♤ CLOSURE ;
Hoseok remained in the tree, scouring his surroundings with a dagger in both hands dressed in all black to shroud himself further in the night.
Below him was a big family gathering of fae, fluttering around and laughing with glee. They had organized this in the middle of the forest, where no one human and unknowing would ever find them, but Hoseok knew better. Even with them all the way in the middle of nowhere, anyone experienced would get them easily. He could definitely calculate the route he’d take to slit each and every one of his throats.
Still, he braced himself, gripping tighter onto the daggers’ handles.
A rustle in the nearby trees caught his attention. A snap of a branch made him want to roll his eyes at the amateur work the other party was accomplishing. He listened closely, trying to determine how many were there. He closed his eyes, trying to focus only on the auditory stimuli, counting one, two, three, four of them coming his way.
He opened his eyes, slipping off of the tree he sat in to leap into another one, then another one, then finally… he stopped. He waited.
Another branch snapped.
Now.
He leaped down from the tree, landing perfectly right behind the four hunters. He quickly incapacitated one, grabbing their neck and twisting it just enough for them to collapse. The others weren’t quick enough to catch him in time. He temporarily crippled one by slashing his dagger across the back of their legs, making them scream out in excrutiating pain. Another tried to lunge for him, but Hoseok was quick to grab them by the arm and twist it hard, breaking it with a clean snap. That one collapsed onto the ground, sobbing at the impact.
The final one was truly out for murder, bloodthirsty enough to take out their own dagger and move to thrust it towards him.
But Hoseok knew.
He swung his entire body around and swung his own dagger, slashing the air and all that got caught up in it. And by all, he meant the fourth one’s throat. Blood spurt from the wound in his neck, letting the final hunter choke on it before finally collapsing to a mindless heap onto the ground.
He checked his watch, raising his brows, impressed by his time. He managed to do all that in less than a minute.
He turned on his heel now, facing the one with the broken arm, the only one who seemed to be conscious.
The other hunter stared up at Hoseok with horror, recognizing his face the moment the moon reflected its light onto him.
“J-Jung Hoseok,” the hunter spat out.
“That’s me,” Hoseok said, jutting his jaw upwards, looking down on him. “What? Are you going to try to kill me?” He nodded his head towards the one with the slit throat. “You wouldn’t want to become like that guy, would you?” He smiled. “I’ll be kind now. As long as you don’t bring in more of your squad, you’re good. Otherwise—” He spun the bloodied dagger in his fingers, smiling wider. “You don’t want that, do you?”
The unnamed hunter shook his head fervently, whimpering, shuffling back before getting onto his feet. He dashed away, leaving his comrades behind, practically wetting his pants while he fled from the scene.
Hoseok cleaned the human blood off the dagger with a cloth from his pocket. All in a night’s work, he supposed.
“Thank you again, Hoseok-ssi.”
The head of the fae family was shaking his hands at the end of the gathering, completely beaming at him.
“It’s really nothing,” Hoseok said with a sheepish smile, squeezing back against the family head’s hands. “Anything that will let your family live for another night.”
“When I heard about your services, well, I just couldn’t believe it,” the head said, shaking his head with a loud chuckle. “A human who was once a hunter now wants to offer protection for naturals against other hunters? Now the whole concept was just unheard of.”
“I try to make sure word only spreads among naturals,” Hoseok explained, shaking his hands again because the family head insisted. “But it seems like other hunter clans are starting to make notice of me. Rest assured, that won’t risk my safety.”
“Well, of course. A man who was once an esteemed hunter of the Jung family? Now I can point out quality skill when I see it, and hearing you take care of those hunters trying to make a killing of any of my family, well…” The head trailed off, getting teary. “Back in the day, I would always worry over these reunions. Too risky, the family would say! We’d lose at least one or two of our people whenever we all gather. But tonight, everybody was left unscathed. And to that, I am entirely grateful to your presence.”
“You’re welcome, sir.” Hoseok bowed his head to him. “If you need my services again, just know you still have my number.”
“Of course, of course.” Then the family head perked up, rummaging through his pockets. He finally got out what he needed, pressing it into Hoseok’s palm.
Hoseok looked down, only to see a stacked pile of neatly folded 100,000-won bills sitting in his hand. It must have totaled about 2,000,000 won. His eyes widened.
