CHAPTER 034: Alcohol And Taxis     Your parents make it home by midnight, and your mother is surprised that you're not home yet. Your father on the other hand has a different reaction.           "Leave her alone, Honey. It's her first time going to a party and she needs to have fun. She's almost eighteen, you need to let her do her own things. Have some trust in her, okay?"    Your mom bites her lips, sitting in bed, playing with the hem of her pajama shirt. "I guess you're right. But it's really late..."    Your dad laughs and lies on the bed, making himself comfortable next to your mother. "So? High school parties usually end around 2 am. Remember us? One time we got home the next morning!"    Your mom lies back and tries to relax. "Yeah, you have a point. I texted her earlier three times and she said everything was fine... Maybe I am exaggerating a little, aren't I?"    Your dad nods. "I'm sure you are. Go to bed. I'll wait for her if you'd like? I have to finish this book, anyway." He pulls out a book from under his pillow.    Your mom smiles, feeling better. "Okay. She's with Chanyeol anyways, and I trust him." She lies on her side and closes her eyes.    Your dad pats her head and begins reading. He promises not to fall asleep to wait for you, but 12 minutes later he's already drooling on his pillow.          ************************                 "Stay here," Yixing says to the girl. "Do not move, okay?"    Eunsul nods. "Okay..."            "Good," he slowly walks backwards and then looks away when he's sure that she won't escape. He enters the house again to find his cellphone that he left with Jongdae.    He was going to take Eunsul home in her car but the girl doesn't know where she left her keys. And so Yixing figured that he might as well call a taxi, and then she might need to come to Sehun's house to get her car tomorrow morning.          "Jongdae!" Yixing is out of breath when he sees his drunk friend exactly where he left him with the others. "Give me my cellphone!"    Jongdae makes a weird noise from the back of his throat, but rummages his pockets for the wanted phone. He tosses it at Yixing when he finds it.          "Are you leaving already?"    Yixing nods, "I'm taking Eunsul home. She's drunk."    Jongdae just smiles. "Okay!"    Yixing doesn't even think the boy understands what he said but it doesn't matter because he remembers he left Eunsul outside and alone, and that's a bigger priority.   He runs towards her, afraid of her running away and wondering drunk around the streets of the city. He is glad to find her still standing there, but frowns at seeing that she's not alone.    There's a guy talking to her, or flirting, as the dimpled boy can see.    He takes a deep breath and walks his way towards them.    The guy keeps touching her hands, almost in feather light touches as he smiles and tries to coo her.    Eunsul just looks confused, not caring about his presence. "What do you want again?" She says.   The guy smiles, "you?"    She grimaces. "That's one hella cheesy pick up line."    The guy is about to say something else but he's pushed away by Yixing.           "What's your deal?" The guy scoffs, looking at the other.    Eunsul smiles at Yixing's presence. "Hey," she says, "Look, I did what you told me and I didn't move at all."   Yixing actually wants to smile at that but he focuses on the guy who's sending daggers at him with his glare.            "Leave her alone please," Yixing says, "She doesn't have time to talk to people. She's going home."    The guy frowns and Eunsul smiles, just agreeing to Yixing's words because she's a little tipsy and doesn't want to talk to the guy either way.            "Maybe I can take her home?" The guy offers and Eunusl shakes her head in automatic. "Besides, not to be rude, but who are you to tell me what to do?"   Eunsul pouts. "He's my bunny!"    Yixing mentally rolls his eyes at the nickname being said again.   The other guy frowns, "What? Your bunny?"    Yixing interferes and he opens his mouth to say something like No, she's my girlfriend, idiot. Because that's a good line to use in a situation like this, but then he doesn't want to say such a thing because it makes him slightly uncomfortable. Even in the pretend world, the idea of Eunsul being his girlfriend makes him frown because they're just completely incompatible.    So he goes with the next best thing...            "She's my sister, idiot," Yixing says.    The guy makes a face and then realization hits him and he goes, "Oh."   