Daeun sat with her arms crossed over her chest on the chair with her foot shaking furiously with impatience. The old man shot her a look from two chairs down as her restlessness bothered the whole row but she couldn’t stop her shaking even if she wanted to. And she didn’t want to.

               He was late once again. Where she would be the one to arrive ten minutes prior to the agreed time, he would always be the one to arrive ten minutes after. This time, however, he was later than usual. She had been waiting at the airport for a whole hour before she saw Hoseok walk towards her.

               Standing, she glowered before him with a look of annoyance.

               “Could you arrive any later? We might as well take tomorrow’s flight.”

               Hoseok drew the mask over his mouth down so that he could talk. “Just had to fix something.”

               She rolled her eyes. “Do you have our tickets?”

               He reached into his bag and pulled out the two pieces of paper. Without a word, she roughly took them away from him and grabbed her suitcase. He followed in suit behind her as they walked toward the waiting area.

               All the members were at work and could not see them off. It was precisely for that reason Hoseok and Daeun had been chosen to take the trip back to South Korea: they both did not have a job to attend to. In a way, it worked out for the better as besides Seokjin, Hoseok was the one who had frequently met The Boss. There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach as he absentmindedly watched their tickets being scanned.

               Nearly a whole year had passed since they left for New York. Besides the fact that he was returning to see the man who commanded their actions, he was returning with her. Since the incident with Robert Viktor, Hoseok had felt extremely cautious and antsy around Daeun. He couldn’t put a finger to why he was feeling like this with her. Perhaps that’s why his stomach rolled another time.

               “Watch this for me. I’m going to use the bathroom,” she commanded him with slight irritation in her voice.

               She was still annoyed at him for being late. This time, it truly wasn’t his fault. He had actually arrived at the airport half an hour earlier to check in for the both of them. However, he saw that the tickets that had been booked for them were in economy class. Their flight was long and he had thought of how uncomfortable she would be the whole time what with the sores on her back still incompletely healed. He had then rushed off to see if they could switch to first class. It was unfortunate that they denied his request, claiming that all of first class had been booked. After a long struggle, he had eventually secured business class seats for the two of them. That had been the reason for why he had been late.

               He must have been zoning out with his thoughts as the next thing he knew, Daeun was back and giving him a weird look. His hands were still tightly holding her luggage as she was trying to pull it away from him.

               “Are you okay?” she asked.

               He rubbed a kink in his neck and shook his shoulders. “I’m just feeling a little tired.”

               “…You must be extremely tired today. You haven’t even made a single joke about me since we met.”

               He grabbed his own suitcase before pointing forward. “Our flight is this way. Let’s go.”

               She followed him without a word once again.

               They reached the waiting lounge area and took a seat. They were told the flight was slightly delayed due to unexpected weather. Sitting in silence, they did not exchange any words as time continued to slowly pass by.

               “I’m going to grab something to eat before we board. Do you want anything?” she asked him first.

               He shook his head.

               With a shrug, she sighed and got out of the seat to stretch her legs. He was acting extremely strange. The last time she had seen him like this was when he had brought her to the top of the mountain for her birthday. Her heart tugged wistfully at the memory; it seemed like such a long time ago.

               In her pocket, her phone buzzed.

               “Sorry I can’t see you off today. Have a safe flight. I’ll miss you.”

               Seeing the message made her smile. Nevertheless, the smile faded quickly. After Namjoon returned from his morning run that ran late into the afternoon, he had gone off immediately to work. Since then, he had only thrown himself into his job and was barely home. She had tried waiting up for him until he returned like she would in the past, but he looked extremely tired when he did return. When it seemed like they finally had time to themselves, she had been pulled away to attend meetings with Hoseok, Seokjin and Hong Jung Yee for this trip. She sighed again.

               A few minutes later, she returned back to Hoseok who was on the phone. She quietly ate her sandwich while waiting for him to finish the call.

               “There’s been a slight change of plans,” he told her once he hung up, “The meeting has been switched the night after. The Boss left on an emergency business meeting and he won’t be back until the next day.”

               “What are we going to do then?”

               He shrugged. “The tickets have already been bought so it’s not like we can postpone the flight to Seoul. I’ll have one of the guys see what they can do about our flight to Jeju for the meeting. Perhaps we can postpone that a little bit so we don’t hop immediately from one flight to the next.”

               “It’d be nice to rest up in Seoul for a bit,” she said quietly.

