𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐲 | 𝐲𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐤 [discontinued]

16 | Tame

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"Not it!" yelled Kai, throwing his hand up to touch his nose, a stupid grin on his face.

"Kai, it's your turn to clean out the stables," deadpanned Yoonmi, massaging the bridge of her thin nose.

"Hah! NOT TODAY!" he crowed, jumping up from the lunchroom table in a superhero pose, one arm straight up in the air and the other on his hip.

"I'll just do it, Yoonie," sighed Hoseok, also totally done with the kid's antics. He had so far refused to wash the dishes, paint the wall of the huge shed outside, and now clean out the barn. Hoseok also wanted some alone time. It was weird, whenever he was alone for too long, he wanted to be with his friends, but when he was with Kai, Minsu, and Yoonmi, he wished he could be by himself.

"You sure, hyung?" asked Minsu, concern threading his voice along with his expression.

Hoseok scoffed, rolling his eyes. He may be a little hurt from Yoongi's rash marriage proposal, but he wasn't out of commission. "Yes, Minsu, I am sure."

Yoonmi yanked Minsu down by the collar of his shirt so that he was level with her ear. "Don't make him feel helpless, Minsu," she hissed. "If he wants to do it, let him."

Hoseok pushed back his chair, withdrawing from his friends. "I better get going you guys, I want to get an early start, and I need to change into my dirty work uniform."

Yoonmi and Minsu simultaneously turned towards him. "Oh, oka-okay," mumbled Yoonmi meekly.

Hoseok smiled falsely, walking to the doors of the hall.

"Wait! Hyung! You didn't eat break—"

The door shut behind the brunet, cutting off Kai's yell. Hoseok sighed, moving mechanically to his room to change into his grey coveralls that the castle had distributed for outdoor work. Hoseok put on a warm hat on top, the sides making his ears fold over slightly. He also put on a matching scarf and gloves to keep his neck and hands warm.

Hoseok walked out to the barn, nodding to the other employees he passed, but not exchanging words with any of them.

At the barn, he grabbed a pitchfork and a bucket, dragging it over to the stalls and going in, scooping out the soiled hay and bedding.

He didn't think about anything as he worked, didn't hum under his breath like he usually did as he hauled out pitchfork-full scoops of horse crap. His body had gone from being emotional and unstable to completely numb. Jung Hoseok had shut down.

The days passed in blurs, not leaving room for him to dwell on anything except the next task he had to do. He would be getting ready for the day one minute, then be wiping down the surfaces in the castle library the next. He would never talk when he was with Minsu, Yoonmi, and Kai. They would always try hard to stay away from the topic of the coming wedding—which would be happening in two days—but it was hard as that was the only thing every other castle worker could talk about.