neonlights92

MASTERLIST

[neonlights92]

Flip & Reverse It (II)

Your relationship with resident fuckboy Jung Hoseok is anything but simple. Sitting somewhere between hate and genuine friendship is the fact that you’ve always secretly, sort of wanted him.

And then one day you wake up and you’re in Hoseok’s body. And he’s in yours. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Genre: rom-com, body swap, (sort of) enemies to lovers

Word count: 10k

Warnings: language and future smut

A/N: I'm baaaaaaack from the dead. Originally, I was going to make this two parts but this story has a mind of it's own. I think part 3 will be the final part. But please enjoooooy <;3

The library, thank God, is almost empty.

Of course it is, Hoseok tells you when you point this out, it’s a fucking Sunday.

Still you’re happy for the peace and quiet when the two of you tuck yourselves into a quiet corner and start scouring books for any kind of answer to your current….predicament.

“There’s nothing here.” Hoseok, at this point, is desperate.  And so are you.

He slams the book he was reading down and turns to you sharply.

“It’s all about how to perform the swapping ritual… But not how to get things back.”

You hate to agree with him, but the truth is he’s right.  You can’t find anything on reversing things, and the later it gets the more hope you lose.

“Maybe we need to read between the lines,” You suggest, “There’s got to be something here…” Hoseok rolls his eyes.  He scoffs.

“There’s nothing.  Some evil fucking force hates me and that’s why I’m here.” You feel a sting in your chest.  Okay, so the situation isn’t ideal, but why is he acting like there’s absolutely nothing worse that could happen to him?

“At least you didn’t swap bodies with a homeless man,” You try to joke but Hoseok is having absolutely none of it.

He pulls a face.

“At least a homeless man doesn’t have a fucking vagina.  What am I supposed to do with that?”

You flush brightly.  Oh my god you hadn’t even thought of that.

Hoseok is most definitely going to have to see you naked.  He’s going to have to touch your naked body - and quite possibly groom it.

“Oh fuck.”  You grunt. 

Hoseok has the decency to look a little apologetic for his tone.  He winces.

“I’m sorry.” He mutters, frowning, “I know this is shit for you too.”

You try not to take it personally.  He’s right, after all.

In the long list of awful things to happen to a person this has to be close to the top.  You groan and tug a hand through your hair.

“All I can think is that we have to figure out why this happened.”  You purse your lips, “Like why would the ritual actually work?”

Hoseok looks exactly how you feel: absolutely clueless.  He clicks his tongue and shrugs.

“I don’t know. In that Freaky Friday film the mum and daughter had to learn to accept each other.” 

You bite back a laugh. Hoseok has watched Freaky Friday? 

“Right….”

“I’m just saying.” He rolls his eyes, “if we’re trying to read between the lines then maybe it has something to do with understanding each other.”

“You mean like we need to learn from one another?”

It’s a surprisingly good guess.  Why else would the swap have worked, if not at least to teach you both a lesson?

You had nothing material to gain from this body swap - and neither did Hoseok.  In fact, if anything it made your lives a thousand times more difficult.

It had to be something intangible.  Something like internal growth.

Character development.

“I mean I don’t know what we’d ever learn from each other,” He shrugs, “But it’s worth a shot.”

You bite back the snarky reply that sits on the tip of your tongue. - that you’re not sure you could ever learn anything from him but that he could sure learn a lot from you - and sigh heavily. 

“It’s our only lead at the moment.  We may as well see if it works.” You watch as Hoseok pulls your face into a scowl.

“This fucking sucks.” 

Just as you open your mouth to say something - probably agree with him - a female voice from somewhere to your left calls out Hoseok’s name.

You watch in horror as Hoseok’s eyes widen, and you feel your heart skip a beat.  He mouths one word ‘Jisoo’, and you nod sharply, turning to face the beautiful tall woman that’s made her way towards the two of  you.

You clear your throat and try to relax, “Hey… Jisoo.” You hope that you read Hoseok’s lips right, and when the woman’s smile widens you relax a little.

“How have you been?”  Her eyes flick towards Hoseok - who is of course sat in your body - and when she turns back to you she has a perfectly plucked brow raised, “Why are you in the library on a Sunday?”

You feel your chest tighten again.  The project.  

“Uh me and Y/N are working on a project together,” You try to smile but you feel queasy, “Ain’t no rest for the wicked, they say.” You can feel Hoseok’s cringe from across the table but you try to ignore how stupid you’ve just made him seem.

“Oh.”  Her eyes brighten a little, and you suddenly realize what’s going on.

She thought you and Hoseok were here together… Out of your own free will.

Like a study date.

She’s jealous.  Your heart pinches. 

“I thought you’d text me after last time,”  She pouts in a way that is entirely too sexy for her own good, “But you never did.  I miss you.”

You notice the way her gaze darkens, and you imagine that this is what seduction looks like.  Not that you’ve ever tried to seduce anyone before.

Clearly.

“Oh well…” You scratch the back of your head in that way that is universal boy code for awkward and cough, “I’ve been busy.  With uh… School.” “And this project,” Hoseok interrupts, smiling anxiously, “We’ve just had next to no time to ourselves.  Isn’t that right, Hoseok?”

You nod sharply, “Yeah.  Yep of course.  No time.”

Jisoo deflates slightly and something clicks.

She’s being ghosted. 

“Oh right.  Well…” She smiles wryly, “I’ll let you get back to it, then.  Bye Hoseok.”  

She turns to Hoseok and gives a little wave, “Bye Y/N.” And your heart breaks for her.  She’s not even mean.

When she saunters off into the abyss of the library you turn to Hoseok and raise an angry brow.

“That was not nice.” He pulls  a face, “It was necessary.  She was sniffing around where she shouldn’t have been.” “You ghosted her.” Hoseok groans.

“So what?  Jisoo’s like, the hottest girl on campus.  She’ll get over it.”

You feel something like anger rise to the surface but you bite it back.

“It’s cruel,” You tell him honestly, “You shouldn’t lead girls on like that.” “Woah.  I do not lead girls on,”  He rolls his eyes and leans back into his chair, “I know you think I’m a heartless asshole but I don’t do that.  Girls know what to expect when they sleep with me.  I am a man of zero commitment and I tell them that but they think they can change me.  It’s not my fault they’re wrong.”

“So you told Jisoo?” He frowns, “Told her what?”

“That you’re a man of zero commitment.” He nods decisively, “Of course I did.  A whore I may be, but an asshole I am not.  Every girl I sleep with knows exactly what to expect from me.  Girls like Jisoo think they’re somehow special - that I’ll change my mind and date them.  But that’s just not me.  It sucks that she’s hurt - but she’s only done that to herself.”

You hate to admit it… But he’s kind of right.

Casual sex is just that.  Casual.

Hoseok is well within his right to sleep with whoever he wants - no strings attached - especially if he’s made it explicitly clear things won’t go anywhere.

You feel bad suddenly, for what you said to him the other day - about him being a slut and heartless - but you try and push the guilt to the side.  It’s not your fault he’d never explained things to you before.

“Maybe that’s what I could teach you.” Hoseok cocks his head, “What?”

You sigh.

“Commitment.” When he snorts out a laugh you hate how much the sound warms your heart.

“I doubt that.”  He tells you, shrugging, “I don’t need commitment and frankly… I don’t want it either.” 

“Ah.  I see.” 

He raises a brow, “What do you see? “

You shrug.

“You’ve got commitment issues.” 

For a moment it seems like he might be angry at you.  His eyes darken and his brow furrows.  Then he relaxes and blows out a raspberry.

“Yeah.  Maybe I do.  But don’t most people our age have commitment issues?”

“Most guys,” You correct, “Yeah.  I guess so.” 

You can’t help that your stomach drops at the realization.  Even though you’ll never admit it to anyone… You always sort of hoped Hoseok wasn’t actually emotionally stunted.  That he had the capacity to grow and change.  To love someone.

(To love you.) 

But now you see that’s probably not the case. 

He’s emotionally unavailable.  And he seems to like it that way. 

At some point Hoseok turns back to the pile of books sitting between the two of you, and you try to ignore the way your heart just keeps sinking and sinking. 

“This is hopeless.”  He groans, flicking a hand through his hair. 

You look up, chest tight. 

“Yeah.  It is.” 

But you have a feeling you’re not talking about the same thing anymore.

//

It’s four hours later that the both of you give up. 

“So now what?” You’re currently sitting opposite each other at a twenty-four hour coffee shop when Hoseok asks you the question.  He’s ordered an Americano (at eight o’clock at night what a psycho) and you’re sipping on mint tea.

“I don’t know.”  The tears climb up your throat but you push them down, “I really don’t.  This is so fucked up.” 

“Tell me about it.” 

He seems on the verge of tears too, and you try your best to keep it together. 

When you woke up in Hoseok’s body this morning the first thing that registered was shock.  Then you moved on to denial.

Now you’re just frustrated.  Is this going to be the rest of your life?  Will you never be yourself again? 

You can barely understand the position you’ve found yourself in, but for some absurd reason it’s real and you hate whatever magic, or being or otherworldly powers put you here.

“I guess we have to try the Freaky Friday thing.”  Hoseok announces, desperate, “We have to try and learn something from each other.” 

“And how, pray tell, are we going to do that?” 

Hoseok narrows his eyes, “Can you just - can you just stop being so patronizing for like five seconds?  We’re in the same fucking boat here.  We  have nothing else to go on.  I’m trying to help.”

You feel like a fucking bitch.

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, that ugly spider of guilt crawls up your tummy into your throat. 

You don’t know what it is about Hoseok that makes you act this way - so angry and judgemental - but in the back of your mind you worry that it’s your complicated feelings for him. 

You hate how he makes you feel.  You hate that you’ve always sort of wanted him and he doesn’t want you back. 

But you hate even more that you’re being so unfair.

“You’re right.”  You nod, “You’re right.  I’m being a bitch.  I’m sorry Hoseok.” 

The words seem to take him aback.  He stares at you for a moment, and then releases a long breath.

“Good.  Fine.  Great.  Let’s - I don’t know.  Let’s brainstorm?” 

You open your mouth to ask just exactly what he wants to brainstorm, when your cell phone starts ringing.  It’s jammed into the pocket of Hoseok’s shorts (the ones you’re currently wearing of course) and you bring it out quickly, passing it to Hoseok himself. 

“You need to pick it up.”  You tell him.

He groans, “What?” “It’s Sana.  She’s probably calling to ask about game night.”

“Oh shit.  God forbid you miss game night.” “Hoseok…”

He rolls his eyes and sighs heavily, “Fine.  Okay.  But I’m putting it on speaker.”

He accepts the call quickly, and after a moment of shuffling around, Sana’s voice bleeds through. 

“Hello?  Y/N?” “Hi.  Yeah.  Hi Sana,” Hoseok tries to sound bright and cheerful - not at all like someone who’s just swapped bodies with their sort-of enemy. 

“Where are you?  The boys have just arrived.  We’re meant to start at eight.” 

“The boys?”  The question slips out of Hoseok unbidden.  He raises a brow. 

“Yeah.  Joon, Jimin and Jungkook…” The last name is said with a hint of teasing, “Y’know Jungkook’s been asking about you for the last twenty minutes.  He said he can’t wait to play a game of monopoly with you.” 

Your heart constricts.  Fucking Sana and her incessant matchmaking.

You’ve told her a thousand times that even though he’s nice and handsome, you don’t want to get with Jungkook, but she seems hellbent on setting you up with someone.

God forbid you’re still single at twenty-one.  In Sana’s eyes, you’re practically a spinster. 

“Oh.”  Hoseok’s eyes meet yours and he smirks teasingly, “Well… I wouldn’t want to keep Jungkook waiting.”

No.  No, no, no, nooooo.

“No you wouldn’t!”  You can hear the smirk in Sana’s voice too, “So get your ass over here.” You know exactly what Hoseok trying to do.  You can see it all playing back, in the corner of his annoyingly devious mind. 

“I’m coming too!”  The words blurt out of you before you can even stop them, “Hi Sana.  It’s Hoseok.  I’m uh - Y/N invited me to game night before.  So I’m going to come too.  Y’know.  I love monopoly.” There is a beat of thick silence.  You cringe, and watch Hoseok’s eyes widen. 

Then Sana clears her throat.

“Oh Hobi… Yeah, yeah of course.  Feel free.  You guys have spent all day on that project right?”

“We have,”  You reply, “And I uh - I need to relax.  So… Monopoly sounds great.”  And then to make it a little bit more believable you add, “Joon and Jimin are there too, right?” “Yeah.  We’re just ordering pizza.  You guys okay with margarita?” “Sounds great.  We’ll uh - we’ll be there soon.” 

You grab the phone from Hoseok quickly and hang up before Sana can even reply.  Hoseok leans back in his chair, staring at you. 

“What are you doing?”  He asks, crossing his arms.

“What are you doing?”  You squeal, “Are you trying to fuck me over?” 

“Excuse me?” “I saw right through that.”  You claim, scrambling to your feet, “I don’t have a crush on Jungkook.” He holds both hands up, coming to stand too, “I never said you did.”

“So why were you - why were you smiling like that?” “Like what?” “Like you - like you…” You feel your cheeks redden and you wonder for a moment if you’re overreacting, “Like you were going to flirt with him.” There is a moment of almost unbearable silence. 

Hoseok’s expression morphs from surprise… Into teasing.  There it is again.  That fucking smirk.

Even when it’s on your face, you know exactly what he means by it.  And you hate that.  

“Oh heavens no.”  He barks out a laugh, “God forbid I flirt with him.”

You blush even hotter then, realizing how positively juvenile you sound and despising yourself for it.  You try to string together a sentence, but you just can’t, so you do the next best thing and walk out of the coffee shop. 

Hoseok follows you of course, but at least the crisp evening air cuts through the heat of your embarrassment.

“I didn’t realize you had a friend, Y/N.”  Hoseok continues to tease as you make your way towards his car.

“I don’t.”  You tell him decidedly. 

“So then why does Sana think you do?” “Because she’s an idiot.” 

“Is she?” “Yes!” You cry, exasperated, “She tries to set me up with everything that has a heartbeat because she seems to think the only way I can love myself is through male validation.  But I’m perfectly happy on my own.  Maybe you don’t believe that, and I don’t care if you do but it’s true.  I don’t like Jungkook.”

The rant has come out in almost one breath, and you feel lightheaded by the end of it. 

You’re not sure why you’re so adamant on proving to Hoseok that you don’t have feelings for Jungkook, but you figure it has to do with your tiny, little crush on the man currently inhabiting your body.

You hate yourself for it but the candle you held for Jung Hoseok never really snuffed out did it? 

“Hey.” He lowers his voice and you pause, turning to face him.  His expression is soft now.

“I didn’t - I was just teasing.”  He tells you sincerely, “I wasn’t going to flirt with Jungkook, I swear.  I won’t flirt with him.” You nod once.  Sharply.

“Okay.” “And you’re right,” He sighs, “You don’t need any man to make you happy, Y/N.”

“I know.” He nods too.  

“Good.” 

A beat of silence softens the atmosphere.  Then Hoseok gestures towards his car. 

“C’mon.  Let’s go.  We’ll take my car.” 

You regret mentioning the fact that his car is now your car technically, and instead follow him that way. 

This is going to be a long night.

//

You’re right.

It is a long night. 

Jungkook, of course, spends all night flirting with you.  Well, he spends all night flirting with Hoseok but he thinks it's you and who can blame him, really? You feel yourself on edge the whole time, eyes flitting between the two of them the entire night.  Hoseok, in his defense, doesn’t really flirt back.  He smiles and laughs, and a couple of times he pats Jungkook’s knee, but for the most part it’s all been entirely platonic.

At some point you decide enough is enough, you need a break, so you stand up and announce you’re going to grab another beer.

“The kitchen’s right through there,” Sana tells you, because of course she thinks this is like your second time in your own house.  Because you’re Hoseok aren’t you? Except your brain is still yours and you feel like you might very well just implode on the spot.

Fuck.  That migraine is coming back. 

Hoseok meets your eyes as you stand and you flick your gaze away.  Stop looking at him, you tell yourself sternly. 

Namjoon decides to accompany you that way, and you try to encourage yourself.  You are Jung Hoseok.  You are a casanova.  You are a Beta Theta Sigma member.  You are hot and you are a man.

“What was that back there?”  Namjoon asks the moment the two of you step into the kitchen.

“Excuse me?” “That,”  He opens the fridge and grabs a couple of bottles, “If you stared any harder, Y/N would have burst into flames..”

“Oh.” 

“Are you… Jealous?”  Namjoon sounds unsure, even as he suggests it.

“Jealous?” “Of Jungkook and Y/N.”  He clarifies, as though it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “I mean…I thought you didn’t even like her.”

“I do.”  You shake your head, “No wait.  No I don’t.” “You don’t?” “It’s uh… It’s complicated.”

Namjoon furrows his brow.  He licks his bottom lip slowly and takes a swig of his beer.

“I can tell Jungkook to back off.” 

“No!  Don’t do that,”  You cross your arms, “Y/N isnt… She isn’t property.  She can - she can flirt with whoever she wants.”

Namjoon scowls.  He seems incredibly confused and you don’t blame him. 

“What?” “I just mean…” You blow out a long breath, “I’m not jealous Joon.  Really.  I just - I’m keeping an eye on her.  For the project.” “Right.”  Namjoon lifts a dubious brow, “For the project.” You’re aware of how utterly ridiculous this sounds.  But you can’t have anyone thinking Hoseok has feelings for you.  No matter how much a part of you wishes he might, that would only complicate things further when the two of you eventually do switch back. 

“Jungkook’s nice though.  Can’t believe this is my first time meeting him.” 

You’d asked Hoseok earlier if he’d ever met Namjoon’s little brother, and were surprised when he told you he hadn’t.  With the amount of times Jungkook visited, you assumed their paths would have crossed.

“Well he’s not really into frats,” Namjoon replies honestly, “Plus he only ever really comes around to hang out with Y/N.  He’s pretty into her.” “Yeah.  I can tell.” The words sound jealous again, and you wish you could take them back.  Namjoon doesn’t say anything though, and then Hoseok appears in the kitchen door frame, halting all Jungkook related conversation. 

“Hi.”  He smiles at Namjoon and then his eyes fall on you, “Hey.” “Hey.”  You greet back, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Can I get one of those?”  He asks, and you grab him a beer. 

“So…” Namjoon grins, “Jungkook?” You wait with baited breath.  Hoseok promised he wouldn’t flirt - but you’re not sure how capable he is of keeping that promise.  Is he going to fuck you over?  Make it seem like you’re into Jungkook so that if (and when) the swap happens you’ll have an awkward encounter to clean up after?

“What?”  Hoseok shrugs, nonchalantly.

“Are you into him?” 

You bite your bottom lip and Hoseok's eyes flick towards yours. 

The atmosphere thickens.

“No,” You let out a huge sigh of relief at Hoseok’s answer, and Namjoon turns to you again. 

Damn.  That just made it seem a whole lot like you were jealous.

“We should - we should get back to the game.”  You interrupt quickly, not really in the mood for any more of Namjoon’s needling, “I don’t trust Sana on her own in there.” 

Namjoon turns to you, expression unreadable and shrugs. 

“Yeah.  Let’s uh - let’s go.” 

He leads the way and you trail after, hanging back slightly to turn to Hoseok and whisper a rushed thank you.  His eyes meet yours and he smiles.

“Yeah.  Don’t mention it.”

When the two of you join the others in the living room again, Namjoon is still sending you confused looks, but you ignore it, taking your seat beside Jimin and trying to relax the best you can. 

“You’re losing, just so you know.”  Jimin informs you, delighted.

You laugh at that, shaking your head.  You’re not sure how good or not Hoseok usually is at monopoly, but tonight he’s losing because quite frankly you suck at it.

“I know.” “This is a first I think,”  He narrows his eyes, “You’re usually more of a sore loser.” You shrug, and try to grin, “I’m trying to be gracious.” “Mmmm.”  He still seems dubious, “If you say so.”

You open your mouth to retort with something - you’re not sure what - when the sound of someone sitting beside you stops you short.  You turn, watching as Hoseok settles into the seat to your left. 

“Oh.” Hoseok smiles, “Hi.” “You were sat beside Jungkook before, Y/N,” Sana tells Hoseok, eyes teasing as she flicks her gaze towards Namjoon’s brother.

Jungkook, in his defense, doesn’t seem offended.

“Yeah well now I’m sat beside Hoseok,” He says easily, “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

There is another awkward beat of silence because what the fuck, but when you meet Hoseok’s gaze you know he’s only trying to help.  If he sits beside you, then Jungkook will likely leave him alone for the rest of night, and nobody will make assumptions about the nature of your relationship with Namjoon’s little brother.

Crisis averted.  Right? 

Nobody says anything for a moment or two, before Jimin clears his throat.

“Ah no.  No I guess not.  We’ll just shuffle the board around.”

You nod, but you’re not really concentrating on anything else that’s going on. 

Because once again, Jung Hoseok has left you absolutely speechless.

//

The next morning, you wake up bright and early.  In Hoseok’s bed. 

For a moment, you forget that you’re currently inhabiting somebody else's body.  But when your eyes blink the sleep away, you remember and you want to cry all over again.

You spent all night replaying Hoseok’s act of kindness - the way he swapped seats without worrying about what the rest of your friends would think - and your heart speeds up.

No, no, no.  This is not good for you.

You’ve been down this rabbit hole before, and it only brought you heartache.

You try and focus on something else - like all the fucking classes you’re going to have to take for Hoseok - and you pick up his phone, unlocking it and opening up the timetable he sent you last night. 

He’s in the majority of your classes, which you guess is a good thing, as the two of you can try and stick together as much as possible until you figure this whole thing out…. But there are still some you’re going to have to take alone. 

Fuck.  This.

A knock at the door brings you out of your slightly depressive episode. 

“Hoseok!”  It sounds like Taehyung, “Hey.  Hoseok.  Can I come in?”

You groan, wanting nothing more than to burrow into the sheets of Hoseok’s bed and spend the rest of the week there, but you know that isn’t an option.  You sigh heavily.

“Yeah, yeah.  Come in”.

The door swings open and Taehyung stands right in the middle of the frame, wearing a pair of low slung basketball shorts and nothing else.  You note - not for the first time - how annoyingly attractive he is.

“You have a visitor.”  Today he nurses a cup of coffee.

The smell makes it's way to your nose and you groan.  Damn you could really use some caffeine right now.

“Wait what? A visitor?”

“Yeah.” Taehyung’s eyes narrow, “It’s that Y/N chick.”

“Oh.”

You pick up Hoseok’s phone and check the time - eight fifteen - before turning back to Taehyung.  He is giving you the snarkiest look of all time and you scoff.

“What?”

“What do you mean what?” He steps into Hoseok’s room further and leans against the wall, “Are you fucking her?” 

You sit up quickly, gasping.

“What?  No?”

Taehyung narrows his eyes, “Then what the fuck is she doing here at eight o’clock on a Monday morning?”

“The… Uh… The project.” 

You scramble up, thankful that you stumbled into a full set of pajamas last night before bed.  You’ve somehow managed to avoid seeing Hoseok naked as of yet but you know it’s only a matter of time.

You hate to think of what Hoseok will think when he sees you naked.  Maybe he already has.

You push that thought away.

“The project?” Taehyung snorts, “Do you think I was born yesterday?” “What?”

“Hoseok, when have you ever cared this much about any project before?  You’re fucking her.”  His eyes widen, “Oh my god.  You’re revenge fucking her.” Your cheeks heat up, “No I am not.  I told you, Taehyung.  It’s the project.” 

He scoffs and rolls his eyes.

“Right… The project.” 

You decide there’s no point in arguing with him.  He’s made up his mind -clearly- and you don’t want to think how many times Hoseok has been in this position before for Taehyung to so easily come to that conclusion.

“Where is she?”

He smirks, “Kitchen.”

You stalk of out Hoseok’s bedroom without another word, making your way towards the kitchen and stopping at the sight of your form sitting at the counter.

Hoseok hasn’t quite mastered the art of sitting like a girl yet, but you don’t blame him.  Your legs are pulled slightly apart, and your torso hangs forward, like a football coach deciding his team's next move. 

Hoseok scrolls through your cell phone and you wonder for a moment, if this is what you look like to everyone else.  The posture of course is all off… But the rest of it.  The rest of it is you, isn’t it? 

“Morning!” You chirp happily, “Buddy!” 

Immediately, you regret that choice of word.  Buddy.  You were going for platonic, but you landed on weird. 

Hoseok turns to you and smiles, albeit a little stiffly, “Hi… Friend.” You know he’s teasing you back, but you decide to ignore it.

“What are you doing here so bright and early?” 

For the first time since you saw him, you take note of what Hoseok has decided to dress your body in. 

A pair of high waisted jeans, a crop top that you think you wore once when you were like eighteen, and platform sandals you bought for a halloween costume.

Great.  Fantastic. 

Splendid.

“I thought we could walk to campus together and discuss…” Hoseok’s eyes flick towards Taehyung who is (not so discreetly) eavesdropping on your conversation, “The project.” “Ah yes.  The project.” 

Taehyung scoffs and you turn sharply to send him a raised brow of indignance.  He is being impossible.  He shrugs and turns away, making his way back down the hallway and towards his room.  

When you’re sure you and Hoseok are alone you let out a deep, calming breath.

“He thinks we’re fucking.”  You tell him bluntly.

Hoseok snorts, “What?” “Taehyung thinks we’re fucking.  And I’m pretty sure Namjoon and Jimin think it too.”

“Add Sana onto that list,” He pouts, “She interrogated me over our relationship for almost two hours last night, after the rest of you left.  My God.”

You shiver to think what Sana may have said to Hoseok last night - how she may have inadvertently embarrassed you. 

It’s not her fault of course, but considering how convinced she’s always been of your romantic feelings for Hoseok, you don’t doubt she spent the entire evening teasing him for it.

Fuuuuuck.

“I’m sorry.”  You say, because you’re not sure what else may suffice.

Hoseok shakes his head, “Don’t apologise.  It isn’t your fault.” 

“Right.” 

“Maybe we should… I don’t know,” His cheeks heat slightly, and his eyes flicker momentarily towards yours.  Then he takes a deep breath, “Maybe we should roll with it.”

“What?” “The whole… Us dating thing.  Just for now, till we figure this whole thing out.  It would make it easier to explain why we are spending so much time together.” 

You feel like the entire world  has just turned upside down.  Your heart is in your throat, beating so loudly it’s the only thing you can hear, and suddenly everything seems like it’s moving in slow motion.

You squeeze your eyes shut a second and shake your head.  When you open your lids, Hoseok is staring at you expectantly. 

“You want to… You want to pretend we’re together?” 

“Well yeah,” He shrugs, “It’s like I say - then people won’t be so freaked out about the amount of time we spend with one another.” “But what about the party… All your friends saw us fight… And I was a bitch to you-” 

“We’ll say you apologised.  We talked about it and realized we were into one another.  Stranger things have happened, right?” 

He seems so nonchalant about it.  And where you’re freaking the fuck out, he’s shrugging his shoulders as though it’s no big deal. 

“But you - you don’t want a relationship.  You said you’re a man of zero commitment…”

“Well this isn’t real is it?” He sighs heavily, “Besides, it’s just until we’ve figured out how to put everything back to normal.”

You might throw up. 

“I - I mean…” “Plus it’s not like I’m going to be getting any action whilst I’m in your body, right?  Win win.”  He smiles warmly, and for a moment you’re completely taken aback.

What the fuck are you meant to say?

“I guess.  I mean… Okay.”  You lick your bottom lip and tug a hand through your hair, pulling at the ends of Hoseok’s short strands, “Yes.  Okay fine.  It’s a good idea.”

“Great.” 

You blink.  Once, twice, three times.

The atmosphere shifts.

“Is that… Is that all you came round for?” 

“I thought we could walk to class this morning.  Really cement our whole new couple thing.  We’ve got first period  together, right?” 

Your mouth is so dry, it might as well be a desert, but you force yourself to nod.

When the fuck did this become the timeline you are living in?

“Cool.  So… I guess… Get ready?  I’ll wait here.  I’m still trying to figure these shoes out without breaking my neck.  Your neck,”  He wrinkles his nose, “Our neck.”

You snort a laugh at that, “Okay.  Cool.  Yeah… I’ll uh - I’ll see you now.” It’s only later, when you force yourself to a take a shower (despite having to face Hoseok’s naked body and trying your utmost to respect his privacy and not check out his bits) that the reality of what has happened to you in the last twenty-four hours truly hits you.

Not only are you currently inhabiting Hoseok’s body.

But you’re his girlfriend too now.  (Fake girlfriend, technically speaking but… That’s semantics.) 

Shit.

//

Your first day at college as Jung Hoseok goes awfully. 

Of course it does. What else were you expecting? 

It’s hard enough trying to keep up with all his classes and friend’s names and his fucking schedule.  But the worst part of everything - the part you can’t stand - is the questions.

“Are you really dating that Y/N chick?” 

“I thought the two of you hated each other.”“Never would’ve pegged you for a nerd guy.”

You hate it all - the assumption that you and Hoseok don’t make sense as a couple - but what else can you do but grin and bear it? 

They’re kind of right, too really.  You and Hoseok don’t really make sense.

You try to tell him this yourself, when you walk him home after the last of your classes, but he’s having none of it.

“Will you quit it?” He tells you seriously, eyes narrowing at the insecurity written all over your face, “Who gives a fuck what any of them think, anyway?”

“I do. Clearly.” You grumble feeling dumb for having even brought it up in the first place.

Hoseok rolls his eyes.

“Yeah and why’s that?”

“Because I’m dumb and insecure?” You shrug helplessly, “I don’t know Hoseok.  People are probably already talking so much shit about me.”

“This isn’t high school.” 

“So?  People are still mean.”  You sigh heavily, “You don’t get it Hoseok.  I’m not cool.  I’ve never been cool.  Everyone is going to wonder why the fuck you decided to settle down with me of all people.” 

Hoseok pauses, and turns to look at you.  The fact he’s dressed you in platforms means the height difference between the two of you isn’t as large as it normally is, but he still needs to tilt his head up slightly to make eye contact. 

“And if they ask you’ll tell them I chose you because you’re smart and capable and pretty.”  His eyes are serious, “And I like you.  You make me laugh and you don’t take my shit.  Plus you’re the only person I know who actually gives a fuck about getting their degree.  It’s admirable.” The words almost cause a heart attack.  It’s a punch to the gut - does he really think those things about you? - and for a moment you don’t know what to say.

“Oh… Uh…” 

“And when they ask me why you chose to date me… I’ll say because Jung Hoseok is a sex god and a filthy, dirty fuck.”  He smiles widely, “Gotta retain at least a little bit of my reputation, right?”

You burst out laughing at that, unable to control yourself.  Hoseok laughs too, and for a moment it feels like the two of you might be caught under something. 

The way he’s looking at you - soft and warm, like he’s happy to be there - makes your heart clench and you remind yourself once again that he isn’t yours.  He isn’t yours and he’s only here because he’s in your fucking body.

“Alright.  I’ll let you have that at least,” You mumble back, as the two of you stop outside of your apartment block. 

“Well,” He throws you an easy smile, “This is my stop.”

You click your tongue, “Yep.”

“I’ll see you tonight, right?”

When you draw a blank look Hoseok groans.

“The party, remember?” 

You feel something flicker in your stomach.  The stupid fucking party at the EXO frat, you’d agreed to go to.  

“Do we have to...?”

“If we don’t, it will be harder to go to the next social gathering I'm invited to.  We have to keep up appearances.”  He seems sympathetic as he says it and you know he has a point.

The quicker you bite the bullet, the easier it will be to fool everyone else that you’re actually into each other.

But that doesn’t mean you like the idea.

“Can’t I just say I’m sick?”

Hoseok clicks his tongue, “Look, it's a great excuse for us to show we’re a solid couple, right?”

You stop yourself from actually sticking your tongue out at him and instead settle on a playful glare. 

“Fine. But I’m not going to enjoy myself.”

“Duly noted,” Hoseok replies drily, “I’ll ask Sana. She’s probably already going with Joon.”

You hum some kind of half hearted agreement. 

“It's going to be fine, Y/N trust me.”

You feel exhausted all of a sudden.  Is this going to be the rest of your life?  Figuring out ways to hoodwink your friends and family into believing something that isn’t true?  Pretending to be somebody else? Having to live a life that isn’t yours?

“Are we ever going to be able to swap back?” The question is small, and you feel so dumb asking it because how can Hoseok give you an answer? 

Hoseok gives you a small, comforting smile.  He touches your shoulder gently and nods.

“We’ll figure it out.  We’re not going to stay like this forever.”

You want to believe him.  With everything inside of you, you want to believe that you can both fix this.

But you’re not sure of anything anymore, least of all if you’ll ever live in your own skin again.

