Hoseok barely slept that night as he thought over Eun Ji’s words. He had wanted to talk to her, to find out why she had been avoiding him lately, but he had never considered the possibility that it was because she liked him. He lay awake in bed, thinking over every conversation they’d had, every meal they’d shared and all the time they had spent together as he tried to piece together his true feelings for her. He had ended up calling Yoongi in the early hours of the morning, the older man cursing a blue streak at him before grumbling, “You like her, so call her and let me sleep.” At him and hanging up.

He had then called Namjoon who had said something similar, just minus the cursing. It wasn’t until the sun had already risen and the hot humidity of another summer day began that he finally reached a conclusion. Even if he hadn’t thought it would be possible, she had somehow claimed a piece of his heart. After sleeping for only a short time, he sat on the edge of his bed, the necklace and ring in his hand. He ran his fingers over the smooth metal before gently placing it into a small box on the side of his bed. He made up his mind that if he was truly going to heal, then he needed to stop ignoring his feelings and speak to Eun Ji.

He took his time showering and eating breakfast, knowing that considering the state she had been in the night before, she probably wouldn’t be up early. When he finally couldn’t take it anymore, he called her. She answered on the last ring, her voice thick with sleep. “Morning.” She mumbled before yawning loudly. Hoseok couldn’t suppress his chuckle, even with his nerves. “Morning, how badly are you suffering?” he asked. She groaned loudly. “There are no words to describe how awful I feel.” She whined. He grinned, “Well that’s what happens when you agree to tequila and blueish drinks.” He said, remembering her words from the night before.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “How do you know what I was drinking when I can’t even remember?” she asked curiously. “Don’t you remember? I met you when you were on your way home. You were completely wasted so I took you home.” He heard her groan through the phone. “I’m so sorry. I’m so flipping embarrassed. I can’t remember anything…” Hoseok wasn’t sure if she was pretending or not, but he didn’t want to let this chance slip away. “I was thinking of heading out to that little bakery near the park. If you want I could swing by your place with doughnuts?” he said, hoping that she wouldn’t reject him.

She mentally debated the pros and cons of letting Hoseok come over, something which was made even more difficult by her raging hangover. She knew that he would want to talk like he had said the last time they had met at the bar, plus there was the added issue of anything she had said or done the night before, but the temptation of doughnuts was too good to pass up, especially with how horrible she felt. She sighed loudly, knowing that she couldn’t avoid him forever. “I want one with sprinkles.” She mumbled. Hoseok grinned and promised to bring chicken as well. Once they hung up she forced herself into the shower, hoping to not completely resemble a zombie when he turned up.                                                                                                   

The closer he got to her house, the more nervous he felt. His hand subconsciously raised to touch the spot where the ring normally sat on his chest. He frowned when his fingers touched skin instead of the familiar metal. He finally arrived outside of her door, his hands full of bags of doughnuts, chicken, and other snacks, knowing that her hungover self would appreciate the gesture. He tapped the door with his foot, his hands too full to knock properly.

She answered the door, her hair still wet from her shower. “Hey.” She said, feeling slightly nervous. He smiled at her as she grabbed a couple of bags from him and invited him in. He kicked off his shoes and followed her to the living room where she had started laying out the food. He helped her sort out the food on her coffee table before they started eating. She let out a small groan of happiness as she finished her first piece of chicken. “I feel human again.” she muttered. He chuckled and handed her a can of coke. “Eat slowly or you’ll choke.” He chided.

She opened the can and took a big gulp. “So, did you have fun last night?” he asked, hoping he sounded nonchalant. She nodded as she picked up another piece of chicken. “Yeah, had a girl’s night with some of my friends from university.” She said with a smile. Hoseok nodded, thankful that she had actually been out with friends and hadn’t just been out drinking alone. “How come you were walking home alone? Why didn’t you get a taxi?” he asked. She shrugged at him, “I don’t know. I barely even remember leaving whichever club we ended up at.” Hoseok frowned at her. “You should really take more care. It’s not safe for a girl to be out wandering alone at that time of night. Especially when you’ve had that much to drink.” She hung her head in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry that you had to end up bringing me home.” She said apologetically. He shrugged it off, “It’s alright. It’s not like you haven’t done the same for me.” She nodded, the silence stretching out between them for a few moments until she broke it. “I didn’t say or do anything stupid, did I?” she asked, worried about his answer. He shook his head, deciding that it was now or never. “You didn’t say anything stupid but…”

Her hands flew up to her face in embarrassment, “Oh my god, what did I say?” she asked, her tone showing how worried she felt. Hoseok looked up at her with a serious expression. “I don’t really know how to say this, so I’m just going to say it bluntly.” He said before clearing his throat, his hands beginning to sweat from nerves. Panic started to well up inside her, a million thoughts racing through her head of what she could have said. He held her gaze as he spoke. “You confessed to me last night.” She gasped a little as she turned away from him, her face burning with embarrassment.