               He nodded before returning to look down at his cell phone. Whatever he was doing, it seemed to be extremely important as he did not speak to her again until it was time to board the flight. Upon entering the plane, she was surprised when the air hostess ushered her towards her seat in business class. She thanked the hostess for her assistance and once the two of them were seated, she whispered,

               “I thought we were booked in economy.”

               A strange look bypassed Hoseok’s eyes before he replied, “We’ve always been booked for business.”

               She squinted, trying to understand the expression, but these days it was hard to read him. It was hard to read anybody really. Shaking her suspicions away, she settled down. Whatever seat they were originally booked for, she was certainly glad for the extra space that allowed her healing back some space.

               About two and a half movies into the flight, Daeun yawned and rolled her neck. It was a twenty-one hour flight and they still had over half to go. The small digital clock on her screen told her that it was approximately 3am. She duly noted that once she touched down in Seoul, she would have to readjust her biological clock. Beside her, Hoseok had not moved for a while and she assumed he was putting the sleeping mask he had donned to full use.

               The movie was still playing but she took the earphones out and stretched. The chance was slim but perhaps she could try and get some shut eye. Maybe the ambience of the plane could work wonders on her insomnia. She drew the blanket she had placed around her legs closer to her body. With deft fingers, she exited the movie and chose a soft jazz playlist. She popped the earphones back in and closed her eyes, allowing the smooth lull of a saxophone fill her ears.

               She didn’t know when she had dozed off, but the next thing she felt was that she was no longer on the plane. The vehicle she was in bounced up and down. Some type of blindfold had been placed over her eyes and she could see nothing but darkness. Her supply felt like it had been choked out of her and she gasped for air.

               The stale scent of smoke or some other type of drug filled her nose and it made her cough. Her ears strained to find the soothing sounds of a saxophone but that was no longer detectable anymore. In the distance, she thought she could hear a man speak, but his words were unintelligible. As sudden as the vehicle had started, it screeched to a stop and rough hands pulled her out. She assumed it was a van as she dropped to the floor. Her knee hit the floor and she screamed out in pain. The hands shook her to her feet and gruffly pulled her in a direction. Her body tried its best to find its orientation but with her sight taken away and her feet stepping on unfamiliar terrain, it was next to impossible.

               The distant sound of a man’s voice filtered through her ears and seemed to issue some warning. She caught words but understand none except for one: her name. It had been repeated over and over.

               “Daeun, Daeun, Daeun.”

               What do you want from me? Was what she tried to scream out, but the words lodged in . She couldn’t speak.

               This was when fear hit her. It was happening all over again. Somehow, she had been drugged on the plane and somebody had kidnapped her. She felt her muscles tense and her mind flew to the torture she had only recently endured. Her imagination threw all sorts of ugly pictures in the dark of her eyelids: sharp swords, whips with shards attached to it, death by electrocution . Her breathing increased until she started hyperventilating.

               Somebody, help me! Help me, please! I can’t do this again! Hoseok!

               The hands shook her again and a sharp sting hit her cheek as the person slapped her. The pain seemed minimal to the state of stress her body had been thrown into. Flight or fight. Fight or flight. At this moment, she didn’t know what to do.

               “Daeun,” her name was repeated again. She picked out the voice this time and it sounded familiar.

               I swear, I don’t know anything. Please just let me go.

               “Daeun, snap out of it,” it urged. The voice was full of alarm and her whole world shook again. She had been put into another vehicle. They were taking her someplace else again.

               With all her might, she lashed out but her body was sluggish and it only managed a feeble punch of the air.

               “Daeun!” This time, the voice was clear.

               “Daeun, wake up!” Hoseok yelled.

               He had been sleeping when he heard a scream beside him. Jumping awake, he looked to his side and saw Daeun’s face contorted in pain. She trembled beneath the blankets and sweat beaded her forehead. An air hostess stood and raced out to their seats. The couple of other passengers who had been awoken to Daeun’s scream looked on with concern.

               The hostess seemed just as clueless and she paced around their seat. Hoseok grabbed Daeun and shook her. She mumbled something and the breaths that came out of her were fast and shallow.

               Above them, the captain’s voice announced that they were hitting turbulence, warning all passengers to put on their seat belt.

               After putting on his own, he proceeded to help Daeun put hers on but she had hit his arm away the instance he touched her. The nightmare she was having was extremely vivid. He saw her eyes rolling beneath her eyelids.

               “Daeun,” he cried out again.

               Try and stay calm. You know that resistance is futile with yourself blindfolded.

