Archive of Our Own

T he 'theme' of this fic can be described through the following songs:

https://open.spotify.com/track/0fBP9n1mUM2Ur7LUPq8MVn?si=IA29o0DARQexDukJQiPk3w

This is HRVY and Malu's fun track, Hasta Luego. I personally felt it fits the mood where Jihope meet perfectly, so do give it a listen :) I'm quoting the song in parts too!

https://open.spotify.com/track/6FE2iI43OZnszFLuLtvvmg?si=So2ygGzAQ16mD6aB-_C6Jw  

An older, yet 'classic' song :)  I wanted a chilled out, let your hair down mood to be created whilst reading, but there's an edge to everything, there's a bit of danger in here too…. I mean, if you find devilish things dangerous, that is ;) Instead of finding a song for that, I decided to pull out an old piece I wrote a couple of months ago. I hope all of this sets the right mood for this fic! 

(PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOU CAN SEE THIS IMAGE AND THE SPOTIFY LINKS I HAVE TAGGED. IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES, KINDLY DROP A COMMENT, THANK YOU FOR BEARING WITH ME! :) )

https://twitter.com/YoonMoonMinnie/status/1154806533944819712?s=19 

The image is here, on the Twitter link above!

He isn't all bad, he lets the humans have their fun too. He's a true bred gentleman, you have to be to lure the prey in, after all. He's played this game a several hundred times now, but the thrill of it remains the same, the changes human behavior patterns are interesting to observe, even if it does get a little repetitive at times. Jung Hoseok isn't one to be bummed out by a few mundane and colourless mortals, he can make even the tamest and most commonplace of them dance on his palm and have a wild time...... that is, of course, until he decides he needs his own little reward.

He doesn't always kill or damn their souls, no, that's too boring. Some souls are too pretty to let go of, some genuinely manage to hold his attention and some frankly intrigue him, although the last is the rarest. These are the souls he is most benevolent to, he lets them live, and that is practically the grand prize for having confronted a top tier devil like him, nothing less than pure nobility, if you want to comprehend his popularity.

The soul he's met today is proving tricky to place in his classification, and that just excites Hoseok even more.

The night is getting to the zenith of youth and all the euphoria it brings, and the boy dancing with him simply weaves through all the flashing lights and lightly springs to the music blasting through the speakers. His movements aren't exactly alike to Hoseok's power filled ones, they're fluid and smooth, full of a strength akin to that of flowing water- a silent stream that will stealthily work it's way down into large rapids and a crashing fall, taking you and drawing you in until you can't think of anything except the cool and frictionless feeling of water encompassing you. It's an acquired taste, one that's growing over Hoseok for the past one hour he's been in this place.

It had been one of the trips he did just to let loose, he hadn't planned on encountering any captivating mortals, just the usual humdrum, but this boy has not just captured him with his winning dance, his whole being seems made for Hoseok to view, capture, and- well, he hasn't quite decided that yet. They'll bother about that when the time comes.

For now, all he does is just dance, and follow the boy, who he's dubbed 'doughcheeks’ with his eyes. They're still on opposite sides and haven't quite interacted yet, but Hoseok is still resisting making the first move. If cutie with that booty wants him as bad (which he will), he'll have to slide his peachy butt here, and Hoseok wants the one to be chased, for once. It's highly amusing to him, after all, he's the devil, he's supposed to chase and run after them, but in the end, it's their own burning curiosity and desire that leads them to him. And once they’re in, he sure as hell doesn't let go.

~•~

He dance like he never gon' die

Blowing up the floor like he dynamite

No one can tell him goodbye

But it's only one night~

~•~

It's disappointing. It's been more than an hour, and cutie hasn't made his move yet. Hoseok is getting enticed and intrigued, yes, but he's a persnickety little thing who, once deciding upon his course of action, seldom succumbs to change. If cutie isn't brave enough to make a move out of his dance, he isn't really suited to Hoseok's tastes. 

Hoseok leaves after a whole two hours have gone. He tells himself he won't come back to this depressing little trap, he and that cutie could have had such fun, if only.  

The night in the city is more of a joke, with polluting fumes rising up the skies, blocking the stars and the only one determinedly shining is the moon. Hoseok lets out a large exhale, watching his breath escape in a cloud of fog. It's cold, and his blood is still pumping from his exertions. It's a nice high, yet it feels incomplete. He decides to make do with a simple crossroads prey, an unfortunate soul that's out of his safety zone and deep in the woods.

The blood is warm, but the taste of his energy, his Mana, is weak and bitter. He was scared and had all but wet his pants, and screamed harshly in Hoseok's ears. Hoseok frowns and huffs, disposing the body off. What a shithole this town is, no sight of decent prey anywhere, and when you think you've got one, they are basic bitches. 

.

.

.

.

Still, Hoseok stays back. Why? Because if centuries of existing have taught him one thing, it’s patience. Hoseok had felt intense pulses of copious amounts of energy throbbing through the veins that the town is built upon, which is why he landed here. Seeing the dry and utterly doozy populace though, almost makes him doubt his senses. Almost. He has learnt to trust his intuition for he knows better than most, what you see is never what it is, what it is you’ll never see. 

Even with all these solid reasons buzzing through his brain, he doesn’t find conviction strong enough to explain why he’s back in this depressing trap of a club. It has the same old, same old neon flashing lights that do nothing but wreck your drunk senses, the liquor isn’t half as good as it would be elsewhere, and the crowd is nothing but twenty-something insipid guests who have come to attend a marriage at the nearby Hall. The wedding is tomorrow, Hoseok has heard, and the maid of honour is supposedly fucking both, the best man and the groom, whilst the bride is attending to a cosy tea party of her elder female relatives, none the wiser. Nothing shocking.( I know traditional Korean weddings have no bridesmaids/groomsmen. Consider this a fusion wedding.)

He’s managed to get all the tidbits and scraps of scandalous gossip just by mingling with the crowd last night, but the one thing he doesn’t know is the identity of the dough-cheeked boy with the finest piece of ass. He tells himself it’s not a biggie, the boy had turned out to be a big disappointment in the end, after all.

With these thoughts he dances with the bridesmaid, and by the end of the night, he’s her new date to the wedding, her boring boyfriend can stay back hungover.

Why is he attending the wedding? Well, he is a demon, so he might as well live up to his name and create a little mischief, even if he hardly cares what happens to the bride and groom post marriage. It has nothing to do with the fact that dough cheeked boy is a possible friend of the groom who’ll attend the wedding.

Absolutely nothing, which is also why he decides to kiss the bridesmaid’s boyfriend right in front of her and then feed off of him. She looks terrified, but Hoseok gives her a blinding smile and vanishes away; screams echoing throughout the hotel room in his flight

.

The next morning is silent, yet there hangs a subdued terror in the morning dew, one that makes even the heartiest traveler take a step back as they walk through the empty streets.

The wedding party is sitting in the room of the eldest matriarch, all sharing a tense expression as a lone woman sits on the bed and weeps. 

“I’m telling you what I saw! One second we were dancing, and the next second there was this massive monster who bit Yongsun, and then he laughed and vanished and there was red smoke all over! There was a monster in my hotel room!” she yells out the last part, a little hysterical.

“Mama, I don’t understand why we’re even listening to her, I mean, look, she practically reeks of alcohol, and even if it’s true, why doesn’t Yongsun remember anything? He hasn’t said a word about this!” the bride is quite frustrated, it’s her wedding day and half her entourage is drunk, including her best friends and now her bridesmaid is spouting something about some monster she hallucinated, hungover. Really, they don’t have time for this, they have to get ready!

“Lia, sweetie, I think all of you just had… a bit too much to drink last night. I’m honestly disappointed, I thought we agreed on a quiet night, nothing wild.” Mother frowns, fixing a look that has the bridesmaid quickly scrambling up to defend herself.

“Auntie, I promise we weren’t that drunk! Kyu-hyuk just wanted to wind down a little, so all of us decided to treat him at the local bar, and we didn’t have more than two drinks each, I swear, we weren’t drunk! I don’t know why Yongsun doesn’t remember, but I know what I saw. I saw this really handsome guy, he wasn’t someone I knew, but we’d already decided to come back to the hotel room, so I didn’t think so hard over him. The next thing I know, me and Yongsunnie are in my room and the door opens, and the guy is there! Only, he disappears and a monster pops out of nowhere and attacks Yongsun and I scream, then I guess I fainted and woke up now. I’m not lying!”

“But you’re not making any sense either, your story sounds so stupid, what even?! I swear Lia, it’s always like this, you always want attention on you, but really, now? It’s my wedding, couldn’t you behave for like, once in your life? I’m so done, I swear.”

