Chapter Text
…
Taerae let out a long sigh as he slid into the driver’s seat. Jiwoong had asked him to pick Yujin up from school. He’d woken up complaining about how tired his body felt and decided to take the day off work. It was Friday, anyway — he deserved the three-day weekend.
Still, Taerae didn’t get many chances to take care of his boyfriend like this. He wasn’t even sure why Jiwoong had been feeling so drained lately.
The others kept joking that it was “old age,” which was ridiculous. He wasn’t even half of sixty. Taerae glanced at his phone.
Well… he is closer to forty than to one. He snorted to himself and shook his head.
Gyuvin had not stopped teasing Jiwoong about it, and Jiwoong just let it happen — probably karma for when Gyuvin had been sick and dramatic for a whole week.
Taerae pulled out of the campus parking lot, mentally exhausted from his 2 p.m. lab.
Labs were easily his least favorite part of the week.
Earlier, he’d had to handle onions and look at them under a microscope. The smell alone had nearly made him scrub his hands raw with bleach afterward — which Matthew quickly told him would’ve been a terrible idea.
The school was only a few minutes away from campus, so he was stuck in pickup line before he could even finish his song. He leaned his head back against the seat, fingers tapping lightly against the steering wheel as the line slowly crawled forward.
When he finally reached the front, he spotted Yujin right away. Yujin was practically bouncing on his feet.
Taerae reached for his phone to text Jiwoong that he’d found him, but the passenger door swung open before he could type.
“Hyung!”
Taerae blinked. There was another voice behind him.
“Is it okay if we bring Sakuya and Ryo?” Yujin asked, already halfway into the car.
Taerae looked past him and saw the two boys waving shyly from the curb. He exhaled through his nose and unlocked the back doors without protest. They all climbed in at once, filling the car with noise and the faint scent of cafeteria snacks.
“How was school?” Taerae asked, keeping his tone calm as he checked his mirrors.
“It was alright,” Ryo said.
“Yeah, it went by fast today,” Yujin added, already unwrapping a lollipop. Taerae pulled back onto the road, letting the music play quietly in the background.
“Rae,” Yujin started, leaning back in his seat, “can I sleep over tonight?”
“Does your mom know?” Taerae asked automatically.
“I asked already. She said yes since my brothers are staying with my grandparents, and both my parents have night shifts.”
There was a short pause. Then Ryo leaned forward between the front seats, eyes wide.
“Wait… so you’d have the house to yourself?”
Yujin let out a dramatic sigh, slumping deeper into his seat.
“Yeah, but I don’t like being alone. I always just stay with Jiwoong and Taerae hyung.” He leaned forward between the seats, chin nearly resting on the center console.
“How’s that peepaw anyway?”
Taerae kept his eyes on the road. “I don’t know. I wasn’t home all day.”
“But he’s okay, right?” Sakuya asked, a little more serious now.
“I gave him his medicine before I left,” Taerae replied. “He’s fully capable of taking it himself. He’s old — not helpless.”
Sakuya nodded. “Yeah, true.”
Taerae glanced at them through the mirror. “Why are you all suddenly concerned? I thought he was ‘the dead popo.’”
“Oh, he is the popo,” Sakuya said instantly.
There was a pause.
“I just want part of his life insurance if he dies.”
Taerae slowly turned his head just enough to side-eye him. Ryo leaned forward, nodding way too seriously.
“Yeah, but he’s like semi-popo. My phone got taken to his office once because I was playing Roblox. Which was dumb because I had my iPad too, so I wasn’t even bored—”
That pulled a quiet laugh from Taerae.
“What were you playing?”
“Flee the Facility,” Yujin answered for him. “We were all playing,” Yujin added, pointing at Ryo. “But this idiot kept kicking his desk every time the Beast caught him.”
“That game can actually raise your blood pressure,” Taerae muttered, pressing lightly on the gas as the light turned green.
“So where am I dropping you two?” he asked, slowing again at the next intersection.
Ryo and Sakuya exchanged a look, thinking.
Taerae waited to turn right up a small hill, letting three cars pass. Another car was coming, not too far behind. He decided to wait for that one too.
As Sakuya was about to answer—
Taerae narrowed his eyes.
The last car passed slowly. The driver looked straight at him. And very clearly lifted his hand.
Middle finger up.
Taerae’s face immediately dropped.
“…What the hell?”
Yujin looked up from his phone. “What?”
“That dude just flipped me off.”
“Oh nah,” Sakuya said, twisting around to look through the back window.
“No way,” Ryo added, trying to see the plate.
Taerae blinked once, then twice, still staring at the road where the car had gone.
“What is wrong with people,” he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes hard.
Then, without another word— He tightened his grip on the wheel. And made a quick U-turn. Yujin’s smile dropped instantly.
“Hyung… I think they—” he swallowed, glancing back through the rear window. “The house is that way. Hey.”
Taerae didn’t answer. He just pressed harder on the gas. The engine hummed louder as the car picked up speed.
“Ayo,” Sakuya said slowly, gripping the seat in front of him. “We actually do not need revenge right now.”