Eunsul snorts and she thinks, might as well tell the guy I'm your mom.    Yixing feels glad that the guy understands older brother/sibling over protection and decides to grab Eunusl's hand and pull her with him towards the other side of the street, to wait for the taxi he already called.    He hears the guy say from behind, "But you guys don't even look alike!"    Eunsul yells back, "He's adopted!"    Yixing snorts, and when the guy yells out again, "Can I at least have your number?" Yixing automatically replies with a scream, "No!"    The guy looks devastated and Eunsul looks back and feels bad but she can't turn back now because Yixing is dragging her away.           "My name is Minho!" The guy yells, "I hope to see you again! Remember me! My name is Choi Minho!"   Eunsul waves at him with a smile. "Bye, Minho!"   Yixing smacks her hand as he pulls her. "Don't wave back!" He scolds like a mother, and Eunsul realizes he actually acts like an over protective older brother.           "What now?" She asks when Yixing stops at the corner of the street, not letting go of her hand but both too preoccupied with other things to notice.          "We wait for a taxi- Oh, there it is! Let's go!"    Eunsul doesn't question anything, just follows Yixing to the taxi and does as he says.          "Get in," Yixing instructs.    She does as he says. Eunsul feels kind of lightheaded but besides that, she is pretty much aware of her surroundings.    When Yixing also gets in the taxi with her, she is surprised.         "You're going too?" She asks. The boy nods, "Of course. I can't leave you alone."    The words make her feel something. And that makes her really uncomfortable.           "I could go by myself, I'm not that drunk," she says. "It's fine, I'll take care of myself."    Yixing sighs and still gets on with her, sitting next to her in the back. "No, I can't leave you alone..."    Eunsul doesn't say much to that. "Okay." That's all she mumbles before the taxi's door close and the man starts driving.    She feels uncomfortable at Yixing's sudden demeanor. He's usually shy and submissive but now, despite not being a pushover or changing his character completely, he's acting more mature and commanding. This is a side she hasn't seen of him yet. It makes him seem manlier and older, unlike the usual colored cheeks and childlike innocence he usually carries when the girl shows up.    Wow, there's a lot to learn about you, she thinks to herself.           "Where do I take you?" The driver asks.    Yixing turns to the tan girl. "Address?"    Eunsul flushes, "Oh, right!" It takes her a while to remember her address, the alcohol affecting her memory for a second. She tells the driver her address and the man frowns a little, so does Yixing.    The girl understand why.          "You said Burnroad?" The driver ask to make sure she said the right neighborhood.    She nods, "Yup."    Yixing turns to her but doesn't say anything.    Burnroad is the name of a small neighborhood, and it's known for its high crime rate. Like, really high crime rate.    Yixing doesn't mean to judge but his first thought is, Wow, now it makes sense. He looks out the street for a while and knows that it's going to be a long ride because it's far away from Sehun's property.    Eventually, the driver and him start to make small talk. It's casual and comforting and he makes sure to keep an eye on the tipsy girl next to him. She seems to be better now.          "Are you sober now?" He asks.    Eunsul shakes her head. "Not yet, but I will be."    The driver and Yixing continue speaking and it isn't until a couple of minutes later that Eunsul actually pays attention to their conversation. They're talking about bread.    She squints her eyes. Yixing is lame, she concludes.          "I like this bread that has sugar on the top. It's kind of rare to find these days," the dimpled boy says and the driver adds his opinion about sweet bread to the conversation.    Eunsul eyes the boy closely. There it is, she thinks. This is the Yixing she's used to. He's friendly and childlike. Just really innocent. Likes to talk about sweet bread, too.          "Lord," the driver suddenly says. Eunsul perks up and looks at what the driver is pointing at. There's a chubby girl wearing short shorts and a purple blouse. Eunsul frowns because what's wrong with that? "Can you believe she's wearing that? She's fat, she shouldn't wear clothes like that. That only looks good on skinny girls."    