“Just… don’t give up, okay?” He’s looking at you so earnestly your heart almost breaks. You nod, silently, biting back the tears.

“I won’t.”  And without even thinking about it, you bend down and press a soft kiss against Hoseok’s forehead.  Well… it’s your forehead really, but at this point the semantics don’t matter.

Hoseok freezes, but you don’t miss the way he leans ever so gently into the touch.  You try to tell yourself you were just imagining things but part of you can’t really deny it. 

When you pull away, he’s watching you with careful eyes.

“I’ll see you tonight,” You tell him, straightening out almost stiffly, “At the party.”

Hoseok smiles and nods.

“Yeah.  See you later.”

You think that perhaps, today hasn’t actually been that awful.  That maybe, maybe by the end of all this you and Hoseok might actually be friends.  The thought warms your heart.

Friends with Hoseok.  You know secretly you want more, but there’s no denying the impossibility of that ever happening.

So you resign yourself to hope for friendship.   And something soft blooms in your chest.  

It isn’t until you get back to Hoseok’s home that you are spun quite immediately back into reality.  The look on Kim Taehyung’s face when you pass through the front door is enough to make you want to curl up in a hole and die.

“I fucking knew it.  You’re banging her!”

Jin stands to Taehyung’s left, a dark brow raised.  His arms are crossed and he watches you curiously.

“I’m not banging her…” You grumble, “She’s my girlfriend.” “Same difference.”  Taehyung is grinning like the cat who got the fucking cream, “I knew there was something else going on.” 

“I thought relationships weren’t your thing,” This comes from Jin, who’s still giving you that weird look.

You shrug, “Well it’s different.  With Y/N.” “It is?” “Yeah.  She’s different.” You almost cringe at your own words - but there’s nothing you can do it about it.  God knows Jung Hoseok has definitely established his position as resident fuckboy pretty firmly by now - but things change, right?

“Don’t tell me you guys are like seriously exclusive?”  Taehyung looks like he might pass out.

“Uh… Yeah.  Exclusive.” “Fuck.”  He scoffs out a laugh that is sharp as knives, “Shit.  You’re really into her.” Another nod.  Taehyung turns to Jin and shrugs.

“Twenty bucks then, right?”

Jin’s lips lift into a smirk.  You frown.

“What?” “Me and Jin had a bet after that night,” Taehyung says this so easily as though it isn’t a big deal.  But it is, you think, “The party where the two of you fought.  You were so clearly into her.  I thought you’d fuck her.  Jin thought you’d make her your girlfriend.  He won.”

You are floored.  Hoseok’s friends think he’s into you?  Like for real?

You don’t know what to say.

“What are you talking about?” “Well for one she’s the only girl on this entire campus you haven’t tried to fuck,” Taehyung points out almost studiously, “And whenever you do talk to her, you get all weird.  Like you’re trying to impress her.”

You feel yourself flush because what the fuck?

“You’re - I… What?”

“C’mon don’t play dumb.”  Taehyung fishes into his back pocket for his wallet, “After that night at the party you were so pissed.  That’s only because you liked her enough to actually care what she thinks about you.”

Jin accepts the twenty dollar bill Taehyung passes him, “And we were right, obviously.  Because she’s your girlfriend now.”

The tightness in your chest expands.

“Uh… I mean yeah.  I guess.”

“She’s coming to the party tonight, right?”  Jin’s question surprises you.

You nod and Taehyung grunts.

“Good.  She can try and change my mind about her then.”

You resist the urge to tell him to fuck off.  After all, the last time Taehyung had seen you around his best friend you hadn’t exactly behaved spotlessly, had you? 

“I’m sure she will.”  You mutter to yourself more than anything, “I am sure she’ll change your mind.”

//

The party is throbbing by the time you and Hoseok arrive. He’s stuffed you into one of Sana’s ridiculous minidresses and when you ask where on Earth he thought he was going he just shrugged and told you to chill out.

“I hate this already,” You mutter, feeling incredibly out of place.

“Well Jung Hoseok is usually the life and soul of any party so start un-hating it.”

You roll your eyes at his comment and let Hoseok slip his hand into yours. It feels weird, holding your own hand like this, but you can’t contain the butterflies swarming around your stomach either.

Even if you can’t fully enjoy it - Hoseok is currently holding your hand - and you can admit to yourself that you’d always wanted that.

Always wanted him.

God you’re a chump.

“Y/N!” Sana’s voice pierces through the crowd and you look up, trying to act nonchalant as she cuts her way through the mob of drunk college students.

“Hi Hoseok!”

You nod when she smiles up at you.

“You want to come join us? We’re playing ring of fire.”

You know what you want to say. You want to say fuck no. You can’t think of anything worse to play five minutes after arriving at a party, than ring of fire.

But you force a lazy smile onto your face and shrug, turning to Hoseok and raising a brow.

“Wanna play… babe?” The pet name comes out a little stilted, but it seems to do the job because Sana stifles a giggle.

Hoseok narrows your eyes a little, but he smiles just the same, turning on the charm.

“Anything you want… cupcake.”

You gag in your mouth because what the fuck? Cupcake? You would never reduce yourself to calling somebody something that gross but you force yourself to laugh.

“Okay then. Let’s play.”

Sana laughs too, and if she senses the weird energy between the two of you, she doesn’t comment on it. Instead she moves you both across the room into a smaller space - a room that could be considered a dining area if it wasn’t in a frat house.

“You know I’ve been getting questions about the two of you all night,” She throws over her shoulder as she leads the way, “All anybody seems to care about is the hottest couple on campus.”

Her tone is teasing, and you’d heard from Hoseok that Sana had been ruthless when he’d told her that the two of you were a couple.

You didn’t want to think about how she might have potentially embarrassed you.

“We are not the hottest couple on campus,” The words blurt out of you almost automatically and Sana snorts.

“According to most people I’ve spoken to at this party you are.” She shakes her head, “People can’t seem to wrap their puny little minds around it.”

“That’s because they’ve never been around the two of us when we’re together,” Hoseok pipes up, surprising you, “We’re perfect for each other.”

Your chest tightens again and you wonder if you might very well hyperventilate. Is he trying to kill you? 

“That’s what I told them! You balance each other well, I think,” Sana sits at a huge round table and you take a seat to the left of her, “I always knew you had the hots for each other.”

Your eyes flicker to Hoseok as he sits to the left of you, and he holds your gaze steady.  Breathe, he mouths. 

Something about his presence calms you, despite how erratic you might feel inside, and you let yourself sink into the cushion of the chair you’re sat on. 

“Well look who it is!  The looooooovebirds!”  Your eyes flick up to meet with a tall, slim man with charcoal gray hair.  A memory flickers in your mind; he’s a member of EXO right?  Cha-Cha… Cha-something.

“Shut up Chanyeol,” This comes from Namjoon (ah Chanyeol that was it), “Shit.  I forget how obnoxious he gets at these….” 

“Obnoxious my ass,” Chanyeol smiles good-naturedly, “I never thought I’d see the day that Jung Hoseok would be tamed!  And by a woman, no less.” 

You try to roll your eyes in a way you reckon might be reminiscent of Hoseok, and shrug. 

“Not all of us can live in perpetual fuckboy territory, Chanyeol.  I’ll leave the sleeping around to you, now.” 

You pray to the Gods above that Chanyeol doesn’t have a girlfriend and that your joke will land - and sling an easy arm over Hoseok’s shoulder, pulling him closer towards you. 

You press a kiss to the side of his head, and drop your mouth to his ear. 

“He’s single, right?”  You whisper. 

Hoseok nods, once, and you relax.  Thank God.

“Ooooo.  Shots fired.  Didn’t mean to offend you, Hobi.”  But Chanyeol is still smiling as he says it, and you send him a smile right back. 

“Not offended,”  You shrug, “Just… Stating the truth.”

There seems to be a weird tension between the two of you, all of a sudden, and you wonder if maybe Hoseok and Chanyeol are not as buddy buddy as you might have thought.  You feel Hoseok shift beside you. 

“Okay, okay.  Enough with the male testosterone,” Sana whines, “Are we going to play, or are we going to play?” 

Your eyes flick quickly across the table - taking in the others at attendance.  You don’t recognise anybody else apart from one girl who used to live in the same dorms as you freshman year.  Momo, you think her name is.  

“The floor’s all yours, darling.”  Chanyeol smiles wolfishly, and something about that look on his face kind of creeps you out. 

Sana starts rattling on about the rules of the game and you find your attention wavering, before Hoseok brings it to hyper focus by pinching the top of your thigh.  You look down at him.  He’s got a tight smile on his face. 

“Avoid him.” 

You raise a brow, “What?” 

“Chanyeol.”  He pushes closer towards you, “Try not to let him get you alone.  Alright?” 

Your brow creases, “Why?”

“Will you just…” He blows out a raspberry, “Can you just trust me on this?” A moment passes between the two of you.  You watch as Hoseok blinks - once, twice, three times.  Then you nod. 

“Yeah.  Fine.  I’ll - I’ll avoid him.”  

“Everybody understands the rules then, right?”  Sana’s voice cuts through your conversation, and the two of you refocus your attention.  You feel yourself nodding. 

“Perfect.  Then let’s begin!” 

The game starts, and everything goes absolutely downhill from then on.  You try to warn Hoseok several times that you can’t handle alcohol very well - you barely drink it and when you do, you don’t tend to drink the harder stuff.  But Hoseok brushes you off. 

It’s my brain in here, he tells you, I can handle it.

But he can’t of course.  Because his brain or not, it’s a simple case of body chemistry and even though he really tries to keep up with everybody else in the game he just can’t.  At one point, Hoseok flips over the glass of the girl to his left, and tries to apologize before flipping over your drink and causing an even bigger mess. 

“Sweetie,” You grit your teeth together, “I think you’ve had enough.” 

Hoseok turns to you, eyes wide and glassy.  It’s weird to see yourself like this.  Even though it’s not you - not technically - it’s your eyes and your mouth and your bright red cheeks. 

Huh.  So this is what you look like drunk. 

“Uhhhh….” Hoseok hiccups, “I have?” 

You feel something like fondness bubble in your chest.  

“Yeah.  Shall we step out of the game?” 

Momo - that girl who lived in your dorms freshman year - sighs softly, “Shit.  Look at him taking care of her like that.  That’s so romantic.” 

Sana giggles and tries to help Hoseok sit up a little straighter, “It is romantic.”  Her eyes flick to yours, “Maybe you should get her some water?”

“Yeah.”  You stand, grabbing Hoseok’s hand and pulling him up with you, steadying him when he inevitably stumbles into you, “C’mon baby.   Let’s get you some water.” 

Hoseok nods placidly, following you as you tug him towards the kitchen.  There isn’t anybody else in there and you thank god because Hoseok really is a mess right now, and you can’t really focus on anything else but trying to sober him up. 

“Come here.”  You lead him to a bar stool and sit him down, pressing his back against the surface of the kitchen counter, to stop him from toppling over.

Hoseok’s eyes trace your face carefully.  He bites his lip and smiles. 

“Hi.” 

You smile back, “Hi.”

“I’m kind of drunk, right?” 

You nod, “Kinda.” 

“Guess you were right.”  He teeters slightly to the left, and you brace him carefully by the shoulders, “Are you mad?” 

The question takes you by surprise. 

“Why would I be mad?” 

“Because you said I wouldn’t be able to drink so much and I didn’t listen to you.”  He gives you a look that sits somewhere between guilty and cute, and if he wasn’t so drunk you might think he’s trying to flirt with you.

“You never listen to me,” You remind him studiously, grabbing a bottle of water and handing it to him, “Here.  Drink up.”

He takes the bottle and brings it up to his mouth, taking a long gulp and pulling away with a dramatic swipe of his mouth when he’s done.  He raises a brow.

“I do listen to you.”  He whines, “What about the project?  I agreed to do what you wanted to do.” 

You purse your lips, “That’s one time.” 

“And Jungkook.”  He squints an eye, “I didn’t flirt with him.”

“Twice, then.”

“I’m sure there’s others,” He says confidently, “I just need to remember them.” 

You laugh when he tries to tap his finger against his temple but fails miserably, using the hand holding the open bottle and spilling water down the front of Sana’s dress, instead. 

“Look what you’ve done now,” You chide, shaking your head fondly.

“Woops?”

“Woops indeed,” You grab some paper towels and dab at the front of the dress, trying to take away as much moisture as possible. 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Hoseok pushes you away gently, “Are you trying to get into my pants, mister?  I’m not that easy y’know!  I’m a lady.”

He’s smiling now, his eyes a little less glassy, and his face a little less flushed. 

“A lady huh?”

Hoseok tilts his head to the side, studying you carefully - as though he’s seeing you for the very first time, almost.

“Yeah.”  He licks his bottom lip once, “A sexy lady.”

You burst out laughing at that, and Hoseok laughs too, before a throat clears itself loudly to your left.  Your head snaps round and you find Taehyung hovering in the doorway.

“I heard about your girl.”

“I am not his girl,” Hoseok snips, sounding a little too close to home for your liking, “My name is Y/N.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes, “Hi Y/N.”

Hoseok lifts an enthusiastic hand and waves.

“Hi Taehyung.”

He trails over towards the both of you and crosses his arms, raising a thick brow, “How are you feeling?”

“A little dizzy.” Hoseok hiccups again, “Who knew alcohol could make the room spin that fast?”

Taehyung swallows down a smile and turns to you.

“Maybe you should take her home…”

“But I don’t want to ruin your night,” Hoseok pouts like a baby and you think that might be the very first time your face has ever pulled that expression, “You were having fun, right?”

You shrug. 

“It’s alright.  There’ll be other parties.”

“That’s right there will be,” Hoseok stands, a little wobbly but on two feet at least, “And I’ll be at all of them too right? Because I’m your girlfrieeeeeend.”  

He sings the last syllable of girlfriend - like he’s actually happy about the whole thing.  You try not to think back on what Taehyung and Jin said to you before, about Hoseok always having had a thing for you and snort out a laugh.

“Yeah.  You’ll be at every single one.”

He smiles, self-satisfied, “Good.”

“There’s no one home,” Taehyung whispers to you, laying on the innuendo thick, “Feel free to make as much noise as you’d like….”

You hate the way your cheeks pink at his suggestion and even Hoseok looks a little shy. 

“Taehyung!” Hoseok shoves his friend’s shoulder playfully, “Are you encouraging fornication?  You know we’re not married right?”

Taehyung barks out a laugh at that, unbidden.  He looks sort of annoyed with himself for it.

“I’m just saying,” He says, “The night is young.  Enjoy it.”

You slip your hand into Hoseok’s and tug him towards the front door, “We will.  See you later, Tae.”

“It was nice meeting you again Tae-Tae,” Hoseok christens his friend with a brand new nickname, “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the days to come!”

Taehyung does smile at Hoseok then, despite himself, and your heart warms at the fact that he seems to be warming up to you.  And okay, right now it’s not actually you, but he’ll never know that.  And maybe when things go back to normal, and you’re in your own body again, Taehyung will still like you. 

(You try not to think too hard on why you want Hoseok’s best friend’s validation that much.)

“See you guys!”

God.  This night is really turning into something else.

//

“I can sleep on the couch.”

Hoseok looks like he might throw up.  You’d decided to bring him back to his own home.  It didn’t make sense not to take Taehyung up on his suggestion that you take advantage of the empty BTS frat home. 

The two of you are meant to be dating, after all, and if you ended up staying in separate rooms for the night it just wouldn’t really make sense.   Not with how drunk Hoseok had gotten at the EXO party, anyway.

Of course, you aren’t exactly following through on Taehyung’s insinuation to make things… sexual.  But he doesn’t have to know that.

“You’re not going to sleep on the couch in your own home.” You tell him sternly, “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Hoseok shakes his head sharply.  He groans.

“That’s going to look weird when the boys get back.  They’ll wonder why we didn’t just sleep together.”

Hoseok’s bed isn’t tiny, but it’s not huge either.  There’s room for the two of you, you suppose, but you can’t imagine it’ll be the most spacious of sleeping conditions.

“Fine,” You set your jaw despite the way your heart trips in your chest at what you’re about to suggest, “We’ll just share.”

Hoseok turns to you, eyes wide.  He seems to contemplate that for a moment, before shrugging.

“Sure.  Let’s share.”

There’s a moment of almost awkward silence, where the two of you just stare at each other.

“We should… Get comfortable?”  You smile weakly and Hoseok pulls a face.

“This is fucking weird isn’t it?”

You snort violently, “So so weird.”

His eyes zip over to the closet and you lick your bottom lip, nodding.  Are you going to change in front of each other? 

Not that seeing your own naked body would freak you out, but you’ve attempted to avoid making eye contact with Hoseok’s bits as best you can the last couple of days.  It seems redundant, almost, to ask each other for privacy.

“I’ll go first.”  Hoseok announces, zipping over to the closet and wordlessly pulling out an old AC/DC t-shirt.  

“Are you going to just…. Do it here?”

Your question comes out as an insecure squeak.  He turns to you and sighs heavily.

“I mean, if I go to the bathroom what difference does it make?  It’s your body, anyway.”

You nod, speechless.  He’s right but the whole thing just feels weird.

Something in the atmosphere shifts, as Hoseok pulls himself out of Sana’s skintight dress.  He struggles with the zipper and you bite back a chuckle, moving towards him and stilling his hands.

“Here.” You whisper, “Let me.”

Hoseok meets your eyes as you pull the zip down, slowly exposing the expanse of skin that is your back.  He freezes for a moment, eye contact held for what feels like eternity.

And then, he steps out of the dress.

Hoseok opted not to wear a bra.  Of course he did.  Sana would have told him off for even attempting it.

“You uh….” He’s still staring at you, “You can pull this over my head.”  He holds the t-shirt out, “I won’t look.”

The sentiment pulls at your heart.  

“Okay,” You breathe, taking the t-shirt and folding it over his head.  Hoseok pops his arms out through the holes, and when his head breaks through too, he smiles at you.

Softly.  Gently.  Warmly.

“There.” He whispers.  

Your noses are a hair’s breadth away from one another.

You clear your throat, “There.”

Theres a moment held between the two of you.  Like a spell you’ve been caught under.  Even though you’re looking into your own face, you can see Hoseok shining through your eyes.

He’s there.  He’s there and he’s looking at you and your skin prickles at the way he’s looking at you.

Then, he coughs gently.

The spell is broken and you step back.

“You should change too.”  He tells you, hand scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

You nod and pull your own t-shirt off, pushing down the jeans you opted to wear and leaving Hoseok in a pair of briefs.  He smirks.

“You just gonna sleep in my underwear?”

There’s something burning behind his words.  You bite your lip.

“No.  I’ll put some pants on.”

Hoseok laughs almost throatily as you do so, pulling out the first pajama pants you find.  They’re Christmas themed.

“Those are my favorites,” He tells you as you slip into them, and you scoff playfully.

“Of course they are.”

There is another moment of silence as the two of you contemplate Hoseok’s bed.  You know what comes next.  Your heart feels like it’s beating out of your rib cage when you gesture towards the sheets.

“Should we….?”

“Yeah.” Hoseok smiles softly, “We should.”

The two of you climb in.  It’s a little awkward at first, a mess of limbs and hair.  You can’t imagine Hoseok is used to having to share his bed with someone else, much less with himself.

The thought almost makes you laugh. 

But finally, you settle down.  You roll over and click the bedside lamp off.  You’re both swathed in darkness and you stare up at the black ceiling, feeling ache usted all of a sudden.

“Y/N.”  Hoseok whispers from beside you.

You roll over carefully, and suddenly your noses are touching.  Hoseok doesn’t move away.

“Thanks.”  He breathes gently, “For coming to the party.  And for not getting mad when I got too drunk.”

You feel yourself smile in the dark.

“That’s okay.”

“You’re…” He takes a moment, seemingly searching for the words, “Just.  That’s it, I guess.  Thank you.”

“Don’t sweat it,” You answer softly, feeling like you’re still trapped under that spell, from before. “G’night Hoseok.”

He breathes out softly, and the air hits your cheeks.

“Goodnight.”

And when you fall asleep that night, your dreams are suspiciously void of anything but romance.  You’re falling in love, obviously, and you seem incapable of stopping yourself.

//

The first thing you notice when you wake up the next morning is that there are a pair of soft arms wrapped tightly around your waist.  You look down, across the expanse of Hoseok’s sturdy chest, all the way to the two little hands clasped together in front of you.

The memories of last night come rushing back to you and you smile to yourself, almost embarrassed at the softness the two of you displayed.

You try not to think about Jin and Taehyung’s words.  About how Hoseok has always been into you, and instead focus on the matter at hand.

Because of course Hoseok’s body has reacted quite prominently to the soft female body cuddled up next to him.  You’ve got a boner.

Well Hoseok has a boner.  For you.  

It hurts a little if you think about it too much, but there is undeniable hardness settled between your legs.

“Fuuuuuuck.”  You groan, trying to maneuver yourself out of Hoseok’s grasp, and only causing him to further tighten his hold.

“Hoseok,” You try instead, shaking your body a little more violently, “Hoseok…..”

This time you pinch his forearm - a little forcefully but what else are you meant to do?

And that seems to do the trick, as his eyes shoot open and his arms fall away from your waist.  He jumps up, almost scared, and you laugh at the look on his face.

“Shit.”  He moans, holding a hand to his forehead, “Do you always get hangovers this bad?”

You nod, once, and he grumbles pitifully. 

You notice that the shirt that Hoseok was wearing last night has coincidentally ridden up your thigh, exposing the flesh even further, and without warning Hoseok’s body reacts pretty positively to that.

Which is to say his dick gets harder.

You try not to think about the fact that technically you’re turning yourself on, when Hoseok’s eyes graze the problem you’re having downstairs.  He gasps.

“Shit.” He looks up at you, “Fuck.”

Your cheeks pink and so do his, and the air is suddenly filled with embarrassment.  He tries to apologize.

“Oh fuck I’m so sorry Y/N.”  He scoffs, “Little fucker can’t take one day off.”

You laugh at the look on his face, despite yourself, and shrug, “I mean I guess I’m flattered.  At least your dick finds me hot.”

The words fly out of your mouth without warning.  Hoseok’s eyes darken just a little.

“What?”

“I just mean….” You try again, “It’s a compliment really, right?”

He licks his bottom lip, “Yeah.”

His gaze is heated when it meets yours and something in your stomach drops.  Hoseok’s dick hardens even further (if that’s humanly possible) and before you do something crazy - like have sex with yourself - you jump out of bed.

“So I should go and uh… Sort it out.  Will a cold shower help?”

Hoseok crinkles his nose, “Amongst other things….”

You cannot possibly take anymore of his teasing, so you hurry yourself off to the bathroom, intending to stand under a shower of cold water until this boner disappears.  But, of course, God has other plans.

Because just as you slip out of Hoseok’s bedroom, you find Kim Taehyung standing just outside your door, with an older, distinguished looking man.

Taehyung throws you what looks like an apologetic look over the man’s shoulder, as the mystery man in question turns around slowly.  When his eyes meet yours the resemblance is uncanny.

This is Hoseok’s father.

“Hoseok.”  His voice is low and gravelly, almost stern, “Good morning.”

Your spine straightens like a rod.  Your throat dries up impossibly quickly.

“Uh…. Hi.”

“Taehyung tells me you have company this morning.”  His eyes flick down from the top of your head, to the bottom of your feet, “You should invite your girlfriend to have breakfast with us.  We have much to discuss.”

The bedroom door swings open again, and your chest tightens when you feel Hoseok freeze beside you.

Hoseok’s father smiles, shark-like, “Ah.  You must be the elusive Y/N.”

You feel Hoseok swallow, his whole body rigid and stiff.  He tries to smile.

“Uh yeah…. That’s me.”

“I am Hoseok’s father.”  His eyes judge every inch of your body, “But you can call me… Dad.”

The words sound anything but friendly.

Oh fuck.

//

[neonlights92]

Hiya, are you able to link me the first part of Flip Reverse it? I cannot see it on your MList and excited to read this! I saw the reblog of part 2 but just can't find part 1 😶😶😶

Flip & Reverse It (I)

Your relationship with resident fuckboy Jung Hoseok is anything but simple. Sitting somewhere between hate and genuine friendship is the fa

If you scroll slightly down my page you can find part 1!

[neonlights92]

when is the change mafia series going to be finished!!

the change mafia series (Jimin's story) has been finished. You can find them all on my blog!

[ker0senebunny]

walking on a string✫*ﾟ･ﾟ

steve harrington x cheerleader!reader

part two -- after much anticipation, PART TWO IS HERE!

summary: steve leads on cheerleader!reader, thinking that her affection is insincere. after all, he’s a loser now. what could she possibly want from him? (angst, fluff)

warnings: language, angst, fluff, no use of y/n, afab!reader, fem!reader, un-beta'd

word count: 2,787

notes: ahh my first fic!! this is inspired by the song walking on a string :)) also steve is a lil insecure n angsty because the duffer brothers apparently won't let him express his insecurities or trauma!! so i did that. he deserves a hug and i hope our cheerleader!reader can give that to him. i have a part 2 lined up so lmk if u would wanna see that!! enjoy xox

p.s. i may or may not have finished editing this while dyeing my hair

i think about you walking on a string.

it always brings me back here.

you had been to family video every day that week (so far), and for steve harrington, that was weird. mega weird.

steve had always noticed you at parties, even if you weren't directly looking at him. you would come in with a troupe of cheerleaders, the hairspray practically sliding off of them in waves. you emerged from the cloud of crunchy hair and denim jackets with a softness that only you could possess. you looked as if you were made of gossamer - silken and perfect.

but that was when he was king steve: someone more worthy of you. someone who meant something. now, he’s just steve who works at family video and parents six children in his spare time.

so yeah. all your light touches and eyes skating across his lips was definitely all in his head.

that week, you'd come into family video at least five times. and every time, you asked to see steve. even if he was in the back, you would wait for him in front of the counter, drumming your manicured nails on the counter, looking around with wide, innocent eyes. today, you'd come to actually return a tape. you left him notes whenever you returned a tape, always signed with your name and a cloud of hearts. he swore he could smell your perfume on the paper.

it all started after the mall burned down. when you walked in to that miserable family video store, steve didn’t even notice you. “welcome to family video, how can i-” he droned, flipping through a magazine. he’d been working there for barely two weeks and he was already sick of it. at least he got free ice cream at scoops. all he had here was...keith. what made it even worse was the fact that robin was sick on this particular day. something about a "totally rancid stomach bug." steve shuddered just thinking about it. so now, he had nobody to banter with to pass the time. “steve?” you said, surprise evident in your open smile. his head snapped up immediately and was met with your gentle eyes.

“hi,” he breathed out.

“hi,” you gave in a giggly reply.

it was silent for a little bit. you were holding pretty in pink in your manicured hand. before he could ask you if that’s all you wanted, your hand that wasn't holding the tape was over his, squeezing it with every ounce of comfort you could transfer to him. “i heard about the fire at the mall. i’m so, so sorry that happened to you. it must’ve been so scary!”

he couldn’t tell if you were fucking with him. after all, you were still socially relevant in this dismal little town. he was the horror story told to incoming freshmen, a story of failure.

his gaze skirted around your pretty face; he saw part of the cheer squad waiting in a car outside. they were looking inside the store not so conspicuously and giggling. his eyes narrowed. yeah, he knew he was right; why would you be talking to him?

“yeah, well, at least i still have a job,” he quipped sarcastically. the scent emanating from your soft skin and your cardigan was making him dizzy. he found himself in a rush to get you away from him as soon as possible. he wanted to avoid whatever humiliation could be coming next. “will that be all?” he gestured to the tape. you seemed startled as you removed your hand from his. he already craved the warmth you gave him. “oh, yeah! i’m sorry to bring that up, by the way. i just wanted to make sure that you’re doing alright.” he hummed and registered the rental in the system, trying to ignore your presence less than a foot away from him. “just return it next friday,” he said, already turning back to his magazine. he felt a little bad, sure, because out of the corner of his eye, he could see you deflate. you became a little more subdued because of him. his dad was right - nobody wanted to be around him.

he hadn’t even realized that he’d zoned out until your fingers brushed against his once again.

you seemed to notice the shift in him, though, and the tender smile returned to your face as you took the tape from his hands. “it was really nice seeing you, steve. i’ve missed you,” you said before giving him a kiss on the cheek and slipping out the door. he was left mid page-turn, plump lips agape. he couldn't believe robin wasn't there to see it!

you were the current co-head cheerleader at hawkins. you were chrissy cunningham’s best friend. you were the top of the pyramid, all tiny crop tops and skirts that showed the cusp of your ass. you smelled like jasmine and citrus and god, were you pretty. supple skin, graceful eyelashes, a lush mouth. steve knew that you most definitely tasted like sweet almond cookies, soft on his tongue. he knew that you rented pretty in pink almost every friday, when he thought you would be partying. he knew that you were too good for him. so why the hell did you keep coming in to talk to him?

for weeks after that, you returned every friday to rent pretty in pink. you always stayed to talk with steve, and he felt his hard exterior start to slip away. you laughed at all his dumb jokes, even staying past closing to keep him company as he reorganized the incoming tapes. you brought him lunch with lovey-dovey notes that he definitely didn’t store in his wallet. he invited you over for movie nights — a weekly occurrence for the two of them. he’d even introduced you to his gaggle of freshmen. but in the back of his mind, he knew that you were just pulling him along on a frail string — and it was surely about to snap.

but even through all of that, coming in five times in one week was a lot.

the bell at the door jingled, taking steve out of his reverie. it was getting colder in hawkins — the last of the nice weather before the bitter chill of winter set in.

he took a breath and slid himself behind the counter as he saw you walk in. he could’ve sworn that you perked up, chin rising and hair shifting to show off your kissable neck as you fluttered over. stop it, he commanded himself in his head.

you smiled as you approached him, a sheen to your cheeks and the slope of your nose. “hi, steve,” you said, a little breathless. the light bent around you in a way that gave you a natural glow. steve could swear that he heard a choir singing somewhere. he shook himself into the present. “hey sweetheart, what’s up?” he said, reminding himself to play it cool. be neutral. you looked down, hands flattening your white skirt. you suddenly felt your cheeks warm. “i was just wondering if you’re going to be at the pep rally next week?” you looked so hopeful, standing on your tippytoes to lean over the counter. steve could see the tops of your tits as they threatened to spill out of your pink scoop-neck top.

he was shocked that he, steve harrington, new resident nothing of hawkins, was being asked out by the prettiest girl in his deadbeat town. this had to be some sort of sick joke that nicole and amanda put you up to. he smirked at her, plan in motion. if you wanted to play it that way with all the tiny tops and touching and the way you smell like apricot scrub…well, he’s getting off topic. the point is, steve harrington needed to play you right back.