“Hey, so I hardly know you, please get me home,” Ryo said as he tried putting down the window.
“I’m not getting revenge,” Taerae muttered, eyes locked on the car ahead. “I just want to know why he flipped me off.”
“That sounds like revenge,” Sakuya said under his breath. Yujin leaned forward again, voice smaller this time.
“Hyung. Jiwoong’s gonna kill you if we die before the sleepover.”
“We’re not going to die,” Taerae replied flatly.
The car ahead slowed slightly as it approached the next light. Taerae slowed too — but stayed right behind it. Sakuya immediately ducked down.
“If he gets out of the car, I don’t know that man.”
Ryo also ducked down. “On god im being held hostage.”
Yujin grabbed Taerae’s sleeve. “Hyung. Please. We literally have snacks in the back. Let’s focus on that.”
The light turned red. Both cars stopped. Taerae stared straight ahead.
The driver in front adjusted in his seat but never turned around.
The air inside the car felt weirdly thick. All four of them stared ahead. The music that had been playing earlier now felt way too loud, even though it was barely above a whisper.
The light turned green and Taerae’s jaw tightened.
Before any of them could process it, he flicked the blinker on, switched lanes in one smooth motion, and pressed on the gas just enough to pull up beside the SUV.
For half a second, the two cars were perfectly aligned. Window to window. Taerae rolled his down. The wind rushed in.
Yujin’s eyes widened as he saw his window open. “Hey no, no, not my window”
Taerae didn’t listen, but with a sharp, offended look, he lifted his hand and very clearly flipped the driver off.
Then he cut in front of the SUV and made the turn toward home.
“HYUNG YOU—” Yujin’s voice cracked as he twisted around in his seat, practically kneeling on it. “—IS HE FOLLOWING US?!”
Taerae checked the rearview mirror.
The SUV turned too. Its headlights stayed locked behind them.
“Oh my god,” Ryo muttered, pressing both hands against the back window. “He’s right there,”
Sakuya said, squinting. “He’s RIGHT BEHIND US.”
Taerae swallowed but kept his eyes on the road. “He’s not gonna do anything.”
The SUV inched closer. Ryo leaned forward between the seats.
“Maybe don’t antagonize grown men in traffic?”
“I was provoked,” Taerae shot back. Sakuya suddenly leaned even closer to the glass, squinting hard.
“Wait…”
The word came out slower this time.
“What?” Taerae asked, heartbeat starting to thud in his ears. Sakuya’s posture stiffened.
“Wait. Wait. WAIT.”
Ryo grabbed his arm. “What do you see?!”
Sakuya’s voice dropped. “That’s the coach’s car.”
The world felt like it paused.
Taerae blinked once. “What coach?”
“Physical education!” Ryo said faintly. “That dent on the side? He told us about it after class last week.”
“Oh my god,” Yujin said as he took in the dent on the car. He gulped.
“I made that dent when Woonhak, Kyungmin, Ryo and I skipped school to go to the store. and—“ Yujin slowly turned back toward Taerae.
“Ryo was in the cart, and it hit his car.”
Taerae slowly looked at him.
“…Hyung.”
In the mirror, the SUV’s headlights glinted in the afternoon sun. Still right behind them.
“That’s Coach Chul, bro.”
“Wait that’s your bully, no?” Sakuya asked as he turned around.
Taerae’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. His stomach dropped somewhere near his shoes.
“Well, he started it so—” he muttered, but it sounded far less confident now.
The SUV stayed glued to their bumper.
“HYUNG,” all three boys yelled in unison.
…
omegaverse
quiquidoyouloveme: arthritis got to you sooner bro
juicycuntour: can you fucking stop
juicycuntour: at least my boyfriend didn’t get fucking tuberculosis in the big 26
Kingyuvin: IT WAS COVID
juicycuntour: covid In the big 26
yumomma: GUYS
yumomma: GUYSHELLP
juicycuntour: hold on bro im 1v5 rn
Hanbangme: hello? What happened?
wooksbaddie: everything okay yujs?
*yumomma added ryoingyohoe and sakuyobitch*
juicycuntour: MAN NOT THIS TAX EVADER AGAIN.
sakuyobitch: oh look its Petra
Mashusfav: THEIR USERNAMES IM
ryoingyohoe: HELLO MY NAME IS RYO AND I THINK ITS A BOY AND WEREGETTINGCHASED RN
sakuyobitch: holy aura entrance hai guys
sakuyobitch: yeah we’re being chased please send help im gonna piss mtself
zhangiewangie: LITR WDYM YOURE BEING CHASED
quiquidoyouloveme: LIKE ON FOOT?
yumomma: IN THE FUCKKING CAR BRO PLESE HELP PLS
juicycuntour: WHO
juicycuntour: WAIT TAERAE???
ryoingyohoe: HES THE MAIN REASON WE IN THIS SITUATION PLEASE
Hanbangme: okay wait wait please explain whaat happened
juicycuntour: FUCK ALLAT
juicycuntour: THROW A BRICK TO THE CAR CHASING YOU
wooksbaddie: NO????