Lia trembles like a leaf in the wind, and stammers, “Ok-Hwa, I swear it’s not like that! I’m not lying, please, please believe me!”

Ok-Hwa just huffs and crosses her arms across her chest, pointedly staring at the wallpaper.

The atmosphere of the room is steadily worsening, and just as the bride’s mother is about to intervene, the grandmother, who’s been sitting pensively for a while, speaks up.

“It has to be a dokkaebi, or a demon.” Immediately, the bride turns to her, an incredulous look on her face, whilst Lia looks petrified. 

“A do-dokkaebi? Really?” she chokes out, face pale. 

“Yes, it could be a particularly nasty dokkaebi playing tricks, or an akkyu(demon). It must have been attracted to the happiness flowing through this place because a wedding is taking place, and wants to ruin it for his enjoyment.”

“Mother! What in the world are you spouting off about? Demons and goblins, really… we have a wedding to take care of, has everyone forgotten? We must get a move on, there’s so much to do! Lia, get yourself a bath for God’s sake, and straighten up. Yongsun is just fine, he probably has a fever from all that drinking. If he can’t join the wedding, then it’s fine, we can proceed without.Ok-Hwa, come on girl, get a move on or you’ll leave your man waiting at the altar!” Ok-Hwa’s mother snaps, clearly done with the mess they have created in one night.

And so the wedding party moves on, though some are still a little shaken. Outside the hotel, a lone man chuckles as he listens to the mini breakdown happening inside.

“Where’s that asshole, Im Si-Won? Dammit, my head is killing me, fuck….. I definitely drank too much…. Jimin ah, can you call Si-Won ah for me? I think he had the last of the hangover reliever….Fuck, what did Lia even make us drink” Kyu-Hyuk, the groom, whines and groans as he sits up from his mini nap.

“Sure hyung, I’ll go get him.” Jimin moves softly, not wanting to aggravate Kyu-Hyuk’s already testy mood. Perhaps a little ‘talk’ with Nari, the maid of honour, would relieve his headache. Or not, Jimin thinks. No, Kyu-Hyuk would probably not like to meet Nari right now, seeing as she was probably still sleeping in Si-Won’s bed, perhaps draped around him.

What a wedding this is. Ok-Hwa is running around trying to make herself look the prettiest bride to boot, Lia is still in shock and flinches at the tiniest sound as she moves around, trying to get ready. Kyu-Hyuk is suffering from his binge but smirks smugly as he thinks how he and Nari had danced, if dance is the word for it, it was just intense grinding and making out. Si-Won is sleeping, thinking how he’s got the best luck of any best man as he got the maid of honour to join him in bed. And Jimin, ‘friend’ of all of these and cousin to Nari, is wondering if he could still run away from the oncoming disaster.

How had Jimin ended up in the midst of a wedding so precariously perched on the edge of destruction? No, a better question to ask at this point is, why is this wedding even happening? Clearly the groom has no intention of remaining monogamous and faithful to his wife to be, the bride is on the verge of breaking down as she rushes to what she thinks is her dream wedding, and Nari? What in the world was his cousin thinking, going after both Kyu Hyuk and Si Won, even if one was literally her best friend’s fiance?

Jimin knows Nari is the jealous type, or more like, someone who always got what they wanted. She wanted someone, she’d pursue them and they’d end up falling head over heels for her. Then Nari would tire of them, stating that they weren’t all that cool after all, and dropped them like a used purse. But Nari had always been kind to Ok Hwa in her own way, meaning she didn’t go after guys that Ok Hwa was involved with, and they got along really well. Until now, it seems.

He shakes his head as he walks out of Si-Won’s room, hangover reliever in one hand. He’d come for a week of getting away from his hectic life in Seoul, hoping to relax a little and enjoy a good old wedding. The only relaxing he’s done was the day before yesterday when Jimin had danced freely after a long time and even seen a guy his type, but that was cut short too. He’d hoped to walk up to the man who seemed to be friendly with everyone, yet no one seemed to know him, but he was stuck babysitting Kyu-Hyuk and Si-Won, afraid a brawl would start in the bar. In the end, the man left just Jimin got free and could summon up courage to go over.

 It had been a long time, almost a year since he broke up with his first boyfriend, and the man was the first person Jimin had actively been attracted to.

 He’d caught a glimpse of the man again last night, but of course he was with someone else. Jimin was only a little shocked to see it was Lia, but she had already been cheating on Yongsun for quite a while now, so it wasn’t new. He had wondered if he should tell them that Yongsun had already left for their hotel room, but Jimin decided not to, simply because he didn’t care, it wasn’t his business if Lia had no interest in Yongsun.

“Here you go, hyung, I got the hangover reliever. I’m gonna go check up on Nari and Lia, just to see if everything is running smoothly. Yongsun looked a bit tired last night.” Jimin hopes Kyu-Hyuk won’t ask him to stay and baby him, because he has no more energy left to deal with these people he calls friends, all they do is lie, get drunk, laugh it off and lie again. He just wants an out from hanging out with them, but he has none. Not until he keeps on working under Si-Won in the dance studio, not until he gets another job that wasn’t achieved with Kyu-Hyuk’s influence. He had been truly grateful, almost elated, when Nari had introduced him to her group of friends.

Jimin has never really had many friends, sure, he wasn’t unpopular per say in high school, but he wasn’t sought out either. He used to be happy to fit in and have a group at his back, but after 3 years of knowing these people, Jimin just wishes he was alone. It’s not as if they are the worst kind, no, they treat Jimin well, it’s just that he’s always made to feel like he’s waiting upon them, his natural position is lower to them and hence all he can do is live on their gratuitous favours. 

Okay, university was hard, but Jimin went through it and cleared it alone, didn’t he? Yeah, finding a stable, well paying job is hard, but Jimin is learning hard under Si-Won’s dance studio and hopes to start his own some day. Or if not a full fledged studio, he wants to work in an office like Lia, assisting people and performing his job best. The closest he gets is the coffee shop, which is mostly due to Kyu-Hyuk pulling strings. Jimin won’t play goody two shoes, he knows the world isn’t kind, but he wishes he could work harder, better, so that no one had to pull strings for him.

Lately, working hard is all he does, yet getting results still becomes harder.

Lost in his thoughts, Jimin doesn’t hear half of what Kyu-Hyuk is saying, not that it matters, he’s just bitching. “- swear he’s casting some sort of evil eye on me, can you believe Yongsun threatened to tell Ok-Hwa about me and Nari making out? Like, what the hell, it was just two times, and who can resist Nari, I mean look at her man, she’s gorgeous, a natural beauty, unlike Ok-Hwa, a gangnam beauty. Jimin ah, don’t tell this to her, but I know she’s gotten stuff done even if she pretends it’s all au natural, Lia showed me their school pictures and honestly, she needed some stuff done.” 

“And you needed a better upbringing, but no one’s telling you that, huh?” Jimin thinks snidely. 

“Of course not, hyung…. And yeah, Nari’s always been pretty…” Jimin wisely avoids commenting on the plastic surgery, knowing his unorthodox opinions won’t be appreciated by Kyu-Hyuk, and he can’t lie on this.

Kyu-Hyuk nods furiously, and Jimin half hopes he knocks himself out by getting dizzy. But the hangover meds must be working, because he remains upright. “Right? She’s so pretty, I couldn’t resist….”

He suddenly looks downcast, and says, “Jimin ah, don’t think I hate Ok-Hwa, okay? I do love her, and she is pretty and would be the perfect wife, but Nari…. Man, she is unbeatable. Her charms, her smiles, she just says something and I feel like I could conquer the world, because she said so. Compared to that, Ok-Hwa is pretty mediocre in most things.

“Hyung, you should get ready. You’ll be getting married today. I’ll take my leave now.” Jimin excuses himself as Kyu-Hyuk nods a half hearted yes.

Jimin walks out of the hotel and goes to the tiny park they have in their backyard, sitting on one of the swings.

Maybe he should get drunk off his rocker and go tell Ok-Hwa just what is happening.

He hesitates. It’s the right thing to do, but is doing it now right? He has no proof, and Nari is closer to Ok-Hwa than he is. He also knows Nari has no problem tipping people off a deep precipice if it means saving her own skin, and just because he’s her cousin doesn’t mean she’s gonna spare him.

“You look quite troubled for someone who isn’t even the one getting married.” A voice from besides startles him so bad, he almost falls to his face, holding on the swing at the last moment.

He turns to the left, only to see the same man. He inhales sharply, heart beating faster for some reason. He was sure he was alone when he entered the park, and he was definitely alone when he sat on the swing.

