And just like that, two years had gone by and Hoseok was now back in the dorms with Namjoon, packing to move out so they could finally sell the place. By now all the members had left to their own apartments permanently, only the rap line had stayed behind until enlistment.

Hobi didn't have the hardest of times during his training in the end and he was grateful for that. He got to join the military band and he was still somewhat connected to music. Trying to stay humble and avoid conflict, him, Yoongi and Namjoon had declined any special treatment*.

While fellow newly enlisted men had no issues, others looked at them a little funny considering past experiences. With the unit for celebrities having been dissolved years ago, idols and other civilians trained together. The scandals surrounding that disolution left some feeling apprehensive.

Sooner rather than later, all three members proved themselves to be respectable men who wouldn't take advantage of their fame and whose work ethics and discipline were impeccable. The tense atmosphere eased and so did their anxiety.

The performances were clearly different and so was the music, but it was comforting in a sense to Hoseok. Specially the yearly Gyeryong World Military Culture Festival*² in which he got to see some of ARMY and to perform more informally.

The last few months since their return, things had been pretty busy. Having been gone for one and a half years, there were a lot of things to catch up with. Including friends, family, weddings and childbirth.

From now on, however, the band was seven again for a couple years. With the deferral of the enlistment of the three youngest they were going to be together until disbandment at the very least, then they'd figure things out from there. Their future didn't seem as daunting as it once had*³.

At some point, the thought of the contract ending had been a cause of concern, but not anymore. Many bands around the world stayed together without the need of following up with limited contracts and they'd been doing their research*⁴ to make music for many more years.

After a whole week of coming and going from the dorms to his apartment every day Hobi finally put the last box in his car's trunk and his bedroom was now completely empty. While he had spent long periods of time at his own apartment, he had never fully moved out*⁵.

With fans' expectations, the dormitory had been kept by HYBE all these years regardless of other members having moved out years ago. With them being men nearing or past their thirties though and their earned privileges and trust*⁶, the company was less reluctant about selling it and letting that fantasy go.

Late that evening, Hoseok parked in his spot in the garage and picked up the box with his belongings. He made his way to the elevators feeling exhausted from the long day, everything had felt specially intense between the catching up with months of work and the readjustement to the hectic routine.

While military training was also tiring and required long hours and hardcore workouts, it was different. This kind of level of demand, however, was the type he preferred and enjoyed thoroughly. He was thriving being back on the scene and he couldn't wait for their comeback and subsequent tour.

As Hobi fumbled through his bag trying to find his keys, someone accidentally spooked him and he jumped back.

At the dorms, security was as good as it could be. With entire bands living under the same roof and with multiple idols in the premises, protection was a top-priority and it was easier to ensure safety.

Even if the Trimage was one of the most luxurious places in Seoul and other important, rich people lived here, it was different and it was a little unnerving to think about. Hopefully no unfortunate encounters would take place ever as he erred on the side of caution.

"Miyoung-ssi?" he breathed out as he held a hand to his agitated chest, a smile grazed his lips as he realized the interaction was harmless.

"I'm sorry, Hoseok-ssi! I didn't mean to scare you" she bowed her head apologetically. He waved his hand and quickly reassured her it was no big deal.

"It's fine, don't worry about it"

"Finally making the move?" by now it was public knowledge that he had an apartment in this building complex and that the dorms were on sale.

"Yes, it was high time, don't you think?" he said with a wide smile, though Miyoung could see the bags under his puffy eyes. It was impossible to hide just how tired he was. She was not planning to keep him for long anyway, she had her own plans.

"Do you live here too?" he asked curiously and she focused on him once more.

"Well, not yet" Miyoung said with a small smile as she gripped the strap of her bag tightly, "my girlfriend does though."

"Ah, I see" Hobi nodded a little disappointed that he didn't really know much about any of his neighbors. Even if he had been in his apartment countless times, he'd never quite lived here long enough to meet anyone.

"Anyway, have a good evening, Hoseok-ssi. I'll see you around."

"You too. See you at work" he nodded his head politely and turned back to his door when Miyoung turned around and walked down the hallway towards where he assumed her girlfriend lived.

Putting the box down on the kitchen counter and after closing the door, he poured some water in a glass and headed directly to his bedroom. Without skipping his nightly skincare routine*⁷, he stripped from his dirty clothes and threw himself in bed without hesitating.

One arm above his head and the other absentmindedly stroking his chest to help him relax*⁸, Hoseok stared out the window on his right thinking about himself for the first time in a while. As everyday life became routine once more there was room in his mind for his personal thoughts.

Shortly after he was out, his arm outstretched to his spacious side, fingers softly grappling the cold bedsheets. He definitely didn't miss being all by himself in a huge room after sharing one at the dorms and then the barracks.

