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"You should totally audition," Jimin says as he hands the dish he just washed to Hoseok. The dish isn't nearly clean enough by Hoseok's standards, but he sets it in the drying rack for now. After Jimin goes to sleep he'll come out and re-wash them all. If he complains about the standard of cleanliness again Jimin will whine for hours and refuse to even try to help - at least now he's giving it a go.
"It's a perfect part for you," Jimin continues, giving Hoseok a spoon with little bits of food still stuck to the tip. Hoseok shudders and sets it to dry. "They want a strong dancer - check. They want someone with a bubbly personality - check."
"And they're looking for a middle-aged mom," Hoseok says, recalling the casting post on the website. The exact list of traits were mother-type, ability to learn and perform choreography, ability to memorize. The character is listed as being a matriarch who feels stuck in a rut and wants to explore her hidden talents, with a possible twist. It's an in-progress project being made by a first time director, and Hoseok is more interested in being a part of it than he cares to acknowledge out loud. "Do I look like a middle-aged mom to you?"
Jimin pokes his lips out and smiles devilishly with his eyes. Hoseok is currently wearing fuzzy white slippers, his purple scrub bottoms he wore to work earlier, and a Snoopy shirt that says ALLERGIC TO MONDAYS on it in English. His hair is getting too long, so he has it pushed back with a red stretchy headband that makes his ears stick out. He's definitely dressed like his mom on her day off when she doesn't have company coming over.
"Don't answer that," Hoseok says.
"Well, I still think you should audition," Jimin continues. "You're an incredible dancer - the best dancer on the planet -"
"Ahhh," Hoseok brushes him off, bumping into Jimin to make him stop talking. He was a good dancer. He takes dance classes once a week every Sunday morning still, because he loves it so much. But he has a real world job now at the hospital as a nurse's aide, and he can't just drop everything and audition to be a hip-hop midlife crisis mom.
"I'm serious," Jimin says. "And remember when you accidentally won that rap battle in university?" The sponge he's using barely has any soap on it anymore, so he's scrubbing away at a dirty frying pan with nothing but water.
"Are you getting tired?" Hoseok blurts out, unable to watch Jimin fail at basic chores any longer. "Let me take over."
"Oh, yeah," Jimin says right away. "I had a hard day." Hoseok rolls his eyes. Jimin had a hard day of browsing casting calls and trying to get Hoseok to do something crazy. He goes right over to the couch and pulls up the post again, reading it over to himself. "I mean, how many middle-aged women are there looking at this website? Especially ones who can dance hip-hop."
Hoseok fills the sink with fresh hot water and starts bathing his dishes like they were his own babies. "I don't know," he says. "But did you know? I'm not one of them."
"Right," is all Jimin says, but in a trailing off voice, because he's not paying attention. He's on his laptop and his phone at the same time, looking back and forth between typing something out on his phone and reading the screen on his laptop.
"Jin and Taehyung are coming over," Jimin says.
"What?" Hoseok says. "But we don't have any food for them!"
"They're not coming to eat," Jimin says.
Hoseok closes his eyes and turns around, letting the soapy pan drip all over the floor.
"Then for what?"
~*~
Jin nearly knocks Hoseok in his own doorway over with the giant clear bag of wigs in his arms. He runs over to Jimin and they start screaming and gesturing to their heads and shoulders with reckless abandon. Hoseok is stunned enough that he closes the door halfway on a distracted Taehyung.
"Oww," Taehyung says, face crumpling as if he's going to burst into tears.
"Sorry," Hoseok says, rubbing Taehyung on his partially smashed into shoulder. "I was trying to stop another stampede."
"Will you kiss it?" Taehyung says, removing his jacket and exposing his shoulder. Hoseok kisses his shoulder many times in a row without lifting his mouth up, like he's smooching a baby's cheek. Taehyung shrugs away and giggles, breaking out into a smile.
"What do you have?" Hoseok says. Taehyung lifts up something Hoseok has seen many times before - his three-tier makeup case on wheels. Taehyung has gotten ready for stage many times before in Jimin's bathroom and he always leaves traces of makeup all over the sink.
"I was told to bring it over and that it was an emergency," Taehyung says. "You're not injured, are you?"
"No," Hoseok says. "And if I were, how would that help me?"
Taehyung lifts his eyebrows and wheels his makeup case inside to join Jimin and Jin in the living room. Jin has strewn several wigs out across the couch and Jimin is picking them up one by one and shaking his head or nodding in response to them.
"I was thinking, like, a full blown femme fatale," Jimin says. "Do you have anything in red?"
"No, no, no," Jin says, shaking his head vigorously on each syllable. He bends down to Jimin's laptop and reads. "It says here they want a mom. It doesn't say anything about a sexy mom."
"Moms can be sexy," Jimin argues, digging through the bag of wigs trying to come up with something he likes.
Taehyung sits on the floor and starts opening and unpacking his makeup case, taking out some products. "I have sexy mom," Taehyung says.
"She's okay," Jin says, barely able to get out the last syllable before bursting into laughter.