“I….. I’m fine.” is all he offers, fully cautious. The mysterious stranger may be hot and was definitely better to look at during the full light of the day, but Jimin was wary. 

“Hmm… if you say so. You’re visiting along with the rest of the wedding party, I take it? I saw you in the club the other night.” stranger continues to swing casually.

“Yeah… it’s a friend’s wedding….” Jimin answers softly, still a bit rigid.

They continue to swing in silence, and Jimin almost forgets he’s sitting next to someone when the man speaks up again.

“You dance pretty well.”

Jimin whirls to face him, because he noticed? Jimin thought he was the only one who was stealing glances, but it clearly isn’t so.

 “Yes, I noticed.” the stranger is now smirking, and Jimin’s cheeks burn as his stomach flushes and churns in nervous embarrassment.

“I… thank you… you were great too” is all he can say. 

Stranger offers him a charming smile, heart shaped lips stretching wide, and says, “Thank you. I noticed because you were one of the few who could hold their own on the dance floor. A hard feat with a large crowd around you, really.”

Jimin blushes as the praise showers upon him, he was always a sucker for flattery. “I’m actually a dancer, so I guess it makes sense, although it’s mostly because everyone was so drunk.”

“If you say so, but I’m a dancer too. I know good dance when I see it.” Stranger chuckles, a glimmer in his eyes.

Jimin brightens up a little, happy to know that the man he nearly pined after was interested in the same things as him. “Really? What kind do you like the most, then?”

“All styles are pretty amazing, but I’d say Hip Hop is my love. I enjoy Jazz too. What about you?”

“Oh, I majored in modern dance! I love contemporary, modern dance and I even learned hip hop and jazz and a little bit of techno and popping too!”

“You looked pretty graceful as you danced the other night, so modern dance clearly suits you well.” Stranger smiles knowingly, and Jimin grins, because he loves dancing well.

They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Jimin shyly asks, “I thought you left with Lia last night… didn’t you?”

Stranger looks at him sharply for about half a second before he tersely nods, and says, “I didn’t think you’d be there yesterday too, I certainly didn’t see you. I helped your friend because she was drunk and couldn’t remember the way to the hotel.”

He says it with such ease and with an unbothered air, so much that Jimin wonders if he mistook the sharp look from surprise.

“Oh, I thought... “ he trails off, leaving the ‘I thought you went to her room’ unsaid, but not unheard, because Stranger is giving him a knowing smile, as if he’s privy to his thoughts.

“Ah, I see. Well, I didn’t, mainly because she wasn’t my type, and also because she has a boyfriend.”

Jimin frowns. “How do you know about Yongsun, though? He wasn’t there last night, he left early.”

“I’d met him the night before yesterday when he’d joined in the dancing with Nari and Kyu-Hyuk, and he met us at the hotel because he was trying to call Lia.”

.

“Oh… Seems like you know all of us, then.”

Stranger smiles wryly. “Yes, I’ve been introduced to nearly everyone. I clearly didn’t have the privilege to meet you, though.”

Jimin blushes a little, but offers what he hopes is a winning smile, and says, “Park Jimin, at your service. Nari is my cousin, Ok-Hwa is her best friend, and I met all of them through Nari, so they’re my friends too, I guess.” He shrugs at the end.

“Are you not as close to them as Nari is, perhaps?” 

Jimin pauses, unsure how to answer. The complex relations his friends have is hard to put into words. He settles for, “We’re not best friends, but they do take care of me.” ‘when they feel like…’ he adds on mentally.

Stranger smiles again. He has a nice smile, bow shaped lips and eyes that curve up happily, Jimin thinks. “Nice to meet you, Park Jimin. The name is Jung Hoseok, you can call me Hoseok.”

Hoseok. A really nice name, Jimin thinks idly. He absently wonders how it would feel on the tip of his tongue when, if they were to be kissing and touching each other in places indecent for public view.

Wait. Why is Jimin even wondering this? What is it about this man that pulls his lower abdomen into tight knots, makes him inhale too sharply, and turns his thoughts all into a mess? 

They have chemistry, Jimin isn't that blind nor is he so bad at post hangover remembrance, he knows Hoseok had looked him up and down when he was dancing, knows how his eyes had stayed pinned on all of his moves. He knows he's a good dancer, and a pleasing spectator always makes him preen. Yet Jimin had found himself impossibly tongue tied and breath too shakey to approach the man in question. Because while Jung Hoseok is undoubtedly hot and easily his type, he's tinged with an aura that screams 'dangerous'. Maybe it's that glint in his eyes, they're warm browns but Jimin thinks they could be pitch black when the light doesn't touch them. Maybe it's the high cheekbones, they lend him an aristocratic, almost arrogant look. Warm eyes, cold looks. A perfect paradox, an alluring smirk. 

If Jimin takes the plunge, will he find himself drowning in honey warmer than early morning sunshine, or in frigid harsh Arctic waters?

Hoseok looks patient, unfazed by the long pauses they take. Or maybe he's privy to the battle in Jimin's head and waiting for the right moment. To do what, Jimin can only guess.

"Tell me about yourself, then, Hoseok." He utters the name as though it's proscribed, taboo.

Hoseok smiles, and oh, there's the tiniest dimples that coyly wave at Jimin. 

They talk till Jimin's phone starts ringing, and they continue talking as not even Taeyang's soulful vocals can pull them away from their conversation.

They talk about dancing. They talk about Jimin's first and last pet dog, and Hoseok tells him about how his Mickey will sulk if Hoseok as much as looks at another dog on the street.

"Sometimes, I wish I never left Busan." Jimin softly exhales.

"Why?" 

"Because things were so much simpler there. The hardest question on my mind was if I had to do homework or go out first. Now, after moving to Seoul, I feel lost. It's been four years, and I still feel lost. The city's always too big, every time I step out, I'm just drifting, never really stopping to think why I'm living like I am." 

"What are you living like, Park Jimin?"

"I'm living like I was given this life. I keep trying to stay positive and work hard, but I rarely get any satisfaction. If I do, I'm made to feel like it isn't a big thing and most of the things I achieve aren't mine, they've been given out of pity…" Jimin studiously ignores the lump that builds up in his throat. He will not cry in front of a stranger.

"Do people around you make you feel like that? Like you aren't good enough?" There's no judgement in Hoseok's tone, just mild curiosity.

"..... I guess they do….. maybe they don't mean it, maybe they do and are right…. I mean, the current job I do, in the dance studio, it was because Nari introduced me to Si Won, and he put me in there. But I didn't, don't take it for granted! I work as hard as I can, and try my best with all the work I get! Yet it's always like, my best just isn't enough. I don't get enough space to let out any creativity in choreography, and if things do go wrong, I'm the scapegoat for half of them." 

"That's not a good place to work at, nor are your friends actually your friends, Jimin ssi. I think you are in serious need of change." Hoseok puts it bluntly, yet Jimin senses empathy instead of disdain he'd expect from a stranger he's pouring out his worries to.

"I guess I do, huh. I don't know if I could change and be happy, though."

"You are stable now yet unhappy. Maybe change will bring some happiness."

"How do you know it will not bring sadness instead?" Jimin asks, frowning.

"How do you know it will?" Hoseok looks at him with a raised brow.

"I don't." 

"No, you don't. And you never will, if you don't try." Hoseok says, sounding way too serious for Jimin to brush off his words.

They stay quiet after that, the sound of the wind rustling leaves and shaking branches filling the gaps their conversation left.

It's not like Jimin hasn't had this conversation in his head, or even with someone. Hoseok's words aren't a new tune he's never heard, but the self assured, confident tone they are spoken in make them all the more impactful. They aren't preaching to him, nor are they calling, instigating his mind out.

They're just floating in his brain, in the shadows of his thoughts.

How much effect can a stranger have on you that you'd pour your story out to him in full words and sentences?

When Jimin looks up from his pensive stare at the leaves, vision blurring as his brain travels further and further away; he sees that Hoseok has disappeared. Almost like he was nothing but a figment of Jimin's imagination, born from thoughts and dissipating into thin air.

The air is filled with an unnatural chill that doesn't belong to the afternoon of a what was supposed to be a sunny day. 

Jimin walks away from the park, deciding to just head over to the wedding hall instead of wasting time finding any of his friends.

"Jimin ah! Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to call you for an hour now, seriously, did your phone die or did you forget how to use it? Where were you, we needed you!!!!!" It's Ok Hwa's voice that greets him the minute he steps inside the room, filled with frustration.

Jimin doesn't even mind bearing her anger, it's her wedding day, and she doesn't even know how her husband is playing her behind her back.

