Ships Passing In The Night ｜Markhyuck (OT21 AU)

Chapter 19

"Lee Donghyuck, that is clearly not a dorm," he muttered to himself, peering out of his window at the vast brick structure that sprawled out in either direction from where he'd parked his car. It wasn't quite a mansion, he thought to himself, but the house was certainly bigger than any other residence he'd seen since he'd woken up in this reality. There was a large sign above the door, which he thought might hold some answers, but the dimming light and his lack of comprehension of the strange language made deciphering it impossible. He'd initially dismissed the place entirely the first time he'd pulled up outside, choosing instead to drive up and down the row of equally massive houses in search of something that looked more like what he expected of a dorm, but this was definitely where the map wanted him to be.

Palming his phone, he found Jaehyun's number and dialled. The phone was linked to the audio system inside the car, so he let the device and his hands rest loosely in his lap as he listened to it ring once, twice, and then keep ringing. A bit further up the street, a pair of girls were leaving one of the other houses, laughing with one another as they crossed the road and started to walk off in the opposite direction. He watched as they linked arms and easily fell into step with each other, distracted enough by their footfalls that the sound of Jaehyun's voice made him jump.

"Hyuck-ah?" Jaehyun's deep tone was amplified by the speaker system in the car, making it sound like his disembodied voice was speaking to Donghyuck from all directions at the same time, with a little extra bass in his left ear for reasons Donghyuck couldn't explain. "Where are you?" He could hear another voice in the background, but he couldn't quite make out the words, so he assumed Jaehyun was with at least one of his roommates. He didn't want to disturb them if they were all home, having fun as they waited for him, but he thought he'd probably need someone to come and find him. For all he knew, he could be miles from the dorms at this point.

"I'm not sure, hyung," he answered honestly, peering up at the house next to him again. "I used the address you sent, but I'm not at the dorms. I ended up outside some house somewhere instead." He considered trying to describe it to his brother but figured that probably wouldn't help much. There were a lot of big houses on this street and only so many ways to describe bricks and mortar. "I don't have a clue where I am."

There was a long pause, then Jaehyun groaned. He heard a brief rustling sound in the background, as though several people were moving around inside a room made of tissue paper, and then a door slamming. "Damn it. I forgot that I never told you. Are you still outside the house, Donghyuck?" He nodded, then remembered that Jaehyun wouldn't be able to see that.

"Yeah." He reached out and touched a finger to the key that was still in the ignition. "I'm parked on the kerb outside." The sound of another door being closed loudly assaulted his ears from multiple angles and then the background noise died away abruptly, leaving only the faint sound of Jaehyun breathing into the receiver on his end. "Why?"

"Hang on," the older man told him. "I'll be out in a second."

Jaehyun didn't immediately disconnect the call, which Donghyuck was grateful for as he scanned his surroundings. Another small crowd of students passed by the car as he waited, several of the men breaking off from the group as they reached the house and heading inside. He got a few strange looks from the remaining students, huddled together on the kerb before they continued on their way, but then Jaehyun emerged through the large, double doors at the front of the house and took the steps two at a time as he hurried towards the car.

"Hey," he said breathlessly, as Donghyuck stepped out of the car and allowed the man to pull him into a tight hug. "I've missed you, little brother." Donghyuck's lips split into a broad grin and he pressed his face into Jaehyun's shirt. His fingers still grasped his phone as he wrapped his arms around Jaehyun's waist, ignoring the loud squeal of interference from the car stereo as both phones ended up in close enough proximity to start producing looping feedback through the speakers.