Kingyuvin: YES THROW IT
juicycuntour: ITS UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT
yumomma: WE’RE BEING CHASED BY CHUL
Mashusfav: ?
Kingyuvin: thats
wooksbaddie: …
juicycuntour: .
juicycuntour: do you guys have a rocket launcher by any chance
wooksbaddie: THROW THE BRICK
Mashusfav: THROW A BOMB
wooksbaddie: THROW THE GOD DAMN BRICK
juicycuntour: YUJIN FORTNITE HAS PREPARED YOU FOR THIS
yummoma: I DONT HAVE A GUN PLEASE
juicycuntour: RYO?
ryoingyohoe: nothing good in yo car brother
juicycuntour: MINI ME
sakuyobitch: dont offend me you bitch
Hanbangme: I
juicycuntour: worthless imbeciles
juicycuntour: my bf is gonna die
Hanbangme: WAIT
Hanbangme: CHUL?? AS IN
wooksbaddie: THE BULLY
Kingyuvin: GUNWOOKS BOSS
Mashusfav: im
zhangiewangie: theres no way this is happening
juicycuntour: TAERAE HAD ONE JOB ARE YOU SERIOUS
Kingyuvin: THAT GENUINELY SOUNDS LIKE FUN CHAT IDK
quiquidoyouloveme: didnt you punch him too
Kingyuvin: no bru i was so mad that I didnt
Hanbangme: WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY DO BRO
zhangiewangie: IM LITR ABOUT TO LEAVE THE UNI CAFE
zhangiewangie: like should I pull up and do a Dwayne the rock Johnson dada move
quiquidoyouloveme: oh I KNOW dada…
Kingyuvin: …
Kingyuvin: anyway yall can replace yujin with Dwayne the buttfuck Johnson in that car
yumomma: IDK PLEASE HELP US THIS IS CHILD ENDANGERMENT
ryoingyohoe: HONESTLY BRO
ryoingyohoe: that elective project is due tomorrow
ryoingyohoe: hope we ramp on the hill yes god take us im ready
sakuyobitch: RYO SYBAUUUUU SYBAUBSYBAU
ryoingyohoe: TAKE USSSS
Mashusfav: wait okay depends on the elective
ryoingyohoe: astronomy
Mashusfav: tell taerae to go beyond 150 mph
juicycuntour: MY CAR ISNT THAT FAST STOP
quiquidoyouloveme: okay chill bro taerae might get his ass beat
wooksbaddie: wtf do we do bro
juicycuntour: how is taerae doing rn
juicycuntour: first of all
yumomma: HES OKAY
yumomma: I feel like since hes the one driving hes tryna keep calm
ryoingyohoe: yeah we just gave him a foot roll-up
sakuyobitch: remind us that he lowkey gonna be the one driving when me and gang rob a bank
quiquidoyouloveme: bro
sakuyobitch: lemme add his contact rq
juicycuntour: sakuya
sakuyobitch: yeah
juicycuntour: I really hope you die
sakuyobitch: girl whatever
zhangiewangie: so what do we do
wooksbaddie: taerae is doing circles around somewhere bro
Kingyuvin: what if bro leads him to us and we go a round 2
yumomma: wait im down
yumomma: he almost got my ass last time
Kingyuvin: and to clarify
Kingyuvin: round 2 against chul, not taerae
Kingyuvin: okay gunwook?
Mashusfav: i am not the bigger person.
Mashusfav: die immediately.
zhangiewangie: IM OUTSIDEEEEE
Hanbangme: CAN WE BE SERIOUS??
Kingyuvin: im clearly alive silly rn bro
wooksbaddie: hes near rickys apartment bro
quiquidoyouloveme: mannnn dont make me get up
Kingyuvin: WORD LEMME GET UP
zhangiewangie: wait wait WAIT I SEE THE CAR
Kingyuvin: NO WAYYY
wooksbaddie: WHY ARE YALL ACTUALLY CIRCLING THE BLOCK???
yumomma: HES STILL BEHIND US
sakuyobitch: update btw taerae has gone fully silent
sakuyobitch: i think his soul left his body around 3 stop signs ago
ryoingyohoe: he drove over a curb a little bit btw
yumomma: IT WASNT BAD
juicycuntour: okay everyone calm down
juicycuntour: yujin do you still have the brick
yumomma: THERE WAS ACTUALLY A BRICK UNDER THE SEAT???
sakuyobitch: WHY WOULD YOU KEEP A BRICK IN YOUR CAR???
juicycuntour: emergencies
quiquidoyouloveme: what kind of fucking emergency requires masonry
Mashusfav: lowkey all of them
wooksbaddie: Ricky please help taerae
quiquidoyouloveme: WTF AM I SUPPOSED TO DO BRO
wooksbaddie: IDK IM FREAKING OUT HES GONNA GET HIS ASS BEAT AGAIN
Kingyuvin: or ran over
Hanbangme: …
wooksbaddie: i
Kingyuvin: yk cuz hes
Kingyuvin: hes in a car
Mashusfav: I think
Mashusfav: I think we got it
juicycuntour: I hope you get hospitalized again gyuvin
Kingyuvin: with taerae?
juicycuntour: YOU CUNT
Hanbangme: OKAY NO FIGHT
juicycuntour: CUNT WHORE
Hanbangme: NO
Kingyuvin: looks at nails
yumomma: chat
Mashusfav: yeah?
yumomma: he is reaching.
