Ch.55
Another emergency was happening. At least that's what Hoseok texted you. He said it was extremely important and you had to hurry. Then lots of exclamation points and emojis for emphasis. Though you doubted someone was dying, you met up with him like he requested. School had just ended and he wanted you to meet up with him after school in the second year building. As soon as you got there, you were panting heavily like last time. He seemed nervous though. When he greeted you, it wasn't as bubbly as usual. Furrowing your brows, you followed him out of the building. There were no deals going on today. Everyone had the day off to do whatever they wanted. Especially since Namjoon was still thinking about the future of the gang.
The two of you met him in the hallway. Most of the members were going to the warehouse anyway. Namjoon on the other hand said that if you guys needed him, he'd be at home. Hoseok wished him luck on figuring out this problem for the gang. You made sure to give Namjoon a hug to let him know it'll be okay. Something to get his dimples showing again. Hoseok wiggled his eyebrows and you playfully smacked his arm. After that, the two of you continued on this emergency call. Hoseok was letting himself become nervous again. He wasn't telling you what was going on. That only passed the feeling onto you. Where was he taking you?
First you guys were walking out of school and then waited at a bus stop. How far was the emergency location? It made you curious, but also a little anxious. What if this is a real emergency? That didn't sound like fun. The bus came by and Hoseok paid for your fare. He refused to take your money just like Namjoon. These boys don't understand that you just want to be kind! Hoseok didn't say much during the whole bus ride. From the looks of it, it looked like the bus was going to take you to another town. Hoseok stood up for the last stop before going to the next town over. You followed him out and looked around as the bus left.
"Where are we? I mean, I know where we are but...why?" You asked as Hoseok shook his hands.
"I'm nervous. But excited. AAH!" Hoseok randomly shouted. "You know?"
"I could if you would just tell me." You sighed.
"I haven't told you?" Hoseok raised a brow to get a head shake from you. "Oops."
"What's the reason?" You walked closer to him.
"Well, you know how I want to be a hair dresser?" Hoseok tilted his head. "Namjoon's Mom hooked me up with a trial. Sort of. I'm going to show her hair dresser friend what I'm capable of and I needed you to come for emotional support."
"Aw, I'll gladly support you!" You hugged the red head. "I'm sure you'll show her just how talented you are!"
"I also needed someone with hair. You don't mind if I cut your hair a bit, do you?" Hoseok questioned as you pulled away with a slightly less happy expression.
"Hoseok..." You narrowed your eyes on him.
"Just a trim?" He gave you a grin. D*mn it. There was nothing wrong with a trim, but you won't let him cut too much. Or leave you with a wild hair color. None of that.
"Why not?" You gave in. Hoseok cheered and threw his hands in the air. He didn't care at the fact that others were walking past him. They eyed him weirdly so you decided to start cheering out loud with him. The two of you were bouncing around, eventually hugging each other and getting strange looks together.
Soon the two of you calmed down from that. The both of you laughed like nothing had happened. People could stare all they want. They're missing out on what it means to have a great friendship like this. Though Hoseok typically tried to show everyone a happier side of himself for others, you're glad he trusted you enough to show you a different side. One where he's nervous and not as confident. He didn't want to tell Namjoon his worries since the boy was already working himself up over the gang. Hoseok cared about everyone to the point where he put their feelings in front of his own. It makes him a great friend, but you also wanted him to know that it's okay to take care of himself. Sometimes you just need to help yourself.
Hoseok brought you over to a salon that looked pretty cute. It made sense for it to be at the edge of town. Everything deeper in looked awful. The town you guys lived in didn't have a reputation for being the prettiest place in Korea. It's mainly known for how dangerous it can be and to avoid being there at all costs. Other than that, this town has left you with more than you could ever want. Friends for life and stronger skin. There's more, but that would take more than a day to list them all off. Hoseok opened the door for you to walk in first. The moment the two of you came inside, a woman Ms. Kim's age came out with short hair. Her eyes immediately landed on Hoseok with a smile.
"Are you Namjoon's friend?" She asked.
"I am! Did Ms. Kim mention me?" Hoseok smiled wide.
"She wouldn't stop going on about how you left her hair. She sent me pictures." The woman nodded. "Nice job."
"Thank you! Ms....?" Hoseok froze. He panicked, but the woman didn't seem to mind.
"Moon. Call me sunbaenim though," She said and Hoseok instantly bowed.
"Thank you, Sunbaenim!" Hoseok bounced up with joy.
"Are you his girlfriend?" Ms. Moon turned to you as your face started to burn.
"Oh no, just his friend." You chuckled as Hoseok was blushing lightly too.
"Well Hoseok, I saw what you could do with mediocre products," Ms. Moon became increasingly more intimidating. "Here I have the professional products. I want to see you work with these instead and I'm assuming you brought your friend over to demonstrate a hair cut."
"I-I did!" Hoseok nodded.
"Sit down," Ms. Moon order you and walked off into a back room.
