writing this gave me quarantine flashbacks lol. ft the members giving hoseok a lil tough love and hoseok being a stubborn bby
Having a new company building being created sounded like a great idea to the members. Who wouldnât want more practice space, a few (several) extra floors, and additional rooms to work in?
Hoseok was especially looking forward to it. It would be a bit of a hassle to move all of his equipment from his current studio to the new one, but he was excited. The new building would make it much easier for him and the others to get some much-needed practice in.
âWhat do you think, Hobi?â Yoongi asks as he and Hoseok enter their new practice room. âSee anything that needs fixing? Anything youâd like to complain to the manager about?â
Hoseok rolls his eyes at the last comment, but he lets it slide. âNope, it looks great. Look at how clean and shiny the floor is, hyung! See how squeaky it is?â He swipes the back of his heel against the floor, earning an expected sharp squeak.
âI see it, all right,â Yoongi says, wincing. âItâs nice, but I think Iâll miss the old practice room. We rehearsed there so often that itâll feel weird doing it in a different place.â
âGetting sentimental, are we?â Hoseok teases. âIâm just kidding. Iâll miss it, too, but the staff must have worked so hard to make this happen for us. Iâll need to thh... thahhâ HIHâchiew! hh-hhâISHiew!â
The sound of Hoseokâs sneeze echoes loudly in the empty room. He sniffs and rubs his nose with the back of his hand. âYou okay?â Yoongi asks, raising an eyebrow. âYouâre not getting sick, are you?â
Hoseok shakes his head, sniffing again for good measure. âI donât think so,â he says. âItâs probably allergies.â
After Hoseok and Yoongi explore the new building for a while, Yoongi goes to meet with Jungkook and Hoseok goes to explore the new studios with Namjoon.
âItâs pretty exciting, isnât it?â Namjoon asks, his eyes practically lighting up when his eyes scan the studio that is soon to be his. âThis new building, the new studios, all of that. Did you know thereâs a gym upstairs?â
âReally?â Hoseok asks. âIâm probably not going to use it, but that sounds nice.â
âI might,â Namjoon says, mulling it over. âIâve been thinking about working out recently, so the gym sounds pretty convenient. I donât think I would be too sure about what to do, so I might ask Jungkook to help me withââ
Namjoon is interrupted by Hoseok pitching forward with a harsh âhhâEHHschu!â Surprised by the sudden noise, Namjoon blinks. It doesnât seem like Hoseok is finished, though, because he still has that far-away look in his eyes that he gets whenever heâs about to sneeze.
Sure enough, Hoseok cups his hands in front of his face as he lets out another âhhâIHHshiew!â
âAre you okay?â Namjoon asks, trying to ignore the way Hoseok wipes his hands on his pants. âDo you think youâre coming down with something?â
âItâs just allergies. Yoongi asked me the same thing,â Hoseok laughs. âSo, what were you saying? Something about using the gym upstairs?â
âOh, right,â Namjoon says. âBasically, I was saying that Jungkook should help me when I work out since I donât really know what Iâm doing yet, and...â
As it turns out, Hoseok is correct in his assumption that his itchy nose and constant sneezing was due to allergies, but not in the way he was expecting.
âMold?â Hoseok asks, appalled. âThereâs mold in the building? Where? In the practice room or just in the studios?â
Sejin does his best to relay the information that he received from the company to the members, Hoseok in particular, but itâs a bit of a struggle.
âCalm down, Hoseok,â Yoongi says, rolling his eyes. âItâs not that big of a deal. Heâs just saying that mold has been found in the new building and theyâre going to get rid of it in a few days.â
âThat must have been why you were sneezing so much,â Namjoon points out. âYouâre allergic to mold, right? If thatâs the case, then maybe you should stay home for a few days until they get rid of it.â
Hoseok looks at Namjoon as though he just grew a second head. âAre you serious? Joon, the comeback is right around the corner. The choreography is tougher than ever. I canât afford to take a few days off, you know that.â
âThis is for your health, Hoseok,â Namjoon says. He doesnât like to use his authority as the leader of the group very often since he knows the others can and trusts them to make their own decisions, but this is something that isnât up for discussion. âIf you want to think of it in terms of the comeback, fine. If the mold makes you sick, you wonât even be able to participate in the comeback. Stop being stubborn and just stay home for a few days. Iâm sure a bit of rest would do you some good, anyway.â
The room is silent after that. Hoseok isnât going to admit it now, but he knows that Namjoon is right. The only way to really reach him is by being stern and, although Hoseok doesnât like it when Namjoon talks to him like that, he knows itâs because he has his best interest in mind.
âAll right,â Hoseok agrees, though itâs not like Namjoon gave him much of a choice. âIâll stay home for a few days. But you guys have to tell me everything that happens in the meantime, even if you think itâs not important.â
âDonât worry, hyung,â Taehyung says, his bright smile welcome after the tense conversation between Hoseok and Namjoon. âWe wonât let you fall behind. I donât think you could even if you tried, but weâll still tell you everything that happens.â That makes Hoseok feel a bit better, at least.
