"Noona, it hurts so much here..." the small boy pleaded, looking up at Sohee with big, doe-like eyes.

"Aigo, don't worry, my little friend. I'll take all that silly pain away and bring back your beautiful smile, okay?" Sohee said, bringing the little boy's bleeding knee closer to her to apply some ointment with her finger. "I need you to make a promise, hum, will you?"

The boy nodded, tears still rolling down his chubby cheeks. "You'll have to be as brave as a lion in the savannah, and even more courageous. You will, right?"

"N-Nee," the young patient stuttered, as she applied the ointment slowly to his painful wound while gently blowing on it to ease the sensation.

Sohee was going about her daily tasks when an ear-piercing scream echoed from the front gate of the hospital that morning. An eight-year-old boy had fallen from a high table, scraping his knee on a nail sticking out from a chair leg at home.

The nurses began running back and forth to stop the bleeding and treat the little boy as quickly as possible.

As the only doctor available at that moment, Sohee started administering first aid to relieve the boy's pain until the pediatric team could take over. "How does it feel now? Is the pain any better?" she asked, uncertain. She wasn't particularly skilled at comforting children.

The boy nodded while sniffing back his tears, burying his face in his father's arms.

"Dr. Sohee, thank you for your help. There were so many young patients to examine today," Dr. Kang, a senior doctor and one of the heads of the hospital, entered the room, visibly relieved.

"Don't mention it, Dr. Kang. Although I'm not that great at comforting kids, at least what I did slowed the bleeding and hopefully eased the pain," Sohee replied bashfully, bowing slightly.

"Thanks, Dr. Sohee. You did a great job," the boy's father said, smiling and bowing respectfully.

"It's my duty. I’ll get back to work now," Sohee excused herself, heading toward her cabinet to analyze the results she had gathered for the day. As she stepped in, she noticed a white envelope resting on her laptop.

"What’s this?" Sohee murmured, taking a seat behind her desk and flipping her black hair back.

"Solma (by no means), is it from him?" she wondered, sighing. "There’s no way I’ll forget or forgive him for what he said that night! He crossed a line. I know I pushed things too far, but he had no right to treat me like that..." Sohee mumbled slowly, looking down at her hands.

She stared at the envelope for what felt like an eternity, wondering what could be written inside. She fought the urge to rip it open immediately to see her first love's neat and sophisticated handwriting.

After what seemed like thirty minutes, she finally decided to toss it onto one of her shelves, waiting until she felt ready to read it.

"Doctor, Dr. Lee is waiting for you in the meeting room," a nurse knocked and informed her.

"Coming!" Sohee called out, snapping herself out of her thoughts.

***

"Hyung, please listen to me! I brought you here so you could reconcile!" Jungkook pleaded desperately as he tried to explain his failed plan. "Please, hyung, where are you going?" Jungkook whined as Hoseok immediately got up from his seat.

Jungkook had barged in unexpectedly during Hoseok's recording session, and when Hobi heard his voice, he came out to see if Jungkook had really arrived. Sensing the tension in the air, the producer quickly excused himself, leaving the two alone to confront each other.

"Jungkook, you can't just do whatever you want without consulting others and call it 'trying to reconcile,'" Hoseok said, massaging his forehead in frustration. "We're not dolls, Jungkook. And another thing—why do you even feel the need to reconcile us? It’s not like we mean anything to each other."

"Hyung, she’s the only one in my family who lives here, and you know it. I love her more than you can imagine," Jungkook replied, sincerity filling his voice. "You, my hyungs, are my family too, and I can’t stand seeing us at odds like this. That’s why—"

"Fine, but you went about it the wrong way, Kook!" Hoseok interrupted, his voice rising with frustration. "You could’ve just asked us directly or planned a simple meeting. I mean a straightforward, no-stress meeting, not this anxious, nerve-wracking situation!"

Jungkook looked down at the older statement, it is true, though.

"Now, if you don’t mind, I have to finish this before midnight," Hoseok added dryly, putting on his headphones and returning to the recording room. "Call hyung on your way out."

Jungkook nodded in defeat, standing still for a moment before stepping out of the studio.

"Eoddogeeee? (What do I do now?)" he whined, frustrated that both his sister and hyung refused to understand his grand plan to bring them closer. But wait, why am I so insistent about this? He thought, his mind drifting as he made his way out of the company slowly.

"Hoba, what’s the matter?" the PD asked, entering the recording room as Hoseok sat going over the lyrics. "Jungkook didn't look well when he came out."

"Nothing, hyung. Just some annoying persistence from the maknae. You know how he is when he wants to do something; he won’t abandon it." Hoseok scoffed, not even looking up.

