Chapter 1.

 

Jung Hoseok, a graduate student from a prestigious dance and theatre academy situated in Seoul itself. He's a handsome guy, an idol; he moves like water and is praised on his dance by millions across the globe. He moves his body quickly, dropping to his knees as he greets the stage. Its presence fills him with warmth, it's like home. He looks out to the crowd; "Hoseok! Hoseok! Hoseok!" They're cheering, for him, for his dance and his talent; it's intoxicating.

"Hoseok! Hoseok!"

He's reaching out. This praise, it's what he worked for, countless hours spent grinding a dream which greets him as the crowd below.

They shine like diamonds, his army, glowing, reaching out for him.

"Hoseok!"

He's smiling, as he reaches out a hand.

"Hoseok."

He feels a tap on his shoulder; almost forceful…

"Jung Hoseok!"

In a startled response to his name, he wakes up, eyes wide and breath heavy.

.

He fell asleep, again.

Turning to the uniformed man powering over him, the brunette male gives him a short lasting smile, quickly removed as the officer beside him slams a fist on the canteen table.

"This isn't a holiday camp, boy" The officer Hoseok knows as "Jin" starts, "Why don’t you get your outside and do something rather than wasting my time having to remove you from this empty canteen every day."

Hoseok looked around. Damn, it really was empty in there, in fact they seemed to be the only two in the room minus one inmate who seemed to be cleaning up after the rest of them.

Instead of retaliating, the brunette rose from his position not even bothering to stretch. He knew Officer Jin's approach to him leaving had been a statement rather than a request, and so with a quick bow, he swiftly stumbled out of the canteen and into the hallway that led to the courtyard.

Jung Hoseok was a good kid. He knew he didn’t deserve to be in prison considering (in his own beliefs,) he'd committed no crime, but still he continued to drag his feet along the rough concrete, slowly wincing as the sunlight drew closer and hit his eyes.

Hoseok hadn’t been in the prison long, perhaps a week, and he chose to keep to himself entirely the whole time. If there was one thing he had learnt from his mother after watching the news together before she had passed away, it was "You can’t trust a prisoner, Hobie. They aren't your friends, so God forbid you ever end up in jail you stay away from them okay?" He had taken her word for it. He wasn’t there to make friends, nor enemies, and so he kept to himself.

Hoseok did have a roommate however, whose name was Jimin. They shared a cell together since they were both considered safe enough to be roomed with a "partner" but the brunette never asked much about the boy with candy pink hair, (followed by an inch of black root that was showing from lack of maintenance.) He knew the boy was still young, young enough to dye his hair and keep stylish and he knew his last name was "Park", but he could have guessed from his wristband. Hoseok hadn't even had to ask Jimin what he was doing there at such a young age, since the boy was so ecstatic to have a roommate anyway Hoseok listened to Jimin talk the nights away about his hopes and dreams, as well as why he was now sectioned after his boyfriends parents had grassed him up for being older than his partner, and caused a big enough scene to land him in jail.

"He's not even underage anymore, he had a birthday!" Hoseok remembers Jimin saying in an angered fit of attempting to defend himself; and Jimin had told him their relationship was casual and consented, which seemed reasonable to the brunette but maybe Jimin's partner's parents didn't want their son to be seen in the arms of a pink haired punk who looked like he would sell his school notes for a new pair of Doc Martens. Petty, Hoseok thought, but it wasn't his business anyway.

Stepping carefully on the hot ground that his shoes did nothing to defend him against, Hoseok looked out onto the courtyard, folding up the short length of his blue sleeves to cool down as much as he could in Korea's summer heat.

Hoseok didn't talk to Jimin outside of his cell; in fact, he didn't talk to anyone. He stuck to his rule of "not making friends" but never before had he been forced outside of the canteen the way he had today. Officer Jin would usually just send him back to his cell or to do some inside chores, and so Hoseok felt a little lost out in the warm breeze, until he spotted a small hand, one that's attached to a living cherry blossom waving him over to a bench near the fencing.

It was a situation to be in. Go and sit with candy boy and the two staring strangers that now had their eye on the sweating brunette, or stand like an idiot in an open courtyard filled with potential s and sweat his way through the day until dark.

Hoseok was already moving. He told himself it was because he saw shade on the empty side of the bench, but the thoughts in the back of his mind knew it was because everyone looked terrifying and hey, at least we know Jimin, right?

As he dragged his heavy feet across the dirt towards the bench, Hoseok briefly scanned the courtyard. It seemed almost like high school to him; everyone had their own set area. On the right side, the men seemed larger than the rest; most wore tattoos that said nothing more than " off" to Hoseok whilst he looked at them, artwork or not, he wasn't messing with any of those people during his time here, and on the left sat people who looked like they'd simply given up. It was obvious they didn't give a single care anymore, half of them looked already dead. The open area of the yard had a tall basketball hoop, but only one, and a few of the inmates were playing around with a basketball for exercise whilst guards watched over them from a distance, to discourage any fighting, Hoseok had assumed.

