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Taerae had survived a lot of things in life. Grueling orchestra rehearsals that stretched late into the night, last-minute sheet music changes before major performances, nailing a solo during a high-stakes concert, rewriting an entire arrangement the night before a competition, auditions for prestigious music production companies as his daily grind, and even Gyuvin’s “friendly” wrestling matches that always left him sore for days. But nothing—absolutely nothing—felt as anxiety-inducing and life-threatening as the moment he saw Matthew pulling up near the sidewalk he was walking on, rolling down the car window.
Matthew lowered his glasses slightly, resting them on the bridge of his nose while grinning ear to ear at Taerae.
As he parked the car and got out, twirling a pair of car keys in his hand, Taerae heard him clear his throat, his voice oozing smugness.
"Guess who just got his driver's license?" Matthew announced proudly.
"Oh, no," Taerae whispered in horror.
"Oh, yes!" Matthew wiggled his eyebrows. "And guess who gets to be my first passenger?"
"Ricky."
"Nope."
"Jiwoong?"
"Wrong. Try again."
"One of those crash-test dummies?"
Matthew rolled his eyes, flattening his arms by his sides in exasperation. Dispite that, He was quick, lightly grabbing Taerae’s wrist and tugging him toward the car. "C'mon, quit being dramatic. I passed the test fair and square."
"Yeah, and so did a bunch of people who ended up on those ‘World’s Worst Drivers’ compilation videos," Taerae shot back, turning on his heels. But Matthew quickly followed, grabbing Taerae’s wrist lightly to pull him toward the car.
"It's past 7 pm on a Sunday. If you take the subway or bus, you're gonna be late for Ricky's party," Matthew reasoned. "You wouldn't want to do that to him, right?"
Taerae retorted, "It’s better to be late and breathing than to end up as a headline on the evening news. I have dreams, Matthew. I want to grow old, get wrinkles, be a girl’s father, own a fancy espresso machine, and become a prestigious music director. Not have my life flash before my eyes because you confused the gas and brake pedals."
Matthew faked a heartache. "You’re acting like I don’t have common sense."
"I’ve seen you mix matcha pasta with pistachio ice cream, Matthew."
"That was one time!"
"And yet, it haunts me."
Despite his protests—and loud accusations of being kidnapped—Taerae somehow found himself being dragged into the passenger seat of Matthew’s car. Or so he thought. Apparently, it was his father’s.
With one hand, he clutched the seatbelt like it was the only thing anchoring him to this world, while the other fumbled for the handle above his head, just in case.
Meanwhile, Matthew fastened his seatbelt and tapped the steering wheel excitedly. "Alright, let’s hit the road!"
"Mom, Dad, if I don’t show up tomorrow for dinner, I just wanted to say that I love you guys a lot," Taerae sent in an audio message to his parents. Right after, he shared their location in the friend group chat.
He saw Hanbin reply with a "?" And a " ... " writing bubble appeared, before locking his phone.
Matthew rolled his eyes and started the engine. He released the clutch pedal and maneuvered the car towards the street.
Upon reaching a red light, he pushed the brake pedal a little too roughly, jolting them forward slightly. Taerae took out his phone, alarmed.
"I’m hitting the emergency call button."
"Taerae."
"What?"
"Trust me."
Taerae sighed heavily, mumbling a quick prayer under his breath. "If I die, I swear, Matthew, I'll haunt you. Forever."
Matthew just laughed, throwing an arm around Taerae’s shoulders, then easing the car back into moving as the green light went on.
To Taerae’s absolute shock, the drive wasn’t… horrible. In fact, Matthew turned out to be a pretty decent driver. He followed the speed limit, used his turn signals, and—against all odds—did not attempt to pull any Fast & Furious stunts.
But just as Taerae was about to grudgingly admit defeat, it happened.
As they continued their path, Matthew was beaming, looking all smug like he’d just won an Olympic gold medal in driving. They turned left onto a busy street, and Taerae noticed that although Matthew was a decent driver, he still took tight curves.
Smirking, Taerae was about to make a comment on it when he felt his side of the car wobble.
Then, out of nowhere, a huge delivery truck pulled up beside them.
And started honking.
Repeatedly.
While it was getting closer.
Taerae turned his head slowly, only to see the driver frantically pointing at them, mouthing something.