Taehyung presses his lips together into a perfect line. He reaches over and grabs Jin's ankle and pulls, catching Jin unaware and almost making him fall face-first into Hoseok and Jimin's coffee table.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Jin shouts. Taehyung just laughs and wiggles his fingers in front of his face.
Jimin puts a bright cherry red wig on his own head as Taehyung starts swatching different lip colors all up along his arm. Jin dumps the rest of the wigs out of his bag, littering the carpet with them like some sort of mismatched, terrifying rug. Hoseok just wanted to wash his dishes and go to bed early. It's his day off tomorrow.
"What," Hoseok says with every ounce of authority in his body, "is going on here?"
Everyone freezes. Jin and Taehyung at least look a little sorry, but Jimin cocks his head and spreads his hands like it's obvious.
"We're getting you ready for your audition," Jimin says.
Hoseok laughs. "No," he says.
"Yes," Jimin says.
"How am I supposed to audition for this part?" Hoseok says, very slowly. "I am not a mom."
"You're like a mom," Taehyung says. He holds up a bright pink lipstick in a tube. "What do you think of this color?"
"Put this on," Jin says, holding out a black wig and coming towards him like he's going to put a bag over his head and kidnap him. "In my opinion, it's the perfect mom hairstyle."
"No!" Hoseok says. But honestly, it is his day off tomorrow. He has some free time to audition. What would this hurt? The worst thing that could happen is he doesn't get the part, either because they can tell he's clearly not a middle-aged mom, or because he's not good enough at dancing or acting.
Jin manages to wrestle the wig onto his head. Hoseok stands patiently as Jin runs his fingers through it, combing it down and fixing it up before showing Hoseok what he looks like on his phone camera.
Hoseok gasps. They've chosen for him a straight, ear-length black bob wig with straight fringe. He looks at Jin, mouth open in shock. "You were right. This is a mom hairstyle. This must be the picture my mother takes to the hair salon!"
"Sit," Taehyung says, patting the space next to him on the floor. He uses a clip to keep the wig bangs off Hoseok's forehead and starts patting something under Hoseok's eyes, on his upper lip, his chin. He rubs something into Hoseok's cheeks, then uses a little brush to apply a lipstick on him - not the bright pink he held up earlier, but a soft, glossy rose color.
Jimin stands behind Taehyung and covers his huge smile with his hand, watching the transformation unfold. Jin nods in satisfaction.
"Don't take this the wrong way," Taehyung says, pursing his lips and sighing. "But I didn't have to do a lot."
Hoseok looks at himself on Jin's phone again. He stares at himself from every angle, getting closer and further away from the camera to really see. He looks like a completely different person, and yet, he looks like himself - like a close relative he sees all the time. The makeup softened his features just enough, and the hairstyle conveys a mom-like appearance.
"Wow," Hoseok says. He feels like, maybe, he could actually audition for the part and not get found out.
"He doesn't look middle-aged, though," Jimin whines. "He's prettier than me now. Give me some crow's feet, Taehyung. Oh! And a big hairy mole."
~*~
Hoseok borrows a black dress from costume trunk in Jin’s car and a fake pearl necklace to really try to come across as a mother type. His own mother has a string of pearls that she wears exclusively to weddings and she checks on their condition in her safe if someone so much as thinks about them. Hoseok feels a bit like he's going to a funeral in the dress he's borrowed, but Jin advised him it was the best choice, since black typically hides any features you don't want people to see. Hoseok has a few features he doesn't want people to see when he's auditioning tomorrow.
"How can I say this," Hoseok says nervously. "What should I do with my, you know. My guy."
"Your guy!" Jin says, throwing his head back to laugh. "Just wear some tight underwear and pray they don't ask you to get naked."
Hoseok nods. He can hear Jimin and Taehyung having fun in the living room trying other wigs on and roleplaying.
"Oh, mister, can you help me?" Jimin says in a baby voice, donning a short, glossy, blonde wig. He clutches his chest, feeling himself up and begging with his face. "I seem to have lost my little dog."
"What does it look like?" Taehyung says in a gruff, fancy tone. He's wearing a long, cascading, bright blue wig, and his character choice to go with it is odd if not effective.
"Well," Jimin says, breathy and seductive. "He's little and cute and curly and brown."
"Ah," Taehyung says. He pats around his torso like a grandpa who lost his glasses. He pulls a curly brown wig out from underneath his shirt. "Is this your little dog?"
Jimin squeals and jumps into Taehyung's arms. Hoseok should really be taking notes. They make turning into another person look so easy. Hoseok can usually only be himself.
"Now what about up top?" Jin says. "I have a couple of bras we used on our all-male production of Grease."
Hoseok tries the bra on, Jin helping him stuff it with paper and staring at his chest consideringly.
"You look like a mom who's going through something," Jin says, patting Hoseok's fake chest. "Let's take some out."
Once they find the right balance, and Hoseok manages to squeeze himself into a pair of black tights, Jin takes a picture so Hoseok can see the full effect. It's crazy how different he looks with just a few changes.
Jin looks Hoseok up and down and whistles. "You are one hot mama. Look at those legs!"
"Stop," Hoseok says, hiding his face in his hands. "Jin, this is completely demented. What am I going to do if they ask me a question? You know I can't lie. I'll be a walking lie!"
