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“Jaechan, Seoham- sunbae will melt if you keep on staring at him like that.”
Park Jaechan snapped out of his early-afternoon daydream when he heard his cousin Kyoungyoon’s voice. They were seated at the far corner of the school gymnasium watching the basketball team’s practice.
“Then he would have melted a thousand times now, I’m not the only one watching him.” he then gestured towards the large crowd of students who were noisily cheering everytime the said sunbae lands his shots.
Kyoungyoon rolled his eyes. “You’ve had a crush on him since you were a freshman, Chan- ah and it’s been 2 years since then. Why don’t you just confess? If he rejects you, that’s his loss.”
Jaechan appreciates the vote of confidence his cousin is giving him but for an unpopular person like him (Kyoungyoon is very popular because he is currently the lead guitarist of their school’s band and he is also helping out with the taekwondo team from time to time), the chances of him being noticed by someone as popular as Park Seoham is closer to none.
“I told you I won't confess. We live in two different worlds and I'd rather just watch him silently then move on. He’s graduating this year anyway, so I'll enjoy this while it lasts.”
Kyoungyoon sighed and was about to say something but decided to hold his tongue. It was then that he noticed Park Seoham looking their way for probably the 5th time today since they arrived. He raised an eyebrow at him but the older man just smiled then started running back to the court.
You see, there is a reason why he kept on trying to convince his precious cousin to confess because for the last 2 years, he had noticed that Jaechan was not exactly invisible to the popular senior’s eyes.
Unlike his cousin who is completely oblivious to how other people see him, Jachan is actually pretty popular with him being the top student ever since he entered the school and his delicate and pale complexion. He’s also pretty tall and Kyoungyoon always hears the girls gossiping about him and his gentle demeanour.
Jaechan transferred quite late due to him coming from the countryside so Kyoungyoon was already settled in his high school life when his cousin arrived. He made sure to protect his cousin due to his weak look (bullies were afraid of him because he knows how to fight and he does not back down either).
It was probably around the second semester that he started to notice that Park Seoham, their school’s most popular student (he was vice-captain of the basketball team when he was sophomore) and probably the most good looking man he had ever seen (it was unfair, he’s not bad looking himself but let’s just say Seoham-sunbae looked like he came out of a fashion magazine) was paying close attention to Jaechan.
It all started when he and Jaechan were cleaning the classroom after class and while he was busy cleaning the chalkboard, he heard a loud crash just outside the room. Rushing outside, he saw his cousin on the ground, surrounded by their class’ attendance notes that they will have to leave on their teacher’s desk.
“Jaechan- ah, are you okay?” he asked as he ran towards his cousin and held his arm to help him stand up. Jaechan nodded and fixed his glasses and then completely froze. Not knowing what happened, Kyoungyoon followed the direction of his gaze and made eye contact with a very tall person wearing a red and black basketball jersey who was slightly rubbing his midsection.
Kyoungyoon’s eyes went wide when he realized who it was exactly that Jaechan bumped into. It was Park Seoham, 2-time MVP and the current vice-captain of their school’s basketball team. He saw his picture once in an article posted in the school bulletin.
“ Sunbae-nim , are you okay?” Kyoungyoon asked as he watched the older man rub his stomach with a slight flinch. The man flashed him a smile and then settled his gaze towards Jaechan who was still frozen.
“Are you okay?” Seoham asked, addressing Jaechan. Kyoungyoon snapped his fingers in front of his cousin who blinked a couple of times before his face turned red.
“Y-yes, sunbae-nim. I am so sorry for bumping into you. I was not watching where I was going.”
Seoham chuckled. “I’m fine, glad you’re not hurt. I have to get going for practice, are you sure you don’t need help?” His eyes were especially gentle when looking at Jaechan that he finds strange.
Kyoungyoon decided to join the conversation. “I’ll take him home, sunbae-nim. Thank you again and sorry for the trouble.”
There was a flash of something unknown in the older man’s eyes as he looked at him but it disappeared and then the charming smile was back. Weird.
“Is that so? Then take care.” He then left, and Kyoungyoon can’t help but feel he just witnessed something amazing. He then looked at his cousin who was still quiet and he laughed when he saw his face turn red.
“Did you fall in love or something?” he asked with a laugh as he helped Jaechan stand upright.
“I think so. He’s the most beautiful man I've ever seen, Kyoungyoonie- hyung . And his voice was so deep and he smelled so good.” Jaechan’s doe eyes were sparkling brightly as he said this.
Kyoungyoon chuckled fondly. “You realized all that after bumping into him? Wow. What exactly were you doing when you collided with a huge person like him? Were you spacing out again?”