Now at the table of the three males, one blonde, a cotton candy mess, and a more simplistic, black haired male, Hoseok found himself in the centre of the courtyard, situated at the back of the open area and far enough away from the small basketball court to not be hurt by the players.

He decided not to say anything as he sat down, a small nod to Jimin was all he gave as the boy smiled brightly back at him, which caused his eyes to crease up and the older male took some time to study the two others before him.

Hoseok knew that first impressions were important, but before he introduced himself, he decided to make his own of the other males.

The boy farthest to the right of the bench sat with no expression. Black hair rested back against his head, following an impressively clean undercut and angling towards his nape. Hoseok watched as the male brushed his fingers through his hair towards the back of his head, explaining why his dark locks sat that way. He seemed bigger than the others; taller and more muscular. His eyes were dark, and he occasionally his bottom lip as he typed away on an old phone held by much larger hands. Was he even allowed that? How has nobody noticed? Hoseok chose not to ask.

To the dark haired male's left side sat the total opposite of his form; a much smaller boy with sandy blonde hair that rested just above his eyebrows, only a small parting showed just a peek of his forehead, like it was some kind of secret. The boy was feline, his eyes much smaller than the others but holding an equal amount of stories to them and his mouth formed a small, natural pout as he looked at the brunette opposite him. Only then did Hoseok realise he was staring.

"What."

Hoseok blinked. The boy wasn’t really asking what Hoseok wanted, more letting him know he didn't appreciate the stare.

"Nothing."

Brushing his bangs back off of his sweaty face, Hoseok decided the word he would use to describe these guys was, "Scary" (and perhaps, "rude" for the blonde,) except for Jimin, who was patting the table to gather the brunette's attention, which he returned with a dumbfounded gaze.

"Yo, Seok!"

"Don't call me that" Hoseok responded.

"Oh, haha, sorry!" Jimin laughed, his eyes smiling with him as he pushed himself away from the table.

"Was you caught sleeping again?" Jimin asked, receiving a confused glare from the elder who nodded in response.

"Wait what do you mean again? How do you know that?"

"Because you're always sleeping Hyung. Can I call you that? I'm always leaving before you and I think to wake you up but I think “Nah he will be okay.” Even if I did Officer Jin would be right on my about it, he's always the one ‘picking up the leftovers’, if you get me-"

Hoseok listened partly to Jimin ramble on before he got lost in the fact that he had noticed the blonde staring at him from the corner of his eye. Hoseok kept his attention on Jimin, but he could see the blonde's expression, and he didn’t seem happy. Hoseok was starting to hope that was just how his face naturally sat.

"-But anyway! Yoongi, Namjoon, this is my cell mate, Hoseok!"

The brunette brought his attention back to the trio as his name was called; turning to face the two who now greeted him with bored expressions, as Jimin excitedly introduced them.

The blonde didn’t seem like one for talking, but with some respect, the larger male Hoseok now knew as Namjoon, put down his old mobile, before giving the brunette his attention.

"Hoseok." He started, "Nice to meet you, let's hope we don’t become friends." Namjoon offered his hand out to the other with a warm, unexpected smile and Hoseok gently returned the gesture. He knew what the boy had meant, what he was basically saying to the brunette was, "I hope we're not in here together for a long time" and so he appreciated the gesture to at least try to get along with the boy. After a firm hand shake with the other, Namjoon turned his attention back to his phone, whilst Hoseok was greeted by another hand, this one more so thrown at him as he gazed at the blonde in the centre of the other two males.

"Min Yoongi. Take it or leave it."

The blonde had no expression to his face, and Hoseok figured that would be the most he was getting from Yoongi, so he took his hand which was surprisingly cold, and gave it a firm shake in greeting.

Hoseok wasn’t one to pry, but he was a curious man, just as anyone would be when surrounded by people who were forced into a punishment due to their actions, and so before he could stop himself, he asked a question he didn’t even think to ask the youngest of the three before.

"Why are you here?"

Namjoon looked over from his phone, stopping his text mid-sentence and Yoongi gave him the same, emotionless glare. Jimin seemed to look at the three with a small, interested smile. That boy didn’t have a care in the world, Hoseok thought. But he wasn’t sure anyone would hurt Park Jimin.

To the brunette’s surprise, Yoongi spoke up first, responding to the question rather quickly with a, "I was falsely accused. Why are you here?" And Hoseok wondered if he had even wished he'd asked.

Hoseok wasn't meant to be in prison, he knew he wasn’t because nobody wanted to hear his side of the story at all when a woman was involved, but he didn't know if he should tell the strangers before him. For all he knew they might think he deserved to be there, and what's to say he wasn’t lying if he didn’t believe Yoongi was falsely accused anyway. Hoseok took a moment... Did he want to tell them?