“yeah, of course i’ll be there.”

he winced behind his smile you beamed up at him.

into the garden, by the hand.

you’ve always had me,

walking on a string.

you were co-head cheerleader, that was true. but you also had a hopelessly huge crush on steve harrington, something your friends teased you over a lot. especially chelsea. the only person who ever defended you was chrissy, your best friend. chrissy always placed your hand in hers as a motion of comfort, a crinkle in between her brows as she told the cheer squad to, “back off! it’s not like bradley dunkirk is any better.” the other girls tittered in laughter as chelsea hid her flaming cheeks in her pompoms. you shook your head at chelsea and chrissy’s repartee as your eyes searched the bleachers. it was the day of the pep rally — the positively perfect time to show off your cheering prowess. your skirt was hiked up a little extra; your top was your smaller one from sophomore year that made your boobs perk up and almost overflow through the v-cut.

your pompoms wilted in your clammy hands as you scanned the gym, searching for that swoon-worthy warm grin and floppy hair. you eventually spotted him mouthing something to robin. they laughed through their own secret language and you felt a sinking pressure descend on your chest.

but then robin said something, gesturing toward you with a nod of her head. he looked up and over, eyes alert and looking for someone. his gaze rested on you, a pensive neutrality washed over his face. you rustled your pompoms playfully at him as you smiled, skirt swinging and exposing more of your thighs. steve swallowed as he saw the fabric rise, but then he just gave you a polite, closed-lip smile and looked back at robin, who was gesturing wildly at him.

your pompoms drooped and you frowned. he’d been weird the entire week, avoiding you, brushing off your coy smiles and flirty touches. you were overjoyed that he came and were looking forward to seeing his cute little dimples, but he didn’t seem to want anything to do with you. you sagged in your tennis shoes until chrissy tapped your shoulder and signaled that it was time to start.

your routine went perfectly. but as you stood on your teammates' shoulders and smiled at the roaring crowd, your mind was elsewhere. steve was clapping for you, but his eyes didn’t hold the usual mirth that they did. you thought that the two of you were building up to something. he couldn’t be that dense, you thought to yourself. surely all the love notes and smiles and jokes made him realize that you liked him. a lot. a LOT a lot. at the very least, you thought you were friends.

you’d liked steve since freshman year. you were barely a teenager, a fresh-faced fourteen year old who sucked her braces when she was nervous. you saw him in the parking lot, all boyish smiles and strong hands. you immediately liked the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed. they crinkled, but they stayed open — so that he could still take in the face of whoever he was speaking with. you liked that he was considerate, that he held the library door open for you even as his date rolled his eyes for “helping a stupid little frosh.” you disappeared into the background for that first year, as you watched his life collapse in on itself.

but then sophomore year came and you blossomed. chrissy cunningham was in your english class. you two were partnered up to read a scene from macbeth and couldn’t do it without laughing. you knew that day, that she was going to be your best friend. then, the two of you were suddenly trying out for cheer. you got your braces taken off. your hair and a new healthy shine to it. people looked your way as you walked arm in arm with chrissy, ponytails bouncing in unison.

you’d always been afraid to speak to steve. sure, he was nicer than most popular kids (to you, at least) — but he was just so cute. and that made it all the more impossible to approach him. you remember how you felt your heart clench after you heard he and nancy broke up. he seemed to really love her, but a selfish part of you itched at the chance to have your shot.

that summer, when he was working at the mall, you barely had the courage to step inside scoops ahoy, even though amanda and bridget begged you to go with them. you knew robin from your history class. she was funny and sweet and a welcome surprise as you stepped into the ice cream shop. you walked up to the counter with a sway in your hips that ensured that people looked at your ass in those tiny denim cutoffs. you, robin, and your friends joked for a bit about your upcoming senior year. they were discussing something about a new culture club song when you looked to your right.

steve was laying on the charm while serving two girls from your school. you felt your stomach twist in jealousy. you looked at your sweet red converse and didn’t even notice robin asking for your order. you blinked at her and smiled, asking for strawberry in a cone. you and your friends moved toward where steve was. he gave you a small smile and looked you up and down, before going right back to flirting.

you liked him from afar; that was the extent of your relationship with steve. up until now, you’d only made small talk with him at parties. but you liked him because of how you saw him interact with others, especially that dustin kid.

you were heartbroken to think that the past few months of work visits and move nights (during which his arm would venture around your shoulder) didn’t mean anything to him. you saw him talking to robin off in a corner, and putting on a brave face, bounced over to the two of them.

“hi robs!” you chirped. she smiled at you and yelled your name as you approached from across the gym, miming pompoms in her hands. “nice cheering,” she said with a wink. you giggled in embarrassment and looked down at your frilly socks. “nice…playing?” you said. she laughed, but steve stood silently. robin looked between the two of you before muttering something about a girl named vicky.

you stood in front of steve now. he couldn’t help but think about how cute you looked in your uniform, glowing after a successful pep rally.

“hi stevie,” you said. he flushed at your nickname, something that you’d given him a few weeks ago after noticing a similar flush appear when you used it in passing.

“hey sweetheart,” he said, not looking you in the eye. you transferred your pompoms to one hand and reached the other out to gently grasp at his fingers. he let you.

“what’s going on? are you okay?” you asked sweetly. the dark part of steve, the part that convinced him that you were just leading him on, told him that you were faking it. that you were just here to make fun of him in front of his ex-classmates who already did the same behind his back. but here you were, face to face, looking at him with worry and your jasmine scent and pretty lips. he sighed out your name; you could detect the disappointment.

“i know what you’re doing.”

you looked at him in confusion, still holding his hand. you stepped closer to him and could smell his lemongrass shampoo. “stevie,” you said softly, “what do you mean?”

“i know your friends put you up to this,” he said harshly. something akin to hurt flickered across your face, but you replaced it immediately with your usual gentle disposition. “put me up to what?” you prompted softly. he rolled his eyes and huffed, pulling his hand away from you. this time, you let the hurt show on your face.

“i know that you and your friends wanted to fuck with me by pretending that you liked me,” he said finally, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows. you looked utterly crestfallen. your heart ached at the possibility that steve could think that your affection was anything but sincere. “no, stevie, please-“ you started, but he cut you off. “i know that i’m just this has-been cool kid who’s good for nothing, but i’m still a person. and i won’t be dragged around on your little string anymore. i’m done.”

if you looked crestfallen before, you looked absolutely crushed right now.

steve desperately wished that he could suck his words from the air around you and never let them see the light of day. but from the look on your face, he knew there was no going back now.

your eyes tickled and burned as wetness blurred your vision. it hurt you more than anything to know that steve thought so little of you. the boy you’d do anything for, go anywhere for, thought that this was all a game to you. you tried to swallow around the lump in your throat, your next words coming out cracked: “steve, i promise it’s not like that.” he scoffed.

“then tell me why your friends sit outside of the video store and watch us and fucking laugh at me?”

your heart stopped then. it broke you, knowing that steve thought so little of himself and you. “steve, they’re laughing at me! because i never stop talking about you because-“ you stopped, not knowing whether you should even bother to tell him now. with a shaky breath, you continued: “because i like you so goddamn much.”

he looked at you strangely then, watching the tears finally begin their path along your cheeks. “save it. i’m done.” the gym was empty now; everyone had left during your conversation. he looked at you, all dolled up in a green little cheerleading costume, a yellow ribbon threaded through the back of your ponytail. he tried to ignore the wetness on your face and the pitiful tremble of your bottom lip. he tried to memorize the color of your lipgloss and how it sparkled under the dimming sun and fluorescent lights. he looked at you and tried his best to keep himself from falling for you. he turned to walk out of the gym doors. as his reeboks squeaked across the lacquered hardwood, steve thought about running back to you and kissing you until he heard his favorite laugh bubble up out of your chest. he heard a sob rip its way out of your chest and in a moment of weakness, he turned around to see you drop your cute little pompoms and raise your hands to your face to hide your tears.

© ker0senebunny. all rights reserved. all original posts of writing are my own words, with the exceptions of quotations from songs, movies, and other media. my work is NOT to be crossposted to another platform, copied by anyone, or translated without my express and explicit permission.

taglist: nobody yet :)) send in an ask if you’d like to be added!

[neonlights92]

Flip & Reverse It (I)

Your relationship with resident fuckboy Jung Hoseok is anything but simple. Sitting somewhere between hate and genuine friendship is the fact that you’ve always secretly, sort of wanted him.

And then one day you wake up and you’re in Hoseok’s body. And he’s in yours. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Genre: rom-com, body swap, (sort of) enemies to lovers

Word count: 10k

Warnings: language and future smut

A/N: Heeeey guys. So in the end, I decided to split this story into two parts as it is MAMMOTH. Hope you enjoy the first part, and I’m hoping to post the second part soon xxx

Jung Hoseok is, officially, the dumbest person you’ve ever met.

“You want to do our end of semester project on what?”

It is your first period of the day- Introduction to Ancient Cultures - and a Monday Morning. You’re quite proud of yourself to be honest. Hoseok is, of course, already driving you nuts and you’ve somehow managed to stop yourself from lunging at him from across the table.

“Look it’s meant to be about ancient rituals, right?” He tugs a hand through his freshly dyed cherry red hair, “So why not a sex ritual?”

You feel something like a migraine coming on. You squeeze your eyes shut for a moment of respite and when you open them again Hoseok is still looking at you with that almost smug grin on his face.

“You’re just a fucking horn dog.”

“That I am.” His grin only grows, “C’mon. I’m a senior in college and a hot blooded male. If I didn’t suggest writing a report on an ancient sex ritual it would be weird.”

All you can do is glare. The look on his face only serves to stroke your anger and you fight the urge to grunt.

He just… He looks so self-satisfied. As though what he’s just said is clever and funny. As though you should somehow fall to your feet and worship him like every other doe-eyed freshman on campus does.

No. No. Maybe once upon a time you had a microscopic crush on Jung Hoseok but three years later and you know exactly what kind of person he is. You won’t bite.

Hoseok rolls his eyes at your stoic expression and leans back in his chair.

“Fine. What do you want to do the report on?”

You answer without missing a beat.

“A body swap ritual.”

Hoseok raises a dark brow. He cocks his head to the side, and you take that as your cue to continue.

“It dates back to the Silla Kingdom. They reigned the Korean peninsula for almost a thousand years-”

“I know about the Silla Kingdom Y/N. I’m a history major too, y’know.” He scoffs playfully and you roll your shoulders back.

“Then you know about their body swap rituals?”

His eyes flicker. He knows that you know that he doesn’t know.

God. The look on his face is satisfying.

“Well… No…” He grumbles, leaning forward slightly when you pull out one of the many textbooks you’ve spent the last week scouring through.

“Not much is known about them - however there are a few reports on it actually working. One is the story of a rich noblewoman and her handmaiden,” You hear the excitement in your tone and you try to tamp it down but you just can’t. This kind of stuff is so interesting to you, “So of course the noblewoman was a grade A bitch-”

Hoseok snorts, “Classic.”

“And the handmaiden had fallen in love with her mistresses betrothed. So she performed the body swap ritual with the help of a witch doctor and apparently… It worked. They both died of old age… In each other’s bodies.”

You know the story is folklore - a fairytale spun by the spiritual to give rituals like this legitimacy - but you can’t help the thrill that travels up your spine as you recount what you’ve researched.

Hoseok raises a dark brow, “So… Why this ritual, then?”

“Because it’s different. Everyone in class will end up doing human sacrifices and even sex rituals but something like this…” You shrug and bite your bottom lip, “It will be a challenge. And there may even be limited information out there about it but… It will be fun.”

Hoseok’s lips split into a grin, “Fun?” “Yeah y’know learning something new.” You answer rolling your eyes, “Have you ever tried that? Learning?”

Hoseok watches you for a moment. Maybe you took it too far with that last jab. But fuck if he doesn’t push every one of your buttons all at the same time.

“You won’t be happy until I say yes, will you?” Hoseok leans his cheek against one of his palms, eyes scanning your face carefully.

“Nope.”

You pop the ‘p’ for emphasis. You mean business baby.

“Alright, alright fine. I’ll do it,” He shrugs, “As long as it gets us a good grade.” You grin, “Believe me. It will.”

He reaches a hand towards you and you stare at it, one eyebrow raised.

“We should shake on it,” He tells you, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “So we’re both on the same page. It’s how me and the boys agree on things.”

The boys are Hoseok’s obnoxious frat brothers. Beta Theta Sigma. You shiver. It’s not that you hate fraternities - it’s that you abhor almost everything they stand for.

Okay, so maybe you hate them. But the truth is, most frat boys are assholes. Present company included.

“Fine. Whatever gets you to shut up,” You grab the hand that’s pointing towards you and shake it once, firmly, before pulling away.

You don’t think about the fact that Hoseok’s palm was warm and big and kind of soft. No you can’t think about that.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” The toothy grin he shoots you almost makes you gag.

You wish you could say the same.

//

“So you’re telling me,” Your roommate Sana stands in the doorway of your bedroom, “That you’ve teamed up with Jung Hoseok for your biggest partner project of your entire degree?” You roll your eyes at the disbelief in her tone.

“It wasn’t my choice. We were randomly assigned together.”

“The universe hates you,” Sana wrinkles her cute little button nose, “Hoseok is kind of a meathead.”

Sana is, in many ways, just like you. She’s pre-med and probably the hardest worker you know (after yours truly of course) and she holds just as much disdain for fraternities as you do. There’s just one tiny little difference.

She’s also dating one of Hoseok’s frat brothers, Kim Namjoon.

You have to admit he’s the only guy in Beta - hell the only guy on this entire campus - worth taking a second look at.

But it does kind of soften the blow of her insults because well, Sana’s kind of friends with the rest of Beta Theta Sigma too.

“You can’t say that when you’re his friend.” You reply, raising a brow at the look she pulls.

“Actually I can say that because I’m his friend,” She shrugs, “He’s not the asshole you so fiercely think he is… But he is a bonehead. They all are. Even Joonie.”

You snort, “Joonie is not a bonehead. He’s the smartest guy I know.” “Whatever. The point is the two of you don’t always get along,” She frowns, “And I know how much this grade means to you.” “We’re going to ace it,” You answer immediately, “Plus I hate to admit it but Hoseok’s smart. Much smarter than I probably give him credit for. We’ll be fine.”

Sana’s eyes widen in that way they always do when you say anything mildly positive about Hoseok. She smirks and you know what’s coming.

“Oh is he smart?” Her tone pisses you off.

“Shut up, Sana.” “No c’mon you said it first not me,” She waggles her eyebrows, “You think he’s smart. Do you think he’s cute too? Do you want to hold hands with him and discuss history together?”

“Will you stop it?” Your cheeks flush because yes, obviously you’re annoyed at Sana’s insinuation - but the fact that once upon a time it might have been true only serves to annoy you even further.

“I’m just saying,” She grins widely this time, coming to perch on the end of your bed, “I think you two would make a cute couple.” You gag dramatically at her words.

“Don’t be like that,” She nudges you playfully, “You said it yourself. Hoseok’s smart.” “And you said it yourself…. he’s also a bonehead.” You retaliate, crossing your arms, “And a meathead. We barely get along on the best of days. Why would you want me to date someone like that?” Sana shrugs and sighs heavily.

“He’s a good guy,” She tells you sincerely, “He just gets a bad rep because he’s kind of a slut. But I think he would settle down for the right girl. Plus I know you secretly have the hots for him.”

You scoff, “I do not have the hots for Jung Hoseok.”

“Oh come on,” She pulls a face, “You’d have to be blind not to see how stunning he is.” “That doesn’t mean I’m into him.” You point out, hating the fact that she’s obviously right.

Hoseok may be an obnoxious prick, but he is gorgeous.

“I don’t know. I think there’s something there. Be it sexual tension or something more…”

“Try just regular tension,” You deadpan, “Seriously. How can you go from calling him a brainless slut one second to trying to set him up with me the next?”

“Because I have eyes Y/N. I’m not dumb. You two have chemistry. Plus he’s not brainless. Just a slut.” You laugh then.

“You are ridiculous.”

“Is it so wrong that I want my friends to be happy?” Sana purses her lips at your disdain, “I think you two could do that for one another.”

You refrain from mentioning that you are probably the only girl on campus - hell, the only girl in this entire city Hoseok refuses to flirt with.

Maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt her feelings, or maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt your own (it’s definitely the second one) but you think it’s better Sana doesn’t know.

Whatever chemistry she insists she sees is just something stupid her loved up brain imagines to make her feel better about the fact that she essentially abandoned you for a frat boy. “Look I’m not saying he’s the devil. I just - I want to get on with this project, survive this very last semester, graduate with a 4.0 and get into the school’s masters programme. That’s all I want.”

“And you will. Of course you will Y/N. You’re the smartest person I know.” You pull a face then, “You have to say that, you’re my friend.” “Maybe. But it’s still true.”

Sana stands then, making her way out of your bedroom and asking what you’d like for dinner. You reply with something non-committal and tell her she can decide for the both of you.

But her words stick with you.

Hoseok… A good guy?

It can’t be. No. No.

You shake your head furiously.

You’ve been down this path once before, and you won’t do it again. Not this time.

You’re going to ace the project, you’re going to graduate, and you’re never going to see Jung Hoseok again.

It’s for the best.

Right?

//

“No.”

Hoseok crosses his arms and pseudo glares at you. The pile of books sitting comfortably in front of you almost blocks your view of his face.

“What do you mean, no?” You raise a brow at him.

Hoseok is nothing if not stubborn. But two can play at that game.

“I am not spending my Saturday evening at the library researching.” His eyes flick from the textbooks to your face, and he looks less than impressed, “Don’t you have better things to do, Y/N?”

“This is better things to do.” You answer eagerly, “C’mon Hoseok. Don’t you want to ace this project?”

“Not at the expense of all my free time.” “Stop whining,” You roll your eyes and pull up the chair next to you, “Besides. This will be fun.”

Hoseok reluctantly sits down and gives you the grumpiest look he can muster.

“Fun? You’re kidding, right?”

He pulls one of the books towards him - Life in the Silla Kingdom - and groans, “Taehyung invited a model to the party tonight, Y/N. A model.” You roll your eyes at this. Kim Taehyung is one of Hoseok’s frat brothers - a poor excuse of a man if you are being absolutely honest. Taehyung is a man-whore. He wears the label loud and proud - and you hate the fact that the majority of girls seem more than willing to drop their panties for a taste of his apparently legendary dick.

“Well I’m sorry to tear you away from your evening of slutting around, but this is more important.”

You try to keep the bitterness away from your tone.

It’s not that you’re actually slut-shaming Hoseok and his friends. It’s only that you’ve spent three years sharing most of Hoseok’s classes and he’s never once tried to hit on you.

And you hate to admit it - you really, really do but that pisses you off.

You used to think Hoseok hung the stars and the moon for you. You used to watch him from the back of lecture rooms wishing he would flirt with you like he seemed to flirt with the other 99.9% of the female population.

But he didn’t. He was nice enough to you. Smiling and polite. But he never flirted. He never smirked or winked or made you feel special.

And that hurt. It still hurts.

“Y’know you should come to one of our parties some time. Let loose a little,” His eyes scan your appearance quickly, “You’re always so stiff.” You click your tongue.

And there it is. The reason, apparently, Hoseok won’t flirt with you.

You’re stiff. You’re boring.

God forbid you came to university to learn and not to party.

“Fuck off,” There’s a little more bite to your words than you probably intended, but at this point you’re not sure you care, “You don’t even know me.”

“Of course I know you.” Hoseok’s smile is devious and you feel another migraine brewing, “You’re Y/N Y/L/N. You’re twenty-one years old. You sit at the back of all the classes we take together, and you know the answers to every single question asked. You live for this shit,” He gestures to the piles of books around the both of you, “Researching. Learning. You love it all… You’re a historian at heart aren’t you? A true academic.”

You feel your cheeks heat at his description. Okay so some of it is true - you do love history and books and learning - but that doesn’t make up your entire personality.

“There’s more to me than all of that.”

“Of course, how can I forget the sweater vests, and ponytails?” His smile isn’t cruel, but it’s not kind either, “Admit it Y/N. This is where you feel at home.”

You push the book you were reading to one side, “Can you stop psycho-analysing me, please? And do what we’re meant to be doing.”

“Which is….?”

“Researching.” You bite out, pulling a face at the ‘gotcha’ look that flickers across his features.

“I told you,” He grins, smugly, like the cat who got the cream, “You live for it.”

You decide to ignore him because really, what good would it do to punch your project partner in the face on your first day working together?

Hoseok - thank god - decides to shut up, and you take this opportunity to finish the paragraph you were reading before you got so rudely interrupted.

The people of the Silla Kingdom were incredibly spiritual. They enjoyed performing rituals for almost every milestone in their life - and spent much of their time praying to their deities for good luck and prosperity.

One of these rituals, of course, was the body-swap ritual. Something usually reserved for very special or dire situations, this ritual was rarely ever actually practiced. Most witch doctors refused to take part as they believed the magic used to complete the ritual was dark.

What we know of the ritual itself was that-

“I found something important.”

Hoseok, of course, rips your attention away just when things are getting interesting. You look up, raising a brow at the man who sits across from you, pretending that the last fifteen minutes didn’t happen. As though he didn’t just basically call you the walking stereotype of a geek.

“What?”

He raises his own brow, “Who pissed in your cornflakes?”

You feel something akin to rage creeping up your spine. You want to smack him. No… You want to spit on him. No you want to pick on all of his own insecurities. Make him feel as small as he tried to make you feel.

“Are you fucking serious?”

He pouts, “Is this about what I said before?”

You’re furious. Why is he acting like he hasn’t done anything wrong? Is he really that dumb?

“What important thing did you find?”

“This is a step by step explanation of the ritual itself,” Hoseok chooses to ignore the obvious tension between you, “We should try it.”

You look at him like he’s crazy, “What?” “Yeah why not? We can include it in our project. Maybe we can even record ourselves doing it.”

Something pulses behind your eyes.

“You want to perform the body swap ritual with me?” The words sound so ridiculous you almost laugh.

“Well yeah,” Hoseok shugs, “It’s not actually going to work, is it? So why not?”

You know he’s right. The rational, logical side of your brain tells you that body swap rituals and magic are not real. That it doesn’t matter what you and Hoseok do you won’t actually swap bodies.

And yet…

“I just don’t want to do it.”

Hoseok smirks then - one eyebrow raised teasingly, “Oh right…”

His tone annoys you.

“Why are you saying it like that?”

His smirk only grows. You ignore the stupid part of you that finds that look on his face attractive, and narrow your gaze at him.

“Just admit you’re scared,” He laughs a little, “And I’ll drop it.”

“I am not scared,” Your glare intensifies, “I just think performing the ritual would be stupid. And a waste of time.”

“You’re a chicken. I get it.” Hoseok’s tone only serves to annoy you further, “Stick in the mud and a scaredy cat.”

At this point you’re seething.

“Stop that.” “Stop what?” He smirks like the cat who got the cream and you resist the urge to lean forward and flick his nose.

“Stop acting like you know me, okay? You don’t.”

You don’t get it. You don’t understand why all of a sudden Hoseok seems hellbent on upsetting you. He’s always been at least agreeable.

“Hey,” His tone softens, “Hold on. I didn’t mean to piss you off…” The apology only strokes your anger. He didn’t mean to piss you off? You scoff.

“Fuck off, Hoseok.” “No seriously.” He frowns then, pushing the tower of books between the two of you to the side, “I was just teasing.” “Okay whatever. Let’s just keep researching-” “I didn’t mean any of it.” You lift your eyes then, connecting gazes with him - his soft and almost apologetic - yours sharp and angry.

“Yes you did,” You answer harshly, “You did so don’t pretend you didn’t. I know exactly what you think of me.” You don’t care that Hoseok never flirted with you. You don’t care that he isn’t into you - you don’t even care that he thinks you’re a stick in the mud.

But you hate that he thinks he knows you. And you hate that he’s looking at you almost like he… Pities you.

You hate that.

“Y/N-” “Hoseok forget it.” Your eyes narrow, “I don’t care. I just want to do well on this project and get this degree over and done with. Do you think we can do that?”

He shuts his mouth then. His eyes are still soft, and his expression is guilty, but you don’t care.

Good. Let him feel bad.

“I’m sorry.”

The words are quite possibly the worst thing he could say to you. You snap the book you were reading shut and stand up abruptly.

“Fuck you,” You’re furious now, “You don’t get to just say whatever you want to me, whenever you want, and then expect me to be cool with it because you said sorry. That’s not how this works.”

Hoseok stands too.

“I honestly thought-” “What? That you could sit here and say all those cruel things about me and think I wouldn’t care?” You laugh, but there’s no humour to it, “I’m not a fucking robot. I have feelings too.”

“I didn’t say that,” He tries again, coming round to your side of the table.

You step away quickly, wanting nothing more than to get out of there.

“I thought you knew I was joking.” “Well I didn’t,” You bite back, “And you weren’t joking. I know exactly what you think of me now.”

And then, because suddenly all you want to do is to hurt him back you scoff and gesture towards him.

“Besides. Do you want to know what I think of you?” His eyes widen then, “Y/N…” “No seeing as you gave your lovely description of me, why don’t I do the same?” You smile cruelly, and you can feel something hot and angry climbing up your spine, “I think you’re a shallow, vein, brainless slut who only thinks with his dick. You don’t care about anybody but yourself and you certainly don’t care about all the girls whose hearts you break. You’re an asshole.”

Hoseok pauses. The dynamic shifts, and suddenly you’re the villain.

You don’t care.

“Fuck you.” He spits.

You straighten your spine, “You started this. Now deal with it.”

There is a tense moment between the two of you. Like you’re held by a piece of taut string that might snap at any time.

You think maybe Hoseok is going to shout at you. Maybe you deserve it.

Something like guilt niggles at the pit of your stomach but you push it to the side. He started this.

After a beat, he sighs heavily and straightens his shoulders.

“I think we’re done here.” His tone is cold, “We’ll talk when we’ve both cooled off.”

“Whatever.” You mumble the word - refusing to drop eye contact.

Something flickers across his face for a moment - something vulnerable and tender - but it’s gone before you can properly register it.

He grabs his backpack and swings it over his shoulder, nodding at you stiffly.

Without another word, he leaves, and the moment he’s gone, you deflate. You’re suddenly aware of the very public argument the two of you just had, and something like embarrassment flashes through you.

You look around quickly, relieved when you notice there’s nobody else around.

And why would they be? It is, after all, a Saturday.

You feel sick. You feel hot and cold and angry and even a little bit guilty.

After a moment, your phone lights up. It’s a text from Sana.

SANA: there’s a party tonight at the beta house. wanna go????

You stare at the words. You mull them over. You consider all your options.

And then, for reasons you’re not proud of, you text her back. One word.

Yes.

//

Sana is surprised of course when you say yes.

You’re surprised too. But you know exactly why you agreed to go. You know why you’ve stuffed yourself into one of Sana’s tiny little crop tops.

To prove a point. You’re not boring. You’re not stiff. You’re not just sweater vests and ponytails. You can let loose.

Jung Hoseok is wrong. And you’re going to show him exactly how wrong he is.

But the moment you walk through the front door to the Beta house, you immediately regret your decision.

“Stop fiddling,” Sana tells you, gesturing towards the hem of the top you keep pulling down, “You look good. Great, even.”

“I feel dumb.” You mutter, eyes scanning the room for a certain head of bright red hair.

You hate yourself for looking but you can't help it. You want him to see you. You want him to realise he’s wrong.

“Well you don’t look dumb. You look hot,” Sana smacks your ass gently, “Enjoy yourself. You look like you’re about to throw up.”

You roll your eyes at her and follow as she cuts her way through the crowd of people clustered around the living room.

“You want a beer?” She shouts over her shoulder.

You hesitate. It’s been a while since you’ve drank any alcohol. But you suppose one beer won’t hurt.

“Yeah alright,” You answer back, as a particularly beefy guy in a football sweater steps on your foot.

He doesn’t even bother to apologise, and you’re suddenly very aware of why you hate parties.

When the two of you finally make your way to the kitchen, Namjoon is already there, leaning against the counter talking to Park Jimin - a freshman and one of Namjoon’s friends.

“Sana!” Namjoon smiles, nice and wide when he spots his girlfriend, “Oh! Y/N!” His smile grows when he sees you.

“Hey Joonie. I finally convinced Y/N to come to one of your infamous ragers,” Sana kisses Namjoon briefly and smiles at Jimin, “Hey Jiminie.” Jimin grins, “Hey there.” Park Jimin is one of Namjoon’s childhood friends and a firm believer that fraternities and sororities for that matter, rot the human mind. Both Hoseok and the rest of Beta have tried to rush him so many times, but Jimin refuses to be swept up in it. So, of course, you think he’s a pretty cool guy.

“Hello,” You smile politely, “Long time no see Namjoon. Nice to see you again Jimin.”

“You too. I heard you and Hoseok are partnered up for your big end of grade project.” Your blood boils again at the mention of him, and your smile turns tight.

“Ah. Yeah we are.” Jimin smirks, “My condolences.”

You snort out a laugh. Yeah, Jimin’s not bad at all really.

“Whatever do you mean?” You lay on the sarcasm nice and thick, “Hoseok is so agreeable.” Jimin scoffs, “Isn’t he just?”

“He was in an awful mood today,” Namjoon adds, rolling his eyes, “Made it very clear his intention was to get absolutely shit faced tonight.” You feel a lick of satisfaction (and maybe a little bit of guilt) at the revelation that Hoseok is in any way negatively affected by what happened earlier on at the library, but you decide not to mention the conversation.

After all, Jimin and Namjoon are his friends and it would just be putting them in a weird position. If Hoseok doesn’t want to tell them himself, then neither will you.

Sana grabs a few beers from the plethora of drinks stacked to her left and passes you one.

“Doesn’t Hoseok always get shit faced?” She pulls a face, “That man is unstoppable when he starts.”

Jimin rolls his eyes taking a swig from his own beer, “D’you guys remember at the Christmas party last year? He used my Nike Airs as a throw up receptacle.”

Namjoon shivers and groans.

“The bathroom smelled like puke for weeks. Jesus. He really doesn’t have an off button, sometimes.”

“That sounds horrific,” You mutter, scoffing a gentle laugh, “I can’t believe you guys let him get away with that shit.”

“We didn’t let him get away with it. Didn’t you hear Sana? He’s unstoppable.” Jimin’s eyes flicker towards the doorway of the kitchen, “Shit. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”

Your eyes move to follow Jimin’s and when you settle on a shock of cherry red hair, something in your stomach turns.

Shit. This was a bad idea.

Hoseok is flanked, of course, by resident fuck boy Kim Taehyung - and one of the older frat members, Kim Seokjin. You’ve only met Jin a handful of times but you’ve come to rank him on nearly the same level as Taehyung.

He is equally as obnoxious and bone-headed.

His one saving grace? Jin secretly volunteers at the Big Brother programme your college offers to underprivileged kids in the city. You’ve seen him at the middle school, on Saturday mornings, and his little brother Changkyun thinks the sun and moon rise with him.

Seokjin asked you very discreetly, once, if you could keep what you had seen to yourself, and you obliged. After all, the last thing you want is for Jin to drop out of the programme and leave little Changkyun without a big brother.

So you shut your mouth, and suffer through his frat boy persona, in silence.

Hoseok’s eyes scan the room slowly, and after a moment, you lock your gaze with his.

Shit. He is furious. His brow furrows and he turns to shout something to Taehyung over the music, before making his way out of the kitchen quickly. You hate to think it, but you know he left because he’d seen you.

Taehyung’s eyes dip towards you and he raises a singular brow, before shrugging his shoulders and turning to follow Hoseok. Jin doesn’t even bother meeting your eyes.

You feel something sting in your chest. Your heart turns.

It shouldn’t have bothered you but it does. Hoseok is avoiding you.

You take a long gulp from your beer to tamp down the disappointment curdling in your chest and try to tune into the conversation Namjoon, Sana and Jimin are currently having about whether or not it is possible to make contact with aliens.

Shit.

This is going to be a long night.

//

It is several hours later when you realise you are drunk.

You can count on one hand the amount of times this has happened. You never usually like getting drunk, but for some reason tonight is different.

The beer helped relax you, and then it helped you forget the awkwardness with Hoseok, and then it helped you ignore why you hated the awkwardness with Hoseok so much.

Your heart doesn’t ache so much now that you are drunk.

“Woah there,” Sana catches your arm, “You’re a little unsteady on your feet cowboy.”

You are currently trying to dance to some remixed early 2000’s EDM hit. Maybe you should feel embarrassed - both at your inebriated state, and your complete lack of coordination - but you can’t bring yourself to care.

Sana’s smile is a little weary as she grabs your shoulders gently, “Are you okay?” You throw up a peace sign with one hand, and a thumbs up with the other.

“Just peachy,” A hiccup slips out, “I wanna daaaaaance.” Sana seems dubious at your reply.

“We should get you some water.” She turns to Namjoon, who is still debating the existence of aliens with Jimin, “Can you get Y/N some water?”

Namjoon gives you a look of pity.

Jimin shakes his head, “Oh how the mighty have fallen.” You summon up the best glare you can manage, and Namjoon scurries away, followed quickly by Jimin, who brings up the possibility of life on mars for the third time that night.

You turn to Sana, and notice there’s two of her standing in front of you.

Strange.

“Y’know Hoseok hates me,” You suddenly need to get it off your chest, “He hates me and he’s never flirted with me. I don’t know why you think we’d make a good couple because… We wouldn’t.”

You hiccup again, and Sana frowns deeply.

“He doesn’t hate you, Y/N.” “Yes he does,” You feel something like tears prick your eyes, “I called him a brainless slut.”

Sana’s eyes widen. She seems stunned.

“What?” “We had a fight,” You wipe your eyes harshly. When did you start crying?, “In the library. And I said he was a heartless asshole who only thinks with his dick.”

Sana is silent for a moment. Then she sighs heavily.

“Well that was a little harsh.” You pout, “He deserved it.”

Before Sana can say anything more on the matter, you spot that same head of red hair. You set your jaw determinedly and start to make your way across the room.

Hoseok hasn’t seen you yet, and you consider the element of surprise your friend, in this situation.

Sana, however, has different plans. She pulls you back by your elbow and raises a brow.

“What are you doing?” She asks plainly.

“Going to talk to Hoseok.” She shakes her head, “No you’re not. You’re gonna sit right here,” She leads the both of you over to a ratty couch pushed into the far left corner of the room, “And you’re going to wait for your water.” You feel tears well again.

“I need to talk to him.” “Y/N you don’t.” Sana is firm, “You need to sober up and then you can think about having a conversation with him.”

Just as Sana finishes her sentence, a tall, skinny freshman barrels into her out of nowhere. They’re both knocked down, and Sana is disorientated as she stares up into the freshman’s apologetic eyes.

