a/n: the ending is getting closer and closer...
it's bittersweet because even though I don't want this all to end, I just know you're all going to love (or hate) the final chapter
but we've got at least 7 more chapters before that happens so don't worry too much
:)
[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ]
Jimin and Hoseok's lesson dragged on for another hour, the poor boy getting progressively more wet and cold as his failed attempts to walk on water failed consecutively.
"Am I done now?," the boy moaned, trudging out from the lake and shaking a long twine of pond weed off from his foot. He patted his hair and cried out loudly as he brought down a strand and examined it. "My hair is ruined because of you." He pointed an angry finger at Hoseok who proceeded to laugh, not caring that he'd destroyed the boy's meticulous appearance.
"You did well Jimin. Hopefully, by tomorrow afternoon, you'll actually be able to last three steps before panicking like a fish out of water."
"Shut up hyung," Jimin cursed, a small patch of red blemishing his cheeks. "I'm going back to the house, to shower." He stalked towards his belongings, quickly gathering them into his arms before storming off, his shoes making a squeaking noise from the water trapped inside.
"I could use a shower too," Hoseok yawned, airing the front of his shirt. He hadn't appeared to noticed that I was stood behind him and started to walk forwards before I reached out, clutching the fabric of his shirt between my two fingers. He jumped slightly but relaxed when he noticed that it was just me. "Oh, hello Hayeon."
I coughed, shuffling my feet. "I don't mean to be a nuisance but I was wondering if you could train me? To fight, I mean."
Hoseok seemed startled, his mouth opening and closing for a couple of seconds before pausing, a smile beginning to trace his features. "You want to fight?" I nodded without hesitation. "Sure, I can teach you. Do you want to start now?"
"Yes please!" I cried out, feeling the urge to punch the air in relief. I really thought that he would reject me without a second thought.
"There's a large field nearby, it might be better to go there," He mused, looking out towards the lake. "Follow me."
Like a baby duckling following it's mother, I plodded behind the older boy feeling excited to start learning self defence tactics. As I walked, I clenched my fists as if preparing myself fight only to realise, a minute later, that I'd forgotten if the thumb was supposed to be tucked in or not. I guess I really was an amateur; I just hoped Hoseok had the patience to teach me everything from the basics.
We arrived at the mysterious field, I had not yet had the pleasure to witness, when Hoseok turned to face me. The place was huge and widely open; I could imagine a movie scene battle happening here, two enemies facing each other, from opposite sides, over the long grass. In a way, it was almost eerie. It felt like this place should be bustling with people but instead, the large patch of grass had been left to allow itself to overgrow, weeds growing uncontrollably. Even so, it remained stunning and was, quite obviously, the perfect place to train.
"So you're a total beginner?" Hoseok asked, scanning me up and down as if searching for some kind of sign that I wasn't as much of a immature as I made myself out to be. I gulped, nodding regretfully. I couldn't believe I had gotten myself into the whole situation with Jungkook and I couldn't even throw a punch. It was pure luck that I'd even gotten this far.
Hoseok hummed, his eyes squinting slightly as the midday sun caught his eye. "Well I know where we'll start then."
I felt giddy with excitement, the adrenaline coursing through my veins. This was it- I would finally be able to fight my own battles instead of relying on Jungkook and his friends to do so for me. I really hoped that Hoseok would teach me how to do those nasty moves that you see in the action movies or how to make a person unconscio-
"We're going to start with running," Hoseok announced, cutting my train of thought and deflating my mood.
"Running?" I questioned, hoping that I was having hearing loss and had heard him incorrectly.
He just smiled shamelessly, as if he'd expected this exact reaction from me. "Running is the first step to self defence. You're skills might fail you mid fight but if you can avoid combat in the first place, you'll never have to worry about that."
My smile dropped, an unamused look reflecting on my face but Hoseok didn't bat an eyelash. "Don't look so disheartened, sometimes running can be the best weapon." I didn't budge, the thoughts running through my head. Did he think I wasn't good enough to fight? He must have noticed that his motivation hadn't done much to budge me because he tried again. "Okay, let's make a deal. You do three laps around this field and I'll give you your first lesson."
I raised my eyebrow, my lips pursed. "You promise?"
He held out a hand to shake. "I promise."
I sniffed, reluctantly shaking his hand. "Fine but I'm not running alone."
