Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 24

There was an awkward tension that surrounded the four as Hyunjoo drove them to Jaehyun and Taeyoung's apartment. An unusual silence surrounded the friends, who would normally fill it with their chaotic energy and nonsensical conversations- despite how early it was. Areum and Jaehyun shifted in their chairs, as they tried to find the courage to speak up and apologize for making their friend uncomfortable.

The older girl, on the other hand, wasn't too sure how to push aside the uncomfortable atmosphere prominently carrying itself within the car. She somewhat believed it was her fault that this was happening. Taeyoung remained quiet as he did his best to come up with something the four could talk about, knowing he wasn't the type to start a conversation amongst his friends.

"We're really sorry about last night, Hyunnie..." Areum finally broke the silence, but the tension still lingered around the four. "How we made you feel is inexcusable, even if we were drunk."

Jaehyun nodded in agreement with the younger girl, still unable to find the right amount of words to apologize. His words felt stuck in his throat, as his mind filled with an endless amount of things he wanted to say- none of which seemed to suffice the overwhelming amount of guilt consuming him.

"You guys don't have to apologize," Hyunjoo assured.

"Yes we do, Hyun, what we did was wrong," Jaehyun quickly replied.

The older girl shook her head. "I've been thinking about what you guys said, and I want to learn how to open up. It's going to be a slow process, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it with my amazing friends, right?"

The second Hyunjoo finished her sentence, a smile immediately pulled at her friends' lips, knowing this was a big step for her. They nodded their heads in response, unable to control the happiness blossoming across their chest.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, and not something you feel pressured to do?" Taeyoung asked, genuinely wanting to know that her statement was said with her own comfort in mind.

Without hesitation, the older girl nodded her head, an assuring smile spreading across her face. "I want to try, even though I know it'll be hard."

"You won't be doing it alone, Hyunnie, because we'll be there to help you every step of the way."

"I hope you know we're happy that you're making this decision, JooJoo."

"Yeah, this is a step forward, and we're proud of you for it, Hyun."

The conversation slowly drifted into something more light hearted, their usual atmosphere barreling back as the temporary uncomfortable one departed. Their laughter filled the vehicle as they joked with one another, smiles never leaving their faces.

⋆｡⁺⋆ ☼ ⋆｡⁺⋆

After dropping the two guys at their shared apartment, Hyunjoo drove to her house with Areum to accompany her. Both of the girls walked through the front door, bringing their laughter into the one story house. The sounds of his daughter's voice caught Minjoon's attention, who was stalling the six year old in the living room.

Dohyun's ears perked up his sister's voice and immediately ran towards her, happily calling her name. As soon as he noticed she brought Areum with her, his smile only widened at the sight, calling out to both of them now. He ran over to Hyunjoo, greeting her, before going to her friend.