Jaechan looked embarrassed as he nodded. “I was doing mental math. I got the second question wrong earlier and I was trying to figure out why.”
Kyoungyoon laughed out loud and fondly ruffled his hair. “That is so you, Chan- ah . Do you like him already? I admit he does look pretty cool.”
Jaechan blushed. “He is right? He could have gotten angry with me but he did not. He’s so nice, Yoon- hyung .”
Kyoungyoon had suspicions as to why the older man did not get angry at his cousin but he’ll keep that a secret for now and decided to watch how things will unfold. And now, 2 years later, the two remained as acquaintances but it’s not the progress he’s looking for.
It’s not like they had zero interaction - after that whole bumping accident, the two continued to cross paths mainly because of Kyoungyoon. He was helping out the taekwondo team and Jaechan always watches his match and coincidentally, the basketball team uses the gym after the taekwondo club so they do greet each other.
Seoham-sunbae always makes sure to greet Jaechan with a smile and his cousin would just nod and bow then walk away. This has been the trend for the last 2 years and to be very honest, Kyoungyoon is tired.
Which brings us back to the current situation: basketball practice is over and he and Jaechan plan to visit the nearby bookstore for his cousin’s favourite manga release but Kyoungyoon is plotting something and he will make sure it’s done by hook or by crook.
So, as Jaechan was busy gathering his things, Kyoungyoon excused himself and told his cousin that he’ll go to the restroom first. He then went down the bleachers and walked straight to the male locker room where he could see the tall figure of his target.
“Seoham- sunbae , can I talk to you for a second?” he asked, loud enough for him to be heard by the man who was currently surrounded by his teammates having a chat.
Seoham raised an eyebrow and stared at the younger man and he instantly recognized him. What does the popular guitarist want with him?
“Uh, sure.” he said and then turned towards his teammates who were staring at the other man curiously. “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
“If you have plans, cancel them. There’s something I’d like you to do for Jaechan and I need you to be free for the rest of the afternoon.”
Now, Seoham rarely panics - he plays a competitive sport and being calm under pressure is one of its requirements - but the mere mention of the person he’s been hung up on since second year made him feel like a rookie on his first game all over again.
That’s right, him, the popular, 2-time MVP and vice-captain of the number 1 high school basketball team in the district has been in love with Park Jaechan for the last 2 years, the school’s top student.
“Excuse me?” was the only word that came out of his mouth, too surprised to even form a coherent thought. He needed me to do something for Jaechan?
Kyoungyoon sighed. “Just follow me, sunbae . We can’t waste time, Channie should be done gathering his things.” The brat had the nerve to sound irritated with him.
Fuck, I want to punch him . Seoham took a deep breath and controlled the slowly rising anger from his gut. This boy just called Jaechan a nickname - as though them being together nearly everyday was not enough - something he can’t even do.
Calm down, Seoham. Don’t start a fight. Right. Besides, he knows this man enough to know that he can fight - Seoham had the height advantage - but he’d seen Kyoungyoon in his taekwondo matches and knows the boy can fight and will definitely win against him.
“Go follow him, hyung . It seems important. We’ll see you tomorrow.” one of his teammates said after a few tense seconds and then slowly dragged their other teammates away from the two of them. Once they were gone, Seoham turned to the younger man who was watching him very closely with those sharp, brown eyes.
“Do you know how to fight?” he asked all of a sudden and Seoham had had enough of the whiplash his junior was giving him. He decided to openly show his animosity.
“What if I do? Are you picking a fight?” he said while glaring at him.
Kyoungyoon grinned. So he had guts, I’ll give him that . He then started chuckling and that confused Seoham even more. Has the kid gone mad?
“I’m happy you’re not a pushover and can actually defend yourself. I’m not here to pick a fight, sunbae . You and I both know I’ll win and I won’t even use my martial arts skills, just plain old street fight tactics.”
I want to punch his face so bad . Seoham clenched his fist and was about to retaliate when he chuckled again. The younger man probably noticed that he was slowly getting pissed off.
“This is precious. Sorry for throwing shade at you, sunbae. I was just testing you. The reason I wanted to talk to you is because I want you to escort Jaechan today to the bookstore nearby. I wanted to know if I can trust you to protect him while I’m not around.”
Seoham’s brain blanked for a few seconds. What? He blinked a couple of times but the serious look on Kyoungyoon’s face stayed.
“I’m sorry?”
“Escort Jaechan today and make sure to walk him home. I have something urgent to do and figured you could do this for me.”
