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“I don't understand,” Beomgyu muses out loud, seemingly random, because he and Jeongin are in the middle of cleaning up after work, but also not quite—not really, because this train of thought is something that has been running through his mind for a while now.
“Breaking News at 9,” Jeongin retorts. “Choi Beomgyu doesn't understand a lot of things.”
Beomgyu huffs at his friend's snark; he's used to it. “Guess you got me there,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “Then again, birds of a feather flock together, right?” He looks at Jeongin and flashes a falsely innocent smile — they've been best friends since high school, and this type of banter is par for course between the two of them.
Jeongin laughs. “Okay, then. Pray tell, what specific thing do you not comprehend this time?” he asks with a subtle eye roll.
“Minho-hyung,” Beomgyu answers, stretching his arms above his head after he puts away the broom he had been holding.
“Oh, don't worry,” Jeongin says nonchalantly. “I'm pretty sure no one understands the guy. He's a mystery.”
Beomgyu laughs in agreement. “I just mean—why won't he agree to go on even just one date with Yeonjun-hyung?” he muses with complete confusion. “Even after I showed him a picture in which Yeonjun-hyung actually looks pretty decent.”
“Oh. This is about that.” Jeongin snorts. “It's really not rocket science honestly. Minho-hyung is a good friend, that's why.”
“Huh?” Beomgyu's confusion only grows.
Jeongin cackles. “And you—you really do not understand a lot of things do you?”
“What are we talking about here?” Minho asks after emerging from the back room, having put away coloring tools with the one toddler they have left in their care that afternoon – five-year-old Eunyoung, whose mother is frequently an hour or so late to pick her daughter up.
“Why you wouldn't agree to meet with Yeonjun-hyung,” Beomgyu elaborates, just as Jeongin says, “Beomgyu being a clueless idiot.”
He almost misses the knowing look that Minho and Jeongin exchange; he willfully ignores it anyway.
“I swear, even if he can be kind of a loser sometimes—”
“Not that one would know from the way you usually talk about him, Jeongin mutters under his breath as he finishes putting chairs away.
Beomgyu glares daggers at him, not even wanting to acknowledge what Jeongin probably means with his statement. Either way, he has figured out that maybe a little bit of reverse psychology will work on Minho.
“He's fun to be with. Funny in his own way,” Beomgyu continues, praise nevertheless easily sliding off his tongue.
“Go on,” Jeongin deadpans. “Tell us more, is this how he's a loser sometimes?”
Minho stifles laughter and Beomgyu doesn't get it, so he chooses to ignore the clearly pointed remark.
“Look, my point is that sometimes he acts dumb on purpose to get attention and that's why he can be a bit of a loser but he's actually really smart and thoughtful. He has a lot of interesting things to say behind the silly quips, and he's also really thoughtful in his own subtle ways, which is kinda like you hyung,” he directs at Minho.
“Thoughtful? Little old me?” Minho laughs. “You must be mistaken.”
“You know what I mean, hyung!” Beomgyu clicks his tongue. “And I know I've said this before but you really do have a lot of things in common,” he presses.
“Like what?” Minho looks on with amusement, clearly just humoring him; between all of them, Eunyoung's gaze switches from one to another. She obviously has no idea what is going on, and Jeongin, with an exasperated scoff paired with a fond eye roll, takes it upon himself to save the little girl by offering his hand and pulling her towards the bookshelves.
“Uh, well, he likes to dance. You were both in the dance club once, I think?” Beomgyu surmises. “You said that you danced in university, right, hyung?”
Minho shrugs, not really helping Beomgyu's attempts at drawing connections and parallels.
“Since you both like dancing, how about going to a club as a first date? It can be super casual and you can have fun dancing even if things fall through—which I assure you they won't!”
Minho laughs. “Pass. I haven't danced in a while unless you count teaching the kids ‘I'm a Little Teapot.’”
Beomgyu sighs. “How about this—he likes cats. Volunteering together? There's that shelter you go to often, right?”
Minho lifts an eyebrow. “Doesn't really sound like a fun date, does it? But he likes cats?”
“He has a pet cat, actually—”
Minho visibly perks up at that. “Oh? He has a cat? You should have led with this from the start!”
Beomgyu blinks. He has been trying his hardest to set the two men up on a date for at least a month now, desperately attempting to work some matchmaking magic and trying to hone his less than stellar convincing skills to get the two of them to meet. For some reason, even though he's well aware how big of a cat person Minho is, he never thought to bring up cats before now.
It's clear that he should have, considering the sudden enthusiasm in Minho's tone. Is it really gonna be this easy? He wonders. But why does he feel funny?
“Yeah. A bleach cat with a white eyepatch that he named Cable—you know, Cable? Of Cable & Deadpool fame?”
Minho shows no recognition of Beomgyu's pop culture reference, but he purses his lips in thought and Beomgyu looks at him expectedly.
