“So will you?” Hani batted her eyelashes.

Soa drew out of her reverie and realized that the girl was still waiting for an answer. After all, why not? It’s not like Soa had any connection whatsoever to Hoseok right? They had kissed once, and that was it. And anyway, their kiss was nothing; it didn’t mean anything to her. Right? Hoseok had only kissed her again not because he wanted to or held special feelings for her, but because he pitied her state. Yes, that was it. So Soa should be a good friend and just say yes. A simple nod would do the trick.

But when she opened to agree, the words wouldn’t form. Her voice box was clogged with that stuffed up feeling she was having, and the sour taste in came p as acidic as ever. Why couldn’t she reply to Hani, fair and square? Something was bothering her from speaking, something that made Soa queasy in the stomach to think about it.

“I-“ Thankfully, the bell rang and saved her skin for once. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but Soa felt like she needed some space and air to breathe. There was no way she would be able to concentrate on her studies when her feelings were in the way. What feelings? She furrowed her eyebrows while exiting the classroom, what the are you on about now, Kang Soa?

She needed to think.

“Hey” a hand brushed onto her shoulder when she turned to clash eyes with that one person she didn’t wish to meet at this particular moment. Of all people, he just had to make his appearance when he was the least wanted, and when she was not in the best of moods. Her hands clamped down at her sides, digging her nails into her straps of her bag while she gazed at him with somewhat an annoyed but half-panicked expression dancing in her eyes.

Hoseok let a frown furrow his eyebrows as he grabbed onto her arm. The girl only blinked, pulling away. “Let go”

“Something’s wrong” he said bluntly. Trust him to actually make a distinction at the wrong time. Any other day, Soa might have felt grateful that someone was looking out for her. But right now, she felt like she needed air.

Hoseok saw it all in her eyes. The morning glint that had once twinkled through her brown caramel orbs was gone. Instead, she looked like she was about to throw up at any moment, and the color had drained from her face. Just a few minutes ago, she had been radiating with life. Now all he could see was a walking dead. Perhaps if he was someone else he wouldn’t have noticed all the small changes, but J-Hope took care into identifying the wrongness of her face, and he had a tendency of watching her out of the corner of his eye every time she would be in his peripheral vision.

Soa pulled away with a sudden harshness “Leave me alone”

Hoseok pulled her back harshly against his chest and held onto her shoulders while dragging her into a random janitor’s closet so that no one would see them, looking deeply into her eyes “Tell me”

“Get the hell away from me” She warned, pushing at his chest but failing when his grip tightened. One thing that Hoseok hated was when people told him to stop caring when he couldn’t just make as if everything was okay. Once he saw this slight crack, he had a need to go and open the wound up just to see exactly what was hiding behind it. Soa struggled into his grip and tried not flinching at the touch of his long frame against her soft curves. She hated the tingles of butterflies that erupted in her chest whenever they were close, and they seemed to have multiplied by a thousand these past few days.

“Tell me” Hoseok growled.

“Why the hell do you care?!”  Not being able to restrain herself any longer, Soa exploded in his face. Her mental state was horrified at her lack of control. No, she couldn’t show Hoseok what really went on behind her mind, because otherwise she’d show him the most fragile side of her, and she wasn’t ready to reveal any of that yet, even though he already knew half of what she was going through.

“Please just let go” Her eyes fluttered to the ground, an edge to her voice. She was trying to reel in all her emotions and hide behind her solid rock, but Hoseok wanted to prod some more, he wanted to see her breakdown all the barriers she had put up against herself. Because if she didn’t, who knows what else she might be holding in. one way to get rid of all this sadness that had been pursuing her was to face it, and he noticed that Soa was someone that ran away from her problems by hiding no matter what.

“I’ll kiss you if you keep moving” he suddenly warned as his voice dropped down an octave.

“Stop thinking that you can solve everything by kissing people!” She burst out again, the anger reverberating in her chest and pumping blood through her veins.

They stood for some time, each individual glaring at each other while mentally throwing knives.