“But… Why me? Aren’t you his boyfriend?”
It was Kyoungyoon’s turn to blink in confusion. “When did I become Jaechan’s boyfriend?”
“Well, aren’t you? You guys are always together and Jaechan-ssi is always present at your matches. You go to school and come home together!”
This brat was playing with him! He’s the exact reason why he could not make his move towards Jaechan! They were always stuck like glue and there’s always talks in school about their relationship - about how Kyoungyoon defends Jaechan against bullies, how they share the same lunch box, how the guitarist remains single despite being popular because people assumed he was with Jaechan.
Kyoungyoon started laughing, nearly collapsing to the ground. He laughed for a few minutes and then finally decided to pull himself together. Nearly two years of angst and slow burn and it was all because Seoham thought he was Jaechan’s boyfriend! Oh, his cousin will flip! Imagining his angry cat face makes him want to laugh more.
He wiped an imaginary tear away from his eyes and then smiled at Seoham who looked absolutely bewildered. “He’s my cousin.”
“What?”
“My cousin. His mom is my dad’s younger sister. He’s currently living with us because his parents work overseas and they don’t want to leave their son alone in the countryside.”
“You’re joking.” You’ve got to be fucking kidding me .
“I’m serious.”
“Then why does no one know? All this time the entire school thought you guys were together.”
Kyoungyoon rolled his eyes. “As if I’ll date someone like Jaechan. He’s high maintenance.”
“Hey!”
“It’s true though! He’s like a cat that needs constant affection. He’s spoiled too but that was mainly my fault since I can’t say no. We grew up together and he’s an only son so he only has me as his brother figure.”
“Then, why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I’m tired of waiting for my ship to sail. Both of you had given me angst for about 2 years and I refuse to witness any more of these secret glances so I decided to do something.”
“Ship? What do you mean -”
Kyoungyoon cut him off. “Ignore that. So, can you escort Jaechan or not? Cause I’ll find someone else who will. He’s pretty popular, you know.”
“I’ll do it!” Seoham answered a little louder than normal. Kyoungyoon grinned at him.
“Perfect. You can use this opportunity to finally give your one-sided affection a conclusion. Whatever Jaechan decides, make sure to respect it.”
“I understand. But how did you know…?”
“I’m not an idiot like my cousin. Anyone with eyes can see through you, that is if they look closely. You’ve done a very good job being lowkey but I have heightened senses and I can always tell even from a mile away whenever you glance at Jaechan.”
No wonder he’s an excellent fighter . Seoham sighed and raised both his hands as a sign of defeat.
“I rest my case. You win, Kyoungyoon- ssi .”
“Excellent. Jaechan should be at the main gym entrance waiting for me. You can roll with whatever excuse you have and make sure to do a good job escorting him. I have eyes everywhere and I will know if you did something bad towards Jaechan. Just remember that I will not hesitate to kill you, Park Seoham. I’m sure you’ve heard of what I’ve done to those who tried to hurt my cousin.”
The sudden shift in the younger man’s eyes plus the intimidating aura he’s exuding genuinely scared Seoham.
He knew what the younger man was talking about and it was scary. That is exactly why no one had the nerve to mess with this man - he had sent about seven students to the hospital but no one saw the whole thing, no evidence attaching him to the case as well so it was dismissed and Kyoungyoon never received any disciplinary action. This was before he was recruited by the taekwondo team. All to protect his cousin.
“Thank you for doing this, Kyoungyoon-ssi. I swear I’ll treat Jaechan right.”
“Oh don’t be happy just yet, Seoham-sunbae. I will watch you like a hawk and if you make one wrong step, you’d better brace yourself. Now, I’m sure we’ve kept Princess Jaechan waiting so let me just call him and then you can make your way towards the gym exit.”
Seoham nodded and watched as the younger man fished out his phone. He’ll finally be able to spend some time with Jaechan, though completely unexpected, he’ll take it. He had been pining over him for nearly two years and he can finally have the chance to make his move.
“Oh, Channie my precious Channie! You see, hyung suddenly has something urgent with the club and therefore won’t be able to come with you to the bookstore but worry not because I will send my very trusted friend to be with you instead!”
Seoham listened as Kyounyoon grew quiet as he listened to the other line. To think he had been jealous of Jaechan’s every own cousin all this time makes him feel like a complete idiot.
“Don’t worry my friend is very nice and in fact very willing to help you. Now, I’d like you to play nice and remember that if he tries to do anything weird, you kick him in his balls, just like how I taught you, mkay?” Kyoungyoon laughed and then winked at Seoham.