Eunsul swears she wants to punch the driver in the throat. That girl can wear whatever she wants! She looks great. She looks happy and comfortable and what's more beautiful than a woman who loves her body and is happy about herself?    She sits up, about to share with the driver a piece of her mind and maybe leave the taxi all at once, but Yixing speaks first and she closes and listens instead, surprised at his words.           "That girl looks comfortable and happy, so why should it matter? I think she looks good." Yixing looks out the window and smiles, looking back at the taxi driver a second later. "Anyone should be able to wear whatever they want without being judged. Don't you think?"    Eunsul's heart is doing summersaults and her eyes are slightly widened in surprise.          "Yeah, I guess you're right, kid. Maybe it's just because I'm old that I think differently," the taxi driver laughs.    Eunsul is still staring at Yixing. The boy feels her stare and looks back at her, the same smile still playing on his lips. He frowns a little at the intense look she's sending his way though.          "What's wrong?" He questions a little nervous at her powerful stare.    She has the most serious face ever when she says, "I want to you so bad."    The taxi driver almost swerves the car out of the road and Yixing covers and gasps, red cheeks fuming and voice stuttering in apologies to the driver.          "I'm so sorry! She has a very vulgar mouth sometimes!" Yixing blushes, his eyes turning watery in embarrassment and something else. He turns to her, letting go of . "Don't say things like that! Apologize!"    Eunsul shakes her head. "No, I mean what I said. I want to you really bad, Yixing."    The boy stutters in his own breath, his whole face red. Eunsul loves it when Yixing gets like this. It's this naive and innocent side of him that turns her on more than anything- which is really creepy, she will admit.    The driver clears his throat, uncomfortable.    Yixing apologizes, "I'm so sorry, she's drunk. I'm sorry."    The driver shakes his head. "It's fine, I'll pretend I didn't hear that."    Eunsul keeps staring at Yixing throughout the whole ride, but the blushing boy only looks out the window, his ears still red and his palms sweaty.            ********************              "We're here," the driver says. "I can't really go further than this though. I'm so sorry. I hope you understand." He really wants to leave before he gets robbed or something. Being in this part of town is just anything but safe. More when he's a taxi driver with only cash at his possession.   He's scared.    Eunsul isn't though, and she definitely understand. She smiles and gets off, forgets that she needs to pay but Yixing does it for her. "It's fine," Eunsul says, "I can walk from here." She squints her eyes in the darkness of the night and by instinct knows which street to take.    Yixing bites his bottom lip, not knowing if he should let her go alone.          "Okay, thanks for the ride, bunny!" She smiles at him and then walks away.    Yixing watches her walk towards the dark street, her figure becoming just a black shape in the darkness.    The driver whistles, "Woah, she sure has balls. Can't believe she's brave enough to walk alone in these streets. Heard someone got murdered here like two days ago, and yet there she goes like nothing is wrong."    This is what makes Yixing change his mind.          "I'm going with her," he says and starts to leave the taxi.    The driver sends him a look of disbelieve. "Are you crazy, son? Get back in the car. I'll drive you home!"    Yixing shakes his head. "I'll just drop her home and come back. Can you wait for a couple of minutes until I come back?"    The driver stares at him, "I'm sorry but... This isn't very safe.."    Yixing sighs and decides to give up on the man. "Fine, then never mind. Just go. Thank you."           "I'm sorry, son." Yixing hears the man say. "I hope you'll be fine! Goodluck!"    Yixing doesn't even look back. He starts running towards Eunsul's black figure and it's now that he really takes in his surroundings. The streets are much more narrower and isolated. There's no lampposts around and he can't see anything. He can only hear the sounds of leaves rustling and dirt along with small rocks being pushed against each other by his own cautious steps. Plus there's so many trees, he feels like something is going to pop out and scare him.          "Eunsul!" He yells and it almost echoes back to him, sending shivers down his spine.    The girl turns around, frowning and squinting her eyes. "Yixing? What the are you doing here?"    