“Oh— no, sir, I wasn’t expecting pay from you—” Hoseok stammered out, trying to give the money back to him. “My services don’t require payment—”
“I insist. If your presence guarantees that a funeral is not necessary to follow our gathering,” the head said, his eyes still glistening with tears, nodding, “then that is more than worth what I am paying you now.”
Hoseok hesitated but knew he couldn’t put up a fight about it even if he wanted to. Instead, he just slowly pocketed the money and bowed his head again in thanks. “Thank you, sir. May you have a good night.”
“Good bye now, boy.”
As predicted, Jung Hoseok was disowned from the Jung family four years ago.
It was a controversial decision that shook the entire structure of their prestige, but a necessary one. When the Silver Society had called upon Hoseok to join their ranks, the news had spread across the entirety of his family, reaching all the way up to the ears of the head of the family.
“Of course, I had expected you to be the first of the Jungs the Silver Society would notice,” Jungho had told him in private, ever the eternal patriarch of the whole family, with only the two of them in the same room.
Hoseok hadn’t said anything at the time, but all Jungho did was attribute it to the boy wanting to pay the head some respects through his own silence.
“No matter whether you feel ready or not, you must understand it is crucial for you to accept their invitation, Hoseok-ah,” the head said, leaning towards him. “Your initiation into their group will only bring valor and fortune to us. I’m sure your father had said the same?”
Hoseok just nodded, his expression unreadable. His eyes were glazed over, as if the words had gone over his head.
“I have high hopes for you, Hoseok-ah,” Jungho said with a firm nod. “I expect your parents to update me on your ventures with the society. Your efforts certainly did not go unnoticed.” Finally did he crack a smile for the young man. “Congratulations, Jung Hoseok.”
But why didn’t Hoseok feel like celebrating?
Even before he found out the truth, Hoseok treated the Silver Society’s invitation as another deterrent. It was just one more stab in the heart to remind him how heartless of a person he had been. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed? Why was he to be rewarded for being a full-blown killer?
His relationship with Jimin was over. That was for certain. But still the other’s words continued to sting him. They echoed over and over in Hoseok’s head, reminding him that the beings he had killed were people too, people with lives and families to come home to.
Even though his parents always fueled his desire to avenge his sister’s death, did he truly feel like he was avenging her by taking the lives of those who were never directly involved?
Never mind the fact that he had overheard other family members in his parents’ manor.
It had been at an hour when he should have been sleeping—he had an exam in the morning, after all. But he woke up in the middle of the night, shifting out of bed to get a drink of water, only to come across a group of his relatives entering through the front door with merry laughter and casual conversation.
“I still can’t believe Hoseok-ah got invited to be part of the Silver Society,” one of his older cousins said to Hoseok’s father. “Can you believe it, sir?”
“Of course I expected this,” Byungho said, jutting his chest out with pride with a smirk. His cheeks were flushed, no doubt they all went out drinking after a night of the hunt. “Hoseok was the cultivation of an experiment gone right. We made the proper choice to shape him into the hunter he is now.”
“Eh? What do you mean?” another one of his cousins asked.
“Our plan was set in motion the moment our son was born,” Byungho continued to brag. “A shame that our eldest Dawon got caught up in it, but look at us! It had certainly brought us prosperity now that Hoseok will be among such a prestigious society. We will be rolling in fortune and a honorable reputation to follow.”
“Dawon noona?” his cousin repeated. “Ah, wasn’t she killed during a fae hunt?”
“You were too young to understand back then. Ah, but your parents haven’t told you?” Byungho laughed. “Of course a fae didn’t kill her. We did.”
Hoseok immediately bristled at that, keeping himself hidden in the dark hallway, keeping an ear out.
“Huh? The Jung family killed Dawon noona?” the second cousin barged in.
“Of course. And look at what happened. Hoseok was given the proper motivation to do his best. We have reaped the rewards we sowed.”
Before he could listen to any more, Hoseok retreated back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. He pressed his back against it, closing his eyes tight, praying that this was all some sort of fever dream.
The next day after coming home from class, he was greeted by both his parents. It was a rare occurance—usually one of them was out, either socializing with the other Jung women in his mother’s case or attending a lengthy hunter’s meeting in his father’s case.
But both of them were in the living room as he walked into the home, turning to face their eager expressions.
“Welcome home, Hoseok,” his mother greeted while his father looked on with a stern look.
Hoseok kept his expression blank, but still bowed to both of them out of respect and acknowledgement.