"It's true, you can't lie," Jin says. "Because you have a pure heart, and that is to your disadvantage. My advice is, tell them as close to the truth as you can get. That way, you're not really lying. Except about your name, age, and -
"Oh!" Hoseok gets struck with another daunting thought. "Should I change my voice too?"
"Don't take this the wrong way," Jin says. "But you don't have to change your voice."
Hoseok hugs him around the neck, a little too hard, until Jin apologizes.
~*~
Taehyung shows him how to apply the makeup he did for himself tomorrow, and Jin hangs up his clothes for him, and Jimin finishes doing the dishes Hoseok will have to re-do some other time, and they let him go to bed. He pulls up the casting call post on his phone one more time and tries to really put himself in the mindset of a middle-aged hip-hop dancing mom who's stuck in a rut. Maybe he can relate more than he realizes. He wants to dance too, professionally, before it's too late for him and he loses all his skills to time and age. He's kind of in a rut, he guesses - he goes to work, he comes home, he sees his friends. He hasn't been on a date years. Doing something this wild, this impulsive, could do him some good.
~*~
"This is too much," Hoseok says for the millionth time, laughter bubbling out of his throat like a glass of soda that's been poured too quickly. He covers his mouth to try to stop it from coming out and leans in close to check himself out in the little picture-in-picture on his phone screen. He's made up and dressed, and there's nothing else to say about it - what he's doing is too much.
"Well, what else are you doing," Jin says. Hoseok Facetimed him during breakfast so he's treated to a watching Jin cram his mouth full of food. "Just make sure you don't miss Jimin's party tonight."
"I'm sure I'll be done way before that," Hoseok says. "This is too much. I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't do this. Can I? It's too much."
"You can," Jin says with a gasp after chugging down a cup of soup, broth dripping down his chin. "And you're going to be on TV!"
"It's a web-based program," Hoseok says. He can't stop playing with the bangs on his wig and he makes himself stop.
"Well, I can plug my computer into my TV, can't I?" Jin says. "Then you'll be on my TV. Gotta go, mom! Talk to you later!"
~*~
Hoseok hugely overestimated the number of people that would be auditioning for this part. He thought he'd be in a line around the block, women who look exactly like him in his costume tapping their toes and crossing their arms waiting for their turn, one after the next getting told they'd get a call back. Instead, he's the only mom-like person as far as he can see. He pulls his dress down over his hips, smooths his hair, and walks through the door.
"Hello," a young man with big bright eyes greets him immediately. "Are you here to audition for Mother Personae - the web program, I mean?"
"Oh," Hoseok says. "Yes, I am. Is it too late?"
"No, no," the young man says. "You're fine. Let me just take down your name."
Hoseok goes blank. He didn't even think of what name he would use. Obviously he can't use his own name. He starts frantically looking around the room, hoping for inspiration. His name is Jung... Jung Chair. Jung Lightbulb. Jung Brick. Jung Shoelace. What is a name? What is her name?
"Jung," Hoseok says. The only thing he can think of is his sister's name. He hopes she doesn't find out or he's dead. "Jung Jiwoo."
"Jung Jiwoo," the young man repeats, writing it down on piece of paper on his clipboard. "Perfect. And you can dance?"
"Yes, I think so," Hoseok says, nodding and smiling.
"And act?"
"Yes, well, a little bit. I have a good memory."
"You're a triple threat," the young man says, smiling back, though Hoseok doesn't know which third talent he's referring to. The young man's dark eyes are somehow so bright, like a pond reflecting the sunlight. He's very cute.
"Just sign here," Jungkook says. "It's a waiver."
"A waiver?" Hoseok says in surprise, but he scribbles his name - his fake name - on the line. "Is this going to be dangerous?"
"Will you please follow me? My name is Jungkook, by the way. I'm the casting director."
"Nice to meet you, Jungkook," Hoseok says, watching the dangerous way his leg muscles move under the fabric of his pants as they walk to the next room.
~*~
It looks like what a film studio probably looks like, Hoseok thinks, based on the behind the scene clips of film studios he's seen. There are big lights set up, and microphones dangle over a wooden floor with X's marked out in blue painters tape. There's equipment Hoseok wouldn't even begin to guess the uses for. The far wall the camera is pointed at is covered in nothing but green screen. There are a few other people hanging around, adjusting some of the equipment or talking to each other quietly. Some of them look a little older, which comforts Hoseok, like this is a legitimate place and there are adults in charge.
The director of Mother Personae is a charming, handsome guy with a big beautiful smile and a brain that is clearly working faster than anything physical he's capable of doing.
"So I was thinking like, your character might be an alien," Kim Namjoon says. "I'm still workshopping that idea. I don't know. Like, she feels so foreign in her routine life, she's from another planet."
"My character?" Hoseok says. "I haven't even auditioned yet."
"Don't worry," says Jungkook. "You don't have any competition."
"Oh," Hoseok says. He feels disappointed in a way. He was really preparing himself to show these people his talents, now he seems to have gotten a job without even trying. "Well, is there a script?"
"Lyrics," Namjoon says. Jungkook unclips a few sheets of paper from his clipboard and hands them over. "You'll be lip syncing to these. Can you learn them all today? I have an mp3 player here... so you can listen..."
