On his days off, Jung Hoseok liked to go to the dance studio and spend the hours dancing. He liked to burn off the stress he’d accumulated from the long shifts at the hospital, checking patients in, making rounds, breaking up arguments between his fellow nurses when they’d gone without sleep for too long. Usually, Hoseok slept at the hospital the night before his free day and went straight to the studio. That’s what he liked to do, what would soothe the tension out of his body.

But sometimes, Hoseok would rather go help out with the monthly blood drives that were carried out at the local shopping center. He would take the late morning, early afternoon shift, sleeping in just enough to recharge his battery, his thousand watt smile. That’s what his fellow nurses said anyway, that he had a thousand watt smile.

He liked helping out. His personality was best suited to ease the fear out of those donors that could not stand the sight of blood or needles. Hoseok admired them the most. They weren’t required to donate, but they still volunteered, faced their fears and equipped doctors and paramedics with the necessary blood supplies required to save a life.

The old woman that spent her weeks calling different people, trying to coax them into a donation appointment in her sweet, caring voice had set up the sign-in table in the homeliest of manners. When Hoseok arrived for his shift, the table was covered with a pretty white and red cloth, the logo for their non-profit organization clearly printed on the banner that hung from the corners. She’d placed little bowls with chocolates, various candies, and pens across the surface; the clipboard with the sign-in sheet already looked as if had gone through several pages.

Hoseok whistled, looking at the list. They were getting volunteers every minute; the longest breaks between donors were ten or fifteen minutes. He grinned at the grandma-like woman, gentle, Old Marie.

“Grandma, it looks like we’ll be saving a lot of lives today!”

Always dazzled and warmed by his smile, Old Marie handed him a large chocolate bar. “Hoseok! I knew you would come today! We’ve been very busy.”

Hoseok gave her a big hug before accepting the candy, which he pocketed for later. He took a lollipop, stuck it in his mouth, and ambushed Old Marie for a selfie. The old woman gave her gray, hair puff a pat or two before smiling at the camera. Hoseok gave her one last squeeze before he got into the standard phlebotomist lab coat.

“Yo! J-Hope! Long time no see, man!”

“Yo, William, how are you man?”

They high fived, bumped shoulders. William was an occasional friend, the kind Hoseok only saw every few months. They’d been in nursing school together and most people had known Hoseok by the name he donned during his street dancing days. Though his I.D. read Jung Hoseok most patients got to know him as J-Hope; one or two of his collegues would call him that enough times that it would stick. Hoseok didn’t mind one bit.

“I’m about to go to lunch, do you want me to bring back something for you?”

“Nah, thanks. I ate before coming. Take your time, I can handle it.”

William gave him a hard, appreciative pat on the shoulder. A nurse called Hoseok over; after a hasty goodbye, he dove into work.

How could Hoseok’s smile be described? Most donors wondered that as he guided them through the process of donating. He made them laugh, set them at ease. The men laughed at his jokes and the women were charmed by his silly antics.

Some phlebotomists had a heavy hand that would bruise donors. Those that had difficult veins were poked more than once, making the donation rocky and uncomfortable. If they could not find the vein on the second try, they asked Hoseok to do it for them. Just as his personality was bright, cheerful, his hands were gentle, soft. He had a knack for finding veins, inflicting little to no pain.

William, recharged by a hefty lunch, squeezed his shoulders. “You’re so good at this! What would the nursing world do without you?”

Hoseok grinned, shoving him away. With William out of the way, Hoseok caught sight of Old Marie talking to a girl in a light blue spring dress. She stood outside the blood drive’s assigned area, holding a pen in one hand while maintaining eye contact with Old Marie, listening attentively. Even from afar, Hoseok could tell she was pretty.

Old Marie turned around, waving William over. He watched as the girl asked him something, then pushed her dark hair back, turning her head. William leaned in, then drew away. They talked for a few more seconds before she went ahead and signed in.

Hoseok turned away to ask the donor he was with if he felt alright. He left to grab him some water and crackers, then made his rounds, checking in on the rest of the donors.

“J-Hope!” William called him over. “Can you finish checking her in?”

“Sure, what section?”

“Three.”

Hoseok made his way over to the small, sectioned off areas where donors filled out a survey with their personal information. The girl he had seen before sat with her purse on her lap, her I.D. in her hands. Her eyes were wide, shifting nervously. Fear radiated off of her like nothing Hoseok had ever seen.

Once in a while, they got donors that would pass out before or after their session from sheer terror. He could tell this girl had had that very same experience, if not a similar one, from the way in which she sat.

“Hello, I’m Hoseok. I’ll be taking care of you today.”

