Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 74

Hyunjoo tried to blink away the tiredness gnawing at her as she focused on wiping down the front counter. An exasperated yawn helplessly fell from her lips soon after, unable to suppress the exhaustion she was ridden with.

"Are you doing okay? You seem tired, maybe you should take a break." Taehyung approached the girl before placing a worried hand on the small of her back. "I'll handle it from here with the other employees so you should get some rest."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Hyunjoo assured her friend with a weary smile.

"You should listen to Tae, Hyunnie," Areum called out from a nearby table, prompting the older girl to look over. "I mean, you probably haven't been able to sleep properly because of that whole ordeal, right? It's probably best if you take it easy then."

Hyunjoo's lips curved up into a smile, heart warming with gratitude. "Compared to the first few days, my thoughts haven't been keeping me up all night. Not to mention, I've been slowly trying to fix my sleep schedule- at least, as much as I possibly can."

"That's good to hear," Areum hummed as she lightly nodded her head in acknowledgement. "What about your boyfriend? Have you been talking to him lately?"

The older girl could only shrug a little in response. "We talked a few times in the beginning but he's gotten a lot busier. In fact, our conversation has fallen back to its usual one-sidedness ever since Thursday," she said before letting out a quiet sigh. "I'm kind of worried about him actually... I can't help but wonder how he's doing. He has a lot on his mind already, but I'm sure he's even more stressed with how demanding his schedule is now."

"Yeah... that's understandable," Areum sighed, expressing her obvious concern as well. "I just wished they weren't so overworked."

Silence fell around the friends shortly after, their worries for the idol prominently carrying itself through the air. Although Hyunjoo was sending her usual messages to the boy, reminding him to take breaks and care for himself, she wished she could do more to support him.

"How about you make some pastries for him and his friends to enjoy?" Taeyoung suggested after noticing the girl's sullen mood.

Hyunjoo's expression immediately lit up with excitement. "That's a great idea, Tae! I should do that- I wonder how I'll get it to them though..." Her thoughts were shortly interrupted when the bell sounded, prompting her attention to shift over to the door. "Oh hey, Jae," she greeted the older boy, who had a hood pulled over his head.

"You're finally here, took you long enough," Areum drawled out. "I'm surprised I managed to arrive before you."

Jaehyun just nodded a little in response before making his way to the back, dragging his feet underneath him. "I'm going to rest in the break room for a while, hope you don't mind, Tae," he mumbled, his words barely audible.

"Uh... yeah, no problem," the younger boy replied as his eyes followed after his friend.

Once their friend was no longer in view, the remaining three looked at one another, sharing a seemingly knowing look. Without a word, Areum got up from her spot and went to accompany the obviously drained boy. Hyunjoo and Taeyoung glanced at one another before wordlessly nodding their heads, knowing that they were already on the same page. The two started to get to work as they prepared all of Jaehyun's favorite stuff.

"Do you know what's going on with him? He's been acting a little off lately and zoning out more than usual," Hyunjoo asked as she placed the older boy's favorite pastries onto a plate. "I tried to talk to him a few times but he kept brushing me off."

Taeyoung shook his head in response. "Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck either... All I know is that he's busy trying to sort out his thoughts."

She could only nod her head in response, her lips drawing into a thin line as her worries began to grow even more. "I wonder what's on his mind..." she muttered.