"I'm sorry Noona, my phone died on me and I ended up lost in the town. I'd stepped out for a walk to clear my head from last ni-"

"It doesn't matter anymore, whatever, seems like nobody cares about this wedding anyway. Just go help Kyu Hyuk get ready, Si Won must be going crazy handling him all alone, and Yongsun is good for nothing. He and Lia have done nothing but piss me off since last night, you know? Really, it's like, Lia just craves attention, she can't live without it!" Ok Hwa exclaims, clearly too bitter.

Jimin is taken aback by the venom in her words, and just nods dumbly, unsure of what to say, if to say anything at all.

"Can you believe the stunt she pulled this morning? She keeps on claiming some kind of "monster" attacked Yongsun in front of her last night, biting and sucking his blood like some Twilight wannabe. Like, get more imagination, Lia. And now she's scared half my aunts and my grandma keeps muttering about ghosts and evil mouths and what not, and nobody is worried that its my fucking wedding, ugh!!!!" She looks about ready to plunge a knife into someone, and Jimin doesn't want to be around her.

Just as he's about to make his escape, Nari walks in through the next room, looking perfectly composed and put together, like usual.

"Oh Come on, Ok Hwa yah, forget her already! She probably had too much to drink and smoke and got stoned off that weed she kept showing us. Don't you have a wedding going on? Focus on dressing up and fix your face, or else Kyu Hyuk won't recognize his bride anymore. Men don't like cranky, whiney girls for brides, y'know." Nari manages to sound consoling and condescending in one go, and Jimin still doesn't know how she does it.

Ok Hwa slumps forward, sighing deeply, looking like a marionette with its strings half cut. "Yeah, you're right….. I should be getting ready…..thanks Nari, you've been such a help, I wouldn't know how I'd survive this without you, really." Ok Hwa smiles gratefully at her, and Nari smiles right back, looking like a gorgeous angel sans her wings.

"I'll go help Si Won hyung handle Kyu Hyuk hyung, Noona. Don't worry, it will all go well." The soothing words burn on his tongue and Jimin quickly walks away, too cowardly to face Ok Hwa and Nari.

Nari moves through the wedding hall with efficiency and grace, flitting and flirting around as if it were her own house, and awing all the workers with her supreme polite self. 

Jimin feels sick just looking at her, wondering if this is how a storm lives. Nari has broken up so many relationships on her whims, and half of them haven't even been hers. If she found someone interesting but they weren't responsive to her for whatever reason, she'd manipulate people around her to play herself as a victim of unrequited love, or worse: she'd paint the person's reputation with dark shades of guilt and treachery.

Jimin used to think it was just with strangers that she did so, but she's played around with Lia's relationships too, way before Yongsun.

He knows that being selfish isn't that big of a sin, everyone is. He knows wanting and going after things is an advantageous skill, it's how you survive and thrive. Yet whenever he's witness to Nari's version of the same, he feels ash and cold fires in his lungs. 

The fires burn cold because Jimin is no better. He's no better, every time he remembers kissing Yongsun that night in the dance studio.

Sure, they were drinking. Sure, Yongsun was frustrated with Lia. Sure, Jimin was lonely. Yes, Yongsun was the one to lean in, but Jimin was the one to pull him closer.

There used to be a clear distinction: Jimin and them. Now, after being scalded by this friendship, the lines are blurred enough for his feet to tease the other side, un knowingly.

For all the tensions the pre wedding days have gone through, when the actual wedding starts, there is a merry atmosphere created.

The band is particularly lively, conversations livelier. All the guests are enthralled by the pretty decorations and everyone is dressed to match the beautiful location.

Only amongst the bridal party there lies a shadow, a tremor of caution. It shows in a smile pulled too tight as Ok Hwa's mother talks to the guests, a nervous look her grandma casts on the tall windows.

"Maybe we should have postponed it." Grandma seems all too eager, this is the fourth time she's talked about this.

Ok Hwa's mother sighs, turning from fixing a vase of flowers that had looked slightly tilted. "Mother, stop it. I know you're superstitious, but trust me, that girl was just hallucinating everything because of how much she'd had to drink. There is no devil or monster or dokkaebi coming here. Couldn't you smell the stench of alcohol on her?" 

"I know fear in someone's eyes when I see it, missy. I also know that sometimes alcohol opens your sight up to things you wouldn't notice when sober. It frees your mind and evil spirits are just waiting on the sidewalks and crossroads, wanting to pry on vulnerable minds lost in alcoholic haze. That girl was scared." 

Mother sighs, truly exasperated. "What sidewalks and crossroads? She was in her hotel room, please relax, mother. Besides, Yongsun said he doesn't remember anything. So there."

"Haven't you noticed how there's a chill in the air, despite it being sunny for the past week? It was so cold in the morning today, my joints ached. The wind was whistling so loud last night too! And then this girl says such things. It means a devil has entered the town. They may have already had a taste of the wedding party, and may try to invade the wedding! Imagine, something evil stealing into our sacred ceremonies! No, we should have postponed this." Grandma paces the length of the hallway, agitated.

"Mother! Stop it! This has gone too far, now! It's your granddaughter's wedding! Be more positive, please! I don't want to listen to this talk of evil spirits and devils anymore, we have to attend to our guests. The wedding will begin any moment!" 

She walks away, not bothering to wait a moment longer.

"I pray to the heavens, may no evil enter this wedding ceremony. Let this union be successful!" 

.

.

.

In the garden, the seats for the wedding reception are being set up. Reclining on a nearby bench and watching the proceedings is a man with eyes darker than onyx, a tiny smirk on his face.

Very well, I won't go in.

The wedding passes without a hitch. Jimin has to stop himself from screaming out the truth at several points, but he makes it. For all the worry he put in, Kyu Hyuk and Ok Hwa seem happier than ever, eyes shining with genuine joy at each other.

Ok Hwa looks radiant dressed as a bride, nothing like her teary eyed, irritated visage in the afternoon. Her countenance is full of a soft, delicate contentment. Not once does Kyu Hyuk even gaze at Nari. Nari is dressed well, looking like she hardly put any effort in her outfit. Her features accentuate the dress rather than the opposite, and he has seen more than a few eyes on her. 

They move towards the garden where they've planned a tiny party because Ok Hwa had insisted on a reception of sorts. The older folks would rather eat and leave, so they have combined both to have a buffet next to the dancefloor that's been set up and decorated.

Jimin isn't in the mood to dance or eat, so he settles for simply greeting a few guests he recognizes and moves away from the crowd.

He's nearly successful in escaping, but someone pulls him away by his elbow and under an alcove of a tree. He looks up, startled, to see Yongsun staring at him.

"Yongsun hyung! You scared me! Why'd you pull me away like that??" Jimin half yells, catching his chest to take a deep breath in.

"Well, you were trying to escape, and I couldn't have that, could I, Jiminie? Tell me, why have you been avoiding me? Don't even bother denying it, I've seen you talk to everyone except me ever since we came here for this stupid wedding." Yongsun traps him with his arms on either side of his shoulders, his back digging into the bark of the tree behind him.

"I… I've just been busy. Plus, you were hanging out with Lia, so I didn't wanna disturb. Wasn't this mini vacation meant to be a time for you two to bond?" Jimin hedges, looking anywhere but at Yongsun. He's been trying so hard to avoid this talk.

"Yeah, until she decided she found other men who were hotter to look at. C'mon Jimin, don't tell me you were put off by the fact that I'm dating Lia. We can still have our fun, you know." Yongsun pulls him closer by the waist, nosing at throat.

Jimin turns his head the other way, voice shaking as he says, "Hyung, please don't bring that up. It wasn't right, what… we did." 

Yongsun laughs. "Jimin, Jimin, Jiminie…. See, this is your problem. You don't know how to have fun, you're such a prude. That's why your boyfriend left you, you know? Lia is cool, she likes me, we have really good sex and she's rich enough for us to live comfortably. That hasn't stopped her from falling to temptations the first time she slept with someone. So why should it stop me and you? It's not like we're dating, it's just a one time thing, which, if it's good, can be repeated. Don't think so hard, just feel." 

He pulls Jimin closer than before, kissing his neck and caressing his waist. 

For half a second, Jimin wonders if he should really go in, go for it. Yongsun's not entirely wrong….. 

Jimin pushes Yongsun away, shaking his head. "Hyung… no, I don't want this… let's stop this." 

"Really, you just had to ruin the mood, didn't you? Fucking prude. First Lia spouts her crazy demon shit about last night, now you have the audacity to try to play me. Do you think I'll let you go away this easily, Park Jimin? Or maybe you're just a hidden slut, all it took was a couple of drinks to get your tongue loose. Don't think I saw you the other night, when you were dancing. You really turn into a slutty mess when you drink, huh? Acting like you're all goody two shoes when you're sober, though." Yongsun spits out at him, looking angry enough to draw out a smidgen of fear from within Jimin. 