“Oh my god!” The freshman scrambles up, “I’m so sorry. I should’ve looked where I was going. Are you okay?” She offers Sana a hand, and against your better judgement you use this as your moment to escape. With Sana distracted, you stand quickly, making a beeline for Hoseok, and ignoring Sana’s eventual cries to stop.

She’s too slow, and before she can physically pull you back, you find yourself standing in front of Hoseok. His dark eyes fall on you, and he raises a brow.

For some reason, you really expected him to be drunk, but instead his eyes are startlingly clear. He hasn’t had a drop of alcohol, it seems.

“Y/N.” His voice is rough.

You feel Sana grabbing your elbow and you shove her away.

“Hoseok.” You lift your chin, “You’ve been avoiding me.” A muscle in his jaw ticks. He’s pissed.

Well. So what? So are you.

“Sorry Hoseok,” Sana tries to apologise on your behalf, “She’s really drunk.” Hoseok throws her a terse smile, “It’s okay Sana. Let her talk. She’s clearly got something she wants to say.”

“No this is a really bad idea…” Sana tries to pull you away again but you stand your ground, despite your drunken state.

“Y’know,” You point an angry finger at Hoseok’s chest, “We should perform that body swap ritual. You wouldn’t last a day with my responsibilities,” You scoff angrily, “And what would I have to do? Get drunk and act like a massive dick.”

You know you’re taking it too far. Hoseok’s eyes darken and you’re struck by the thought that you shouldn’t be saying things like this.

Why are you provoking him?

“Sana’s right.” He grits his teeth, “You are drunk. So I’m going to forget everything you just said.”

Your eyes widen. He’s giving you an out.

He’s giving you what… Mercy?

No. No way. He’s not about to stand there and somehow act like he’s above all of this. You narrow your gaze.

“Fuck you,” You spit, “After everything you said earlier… You want to act like I’m the bitch now?”

You feel bile rising to your throat but you shove it down. You’re not going to throw up. And you’re definitely not going to throw up on Hoseok.

“I’m saying you’re drunk Y/N. It’s late.” His eyes flicker, “Go home.”

Namjoon has somehow made his way over to you, Jimin in tow, and they too try to stop whatever the fuck is going on between you and Hoseok.

Jimin touches your elbow gently

“Hey, Y/N c’mon…”

You shrug him off and take another step towards Hoseok - nose almost brushing his.

“Do it.” Your eyes challenge him, “If you’ve got any balls I dare you to do it. Perform the body swap ritual.”

Hoseok’s nostrils flare. He’s so angry at you.

Maybe any other time you’d care. But right now you just want him to react. You can’t stand his stony glare - or the way he’s acting like you’re somehow in the wrong, here.

You hate that he’s trying to take the high road. You want him down here with you - bitter and venomous.

“I’m not going to do anything.” He arches a brow, “Listen to your friends.”

You take a big gulp of breath in. He seems determined not to let you win this one.

And then somewhere, deep inside your gut, you pull something out. Something you know will cause irreparable damage. And yet… You can’t help it.

You’re like a woman possessed.

“Fuck. You really are a loser.” The words are like acid, and they burn your mouth, “Brainless slut with absolutely no ambition. Bet your parents are so proud of you.” Somewhere in the recesses of your mind, you remember Sana telling you something about Hoseok’s mom. You think on it for just a second, and then your chest tightens.

Shit, shit, shit.

“What the fuck, Y/N?” This comes from Namjoon, who pulls you back from Hoseok harshly, “That was a low blow.”

Your mind reels.

“Oh my god Hoseok.” You turn to him, “I’m so sorry-”

“Fuck you,” He answers venemously, “Fucking bitch.”

And without another word he storms off. For the first time since your altercation began, you notice Jin hovering to the left of where Hoseok was standing. He frowns.

“Y’know his mom’s sick right? Like… Really sick.” He sighs heavily, “I know Hoseok can be an asshole. But that was a dick move.”

Without another word Jin slinks after his friend and you turn to Sana, feeling sick to your stomach.

You open your mouth to tell her that you need to leave… And before you can say a word, you're throwing up.

Great.

Could this night get any better?

//

You wake the next morning with a banging headache. Your eyes peel open slowly, blearily, and for a moment you’re struck by how dark your room is.

Your blinds have been broken for nearly six months. How is it that you’ve somehow managed to block out all sunlight this morning?

You groan and turn to the side, wondering if it might still be night time, but the sound of cars and people outside quickly proves that theory wrong.

Fuck. This is why you don’t drink.

You remember, all too vividly, your awful, horrendous conversation with Hoseok and suddenly you want to vomit again.

You know you crossed the proverbial line in the sand. There’s no way he’s ever going to want to speak to you again, and the truth is you understand why not.

Why the fuck would you say something like that?

So cruel and angry?

Your chest hurts, and your headache is splitting, and all at once you feel like the worst person on the planet.

The guilt gnaws away at your heart, and you wonder if it will make a home there for a while. You decide you probably deserve it.

With a groan, you roll over, reaching for your bedside table to grab your phone, and finding, instead, air.

What?

You try to find your furniture in the darkness, and when nothing turns up, you quirk a brow. What the fuck. Did you move your bedside table around in your drunkenness too?

Your headache intensifies at the thought and you press a hand to your temples, trying to force it away.

After a moment you push yourself off your bed, rising to your feet and reaching for the light switch that usually sits just to the left of your bed. But you don't find it.

You stumble around in the dark - wondering just how hungover you truly are that you’ve suddenly forgotten the entire layout of your bedroom - when the door swings open. You turn quickly, ready to reprimand Sana for entering without knocking and finding instead that Kim Taehyung stands before you.

And not only is he standing before you. He is also currently incredibly topless.

“Morning,” He holds a bowl of cereal, “How’s it cracking?”

You stare at him incredulously. And then, of course, you do the only normal thing you can think to do.

You scream.

But when you scream your voice doesn’t sound like your voice. It sounds low and gravelly and… Why the fuck is Kim Taehyung in your house?

And why is he so chill about it?

“What the fuck?” Taehyung jumps, and a splash of milk hits the ground, “What are you screaming about dude? It’s like nine AM.”

And then you notice the full length mirror standing just to the left of Taehyung. The room is still dark - illuminated only by the open door Taehyung is standing in front of - but you see your reflection staring back at you clearly enough.

And the two dark eyes blinking at you are not the eyes you grew up knowing.

Because looking back at you through the reflection of the mirror is Jung fucking Hoseok’s body.

It takes you approximately ten seconds before you faint and his body hits the ground.

//

You wake up less than a minute later surrounded by the boys of house Beta. Taehyung is blinking down at you - as are Jin and Namjoon - and you notice Min Yoongi too (the most elusive Beta member) snapping his fingers in front of your face.

“Dude I told you not to drink so much last night.” Taehyung seems relieved when you - or well when Hoseok - sit up, “Fuck that Y/N chick. She’s a bitch.”

You can barely hear him over the fuzziness in your brain.

You’re asleep, right? You must be asleep.

There’s no way you’re sat on the Beta Theta Sigma house floor, in Jung Hoseok’s body nursing the worst hangover of your life.

You pinch yourself. You pinch yourself so hard you yelp and Taehyung arches a brow.

“Hoseok. What the fuck is going on man?” He lowers his face towards you, “You’re acting weird.”

Hoseok. He called you Hoseok.

Suddenly you want to hyperventilate. No you’re sure you’re going to hyperventilate.

“He needs coffee.” Yoongi moves just as Taehyung and Jin help you to your feet, “I’ll go make some.”

He hovers away and when you stand you look around Hoseok’s bedroom - basketball posters on the wall - a simple bed without a frame (of course) and a wardrobe the size of a box, almost.

It’s clean at least. And neat.

Shit. Fuck. This can not be happening.

“Listen Hobi, I know what Y/N said last night was really shitty,” This comes from Namjoon, whose eyes are serious but kind, “But she was just drunk. She felt awful afterwards.”

You swallow thickly. Something like a lump settles at the bottom of your throat.

You need water.

“She means well.” He continues, “She’s just a little….”

“Bit of a bitch,” Taehyung finishes for Namjoon, shaking his head furiously, “Fuck her. She ruined your night. You don’t need that shit in your life.”

“He's got to finish the end of term project with her,” Jin reminds Taehyung almost studiously. He turns to you, “I think it would be a good idea to find some middle ground.”

You know you have to say something. You have to.

Jin, Namjoon and Taehyung are staring at you. Or well at Hoseok.

You have to say something before they think you’ve completely lost it.

You clear your throat.

Well you clear Hoseok’s throat, but at this point the semantics don’t matter.

“Okay.” You say slowly. You hear Hoseok’s voice - deep and gravelly and broken up from sleep and drinking, “I’ll talk to her.”

“Atta boy,” Namjoon steps towards you and claps you good-naturedly on the shoulder, “She really is a great person-”

And then somewhere to your left, Hoseok’s phone starts to ring. You recognise the opening notes to ‘Anaconda’ by Nikki Minaj and bite back an eye roll.

Definitely not the time for that. Instead, you turn sharply, suddenly sensing the person on the other side of the phone is Hoseok.

Or well, it’s you. But it’s Hoseok in your body.

Oh God this was going to give you another migraine.

You scramble to grab the phone that has been tossed unceremoniously to the foot of the bed and pick it up quickly, swiping to answer.

“Hello,” You sound breathless.

“Y/N?” It’s your voice speaking back to you and suddenly everything is so strange and surreal that you’re worried you might faint again.

“Uh yes. Yeah. It’s me.”

“What the fuck is happening?” Hoseok sounds bewildered, “What the fuck happened last night?” “I don’t remember,” You hiss, turning slightly to see that the other boys have left you to your own devices. You walk towards the door and slam it shut, just as Taehyung throws you a middle finger from across the hallway.

He’s still eating that damn cereal.

“All I know is that I woke up this morning… And I was you.” The words sound so ridiculous and yet somehow they’re true.

“This is my literal worst nightmare,” Hearing your voice like this is weird, but you suppose in the grand scheme of things it’s not the worst thing to happen to you this morning, “What the fuck. I don’t know what to do. I’ve avoided Sana as best I can, but she’s insisted on bringing me coffee from the cafe by campus.”

You're pacing Hoseok’s room, trying very hard to avoid eye contact with the expanse of hairy pale legs sticking out from the pyjama shorts Hoseok is wearing.

“I keep thinking this is some horrible dream,” You mutter, tugging a hand through Hoseok’s incredibly short hair, “What the fuck.”

Hoseok makes a sound of disbelief from the other side of the phone, and then sighs deeply.

“You need to come over.”

“What?” “You need to come over, Y/N,” He tells you matter of factly, and you try to focus on anything other than the fact that you’re hearing your own voice talk to you in real time, “We need to figure this out.”

You know he’s right of course.

“What do I tell your friends?”

His throat clears.

“Tell them you’re going to see Jisoo.”

Jisoo?

You bite back the urge to ask who that is, because you’re pretty sure you already know the answer.

“Okay.” You feel sick again, “I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up the phone without another word and you finally turn to look at yourself properly in the mirror. Hoseok’s big brown eyes stare back at you, and you feel so strange you have to blink several times to clear the feeling.

You’re topless. Hoseok’s abs are cut to perfection and you feel bad for momentarily ogling them.

You hate to admit it but fuck he’s hot.

You know you have to put clothes on - Hoseok can’t walk around the streets topless - but you feel weird rooting through his things. Like you’re overstepping a boundary.

You try not to think of the very horrible boundary you overstepped last night, and instead force yourself to open the closet door and pull out the first sweater your fingers come into contact with. You decide to keep the pyjama shorts on - your brain cannot currently deal with a pantless Hoseok - and slip on a pair of sneakers.

It’s an awful look, but if anybody asks you’ll blame the hangover.

You grab Hoseok’s phone and slip it into the pocket of the sweater you’re wearing, opening the door and slipping out into the hallway.

Taehyung is still standing in the hallway, just outside the kitchen, nursing that same bowl of cereal. He quirks a brow at your appearance.

“Where are you going?” He asks bluntly.

You take a deep breath.

“Jisoo’s.” Taehyung’s eyebrow arches all the way towards his hairline.

“Right now?” His eyes scan your appearance, “Looking like that?”

You try to act debonair, throwing Taehyung a smirk.

“Not like she cares what I’m wearing,” You answer, adding on a chuckle for full asshole effect, “Right?”

Taehyung’s eyes narrow for a moment.

You worry that you said the wrong thing. Shit. But then his face breaks out into a boxy grin and he chuckles.

“I don’t know how you do it man.” Taehyung’s grin widens, “Girls flock to you even when you turn up looking like that.”

“Right,” Your chest tightens at the thought of girls flocking to Hoseok, but you push it down and try to grin, “Well. Y’know me. I’m a regular casanova.” Taehyung snorts a laugh and Yoongi appears behind him, holding a flask.

“Your coffee.” He tells you seriously, “You’ll need it to get through the day.”

Oh. How right he was.

//

You turn up to your own front door less than twenty minutes later, pressing the buzzer and wondering for a moment what the fuck you’re going to say if Sana opens the door.

How the hell are you going to explain a very hungover Jung Hoseok turning up to your apartment first thing on a Sunday morning? Especially when the two of you didn’t exactly end things on good terms last night.

But when the door swings open and you’re faced with yourself you breathe a sigh of relief. Then a wave of anxiety and sickness passes through you, reminding you once again that you’re in Hoseok’s fucking body.

“Come on. Quickly,” Hoseok pulls you inside the apartment, and you try to ignore being faced with your own body - that you’re not inside.

Has anybody in the history of the world ever had to deal with this?

You follow Hoseok wordlessly into your own room, and try not to think too hard about the implications behind that. Hoseok is in your room. The bed isn’t made (why does that not surprise you?) but everything else is tidy, thank God. And despite all the fucking weirdness today has brought on so far, you’re thankful at least for that.

“What the fuck,” Hoseok stares at you - widening your eyes, “What the fuck is happening. You’re me. And I’m you.” He tugs a hand through your unruly hair and you wince.

“Ow.” He grunts and you give him a sympathetic smile.

“You can’t just run your fingers through it,” You tell him, “You need to condition first. Then brush in the shower.” The look on your face is absolute disbelief when Hoseok turns to you.

“You’re kidding, right?” You bite your bottom lip, “Sorry. Just trying to help.”

Hoseok softens the lines around your eyes and sighs heavily, sitting at the edge of your bed and placing his head in his hands. He makes a strangled sound.

“This can’t be happening.”

You join Hoseok on the bed, feeling your own shoulders deflate.

“We have to go through the events of last night,” You start slowly, trying to find something - anything - that might help you explain what the fuck is going on, “Maybe we can figure out a way to… Reverse it.” You feel so useless. Hoseok blinks at you.

“Reverse the fact that we have somehow swapped bodies?”

The reality of the situation slaps you across the face again. You feel winded.

“Yeah,” You conclude, “We can’t just live like this forever.”

Hoseok takes a deep breath, “After our little… Altercation last night…I got wasted. All I can remember is telling Jin again and again how,” He shifts a little, and your eyes meet for a moment before he drops contact, “Awful I thought you were. He kept telling me to forget it but I wouldn’t.”

You suck in a sharp breath. You feel terrible for what you said last night and you want to apologise again.

“I am sorry,” You say as sincerely as you can, “Really, Hoseok. What I said last night was incredibly shitty and you didn’t deserve that.”

He sighs heavily, and the atmosphere thickens.

“You’re right I didn’t deserve it. But none of that matters right now,” He stands abruptly - and for the first time you notice what Hoseok has chosen to dress you in. Sweats and a t-shirt.

God. If Sana saw you looking like that she would definitely think something was very wrong.

“I think… Maybe…. In my drunken anger,” Hoseok paces the length of your room and then pauses, turning to face you, “I think I might have performed the ritual.”

There is a beat. Then you clear your throat.

“What do you mean?”

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

“I think I performed the body swap ritual. The one you kept insisting I did.” The words fall like concrete between the two of you, “I think I got back to my room and I was so fucking pissed off at you that I thought you actually deserved it. Living as me for a while.”

He gestures towards you - stuck in his body - and shrugs.

“I guess it worked.”

“Oh my god,” You feel sick again, “So you’re saying an ancient Sillan ritual that bares absolutely no solid evidence in the real world has somehow worked and that’s why the two of us have swapped bodies?” You feel lost.

“Yeah.” He scoffs, “It sounds fucking insane. But it’s the only explanation I have.”

You want to tell him he’s being ridiculous. Want to tell him that there has to be some logical, rational explanation for all of this but the truth is - there isn’t.

You woke up this morning in Jung Hoseok’s body. He woke up in your body.

And apart from some stupid drunken ritual he apparently performed last night, there’s absolutely no other explanation for this. You lick your bottom lip and stand.

“Okay. Fine. We have to go then.”

Hoseok raises one of your brows, “Go?” “To the library.” You clarify, “We need to figure out how to switch us back.”

Hoseok winces. Then he nods.

“Yeah. Yeah okay. Let’s go.”

But of course, the moment you stand to make your way over to the door, it is thrown open quickly and a very dishevelled-looking Sana greets you. You almost forget how to breathe.

Sana’s face drops quickly, as her eyes move between the two of you. She raises a brow all the way up into her hairline, and her gaze widens.

“Oh my god,” She whispers holding two takeaway cups of coffee, “Hoseok? What the fuck are you doing here?”

You realise all at once that she’s looking at you of course - because for all intents and purposes you are Hoseok - and you clear your throat quickly, trying to push down the dread building it’s way towards the surface.

“Good morning to you too, Sana.”

You try to play it nonchalant, but Sana isn’t having any of it.

“If I had known Y/N had company I would have offered you a coffee too.”

You try to smirk, “It’s alright. I already had mine.” You hold up the flask of coffee Yoongi made you earlier and Sana’s eyes narrow. She bites her bottom lip.

“Did you stay the night?”

The question immediately causes you to flush. She grins.

“Oh my god you did-”

Hoseok, of course, stops this thought right in its tracks.

You try not to think about why the thought of the two of you sleeping together seems to cause him so much disgust, and focus instead on the fact that he’s trying to help you out.

“Stop being stupid Sana,” He speaks in that clipped tone of yours, and suddenly you hate how prim and proper you sound, “Hoseok is only here for the project.”

Sana frowns.

“But aren’t you guys hungover? Why the fuck would you choose to do work on today of all days?” She eyes you both suspiciously, “You’re not hiding something from me, are you?”

You look to Hoseok, who shakes his head.

“We’re hungover. But there’s no rest for the wicked right?” He smiles and you can see how awkward it is - you’d never smile like that, especially not at Sana - but there’s nothing you can do about it, “We want to ace this.”

Sana turns to you next, eyes softening as she lifts the side of her mouth gently.

“So you two are okay after last night?”

The question is directed at Hoseok but of course he can’t answer it. Instead she’s looking right at you because you woke up this morning and somehow you were Hoseok.

“Yeah uh, Y/N apologised,” Hoseok’s voice sounds gruff and you cough slightly, “We’re fine now. She was really sorry and she was drunk. But that’s the devil’s juice for you.” The devil’s juice?

What the hell is wrong with you?

Sana sighs, “Well as long as you two are okay…”

Hoseok steps forward quickly, grabbing the second coffee cup from Sana’s hands and sliding past her quickly.

“We’re fine,” He assures her, smiling briefly, “We really need to go now Sana. The library awaits.”

You feel lost all over again. Your best friend nods and moves out of the way to let you pass through, when all you want is a big, fat hug from her.

But you can’t ask her of course, because that would mean getting Sana to hug Hoseok. And that would bring with it a whole load of questions. Instead you smile at her softly, and follow after Hoseok, watching the back of your own head as he cuts straight towards the front door.

“Don’t study too hard,” Sana’s voice follows you as Hoseok throws the portal open, “And make sure you’re back for dinner. Namjoon’s coming over for games night. And he’s bringing Jungkook.”

You internally groan at that.

When Sana’s not trying to set you up with Hoseok, she’s trying her hand at matchmaking by attempting to set you up with Namjoon’s little brother, Jungkook. He’s a sophomore at a different university and he’s nice enough but you just don’t have time for any of that.

“Uh… Yeah sure.” Hoseok throws back, “I’ll see you then.”

You both step out into the hallway and once the door slams shut, he turns to you carefully, gaze intense.

“I would just like you to know,” He takes a swig from the coffee Sana brought, “This is the worst hangover of my life.” You groan in agreement.

“Ditto.”

//

.

[jung-koook]

skater boy jk era

[neonlights92]

Flip & Reverse It (I)

Your relationship with resident fuckboy Jung Hoseok is anything but simple. Sitting somewhere between hate and genuine friendship is the fact that you’ve always secretly, sort of wanted him.

And then one day you wake up and you’re in Hoseok’s body. And he’s in yours. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Genre: rom-com, body swap, (sort of) enemies to lovers

Word count: 10k

Warnings: language and future smut

A/N: Heeeey guys. So in the end, I decided to split this story into two parts as it is MAMMOTH. Hope you enjoy the first part, and I’m hoping to post the second part soon xxx

Jung Hoseok is, officially, the dumbest person you’ve ever met.

“You want to do our end of semester project on what?”

It is your first period of the day- Introduction to Ancient Cultures - and a Monday Morning. You’re quite proud of yourself to be honest. Hoseok is, of course, already driving you nuts and you’ve somehow managed to stop yourself from lunging at him from across the table.

“Look it’s meant to be about ancient rituals, right?” He tugs a hand through his freshly dyed cherry red hair, “So why not a sex ritual?”

You feel something like a migraine coming on. You squeeze your eyes shut for a moment of respite and when you open them again Hoseok is still looking at you with that almost smug grin on his face.

“You’re just a fucking horn dog.”

“That I am.” His grin only grows, “C’mon. I’m a senior in college and a hot blooded male. If I didn’t suggest writing a report on an ancient sex ritual it would be weird.”

All you can do is glare. The look on his face only serves to stroke your anger and you fight the urge to grunt.

He just… He looks so self-satisfied. As though what he’s just said is clever and funny. As though you should somehow fall to your feet and worship him like every other doe-eyed freshman on campus does.

No. No. Maybe once upon a time you had a microscopic crush on Jung Hoseok but three years later and you know exactly what kind of person he is. You won’t bite.

Hoseok rolls his eyes at your stoic expression and leans back in his chair.

“Fine. What do you want to do the report on?”

You answer without missing a beat.

“A body swap ritual.”

Hoseok raises a dark brow. He cocks his head to the side, and you take that as your cue to continue.

“It dates back to the Silla Kingdom. They reigned the Korean peninsula for almost a thousand years-”

“I know about the Silla Kingdom Y/N. I’m a history major too, y’know.” He scoffs playfully and you roll your shoulders back.

“Then you know about their body swap rituals?”

His eyes flicker. He knows that you know that he doesn’t know.

God. The look on his face is satisfying.

“Well… No…” He grumbles, leaning forward slightly when you pull out one of the many textbooks you’ve spent the last week scouring through.

“Not much is known about them - however there are a few reports on it actually working. One is the story of a rich noblewoman and her handmaiden,” You hear the excitement in your tone and you try to tamp it down but you just can’t. This kind of stuff is so interesting to you, “So of course the noblewoman was a grade A bitch-”

Hoseok snorts, “Classic.”

“And the handmaiden had fallen in love with her mistresses betrothed. So she performed the body swap ritual with the help of a witch doctor and apparently… It worked. They both died of old age… In each other’s bodies.”

You know the story is folklore - a fairytale spun by the spiritual to give rituals like this legitimacy - but you can’t help the thrill that travels up your spine as you recount what you’ve researched.

Hoseok raises a dark brow, “So… Why this ritual, then?”

“Because it’s different. Everyone in class will end up doing human sacrifices and even sex rituals but something like this…” You shrug and bite your bottom lip, “It will be a challenge. And there may even be limited information out there about it but… It will be fun.”

Hoseok’s lips split into a grin, “Fun?” “Yeah y’know learning something new.” You answer rolling your eyes, “Have you ever tried that? Learning?”

Hoseok watches you for a moment. Maybe you took it too far with that last jab. But fuck if he doesn’t push every one of your buttons all at the same time.

“You won’t be happy until I say yes, will you?” Hoseok leans his cheek against one of his palms, eyes scanning your face carefully.

“Nope.”

You pop the ‘p’ for emphasis. You mean business baby.

“Alright, alright fine. I’ll do it,” He shrugs, “As long as it gets us a good grade.” You grin, “Believe me. It will.”

He reaches a hand towards you and you stare at it, one eyebrow raised.

“We should shake on it,” He tells you, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “So we’re both on the same page. It’s how me and the boys agree on things.”

The boys are Hoseok’s obnoxious frat brothers. Beta Theta Sigma. You shiver. It’s not that you hate fraternities - it’s that you abhor almost everything they stand for.

Okay, so maybe you hate them. But the truth is, most frat boys are assholes. Present company included.

“Fine. Whatever gets you to shut up,” You grab the hand that’s pointing towards you and shake it once, firmly, before pulling away.

You don’t think about the fact that Hoseok’s palm was warm and big and kind of soft. No you can’t think about that.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” The toothy grin he shoots you almost makes you gag.

You wish you could say the same.

//

“So you’re telling me,” Your roommate Sana stands in the doorway of your bedroom, “That you’ve teamed up with Jung Hoseok for your biggest partner project of your entire degree?” You roll your eyes at the disbelief in her tone.

“It wasn’t my choice. We were randomly assigned together.”

“The universe hates you,” Sana wrinkles her cute little button nose, “Hoseok is kind of a meathead.”

Sana is, in many ways, just like you. She’s pre-med and probably the hardest worker you know (after yours truly of course) and she holds just as much disdain for fraternities as you do. There’s just one tiny little difference.

She’s also dating one of Hoseok’s frat brothers, Kim Namjoon.

You have to admit he’s the only guy in Beta - hell the only guy on this entire campus - worth taking a second look at.

But it does kind of soften the blow of her insults because well, Sana’s kind of friends with the rest of Beta Theta Sigma too.

“You can’t say that when you’re his friend.” You reply, raising a brow at the look she pulls.

“Actually I can say that because I’m his friend,” She shrugs, “He’s not the asshole you so fiercely think he is… But he is a bonehead. They all are. Even Joonie.”

You snort, “Joonie is not a bonehead. He’s the smartest guy I know.” “Whatever. The point is the two of you don’t always get along,” She frowns, “And I know how much this grade means to you.” “We’re going to ace it,” You answer immediately, “Plus I hate to admit it but Hoseok’s smart. Much smarter than I probably give him credit for. We’ll be fine.”

Sana’s eyes widen in that way they always do when you say anything mildly positive about Hoseok. She smirks and you know what’s coming.

“Oh is he smart?” Her tone pisses you off.

“Shut up, Sana.” “No c’mon you said it first not me,” She waggles her eyebrows, “You think he’s smart. Do you think he’s cute too? Do you want to hold hands with him and discuss history together?”

“Will you stop it?” Your cheeks flush because yes, obviously you’re annoyed at Sana’s insinuation - but the fact that once upon a time it might have been true only serves to annoy you even further.

“I’m just saying,” She grins widely this time, coming to perch on the end of your bed, “I think you two would make a cute couple.” You gag dramatically at her words.

“Don’t be like that,” She nudges you playfully, “You said it yourself. Hoseok’s smart.” “And you said it yourself…. he’s also a bonehead.” You retaliate, crossing your arms, “And a meathead. We barely get along on the best of days. Why would you want me to date someone like that?” Sana shrugs and sighs heavily.

“He’s a good guy,” She tells you sincerely, “He just gets a bad rep because he’s kind of a slut. But I think he would settle down for the right girl. Plus I know you secretly have the hots for him.”

You scoff, “I do not have the hots for Jung Hoseok.”

“Oh come on,” She pulls a face, “You’d have to be blind not to see how stunning he is.” “That doesn’t mean I’m into him.” You point out, hating the fact that she’s obviously right.

Hoseok may be an obnoxious prick, but he is gorgeous.

“I don’t know. I think there’s something there. Be it sexual tension or something more…”

“Try just regular tension,” You deadpan, “Seriously. How can you go from calling him a brainless slut one second to trying to set him up with me the next?”

“Because I have eyes Y/N. I’m not dumb. You two have chemistry. Plus he’s not brainless. Just a slut.” You laugh then.

“You are ridiculous.”

“Is it so wrong that I want my friends to be happy?” Sana purses her lips at your disdain, “I think you two could do that for one another.”

You refrain from mentioning that you are probably the only girl on campus - hell, the only girl in this entire city Hoseok refuses to flirt with.

Maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt her feelings, or maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt your own (it’s definitely the second one) but you think it’s better Sana doesn’t know.

Whatever chemistry she insists she sees is just something stupid her loved up brain imagines to make her feel better about the fact that she essentially abandoned you for a frat boy. “Look I’m not saying he’s the devil. I just - I want to get on with this project, survive this very last semester, graduate with a 4.0 and get into the school’s masters programme. That’s all I want.”

“And you will. Of course you will Y/N. You’re the smartest person I know.” You pull a face then, “You have to say that, you’re my friend.” “Maybe. But it’s still true.”

Sana stands then, making her way out of your bedroom and asking what you’d like for dinner. You reply with something non-committal and tell her she can decide for the both of you.

But her words stick with you.

Hoseok… A good guy?

It can’t be. No. No.

You shake your head furiously.

You’ve been down this path once before, and you won’t do it again. Not this time.

You’re going to ace the project, you’re going to graduate, and you’re never going to see Jung Hoseok again.

It’s for the best.

Right?

//

“No.”

Hoseok crosses his arms and pseudo glares at you. The pile of books sitting comfortably in front of you almost blocks your view of his face.

“What do you mean, no?” You raise a brow at him.

Hoseok is nothing if not stubborn. But two can play at that game.

“I am not spending my Saturday evening at the library researching.” His eyes flick from the textbooks to your face, and he looks less than impressed, “Don’t you have better things to do, Y/N?”

“This is better things to do.” You answer eagerly, “C’mon Hoseok. Don’t you want to ace this project?”

“Not at the expense of all my free time.” “Stop whining,” You roll your eyes and pull up the chair next to you, “Besides. This will be fun.”

Hoseok reluctantly sits down and gives you the grumpiest look he can muster.

“Fun? You’re kidding, right?”

He pulls one of the books towards him - Life in the Silla Kingdom - and groans, “Taehyung invited a model to the party tonight, Y/N. A model.” You roll your eyes at this. Kim Taehyung is one of Hoseok’s frat brothers - a poor excuse of a man if you are being absolutely honest. Taehyung is a man-whore. He wears the label loud and proud - and you hate the fact that the majority of girls seem more than willing to drop their panties for a taste of his apparently legendary dick.

“Well I’m sorry to tear you away from your evening of slutting around, but this is more important.”

You try to keep the bitterness away from your tone.

It’s not that you’re actually slut-shaming Hoseok and his friends. It’s only that you’ve spent three years sharing most of Hoseok’s classes and he’s never once tried to hit on you.

And you hate to admit it - you really, really do but that pisses you off.

You used to think Hoseok hung the stars and the moon for you. You used to watch him from the back of lecture rooms wishing he would flirt with you like he seemed to flirt with the other 99.9% of the female population.

But he didn’t. He was nice enough to you. Smiling and polite. But he never flirted. He never smirked or winked or made you feel special.

And that hurt. It still hurts.

“Y’know you should come to one of our parties some time. Let loose a little,” His eyes scan your appearance quickly, “You’re always so stiff.” You click your tongue.

And there it is. The reason, apparently, Hoseok won’t flirt with you.

You’re stiff. You’re boring.

God forbid you came to university to learn and not to party.

“Fuck off,” There’s a little more bite to your words than you probably intended, but at this point you’re not sure you care, “You don’t even know me.”

“Of course I know you.” Hoseok’s smile is devious and you feel another migraine brewing, “You’re Y/N Y/L/N. You’re twenty-one years old. You sit at the back of all the classes we take together, and you know the answers to every single question asked. You live for this shit,” He gestures to the piles of books around the both of you, “Researching. Learning. You love it all… You’re a historian at heart aren’t you? A true academic.”

You feel your cheeks heat at his description. Okay so some of it is true - you do love history and books and learning - but that doesn’t make up your entire personality.

“There’s more to me than all of that.”

“Of course, how can I forget the sweater vests, and ponytails?” His smile isn’t cruel, but it’s not kind either, “Admit it Y/N. This is where you feel at home.”

You push the book you were reading to one side, “Can you stop psycho-analysing me, please? And do what we’re meant to be doing.”

“Which is….?”

“Researching.” You bite out, pulling a face at the ‘gotcha’ look that flickers across his features.

“I told you,” He grins, smugly, like the cat who got the cream, “You live for it.”

