The Hideout I Need

Chapter 25: A long walk home

Tae-young had called them a cab home. The cab ride was overall pretty calm. Hyeong-jun was fading in and out of sleep, lying with his head on Tae-young's shoulder at the back of the car. He would smile at the feeling. Things kind of felt normal for a moment.

The only problem was, as soon as they had driven two-thirds of the way, Hyeong-jun's eyes shot open as a majorly uncomfortable feeling hit his throat and stomach. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in years since he got food poisoning back when he was about 14. He could tell he was about to puke.

"Tae-young, I think I have to—" Hyeong-jun said but got interrupted by him gagging.

Tae-young's eyes widened as he saw the boy beside him looking green, and quickly asked the driver to stop at the side of the road. It took no time whatsoever to pull over, but the anxiety of Hyeong-jun vomiting right there in the taxi, made time feel like it was excruciatingly slow. Hyeong-jun barely made it out, but he managed to open the door and immediately release the contents he had for dinner onto the ground. Luckily no vomit hit the actual taxi. He left the car in a hurry out of embarrassment. Tae-young paid the driver, apologizing profusely.

As they stood on the sidewalk watching the seemingly annoyed taxi driver drive away, they couldn't help but laugh. Tae-young nudged Hyeong-jun with his arm, causing Hyeong-jun to facepalm from embarrassment. He wasn't finished though, so the two of them walked over to a brick wall so he could get everything out of his system. He quietly promised himself never to drink again. Tae-young patted his back for support.

After Hyeong-jun emptied his waste and felt better, they decided to walk the rest of the way. Though still a third of the way, it was nice to spend time with him on the long walk home. Hyeong-jun was still drunk, to say the least. His head was spinning and wasn't able to walk in a straight line, Tae-young often stabilizing him with a smile.

"Orchestra club," Hyeong-jun laughed out of the blue, as they were walking.

"Hm?" Tae-young turned his head towards Hyeong-jun with a smile.

"You met these people in orchestra club. The people you've gone underage drinking and clubbing with are from your old school's orchestra club."

"Orchestra isn't always a nerdy thing! And you're making me seem like a bad person," Tae-young laughed, feeling playfully attacked, "They were always like this, but I've only been clubbing once!"

"Yeah, you're so innocent? I saw you and that girl on the dance floor earlier," Hyeong-jun laughed.

"Oh, really?" Tae-young cheekily raised an eyebrow.

"Mhm, I was so jealous," Hyeong-jun chuckled, making it seem like a joke when it actually was the partial truth, "You had me really stunned for a bit, I saw the two of you leaving the club, I thought you were going home with her."

Tae-young's eyes widened, laughing out of absurdity, "Hey, Song Hyeong-jun! What do you think of me? How could I go home with her when we barely knew each other?"

"Who knows? You have experience and she seemed to really like you," Hyeong-jun smirked, "She was very pretty, even I can admit that. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to go home with her."

Tae-young gave a quiet smile. "I didn't really... like her." He looked up at Hyeong-jun, "I guess I just let the club environment get the best of me. As soon as she asked me if I wanted to come home with her I came to my senses. I thought it would be best to send her home in a cab."

Hyeong-jun smiled, finding it incredible how much of a gentleman Tae-young was even when he was drunk; he could just imagine Tae-young paying for a stranger's taxi fee just so they got home safely. Hyeong-jun began recalling his own time in the club, remembering his own drunken adventure with a stranger. He chuckled, feeling a mixture of pride and embarrassment, "I shouldn't be criticizing you, I did the same thing."