“Come sit with us, Hoseok-ah,” his mother urged, patting the third cushion at the table. A mug of steaming tea sat at the empty spot. “Come have tea with us.”
Hoseok hesitated, but nodded, setting his bag down at the living room entrance. Of of their workers were quick to pick it up and bring it up to his room. He sat down with them on his knees, pressing his legs together, his hands kept at his lap. He didn’t meet their eyes, just listening to them sip at their tea.
“Have you figured out the Silver Society’s code, my son?” his father asked.
Of course that was why they wanted him to spend time with them for once. Why else?
Hoseok shook his head. “It’s… tricky,” he lied.
His father tightened his lips at that. “What do you mean? What if the date and time they want to meet you at is soon?” he said, on the verge of raising his voice. “I have told you not to disappoint us, Hoseok. Don’t disappoint the family head either.”
“I understand.” Hoseok bowed his head.
“Hoseok-ah,” his mother began, reaching out to hold onto his hand, squeezing it, “this is a big opportunity for you. Your father and I want you to do what’s best for your future. Dawon-ah would have wanted the same—”
“Dawon noona isn’t here though.”
Their son’s interruption surprised both of them.
hoseok took a shaky breath then finally looked directly at the two of them, biting his lip to stifle the anger wanting to burst out of him. “Who are you to use noona’s name like that?” he said. “Did you genuinely care about her?”
His mother stammered, unsure of what to say. She looked to her husband for guidance.
“How dare you, Hoseok?” his father snapped, hitting the table. “Not once have you given us this kind of disrespect. What is happening to you?”
“Me? Me?” Hoseok hit his own chest. “what about you? You think it was funny keeping that secret about Dawon noona all this time?” He was exploding now, his eyes blinded by his tears. “How could you kill Dawon noona like that? She was your daughter! She was my sister!”
His parents fell silent.
“Hoseok-ah…” his mother whispered. “…how did you find out?”
“How? Well, it wasn’t hard when father was loudly boasting about it last night, was it?” Hoseok scoffed, looking away from them to wipe his tears. “Why would you kill your own daughter? I thought we made an oath to only target naturals. Aren’t you being a hypocrite?”
“You are being a brat,” his father remarked. “We killed her for your sake.”
His mother’s eyes bulged. She grasped onto Byungho’s arm. “Honey—”
“Yes! Yes, we had gladly killed her,” Byungho said with a sharp laugh. “The moment you were born into this world, we had decided. Never before had we tried this with our family. But for the sake of maintaining our prosperity as a hunter family, we have to make risks.” He leaned over the table, both hands on the smooth surface. “It would have been easier for her to just agree to being a sacrifice for your sake. But no, she had to try making a run for it the moment she knew.
“A clean shot through the head—” He made a finger gun and made a popping noise with his mouth. “—that did the trick for her. We buried her far away in the middle of the forest. Those filthy fae could do whatever they wanted to her corpse.” He lifted his arms. “And look at you now! You’re now the best hunter among the Jungs. What a wonderful idea I was able to feed to the head of the family. Our first borns! Sacrificed for the sake of cultivating bigger and better hunters!”
“You’re insane,” were the only shaky words Hoseok could say to that.
“Insane to the normal world. sure! But justified for us, for as long as naturals exist.”
Hoseok’s entire body trembled. Whether it was out of despair or anger or a mixture of both, he wasn’t sure. All he was sure was that his teenager years and the years he spent juggling the life of a college student and the life of a hunter now… they were all wasted.
When he agreed to be trained as a hunter, Dawon was on the forefront of his mind. She had always been. Now… all he could think about was the fact that her death was completely his fault.
Hoseok covered his eyes, trying to push back the sobs.
His mother tried to reach for him. “Hoseok-ah—”
“I’m not joining the Silver Society,” Hoseok said, loud and clear.
Silence from the other end.
“After all we’ve done for you,” his father slowly said, only to inevitably yell at him, “and you’re making this decision?! What, because a third-rate hunter like Dawon was killed by my hand? We have sacrificed so much and toiled immensely for you, and this is how you repay us?! We should have never let you major in whatever you wanted in PNU if you were going to be like that—”
“I would never want this. Not if killing Dawon noona was the price.”
His father raised his arm to strike Hoseok, but Hoseok immediately caught his wrist.
Hoseok exhaled. When did he grow up enough to overpower his father? When did his mother and father get smaller?
