RENEWAL || BTS

28

"Taehee...?" Hoseok, who poked his head through the girl's ajar door, calls out in hesitation. His bottom lip juts out automatically at Taehee's form lying down, staring blankly at the ceiling. After gently closing the door behind him, he slowly moves over to sit on the floor right beside where she's lying down on her bed.

"If you keep being sad like this, I'll be sad too you know?" He pouts, making Taehee smile.

"Sorry, Hobie. I'm just thinking." The heavy silence appears once again after. As her best friend, of course, Hoseok knows what's going on in that brain of hers. No, he doesn't have the answer to her questions. But maybe, maybe he can provide at least a little bit of help and comfort.

"Hee-yah. Wanna go for a walk with me?"

"Hobie, it's 11:36 pm right now." She laughs, and Hoseok grins at her.

"Well, does it matter?"

__

The duo walk down the quiet street, each with ice cream in their hands. After getting the cone of strawberry ice cream, Taehee seemed to have completely changed from the moon to the sun. Hoseok wrinkles his nose,

Just what is it with women and ice cream?

"Ah, we're here!" Hoseok beams and Taehee looks at him in confusion. "A supermarket?"

"Close. A 24-hour supermarket." Hoseok's grin grows wider. He grabs onto the half-finished ice cream in her hand and throws it into a nearby bin along with his. And despite her protests, drags her into the gigantic store.

"Hoseok, just what are we doing here?" She frowns, "I thought Jin Oppa just bought the groceries yesterday?"

"Oh, we're not here for groceries." Hoseok smiles, his perfect toothpaste commercial teeth perfectly on display. "We're here to have some fun!"

And then without any warning, he drags her over to the rolls of carts.

"Hobie, what-" Her words are interrupted by her own squeals as Hoseok carries her and places her into one of the carts.

"Let's go!" The cart lunges forward and again, without any warning.

"Jung Hoseok!" She screams, and he only laughs.

"Hoseok! Stop!" Her screaming eventually turns into laughs as Hoseok continues pushing the cart through different lanes, throwing random items into the cart on top of her. The two completely ignored the dirty looks the employees there were giving them.

Hoseok ultimately succeeded in taking her mind off of what has been bugging her. Even though it was only for around half an hour. 

The duo leaves the store with big bags of food and some other things that they don't really need but still bought anyways -one of which is a huge, fluffy pillow, which they agreed on giving to Yoongi as a present-

"Hobie, thank you." She mutters with a thick blanket wrapped around her and a tub of ice cream on her lap. Hoseok tears his eyes away from the television to her and smiles, his hand reaching up to give her hair a ruffle. "Anything for my best lady friend!"

"You know, Taehee. You don't really have to stress yourself out." He blurts out after a moment of silence between them, the only sound coming from the tv where a random Disney movie is playing. Taehee doesn't even need to ask. She already knows what he's talking about.

"Things like this... they just come naturally. Seeing you upset like that-"

"I know. And I'm sorry, Hobie-yah." And then, there's silence again.

"But I think... I think I've made up my mind."

__

"So you're telling me you're just going to let her go?!" Yugyeom's voice was so powerful, people walking by the cafe outside can hear him loud and clear. Rather than trying to prevent his friend from further embarrassing him, Jungkook only smiles at the boy with a small nod.

"Jeon Jungkook, are you crazy?! That's the girl you've been telling me about since high school! Yah! Just what are you thinking?!" Yugyeom huffs and sits back down on his chair -he didn't even know he subconsciously stood up until he feels the soft cushion under his butt again-

"I just think this is the right thing to do. You know, they've both suffered enough." Jungkook looks down at his cup of untouched coffee, not acknowledging the look of disapproval his friend is giving him.

"Kook. Just look at yourself. You look miserable! Is this what you really want? After all those years of waiting?" Yugyeom shakes his head. Looking at his friend, fatigue and pale, his heart clenches in sympathy.

"It's okay, Gyeom-ah. I'll be fine." Jungkook lets out a little sigh, slumping down against the chair. Yugyeom frowns at his worn out form and leans forward,

"Jungkook-ah, when was the last time you actually got some sleep? You look like a bipedal panda." Jungkook laughs a little at that as his hand reaches up to rub one of his suddenly itching eyes, "Honestly, I don't even remember."

"Gosh, Kook. Are you really the golden maknae?" Yugyeom frowns. Jungkook forces a smile at him. Suddenly remembering why he invited the boy out in the first place, he feels the heavy weight placed on his chest once again. But he has to say it anyway. So he did. He parts his lips, and lets out a shaky breath,

"I'm leaving." His friend's eyes widen, taken back. "Leaving? Where to?"

"Busan. I'm going back home, Gyeom. I'm finally going back home."