               The vehicle she had been put in hit a bump and she felt her heart drop all of a sudden. It made her want to throw up. A hand brushed by her stomach and she hit it away.

               “Daeun,” she heard Hoseok repeat again.

               What was he doing here? Why was she hearing his voice?

               “Daeun, wake up! It’s only a dream!” the voice was loud and clear by her ear.

               A dream? Was she having a dream?

               He didn’t want to hurt her, but his simple shaking did not help her. With a shaking hand, he swiftly hit her cheek.

               She gasped and sat up in her seat. Her eyes flew open and they were met with the bright screen of her monitor. Now that her body was conscious, it wheezed and dragged as much air as it could into her body. She looked to her right and saw Hoseok and an air hostess look on her in alarm.

               It was only a dream.

               She sank into her seat and found that in her dream state, she had knocked her knee on the tray that had been taken out to hold her missed dinner. The plate had flipped over and its contents spilled over the floor, creating a mess.

               The plane took a sharp drop and the same heart dropping feeling she felt returned. Straightaway, her hand flew out and grasped Hoseok’s. Her knuckles turned white with the strength that they were gripping his with.

               “We’re hitting turbulence,” he softly said to her. His hand throbbed with the intensity she was squeezing it with but it seemed to give her consolation.

               So the motion she felt in her dream was due to turbulence. She took in her surroundings once again. With a slow but solid thought, she told herself that she was on a plane and not in a vehicle. The pain she felt was only because she hit her knee. Her sight had been taken away because she had closed her eyes to sleep. She was not being taken away. She was sitting on a plane, heading to Seoul with Hoseok beside her.

               A few moments passed as Hoseok and the air hostess looked on. With a deep exhale, Daeun finally spoke, “I’m okay now.”

               The hostess asked them if they needed anything. Hoseok shook his head and thanked her for her help. With a gentle nod, she left them alone. Around them, the other passengers gave them one last look before returning to what they were doing before.

               He looked back at Daeun. She had slumped back into her seat. An unfocused stare filled her eyes and hung slightly agape, still trying to slow down her breathing. Her hand was still holding his.

               “How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

               Her chest heaved. She blinked slowly and her lips. “I thought I was being kidnapped again,” she whispered.

               He recognized her look. He had seen it often in the past. The feelings that were racing through her body was one he understood completely. He felt her fear, confusion and guilt that were battling inside. The nightmares and the insomnia. All of it was too familiar.

               It was what he felt the few nights after he killed his father.

               He had relieved the scenes of his father’s death every night. In each of his dreams, his father had died differently but they all ended the same: a bloody body on the floor with a spreading pool of red while he held a dripping knife.

               “Why is this happening?” her question came out with a quiver, “What did I do to deserve this?”

               “You haven’t done anything.”

               Her eyes were haunted as she turned to meet his. He saw the demons and torture they were being put through. He wanted to reach out and tell her that everything was okay, but he knew firsthand that words like those meant nothing. Nothing would serve as consolation until Daeun could face her monsters straight on.

               “Rest,” he put his other hand over hers. Through his palm he could feel the iciness of her skin.

               “I can’t.”

               “I’m here” He drew the blanket over her shivering body and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I won’t let go, I promise.”

               She looked into his eyes. They held her gaze without wavering, upholding her with his strength.

               “Okay,” she whispered and closed her eyes again.

               “How are you feeling?” he asked. His eyes were focused on The Avengers in front of him but she knew he was talking to her.

               “Much better,” she said. A yawn pressed itself gently from and she let it out. After her body had been awoken, she leaned over to his screen.

               “We’ll be touching down in two hours,” he answered her question before she could ask.

               Hearing the time shocked her. That would indicate she had nearly been asleep for a straight ten hours. No wonder she felt so refreshed.

               She stopped a hostess that had walked by them for the umpteenth time. Hearing Daeun’s voice, she snapped into attention.

               “What can I get for you, Ms. Chae?”

               “Just an orange juice. I’m feeling a little thirsty.”

               “Right away.”

               “The staff keep walking by our seat,” she commented to Hoseok.

               He was chewing the inside of his lip but stopped momentarily to say, “I think you freaked them out a little earlier. They’ve continuously been checking in on us the whole time you’ve been asleep.”

               The hostess returned shortly and handed her the drink. Daeun reached over to grab it and noticed a small pressure in her other hand.

               Hoseok was still holding her hand.

               She blinked several times to confirm the sight.

               Once the sugar had finished entering her body, she sighed contently. Her attention was turned back to Hoseok.

