The Hideout I Need

Chapter 24: You look like a good kisser

Content warning: clubbing, alcohol, semi-intense kissing

Hyeong-jun stood in the bathroom, staring at the mirror, really looking at himself. He started questioning what he was doing. Was he really in a nightclub, drunk, while underage? Based on the loud music he could hear from outside and the dizziness he felt from the alcohol, the answer was yes.

It was a miracle they got in, honestly. As soon as they got to the club they all instantly got asked for ID; which was fair because most of them were in fact underage. While those who were 20 showed their real IDs and Min-hyuk and Yoo-jin showed their fake ones, Tae-young and Hyeong-jun had to put on the act that they had forgotten their IDs at home. They were just about to get sent away until Sa-rang put on her charm, and somehow convinced the bouncers to let the two in. She was also a naturally captivating person, the kind of girl who could naturally entrance you with her glamour. It was incredible to see her work her magic so casually.

Hyeong-jun's drunkenness didn't diminish either, Tae-young pulled out his rich-boy card and offered to pay for more drinks for all of them. Hyeong-jun was enthusiastic about drinking this time, but in hindsight, he should've been able to foresee that it wasn't doing great for his body. It really was true that you get addicted to the feeling. After dancing around mindlessly for what must have been hours, he had to use the bathroom. He did drink a lot, so fair enough. But as he stood there in front of the mirror, he wondered if he was supposed to be there at all.

He walked out of the bathroom, deciding to return to the group. It was so dark, he could barely see anything. He could only see colorful smoke and neon lights. The music was loud and the air was stuffy. He felt a little out of place. This felt like a completely different world to him. All he'd ever known was studying poorly and taking pictures of random things. Hyeon-ah didn't drink at home and rarely went out, so Hyeong-jun hadn't even considered going out like this. And especially not while being 19.

He finally spotted Tae-young dancing on the dance floor with the others. They seemed to have blended with another group of people. Tae-young was getting along a little too much with some woman, in Hyeong-jun's opinion, the two of them talking and looking at each other very interestedly. He tried to shake his jealousy off. There's more out there than Tae-young. Yeah, he just had to keep repeating that to himself.

As he started walking towards the group, he was surprised when as he bumped into a tall figure. Bonk! Hyeong-jun was already dizzy in the first place, so he stumbled. As he was about to trip, a strong grip caught his waist and steadied him. Hyeong-jun's eyes widened at what he saw. God, was that man attractive.

The man standing in front of Hyeong-jun must've only been a couple of years older than himself. Maybe 21 or 22? He was taller than Hyeong-jun and very broad-shouldered. He was wearing a black shirt, which was quite tight on him, showing how muscular he was. His hair was black and had a middle part. He definitely looked like he could be some sort of idol.

"Are you alright?" the man said with a smile, "You look a little woozy there."

"I'm great, thanks to you," Hyeong-jun yelled over the music, "Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly handsome?"

Now, why did he say that? Honestly, it was because he was too drunk to have a mental filter. He didn't care either. It probably didn't even matter, the guy would probably just take it as some kind of straight-guy compliment.

"You're not too bad yourself," the guy replied, "I'm Sun-woo."

"I'm Hyeong-jun," he replied in awe. Like, next level awe. He was still basking over the fact that he had met someone so handsome. The concept of stranger danger was thrown out the window.