Corrosion || BTS Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) ✓

Corrosion Episode 8

J-Hope woke up the next day, wincing at the annoying blare of his alarm. He turned it off and fell back in bed. "Heyo, J-Hope, we're heading over to Karen's for warmup, we'll meet you there, all right?" Kevin popped his head to ask. J-Hope growled as the pain in his head doubled at the sound of Kevin's voice. Kevin smiled cheekily and retreated his head from the door. J-Hope curled back up in his large fluffy blanket. His head was buzzing like crazy.

J-Hope woke up again to the ringing of his doorbell. When the person wouldn't leave, he rolled out and opened the door. "Hey, where have you been? We've warmed up five times. It's already noon," Karen asked.

"Sorry. I'm not feeling well. Do the same thing as that workout you guys hated," he muttered, attempting to shut the door again.

"The pull-ups? No thank you!" Karen replied sticking her foot in the door and letting herself in.

"Urgh, lock the door and leave me alone," he mumbled walking back to his room and rolling in his pile of fluffy blankets.

Karen scoffed at his actions, but her expression changed to wonder as she saw his beautifully decorated house. He had a family picture of his parents, his older sister and himself as a child, a little calico kitten sprawled out on top of his head. "Awe, he's adorable as a child, why is he so hard to get to as an adult?" She wondered as she walked through the room. The entire house was white except his room, which was green. Karen called Susana, "Hey, can you lead the pull-up workout? J-Hope isn't feeling well. I'll cook him something and head back, okay?"

"Yeah, take your time. I'll keep them in check," Susana replied, a hint of evil laughing slipping into the call.

Karen rolled her eyes and ended the call. She skipped towards the fridge and pantry to see what he had. She hummed as she boiled some water and threw some noodles in. Pulling out a few carrots, some celery, and a chicken to cut up, she stretched her arm muscles before starting her cooking.

J-Hope woke up to the sound of his door opening, instinct making him jump up in alert. He sighed when Karen brought a bowl of chicken noodle soup and water with vitamin C on a tray. "What's this, you're getting me back for trying to kill you with that pink liquid?" He joked with a smile.

"Hehe, look who's already feeling better. Eat up and tell me how it is," she replied, sitting at the edge of the bed as she gave him his soup and poured his medicine. The silence after his first spoonful was breathtaking. However, he let something slip, his face smiled as he quickly took another spoonful. "Yes! It's good isn't it?" Karen shouted victoriously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I should ban you from my kitchen for making such a work of mess." he defended pathetically cleaning the bowl. However, he didn't fool Karen, as she rose her eyebrows with happiness as he sheepishly asked for another bowl.

As J-Hope fell asleep again, Karen decided to clean his library. She dusted the shelves and books, opened the windows and vacuumed the room. She stretched happily when she finished her work. She ran her fingers through his books. "Scarlet Pimpernel, huh, this sounds interesting," she said to herself. She opened the door to the back of his house, laying a blanket out on the green grass and laid in the sun, reading the book. The black cat with green eyes walked up to her and sat on her stomach watching her. Karen lovingly scratched his head, as she read her book.

J-Hope, feeling better, looked through one of his windows and noticed Karen had fallen asleep outside with a book on her face. He shook his head and chuckled, running down the stairs, passing the library as he did so. He backtracked and noticed how clean it was. He jumped towards his desk, to make sure one of his drawers were still locked. He sighed when it was. He unlocked it to pull out another picture. It was a picture of him and his best friend, Clayton, when they were teenagers before he was kidnapped. He put the picture back, suddenly feeling weak again. He walked outside, to the back, and shook Karen awake. "Why are you sleeping at a man's house? It's dangerous."

Karen groggily sat up, "Psh, don't go implying something. I'm saving myself for the one I marry," she hissed walking back inside to get her things. J-Hope looked after her retreating figure as she left the house. What was he doing, hiding so many things from her? Sure, he didn't have to tell her anything, but she should know who she was putting her trust into. He slightly turned to his left to see Clayton as a fifteen-year-old boy, giving him a disapproving complexion. "Why are you giving me that look?" he asked his friend.

"She was just trying to help... Just like I was trying to help, five years ago,"

"I didn't know you were there. By the time I found out you weren't in the truck and I was stabilized, you had already fought your way out," J-Hope countered, unable to look his friend in the eyes.

"No, you knew you left me. For every person that steps beyond their comfort zone to help you, when they fall, are you going to turn your back on them and leave? You already did that with me, are you going to do that with her, too?" Clayton asked before vanishing into thin air.