BO-YOUNG
Hoseok sits patiently on the couch as I prepare drinks for both of us. Every now and again, I catch him eyeing me with suspicion, but he quickly averts his eyes every time he realizes I've caught him staring.
I carry both of or drinks to the small coffee table in front of the couch, placing them down onto coasters. I sit down next to Hoseok, who is still waiting for an explanation.
I take a deep breath before I begin to explain my suspicious behavior.
"First of all, thank you for helping me. Second of all, I'm not a pervert, I swear." I try to salvage the situation. Hoseok casually sips his drink.
"I never said you were," he mutters unconvincingly.
"I was just-" I stop, trying to think of a socially acceptable reason to be digging around someone else's room. "Just..."
"...Snooping?" he fills in.
I sputter, trying to correct him somehow, but he can tell from my panic that he's hit the nail right on the head. His signature sunshine smile spreads across his face as he chuckles.
"I'm just teasing you," he laughs, playfully nudging me. "Though Jungkook will know you were in his room, seeing as his door is currently face-down on the floor."
I laugh awkwardly, looking at Jungkook's door, which was not only ripped off its hinges but also dented in the middle by the sheer weight of Hoseok in his bear form.
I tear my eyes off the mangled door, averting them back to Hoseok, who is lounging as if he doesn't have a care in the world.
"Thank you, Hoseok. You may not have saved me from Jungkook, but you did save me from seven-ish hours of boredom," I thank him half-jokingly. Hoseok nods in acknowledgment.
"No problem. I am curious, though. Why were you snooping in Jungkook's room?" he asks, clearly ready for some gossip. I scratch the nape of my neck uncomfortably before explaining the situation to him. To my surprise, he seems unfazed by the news that Jungkook is packing the house up.
"You should ask him what's going on," Hoseok suggests. He smirks, quickly hiding it by taking a sip of his drink. I raise my eyebrow.
"You know more than what you're letting on," I state, not as a question but as a fact. I purse my lips before playfully saying: "Tell me your secrets."
Hoseok startles slightly at my demand, chugging his drink before abruptly standing up.
"It's been nice, thanks for the drink. I need to go because I-" he pauses, "I left the oven on."
I stare at him deadpan. He stays frozen mid-step, a faux-innocent grin on his face.
"Hoseok-" I begin, but he quickly cuts me off.
"No need to thank me, Bo-young. Bye."
He quickly pulls his shoes and jacket one, stumbling out of the door.
"Hoseok, I swear to god-"
The door shuts behind him.
The apartment is silent in his absence, his sudden departure leaving me alone to dread the evidence left behind from my investigation gone wrong and Jungkook's eventual return.
After long anticipating Jungkook's return, my dreadful wait is finally ended. I hear the front unlock and swing open, Jungkook promptly walking in. He shuffles about the vestibule for a few minutes before emerging from the hallway. He looks worn out and slightly tired, his hair tousled and his eyes quite dull. He lazily drops his work bag onto the floor before loosening his tie.
"Hello," I greet, my voice both meek and cautious as I watch his eyes quickly scan across the livingroom.
His eyes stop at his room's doorway, where mere hours ago, there was a fully functional locked door. I don't see any change in his tired look, nor do I see him move.
"Jungkook?" I ask cautiously, snapping him out of his disbelief.
His eyes catch mine, and I smile sheepishly, both guilt and trepidation brewing inside me. His eyes dart between me and the gaping doorway to his room. He wordlessly walks past me towards his room, stopping when he's next to the broken door.
I hear Jungkook quietly mutter: "What the fuck" under his breath.
"Kookie, I can explain-" I begin, but I'm cut off by Jungkook loudly sighing and chuckling at the same time.
Is he okay? Has this broken him?
He quickly stops his strange antics, his exasperated sigh trailing off.
"I was not expecting to come back to this of all things," he says, but he doesn't sound angry. Instead, he sounds rather amused. When he looks at me again, the tiredness in his eyes is gone, save the faint dark circles.
"You're not angry?" I ask. Jungkook shakes his head.
"I wouldn't be angry in any case. I do dread having to replace it, though," Jungkook chuckles.
I watch as he stretches, his back cracking from stiffness before he takes a seat next to me, right where Hoseok was before he left many hours ago.
"I assume we need to talk about the boxes, huh," he says, a toothy smile spreading across his face in place of the forlorn look I expected. In a way, he seems excited. "I wanted it to be a more tasteful surprise, but this will do as well."
"A surprise?" I ask, finding myself caught off guard. He hums a yes.
"You know how you were talking about power imbalances? Well, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. I can't imagine what being a hybrid feels like, but I can sympathize," he explains. He pauses, knowing him, it's for dramatic effect instead of necessity. "You know my childhood home?" he asks rhetorically.
I place my hand over my mouth, already knowing where this is going.
Jungkook looks me straight in the eyes.
"We're moving there, and I'm leaving this apartment in your name. This place will be yours if anything happens."
Tears well up in my eyes, though I can't help my happiness from being dulled by logic.
"Jungkook, I can't afford-"
He cuts me off by taking my hands into his, moving them away from my face.
"Jimin has managed to secure a job for you at the general store in my hometown, and should you come here, Taehyung and I have arranged for you to be able to work in the cafe," he tells me. Once again, he goes out of his way to do something nice.
I lower my head, letting my hair cover my face as I can't help the happy tears from running down my cheeks. Quickly, my happy tears turn into relieved sobs. I take my hands back from his, throwing my arms around him in a hug. I can feel him smile.
"Thank you so much. Thank you," I mutter into his shoulder.
(AN: Okay, I don't like this chapter, it's an absolute clusterfuck.)
(In no way does this fix the inequality between humans and hybrids in the big scheme, but it equalizes the two. This is a slice of life – they're not going to be leading a revolution.)
(Also, I've finally gotten to closing plot points that I left unresolved. This means that the book will soon be coming to an end.)
What do you guys want once this book is done?
1.) Book 2
1.a) Continuation to STRAY
1.b) New BTS x Hybrid
2.) New BTS fanfic
3.) Nothing
4.) Other