Hyunsoo’s brain processed Hoseok’s last message slowly. He changed? And I didn’t notice… because, he didn’t change with me. Just me? Her fingers hit the letters on her keyboard as fast as she had ever done before. She needed to know what exactly Hoseok meant. Her phone suddenly lit up with Hoseok’s number flashing on the front. Hyunsoo immediately answered without a second thought.

HYUNSOO: What do you mean by this? Jungkook changed? How? I don’t understand-

HOSEOK: Hello to you too!

HYUNSOO: Hoseok, answer!

HOSEOK: Ok, well, Jungkook just acts different now. He’s been like that since the camping trip!

HYUNSOO: He was fine by the end though right? He acted normal with me… as in, the way he usually did before the camping trip happened.

HOSEOK: That’s what I mean, you’re the one person I noticed Jungkook act the same with. He even changed his behaviour with strangers you see down the hall at school! He’s meaner.

HYUNSOO: I don’t get it… why me?

HOSEOK: That’s what I’m asking as well. I have an idea, but it’s something nearly impossible to have happened.

HYUNSOO: What?

HOSEOK: Just because I’m no longer considered Jungkook’s best friend anymore, doesn’t mean I can go around spilling his secrets… which takes me to my next concern actually. I know Jungkook more than anyone, trust me when I say that, and I know that Jungkook is very lonely and hurting at the moment.

HYUNSOO: What?

HOSEOK: … No wonder Jungkook calls you an idiot all the time. I mean do my words not make sense?

HYUNSOO: (Let’s out a deep sigh) Just, carry on.

HOSEOK: Well, I know what Jungkook is like without all his weekly girls, his arrogant attitude and his rudeness. He is different. Deep inside, I feel that Jungkook is starting to get lonely. He lost a best friend, his family and all he has is Joy trying to leech on him.

HYUNSOO: Why does his family ??

HOSEOK: Opps, I shouldn’t have mentioned that… forget I said that. Anyway, the reason I’m telling you this is because I need your help. I want to safe him from himself. I know I’m starting to sound dramatic, but I’ve been Jungkook’s friend since we were little kids. We’ve argued and fought a lot but it was never like this, and I know that he constantly tries to surround himself with company… no matter whether it’s good or bad company.

HYUNSOO: Don’t tell me… you want me to help you-

HOSEOK: To become Jungkook’s best friend again.

HYUNSOO: How am I supposed to do that when he clearly hates me?

HOSEOK: Please, I miss him.

HYUNSOO: Well, I wouldn’t ever want to lose Jimin… and, I’d want help to get him back too. Ok, I’ll help you.

HOSEOK: Yes! Thank you Hyunsoo! By the way, you’re a lot feistier than I thought (chuckles).

HYUNSOO: Oh, um… sorry.

HOSEOK: No worries. Another think you should know though, you only think Jungkook hates you.

HYUNSOO: No, I know he hates me.

HOSEOK: Did he ever say it?

HYUNSOO: No, I-

HOSEOK: Then he doesn’t hate you.

HYUNSOO: I think you-

HOSEOK: Trust me, I’m his ex best friend at the moment, and like I mentioned, we grew up from a very young age.

HYUNSOO: Oh, well, I’ll just wait for him to say it…

HOSEOK: (Laughs) I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye!

HYUNSOO: Bye.

Even when Hoseok said that, Hyunsoo still didn’t believe him. She knew Jungkook had no other feeling than hate when it came to people like her… or maybe, Hoseok was right. All those nearly-kind-but-still-mean things Jungkook did to her. Hyunsoo shook her head quickly, as if trying to get that thought out of her head. It couldn’t be, she was just overthinking on what Hoseok had said.

However, her brain didn’t stop there. Instead, her thoughts wandered to Jungkook being lonely. Was he really lonely? Hyunsoo remembered her own lonely days. She barely ever opened in middle school. Hyunsoo remembered it all too clearly, as if it was burned into her memory. Being alone… the feeling of no one being with you was one of the worst experiences in her life, next to the tortured abuse she received from her father.

Suddenly, Hyunsoo’s memory went fast forward to the activity day during the camping trip, when Jungkook mentioned Seohyun being punched. How could Hyunsoo have forgotten? Due to so many things happening then, it had slipped her mind. Jungkook knew Hyunsoo’s past. He knew what she was like back then.

Then, just as abruptly as Hyunsoo’s thoughts, she heard the front door open and close. Hyunsoo sat up straight on her bed quickly, listening in to new sounds.

“Kim Hyunsoo!”

It was her father. She already knew it would be him. Her mum was at work, and so it could only have been him. Nevertheless, Hyunsoo’s heart picked up speed and started pumping hard against her chest, almost to the point that she was sure her father would hear it if he stood still and listened quietly. Although, that wasn’t going to happen because instead, Hyunsoo could hear her father shuffling around downstairs, looking for a sign of Hyunsoo being home.

She couldn’t make herself get up and move to hide somewhere. Her body felt frozen on the edge of her bed. Her legs only sprang to life when she heard her father climbing the stairs a few minutes later. He was just about to open the door to her room when Hyunsoo, not able to think properly, moved behind the curtains, realising only too late what a bad hiding place this was.

“Hyunsoo!” This time he yelled, grabbing her by the hair at the back and yanking her away from the window and downstairs.

Hyunsoo held back her cries of pain and terror. She couldn’t let herself cry in front of him. He enjoyed that the most. Instead, she bit her lip hard and shut her eyes, as she was dragged blindly to wherever he wanted her to be. He would usually take her to the kitchen, since it’s where his favourite weapons were to use on Hyunsoo. Though this time, he stopped her in the living room.

Crash.

Hyunsoo looked up. It had come from upstairs. Her father paid no attention to the noise though. He pushed her down to the floor and kicked her side, before pulling her back up to stand. Hyunsoo couldn’t stop the tears coming out, nor the little silent groans of pain. He was looking at her face, and then he leaned back and threw his arm behind his head, when suddenly, another crash followed. This time he did look up, keeping his arm back and not moving. After a few seconds of silence, when no other sound came, he looked down at Hyunsoo again and gave a little smile, before letting his arm fly forward, hitting Hyunsoo around the head.

And then, someone came storming down the stairs.

“What the hell is going on!?” Jungkook yelled, as he ran towards them and, after a quick look at Hyunsoo crying silently on the floor, pushed the very surprised father onto his back.