"You better do what he wants, then," Pdogg laughed at Hoseok and Jungkook's never-ending antics. "Well, let’s call it a night. You’ve been working since this morning."

"But hyung, we didn’t finish. There are still a few more recordings to do!" Hoseok protested, his eyes wide as he fought to keep his headphones on.

"And you mentioned it yourself; there are only a few things left to handle. Let's finish them tomorrow," Pdogg countered. "You've already completed two and a half songs. Do you really think you can finish it all in one day? Ga, garagu (I said go)!"

"Hyung—" Hoseok’s protest was cut off as Pdogg physically pushed him out of the room.

"Bye!" The door slammed shut behind him.

"But I didn’t finish!" Hoseok whined in frustration as he slowly pulled his tired body toward the exit.

"Oppa!" A sweet, enthusiastic voice called out just as he was about to get into his car.

A smile curved his lips as he immediately recognized the voice. Without even looking at the owner, he grinned.

"Sohee," he greeted, opening his arms to receive the enthusiastic girl. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, oppa. But why didn’t you invite me over when you came back from your tour, huh?" Sohee pouted as she pulled away from the hug. "I’m sad!"

"Mian, I was so overwhelmed with my upcoming activities that I didn’t have the headspace to call anyone. Jinjja mian!" Hoseok apologized sincerely, rubbing her head in a friendly gesture.

"Gwaenjana, oppa, but you were so amazing in the overseas performances. My fangirl side was in awe," Sohee giggled, tapping his shoulder with excitement.

"Gomabda! Everyone did great. It was hard, but our fans were the fuel that kept us going," Hoseok smiled, opening the passenger door for her. "Come on, let’s grab something to eat. I’m pretty sure you didn’t have dinner yet."

Sohee chuckled, murmuring a "thanks" as she hopped into his car.

"And as always, Jimin was the best when he performed 'Serendipity'. Even though I’ve watched it so many times, I can’t help but nearly have a heart attack every time I see him caressing his abs in the choreography." Sohee continued to gush about her idol, earning a mock frown from Hoseok.

"I’m the one who's supposed to be in charge of that—" she began before getting playfully slapped on the head by him. "Aie, ahh oppa! It hurts!"

"Leave Jimin alone at his house and talk to me about you," Hoseok scoffed as he drove through the lighted streets. "Tell me, how is our precious doctor doing these days?"

Sohee’s smile faded slightly as she remembered her earlier confrontation with Jae-yong. She tried to push those thoughts aside while she chatted with her best friend, focusing on the positive things that had happened since Hoseok had gone on tour.

Sohee is a passionate doctor who loves her job. She's been friends with Hoseok since elementary school and they are more like siblings to each other. She moved to Seoul from Gwangju after Hoseok, and fortunately, he was quite famous back then. He bought her an apartment without even discussing it with her, knowing she wouldn’t have accepted it otherwise, so she could finish her last years of studying before starting her new journey.

They finally arrived at the restaurant where Hoseok ordered a big feast to celebrate their reunion after two months apart.

"Geonbae! (Cheers!)" they both exclaimed as they clinked their glasses of soju together.

"Argh, Johnee, it feels great," Hoseok groaned as he set his empty glass on the table. "You know, Sohee, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I sense that something is off with you today. You're upset," he said softly.

Sohee glanced down at her hands, unable to shake off the memory of what was bothering her.

"That's exactly what you always do when you're upset—look down at your hands. I’ve known you long enough. Tell me, sweetheart, what happened?" Hoseok pressed gently.

Sohee hesitated, biting her lip. She couldn't hide much from Hoseok; she knew this wasn't the time to pretend. She attempted to brush it off with a weak smile.

"It’s nothing, oppa," she replied, but the sadness in her voice betrayed her words. "It's just that we had so many patients to take care of today, so I'm exhausted," she murmured, forcing a gentle smile.

"No, it's not nothing," Hoseok said, leaning in slightly, his expression softening. "Is it about Jae-yong?"

The mention of his name caused Sohee's composure to crack. She didn’t want to talk about it, but the concern in Hoseok's eyes made her drop the facade.

She nodded slowly, struggling to hide the tears that were threatening to fall.

Without a word, Hoseok reached across the table, gently cupping her face and pulling her toward him. Sohee's tears flowed freely as she buried her face in his neck, finding some comfort in his embrace, even if just for a moment.

"You confessed to him, didn’t you?" Hoseok whispered, rubbing her back gently.

Sohee let out a quiet sob, gripping his jacket as she clung to him. Hoseok wasn’t just a friend; he was family, someone who had been by her side through thick and thin.

"Let’s get out of here," Hoseok said after a while, pulling away gently. "Come on, we'll discuss it at my place; you'll be more comfortable," he told her as he signaled the waiter to pack their order.