Matthew blinked, confused. "Huh?"
The truck driver rolled down his window and shouted, "YOUR TIRE IS FLAT! PULL OVER BEFORE IT BLOWS!"
Taerae’s heart dropped. "WHAT?"
And indeed, by looking at the side mirror, Taerae could see the tire getting flatter by the minute.
"MATTHEW, PULL OVER TO THE SIDE, STOP THE CAR!"
Matthew’s face went pale as he glanced at the dashboard. "Wait, is that what the warning light meant?"
Taerae’s eyes widened, his voice rising an octave. "WHAT WARNING LIGHT?!"
Matthew pointed at a small, blinking icon on the dashboard—a tire with an exclamation mark. "I thought it was just, like, a suggestion or something!"
They felt Taerae’s side of the car sink slightly lower.
The truck driver honked again, this time more urgently, as the car began to wobble dangerously. Matthew tried desperately to change lanes and stop at the side of the road. A gas station a few kilometers ahead could be seen, and it would be an ideal place to stop and check the car. But before he could finish the thought, another car overtook them, honking frantically.
Taerae screamed. The overtaking car forced Matthew to intermittently press the brakes. Unfortunately, he did so in an area riddled with potholes, making the car—and Taerae—shake violently.
"PULL OVER RIGHT NOW! YOU’RE DRIVING ON A FLAT TIRE!"
Matthew swerved into the nearest parking lot—fortunately, it was the gas station he’d seen earlier. The rim of the wheel scraped against the pavement with a horrifying metallic screech.
Both with their hearts beating fast, breathing ragged, and adrenaline running wildly in their veins.
But as they came to a stop, and took a moment to analyze what happened, Taerae noticed something else was amiss.
"Matthew, why is there smoke coming out of the hood?!"
Matthew froze. "Smoke? What smoke?"
Taerae unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car, only to see a thin plume of white smoke rising from the front of the vehicle.
Matthew followed, his hands shaking as he popped the hood. Inside, the engine was overheating—steam billowing out from under the radiator cap.
Taerae stared in disbelief. "Did you even check the coolant level before we left?!"
Matthew blinked, his right hand moving to rest on the back of his head.
Taerae had never been so close to strangling someone in his life.
Taerae leaned against the hood of the car, arms crossed, as Matthew knelt on the pavement, struggling with the tire jack. The mechanic’s shop was luckily just a few meters away, and the owner was kind enough to let them in and get what they needed, even though they were already closing.
Matthew had bought the coolant and a new tire, but Taerae had made it very clear he wasn’t lifting a finger to help.
“You know,” Taerae said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “if you’d paid attention to that little suggestion on the dashboard, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Matthew groaned, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving a small black smudge on it instead. Taerae, despite his anger, couldn’t help but snicker at it while Matthew remained oblivious. “I said I was sorry, okay? And it’s not like you’ve never made a mistake before.”
“Oh, I’ve made mistakes,” Taerae shot back, with a smirk. “But I’ve never ignored flashing dashboard warnings and turned a five-minute gas stop into a full-blown car repair session.”
Matthew glared at him, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Damn right I am,” Taerae said, grinning. Leaning against the car with arms crossed. “This is the most entertainment I’ve had all week. Watching you wrestle with a tire jack is the best entertainment I've had all week. This is better than Netflix. Honestly, I should've brought brought popcorn."
Matthew rolled his eyes, letting out a dramatic sigh. “I’m the one actually doing all the hard work here. You? You’re just standing there, being a menace."
“And you’re a walking safety hazard,” Taerae retorted. “But hey, credit where it’s due—you haven’t completely screwed this up yet. You almost look like you know what you’re doing. I’m shocked.”
Matthew paused mid-turn of the lug wrench, looking up at Taerae with a raised brow. “Did you just… compliment me?”
Taerae scoffed, but there was the faintest hint of pink dusting his cheeks. He quickly averted his gaze. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I said competent, not impressive. There’s a difference. And I was being sarcastic."
“Right, right,” Matthew said, his grin widening as he went back to work. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Taerae tried to suppress a smile but failed miserably. He couldn’t help but notice how focused Matthew looked, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There was something oddly attractive about the way he handled the tools, his hands steady and confident despite the chaos he’d caused.
