---

 

She thought that after her encounter with Saerim, nothing could be worse than that. She was wrong, because as soon as she turned the knob to her house, she caught sight of J-Hope hunched over on the sofa, the muscles in his back tense and rigid. opened and yet she closed it again for she had nothing to say, what was there to say? He was so near yet so far to her. She wished to press her face against his back and relish in the warmth in between his shoulder blades. Putting down her backpack down with a soft thud, the girl turned and was about to ask him what was the matter when his soft tenor rang throughout the room. 

 

"What is this?" 

 

He didn't turn to face her but she could feel his stony facial expression as obvious as day, and it was only when he lifted a shabby piece of paper that she was brought out of her thoughts. 

 

"What is that?" She walked over to him and didn't identify the handwriting. Yet, his facial expression was cold and more than a little stormy, brown mocha orbs aflame with suppressed anger. 

 

"Are you ting me?" His words were not more than a murmur. 

 

She pressed her lips together, "No. I don't know" 

 

He it in her hands without another word, gaze flying elsewhere while he leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, totally determined to ignore the girl next to him. She caught the paper in between her fingers and scanned the page with a growing horror at the base of her stomach. When she had finished, she removed her eyes that were glued to the paper and finally locked gazes with the boy. was turned down in horror because this was not- totally not what she had imagined. Holy she didn't know where that came from but this was not the truth, this was just a bunch of lies in which Soa didn't take any part in. 

 

Hey Soa, 

 

It's only been days but I miss you already. Your sweet touch and your beautiful smile.. Everything about you renders me breathless. That night I really felt the connection between us, a silver cord tying our souls together. It's amazing because I've known you for such a short period of time and yet I feel like I've known you forever. My darling, although boundaries separate our worlds, I dream of you by my side every night and it's enough for now. 

 

Just another something to brighten up your day or night :) 

 

Kim Jongin

 

Whoever had written the letter would definitely feel her wrath, she told to herself as the flames her stomach in growing irritation. 

 

"Hoseok that's not-" she faltered slightly when his gaze shifted to hers, so dark and fathomless that it caused goosebumps to arise upon her skin, "that's not mine" 

 

"Yeah sure cause he's obviously talking to himself" his voice dripped with sarcasm. 

 

"Honestly, we did go out that night together. I was waiting for you and I'm guessing you were at the hospital" she took in a deep breath, "so that's why he proposed that we go take a bite. He really looked genuine and we were nothing but friends, amicable with each other" 

 

He only looked at her with those deep brown eyes, and she was unable to decipher the thoughts running through his head. It wasn't the first time that she was at loss in the situation but this was a situation that she didn't particularly like. 

 

And plus, she was tired. Fighting him was at the bottom of her list of priorities. 

 

“Here you are talking about Jongin. What about Saerim whom I saw leaving the flat?” she continued when clearly he had nothing else to say, whether it was because of his anger or because he was re-thinking his actions- which to be honest really lacked maturity- she was done with everything. 

 

“She has nothing to do this,” he hissed back.

 

“How does she have nothing to do with it?! You’re accusing me of cheating on you, but you!” She jabbed at him with her scowl, “You have the right to hang out as much as you like with Saerim!”

 

He said nothing, knowing that it was stupid to protest against her words when she believed she was right. 

 But the truth was, he had never flirted with Saerim. She had just come knocking at his door.

What did he do? Obviously kick her out without any second thought.

 

“I thought we were supposed to trust each other”

 

Hoseok froze upon hearing her words and instantly replayed it again and again only to feel a pang of guilt hit him right in the center of his chest. That was true, trust. Trust was the most important factor in this game. After all, now that he thought about it, it wasn’t in Soa’s nature to go around flirting with other guys behind his back, she was not like Hani nor Saerim; wasn’t as outgoing and definitely wasn’t interested. If it had been a battle for him to win her over, then it would have to be hell for the other guys.

That’s right, trust was the issue.

