MIN || BTS 8TH MEMBER

2. gifts - hoseok

you might be wondering why i am sitting on the floor of my studio, where i have been locked in for the past hours, completely covered in paint and with a puzzled look on my face.
it's a long short story, but to explain this we have to take a step back.

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[late november, 2020]

"what can i give to hoseok-oppa? i want his gift to be something unique and special, something like hope-ssi... " i question myself, lying on my bed.
i always say in interviews that i don't have any weaknesses, even if nearly everyone knows that hoseok is my achilles heel. i would climb mountains and cross deserts just to see him smile. 
"alexa, play me a song" i scream to my poor robot assistant, my eyes never leaving the ceiling while trying to come up with some good ideas. who would have thought that making gifts would have been so difficult?
"now playing: hope world by j-hope"
soon the room is hit by the catchy melody of the familiar song and i find myself humming to it. this song holds so many memories, so many emotions. it was and still is the song that helps me to overcome difficult moments, the moments of anxiety and stress. it is the song that makes me smile, whenever and wherever.
at the end of the song, a light bulb in my head lights up.
i have an idea.

everyone knows hoseok's immense love for everything that can be considered fashion, managing to find questionable clothes combinations and turn them into catwalk looks. most of all, hobi is a great lover of accessories: hats, bracelets, rings, bags and ... shoes!
a very clear image spreads in my mind: hope world shoes! painted by myself.
this idea could be my victory or my failure.
with a lot of hope i decide to follow my instinct, starting the preparations to create j-hope's gift. now all that i have to do is wait...

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[present day]

and here we are now. spoiler: it was my failure. covered in paint from head to toe, i look at my creation, increasingly doubtful whether it was a good idea to rely on my skills in drawing.
i cover the shoes with water-proof spray and i decide once again to trust myself. also because it is now too late to change gift.
hoseok, please don't hate them.

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[the day of the party, 12/24/20]

"now, hoseok-ssi, it's your turn..."

"go hoseok! unpack it !!" jungkook tells him while holding a piece of gimbap in his mouth.
"ok ok !! min if you make me cry like you did to namjoon, i swear it's the last time i'm talking to you "j-hope threatens me, laughing.

with my heart beating fast (i still don't know if it's because i'm excited or if i'm only scared that he will throw them to me because they are too ugly), hoseok opens the shoe box, revealing my hand-painted shoes.

"wow..." hoseok whispers, a surprised (or puzzled?) look on his face.

"i know, i know, they are not that great...i tried my best but i think i really have to roll up my sleeves and start to draw again hahaha" i say, scratching my head from embarrassment "jokes apart, hope world is such an important song for me, you know? i still remember when we were shooting the second season of bon voyage, you couldn't stop thinking about that mixtape. it was almost an obsession.
i still remember that you used to wake up in the middle of the night to write verses, fix melodies, create new art. you wanted everything to be perfect, almost too perfect.
do you remember when you published it? we were in your hotel room: you, me and namjoon-oppa asleep on the bed behind us. you held my hand so tightly that you almost hurt me. your legs were shaking, but not from fear, but from excitement.
and then you hit the "post" button and "hope world" was born. we listened to it all night with headphones, trying not to make any noise so as not to wake up rm-ssi.
we hugged eachother so much, danced together and exchanged smiles that are still clear in my mind. it is like it all happened yesterday
"hope world" is j-hope, no, it's hoseok. "hope world" is a cry to love, happiness, to the desire to smile even in the worst moments.
it is a smile when all you can see is sadness, it is the light in the dark, it is a friendly hug when you are trying to convince yourself that you want to be alone.
you are my hope, hoseok. you always have been. since you helped me dance before predebut, when the only thing i wanted to do was quit and give up on my dream, since you hugged me when all i saw was closed doors, since you told me i could do it and you believe in me.
you were my number one fan jumping and singing loudly along to my song even if the stadium was empty.
hope world has become the theme song for when i want to take a break from the outside world and dance with myself.
those shoes may not be that great, but i want to think that every time you'll look at them, or even wear them, you'll think about our sleepless nights writing lyrics, our laughs, and that night when you released your mixtape, when we danced and held each other so tight.
i love you so much, my hope.
merry christmas."

"min...they are beautiful" exclaims hoseok, looking at me in the eyes.
the boy puts the shoe box on the sofa, then gets up and hugs me.
"thank you very much, we have known each other for so many years but you never fail to surprise me. "hope world" will always be a mixtape full of memories, if i concentrate i can still feel the excitement of the moment i released it. i didn't want to have anyone around me except you, who believed in me from the beginning, who saw me grow. i love you, min. merry christmas little one."

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"ok ok enough love right here, enough love." said jimin, separating me and j-hope making everyone laugh.

"alright, yoongi-oppa, come here, it's your turn now..."

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[author's note]
meow's here! i'm trying to keep up with the updates :) i hope that you are enjoying the serie so far, there are many members to go.
what would you have gifted j-hope if you were min? what do you think will be yoongi's gift?
see you soon and stay safe!
peace~
-meow

p.s. thank you for the votes and thank you to all the people that added this book to their library, thank you so much~