He’s Jaecha’s cousin, Seoham. Don’t punch him. Don’t let him push your button.
“Very good. I’ll get going, Channie. No need to guess who I will be sending because you know him very well. Hyung’s gonna go okay? Keep safe, mwuah!” After the call ended, he then turned to Seoham who was watching the whole thing. The younger man stared at him from head to toe: he changed out of his jersey and is now wearing a white cotton, his navy blue school pants and the basketball team jacket. He felt relieved with the fact that he showered because he does not want to smell like sweat around Jaechan.
Kyoungyoon seemed to approve of what he was wearing because he nodded and then said, “Run along now, sunbae. Oh, and give me your phone. I’ll give you my number and make sure to send me a text once Jaechan’s home safely.”
“Uh, sure. Thanks again, Kyoungyoon- ssi .” He handed his phone and the exchange was quick.
“Don’t mention it. Go! Jaechan’s waiting!”
Seoham did not hesitate and sprinted towards the exit with Kyoungyoon’s eyes on his retreating back. He stopped mid-run and checked himself in one of the classroom windows and smiled. He then started running again and was pleased to find Jaechan standing just outside the gym exit.
He was carrying a rather big backpack and looking very adorable with his round glasses, neatly-styled hair and slightly loose cardigan. He’s so soft!
“Jaechan- ssi ?” he said as he reached where the younger boy was standing. He then turned around and Seoham watched with great pleasure as he saw his adorable doe eyes go wide and his cheeks turn pink.
“Seoham- sunbae … nim ?” God, he sounds so adorable! This is killing him!
“Kyoungyoon asked me to accompany you. Shall we get going?” he made sure to flash his friendly, harmless smile. Don’t creep him out, man.
Jaechan was staring at the love of his life who is now standing before him looking very handsome with his slightly wet hair, his fresh white shirt that hugged his lanky figure and with a smile that nearly made him melt.
His cousin asked this beautiful creature to accompany him? Impossible.
“A-are you sure, sunbae? I did not know that you guys are on speaking terms. Yoon- hyung did not tell me anything.”
Seoham chuckled and is currently fighting the urge to squeeze the hell out of this boy. “We move in the same circle, Jaechan- ssi . We both play sports so we’ve had a few conversations here and there.”
“Oh is that so? That’s amazing! I’m glad Yoon- hyung is actually making friends. A lot of people are intimidated by him so he rarely hangs out with anyone and only spends time with me. But is it really okay for you to come with me? Aren’t you tired from practice?”
The way Jaechan was looking up to him with those sparkling doe eyes is making Seoham feel all sorts of things, mainly involving hugging this adorable boy tightly and never letting go. But he does not want to die yet so he decided to curb his desire to touch Jaechan and settled on smiling at him gently.
“Of course it’s okay! We don’t have practice tomorrow as we’re starting on a 1 week break for the upcoming exams.”
“Then I’ll be in your care, sunbae-nim . Thank you for agreeing with Yoon- hyung . I hope he did not blackmail you or anything.”
Oh he did more than blackmailing but he will not tell Jaechan that.
“Shall we get going? Oh and let me help you with your bag. That looks very heavy.” and before Jaechan can say no, Seoham managed to get the bag slung on his right shoulders whereas his own sports bag is hanging on his left one.
Jaechan was feeling very flustered and his hands were sweaty - all this time he was only able to receive quick greetings from this man and now he is having a full conversation with him. He tried to take a few quick deep breaths to calm his heart.
“Are you okay, Jaechan- ssi ?” the older man asked.
Jaechan smiled. “Yes, sunbae .”
“Just call me hyung . No need to be formal.”
“Can I really?”
Seoham nodded, trying to look and sound as casual as possible even though he was going crazy inside. “Yeah. Try calling me hyung , Jaechan- ssi .”
Jaechan swallowed. “Seohammie- hyung .” he said softly. He then looked at Seoham and felt relieved that the older man seemed to like it.
Seoham bit his lower lip in order to stop himself from smiling too widely. Fuck . The impact was much more fatal than I thought.
“Much better. Let’s go before it gets too dark.”
“Yes.”
And together they started walking towards the school gate making light conversation. Meanwhile, Kyoungyoon was watching them the entire time as he hid behind the trees next to the gym exit wearing a very large grin on his handsome face.
Mission accomplished.
“I’m so good at this whole match making thing. Ah, should I do this on a regular basis?” he said to himself, feeling very satisfied with how smoothly his plan went.
He was busy chuckling to himself that he did not notice someone sneaking up behind him and decided to push him. He blinked and he found himself lying on the ground flat on his face while he heard familiar laughters from behind him.
