Wish (Jung Hoseok)

Seventeen

"Not happening." Riley said, angry Hyunwoo would suggest such a selfish thing.

Riley had called Hyunwoo to tell him the news, that she could speak and hear English again.
Yet for some reason, the girl preferred Korean still.

But even though she was excited to no longer get migraines, he had a preposition.

"Come back to New York."

"Please, Hyunwoo. I'm perfectly fine here. I'm doing better now, and actually like it."

"Riley, if you can speak English now, you need to come back. I already worry constantly about you over there as is. If you were here I could keep an eye on you, make sure you were safe. I regret so much from before. Not watching to make sure you weren't working too hard..."

Riley felt a pang of guilt in her chest.
Hyunwoo had been with her through everything. Through her rising career in KMagz, through each anniversary of her sister's death. Through her stroke.

Riley let out a sigh. Hoseok.

She couldn't just leave.

"I'll send in the transfer notice. It's good to have you back, Riley."

"Oppa no-"

He hung up.

Riley suddenly felt sick.

-

Hoseok felt a party was in order after Riley told him the news, ordering Jin to make the best cake he could for the girl.
Yet, Riley had to tell him.

Standing in front of her sunshine Hobi with guilt written on her face, he dropped a balloon he had been tying.
"Hoseok." She said, looking down.

"Riley, please don't tell me you're..."

"I tried, I really tried. I was really just here cause I couldn't speak English anyway, I don't know what I was expecting. For them to let me stay? For them to be happy?"

"Riley, who is them?"

She was silent. Riley didn't want to admit her ... Oppa did such a selfish act.

"Riley." Hoseok's eyes were hard, no light reflecting back at her as she had missed so much.

He had only been back for two days.

"H-Hyunwoo." She said quietly.

Hoseok rolled his shoulders to keep his calm.

"Who?" He wanted to believe he misheard. Hoseok wanted to believe her 'best friend' wouldn't do anything so cruel.
To pull her away from Riley's new home; that he had also forced her into.

"It was Hyunwoo, Hobi. I tried to convince him I was okay, that I was happy-"

"Let me call him."
"No! That'll make it worse. If he finds out you're the reason I want to stay he'll lose it."

His eyes softened. "You want to stay for me?"

"Obviously... and the fact that Korea is beautiful, but you're ... more beautiful."

Hoseok grunted in anger as she had only just now admitted this. When she was leaving.

"So I guess we have no choice but to say goodbye?" He said, his voice cracking.

"I'll figure something out, I'll be fine I pro-"

"No, Riley! When you say 'I'm fine' or 'I can take care of myself' you're hiding behind your own fear because you know damn right you won't be fine. You had a stroke, you were assaulted, you got sick. Again." He paused, thinking of all the other times she'd said those words.

Finally, he just kept going.

"And now, you're moving across the ocean from me. From us. I can't just sit here and let him take you from me!" Hoseok looked like he was about to cry and punch a wall simultaneously.

Riley wouldn't blame him if he did. She deserved his yelling. But his tears?
She knew she didn't deserve that.

"You're leaving?" A small voice practically whispered from the kitchen entryway.
Jin was holding a cake.
A beautiful, Christmas style cake she'd always wanted to try. Tears filled her eyes when Riley realized Jin remembered that fact from the week before Hoseok came back.

"Look, oppa!" Riley said excitedly, poking at a glass display window as they walked through the chilly city of Seoul.

Jin smiled, wanting to buy it.

"Ah~ I'll make you one better than they could ever make, just you wait!"

Wait until Christmas. And wait she did.

So much for that... though, after this kerfuffle Riley was sure Jin would only encourage her to eat it.
After Riley was finished ogling at the cake, she noticed he was with the five others.
Jungkook was the one who spoke, eyes wide as he held a broken candle.

It most likely snapped under his tight grip, controlling his own outbursts.

"N-no, guys please I don't have a choice. I don't want to leave, I swear."

Jimin suddenly ran over, hugging her as tight as possible without actually hurting her.

"Then don't leave!" He whined like a child saying his final goodbyes to his Noona before she left for college.

The sight broke her to her core.

Hoseok didn't say anything more. He only went to his room and shut the door.
Silence ensued. The only thing that could be heard was the tight click of his door locking.

Hoseok had locked Riley out.

Riley knew she had to figure something out, and quick. Or else she'd have to leave.
Leave her seven best friends... one of them she was worried she was in love with, and overall, she would have to leave Korea.

She'd have to leave it all behind.