The boy jogs to her side and since he's scared, he automatically tries to lean himself closer to her. "Um.. I don't want you to be scared and in danger walking alone so late, especially in this neighborhood. It's really dangerous..." He whispers, "I'm here to protect you."    Eunsul smiles. This is probably the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for her. It's also the most entertaining.           "Thanks, Yixing," she says. The boy smiles. "No problem."    Eunsul continues talking as they walk though, "However, I was born and raised in this town. Also, I've walked alone at night more times than you can count. I can sort of take care of myself. I'm safe here... However, I can't say the same about you..."    Yixing swallows, "What?"    She smiles. "This neighborhood is my home. I'll be fine. You, on the other hand, are a pretty boy from Gangnam. You're an easy target for thieves and anything else roaming around these streets."    The boy gulps. Now he's scared.           "I'm not scared," he says, his steps becoming hesitant.   Eunsul smiles, "I never said you were."    Yixing hates her at this moment and he also hates how cool and comfortable she is with walking in this place like this. Unlike him.    The girl pauses her walking. "This is my house," she says.    Yixing looks up and gapes. Her house is huge. It looks like a normal house in aspect, there's no fancy decorations or modern design. It's a plain house but it looks humongous in size. At least that's what he can see in the dark. He wonders what color the house is. The only light is a small lamp on the wall besides the door.   Eunsul opens the small gate that separates the street and her property. Before she closes the gate and goes in, she decides to pause and look back at Yixing. The boy is frozen in place, his palms sweating.    He did not think this through.    Eunsul also knows this.    She smirks, decides to further.          "Thanks for protecting me," she smiles, "You can go home now."    Yixing swallows a knot in his throat but nods. He's afraid. Really afraid, in fact. And he's almost embarrassed about it.          "Okay..." He mumbles and steps away, turning a bit around as if he should start walking already. "I'm going..." He takes a deep breath and fakes a smile. "Goodnight.." And then he begins walking.    Eunsul smiles, leans against the gate and watches him take heavy yet determined steps. "Goodnight!" She calls out in a sing song voice.    Yixing hears it and wishes that her voice could speak to him until he was safe at home.    As he walks further away, he figures that the girl must have gone inside. And now he's truly alone.    He could die any second now. Yet, he figures if he survives this would be a good story to tell his grandchildren. When I was in my last year of high school, I walked alone, AT NIGHT, on Burnroad.... The most dangerous neighborhood in South Korea. Reason? To make sure some crazy girl who likes to beat up scary and big dudes made it home safely...   Yixing sighs, his steps becoming more reluctant because he swears to god he feels someone watching him.    He wants to cry.    Eunsul watches the boy pause and then walk, only to pause again. She figures she's teased the boy enough, plus she really doesn't want to risk his safety anymore. Because the rumors about a guy getting killed around the corner of this street two days ago aren't rumors.    She sighs and with a smile, jogs her way towards Yixing.          "Hey," She says and touches his shoulder to stop him from walking further. Yixing yelps and swings his arm around as a quick reaction. Eunsul dodges the hit with ease but she's surprised. "Calm down, it's me. Were you trying to give me a black eye?"    Yixing looks like he's going to cry any second now.    Eunsul bites her bottom lip in worry. Maybe she should have called him by his name right away, or even better, just told him what she wanted to say right away instead of making him walk alone for a while.           "W-what is it?" He stutters.    Eunsul smiles. "Nothing, just..." She chuckles but decides to explain later. She grabs his hand instead. "Come with me."    Yixing is so scared and frozen that he just follows her. Let's her manhandle him because he doesn't know anything except that he's lost and stuck in the scariest place he's ever been to.    She drags him until they are standing in front of her home again, and he watches her open the gate and step aside.           "Hurry up, come in," she says.    Yixing nods, not understanding but not rejecting whatever she's proposing.    