The boy chuckled, leaning down to tie his shoelaces before jumping up. "Let's get started then."
We ran for what felt like the entire day. By the time the third lap came around, I was convinced that my endurance was quite close to running dry. The warm humidity of the day wasn't helping either, insisting on making my clothes and hair stick to my skin as the perspiration ran down my forehead. I wasn't even sure that I was running anymore, just fumbling around carelessly.
By the time we'd finished, I felt like collapsing into a pile and sleeping for eternity, the only thing keeping me awake was my burning throat. Hoseok passed me a bottle of water and I wasted no time, grabbing the object and swallowing hastily as though I had a large hole to fill. Even so, my mouth remained as dry as sandpaper even as I gulped in breath after breath.
"Well that was fun," Hoseok stayed, wiping a stray hair from out of his eye. Just like Jungkook, this boy had the miraculous ability to remain absolutely unbothered after a strenuous exercise. It was infuriating.
I blinked up at him from my position on the floor, scowling. "I am never doing that again."
Hoseok nodded understandingly as he sat down next to me, a sense of peace following him. "I'm sorry about all that but I meant what I said. Sometimes running is much more valuable than one might think. If I'd had the power to run away when I was a child, I'd never be in this situation."
I hummed, closing my eyes and enjoying the faint breeze that danced over my face. "I understand." The running was hard, yes but, like he had mentioned, I wasn't blind to it's usefulness. I had just hoped that I'd be able to do something a bit more impressive than sprinting from combat. "I still don't forgive you though, that was torture."
He chuckled, also optioning to lay down and look up at the ever changing clouds. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
"I mean it, I'm never doing that again." He didn't answer and I hissed angrily, already dreading the bout of endless laps. I turned slightly, so that my weight rested on my shoulder and I was looking forward at the boy. "Where did you learn how to fight anyhow?"
A faint smile ran over the boy's face as his eyes fluttered shut. "My grandfather owned a karate class and I went there since I was a young child. However, I had bad family relations and ran away when I was fourteen. I was only on the streets for a year but it was enough time to hone my fighting skills. I certainly needed them; the streets were a nasty place for a child."
This peaked my interest; I don't know much about the previous lives of the boys, other than Jungkook. "Is that where you met Namjoon?"
He nodded enthusiastically, a memory floating around his head. "Yes, he was only a scrawny little thing back then. I found him being harassed by a gang in an abandoned alleyway," he paused, an angry expression brewing. "I protected him for a year before MediHeal dragged us to that laboratory."
I had a faint twinge of recognition as I pulled myself up, into a seated position. "Yoongi saved you didn't he?"
From what I remember from Jungkook's tale, Yoongi had saved the two boys from the abuse of a new guard optioning for what seemed like his only option- using his fire as an offence.
Hoseok hummed in response. "I've always been grateful for what he did for the two of us yet, I also feel constant regret. The other boys always say that Yoongi changed after his punishment. He's always been a jerk but something shifted after he came back. He never told us what happened to him."
The look on Hoseok's face was terrifying. I had never seen such an expression, especially not on a boy of such calm and composure.
"Do you think MediHeal really hurt him?" I asked, my voice dropped down to a whisper. The idea didn't make me drop in shock horror; I knew MediHeal weren't too low for abuse, the scars on Jungkook's back proved that. However, Jungkook lasted a year without his hope shattering. It seemed strange that they could break the strong-willed Yoongi in less than a week. Whatever horrors they made him go through- I couldn't even imagine it.
"I think they did a lot more than just hurt him. I think they stripped his soul from his body and, for many years, it didn't return. When Jungkook was captured, we were all scared that he'd go off the rails again but he held out. I suspect he was trying to remain sane so that he could save Jungkook, if given the chance."
"He really loves you all, doesn't he?" I mused, a new idea brewing.
Hoseok didn't hesitate. "Of course. I don't even think it would be too extreme to say that, out of everyone, he's the one who cares the most. He was traumatised when Jungkook got caught; he didn't talk to anyone for weeks. He just locked himself in that room and wasted away, the blame building up and up. It was suffocating." Hoseok shivered as if the memory wasn't something he was keen on remembering.
I paused, feeling both somber and motivated. "Can the fighting be pushed to tomorrow? I need to go do something?"
I didn't even wait for a reply before standing up and storming towards the house, a new intention engraved in my mind.