“I’m not joining the Silver Society, and you have to deal with that,” Hoseok finally said, throwing his father away and getting up to turn his back on them.
“Hoseok…!” his father screamed. “If you take one more step, you will no longer be one of the Jungs! We will disown you for the rest of your damn life!”
Hoseok stopped at that, looking over his shoulder. “Then I guess I’ll have to accept that,” he said before walking back up to his room.
Their workers just looked on in shock while they walked past him. He retreated to his room, throwing in everything he needed from his room into a duffel bag. He was quick to run out of the manor, tears still budding in the corners of his eyes.
The moment he left the house, he was just Hoseok. No longer a Jung.
It was difficult moving out of the once spacious apartment and into Namjoon’s place. All this time, he was used to having his own space to himself since he started college, but that was a smaller thing compared to everything else going on in his life right now.
“Lucky for me that my roommate just moved out,” Namjoon said, recognizing his irony with a goofy smile.
He was grateful that it was his last semester anyway. He wouldn’t have to scourge around to pay the rest of his tuition.
He donated all the savings he gathered from the Jung family allowance over to charity, starting a new bank account under his name and cringing at the few hundred thousand won remaining that came from ticket sales of his course exhibitions and other small jobs.
“What do you think you’re going to do after you graduate?” one of his classmates asked, while they both stretched together to prepare for their class year’s performance for the upcoming music festival.
Hoseok hummed in thought. “Dunno,” he replied. He stiffened at the sound of laughter ringing around the studio, not wanting to turn around to find Jimin having a good time with his own colleagues. “A few studios have been throwing job offers at me. Dance instructor positions. You think I should take it?”
“Uh? Hell yeah,” his classmate said with a grin. “Want to string me in on that deal?”
“Yah. It doesn’t pay that well, you know. These jobs only pay out 40 million won a year.”
“So? Better that than working at a convenience store and living with my parents for twenty years,” his classmate said. “I want to impress my future wife one day, wouldn’t you?”
Hoseok chuckled, glancing over to Jimin again, immediately looking away. “I guess you’re right. I’ll take on the best offer then send a reference over. Sound good?”
His classmate beamed at that and immediately nodded.
Just a week before graduation, Hoseok accepted a position as a hip-hop instructor for high school students with a top dance studio. Still, the income was meager, definitely less than the allowance he had earned through the Jungs.
But it was a living.
“You sure you still want to live with me, Hoseok?” Namjoon asked during one of their weekly budae jigae nights. “You can move out on your own, you know.”
“With my salary? No way.” Hoseok shook his head. “If I wanted to move into an apartment on my own, I’d have to save a few million won. I just barely get by paying the bills and putting food on the table.”
Namjoon laughed, rubbing the back of his neck and bowing his head. “Yeah, I just feel bad,” he said. “I imagine I’m not the best roommate.”
“Hey.” He elbowed Namjoon. “You’re not that bad. I just prefer my own space is all.”
“Well, hey, if you need help saving up, let me know. Maybe I know some people who can help out.”
“Thank you, Namjoon,” Hoseok said with a brighter smile, nudging Namjoon again. “I’m glad we’ve still stuck together as friends.”
“Well… I’m the only human who knows your secret, don’t I?”
Human. That was the distinguishable term. For a brief moment, Jimin’s anguished face the first time he realized Hoseok was a hunter flashed through the ex-hunter’s mind.
“You still haven’t talked to Jimin, huh?” Namjoon asked.
Hoseok froze at the mention of his name. His chest immediately stung just thinking about him. He didn’t want to say anything for the sake of not showing any weakness about him, shaking his head.
“Why not? You quit the whole hunter thing, didn’t you?”
“My family killed his mother, Namjoonie,” Hoseok explained, smiling to himself and lowering his head. “As much as you wish we could get back together, it’s just not possible.”
“Why not?”
“I’m pretty sure being related to the people who killed your ex-boyfriend’s mother is enough of a reason not to get back together with him.”
“But… you really loved him.”
Namjoon was correct about that at least. There wasn’t a day where Hoseok didn’t think about how he went wrong with Jimin, how he could have apologized for his deeds and done away with the hunting life completely.
That was the price to pay for his ignorance, he supposed.
“The real world isn’t like a fairytale, Namjoon,” Hoseok sighed out. “What’s done is done. I’ll meet other guys.”
