last of his kind [yoonseok] {diary au}

chapter 9

it's been a few weeks since hoseok had that lucid dream about yoongi. he knew that yoongi told him to chase after taehyung, but he wanted to give taehyung a bit of time to recover before he did. he didn't know what taehyung had to recover from, he just knew that there was something wrong.

even jungkook was talking about how taehyung wasn't doing very well in school lately. hoseok wanted to say it's normal, but stopped when jungkook said that taehyung's grades were normally the highest in the class. such a drastic drop in his grades wasn't normal, especially for a top student like taehyung.

still, he didn't poke his nose into taehyung's business and continued practicing his dance. it was getting closer to the date where he was going to perform his dance to the song 'spring day.' hoseok confirmed that spring day was dedicated to yoongi and was thankful that jin created such a beautiful song for his former boyfriend, yoongi.

he knew he was truly moving on because the song no longer brought tears to his eyes. of course, he'd feel sad about it but he refused to grieve about it. he already promised yoongi to not grieve over him anymore, so that's exactly what he was going to do. ever since that day, he didn't let himself shed another tear over yoongi, even when he desperately wanted to let it out.

yoongi was irreplaceable, just like taehyung said. he felt guilty for not thinking about taehyung's feelings as well, but he can't go back in time to fix it. both of them knew that yoongi would never be replaced by anyone else and fell in love for different reasons. hoseok never thought of taehyung as a replacement for yoongi. not even once. he wasn't cruel enough to do that.

after work that day, he actually offered to meet up with taehyung for the first time in weeks. he wasn't even sure if taehyung would even agree, but he clung onto the hope that taehyung would go. hoseok sat at their usual meeting spot, just waiting. he didn't even go on his phone and he didn't dare to space out. he was just hoping that taehyung would come.

just as he was about to give up hope and leave, taehyung finally arrived. one look at him and hoseok saw how exhausted taehyung looked. he had huge dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he barely even tried dressing up. it was as if he just put on the nearest set of clothes he could find on the floor.

"you called me here, didn't you? if you're just going to stare at me like that, then i'm leaving." taehyung mumbled. it was loud enough for hoseok to hear and panic from it. "no, stay. whether we stand or sit down at the bench doesn't matter to me. i just have to tell you something important, that's all. it's up to you if you want to accept it, but i have to get it off my chest."

"alright, let's sit down then." taehyung spoke briefly. it seemed as if taehyung was trying to purposely avoid hoseok. "i'm going to be direct with you, i saw yoongi in my dreams a few weeks ago. it wasn't your usual dream either, it was a lucid dream. i was aware i was in a dream and the person i saw was definitely yoongi. it wasn't an illusion. it couldn't be. it felt too real."

"i saw yoongi in my dreams too. i just hoped that it was all an illusion, to be honest. the reason why my grades dropped so drastically was because my mind constantly wandered back to that dream. in my dream, yoongi was encouraging me to date you like it didn't matter at all to him. it was as if he didn't care if you weren't considered his anymore." taehyung explained.

"the yoongi i know would never act that petty. he knew what he was doing that night when he committed suicide. he told me that he regretted it, but there isn't any way to turn back time. he wants the both of us to move on from him. he actually begged me to never grieve about him for as long as i live. that's how serious he was. don't feel guilty for falling in love, taehyung. love isn't a sin." hoseok advised.

taehyung simply nodded quietly and slumped lower in his spot. "is there anything else you wanted to say to me? if not, i'll be leaving." taehyung whispered. just as taehyung was about to leave, hoseok grabbed him by his sleeve and refused to let go. "yeah, i do have something else to say. kim taehyung, i love you. i admit that it feels strange to say it to someone other than yoongi, but i really do feel this way towards you. it's up to you if you want to date me or not, but i'll ask anyway."

hoseok tugged on taehyung's sleeve and pulled him closer. "kim taehyung, will you be my boyfriend? you're not a rebound for me to get over yoongi. you're not a replacement. you're not a substitute. you're you. i fell in love with you, and i don't regret it one bit." hoseok confessed, making taehyung tear up. after a moment of silence, taehyung finally replied. "yes, i'll be your boyfriend."

"thank you for giving me a second chance at love, taehyung. if it weren't for you, i'd probably be dead by now. i would've secretly killed myself if i didn't meet you under that bus stop on that rainy day. from now on, you're going to be the new light that will guide me through life. don't you dare disappear like yoongi did." hoseok said before pulling taehyung into a kiss.

they stayed like that for a while, just the two of them in the park. there was no lust or ulterior motives involved. the kiss was gentle and loving, yet full of passion at the same time. hoseok has never felt more alive until he finally had the chance to kiss taehyung and claim taehyung as his. that night, he whispered something to himself and prayed that yoongi would hear him.

"thank you for bringing us together, yoongi."