As Matthew stood up to check the coolant, Taerae found his eyes lingering a little too long. He quickly shook his head, trying to push down the thoughts forming into his mind. No, no, no. Not now. Not after all this mess.
But it was hard to ignore the way Matthew’s shirt clung to his shoulders as he leaned over the engine, or the way his hair fell into his eyes as he worked. Taerae bit his lip, forcing himself to look away and up at the sunset sky. They were going to be late to the party, but, surprisingly, Taerae found himself more entertained by the whole ordeal they’d been through today. Aside from the near-death experience, of course.
He should be mad at Matthew for putting them in this situation. But he couldn’t help being distracted by the guy repairing the car. The last weak light of the sunset made Matthew’s hair and skin glow with a warm, orangish hue. The light reflected in Matthew’s eyes, bringing out their warm brown color.
“You’re staring,” Matthew said without looking up.
“I’m not,” Taerae lied, his voice a little too high-pitched. He mentally scolded himself for getting lost in his thoughts and questioning his feelings.
Matthew smirked. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“And you’re a terrible driver,” Taerae shot back, trying to regain his composure. “But you get points for at least being good at fixing your own messes.”
Matthew laughed, finally closing the hood and wiping his hands on a rag. The coolant and new tire were fixed, calibrated, and ready for them to get back on the road.
“There. All done. Crisis averted.”
Taerae raised an eyebrow. “Crisis averted? You almost killed us!”
“But I didn’t,” Matthew said, walking over to him with that infuriatingly charming grin. “And now you owe me for saving the day.”
“Owe you?!” Taerae exclaimed, pretending to be outraged. “You’re the one who—”
But before he could finish, Matthew tossed the rag at him, hitting him square in the chest. Taerae stared at it for a moment, then both burst out laughing.
“You’re impossible,” Taerae said, shaking his head.
“And yet you still hang out with me,” Matthew replied, his tone teasing.
Taerae smiled, his exasperation fading. “Yeah, well, someone has to keep you out of trouble.”
As they got back into the car, Taerae quickly unlocked his phone, seeing Hanbin's and Gunwook's messages asking where he and Matthew were.
The designated time to check their live location had expired.
Deciding not to worry them, he sent a message in the group chat explaining that they’d had an inconvenience on the way and would explain later.
They fell into a comfortable silence.
Matthew checked the dashboard again for extra measure.
No warnings in sight.
He was still processing his life choices, digesting today's events more critically.
Taerae had already mentally drafted—and submitted—his will.
"So…" Matthew finally said.
"Don’t," Taerae muttered.
Matthew bit his lip, then snickered. "That was kinda fun though, right?"
Taerae turned to him, an annoyed look on his face. "The moment you tried to pull over and that car honked, I genuinely saw my ancestors reaching out for me, Matthew."
Matthew burst into laughter, and despite himself, Taerae couldn’t help but chuckle too.
It was horrifying. Ridiculous. The kind of experience that would either be a treasured memory or a permanent trauma.
But when Taerae looked at Matthew, still grinning like an excited golden retriever despite the disaster, he realized—maybe it was both.
The older guy started commenting on how he needed another shower now that grease adorned his cheek, chin, neck, forearms, and clothes.
While he tried to clean his arm with a small rag, Matthew decided to get rid of his thin jacket, staying in only his black t-shirt instead.
Unbeknownst to him, Taerae’s breath hitched. The shirt hugged Matthew’s upper body in a very flattering way, leaving little to the imagination. The cloth looked smooth, his biceps and chest were nicely defined, and Taerae could make out a few abs on Matthew’s stomach too. That's when Taerae knew he, for the second time this day, should look away.
Oblivious to his surroundings though, Matthew neatly folded his jacket and stored it in the glove compartment. Muttering another apology to Taerae for getting them into this situation.
Despite everything, Taerae had to admit—there was something about Matthew that made even the most chaotic moments feel… fun.
Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at Ricky's house. The guard at the gate directed them where to park in the garage, and as they stepped out of the car, a comfortable silence settled between them. The chaos of the evening had left them both exhausted, but there was an unspoken warmth in the air—a shared understanding that only comes from surviving something ridiculous together.
