chapter nine;
sexy nerd
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"Wow!" Renjun hissed at the pair who were sprinting to make it to the bus while the remaining five were boarding. "Five o'clock doesn't mean half five, idiots!"

"We are gonna be so late," Chenle whined, slumping down into a seat on his own and watching as Mark and Donghyuck got on, panting wildly and choosing to sit together while Jaemin closed the doors and started up the engine.

"Sorry guys," the younger of the tardy members huffed tiredly, "We got a new phone for Mark, but the salesman spoke such fast Japanese and no Korean, so the translating was a hassle."

It had been an interesting and fun experience for everyone, getting to explore the markets and culture without a guide nattering in their ears. The only trio had ended up trying all manners of snacks and delicacies - not at all hungry for the dinner they were about to reach their hotel for. Chenle and Jisung chose to take an abundance of photos for their families when they got home, some stupid, some with each other, others breathtaking. And then there were Mark and Donghyuck...who experienced the incredible scenery of a phone shop for hours. It had been taxing, to say the least.

"Whatever," Jaemin called over his shoulder. "Read the signs for me, will you Jeno?"

The older got up from beside Renjun where the pair had been sharing sweets, and perched down beside Jaemin in the passenger seat. The streets were flying past, and they were decorated in fabulous lights, dressy people and stunning views. It wasn't too dark yet or anything, but the atmosphere was even better under the ochre sky.

"Okay," Jeno hummed as he pulled out a map of Japan that Renjun had surprisingly tucked away in a bag full of many useful items. "Um, the hotel is in Koka, yeah?"

"Probably. Is that far?"

"You're so hopeless," he chuckled before blinking tiredly and pulling out his reading glasses to take a better look. A sign that shot past read 'Kusatsu', meaning they were on their way to the Shiga Prefecture...not on their way to Koka. "Um, I suggest taking a right at the next convenient exit," the ravenette gushed quickly. "We're in Shiga, which is good...but we're heading towards a more central part. We need to duck out a bit."

"Cool, and will that take ages, or...?" Jaemin urged, clearly uptight about the time limit they had at the moment. He wasn't that bitter bitch to scowl at the pair who'd caused their crap timing...though he was doing that at their unknowing figures through the rearview mirror.

"About three quarters of an hour. There might be tolls as well, so that's fun...."

Silence enveloped the duo as the driver stared out the front in a semi-daze before screaming. "Mark Lee and Lee Donghyuck!"

Needless to say, they reached Koka eventually, and found their cute hotel in less time than they'd originally anticipated. They were still late as hell, but it could've been worse. The traffic was abominable at this hour, but by now Jaemin had come to accept the anger and rolled with it more. The others had fallen asleep in the back...and they looked cute.

"C'mon, guys! We're here!" Jeno called, storming down the aisle quickly and slapping all their cheeks to awaken them. "It's nearly twenty to seven, and the staff are probably wondering where the hell we are."

"Let them wonder," Donghyuck whimpered, curling up into foetal position and cuddling against his seat-mate unknowingly. "I don't want dinner."

"Not your choice," the taller simply snipped. And with that he gave Chenle another shove at the back, pinched Jisung's nose until the lack of air caused him to gag and arise, yanked Hyuck from his seat and caused both boys to fall out into the aisle and finally, he teasingly started to remove Renjun's bag from his clutches, making the older growl out of his slumber and almost snap like a dog.

"WHO THE FUCK IS TOUCHING MY SHIT-" he paused, blinking innocently at his friend and smiling like an angel. "Oh, hi Jeno."

"Hi. Time to move."

"Oh..."

Everyone reluctantly removed themselves from their comfy spots and dragged their lifeless bodies to the exit. Jaemin had watched the show quite fondly and with great amusement, glad he wasn't one of the sleeping beauties to suffer the male's wrath. They high-fived once Jeno reached the end, departing together and grabbing all their belongings from the storage unit.

"Again, we're late. Don't act like bitches, don't cause grief, and please be respectful during the night. We've already been pains in the asses enough for the Japanese people this trip, haven't we?" The ravenette informed them. They all nodded guiltily and pulled their suitcases along towards the hotel entrance, entering tiredly and this time, leaving the check-in to Jeno.

"He's sort of sexy when he's all serious and commanding," Jaemin yawned, watching the tall man's figure as he leaned over the desk and dealt with the formalities. He was sweating from the heat and that did wonders for the shirt clinging to his body.

"I like the smart side of him," Renjun responded lightly, and swayed a little with the fatigue. His eyes felt sore and he just wanted to skip the meal altogether and go to bed. "He's cute."

"Stop sexualising Jeno while I'm trying to learn the art of sleep-standing," Chenle groaned. "Who would book a dinner? Huh? I'm not even hungry."

"Don't be dumb," Mark scoffed. "At least we're all sleepy together."

Jeno finally returned and cradled three sets of keys in one arm, had the WiFi details on a sheet between his lips and his suitcase in the other hand.

"Here," Jisung pulled the document from his mouth. "What's the plan? Are we too late to eat?"

"No, apparently the reservation won't expire until eleven? We have to get all dolled up though, so-"

"I don't have any nice pants," Donghyuck interrupted. "What do I do?"

"No, not western style. There are staff here who dress us up in authentic summer yukatas and do our make-up. It's part of the hotel's charm, I suppose."

"That's pretty cool," Jaemin nodded softly. "So do we go up, ditch our luggage and then come down to be guided to the restaurant?"

"Yup. Also, we've been warned to look after our paper sliding doors," Jeno gave them each a stern look. "Please don't drink tonight, guys. This is a fancy, five-star hotel I think. Don't embarrass the group."

"Deal," they all agreed, and then proceeded to head up towards the staircase since elevators were a bit too modern for this theme. The oldest Chinese boy spoke up as they lugged their belongings up the steps.

"How long are we in this place?"

"Two nights this time," Jisung responded. "Who's sharing the room?"

"Jeno and I can," the driver volunteered. "Please?"

"Creepy," Chenle whispered, though no one said much to that. The Korean in question didn't mind, and so the rooms had been decided. It was easier than they'd thought it'd be to settle on arrangements.

"I can't wait to use the hot-springs," Donghyuck giggled excitedly.

"Wait...hot-springs?!" The others gasped.

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I have a lot of fun planned for this particular hotel ;)