               His eyes were still glued to the movie and the small hint of a smile played on his lips.

               “Do you have something to say to me?” he asked.

               “Have you slept?”

               “A bit. Why do you ask?”

               “You’re still holding onto my hand.”

               He finally looked away from his movie. His dark gaze pierced into hers and for the first time, she saw a glimpse of a similar sadness and fear that she had been harbouring inside herself.

               “I promised, didn’t I?”

               Whatever she was about to say in response escaped her thoughts.

               He had promised. And he had kept it.

               She tugged her hand away, noting how warm it had become under his the entire time.

               Chuckling, his attention was returned back to the movie. The ending scene was playing and with a sigh, he finished watching it before switching his screen off.

               “I need a stretch. I’ve been sitting here for so long. I heard there was a bar somewhere on this plane,” he told her. He stood up and yawned. “Want me to get you something?” he gave her a wink.

               She shook her head.

               “Alright. I’ll be back,” he said before patting her hand a final time.

               Watching him waddle away in the stiffness of his limbs, she turned in her seat.

               Promises. It was the one thing that had given her anguish over the years with the times they had been broken in her life. Yet when Hoseok had promised to be there for her, her mind had not doubted him for a second. In fact, her body had felt relieved in hearing that. It surrendered to her fatigue without a thought. What surprised her further was that he had upheld that promise.

               She rubbed her hand, mind still turning with her thoughts.

               She could feel that it was not only the staff on the airplane that had changed their attitudes towards her during the flight. Hoseok seemed to be walking on eggshells around her as well. Each time she opened , he would fly and listen attentively to her needs. Even a brief mention of her thirst brought forth a cup of water immediately to her side.

               So when he suggested that she stay at home while he ran out to grab dinner, she politely declined. She told him she wanted to go for a walk and see the city she had not returned to in a while.

               In honesty, there was only one person in mind that she wanted to see. During her whole life, Daeun had not made many friends with the exception of one. This was the one in which she had shared living quarters with for a long time, and the one who never seemed to question Daeun but instead accepted who she was.

               She hailed a taxi and it took her to the familiar address she had been living at before being rudely interrupted a year ago.

               What would she say when she arrived? Would the door be unlocked? Perhaps the spare key was still stuck inside the fake rock they had placed outside the house. What if nobody was home? Would she want to stay inside until she came back?

               There was no time to answer any of her questions as the taxi pulled to a stop. A minute had but passed since she paid the driver when she heard her name being called out from behind.

               “Daeun?”

               She turned slowly, hands still clutching the small bag of fruits. A gift for… returning back to her own home.

               Seohyun stood there, hung open in a small hole. She looked no different than what Daeun had remembered: the same doe like eyes, heart-shaped lips and curvaceous body. However, she was not dressed at all like the last time she and Daeun had seen each other. Gone were the mini leather skirts and low cut tang tops. She was currently wearing a light blue pencil skirt with a feminine blouse tucked at the waist. Her long colourful hair had also been dyed a natural light brown and cut at the shoulders into a wavy bob. If Seohyun had not called out to her first, Daeun would have completely walked past her friend.

               Seeing how beautiful Seohyun looked made Daeun unconsciously tug at her outfit. She knew she had also changed within the year. Her nails were now regularly manicured and she had taken the time to put on new gloss on her lips as well as a light coat of mascara. Perhaps her outward appearance had not changed as drastically as Seohyun’s, but she certainly felt quite different inside.

               “Hey,” Daeun waved shyly.

               Seohyun’s heels clicked on the sidewalk as her tentative steps turned into a full run.

               “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe my eyes,” her friend gushed. Tears were welling up. “How are you here?”

               Daeun could feel the emotions build up within her as well. Everything she had planned to say was no longer available. Instead, she felt empty of words and only filled with happiness at seeing her roommate. When the hug finally ended, Seohyun turned away to dab at her tears.

               “I took a plane here, by the way, to answer your question,” Daeun laughed lightly.

               Seohyun joined in and it was then that Daeun realized how much she had really missed her. “I see that your witty humour has not changed, despite what I’m seeing with my own eyes.”

               “I could say the same. Seohyun, you look…. beautiful.”

               She blushed under Daeun’s compliment. “Come in, come in. We look like two idiots standing outside on the side walk, bawling our eyes out.”

               “I brought some fruits, I hope you don’t mind,” Daeun offered the small bag.

               They walked down the stairs together. “You’re coming back to your own house. Why are you being so courteous?”

