---

 

 

Everyone was set on their new routine of the year but Hoseok never failed to surprise Soa every time she opened the door to see him lying around inside her flat, meeting her gaze with a clumsy grin whether he was watching tv or cooking food. As always, she’d forgotten that he now shared the flat alongside her, and it was a good weird to have him around the house.

 

She wasn’t accustomed to have him around yet, but she could get used to it quite easily. After all, she had craved for some company when she had first moved in, and the fact that Hoseok was there calmed her heart somewhat because he was someone she could count on whenever she was in trouble. Unlike his usual rebellious and disheveled appearance, he was a pretty neat and tidy guy, never leaving his things scattered all around the place and always nagging at her to clean up her room because he thought it resembled more of a pig’s house than his girlfriend’s. Not to forget that Soa just stuck out her tongue in response and skipped away, which aggravated him even more because the Jung Hoseok wasn’t used to be treated this way, so ignorantly like he was a mere peasant.

But then again, who would defy him other than Kang Soa? It just had to be her.

 

Soa couldn’t see it most of the time, but she could feel Hoseok’s affection and care for her. He was a rough and scary person on the outside, only to be sweet and truly caring on the inside. Most times he probably didn’t mean half of what he was saying, but his actions made up pretty well for all the bull of insults that he can accumulate in a day. For instance, when she would stay up late at night to study for her tests, Hoseok would either bring her a cup of coffee before going to bed, or nag at her that she needed her sleep if she wanted to look decent the next day.

 

“What do you mean? I don’t look decent?” she retorted with a huff of her shoulders. The boy only looked at her frankly in the face and replied a stout, “Nope”

 

Well, thanks a bunch, she thought crossly to herself.

 

But when she’d wake up the next day, she’d find herself on her bed with the blanket tucked up to her chin, a message left behind by the former that there was ice in the fridge that she could apply to her eyes if they were bloated or had dark circles. All those small moments, those small touches of affection made up Hoseok’s love for her. Soa had been unsure of course, that he didn’t love her as much as he was supposed to, but her doubts went flying out of the window when he did all that.

 

It made her heart melt slightly.

Even more, if that was possible.

It was nice for a change, to have someone by your side and care for you at your ever time of need.

 

Although she tried her best to repay him by cooking or by buying him gifts, Soa knew that her efforts were nothing compared to all the time he devoted himself to her, and she felt bad especially since Hoseok’s hours at university took up a lot of his time because of the dance classes. They were set at ungodly hours, and sometimes Soa would wake up in the middle of the night to find him already gone, at 3am in the morning. It must be tiring for him, she thought worriedly, but never once had she heard him complain or bicker about the tight and tiring schedule he had.

 

On one particular day, the girl had opened the door after school to catch sight of her boyfriend in her blue apron, grilling meat in her small kitchenette. Almost dropping her bag in her rush to go and see him, she stumbled slightly over the leg of a chair in the dining room and would’ve fallen face first with her lips colliding with the hard tiles if not for a pair of arms rushing In around her as she fell against a hard and chiseled chest.

 

Glancing up, the girl sighed in annoyance at her clumsiness before pulling away, “Sorry Hoseok”

 

“Watch your step woman” his tone came out more harshly than he intended it to, but he softened upon noticing her flinching at his verbal attack, “It’s not the first time”

 

“I know but I just wanted to see-“ Soa caught herself being she could spill out all her thoughts, but Hoseok with a slight smirk dangling at the edges of his lips, had already guessed what she was about to say. He brought his face closer to hers and murmured, “wanted to see?...” He prompted with a devilish taunt in his eyes.

 

The latter only huffed before looking away, “-Nothing. The meat is burning”

He frowned but returned back to the kitchen to pull out the pieces of meat he had just grilled, placing them on the kitchen counter- making sure that it was well placed so that Soa wouldn’t bump into it like she was used to- but just when the girl thought that she was off the hook and tried slowly moving away into the living room, J-Hope grabbed onto her arm to crash her into his chest so that he could wrap his own around her waist, pressing her against a nearby wall.

