Light A Flame || Hoshi

Chapter 9

Jang-mi quickly grew frantic, scrambling up from her makeshift mattress to face Hoshi.

"How- how long have you been standing there?" she inquired in shock.

"Ever since the guys left. I rarely see stars so bright - I felt obliged to just stay," he shrugged. He could barely make out her features but he could tell she was blushing intensely.

"You- you heard all of it?"

"I did," he responded casually, contrasting her suddenly agitated demeanor.

"I'm-"

"I don't hate you, Jang-mi. I've been so stressed with work it rubbed off on my relationships with everyone. It didn't help that people were spewing hate towards the both of us,"

"I'm so sorry. We shouldnt've gone, I should've said no-"

"No. Don't say that," he softly responded, moving closer towards her. Though the lights were dim, he could see a twinkle in her eyes.

"I don't know what to say," she mumbled, her pupils suddenly taking a large interest in the ground.

"That's okay," he said, gently bringing her chin back upwards, his eyes looking straight into hers.

Unconsciously, he felt compelled to bring himself closer to her. He began leaning in, his body flooding with dopamine, inching closer until a gap so short remained it felt insignificant. Jang-mi didn't resist. He closed his eyes, anticipating the moment, until-

"No! I'm sorry. I can't. Not now," she jumped backwards as if awoken from a slumber. He flinched from her sudden response.

"It's too early. I- I want to, but just... not now, okay?" she asked, shaken.

"What?"

"I have to go. I'm sorry. See you tomorrow," she forced out before jogging back to her house.

**

"So close, yet so far," Jeonghan said, stuffing his face with a spicy ramyeon he was eating straight out of the lid of the pot.

Hoshi fell back onto the patterned couch whilst watching his friend engulf the noodles in one swift bite.

"Wanna do some karaoke?" Jeonghan suggested, witnessing Hoshi's drastic shift in mood.

The younger shrugged, Jeonghan walking over to set up the equipment to the small TV in the living room. He soon pulled out two bedazzled microphones from his backpack.

"You brought this to our trip?" Hoshi scoffed, accepting a glittery blue microphone from Jeonghan and readying himself to sing.

"Yeah! Yoonzino!" Jeonghan yelled into the device, his voice mildly distorted from it. PSY's 'Gentleman' soon permeated the walls of the room, quickly energizing the pair. Hoshi watched as Jeonghan attempted the moves from the music video, being unable to stop himself from giggling.

Before the beat drop, the pair paused, looking at each other in anticipation.

"I'm a mother father gentleman!" Hoshi growled into the mic, smiling. This is definitely what he needed when he said he wanted a break. The two flopped around like inflatable tube men at a gas station, nearly bumping into some glass cabinets and furniture. Besides TTT, he barely had an opportunity to unwind like this with some of his members. He'd barely even thought about his conversation with Jang-mi.

Unexpectedly, the music shut off, the TV displaying an unrelenting monochrome static. The duo froze, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

A pale, panic-stricken Dokyeom met their eyes, the cord for the karaoke device unplugged and dangling precariously from his grasp.