“You know that getting into a relationship at this time isn't really in my plans right now…” he murmurs, trailing off with a sigh.
“Hyung!” Beomgyu laughs. “Going on a date doesn't mean you have to get into a relationship! Just meet him once and see where it goes.”
“You didn't let me finish.” Minho laughs. “Fine. At the very least it'll get you off my case, I guess.”
Beomgyu grins. “You wont regret it!”
“On one condition though,” Minho interjects.
“Anything.”
“Let's make it a group hang,” Minho suggests, briefly glancing at the corner of the room where Jeongin and Eunyoung are busy reading a picture book. “You and Innie have to be there too.”
“What?” Beomgyu gawks. “Why?”
Minho shrugs. “So that it's casual with no expectations. We can go bowling or something.”
Beomgyu frowns, but he knows Minho well enough now to realize that this is the best acquiescence he's going to get. “Fine. This Saturday?”
“Sure. You plan it and just text me the details.”
Beomgyu grins. It's a small win, but a win nevertheless.
“Are you absolutely sure you want Minho-hyung and Yeonjun-ssi to meet?” Jeongin asks later, when it's just the two of them, at the back of the bus on their commute home.
“Why wouldn't I?”
“Well, what if they really do hit it off?”
“Then, good!” Beomgyu huffs. “I want them to! Why else would I try to set them up?”
“I don't know.” Jeongin gives him an incredulous look. “Why else would you?”
“Exactly.”
Jeongin snorts. “You really should work on your own love life instead,” he suggests.
“I'm perfectly fine being single.”
“Isn't that exactly what Minho-hyung has been trying to tell you?”
Beomgyu scoffs. “That's different!”
“How?”
“Because I just know that he and Yeonjun-hyung are going to hit it off, wait and see.”
Jeongin hums. “Is that why you keep dodging whenever Jiheonnie asks if you'd like to meet her friends?”
“That's different. The last time your girlfriend tried to set me up with a friend of hers it was a disaster.”
Jeongin laughs. “Because you barely tried!”
“Just. No thanks. Your girlfriend is sweet, but she doesn't know my type.”
Jeongin laughs. “You're so weirdly intent on playing Cupid yet you refuse to set foot in the ring yourself.”
“Look, it's only because Yeonjun-hyung has been all whiny about wanting to date again—especially after things didn't work out between him and Soobin-hyung.”
“So what you're saying is that you want Minho-hyung to be Yeonjun-ssi's rebound.”
“What—no!” Beomgyu denies, a little too defensively. “I just think they're both great and would totally get along well.”
“And if sparks do fly, what then?”
Something flips in Beomgyu's stomach, and the strangely pitiful look good best friend gives him doesn't help. Outwardly, he simply shrugs. “Then I guess I'm free to apply for a professional matchmaking license.”
The truth is that Beomgyu really isn't as clueless as Jeongin likes to make him out to be and if he's going to be a hundred percent honest, he once had a small crush on Yeonjun. He never told Jeongin, but they've known each other since high school and he supposes best friends just know.
It really was nothing big though. It's just that—he truly means it when he insists that Yeonjun is a great guy. He can be a little full of himself, a little too willing to be center of attention all the time, but Beomgyu knows that's just because he's confident, and that isn't a bad quality to possess.
More than that, he shares so much of the same taste, same thoughts – same opinions on anything and everything. They share a similar taste in fashion and a fondness for the same kind of food.
And also there are bigger, yet inconsequential, things, like how they're both in agreement that Jason Todd is by far not the worst Robin, and is actually quite decent, just in bed of better storylines, although in general they both have mixed feelings on the entire extended Bat family if only because there's so much to be said about Batman as a lonely dark knight – opinions like this expectedly gets them a lot of flak from the rest of their comic book club's members, but that just adds more to why Beomgyu is glad to have Yeonjun.
Because they're on the same wavelength a lot like this.
That said, he also always knew that he didn't fall under Yeonjun's type – especially not if his brief affair with Soobin is any indication. Not to mention that fling and its aftermath nearly ruined the club's dynamic (not really, Taehyun would insist, probably, because it was literally a short fling and they bounced back easily especially after Soobin started dating Arin, but Beomgyu would argue that while Taehyun is also very smart, he just doesn't know Yeonjun as well). Beomgyu would rather not put the club through that kind of ordeal again.
So. He always tried to ignore his little crush and as with most things, he faked it ‘til he made it.
And he really does think Yeonjun and Minho would fit well—and he would love them to fit well.
Truly.
He's just gotten off the bus and is walking to the bowling alley for the so-called group hang that he planned, when his phone buzzes in his pocket.
It's cold with winter basically just around the corner, so he leaves the phone for now, instead rushing to cross the street so he can enter the building and bask in the warmth it offers.