“Hoseok…” Namjoon sighed, scooping some soup up into Hoseok’s bowl and sliding it his way. “You dated Jimin for, what, how long? Almost a year?” He frowned. “You really loved him. Are you going to let it end like this?”
Almost a year. Time really flew by fast with Jimin around. Stupid, cute Jimin. Being with him truly made him feel like he was like any other college student, like he could forget about his nightly duties. The countless nights they spent with each other, the study sessions, the cafe dates. When he was with Jimin, he was given a glimpse at just how normally he could live his life, without having to be concerned about the natural population, without having to deal with his family’s pressure weighing on his shoulders.
Now, Hoseok understood that he should have valued that time more than anything else.
It was only for almost a year, and yet that was more than enough for Hoseok to know that he was desperately in love with Jimin. Even knowing now that he was a werewolf, Hoseok didn’t care. If he was given the option to forget all that had happened, to restart his life so that he never became a hunter, he would have happily taken it if it meant living a happy, comforting life with Park Jimin.
Now, he saw no route in his future where getting back together with Jimin made sense.
Their waitress set the check before them, bowing to them. “You can pay at the counter,” she said, gesturing to the back of the restaurant. “Enjoy your meal.” She bowed again, while the two men bowed their heads back.
Hoseok went back to eating his share of the meal in silence, now forlorn after being reminded of Jimin.
“Hey, Hoseok,” Namjoon said, rummaging for his wallet. “Let me pay for us. No need to owe me. It’s my treat.”
Hoseok couldn’t help but smile softly at that. “Thank you, Namjoon.”
The two of them stepped out of the restaurant, smelling faintly of gochujang and garlic.
“You can go on back home yourself,” Hoseok said. “I think I want to take a walk around by myself for a bit.”
“Oh? Okay.” Namjoon clapped a hand on Hoseok’s shoulder. “Don’t stay up too late, Hoseok. Remember you have a morning class tomorrow.”
“I got it. Do the dishes when you get back home?”
Namjoon nodded with a warm smile. “Of course. See you.”
“I’ll text you when I’m back home.”
The two of them went their separate ways, and Hoseok let himself take in the cold weather, exhaling to let puffs of his breath wisp into the air. He tightened the scarf around him, staring up at the sky too polluted to show its stars, walking along the various shops and restaurants.
Then, just barely, he heard a pathetic whimper followed by some laughter.
He swiveled on his heel to immediately follow the source of the noise. He ran down block after block, until finally he came across an alley where the shuffling of feet now grew louder. He knew this alley quite well. It was out of sight from any security cameras despite the neighborhood insisting on it, and at night, it was dark enough for the human eye to capture anything.
Any natural would fear getting caught up in that alley.
He took a step further into the alley, already noticing the backs of not one, but two hunters dressed in black and green. He could recognize their gear: the various repellants strapped to their belts, the blades of their daggers glistening under the moon light. His eyes flickered down onto the concrete ground, just barely seeing the silhouette of a wounded wolf.
That could be Jimin.
No.
In any which way he saw them, they were still a person.
Hoseok rushed in. Even with nothing but a pocket knife on him, he charged to assault the hunters honing in on the creature. He swung his fist underneath one’s jaw, knocking them out immediately.
The second hunter wasn’t given enough time to register the attack. All they did was turn around, their scream interrupted by Hoseok’s hand clasping over their mouth, quickly knocked out through Hoseok’s leg swinging at the back of their knees.
Hoseok glanced over, realizing the wolf had shifted back into their human form. She was just a young girl, no doubt no older than a high school student, and he immediately picked her up to dash away from the scene.
She started to come to, lifting her head to take in the sight of her savior. Then it dawned on her.
“N-No,” she tried to say, weakly hitting Hoseok’s chest. “Don’t kill me.” Her words came out as a weak whimper.
“Don’t be dumb,” Hoseok said right back, refusing to stop even once until they were far enough. “I’m here to save you, not kill you.”
He kept running, all the way until he came across a hospital nearby in the city. He stayed with her even as she was being admitted and given a bed. He stuck around to give the police officers’ his witness statement, sitting at her bedside while the nurses fussed over her.
“You’re a really good oppa to be doing this for your sister,” a nurse remarked.
“Huh?” Hoseok lifted his head to stare at her “O-Oh. I’m not her brother though,” he explained.
