Love Is Perfection

CHAPTER FOUR

Rain drifted down in several amounts drenching the entire area. Yet the diligence of urban life had never seemed to pause for a second. Traffic horns howling high, people walking past each other, not giving a single concern if they bumped were something so usual but still peculiar to make the life of suburban. Hoseok let his stare go blank aimlessly sitting on the bench of a bus stop watching passers-by passing. As if a storm just flowed over him and took him to another dimension where only his isolated soul existed. He had to leave his house rather was forced to do that. His exhausted self struggled to settle on feet, to find shelter for the night, was a failed attempt for him whilst his eyeballs refused to have clear sight due to the extreme headache. He was getting unconscious slowly. Suddenly at that moment, he felt the contact of a human body taking him to go elsewhere. Hoseok tried to make out who was it with his blurry vision. A boy it was, perhaps in his age or more, was carrying him in a piggyback and a girl on the other side who was staring straight to him worried. Into the gaze so unknown yet he felt the comfort and warmth there. He smiled. And everything got dark.
~
A thin yet sweet voice came from a distance. And Hoseok desperately trying to make out who was calling him. The sweet rhythm of his mom, Hobi only could hear, was sending a shiver. He started to run but couldn't catch her. Every step took her further. The nightmare that never once left him alone.
~
Hoseok shot opened his eyes breathing fast. Wiping the sweat that was dripping down, Hobi found himself on a bed trying to figure out where he was.

"Ahh! Thank goodness. You get back your sense. How do you feel now my brother?" Voice contained the tension made Hobi turn to the side. Kim SeokJin it was, Hoseok's maternal cousin. He blinked before gulping a small lump.

"Yeah, fine. How do you-" Hobi paused to get the strength to process his next words,"-.know that I was there and- what happened to me?" He tried to get up but he felt pain back on his shoulder.
"Don't try to sit, just take rest. You're so weak now.” Jin dearly patted his head before resuming, “Actually, I wasn't there. I got a call and rushed there." he huffed, “I wonder if I didn't send Yu Na to the supermarket. She saved the day.” Jin, in a calm tone, explained everything to Hoseok in his plain sentences.
"Then, I should thank her." Hoseok blinked, followed by a exhale afterwards.

"Of course, but let me ask what happened to you? Are you okay?" the tension still was playing in the elders’ voice as he uttered.
Hoseok's face turned into pathetic bowing down, "Let's talk about this later, shall we?"
Jin seemed to realize and sat beside Hobi to console him.

A knocking noise formed meanwhile and the glances dropped at the door. A girl was standing there holding a tray of porridge and a glass of milk.
Hobi gazed at the feminine figure as Jin mentioned her, "Yu Na! meet my bro, Jung Hoseok. The one I always talked about."

"Nice to meet you Hoseok, I'm Yu Na, the neighbour girl, How do you feel now?" Yu Na extended her hand to Hoseok who was already staring at her eyes like he just got back the comfort. There was something in that stare he wanted to admire, something that could revive his exhausted soul. Every blink of her, loaded with innocence, slowed everything around him.

"By the way, Hobi's actually a shy boy, You have to remember it Yu Na," Jin snapped back at Hoseok sneering as he was caught gazing blankly at the said girl, "Thank her, this is her."

"Okay, oppa. don't make fun of him." the girl rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"Why? I just wanna feed my shy bro some cooking of mine. How does that possible if he just remains sick like this!" his whine made him more like a kid on his elder self, enough to make them giggle. Hobi still was watching her from the corner of his sight with angelic feelings.

That night Hoseok remained awake thinking of his mom and Jungkook. Life became so cruel to him constantly making the isolation between the person whom he loved. Seemed like it's playing with him, measuring his limit of patience. Hoseok was gazing at the sky through the window. The night was full of shining stars as usual. Nobody was out there. The flowing cool breeze kissed his bare face as he was leaning beside the window frame. Hours passed by when finally he felt his heavy eyes before drifting into the dreamland rather than the darkness of a nightmare.

The next day supposed to be started like as usual but it wasn't. Hobi went to school and appeared in the classroom, The other students remained silent the moment they saw him. Awkwardness rose higher, he could smell it from the air, the way they stared at him with a strange look, as if an intruder had just appeared. Slowly moving to his designated seat, found his buddy lowering his head. He poked him and gave an eye gesture to know what had happened. Namjoon didn't answer, just squeezed him back. Realization hit him the moment he was called to the authority room and handed over a paper of transfer. Hoseok was punished by his dad for abandoning him or it would be his stepmom, for the stable detachment she wanted. Outside the room, Kookie was standing. Both of them had met once again.

The younger gulped to talk, “Hyung, I-”. The older moved closer to lock the little one in his embrace, “It's ok, Kookie. It's just my fault, not yours.” Stroking his black smooth hair said the older.

“But, wasn't it a promise?” his shaky voice made Hobi gulped thickly.

“I'm sorry, bunny,” a single tear left. He looked back to the older. Wiping the fresh tears on his cheek Jungkook forced to smile, “Hyung, I won't cry. Remember the last night, you told me not to cry.”

Hobi inhaled, didn't utter a word. The younger could see the pain in his brother's face. He, then, took his hand and intertwined with his own, looked back at Hoseok, “Let’s make a pinky promise.”

His childish innocence didn't go in vain to make Hobi smile in the streaming tears. And there Jungkook, with their locking fingers, closed his eyes, "We will meet again, stay freshly like before and turn our dream into reality.”

Kookie uttered with a paper dry voice. Hoseok nodded back. The moment became the witness of their promise.