In the blink of an eye he was woken up by both his morning alarm and his doorbell ringing one after another. Blinking rapidly, he tried to adjust to the light coming in scrunching his face, although his furrowed eyebrows denoted his confusion instead.

Wrapping himself in a robe and briefly fixing his messy hair in front of the hallway mirror, he made his way to the front door.

He looked through the spyhole and couldn't quite tell who it was as they were looking away.

"Who is it?"

"Hey Hoseok-ssi, it's your new neighbor!" the female stranger said cheerfully.

He hesitated for a while, anyone could know his name and say that. Did people really bother to welcome newcomers or was it because it was him?

He wasn't full of himself, but he wasn't dumb and he was a little skeptical.

"Um, hey, thank you, neighbor!" he answered gingerly.

"We met a while back, you probably don't remember me,"

Another thing anyone could say just to get him to open. Even people hit on others using that as a conversation starter.

He nervously listened from the other side of the door as he stood there with his arms crossed, rubbing his upper arms to keep himself warm.

His toes curled as his feet were in contact with the cold tiles. He glanced at his fluffy slippers by the door and, as he tried to decide whether it was worth answering, he heard the woman talk again.

Sasaeng*⁹? Neighbor?

"You see, I was at this party before your enlistment with Park Miyoung" she tried sounding hopeful.

"Oh, I see" he answered warily and opened the door as far as the latch allowed.

He peeked only partially coming into view and the woman giggled at the sight of his one sleepy eye. She was holding up a small tray of sirutteok*¹⁰.

Hobi sighed and decided to greet her, figuring this had to be harmless then. His mother would do this exact thing.

Whenever they had new neighbors when he was a kid, she would whip up a batch of steamy rice cakes. A good luck wish for the newbies, she had explained to him.

After sliding his feet in the slippers and undoing the latch, he finally opened the door all the way with an awkward lip smile.

"Hello, sorry, I just woke up and I wasn't expecting anyone. It took me off-guard" he apologized sheepishly.

"Oh no, did I wake you up?" Miyoung had let her know he was up early considering the time at which he usually got to work.

"No! No, I was just about to get ready to go" he excused himself truthfully, after all his alarm had gone off like a second prior to the ringing.

"I guess I brought you breakfast then!" she revealed the reason for her visit with a wide smile and he laughed softly as she held up the tteok for him to take off her hands.

Hoseok turned his body around to place them on a small table to the side, but kept his eyes on the woman for good measure.

"Thank you, I'm sure they'll taste delicious. They do look like it" he appreciated the kind gesture and felt bad about his initial reaction.

"I'll leave you to do your thing then" she said taking a step back, holding her hands together on her back and rocking on the heels of her feet feeling unwelcome.

"Yeah, again, I'm sorry. And thank you for the rice cakes" Hobi repeated himself feeling rather uncomfortable.

"Of course. See you around, neighbor! Let me know how you like those, I'm right down the hallway" she said as she pointed at the tray, now looking a little more relaxed.

"Will do. Have a good day!" he nodded politely just now feeling a little less anxious about the whole thing, but his face dropped at her next few words.

"You know, to make sure you haven't died from food poisoning" the young woman said with a little laugh and for a second he reconsidered eating them.

-

* https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/world/asia/south-korean-army-k-pop.html

*² http://www.m-festival.org/eng/0101

*³ https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/hollywood/break-silence-jimin-jungkook-are-hesitant-think-about-bts-retiring-rm-has-best-advice-members-536226

*⁴ There's a more recent interview or something of the sort in which one of the guys was like, we should start doing research to stay together as a band, but I can't for the life of me remember which. I'll edit and add it here when I find it. This is another instance of them saying they want to keep making music beyond the year of their disbandment: https://twitter.com/BTSPressData/status/1412957186792120321?s=20&t=m-Fx_bY5GXwfNIL8eQba6Q

*⁵ https://www.bollywoodlife.com/photos/bts-j-hopes-usd-1-6-million-luxury-apartment-in-seoul-has-the-stamp-of-the-dancer-rappers-sunshine-personality-view-pics-1985246/

*⁶ https://www.creatrip.com/en/blog/9163

*⁷ This came to mind (first link), but he's talked about his nightly skincare routine before as well (second link):

https://www.creatrip.com/en/blog/9163

https://www.allure.com/story/k-pop-group-bts-beauty-secrets-interview

*⁸

https://youtu.be/TtO_PGRMxoA

https://youtu.be/EMJPye8pi6k

*⁹ https://www.envimedia.co/parasocial-relationships-k-pop/

*¹⁰ https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2003/01/05/socialAffairs/Hello-Enjoy-I-am-your-new-neighbor/1905771.html