You decide to ignore him because really, what good would it do to punch your project partner in the face on your first day working together?

Hoseok - thank god - decides to shut up, and you take this opportunity to finish the paragraph you were reading before you got so rudely interrupted.

The people of the Silla Kingdom were incredibly spiritual. They enjoyed performing rituals for almost every milestone in their life - and spent much of their time praying to their deities for good luck and prosperity.

One of these rituals, of course, was the body-swap ritual. Something usually reserved for very special or dire situations, this ritual was rarely ever actually practiced. Most witch doctors refused to take part as they believed the magic used to complete the ritual was dark.

What we know of the ritual itself was that-

“I found something important.”

Hoseok, of course, rips your attention away just when things are getting interesting. You look up, raising a brow at the man who sits across from you, pretending that the last fifteen minutes didn’t happen. As though he didn’t just basically call you the walking stereotype of a geek.

“What?”

He raises his own brow, “Who pissed in your cornflakes?”

You feel something akin to rage creeping up your spine. You want to smack him. No… You want to spit on him. No you want to pick on all of his own insecurities. Make him feel as small as he tried to make you feel.

“Are you fucking serious?”

He pouts, “Is this about what I said before?”

You’re furious. Why is he acting like he hasn’t done anything wrong? Is he really that dumb?

“What important thing did you find?”

“This is a step by step explanation of the ritual itself,” Hoseok chooses to ignore the obvious tension between you, “We should try it.”

You look at him like he’s crazy, “What?” “Yeah why not? We can include it in our project. Maybe we can even record ourselves doing it.”

Something pulses behind your eyes.

“You want to perform the body swap ritual with me?” The words sound so ridiculous you almost laugh.

“Well yeah,” Hoseok shugs, “It’s not actually going to work, is it? So why not?”

You know he’s right. The rational, logical side of your brain tells you that body swap rituals and magic are not real. That it doesn’t matter what you and Hoseok do you won’t actually swap bodies.

And yet…

“I just don’t want to do it.”

Hoseok smirks then - one eyebrow raised teasingly, “Oh right…”

His tone annoys you.

“Why are you saying it like that?”

His smirk only grows. You ignore the stupid part of you that finds that look on his face attractive, and narrow your gaze at him.

“Just admit you’re scared,” He laughs a little, “And I’ll drop it.”

“I am not scared,” Your glare intensifies, “I just think performing the ritual would be stupid. And a waste of time.”

“You’re a chicken. I get it.” Hoseok’s tone only serves to annoy you further, “Stick in the mud and a scaredy cat.”

At this point you’re seething.

“Stop that.” “Stop what?” He smirks like the cat who got the cream and you resist the urge to lean forward and flick his nose.

“Stop acting like you know me, okay? You don’t.”

You don’t get it. You don’t understand why all of a sudden Hoseok seems hellbent on upsetting you. He’s always been at least agreeable.

“Hey,” His tone softens, “Hold on. I didn’t mean to piss you off…” The apology only strokes your anger. He didn’t mean to piss you off? You scoff.

“Fuck off, Hoseok.” “No seriously.” He frowns then, pushing the tower of books between the two of you to the side, “I was just teasing.” “Okay whatever. Let’s just keep researching-” “I didn’t mean any of it.” You lift your eyes then, connecting gazes with him - his soft and almost apologetic - yours sharp and angry.

“Yes you did,” You answer harshly, “You did so don’t pretend you didn’t. I know exactly what you think of me.” You don’t care that Hoseok never flirted with you. You don’t care that he isn’t into you - you don’t even care that he thinks you’re a stick in the mud.

But you hate that he thinks he knows you. And you hate that he’s looking at you almost like he… Pities you.

You hate that.

“Y/N-” “Hoseok forget it.” Your eyes narrow, “I don’t care. I just want to do well on this project and get this degree over and done with. Do you think we can do that?”

He shuts his mouth then. His eyes are still soft, and his expression is guilty, but you don’t care.

Good. Let him feel bad.

“I’m sorry.”

The words are quite possibly the worst thing he could say to you. You snap the book you were reading shut and stand up abruptly.

“Fuck you,” You’re furious now, “You don’t get to just say whatever you want to me, whenever you want, and then expect me to be cool with it because you said sorry. That’s not how this works.”

Hoseok stands too.

“I honestly thought-” “What? That you could sit here and say all those cruel things about me and think I wouldn’t care?” You laugh, but there’s no humour to it, “I’m not a fucking robot. I have feelings too.”

“I didn’t say that,” He tries again, coming round to your side of the table.

You step away quickly, wanting nothing more than to get out of there.

“I thought you knew I was joking.” “Well I didn’t,” You bite back, “And you weren’t joking. I know exactly what you think of me now.”

And then, because suddenly all you want to do is to hurt him back you scoff and gesture towards him.

“Besides. Do you want to know what I think of you?” His eyes widen then, “Y/N…” “No seeing as you gave your lovely description of me, why don’t I do the same?” You smile cruelly, and you can feel something hot and angry climbing up your spine, “I think you’re a shallow, vein, brainless slut who only thinks with his dick. You don’t care about anybody but yourself and you certainly don’t care about all the girls whose hearts you break. You’re an asshole.”

Hoseok pauses. The dynamic shifts, and suddenly you’re the villain.

You don’t care.

“Fuck you.” He spits.

You straighten your spine, “You started this. Now deal with it.”

There is a tense moment between the two of you. Like you’re held by a piece of taut string that might snap at any time.

You think maybe Hoseok is going to shout at you. Maybe you deserve it.

Something like guilt niggles at the pit of your stomach but you push it to the side. He started this.

After a beat, he sighs heavily and straightens his shoulders.

“I think we’re done here.” His tone is cold, “We’ll talk when we’ve both cooled off.”

“Whatever.” You mumble the word - refusing to drop eye contact.

Something flickers across his face for a moment - something vulnerable and tender - but it’s gone before you can properly register it.

He grabs his backpack and swings it over his shoulder, nodding at you stiffly.

Without another word, he leaves, and the moment he’s gone, you deflate. You’re suddenly aware of the very public argument the two of you just had, and something like embarrassment flashes through you.

You look around quickly, relieved when you notice there’s nobody else around.

And why would they be? It is, after all, a Saturday.

You feel sick. You feel hot and cold and angry and even a little bit guilty.

After a moment, your phone lights up. It’s a text from Sana.

SANA: there’s a party tonight at the beta house. wanna go????

You stare at the words. You mull them over. You consider all your options.

And then, for reasons you’re not proud of, you text her back. One word.

Yes.

//

Sana is surprised of course when you say yes.

You’re surprised too. But you know exactly why you agreed to go. You know why you’ve stuffed yourself into one of Sana’s tiny little crop tops.

To prove a point. You’re not boring. You’re not stiff. You’re not just sweater vests and ponytails. You can let loose.

Jung Hoseok is wrong. And you’re going to show him exactly how wrong he is.

But the moment you walk through the front door to the Beta house, you immediately regret your decision.

“Stop fiddling,” Sana tells you, gesturing towards the hem of the top you keep pulling down, “You look good. Great, even.”

“I feel dumb.” You mutter, eyes scanning the room for a certain head of bright red hair.

You hate yourself for looking but you can't help it. You want him to see you. You want him to realise he’s wrong.

“Well you don’t look dumb. You look hot,” Sana smacks your ass gently, “Enjoy yourself. You look like you’re about to throw up.”

You roll your eyes at her and follow as she cuts her way through the crowd of people clustered around the living room.

“You want a beer?” She shouts over her shoulder.

You hesitate. It’s been a while since you’ve drank any alcohol. But you suppose one beer won’t hurt.

“Yeah alright,” You answer back, as a particularly beefy guy in a football sweater steps on your foot.

He doesn’t even bother to apologise, and you’re suddenly very aware of why you hate parties.

When the two of you finally make your way to the kitchen, Namjoon is already there, leaning against the counter talking to Park Jimin - a freshman and one of Namjoon’s friends.

“Sana!” Namjoon smiles, nice and wide when he spots his girlfriend, “Oh! Y/N!” His smile grows when he sees you.

“Hey Joonie. I finally convinced Y/N to come to one of your infamous ragers,” Sana kisses Namjoon briefly and smiles at Jimin, “Hey Jiminie.” Jimin grins, “Hey there.” Park Jimin is one of Namjoon’s childhood friends and a firm believer that fraternities and sororities for that matter, rot the human mind. Both Hoseok and the rest of Beta have tried to rush him so many times, but Jimin refuses to be swept up in it. So, of course, you think he’s a pretty cool guy.

“Hello,” You smile politely, “Long time no see Namjoon. Nice to see you again Jimin.”

“You too. I heard you and Hoseok are partnered up for your big end of grade project.” Your blood boils again at the mention of him, and your smile turns tight.

“Ah. Yeah we are.” Jimin smirks, “My condolences.”

You snort out a laugh. Yeah, Jimin’s not bad at all really.

“Whatever do you mean?” You lay on the sarcasm nice and thick, “Hoseok is so agreeable.” Jimin scoffs, “Isn’t he just?”

“He was in an awful mood today,” Namjoon adds, rolling his eyes, “Made it very clear his intention was to get absolutely shit faced tonight.” You feel a lick of satisfaction (and maybe a little bit of guilt) at the revelation that Hoseok is in any way negatively affected by what happened earlier on at the library, but you decide not to mention the conversation.

After all, Jimin and Namjoon are his friends and it would just be putting them in a weird position. If Hoseok doesn’t want to tell them himself, then neither will you.

Sana grabs a few beers from the plethora of drinks stacked to her left and passes you one.

“Doesn’t Hoseok always get shit faced?” She pulls a face, “That man is unstoppable when he starts.”

Jimin rolls his eyes taking a swig from his own beer, “D’you guys remember at the Christmas party last year? He used my Nike Airs as a throw up receptacle.”

Namjoon shivers and groans.

“The bathroom smelled like puke for weeks. Jesus. He really doesn’t have an off button, sometimes.”

“That sounds horrific,” You mutter, scoffing a gentle laugh, “I can’t believe you guys let him get away with that shit.”

“We didn’t let him get away with it. Didn’t you hear Sana? He’s unstoppable.” Jimin’s eyes flicker towards the doorway of the kitchen, “Shit. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”

Your eyes move to follow Jimin’s and when you settle on a shock of cherry red hair, something in your stomach turns.

Shit. This was a bad idea.

Hoseok is flanked, of course, by resident fuck boy Kim Taehyung - and one of the older frat members, Kim Seokjin. You’ve only met Jin a handful of times but you’ve come to rank him on nearly the same level as Taehyung.

He is equally as obnoxious and bone-headed.

His one saving grace? Jin secretly volunteers at the Big Brother programme your college offers to underprivileged kids in the city. You’ve seen him at the middle school, on Saturday mornings, and his little brother Changkyun thinks the sun and moon rise with him.

Seokjin asked you very discreetly, once, if you could keep what you had seen to yourself, and you obliged. After all, the last thing you want is for Jin to drop out of the programme and leave little Changkyun without a big brother.

So you shut your mouth, and suffer through his frat boy persona, in silence.

Hoseok’s eyes scan the room slowly, and after a moment, you lock your gaze with his.

Shit. He is furious. His brow furrows and he turns to shout something to Taehyung over the music, before making his way out of the kitchen quickly. You hate to think it, but you know he left because he’d seen you.

Taehyung’s eyes dip towards you and he raises a singular brow, before shrugging his shoulders and turning to follow Hoseok. Jin doesn’t even bother meeting your eyes.

You feel something sting in your chest. Your heart turns.

It shouldn’t have bothered you but it does. Hoseok is avoiding you.

You take a long gulp from your beer to tamp down the disappointment curdling in your chest and try to tune into the conversation Namjoon, Sana and Jimin are currently having about whether or not it is possible to make contact with aliens.

Shit.

This is going to be a long night.

//

It is several hours later when you realise you are drunk.

You can count on one hand the amount of times this has happened. You never usually like getting drunk, but for some reason tonight is different.

The beer helped relax you, and then it helped you forget the awkwardness with Hoseok, and then it helped you ignore why you hated the awkwardness with Hoseok so much.

Your heart doesn’t ache so much now that you are drunk.

“Woah there,” Sana catches your arm, “You’re a little unsteady on your feet cowboy.”

You are currently trying to dance to some remixed early 2000’s EDM hit. Maybe you should feel embarrassed - both at your inebriated state, and your complete lack of coordination - but you can’t bring yourself to care.

Sana’s smile is a little weary as she grabs your shoulders gently, “Are you okay?” You throw up a peace sign with one hand, and a thumbs up with the other.

“Just peachy,” A hiccup slips out, “I wanna daaaaaance.” Sana seems dubious at your reply.

“We should get you some water.” She turns to Namjoon, who is still debating the existence of aliens with Jimin, “Can you get Y/N some water?”

Namjoon gives you a look of pity.

Jimin shakes his head, “Oh how the mighty have fallen.” You summon up the best glare you can manage, and Namjoon scurries away, followed quickly by Jimin, who brings up the possibility of life on mars for the third time that night.

You turn to Sana, and notice there’s two of her standing in front of you.

Strange.

“Y’know Hoseok hates me,” You suddenly need to get it off your chest, “He hates me and he’s never flirted with me. I don’t know why you think we’d make a good couple because… We wouldn’t.”

You hiccup again, and Sana frowns deeply.

“He doesn’t hate you, Y/N.” “Yes he does,” You feel something like tears prick your eyes, “I called him a brainless slut.”

Sana’s eyes widen. She seems stunned.

“What?” “We had a fight,” You wipe your eyes harshly. When did you start crying?, “In the library. And I said he was a heartless asshole who only thinks with his dick.”

Sana is silent for a moment. Then she sighs heavily.

“Well that was a little harsh.” You pout, “He deserved it.”

Before Sana can say anything more on the matter, you spot that same head of red hair. You set your jaw determinedly and start to make your way across the room.

Hoseok hasn’t seen you yet, and you consider the element of surprise your friend, in this situation.

Sana, however, has different plans. She pulls you back by your elbow and raises a brow.

“What are you doing?” She asks plainly.

“Going to talk to Hoseok.” She shakes her head, “No you’re not. You’re gonna sit right here,” She leads the both of you over to a ratty couch pushed into the far left corner of the room, “And you’re going to wait for your water.” You feel tears well again.

“I need to talk to him.” “Y/N you don’t.” Sana is firm, “You need to sober up and then you can think about having a conversation with him.”

Just as Sana finishes her sentence, a tall, skinny freshman barrels into her out of nowhere. They’re both knocked down, and Sana is disorientated as she stares up into the freshman’s apologetic eyes.

“Oh my god!” The freshman scrambles up, “I’m so sorry. I should’ve looked where I was going. Are you okay?” She offers Sana a hand, and against your better judgement you use this as your moment to escape. With Sana distracted, you stand quickly, making a beeline for Hoseok, and ignoring Sana’s eventual cries to stop.

She’s too slow, and before she can physically pull you back, you find yourself standing in front of Hoseok. His dark eyes fall on you, and he raises a brow.

For some reason, you really expected him to be drunk, but instead his eyes are startlingly clear. He hasn’t had a drop of alcohol, it seems.

“Y/N.” His voice is rough.

You feel Sana grabbing your elbow and you shove her away.

“Hoseok.” You lift your chin, “You’ve been avoiding me.” A muscle in his jaw ticks. He’s pissed.

Well. So what? So are you.

“Sorry Hoseok,” Sana tries to apologise on your behalf, “She’s really drunk.” Hoseok throws her a terse smile, “It’s okay Sana. Let her talk. She’s clearly got something she wants to say.”

“No this is a really bad idea…” Sana tries to pull you away again but you stand your ground, despite your drunken state.

“Y’know,” You point an angry finger at Hoseok’s chest, “We should perform that body swap ritual. You wouldn’t last a day with my responsibilities,” You scoff angrily, “And what would I have to do? Get drunk and act like a massive dick.”

You know you’re taking it too far. Hoseok’s eyes darken and you’re struck by the thought that you shouldn’t be saying things like this.

Why are you provoking him?

“Sana’s right.” He grits his teeth, “You are drunk. So I’m going to forget everything you just said.”

Your eyes widen. He’s giving you an out.

He’s giving you what… Mercy?

No. No way. He’s not about to stand there and somehow act like he’s above all of this. You narrow your gaze.

“Fuck you,” You spit, “After everything you said earlier… You want to act like I’m the bitch now?”

You feel bile rising to your throat but you shove it down. You’re not going to throw up. And you’re definitely not going to throw up on Hoseok.

“I’m saying you’re drunk Y/N. It’s late.” His eyes flicker, “Go home.”

Namjoon has somehow made his way over to you, Jimin in tow, and they too try to stop whatever the fuck is going on between you and Hoseok.

Jimin touches your elbow gently

“Hey, Y/N c’mon…”

You shrug him off and take another step towards Hoseok - nose almost brushing his.

“Do it.” Your eyes challenge him, “If you’ve got any balls I dare you to do it. Perform the body swap ritual.”

Hoseok’s nostrils flare. He’s so angry at you.

Maybe any other time you’d care. But right now you just want him to react. You can’t stand his stony glare - or the way he’s acting like you’re somehow in the wrong, here.

You hate that he’s trying to take the high road. You want him down here with you - bitter and venomous.

“I’m not going to do anything.” He arches a brow, “Listen to your friends.”

You take a big gulp of breath in. He seems determined not to let you win this one.

And then somewhere, deep inside your gut, you pull something out. Something you know will cause irreparable damage. And yet… You can’t help it.

You’re like a woman possessed.

“Fuck. You really are a loser.” The words are like acid, and they burn your mouth, “Brainless slut with absolutely no ambition. Bet your parents are so proud of you.” Somewhere in the recesses of your mind, you remember Sana telling you something about Hoseok’s mom. You think on it for just a second, and then your chest tightens.

Shit, shit, shit.

“What the fuck, Y/N?” This comes from Namjoon, who pulls you back from Hoseok harshly, “That was a low blow.”

Your mind reels.

“Oh my god Hoseok.” You turn to him, “I’m so sorry-”

“Fuck you,” He answers venemously, “Fucking bitch.”

And without another word he storms off. For the first time since your altercation began, you notice Jin hovering to the left of where Hoseok was standing. He frowns.

“Y’know his mom’s sick right? Like… Really sick.” He sighs heavily, “I know Hoseok can be an asshole. But that was a dick move.”

Without another word Jin slinks after his friend and you turn to Sana, feeling sick to your stomach.

You open your mouth to tell her that you need to leave… And before you can say a word, you're throwing up.

Great.

Could this night get any better?

//

You wake the next morning with a banging headache. Your eyes peel open slowly, blearily, and for a moment you’re struck by how dark your room is.

Your blinds have been broken for nearly six months. How is it that you’ve somehow managed to block out all sunlight this morning?

You groan and turn to the side, wondering if it might still be night time, but the sound of cars and people outside quickly proves that theory wrong.

Fuck. This is why you don’t drink.

You remember, all too vividly, your awful, horrendous conversation with Hoseok and suddenly you want to vomit again.

You know you crossed the proverbial line in the sand. There’s no way he’s ever going to want to speak to you again, and the truth is you understand why not.

Why the fuck would you say something like that?

So cruel and angry?

Your chest hurts, and your headache is splitting, and all at once you feel like the worst person on the planet.

The guilt gnaws away at your heart, and you wonder if it will make a home there for a while. You decide you probably deserve it.

With a groan, you roll over, reaching for your bedside table to grab your phone, and finding, instead, air.

What?

You try to find your furniture in the darkness, and when nothing turns up, you quirk a brow. What the fuck. Did you move your bedside table around in your drunkenness too?

Your headache intensifies at the thought and you press a hand to your temples, trying to force it away.

After a moment you push yourself off your bed, rising to your feet and reaching for the light switch that usually sits just to the left of your bed. But you don't find it.

You stumble around in the dark - wondering just how hungover you truly are that you’ve suddenly forgotten the entire layout of your bedroom - when the door swings open. You turn quickly, ready to reprimand Sana for entering without knocking and finding instead that Kim Taehyung stands before you.

And not only is he standing before you. He is also currently incredibly topless.

“Morning,” He holds a bowl of cereal, “How’s it cracking?”

You stare at him incredulously. And then, of course, you do the only normal thing you can think to do.

You scream.

But when you scream your voice doesn’t sound like your voice. It sounds low and gravelly and… Why the fuck is Kim Taehyung in your house?

And why is he so chill about it?

“What the fuck?” Taehyung jumps, and a splash of milk hits the ground, “What are you screaming about dude? It’s like nine AM.”

And then you notice the full length mirror standing just to the left of Taehyung. The room is still dark - illuminated only by the open door Taehyung is standing in front of - but you see your reflection staring back at you clearly enough.

And the two dark eyes blinking at you are not the eyes you grew up knowing.

Because looking back at you through the reflection of the mirror is Jung fucking Hoseok’s body.

It takes you approximately ten seconds before you faint and his body hits the ground.

//

You wake up less than a minute later surrounded by the boys of house Beta. Taehyung is blinking down at you - as are Jin and Namjoon - and you notice Min Yoongi too (the most elusive Beta member) snapping his fingers in front of your face.

“Dude I told you not to drink so much last night.” Taehyung seems relieved when you - or well when Hoseok - sit up, “Fuck that Y/N chick. She’s a bitch.”

You can barely hear him over the fuzziness in your brain.

You’re asleep, right? You must be asleep.

There’s no way you’re sat on the Beta Theta Sigma house floor, in Jung Hoseok’s body nursing the worst hangover of your life.

You pinch yourself. You pinch yourself so hard you yelp and Taehyung arches a brow.

“Hoseok. What the fuck is going on man?” He lowers his face towards you, “You’re acting weird.”

Hoseok. He called you Hoseok.

Suddenly you want to hyperventilate. No you’re sure you’re going to hyperventilate.

“He needs coffee.” Yoongi moves just as Taehyung and Jin help you to your feet, “I’ll go make some.”

He hovers away and when you stand you look around Hoseok’s bedroom - basketball posters on the wall - a simple bed without a frame (of course) and a wardrobe the size of a box, almost.

It’s clean at least. And neat.

Shit. Fuck. This can not be happening.

“Listen Hobi, I know what Y/N said last night was really shitty,” This comes from Namjoon, whose eyes are serious but kind, “But she was just drunk. She felt awful afterwards.”

You swallow thickly. Something like a lump settles at the bottom of your throat.

You need water.

“She means well.” He continues, “She’s just a little….”

“Bit of a bitch,” Taehyung finishes for Namjoon, shaking his head furiously, “Fuck her. She ruined your night. You don’t need that shit in your life.”

“He's got to finish the end of term project with her,” Jin reminds Taehyung almost studiously. He turns to you, “I think it would be a good idea to find some middle ground.”

You know you have to say something. You have to.

Jin, Namjoon and Taehyung are staring at you. Or well at Hoseok.

You have to say something before they think you’ve completely lost it.

You clear your throat.

Well you clear Hoseok’s throat, but at this point the semantics don’t matter.

“Okay.” You say slowly. You hear Hoseok’s voice - deep and gravelly and broken up from sleep and drinking, “I’ll talk to her.”

“Atta boy,” Namjoon steps towards you and claps you good-naturedly on the shoulder, “She really is a great person-”

And then somewhere to your left, Hoseok’s phone starts to ring. You recognise the opening notes to ‘Anaconda’ by Nikki Minaj and bite back an eye roll.

Definitely not the time for that. Instead, you turn sharply, suddenly sensing the person on the other side of the phone is Hoseok.

Or well, it’s you. But it’s Hoseok in your body.

Oh God this was going to give you another migraine.

You scramble to grab the phone that has been tossed unceremoniously to the foot of the bed and pick it up quickly, swiping to answer.

“Hello,” You sound breathless.

“Y/N?” It’s your voice speaking back to you and suddenly everything is so strange and surreal that you’re worried you might faint again.

“Uh yes. Yeah. It’s me.”

“What the fuck is happening?” Hoseok sounds bewildered, “What the fuck happened last night?” “I don’t remember,” You hiss, turning slightly to see that the other boys have left you to your own devices. You walk towards the door and slam it shut, just as Taehyung throws you a middle finger from across the hallway.

He’s still eating that damn cereal.

“All I know is that I woke up this morning… And I was you.” The words sound so ridiculous and yet somehow they’re true.

“This is my literal worst nightmare,” Hearing your voice like this is weird, but you suppose in the grand scheme of things it’s not the worst thing to happen to you this morning, “What the fuck. I don’t know what to do. I’ve avoided Sana as best I can, but she’s insisted on bringing me coffee from the cafe by campus.”

You're pacing Hoseok’s room, trying very hard to avoid eye contact with the expanse of hairy pale legs sticking out from the pyjama shorts Hoseok is wearing.

“I keep thinking this is some horrible dream,” You mutter, tugging a hand through Hoseok’s incredibly short hair, “What the fuck.”

Hoseok makes a sound of disbelief from the other side of the phone, and then sighs deeply.

“You need to come over.”

“What?” “You need to come over, Y/N,” He tells you matter of factly, and you try to focus on anything other than the fact that you’re hearing your own voice talk to you in real time, “We need to figure this out.”

You know he’s right of course.

“What do I tell your friends?”

His throat clears.

“Tell them you’re going to see Jisoo.”

Jisoo?

You bite back the urge to ask who that is, because you’re pretty sure you already know the answer.

“Okay.” You feel sick again, “I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up the phone without another word and you finally turn to look at yourself properly in the mirror. Hoseok’s big brown eyes stare back at you, and you feel so strange you have to blink several times to clear the feeling.

You’re topless. Hoseok’s abs are cut to perfection and you feel bad for momentarily ogling them.

You hate to admit it but fuck he’s hot.

You know you have to put clothes on - Hoseok can’t walk around the streets topless - but you feel weird rooting through his things. Like you’re overstepping a boundary.

You try not to think of the very horrible boundary you overstepped last night, and instead force yourself to open the closet door and pull out the first sweater your fingers come into contact with. You decide to keep the pyjama shorts on - your brain cannot currently deal with a pantless Hoseok - and slip on a pair of sneakers.

It’s an awful look, but if anybody asks you’ll blame the hangover.

You grab Hoseok’s phone and slip it into the pocket of the sweater you’re wearing, opening the door and slipping out into the hallway.

Taehyung is still standing in the hallway, just outside the kitchen, nursing that same bowl of cereal. He quirks a brow at your appearance.

“Where are you going?” He asks bluntly.

You take a deep breath.

“Jisoo’s.” Taehyung’s eyebrow arches all the way towards his hairline.

“Right now?” His eyes scan your appearance, “Looking like that?”

You try to act debonair, throwing Taehyung a smirk.

“Not like she cares what I’m wearing,” You answer, adding on a chuckle for full asshole effect, “Right?”

Taehyung’s eyes narrow for a moment.

You worry that you said the wrong thing. Shit. But then his face breaks out into a boxy grin and he chuckles.

“I don’t know how you do it man.” Taehyung’s grin widens, “Girls flock to you even when you turn up looking like that.”

“Right,” Your chest tightens at the thought of girls flocking to Hoseok, but you push it down and try to grin, “Well. Y’know me. I’m a regular casanova.” Taehyung snorts a laugh and Yoongi appears behind him, holding a flask.

“Your coffee.” He tells you seriously, “You’ll need it to get through the day.”

Oh. How right he was.

//

You turn up to your own front door less than twenty minutes later, pressing the buzzer and wondering for a moment what the fuck you’re going to say if Sana opens the door.

How the hell are you going to explain a very hungover Jung Hoseok turning up to your apartment first thing on a Sunday morning? Especially when the two of you didn’t exactly end things on good terms last night.

But when the door swings open and you’re faced with yourself you breathe a sigh of relief. Then a wave of anxiety and sickness passes through you, reminding you once again that you’re in Hoseok’s fucking body.

“Come on. Quickly,” Hoseok pulls you inside the apartment, and you try to ignore being faced with your own body - that you’re not inside.

Has anybody in the history of the world ever had to deal with this?

You follow Hoseok wordlessly into your own room, and try not to think too hard about the implications behind that. Hoseok is in your room. The bed isn’t made (why does that not surprise you?) but everything else is tidy, thank God. And despite all the fucking weirdness today has brought on so far, you’re thankful at least for that.

“What the fuck,” Hoseok stares at you - widening your eyes, “What the fuck is happening. You’re me. And I’m you.” He tugs a hand through your unruly hair and you wince.

“Ow.” He grunts and you give him a sympathetic smile.

“You can’t just run your fingers through it,” You tell him, “You need to condition first. Then brush in the shower.” The look on your face is absolute disbelief when Hoseok turns to you.

“You’re kidding, right?” You bite your bottom lip, “Sorry. Just trying to help.”

Hoseok softens the lines around your eyes and sighs heavily, sitting at the edge of your bed and placing his head in his hands. He makes a strangled sound.

“This can’t be happening.”

You join Hoseok on the bed, feeling your own shoulders deflate.

“We have to go through the events of last night,” You start slowly, trying to find something - anything - that might help you explain what the fuck is going on, “Maybe we can figure out a way to… Reverse it.” You feel so useless. Hoseok blinks at you.

“Reverse the fact that we have somehow swapped bodies?”

The reality of the situation slaps you across the face again. You feel winded.

“Yeah,” You conclude, “We can’t just live like this forever.”

Hoseok takes a deep breath, “After our little… Altercation last night…I got wasted. All I can remember is telling Jin again and again how,” He shifts a little, and your eyes meet for a moment before he drops contact, “Awful I thought you were. He kept telling me to forget it but I wouldn’t.”

You suck in a sharp breath. You feel terrible for what you said last night and you want to apologise again.

“I am sorry,” You say as sincerely as you can, “Really, Hoseok. What I said last night was incredibly shitty and you didn’t deserve that.”

He sighs heavily, and the atmosphere thickens.

“You’re right I didn’t deserve it. But none of that matters right now,” He stands abruptly - and for the first time you notice what Hoseok has chosen to dress you in. Sweats and a t-shirt.

God. If Sana saw you looking like that she would definitely think something was very wrong.

“I think… Maybe…. In my drunken anger,” Hoseok paces the length of your room and then pauses, turning to face you, “I think I might have performed the ritual.”

There is a beat. Then you clear your throat.

“What do you mean?”

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

“I think I performed the body swap ritual. The one you kept insisting I did.” The words fall like concrete between the two of you, “I think I got back to my room and I was so fucking pissed off at you that I thought you actually deserved it. Living as me for a while.”

He gestures towards you - stuck in his body - and shrugs.

“I guess it worked.”

“Oh my god,” You feel sick again, “So you’re saying an ancient Sillan ritual that bares absolutely no solid evidence in the real world has somehow worked and that’s why the two of us have swapped bodies?” You feel lost.

“Yeah.” He scoffs, “It sounds fucking insane. But it’s the only explanation I have.”

You want to tell him he’s being ridiculous. Want to tell him that there has to be some logical, rational explanation for all of this but the truth is - there isn’t.

You woke up this morning in Jung Hoseok’s body. He woke up in your body.

And apart from some stupid drunken ritual he apparently performed last night, there’s absolutely no other explanation for this. You lick your bottom lip and stand.

“Okay. Fine. We have to go then.”

Hoseok raises one of your brows, “Go?” “To the library.” You clarify, “We need to figure out how to switch us back.”

Hoseok winces. Then he nods.

“Yeah. Yeah okay. Let’s go.”

But of course, the moment you stand to make your way over to the door, it is thrown open quickly and a very dishevelled-looking Sana greets you. You almost forget how to breathe.

Sana’s face drops quickly, as her eyes move between the two of you. She raises a brow all the way up into her hairline, and her gaze widens.

“Oh my god,” She whispers holding two takeaway cups of coffee, “Hoseok? What the fuck are you doing here?”

You realise all at once that she’s looking at you of course - because for all intents and purposes you are Hoseok - and you clear your throat quickly, trying to push down the dread building it’s way towards the surface.

“Good morning to you too, Sana.”

You try to play it nonchalant, but Sana isn’t having any of it.

“If I had known Y/N had company I would have offered you a coffee too.”

You try to smirk, “It’s alright. I already had mine.” You hold up the flask of coffee Yoongi made you earlier and Sana’s eyes narrow. She bites her bottom lip.

“Did you stay the night?”

The question immediately causes you to flush. She grins.

“Oh my god you did-”

Hoseok, of course, stops this thought right in its tracks.

You try not to think about why the thought of the two of you sleeping together seems to cause him so much disgust, and focus instead on the fact that he’s trying to help you out.

“Stop being stupid Sana,” He speaks in that clipped tone of yours, and suddenly you hate how prim and proper you sound, “Hoseok is only here for the project.”

Sana frowns.

“But aren’t you guys hungover? Why the fuck would you choose to do work on today of all days?” She eyes you both suspiciously, “You’re not hiding something from me, are you?”