Hanbangme: oh right
zhangiewangie: well I cant do much bro
zhangiewangie: unless I jump into the car and survive which is 99% guaranteed id live
quiquidoyouloveme: hao this is not a fast and furious movie bro sit DOWN
zhangiewangie: okay damn sorry for being a hero
quiquidoyouloveme: im omw with my car
Kingyuvin: bro said “99% guaranteed id live”
ryoingyohoe: last words before bro gets folded into drywall
Mashusfav: nah hao would somehow land on the hood
zhangiewangie: aw thanks
wooksbaddie: CAN WE FOCUS???
yumomma: CHAT HES ACTUALLY REACHING OUT THE WINDOW
Hanbangme: WHO???
yumomma: CHUL???
sakuyobitch: WAIT HE HAS SOMETHING IN HIS HAND
ryoingyohoe: OH MY GODDDDDDD
juicycuntour: BRICK THAT MF
Hanbangme: RICKY PLS HURRY WE ALL ON OUR WAY
quiquidoyouloveme: IM LITERALLY DRIVING RELAX
Kingyuvin: WAIT YOU DIDNT WAIT FOR ME TO GET HOME
wooksbaddie: just try luring him somewhere
Kingyuvin: fucking fakies bro
zhangiewangie: bro hurry up im standing outside
quiquidoyouloveme: where are you
zhangiewangie: i dont know the street name bro just keep driving straight
quiquidoyouloveme: what do you MEAN you dont know
zhangiewangie: OH WAIT I SEE YOU HOLD ON
…
Ricky was already in the driver’s seat when Hao came jogging down the sidewalk. The second the passenger door opened, Hao practically folded himself into the car, breathing a little hard from laughing and running at the same time.
Ricky didn’t even wait for the door to fully shut before pulling away from the curb.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, one hand tight on the wheel as he craned his neck to look down the street. “Okay, now where are they?”
Hao twisted in his seat, phone still in his hand, squinting through the windshield. “I don’t know. Yujin keeps typing, but doesn’t send anything.”
Ricky huffed out a sharp breath through his nose, eyes darting between intersections. The late afternoon sun flashed gold across the windshield every time they passed a break between buildings, and the streets were busy enough that every dark-colored SUV made his heart jump for a second.
Then—
A violent WHOOSH ripped through the air.
Two cars flew past them so fast Ricky barely registered the colors at first. One black SUV. One familiar dark red sedan.
The force of their passing made Ricky’s car rock. The air pressure shook the entire vehicle with a loud thump-thump-thump before the sound of engines screamed farther down the street.
Ricky’s eyes widened instantly.
For half a second he caught a clear glimpse through the sedan window—Taerae hunched forward over the steering wheel with a look of absolute concentration while two heads at the back as they’re also facing back.
The sedan swerved around the corner. The SUV followed immediately after.
Silence filled Ricky’s car for exactly one second.
Hao blinked.
“Oh,” he said quietly.
Another pause.
“My god.”
Ricky turned slowly to look at him, disbelief written all over his face. “Did Taerae just Tokyo Drift past me?”
Hao was still staring at the road ahead. “I think I saw Yujin bounce off the window.”
Ricky made a strangled noise and slammed harder on the gas. The engine growled as the car lurched forward. “What the fuck is wrong with him?!”
“He looked focused.”
“FOCUSED?” Ricky repeated incredulously. “That’s what you say about surgeons. Or people landing planes. Not someone in a high-speed feud with a PE teacher.”
“Well, it is his high school bully,” Hao said as he leaned back in his seat as Ricky sped through the next light, both of them scanning desperately for the cars again.
“And it’s technically not a police chase,” Hao said after a second.
“The gym teacher is pursuing him in an SUV.” Ricky gripped the wheel tighter. “That’s close enough.”
The tires squealed lightly as Ricky turned sharply down another street. His heartbeat was thudding so hard he could feel it in his throat now.
Hao suddenly straightened in his seat. “Wait.”
Ricky’s stomach dropped immediately. “What.”
Hao pointed ahead through the windshield. Far down the road, the sedan blew through an intersection just as another car honked loudly.
“I think they just ran a stop sign.”
Ricky stared ahead.
“Oh my god.”
The inside of Taerae’s car sounded less like a vehicle and more like a hostage situation.
Yujin was fully turned around in his seat now, one knee digging into the cushion as he stared out the back window in horror. Every time the SUV got even slightly closer, he made another distressed noise.
“HE’S STILL ON OUR ASS,” he yelled.
“I KNOW THAT,” Taerae snapped back, white-knuckling the steering wheel so hard his veins were visible.
Sakuya had both hands over his mouth. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god this is how people end up on local news Facebook pages.”
Ryo was halfway folded into himself near the door. “BRO SLOW DOWN,.”
Taerae made a sharp turn.
All three boys slammed sideways at once.