 

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, muttering so softly so that the girl had to lean over to really hear his words, “I trust you”

 

A small smile appeared on her face at that moment, that was the only thing she wanted to hear fall from his lips, “I trust you” She repeated to him.

---

 

 

 

Hoseok felt the kind of closure that occurred between them and it didn’t feel like they were at war any longer. They both had retreated from the battlefield. Maybe things weren’t as dandy or rosy but it would take time for both of them to reconstruct and find their souls especially after all the blows, all the wounds. He was glad that he didn’t have to doubt the girl although Jongin was another matter.  Only the mention of his name brought a bitter taste in his mouth, if only he could wipe him off the face of the earth then it would be both a pleasure for him and Soa, she’d be relieved from a nuisance and so would he. It wasn’t just his character that he disliked; oh you’d get plenty of those pompous jackasses who think they’re all better than the rest, there was no escaping that, but there was something oddly strange about Kai’s demeanor, something unsettling that he couldn’t place a hand on and it was frustrating to no end.

 

But if Soa said that there was nothing between them, then Hoseok was glad to believe in her words.

 

And yet, what he found the next day as he returned home was like electrocuting himself in a socket on a rainy day. He had been walking home earlier from his classes during the afternoon and decided to spend some time with his father before going home. While taking the familiar left to the road that led to Soa’s flat, what he saw made his eyes widen and pop out of their sockets in disbelief.

 

No.

No no no.

This was not happening.

 

Soa, the Soa he trusted so much was pressed against the wall while the familiar mop of black hair was recognized as Jongin. There was something wrong about that picture, something utterly wrong. If only it hadn’t been for her plea’s of letting her go reaching his ears, then they could have passed for any couple making out on the front of their doorstep in the middle of the day.

 

Soa’s soft cracked sobs of mercy shattered his heart to pieces, and without any other thought, he dashed to them and within a second, had pulled Jongin off while sending his fist into his face.

 

Crack!

 

He felt more than heard the bones crack beneath his knuckles and a kind of satisfaction rolled his body when the boy stumbled and fell to the ground. He was about to climb over him and punch the living daylights out of the small little bastard that had the guts to come any close to his lady when a pair of small hand clasped at the back of his sweater, breaking him out of his small personal vendetta.

 

He was met with Soa’s maroon orbs glittering with fear and utter terror, and for once felt like swooping down and holding her body close so that she felt the protection, so that she’d feel safe. Right now, looking at her small frame brought back the memories of when they were still playing this maniacal game of tug of war. The same kind of guilt tugged at his heartstrings and he gave her a slight nod to know that he understood the fact that she didn’t want him to fight back, didn’t wish for him to get hurt.

But oh, how it would have been satisfying to split Kai’s face in two.

 

“What the do you think you’re doing?” The growl emitted from his mouth was nothing less than animalistic. He stepped in front of Soa to make sure she was out of his very sight.

 

Jongin, still reeling from the blow, grimaced before wiping the blood from his mouth, “What do you think?” He smirked.

 

Hoseok’s anger doubled up a notch and he swore red clouded his vision, “I’ll say this once,” He took a step closer, “Don’t talk to her” he spat, “Don’t come close to her,” he grabbed Jongin’s shirt and snarled in his face, “don’t even look at her you sick little ”

 

“Really?” Jongin’s laughter was chilly with mockery, “I’m the bad guy here? Soa’s the one cheating on you. I’m cheating on no one”

 

The older boy felt his nostrils flare and he was about to raise a fist to punch him again for good measure when Soa stepped in front of him, “Don’t. He’s not worth it”

 

“Soa-“ “Please, Hoseok” the pain in her trembling soprano was obvious; he would’ve been a fool not to notice it.