He shrugs his jacket off as he walks towards the reception, eyes scouring the immediate area to see if either Minho or Yeonjun are already there. Jeongin had tapped out at the night before because his girlfriend's study group had cancelled and he told Beomgyu that he would rather spend time with her than further enable Beomgyu's hopeless matchmaking attempts.
Some best friend he is, he thinks petulantly, only to be surprised when someone suddenly taps his shoulder. When he turns to look he can't help the smile that spreads across his lips.
“Hyung! You're—” he glances at his phone screen to check the clock, “—on time.”
Yeonjun laughs, but Beomgyu's smile falters because he finally opens the message that had notified earlier. It's Minho with some excuse on why he couldn't make it. A Hyunjin Emergency, he calls it, as if Beomgyu isn't well aware that's just his catch all excuse when he doesn't feel like doing something.
He frowns and looks up at Yeonjun who has already requested two pairs of bowling shoes from the attendant – he even knows Beomgyu's size, which is sweet.
“Minho-hyung had a last minute emergency,” he parrots the text message even though he doesn't believe it a hundred percent.
Yeonjun doesn't even look phased. He just shrugs before flashing a cheeky grin at Beomgyu. “We can still have fun, it doesn't matter,” he says reassuringly. “I'm great at bowling, did I ever tell you?”
Spoiler alert: he really isn't. He and Beomgyu take turns rolling gutter balls to the point that it should be embarrassing, but somehow it doesn't feel that way.
They order drinks and pizza, and rib each other every time they fail to get points on the board—and after a while Beomgyu forgets that this is supposed to have been a fun date for Minho and Yeonjun.
Well, almost.
Because hours later, after they turn their bowling shoes in and Yeonjun has an arm casually slung around his shoulders as they walk out of the building—making him feel incredibly warm despite the single digit temperature—he's painfully reminded that this was not supposed to be the day's outcome.
Unthinkingly, Beomgyu blows a raspberry—but then Yeonjun laughs, copies him and Beomgyu gives him a weird look.
“What?”
“What what?” Yeonjun lobs back at him.
Beomgyu huffs; and then he lets out a sigh. “Sorry about Minho-hyung being a no show. He'll come around eventually.”
Yeonjun hums instead of giving him a verbal answer.
“What's that—” Beomgyu mimics the humming, “–for?”
“What if I don't want him to ‘come around eventually’?”
Beomgyu sucks his teeth. “Hyung, I swear, you'll hit it off great when you finally meet. He's a really good guy!”
Yeonjun laughs. “Sure he is—but maybe I'm waiting for someone else to come around.” He retracts his arm; pulls away from Beomgyu as they stroll down the sidewalk and pushes his hands inside his jacket pockets instead.
“Huh?” For some reason, Beomgyu feels as if his heart has sunk to his stomach. He feels colder with the loss of Yeonjun's body warmth. “There's someone that you like, hyung?”
Yeonjun doesn't answer immediately; just keeps walking with Beomgyu matching his stride, while he lets out small puffs of air as if frustrated.
“Hyung?” Beomgyu tries again.
“Are you really this clueless or something?” Yeonjun grumbles, abruptly stopping as they reach the corner of the sidewalk.
“What?”
There's a pause, a couple of beats before—
Yeonjun huffs. “It's you dumbass,” he grumbles, embarrassed, unable to even look at Beomgyu almost like he's some sort of tsundere leading man from those romance dramas Beomgyu's mother loves to watch.
He braves a glance at Beomgyu and oh. It finally dawns on the latter what he's actually saying, and just—
Oh.
“Oh,” Beomgyu whispers, his cheeks flaming hot, while words feel heavy on his tongue. “Um. Yeah. Uh. Me too.”
“Hi guys, what are we talking about so seriously this early in the morning?” Minho asks when he walks into work the Monday after, generously bearing coffee for all three of them.
“The fact that Beomgyu grew a pair and got himself a boyfriend, finally,” Jeongin answers, grinning as he accepts the iced Americano that Minho hands to him.
“I didn't—!” Beomgyu hisses.
“Okay, sorry.” Jeongin snickers. “My bad, you still don't have balls and didn't make it official—but you made out anyway after professing your pathetic pining. Same difference.”
“Oh, so it worked?” Minho grins at Jeongin after he hands Beomgyu his latte.
“What worked?” Beomgyu looks at the two of them, blinking as he slowly puts the pieces together. “Did you two conspire to stand us up?!”
“Eh. You needed a little push,” Minho says with a shrug. “You always sound like you're the one who wants to go on a date with this Yeonjun guy whenever you talk about him—so we made it happen.”
Jeongin, traitorous best friend that he is, is laughing maniacally.
“I can't—” Beomgyu would say he couldn't believe them, but it's obviously true because here they are. “I hate you guys,” he grunts instead.
Minho pats him on the shoulder. “Love you, too."
Jeongin chortles. “And so does Yeonjun-ssi, from the looks of it!”
•••