Yujin crashed shoulder-first into Sakuya. Sakuya yelled. Ryo’s forehead hit the window with a loud THUNK.
“JESUS CHRIST,” Ryo cried, clutching his head.
“WHY ARE YOU TURNING LIKE THAT?!” Yujin shouted.
“Because he’s behind us!” Taerae shot back.
“That doesn’t mean you have to drive like Sakuya in GTA!”
Sakuya side-eyed him as Ryo twisted around to look again and instantly regretted it.
“OH MY GOD HES CLOSER.”
“STOP MENTIONING IT,” Taerae snapped, panic finally cracking through his voice.
“He literally looks built from behind,” Yujin whispered fearfully. “Like why are his shoulders taking up the whole windshield.”
“Yujin, that makes me extremely anxious.”
Yujin looked at him.
“Yeah bro, me too, he gon beat both of us up.”
Taerae inhaled sharply through his nose and pressed harder on the gas.
Sakuya grabbed the back of Taerae’s seat. “Hyung listen to me carefully. We are children. You are transporting minors recklessly.”
“You’re literally eighteen,” Taerae shot back.
“Yeah, I said that.”
The car flew over a speed bump way too fast.
Everyone bounced violently.
A bag of chips exploded somewhere in the backseat.
Ryo screamed, “MY PRINGLES!”
“WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT THE PRINGLES?!” Yujin cried.
“I DO!”
Taerae suddenly leaned forward squinting. “Wait—is that Ricky?”
“What?” all three boys yelled.
A car passed on the opposite side of the street. For half a second they all saw Ricky’s horrified face through the window. Hao sat beside him looking equally stunned.
Silence hit the car for exactly one second.
“Oh my god,” Yujin whispered.
Sakuya looked devastated. “Yeah we’re cooked,”
“RICKY LOOKED TERRIFIED,” Ryo yelled.
“WHY WOULD HE NOT BE?!”
Behind them, the SUV HONKED.
All four of them screamed at once.
Taerae nearly swerved into another lane before jerking the wheel back. “STOP SCREAMING IN MY FUCKING EAR—”
“PULL OVER THEN,” Yujin shouted.
“NO.”
“WHY?!”
“BECAUSE WHAT IF HES MAD?!”
“YOU FLIPPED HIM OFF!”
“BECAUSE HE FLIPPED ME OFF FIRST!”
“THAT WAS BEFORE YOU TURNED THIS INTO NEED FOR SPEED.”
Sakuya suddenly sat upright again, eyes wide. “WAIT WAIT WAIT.”
“What?” Taerae asked fearfully.
Sakuya pointed behind them with a trembling hand.
“…I think he’s trying to roll his window down.”
All three looked at each other then back to their side. Then the entire car erupted.
“DRIVE FASTER.”
“NO DONT.”
“OH MY GOD HE’S GONNA SHOOT US.”
“WHY WOULD A GYM TEACHER HAVE A GUN?!”
“HAVE YOU SEEN HIS FOREARMS?!”
Taerae made another sharp turn.
“WE’RE GONNA DIE.”
The car rattled violently as Taerae took another turn too fast, tires screeching just enough to make everyone collectively lose another year off their lifespan.
Yujin’s phone slipped right out of his hand.
“No— MY PHONE.”
The device skidded off his lap, bounced once against the center console, then disappeared into the backseat floor area.
“Oh my god,” Yujin gasped, immediately fumbling for his seatbelt. “My dad is gonna kill me if it cracks—”
“Leave it!” Taerae barked, eyes still glued to the road.
But Yujin had already unclicked the seatbelt.
The sound alone made all three other people in the car react like he’d pulled a grenade pin.
“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” Ryo yelled.
“My PHONE!” Yujin cried back, halfway climbing between the seats trying to reach the floor. “Move your feet, Sakuya!”
“I literally can’t feel my legs right now gang”
Behind them, the SUV honked again.
Yujin shrieked and ducked lower instinctively at the exact same moment Taerae jerked the wheel to avoid a car merging too close.
Everything happened at once.
Yujin let out the most undignified scream imaginable as his entire body slid sideways between the seats.
“OH MY GOD—”
His socked feet flew up into the air.
Then he completely launched into the backseat.
Ryo barely had time to process it before Yujin crashed directly into him at full force.
The impact sent both of them collapsing sideways while Sakuya screamed so loudly his voice cracked.
“THE CHILD IS AIRBORNE.”
“My fucking ribs,” Ryo wheezed from somewhere underneath Yujin.
Yujin looked equally stunned, sprawled across the backseat with one shoe missing somehow. “I SAW THE ROOF OF THE CAR.”
Taerae looked into the rearview mirror and immediately paled. “WHY WOULD YOU TAKE YOUR SEATBELT OFF?!”
“MY PHONE FELL.”
“YOU ALMOST FLEW THROUGH THE BACK WINDOW OVER AN IPHONE 16.”
“I PANICKED.”
Sakuya was doubled over laughing and hyperventilating at the same time.
Ryo shoved Yujin weakly. “Get OFF me, damn.”
“My ankle bent in directions ankles shouldn’t bend.”
