You Are Loved ◦ JungHope

Part 4

"Hoseok, what the fuck is this?" Yoongi asked with narrowed eyes, gesturing towards the pink paper that was put into his hands.

"It's...my two weeks. Can you please give it to Jin hyung?" Hoseok couldn't look Yoongi in the eye as he busied himself with cleaning the bar.

"Give Jin hyung what?" The man himself came out of the back room with a smile.

"Hoseok's quitting." Yoongi didn't miss a beat, handing the pink slip to Seokjin who was watching Yoongi, as if waiting for the punchline to a joke.

It never came.

"Wait, is this a prank? Hobi-ah you're not really one to pull pranks, that's more Jiminie and Taehyungie's thing." Seokjin was now looking towards Hoseok with confused brows.

If there was something worse than quitting a job he genuinely loved, then it was this. The look of confusion and disappointment in his friend's eyes. "It's not a prank...I-"

"Did Sangchul make you do this." There was something dark in Yoongi's voice.

Hoseok didn't know how to respond. "He...well. He didn't make me do anything but I-"

"Jung Hoseok-"

"Can you let me finish?" Hoseok started again before Yoongi would say something he really wouldn't be able to handle. Not right now. Not when he still had half of his shift left to go. "It was my choice, Sangchul suggested it."

"But, why Hobi-ah? Is there something going on? You know you're our friend before anything else." Seokjin spoke in a wam voice, a comforting hand on Hoseok's shoulder.

Hoseok smiled sadly. "Nothing's going on hyung. Sangchul wants to support both of us from now on, so we can start focusing on building a family. He's doing this for me."

Seokjin's eyes were raised in surprise before changing into a look that seemed to Hoseok as if Seokjin knew something that Hoseok didn't. Could see something Hoseok was blind to. But before he could question him, the elder was nodding. "Yeah, okay. We just want you to be happy Hobi-ah. We should celebrate your last day by going out for drinks, right Yoongi-ah?"

The elder turned towards Yoongi who was silent. Ignoring the comment in favor of counting the register for the second time that day. Seokjin sighed, turning back to Hoseok. "He'll come around, you know how he is."

Hoseok gave as hopeful of a smile as he could muster before the diner's door was chiming open, Jungkook and Jimin trotting in. "Hobi hyung!" Jungkook was the first to greet, his eyes lighting up once they'd found the elder.

"Hey there Jungkookie." Hoseok felt his smile immediately soften as the younger took his usual bar stool spot.

"Wow, you've got three hyungs here and you only choose to great one." Seokjin remarked playfully, earning a sarcastic snicker from the youngest before turning towards Jimin. "Minie, where's Taehyung?"

"He's studying with Namjoon hyung right now, he really needs to pass this physics exam so I told him I'd cover his shift today." Jimin chimed happily, already getting to work.

"Well then, since the majority of us are here. Jungkook, Jimin-"

"Don't tell them-" Hoseok pleaded but it was already too late.

"Hobi-ah is quitting." Seokjin finished solemnly, but brightened as he continued. "So we're going to celebrate his last day next week at Joonie and my apartment! Bring drinks and snacks and no game cube kookie. Minie, you tell Taehyungie and and I'll tell Joonie."

Jimin was confused but nodded anyway. "O-okay. I'll tell Taehyungie..."

"Hyung...why are you quitting? Don't you love this job?" Jungkook asked with wide eyes, as if he couldn't fathom as to why his hyung would want to quit. Maybe he really couldn't.