 

Soa sighed, she was getting used to his weird habits of always making her feel like a trapped animal in a laboratory, “What now?”

 

Her tone must have been more than annoyed, but electric shivers kept running up and down her spine when his arms encircled her waist, leaving scorching marks of burning desire wherever he touched her.

 

He buried his face into her neck and breathed in her scent, “I missed you”

 

A chuckle burst out of her lips while she reached up to play with his strands of dark locks, fingers slipping through his hair and massaging his scalp lightly, “How was dance class?”

 

“Fine, except for a guy who’s trying to brag about the fact that he did ballet his whole life and that he’s way better than any of us” She heard the annoyance drip from Hoseok’s tone and it amused her even more. Just the simplest things could get on his nerves, she found it cute, just like a kid that was deprived of having sweets, “He’s an annoying prick”

 

“You’re such a kid” Soa patted his head in comfort and he crooned appreciatively, his lips brushing against the skin at her neck. He pecked the area under her jaw and smiled when she shrugged in response.

 

“I just hate those kind of people you know” He replied, “They’re just so damn self-centered”

 

“Just let it be” She ruffled his hair, “You’re stressing too much about this boy. I’ll get worried if you continue talking about him”

“Worried?” J-Hope echoed with a smile breaking across his face when he leaned back to gaze at her brown open orbs, “Worried about me?” he couldn’t help teasing.

 

Soa’s nose scrunched up adorably, and he wanted to kiss her there and then because it was just so squishy and adorable. Come on, how could you resist this? He asked himself as her eyes narrowed in annoyance. Before he knew it, the petite girl was pushing him away with force, laughing as she angrily answered, “Shut up! You’re annoying!”

 

“Haha I’m joking” he kept bursting into fits of laughter at her face because she was shaken up so easily out of balance, it was amusing to watch her facial expressions morph from surprise to annoyance to frustration when he wouldn’t stop laughing at her. Grabbing onto her hands that were busy hitting his body, he leaned in and didn’t hesitate to peck her lips.

 

Instantly, the effect took place, “Wh-What-“

 

“Cute” he chuckled once more and swooped in for another kiss as she angrily pulled her face away, “Yah!”

 

She attempted to block him with her palm instead, throwing him the meanest scowl she could muster although it did little to cease Hoseok’s amusement. On the contrary, he just wanted to laugh some more and mercilessly. “Wae?” he whined against her hand when she removed it with a grimace. It was covered with his saliva and with a groan Soa went to wash it.

 

When she opened the tap to run her hands under the cool, clear water, he took this chance once again to lean in behind her, pressing a kiss smack onto her cheek. “Aish!” Soa cried, her hand flying up to her bright red cheek now as she spun on her feet to glower at her boyfriend, who was leaning against the counter like he hadn’t done anything wrong at all.

 

Well technically, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

She was his girlfriend; he wanted to shower her with all the attention she could get.

 Soa opened , about to ask Hoseok what was the reason of him being so touchy and cuddly today when she wasn’t in the mood of it – come to think of it she was never really in the mood although she really liked his cute side- when the phone rang suddenly.

 

Since Soa had moved in, the phone had been used at least twice during her entire lodging over here. Her phone took all her calls, so she didn’t necessarily need a hoem phone. Nevertheless, her mother had found it to be a good idea in case of anything happening to her personal one.

So when it rung shrilly in the living room, the girl dashed towards it before picking it up, turning to Hoseok with a hush gesture, “ Hello?”

 

“Soa!” The sound of her mother’s voice at the other end of the line caused a smile to light over her features. It had been so long since she’s heard her mother’s voice that it had taken her a second of figuring it out before it clicked. Soa wasn’t missing her father nor her sister, but it was hard not to miss her mom when all she did was encourage her in whatever she wished to do. She was the only one capable of lifting her spirits up whenever she felt down, and was her strong pillar of support whenever her father would attack her with all his remarks. Soa was glad to have the woman in her life.

 

“Omma” Soa felt the emotions rise in .

