Of course he'd get the back seat...again. 

Chan propped an elbow on the side of the car door as he leaned his head against his fist, eyes glued to the neat rows of perfect houses they passed. His gaze stayed on the view outside his window as he tried to ignore the occasional glances he got from the older boy behind the wheel. He heard his other friend breathing softly, which meant Byeongkwan was probably sound asleep, instead of navigating as promised. 

"Stop sulking Channie," the driver warned as he looked at the young man in the rear view mirror. 

Chan snapped his gaze to the front and frowned when he heard the driver's remark. "I'm not sulking Donghun-hyung," he replied, trying to keep his tone neutral. 

Donghun sighed with a shake of his head and added that he could tell Chan was still upset about earlier. He wasn't wrong – weeks ago, Chan helped the elder out with fixing up the Mustang they found on Craigslist. Donghun promised to let the younger boy drive the car to the Annual Car Showcase in the historic part of downtown. Since Chan was the one who helped get most of the parts and tools they needed to complete the job, he was thrilled and began counting down the days until he would be behind the wheel of their car. He had it planned out – even thought he'd style his hair in a similar way to Hollywood bad boy James Dean. But things changed in the past few days and someone suggested they consider selling the car there, versus just showing it off. Chan tried to persuade, even use his cute begging charms to get the guys to let him keep his spot as the driver. But everyone overruled him, saying that Donghun was the safest driver and he happened to be one of the few who could drive stick shift.

Even the hope of riding in the passenger's seat disappeared this morning, as Byeongkwan volunteered to be the navigator. Chan could have ridden with the other two in Jun's car, but he picked the Mustang and took a seat in the back. 

"Channie, there's always next time," Donghun tried again. 

Byeongkwan stirred and he yawned, stretching his arms out. He messed up his hair and asked what he missed. Donghun snorted and threw out a comment about his "helpful" navigation skills, which earned a look from Byeongkwan. 

"Hey, I asked if you needed directions and you said you got this," he reminded the driver. "So I took a nap. In my defense, I've been putting in late hours at work the past few nights."

Donghun nodded at Chan in the back seat and explained that he was trying to tell the youngest that he could drive their car some other time. 

"Yeah of course," Byeongkwan added as he turned around in his seat. "Maybe when you're a little older."

Chan crossed his arms over his chest and he turned his head to the side, trying to keep his temper. "I'm 22."

Byeongkwan craned his neck as he looked for Seyhoon, who was holding their spot at the event. His eyes scanned the rows of cars, looking for an empty space where their friend would be standing. 

Donghyun flashed his credentials at the event security, who waved him on through. He draped one arm out the window of the Mustang as he slowed his speed and tried to look for Seyhoon. 

"There!" Byeongkwan declared, pointing to the left. He caught the other young man's eye and waved. 

Donghyun paused, letting a couple walk by him, before turning the wheel to park in the spot. Seyhoon moved to the curb and began guiding the driver, gesturing for Donghun to keep coming back, before holding both hands up to stop him. 

Chan stifled a yawn as he got out immediately and closed the door. He flashed a smile at Seyhoon, who held out his hand for their handshake. Seyhoon handled the paint job and design for the finished overhaul, which was a no brainer, given how creative his friend was. Chan frowned when he saw it was just Seyhoon and the latter explained that Jun was parking their car off-site.

"He should be here in a bit," Seyhoon added. "So how was the drive? How does it run?"

Chan nodded and murmured that the engine sounded good, drive was smooth, and it seemed like the car was as good as new. His answer satisfied the other, who murmured that he had a good feeling about the car selling today. 

Perhaps Chan was getting a bit sentimental, but he kind of wished that they could keep the car a little longer than today, if it happened to sell at the showcase. They had spent weeks, almost a month and a half, to get the car in top notch shape. He'd be lying if he didn't dream about being behind the wheel of it, cruising down the street and getting a few looks while driving it. But then again, the guys would get an equal split of the profits if the car sold today. Most of his friends had grand plans for the money, while he was thinking of saving it for later. 

"Channie, you planning to take the first shift or second?" Donghun asked.

Chan whipped his head around and declared he'd take second shift. Before anyone could argue with him, he excused himself to wander around the showcase, walking around the visitors to see the other models on display. The turn of events from this morning and the drive over had tested his patience and he was eager to walk away for a bit. He loved his friends dearly, but sometimes they seemed to treat him a child, either by changing the subject if the topic seemed too adult, or reassuring him that his elders had it under control. 

I'm 22 years old and they continue to baby me, Chan thought with a shake of his head. 

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he examined a Ford Coupe, silently noting that the engine seemed to be a bit off for the year and model of the car. Then he wandered past a T-Bird in a loud teal glitter, squinting as he tried to avoid being blinded by the sun reflecting off the specs of glitter. In addition to the exterior, the leather seats were covered in a white glitter fabric.

I would hate to sit in that car on a hot day, he thought, imagining how bad the material would feel against his skin in hot temperatures. 

"It's too much," a female voice near him said. 

Chan glanced over his shoulder and saw the voice belonged to a young woman dressed in a 50s style blouse with high waisted shorts. She removed her black sunglasses and rested the earpiece by the corner of her matte red lips. 

"You think so too, right?" she asked, turning to address him. "The glitter's overdone – makes it look cheap."

Chan straightened up and nodded sharply, hoping that he didn't look stupid staring back at her. "Yeah. Upholstery's throwing me too," he confessed. "I get it's an eyecatcher, but you throw in the glitter it's–"

"Bad, super cliche, diner stool seat covers?" she finished. The owner of the car turned his attention from a couple talking to him and he stared at her with a slightly offended look. 

She shrugged and nodded over at Chan, saying that they should move on. "We're getting the hairy eyeball here. So touchy."

"He should have picked a different color," Chan sighed. "The detailing was poor too. Think I saw small paint drips on the racing stripes."

"Glad to know I'm not alone," she replied, folding up her sunglasses. She slipped them into her purse and extended a hand to the young man. "Sorry I forgot to introduce myself – name's Adalind, but Addy works for me."

Chan shook her hand and flashed her a smile. "Chan. Nice to meet you Addy." He walked alongside of her as they passed hot rods and convertibles, all from different