ALWAYS You: Swan's Shadow [YOONGI] (Book 3)

Chapter 19

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Hobi wouldn't stop crying again.

This time, it had nothing to do with the milk.

Without much of a choice, Soo-ji had entrusted Yeonjun to look after Hobi while she prepared to attend the fundraising ball with Jackson. Yeonjun was delighted to babysit, of course, but Hobi wasn't too keen on the idea.

"He's a kid himself." Hobi complained, the bottom of his little lip folding over the top in a small pout. "And he's annoying. And he's a dummy."

A snort came from behind Soo-ji. Jackson was in the motel room with them, discussing their plan when the topic of Hobi sprung up. Soo-ji ignored him, kneeling in front of Hobi who sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh against her lips.

"You can bully Yeonjun all you like," Soo-ji pat his head as a source of comfort, "you can tell him his head looks like a coconut, that he smells and you can tell him to stop following us like a loser!"

"B-but..." Hobi was sniffing again, rubbing his puffy eyes with the back of his hands, "why can't I come with you? I can protect you!"

If Soo-ji said her heart didn't melt at that statement, she would've been outright lying. A smile graced against the lining of her lips, she looked at Hobi closely, grateful that Hobi was here in that dump motel than with the others at the temple. In a lot of ways, Hobi really reminded her of Hoseok. He never failed to bring a smile to anyone's faces, he was the sun of the group, much loved by every member of the Hope Gang.

"Hobi-ah... you're so silly. I don't need protecting. It's me who needs to protect you."

Hobi looked at her in confusion. His little head tilted slightly, his eyebrows pinching together as he considered her words. Then, ever so slowly, he turned towards the open laptops sitting on top of the table. His pudgy finger reached up, pointing towards Yoongi and Chung Ha's photo.

"You're the silly billy," Hobi reprimanded her, making Jackson snigger behind her again, "if that ugly picture is upsetting you, then I need to tell uncle meow meow that he fucked up!"

Jackson burst out laughing. "Yah! This baby will grow up to be great boyfriend material!"

Soo-ji, frowning and irritated that he was laughing in the wrong moment, used every ounce of resistance to kick him out of the room when she was trying to be the adult here and discipline Hobi. His laughter only fuelled Hobi into a fit of giggles when Hobi suddenly leaned his back on the bed, rolling around. Jackson joined him next, jumping on the bed as they began rolling around together like two puppies.

The absurdity of it all brought a smile on Soo-ji's face finally.

Discipline was out of the window. When Hobi eventually stopped laughing (but Jackson still carried on), Soo-ji sat him up again. With a serious adult voice, Soo-ji asked him, "you'd be a brave boy, right? You won't be scared?"

Hobi scoffed, waving his tiny hands at Soo-ji. Sometimes, Soo-ji thought, that this kid was growing up way too fast.

"Scared?" Hobi asked, "I'm not uncle Kook."

"Jungkook?"

"Yeah!" Hobi exclaimed, "that idiot boy likes aunty Microsoft Word but he's too scared to talk to her so he just gets angry at her all the time!"

As always, Hobi was spot on.

When night fell and the stars came out to play, the lack of windows at the temple always plunged the prison cell into a darkness that one could easily lose their minds. It was fascinating how Chanyeol managed to stay in solitary confinement for so long by himself. His mind and willpower must've been the strongest amongst them when he endured the longest vicious cycle of torture, darkness, coldness and silence.