ASTRONOMY | SEUNGJIN

36 - Taxi

He was running late. "Okay, okay! I won't hide anything from you, but I have to go, everyone is probably there already." Hyunjin bid goodbye to his mom before leaving for the afterparty.

Meanwhile..

"What do you mean the engine is broken?!"

As soon as they hit the three-kilometer mark, the car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. "The engine is overheated, sir. Try to look for a taxi while I call someone to get this fixed. My biggest apologies, sir," the driver said as Seungmin got out of the car to look for a taxi, but...

Several cars passed by, taxi over taxi, yet all were occupied. Seungmin had no choice but to ring his secretary.

"Hyung, is it traffic? Everyone is here excep-"

"The car engine broke, and who knew it was this hard to get a taxi here?!"

"Yeah, pretty hard."

"Anyway, is there a way you can pick me up? I'm not so far away from the fashion show place."

"That's an hour away, and Channie hyung is tired, but don't worry, I'll try to call-"

"Jeongin? Hello?"

Seungmin said only to look at his phone, realizing it's dead. "Fuck," he muttered. He was in the middle of the road with a dead phone and a broken car. How great! He was late for his own afterparty!

Sitting on the side of the road in hopes of getting a taxi, but there was none; he was starting to get hungry too.

"It's ringing, but he's not answering."

"Uh, guys..."

This was his afterparty too, yet he was late, not to mention that the destination was an hour away. Why couldn't Seungmin just book a nearby hotel?

Speaking of... "Seungmin?" was Hyunjin thinking of him too much that he could see the younger? Was he hallucinating? Why would Seungmin be on the side of the road?

He slowed down his drive to see if he was actually hallucinating, only to see a car, a stressed driver, and well, Seungmin. Thank God he was seeing things right. He stopped beside the broken car to see what was wrong.

Finally! Someone kind enough to help. A black car suddenly stopped, only to see...

"Hwang?" Seungmin was surprised. What was he doing here? Was he the one Jeongin called?

"Broken engine?" Hyunjin asked the driver. "It overheated sir."

Ah, typical rental cars.

"It looks like it won't get fixed anytime soon," Hyunjin speculates. "The tow truck is on its way, but there seems to be no taxi around," the driver added. But of course, there won't be any taxis; they're in the middle of nowhere.

"Right."

"Let's go, Seung," Hyunjin opens the car door for the younger. Seungmin had no choice but to get in, who was he to decline at this point?

He didn't think this through. He will be in his ex's car for an hour alone! That's nothing sleeping can't fix, but...

"Why does my stomach have to make rumbling noises now!?!"

I mean, the last meal he had was lunch, which was hours ago. "I think there's candy in the compartment.. you can eat it in the meantime, you seem hungry," Hyunjin utters.

Seungmin didn't know what he was feeling. "First he calls me Seung, then the car door, and now he's offering me food because I'm hungry???? Seungmin stop! He's literally your ex! You left him five years ago, remember???"

Seungmin opens that compartment only to see a pack of gummies. "Now this??? Gummies, really?!"

"Thanks," Seungmin says while munching on the sweets. "Sorry for the bother too, I didn't know Jeongin would call you," he adds.

"He didn't, though?" Jeongin didn't call him; in fact, he didn't even have his phone.

"He didn't?"

"It's ringing, but he's not answering," Jeongin says, trying to contact Hyunjin.

"Uh guys... his phone is with me," Taehyun shows up holding the olders phone.

"Wait, I'm getting a call from his driver." Jeongin picks up the call.

"The driver said Seungmin is on his way, guys; I guess he finally found a cab."

"Where's Hyunjin hyung though...?" Taehyun wonders.

"I can't believe we're the ones who are late; how ironic," Seungmin says. Half an hour into the drive, they've chilled out, taking away the awkwardness with small conversations.

"Yeah, good thing I saw you there, something could've happened to you. Taxi drivers are dangerous these days, you know?" Hyunjin stated.

That made Seungmin flustered. "He... cares?" but he shouldn't be flustered. He can't feel that way; he's not supposed to, he's not allowed to.

Another half an hour, and they finally arrived. As soon as they stepped in, they were greeted with congratulations and alcohol. This is going to be a long night. Soon later, they went swimming, and that's where they had their conversations.

"So that's why I stayed anonymous," Hyunjin explained. "Because, and I quote, 'What's the fun in that if everybody knows me?' was the whole reason?!" Taehyun adds.

"Exactly."

"How about you, Seungmin? How did you establish SMK?" Minho asks.

"Wait, where's Felix first?" Jisung suddenly questions, "Where's Changbin too?" Jeongin adds. "They've been gone even before we went to the pool, don't you think...?" Chan says. "Let's let them be, they'll show up sooner or later," Minho adds.

"Fuck, I missed this, I missed you," Changbin says, leaving another kiss on the blonde's neck. They were drunk, but not drunk enough to not know what was going on.

Felix paused. "Well, maybe if you didn't fucking break up with me without any reason," he remarked, stepping away from Changbin. "I had a reason, I swear," Changbin uttered. "Then what?!" Felix has been clueless ever since they broke up. He has every right to be mad.

"I was forced to break up with you because they were setting me up in an arranged marriage. There I said it."

"You could've just said that instead of leaving me fucking clueless!" Felix stormed out of Changbin's hotel room before tears could even leave his eyes.