Namjoon pats all of his pockets and turns around looking behind him, as if the mp3 player is going to be floating within his reach. Jungkook reaches into his own jacket pocket and brandishes the mp3 player with earbuds and all.
"Thank you," Namjoon says. He hugs Jungkook around the shoulder with one arm, and Jungkook smiles, his front teeth just poking out. "I swear, if this kid wasn't here I'd lose my own arms. Jungkook, can you show..."
"Jiwoo," Hoseok says.
"Jiwoo, some of the choreography?" Namjoon says.
"Namjoon, what do you think of this?" A small, pale man comes up to Namjoon and shows him something on a tablet - it looks like an animation of a kitchen scene.
"Yoongi, this is incredible," Namjoon says. He puts his arm around who appears to be Yoongi and walks away excitedly, gesturing at the green screen.
"I'm also the choreographer," Jungkook whispers close to Hoseok's ear. "And the video editor."
"You're the triple threat," Hoseok says, and it makes Jungkook laugh. He's very, very cute.
"I know this whole shoot seems kind of, I don't know, low budget," Jungkook says.
"Well," Hoseok says, looking around sparse set.
"And that's because it is," Jungkook says. "It's a mess. But, you know, whatever for Namjoon."
"He seems really cool," Hoseok says, honestly meaning it. "Like he has so many ideas."
"He is really cool," Jungkook says. "That's why I'm doing whatever I can. I want to learn from him."
Jungkook scrolls through his phone until he finds a song and starts playing it. He searches around until he finds an empty cup he can drop it into to amplify the sound a little bit.
"OK," Jungkook says. He takes off the denim jacket he's wearing and underneath is just a white t-shirt tucked into his ripped jeans. Only a little sliver of his thighs are exposed, but Hoseok can see he's muscular and strong. He gulps. He's supposed to be a mom - not a cougar. "I'll show you, and you see if you can follow along."
Jungkook does some pretty impressive work, moving smoothly and powerfully from one motion to the next. His feet are fast and sure, and Hoseok should not be so enticed by the way Jungkook's body rolls. It's clear Jungkook has come up with this dance himself, and he's practiced it a lot.
"You look like you're thinking too much," Hoseok says. He steps in line with Jungkook and picks up the pace with him quickly. It's not particularly difficult choreography, but it's just enough to make it interesting.
"Do I?" Jungkook says, watching Hoseok match his steps perfectly. "Wow, you're really good."
"No," Hoseok says, but he smiles.
"You are," Jungkook says, very emphatically. "Here, now this."
Jungkook puts his hands on his hips and extends his legs in quick succession, then spins once and rolls his hips, swaying from side to side.
Hip work is Hoseok's weakness. It's his favorite thing in the world. He throws his entire body into it, copying Jungkook exactly, and then adding a little bit of his own sauce to it. His stands with his legs apart, thighs out, and rolls his hips, dropping lower to the ground with each sway. He only notices he's dancing by himself with he turns and sees Jungkook staring at him.
"Oh, sorry," Hoseok says, suddenly embarrassed. He's supposed to be coming across as a nice, normal mom, not a freak on the dancefloor. "I didn't mean to stray too much."
"No," Jungkook says. He's absolutely drenched in sweat already, hair sticking to his forehead. Hoseok wonders what he'd look like after a little more exertion. "That was incredible. You can do whatever you want, as long as you keep doing stuff like that. You look like you have a lot of - a lot of experience."
"Oh?" Hoseok says. He rolls his body again, grinning wide.
"I mean, in dancing," Jungkook says.
Hoseok repeats his body roll, but this time his foot slips a little and his ankle shifts just enough to hurt for a minute. He winces and sits on the floor.
"Are you all right?" Jungkook says, hurrying to his side.
"Yes," Hoseok says, taking his shoes off and tossing them behind him. They're little black slippers that are comfortable, but not good to dance vigorously in. "I can just do it barefoot."
Jungkook holds Hoseok's tights-covered foot in his hands and squeezes, massaging upward to the ankle. "How's that feel?"
Hoseok feels like he's melting from the tips of his toes to the top of his wig. He can't stop from moaning as Jungkook massages his foot, halfway up his leg, and back. He knows this isn't normal, professional behavior between a mom and a young man, but he's not going to put a stop to it. Jungkook's hands are strong magic.
"Really good," Hoseok says. "Your dance almost killed me. Maybe I can take over as choreographer. That'll give you time to cast that FATHER role I saw in the lyrics sheet."
"Oh, didn't I tell you, triple threat?" Jungkook says, smiling sweetly and opening his eyes impossibly wider. "I'm also playing your husband."
Hoseok stiffens, and Jungkook pats his ankle and stands up.
"Wanna get some lunch?" Jungkook says.
~*~
Hoseok should've practiced being a middle-aged mom a little more. He doesn't know how to walk, how to move his hands, how to act. He can really only be himself - he is not entirely sure how to embody this character within a character he has decided to create. There is a freedom to that, he supposes. He can be whoever he wants to be.
"What's your favorite song right now, Jiwoo?" Jungkook says. The server comes by and takes their order.
