Giselle

5.

“too many same words, it's hard to know what is true and false—”

Hoseok had no idea why he was here again. It was cold and it was late at night. He should be at his home, snuggled in warm blankets and his soft bed. He should be slurping on hot tea as he watched a movie. But he was doing none of that.

He was walking on a bridge, the lights on it sparkling in the water flowing down below. His feet hurt and his body shivered from the cold winds despite the thick jacket he wore. Maybe he should have drove till here, he thought, but he couldn't just park his car in the middle of the road like last night.

His steps slowed down when he reached the place he had met her. He sighed, remembering the way she had looked then. The wind had been blowing her long dark hair, whipping them around her face as she sat on the railing. The smoke coming out of the cigarette dangling between her fingers had seemed to lace around her creating a mystical air around her.

But that wasn't what made him scream at her, telling her not to jump. It was the look on her face. She had looked so depressed, the bags under her eyes intensifying the effect. Just for a moment he had seen her shoulders tense and her eyes turning downwards and that's when he had screamed, assuming she was going to jump.

She didn't jump though. She slapped him. She slapped Jung Hoseok. Kim Migyung slapped BTS's J-Hope. There was no way anyone would believe that, he thought, touching his right cheek and chuckling at the memory.

"Wah, so creepy." Hoseok jumped away, a surprised scream leaving his lips as his hand instinctively clutched at his chest. With wide, fear filled eyes he looked to his side and saw a familiar woman smirking at him.

"You killed me," he whispered, his body sliding down as the adrenaline started leaving his body. The woman sat down beside him, still grinning and said, "What an amusing way to die. We're even now. You can slap me to make it fair too."

She pushed her face right infront of him, making the man flinch away at her sudden action. His heart picked up it's beat again but this time for a different reason. He wondered if she even knew how beautiful she was to be so frank with a man. Or maybe, she did and just wanted to see him get flustered.

"I'm not hitting you," he told her, scooting a little away from her, for the sake of his weak heart. "I meant it metaphorically. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Migyung shrugged her delicate shoulders and pulled out two dark bottles from her big tote. "I'm doing what you are doing," she said, passing him one of the bottle. Hoseok's eyebrows raised seeing how the beer bottle was considerably cold, as if taken out only a little while ago.

"What do you mean?" he asked frowning, watching Migyung take a gulp of her drink. "I was hoping to see you," she told him honestly, a small smile playing on her lips. Under the light, he could see her cheeks taking on some colour and Hoseok knew his face was warm too.

"Oh," he let out, dazed as he took a big sip of his drink. "You knew I would be here?" He watched her licking her lips, laughing nervously as she refused to look at him. "I was expecting to see you. I wasn't sure but I came prepared," she said, raising her bottle.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he continued to study her delicate features, fitting for a ballet dancer. "I was expecting to catch you too. Is this your usual road to home?"

She nodded, finishing her drink with quick gulps. "I'm not this late though. I was out last night, drinking with a friend. What about you?"

He sighed, finishing his drink too. "I was tired," he answered honestly. "I just wanted to wind down and have some time to myself to let go of all the negative energy, you know?"

"Not really," she said, laughing a little. "Do you always go on long drives when you are tired? Shouldn't you take a nap or have some drinks with your friends?"

"I live with six goons, Migyung and though they are good people, you can feel annoyed because of them. I just wanted to get away."

"And get a slap from my pretty hand."

A surprised laugh left his lips, Migyung joining in. "Yeah, and get a slap from your pretty hand. You really do have pretty hands by the way."

"Not more than yours," she argued, putting her hand right next to his. Migyung thought, his hands were the manliest yet most elegant looking hands ever. And to Hoseok, her hand looked perfect. Small with long, slim fingers and well manicured nails.

As if having the same thoughts, they both turned over their hands, palm side up. Sharing a surprised glance, they giggled like little school kids but Hoseok's smile fell the moment his eyes connected with a reddish scar on her wrist.

Migyung frowned, wondering why his mood changed so suddenly. That's when she looked down, watching in horror at her sleeve that had pulled up, revealing her failed attempts of dying.

With her heart in her throat, she pulled her sleeve down, quickly standing up. "I-It is late. I-I-I should go," she stuttered, taking quick steps but Hoseok was quick to catch up with her.

He grabbed her arm, stopping her with a firm grip. "Hey, it's alright. I don't judge you." His words should have comforted her, they would have if so many people before him hadn't said the same thing and shamelessly judged her actions.

She turned around with her jaw clenched in anger. With a strong tug, she freed her arm from his pretty hand she had been admiring a moment ago and sneered at him, "Exactly, you won't because you don't have any right to. You don't know me and you sure as hell don't know what it feels like to have something taken away from you so abruptly. Especially when you have dedicated your whole life to it and you are left with nothing but despair without it. So, yes, you don't have any right to judge me nor pretend to understand what it feels like."

With that, Migyung left Hoseok gaping at her, yet again. But this time he didn't feel amusement, nor giddiness. All he felt was pain. Pain for the beautiful woman who was broken in every way.