Always Meant to Be

Epilogue

20 years earlier

Hoseok was beyond excited. He had been working on his mask for over a week with the help of his mother, and he was finally getting the chance to showcase it's beauty at the local halloween festival.

It was annual, something that Hoseok's small town in Gwangju celebrated with lanterns, games, fireworks and street foods. An event that had Hoseok looking forward to it every year.

And every year, as tradition, one is to wear a mask. The most common types are masquerade masks which is what Hoseok preferred. Which is how he ended up at said festival with a beautiful red mask decorated with golden design matched with a red and golden robe that was too big for him, tied together in place at the waist.

Hoseok wanted to run and start seeing everything, but his mother's hand caught him first, "Hoseok-ah, your father and I have to check something out really quick. But you stay here, okay? Don't move from this spot and we'll be right back."

"What? But we just got here...you always leave me alone." Hoseok frowned, "I thought we would be able to play games together!"

His mother sighed, "Just stay put Hoseok-ah. Your father and I will be right back. We won't take long this time."

"Promise...?" Hoseok looked up with big eyes.

"Promise. So stay put, okay?"

"Okay!" Hoseok nodded, the ribbon tying the mask together behind his hair fluttered with the movements.

"What are you going to do?" His mother asked with narrowed eyes.

"Stay right here!"

"Good." She smiled gently before petting the boy's hair and turning to leave.

Leaving Hoseok alone in the middle of the crowded festival street. Hoseok closed his eyes and started to count, it was something that helped him whenever his parents left him on his own. It was something that distracted Hoseok from the fear of actually being alone in the busy street with unfamiliar people ten times his side brushing past him in masks.

Hoseok didn't know how long he was standing there. After losing count, lost in the hundreds, he opened his eyes and noticed how the sun was almost fully set.

And then, a sudden force was knocking Hoseok to the ground.

"Ah! Sorry! I didn't see you there." A boy who looked to be around Hoseok's age spoke from above him, holding out a hand.

The first thing Hoseok noticed was his dark eyes framed by a mask that mirrored Hoseok's own, only it was black painted with red decorating lines. Hoseok reached out his hand, allowing the boy to help him up, "It's okay, I didn't see you either."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Hoseok dusted the dirt off of his robes, "Oh yeah, it didn't hurt!"

"But...you seem sad." The boy asked, thoughtful for a moment.

Hoseok looked at him and then looked down quickly, "I'm waiting for my mom and dad to come back. They said they wouldn't take long."

"Oh..." The boy frowned, "How old are you?"

"Ten. You're older, aren't you?"

The boy smiled a little at that, "I am! I'm eleven."

"I knew it." Hoseok echoed, his eyes coming to life a little more, "Where are your mom and dad?" Hoseok asked suddenly.

The boy huffed, "Doing some kinda big people's job! They are always gone too. But that's okay, because I have my brother!" The boy spoke with a gum filled, prideful smile, one that started to dim immediately after, "Except...I don't know where he is. We're from Seoul so we were excited to come to the festival, but as soon as we got here I lost sight of him."

Hoseok pouted for a moment, "I can help you look for him?"

"But aren't you supposed to wait for your parents?"

Hoseok shook his head, "I'm done waiting for them," Reaching out to take the boy's hand, "Come on, I'll show you around the festival!"

Which is how Hoseok ended up trailing the boy throughout the whole festival, showing him the games that were native to Gwangju, the food, and the music. Hoseok completely forgot about the fear that had begun to consume him with the absence of his parents. All that mattered was showing his new friend everything there was to see at the festival and making the boy smile a gum filled smile whenever possible.

They were playing a game under the lantern's light when a sudden pop resounded loudly in the sky.

"What was that?!" The boy looked towards Hoseok with big, wide eyes.

Hoseok gasped, a heart shaped smile on his lips as he reached out to drag the boy again, but this time away from the festival lights and towards the darkened, grassy hill where the night sky reigned over with a sea of stars.

"Look!" Hoseok pointed towards the sky that was decorated in dazzling colors and light.

"Fireworks..." The boy echoed, standing next to Hoseok on the hill where they had a perfect view of the sky.

"You know," Hoseok started with a bit of a shy smile, "It's tradition in Gwangju to kiss during a fireworks show. I see my mom and dad do it all the time, I think it means something...good luck, maybe."

"Oh..." The boy spoke, turning towards Hoseok, "Do you want good luck?"

"I think so...I mean, everybody wants good luck. Do you?"

The boy nodded, reaching out to take Hoseok's cheeks in the palms of his hands, closing his eyes and bringing their lips together. A simple peck, a touch of the lips that lasted as long as the spark of fire illuminated the sky.

But something resounded within Hoseok. Perhaps it was the loud firework that shook the sky and painted the stars in colors, or, perhaps it was the stranger he'd just met. The one holding his face, the one with the prettiest of eyes.

Before Hoseok could fully open his eyes, an older man was tapping on his shoulder, "Excuse me, but I think there is someone calling for you young man." The man spoke, pointing down to the bottom of the hill where Hoseok's parents were yelling for him.

Hoseok's eyes grew wide, immediately rushing down the hill to where his parents were, calling back without directly looking at the boy, "Sorry, I gotta go! Bye bye!"

The boy watched Hoseok run down, giving a small wave. The older man walked back over to where his family was, leaving the boy alone-

"Yoongi!"

Yoongi whipped his head around to the direction of the sound, finding his brother jogging up to him, "There you are! We were looking for you!"

"We?" His brother echoed, grinning, "Nice eyes by the way. Where did you get red contacts at? I kinda want some too."

"Red contacts...?" Yoongi raised his brow in confusion, but before he could ask any further, his brother was speaking again.

"So who is this 'we' that you're talking about? Did you find a friend?"

Yoongi smiled, "Yeah." He spoke softly, "I did, I really like him. His smile looks like a heart. And he laughs really loud, but it's really pretty. He's very pretty."

His brother nodded thoughtfully, "And his name?"

"His...name?" Yoongi echoed, searching his mind for a name.

"Yeah, did you not get his name?"

"I didn't." Yoongi frowned, looking back up to the sky, the fireworks finale.

"Well," Yoongi's brother joined him in watching the fireworks waiting in the night sky, "If it's meant to be, then you'll meet him again someday. You can ask for his name then."

"Yeah." Yoongi smiled, a little hopeful as the last firework bloomed into a painting of red and gold, "If it's meant to be."

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Note: The end~ Thank you so so much for reading!! I appreciate your support so much, more then you know and I hope that you enjoyed!!