Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 71

The sounds from the show filled the apartment's living room, where the four friends gathered on the couch. Various snacks were scattered on the coffee table across from them, some empty and some barely touched. Empty cans of beer, as well as newly opened ones, also found their place atop the glass surface.

Hyunjoo's eyes fixated on the big screen as she immersed herself in the show, completely drawn to all the scenes. Her fingers hovered in the air, inches away from Taeyoung's head. She had stopped subconsciously running her fingers through the younger boy's hair when something unexpected happened. Hyunjoo's lips had parted ever so slightly as she watched, entranced by what was going on.

"What the heck!" Areum practically protested the second the episode came to an end. "That cliffhanger feels illegal."

The younger girl's voice was the thing that snapped Hyunjoo out of her trance-like state, not even realizing that it ended. Her mind was still trying to comprehend what just happened, trying to understand the intricacy of the show. Everything started to replay in her mind as she recalled what happened in previous episodes, relating it to the events that just took place. It was slowly starting to make sense to her, yet it felt like everything was still shrouded in mystery, leaving her wanting more.

"I feel like my heart is pounding out of my chest right now," Jaehyun said as he rubbed the left side of his chest, as if he was soothing out a heartburn that had just occurred. "That episode was so intense."

"Did they announce when the second season is coming out?" Areum asked what everyone was thinking.

She sat up from her spot and reached over to the coffee table, taking hold of her phone. While Areum and Jaehyun huddled together to figure out the release date, Hyunjoo picked up her phone from the couch to check the time. When she realized that it was nearing three, she showed her screen to the younger boy. His eyes widened a little out of surprise before he sat up.

"We have to wait a year for the second season," Areum cried as Hyunjoo and Taeyoung started to clean up.

"That's not too bad," Jaehyun shrugged. "We'll just have to watch it during our winter break next year."

Areum let out a groan before slumping onto the couch, feeling disappointed by the news. "That's so far away... I wish we could time travel to the future."

The two continued to converse, enjoying the last few sips of their beer, while their responsible friends handled the dishes. Hyunjoo and Taeyoung held their own conversation in the kitchen, discussing the show they had just finished. Both of them shared theories amongst themselves, trying to correlate them to what they gathered from each episode. Although disappointed that they wouldn't figure out if their collaborated assumption was right, they had fun talking about it.

Jaehyun and Areum would wander into the kitchen to throw away their empty cans of beer minutes later. The four of them began to make their way to their designated bedroom for the night. Taeyoung would be sharing Jaehyun's room, while Areum and Hyunjoo shared the younger boy's room.

Hyunjoo's snuggled up into the bed as she waited for Areum to return from the bathroom. Her eyes fixated on her phone screen as she watched clips from Stray Kids last concert, quietly laughing at the funny moments. The sound of the door would draw her attention away seconds later. Areum quickly slipped under the blanket before cuddling up to her friend.

The older girl breathed out an endearing chuckle before setting her phone to the side. They quietly talked until they grew tired. Areum was the first to succumb to her exhaustion, allowing her heavy eyelids to fall. Hyunjoo would close her eyes shortly after, allowing herself to fall into a peaceful slumber.