Another honk sounded behind them.
All four heads snapped toward the rearview mirror at once.
Yujin immediately grabbed the nearest seatbelt and clicked it back on with shaking hands. “Actually my phone can stay back there forever.”
Ricky’s hands tightened around the steering wheel as Taerae’s car disappeared around another corner ahead of them.
“Why is he driving like he robbed a bank?” he yelled, slamming on the accelerator hard enough to push Hao back into his seat.
The engine roared louder beneath them.
Hao twisted around in his seat trying to keep both cars in view through the windshield. The SUV stayed terrifyingly close behind Taerae’s sedan, practically breathing down its bumper.
“Oh my god,” Hao muttered. “Chul is committed committed.”
Ricky’s jaw tightened. “No, because what the fuck is his issue?”
“He’s probably trying to tell them something.”
“That does NOT require this level of pursuit.”
Ahead of them, Taerae’s car swerved around another turn. The SUV followed instantly.
Ricky narrowed his eyes.
Then suddenly changed lanes.
Hao grabbed the handle above the door immediately. “Ricky.”
“If I can cut between them,” Ricky muttered quickly, eyes locked ahead, “then maybe Taerae can get away.”
Hao stared at him. “You say that like you’re in a movie.”
Ricky ignored him completely as Hao gulped.
“Which you aren’t by the way, I have a husband.”
The speedometer climbed higher.
“Ricky,” Hao said again, voice noticeably tighter this time.
“I got it.”
“You literally don’t.”
“I literally do.”
The SUV was closer now. Ricky could clearly see Chul through the windshield, one hand on the wheel while he looked ahead.
Ricky pressed harder on the gas.
The car surged forward.
Hao’s eyes widened immediately. “OH MY GOD.”
“Relax.”
“YOU RELAX.”
Ricky leaned forward slightly in his seat, squinting ahead as he searched for an opening between Taerae’s car and the SUV.
The road narrowed.
Cars lined both sides now.
A truck merged ahead unexpectedly.
Ricky swore under his breath and jerked the wheel slightly to avoid it. The car swayed hard enough that Hao slammed shoulder-first into the door.
“RICKY.”
Ahead of them, Taerae abruptly switched lanes again. The SUV followed close behind, leaving a brief opening.
Ricky’s eyes sharpened instantly.
Hao noticed immediately.
“Ricky?”
Ricky sat up straighter in his seat.
Then pressed harder on the accelerator.
“Hold on.”
The engine roared.
Hao immediately grabbed the dashboard with both hands. “WAIT WAIT WAIT—”
Ricky shot forward.
The car lunged between lanes aggressively, tires squealing as he slipped past another vehicle with barely enough space. Horns exploded behind them instantly.
“Oh my GOD,” Hao yelled, staring ahead in horror.
Ricky’s heart was pounding now. He could feel it in his throat as he gripped the wheel tighter. Sweat gathered against the back of his neck while the SUV’s headlights flashed again ahead.
Then suddenly—
Taerae’s car hit another bump.
Through the rear windshield, Ricky watched in horror as a human body briefly lifted into the air inside the car.
“Was that Yujin?” Hao whispered.
A beat passed.
They both watched Yujin smack directly into the backseat window.
“Oh my fucking god,” Ricky breathed.
Ricky accelerated again.
“NO,” Hao shouted immediately.
Ricky’s eyes widened. “He’s trying to pass Taerae.”
He immediately swerved left too, trying to block the SUV before it could move around Taerae’s car.
For one horrifying second, all three cars were nearly side by side.
Taerae glanced into his mirror and Ricky saw pure terror on his face. Then Yujin’s face suddenly appeared in the back window beside him.
Yujin looked directly at Ricky then mouthed something desperately. Ricky squinted.
“Did he just mouth ‘help me’?”
Hao stared ahead. “Honestly I think all of them are seconds away from throwing up.”
The car was cramped.
Gyuvin was driving, one hand on the wheel while the other stole fries out of a bag sitting in the cupholder he got before class. Jiwoong sat in the passenger seat with Taerae’s location open on his phone, staring at it with increasing concern every few seconds.
The backseat looked miserable.
Hanbin was stuck in the middle getting elbowed from both sides while Matthew was curled against the door looking genuinely ill. Gunwook had one arm around him to keep him upright every time Gyuvin braked too hard.
The light ahead turned red.
Finally, the car stopped moving.
Gyuvin sighed dramatically. “Damn. Wonder where they’re at right now.”
Hanbin checked the time. “It’s been fifteen minutes since Ricky and Hao stopped answering.”
Matthew groaned quietly. “I think I’m gonna throw up.”
Gunwook rubbed his back automatically. “Please don’t.”
“No, seriously,” Matthew muttered. “Something bad is happening. I can feel it in my organs.” Matthew hit Jiwoong’s seat. “Check Taerae’s location again.”
Jiwoong frowned down at his phone. Hanbin leaned over immediately while Jiwoong refreshed the app. The little icon loaded.
Then started moving.
Jiwoong blinked.
“Why is he on the highway?”
Gyuvin frowned. “He’s not near a highway.”