"Hyung, stop this. You're accusing me of things without any cause, why can't you just understand, I have no interest in you, just go away!" More than fear, however, there's anger. He's mad at being humiliated for rejecting, really, what happened to understanding people's reasons?

Yongsun looks incredulous at his outburst,  like it's unwarranted. " You have no interest in me? Really, look who your kidding, honestly. If anything, you should be grateful someone of my standards even paid attention to you, you slut! You think you're pretty and the best, don't you? Let me tell you this, you're nothing but an ugly piece of shit who's a coward and can't do anything by himself. If Nari hadn't gotten you in our group, you couldn't even dream of hanging out with people like us, Park Jimin!" 

"Now now, that's too many incorrect statements someone has said in one go for me to ignore, really. I was just planning to sit this one out, because you clearly didn't see that this tree was taken, but now I can't take your nonsense anymore. You really should leave." A new voice chimes in, and they whirl around, only to see Hoseok, of all people, standing up and stretching.

"Who the fuck are you? How dare you listen into someone else's conversations? Have you no manners?" Yongsun yells, pissed off.

" I came here long before you did, you know. It was your fault, you didn't look around before starting your little fight. Which, by the way, was pathetic. Jiminie here clearly said he doesn't want your dick anywhere near him, so you need to back off, man." Hoseok looks entirely unruffled at the mess he's walked in to.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do, huh? And how do you know Jiminie?" 

"We've had quite a lovely acquaintance in these few days, the time just flew by in his company…." Hoseok gives his best smile, ending with a wink at Jimin.

Yongsun squints at the two of them, before saying, "What, he's your new friend to sleep with, now? Really, Jimin? You're choosing this over me? Whatever. You clearly aren't worth my time, trash." Yongsun storms off, still furious.

"Well then, that's a problem well avoided." Hoseok looks at Yongsun's retreating figure with mirth in his dark eyes. Wait, dark? Jimin clearly remembers Hoseok's honey-brown eyes from today, but now they're looking darker than the night around them.

"Hoseok ssi? What are you…. I didn't expect to see you here… are you from Kyu Hyuk's side?" Jimin is confused. He can't be one of the 250 guests from the bride's side, he would have noticed him, maybe he's from Kyu Hyuk's parents side? A son of one of their friends, maybe.

"Hmm… you could say I'm a well wisher, of sorts. I decided to visit last minute, to be honest." Hoseok looks like he's laughing at some inside joke, but Jimin ignores it. He's more concerned at what Hoseok just heard. 

"Hyung… about what you heard…. Just how much did you hear?" 

"Oh, you mean how you and Yongsun kissed, cheating on Lia? I heard it all, don't worry." Hoseok laughs at Jimin's misery, and a cold chill passes down Jimin's spine.

"I…. It…… It was only kissing, hyung! Not that it makes it any better, I know, but, still… don't…. don't think wrong about me…." He whispers the last part out, eyes downcast. 

Jimin doesn't know why, but he wants Hoseok to like him and not hate him. He knows it's silly but they had such a great time talking today, Jimin wants to continue being close to Hoseok. He wants to know him better, he wants to hear about his dog, his dance, his friends and their antics, his job, everything. It's selfish but Jimin wants to be selfish.

A single finger tilts his chin up to face Hoseok, who's moved two steps closer. "It was bad of you to kiss someone who's taken, you know? But seeing that the person himself doesn't care, you're not really to blame. In any case, I'm not the one who shall scold you Jiminie, don't worry." He gives a pearly white smile at this, and Jimin returns back a relieved one.

"Thanks hyung…. But I'm not all good, because I'm still keeping a secret, a secret that could break things apart seriously." 

"Hmmm, is it one you absolutely cannot tell?" 

"I… it's too late for me to say anything now, and no one would believe me if I said it. I have no proof." 

"Are you the only one who knows and can tell?" 

"Maybe? I don't know how many people might know, to be honest." 

"Then don't bother telling. Personally, a marriage on the path of ruin can't be stopped, only worsened, I feel." 

"How do- You know?!" Jimin looks up, eyes wide, staring at Hoseok in disbelief.

"I saw it happen, in the club, you know. Drunk human beings are even less discrete than sober ones." Hoseok shrugs. "Enough of secrets, though. I'm tired of lying around, what do you say, we get down there and dance? I think we could do much better than whatever that ahjumma is... Attempting." Hoseok looks at the middle aged lady who's trying to ....salsa, maybe, with a grimace.

"You sure you can keep up, hyung? I'm a pretty good dancer, you know." Jimin smirks at Hoseok.

Hoseok returns the look with a raised eyebrow, leaning in to whisper at Jimin's ear, "I think you'll find yourself keeping up rather than the other way around, Jimin ah." 

"Let's see, hyung." 

And with that, they step out on the dance floor. It had been lit with fairy lights twirling around pillars to look soft and aesthetic before, but they have changed it to dimmer, flashing lights akin to that of a disco. Either way, the music is good and Jimin's company is stellar.

Hoseok clearly wasn't in his full form at the club, Jimin thinks, as they push and pull and twirl to the beat. He had looked gorgeous then, he's graceful and sexy now. His moves are filled with power, full of confidence and the suave look on his face clearly speaks of experience. He knows how to move his body, it's as if the music is a complementary feature to Hoseok. He seems to know just which beat will play next and his body is already in position, never faltering.

Not to say that Jimin can't keep up, however. It's been a long time since he could dance freely and with a good partner, and Jimin's truly enjoying himself. The songs switch from pure hip hop to country to soft pop and pop rock, but never once does Hoseok falter in changing styles. What's more, he makes Jimin move with him, ensuring they move smoothly as a team. If Jimin is a step too slow, he adjusts his speed according to him. If he picks up the speed, so does Hoseok. They dance till Jimin notices a crowd cheering them and they dance long after the crowd leaves them alone, sweaty and exhilarated. 

The DJ announces a last song for the night, and it's a slow R&B number that has Hoseo pulling him in, an arm around his waist and the other holding his hand. After the grinding and jumping and pumped up moves they've done before, a slow dance feels almost anticlimactic. Jimin is enjoying the closeness however. True, it's sexy to showcase his body rolls pressed against Hoseok's hip, but nothing beats the intimacy of this. 

The song is in English, and Jimin can't understand the lyrics, yet it fits tailored to their purposes. The melody makes him feel all tingly till his toes, and every spin he takes feels like he's actually flying. 

It's enough for him to wish this night never ends.

"Did you like it, doughy cheeks? You weren't lying when you said you could keep up." Hoseok's eyes are half lidded and his voice is a soft hum, like he's whispering a secret meant only for Jimin's ears. 

It makes him feel giddy. 

"Dough cheeks? And I told you I was a good dancer, hyungggg. You doubted me?" he throws in his best pout, hoping his sweaty face does not make him look like a pig. Well, a cute pig, maybe. 

"These cheeks are like soft cookie dough, you know? That's the first thing I thought when I saw you. Didn't know your name, so had to call me something in my head." Hoseok's pinches and pulls at his cheeks, cooing down at him. 

"Hyyyung shtop idddd hurddsss!!!" Jimin whines, but Hoseok's just keeps smiling and pinching. Finally, he let's go, and Jimin's sure his cheeks are burning red from the assault Hoseok's put them through. 

"You're mean, hyungggg." 

"What? Is Jimin mad? Aigoo, is our Jiminie mad at me for pulling his Itty bitty cheekies? Aigoo, what a baby~!" Hoseok's cooing is incessant, and Jimin just huffs, pulling away. 

Finally, Hoseok's stops with a laugh, pulling Jimin into a hug, rubbing their noses together. " I'm sorrryyy, Jiminie! I've been wanting to do that since I saw you, can you blame me, your cheeks are like mochi, soft and squishy!" 

"You pull too hard!" Jimin frowns. 

"Hmm, how do else I apologize then? Oh, I know ~!" Hoseok's sings, and then he tilts his head upward to place a kiss on Jimin's lips. 

It was probably meant to be a chaste kiss, but considering how both of them have been waiting for this since they first met, it turns out anything but that. 

This is probably what happiness feels like, and what lust tastes like; Jimin thinks, dazed.  Hoseok's lips taste like berries and the forest air, and his scent clouds Jimin's senses until its all Jimin can think of and take in. He swipes his tongue through the roof of Jimin's mouth, and tightens his hold around Jimin's waist. Jimin can feel their hearts thudding, except, there seems to be something missing. He can only feel his heart beating, for some reason. He pushes the strange thought away as Hoseok's hand cups his cheek, warm and soft against his own.

