Quiet | BTS ✓

44

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind for Hoseok. He took Aria to her first therapy session and he never expected to meet a girl there, much less at all.

He's never given his personal life too much thought; he's taken care of Aria and worked hard for his parents at their restaurant. He is the person everyone turns to if they need anything from advice to a shoulder to cry on.

He's content in his life; his two best friends, Yoongi and Aria, are slowly transforming themselves into their best versions of themselves, and his parents' restaurant is thriving. Hoseok sees everyone around him beginning to create their own happiness, and Hoseok has never felt more fulfilled than to see those he loves doing better on their own.

He has always put others before himself, and he has never minded that; now that everyone is learning how to stand on their own two feet, Hoseok finds himself at a crossroads. Where does he go from here?

He never expected a girl to come into his life in a time where he was almost lost in which direction to take. People are no longer relying on him as their light seeing as they've ignited their own light inside of themselves, and now he is shining his own light on himself, much like his loved ones have learned to do. But now that his light is shining just for him, he can see his path ahead of him clearly, and he's not sure which way to go.

There are many possibilities, and he is excited for his path to intertwine with those of his loved ones. Everyone is moving forward now, and now he can do the same.

He wants to graduate college next year and open his very own dance studio; all he's ever wanted to do is dance. But through all of his critical thinking about his future and the futures of those closest to him, he never imagined meeting a girl.

Rina, when he met her, was broken, but she was healing herself already. She is seeing the same therapist as Aria, so when they met, she was already on the path of healing and learning to love herself. She didn't need him to be strong for her as he's done for Yoongi and Aria. He will never regret nor dislike being strong for his closest friends, but it was something different and he immediately knew that she is someone different; someone special.

Hoseok was immediately drawn to her with her small speech she made to Yoongi the day they met; she was so articulate and gentle and knew how to smile genuinely even when she was in pain. She reminded him of himself.

He couldn't get her out of his head, so he was understandably delighted when he received a call from her that night, and they've been talking every night since then.

Hoseok's future is and has always been bright in his mind, and now that he has met Rina, his future feels even brighter. Almost as bright as the sun.

~

"You don't have to do this if you're not ready," Hoseok says to Aria as they stand on a porch that they haven't stepped foot on for years. "Your therapist said to only do this if you can handle it."

Aria shakes her head and keeps a determined look on her face, though he can see her hand gripping onto the doorknob so hard that her knuckles are turning white and her free hand is shaking visibly at her side.

"I'm right here," Hoseok reassures her. "You won't do this alone."

Aria nods in response, her eyes closed as if she is too afraid to see the simple door situated just in front of her.

But it is more than just a simple door to both of them.

Behind this door is the childhood home of Aria; the home she grew up in with her loving parents that were ripped from her arms in an instant so suddenly.

After their deaths, the house deed was to be signed over to Aria, but she never stepped foot in the home again. She left everything in her home and wanted nothing to do with the house. Though she stayed in the home just next door, she never even let herself glance at her house. It only reminded her of the pain.

Her therapist, after seeing her twice a week for a couple of weeks now, suggested that if she confronts that pain, she may be able to let some of it go.

So here she is, her hand on the doorknob of the place she has simultaneously hated and missed for years. All she has to do is turn the knob.

"Let's do it together," Hoseok says softly. He places his hand over hers and slowly, they turn the knob until the door pushes open and Hoseok leads Aria inside.

Her eyes flutter open and Hoseok has to catch her before she falls to her knees.

The living room is exactly as she left it; there is a layer of dust covering everything, but it is just as they left it the day of the accident. Nobody has been in here except Hoseok's parents when they came in and got some of Aria's belongings right after the accident.

There is a magazine laying on the coffee table, open to a random page. Hoseok remembers that Aria's mother always used to read those magazines and because she could never do one thing for too long, she would leave the magazine open on the table so she could finish skimming through it later.

Hoseok keeps a secure arm around Aria's waist while he holds her hand in his free one as he walks her around the house. They pass by numerous framed pictures on the wall, all filled with smiling faces and happy memories of young Aria with her parents. Pictures of Aria singing into a karaoke machine, pictures of her seated on her father's shoulders, pictures of her wrapped protectively in her mother's arms; all of these pictures are like a distant echo of a much happier time in Aria's life. It was a time in her life that she was whole.

In the kitchen, there are empty coffee cups and plates in the sink. Aria's father was always in charge of the dishes and he never did them right after a meal because he would get too full and sleepy right after eating. He was probably planning to do them when they came home that day.

Aria's tears are falling in a river of despair down her pale cheeks and Hoseok has to hold his own tears back. He lost two people that day too; Aria's parents were like his family too, and seeing all of these small reminders of their everyday lives breaks Hoseok's heart all over again; not only for himself, but for Aria as well.

"Your bedroom is empty since my parents took all of your stuff after the accident," Hoseok reminds her as he leads her down the hallway. "But you should see your parents' bedroom and then we can be done for today. Okay?"

Aria nods, sniffling before letting Hoseok lead her into their bedroom.

Aria's lips quiver as she sees her parents' messy bedroom. Aria's parents were never clean freaks when it came to their bedroom. Hoseok smiles to himself, remembering Aria's bedroom back at their apartment; it seems as though she has inherited that from her parents.

Aria's lips turn up slightly into a small, sad smile as she lets go of Hoseok and walks towards the bed, letting her fingers ghost over the fabric of the blanket. She walks to her mother's side of the bed and rests her hand on the dusty pillow, letting her eyes flutter closed for a few moments. She does the same to her father's pillow and then releases a long breath before looking up at Hoseok.

He sees it in her eyes; there's a change inside of her. It's like she finally got to say goodbye to them.