Before she knew it, strong arms had wound around her waist and Hoseok’s head came to rest on her shoulder in comfort. She smiled, and said in the receiver, “How are you?”

 

“I’m fine sweetie. I miss you so much. The house isn’t the same without you!”

 

Soa chuckled, “Saerim usually does all the noise”

“Oh that girl, she talks too much for nothing! I told her to use her amount of chitchat to learn, hmmph!” She could feel her mother shaking her head fondly at that, “How are you sweetheart? It’s been so long, I should come and visit you again!”

 

“Yeah sure. You can come whenever you like” Soa then blinked in realization, “But omma…you never do call. What’s up? Is something wrong?”

 

“Oh right! Well actually, Saerim’s birthday is coming up…” Soa felt the tightness in her chest slowly tensing up her muscles. Hoseok, feeling the stress of her lithe shoulders, found her hand and interlaced their fingers before squeezing it lightly. “And we’re going to throw a birthday bash for her this year, since she’s turning seventeen and all. We didn’t have a chance really to celebrate her sixteenth birthday after…”

 

She needn’t have said anything because Soa knew exactly what was about to spurt out of . To save her from the shameless embarrassment, the girl only cut her off, “Yes and?”

 

“Well you’ll come won’t you? She misses you”

 

Yeah right, Soa thought to herself while rolling her eyes. “I don’t know mom, I’m kinda busy” she fibbed. Of course she felt bad for not attending her smaller sister’s birthday, it was such an important event. But then she thought about all the atrocities that might break out of her father’s mouth or being compared to her smaller sister, and her hope deflated as soon as it had come.

 

“Come on Soa, can’t you make this little effort for your donsaengie?” Her mother whined like a kid, “Isn’t it bad enough that the kid misses you?”

 

“But there’s lots of schoolwork and stuff. I don’t think I’ll make it” Soa clenched her teeth together, hating herself for lying because of her selfish reasons.

 

“At least for 30 minutes! Just come eat cake and catch up. That’s all I ask for”

 

 

In the end, because her mother wouldn’t stop pestering her and making her feel bad about neglecting her smaller sibling that Soa agreed reluctantly before cutting off the call and leaning back to sigh, not caring at the moment whether Hoseok was behind her and relishing in the way her body melted against his. A small formed on his face slowly, but it vanished as soon as he caught sight of the dejected expression on her face.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked tentatively, nuzzling her cheek with his nose.

 

“Saerim is going to celebrate her birthday” Soa answered, “And my mother wants me to attend her birthday party”

 

“I don’t see any problem with that”

 

“You don’t understand Hoseok” her eyes flashed with the undeniable pain she had to deal with ever since her accident when she crossed the entrance of what she once called home. “My father’s going to be there. Saerim’s friends are going to be there and…” she gulped slightly, “I don’t think I’ll be able to hold it in if they criticize me again”

 

The boy sighed before bringing her closer, entwining their fingers together and lending her the comfort of his strong arms. For once, instead of pulling away Soa buried her nose in his firm chest and snuggled closer to him in order to feel that masculine warmth that calmed her insides. He smelt of protection and seduction all at once, and she had to admit that if there were a place she could call home, it would be in his embrace.

 

“You’re stronger than that, Soa. Don’t let them walk all over you” His hand curled a strand of hair behind her ear and he pressed their foreheads together when he turned her around so that she was facing him. His eyes bored into hers with such an intensity that she had to look away, for the way he was looking at her was like she was the most perfect thing that had been carved to fit this world, like there was nothing that could bring her down, like he had never seen something so beautiful. She felt like he was undressing her with his eyes, not in a erted way, but in a way where he saw all the insecurities written across her face and embedded in her features.

 

“Just because you’re different doesn’t mean you ” He chuckled softly and bumped his forehead against hers to lighten the atmosphere, “I love your imperfections”

 

His words lifted her heart, though they had been the cheesiest set of words Hoseok had dared utter out loud. She didn’t know that he had that soft and sweet side to him and before she even processed what she was doing, her arms were already around his waist and hugging him tight while a smile broke over her face, so bright and sparkling it beamed like the sunlight.