“Huh?” The nurse blinked at him. “Then why stay here? She’ll be alright until her parents co—”
“Chungha…!”
Hoseok and the nurse turned their heads to find a man and woman barging into the room, the mother’s hands over her mouth. Both parents gaped at Hoseok, immediately recognizing him, their expressions falling stern.
“You think you have a right to show your face around my daughter?!” his mother screeched with a shrill voice.
“Chungha’s mother, calm down.” The nurse stepped in between Chungha’s parents and Hoseok, raising her hands “Jung Hoseok-ssi is the man who—”
“Mom.” Chungha’s voice quietly said. “Dad.”
Her parents stopped, falling silent to pay full attention to their child.
“Don’t yell at Hoseok-ssi,” she murmured. “He did save me… from other hunters.”
At first, her parents were perplexed, their expressions then shifting back to anger, then back to confusion.
“Jung Hoseok-ssi,” Chungha’s father said, crossing his arms, “can we speak with you outside?”
Hoseok immediately got up from his chair, turned to Chungha who just gave a faint smile at him, then back to the parents, nodding before bowing a perfect 90 degrees towards them.
They made sure no one else was around to listen to them.
“Why did you decide to save our Chungha?” the father asked, his hands on his hips. “You know what we are.”
“Yes,” Hoseok simply replied.
“We heard about you from the Park pack,” the mother explained.
Hoseok exhaled, closing his eyes and dipping his head down. Even when he least expected it, his ex-boyfriend has to come creeping back up on him.
“It’s being spread around the packs, that you’re one of the most dangerous hunters in Busan,” the mother continued, fiddling with her hands. “But you saved our daughter. Why?”
Hoseok lifted his head again, averting her gaze. “I… I quit being a hunter.”
“What?”
“I no longer affiliate myself with the Jung hunters, ma’am,” Hoseok said with another bow. “For that, I’ve been disowned.” He formed a sad smile. “Rest assured, ma’am, I wasn’t associated with the hunters who decided to attack your daughter tonight. When I saw them…”
“No need to explain, young man,” the father interrupted, his lips pursed. He reached into his pocket, taking out his wallet to take our a few bills. “Here.” He held the money out to Hoseok.
“Eh?” Hoseok stared at the father, then immediately started pushing the money away. “N-No— I didn’t do it for the money, sir—”
“I insist, boy,” the father said, pressing the money into Hoseok’s palm, “this is a small price to pay in comparison to my daughter’s life. I’m the alpha of my pack, you know… My dear Chungha is my only child, and I hope to see her surpass me as alpha. So thank you.” He sighed. “Even if the Jung hunters are the most vile beings in the city.”
Hoseok didn’t know what to say. “Thank you,” he said with another bow. “I’m… sorry about my family. About what I’ve done. I know saving your daughter won’t ever clear up my crimes.”
“My boy, the best way to atone at this point is to keep doing what you’re doing like you did with my Chungha,” the father said with tears in his eyes. “Save as many lives as those you’ve taken away. No non-natural has ever been in equal standing against hunters.” He bowed his head, with the mother doing the same right after him. “Thank you again.”
With that, the parents retreated back into the hospital to attend to their child.
Hoseok just stood there, letting the lights from indoors illuminate his face. He exhaled puffs of cold air. When he glanced down to count the money the father had given him, he stiffened. It was practically twice his month’s rent.
He looked back at the hospital doors. Maybe he could do something.
Hoseok’s actions that night seemed to have spread to other naturals, now that he was getting approached unsolicited.
Of course, other naturals were still adverse to him, often spitting at the ground within his presence. He couldn’t blame them. What was a hunter trying to do by saving one life of a natural despite slaughtering many others?
And yet, members of natural families would approach him after he finished his dance classes for the night, asking him for the same kind of favor he did for Chungha. They had family reunions to hold that would attract the attention of bloodthirsty hunters. Wolf packs needed to go out and get resources in their natural forms at the risk of losing one of their own. Mages needed to do their field research without having to look over their shoulders.
He decided to never formally charge for his services. If a natural family couldn’t pay for his protection, he was still more than willing to provide it for them. He would follow packs far behind them, keeping an eye out for hunter groups looking to sneak up and snatch the ones straying behind. He would hide in the trees while the fae roamed free in the woods.
He would preserve life after life at the cost of making himself known to all the other hunters in the city.
