Light A Flame || Hoshi

Chapter 28

After multiple rounds of soju, some wild stories and a toilet-bowl bound Mira, the four finally deemed their double date satisfactory enough. Jang-mi had left to go check on Mira whilst the two idols sat around the kitchen island, both incredibly drunk.

"Today was great," Hoshi leaned back into the chair.

Dino lay his head down onto the counter, closing his eyes in satisfaction. "Hyung?" he mumbled.

"Mhm?" Hoshi said, pouring himself some more soju and drinking it whilst awaiting Dino's question.

"How do you know that she's the one?"

Hoshi paused mid-pour, contemplating the question. He leaned back further and sighed.

"I mean, there's no way to truly know, is there? If you ask me, there's no such thing as 'the one'. You could have dated 5 different people and thought all of them were gonna be endgame at some point. It's just about how you feel. I love spending time with her. I love her laugh, the way she dances. None of these things qualify her as 'the one' - but I think if you're fixated on finding your soulmate out of the crowd, there's a higher chance you'll find a sasaeng or something instead."

"So you're saying I should break it off with Mira?"

Hoshi spit out some soju. "Chan, you're an idiot. When have I ever said that?"

"I don't know. I think she's the one," Dino innocently replied.

"Then- then why would you even- okay, forget it. I know brains were never your strong suit."

"And I thought you were the affectionate drunk type," Dino huffed.

"With Jihoon, yes. You, however, are not him. Though you may be similar in height," he remarked.

Dino stirred. "Hyung, we've had this conversation before! I'm literally-"

"8 centimeters taller than him, yeah, yeah. Alright, come on. We have practice tomorrow afternoon and I'd rather not repeat what happened during that one Hot rehearsal," Hoshi pat Dino on the back, urging him to get up.

"Mmh. I'll drive," the younger grumbled.

"If you want to crash into some speeding truck and die, then sure. Come on, I'm calling you two an Uber."

**

The next morning, Hoshi awoke to the sound of clanging cutlery and plates hovering above his face. He gingerly opened his eyes, a blurry outline slowly forming into his girlfriend holding a bowl of soup.

She set it down on his bedside table, taking a seat on the bed herself. She was already fully dressed and seemed ready to go. She leaned down and pecked him on the forehead.

"Good morning," Jang-mi said.

"Wha- eugh," Hoshi responded, an intense migraine crashing down onto the front of his head.

"I made hangover soup. I think you should probably get up," she suggested, checking the time. "Practice is in an hour."

"Thank you, love. And you're right, let's go. We shouldn't be late-" he waned mid-sentence, watching as her smile dropped into a reserved expression.

"Oh."

She pressed her lips together in a tight smile. "Yeah. It's alright, I know you can forget sometimes. I should get to work myself. Love you," Jang-mi said.

"Love you too. Have a nice day," he called out as she was leaving the room.

**

Hoshi walked into the dance studio, cap pulled tightly over his face. He dropped his bag off to the side and began stretching, soon being joined by an equally out-of-it Dino.