he is all giddy, as they step out of their room and announce to the other members that they would take a nightly walk. snickering at jaehyunâs advice to bring a cap and a mask along, he clutches his arm around baekhyunâs shoulder, asking: âwonât it be even more suspicious if two guys wore it, when walking around?â jokes aside though, he was aware that they had to be careful and take care of their fragile image, especially in the early phases of their careers. so he messed up his hair and pulled hair strands into his face, before placing a plain black cap on top of it and hiding his face behind black fabric. waving at the younger members, they walk out of the door and are soon greeted by a fresh breeze of night air.
kang joon inhales deeply, smiling at the shorter man, when he noticed his glances. âthanks for inviting me to come with you. iâm always happy to accompany you.â if there was anything he could do for the younger man to feel a little more at ease, despite his responsibilities as leader, then he would do it. it was his way of supporting him and acting as a hyung for once. âyeah, same.â
surprised, his eyes dart over to their group leader. he didnât know why, but somehow he expected the other who he thought was much better at socializing with the other royal trainees had already gone drinking with one of the other members for bonding purposes. âoh, really? me neither. itâs a first for me. you are taking my drinking-with-a-member-virginity tonight.â the older man goofes around, snorting at his own comment. âme? the best companion for it?â he wonders and laughs out loud at baekhyunâs reasoning for why kang joon was best suited for the job. if he really thought like that, he had never seen him partying and losing control like he did during the squadâs gatherings. âpretty sure, you got false information there. when you are with me, everything will turn into a drinking contest.â nudging the otherâs side teasingly, he follows him in his track on their way to said food stall.
his small smile stays hidden behind the mask thatâs pulled over half of his face but it should be easy to spot in the slight crinkle of his eyes as he looks at kangjoon right next to him. he really is grateful, the fresh night air already doing well in clearing his head a little -- thatâs not what baekhyun wants, though. he wants a real distraction, to numb out some of the feelings that have been sitting inside his chest for the longest while. and thereâs no better way to do that with being a little irresponsible and self-indulgent for once.
baekhyun thinks getting a little drunk has been way overdue.Â
somehow, the otherâs reaction makes baekhyun feel a little embarrassed, a sheepish look slipping onto his features as his gaze darts ahead and away from kangjoon and his surprised expression. âyeah,â is all he says for a brief moment before he bursts out into a snort, nudging him in the side with his elbow. âdrinking with a member virginity?â baekhyun repeats, still snorting a laugh, âwell, i guess iâm honored then,â he chimes in on the joke even though his cheeks feel a little warm for some reason and thereâs a familiar pull in his chest that heâs trying to ignore, âespecially since itâs my first time too.â his laugh has long faded, shoulders a little tense but it shouldnât be noticable.Â
âi ââ baekhyunâs forehead knits into a light frown, thoughtful, âhave no idea why iâve never asked any of the members before. like, weâve all been busy and, yeah, but.. i always just went alone mostly. even as a trainee.â ( only one person popping up in his mind that heâd really like to ask for a drink, actually. ) the walking distance to the food stall isnât long, just like baekhyun said, and he can already see it after some minutes of walking, hand slipping out of his pocket to point ahead. âhere it is,â baekhyun says in between, eyes on kangjoon again for a brief moment. âwell,â he laughs, âi donât mind that at all. iâm highly competitive.â and heâd love to get a nice buzz out of this. he slips his fingers around kangjoonâs arm to pull him along, underneath the tent. âyou like some ddeokbokki?â