“I’m sorry? I didn’t catch your name.”

“J-Hope!” William shouted from another area. “What’s the code for this thing?!”

He sighed, gifting her a comforting smile. “Give me just one second.”

When he returned, the girl had procured a music player from her bag. She fumbled a bit when she saw him, gulping hard. Hoseok knew he would have to work extra hard to put her at ease.

“Sorry about that. Where were we?” He held out his hand, motioning for her to give him her I.D. and donor card.

She cleared , handing them both hastily, nearly dropping her music player. “Y-your name. J-Hope?”

He laughed, reading her name off her I.D. “That’s what my friends call me. My legal name is Jung Hoseok.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude!”

Laughing again, he handed her things back. “Don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong Miss...?”

He left his sentence hanging, waiting for her to introduce herself. She knew he had read her name out of her I.D., so it took her a while to realize that this was a polite consideration of his part.

“Oh! Sophie, just Sophie.”

“Well, just Sophie, let’s be heroes.”

Hoseok could have very well allowed her to answer the survey in private, but he sat beside her until she was done. Sophie had done this enough times to know the questions almost by heart. When he looked at her answers, he found out she had recently gotten a piercing.

“Where did you get the piercing?”

“A tattoo shop. It was clean. I saw them open the jewelry and needles.”

“One time use?”

“Yes. I saw them throw it away.”

“Cool. Can I see your earring?”

Sophie brushed her hair aside, showing him a standard, stainless steel earring. It contrasted so much with her apparent quiet demeanor that it intrigued him.

“Did it hurt?”

“A little. I’m afraid of needles, so it took a lot of courage for me to get it.”

Hoseok smiled, his eyes crinkling. “You’re even braver for being here. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

“Yes, please do. I’m counting on you.”

Her voice was tiny, sounding far away. He recognized it as the coping mechanism known as distancing. When it was time to prick her finger to check for her red blood cell count, she wiped her hands on her dress. Hoseok steadied its shaking with his gentle fingers.

Sophie turned away, a trembling breath escaping her lungs.

He cleaned her fingertip gently, admiring the pretty nail art on her nails. She’d gotten them done in white and yellows, cheerfully and bolding announcing the arrival of spring. Her hand was smaller than his. Before pricking her finger, Hoseok wondered what it would feel like to hold that hand in his.

After the prick, Sophie turned to watch him collect her blood. Clearly, it wasn’t blood that frightened her; the things that did the pricking did.

“You’re such a trooper.” He pressed a small gauze to her fingertip. Sophie instantly applied pressure on it.

“Just doing the best I can.”

After he checked her temperature, pulse, and blood pressure, he found himself in a very awkward situation. Even for medical reasons, women didn’t quite appreciate being asked their weight. But when he asked, Sophie replied without much care. Instead, she asked him for a Band-Aid when he finished.

He reached into the pocket of his coat, procuring a small, Disney Princesses’ Band-Aid. He laughed, opening it up and placing it around her finger.

“Only the best for royalty.”

Sophie gave him a shaky smile, following him to the area where she would give a pint of her blood to someone in need. Unexpectedly, she took his hand in hers. Hoseok turned around, eyes wide.

“D-don’t let me see the needle. Please.”

Hoseok stared at her for a moment, that pretty girl with dark hair and eyes overflowing with terror. So much fear in those eyes.

He gave her his best smile, the one he was always complimented for, his thousand watt smile. He helped her into the chair, placing a blanket over her lap to make her more comfortable.

“Don’t worry, I promised to take good care of you and I will.”

Sophie nodded. She reached for her headphones, placing one in her ear. She scrolled around until she found a song she could relax too. All the while, Hoseok prepared her arm. He noticed tiny little scars on her inner elbow, battle scars from her previous donations.

“Alright, Sophie, take a deep breath.”

She did. She would have held it in if he hadn’t reminded her to exhale. “Is it in?”

“Yes. Don’t turn around yet.” He fetched a small gauze, placing it over the needle. “You have really good veins.”

“They tell me that every time. I’m grateful for that. I don’t have to be poked so much.”

He laughed. “You can turn around now.”

Hoseok didn’t know what he had been expecting, but he knew that he had not been expecting for her to look at the crook of her elbow. Sophie, however, looked directly at the little gauze he had used to cover up the needle.

She blinked once, twice, before raising her eyes to look at him. She smiled gratefully.

“Thank you. The last time I donated, the man that helped me told me to turn around before he covered the needle. I nearly passed out from fright. Silly, right?”

Hoseok smiled, shaking his head. “It’s not silly at all. Do you remember his name? I can go beat him up for you.”