You look to Hoseok, who shakes his head.

“We’re hungover. But there’s no rest for the wicked right?” He smiles and you can see how awkward it is - you’d never smile like that, especially not at Sana - but there’s nothing you can do about it, “We want to ace this.”

Sana turns to you next, eyes softening as she lifts the side of her mouth gently.

“So you two are okay after last night?”

The question is directed at Hoseok but of course he can’t answer it. Instead she’s looking right at you because you woke up this morning and somehow you were Hoseok.

“Yeah uh, Y/N apologised,” Hoseok’s voice sounds gruff and you cough slightly, “We’re fine now. She was really sorry and she was drunk. But that’s the devil’s juice for you.” The devil’s juice?

What the hell is wrong with you?

Sana sighs, “Well as long as you two are okay…”

Hoseok steps forward quickly, grabbing the second coffee cup from Sana’s hands and sliding past her quickly.

“We’re fine,” He assures her, smiling briefly, “We really need to go now Sana. The library awaits.”

You feel lost all over again. Your best friend nods and moves out of the way to let you pass through, when all you want is a big, fat hug from her.

But you can’t ask her of course, because that would mean getting Sana to hug Hoseok. And that would bring with it a whole load of questions. Instead you smile at her softly, and follow after Hoseok, watching the back of your own head as he cuts straight towards the front door.

“Don’t study too hard,” Sana’s voice follows you as Hoseok throws the portal open, “And make sure you’re back for dinner. Namjoon’s coming over for games night. And he’s bringing Jungkook.”

You internally groan at that.

When Sana’s not trying to set you up with Hoseok, she’s trying her hand at matchmaking by attempting to set you up with Namjoon’s little brother, Jungkook. He’s a sophomore at a different university and he’s nice enough but you just don’t have time for any of that.

“Uh… Yeah sure.” Hoseok throws back, “I’ll see you then.”

You both step out into the hallway and once the door slams shut, he turns to you carefully, gaze intense.

“I would just like you to know,” He takes a swig from the coffee Sana brought, “This is the worst hangover of my life.” You groan in agreement.

“Ditto.”

//

.

[neonlights92]

Reblogging this guy to hopefully get a bit more traction 🙏

[neonlights92]

I JUST CAME TO SCREAM THAT ILYSM AND UR AMAJIN ... OKAY NOW BYE

Omgggg AMAJIN I love that!!!! Thank you soooo much 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[neonlights92]

I'm obsessed with your new fic! Body swap?!?! So refreshing and fun to read!!! And with Hobi?!?!!! My addiction 😍 I'm really excited for part two! I will (try to) wait patiently though, because I respect the process 🤧

Thank you!!! I think it’s really fun too 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[neonlights92]

Ngl when I read your “ask the character” posts, it reminds me of a mockmentary style interview like modern family or something LOL 😆

Hahahaha yes that’s exactly how I imagine them too

[neonlights92]

Hey your last post was from Nov 2021. Everything ok? We haven't seen you in a while.

I’m back!! Been super busy with real life but trying to be more active lol thanks for checking up on me 🥰🥰

[neonlights92]

Hi 😁😁😁 Just trying to catch up on your mafia series and I am LIVING for it so far!!! I’m currently isolating so this has been great entertainment for me! I’m reading Hobi’s right now and I freaking love it and love you 🥰🥰 thanks for all your great work!!

Ahhh thank you sooo much!!! I’ve actually just uploaded a new story - it’s also a Hoseok fic and it’s fun and light if you’re looking for something a little less intense 😉

[neonlights92]

☆ put this star into the inbox of your favourite blogs! it's time to spread positivity!

Thanks so much!!! Cutieeee 🥰🥰😘😘

[neonlights92]

Flip & Reverse It (I)

Your relationship with resident fuckboy Jung Hoseok is anything but simple. Sitting somewhere between hate and genuine friendship is the fact that you’ve always secretly, sort of wanted him.

And then one day you wake up and you’re in Hoseok’s body. And he’s in yours. Things just get a whole lot more complicated.

Genre: rom-com, body swap, (sort of) enemies to lovers

Word count: 10k

Warnings: language and future smut

A/N: Heeeey guys. So in the end, I decided to split this story into two parts as it is MAMMOTH. Hope you enjoy the first part, and I’m hoping to post the second part soon xxx

Jung Hoseok is, officially, the dumbest person you’ve ever met.

“You want to do our end of semester project on what?”

It is your first period of the day- Introduction to Ancient Cultures - and a Monday Morning. You’re quite proud of yourself to be honest. Hoseok is, of course, already driving you nuts and you’ve somehow managed to stop yourself from lunging at him from across the table.

“Look it’s meant to be about ancient rituals, right?” He tugs a hand through his freshly dyed cherry red hair, “So why not a sex ritual?”

You feel something like a migraine coming on. You squeeze your eyes shut for a moment of respite and when you open them again Hoseok is still looking at you with that almost smug grin on his face.

“You’re just a fucking horn dog.”

“That I am.” His grin only grows, “C’mon. I’m a senior in college and a hot blooded male. If I didn’t suggest writing a report on an ancient sex ritual it would be weird.”

All you can do is glare. The look on his face only serves to stroke your anger and you fight the urge to grunt.

He just… He looks so self-satisfied. As though what he’s just said is clever and funny. As though you should somehow fall to your feet and worship him like every other doe-eyed freshman on campus does.

No. No. Maybe once upon a time you had a microscopic crush on Jung Hoseok but three years later and you know exactly what kind of person he is. You won’t bite.

Hoseok rolls his eyes at your stoic expression and leans back in his chair.

“Fine. What do you want to do the report on?”

You answer without missing a beat.

“A body swap ritual.”

Hoseok raises a dark brow. He cocks his head to the side, and you take that as your cue to continue.

“It dates back to the Silla Kingdom. They reigned the Korean peninsula for almost a thousand years-”

“I know about the Silla Kingdom Y/N. I’m a history major too, y’know.” He scoffs playfully and you roll your shoulders back.

“Then you know about their body swap rituals?”

His eyes flicker. He knows that you know that he doesn’t know.

God. The look on his face is satisfying.

“Well… No…” He grumbles, leaning forward slightly when you pull out one of the many textbooks you’ve spent the last week scouring through.

“Not much is known about them - however there are a few reports on it actually working. One is the story of a rich noblewoman and her handmaiden,” You hear the excitement in your tone and you try to tamp it down but you just can’t. This kind of stuff is so interesting to you, “So of course the noblewoman was a grade A bitch-”

Hoseok snorts, “Classic.”

“And the handmaiden had fallen in love with her mistresses betrothed. So she performed the body swap ritual with the help of a witch doctor and apparently… It worked. They both died of old age… In each other’s bodies.”

You know the story is folklore - a fairytale spun by the spiritual to give rituals like this legitimacy - but you can’t help the thrill that travels up your spine as you recount what you’ve researched.

Hoseok raises a dark brow, “So… Why this ritual, then?”

“Because it’s different. Everyone in class will end up doing human sacrifices and even sex rituals but something like this…” You shrug and bite your bottom lip, “It will be a challenge. And there may even be limited information out there about it but… It will be fun.”

Hoseok’s lips split into a grin, “Fun?” “Yeah y’know learning something new.” You answer rolling your eyes, “Have you ever tried that? Learning?”

Hoseok watches you for a moment. Maybe you took it too far with that last jab. But fuck if he doesn’t push every one of your buttons all at the same time.

“You won’t be happy until I say yes, will you?” Hoseok leans his cheek against one of his palms, eyes scanning your face carefully.

“Nope.”

You pop the ‘p’ for emphasis. You mean business baby.

“Alright, alright fine. I’ll do it,” He shrugs, “As long as it gets us a good grade.” You grin, “Believe me. It will.”

He reaches a hand towards you and you stare at it, one eyebrow raised.

“We should shake on it,” He tells you, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “So we’re both on the same page. It’s how me and the boys agree on things.”

The boys are Hoseok’s obnoxious frat brothers. Beta Theta Sigma. You shiver. It’s not that you hate fraternities - it’s that you abhor almost everything they stand for.

Okay, so maybe you hate them. But the truth is, most frat boys are assholes. Present company included.

“Fine. Whatever gets you to shut up,” You grab the hand that’s pointing towards you and shake it once, firmly, before pulling away.

You don’t think about the fact that Hoseok’s palm was warm and big and kind of soft. No you can’t think about that.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” The toothy grin he shoots you almost makes you gag.

You wish you could say the same.

//

“So you’re telling me,” Your roommate Sana stands in the doorway of your bedroom, “That you’ve teamed up with Jung Hoseok for your biggest partner project of your entire degree?” You roll your eyes at the disbelief in her tone.

“It wasn’t my choice. We were randomly assigned together.”

“The universe hates you,” Sana wrinkles her cute little button nose, “Hoseok is kind of a meathead.”

Sana is, in many ways, just like you. She’s pre-med and probably the hardest worker you know (after yours truly of course) and she holds just as much disdain for fraternities as you do. There’s just one tiny little difference.

She’s also dating one of Hoseok’s frat brothers, Kim Namjoon.

You have to admit he’s the only guy in Beta - hell the only guy on this entire campus - worth taking a second look at.

But it does kind of soften the blow of her insults because well, Sana’s kind of friends with the rest of Beta Theta Sigma too.

“You can’t say that when you’re his friend.” You reply, raising a brow at the look she pulls.

“Actually I can say that because I’m his friend,” She shrugs, “He’s not the asshole you so fiercely think he is… But he is a bonehead. They all are. Even Joonie.”

You snort, “Joonie is not a bonehead. He’s the smartest guy I know.” “Whatever. The point is the two of you don’t always get along,” She frowns, “And I know how much this grade means to you.” “We’re going to ace it,” You answer immediately, “Plus I hate to admit it but Hoseok’s smart. Much smarter than I probably give him credit for. We’ll be fine.”

Sana’s eyes widen in that way they always do when you say anything mildly positive about Hoseok. She smirks and you know what’s coming.

“Oh is he smart?” Her tone pisses you off.

“Shut up, Sana.” “No c’mon you said it first not me,” She waggles her eyebrows, “You think he’s smart. Do you think he’s cute too? Do you want to hold hands with him and discuss history together?”

“Will you stop it?” Your cheeks flush because yes, obviously you’re annoyed at Sana’s insinuation - but the fact that once upon a time it might have been true only serves to annoy you even further.

“I’m just saying,” She grins widely this time, coming to perch on the end of your bed, “I think you two would make a cute couple.” You gag dramatically at her words.

“Don’t be like that,” She nudges you playfully, “You said it yourself. Hoseok’s smart.” “And you said it yourself…. he’s also a bonehead.” You retaliate, crossing your arms, “And a meathead. We barely get along on the best of days. Why would you want me to date someone like that?” Sana shrugs and sighs heavily.

“He’s a good guy,” She tells you sincerely, “He just gets a bad rep because he’s kind of a slut. But I think he would settle down for the right girl. Plus I know you secretly have the hots for him.”

You scoff, “I do not have the hots for Jung Hoseok.”

“Oh come on,” She pulls a face, “You’d have to be blind not to see how stunning he is.” “That doesn’t mean I’m into him.” You point out, hating the fact that she’s obviously right.

Hoseok may be an obnoxious prick, but he is gorgeous.

“I don’t know. I think there’s something there. Be it sexual tension or something more…”

“Try just regular tension,” You deadpan, “Seriously. How can you go from calling him a brainless slut one second to trying to set him up with me the next?”

“Because I have eyes Y/N. I’m not dumb. You two have chemistry. Plus he’s not brainless. Just a slut.” You laugh then.

“You are ridiculous.”

“Is it so wrong that I want my friends to be happy?” Sana purses her lips at your disdain, “I think you two could do that for one another.”

You refrain from mentioning that you are probably the only girl on campus - hell, the only girl in this entire city Hoseok refuses to flirt with.

Maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt her feelings, or maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt your own (it’s definitely the second one) but you think it’s better Sana doesn’t know.

Whatever chemistry she insists she sees is just something stupid her loved up brain imagines to make her feel better about the fact that she essentially abandoned you for a frat boy. “Look I’m not saying he’s the devil. I just - I want to get on with this project, survive this very last semester, graduate with a 4.0 and get into the school’s masters programme. That’s all I want.”

“And you will. Of course you will Y/N. You’re the smartest person I know.” You pull a face then, “You have to say that, you’re my friend.” “Maybe. But it’s still true.”

Sana stands then, making her way out of your bedroom and asking what you’d like for dinner. You reply with something non-committal and tell her she can decide for the both of you.

But her words stick with you.

Hoseok… A good guy?

It can’t be. No. No.

You shake your head furiously.

You’ve been down this path once before, and you won’t do it again. Not this time.

You’re going to ace the project, you’re going to graduate, and you’re never going to see Jung Hoseok again.

It’s for the best.

Right?

//

“No.”

Hoseok crosses his arms and pseudo glares at you. The pile of books sitting comfortably in front of you almost blocks your view of his face.

“What do you mean, no?” You raise a brow at him.

Hoseok is nothing if not stubborn. But two can play at that game.

“I am not spending my Saturday evening at the library researching.” His eyes flick from the textbooks to your face, and he looks less than impressed, “Don’t you have better things to do, Y/N?”

“This is better things to do.” You answer eagerly, “C’mon Hoseok. Don’t you want to ace this project?”

“Not at the expense of all my free time.” “Stop whining,” You roll your eyes and pull up the chair next to you, “Besides. This will be fun.”

Hoseok reluctantly sits down and gives you the grumpiest look he can muster.

“Fun? You’re kidding, right?”

He pulls one of the books towards him - Life in the Silla Kingdom - and groans, “Taehyung invited a model to the party tonight, Y/N. A model.” You roll your eyes at this. Kim Taehyung is one of Hoseok’s frat brothers - a poor excuse of a man if you are being absolutely honest. Taehyung is a man-whore. He wears the label loud and proud - and you hate the fact that the majority of girls seem more than willing to drop their panties for a taste of his apparently legendary dick.

“Well I’m sorry to tear you away from your evening of slutting around, but this is more important.”

You try to keep the bitterness away from your tone.

It’s not that you’re actually slut-shaming Hoseok and his friends. It’s only that you’ve spent three years sharing most of Hoseok’s classes and he’s never once tried to hit on you.

And you hate to admit it - you really, really do but that pisses you off.

You used to think Hoseok hung the stars and the moon for you. You used to watch him from the back of lecture rooms wishing he would flirt with you like he seemed to flirt with the other 99.9% of the female population.

But he didn’t. He was nice enough to you. Smiling and polite. But he never flirted. He never smirked or winked or made you feel special.

And that hurt. It still hurts.

“Y’know you should come to one of our parties some time. Let loose a little,” His eyes scan your appearance quickly, “You’re always so stiff.” You click your tongue.

And there it is. The reason, apparently, Hoseok won’t flirt with you.

You’re stiff. You’re boring.

God forbid you came to university to learn and not to party.

“Fuck off,” There’s a little more bite to your words than you probably intended, but at this point you’re not sure you care, “You don’t even know me.”

“Of course I know you.” Hoseok’s smile is devious and you feel another migraine brewing, “You’re Y/N Y/L/N. You’re twenty-one years old. You sit at the back of all the classes we take together, and you know the answers to every single question asked. You live for this shit,” He gestures to the piles of books around the both of you, “Researching. Learning. You love it all… You’re a historian at heart aren’t you? A true academic.”

You feel your cheeks heat at his description. Okay so some of it is true - you do love history and books and learning - but that doesn’t make up your entire personality.

“There’s more to me than all of that.”

“Of course, how can I forget the sweater vests, and ponytails?” His smile isn’t cruel, but it’s not kind either, “Admit it Y/N. This is where you feel at home.”

You push the book you were reading to one side, “Can you stop psycho-analysing me, please? And do what we’re meant to be doing.”

“Which is….?”

“Researching.” You bite out, pulling a face at the ‘gotcha’ look that flickers across his features.

“I told you,” He grins, smugly, like the cat who got the cream, “You live for it.”

You decide to ignore him because really, what good would it do to punch your project partner in the face on your first day working together?

Hoseok - thank god - decides to shut up, and you take this opportunity to finish the paragraph you were reading before you got so rudely interrupted.

The people of the Silla Kingdom were incredibly spiritual. They enjoyed performing rituals for almost every milestone in their life - and spent much of their time praying to their deities for good luck and prosperity.

One of these rituals, of course, was the body-swap ritual. Something usually reserved for very special or dire situations, this ritual was rarely ever actually practiced. Most witch doctors refused to take part as they believed the magic used to complete the ritual was dark.

What we know of the ritual itself was that-

“I found something important.”

Hoseok, of course, rips your attention away just when things are getting interesting. You look up, raising a brow at the man who sits across from you, pretending that the last fifteen minutes didn’t happen. As though he didn’t just basically call you the walking stereotype of a geek.

“What?”

He raises his own brow, “Who pissed in your cornflakes?”

You feel something akin to rage creeping up your spine. You want to smack him. No… You want to spit on him. No you want to pick on all of his own insecurities. Make him feel as small as he tried to make you feel.

“Are you fucking serious?”

He pouts, “Is this about what I said before?”

You’re furious. Why is he acting like he hasn’t done anything wrong? Is he really that dumb?

“What important thing did you find?”

“This is a step by step explanation of the ritual itself,” Hoseok chooses to ignore the obvious tension between you, “We should try it.”

You look at him like he’s crazy, “What?” “Yeah why not? We can include it in our project. Maybe we can even record ourselves doing it.”

Something pulses behind your eyes.

“You want to perform the body swap ritual with me?” The words sound so ridiculous you almost laugh.

“Well yeah,” Hoseok shugs, “It’s not actually going to work, is it? So why not?”

You know he’s right. The rational, logical side of your brain tells you that body swap rituals and magic are not real. That it doesn’t matter what you and Hoseok do you won’t actually swap bodies.

And yet…

“I just don’t want to do it.”

Hoseok smirks then - one eyebrow raised teasingly, “Oh right…”

His tone annoys you.

“Why are you saying it like that?”

His smirk only grows. You ignore the stupid part of you that finds that look on his face attractive, and narrow your gaze at him.

“Just admit you’re scared,” He laughs a little, “And I’ll drop it.”

“I am not scared,” Your glare intensifies, “I just think performing the ritual would be stupid. And a waste of time.”

“You’re a chicken. I get it.” Hoseok’s tone only serves to annoy you further, “Stick in the mud and a scaredy cat.”

At this point you’re seething.

“Stop that.” “Stop what?” He smirks like the cat who got the cream and you resist the urge to lean forward and flick his nose.

“Stop acting like you know me, okay? You don’t.”

You don’t get it. You don’t understand why all of a sudden Hoseok seems hellbent on upsetting you. He’s always been at least agreeable.

“Hey,” His tone softens, “Hold on. I didn’t mean to piss you off…” The apology only strokes your anger. He didn’t mean to piss you off? You scoff.

“Fuck off, Hoseok.” “No seriously.” He frowns then, pushing the tower of books between the two of you to the side, “I was just teasing.” “Okay whatever. Let’s just keep researching-” “I didn’t mean any of it.” You lift your eyes then, connecting gazes with him - his soft and almost apologetic - yours sharp and angry.

“Yes you did,” You answer harshly, “You did so don’t pretend you didn’t. I know exactly what you think of me.” You don’t care that Hoseok never flirted with you. You don’t care that he isn’t into you - you don’t even care that he thinks you’re a stick in the mud.

But you hate that he thinks he knows you. And you hate that he’s looking at you almost like he… Pities you.

You hate that.

“Y/N-” “Hoseok forget it.” Your eyes narrow, “I don’t care. I just want to do well on this project and get this degree over and done with. Do you think we can do that?”

He shuts his mouth then. His eyes are still soft, and his expression is guilty, but you don’t care.

Good. Let him feel bad.

“I’m sorry.”

The words are quite possibly the worst thing he could say to you. You snap the book you were reading shut and stand up abruptly.

“Fuck you,” You’re furious now, “You don’t get to just say whatever you want to me, whenever you want, and then expect me to be cool with it because you said sorry. That’s not how this works.”

Hoseok stands too.

“I honestly thought-” “What? That you could sit here and say all those cruel things about me and think I wouldn’t care?” You laugh, but there’s no humour to it, “I’m not a fucking robot. I have feelings too.”

“I didn’t say that,” He tries again, coming round to your side of the table.

You step away quickly, wanting nothing more than to get out of there.

“I thought you knew I was joking.” “Well I didn’t,” You bite back, “And you weren’t joking. I know exactly what you think of me now.”

And then, because suddenly all you want to do is to hurt him back you scoff and gesture towards him.

“Besides. Do you want to know what I think of you?” His eyes widen then, “Y/N…” “No seeing as you gave your lovely description of me, why don’t I do the same?” You smile cruelly, and you can feel something hot and angry climbing up your spine, “I think you’re a shallow, vein, brainless slut who only thinks with his dick. You don’t care about anybody but yourself and you certainly don’t care about all the girls whose hearts you break. You’re an asshole.”

Hoseok pauses. The dynamic shifts, and suddenly you’re the villain.

You don’t care.

“Fuck you.” He spits.

You straighten your spine, “You started this. Now deal with it.”

There is a tense moment between the two of you. Like you’re held by a piece of taut string that might snap at any time.

You think maybe Hoseok is going to shout at you. Maybe you deserve it.

Something like guilt niggles at the pit of your stomach but you push it to the side. He started this.

After a beat, he sighs heavily and straightens his shoulders.

“I think we’re done here.” His tone is cold, “We’ll talk when we’ve both cooled off.”

“Whatever.” You mumble the word - refusing to drop eye contact.

Something flickers across his face for a moment - something vulnerable and tender - but it’s gone before you can properly register it.

He grabs his backpack and swings it over his shoulder, nodding at you stiffly.

Without another word, he leaves, and the moment he’s gone, you deflate. You’re suddenly aware of the very public argument the two of you just had, and something like embarrassment flashes through you.

You look around quickly, relieved when you notice there’s nobody else around.

And why would they be? It is, after all, a Saturday.

You feel sick. You feel hot and cold and angry and even a little bit guilty.

After a moment, your phone lights up. It’s a text from Sana.

SANA: there’s a party tonight at the beta house. wanna go????

You stare at the words. You mull them over. You consider all your options.

And then, for reasons you’re not proud of, you text her back. One word.

Yes.

//

Sana is surprised of course when you say yes.

You’re surprised too. But you know exactly why you agreed to go. You know why you’ve stuffed yourself into one of Sana’s tiny little crop tops.

To prove a point. You’re not boring. You’re not stiff. You’re not just sweater vests and ponytails. You can let loose.

Jung Hoseok is wrong. And you’re going to show him exactly how wrong he is.

But the moment you walk through the front door to the Beta house, you immediately regret your decision.

“Stop fiddling,” Sana tells you, gesturing towards the hem of the top you keep pulling down, “You look good. Great, even.”

“I feel dumb.” You mutter, eyes scanning the room for a certain head of bright red hair.

You hate yourself for looking but you can't help it. You want him to see you. You want him to realise he’s wrong.

“Well you don’t look dumb. You look hot,” Sana smacks your ass gently, “Enjoy yourself. You look like you’re about to throw up.”

You roll your eyes at her and follow as she cuts her way through the crowd of people clustered around the living room.

“You want a beer?” She shouts over her shoulder.

You hesitate. It’s been a while since you’ve drank any alcohol. But you suppose one beer won’t hurt.

“Yeah alright,” You answer back, as a particularly beefy guy in a football sweater steps on your foot.

He doesn’t even bother to apologise, and you’re suddenly very aware of why you hate parties.

When the two of you finally make your way to the kitchen, Namjoon is already there, leaning against the counter talking to Park Jimin - a freshman and one of Namjoon’s friends.

“Sana!” Namjoon smiles, nice and wide when he spots his girlfriend, “Oh! Y/N!” His smile grows when he sees you.

“Hey Joonie. I finally convinced Y/N to come to one of your infamous ragers,” Sana kisses Namjoon briefly and smiles at Jimin, “Hey Jiminie.” Jimin grins, “Hey there.” Park Jimin is one of Namjoon’s childhood friends and a firm believer that fraternities and sororities for that matter, rot the human mind. Both Hoseok and the rest of Beta have tried to rush him so many times, but Jimin refuses to be swept up in it. So, of course, you think he’s a pretty cool guy.

“Hello,” You smile politely, “Long time no see Namjoon. Nice to see you again Jimin.”

“You too. I heard you and Hoseok are partnered up for your big end of grade project.” Your blood boils again at the mention of him, and your smile turns tight.

“Ah. Yeah we are.” Jimin smirks, “My condolences.”

You snort out a laugh. Yeah, Jimin’s not bad at all really.

“Whatever do you mean?” You lay on the sarcasm nice and thick, “Hoseok is so agreeable.” Jimin scoffs, “Isn’t he just?”

“He was in an awful mood today,” Namjoon adds, rolling his eyes, “Made it very clear his intention was to get absolutely shit faced tonight.” You feel a lick of satisfaction (and maybe a little bit of guilt) at the revelation that Hoseok is in any way negatively affected by what happened earlier on at the library, but you decide not to mention the conversation.

After all, Jimin and Namjoon are his friends and it would just be putting them in a weird position. If Hoseok doesn’t want to tell them himself, then neither will you.

Sana grabs a few beers from the plethora of drinks stacked to her left and passes you one.

“Doesn’t Hoseok always get shit faced?” She pulls a face, “That man is unstoppable when he starts.”

Jimin rolls his eyes taking a swig from his own beer, “D’you guys remember at the Christmas party last year? He used my Nike Airs as a throw up receptacle.”

Namjoon shivers and groans.

“The bathroom smelled like puke for weeks. Jesus. He really doesn’t have an off button, sometimes.”

“That sounds horrific,” You mutter, scoffing a gentle laugh, “I can’t believe you guys let him get away with that shit.”

“We didn’t let him get away with it. Didn’t you hear Sana? He’s unstoppable.” Jimin’s eyes flicker towards the doorway of the kitchen, “Shit. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”

Your eyes move to follow Jimin’s and when you settle on a shock of cherry red hair, something in your stomach turns.

Shit. This was a bad idea.

Hoseok is flanked, of course, by resident fuck boy Kim Taehyung - and one of the older frat members, Kim Seokjin. You’ve only met Jin a handful of times but you’ve come to rank him on nearly the same level as Taehyung.

He is equally as obnoxious and bone-headed.

His one saving grace? Jin secretly volunteers at the Big Brother programme your college offers to underprivileged kids in the city. You’ve seen him at the middle school, on Saturday mornings, and his little brother Changkyun thinks the sun and moon rise with him.

Seokjin asked you very discreetly, once, if you could keep what you had seen to yourself, and you obliged. After all, the last thing you want is for Jin to drop out of the programme and leave little Changkyun without a big brother.

So you shut your mouth, and suffer through his frat boy persona, in silence.

Hoseok’s eyes scan the room slowly, and after a moment, you lock your gaze with his.

Shit. He is furious. His brow furrows and he turns to shout something to Taehyung over the music, before making his way out of the kitchen quickly. You hate to think it, but you know he left because he’d seen you.

Taehyung’s eyes dip towards you and he raises a singular brow, before shrugging his shoulders and turning to follow Hoseok. Jin doesn’t even bother meeting your eyes.

You feel something sting in your chest. Your heart turns.

It shouldn’t have bothered you but it does. Hoseok is avoiding you.

You take a long gulp from your beer to tamp down the disappointment curdling in your chest and try to tune into the conversation Namjoon, Sana and Jimin are currently having about whether or not it is possible to make contact with aliens.

Shit.

This is going to be a long night.

//

It is several hours later when you realise you are drunk.

You can count on one hand the amount of times this has happened. You never usually like getting drunk, but for some reason tonight is different.

The beer helped relax you, and then it helped you forget the awkwardness with Hoseok, and then it helped you ignore why you hated the awkwardness with Hoseok so much.

Your heart doesn’t ache so much now that you are drunk.

“Woah there,” Sana catches your arm, “You’re a little unsteady on your feet cowboy.”

You are currently trying to dance to some remixed early 2000’s EDM hit. Maybe you should feel embarrassed - both at your inebriated state, and your complete lack of coordination - but you can’t bring yourself to care.

Sana’s smile is a little weary as she grabs your shoulders gently, “Are you okay?” You throw up a peace sign with one hand, and a thumbs up with the other.

“Just peachy,” A hiccup slips out, “I wanna daaaaaance.” Sana seems dubious at your reply.

“We should get you some water.” She turns to Namjoon, who is still debating the existence of aliens with Jimin, “Can you get Y/N some water?”

Namjoon gives you a look of pity.

Jimin shakes his head, “Oh how the mighty have fallen.” You summon up the best glare you can manage, and Namjoon scurries away, followed quickly by Jimin, who brings up the possibility of life on mars for the third time that night.

You turn to Sana, and notice there’s two of her standing in front of you.

Strange.

“Y’know Hoseok hates me,” You suddenly need to get it off your chest, “He hates me and he’s never flirted with me. I don’t know why you think we’d make a good couple because… We wouldn’t.”

You hiccup again, and Sana frowns deeply.

“He doesn’t hate you, Y/N.” “Yes he does,” You feel something like tears prick your eyes, “I called him a brainless slut.”

Sana’s eyes widen. She seems stunned.

“What?” “We had a fight,” You wipe your eyes harshly. When did you start crying?, “In the library. And I said he was a heartless asshole who only thinks with his dick.”

Sana is silent for a moment. Then she sighs heavily.

“Well that was a little harsh.” You pout, “He deserved it.”

Before Sana can say anything more on the matter, you spot that same head of red hair. You set your jaw determinedly and start to make your way across the room.

Hoseok hasn’t seen you yet, and you consider the element of surprise your friend, in this situation.

Sana, however, has different plans. She pulls you back by your elbow and raises a brow.

“What are you doing?” She asks plainly.

“Going to talk to Hoseok.” She shakes her head, “No you’re not. You’re gonna sit right here,” She leads the both of you over to a ratty couch pushed into the far left corner of the room, “And you’re going to wait for your water.” You feel tears well again.

“I need to talk to him.” “Y/N you don’t.” Sana is firm, “You need to sober up and then you can think about having a conversation with him.”

Just as Sana finishes her sentence, a tall, skinny freshman barrels into her out of nowhere. They’re both knocked down, and Sana is disorientated as she stares up into the freshman’s apologetic eyes.

“Oh my god!” The freshman scrambles up, “I’m so sorry. I should’ve looked where I was going. Are you okay?” She offers Sana a hand, and against your better judgement you use this as your moment to escape. With Sana distracted, you stand quickly, making a beeline for Hoseok, and ignoring Sana’s eventual cries to stop.

She’s too slow, and before she can physically pull you back, you find yourself standing in front of Hoseok. His dark eyes fall on you, and he raises a brow.

For some reason, you really expected him to be drunk, but instead his eyes are startlingly clear. He hasn’t had a drop of alcohol, it seems.

“Y/N.” His voice is rough.

You feel Sana grabbing your elbow and you shove her away.

“Hoseok.” You lift your chin, “You’ve been avoiding me.” A muscle in his jaw ticks. He’s pissed.

Well. So what? So are you.

“Sorry Hoseok,” Sana tries to apologise on your behalf, “She’s really drunk.” Hoseok throws her a terse smile, “It’s okay Sana. Let her talk. She’s clearly got something she wants to say.”

“No this is a really bad idea…” Sana tries to pull you away again but you stand your ground, despite your drunken state.

“Y’know,” You point an angry finger at Hoseok’s chest, “We should perform that body swap ritual. You wouldn’t last a day with my responsibilities,” You scoff angrily, “And what would I have to do? Get drunk and act like a massive dick.”

You know you’re taking it too far. Hoseok’s eyes darken and you’re struck by the thought that you shouldn’t be saying things like this.

Why are you provoking him?

“Sana’s right.” He grits his teeth, “You are drunk. So I’m going to forget everything you just said.”

Your eyes widen. He’s giving you an out.

He’s giving you what… Mercy?

No. No way. He’s not about to stand there and somehow act like he’s above all of this. You narrow your gaze.

“Fuck you,” You spit, “After everything you said earlier… You want to act like I’m the bitch now?”

You feel bile rising to your throat but you shove it down. You’re not going to throw up. And you’re definitely not going to throw up on Hoseok.

“I’m saying you’re drunk Y/N. It’s late.” His eyes flicker, “Go home.”

Namjoon has somehow made his way over to you, Jimin in tow, and they too try to stop whatever the fuck is going on between you and Hoseok.

Jimin touches your elbow gently

“Hey, Y/N c’mon…”

You shrug him off and take another step towards Hoseok - nose almost brushing his.

“Do it.” Your eyes challenge him, “If you’ve got any balls I dare you to do it. Perform the body swap ritual.”