 

His eyes softened towards her form before taking hold of her arm and dragging her to her flat, making sure that the doors were locked safely after they had entered their safe haven. When he turned, he was shocked at the amount of damage done by Jongin himself. Another wave of anger jolted through his muscles and he clamped his teeth together in order to keep a hold onto his sanity. How dare he, Hoseok chanted, how dare he lay a hand on her and try to undress her. The boy wanted nothing more but to take out all this tension out of his body, anything would be fine because one second more of this kind of feeling and he might explode.

 

“Hoseok”

 

Everything, everything he had been thinking of before washed away at the sound of her voice. It felt like medicine soothing over his wounds, caressing his skin and closing up his wounds into solid scars. When he felt sane enough, his eyes travelled up and settled on her face, wondering how had someone, a girl that he had thought so insignificant before, was now taking up majority of power of his life, and the worst was that he liked it.

 

The two top buttons of her blouse were undone and ruffled, it was obvious that Kai's clumsy fingers had gone faster than his mind and reasoning. Her skirt was pulled up to her mid-thigh, looking as scandalous as he'd never seen her before. He gulped when a tantalizing thought of desire rang at the back of his skull, reminding him that she was indeed a woman and him a man, and that with her standing there right now made the most lustful sight he ever laid his eyes on. 

 

But then he almost slapped himself, you idiot! He shouted at his subconscious, stop thinking such dirty things when she's practically traumatized! 

 

Without a second thought he flung his jacket of his body and deposited it on her shoulders, not failing to notice the slight jump in her shoulders as he did so. Knowing that she wasn't ready for human contact, he didn't touch her as he asked in a soft murmur, "you okay?" 

 

A slight nod was the only response he got. Guiding her to the couch, she sat herself down gingerly and the boy looked away in embarrassment. 

 

He had been asking himself why was Soa the only one that made him feel like he had an existence in this world, why did he feel like he could be a good person whenever he was with her, and most of all how did she make him change demeanors so easily. Usually, he was one of the coldest people one would meet in the first place, his friends had known to look beyond the facade but the girls interested in him had only looked upon the surface. Soa had known about his defaults before his qualities and yet, she had learned to love him no matter how much of a he'd acted. Just the thought of it warmed up his heart as troops of happy butterflies tumbled through his stomach. 

 

"Why" her whisper brought him back to reality. Soa had her head bowed but he heard her loud and clear. She huddled more into the couch, "why'd you believe me so easily, when last night you were so sure I was cheating on you?" 

 

He examined her face, watched her eyes move about and suddenly felt like laughing. It was amazing how he could detect her nervousness with only a flicker of her brown orbs. He knew her that well. 

 

"Trust" he blurted out. 

 

She looked at him like he had gone crazy. "Huh?"

 

"You told me to trust you" he leaned back on the couch, clasping his hands in his lap while she let out a relieved sigh next to him. The lights of the living room bounced onto the planes of her face and she looked more fragile than usual, almost translucent like a piece of glass. 

 Surges of wanting to protect her riled up inside Hoseok’s muscles, making him feel overprotective of her so suddenly. He was scared that if she'd experience any more, she might break into small fragmental pieces. 

 

"Trust" she murmured back to herself, making his ears perk up at the sound. He looked back and locked gazes with her.

 "Yeah" he whispered in his deep alto, "trust"

 

Soa flung her arms so suddenly around him that he jumped in shock, bringing him down closer to her on the couch and burying her face into the strength of his shoulders. Not sure whether to put his hands at her waist or on her shoulders in these circumstances, he settled for her back and started patting it in comfort. 

 

"Just make me forget" she breathed, "please. Just- hold me"

 

He blinked. Did he hear right or did she really imply him to hold her? 

That must've been a first, but he wasn't about to do that unless she changed clothes first because god, he did believe in her well-being before anything but with her dressed like that was only going to distract him further. 

 

So after some tugging and pulling, he finally got her to change into her pajamas before she pulled him at her bedside once again, gluing her body to his and wanting to drown herself in his warmth. It was totally unlike her character and to say that he was surprised was an understatement. In any other circumstance he would have been flying over the clouds and spinning over the moon, but the broken countenance visible on her face was enough to break his heart every time he shifted his gaze upon her form. 

