Continuum

열여덟

"So how is driving going to work, since we've got an extra person?" Yoongi asked Seokjin, who was pulling on his jacket. Taehyung didn't ignore the fact that the question obviously wasn't made out of curiosity, as he and the rest of the boys were grinning as they waited for an answer. He pulled on the scarf that was to make an improvised hood for him, apparently hiding the fact that he had hair that ended above his shoulders. When he looked in the mirror, it looked like he was just covering his hair.

Seokjin obviously knew what was going through the boys' minds. "Some of us can take the regular cars," he said.

"And..." Jimin asked, his face practically glowing with excitement.

The oldest boy sighed. "And you and Joon can take the Ghost."

Said boys yelled out in happiness and shot out of the apartment before the other boys had even gotten a chance to start complaining. As Namjoon ran past Yoongi, the older boy quickly grabbed the silver braid ending at Namjoon's waist and yanked downward. The younger boy yipped in pain but continued running as if nothing had happened. Also, as if nothing had happened, the boys left in the room began whining.

"Why do they always get to take the Ghost?"

"I haven't taken it out in like, three months!"

Surprisingly, it was Jeongguk that had the loudest complaint. "But Jinnn, you said I could take the Ghost the next time."

Seokjin silenced the rest of the boys with a glare before bringing his attention back to Jeongguk. "Sorry baby, next time. For right now, you really need to get more used to Taehyung-san."

The poor boy paled at the thought of it. "But I don't-"

"Too bad."

Taehyung smiled. This Seokjin was just as strict as his Seokjin. Jeongguk huffed. "Fine, can I at least drive?"

Seokjin tossed him a ring of keys.

"I'll take the Lamborghini," Yoongi said. "Hobi, you wanna come with me?"

Taehyung eyes opened wide. Lamborghini? That was new.

Hoseok shook his head, his hair braid looking strangely like a golden snake. "Nah, I'll stay with these two. Don't go get food."

Seokjin sighed, crossing his arms. "Of course you'll take the gas guzzler. And then you'll ask me to pay for it to get filled up."

Yoongi shrugged. "Well, you shoulda let me take the Ghost, then." Hoseok laughed as Yoongi walked out.

Taehyung looked at Seokjin. "What the hell is the Ghost?" he asked.

"You'll see," Jeongguk said quietly. Taehyung looked at him and had to smile at the memories of when Jeongguk had been this shy around him before. With the youngest's hair pulled back and his face containing no makeup, Taehyung could easily see the scar on his left cheekbone. It seemed oddly larger and deeper than Taehyung remembered it being, but maybe it was just because it had been a few days since he had last seen it. It's not like he had a point of looking at people's scars, even though there was almost always a story to go with them. (For example, who goes around the rest of their lives with a facial scar won by fighting over a computer? Taehyung really liked Jeongguk's hyung.) The boy with downcast eyes looked up and seemed to notice Taehyung's staring and blushed, covering up the imperfection with his hand. Hoseok seemed to notice what was happening, and it was obviously something bad, because his face morphed into one of fear. "Tae-"

He was interrupted by a loud crash and Yoongi yelling, "Dammit, Namjoon!" The boy's voice carried, and the four still inside the apartment ran into the hallway to see Yoongi leaning over the stairway railing, looking down. "You okay, baby?" he called, sounding more concerned than angry this time.

"Yeah," Namjoon yelled back. "I'm just clumsy."

Yoongi snorted. "Trust me, I know. You're gonna kill yourself one'a these days."

"Or one of us," Seokjin added.

"Or both," Hoseok grumbled.

Well, at least that was something familiar.

The seven boys walked down the many flights of stairs (Hoseok joked that all their exercise was walking to and from Seokjin's apartment) and went into an enormous parking garage. The air was heavy with humidity that coated Taehyung's lungs, and the path was lit by only a few overhead lights that buzzed a constant F flat.

Both Yoongi and Jeongguk hit the unlock button on their respective car remotes, and Taehyung's jaw dropped at the two cars that sounded in response. The first was a beautiful Lamborghini, painted dark blue with some intricate silver designs going across the side of it. The other was an elegant Ferrari, painted in gradient red colors. "Holy..." he breathed.

"Hmm?" Seokjin asked, looking at the cars. "Oh. Those. Benefits of the job, I guess."

How the hell can he be so nonchalant about those?

The oldest boy then laughed in a way that was the opposite of humorous. "Decadence of the postmodern age defined," he said.

Before Taehyung could ask what he was talking about, a loud yell was heard and echoed several times in the concrete expanse. Everyone turned around to see Jimin pulling a beige tarp off of a car that Taehyung could only describe as a silver Batmobile. Just without the weapons. It was an unusual shape with a wing in the back. "The hell is that?" he asked to no one in particular.

"That, my friend," Yoongi said, "is the Ghost."

"Why does it look like a Batmobile?" he asked as the two excited boys that had been chosen jumped into the odd car through a hole in the roof.

"What's the Batmobile?" Hoseok asked, gracefully stepping into the backseat of the Ferarri. At the lack of an answer, he waved Taehyung over. "Come on, we can't be late."

Just as Taehyung was wrapping his mind around the fact that this luxury car was an everyday car, Seokjin huffed. "I say we be late on purpose, just to spite them," Seokjin muttered, getting into the passenger's seat.

Hoseok clicked his tongue. "Oh, don't be like that. JEONGGUK!" he yelled, making Taehyung jump. "Stop your whining and get in here!" He lowered his voice. "Jinnie, are you sure we ought to be doing this? It's not his fault he's reserved."

The older boy hummed with a nod, then turned around to look at Taehyung. The boy felt himself shrinking under the brown-eyed gaze of Seokjin, because he saw something in them: he saw understanding. Somehow, this stranger knew Taehyung was hiding something.

What felt like an eternity later, the gaze was lifted as if nothing had happened. "Introverted or not, he'll have to get used to Taehyung," Seokjin said. "I have a feeling he will be staying with us for some time."

The roar of an engine was heard, and Taehyung watched the Ghost practically fly out of the garage into the fading light outside. Another only slightly less impressive roar was heard, and the Lamborghini followed, the tires screeching as the car turned. "Um, isn't he driving a little fast?" Taehyung asked.

A quiet laugh was heard from the boy in the driver's seat. "Oh, trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet," Jeongguk said, before flooring the gas pedal.