Hoseok briefly thinks Jungkook is asking the server when he realizes there's nobody else there. Then he remembers he's Jiwoo.
"Oh, uh," Hoseok stutters. What do moms like? What kind of mom is he? Is he a cool mom? Is he even a mom, or just mom-aged? Is he going to have to make up names for his fake kids? Well, he has those picked out already - Jimin, Jin, and Taehyung. He doesn't know if they deserve punishment or a reward for encouraging him to do this.
"I really like romantic songs," Jungkook says. "Anything really sappy."
"Oh, really?" Hoseok says. "I wouldn't have thought that for such a strong young man."
Jungkook lowers his eyes, his dark eyelashes brushing against his smiling cheeks. "I'm sensitive," he says.
Hoseok can't help but wonder how sensitive, and where.
Their food arrives and Jungkook digs in. Hoseok hasn't been worried about how feminine he's acting, because he's already gotten much farther in this experience than he thought he'd get, until now. He doesn't want to just start shoveling, like he would do if he was with his friends, but he doesn't want to look strange by not eating fast enough. He's conscious of how far apart his legs are spread. He hasn't checked his makeup in far too long. He's starting to feel like he's on a date.
"Are you married?" Jungkook says, easily bringing food to his lips without thinking about it too hard. He's got a little freckle under his bottom lip that Hoseok wants to rub with his thumb to see if it'll come off.
"Uh," Hoseok says. He hasn't thought of a backstory for this character. Is she married? Divorced? A widow? Is she a spirit stuck on earth? He should mention that to Namjoon - it seems like something he'd be into writing.
"I'm not, if that's what you're wondering," Jungkook says. He smiles lopsided and cute.
"I'm not either," Hoseok says. He decides Jin's advice of sticking as closely as possible to the truth is the best idea. He is not married, and so she is not married.
"Do you mind if I ask how old you are?" Jungkook says.
"Oh," Hoseok says, hesitating too long for someone who knows their own age. How old is she? He settles on saying, "Yes."
"I'm sorry, that was rude," Jungkook says. The table starts vibrating with how hard Jungkook is jiggling his leg up and down.
"No, it's okay," Hoseok says. He ponders what he could say that would be close to the truth. He can't tell Jungkook his actual age, but he can't make up an age either. "I'd just rather... not say."
Hoseok crosses his legs under the table. His foot brushes up against Jungkook's leg, and they smile at each other, Hoseok mumbling out an apology. Jungkook ducks his head shyly and takes a bite of his food.
Hoseok needs to figure out what he's doing with himself, because he thinks Jungkook is very, very, very cute, and he can't be thinking that if he's not himself. There's no way Jungkook would possibly be attracted to him like this - when he's presenting himself to be old enough to be Jungkook's mother. He can't be flirting recklessly with handsome guys or risk looking like a creep.
"Aren't you hungry?" Jungkook says.
"Starving," Hoseok says, rubbing his hands together and finally eating something.
~*~
After lunch they go back to set, such as it is, and await further instructions from Namjoon. Jungkook wanders off to get changed into his FATHER character, and Hoseok is left spending time with Yoongi.
"How long is this shoot going for?" Hoseok says to Yoongi. He looks in the little pocket mirror he has in his pouch and reapplies his lipstick. His other makeup has barely budged. He must remember to kiss Taehyung wherever he wants in thanks later.
"We only have one day," Yoongi says. He's setting up the boom mic, testing the levels, then taking it down, setting it up somewhere else.
"Oh," Hoseok says. "Shouldn't we... get going?"
"Yes," Yoongi says. "But will we? Who knows. I get paid either way."
"This is a paid gig?" Hoseok says.
"No," Yoongi says.
Hoseok pauses, then laughs. "You're funny. I like you."
Yoongi smirks and wiggles his arms like a dancing octopus and moves the mic again.
"All right, people," Namjoon bursts into the room and shouts in a surprisingly commanding voice. "We only have one day to film four episodes. Keep in mind, each episode is only five minutes long. We couldn't afford any exterior shots, so let's just make the most of what we've got. Remember, this green screen is a kitchen and a prison. Let's start getting ready to shoot!"
Hoseok checks his phone quickly to calm his nerves. He has 62 text messages, all from Jimin.
Jimin: Good luck!!!! Fighting!!! I believe in you!!!
Jimin: How are you?
Jimin: Did you get the part?
Jimin: How is it going?
Jimin: Well??? Did you get it or not?
Jimin: Have you been found out?
Jimin: Are you being kidnapped???
Jimin: HELLO???? ANSWER ME
Jimin: ARE YOU DEAD
Jimin: ARE YOU OK
Jimin: TELL ME IF YOU ARE OK OR NOT
Jimin: Are you still coming to my party? I'll kill you if you don't show up
Jimin Please don't kill me for saying I'll kill you
Jimin Do you know where my light blue button down shirt is?
Jimin: Nevermind I found it in my closet
Jimin: HELLO????
Hoseok texts back: I'm OK I got the part! ^^ Getting ready to shoot scene now!! I'll see you later!!!