But then, Hoseok’s eyes softened slightly, and when he spoke there was a slight tremor in his voice. “Is that how you see me?”

Soa stayed silent, biting her lip in sudden nervousness.

“You think I kissed you because of some stupid reason like that?”

“Yes” she looked at him straight in the eye.

His face morphed into one of darkness, leaning so close to her that she caught a whiff of his perfume “Do you think I’m that easy?”

“Do you think I care?” she shot back as viciously.

“I know you’re hiding something. Stop trying to make as if everything’s alright”

“Who are you to tell me that?!” Her angered maroon orbs glowered with anger and frustration, flashing with the numerous amounts of emotions that were coursing through her as she pushed him back “You’re nothing to me!”

“If I were nothing to you,” he snarled “You wouldn’t have let me hold you in my arms last night!”

“You’re the one prying into my life!” She snorted “I didn’t ask you for help!”

She shouldn’t have let those words shoot out of , stinging the air like bees. The silence was so deafening that one could hear a pin drop, and she bit her lip when she saw Hoseok’s face change. To her surprise, he seemed to soften up instead of bursting with anger.

But it couldn’t have compared with what he did after that. In a swift movement, the boy had crushed her against his chest and laced his arms around her waist, pulling her body to his while cuddling his face into the crook of her neck. The girl’s eyes widened at the thought of being so close to him. his perfume was rolling off her in waves, and her legs weakened and shook like jelly as she tried to comprehend what the hell he was doing. Hoseok was someone- no doubt about that- so unpredictable. Once Soa had thought that she had him all written down, but apparently not. He had once again surprised the heck out of her with his unpredictable actions.

If it were anyone else, she would’ve slapped him or her and ran away.

But it was Hoseok .

Only Hoseok.

It wasn’t the first time they hugged. And it actually felt very calming to feel his heartbeats against hers.

He pulled her closer still, nose nuzzling her skin right beneath her jaw.

Soa closed her eyes and tried letting herself relax.

“Let go, Soa” He whispered, “Lean on me”

So she did, after some slight hesitation.

She wrapped her arms around him timidly and noticed just how defined he was when his middle pressed against her. Biting her lip so as not to release a gasp, the girl put her forehead onto his shoulder and breathed in his scent that calmed her down.

Why did it feel so right when she let her walls down around him?

And why should it feel wrong?

Right, because Hani loves him.

The thought of it alone made her stiffen in his embrace, but Hoseok only nuzzled his nose into her neck that shot tingles of butterflies up and down dancing along her spine.

“Right now” his voice was muffled, hitting the flesh close to her jaw and causing her to shrug in response. “I’m making it up to you, I’m giving you a chance to lean on someone” leaning away to gaze at her face, his fingers unconsciously went up to tuck some stray strand of hair that came undone next to her temple.
“Do you understand?” His voice was merely above a husky whisper.

She only nodded, and it seemed like they had made a pack right then and there, a connection alone that only they could understand.

-----------

The lunch hall was already filled when Soa entered, and she made sure to avoid Hoseok's eyes when he pointedly stared at her with an undefinable expression on his face. Sitting down in between Jungkook and Hani, the young boy nudged her shoulder and grinned boyishly at her "yo Soa" 

"Hi" she didn't bother looking at him. 

"Soa-ah!" V popped up behind her and slung an arm around her shoulder, grinning when she jumped involuntarily at the contact. On the other side of the table, Hoseok had on a glare that seemed to shoot lasers out of his eyes. She felt it drilling a hole through her head, and still she refused to look into those eyes that stripped off her mask, that caused her to feel to the core. After everything that had happened earlier that day, her pride was wounded, as well as her ego. How the heck could she have let herself be so gullible?

"Here!" V popped a cookie into . Frowning at him, she practically felt her tooth stick to the material, and started choking. 

"Yah, where's mine V oppa?" Hani pouted. 

The latter narrowed his eyes at her "No" 

Soa would've laughed if not for the look on Hani's face, which was murderous.