Before Jiwoong could answer—
WHOOSH.
Three cars flew through the intersection so fast the entire car shook slightly.
Everyone flinched.
Gyuvin’s eyes widened. “Yo chat.”
All five of them turned at the same time and for one split second, they could see directly into Taerae’s car.
Yujin was fully laid out across the backseat like someone had thrown him. Ryo looked seconds away from crying, and Sakuya was holding onto the ceiling handle with both hands and screaming at Taerae.
And Taerae himself looked like he was actively losing years off his life.
Then all three cars disappeared around the corner.
Silence filled the car.
Gyuvin leaned forward slowly. “Was that them?”
Nobody answered.
Matthew looked sick. “Oh my god.”
Hanbin turned toward Jiwoong carefully. “Your boyfriend might face life in jail.”
Gunwook stared ahead blankly for a second. “Why was Yujin horizontal?”
The light turned green and nobody moved but then cars behind them honked immediately.
Gyuvin suddenly woke back up. “BRO.” He slapped the steering wheel. “BROOOOO.”
Jiwoong grabbed the dashboard. “FOLLOW THEM.”
“WAIT NO—”
Gyuvin hit the gas instantly.
The backseat got launched together again. Matthew let out a deeply pained noise as Hanbin accidentally elbowed him in the stomach.
“Sorry!”
“I’m dying,” Matthew whispered.
Gunwook pulled him back upright. “Don’t do that.”
“How do I pray?” Ryo asked quietly, staring ahead at the road like he was preparing himself mentally.
Sakuya looked over from beside him and sighed. “I don’t know, but tell me when you find out.”
Ryo nodded seriously. “Okay.”
The car jerked again as Taerae switched lanes. Yujin let out another distressed noise from the back seat, still halfway turned around to look behind them.
“Yeah, he’s still on us.”
“Yujin,” Taerae said tightly, “I can literally see him in the mirror.”
Ryo hummed absently, then calmly reached into his backpack and pulled out his iPad.
Sakuya stared at him. “What are you doing.”
Ryo unlocked it. “Gonna hop on the ‘blox,” he poked Yujin in the stomach, “Can I have hotspot?”
Yujin slowly turned around to look at him like he’d lost his mind. “Ryo. We’re getting chased.”
“My data sucks.”
“WE MIGHT DIE.”
Ryo shrugged. “Then I wanna die doing something I love.”
Sakuya blinked. “What game are you even trying to play right now?”
Ryo looked up from the iPad.
“Adopt Me.”
Silence filled the car for one full second.
Then Taerae yelled, “ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”
The car swerved slightly.
Sakuya pointed accusingly at Ryo. “This is your fault somehow.”
Ryo looked genuinely confused. “What did I do?”
“You’re too calm!”
“Because panicking won’t stop the SUV.”
“That’s weirdly wise, actually,” Yujin admitted.
“Thank you.”
Taerae looked like he was moments away from crashing out. “Can everyone please stop talking for like ten seconds so I can think?”
Ryo raised his iPad slightly. “So no hotspot?”
“NO HOTSPOT.”
“WAIT WAIT WAIT.”
Taerae’s stomach dropped instantly. “What?!”
Yujin pointed behind them violently. “THAT’S RICKY AGAIN.”
All three boys twisted around at once just in time to see Ricky’s black Charger fly up beside Chul’s SUV.
“Oh my god,” Sakuya whispered.
The Charger swerved left aggressively as the SUV tried moving around Taerae but Ricky moved faster.
“He’s cutting him off!” Yujin yelled.
“No way,” Ryo breathed, suddenly fully invested now. “Wait this is kinda tough.”
“RICKY BRO,” Sakuya screamed excitedly. “THATS GOAT.”
Taerae stared into the mirror in complete disbelief as the realization slowly hit him. Ricky was blocking Chul from passing.
There was a beat of silence, then all three boys erupted at once.
“GO GO GO.”
“HYUNG STEP ON IT.”
“THIS IS YOUR CHANCE.”
Taerae didn’t even think and he slammed on the gas.
Yujin immediately got thrown sideways again with a loud scream, crashing into Ryo hard enough to make the iPad fly up into the air.
“My baby!” Ryo cried, trying to catch it midair.
Sakuya was fully losing his mind now, gripping the seat in front of him while laughing and screaming at the same time. “WE’RE ACTUALLY ESCAPING.”
Behind them, Ricky’s Charger and Coach Chul’s SUV got stuck at the changing light for one second too long.
The light turned red.
Taerae shot through the yellow just in time.
Coach Chul got stopped.
For the first time in fifteen straight minutes—
The SUV disappeared from the mirror.
Silence.
Taerae stared ahead breathing hard, shoulders still locked tight. Yujin slowly turned back toward the rear window.
“He’s gone.”
Ryo looked up from where he was cradling the rescued iPad against his chest.
“Oh, sweet Jesus.”
Taerae didn’t stop driving until the adrenaline finally started wearing off and reality hit him all at once.
“Wait.”
Yujin looked up from the floor where he was trying to recover his phone. “What?”
“Where do we even go?”
Ryo looked out the window calmly. “There’s Hanbin hyung’s coffee shop.”
