Dear Neighbour

→ TWENTY-FIVE

"How 'bout your grudges, when will you end it?"

"Hell, I don't even know where my best friend lives anymore"

Hoseok scoffs dabbing the quarter of his foot into the river.

"How are you going to find him then?"

"I don't know. That's why I've been stuck here for a year, I can't find him"

His friend looks down sadly and tucks his legs under his chin, looking out to the clouds that were slowly darkening. Jin pities his friend, he wanted to help him resolve his grudge because Hoseok seems to want to leave this place already, which makes Seokjin a bit sad that his friend will be leaving.

"What even happened between the two of you?"

"Well.."

The younger hesitates because he might offend his hyung with what he's about to say. But maybe Seokjin-hyung will understand, right? he thought.

"Well?"

"I called him a faggot, when he told me he was gay.."

Hoseok almost whispered the last word avoiding Jin's eyes, ashamed of his past actions.

"Are you for real, you homo?"

He could hear bitterness in his hyung's voice.

"I was a homophobe, but not anymore.. Please hear me out"

Hoseok pleads grabbing Jin's arm preventing the older from standing up beside him. Seokjin crosses his arms against his chest and sits still beside his friend, waiting for an explanation.

"We have been friends since we're in like elementary, then just last last year when we were at a bar, he kissed me.. Then he followed me out and confessed that he was gay then yeah I called him a faggot"

"You're an i***t, like a real jackass, you know that?"

Seokjin snaps, still not facing his friend, still annoyed at the fact that he called someone such an offensive word just because he was gay.

"I know, I know. But we didn't contact each other after a year then one day I texted him, asking him to meet me and that I wanted to mend our friendship back together, I told him how I missed having him around but yeah he didn't show up-"

"How can you expect someone to show up when you called them a fag and haven't contacted them for a year?"

Hoseok hangs his head low, getting teary eyed, he knows what he has done, and he regrets ever being like that to his best friend. They were basically brothers. Seokjin's eyes softened when he sees his friend lightly sobbing, and his annoyed façade suddenly vanishes as he puts an arm around the younger, rubbing his hands up and down.

"I know I f****d up. then yeah, when I was walking home that night I got ran over by a drunk driver while I was crossing the road.. then here I am."

"Shh... You'll find him okay? I'll help you, Hobi"

"H-Hobi?"

Hoseok lightly chuckles in between his sobs and lifted his head wiping his tears with his shirt.

"Yeah, I'm calling you that from now on"

Seokjin smiles ruffling the younger's hair before pulling Hoseok to his feet and started walking back to his old apartment complex.

"Come over to my place, it's near here, it's gonna pour soon.."