Burnout ⊗ Jeongchan

④ The Hub

"Jisung, I don't feel comfortable," Jeongin mumbled as he played with the leather choker, tugging lightly at it to get the thick band of fabric off his neck. He could feel everything through the holes of the fishnet and the rips in the skinny jeans, the cool night breeze making him shiver. Never in a million years did he think he of all people would be following after a delinquent, at this late hour, on the streets, in the quiet part of town, in clothes that he would never have dreamt of wearing. He started to regret the choice of agreeing as he felt the night air nip at his goosebump riddled skin.

The other turned around, walking backwards as he gave him a quick once-over, "You look hot, don't worry so much."

"Hot?" He squeaked and folded his arms over his chest in an attempt to hide himself even though the shirt was the one thing of his attire that covered the right amount of skin. His face flushed in embarrassment, "That isn't the problem. I've never worn something like this before."

It doesn't exactly make me feel comfortable.

Jisung swatted away the folded arms, opening up the view as he snaked behind the younger and latched his hands onto his shoulders. He moved Jeongin's shoulders back, forcing him to stand straighter as he stated, "A tip from a pro: it's confidence."

"But-"

"Loosen up a bit. What you wear doesn't define who you are," Jisung hushed him. He poked Jeongin's cheek before walking ahead of him with a bounce in his step and a playful sway in his hips, "If you feel good about yourself, then enjoy it. Remember, you're here to let go for a bit."

Jeongin just pressed his lips into a thin line and continued to follow behind him with his head hung low. A lot of the buildings around them were completely functional, if a bit worn with time. Most of the shops and businesses had closed down for the night, the metal bars pulled down and their lights were shut off. One or two still had their lights on, but inside there were no people, not even someone to tend to the shop. Surprisingly it wasn't a bad place to be at night, the neighborhood around being relatively safe compared to other parts of the city. However no one visited this part because there was nothing here for the average person.

Yet Jisung led him through the rundown area like he knew this place better then he knew himself. He turned off the sidewalk into an empty parking lot with barely enough light from the streetlights drooping over their heads. Still he continued forward, motioning for Jeongin to follow him as he ducked under a roadblock and slipped into a building hidden between walls. Ahead of them was a huge accessway big enough to be a runway for an airplane constructed purely of tough concrete. It sloped down, bringing a strong updraft up to the pair. Jeongin shivered as he stared down at the darkness.

Jisung noticed this and shifted to face the other head-on, a sheepish smile gracing his features, "Scared?"

"A little," Jeongin mumbled as he nodded his head. He started fiddling with the hem of his shirt to hide the heat rising in his cheeks.

"You'll be okay. Come on, if you're nervous then stay close to me," The older gave a friendly squeeze to his shoulder before beginning the trek down the pathway into the darkness, a hesitant Jeongin in tow behind him. There was hardly any light the further they went down, only the occasional floodlight up on the walls providing them with any sort of visibility. The further they went, the further they got from the outside world.

Slowly, the darkness began to bleed into vibrant colored lights and the silence faded into hard bass. The passage began to smell less like wet concrete and more like grease, rubber, and burned brakes. It wasn't until they had rounded a corner at the very end of the tunnel that Jeongin understood why. His jaw went slack.