All four heads turned at once.
Sure enough, the little café sat near the corner up ahead, lights still on inside even this late. Taerae immediately turned into the parking lot. The second the car stopped, nobody moved.
Taerae immediately ducked down in his seat anyway. “Everybody get lower.”
All three boys instantly folded downward again.
From outside, the car probably looked abandoned.
Yujin crouched so low his forehead hit the glovebox in the middle, and Ryo was bent over protecting the iPad with his whole body while Sakuya fully disappeared underneath the backseat window.
Taerae shakily grabbed his phone.
…
yumomma: WE AT HANBINS COFFEE SHOP
yumomma: DONT COME LOUD
sakuyobitch: WE HIDING RN
ryoingyohoe: i survived
juicycuntour: THANK GOD
…
Before anyone could answer, headlights suddenly pulled into the parking lot. Outside, car doors slammed.
“Open the damn door,” Jiwoong’s voice snapped from outside.
Taerae unlocked it immediately.
The door flew open so fast it almost hit another car beside them. Jiwoong leaned down first, eyes scanning Taerae’s face rapidly like he was checking for injuries.
The second he confirmed Taerae was alive, he grabbed him hard by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug.
“Oh thank god you’re safe,” Jiwoong said quickly into his hair before immediately pulling back just enough to glare at him. “But I’m actually super upset with you right now, like genuinely furious, but I also love you, and I know better than to yell at you immediately because you actually will break up with me if I stress you out too bad.”
Taerae blinked at him.
Jiwoong kept going anyway. “Like I’m trying to approach this calmly because you clearly had a traumatic experience but why were you engaging in road rage?”
“I didn’t start it—”
“And why did Ricky apparently have to perform Fast and Furious interventions?”
“I didn’t ask him—”
“And why was Yujin horizontal?” Jiwoong kept going. “And don’t even get me started on the fact you stopped answering your phone because I thought you crashed or got kidnapped or—”
Taerae suddenly grabbed the front of Jiwoong’s hoodie gently and pulled him down into a kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, soft and quick, but when Taerae pulled away Jiwoong looked visibly rebooted.
“Oh.”
Taerae looked exhausted. “Hi.”
Jiwoong blinked twice. Then his face softened instantly as he cupped Taerae’s cheek with one hand. “You’re actually okay?”
“I mean, other than the ptsd, I think I’m okay.”
“You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry.”
Jiwoong sighed before leaning down and kissing his forehead this time.
At that exact moment, the back doors opened.
Yujin climbed out first looking disheveled beyond belief, one shoe missing and hair sticking up everywhere. Sakuya crawled out after him dramatically as Ryo stepped out last.
The three of them watched Jiwoong and Taerae for one second.
Then suddenly, another figure slammed into all three boys at once.
“Oh my BABIES,” Gyuvin yelled dramatically, wrapping all three into a crushing hug.
“We almost died,” Yujin wheezed.
Sakuya pointed immediately at Taerae. “He almost killed us.”
“I’d rather take an Uber next time,” Ryo said as he sighed.
Matthew climbed out of the other car, looking pale. “Oh my god, I’m gonna kill you Taerae,” he grabbed Gunwook’s arm. “Geon, get me to him.”
Before Taerae could defend himself further, another pair of headlights turned sharply into the parking lot.
Ricky’s Charger rolled in fast before braking hard enough to make the entire front dip forward.
For a second, nobody got out. Then the passenger door creaked open slowly and Hao practically crawled out of the car. His hair was a mess from getting thrown around and he looked emotionally exhausted.
The second his feet hit the pavement, he bent over slightly and pointed at Ricky without even looking at him.
“I’m never driving with you again.”
Ricky climbed out from the driver’s side looking completely fine. “We literally survived.”
Yujin suddenly sprinted toward Hao at full speed. “HYUNG.”
Hao barely had time to brace before Yujin crashed into him dramatically. “I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA DIE.”
“You were laying sideways every time we saw your car,” Hao said, horrified all over again.
“That wasn’t my fault!”
Sakuya and Ryo walked over right after.
Ryo bowed slightly toward Ricky. “Thank you for your service.”
Sakuya pointed at the Charger seriously. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Ricky looked pleased with himself immediately. “See?”
Hao looked genuinely offended. “NO SEE.”
Gyuvin walked over next with the biggest grin imaginable and grabbed Ricky by the face. “Babe, that was lowkey hard as fuck.” Ricky only cheesed.
“You almost got hit by an SUV,” Hao snapped.
“But did I?” Ricky replied confidently.
Meanwhile Jiwoong was still standing beside Taerae with one hand firmly gripping the back of his hoodie like Taerae might somehow flee again.
Hanbin finally looked between everyone gathered in the parking lot as he picked up his boyfriend from the floor and sighed.
“So let me get this straight.”
Everyone looked at him.
“You all got chased across town by a PE teacher because Taerae got flipped off.”
Silence.
Taerae pointed immediately. “Are we forgetting that he bullied me for 3 years straight?”
“YOU FLIPPED HIM OFF BACK,” Yujin shouted.
…