It was almost two in the morning the following Saturday when loud, urgent knocking woke her from sleep. Cautiously, she went to the door and looked through the peephole. Namjoon, one of Hoseok's friends he'd made in college, was standing outside the door along with Seokjin, another of his college friends. They were both struggling to support a clearly intoxicated Hoseok. Hana didn't hesitate in opening the door.

   Worry was spread across both Namjoon's and Seokjin's faces. Upon seeing Hoseok's condition it spread across hers too. After opening the door, she signaled for them to bring him in. Once they'd successfully maneuvered their way through the door, they sat him on the couch. She stood by the now closed door. Her brow furrowed as she waited for an explanation.

   Namjoon and Seokjin straightened. She raised her brow to signify she was awaiting answers. They both shifted uncomfortably and growing impatient, Hana cleared her throat.

   "Seokjin, Namjoon, are you going to tell me why a drunk Hoseok is passed out on my couch?" Hana's voice was incredulous as she was grumpy about being woken up and confused as to what was going on. Seokjin spoke first.

   "Well, um." He paused to clear his throat. "Before he passed out he said he wanted to come here." Hana stepped closer to the couch to check on Hoseok. The closer she got, the stronger the stench of alcohol grew. Hana had to stop a few feet away from the passed out man.

   "Why did he get so drunk? How much did he have?" This time Namjoon answered her questions.

   "We don't know how much he's had. We had to track him down." Namjoon cracked his fingers nervously and absentmindedly. "The three of us were supposed to meet for dinner, and when Hoseok didn't show, Jin and I got worried and tracked him down." He gestured towards the couch. "We pretty much found him like this, he was just barely coherent." Namjoon finished with a frown and Hana shook her head in disbelief.

   "No, this." Hana took a deep breath. "This isn't like him. He has more self-control than this. He doesn't even like drinking that much." Seokjin and Namjoon shared a look that Hana couldn't decipher. "What? What are those faces about?"

   "Hana he's been drinking like this since his trip to Rwanda in the Spring. I thought you knew." Namjoon sighed and looked down. "It's become habitual actually." She stood there shocked. Hoseok waking up pulled her out of her racing thoughts.

   "Hoseok, I," she didn't finish. Instead, they all watched as Hoseok woke up for a moment, leaned forward, and threw up. As soon as he'd finished, he fell back to sleep again. Now he was again out stone cold. Both of the conscious men groaned in exasperation. Hana just set her jaw and moved to clean up the mess. Soon the others had moved to help her, bringing paper towels and cleaner.

   As they cleaned, Hana continued to question them. "You two haven't had anything to drink right?" They both answered that they hadn't, they'd been too busy looking after Hoseok. She'd nodded in approval, "Then you should go home and get some sleep. I'll drive him home when he's sober." She sat back on her heels to look at them. They agreed and once they'd helped lay Hoseok on his side, they left.

   Once they'd left, Hana let her emotions rage. Angrily, she took Hoseok's shoes off and threw them by the door. Clenching her jaw, she covered him with a blanket. Tearfully, she laid in her bed wondering why he was doing this. Why hadn't he talked to her? Why had he stayed silent for so long? His trip to Rwanda had been five months ago. It wasn't as if he hadn't had the opportunities to bring up his habitual drinking to her. Hana stayed awake for a long time wondering what had changed between the two of them.

******

   She didn't sleep for long. Again she got up early to cook breakfast for Hoseok. However, this time she cooked in spite, conjuring up the most sobering dishes possible.

   Hana didn't even try to wake him until after nine. Once she'd had succeeded in bringing him back to consciousness, she simply sat his hangover soup in front of him and returned to the kitchen. Two cups of coffee sat on her counter, one sweet and the other strong and bitter. She carried them to the living room and sat one down in front of him.

   Sitting cross-legged at the table across from Hobi, she sipped the sweet coffee and ate her toast without looking at her friend across the table. Quietly, Hana fumed. Hoseok came back to reality loudly and gradually.

   "Ugh, my head." She glanced at him as he rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up. "Wait how did I get here?"

   "Seokjin and Namjoon brought you here early this morning." Her words came out crisp and even, devoid of emotion. He only groaned in reply. A few moments passed as she stared at him in disappointment, and well, in anger. Hoseok blinked and continued to rub his head.

   "The lights in here are too bright. My head, it's pounding." Hana's response was to curtly order him to drink his soup. After a moment of gazing confusedly at her, he obeyed. He took a sip and then coughed because of the potency of the soup; she didn't bat an eyelash. "Why did you make me hangover soup?" Slight indignation edged his words along with his surprise, Hana was incensed by his ignorance. Her anger turned volatile, and she exploded.

   "Because you are hungover!" Hoseok winced, at her words or their volume, she couldn't care less. "They brought you here at two in the morning passed out. You reeked of alcohol and there's no telling how much you drank before they found. Actually, you probably consumed more alcohol last night than I have in my entire life." Her sentences were running together and by now she was standing up, no longer trying to contain her frustration. "You were so drunk that you only woke up one time to throw up all over my floor." Hoseok sat with his head laying in his hands, ashamed. Having run out of steam, Hana grew quiet and composed once again. After a moment Hoseok spoke in a whisper.

   "Hana, I'm so sorry." Not ready to hear his apology yet, she just walked down the hallway to her bedroom.

   Before going in to change she yelled to the living room. "Drink your soup and coffee! Oh and take a shower! You still reek of alcohol." Not waiting for a reply, she slammed the door.

   Hungover Hoseok or no, Hana still had things to do, and if she let herself be still, the confusion that had engulfed her last night would return. She got ready to go grocery shopping. By the time she was ready to go, Hoseok was on his second bowl of hangover soup. She left without a word.

A/N:

Please eat well and take care of yourselves!

(Edited July 2019)

*Novi*