Without hesitation, you did what she said. Ms. Moon didn't have to tell you twice. You hurried over to a chair and sat your butt down. No one could get you off except for Ms. Moon herself. Hoseok gave you a worried glance in the mirror as he stood behind you. He wrapped a cloth around your shoulders before bringing out your hair. While the two of you waited, Hoseok played with your hair. He was done examining it so now he was just twirling strands between his fingers. Ms. Moon eventually came out again. She approved of Hoseok already covering your shoulders and then requested him to begin. Hoseok and you were trying to remember how to breathe.
"W-What do have in mind?" Hoseok kept a smile on his face.
"Trim," You managed to blurt out.
Ms. Moon raised a brow to see the both of you acting robotically. It was impossible to act natural for some reason. She was really sweet and now the look in her eyes makes you shut up. It's like she's judging not just Hoseok, but you too in every possible way. Hoseok started off by brushing your hair. All you knew was that Hoseok could dye hair so hopefully he's good at cutting too. He began spraying your hair with water then grabbing little pieces with two fingers. And with that, he began trimming your hair by an inch. Ms. Moon didn't say a word during the whole thing which made you nervous. Hoseok seemed to be too focused to notice. He was making sure that it was perfectly even before turning to face Ms. Moon with a satisfied smile.
"Done!" Hoseok grinned.
"Hm...I was expecting something more than a trim," Ms. Moon said as you internally panicked.
To be honest, you'd really like to keep the current hair you have. No extensions or cutting it shorter. Hoseok nibbled on his bottom lip, trying to think of something to say. The male typically got along with everyone. He knew what to say during deals. Even if he had a gun pointed to his head, Hoseok could convince them to put away their gun with a smile. Now he was struggling to get a sound out in front of Ms. Kim's friend. Seeing Ms. Moon's personality, you could see why her and Ms. Kim were friends. They must have been the baddest b*tches back in the day.
Luckily, Ms. Moon lightened up the mood by telling Hoseok to relax. She didn't bite and had another plan. Apparently, she had a client in the back who was getting their hair soaked. That meant Hoseok was going to work on an actual person who he doesn't know. Ms. Moon showed that she was confident in your friend and you were too. Hoseok looked like a professional when he worked Ms. Kim's hair. He looked like he was in his element. Becoming a hair dresser is definitely the right path in life for him. The older woman left to go into the back room once again and Hoseok quickly clung onto your body as you took off the cape.
"Woah!" Your eyes widened as he held you tightly.
"What if I ruin their hair!?" Hoseok whisper yelled.
"That's crazy. You know what you're doing." You petted his head. "You got this."
"Yeah, but she's got all this fancy stuff. I just use basic at-home hair coloring kits." Hoseok frowned. "Should I just continue to stay as the distraction for the gang?"
"Think about yourself, Hoseok! This is your dream." You narrowed your eyes on him. "Right?"
"Well yeah but..." Hoseok sighed. "I keep thinking about Namjoon. He really wants the gang to stay together and I'm his best friend. It's his dream to have the gang and I still want to help him with that..."
"I know." You sighed. "But hey, you brought me here as moral support and as your second biggest supporter, Ms. Kim being your first, I think you should go in there and give it all you got. You'll nail it."
"Think so?" Hoseok stopped clinging onto you for life. It turned into a gentle hug instead.
"Know so~!" You intoned.
"Aw, you're so cute!" Hoseok pinched your cheeks. You gave him a playful glare, but he just laughed it off and continued to play with your cheeks. "Alright, I might take a while so you can leave if you want."
"I'll wait," You stated as Ms. Moon called him over.
Hoseok waved at you energetically before running to meet Ms. Moon in the back. While they worked, you checked your hair in the mirror. Hoseok didn't do a bad job at all. Maybe you'll just go to him for hair cuts from now on. Happily taking a seat in the waiting lounge, you could over hear what was going on. Ms. Moon was asking Hoseok questions and teaching him about what he needed to know. Not just technique, but how to make it as a hair dresser. It's good that Hoseok has made his first connection into the hair dressing world. Ms. Kim certainly hooked him up.
In the middle of waiting, your phone began ringing. Rummaging your hand through your backpack, you eventually found your phone. You quickly answered so it wouldn't go to voice mail. Bringing the phone up to your ear, you stood up from your chair to talk outside of the salon. There was music playing softly inside and then the sound of a TV on a random channel for people who didn't want to read magazines. The salon was mainly empty though. When you stepped out, Seokjin's voice greeted you with excitement. It automatically put a smile on your face to hear him.
"(F/n)!" Seokjin greeted cheerfully.
"Hi Seokjin!" You closed the salon door.
"I just wanted to thank you for suggesting modeling in the first place," Seokjin said. "Right now I'm at Alpha Agency. I have an manager now and everything! I've read the contracts, signed, and everything is set. I'm going to be a model!"
"Really!? Oh my gosh, that's so cool!" You squealed. "I didn't think it would be that easy. I thought you were going to wait until after graduation."
"Me neither and I couldn't wait anymore," Seokjin admitted. "And I know what I'm going to learn in the modeling school now."
"What?" You asked. You wondered what they could teach him since modeling didn't seem like a profession to go to school for.
