Following the Broken Road Back to You

Part 5

Chanyeol turned his head at the slam of the passenger door. He passed on the impulse to make a comment about Baekhyun's brutality against his vehicle. Instead, he locked the doors while the brunette went on to buckle himself in.

"What took you so long?" Chanyeol muttered, starting the car.

"I had to run upstairs to get my phone."

"Looks like you also took the time to put on a little make up."

Baekhyun threw him a look. "I briefly washed my face and dabbed my finger in a small amount of foundation and powder, sure. But I looked like a mess."

"You looked fine," Chanyeol muttered, focusing his attention on the road.

"Well, not from what I saw in the mirror," Baekhyun said, more to himself than the man next to him. He turned his phone on, and after a minute, he sighed. "Honest to god, how do you survive around here, again?"

"Easy. Telephones. Ones that are connected to telephone poles."

"Oh, ha ha," Baekhyun laughed dryly. "I forgot how barren of a wasteland this place was."

Chanyeol shrugged. "It's not a wasteland to me."

"It is to me."

"Just cause it doesn't have all the sparkle and shine the city has to offer doesn't mean it's a wasteland. A wasteland is like a landfill. You know, the ones that that large cities like Seoul produce?" The second he said it, Chanyeol knew he was stepping on thin, tense-filled ice.

"I'll have you know that the city just enacted a bill that's going to cut air pollution, and hopefully, trash pollution in the next five years," Baekhyun snapped. It was amazing how quickly the giant could make him angry. It didn't help that his phone was being an ass as well. "We are well on our way to a better environment, you uneducated oaf."

"Uneducated?" Chanyeol laughed. "If that's what you think, then go right ahead. I'm an uneducated oaf who never went to college."

"You didn't." Raising his phone in the air, Baekhyun tried desperately to catch a bar.

Amused, Chanyeol looked over at him. "And you know this how?"

"I just do."

"Cause you know everything, obviously."

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun brought his phone back closer to him. "No, but I know for a fact that you didn't. Hell, you didn't even bother getting out of here and that's the easiest thing an idiot can do. Leave. Anyone can do it."

"Leave because that's the easiest thing an idiot can do?" Scoffing, Chanyeol's grip on the wheel tightened. "You have that one right. You left, didn't you? So, what? Does that make you an idiot?"

"No, I—God! I didn't mean it like that, anyway!" Groaning, Baekhyun pushed himself into his seat. He went silent until he waved his phone in all places, whining. "Why don't you do something useful for once in your life and build a cell tower?"

Running his hand through his hair, Chanyeol let out a growl as he made a right turn. "What is it that you need so much that you're acting like a child?"

"I need to call Kris!" Folding his arms, Baekhyun turned his head towards the window. "He called me a few times before I got here. I figured I'd answer when I'm at the farm, but I didn't think there wouldn't be any cell towers around."

Chanyeol didn't answer, and like the rest of the conversations, it had a hung ending. Except this time it was slightly different. Baekhyun couldn't put his finger on it, but the feeling around how it all ended was difficult to specifically point out. He decided not to comment anymore, leaning over and turning on the radio to whatever station could fill the silent void.