MARKET

Jessica smiles and happily replies back to Hyun Ki. 

Sorry, I’ll be out with my friends… how about tomorrow?

Jongin walks over to the kitchen and notices Jessica’s wide smile. He raises an eyebrow and then walks over to her.

“Someone looks happy.”

“Yeah… I am…” She takes her phone and water bottle away with her as she walks over to her room. Jongin shrugs off the curiosity and then opens the fridge to check out what items they have to offer. He scans the contents of the fridge and likes what he sees. 

Ooo, beer.

He takes out a bottle and then examines it. Kyungsoo snatches it away from his hands and clicks his tongue. 

“No way are you going to be drinking that.”

“But, just one-”

“Nope. One will turn to two and two will turn to four and then next thing you know, you’re drunk off your .”

“Kyunggie, please-”

“No!” 

“Yah, what’re you two lovebirds arguing about now?”

“This fool over here won’t let me drink beer.” Kyungsoo gasps and then turns to his boyfriend in shock.

“This fool?!” Jongin closes his eyes and nods confidently. Baekhyun laughs and then pokes Kyungsoo’s forehead.

“You’re too controlling. If he wants to drink, let him go at it. We’re in a hotel room, what’s the worst that-”

“Don’t continue that!” Jongin cuts Baekhyun off not only by speaking, but by closing his mouth with his hands. Jongin quickly shakes his head like it’s about to pop off, “ANYTHING could happen to us.” Kyungsoo laughs at Jongin’s silly superstitions, but does agree. He opens the fridge and replaces the bottle of beer in his hand with a bottle of water.

“There, drink that.” Jongin’s hands come off Baekhyun’s mouth and he grabs the bottle of water, “It’ll keep you… sane.” Jongin’s shoulders drop and he lets out a heavy sigh.

“Okay.” Kyungsoo smiles and pats his head while also leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

“You. are. WHIPPED!” Baekhyun bursts out laughing and Kyungsoo kicks him on the knee, “OWWWW! What the hell, Soo?!”

“Don’t you call him whipped. I hate that phrase.” 

“Ugh, fine. You didn’t have to kick me…” 

“You would never learn if you don’t feel physical pain.” 

***~~~***

The group decided to meet up in the living room after unpacking so that they can discuss plans for the night. Kyungsoo and Jongin had the closest room to the living room, followed by Baekhyun and Chanyeol, and finally Jessica. Kyungsoo and Jongin had an easy time unpacking since Kyungsoo’s mind was focused on being completely organized and he would not stop unless he liked everything the way they were placed. He even reorganized some of Jongin’s items. Baekhyun and Chanyeol was another story. Everything was fine the first 5 minutes, but then when Baekhyun made fun of Chanyeol’s green underwear that had ducks on then, Chanyeol threw that pair of underwear at Baekhyun. He retaliated by throwing his shirt at the giant. The two continued throwing clothes at each other and yelling while chasing after each other until Kyungsoo came in and yelled at the two of them. They immediately froze in their spots and then quietly finished unpacking after Kyungsoo closed the door. Jessica did not unpack until the boys checked on her, which was 45 minutes since they started. She was too busy texting Hyun Ki the entire time. 

“Spill it, Jess. What’s up?” Chanyeol leaned on the door frame as he watched her unpack one item and then immediately returned to her ringing phone. She completely ignored him because she was too focused on what Hyun Ki had to say and what else he had to say. After she sent the message, she looked up to Chanyeol with a nice smile.

“Did you need something, Channie?” Chanyeol smile and breathed out.

“No, nothing at all. Uh, just meet us in the living room… when… you… are…” Chanyeol noticed that Jessica wasn’t even paying attention anymore because Hyun Ki texted her back. He walked over and snatched her phone away.

“Hey! I was texting someone!”

“Unpack first and I’ll give you the phone.” 

“Don’t read my messages!” Chanyeol was clearly reading her messages.

“I’m not…” Jessica jumped up and latched the phone from him. 

“I told you not to read my messages!” 

“I wasn’t!” 

“Then why are my messages being shown from a few minutes ago?” 

***~~~***

Eventually Chanyeol gave up and it wasn’t until Kyungsoo came in that Jessica really started to unpack. It took about fifteen minutes for her to finish and then he dragged her out to the living room. While there, he confiscated her phone so that they can discuss what to do for the rest of the evening. Chanyeol brought up the idea of going to the night market that he read about. The group exchanged looks and they all agreed. It was surprising to Kyungsoo that the plans were made that easily without any fuss. Then again, getting Jessica to unpack was a fuss already. They grabbed their wallets and phones and then headed out the door towards the night market.

It was amazing how many vendors and people there were. The smell of food, the sound of hundreds of people, and the sight of different shops was enough for Chanyeol to feel happy about his choice. The group began by going shop to shop to see what they could possibly buy and bring home for their parents. Every food vendor they went to, they tried one thing. The sun was finally set, but the lights kept the atmosphere alive. Whenever Jongin would make a mess of his food, Kyungsoo would scold him for eating so sloppily. 

“Whipped…” Baekhyun whispered in Jongin’s ear when he saw Kyungsoo scold him for the thousandth time. Jongin gritted his teeth and breathed angrily. Baekhyun realized what he had just done and he already felt the guilt rising up in him.

“Kai, would you please-”

“Will you quit acting like a mother?! Will you stop being so controlling?! God, let me eat the way I want to and organize the clothes the way I want to!” Kyungsoo stood there stunned and so did everyone else. The people walking by were staring at them, but didn’t stop to observe the situation. They just continued walking.

. I should’ve known that would upset Jongin…

Baekhyun went over to pat Jongin’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve never-”

“Don’t bother.” Baekhyun took his hand and retreated it back to him. He went over to Chanyeol to find comfort from the giant. Chanyeol was waiting for Jessica to break the tension. He looked around for the mediator. 

“What is your problem?!” Kyungsoo said out loud.

“MY problem?! What’s yours?! You’ve been so controlling!” 

“What?! Baek, is that true?!” 

“Uh… I…” 

“GUYS, I THINK WE HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM! JESSICA’S NOT HERE!” Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Baekhyun all turn to Chanyeol with wide eyes. 

“WHAT?!” They said in unison.

--------------------

Woah, things got heated. As usual, I didn’t plan for the situation to get that heated, but as I write, I also think of new things.