“Kyoungyoon’s gone mad! He’s laughing on his own!”
“Yeah, he’s always been a little crazy, you know.”
“True. This is nothing new although this is way more than usual.”
Kyoungyoon angrily got up and dusted his uniform. He then frowned at his friends from the school band who were all grinning at him.
“Who told you to sneak up on me like that?!” Kyoungyoon exclaimed while trying to get rid of the dust from his cardigan.
Jonghyeong, the band’s leader and bassist simply grinned. “You were talking to yourself, hyung . It’s not our fault you did not notice us sneak up on you.”
“Yeah. We’ve always known you’re a bit wacko but this is just on another level, hyung. ” Mingyu, their lead vocalist said as he high fived Jonghyeong.
“What were you doing hiding behind a tree, hyung ? Were you playing hide and seek?” the youngest and keyboardist, Giseok asked innocently.
“Don’t mind him, Giseok. What’s with the emergency text, Kyoungyoon?” their drummer Sehyeon asked in his usual deadpan expression.
Kyoungyoon grinned and then jerked his thumb towards the 2 figures who were almost at the gate, both with smitten smiles on their faces. Jonghyeong gasped and covered his mouth with both his hands.
“Is it finally happening?! Oh my gosh!”
“Finally. To be honest, I’m getting tired from the whole slow burn.” Mingyu said with a smile on his face.
“How’d you do it, Kyoungyoon? I honestly thought they were never going to interact with each other with all the hopeless glances they’ve been throwing at each other.” Sehyeon asked curiously.
“They look good together!” Giseok exclaimed, beaming happily.
“All this time Seoham- sunbae thought I was dating Jaechan so he did not make any move. I had to tell him today that we were actually cousins and that he had nothing to worry about.”
There was a couple of silence before all four of them spoke in unison. “Wow. what an idiot.”
“I would have never pegged him as someone so slow.” Giseok said.
“God really is fair. There is no such thing as a perfect creature.” said Mingyu, who is in fact a huge Park Seoham fan.
Jonghyeong nodded in agreement. “I agree. He would have been too perfect with his looks and build. He needed to have a bit of a flaw at the very least to make him human.”
Sehyeon smiled. “Who would have thought that behind those impeccable looks lies such innocence.”
“Enough with Seoham- sunbae . I called you guys because I needed a valid excuse to have them spend time together. Aren’t I brilliant? Feel free to praise me for my amazing plan.”
“It’s too early to tell, hyung . We never know what’s running inside Jaechan-hyung’s brain, you know.” Jonghyeong said which had a point. Kyoungyoon pouted at that.
“I know. I’m just happy that at least they’ve taken the first step. Is this how it feels like to send your child away for his wedding? I’m tearing up.”
“Hold your tears, dear old dad. Jaechan’s not getting married yet, they’re not even dating.” Mingyu said with a laugh while Giseok lightly patted his hyung’s back.
“Mingyu’s right. We’ll let you cry once they’ve started dating. I’ll even buy you some high absorbent tissue.” Sehyeon promised.
“You guys!” Kyoungyoon exclaimed as he pretended to sniff and dabbed the fake tears away from the corner of his eyes with the handkerchief Giseok handed him.
“Shall we go to that famous burger joint? Let’s have Kyoungyoon- hyung treat us!” Jonghyeong announced, of which everyone responded eagerly.
“Let’s go!”
“Yay, free food!”
“Now we’re talking!”
Giseok, Mingyu and Sehyeon started running towards the gate laughing loudly amongst themselves. Kyoungyoon and Jonghyeong could only watch fondly at the antics of their bandmates.
“You think things will go well between them, hyung ? Seoham- sunbae is graduating this year, you know.”
“Well, they’ll have to figure that out on their own but knowing Jaechan and with my brief observation of Seoham- sunbae , they’ll be perfectly fine. I have a feeling they’ll weather anything.”
Junghyeong agreed. “That’s true. Shall we check on our other children now, sweetie? I’m afraid they’ll cause chaos if we leave them on their own for a long time.”
Kyoungyoon laughed and offered his right arm for the leader to cling to, which he did happily.
“Let’s go, our children are too wild and they’ll scare even animals away.” he said and started following the other members who were now playing some sort of chasing game right in front of the school gate.
“Hey, you rowdy kids! Last one will pay for their own food!” Kyoungyoon yelled and that prompted the 3 to start running towards the main road with Giseok’s high pitch scream in the background.
Laughing together, Kyoungyoon and Jonghyeong started running as well.