Jungkook steps back onto set in a smart pinstripe suit and tie, wire rimmed glasses, and his hair combed neatly. Namjoon immediately starts waving his arms over his head in broad circles mimicking a sunrise and speaking quickly to Jungkook. Jungkook nods, and makes a note on his clipboard. Hoseok watches Jungkook watching, and wishes all of a sudden that he was himself, and that they could have a conversation. He'd love to have Jungkook look at him with adoration in his big, sparkly eyes.
"Are you really a mom?" Yoongi asks him, studying Hoseok's face intently.
Hoseok tries to cover up that he almost just died of shock and tells the truth. "Not exactly."
"I didn't think so," Yoongi says. "You don't look old enough. You don't look like children have eaten away at the sands of time in your heart. In fact, you look about the same age as Namjoon."
"Oh, well," Hoseok says. "You're flattering me."
~*~
The pages Namjoon provided them with are typed up like a script. Hoseok's part is MOTHER, and Jungkook's part is FATHER. Hoseok paces around the floor and listens to the tracks on the mp3 player, trying to memorize how he's supposed to move his mouth. For the scene Jungkook gave him a beautiful, purple floral fascinator to pin in his hair. Jungkook tried to help him put it on, but he flinched away so hard that he's afraid he may have hurt Jungkook's feelings.
"I just don't want to mess up my hair," Hoseok says. That's an understatement. He's been wearing this wig all day and he can feel it slipping a little, the pins needing to be readjusted.
"No worries," Jungkook says, the tension in his body visibly relaxing. "How's the memorization coming along? That's Namjoon rapping, you know."
"Wow," Hoseok says. "Is everyone that multi-talented?"
"Can you rap?" Jungkook says. He's got on earbud in and the other dangling so he can have a conversation. His eyes are unfocused and he goes through the motions of the choreography they practiced.
"I won a freestyle rap contest by accident," Hoseok says. "In my, uh, younger years."
"You're a quadruple threat," Jungkook says, suddenly looking at Hoseok with peering eyes. Hoseok wants to ask Jungkook what he exactly he thinks Hoseok's talent is besides dancing and trying to act.
Jungkook's tie is coming loose. He waves Jungkook over with his hand and stands close to untying and re-tying the knot on his tie for him, his fingers brushing against Jungkook's throat.
"Are you ready?" Jungkook says, placing his hands over Hoseok's and holding them.
"For what?" Hoseok says, suddenly breathless.
"The big kissing scene," Jungkook says. "Namjoon made a last minute revision."
"Who's kissing?" Hoseok says. "You and me?"
Hoseok's stomach drops and gets stuck somewhere in his tights. He thinks he can feel each of the hairs on his chin growing, and his wig slipping, and his fake paper ball breasts flattening to nothing. He can't kiss Jungkook - not like this. He should just come clean now. He told Jin this was too much, and he was right, it's way too crazy for him. He's not an actor, he's not a dancer, he's not a mom. He's a fool and he has to turn down kissing a cute guy and he has to run away forever to his old life of not knowing Jungkook.
"I'm just kidding," Jungkook says, letting go of Hoseok's hands. "You should have seen your face. Do you want to run through the choreography one more time?"
~*~
The equipment is in place, the crew is silent and ready, and Hoseok steps in front of the camera for the first time.
"This is so exciting," Hoseok whispers to Jungkook. "I've never been filmed for TV before. Well, web-based TV."
"You're going to be amazing," Jungkook says, the stage lights filling his eyes. "Hey, triple threat."
"Yeah?" Hoseok says. God, he could really go for that kissing scene right about it.
"Your dress is too short," Jungkook says.
Hoseok clears his throat and shimmies his dress down as far as he can without ripping it.
"Now remember, Jiwoo," Namjoon says. "You're in a kitchen, and sometimes a prison, and it might be a spaceship - I don't know yet. This woman is a spirit stuck on earth. That was your idea, Jiwoo, and it was a great one. Just think about what that means and let it go through your face."
The more Hoseok embodies this character, the more he can relate. He, too, is a spirit stuck on earth - well, in his own way. He's stuck. He wants to put himself out there like this mother or spirit or alien. He wants to take risks. He wants to dance. He wants to kiss Jungkook on the mouth.
"Got it," Hoseok says.
They film all four five-minute episodes in a flash. Hoseok barely has any idea what's supposed to be happening, but he loves the music and he loves dancing alone and alongside Jungkook equally. Namjoon yells cut in a broken voice and Hoseok can see from here he's in tears.
"Wow," Namjoon says, stepping onto the set. He wraps Hoseok in his arms. "Mother. That was incredible. You're about to become a huge star."
Hoseok doubts that a four episode web series will cause him to become anything, but he appreciates the sentiment.
~*~
Namjoon invites him to go to the wrap party at the bar down the street. The only problem is it's the same bar as Jimin's party, which he's been promising to go to since last year, right after Jimin's last party. He doesn't know how he's going to split his time between Jimin and his friends and the film crew without having some major explaining to do to at least one group, but he'll figure that out when he gets there.
"You're coming, right?" Jungkook says, bent on one knee to tighten and tie the laces on his boot. He's changed back into his denim jacket and t-shirt and jeans and his soft hair is fluffed up again, and he looks so, so cute. He looks like someone Hoseok wants to be asked out by.