After a mini eternity, they pull apart, lips still slick from all the saliva they exchanged. Hoseok's eyes are darker than ever, and Jiminie feels like he is being hypnotized, he can't think of or touch, taste, smell, hear and see Hoseok.

It should be scary, but all that Jimin feels is a thrilling rush that's captivating his senses. It makes him dizzy, but Hoseok's there to catch him, and he fits perfectly in his arms, so who cares? 

"Such a pretty little bird.... You really were worth waiting all this while for, Jimin." Hoseok's fingers are gently carding through his hair, eyes filled with a strange emotion Jimin cannot recognize. His hold helps him get his breath and stability back, but Jimin continues to hold on to the lapels of his coat long after his knees have stopped shaking. 

"Hoseok hyung……" Jimin softly whispers.

"Hmmm…? What's it, little bird?" Hoseok gives him a fond look, one that should probably look off in pitch black eyes, but it fits right in.

Jimin shakes his head, nuzzling in his chest. He starts for a second when he can't find a heartbeat, but then he feels it. It's so slow and muted, he wonders if he's mistaking his own for it.

"Hyung…. Why do you have such a slow heartbeat….. are you sick?" His tiredness is leaking out and his mind doesn't stop to think about the appropriateness of the question.

“Why do you think it is?” Hoseok asks him softly, flashing an amused smile.

“I don’t know….. Hyung, are you okay?” Jimin looks up from where his ensconced in Hoseok’s arms, concerned.

Hoseok chuckles, and says, “You’re really innocent, Jimin ah. But I suppose you can be forgiven, because you’re cute.”

Anything Jimin wants to say next is cut off by the sound of a harsh slap. Jimin breaks away from Hoseok to look at the cause of noise. 

Its Ok Hwa, who’s slapping Nari. Jimin does a double take, pulling away from Hoseok, heart beating fast at the scene before him.

“Looks like the bride found out, huh…” Hoseok sounds amused as he pulls Jimin by his hand, tugging him closer till they can listen in on the events happening.

“You bitch, how could you even think of doing this????!!!! You slept with my husband? FUCK YOU NARI!!!!!!!!! You ALWAYS want to break things apart, but couldn’t you just let ME be happy FOR ONCE, HUH?! YOURE NOTHING BUT A SLUT WHO OPENS HER LEGS FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE!!!!” Ok Hwa looks nothing like the radiant bride she was earlier, she looks pissed off, and for lack of a better term, like a demon ready to kill.

Everyone stares in shock as she continues hurling abuses and slaps on Nari. The few that try to interrupt are thrown off by her surprising show of strength, maybe those krav maga classes did help, after all.

Finally, Kyu Hyuk steps in, managing to pull Nari away. Never in his life has he seen Nari so messed up,  hair askew, tears running down her face, and even scratches on her cheeks and arms where her dress is torn.

Hoseok lowly whistles. “Maybe hell does have a woman scorned, I should have checked better, huh.” 

Jimin whirls his head to look at him, indignated. “Hyung! Are you seriously joking? Ok Hwa just…. Mauled Nari!”

“Your dear cousin deserved it, Jiminie. I’ve only been here three days and she’s hit on me twice and slept with the groom once and his best man twice, if Lia’s loose tongue is to be believed.”

As if waiting for a mention, a pale looking Lia steps in to hold back Ok Hwa. She accidentally catches Jimin’s eye as she does so, and her face turns whiter than paper when she sees Jimin.

Lia lets out a loud scream, pointing at him, and yells, “There he is! That’s the monster! I saw him, I told you I saw him!!!! He’s here! He’s gonna kill me!!!!!!!!” She bursts into tears as she screams, and Ok Hwa escapes Si Won and Kyu Hyuk’s hold, pulling Lia by her hair.

“AND YOU! FUCKING STOP GOING OFF ABOUT MONSTERS YOU ATTENTION SEEKING BITCH!!!!!!!!!! I HATE YOU!!!!!!”

“STOP AAAAAAHH MY HAIR! OUCH! STOP! SOMEONE GET HER OFF ME, SHE’S CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!” Lia shrieks. Jimin tries to go forward, wanting to help before Ok Hwa decides murder is okay, but Hoseok stops him, a strong arm around his waist. 

“Don’t, Jiminie, you’ll get hurt.”

“B-But she’s hurting Lia and Nari, hyung, we need to stop this!” Jimin exclaims.

Ok Hwa’s parents, who’ve turned into shell shocked statues at the madness unfolding, suddenly rise to their senses, and with the help of a few guests, pull away the girls from hitting and tearing each other up.

“Kyu Hyuk! Wh-What Ok Hwa is saying, is it true? You’re cheating on her? With NARI? OF ALL THE PEOPLE, NARI?! ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!” Ok Hwa’s mother yells, at the end of her straw with the turn this whole thing has taken. Kyu Hyuk is looking bloodless, face pale with shock and guilt, and he shiftily avoids looking at anyone in the eye. There’s tensed silence, and the only sound is Lia and Ok Hwa’s sobs as they collapse in the hands of Ok Hwa’s parents, looking utterly exhausted.

In the end, it’s not Kyu Hyuk that answers, but Nari. “Yes, and what of it? Yes, we kissed and we even slept together, but can you blame me? Kyu Hyuk was the one unable to stay faithful to Ok Hwa, which means that either Kyu Hyuk is a weak guy with no sense of loyalty, or Ok Hwa is just not good enough to keep her boyfriend from looking at other people. I found him hot, I approached him, he said yes, we had fun. It’s not my fault their relationship is so sad! Honestly, if they can’t stay faithful to each other, they shouldn’t get married. Ok Hwa would make a great nun, with her preachy attitude.” Nari turns up her nose in her trademark haughtiness, crossing her arms over her chest and looking satisfied.

For almost a minute, no one talks. No one says a word, and even Ok Hwa and Lia are staring in stunned silence, having stopped crying.

Then Ok Hwa stands up. Her shoulders are trembling, whether it’s from anger or sadness, Jimin does not know, for he cannot see her expression, hidden behind her loosened hair. She stalks forward swiftly, and slaps Nari across her face.

“You fucking bitch, you slut, you!!!! You always have to have what catches your eye, don’t you? Always, whatever Nari likes belongs to Nari, regardless of if the person even wants you back. You just assume that because you’re pretty and skinny and have that natural beauty on your face, the world should bow down to your fucking feet, you ugly fuckf###! WELL NEWS FUCKIN FLASH, NARI, WE DON’T LIKE YOU THAT MUCH! You hardly have a personality that’s beyond your newest ‘catch’ or dissing someone you don’t like, your brains are only good enough for gossiping so you literally slept and bribed your way through college, and you’re a living walking piece of scum!!!! You’re so annoying that even if you go to hell, they’ll probably send you back!” Ok Hwa is heavily panting by the end of her rant.

Nari stares, shell shocked, for half a minute, before the girls lunge at each other with newfound ferocity. 

Hoseok is still chuckling softly, and amidst all the chaos, Jimin catches him saying, “Not gonna lie, I would send back someone like Nari… as would the others.”

Jimin shoots him a look that’s full of uncertainty and curiosity, but Hoseok simply smiles at him. For the next one hour, Jimin feels like he’s living a drama. It takes ten whole minutes before people manage to pull the girls apart this time, and they are kept at least five feet apart whilst the elders try to console Ok Hwa and figure out what to do. Kyu Hyuk is taken aside by Ok Hwa’s dad and his own and finally they come back and announce that Kyu Hyuk and Ok Hwa will go ahead with  their wedding. Nari will be forgotten. Jimin snorts out loud at the last part, as if his dear cousin would let go just like that.

Across the room, where Jimin and Hoseok are sitting with the rest of the guests, Ok Hwa’s grandmother is holding her own council. She sounds convinced that all this happened because the influence of an evil spirit, a demon amongst them. Jimin knows she adores Nari like her own grandchild, but he’d never thought she would try to hide Nari’s problematic acts under a flimsy guise like this. Most of the elders seem to agree with her, and Jimin shakes his head in disgust.

“This just proves Nari’s point on how ‘pretty girls can get away with anything if they play their cards right’.” Jimin tells Hoseok, voice full of resentment. “Can you believe that they’re trying to blame some evil spirit for Nari and Kyu Hyuk’s doings?” 

“Humans are like that, Jiminie. When they feel shocked, when they get the simplest of unpleasant surprises, they love to blame it on someone, anyone, just to feel right.” Hoseok smiles wryly.

“This might just be the biggest heist Nari’s ever pulled off.” Jimin frowns.