 

“So cheesy” she murmured in his ear, leaning back to grin at him. To Hoseok, seeing her bright white teeth was like the sun peeking out after a storm, strands of hope burning in her eyes like twinkly stars, “But thanks”

 

The boy said nothing but the blush springing over his cheeks like a dusty layer of pink was enough to tell that he was embarrassed. He turned away and scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

 

“Oh my god. The almighty Hoseok is blushing” Soa gasped in mockery, ruffling his hair in the process, “Can you get any cuter?”

 

“S-Shut up!”

 

---

 

“You’re going to what?!” Chohee exclaimed as they exited their Maths class. Soa rubbed her forehead and felt the growing headache throbbing at her temple. Damn, that last maths lesson killed her; thank god they had lunch right after otherwise she might’ve just fainted. She needed food to replenish her energy and a babbling Chohee wasn’t helping her food especially with her grumbling stomach.

 

“I don’t have any choice. She’s my sister” Soa replied with a reluctant sigh. She couldn’t wait to see what would happen when she’d meet her father. Yippie, not.

 

“Yes but...” Soa knew Chohee was worried. Just by the look on her face, she already distinguished just how much the latter seemed concerned for her well-being. Affectionate heat tingled inside her stomach; she must be lucky to have such good friends when not even a year ago she had been a loner, Soa thought to herself.

 

“How bad can it get? I’ll just endure it for a short time” Soa answered as they settled onto a table. They made a beeline for the lunch queue and grabbed onto trays before all were finished. Jungkook popped up from behind them and earned a screech from his girlfriend, who slapped him on the back of his head.

“OUCH!” He held the back of his skull in pain, grimacing at the attack. Sometimes, he wished his girlfriend wasn’t a black belt. He always felt like he was under her submission, “What was that for?!” He pouted incessantly.

Chohee only rolled her eyes and slapped him again. Harder, “Don’t scare me like that”

 

“Anyway” Chohee turned back to Soa as the line moved forward, “I think it’s a bad idea to go especially when you’re awkward with Saerim”

 

“What? Saerim? What are you guys talking about?” Jungkook asked like a lost puppy when they had already piled their plates high with food, settling back at their lunch table. He didn’t hesitate to steal a piece of bread from Chohee’s tray and the latter only whined and slapped his head again.
 

“You idiot, follow the conversation” Chohee rolled her eyes before popping a bit of bread into , “Saerim’s throwing a birthday party this weekend, and I think it’s a really bad idea for letting Soa go. Alone” she made sure to send daggers towards the boy, the unspoken message in her eyes evident as Jungkook instantly added two and two together.

They hadn’t forgotten about Saerim’s phone call to whoever it may have been, just the thought of the girl hiding something from their dear friend created suspicion at the back of their minds. What if Soa got hurt because of that?

 

“How about we come with you?” Jungkook suggested, “That way, you’ll have backup if anything happens”

 

Soa rolled her eyes, “Come on guys. It’s a seventeen year old birthday party, I can take care of myself”

 

“No you can’t” they both replied in unison.

 

“Yes I can” Soa answered with much more conviction. Except she wasn’t completely sure if she was saying it just to make them feel at ease or her own heart.

After all, what could be worse than seeing her father on that dreaded day?

 

 

---

 

         

OMO HOBISOAAAA IS LIFEUUUU. 

I haven't received many comments for the past chappie :( only three comments when i usually get about 10-25 on each chapter. Wasn't it good enough? Or is it stupid and mediocre? I know i don;t reply to your comments but that's because I'm too busy with school, i sincerely apologise about that :( But really, I love you guys so much you guys mean a lot to me :,) <3 

 

Anyway, here's another update. hope you guys enjoy it. If there's anythign you'd like me to improve on, dn't hesitate to comment. 

 

AND AND GUYS....WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN AT SAERIM'S BDAY PARTY? HEEHEEHHEEH~