Hoseok’s nostrils flare. He’s so angry at you.

Maybe any other time you’d care. But right now you just want him to react. You can’t stand his stony glare - or the way he’s acting like you’re somehow in the wrong, here.

You hate that he’s trying to take the high road. You want him down here with you - bitter and venomous.

“I’m not going to do anything.” He arches a brow, “Listen to your friends.”

You take a big gulp of breath in. He seems determined not to let you win this one.

And then somewhere, deep inside your gut, you pull something out. Something you know will cause irreparable damage. And yet… You can’t help it.

You’re like a woman possessed.

“Fuck. You really are a loser.” The words are like acid, and they burn your mouth, “Brainless slut with absolutely no ambition. Bet your parents are so proud of you.” Somewhere in the recesses of your mind, you remember Sana telling you something about Hoseok’s mom. You think on it for just a second, and then your chest tightens.

Shit, shit, shit.

“What the fuck, Y/N?” This comes from Namjoon, who pulls you back from Hoseok harshly, “That was a low blow.”

Your mind reels.

“Oh my god Hoseok.” You turn to him, “I’m so sorry-”

“Fuck you,” He answers venemously, “Fucking bitch.”

And without another word he storms off. For the first time since your altercation began, you notice Jin hovering to the left of where Hoseok was standing. He frowns.

“Y’know his mom’s sick right? Like… Really sick.” He sighs heavily, “I know Hoseok can be an asshole. But that was a dick move.”

Without another word Jin slinks after his friend and you turn to Sana, feeling sick to your stomach.

You open your mouth to tell her that you need to leave… And before you can say a word, you're throwing up.

Great.

Could this night get any better?

//

You wake the next morning with a banging headache. Your eyes peel open slowly, blearily, and for a moment you’re struck by how dark your room is.

Your blinds have been broken for nearly six months. How is it that you’ve somehow managed to block out all sunlight this morning?

You groan and turn to the side, wondering if it might still be night time, but the sound of cars and people outside quickly proves that theory wrong.

Fuck. This is why you don’t drink.

You remember, all too vividly, your awful, horrendous conversation with Hoseok and suddenly you want to vomit again.

You know you crossed the proverbial line in the sand. There’s no way he’s ever going to want to speak to you again, and the truth is you understand why not.

Why the fuck would you say something like that?

So cruel and angry?

Your chest hurts, and your headache is splitting, and all at once you feel like the worst person on the planet.

The guilt gnaws away at your heart, and you wonder if it will make a home there for a while. You decide you probably deserve it.

With a groan, you roll over, reaching for your bedside table to grab your phone, and finding, instead, air.

What?

You try to find your furniture in the darkness, and when nothing turns up, you quirk a brow. What the fuck. Did you move your bedside table around in your drunkenness too?

Your headache intensifies at the thought and you press a hand to your temples, trying to force it away.

After a moment you push yourself off your bed, rising to your feet and reaching for the light switch that usually sits just to the left of your bed. But you don't find it.

You stumble around in the dark - wondering just how hungover you truly are that you’ve suddenly forgotten the entire layout of your bedroom - when the door swings open. You turn quickly, ready to reprimand Sana for entering without knocking and finding instead that Kim Taehyung stands before you.

And not only is he standing before you. He is also currently incredibly topless.

“Morning,” He holds a bowl of cereal, “How’s it cracking?”

You stare at him incredulously. And then, of course, you do the only normal thing you can think to do.

You scream.

But when you scream your voice doesn’t sound like your voice. It sounds low and gravelly and… Why the fuck is Kim Taehyung in your house?

And why is he so chill about it?

“What the fuck?” Taehyung jumps, and a splash of milk hits the ground, “What are you screaming about dude? It’s like nine AM.”

And then you notice the full length mirror standing just to the left of Taehyung. The room is still dark - illuminated only by the open door Taehyung is standing in front of - but you see your reflection staring back at you clearly enough.

And the two dark eyes blinking at you are not the eyes you grew up knowing.

Because looking back at you through the reflection of the mirror is Jung fucking Hoseok’s body.

It takes you approximately ten seconds before you faint and his body hits the ground.

//

You wake up less than a minute later surrounded by the boys of house Beta. Taehyung is blinking down at you - as are Jin and Namjoon - and you notice Min Yoongi too (the most elusive Beta member) snapping his fingers in front of your face.

“Dude I told you not to drink so much last night.” Taehyung seems relieved when you - or well when Hoseok - sit up, “Fuck that Y/N chick. She’s a bitch.”

You can barely hear him over the fuzziness in your brain.

You’re asleep, right? You must be asleep.

There’s no way you’re sat on the Beta Theta Sigma house floor, in Jung Hoseok’s body nursing the worst hangover of your life.

You pinch yourself. You pinch yourself so hard you yelp and Taehyung arches a brow.

“Hoseok. What the fuck is going on man?” He lowers his face towards you, “You’re acting weird.”

Hoseok. He called you Hoseok.

Suddenly you want to hyperventilate. No you’re sure you’re going to hyperventilate.

“He needs coffee.” Yoongi moves just as Taehyung and Jin help you to your feet, “I’ll go make some.”

He hovers away and when you stand you look around Hoseok’s bedroom - basketball posters on the wall - a simple bed without a frame (of course) and a wardrobe the size of a box, almost.

It’s clean at least. And neat.

Shit. Fuck. This can not be happening.

“Listen Hobi, I know what Y/N said last night was really shitty,” This comes from Namjoon, whose eyes are serious but kind, “But she was just drunk. She felt awful afterwards.”

You swallow thickly. Something like a lump settles at the bottom of your throat.

You need water.

“She means well.” He continues, “She’s just a little….”

“Bit of a bitch,” Taehyung finishes for Namjoon, shaking his head furiously, “Fuck her. She ruined your night. You don’t need that shit in your life.”

“He's got to finish the end of term project with her,” Jin reminds Taehyung almost studiously. He turns to you, “I think it would be a good idea to find some middle ground.”

You know you have to say something. You have to.

Jin, Namjoon and Taehyung are staring at you. Or well at Hoseok.

You have to say something before they think you’ve completely lost it.

You clear your throat.

Well you clear Hoseok’s throat, but at this point the semantics don’t matter.

“Okay.” You say slowly. You hear Hoseok’s voice - deep and gravelly and broken up from sleep and drinking, “I’ll talk to her.”

“Atta boy,” Namjoon steps towards you and claps you good-naturedly on the shoulder, “She really is a great person-”

And then somewhere to your left, Hoseok’s phone starts to ring. You recognise the opening notes to ‘Anaconda’ by Nikki Minaj and bite back an eye roll.

Definitely not the time for that. Instead, you turn sharply, suddenly sensing the person on the other side of the phone is Hoseok.

Or well, it’s you. But it’s Hoseok in your body.

Oh God this was going to give you another migraine.

You scramble to grab the phone that has been tossed unceremoniously to the foot of the bed and pick it up quickly, swiping to answer.

“Hello,” You sound breathless.

“Y/N?” It’s your voice speaking back to you and suddenly everything is so strange and surreal that you’re worried you might faint again.

“Uh yes. Yeah. It’s me.”

“What the fuck is happening?” Hoseok sounds bewildered, “What the fuck happened last night?” “I don’t remember,” You hiss, turning slightly to see that the other boys have left you to your own devices. You walk towards the door and slam it shut, just as Taehyung throws you a middle finger from across the hallway.

He’s still eating that damn cereal.

“All I know is that I woke up this morning… And I was you.” The words sound so ridiculous and yet somehow they’re true.

“This is my literal worst nightmare,” Hearing your voice like this is weird, but you suppose in the grand scheme of things it’s not the worst thing to happen to you this morning, “What the fuck. I don’t know what to do. I’ve avoided Sana as best I can, but she’s insisted on bringing me coffee from the cafe by campus.”

You're pacing Hoseok’s room, trying very hard to avoid eye contact with the expanse of hairy pale legs sticking out from the pyjama shorts Hoseok is wearing.

“I keep thinking this is some horrible dream,” You mutter, tugging a hand through Hoseok’s incredibly short hair, “What the fuck.”

Hoseok makes a sound of disbelief from the other side of the phone, and then sighs deeply.

“You need to come over.”

“What?” “You need to come over, Y/N,” He tells you matter of factly, and you try to focus on anything other than the fact that you’re hearing your own voice talk to you in real time, “We need to figure this out.”

You know he’s right of course.

“What do I tell your friends?”

His throat clears.

“Tell them you’re going to see Jisoo.”

Jisoo?

You bite back the urge to ask who that is, because you’re pretty sure you already know the answer.

“Okay.” You feel sick again, “I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up the phone without another word and you finally turn to look at yourself properly in the mirror. Hoseok’s big brown eyes stare back at you, and you feel so strange you have to blink several times to clear the feeling.

You’re topless. Hoseok’s abs are cut to perfection and you feel bad for momentarily ogling them.

You hate to admit it but fuck he’s hot.

You know you have to put clothes on - Hoseok can’t walk around the streets topless - but you feel weird rooting through his things. Like you’re overstepping a boundary.

You try not to think of the very horrible boundary you overstepped last night, and instead force yourself to open the closet door and pull out the first sweater your fingers come into contact with. You decide to keep the pyjama shorts on - your brain cannot currently deal with a pantless Hoseok - and slip on a pair of sneakers.

It’s an awful look, but if anybody asks you’ll blame the hangover.

You grab Hoseok’s phone and slip it into the pocket of the sweater you’re wearing, opening the door and slipping out into the hallway.

Taehyung is still standing in the hallway, just outside the kitchen, nursing that same bowl of cereal. He quirks a brow at your appearance.

“Where are you going?” He asks bluntly.

You take a deep breath.

“Jisoo’s.” Taehyung’s eyebrow arches all the way towards his hairline.

“Right now?” His eyes scan your appearance, “Looking like that?”

You try to act debonair, throwing Taehyung a smirk.

“Not like she cares what I’m wearing,” You answer, adding on a chuckle for full asshole effect, “Right?”

Taehyung’s eyes narrow for a moment.

You worry that you said the wrong thing. Shit. But then his face breaks out into a boxy grin and he chuckles.

“I don’t know how you do it man.” Taehyung’s grin widens, “Girls flock to you even when you turn up looking like that.”

“Right,” Your chest tightens at the thought of girls flocking to Hoseok, but you push it down and try to grin, “Well. Y’know me. I’m a regular casanova.” Taehyung snorts a laugh and Yoongi appears behind him, holding a flask.

“Your coffee.” He tells you seriously, “You’ll need it to get through the day.”

Oh. How right he was.

//

You turn up to your own front door less than twenty minutes later, pressing the buzzer and wondering for a moment what the fuck you’re going to say if Sana opens the door.

How the hell are you going to explain a very hungover Jung Hoseok turning up to your apartment first thing on a Sunday morning? Especially when the two of you didn’t exactly end things on good terms last night.

But when the door swings open and you’re faced with yourself you breathe a sigh of relief. Then a wave of anxiety and sickness passes through you, reminding you once again that you’re in Hoseok’s fucking body.

“Come on. Quickly,” Hoseok pulls you inside the apartment, and you try to ignore being faced with your own body - that you’re not inside.

Has anybody in the history of the world ever had to deal with this?

You follow Hoseok wordlessly into your own room, and try not to think too hard about the implications behind that. Hoseok is in your room. The bed isn’t made (why does that not surprise you?) but everything else is tidy, thank God. And despite all the fucking weirdness today has brought on so far, you’re thankful at least for that.

“What the fuck,” Hoseok stares at you - widening your eyes, “What the fuck is happening. You’re me. And I’m you.” He tugs a hand through your unruly hair and you wince.

“Ow.” He grunts and you give him a sympathetic smile.

“You can’t just run your fingers through it,” You tell him, “You need to condition first. Then brush in the shower.” The look on your face is absolute disbelief when Hoseok turns to you.

“You’re kidding, right?” You bite your bottom lip, “Sorry. Just trying to help.”

Hoseok softens the lines around your eyes and sighs heavily, sitting at the edge of your bed and placing his head in his hands. He makes a strangled sound.

“This can’t be happening.”

You join Hoseok on the bed, feeling your own shoulders deflate.

“We have to go through the events of last night,” You start slowly, trying to find something - anything - that might help you explain what the fuck is going on, “Maybe we can figure out a way to… Reverse it.” You feel so useless. Hoseok blinks at you.

“Reverse the fact that we have somehow swapped bodies?”

The reality of the situation slaps you across the face again. You feel winded.

“Yeah,” You conclude, “We can’t just live like this forever.”

Hoseok takes a deep breath, “After our little… Altercation last night…I got wasted. All I can remember is telling Jin again and again how,” He shifts a little, and your eyes meet for a moment before he drops contact, “Awful I thought you were. He kept telling me to forget it but I wouldn’t.”

You suck in a sharp breath. You feel terrible for what you said last night and you want to apologise again.

“I am sorry,” You say as sincerely as you can, “Really, Hoseok. What I said last night was incredibly shitty and you didn’t deserve that.”

He sighs heavily, and the atmosphere thickens.

“You’re right I didn’t deserve it. But none of that matters right now,” He stands abruptly - and for the first time you notice what Hoseok has chosen to dress you in. Sweats and a t-shirt.

God. If Sana saw you looking like that she would definitely think something was very wrong.

“I think… Maybe…. In my drunken anger,” Hoseok paces the length of your room and then pauses, turning to face you, “I think I might have performed the ritual.”

There is a beat. Then you clear your throat.

“What do you mean?”

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

“I think I performed the body swap ritual. The one you kept insisting I did.” The words fall like concrete between the two of you, “I think I got back to my room and I was so fucking pissed off at you that I thought you actually deserved it. Living as me for a while.”

He gestures towards you - stuck in his body - and shrugs.

“I guess it worked.”

“Oh my god,” You feel sick again, “So you’re saying an ancient Sillan ritual that bares absolutely no solid evidence in the real world has somehow worked and that’s why the two of us have swapped bodies?” You feel lost.

“Yeah.” He scoffs, “It sounds fucking insane. But it’s the only explanation I have.”

You want to tell him he’s being ridiculous. Want to tell him that there has to be some logical, rational explanation for all of this but the truth is - there isn’t.

You woke up this morning in Jung Hoseok’s body. He woke up in your body.

And apart from some stupid drunken ritual he apparently performed last night, there’s absolutely no other explanation for this. You lick your bottom lip and stand.

“Okay. Fine. We have to go then.”

Hoseok raises one of your brows, “Go?” “To the library.” You clarify, “We need to figure out how to switch us back.”

Hoseok winces. Then he nods.

“Yeah. Yeah okay. Let’s go.”

But of course, the moment you stand to make your way over to the door, it is thrown open quickly and a very dishevelled-looking Sana greets you. You almost forget how to breathe.

Sana’s face drops quickly, as her eyes move between the two of you. She raises a brow all the way up into her hairline, and her gaze widens.

“Oh my god,” She whispers holding two takeaway cups of coffee, “Hoseok? What the fuck are you doing here?”

You realise all at once that she’s looking at you of course - because for all intents and purposes you are Hoseok - and you clear your throat quickly, trying to push down the dread building it’s way towards the surface.

“Good morning to you too, Sana.”

You try to play it nonchalant, but Sana isn’t having any of it.

“If I had known Y/N had company I would have offered you a coffee too.”

You try to smirk, “It’s alright. I already had mine.” You hold up the flask of coffee Yoongi made you earlier and Sana’s eyes narrow. She bites her bottom lip.

“Did you stay the night?”

The question immediately causes you to flush. She grins.

“Oh my god you did-”

Hoseok, of course, stops this thought right in its tracks.

You try not to think about why the thought of the two of you sleeping together seems to cause him so much disgust, and focus instead on the fact that he’s trying to help you out.

“Stop being stupid Sana,” He speaks in that clipped tone of yours, and suddenly you hate how prim and proper you sound, “Hoseok is only here for the project.”

Sana frowns.

“But aren’t you guys hungover? Why the fuck would you choose to do work on today of all days?” She eyes you both suspiciously, “You’re not hiding something from me, are you?”

You look to Hoseok, who shakes his head.

“We’re hungover. But there’s no rest for the wicked right?” He smiles and you can see how awkward it is - you’d never smile like that, especially not at Sana - but there’s nothing you can do about it, “We want to ace this.”

Sana turns to you next, eyes softening as she lifts the side of her mouth gently.

“So you two are okay after last night?”

The question is directed at Hoseok but of course he can’t answer it. Instead she’s looking right at you because you woke up this morning and somehow you were Hoseok.

“Yeah uh, Y/N apologised,” Hoseok’s voice sounds gruff and you cough slightly, “We’re fine now. She was really sorry and she was drunk. But that’s the devil’s juice for you.” The devil’s juice?

What the hell is wrong with you?

Sana sighs, “Well as long as you two are okay…”

Hoseok steps forward quickly, grabbing the second coffee cup from Sana’s hands and sliding past her quickly.

“We’re fine,” He assures her, smiling briefly, “We really need to go now Sana. The library awaits.”

You feel lost all over again. Your best friend nods and moves out of the way to let you pass through, when all you want is a big, fat hug from her.

But you can’t ask her of course, because that would mean getting Sana to hug Hoseok. And that would bring with it a whole load of questions. Instead you smile at her softly, and follow after Hoseok, watching the back of your own head as he cuts straight towards the front door.

“Don’t study too hard,” Sana’s voice follows you as Hoseok throws the portal open, “And make sure you’re back for dinner. Namjoon’s coming over for games night. And he’s bringing Jungkook.”

You internally groan at that.

When Sana’s not trying to set you up with Hoseok, she’s trying her hand at matchmaking by attempting to set you up with Namjoon’s little brother, Jungkook. He’s a sophomore at a different university and he’s nice enough but you just don’t have time for any of that.

“Uh… Yeah sure.” Hoseok throws back, “I’ll see you then.”

You both step out into the hallway and once the door slams shut, he turns to you carefully, gaze intense.

“I would just like you to know,” He takes a swig from the coffee Sana brought, “This is the worst hangover of my life.” You groan in agreement.

“Ditto.”

//

.

[neonlights92]

Flip & Reverse It (I)

Your relationship with resident fuckboy Jung Hoseok is anything but simple. Sitting somewhere between hate and genuine friendship is the fact that you’ve always secretly, sort of wanted him.

And then one day you wake up and you’re in Hoseok’s body. And he’s in yours. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

Genre: rom-com, body swap, (sort of) enemies to lovers

Word count: 10k

Warnings: language and future smut

A/N: Heeeey guys. So in the end, I decided to split this story into two parts as it is MAMMOTH. Hope you enjoy the first part, and I’m hoping to post the second part soon xxx

Jung Hoseok is, officially, the dumbest person you’ve ever met.

“You want to do our end of semester project on what?”

It is your first period of the day- Introduction to Ancient Cultures - and a Monday Morning. You’re quite proud of yourself to be honest. Hoseok is, of course, already driving you nuts and you’ve somehow managed to stop yourself from lunging at him from across the table.

“Look it’s meant to be about ancient rituals, right?” He tugs a hand through his freshly dyed cherry red hair, “So why not a sex ritual?”

You feel something like a migraine coming on. You squeeze your eyes shut for a moment of respite and when you open them again Hoseok is still looking at you with that almost smug grin on his face.

“You’re just a fucking horn dog.”

“That I am.” His grin only grows, “C’mon. I’m a senior in college and a hot blooded male. If I didn’t suggest writing a report on an ancient sex ritual it would be weird.”

All you can do is glare. The look on his face only serves to stroke your anger and you fight the urge to grunt.

He just… He looks so self-satisfied. As though what he’s just said is clever and funny. As though you should somehow fall to your feet and worship him like every other doe-eyed freshman on campus does.

No. No. Maybe once upon a time you had a microscopic crush on Jung Hoseok but three years later and you know exactly what kind of person he is. You won’t bite.

Hoseok rolls his eyes at your stoic expression and leans back in his chair.

“Fine. What do you want to do the report on?”

You answer without missing a beat.

“A body swap ritual.”

Hoseok raises a dark brow. He cocks his head to the side, and you take that as your cue to continue.

“It dates back to the Silla Kingdom. They reigned the Korean peninsula for almost a thousand years-”

“I know about the Silla Kingdom Y/N. I’m a history major too, y’know.” He scoffs playfully and you roll your shoulders back.

“Then you know about their body swap rituals?”

His eyes flicker. He knows that you know that he doesn’t know.

God. The look on his face is satisfying.

“Well… No…” He grumbles, leaning forward slightly when you pull out one of the many textbooks you’ve spent the last week scouring through.

“Not much is known about them - however there are a few reports on it actually working. One is the story of a rich noblewoman and her handmaiden,” You hear the excitement in your tone and you try to tamp it down but you just can’t. This kind of stuff is so interesting to you, “So of course the noblewoman was a grade A bitch-”

Hoseok snorts, “Classic.”

“And the handmaiden had fallen in love with her mistresses betrothed. So she performed the body swap ritual with the help of a witch doctor and apparently… It worked. They both died of old age… In each other’s bodies.”

You know the story is folklore - a fairytale spun by the spiritual to give rituals like this legitimacy - but you can’t help the thrill that travels up your spine as you recount what you’ve researched.

Hoseok raises a dark brow, “So… Why this ritual, then?”

“Because it’s different. Everyone in class will end up doing human sacrifices and even sex rituals but something like this…” You shrug and bite your bottom lip, “It will be a challenge. And there may even be limited information out there about it but… It will be fun.”

Hoseok’s lips split into a grin, “Fun?” “Yeah y’know learning something new.” You answer rolling your eyes, “Have you ever tried that? Learning?”

Hoseok watches you for a moment. Maybe you took it too far with that last jab. But fuck if he doesn’t push every one of your buttons all at the same time.

“You won’t be happy until I say yes, will you?” Hoseok leans his cheek against one of his palms, eyes scanning your face carefully.

“Nope.”

You pop the ‘p’ for emphasis. You mean business baby.

“Alright, alright fine. I’ll do it,” He shrugs, “As long as it gets us a good grade.” You grin, “Believe me. It will.”

He reaches a hand towards you and you stare at it, one eyebrow raised.

“We should shake on it,” He tells you, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “So we’re both on the same page. It’s how me and the boys agree on things.”

The boys are Hoseok’s obnoxious frat brothers. Beta Theta Sigma. You shiver. It’s not that you hate fraternities - it’s that you abhor almost everything they stand for.

Okay, so maybe you hate them. But the truth is, most frat boys are assholes. Present company included.

“Fine. Whatever gets you to shut up,” You grab the hand that’s pointing towards you and shake it once, firmly, before pulling away.

You don’t think about the fact that Hoseok’s palm was warm and big and kind of soft. No you can’t think about that.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” The toothy grin he shoots you almost makes you gag.

You wish you could say the same.

//

“So you’re telling me,” Your roommate Sana stands in the doorway of your bedroom, “That you’ve teamed up with Jung Hoseok for your biggest partner project of your entire degree?” You roll your eyes at the disbelief in her tone.

“It wasn’t my choice. We were randomly assigned together.”

“The universe hates you,” Sana wrinkles her cute little button nose, “Hoseok is kind of a meathead.”

Sana is, in many ways, just like you. She’s pre-med and probably the hardest worker you know (after yours truly of course) and she holds just as much disdain for fraternities as you do. There’s just one tiny little difference.

She’s also dating one of Hoseok’s frat brothers, Kim Namjoon.

You have to admit he’s the only guy in Beta - hell the only guy on this entire campus - worth taking a second look at.

But it does kind of soften the blow of her insults because well, Sana’s kind of friends with the rest of Beta Theta Sigma too.

“You can’t say that when you’re his friend.” You reply, raising a brow at the look she pulls.

“Actually I can say that because I’m his friend,” She shrugs, “He’s not the asshole you so fiercely think he is… But he is a bonehead. They all are. Even Joonie.”

You snort, “Joonie is not a bonehead. He’s the smartest guy I know.” “Whatever. The point is the two of you don’t always get along,” She frowns, “And I know how much this grade means to you.” “We’re going to ace it,” You answer immediately, “Plus I hate to admit it but Hoseok’s smart. Much smarter than I probably give him credit for. We’ll be fine.”

Sana’s eyes widen in that way they always do when you say anything mildly positive about Hoseok. She smirks and you know what’s coming.

“Oh is he smart?” Her tone pisses you off.

“Shut up, Sana.” “No c’mon you said it first not me,” She waggles her eyebrows, “You think he’s smart. Do you think he’s cute too? Do you want to hold hands with him and discuss history together?”

“Will you stop it?” Your cheeks flush because yes, obviously you’re annoyed at Sana’s insinuation - but the fact that once upon a time it might have been true only serves to annoy you even further.

“I’m just saying,” She grins widely this time, coming to perch on the end of your bed, “I think you two would make a cute couple.” You gag dramatically at her words.

“Don’t be like that,” She nudges you playfully, “You said it yourself. Hoseok’s smart.” “And you said it yourself…. he’s also a bonehead.” You retaliate, crossing your arms, “And a meathead. We barely get along on the best of days. Why would you want me to date someone like that?” Sana shrugs and sighs heavily.

“He’s a good guy,” She tells you sincerely, “He just gets a bad rep because he’s kind of a slut. But I think he would settle down for the right girl. Plus I know you secretly have the hots for him.”

You scoff, “I do not have the hots for Jung Hoseok.”

“Oh come on,” She pulls a face, “You’d have to be blind not to see how stunning he is.” “That doesn’t mean I’m into him.” You point out, hating the fact that she’s obviously right.

Hoseok may be an obnoxious prick, but he is gorgeous.

“I don’t know. I think there’s something there. Be it sexual tension or something more…”

“Try just regular tension,” You deadpan, “Seriously. How can you go from calling him a brainless slut one second to trying to set him up with me the next?”

“Because I have eyes Y/N. I’m not dumb. You two have chemistry. Plus he’s not brainless. Just a slut.” You laugh then.

“You are ridiculous.”

“Is it so wrong that I want my friends to be happy?” Sana purses her lips at your disdain, “I think you two could do that for one another.”

You refrain from mentioning that you are probably the only girl on campus - hell, the only girl in this entire city Hoseok refuses to flirt with.

Maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt her feelings, or maybe it’s because you don’t want to hurt your own (it’s definitely the second one) but you think it’s better Sana doesn’t know.

Whatever chemistry she insists she sees is just something stupid her loved up brain imagines to make her feel better about the fact that she essentially abandoned you for a frat boy. “Look I’m not saying he’s the devil. I just - I want to get on with this project, survive this very last semester, graduate with a 4.0 and get into the school’s masters programme. That’s all I want.”

“And you will. Of course you will Y/N. You’re the smartest person I know.” You pull a face then, “You have to say that, you’re my friend.” “Maybe. But it’s still true.”

Sana stands then, making her way out of your bedroom and asking what you’d like for dinner. You reply with something non-committal and tell her she can decide for the both of you.

But her words stick with you.

Hoseok… A good guy?

It can’t be. No. No.

You shake your head furiously.

You’ve been down this path once before, and you won’t do it again. Not this time.

You’re going to ace the project, you’re going to graduate, and you’re never going to see Jung Hoseok again.

It’s for the best.

Right?

//

“No.”

Hoseok crosses his arms and pseudo glares at you. The pile of books sitting comfortably in front of you almost blocks your view of his face.

“What do you mean, no?” You raise a brow at him.

Hoseok is nothing if not stubborn. But two can play at that game.

“I am not spending my Saturday evening at the library researching.” His eyes flick from the textbooks to your face, and he looks less than impressed, “Don’t you have better things to do, Y/N?”

“This is better things to do.” You answer eagerly, “C’mon Hoseok. Don’t you want to ace this project?”

“Not at the expense of all my free time.” “Stop whining,” You roll your eyes and pull up the chair next to you, “Besides. This will be fun.”

Hoseok reluctantly sits down and gives you the grumpiest look he can muster.

“Fun? You’re kidding, right?”

He pulls one of the books towards him - Life in the Silla Kingdom - and groans, “Taehyung invited a model to the party tonight, Y/N. A model.” You roll your eyes at this. Kim Taehyung is one of Hoseok’s frat brothers - a poor excuse of a man if you are being absolutely honest. Taehyung is a man-whore. He wears the label loud and proud - and you hate the fact that the majority of girls seem more than willing to drop their panties for a taste of his apparently legendary dick.

“Well I’m sorry to tear you away from your evening of slutting around, but this is more important.”

You try to keep the bitterness away from your tone.

It’s not that you’re actually slut-shaming Hoseok and his friends. It’s only that you’ve spent three years sharing most of Hoseok’s classes and he’s never once tried to hit on you.

And you hate to admit it - you really, really do but that pisses you off.

You used to think Hoseok hung the stars and the moon for you. You used to watch him from the back of lecture rooms wishing he would flirt with you like he seemed to flirt with the other 99.9% of the female population.

But he didn’t. He was nice enough to you. Smiling and polite. But he never flirted. He never smirked or winked or made you feel special.

And that hurt. It still hurts.

“Y’know you should come to one of our parties some time. Let loose a little,” His eyes scan your appearance quickly, “You’re always so stiff.” You click your tongue.

And there it is. The reason, apparently, Hoseok won’t flirt with you.

You’re stiff. You’re boring.

God forbid you came to university to learn and not to party.

“Fuck off,” There’s a little more bite to your words than you probably intended, but at this point you’re not sure you care, “You don’t even know me.”

“Of course I know you.” Hoseok’s smile is devious and you feel another migraine brewing, “You’re Y/N Y/L/N. You’re twenty-one years old. You sit at the back of all the classes we take together, and you know the answers to every single question asked. You live for this shit,” He gestures to the piles of books around the both of you, “Researching. Learning. You love it all… You’re a historian at heart aren’t you? A true academic.”

You feel your cheeks heat at his description. Okay so some of it is true - you do love history and books and learning - but that doesn’t make up your entire personality.

“There’s more to me than all of that.”

“Of course, how can I forget the sweater vests, and ponytails?” His smile isn’t cruel, but it’s not kind either, “Admit it Y/N. This is where you feel at home.”

You push the book you were reading to one side, “Can you stop psycho-analysing me, please? And do what we’re meant to be doing.”

“Which is….?”

“Researching.” You bite out, pulling a face at the ‘gotcha’ look that flickers across his features.

“I told you,” He grins, smugly, like the cat who got the cream, “You live for it.”

You decide to ignore him because really, what good would it do to punch your project partner in the face on your first day working together?

Hoseok - thank god - decides to shut up, and you take this opportunity to finish the paragraph you were reading before you got so rudely interrupted.

The people of the Silla Kingdom were incredibly spiritual. They enjoyed performing rituals for almost every milestone in their life - and spent much of their time praying to their deities for good luck and prosperity.

One of these rituals, of course, was the body-swap ritual. Something usually reserved for very special or dire situations, this ritual was rarely ever actually practiced. Most witch doctors refused to take part as they believed the magic used to complete the ritual was dark.

What we know of the ritual itself was that-

“I found something important.”

Hoseok, of course, rips your attention away just when things are getting interesting. You look up, raising a brow at the man who sits across from you, pretending that the last fifteen minutes didn’t happen. As though he didn’t just basically call you the walking stereotype of a geek.

“What?”

He raises his own brow, “Who pissed in your cornflakes?”

You feel something akin to rage creeping up your spine. You want to smack him. No… You want to spit on him. No you want to pick on all of his own insecurities. Make him feel as small as he tried to make you feel.

“Are you fucking serious?”

He pouts, “Is this about what I said before?”

You’re furious. Why is he acting like he hasn’t done anything wrong? Is he really that dumb?

“What important thing did you find?”

“This is a step by step explanation of the ritual itself,” Hoseok chooses to ignore the obvious tension between you, “We should try it.”

You look at him like he’s crazy, “What?” “Yeah why not? We can include it in our project. Maybe we can even record ourselves doing it.”

Something pulses behind your eyes.

“You want to perform the body swap ritual with me?” The words sound so ridiculous you almost laugh.

“Well yeah,” Hoseok shugs, “It’s not actually going to work, is it? So why not?”

You know he’s right. The rational, logical side of your brain tells you that body swap rituals and magic are not real. That it doesn’t matter what you and Hoseok do you won’t actually swap bodies.

And yet…

“I just don’t want to do it.”

Hoseok smirks then - one eyebrow raised teasingly, “Oh right…”

His tone annoys you.

“Why are you saying it like that?”

His smirk only grows. You ignore the stupid part of you that finds that look on his face attractive, and narrow your gaze at him.

“Just admit you’re scared,” He laughs a little, “And I’ll drop it.”

“I am not scared,” Your glare intensifies, “I just think performing the ritual would be stupid. And a waste of time.”

“You’re a chicken. I get it.” Hoseok’s tone only serves to annoy you further, “Stick in the mud and a scaredy cat.”

At this point you’re seething.