Itâs only been three days since Hoseok has been practically forbidden from visiting the new building and heâs going a bit stir-crazy. He isnât able to dance, work with Yoongi and Namjoon on production, or even help the others to prepare for the comeback. The boredom and feeling of helplessness is really eating at him.
So, when he gets a call from Sejin telling him that management thinks he needs to participate more in preparing for the comeback, he isnât too upset about it.
Sure, the mold makes his allergies act up a little, but he would rather endure a bit of sneezing than another boring day at home.
The other members donât share the same sentiment.
When Hoseok steps into the practice room after only three days, all Yoongi can do is sigh. Of course Hoseok would put his own health at risk for a few extra hours of practice. At this point, Yoongi isnât even surprised.
The other members try to seem casual about Hoseokâs presence. If things get any worse, theyâll be sure to send him home, they all silently decide. Yoongi keeps an especially close eye on him.
Itâs only about thirty minutes into that dayâs practice that Yoongi draws the line.
Hoseok has been discreetly stifling itchy sneezes into his hands for the entire practice, but that much was expected. The mold hasnât yet gone away, and neither would Hoseokâs allergies.
The sneezing doesnât bother Yoongi very much. If Hoseok wants to pretend like his nose isnât incessantly itchy and irritated, heâll let him keep up his facade. When Hoseok starts coughing, however, thatâs a different story.
âOkay, Hoseok, youâve gotta go home,â Yoongi says, turning around to face the younger man. âWe were all fine with you coming in today even though you werenât supposed to as long as you could handle it, but you clearly canât.â
âWhy do you mean âI canât?ââ Hoseok asks, looking perturbed. âIâm doing just fine.â At that moment, he feels his throat begin to itch and he coughs into his elbow.
âIâm not letting you practice this intensely if youâre having an allergic reaction,â Yoongi says. âJust go home, Hoseok. Weâll figure something out.â
âYoongi-hyung is right,â Namjoon chimes in. âIâd rather you go home and rest before it gets any worse. I know youâre worried about the comeback, but weâll come up with a way for you to participate even when youâre at home.â
Hoseok sighs, knowing that he canât argue any further unless he wants to face the wrath of Yoongi. âAll right,â he relents, âjust keep me updated.â
And so the cycle of boredom and restlessness continues.
At this point, Hoseok is seriously considering just waltzing back into the practice room like nothing was discussed between him and the members, but he knows that all heâll accomplish is getting his ass kicked by Yoongi.
Even though Yoongi can be harsh in his delivery, Hoseok knows that he truly cares for him. He must have been stern with him earlier that day because he was worried about him. Hoseok makes a mental note to thank Yoongi for his concern at some point, but heâs still upset at having been sent back home.
With nothing else to do, Hoseok tries working on some lyrics. Itâs a bit of a struggle since he doesnât have any equipment to help him with the melody, but he decides to switch things up and focus on the lyrics first rather than the beat.
About halfway through writing lyrics for the pre-chorus, Hoseok realizes that his efforts are most likely in vain. Their album is going to be released soon and itâll be a while until the next one is released, so whatâs the point of working on this now?Hoseok feels frustrated, restless, and a bit useless.
It doesnât help that his allergies are still acting up. He was exposed to the mold for a decent amount of time, so it makes sense that his nose is still feeling itchy and irritated.
He keeps a box of tissues by his side just in case he needs them, which he does. His nose wonât stop running and his throat is still scratchy enough to warrant a cough drop and some antihistamines. In short, heâs feeling pretty miserable.
When he receives a phone call from Namjoon, he expects it to be a notice that the members are returning home soon. Itâs not like Hoseok has anything better to do, so he answers the call. âHello?â he answers, hoping Namjoon doesnât hear how congested he sounds.
âHobi, we think weâve found the perfect solution for this situation,â Namjoon says. Hoseok canât see him, but he can tell from his tone of voice that he is probably smiling right now.
âAnd whatâs that?â Hoseok asks, intrigued. If it involves going back to the new building, he isnât sure if he can manage that. He can barely breathe through his nose right now and the coughing has only gotten a little better.
âWe can like, facetime or something,â another voiceâJungkookâsays. He must have taken the phone from Namjoon because Hoseok can hear a bit of chaos in the background. âThat way, you can still rehearse with us and watch us while weâre doing it. I doubt itâll be as helpful as rehearsing in person, but I thought it might be a good idea.â
It takes Hoseok a moment to decide whether or not heâs feeling up for it at the moment. âYeah,â he says eventually. âI think thatâs a good idea. Thatâs our genius Jungkookie.â
He can hear Jungkook whining about something he canât quite make out, most likely the affectionate nickname. âIâll call you guys in five. Weâll see how things works out.â
The idea doesnât work out perfectly since the connection occasionally cuts out, Hoseok has a hard time focusing on each of the members, and he isnât physically there with them, but he appreciates their attempt to find a solution.
Even though Hoseok does have to request a break every few minutes to work through a sneezing fit, he decides that this long-distance idea isnât so bad.