Eunsul closes the gate and then makes her way to the front door, Yixing just awkwardly standing behind and feeling out of place. He observes her actions, watches her tip toe and touch the top of her door frame, fingers searching.    His eye wonder down and he flushes at the way her dress is rising up her body, thighs exposing a little too much, and he knows that if she were to lean more, he would be able to see... more. He clears his throat and looks away out of respect, only looking back when she makes a sound of happiness and he sees that she's found what she was looking for: a key.    She unlocks the door and sighs in relieve, entering and stepping aside so the boy could enter.    But Yixing doesn't.           "You want me to go inside?" He frowns.    Eunsul rolls her eyes. "No . Unless you'd rather stay outside or try to find your way out of the neighborhood this late at night."    Yixing doesn't even hesitate and just goes in.    Cool air hits his skin and he feels much better. He looks around and takes in what he sees.   Eunsul shuts the door and locks it.    The house is simple on the inside and it's nicely decorated. It's also really clean, as if no one even lives there.    The thought of Eunsul living alone in this giant house is alarming, but not entirely impossible.            "You have a big house," Yixing says, "And it's also really nice."   Eunsul stretches her arms, looking tired and worn out. "It looks big because it's divided into two parts. The front part, which is where we are serves as our home, and the other half, which is what makes it look so big is actually a mechanic shop. You can't see it because it's dark but there's a humongous opening on the side of the house that leads to the shop. It's like a giant garage." She then groans, "I'm getting a headache. It's because of the stupid alcohol."    Yixing watches her rub her temples and head to the kitchen, where he follows along because he doesn't exactly know what else to do. "Who owns the shop? Is it yours?"    Eunsul shakes her head as she opens a kitchen cabinet, looking for headache pills. "Can't be mine, I'm just a high school student. It's my dad's."    Yixing is so relieve to hear that. He really thought she was a sad child living alone and so that's why she's so aggressive. He's glad she at least has a dad. It kind of makes sense because she wouldn't live alone in a place so big.    But then realization snaps in Yixing's head. Her dad? What the hell is he still doing here then? If her dad is anything like Eunsul, he's pretty sure he's gonna die. Especially if her father finds him alone with his daughter in the middle of the night after coming home from a party where his daughter just so happened to get drunk at.            "I should probably go home then... I don't want your dad to kill me," he says.    Eunsul snorts at his words but doesn't look up at him, finding the headache pills and drinking them with a bottle of water instead.           "My dad's cool with me bringing friends over, as long as they're not my boyfriend. Also, he's not even here right now," she says. "He usually sleeps on the couch inside the car shop because he's too lazy to leave and come inside the house."   Yixing pursues his lips in thought.           "Besides," the girl smiles, "I wouldn't want my little bunny getting hurt in the middle of the night, now would I?"    Yixing's cheeks turn pink. He hates it when she teases him.    He clears his throat. "Okay... But how long can I stay? Two hours or-"    Eunsul rolls her eyes, interrupting him. "That's not what I meant, bunny. I meant to say that you should sleep over for tonight."    Yixing blushes the color of a tomato. "What?" He squeaks out.    Eunsul sighs, her voice turning serious. "I'm not gonna let a good boy like you walk around at this time in this place. You'll probably get robbed the second you step out of my house. I'm not letting that happen. You're staying here. You can leave tomorrow."            "I don't think that's very appropriate. Your dad can come and-"          "I told you, my dad doesn't care," she says. "So you're staying here and that's final. Besides, you're eighteen, right? Your parents can understand. Just call them."    Yixing wants to correct her, tell her that his parents are in China and he lives with an old lady that's become like he's grandmother. But he figures that telling her that is a bit too much when they barely know eachother.   Yixing gives her words a thought though. She has a point. Plus, he really doesn'