Sohee wiped her tears and nodded as she followed him out of the restaurant. Once they reached Hoseok's apartment, he told her to freshen up and change into comfortable clothes before coming back downstairs.

Since this wasn’t the first time Sohee had been there, she had some clothes available at Hoseok's place, which she wore whenever they spent time together talking about their lives.

After changing, she returned to the living room, finding Hoseok in the kitchen. As soon as he sensed her presence, he smiled and turned to face her.

"Look, I prepared some snacks to eat after dinner, but you have to eat your dinner first, young lady." He warned, faux-pouting as he put his hands on his hips.

"But I don't want to eat, oppa," Sohee said slowly as she sat on the couch.

"I don’t remember asking for your opinion," Hoseok scoffed, sitting next to her. "Now tell me everything. I'm all ears."

***

Meanwhile, Saera was walking down the street, trying to clear her mind. The day had been hard, and she needed a moment to breathe. As she walked past a large billboard, something caught her eye—a poster announcing an upcoming documentary on dance created by one of the members of Bangtan Boys. The title was simple, but the name stood out: 'Hope On The Street.'

Saera paused to admire the billboard. She knew that J-Hope was her dongsaeng's teammate, but she couldn’t recall which one exactly, as the poster didn’t feature the idol's face. "Me and my useless memory," she murmured, holding her chin thoughtfully.

Saera had loved dancing from a young age. She used to watch every dance video featuring group performances or solo acts. Unfortunately, her family's circumstances had prevented her from pursuing her studies in the field she loved most. Gradually, she lost the motivation to watch or engage in anything related to dance.

However, this announcement sparked something in her—a faint glimmer of the happiness she had once felt every time she danced in her tiny room.

Curious, she decided to search for the name on her phone right there, and after a few minutes of scrolling, it clicked. "Hoseok," she whispered to herself, astonished. "So he’s the one... the one who loves dance and is making this documentary." She uttered, lost in thought.

Her surprise grew as she discovered that he had loved dancing from a young age and was the head dancer of their group. She found clips of him dancing fluidly and flawlessly, either on stage with his members or alone in a practice room.

Interesting, she thought as she continued walking to the nearby supermarket to grab a few groceries.

While standing by the cashier, she found herself reflecting on the poster. Once the queue in front of her ended, she looked at the worker, who had headphones on and a tired expression. "The noodles song girl," she thought as she remembered that night. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind, and she leaned over the counter while her items were being scanned.

"Excuse me, do you… do you know J-Hope?" Saera blurted out before she could stop herself. Regretting the wrong form of the question, she felt embarrassed but intrigued.

What a stupid question. What the heck am I doing now?

The cashier’s eyes lit up in surprise, and a wide grin spread across her face as she heard the news.

"Oh my God, you like J-Hope too?" she exclaimed. "He’s amazing, right? He’s such a great dancer, and I can’t wait for the documentary to come out!" The cashier happily chirped about her favorite idol, completely unaware of Saera's darkening expression each passing second.

She couldn’t handle this right now, not with the mix of emotions swirling inside her. She was still trying to process everything—Hoseok, the dance, the documentary. Everything seemed so painful and regretful to her, a familiar feeling she fought for a long time.

As she grabbed her groceries, she didn’t even respond to the girl anymore, remembering how Hoseok had made fun of her when they were young, right in front of everyone. Even in that house, he was still as arrogant as ever, she thought painfully.

"I should’ve just kept my mouth shut," she muttered under her breath. Annoyed at herself and frustrated by the entire encounter, she abruptly turned around and left the supermarket.

Behind her, the cashier stood there, confused, murmuring, "Why did she even start talking to me if she wasn’t going to listen to the answer?"

As Saera walked down the street, her mind raced with thoughts about the past, her family, the dance she couldn’t pursue, and that infuriating Hoseok—everything was piling up. Her breath grew shallow, her chest tightened, and she suddenly stopped in her tracks, clutching her head in her hands. The weight of it all hit her at once.

Why am I so restless? Why can’t I let it go? The familiar sensation of panic began to rise within her as memories of the past flooded her mind.

"I... n-need... to... r-reach... my... h-home..."

-------

Longest chapter ever! (For me at least, hehe!) 😶‍🌫️

So many things are going on now lovelies, what do you think Jae-yong said to Sohee yeoreobun?👀

And finally, we saw some connection between Saera and Hobi; I'm so excited to make you all discover what's left yey!!!!!!!!🤓

Anyway, I hope you liked it, yeoreobun! Please share your opinions in the comments! 👀

Feel free to follow me on both Instagram and Wattpad; I’ll follow back, Lovelies! 🥰

Take good care of yourselves—love you! 😘♥️

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Borahae. 💜