But it was different with her. Everything was so fucking twisted and different with Naomi and it made his head hurt. He told himself that he was doing this because she was Yoongi's kid sister. To make up for the sins he's committed, mistakes he's made. But even that sounded like a lie.
Hoseok had always had such overprotective tendencies. Growing up in a system that treated children as money bags and handled them with cruelty made him this way. He was always the big brother figure, or just the older figure in general - taking up for the younger kids and often getting off into fights to defend them. Hoseok didn't mind it. It felt nice to mean something to someone. To protect someone from the bad, the ugly in life. He couldn't help but act in a similar manner to Naomi.
She didn't remind him of the kids back in the system. She reminded him of a pretty bird that just wanted to dodge as many windows as possibly and fly. He wanted to protect from anything that could interrupt her path. Ironic considering who he was. A window, so clear she thought she could fly right through. In reality, she won't get out of this without a few broken wings.
"I think you need to relax." Naomi said softly, getting off of the desk and coming to stand behind his chair. She felt her stomach twist as nearly every inch of her being told her to get away from him. She was revolted by him, revolted by how he felt this sense of entitlement to her. He doesn't protect her out of the fucking kindness of his heart.
But she reminded herself of how far she had gotten. And she couldn't back out now. Naomi was so close. She was doing exactly what Namjoon wanted. What the KNPA would want... not what Naomi would want. But it benefited her as well. Her motivations and endgoals were entirely separated from theirs.
"If it makes you feel better-" she placed her hands on either of his shoulder, pressing the pad of her fingers into them with a far softer instinct than he had for Satoshi. She considers whether she should just find something to strangle him with, end it now and cleanse herself of him right now. But she still needed to hear him say it, to admit guilt, to look her in the eyes and tell her what he did to Yoongi.
Hoseok stopped bouncing his leg but he was still so tense. The cigarette now dangled between his pink lips. Naomi couldn't miss it. "I...appreciate you defending me. Thank you."
"Don't just say shit to make me feel better, Naomi." Hoseok groaned. She laughed, slipping her hands from his shoulders. She removed the bright pink hair tie from her wrist and began to scoop up his hair. Hoseok tilted his head back. The smoke directly hits her nostrils. Hoseok could see how her nose did a cute little scrunch. He quickly removed the cigarette from between his lips and rested it upon the ashtray on the desk.
"I'm not." She insisted.
"What are you doing?"
"Pulling your hair up. You're sweating." Naomi shrugged. She was doing this for herself more so than she was doing it for him. It was bad enough she had to tolerate him. But he was undeniably...good looking. And the whole sweaty, working man look had her going insane. She needed to fix it, make him look a bit more ridiculous.
"Wow Mimi. Trying to make me a princess too with the pretty pink hair tie?" He teased, looking straight ahead. Naomi rolled her eyes. "Must you be so annoying all the time?" Hoseok's laugh was melodic. She just knew his eyes formed little crescents, only accented by his piercing he had haphazardly gotten because he was looking to reinvent himself (only to find he was more himself than ever), and his teeth shined like the stars. Naomi ran her fingers through his soft hair for a minute before sliding it into a little ponytail. It reminded her of a sprouting flower, specks of silver poking out from beneath the brown strands.
"Done." Naomi smiled, placing her hands back on his shoulders. Hoseok looked back at her - their eyes locking. For a brief moment in time she could see ... Hoseok. Beneath his anger from before she could see the Hoseok she was used to. Who would've thought that a pretty pink hair tie would uplift his mood? Naomi was glad that the tension from before had diminished. But now there was something else taking over.
Hoseok's tongue flicked against his lips as his eyes drag along to different areas of her face. Her eyes and then her button nose, and finally to her lips. Naomi truly was a pretty girl. A beautiful girl- no, a beautiful woman. Someone would have to be blind not to see that.
Naomi cleared her throat, stepping away as if she had just been burned. Fast, and painfully. She didn't like what she was feeling. "I think we should get back outside." She said, pointing towards the door. Hoseok shook his head as if he had just been woken up from a trance. He stood up and grabbed his water bottle, quickly stalking towards the door to get the hell out of here.
"You're right." He tosse dthe door open and stood to the side, motioning Naomi to leave out first. "We gotta drain this oil."
Naomi swallowed, pulling her shoulder back to appear more confident than they were. "Right." She cleared her thoat harshly and quickly breezed past Hoseok out into the garage. His eyes followed right behind her.
If his mind wasn't twisted up before, then it damn sure was now.
*.✧ 𝘿𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙎
Excuse any mistakes <3