Collision

Chapter 90

Hoseok hesitates, then nods. "Um, my family pack was small. There were only five of us. My parents, my aunt, and my older sister, then, of course, myself." A wistful glaze falls over his eyes. "We didn't have much. We lived in the forest on the outskirts of Gwanju, and we constantly ventured into town for odd jobs. Like, my father was great at literature, so he often tutored students in literature. And my sister was a great seamstress and designer. That kind of thing. It was great for us, you know? We didn't really need money. If we got too hungry we hunted."

Hoseok sighs, swallowing roughly as his eyes fall back to the floor and his fingers tug and yank at the grimy clothes on his body.

"Two winters ago... It was really harsh. My parents, they... they were older, and food that winter was scarce, and... they got sick. Really sick." Tears misted in his golden eyes. "We didn't have any money. My sister and I- we couldn't take them to a hospital. They- they died."

Seokjin gasps, hand flying to his mouth to try and muffle the sound. Namjoon reached over and squeezed his knee, the Omega folding into the touch. Jimin looked heartbroken, leaning against Taehyung for comfort.

Hoseok sniffles. "It took a lot out of us, I think. My aunt tried to help us, but she... she died a few months later during a hunting accident. A buck- a buck hit her too hard. My sister and I were alone." He glances away with a clenched jaw. "We survived, but it was a pathetic existence. We couldn't hunt in the forest anymore, and sometimes we just couldn't get jobs. Our parents brought the real money. I danced on the streets, and my sister tried her hardest, but... who wants to help a bunch of useless, dirty kids?" He scoffs, kicking his heel to the wooden floor. "Sometimes, we got so hungry that we shifted to wolf form and just- begged for scraps. Like some common stray."

Seokjin's hands clenched, face a mask of anger and his roses withering to the point they smelled practically rotten.

"What happened to your sister?" Taehyung asks quietly.

The cinnamon Beta glances over. "She... died too. A human- a human shot her. When she was begging for scraps."

"Fucking hell," Namjoon swore, eyes wide with horror. Hoseok kept his eyes planted on the wood of the floor, heartbreak buzzing around his form. "I didn't think Korea allowed guns, but how did-"

"It was a police officer's house," Hoseok states simply, shrugging. "She died trying to get some food."

"I'm sorry, Hoseok-ssi," Seokjin says softly, eyes downcast. "I'm really sorry."

Hoseok offers a tight smile. "After that, I was alone. I had nothing left. I tried to survive, dancing on the streets for some coin, but I- it was really lonely, you know? I didn't really have anything anymore."

"So, what then?" Yoongi grunts, arching a brow.

Hoseok rubs the back of his neck, his smile sad. "This is where it gets crazy."

"Try us," he replies, shrugging.

"I- one night I was asleep, in some cold-ass alley, and I had this- this dream," he starts slowly, licking his lips. "I dreamed about this mountain with triple peaks, and this beautiful forest in the middle of winter, laden with snow, and- and... two wolves. Wolves that looked at the stories my mom would tell me as a puppy. About the first Lycan's." Hoseok darts his eyes towards the bewildered looking Jeongguk. "Except... the black Omega had silver earrings."

Jeongguk blinks, then after a moment his eyes widen with realization. "That's why you didn't recognize me at first."

Hoseok nods once. "I really... I really didn't know what to do? I just... When I woke up, I just, I felt like I had to go to this forest, find the wolves, and so I asked around, managed to buy a ticket, got here and... wandered around." Shame sours the peppermint. "I didn't mean to hang around where I wasn't supposed to. Just... I didn't feel like I could leave. I just kept waiting, and when I saw you the first time, I wasn't sure, so I ran, and I kept coming back to see if I could find the silver wolf, but- I never saw him."