 

His hand trailed through her locks, tugging it softly with his fingers. His other hand was her back up and down soothingly. He believed that all she needed was a good sleep to forget what had occurred. 

 

Somehow, he felt the need to be better and to just forget whatever happened between them during those past days. From what he saw, it was Kai's doing, she looked like the victim and he decided there was no way she had some kind of affinity for the younger boy. On his side however, Saerim had been sticking around like glue and it didn't help that Hoseok was mean to her. On the contrary, it only impressed the girl and caused her to pester him further. He was too much of a gentleman to actually push her away but there will be a time where he’ll just force himself to because the only person in his thoughts and who has grasped onto his heart was that someone he wasn’t letting go so easily.

Why did he even try questioning her in the first place? Here she was feeling more than a little traumatized by what had happened and all this time he had been doubting her trust, doubting her sincerity and more importantly, her love for him. How could he even do that when granted, although she wasn’t the most affectionate, Soa had opened her heart for him to take a peek. Her reactions and her small gestures were enough to show him if he had taken more attention to it.

 

Her lingering hand slowly tracing over his cheekbone broke him out of his reverie and he blinked down at the girl only to found his lips being covered by hers in an instant.

 

He blinked at her with wide eyes and took a moment to connect the dots that she was actually kissing him, really kissing him. was pressing urgently onto his with something missing, she wasn’t kissing him because she wanted to, she was kissing him only in an attempt to forget and erase from her mind the image of Jongin, the violent way his fingers pressed onto her skin and how his scent still clung onto parts of her body she found undesirable in the least.

 

He rolled over onto his back by surprise and the girl took this chance to climb over his frame and press her curves against his chiseled chest, still kissing him urgently and even prodding her tongue across his lips with such intensity that for a moment Hoseok seemed to forget what had occurred for her to act that way. One second more and he might have gotten lost into the kiss.

 

But then he took a hold of her elbows and pushed her slightly away, breathless from the attack, “Soa, wait”

 

Her face zoomed in on his again, her hand pushing his shoulder back towards her bed and surprising him, “Kiss me” she breathed, her breath fanning over his lips and hitting a sensitive nerve throughout his body.

 

“No, Wait. Soa,” Hoseok gripped onto her waist and pulled her up so that she was straddling his waist. Looking into her eyes, he locked gazes with her, “You’re not in your right mind”

 

She finally drew away and put some distance, enough for him to breathe and feel like he could gain a better hold of himself. Her gaze was glued to her bed sheets, hands crumpled into tight bundles of fists. She was afraid, she was insecure and more importantly, she seemed to have been broken once again. He felt like hitting himself because of her pathetic state. He would do anything, just about anything to get her mind away from that.

 

Soa bit her lip and looked at everything but him, “I’m sorry”

 

A frown caused a dip in his eyebrows and his hand reached out to push a strand of hair, curling it behind her ear. “Hm?”

 

“I’m sorry for not listening to you, about your dad, for not being there” once the babble started, it didn’t seem like she could stop as she continued rambling on and on. The words ran through her like soap and water, as fluidly as she allowed them to because she was sharing everything on her heart, “ I’m sorry for doubting you and not trusting you with Saerim. I’m sorry-“ She hiccupped, “-I’m sorry for not listening to you, about J-J-Jongin and if you had been just one second late-“

 

Her cut her off by grabbing onto her waist and pulling her to him so that her body crashed into his, his strong arms finding their rightful place at her back while he started patting her head in comfort, “Shh” He murmured softly, mouth parting onto her ear, “Don’t think about it.”

 

A sob escaped , “But-“

“-Soa” He ordered, tension filling his deep alto, “It’s over. Done. Finished, Okay?”

