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

Corrosion Episode 12

Taehyung's style of music is definitely different, but it's very calming.

***

J-Hope stood solemnly in front of the small house with his head down in sorrow. "I'm so sorry," he said again.

"My poor baby!" The woman cried, as the young body of Jared was brought into the house of their parents.

It was the three that morning when J-Hope woke up from the ground in his room, his bed was shaking and there was heavy breathing. J-Hope jumped up and hovered over Jared, trying hard to breathe, going through cardiac arrest. J-Hope called an ambulance immediately and pulled out his external defibrillator and used it on Jared. He picked him up and laid him on the ground and began CPR on the poor child. Three hours later, the news of the deceased boy was sent to Jared's parents.

Karen laid face down on the bed, her pillow had turned into a sponge for her tears. Susana had come to fill her glass up with water and comfort her, patting her on the back. "S-Susie! We should've sent him to his parents right away! He didn't get to see them,"

"Shhh, it's okay. We just didn't want his parents to see what he had been through-"

"They were his parents, they had more right and reason to see him than for us to keep him!" Karen wailed.

"Karen, you need to calm down. Everyone thought he would make it. J-Hope was trying his best to give him to his parents without having people think he ran away... which would have gotten him killed," Susie tried to reason. Little did the two ladies know that J-Hope was leaning against their door, listening, as his own tears slowly trickled down his features.

The entire day was melancholy. There was no practice spares, no workouts, just laying around, crying over the smallest of movements. Jayden, being a quiet person, stay out of sight and out of mind. Demian, being older, and knowing he should never attach himself to anything or anyone based on his time in the Underground Society, found his fellow Gladiators stupid, but he still kept respectfully quiet. Kevin, after two hours of Susana scolding him and smacking his head for shouting, finally understood the vibe coming from everyone. Susana was a strong woman, who didn't care to share with the others how she was feeling, except with Karen. They had cried together when they heard the news, but being older and more mature, she straightened up first.

Karen took slow painful steps out into the backyard. She found J-Hope wearing all black clothing with a black cat sitting on his lap, sitting upright on the hammocks. She sighed and pulled herself over to him, sitting across from him. She stared into his eyes. He seemed very distant, like a lost child, like Jared. "What has he gone through?" Karen wondered in her head. She held his hands in hers, making him jump, realizing her presence. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

"Huh? Oh, no," he replied, still shaken. He pulled his hands away from her, pretending he wanted to pat the cat.

"Hey, I'm here if you want to talk about what's eating you up," she tried again.

J-Hope leaned his elbows on his knees, and his hands ran through his hair, messing it up. "Karen, I really want to, but I'd rather not. I deserve every type of pain imaginable in the world, but I don't want to change the way you see me unless it's for the better. I don't think I can handle having someone I trust look upon me with disgust," he explained, groaning in frustration.

"How do you know I will look at you with disgust?" Karen pushed.

"Because any sane person would if they knew what I've done. Please, let's not talk about this anymore," he pleaded, rocking back and forth with discomfort. However, Karen didn't know how much Jared's death affected him. Another person had died because of him. Because of his stupid decisions. It haunted him. It tore him apart, leaving him helpless.

It took about a week to get everything started again. Regular training was back. Karen could fight again. J-Hope was a bit harsher with his training, obviously, something was wrong, but he wouldn't talk to anyone. "I was able to get a release form for a few days. You guys can go wherever you want. Go see your family and things. I need you back in fifteen days. Everyone knows what happens if you guys don't show up, right? Other Master's take hunting down runaway Gladiators as a 'fun sport,'" J-Hope reminded them. They all nodded, shaking hands or hugging him and Karen before leaving. J-Hope was able to get his Gladiators a vacation for a few days. He kept Karen because she was the one getting them into the Championship, and she didn't remember who she was related to.

"Have you ever thought of calling the police on where the fights are held?" Karen asked him, as they jogged towards the mall.

J-Hope chuckled, amused, "It took you this long to ask me that question?" He asked, looking down at her pretty eyes. Karen rolled her eyes, waiting for his answer. "I have called the police. But only a few people are caught. Most people make it out before they come. It's like calling the police on little gang meetings, they pop right back up like a bunny. So the only way to beat up is to uproot it. We're so close, I feel it in my veins. It's at my fingertips," he emphasized.

"In the Deoxyribozyme of your blood?" Karen laughed, as they entered the mall.

"It's called DNA for a reason. No one likes saying big words these days unless they're trying to sound smart," J-Hope joked, as they looked through the stores.

"Okay, we're at the mall. This is apparently, part of your magnificent plan. Tell me, what next?"

J-Hope thought for a moment before laughing quietly to himself, nervously fidgeting with his feet and playing with his fingers before shyly telling her, "We're here to buy you a dress."