During the drive, they had talked, their conversation a mix of sarcastic jabs and lighthearted teasing and amusement. Matthew had apologized more than once, his tone sincere but still intertwined with his usual playful charm. Taerae, although still slightly annoyed, had assured him it was okay, though not without adding, "But next time," He warned, arms crossed, "Do a raincheck before you decide to turn a simple drive into a near-death experience. And maybe —just maybe—, pay attention to the dashboard warnings."
Matthew had laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. No more ignoring the car’s cries for help. Got it, boss."
Taerae had rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a small smile. Despite everything, there was something about Matthew’s ability to laugh at himself that made it hard to stay mad.
Now, as they walked toward the house, the distant sound of laughter and music grew louder. Ricky’s house was alive with activity. Fairy lights hung from the trees and lamp posts, casting a soft glow over the scene. Their friends were gathered in the front yard, all scattered —some on the porch, others were sitting around a small table, and the smell of barbecue wafted through the air.
Matthew was the first to spot their friends. He nudged Taerae gently with his elbow, a grin spreading across his face. "Looks like we’re fashionably late," he said, his tone light. Do you think they missed us?"
Taerae scoffed. "Oh, they definitely noticed. And they’re definitely going to ask questions."
As if on cue, Gyuvin turned and spotted them, signaling for them to come over where they were.
Matthew went ahead and Taerae followed, his steps slowing slightly as they approached the group. He could already feel the weight of their friends’ curious stares, and he braced himself for the inevitable barrage of questions.
But before anyone could speak, Matthew beelined straight for Ricky, who was nursing a drink by the porch.
"Hey, Ricky," Matthew started, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Mind if I use your shower and borrow some clothes? I’ll explain later, but—" He gestured to himself, his shirt smudged with grease, jeans dusty from kneeling on the pavement.
Ricky raised an eyebrow, taking in Matthew’s appearance with a smirk. "Wow, did you wrestle a car or something?"
Matthew chuckled. "Something like that. Let’s just say the car won this round."
Ricky shook his head, amused. "Alright. Go ahead. My room’s upstairs—you know where it is. Just don’t raid on my best clothes, alright?"
Matthew shot him a mock salute. "You’re a lifesaver, man."
With that, Matthew headed inside, leaving Taerae to face their friends alone. The moment Matthew was out of sight, all eyes turned to Taerae, their expressions a mix of curiosity and amusement.
"So…" Hanbin was the first to speak, arms crossed and leaning against the porch railing. "What happened? Matthew looked like he had been through a war zone."
Taerae sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It’s… a long story." His voice tinged with exasperation. He glanced toward the drink table. At this moment, he kind of wished he could drink if he wasn't so averted by the taste of alcohol.
Zhang Hao grinned, ever the instigator. "Lucky for you, we’ve got all night."
Groaning, Taerae sank into a chair. "Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is going to sound ridiculous."
And so, he recounted the evening’s events—from Matthew’s proud declaration of having his driver’s license to the series of unfortunate events that followed. The flat tire, the overheating engine, Matthew’s surprisingly competent car repair skills—,
their friends listened intently.
By the time Taerae finished, Gyuvin was laughing so hard he had collapsed onto the grass, Hanbin wheezing beside him. The rest of the group wasn’t much better, their laughter echoing into the night. Even he couldn’t help but laugh a little at how absurd it all sounded.
"Wow," Jiwoong shook his head in disbelief. "Only Matthew could turn a simple drive into an action movie."
"Yeah," Taerae agreed, leaning back in his chair. "But hey, at least we made it here in one piece. Mostly."
Despite himself, he found his gaze drifting toward the house, toward the staircase where Matthew had disappeared. A part of him couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of fondness for the whole ridiculous situation.
It wasn’t long before Matthew reappeared—freshly showered, dressed in Ricky’s casual clothes, his damp hair falling naturally into place, and he was wearing his glasses.
Taerae hated to admit it, but damn. The look suited him.
Matthew caught his gaze, flashing him a confident grin as if to say, See? Everything’s fine.
Taerae rolled his eyes and huffed, but a small, traitorous grin tugged at his lips. Yeah, it had been a disaster of an evening. But somehow, with Matthew around, even the worst moments felt a little less terrible.
And as the night continued—surrounded by laughter, teasing, and Hao’s relentless interrogation—Taerae realized something.
Maybe, just maybe… he wouldn’t trade this chaos for anything.