“Stop that.” “Stop what?” He smirks like the cat who got the cream and you resist the urge to lean forward and flick his nose.

“Stop acting like you know me, okay? You don’t.”

You don’t get it. You don’t understand why all of a sudden Hoseok seems hellbent on upsetting you. He’s always been at least agreeable.

“Hey,” His tone softens, “Hold on. I didn’t mean to piss you off…” The apology only strokes your anger. He didn’t mean to piss you off? You scoff.

“Fuck off, Hoseok.” “No seriously.” He frowns then, pushing the tower of books between the two of you to the side, “I was just teasing.” “Okay whatever. Let’s just keep researching-” “I didn’t mean any of it.” You lift your eyes then, connecting gazes with him - his soft and almost apologetic - yours sharp and angry.

“Yes you did,” You answer harshly, “You did so don’t pretend you didn’t. I know exactly what you think of me.” You don’t care that Hoseok never flirted with you. You don’t care that he isn’t into you - you don’t even care that he thinks you’re a stick in the mud.

But you hate that he thinks he knows you. And you hate that he’s looking at you almost like he… Pities you.

You hate that.

“Y/N-” “Hoseok forget it.” Your eyes narrow, “I don’t care. I just want to do well on this project and get this degree over and done with. Do you think we can do that?”

He shuts his mouth then. His eyes are still soft, and his expression is guilty, but you don’t care.

Good. Let him feel bad.

“I’m sorry.”

The words are quite possibly the worst thing he could say to you. You snap the book you were reading shut and stand up abruptly.

“Fuck you,” You’re furious now, “You don’t get to just say whatever you want to me, whenever you want, and then expect me to be cool with it because you said sorry. That’s not how this works.”

Hoseok stands too.

“I honestly thought-” “What? That you could sit here and say all those cruel things about me and think I wouldn’t care?” You laugh, but there’s no humour to it, “I’m not a fucking robot. I have feelings too.”

“I didn’t say that,” He tries again, coming round to your side of the table.

You step away quickly, wanting nothing more than to get out of there.

“I thought you knew I was joking.” “Well I didn’t,” You bite back, “And you weren’t joking. I know exactly what you think of me now.”

And then, because suddenly all you want to do is to hurt him back you scoff and gesture towards him.

“Besides. Do you want to know what I think of you?” His eyes widen then, “Y/N…” “No seeing as you gave your lovely description of me, why don’t I do the same?” You smile cruelly, and you can feel something hot and angry climbing up your spine, “I think you’re a shallow, vein, brainless slut who only thinks with his dick. You don’t care about anybody but yourself and you certainly don’t care about all the girls whose hearts you break. You’re an asshole.”

Hoseok pauses. The dynamic shifts, and suddenly you’re the villain.

You don’t care.

“Fuck you.” He spits.

You straighten your spine, “You started this. Now deal with it.”

There is a tense moment between the two of you. Like you’re held by a piece of taut string that might snap at any time.

You think maybe Hoseok is going to shout at you. Maybe you deserve it.

Something like guilt niggles at the pit of your stomach but you push it to the side. He started this.

After a beat, he sighs heavily and straightens his shoulders.

“I think we’re done here.” His tone is cold, “We’ll talk when we’ve both cooled off.”

“Whatever.” You mumble the word - refusing to drop eye contact.

Something flickers across his face for a moment - something vulnerable and tender - but it’s gone before you can properly register it.

He grabs his backpack and swings it over his shoulder, nodding at you stiffly.

Without another word, he leaves, and the moment he’s gone, you deflate. You’re suddenly aware of the very public argument the two of you just had, and something like embarrassment flashes through you.

You look around quickly, relieved when you notice there’s nobody else around.

And why would they be? It is, after all, a Saturday.

You feel sick. You feel hot and cold and angry and even a little bit guilty.

After a moment, your phone lights up. It’s a text from Sana.

SANA: there’s a party tonight at the beta house. wanna go????

You stare at the words. You mull them over. You consider all your options.

And then, for reasons you’re not proud of, you text her back. One word.

Yes.

//

Sana is surprised of course when you say yes.

You’re surprised too. But you know exactly why you agreed to go. You know why you’ve stuffed yourself into one of Sana’s tiny little crop tops.

To prove a point. You’re not boring. You’re not stiff. You’re not just sweater vests and ponytails. You can let loose.

Jung Hoseok is wrong. And you’re going to show him exactly how wrong he is.

But the moment you walk through the front door to the Beta house, you immediately regret your decision.

“Stop fiddling,” Sana tells you, gesturing towards the hem of the top you keep pulling down, “You look good. Great, even.”

“I feel dumb.” You mutter, eyes scanning the room for a certain head of bright red hair.

You hate yourself for looking but you can't help it. You want him to see you. You want him to realise he’s wrong.

“Well you don’t look dumb. You look hot,” Sana smacks your ass gently, “Enjoy yourself. You look like you’re about to throw up.”

You roll your eyes at her and follow as she cuts her way through the crowd of people clustered around the living room.

“You want a beer?” She shouts over her shoulder.

You hesitate. It’s been a while since you’ve drank any alcohol. But you suppose one beer won’t hurt.

“Yeah alright,” You answer back, as a particularly beefy guy in a football sweater steps on your foot.

He doesn’t even bother to apologise, and you’re suddenly very aware of why you hate parties.

When the two of you finally make your way to the kitchen, Namjoon is already there, leaning against the counter talking to Park Jimin - a freshman and one of Namjoon’s friends.

“Sana!” Namjoon smiles, nice and wide when he spots his girlfriend, “Oh! Y/N!” His smile grows when he sees you.

“Hey Joonie. I finally convinced Y/N to come to one of your infamous ragers,” Sana kisses Namjoon briefly and smiles at Jimin, “Hey Jiminie.” Jimin grins, “Hey there.” Park Jimin is one of Namjoon’s childhood friends and a firm believer that fraternities and sororities for that matter, rot the human mind. Both Hoseok and the rest of Beta have tried to rush him so many times, but Jimin refuses to be swept up in it. So, of course, you think he’s a pretty cool guy.

“Hello,” You smile politely, “Long time no see Namjoon. Nice to see you again Jimin.”

“You too. I heard you and Hoseok are partnered up for your big end of grade project.” Your blood boils again at the mention of him, and your smile turns tight.

“Ah. Yeah we are.” Jimin smirks, “My condolences.”

You snort out a laugh. Yeah, Jimin’s not bad at all really.

“Whatever do you mean?” You lay on the sarcasm nice and thick, “Hoseok is so agreeable.” Jimin scoffs, “Isn’t he just?”

“He was in an awful mood today,” Namjoon adds, rolling his eyes, “Made it very clear his intention was to get absolutely shit faced tonight.” You feel a lick of satisfaction (and maybe a little bit of guilt) at the revelation that Hoseok is in any way negatively affected by what happened earlier on at the library, but you decide not to mention the conversation.

After all, Jimin and Namjoon are his friends and it would just be putting them in a weird position. If Hoseok doesn’t want to tell them himself, then neither will you.

Sana grabs a few beers from the plethora of drinks stacked to her left and passes you one.

“Doesn’t Hoseok always get shit faced?” She pulls a face, “That man is unstoppable when he starts.”

Jimin rolls his eyes taking a swig from his own beer, “D’you guys remember at the Christmas party last year? He used my Nike Airs as a throw up receptacle.”

Namjoon shivers and groans.

“The bathroom smelled like puke for weeks. Jesus. He really doesn’t have an off button, sometimes.”

“That sounds horrific,” You mutter, scoffing a gentle laugh, “I can’t believe you guys let him get away with that shit.”

“We didn’t let him get away with it. Didn’t you hear Sana? He’s unstoppable.” Jimin’s eyes flicker towards the doorway of the kitchen, “Shit. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”

Your eyes move to follow Jimin’s and when you settle on a shock of cherry red hair, something in your stomach turns.

Shit. This was a bad idea.

Hoseok is flanked, of course, by resident fuck boy Kim Taehyung - and one of the older frat members, Kim Seokjin. You’ve only met Jin a handful of times but you’ve come to rank him on nearly the same level as Taehyung.

He is equally as obnoxious and bone-headed.

His one saving grace? Jin secretly volunteers at the Big Brother programme your college offers to underprivileged kids in the city. You’ve seen him at the middle school, on Saturday mornings, and his little brother Changkyun thinks the sun and moon rise with him.

Seokjin asked you very discreetly, once, if you could keep what you had seen to yourself, and you obliged. After all, the last thing you want is for Jin to drop out of the programme and leave little Changkyun without a big brother.

So you shut your mouth, and suffer through his frat boy persona, in silence.

Hoseok’s eyes scan the room slowly, and after a moment, you lock your gaze with his.

Shit. He is furious. His brow furrows and he turns to shout something to Taehyung over the music, before making his way out of the kitchen quickly. You hate to think it, but you know he left because he’d seen you.

Taehyung’s eyes dip towards you and he raises a singular brow, before shrugging his shoulders and turning to follow Hoseok. Jin doesn’t even bother meeting your eyes.

You feel something sting in your chest. Your heart turns.

It shouldn’t have bothered you but it does. Hoseok is avoiding you.

You take a long gulp from your beer to tamp down the disappointment curdling in your chest and try to tune into the conversation Namjoon, Sana and Jimin are currently having about whether or not it is possible to make contact with aliens.

Shit.

This is going to be a long night.

//

It is several hours later when you realise you are drunk.

You can count on one hand the amount of times this has happened. You never usually like getting drunk, but for some reason tonight is different.

The beer helped relax you, and then it helped you forget the awkwardness with Hoseok, and then it helped you ignore why you hated the awkwardness with Hoseok so much.

Your heart doesn’t ache so much now that you are drunk.

“Woah there,” Sana catches your arm, “You’re a little unsteady on your feet cowboy.”

You are currently trying to dance to some remixed early 2000’s EDM hit. Maybe you should feel embarrassed - both at your inebriated state, and your complete lack of coordination - but you can’t bring yourself to care.

Sana’s smile is a little weary as she grabs your shoulders gently, “Are you okay?” You throw up a peace sign with one hand, and a thumbs up with the other.

“Just peachy,” A hiccup slips out, “I wanna daaaaaance.” Sana seems dubious at your reply.

“We should get you some water.” She turns to Namjoon, who is still debating the existence of aliens with Jimin, “Can you get Y/N some water?”

Namjoon gives you a look of pity.

Jimin shakes his head, “Oh how the mighty have fallen.” You summon up the best glare you can manage, and Namjoon scurries away, followed quickly by Jimin, who brings up the possibility of life on mars for the third time that night.

You turn to Sana, and notice there’s two of her standing in front of you.

Strange.

“Y’know Hoseok hates me,” You suddenly need to get it off your chest, “He hates me and he’s never flirted with me. I don’t know why you think we’d make a good couple because… We wouldn’t.”

You hiccup again, and Sana frowns deeply.

“He doesn’t hate you, Y/N.” “Yes he does,” You feel something like tears prick your eyes, “I called him a brainless slut.”

Sana’s eyes widen. She seems stunned.

“What?” “We had a fight,” You wipe your eyes harshly. When did you start crying?, “In the library. And I said he was a heartless asshole who only thinks with his dick.”

Sana is silent for a moment. Then she sighs heavily.

“Well that was a little harsh.” You pout, “He deserved it.”

Before Sana can say anything more on the matter, you spot that same head of red hair. You set your jaw determinedly and start to make your way across the room.

Hoseok hasn’t seen you yet, and you consider the element of surprise your friend, in this situation.

Sana, however, has different plans. She pulls you back by your elbow and raises a brow.

“What are you doing?” She asks plainly.

“Going to talk to Hoseok.” She shakes her head, “No you’re not. You’re gonna sit right here,” She leads the both of you over to a ratty couch pushed into the far left corner of the room, “And you’re going to wait for your water.” You feel tears well again.

“I need to talk to him.” “Y/N you don’t.” Sana is firm, “You need to sober up and then you can think about having a conversation with him.”

Just as Sana finishes her sentence, a tall, skinny freshman barrels into her out of nowhere. They’re both knocked down, and Sana is disorientated as she stares up into the freshman’s apologetic eyes.

“Oh my god!” The freshman scrambles up, “I’m so sorry. I should’ve looked where I was going. Are you okay?” She offers Sana a hand, and against your better judgement you use this as your moment to escape. With Sana distracted, you stand quickly, making a beeline for Hoseok, and ignoring Sana’s eventual cries to stop.

She’s too slow, and before she can physically pull you back, you find yourself standing in front of Hoseok. His dark eyes fall on you, and he raises a brow.

For some reason, you really expected him to be drunk, but instead his eyes are startlingly clear. He hasn’t had a drop of alcohol, it seems.

“Y/N.” His voice is rough.

You feel Sana grabbing your elbow and you shove her away.

“Hoseok.” You lift your chin, “You’ve been avoiding me.” A muscle in his jaw ticks. He’s pissed.

Well. So what? So are you.

“Sorry Hoseok,” Sana tries to apologise on your behalf, “She’s really drunk.” Hoseok throws her a terse smile, “It’s okay Sana. Let her talk. She’s clearly got something she wants to say.”

“No this is a really bad idea…” Sana tries to pull you away again but you stand your ground, despite your drunken state.

“Y’know,” You point an angry finger at Hoseok’s chest, “We should perform that body swap ritual. You wouldn’t last a day with my responsibilities,” You scoff angrily, “And what would I have to do? Get drunk and act like a massive dick.”

You know you’re taking it too far. Hoseok’s eyes darken and you’re struck by the thought that you shouldn’t be saying things like this.

Why are you provoking him?

“Sana’s right.” He grits his teeth, “You are drunk. So I’m going to forget everything you just said.”

Your eyes widen. He’s giving you an out.

He’s giving you what… Mercy?

No. No way. He’s not about to stand there and somehow act like he’s above all of this. You narrow your gaze.

“Fuck you,” You spit, “After everything you said earlier… You want to act like I’m the bitch now?”

You feel bile rising to your throat but you shove it down. You’re not going to throw up. And you’re definitely not going to throw up on Hoseok.

“I’m saying you’re drunk Y/N. It’s late.” His eyes flicker, “Go home.”

Namjoon has somehow made his way over to you, Jimin in tow, and they too try to stop whatever the fuck is going on between you and Hoseok.

Jimin touches your elbow gently

“Hey, Y/N c’mon…”

You shrug him off and take another step towards Hoseok - nose almost brushing his.

“Do it.” Your eyes challenge him, “If you’ve got any balls I dare you to do it. Perform the body swap ritual.”

Hoseok’s nostrils flare. He’s so angry at you.

Maybe any other time you’d care. But right now you just want him to react. You can’t stand his stony glare - or the way he’s acting like you’re somehow in the wrong, here.

You hate that he’s trying to take the high road. You want him down here with you - bitter and venomous.

“I’m not going to do anything.” He arches a brow, “Listen to your friends.”

You take a big gulp of breath in. He seems determined not to let you win this one.

And then somewhere, deep inside your gut, you pull something out. Something you know will cause irreparable damage. And yet… You can’t help it.

You’re like a woman possessed.

“Fuck. You really are a loser.” The words are like acid, and they burn your mouth, “Brainless slut with absolutely no ambition. Bet your parents are so proud of you.” Somewhere in the recesses of your mind, you remember Sana telling you something about Hoseok’s mom. You think on it for just a second, and then your chest tightens.

Shit, shit, shit.

“What the fuck, Y/N?” This comes from Namjoon, who pulls you back from Hoseok harshly, “That was a low blow.”

Your mind reels.

“Oh my god Hoseok.” You turn to him, “I’m so sorry-”

“Fuck you,” He answers venemously, “Fucking bitch.”

And without another word he storms off. For the first time since your altercation began, you notice Jin hovering to the left of where Hoseok was standing. He frowns.

“Y’know his mom’s sick right? Like… Really sick.” He sighs heavily, “I know Hoseok can be an asshole. But that was a dick move.”

Without another word Jin slinks after his friend and you turn to Sana, feeling sick to your stomach.

You open your mouth to tell her that you need to leave… And before you can say a word, you're throwing up.

Great.

Could this night get any better?

//

You wake the next morning with a banging headache. Your eyes peel open slowly, blearily, and for a moment you’re struck by how dark your room is.

Your blinds have been broken for nearly six months. How is it that you’ve somehow managed to block out all sunlight this morning?

You groan and turn to the side, wondering if it might still be night time, but the sound of cars and people outside quickly proves that theory wrong.

Fuck. This is why you don’t drink.

You remember, all too vividly, your awful, horrendous conversation with Hoseok and suddenly you want to vomit again.

You know you crossed the proverbial line in the sand. There’s no way he’s ever going to want to speak to you again, and the truth is you understand why not.

Why the fuck would you say something like that?

So cruel and angry?

Your chest hurts, and your headache is splitting, and all at once you feel like the worst person on the planet.

The guilt gnaws away at your heart, and you wonder if it will make a home there for a while. You decide you probably deserve it.

With a groan, you roll over, reaching for your bedside table to grab your phone, and finding, instead, air.

What?

You try to find your furniture in the darkness, and when nothing turns up, you quirk a brow. What the fuck. Did you move your bedside table around in your drunkenness too?

Your headache intensifies at the thought and you press a hand to your temples, trying to force it away.

After a moment you push yourself off your bed, rising to your feet and reaching for the light switch that usually sits just to the left of your bed. But you don't find it.

You stumble around in the dark - wondering just how hungover you truly are that you’ve suddenly forgotten the entire layout of your bedroom - when the door swings open. You turn quickly, ready to reprimand Sana for entering without knocking and finding instead that Kim Taehyung stands before you.

And not only is he standing before you. He is also currently incredibly topless.

“Morning,” He holds a bowl of cereal, “How’s it cracking?”

You stare at him incredulously. And then, of course, you do the only normal thing you can think to do.

You scream.

But when you scream your voice doesn’t sound like your voice. It sounds low and gravelly and… Why the fuck is Kim Taehyung in your house?

And why is he so chill about it?

“What the fuck?” Taehyung jumps, and a splash of milk hits the ground, “What are you screaming about dude? It’s like nine AM.”

And then you notice the full length mirror standing just to the left of Taehyung. The room is still dark - illuminated only by the open door Taehyung is standing in front of - but you see your reflection staring back at you clearly enough.

And the two dark eyes blinking at you are not the eyes you grew up knowing.

Because looking back at you through the reflection of the mirror is Jung fucking Hoseok’s body.

It takes you approximately ten seconds before you faint and his body hits the ground.

//

You wake up less than a minute later surrounded by the boys of house Beta. Taehyung is blinking down at you - as are Jin and Namjoon - and you notice Min Yoongi too (the most elusive Beta member) snapping his fingers in front of your face.

“Dude I told you not to drink so much last night.” Taehyung seems relieved when you - or well when Hoseok - sit up, “Fuck that Y/N chick. She’s a bitch.”

You can barely hear him over the fuzziness in your brain.

You’re asleep, right? You must be asleep.

There’s no way you’re sat on the Beta Theta Sigma house floor, in Jung Hoseok’s body nursing the worst hangover of your life.

You pinch yourself. You pinch yourself so hard you yelp and Taehyung arches a brow.

“Hoseok. What the fuck is going on man?” He lowers his face towards you, “You’re acting weird.”

Hoseok. He called you Hoseok.

Suddenly you want to hyperventilate. No you’re sure you’re going to hyperventilate.

“He needs coffee.” Yoongi moves just as Taehyung and Jin help you to your feet, “I’ll go make some.”

He hovers away and when you stand you look around Hoseok’s bedroom - basketball posters on the wall - a simple bed without a frame (of course) and a wardrobe the size of a box, almost.

It’s clean at least. And neat.

Shit. Fuck. This can not be happening.

“Listen Hobi, I know what Y/N said last night was really shitty,” This comes from Namjoon, whose eyes are serious but kind, “But she was just drunk. She felt awful afterwards.”

You swallow thickly. Something like a lump settles at the bottom of your throat.

You need water.

“She means well.” He continues, “She’s just a little….”

“Bit of a bitch,” Taehyung finishes for Namjoon, shaking his head furiously, “Fuck her. She ruined your night. You don’t need that shit in your life.”

“He's got to finish the end of term project with her,” Jin reminds Taehyung almost studiously. He turns to you, “I think it would be a good idea to find some middle ground.”

You know you have to say something. You have to.

Jin, Namjoon and Taehyung are staring at you. Or well at Hoseok.

You have to say something before they think you’ve completely lost it.

You clear your throat.

Well you clear Hoseok’s throat, but at this point the semantics don’t matter.

“Okay.” You say slowly. You hear Hoseok’s voice - deep and gravelly and broken up from sleep and drinking, “I’ll talk to her.”

“Atta boy,” Namjoon steps towards you and claps you good-naturedly on the shoulder, “She really is a great person-”

And then somewhere to your left, Hoseok’s phone starts to ring. You recognise the opening notes to ‘Anaconda’ by Nikki Minaj and bite back an eye roll.

Definitely not the time for that. Instead, you turn sharply, suddenly sensing the person on the other side of the phone is Hoseok.

Or well, it’s you. But it’s Hoseok in your body.

Oh God this was going to give you another migraine.

You scramble to grab the phone that has been tossed unceremoniously to the foot of the bed and pick it up quickly, swiping to answer.

“Hello,” You sound breathless.

“Y/N?” It’s your voice speaking back to you and suddenly everything is so strange and surreal that you’re worried you might faint again.

“Uh yes. Yeah. It’s me.”

“What the fuck is happening?” Hoseok sounds bewildered, “What the fuck happened last night?” “I don’t remember,” You hiss, turning slightly to see that the other boys have left you to your own devices. You walk towards the door and slam it shut, just as Taehyung throws you a middle finger from across the hallway.

He’s still eating that damn cereal.

“All I know is that I woke up this morning… And I was you.” The words sound so ridiculous and yet somehow they’re true.

“This is my literal worst nightmare,” Hearing your voice like this is weird, but you suppose in the grand scheme of things it’s not the worst thing to happen to you this morning, “What the fuck. I don’t know what to do. I’ve avoided Sana as best I can, but she’s insisted on bringing me coffee from the cafe by campus.”

You're pacing Hoseok’s room, trying very hard to avoid eye contact with the expanse of hairy pale legs sticking out from the pyjama shorts Hoseok is wearing.

“I keep thinking this is some horrible dream,” You mutter, tugging a hand through Hoseok’s incredibly short hair, “What the fuck.”

Hoseok makes a sound of disbelief from the other side of the phone, and then sighs deeply.

“You need to come over.”

“What?” “You need to come over, Y/N,” He tells you matter of factly, and you try to focus on anything other than the fact that you’re hearing your own voice talk to you in real time, “We need to figure this out.”

You know he’s right of course.

“What do I tell your friends?”

His throat clears.

“Tell them you’re going to see Jisoo.”

Jisoo?

You bite back the urge to ask who that is, because you’re pretty sure you already know the answer.

“Okay.” You feel sick again, “I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up the phone without another word and you finally turn to look at yourself properly in the mirror. Hoseok’s big brown eyes stare back at you, and you feel so strange you have to blink several times to clear the feeling.

You’re topless. Hoseok’s abs are cut to perfection and you feel bad for momentarily ogling them.

You hate to admit it but fuck he’s hot.

You know you have to put clothes on - Hoseok can’t walk around the streets topless - but you feel weird rooting through his things. Like you’re overstepping a boundary.

You try not to think of the very horrible boundary you overstepped last night, and instead force yourself to open the closet door and pull out the first sweater your fingers come into contact with. You decide to keep the pyjama shorts on - your brain cannot currently deal with a pantless Hoseok - and slip on a pair of sneakers.

It’s an awful look, but if anybody asks you’ll blame the hangover.

You grab Hoseok’s phone and slip it into the pocket of the sweater you’re wearing, opening the door and slipping out into the hallway.

Taehyung is still standing in the hallway, just outside the kitchen, nursing that same bowl of cereal. He quirks a brow at your appearance.

“Where are you going?” He asks bluntly.

You take a deep breath.

“Jisoo’s.” Taehyung’s eyebrow arches all the way towards his hairline.

“Right now?” His eyes scan your appearance, “Looking like that?”

You try to act debonair, throwing Taehyung a smirk.

“Not like she cares what I’m wearing,” You answer, adding on a chuckle for full asshole effect, “Right?”

Taehyung’s eyes narrow for a moment.

You worry that you said the wrong thing. Shit. But then his face breaks out into a boxy grin and he chuckles.

“I don’t know how you do it man.” Taehyung’s grin widens, “Girls flock to you even when you turn up looking like that.”

“Right,” Your chest tightens at the thought of girls flocking to Hoseok, but you push it down and try to grin, “Well. Y’know me. I’m a regular casanova.” Taehyung snorts a laugh and Yoongi appears behind him, holding a flask.

“Your coffee.” He tells you seriously, “You’ll need it to get through the day.”

Oh. How right he was.

//

You turn up to your own front door less than twenty minutes later, pressing the buzzer and wondering for a moment what the fuck you’re going to say if Sana opens the door.

How the hell are you going to explain a very hungover Jung Hoseok turning up to your apartment first thing on a Sunday morning? Especially when the two of you didn’t exactly end things on good terms last night.

But when the door swings open and you’re faced with yourself you breathe a sigh of relief. Then a wave of anxiety and sickness passes through you, reminding you once again that you’re in Hoseok’s fucking body.

“Come on. Quickly,” Hoseok pulls you inside the apartment, and you try to ignore being faced with your own body - that you’re not inside.

Has anybody in the history of the world ever had to deal with this?

You follow Hoseok wordlessly into your own room, and try not to think too hard about the implications behind that. Hoseok is in your room. The bed isn’t made (why does that not surprise you?) but everything else is tidy, thank God. And despite all the fucking weirdness today has brought on so far, you’re thankful at least for that.

“What the fuck,” Hoseok stares at you - widening your eyes, “What the fuck is happening. You’re me. And I’m you.” He tugs a hand through your unruly hair and you wince.

“Ow.” He grunts and you give him a sympathetic smile.

“You can’t just run your fingers through it,” You tell him, “You need to condition first. Then brush in the shower.” The look on your face is absolute disbelief when Hoseok turns to you.

“You’re kidding, right?” You bite your bottom lip, “Sorry. Just trying to help.”

Hoseok softens the lines around your eyes and sighs heavily, sitting at the edge of your bed and placing his head in his hands. He makes a strangled sound.

“This can’t be happening.”

You join Hoseok on the bed, feeling your own shoulders deflate.

“We have to go through the events of last night,” You start slowly, trying to find something - anything - that might help you explain what the fuck is going on, “Maybe we can figure out a way to… Reverse it.” You feel so useless. Hoseok blinks at you.

“Reverse the fact that we have somehow swapped bodies?”

The reality of the situation slaps you across the face again. You feel winded.

“Yeah,” You conclude, “We can’t just live like this forever.”

Hoseok takes a deep breath, “After our little… Altercation last night…I got wasted. All I can remember is telling Jin again and again how,” He shifts a little, and your eyes meet for a moment before he drops contact, “Awful I thought you were. He kept telling me to forget it but I wouldn’t.”

You suck in a sharp breath. You feel terrible for what you said last night and you want to apologise again.

“I am sorry,” You say as sincerely as you can, “Really, Hoseok. What I said last night was incredibly shitty and you didn’t deserve that.”

He sighs heavily, and the atmosphere thickens.

“You’re right I didn’t deserve it. But none of that matters right now,” He stands abruptly - and for the first time you notice what Hoseok has chosen to dress you in. Sweats and a t-shirt.

God. If Sana saw you looking like that she would definitely think something was very wrong.

“I think… Maybe…. In my drunken anger,” Hoseok paces the length of your room and then pauses, turning to face you, “I think I might have performed the ritual.”

There is a beat. Then you clear your throat.

“What do you mean?”

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

“I think I performed the body swap ritual. The one you kept insisting I did.” The words fall like concrete between the two of you, “I think I got back to my room and I was so fucking pissed off at you that I thought you actually deserved it. Living as me for a while.”

He gestures towards you - stuck in his body - and shrugs.

“I guess it worked.”

“Oh my god,” You feel sick again, “So you’re saying an ancient Sillan ritual that bares absolutely no solid evidence in the real world has somehow worked and that’s why the two of us have swapped bodies?” You feel lost.

“Yeah.” He scoffs, “It sounds fucking insane. But it’s the only explanation I have.”

You want to tell him he’s being ridiculous. Want to tell him that there has to be some logical, rational explanation for all of this but the truth is - there isn’t.

You woke up this morning in Jung Hoseok’s body. He woke up in your body.

And apart from some stupid drunken ritual he apparently performed last night, there’s absolutely no other explanation for this. You lick your bottom lip and stand.

“Okay. Fine. We have to go then.”

Hoseok raises one of your brows, “Go?” “To the library.” You clarify, “We need to figure out how to switch us back.”

Hoseok winces. Then he nods.

“Yeah. Yeah okay. Let’s go.”

But of course, the moment you stand to make your way over to the door, it is thrown open quickly and a very dishevelled-looking Sana greets you. You almost forget how to breathe.

Sana’s face drops quickly, as her eyes move between the two of you. She raises a brow all the way up into her hairline, and her gaze widens.

“Oh my god,” She whispers holding two takeaway cups of coffee, “Hoseok? What the fuck are you doing here?”

You realise all at once that she’s looking at you of course - because for all intents and purposes you are Hoseok - and you clear your throat quickly, trying to push down the dread building it’s way towards the surface.

“Good morning to you too, Sana.”

You try to play it nonchalant, but Sana isn’t having any of it.

“If I had known Y/N had company I would have offered you a coffee too.”

You try to smirk, “It’s alright. I already had mine.” You hold up the flask of coffee Yoongi made you earlier and Sana’s eyes narrow. She bites her bottom lip.

“Did you stay the night?”

The question immediately causes you to flush. She grins.

“Oh my god you did-”

Hoseok, of course, stops this thought right in its tracks.

You try not to think about why the thought of the two of you sleeping together seems to cause him so much disgust, and focus instead on the fact that he’s trying to help you out.

“Stop being stupid Sana,” He speaks in that clipped tone of yours, and suddenly you hate how prim and proper you sound, “Hoseok is only here for the project.”

Sana frowns.

“But aren’t you guys hungover? Why the fuck would you choose to do work on today of all days?” She eyes you both suspiciously, “You’re not hiding something from me, are you?”

You look to Hoseok, who shakes his head.

“We’re hungover. But there’s no rest for the wicked right?” He smiles and you can see how awkward it is - you’d never smile like that, especially not at Sana - but there’s nothing you can do about it, “We want to ace this.”

Sana turns to you next, eyes softening as she lifts the side of her mouth gently.

“So you two are okay after last night?”

The question is directed at Hoseok but of course he can’t answer it. Instead she’s looking right at you because you woke up this morning and somehow you were Hoseok.

“Yeah uh, Y/N apologised,” Hoseok’s voice sounds gruff and you cough slightly, “We’re fine now. She was really sorry and she was drunk. But that’s the devil’s juice for you.” The devil’s juice?

What the hell is wrong with you?

Sana sighs, “Well as long as you two are okay…”

Hoseok steps forward quickly, grabbing the second coffee cup from Sana’s hands and sliding past her quickly.

“We’re fine,” He assures her, smiling briefly, “We really need to go now Sana. The library awaits.”

You feel lost all over again. Your best friend nods and moves out of the way to let you pass through, when all you want is a big, fat hug from her.

But you can’t ask her of course, because that would mean getting Sana to hug Hoseok. And that would bring with it a whole load of questions. Instead you smile at her softly, and follow after Hoseok, watching the back of your own head as he cuts straight towards the front door.

“Don’t study too hard,” Sana’s voice follows you as Hoseok throws the portal open, “And make sure you’re back for dinner. Namjoon’s coming over for games night. And he’s bringing Jungkook.”

You internally groan at that.

When Sana’s not trying to set you up with Hoseok, she’s trying her hand at matchmaking by attempting to set you up with Namjoon’s little brother, Jungkook. He’s a sophomore at a different university and he’s nice enough but you just don’t have time for any of that.

“Uh… Yeah sure.” Hoseok throws back, “I’ll see you then.”

You both step out into the hallway and once the door slams shut, he turns to you carefully, gaze intense.

“I would just like you to know,” He takes a swig from the coffee Sana brought, “This is the worst hangover of my life.” You groan in agreement.

“Ditto.”

//

.

[neonlights92]

Hey guys. I’ve been working on two stories. A body swap fic with Hoseok and a historical royalty arranged marriage (it’s not fully arranged marriage only kind of… I don’t know how else to describe it lol) au with Taehyung.

Which would you guys like to see first?

Baring in mind Hoseok’s is a one shot.

Taehyung is multi chapter.

[dionysvs]

KIM TAEHYUNG RUN BTS! Ep. 136 - 137