Vicissitudinous events are generally rare occurrences; they do not frequent our days on a regular basis. But once misfortune finally hovers above our head, it takes way longer than a moment of respite for it to dissipate. The density of those trials fades away in a leisurely manner, oftentimes prodding us into wondering if that is going to be all we would be left with in order to remember our lives by. The dark overcast disables our foresight, enveloping us in the illusion that the stretch that lays ahead is no better than the present.

And we gradually grow accustomed of forgetting that we need to look beyond, rather than merely forward, to escape that dismal bubble.

Tragedies outlast their timespan only because we let them cloud our absolute judgement— the Jungs had to come to terms with the fact sooner or later, for what Hoseok was undergoing right now was one of the consequences of not acceding to this utterly simple life mantra only.

Bolstering up a larger and bulkier-than-his-own-physique backpack as the diffident morning sun guided him through the thin masses of fog that now hung low, Hoseok strolled down towards the building that the GPS locator in his phone had been consistently indicating at. His lips released a sigh, legs rhythmically marching in the direction of his destination. Yet, the realisation of being within the periphery of Aurum Entertainment instigated his pulse rate to inflate for some reason, when it should have caused him relief instead.

The muffled voices in his head started to blare like blowhorns, a pounding sensation zooming across his forehead. The thoughts that he had endeavored to keep at an arm's length all the while he hauled himself till there, ambushed him the minute he turned reckless and put them in his blindspot. Admitting to his follies had never ameliorated his condition though, and this instance was no exception either, as a swarm of unsorted emotions stably gravitated towards the core of his concentration.

There was a purpose behind Hoseok's attempt at always keeping himself immersed even with no occupation. He could not afford to allow his mind to wander about. Distractions were something he could not handle, because his unleashed ideas tended to be drawn in by the ones buried deep in the pits of his subconscious. Those he wished he could erase into nonexistence. Those which would always subject him to melancholy whenever they surfaced.

Recollections of his parents getting dragged into eternal slumber after their last night's dinner without the siblings, his tear-laden eyes and Injae's sombre ones upon registering it the next morning, their funeral and the relatives' pitiful stares, but not one volunteering to sponsor them when the question of their survival was brought to the table, Injae's subsequent dropping out of college to provide for her little brother and herself, and his cutting ties with dance due to the financial strain that was eventually imposed upon them— gradually percolated out of his memories, his sham exterior of levelheadedness simultaneously threatening to collapse.

"No," Hoseok whispered desperately, a lone tear spilling onto his cheek, "this is no time for it to happen."

Sucking in a sharp breath, he immediately pushed out of his mouth a portion of it, resorting to counting upto ten when no other diversion seemed viable anymore. A pair of glass doors were forced open by him in the meantime as he aimlessly walked into the colossal structure that he had visited the former day as well. White noise continued to balk him from absorbing the view unfolding before him. Passing people, rolling chatters and stationary furniture barely stole his regard now, they were nothing but wispy winds streaming furtively past him.

It was certainly a matter to reflect upon for Hoseok, that had it not been for the dulcet voice that ended up knocking him out of his trance, would he have ever been able to create an exit on his own?

"Oh, Mirae." Hoseok stated briefly, his eyes peeling open as he decided to retreat to reality. "What a pleasant surprise. It's so nice to see you again."

"Surprise? What are you talking about?" Mirae eyebrows furrowed. "I work here, remember? Or have you already forgotten about that? Though you don't look like one to possess goldfish-like memory, I'm really beginning to suspect you now." An ambiguous scowl now adopted by her.

"Did I— Did I give that impression? Sorry, I didn't mean to," Hoseok stuttered, somehow stringing up the words scattered all over his tongue.

Again, without Mirae— also as Hoseok believed—it would have proved to be infinitely hellish for him to, one, climb out of the verisimilitudinous daydream that had deluged him out of the blue, and two, successfully assimilate himself in the world where he truly belonged. It was almost risible how the male had done away with the trivial facts of his real life the moment he felt overwhelmed with that nightmare he experienced. Mirae was, hands down, an exemplary godsend for the miserable man.

"You look... pretty washed out today. You sure you're alright?" She queried. He nodded affirmatively. "That's reassuring, I must say." She smiled, expression suddenly switching to a curious one as she tiptoed to peer over Hoseok's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I think you got getting a job here mixed-up with getting a space to live in. That ultra, super big bag behind you, what have you brought in it?"

"This?" Hoseok beckoned his thumb backwards over his ear. "I'm in search of a new house. Will proceed with it after I'm done with the orientation. Also, since we're discussing about it, can you please stash it under the counter till the day's over? I possibly can't roam around carrying such a burden along with myself everywhere I go."

Mirae alternated her gaze between the luggage to which she had just ascribed superlative degrees of adjective, and the hollow underneath of the reception desk planted in front of her, eyelids resultingly fluttering in stupefaction. Hoseok had had her reaction gauged from the get-go, him accordingly morphing his lips into the most adorable pout to ever exist in the history of mankind substantiated that. All that remained to coax the female into assisting him was a sympathy-invoking stare and a slightly scrunched-up nose.