Hoseok gives him a knowing smile, eyes glittering mischievously. “Are you sure she’s pulled it off, though? Ok Hwa’s mother clearly doesn’t buy the evil story, and neither does her father. Your friend Si Won looked distraught and angry over being cheated like this by Nari. Didn’t you say that Ok Hwa’s parents were very important, rich people? If they ostracize Nari after this, she’ll clearly lose her social standing of ‘innocent angel’ that you said she has. For someone like Nari, this might be her biggest gamble, and she looks ruined to me.” 

Jimin pauses, thinking. He gives Hoseok a calculating look. “I’ve only mentioned a few things here and there, you’ve been with us for only two days, and you’ve already managed to arrive at such conclusions, so confidently? Hyung, really, who are you?”

“Didn’t I say I was a well wisher?”

“Yes, you said you attended the wedding as a well wisher. Of who, I don’t know. All the elderly here definitely don’t recognize you, neither do Ok Hwa noona’s parents. Or Kyu Hyuk Hyung’s, for that matter. You didn’t greet anyone here but me, and I can be sure I didn’t see you at the wedding hall earlier, so you couldn’t have met anyone then. You’re not the ideal gate crasher for food, you didn’t even glance at the table here, so what did you even come for??” Jimin lists of all the questions he’s been puzzling over for hours now.

“I’m impressed, Jiminie, I didn’t think you’d carefully observed me. Hmmm, but that must mean you were expecting me, no? Aigoo, Jiminie, if you think about it this way, I came here just for you, because you hoped I’d come, no? I’m your hope, Jimin ah.” Hoseok says this in his most serious voice, but Jimin just gives him a deadpan look.

“You’re weird, hyung.” is all Jimin says, before adding, “Are you someone’s stalker? An ex here?”

Hoseok is the one giving him a deadpan look now. “Do I look that uncool, seriously? Anyway, I've only hung out with you, Jiminie, you tell me, did my eyes stray away from your cute form even once whilst we were together?”

Jimin huffs. “During the ceremony, then. I bet you stood beneath some tree like a wannabe TV actor and peeped inside the hall.”

“Yah! Park Jimin, do I look like some crazy ex to you?! Or some stupid secret admirer?! Honestly, I spend so much time with this kid, even dance with  him and only him, yet he accuses me of stalking. Should’ve skipped this town I knew it, why did I stay? I got no food, no fun, and the only entertainment was the fight, which got over too soon. Ugh” He’s clearly grumbling now, muttering to himself, brows furrowed and lips drawn downwards.

Jimin stifles a laugh, then says, “Aw hyung, I’m sorry! But are you really hungry? If so, do you wanna get some food maybe? Even for a gatecrasher, I’m sure I can get some food, don’t worry.”

Hoseok suddenly looks up from his rant, and slowly grins. It’s a little creepy as he says, “Oh Jiminie, you shouldn’t offer strangers food like that, haven’t you learnt? Luckily for you, I’m still having fun so I’ll decline, you better be grateful.”

Jimin pouts, because what kind of logic is that? “Fine hyung. Be like that and starve, see if I care.”

Their banter goes on, back and forth, until all the guests start leaving, and finally, Jimin cannot hold back his yawns. The entire lawn is deserted, he knows that the family has all retreated back to their bedrooms, trying to sleep this whole night off. He has to be the one to face Nari, Yongsun had made that clear whilst he walked off, and Jimin frowns. So much for the night lasting forever.

“Seems like its way past someone’s bedtime, huh? C’mon, I’ll drop you back, it’s way past midnight.”

Jimin wants to argue, wants to point out neither of them are wearing watches and don’t know the time, but he knows that this is a gentle rejection, an end to whatever happiness they shared this evening.

The whole night they’ve spent talking, but as they walk past the darkened and deserted streets, there’s only warm silence between them, opposed to the cold night air around them. Hoseok is gently swinging their hands back and forth, and Jimin is only half shocked when he feels a lump of tears in his throat and a slight pang in his chest.

He’s purposely walking at a slow pace, and he knows Hoseok knows, but he doesn’t stop. He wants this euphoria to last as long as it can, before the inevitable fall.

Finally, the street takes them to their destination, and Jimin turns around to face Hoseok. “I guess this is me, huh.” He keeps his eyes downcast, not wanting to know what emotion is playing against Hoseok’s eyes right now. He has a dark suspicion that this first meeting was intended to be their last, and he doesn’t want to ask why. He is afraid of all the hundred answers that could possibly fall from Hoseok’s mouth. Right now, he’d rather spend a lifetime agonizing over this one night then have it be a memory tainted with rejection.

“Jimin ah…. I’m happy we met.”

Jimin finally looks up, and all he sees in the partial lights of the entrance gate is a soft smile on Hoseok’s face. 

“You know what I was thinking when we were walking, just now, hyung?” Jimin softly says. Hoseok nods at him to go on, so he says, “I was thinking about so many things. But then one thought came up. I wish you never talked to me. I wish we never talked or danced. Because we met and talked so much, now it’s so hard to say bye to you, I feel like we will never meet again, and I don’t want that. I want to talk to you again. I want to dance with you again. I want to meet you again.”

Hoseok looks pained for a split second, before reverting to a blank expression. “Jimin ah, you shouldn’t say things like that. You’re happy because we met and had fun, so you feel like you want to meet me again, I understand. But don’t want that. Don’t ask me for that. You’ll regret it so bad, you’ll come to resent me. I don’t want that, okay? So just take this happy night as a happy memory and live your life. You’ve got a long way to go. You have to get out and away from your current friends, you have to dance more and teach dance to more people, you’ll become a great teacher. Don’t wish for erstwhile things, Jimin ah.” 

The words are harsh yet also an attempt to soothe and encourage. Jimin doesn’t like it. 

“How do you know what I want? How can you be so sure I’ll only find unhappiness with you? How can you just go ahead and decide that, hyung? Don’t you feel like, just taking a chance? Giving us a chance? Why do you want to rip this off before it even attempts to bloom?”

“Because I know better, Jimin ah. Humans always regret. They are so afraid, fragile, the minute things go wrong they threaten to break.” the words are uttered with such finality, such conviction that Jimin unwillingly flinches. He opens his mouth to argue right back, but he’s cut off with a kiss.

It’s not a shy kiss, nor is it chaste. It’s not filled with urgency. It’s just meant to stop them both from talking more, and Jimin decides that he might as well make this the best goodbye kiss.

When he pulls back for air and opens his eyes, Hoseok is gone. The warm air around them is now frigid cold, the night looks hazier and hazier as he looks around wildly, even calls out for Hoseok, but to no avail.

Almost like he’s living in a dream.

~the end~

Lmao just kidding ofc there’s more.

The dream must be transitioning into another, a clear nightmare. Jimin is numb whilst Nari has one of her meltdowns of anger, and he’s hollow when he tells her he’s too tired for this, they should just sleep. Kyu Hyuk and Ok Hwa are already married, they are mending their relationship, and there’s nothing more they can do, nor does he want to do anything. Nari simply pushes past him and slams the door to her room. He sighs and sits on his bed. What a day he’s had, huh. 

Jimin thinks he’ll spend the rest of the night sleepless, but with how exhausted his body is, it pays no heed to his mind, and as soon as his head hits the pillow he’s off into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

The next morning is cold. He can feel the chill seep through the thick blankets he’s pulled over himself. So much for summer weddings and hot nights.

Jimin passes through the day in a haze, barely interacting beyond the necessity. It's okay, because everyone around him is the same, carefully treading around the outskirts of formal conversation. One more night, and tomorrow he'll be back in Seoul, and in a month or two he'll forget all of this. Or maybe, it will stop having an effect on him.

Jimin is sad, but not really. He's confused, he just wants to understand why, why can't he meet Hoseok? Perhaps he should be more concerned about his friend's marriage, but Jimin frankly cannot care. Never before have either of them asked for or accepted his counsel, nor does Jimin want to offer an extending hand of help. If they find marital bliss, well then, that's their good luck blooming. If not, it was bound to be. For once he's met someone he wants dearly to get closer to. He wonders off handedly what could make Hoseok so wary. Is he a criminal? Part of the mafia, maybe? Is he a secret rich chaebol with a childhood betrothal? Is he simply not interested in commitment? Is he afraid of relationships, or does he hate the thought of being bound to one person? 

Funnily enough, it's only the last two that make Jimin scared, he thinks he could handle the rest. He weighs the pros and cons and by dusk, Jimin is sure he could adjust his moral spectrum to cover Hoseok's non legal bases. By dinner time, he discards the thought and mentally chides himself for acting so whimsical. Hoseok clearly escaped already.

