Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 50

Hushed voices sounded from the distance before it briefly broke into loud chatter, drawing the girl from her slumber. The afternoon light flooded into the living room and highlighted her features as she began to stir, tossing onto her other side to get comfortable again. Her ears perked up at the sound of laughter, ones that failed to be stifled by her friends. She tried to fall back asleep, but couldn't seem to ignore the amount of shuffling occurring in the kitchen.

A quiet sigh of defeat fell from her lips before her eyes fluttered open, squinting at the incoming light. For a while, she laid in her spot, attempting to muster up the energy to get up. She eventually sat up, moving slowly due to the lingering drowsiness she felt after her much needed sleep. Hyunjoo eventually stood up and dragged herself to the kitchen, where her three friends were making brunch.

Jaehyun was the first to notice the older girl walk in, greeting her with a sluggish smile, before pulling out two water bottles from the fridge. She gave him the same smile in return, scratching the back of her head, as she tried to bring herself to fully wake up. Areum raised her head with little to no energy, waving weakly to her friend, before dropping it back into her arms. Taeyoung greeted the girl, briefly glancing over his shoulder, before returning his attention to the food.

"I have so many regrets," Areum drawled out, whining a little about the headache she was experiencing.

Hyunjoo breathed out a chuckle at the girl before deciding to join her at the dining table, unable to find the energy to move any more. Jaehyun pulled out the chair situated beside the hungover girl before placing a bottle in front of her. Areum uttered a thank you to the boy as her face remained planted in the wooden surface of the table.

"Did you guys take something for the hangover?" Hyunjoo asked, reaching over to lightly ruffle the younger girl's hair.

Jaehyun nodded his head in response, uncapping the bottle before taking a sip from it. "Yeah we did."

The older girl hummed as she nodded her head in response, watching the boy adjust the hood pulled over his head. Her eyes flickered to Taeyoung seconds later, who had finally finished making their food. She was quick to get up from her seat to help him. He tried to ward her off, but gave up after she kept insisting.

"Did you sleep well?" he inquired as she passed him a plate from the cupboard.

"As best as I could on that couch, did you?" Her eyes shifted to the food as she helped him prepare the plates.

He breathed out a laugh before shrugging his shoulders a little in response. "I'm still tired, wish I could sleep more."

Hyunjoo let out a laugh, nodding her head knowingly at the boy's words. "Yeah, me too."

Silence surrounded the two as they focused on preparing the food for their friends. Taeyoung's eyes flickered towards the girl standing beside him, pulling his lips into a thin line as a single question bubbled in his chest. He cleared his voice, drawing her attention, before they locked eyes. The boy shifted his attention back to the plate, unsure if he should ask.

"Who... were you talking to last night?" he hesitantly asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to draw their other friends' attention to the conversation.

Hyunjoo froze a little in her spot, unsure if she heard the boy correctly. "You heard?" she asked in a confused tone, unaware that he was still awake during that time.

"Kind of, I heard you talking in the living room when I went to use the bathroom," he explained, giving her a small, awkward smile.

"I was calling a friend."

"Was it Bread?" he asked, yet his tone made it seem like he already knew the answer.

She nodded her head in response, and he hummed in acknowledgement. He didn't press for any further detail but lightly nudged her in the side, his lips pulling into a grin. Hyunjoo rolled her eyes at the boy's silent teasing as she hit his shoulder with hers, a smile spreading across her lips. They carried the plate of food to their hungover friends shortly after, pretending like nothing happened.