"Yes, of course," Hoseok says. He really wants to go home and shower. He wishes he would've borrowed another dress from Jin's costume trunk, because his black dress is sweaty and dirty after all the dancing. "I don't have a change of clothes. Do you think this is OK?"
"Here," Jungkook says. taking his jacket off. He slips it onto Hoseok's shoulders and holds it so he can slip his arms into the sleeves. The denim is soft and warm and smells like clean laundry. It fits a little big on Hoseok and it makes him feel delicate.
"Does it look cool?" Hoseok says. He puts his hand in the pocket and poses.
"It's cute," Jungkook says. "It's your style."
"What about you?" Hoseok says. "Won't you be cold?"
"Keep me warm," Jungkook says as he loops their arms together.
They walk arm in arm down the street. The sun is almost all the way down, just a slight hint of orange at the bottom of the sky, like when you cover a flashlight with your hand. There are cherry blossoms planted along the sidewalk and the street lights illuminate them and make the petals seem like they're twinkling.
Hoseok thinks now would be the perfect time to reveal his true nature to Jungkook. Being with him like this makes Hoseok realize he doesn't want to keep up this charade for the rest of his life. He wants to go out with Jungkook, and kiss him, and spend a good, long spanse of time with him from now on. And he wants to do that as himself, not as Mother. He wants Jungkook to get to know him, just as badly as he wants to get to know Jungkook more.
Jungkook shivers against him.
"Cold?" Hoseok says.
"No," Jungkook says. "I wish that walk was longer. Look, we're already here."
Before he knows it Hoseok is inside, and he spots Jimin right away. He somehow manages to avoid Jimin's hawk eyes and turns so he's facing only Jungkook.
"I'm going to go freshen up," Hoseok says, freeing himself from Jungkook's arm and running to the bathroom.
It's a multi-stall bathroom, but he locks the door behind him anyway. He plants his hands on the sink and stares into the mirror. What is he going to do? He should make an appearance at Jimin's party first, then maybe he can get the rest of the night to exposing himself to Jungkook. Emotionally exposing himself, and if things go right, physically.
The first thing he does is take his fake paper breasts out and throw them in the trash. The bra lays mostly flat against him, so he leaves that for now. He takes the wig off and jams it into Jungkook's jacket's pocket, running his fingers through his flat hair. He bends down to scrub his face in the sink. He takes his slippers off, removes the tights, and puts the slippers back on. He is still wearing only a dress and - wait, oh god, he's wearing Jungkook's jacket! He can't have it on when he's someone else. He takes it off and ties it around his waist. That sort of disguises the fact that he's wearing a dress.
"There you are," Jimin swoons at him as soon as Hoseok comes out of the bathroom and finds him at the bar. "I knew you'd come."
"Hey, mom," Jin says, throwing his arm around Hoseok's shoulder. "How'd it go today?"
"It's still going," Hoseok says.
"What do you mean?" Jin says.
"There's this guy," Hoseok begins, but he's interrupted by Jimin shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Ohhh!" Jimin spins in a circle and falls against Hoseok. "Mother, you've been busy!"
"It's not like that," Hoseok says, covering his smile with his hand. "Actually, it is like that."
"He's here?" Jin says. "Right now?"
"Point him out to me," Jimin says. Hoseok locks eyes with Jin and shakes his head.
"Let's get you another shot," Jin says, ushering Jimin to the other side of the bar.
Hoseok leans back and scans the room, looking for Jungkook or someone else from the film crew. He spots Namjoon sitting at a table with a couple people, including - oh god - a familiar blue head.
"Taehyung," Hoseok says out loud.
"There you are," Jungkook spins around from the bar with two drinks in his hands, one extended out in offering. His face drops when he sees Hoseok. It breaks Hoseok's heart for a second, thinking the sight of him would cause Jungkook's face to do that, when he remembers he's himself right now and not the woman Jungkook spent all day flirting with. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"Where is my Taehyung?" Jimin says, physically fighting his way out of Jin's grasp. "Hoseok, who's this? Is this the - "
Hoseok slaps his hand over Jimin's mouth so hard he's pretty sure he's going to have a split lip. He backs Jimin up all the way to the bathroom door, Jin trailing behind them, and locks all three of them into a stall.
"What are we doing in here?" Jimin says. "Do you have to pee?"
"Look," Hoseok says. "That was the guy."
"Ohhh," Jimin says, twirling around as much as he can manage when he's crammed into a bathroom stall with two other men. "He. Was. Cute! You have to kiss him. Please? Please? For me?
"I can't!" Hoseok says. "He doesn't know who I am! He thinks I'm, you know. Mother."
"Well, what are you going to do?" Jin says. "Live like this the rest of your life? What happens when he meets, you know, your guy?"
"I have to tell him," Hoseok says. "Tonight. Right? This is so crazy. I have to go to work tomorrow!"
"What are you going to tell him?" Jimin says. He puts both his hands on his face and yanks on his skin hard, like he's going as crazy as Hoseok feels.
"And where's the wig you borrowed from me?" Jin says. Hoseok reaches into Jungkook's jacket's pocket and gives him the wig. Jin kisses it and puts it in his own pants pocket.