"Yah V, don't be mean" Jin came and slapped the back of the latter's head, who whined in protest. "Hyung~"

"Oppa" Hani turned to J-Hope in a huff and hoped that he would take her side "say something oppa"

J-Hope was too busy on killing Soa for ignoring him in his mind that her words passed right through him like he hadn't heart anything. It was only when she touched his arm that he jumped slightly, and turned his head to her in annoyance, "what?"

Hani winced "V's being mean to me"

"V, don't be mean to her" he replied in a very mechanical and off-putting tone. Soa gulped down the water bottle given by Jungkook, who patted her back in comfort as she coughed.

The sour taste of the burnt cookies still lingered inside and she shuddered. 

"You don't want it anyway, Hani" Soa answered in between coughs "it's not worth dying for"

"Hey I tried my best okay!" 

"And almost burnt the whole kitchen down Namjoon suddenly appeared and grinned, the dimple prominent on his cheek. Finding a way to fit his long body onto the table, he drew a chair and said "Suga hyung and Jimin are practicing in the studio"

"Studio?" Soa's ears perked up. Did they just mention studio as in dance studio?

“Yeah, do you wanna see?” Namjoon asked, suddenly excited.

“Yeah, why not?” Soa was hoping to get as far away as the boy sitting across from her and the sooner the better. The tension on his face was killing her. Pushing her chair back, she slung her bag over her shoulder and was about to ask Namjoon where it was situated when another chair got pushed back.

“I’ll go with you” Hoseok volunteered.

“It’s okay. I’ll go alone”

Before Hoseok’s mouth opened to reply, Hani pulled back her own chair “I’ll go with you oppa. Finish your lunch”

“But-“

“-It’s fine” Soa cut him off, a warning sign present in her gaze when she suddenly turned to look at him. He sighed nad merely grunted before resigning back in his seat. However, he kept his gaze on her until the doors to the cafeteria closed, shielding his view from her body. Bangtan watched him with mild curiosity and amusement, sending each other winks and small nudges.

“Eh hyung, stop staring at Soa or you might burn her alive” Jungkook’s lips cracked into a teasing grin while he nudged the said individual.

J-Hope’s gaze hardened like steel “I’m not’ he scoffed.

Namjoon rolled his eyes “Of couse you weren’t. Then what was that all about?”

“What?”

“That ‘oh Soa I’m ready to sacrifice my life for you’ look” the leader held back his snigger.

V took a bite of his own cookie while stating “ Nu-uh, he looked at Soa the way I look at a Happy Meal at Mcdonald’s”

“Exactly” Jungkook agreed.

“Is something going on between the two of you?” Jin peeled off his banana peel. Namjoon took this opportunity to chuck it at V’s head who groanedin response.

“No” Hoseok rolled his eyes and snorted “Why? Should there be?”.

They all exchanged looks “Nah, it’s nothing”

There wasn’t anything right? Hoseok was just trying his best to make it up to her, right?

Aish.

Just to let you guys know that this wasn't supposed to be posted until the day after tomorrow, but oh well I decided that your comments were just too cute to resist, and BOOM! Another chappie for you guys! Hopefully this might not be the last before my exams are over ( till Friday the 21st sniff sniff T.T) 

And just to keep the suspense going, I didn't let Soa finish her answer. so what's it gonna be?! :D What do you think? Yes or no? hehehe comment down below! Would love to hear what you guys think about it! <3 ~ 

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE HOW HOBI'S BEING ALL CUTE AND FLUFFY TO HER UNLIKE HIS ROUGH SELF?! OH MY GOD IS HE LIKE MELTING OR SOMETHING BECAUSE I SWEAR HE HAS BECOME SO CUTE AND ADORABLE AND SO CONCERNED DURING THOSE LAST FEW CHAPPIESSSSS..... >-> Lets not forget that he still has his violent side okay, but right now he's trying his best to make it up to Soa, can you guys see how sweet he's being?! OH MY GOD, MY HEARTEU/youknowwhoyouare*wink*/ 

Thanks so much for the beautiful comments! I'll try to reply them ASAP I SWEAR! :D <3 i love you all~ And good night hehe, going to sleep now k bye xxxx :)