The finest specimen of The Hoseok Effect was thus birthed.

"Stop doing that, I never turned down your request for you to be attacking me in such a way," Mirae murmured, the stoic expression on her face instilling ambivalence into Hoseok. "Feel free to place your rucksack here... is what I implied. Just clearing it up, y'know, in case my permitting wasn't understandable."

Hoseok proceeded with an amused cackle, skirting over to Mirae in order to extricate himself from the cumbersome baggage that had been persistently— and literally— weighing him down since the early hours of dawn. His lips tugged into a grateful smile, which the female could not resist from mirroring.

"Ah, right," she ushered unannounced. "All the dance lessons for today were rescheduled for the evening, apologies for not informing you sooner despite being aware of it. The day isn't completely wasted, though, if you're regretting your decision of coming over in such haste. I can still offer you an office tour, show you around... you know what I mean? How and where things are done, but only if you'd like to. Would you like one?"

Hoseok wrapped his fingers around his chin, striking it with his index finger. "Would you do that for me?"

"Of course!" Mirae's interjection was abrupt. "S—sure, I have things to round off but there's an entire day for me to do that, no? It won't hurt anyone if I sneak out some of the time and use it in leading you around. It won't even take that long for anyone to notice that Mirae isn't at the reception. Even I want to try putting myself on the line for someone, seek the thrill that awaits me then for once."

"Trust me, it's no fun, speaking from experience." Hoseok giggled, resting his palm lightly over the reception desk. "And are you sure? I'm due an orientation anyway so it's not—"

"Chill, they can't fire me for dropping by the restroom. That's violation of my rights as a labor."

✧

"And this right here," Mirae exhaled, a shuddering breath tracing its path back into her lungs, "is the main dance studio of the building," doubling over as she grabbed her knees in exhaustion. "We're fairly new in the entertainment arena so there aren't much trainees to open it for practice. So over these last two months, one of the underground dance crews affiliated with us had been using it to oversee their run-throughs."

"Do they not anymore?" Hoseok quizzed, his look genuinely solemn.

"Oh, turns out you haven't been keeping track of dance updates these days, am I right?" One of Mirae's eyebrows quirked, compelling Hoseok to answer her as quickly as possible.

"It's not a recent kind of falling out of love that you're so startled. It's been this way for years now. Back when I ran into you two years ago, I had had myself isolated from dance in a thorough manner by then. So yeah, enlighten me please?"

"They're the finalists of Dance-O-Mania this year, will most probably win as well tomorrow. It's tomorrow by the way, the grand finale." It was now Hoseok who raised his brow. "What? Isn't it better to break down what I say as we talk? Piled up confusion is damn bothersome, Hoseok, trust me."

Mirae traipsed into the resounding hall, gesturing Hoseok to follow in her footsteps. "Will you be watching the finals tomorrow? They're telecasting it live from LA," she squealed. "I can't wait for the trophy to be placed inside the showcase behind me at the reception. I'm so rooting for them."

There were no two ways about it that Hoseok would have reciprocated the female's exhilaration had he still been mentally present in there. The loud silence was very well conveying the hypnotism that currently reigned over his senses. After all, discovering himself where he was entitled to land someday, had circumstances not gone awry for him and his family, was bound to have such an imprint on him. A poignant reminder of how not everything can be achieved in life. How it can be easily lost to someone else when times are unfavorable, and how it— though previously in his hold— is equally prone to being snaffled away without any prior notice as well.

Contrary to how bleak it must sound though, it is only one of the ways through which life can also be set in motion again.

Hoseok mirthlessly clicked his tongue, sinking his head as a sense of failure crept into him. Staring despondently at his shoes for a while— his best pair, for the record, which nonetheless had a gaping hole near where his pinky toe was supposed to be— he glanced at his reflection that the extensive mirror in front of him had been radiating all along. Blinking once, his eyes deflected towards the music system at the far corner of the room, standing beside which Mirae had been blankly gawking at him ever since his self-deprecation received a kickstart. When their gazes met, her lips spasmed as though she could not defer the forthcoming interruption anymore.

"Want me to put on some music, Hoseok?"

Hoseok eased into a content smile, glimpsing to his side and then back at her. "About time. My limbs were itching to move anyway."

Bobbing her head in acknowledgement, Mirae gently pressed on the play button of the stereo, causing a periodic bass to pour out of it. Just when Hoseok was about to ultimately familiarize himself with the gruff beats, a funky overtone rushed to establish its dominance.

What other choice did Hoseok have apart from skimming across those tunes?

✧

a/n

a naked truth? i wasn't willing to write this chapter this week. i haven't been in the mood to write for like a month now, but smth happens and i find myself automatically sat before my pc typing away like a maniac. it's become kind of... y'know? involuntary now. writing a chapter a week has become my habit now. but i really am looking forward to a break. i might take one soon. maybe once i go back to college, who knows? it's long overdue now.
anyway, watch the japanese netflix series 'first love' if you want to experience an amazing storyline, wonderful cinematography and heart-touching acting. i've never been a fan of romance, but this series is definitely IT for me for years to come <3