NCT : The Dream Lab

XXXVIII : Fire Truck

Seoul, South Korea. 2017.

Taeyong woke up that day to the noisy snoring of Yuta who was sleeping on the bunk bed above him. He grumbled some confusing nonsense groggily while pulling his hair behind.

The night in the Neozone had been joyful but quite exhausting. Therefore, he didn't get proper rest and it made him awfully grumpy. He fumbled his nightstand blindly, looking for his phone to check on the time. Much to his surprise, it was already almost 7AM, which meant he should just get up to do something useful of his day. The young man turned off the airplane mode to check out his notifications and browse his social medias but before he could click on any icon, the phone vibrated several times and the alarming message "you have 26 missed calls from Johnny Seo" popped up on the screen.

Taeyong's stomach churned unpleasantly. He jumped on his feet, suddenly not sleepy anymore and called Johnny back hurriedly.

As the other side of the line was beeping, he knocked at Jaehyun's door but didn't wait for the doctor to let him come in before he rushed inside. He found the other man pressing a pillow on his face, visibly not delighted to be woken up so brutally.

-Taeyong-ah leave me alone...

-Jae, I think something bad came up.

As the doctor sat up, Johnny finally picked up. A weird silence incited Taeyong to speak up first.

-Johnny, are you okay ? What were all these calls for ?

Taeyong heard muffled sobs and judging by Jaehyun's shocked expression, the doctor heard them too.

Such emotional outbursts weren't Johnny's type at all.

-You must fly to Chicago. Now. Today. Please, jump in the first plane, the scientist croaked with a hoarse voice.

-What happened ?!

-Just come. I'll pick you up at the airport.

Johnny just hung up on those worrying words, leaving Taeyong and Jaehyun completely speechless.

The student wasn't the impulsive type but there was something in Johnny's imploring tone that persuaded him to pack his stuff immediately. Jaehyun didn't question anything either and just emptied Taeyong's wardrobe in the suitcase while the other man was checking his passport validity and filling up the online application form for travel authorization.

Taeyong's heart was beating very fast. He hadn't traveled a lot in his life, and even less under such circumstances. He disliked knowing nothing about Johnny's troubles yet he trusted the scientist so blindly that he would go to the other side of the world without thinking twice.

Jaehyun was struggling to close the suitcase zipper because of his plaster so Taeyong helped him out.

-I'll call a taxi for you, the doctor whispered as his hand ghosted over the younger man's back.

***

Leaving for the US in such a hurry was not an easy task. The two friends remained stuck at the embassy for over twenty hours to receive a visa, and they had to pay extra fees to skip some procedures, which kind of had Taeyong gritting his teeth. He had had Johnny on the phone a second time and the scientist guaranteed that he would cover the expenses. Fortunately, Jaehyun was there to help the student handle his stress and help him find his way inside the huge airport, since the doctor was a bit more familiar with the place.

When the moment to say goodbye came up, Taeyong was on the brink of tears, trembling like a leaf which didn't exactly help Jaehyun to let him go. People around them gathered near the gate and the hostess announced the imminent departure in the speakers. They hugged briefly before Taeyong had to show his passport and visa to a controller. Afterwards, his silhouette was just swallowed by the crowd of passengers going in the same direction.