He ends up taking a walk post dinner, not ready to sleep and ignore his thoughts just yet. He walks with purpose towards the swings, but abandons his plan of swinging to pass his time. Instead, he walks past the busier streets and closer to the forest line, hoping to clear his thoughts up. The swings only reminded him of Hoseok and he doesn't want any reminders.

He wants a very much physical and alive Hoseok, as opposed to his memories of him. He stares intensely at one particular tree with no real intent, lost in his thoughts.

"If you stare any loner, you'll set it on fire. Or worse, it will blush." It's yesterday all over again, but this time Jimin jumps and smiles instead of looking flummoxed at Hoseok's sudden entrance.

"Hyung?!!! You came back... but how? I thought you'd left! And how did you even leave, what the hell, you just vanished into thin air? I was so scared, I thought I was dreaming or losing my mind, and now you're here again? Seriously, STOP DISAPPEARING EVERYTIME WE TALK ABOUT SERIOUS STUFF!" Jimin yells out, his anger steadily rising.

Hoseok's eyes widen at his outburst, before he grins a silly, stupid, dumb grin that totally does not set Jimin's heart into overdrive, pssh. He begins to laugh, holding his stomach as he wheezes from laughter. Meanwhile, Jimin pouts, just like he's been doing since he was born, tapping his feet impatiently. "J-Jimin ahhhhhh You're cray, really."

Jimin's pout worsens, and oh, a baby chick, is all Hoseok can think. Jimin turns away from him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whatever, hyung. Go away, I don't even know why you left or why you came, I didn't ask for you."

"Hmm, are you sure you didn't call for me? Because I heard a very strong wish in Park Jimin's super secret mind corner asking for me." Hoseok steps up to face him, smiling again. Stupid bow shaped lips and stupid cute dimples, is all Jimin can think of.

"Ew hyung, you read my mind? creeepy. Anyway you read wrong because I didn't call you. Go away." Jimin turns his head away, but Hoseok simply tips it to face him again, and says, "Are you sure, Jiminie? You don't want me? I can go away?" There's no sign of any playfulness now, and that scares Jimin. "No....... Don't go, hyung.......  Stay."

"Hyung can't stay for long, Jiminie. So whatever you want to say, say it now. Think of it as our last goodbye."

"Why?" Jimin asks, eyes drooping with sadness, which Hoseok hopes will not turn to tears. "You won't understand, Jiminie, and it's okay. Just let it go, slowly."

The sadness turns to anger, and Jimin starts hitting Hoseok on the chest with tiny fists, which are powerful but Hoseok can't find any trace of hurt. "Fine then, go. Whatever, you don't want me, you probably think I'm clingy and stupid, and you know what? I am. I'm clingy, I pester, I nag, I cry, I whine, I'm dumb, and you don't want me, so fine. I don't want you either anymore, because you won't even let us try. I'll find someone better and he's going to be a better dancer than you." Jimin harrumphs at the end, frowning and giving his best glare.

Hoseok frowns, "Oh Jiminie......."

They kiss, and its their first kiss once again, but with the emotions multiplied. Hoseok pulls Jimin closer, and Jimin clings on to his neck tighter, not wanting to let go. They don't keep track of how many times they come up for air or when exactly Hoseok pushes Jimin against a tree. Somehow Jimin ends up wrapping his thighs around Hoseok's waist, Hoseok sucking reds and pinks and violets against Jimin's neck.

After they finally stop kissing, Hoseok's shirt is halfway undone, hair mussed up from Jimin tugging and twining his fingers through it. Jimin looks a perfectly ravaged beast, eyes lidded and lips swollen and slick with spit. Hoseok caresses his cheeks, looking at Jimin with such a fond, gentle expression that Jimin wonders if he's imagining it in the darkness. He also wonders if this is a dream and he never came here, because Hoseok's eyes are a brilliant sultry red.

Jimin has to be dreaming, because he's entirely unfazed at this, other than the thought "Fuck he looks hot with red eyes too, imagine if he had red hair!" He touches Hoseok's lips, smoothing his palm over his cheeks, and whispers, "Why do you always look so fond of me after we kiss, but when I try to ask for something more, you say we can't?"

"That's the question you're choosing to ask? Not, 'Hyung, why are your eyes red?'" Hoseok is looking intently, and the emotion is amplified by the startling new colour. "I'm asking the question that's the most important right now, hyung. We can bother about changing eyes and slow heartbeats and vanishing like ghosts later." Jimin softly whispers.

Hoseok sighs. "And you don't think this could be a reason I don't want this to continue?" Jimin's fingers stop, and his eyebrows furrow. "Are you saying you don't want whatever we have to continue, because there's a chance you're not really human?"

Hoseok looks at him incredulously. "Not really human I- Jimin, do you even hear yourself right now? Jimin ah, I'm a demon. I'm an evil creature, I hunt and eat humans like you for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Jimin pouts, looking a little cautious now. "Does that mean you're going to eat me too? Hyung, are you a praying mantis? Or a black widow?"

Hoseok just looks at him. A long pause stretches between them, before Hoseok goes, "What."

"You know, praying mantis females eat the males post mating, half the time, and so do widow spiders."

"Do I look like a fuckin spider to you, Jimin ah? What the fuck even- I tell him I'm a demon, he asks me if I'm a bug or a damned arachnid, the fuck. Just for that, I'm going to eat you." Hoseok threatens, and Jimin's eyes widen as Hoseok leans in menacingly, mouth opening and-

bites Jimin's left cheek. Then the right. Then he kisses Jimin, and says, "There. Better be afraid of me, now."

It's Jimin's turn to shoot disbelieving looks at Hoseok. "Hyung, ew, you just bit my cheeks, what the hell, grossss."

"Park Jimin, I'm not kidding. I just tell you I'm a demon, a creature from Hell, and all you ask is if I'm a bug head, the hell."

"I have to be gentle with you, hyung. Every time I ask serious questions, you run away. I can't use up all my luck in calling you back, so I have to be careful." Jimin says it in a joking, matter-of-fact tone.

"Jimin ah, I can't always stay here, you know? I have to leave, so I don't want to begin anything I'll have to stop abruptly." Hoseok speaks carefully, eyes sad but tone gentle.

Jimin simply hugs him, and says, "Then go, hyung. But ask me to come with you."

Hoseok's eyes widen, and he pulls them apart to hold Jimin's shoulders, saying, "Jimin ah... you can't be serious! Don't joke about things like these, you can't keep testing my patience!" He looks angry now, red eyes flashing with agitation. Jimin holds firm, saying, "Ask me."

Hoseok narrows his eyes. "Do you have any idea of what you're asking me? Can you even comprehend what you're wanting? Stop this nonsense whilst I'm being nice. You shouldn't tempt someone who's the master of tempting, Jiminie. You may dream of the thrills on this path, but you don't know what horrors lie here."

"Maybe you're the one who cannot comprehend, hyung. You are clearly belittling me and my feelings. Yes, I know  what I'm asking for. Yes I know it's a path full of all kinds of thorns and spikes, but aren't you even willing to try? Or maybe, you're all talk and no bite, and you're the one too scared of what will happen if we actually get together and you're actually a weak demon and so you're pushing me off." Jimin spits back, already pissed off. He was going to stop as soon as he started, but he couldn't hold his tongue, and he knows he's said to far, judging by the way Hoseok's pupils are dilating, pitch black pits at the centre.

"You say you understand?  Foolish human, do you know you're asking to follow me where I come from? Do you even know, what it's like there? A weakling like you would never survive. I don't have the time to be caring after and babysitting a silly, willful little human all the time there." Hoseok's words are like a bucket of ice being dumped on Jimin, and he pulls away, ignoring the way his heart cracks a little at them.

"Fine. Since you don't have the time nor will to be with me, go away, Jung Hoseok, and don't come back. I'll find someone more willing to babysit me, like you said." Jimin snaps venomously, wrenching his hands away from Hoseok's hold, walking away.

He stops mid step, turning around, quite surprised to see Hoseok still there, and says, "All I wanted was a chance, hyung. I wanted so bad to give us a chance, you didn't have to hurt me with those words."

"If I don't, you'll never stop coming back. You'll never stop calling out for me, and I'm too weak to not answer your siren calls, Jimin." the raw emotion in Hoseok's voice carries so loudly in the air, not even the whistling wind can cover it. Jimin feels the tears finally come to his eyes. "Then stop prohibiting yourself, and just ask me for once, hyung. Just once." Jimin says with as much passion as he can summon.

For the longest minute, there's nothing but silence. Jimin refuses to give up on his hope. Then, "Will you come with me, Jimin ah? Will you let me make you mine, happy and healthy, and let me be yours, for all of time?"

Jimin smiles.

"Yes."