The Baggage You Carry • Jung Hoseok

Part 6 • Hoseok

Friday, March 20
Gongdeok-dong, Seoul
3:46pm
Hoseok

By the time Hoseok wrapped up his last class, he was tired, frustrated and his rib was hurting like a bitch because the Advil wore off 2 hours ago and he didn't have time to re-medicate. He was so glad that the day was done, and he had nothing on his schedule for tomorrow and Sunday.

He grabbed the broom and started sweeping up the floor in the studio he was using when he heard a small knock on the door. He turned his head and saw Jimin's pink hair peep through the opening of the door.

"You all finished for the day Hobi?" Hoseok nodded and returned to sweeping.

"Yup, and you don't know how happy I am that it's done." Jimin's giggles filled the studio and echoed, and Hoseok couldn't help but smile in return.

"It sounds like all the guys are getting together tonight for dinner and drinks. You in?"

Jimin and Hoseok were a part of the same friend group, but all merely by coincidence. Hoseok's roommate Namjoon had moved to Seoul first from Ilsan because he had gotten accepted into Seoul National University (no surprise, the guy was a borderline genius). He had found a pretty cheap apartment that had been listed for a few weeks that was actually pretty close to the University. It almost seemed too good to be true.

That was Namjoon's first massive wake up call to the adult world - if something seems too good to be true, odds are it is. Namjoon found out in his first week of living at the apartment that the reason why it was vacant for so long (and this also explains the amazing deal on the place) was because there was quite the rat infestation. What a fun experience.

Needless to say, Namjoon didn't last too long at that apartment. In fact, he responded to a second ad looking for a roommate less than two months into his lease.

That's how he met one Min Yoongi.

Yoongi had moved to Seoul from Daegu to further his music career and ended up moving into a half decent, 3 bedroom apartment with a guy that seemed alright enough. Yoongi didn't really have any complaints - the guy would cook, clean up after himself and kept quiet (a trait Yoongi appreciated when he was trying to work on his music).

Unfortunately, this dude left Yoongi rather abruptly when he said he was moving in with his ex-girlfriend (it's a long story and Yoongi never really got into the details about it) and left Yoongi with a stupid amount of rent for just one person.

When Yoongi interviewed Namjoon, he didn't imagine that they'd get along so well. They both were really into rap - actually they were both pretty involved in the underground rap scene (Yoongi's stage name being Gloss, while Namjoon went by Raunch Randa) and they seemed compatible on all fronts that you'd want to be compatible with a roommate, so Namjoon moved in.

Namjoon and Yoongi got along splendidly but they realized after a few months that rent was still a bit expensive (duh, it was a 3-bedroom apartment, airgo, designed for 3 people), so they put out an ad.

This is where Hoseok comes in.

Hoseok's passion had always been dancing and he knew early on that that's exactly what he wanted to do. He loved the feeling of music taking over his body and could honestly say that dance was his best form of personal expression. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of opportunity in his hometown of Gwangju, so he decided to pack up and move to Seoul.

Hoseok didn't really plan for accommodations before he left and decided to just wing it. He found a cheaper hotel that he stayed in for about a week while he looked for work and a more permanent place to stay.

Hoseok had just applied for a job as an instructor at a dance studio (spoiler alert: he got the job) and he saw an ad for a room for rent in a 3-bedroom apartment. The rent seemed really reasonable, so he contacted them.

Yoongi and Namjoon were drained of interviews for a new roommate because apparently, it was too difficult to find a normal person in such a big city. When Yoongi got the call from Hoseok, he told Namjoon that this would be the last interview before they took the posting down and tried again in a few weeks

Surprise, surprise, that wasn't necessary because Hoseok was exactly the fit they needed in their apartment - he was like an instant serotonin boost (a very important personality trait considering Yoongi could be seen as stoic and Namjoon was too serious), he too was interested in music (hella bonus), and there were no immediate red flags, so they offered him the room.

The next person to enter the friend group was Kim Seokjin. Seokjin (or Jin, as he preferred) was the owner of the cafe that Yoongi got a job at. Namjoon and Hoseok kept teasing Yoongi for becoming friends with his boss, but Yoongi was adamant that Jin was an awesome guy and he was certain that as soon as Hoseok and Namjoon met him and got to know him, they'd love him.

The roommates were preparing for a night of Korean BBQ at home when Yoongi dropped the bomb that Jin would be attending. Namjoon and Hoseok looked at Yoongi skeptically (how fun could hanging out with your boss really be?) but they were pleasantly surprised when they finally met him.

Jin had a habit of making really bad puns, but the two skeptics couldn't help but smile when they heard his contagious laughter. He also brought soju to KBBQ night, so that was an automatic plus.

The next to come into the friend group was Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook attended university with Namjoon but while Namjoon was taking courses to become a doctor one day, Jungkook was pursuing a Kinesiology degree. He was definitely a bit introverted and seemed to latch onto Namjoon the first time they all hung out, but after a few hours, he broke out of his shell and seamlessly fit into the group.

Jungkook then introduced the group to his roommate - Kim Taehyung.

Kim Taehyung had a smile that resembled a rectangle and a personality that could instantly charm you. He, much like Yoongi, had a bit of a resting bitch (which also made him hella intimidating) but he was a giant goofball and he brought a fun dynamic to the group. He had a keen eye for photography and was into classical music and loved his dog more than life itself. Hoseok thought that Kim Taehyung was a cool dude.

The group discovered Taehyung would go little to nowhere without his self-proclaimed "other half and soulmate" and everyone was surprised that he was dating.

Turns out he wasn't dating, and his soulmate that he spoke out so often was his best friend, Park Jimin.

Jimin and Hoseok got along really well when they realized that they worked at the same dance studio. While Hoseok focused mainly on Hip Hop, Jimin's area of specialization was Contemporary but they would often bounce choreography ideas off each other.

Jimin's smile was contagious and he kept everyone on their toes with his little pranks (he would often take someone's phone without their knowledge and he's been caught on more than one occasion cheating at board games) but he was a great fit as well.

Hoseok knew the 7 of them going out for drinks and food was exactly what he needed after the absolute shitshow that this day was.

"Yeah, count me in."