He never charged for his services, and yet, it seemed like it became tradition for families to pay him generously once they realized that not one life was lost that night. He’d come into the bank once a week, depositing bundles of cash into his account, watching the numbers rise until he had enough to fully move back into his own apartment.
“See? I knew you were sick of me,” Namjoon teased after piling the last box into the moving truck for Hoseok.
Hoseok rolled his eyes at him. “It’s just an apartment, Namjoon.”
His presence being a threat shook up the hunter community, even reaching the eyes and ears of the Jung family. It was a complete scandal; the best hunter in the best hunter family had now became all hunters’ biggest threat, the only person who could stand up against any other hunter in the city.
His parents tried to reach out to him. Keeping his social media accounts was probably one of the biggest mistakes he had made. The family—his parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles—endlessly flooded his inboxes with vitriol. Hatred. They swore to eventually bring his head on a spike.
He decided to delete all social media after that, always keeping his knife under his pillow every night.
Fast forward back to 2020.
Hoseok made the small trek back to his apartment, yawning. It must have been about 3:00 o’clock at night after all. And he still had a class to teach in the morning…
He sighed. He was just a block away now. Adjusting the straps on his bag, he lifted his head, only to see an unexpected face confronting him on the street.
Park Jimin, waiting right outside his apartment building.
Jimin also lifted his head, spotting Hoseok and pausing. His expression immediately turned from his usual soft neutral look into a frown.
Four years, and Jimin seemed to only look more polished than ever.
“Jimin…” He raised his hand to wave at him then trailed off, unsure how to address him at this point. His hand shifted to scratch the side of his head. “…ssi.”
“Hoseok hyung,” Jimin said back, plain and simple.
Hoseok took a few steps closer so that he was right in front of him, sighing. “What is it?” he asked. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I heard about the things you’ve been doing for naturals,” Jimin said, his expression unmoving. “I guess you’re making a living out of it now.”
Hoseok glanced away. “Not intentionally,” he said.
“Why are you doing this, Hoseok?” Jimin asked with a sigh, ruffling his own hair with a frustrated sigh. “Are you trying to work this hard to get back together with me? Well, you got my attention, at least. You got me to come all the way here.”
“Jimin.”
Jimin turned to face him, not replying verbally.
“We’re not getting back together.” Hoseok said. “We can’t.”
Jimin still didn’t say anything, but he turned his entire body to face him now, his brows furrowed.
“You were right,” Hoseok admitted, staring down at his own shoes. “I was wrong to behave the way I did back then.” He looked at him straight on now. “I’m sorry that I never accepted responsbility for being a hunter. I’m sorry that my family killed your mother, that I never apologized or showed true sympathy for her. I’m sorry I tried to justify… everything I did even though they were terrible things.
“But we can’t get back together, Jimin. That much I understand. I didn’t do all this in hopes that I would redeem yourself for you.”
“Then… what?” Jimin crossed his arms. “Are you just doing this so you could forgive yourself, Hoseok?”
“No… I thought that before but,” Hoseok trailed off again, shaking his head. “This is something I’m meant to do, Jimin. This isn’t something to do so I feel better about myself… or something solely to atone for the lives I’ve taken.” His eyes flickered back to Jimin’s face. “I’m happy, Jimin. I’m truly happy. If I can keep doing this for as long as I physically can, I’ll be okay with that wholeheartedly. And I’ll keep doing this wholeheartedly.” He nodded. “Do you understand?”
Jimin took a shaky breath, keeping his defensive stance. “It’s been years since we last saw each other.”
That much was correct. Gone were the Hoseok and Jimin who were typical college students laughing over soju and choreography notes. Now… what were they?
“It was good seeing you, Jimin.” Hoseok patted Jimin’s arm. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
Jimin looked conflicted, unsure of what to say back, but Hoseok wasn’t expecting anything of him.
Hoseok just smiled at him, turning to input the passcode so that the gates to his apartment complex would open. As the gates opened for him, he went to step inside.
Jimin immediately turned around towards him. “Hoseok hyung…!” he said.
Hoseok stopped in his tracks, hesitant to turn back and look at him.
“Hyung. If…” Jimin took a deep breath. “…if the Park pack needs your help, I’ll have someone let you know.”
Hoseok smiled, still not turning around. Of course Jimin became the alpha of the pack. The other male had done well for himself. He nodded again, his eyes crinkling with how much he was smiling.
“Please do,” he said, finally moving on.
