CORRUPTED

𝘵𝘸𝘰

𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐔𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃
✩✩✩

nothing felt real.

you couldn't tell whether you were actually living, or if you were in some dream sequence.

all morning, as you got up and touched the delicate gold necklace around your neck, and saw the beautiful bouquet of pink roses on your nightstand as you applied perfume, you felt like you were floating.

you practically skipped into the lecture room that morning, and you could've sworn that everything looked a little brighter today. even hoseok, who's face already had a natural luminescence, looked like he was glowing.

before you could even sit down, he knew what had happened. "let me guess.." he said quietly, "your date went well?" compared to the still of the room and hoseok's own soft tone, you basically shouted, "YES! yes, it went extremely well!" you said, giggling and bobbing up and down. he smiled at your child-like manner, and asked "i knew it would. he's crazy for you." he said matter-of-factly.

you beamed and took your seat, shaking your leg in anticipation. some people gave you a few weird looks and hushed whispers about your giddiness, especially this early in the morning, but you couldn't care less. the only thing on your mind was-

the door creaked open, and in walked yoongi.

instead of trying to look busy, you sat right up and gave him a bright smile, waving him over. he smirked back at you and made his way over, slumping down into the seat next to yours. he observed you, your outfit and hair, and his eyes landed on your necklace. "i see you like your gift." he said, reaching out to observe the tiny chain around your neck. you laughed in response. "yeah, i love it. thank you."

he continued smirking. "you better. this thing cost me an arm and a leg." he said, releasing the piece of jewelry from his hands. you couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt as he said that, but you quickly changed the subject. "so, do you want to go somewhere today?" you inquired, "i heard about a new cafe a few minutes from here."

he didn't respond for a minute, thinking it over. "sure." he said, "i guess it'll be fine." you smiled fondly and turned to face forward.

"new cafe..." hoseok said thoughtfully. "is it that one that sells the hot chocolate with the fruit on top?" he asked. you nodded enthusiastically. hearing the other male's voice, yoongi sat straight forward and turned to glare at him. "i don't think we've met yet." he said sharply, extending his hand for hoseok to shake. "i'm yoongi, and you are?"

hoseok met his hand and they exchanged a solid handshake. "i'm hoseok. i've heard a lot about you." he joked, retracting his hand. yoongi laughed stiffly at the comment. "can't say the same about you." he said rigidly. the poison dripped from his words, his eyes piercing hoseok's skull as he slumped back in his chair. hoseok narrowed his eyes at the male, watching as he scoffed and took out his phone. the unexpected and unfriendly tension that had arisen between the two thickened the air, so much so you thought you could slice it with a knife. you shifted uncomfortably, desperately trying to think of something that could bring the energy back.

"i had the strangest dream the other night." you said suddenly.

yoongi, who was now buried in his phone, had nothing else to say other than a short and curt 'mhm'. "what was it about?" hoseok asked, turning to look at you. "i don't really know. all i remember is that it was cold and snowing, but the snow was red. oh, and i was also crying?..i don't know, it was really strange." you said, recalling the dream that had woken you from your sleep in the middle of the night.

hoseok nodded. "sounds creepy. hey, maybe it's some weird omen for the future." yoongi scoffed. "none of that stuff's real. it was just a strange dream. probably from a TV show you saw or something." he said, not looking up from his phone. you muttered in agreement, wondering why he was all of a sudden being so quiet. did something happen? did he not like hoseok?

"are you alright? you seem quiet now." you asked him quietly. he looked up at you. "i'm fine, darling, just tired is all." he said, giving you a small smile, "probably because i was thinking about you all night long." he said cheesily. you put on a look of fake disgust and rolled your eyes. "you're so cringey." you laughed. relief flooded your mind, melting away your concerns into nothing but a puddle by your feet.

✩✩✩

"alright. you can go now." the teacher said, waving her hand dismissively. everybody in the room started standing up, the noise of squeaking chairs and loud chatter filling the room. you picked your bag up from the floor and slung it over your shoulder. "where are you going now, hoseok?" you asked as he gathered his own belongings. "work." he said, "i picked up another shift before my one tonight." the girl sitting next to him on the other side swung her bag over her shoulder, hitting hoseok's arm, hard. "oh, i'm sorry." she said sincerely as she rushed away from her seat. she ran away before he could even acknowledge her apology, much to your amusement. "she ran away from you so fast. maybe she has a little crush on you." you said, poking his arm.

hoseok chuckled at your idea. "no way. i think she's just scared of me." you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. someone scared of hoseok?! the thought didn't fit together right, it sounded foreign and wrong. "scared of you?! come on, be realistic. i think you two would be good together! you should talk to her." you suggested excitedly.

he laughed again. "oh please. she has a boyfriend already. if there's one thing i won't do, it's chase someone else's girlfriend. that's not cool." he said decisively. your response was halted before it even came out, it was interrupted by a harsh sigh from behind you. you froze, turning around slowly. "sorry." you apologized quietly. yoongi draped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you in his direction. "do you want to go to that place, or no? i don't have all day." he said, frustrated.

"of course i want to go! i'm sorry. let's leave now." you said quickly, moving away from your seat and dragging yoongi behind you. "see you later, hoseok."

he looked up and watched, as you disappeared down the stairs and out the door. unbeknownst to you, yoongi turned his head back to him and gave him one more self-satisfied grin, like he had won some sort of twisted competition that hoseok didn't even know he was participating in.

hoseok walked to work, pondering over yoongi's behavior. it was evident that the latter didn't appreciate his presence, from his icy tone and venom-infused comments, to his smug, pompous grin, it was very clear that he did not like hoseok. basking in the warm sun of mid august, he tried to reason the other's behavior.

it was only natural to want to protect your lover, and keep them away from those who may try and pursue them, right? like a mother protecting her child from being tormented by the evil of the world, he was just protecting you from other people trying to chase you. he was protecting you from being chased by him. that was reasonable, right? untrue, but reasonable.

in reality, hoseok was not a threat to your relationship. the only feelings he had towards you were ones of pure, platonic adoration. he didn't love you, not romantically.

at least, not anymore.

✩✩✩
𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐔𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