Sophie laughed; a cute, breathy sound. “I don’t! But if I remember, can I come and tell you?”

“You bet. Just ask for J-Hope.”

“I will.”

No matter how much he wanted to stay, he had to go attend to other donors. Sophie asked for a water before he left and he gladly fetched it for her. In that brief moment that he left her, she had become extremely pale.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you.” She reached for the water and took a sip.

“Call for me if you need anything, okay? Don’t cross your ankles and move your legs every once in a while.”

Sophie nodded.

As it turned out, Hoseok was not the only one worrying over her. Every nurse and volunteer present took turns checking in on her. He felt slightly guilty for leaving her, but they really did need him in other areas with other donors.

After a while, he managed to make his way back to her. She had grown extremely pale.

“Sophie? How are you feeling?”

“Hanging in there.”

“You’re almost done.”

She closed her eyes, nodding a minute nod. She pumped a few more times, filling up the bag. Hoseok quickly tidied up.

“Look away.”

Sophie did.

She applied pressure to her elbow while he prepared the gauze tape. He could very well have chosen the blue one that would have matched her dress, or maybe the yellow one that would complement her nails. But he wrapped her elbow in green gauze tape. At least this way, she would take a little of him with her, even if it was only his favorite color.

“Okay, you’re all set.”

Sophie exhaled, swinging her legs over the chair. He took her hand, helping her down. He walked her over to the waiting area, watching over her carefully. He could tell just how shaky and unbalanced she felt.

“You really are brave.”

“Just doing what I can. People need this.” Sophie dismissed his compliment.

“They do. Your blood might save my life later.”

She looked up at him as he helped her down into a chair. “Are we both type A?”

“We are.”

Sophie smiled. “Well, I’m sure your blood could save me later.”

“J-Hope! Stop flirting and come help me!” William shouted.

A blush crept up on him. Sophie seemed to have no blood or strength left to blush. Hoseok gave her soda, instructing her to remain still until she felt strong enough to move. Sophie watched him run back, missing his cheery voice and smile.

By the time Hoseok had the chance to look over, Sophie was gone.

“She left in a hurry, dear,” Old Marie said. “Apparently she came during her lunch break. She said her boss would get mad if she arrived even a second late.”

“What? But she wasn’t feeling well!”

Old Marie looked regretful. “I’m sorry, dear. Would you like for me to find her phone number for you?”

The idea tempted him. He shook his head. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t want to scare her. I hope she makes it back home safely.”

He looked into the mass of bodies, the countless individuals that had come to shop. Some went around the drive’s area in wide arcs, avoiding it like the plague. Others approached tentatively, changing their minds at the last second. Still, even more did approach them. The drive had been ongoing for two days now; this their third day was their last.

Hoseok wondered if it had taken Sophie those two days to gather the courage she needed to donate. He really did admire those donors, the bravest kind. Still, Sophie had been the only one he had ever wanted to ask out to lunch.

He hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask for her number.

Two months later, Hoseok gave up yet another of his free days to help out with another blood drive. Old Marie had done her best with the greeting table again, this time adding two baskets of flowers.

“They have to be fake,” she said, a bit downcast, “for those donors that might be allergic.”

Hoseok gave her a squeezing hug. Old Marie was a precious angel he wanted to protect. The day went on like any other. William continued to forget things, Hoseok continued to soothe patients. Someone passed out after seeing William carrying a few bags of blood and plasma. Another backed out at the last moment.

When lunchtime rolled around, Hoseok felt exhausted. He rubbed his neck, ready to take a break.

“Hoseok, honey, you have a donor waiting,” Old Marie said.

“Can William take them? I kind of need a break.”

Her eyebrows drew together, her smile widened. “I don’t think they will let anyone else take care of them. They specifically asked for you.”

Hoseok huffed a tired laugh. “Did they demand that the mighty Jung Hoseok draw their blood?”

“No,” Old Marie’s smile grew wider. “They asked for J-Hope, the handsome gentleman with the smile made of actual sunshine.”

He paused. “What?”

“I think you better go help them.”

Old Marie’s teasing smile made him curious. He found the small cubicle the donor waited in, stopping short when he saw Sophie sitting with her bag on her lap, her I.D. between her fingers. She shot him a smile; he remembered her being pretty, but not this pretty. Her presence knocked the wind out of him.

“I came to save your life, you know?” She said by form of greeting.

“I’m glad you did.” He sat beside her. “Did you really say my smile is made of sunshine?”

Sophie’s eyebrows shot up, eyes incredulous. “Isn’t it?”

Hoseok’s grin broadened. “Can I treat you out to lunch? And maybe get your number, too?”