THAWING FIRE • VHOPE

C28 - You're safe now

C28 - You're safe now

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"J-jung?!?" the boy's voice trembles as he speaks, recognizing the newcomer, letting the strands of my hair free from his huge grip.

"Yes," Hoseok hisses from his spot, voice an octave lower, "it is fucking I."

The Delinquent boy fidgets in front of me, wiping his hands on his clothes, backing away.

His face distorts into stark horror as he backs a few steps from me, still looking at Hoseok.

"I'm... I-I d-don't mean this..." he stammers, opening and closing his mouth, "I'm sorry!"

Then he suddenly runs for the door, opening it, shoving his foot out.

But before he can even leap through it to go out of the room, Hoseok grabs him by his arm back and swings him right at his face.

The boy's frumpy lips tremble in fear as he is held still by Hoseok, knees shaking, facing Hoseok's fire gracing his palm.

"Who even says you're free to go?" Hoseok spits right at the boy's face and the boy cowers in fear like I do. Hoseok smirks as he sees the poor, scared boy. I back away even further, now scared of Hoseok, too.

"Now don't ever fucking forget this." He then pulls the boy, just close enough for him to whisper and spit words again. "Don't ever fucking hurt Taehyung again. Ever."

The boy's head bobs up and down.

"If I ever see you again near him, or even just in a place with him, or even just looking at him from afar, I will know. And don't even dare to breathe the next second because I'm going to roast you alive till every skin, every organ, every bone in your body turns to ashes. You get that?"

Hoseok's voice is not quivering. It's harsh and sharp, and downright low and threatening, hair-raising.

There's another series of nods and body shaking from the boy after that.

Hoseok pushes him off so the boy scrambles on his feet, skipping past him and running into the opened door, and out into the open halls where students are probably still making out and gulping down alcohol down their throats.

The door closes and it's only Hoseok and I inside.

I try to call him out, only to end up croaking, voice cracking mid-sentence.

His head whips to my direction and he creates another fire from his other hand, taking steps closer to me. His eyes are small, forehead creased, lips in a thin line, but he's heaving as he walks towards me.

"Taehyung," he says my name, voice firm, and I savor it (secretly). It's not everytime that I get to hear him say my name.

I cry and look up at him, still hugging my knees, my back against the cold, rough wall.

I never knew this is the help Heaven would send me when I asked.

I never knew it would be the form of Hoseok; it would be him.

Of all people.

It could be Jimin, or Yoongi, or a random stranger...

But it was Hoseok.

And that's somehow better than I expected and wished.

He crouches down just in front of me, keeping the flame in his hands away so they won't burn me alive. He kills one flame out and places his free hand on one of my kneecaps.

I follow it to my knees and see that the blood has stained my pants again; I ignore the red spots, I ignore the pain. And just focus on Hoseok.

From here, I can see that his bangs are almost covering his eyes, and there's a tiny mole just above the corner of his lips. The red light on his choker is flickering in the dark like a red star in the night sky, his beautiful, red eyes looking right at mine and, somehow, I feel even more relieved.