 

Not a word left her lips whens she blinked her tearful brown orbs at him.
Reaching over to press a caress of her kiss on her temple, he then murmured delicately, “I trust you”

 

A long silence ensued before- with slight hesitation-the girl’s arms reached up around his neck while chastely pecked the underside of his jaw before nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. “Trust” she murmured, her breath hitting his skin and causing him to shiver in slight delight.

 

And just like that, he felt like everything would be all right.

Not perfect, but they’d get by.

 

They always did.

 

 

---

 

 

 

“There is no Kang Saerim in our school ” the lady at the other end of the phone line explained while Soa’s face turned pale. She had known that her younger sibling was a rebel in so many ways but this was going overboard from what she had expected.

Ever since Saerim had mentioned something about a Teacher’s Council, the growing suspicion kept nagging at the back of her mind and it was only this morning that she decided to call her school. But at the lady’s words her heart almost dropped to her stomach in shock. She had been certain that Saerim was still attending her old school, was it possible that she had dropped out and decide to try anew in another academy? But her parents would’ve told her about it, Soa thought in slight dismay. She had no clue what was going on about her and it made her stomach gurgle in fear.

 

“Oh okay, um…she transferred right?” She attempted to stable her voice.

 

“Yes, a few months ago”

 

“Could I know where?”

 

“Ma’am, this is personal information. I don’t think it is appropriate to disclose it to you”

 

“I’m her sister. You can check in your records, Kang Soa” she protested.

 

“Nevertheless. No personal information is to be disclosed to outsiders. If you have any queries, you can discuss the matter with the principal himself”

 

And the line went blank before she could utter another world. Soa placed the phone back in it’s receiver and tried to grasp the reality of the situation> Saerim, absent from school, having dropped out for more than a month…what was happening to her? To the family? Something felt fishy in this whole thing and it wasn’t comforting in the least. She took a huge breath of air and tried to calm her mind in order to think things through.

 

What she should do now was to either confront her smaller sibling or to go talk to her parents directly. The latter seemed like the most reasonable solution but something told Soa that her parents were part of the plan. Obviously, Saerim would just deny everything she’d accuse her of knowing that the younger girl was just as stubborn as her, it would lead her nowhere to have a fight especially if they were going to run around in circles.

Soa let out a huge breath.

 

“What’s with the big sigh?’ Hoseok’s hand dropped unceremoniously on her head to ruffle her hair. The now neatly combed locks were just a birds’ nest.

 

“Saerim” Soa answered, “She dropped out of school without me knowing anything’

“What?” He frowned, “No wonder she came to visit me everyday”

 

She shot him a look although it little to no effect on him. He only stuck out his tongue playfully.

 

“I’m going to visit my father. I’ll be back by noon” He shrugged on his jacket as the girl’s gaze shifted to his frame. The Saerim issue was still bothering her and she had half a mind to storm into her house and grab Saerim in order to shake some sense into the girl. But she knew that she had to take some distance and find out the truth herself before she could be sure about her smaller sibling being the evil character. She made a mental note to go snoop around and knew that there was something fishy going on.

 

“Hoseok” she called out as he was exiting through the door, “Wait for me. I’m coming”

 

---

 

Such a latee updateeee >< I'm so sorryyyy guysssss

But i hope you like it :) Hobi and Soa are going through some tough stuff and yet they seem to cross them and get over it. They're such a cute couple that I admire oh god I wish I had a sweet boyfriend like this~ T.T I hope you like this update guysss please tell me your thoughts about it ~ 

 

AND AND AND WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF SAERIM AND HER WEIRD PERSONALITY?! WELL WHAT ABOUT HER AND THE THINGS SHE'S HIDING?! 

SOME SMALL NAMJOON HANI MOMENTS AND HOBISOA COMING UP SO PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT :) 

 

I really love you all and thanks so much for commenting and supporting this story although i haven't got time to reply, I read all your wall posts, comments and everything and really it just touches my heart and makes me warm inside :) <3 I love you all <3