The Beginnings | Dotae

24.0 | Traveling to Seoul

Heat pressed down against the small group of four as they stood on the empty sidewalk of some side street in Jinju.

Taeyong tugged his sunglasses up off of his face and moved them to rest on the top of his head, his loose t-shirt providing little ventilation. He sniffled and ran his fingers over his chin as he looked at the shop in front of him.

"You're sure this is the place Jungwoo?" Taeyong said and looked over at the young fifteen-year-old who was giving him an annoyed look, as if to say 'are you kidding me? Of course this is the place'. He nodded and looked away from the boy, fanning his shirt to cool down his overheating body.

The bandages itched against his skin as he walked forward, the three boys following closely behind him. Entering the garage of the mechanic shop, the heat seemed to only get worse and he heard Johnny groan behind him. He shot the older a look that told him to shut up and he walked to a small desk, his hand hitting the old fashioned bell on it.

A soft 'ding' sounded and Taeyong leaned against the counter, his eyes drifting around the dingy shop. It was old, not popular or well-maintained at that. But it would have to do. For once, Taeyong didn't want to use a vehicle that his father gave him, fear of tracking devices he guessed. So that led him to asking Jungwoo to ask around for good, hidden mechanical shops that may be able to rent out a car.

Noises erupted from the corner following the soft sound of the bell, a young teenager coming into view around the bend of a car in the middle of repairs. Taeyong's eyebrows went up as the young boy wiped grease from his forehead, smiling brightly as he dusted his hands and stood in front of them.

"The name's Yuta, how can I help you all today?" The light-haired boy asked cheerfully and Taeyong cocked his head, hesitating although he wanted to trust the teen.

"You're the one who owns this shop?" Taeyong asked and Yuta nodded, not the least bit deterred by the harsh tone.

"That would be me," he said, that smile starting to get on Taeyong's nerves and he could have sworn his eye twitched from annoyance. "What? Are you on your man period or something?"

Taeyong grit his teeth harshly as he heard three sets of laughter echo from behind him. He whirled around, the laughter cutting off abruptly as he fixed a now completely calm and level look on each of their faces. He turned back to Yuta who was looking between the group with intrigue.

"We need a car to get to Seoul. Do you have that or do you only serve unwanted lip service?" Taeyong retorted and Yuta's eyebrows went up before he laughed, hitting the counter and leaning against his arm towards Taeyong.

"I like you," he said, wagging his finger in Taeyong's face, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of the mechanic's face, "You've got spunk." He gestured to a car resting outside by the side of the road and Taeyong felt a headache coming on. "That's your car right there if you're the boys going to Seoul."

Taeyong looked at Jungwoo with a raised eyebrow and the boy nodded with confirmation that he had contacted Yuta and told him previously. He wanted nothing to do with his father's men sticking their noses in their business.

"That would be us, how much do you need?" Taeyong turned back to Yuta who was now resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"You can pay me when you get back," the boy said carelessly and Taeyong narrowed his eyes, "I just want to figure something out about you. Besides, wasn't there supposed to be five of you? You leave your boyfriend behind or something?"

Taeyong looked at Jungwoo who shrugged. "Sorry, I thought you would change your mind and Doyoung would be coming with us."

"Don't doubt my orders next time," Taeyong lectured and Jungwoo bit the inside of his cheek, nodding curtly as Yuta handed Taeyong the key to the blue minivan that they would be taking.