/ As the rest of his students left the studio, Hoseok tied his shoes, before grabbing his gym bag and locking up. He was working part time at a local dance hall, working alongside a few other tutors to train younger students in freestyle and contemporary dance. Hoseok's dream was to be an idol, but wasn’t that everyone’s? He believed so, and after being refused for auditions, he decided to instead of giving up, help train others in the hope that they could one day pursue their dreams in dance.

It doesn't take long for Hoseok to reach the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Yeori. They'd been together for two years and lived together for 6 months during that time. He considered her to be his everything. She was home, and so after closing the door to their shared apartment, he called for her, looking throughout the house only to find her seated in the bedroom, legs crossed on the bed.

Hoseok didn't remember much of the night. Yeori had screamed at him, slapped him, thrown their belongings in his direction and between all the crashing of his world coming down he hears her talk about money, or what is a lack of it, and how late he always comes home.

He always gave her nice things, she wore designer whilst he wore cheaper brands, and she worked from home whilst he paid for everything else. Her money was hers, and he gave her everything else, including himself.

Yeori yells and screams about him cheating. "Is it why you’re always home late!? Tell me Hoseok!" but Hoseok is seeing this as an excuse. She knows he wouldn’t cheat, she just wants to leave, and he begs her not to go. He's bruised and bleeding slightly from the heavier things she's thrown at him, including her balled up fists, and Hoseok tries one more time to get her attention.

He grabbed her wrists, "Please don't leave me, Yeori." and her eyes show him threat.

Yeori doesn’t care about the shelf that collides with Hoseok’s shoulders as she throws him off her and towards the wall. Hoseok realises she only cares about herself. He wonders if she found someone else. Why didn’t she just say?

She leaves after telling him,

"You will regret laying your hands on me, Jung Hoseok."

Hoseok spent the night heartbroken, well, what he could of it. Within hours he had the police at his door. Hoseok is accused of abuse towards Yeori, she had used the damage in their apartment as "evidence" towards her, and claimed it had been an ongoing thing.

Hoseok couldn't defend himself, he tried, but a week later after facing her in court she shows no remorse, and he finds himself waking up beside someone who doesn’t carry long dark locks and rose tinted lips, but instead short pink bangs, and a happy face. This boy is excited to see him.

"Hey dude! I’m Jimin, your cell mate! Nice to meet you!" /

 

Hoseok remembers it like it was yesterday, and yet he can barely remember anything at all. He wonders if he tells the boys in front of him, would they hate him for grabbing Yeori? He still has yellow bruising on his chest and shoulder blades.

"I was falsely accused too." Is what the brunette settles with, to which Yoongi only raises a brow, and Namjoon snorts.

"Ah, we are all victims, right?" Namjoon says, smiling at the three and even Jimin isn’t smiling back, they all wear bored expressions as the taller male lets out an awkward chuckle whilst locking his phone. Yoongi replies first,

"I really was falsely accused, ." and Namjoon just nods in return, he doesn’t seem to believe Yoongi at all.

"Uh-huh, and what about our little ert here?" He points to Jimin who only slaps the table in return with a loud, "Hey!" before jumping back to his defence.

"I'm not a ert! I'll have you kno-"

"Yes Jimin he had a birthday right? We know" Yoongi laughs, and it surprises Hoseok who only watches the three as they pass banter about their crimes when the brunette remembers he never asked the taller male why he was there.

"Namjoon, right?" He asks, the boy turning to him with a smile still plastering his face whilst Jimin reaches to hit him.

"Yeah?"

"Can i ask? Or was you wronged too?"

Hoseok watched as Yoongi glared towards Namjoon, almost smirking in a more playful gaze and the taller male laughed whilst picking back up his phone, unlocking it.

"Me? Oh no dude, I'm meant to be here" He lets out a masculine chuckle, leaning his elbows on the table. "My partner dobbed me in for selling drugs and let me tell you, it's quite hard to convince an Officer that you're innocent when they catch you doing that dude!"

Namjoon seemed light hearted about the situation. Considering their location, Hoseok wondered how he played it off so well.

"You take it easy here?" He asks, earning a wink from Namjoon who shakes his phone at the brunette whilst a loud whistle sounds across the courtyard. Hoseok watched as Yoongi and Jimin stood from the bench, collecting their jackets.

"It's easy when you're still making money Hoseok. It's not so bad, these guys are just too frilly about it," Namjoon gestures towards the other two, Yoongi smacks his shoulder in return as an Officer yells for him, giving him a pointed glare and Yoongi only raises his hands in return, before they're yelled to go inside.

Namjoon stood from the bench, throwing an arm over the brunettes shoulder and leading him towards the prison with a slight distance between the other two. With a flick of his wrist, his phone is hidden as they make their way across the courtyard.

"I think Yoongi is a liar Hoseok, but you? You seem like a nice guy." Namjoon says, removing his arm from the brunette as they reach the door, before opening it and stepping half inside.

"Stick with me and you'll be fine."

Namjoon smiles at Hoseok who nods back in return, before catching the door and making his way inside.

 

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