“You told me that’s the reason why you’ve been avoiding me lately.” He continued, making her curse herself loudly in her head. She her suddenly dry lips. “Look Hoseok, whatever I said last night. Don’t worry about it or take it too seriously, ok? I was completely wasted! Don’t let it worry you, ok?” she said as she tried her best to smile. She couldn’t believe that she had actually confessed to him. Not only that, but she couldn’t even remember it! Her stomach twisted painfully, and it wasn’t because of her hangover. He reached over the table and gently covered her hand with his.

She looked down at their hands before looking back up at him. His expression was still serious as he looked at their hands. “Eun Ji, I have to admit that your confession caught me completely off-guard last night.” She felt her chest tighten painfully. She took a deep breath, hoping that when he told her that he didn’t feel the same way she would be able to contain her tears until after he had left. “I barely slept all night. I thought about a lot of things. A little about you, a little about myself.” He had started subconsciously rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb as he continued.

“You know what I've been through and you’ve never once tried to push me to get better faster than I was ready for. You’ve never looked at me with pity. You’ve been a really great friend to me these past few months.” The word ‘friend’ felt like a knife wound to her chest. “Like I said, you gave me a lot to think about last night. I started to think about our friendship and what it means to me. I also had a good long think about my feelings as well.” He stopped, letting out a long exhale before continuing.

“I know I’m far from perfect. I know that I still haven’t healed a hundred percent. I have a million flaws but for some reason you’ve accepted me like this. I finally came to realise that my feelings for you are more than just that of friends.” By this point Eun Ji was holding her breath. “It may take me some time to become a man worthy of you, but if you are willing to deal with this imperfect me… I’d love to take our friendship to the next level.” He said as he finally lifted his gaze to meet hers. The hand that wasn’t covering hers, raising to pull down the collar of his t-shirt.

Eun Ji let out a soft gasp as she realised that he wasn’t wearing the necklace with the ring. “Hoseok…” she said, words completely failing her. The significance of the missing ring not escaping her still hungover mind. He gave her a nervous grin, “So I’m hoping that you meant what you said last night, even though you don’t remember it.” He said with a nervous chuckle. She smiled at him as they linked their hands together. “Even though I don’t remember exactly what I said, it’s true that I do like you. And that is the reason why I started to avoid you. I didn’t want to burden you or put any pressure on you.” She said, her voice showing concern. “Did what I say last night force you into this decision?” she asked worriedly.

Hoseok shook his head as he gently squeezed her hand. “No, but it was the wakeup call I needed. It’s true that my heart belonged to my ex-girlfriend and for the longest time I could never have imagined anyone else being able to fit in my heart but somehow, you managed to steal a space in there. My feelings for you took root and bloomed before I even realised it. Last night I finally realised that what Yoongi and Namjoon have been saying is completely right. I can be happy, she would want me to move on, to fall in love again. She wouldn’t have wanted me to spend my entire life pining for her. I think that I needed to realise that its ok to love again, it’s not an insult to her memory.”

Eun Ji smiled, her eyes watery as she listened to Hoseok's words. She had never imagined that she would be having this conversation with him. She had barely dared to dream that he would ever return her feelings. Hoseok noticed the tears in her eyes and panicked, “Why are you crying? Is it my fault? Is it because I’m talking about her?” he asked, feeling flustered. She shook her head quickly, “No, not at all! I understand that she is still important to you, and I would never want you to forget your love for her and the memories you have of her. I'm just so happy.” She said with a chuckle.

Hoseok smiled at her, thankful and grateful for her understanding. “I want you to know that my feelings for you are true. I want to learn more and more about you. I want you to share your happiness, your sadness and everything else in between with me.” He said making her smile. He gently tugged on her hand, scooting around the table and pulling her against his chest. She resisted the urge to let her jaw drop at the sudden gesture, instead choosing to wrap her arms around his waist. They stayed that way for several minutes until Hoseok ruffled her hair. “Come on, you need to eat up. It’s the only way to get rid of your hangover.” She sat up, the smile never leaving her face. He handed her a piece of chicken, a matching smile on his face.

It may not have been the way she had imagined their confessions happening, but she couldn’t deny that she couldn’t be happier that her forgotten, drunken confession had led to Hoseok confessing that she was more to him than just a friend.