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Baekhyun doesn't know when did drunken laughs and screams of people ending their night out become the background noise of his life. Sitting in the safety of his car, he was in the best position to observe Seoul's nightlife in all of it's glory - neon signs inviting the clusters of party-goers into their establishments and never-ending strings of cars that occupy the streets of the city centre at all times of the day and week. He rarely gets a quiet night, but he doesn't do well with silence anyway and it feeds his bank account so he can't really complain.
He has to admit, however, that being a taxi driver is hardly the height of his dreams. The people watching is a fun way to fill his time on the clock, but it's not nearly enough to fill his life. There used to be a deadline on his calendar, to quit, but it got lost somewhere among all the other snoozed alarms and missed events. And so, life finds him on yet another late night, sitting in a 24H convenience store on his break, warming his hands with the quickly escaping heat seeping through his cup of instant ramyeon.
The place gradually fills up with small groups of people, coming down from their high, itching to fill their stomachs with something non-alcoholic, the air buzzing with their louder than appropriate voices. Baekhyun quickly slurps down the rest of the noodles, it's high time he ends his break and gets back behind the wheel. He throws out the empty container, his hands immediately missing the warmth that is now comfortably residing in his stomach, and steps out back to the street.
He doesn't expect to wait long for a customer to pick up, but he's not anticipating someone restlessly hovering next to his vehicle either.
His first instinct is to chase the person off, the all-black attire, hood pulled up and a face mask covering the person's features could mean trouble and he's had more than enough unpleasant encounters with delinquent types over the past few months. Better to get rid of the problem in the clinically white light of the store.Then the person turns and Baekhyun recognises the eyes, would recognise them anywhere probably.
"I'm sorry. Are you on a break?" The customer asks when he approaches, voice clear and not at all slurred.
"Not anymore. Do you need a ride?" Baekhyun says, fishing for keys in his pocket and unlocking the car.
"Yes, please."
He opens the passenger door to let the other man in, before climbing into the driver seat himself. He adjusts the rear view mirror and discreetly looks as the customer lowers his mask to his chin and inhales deeply, revealing the same face that greets Baekhyun every day from an ad on his colleague's cab. He's seen countless people in the same seat, but even after months of working he has never seen the same person sitting there twice. Until tonight, having just picked Kim Junmyeon up for the second time, both times sober and alone. Though maybe it's just the fact that no one else is quite as memorable as him and can quite make enough of an impression for Baekhyun to notice them coming back.
The actor hasn't spoken a word since the car started, quietly observing the cityscape. The air is filled only by the quiet beats of late night radio and the low humming of the engine, and Baekhyun can't help but feel restless. As the song changes into a popular ballad, gentle tapping on the steering wheel joins the harmony.
(Junmyeon's eyes leave the string of passing buildings and lock onto the driver's moving fingers, his own moving to match their rhythm, soundless against his thigh.)
When the first verse changes into the chorus, Baekhyun's voice easily falls in tune with the female singer's, seemingly unconsciously. The song is well-known to him and the walls of his apartment have heard his own rendition of it daily for the past weeks. It's second nature to him and he doesn't deny the impulse, his surroundings only catching up to him when he lifts his eyes from the road and catches the sight of his passenger. Kim Junmyeon's head is leaned back against the headrest and his own eyes are closed. Baekhyun feels his face heat up, when they open at the abrupt stop to the singing that filled the car, and they look at each other in the mirror.
"I'm sorry, I forgot myself. I didn't mean to disturb you," the driver apologizes, even though the actor doesn't seem annoyed or upset at him.
"It's alright, you have a lovely voice." The compliment feels uncomfortably genuine and Baekhyun squirms in his seat, resolutely not letting his eyes stray off the road again even for a moment. "You can keep going, if you want."
"I don't think I could, even if I wanted to," he says lightly, even if he means his words. Kim Junmyeon seems like he understands, because he only hums in response and drops the topic easily. Baekhyun feels his heavy gaze on the back of his head for the rest of the ride, as the car is surrounded by increasingly expensive-looking apartment buildings, signaling the proximity to their destination.
"Can you drop me off next to this park?" A voice startles him out of his thoughts and he moves towards the edge of the street and stops the car.
"Thank you..." Kim Junmyeon starts and it seems like he wants to say something more, but changes his mind, simply pulling out his wallet and handing him a few bills. "Keep the change. Goodnight."
And before he has any chance to react the actor's off, walking away quickly, the sound of his steps echoing off in the still air. The car feels oddly empty now and the vacant seat looks like a light bulb that just began to cool off.
He looks down at the money in his hands. Double the fare.