               Daeun was in for another shock when she stepped into her former house. It had been renovated since she left. The walls were painted a light pink and gone was the moldy sofa. Two large black leather armchairs were placed against the walls and a wooden table fit between them. The kitchen still looked the same but all the dishes were put in place and had been washed; the sink was devoid of anything. She recognized the door to her room and noted that it was closed. Her room had been the one closer to the doors and as she walked past Seohyun’s room, small relief filled her to see that it was still as messy as it had been. It had slightly been rearranged but clothes still strewed the floor and bedpost.

               “Wow,” Daeun breathed as she exited the bathroom. That had been renovated as well, with a new basin and mirror.

               Seohyun had since kicked off her shoes and she was hanging up her jacket. The backpack she had been carrying had been placed on the coffee table. From within it, Daeun peeked in and saw that it had been packed with nursing textbooks.

               “You’re back in school?” she casually asked.

               Seohyun nodded and took a seat in the second armchair across from Daeun. “I’m actually graduating next year. I mean, it’s about time right?” she chuckled.

               They both sat in silence for a while until their nervousness got the better of them. Bursting into laughter, Seohyun was the first to speak.

               “It’s not as you remember, is it?”

               “Not at all. Everything is so much tidier and very much modern.”

               “I had it renovated. I’ve had the idea for a while, but didn’t have the money for it. But I recently got a promotion at work which gave me a little extra to work with.”

               “You’re studying and working at the same time?”

               “Well, I didn’t have anyone else to depend upon. When you left, it was hard but it also served as a wakeup call that I had depended on you way too much. Not only had you been my source of living, but you were the way I got food, transportation and well…. My everything. Sounds cheesy, doesn’t it?”

               “I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly,” Daeun whispered.

               Seohyun shook her head. “I’m sure you had a reason to do so. If not, you wouldn’t be back right now, wouldn’t you? I am curious. Where did you go? I hadn’t asked the last time you called.”

               “New York.”

               “Wow,” Seohyun said this time.

               Daeun sighed. During that first call, she had given a vague answer to Seohyun. Yet seeing her as she was now, Daeun felt that she owed Seohyun the truth.

               “Do you remember those guys I used to hang around?”

               “The ones that you’d go out on errands for them late at night?”

               “Errands,” Daeun muttered to herself. She nodded to answer Seohyun’s question. “Well, that night we went to the club, they kidnapped me.”

               “What?!”

               “They didn’t do anything to me! They only needed me to run another… errand. It just happened that this errand was all the way in New York.”

               “Is it finished? Is that why you’re back now?”

               She scratched her head. “Not quite. I came back with Hoseok for a business meeting. We’re only going to be here for a few days.”

               Seohyun nodded silently.

               “I wanted to see how you were doing. But I can tell that you’re doing quite alright.”

               Seohyun’s eyes seemed to be focused on something beyond her. Turning, Daeun checked behind but there was only the wall. Seohyun’s lips moved slightly as she mumbled something to herself.

               “Oh my gosh! That disappearing one-night sleezebag!” she suddenly exclaimed.

               “What?”

               “The person you came back with! It was that guy who I had brought home in the past. But he walked out halfway through the night and he had bumped into you!”

               Daeun flushed. She remembered her first encounter with Hoseok. It was surprising to see how much the people around her had changed in the short year.

               “How did you guys end up together?”

               Daeun misinterpreted her question and answered, “Well he is part of BTS. But we’re currently living in New York together. He and I were the only ones free to make this trip back to Seoul.”

               “Aw, that’s adorable… sort of!” Seohyun clapped her hands together. “I know you’re only here for a few days, but tell me you’re free tomorrow!”

               She remembered the meeting set up with The Boss in the evening and told Seohyun that she was available only in the morning.

               “That works out! Jackson’s got the evening shift at the hospital but let’s go out before that. It’ll be so nice with the four of us.”

               “Jackson?” Daeun repeated with a raised eyebrow.

               Seohyun blushed. “My fiancée,” she replied sheepishly.

               “Your fiancée?!” Daeun exclaimed, “Okay, now you really have to tell me what happened this past year.” 

ah! this chapter is for all you Daseok shippers out there ;) i honestly really enjoyed writing this because Hoseok is been MIA for a while... Plus, we get to see the return of an old character (and the addition of a new one!) so much nostalgia in this chapter. 

I hope you all enjoy this and don't forget to leave your comments, subscribe (if you haven't) and upvote! until the next update, my loves!