The door to the bathroom opens and closes. Hoseok holds his breath, praying it's not Jungkook. Jimin waits for a few seconds, then calls out softly, "Taehyung?"
"Yeah?" Taehyung says back. Jimin opens the stall door. "Hi Hoseok."
"Hi Taehyung," Hoseok says.
"I think this director out there was talking about you," Taehyung says. "He said he worked with the most incredible dancer mom today."
"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" Hoseok says, grabbing Taehyung by the shoulders and shaking him. "Did you?"
Taehyung smiles serenely as Hoseok gets mentally prepared to beat him up. "No, I didn't."
“You should tell him you’re a makeup artist and you have a costume designer friend and you both need work!” Jin says.
Hoseok leans back and lets his head hit the bathroom stall wall. "I'm going to tell him. I'm going to go out there and tell the guy I like I'm not a mom."
"Say goodbye to mom, kids," Jin says. "And say hello to Hoseok."
His friends all squeeze into the stall to hug him, Jimin squeezing a little more skin than anyone else.
"That dress is short," Jimin says, patting the back of Hoseok's bare, exposed thigh.
~*~
Hoseok comes out of the bathroom and feels like a new person. He doesn't feel like his old self, and he doesn't feel like Mother, but a third person, a completely changed form from who he started as when he woke up this morning. A spirit on this earth, an alien. He unties Jungkook's jacket from his waist and slips his arms back into it, shrugging it onto his shoulders.
Jungkook is sitting at the bar alone. He's got a drink in front of him and he looks sad, lost in thought.
"Hey," Hoseok says.
Jungkook startles.
"Oh," Jungkook says. "Hello. Do you need this seat?"
"No," Hoseok says, his heart beating so fast he can feel it through his bra. "I just wanted to introduce myself."
"I have a jacket just like that," Jungkook says all of a sudden. "I gave it to - "
"To me," Hoseok says. He tries to smile, but he's pretty sure he's grimacing. "It's me."
Jungkook stares, and stares, and stares. He stares for so long Hoseok would think he'd died if he wasn't blinking.
"Jiwoo?" Jungkook says, looking around the room like maybe the real Jiwoo will pop out.
"Do you want to - do you want to go outside? Take a walk?" Hoseok says. Jungkook takes a big gulp of his drink on the bar and nods.
~*~
Hoseok talks and talks and he explains everything - how his friends dressed him up, how he really is a dancer, how much fun he had, how he tried to lie as little as possible, how he's not a liar. He wants to loop their arms together like they did before. Even though Jungkook only knew Jiwoo for a day, Hoseok knows they had sparked a special relationship. Now they're strangers again, perhaps even more than before.
Once Hoseok is done telling his story, they stop and sit on a bench under a cherry blossom tree. The petals are dull and washed out from this angle, just like Hoseok's insides. He can't stand not talking and Jungkook not saying anything.
"Do you hate me?" Hoseok says, a begging lilt to his voice.
Jungkook clicks his tongue and tilts his head to the side. "I don't."
All the tension in Hoseok's body unfurls and floats into the sky. He slouches down, his bare knee brushing against Jungkook's. He's scared Jungkook will flinch away from the touch, but he doesn't seem to notice it.
"But why come clean?" Jungkook says. "You could've just - just, moved on and never looked back. Why?"
Hoseok turns to face him. Jungkook bites his lip, his forehead crinkled in confusion.
"I really like you," Hoseok says. "And I didn't think I could ask you out if I were a middle-aged mom."
He can see the sparkle gathering in Jungkook's eyes before he smiles with his mouth. Hoseok's heart does a little dance.
"I'm kind of relieved," Jungkook says. "Usually I'm not super attracted to cougars. But you..."
"You were attracted to me?" Hoseok says in surprise. "Even as a mom?"
"Yeah, I was, triple threat," Jungkook says. He scoots a little closer on the bench. "Quadruple threat. You're a master of deception."
"What's my other talent?" Hoseok says. "Besides dancing and acting. You never said."
"These legs," Jungkook says, placing his palm flat on Hoseok's thigh. “Sexy legs.”
Hoseok closes the space between them and kisses Jungkook's soft, pink mouth. When he pulls back, the little freckle under his lip is still there. Jungkook puts his arm around Hoseok’s waist, underneath the denim jacket he’s definitely not giving back to Jungkook, and pulls him impossibly closer so they can kiss again.
“Are you still wearing a bra?” Jungkook says, groping at Hoseok’s back and making Hoseok shiver.”
“Yes,” Hoseok says. “And?”
“I’m into it. Hoseok,” Jungkook says it like a question.
"That's me," Hoseok says.
~*~
MOTHER PERSONAE
2,106,892 views
KimNamJoonProd
Published April 19, 2019
Mother? Woman? Spirit? Who the hell am I?
Writer: Kim Namjoon
Director: Kim Namjoon
Producer: Kim Namjoon
Director of Photography: Jeon Jungkook
Editor: Jeon Jungkook
Sound editor: Min Yoongi
Animation: Min Yoongi
Cast: MOTHER: Jung Hoseok, FATHER: Jeon Jungkook