"Types of modeling like runway, magazine, fashion, and commercials. Then photo shoots and learning how they work, head shots, and what it means to be a professional model," Seokjin stated, "Plus health, make up, walking with posture, the business side of modeling, and then safety."
"That's a lot," You replied.
"Yep, but I'm excited anyway." Seokjin chuckled. "It sounds like a lot of fun and I can't wait to meet people abroad."
"Don't forget about us when you're famous," You teased.
"I could never. Especially you, Baby." Seokjin's tone became flirty you shook your head. "I have to go now, but thanks for everything!"
"It's nothing." You smiled as the call ended.
When you put your phone away, Hoseok came out of the salon with a giant grin. It wasn't the scared, forced ones he gave Ms. Moon earlier. You glanced inside the salon to see a woman paying and realized he was done. Looks like everything went well after all. Automatically, you ruffled Hoseok's red hair and wrapped your arm around his shoulder as best as you could. Since he was fairly taller than you, he had to lean slightly down while you walked on your tip toes. This awkward walking didn't last long. Soon he wrapped his arm around your waist and kept you close to him. He made sure to keep you safe as the two of you started walking deeper into the town.
"It was so cool!" Hoseok had stars in his eyes. "She recommended a hair dressing school to me that would teach me all kinds of things! Then she implied that I could get hired at her salon if I come back with more skills and more knowledge!"
"Are you gonna take it?" You questioned.
"Hell yeah!!" Hoseok threw his fist in the air. "Ah, you don't mind if we go to Namjoon's place, do you? I'd like to thank his mom. Or do you want to go home already?"
"I can visit the Kim's," You responded.
It'd be nice to see Ms. Kim, but you also wanted to check on Namjoon. You wanted to make sure he wasn't stressing too hard over the decision. Now there's only one week until graduation. The days he had were becoming less and he still didn't have an answer. He was afraid of making a mistake. You wanted to let him know that it's okay. Though you loved all the members and them being in a gang is what introduced you to all of them, you figured the gang ending would be the best option. Hoseok wanted to become a hair dresser and Jungkook liked the idea of becoming a video game creator. Then Yoongi and Seokjin were going to be gone for two years after they graduate. And Jimin still had a chance of becoming a dancer which you wanted him to take.
Being nosey is a bit of a problem. Most of the boys knew what they wanted to do after they graduate while you had no clue. That's the main reason you didn't pressure any of them too hard about leaving the gang. You just wanted what's best for them. Taehyung was clueless about the future just like you. The only plans he had was to stay in the gang, following Namjoon and doing whatever he said. It was more of a plan than you had. You'll figure it out soon. Hopefully. It took some time, but Hoseok and you finally arrived at the front door of Namjoon's house. Hoseok knocked and waited for someone to answer. Right away, the door opened to reveal Ms. Kim.
"Oh Hoseokie!" she cooed. "And you brought (F/n) with you~!"
"I did!" Hoseok chuckled. "I came here to thank you for calling your friend. I learned a lot today and I'm incredibly grateful. Thank you so much!"
"Aw, anything for family." Ms. Kim watched the boy bow down ninety degrees and stay like that out of respect. Soon Ms. Kim told him to lift his head up and ended up raising him up herself. Hoseok couldn't stop grinning. "I'll call Namjoonie. He's been keeping himself couped up in his room all this time. Namjoon!!"
"Yes, Eomma!" Namjoon immediately responded. He came out of his room to see his two friends standing at the front door. Ms. Kim smirked as she took a step to the side.
"Your best friend and girlfriend came to see you," Ms. Kim said to make her son turn red.
"Not my girlfriend." Namjoon walked up to the door as you chuckled from embarrassment.
"My dying wish, Joonie." Ms. Kim pouted.
"You're not dead!" Namjoon frowned as Ms. Kim laughed. She then left the three of you alone to talk amongst each other. He stood tall, but with his shoulders slumped and a tired expression. Hoseok wasn't blind to it. He gave his friend a tight smile. He wanted to talk abut the hair salon but didn't feel it was appropriate to bring it up to his friend. Letting out a sigh, you figured you'd be the main one talking to Namjoon today. "What's up?"
"Just came to check up on you. We wanted to make sure your hair hasn't turned grey yet." You giggled as he lazily rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine. Thanks for worrying." Namjoon leaned against the door frame. "Just trying get my mind clear is all."
"...is there by any chance you know the future of the gang, but you just don't want to accept it?" You tilted your head to get a quick glare from him.
"I'm doing what I can to get the best outcome. It's just not easy though." Namjoon crossed his arms.
"We're here if you need help, Namjoon," Hoseok spoke up. "We're not saying these things to be mean. I also want the best for the gang, but the best can mean different things."
"I just...I'll take that into consideration. Sorry for being kind of hostile." Namjoon rubbed his neck as he stared at you.
"I'm used to you crazy boys not knowing how to deal with your emotions." You smirked. "Just make sure to eat and rest well. I care about the gang, but I care about you too. Promise?" You lifted up your hand, holding out your pinky finger.
"Promise." Namjoon nodded as he slowly locked his pinky with yours. Hoseok clapped his hands and joined his pinky into the weird knot. Everyone laughed, enjoying the moment for what it was and nothing else.