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Scrims have been intense, each play sharper and more synchronized than the last. The synergy of the team is undeniably the best it's ever been. But when the practice games ends, an unaddressed tension that everyone is choosing to ignore starts to loom between two specific people.
Gumayusi and Keria, respectively Minhyung and Minseok. The botduo, the Min-Min duo, the duo , basically. The pairing felt natural to the rest of the T1 members, they felt close. However, a few weeks ago, they just stopped talking to each other, neither did they sit close or acknowledge each other after the game and what could the team do but try not to let it affect themselves.
No one dared to ask, though. Instead, they pretended it was business as usual. But the team knew that something was happening, one that neither practice nor a winning streak could fix.
“Minseok-hyung, what's going on with you?” was finally asked by none other than Wooje, determined to use his maknae powers on his hyung, who usually doted on him a little too much.
“I have no idea what you mean, Wooje,” Minseok replied, eyes on his phone, tapping away as if completely unbothered by the question.
“You’re not talking to Minhyung-hyung—that’s what I mean!”
“Well. Not my problem,” Minseok said flatly, barely lifting his eyes from his screen.
The thing was, Minhyung had tried to reach out to him. Multiple times, he’d brought up conversations, small topics here and there, but Minseok’s responses had been clipped, indifferent, leading to nowhere and eventually stopped replying to him as a whole. Whenever they did sit together, an awkward silence seemed to cling to the air around them, one that only lifted when Minhyung excused himself to talk to the coaches, or Minseok made his way over to Wooje or Hyunjoon instead.
“Hyung, you know the whole team can tell, right?” Wooje pressed, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Minseok would let something slip.
Minseok sighed and put his phone down, looking at Wooje with a raised brow. “What do you want me to say? It’s… complicated.”
“Then un-complicate it,” Wooje replied, surprisingly firm. “Look, I don’t know what happened, but everyone can tell. But maybe, hyung, If you tell me then we can solve this together.” Wooje hoped that Minseok would fall for his little trick.
Minseok sighed and explained, “It’s Minhyung, he just… he doesn’t get it.”
Wooje said as he leaned in. “Get what, hyung?”
Minseok glanced around the room, checking if there were any other people besides them, “I’ve been trying to… you know… confess to him…”
Wooje’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Exactly! I’ve been trying so hard,” Minseok hissed, “I brought him his favorite drink every morning, I complimented his hair even though I told him not to wear a headband, the 3.am trip to give him medicine, his plays, his… basically everything! But he just says ‘thanks’ and then keeps talking about some game strategy! It’s like he’s completely ignoring me.”
“So, let me get this straight—you’re trying to tell him you like him, and he thinks you’re just being… supportive?”
Minseok gave an exaggerated nod, groaning in defeat. “Every time I work up the courage to say ‘I like you,’ he just starts talking about new builds or says something about scrims!”
Wooje barely held back a laugh, already seeing where this was headed. “Hyung, are you actually, you know, saying the words? Or are you just… hinting at it?”
Minseok’s cheeks flushed. “I mean… hints are a thing, right? I thought he’d pick up on it! I didn’t realize I’d have to spell it out!”
Wooje snickered, patting him on the back. “Hyung, Minhyung-hyung’s a league player, an ADC no less. If you want him to get it, you’re gonna have to be direct. No hints, just tell him. Trust me—he’s probably clueless that this whole thing is about feelings and not… new item builds or anything LOL-related.”
Minseok looked horrified. “That’s too scary, Wooje.”
“Maybe. But at least he’ll finally know how you feel.”
Minseok sighed dramatically but gave a reluctant nod. Wooje could hardly wait to hear about Minseok’s awkward, but surely memorable, attempt at a full-blown confession. As soon as he got a little distance, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to a group chat called Operation Fix Bot-Duo , accompanied by a thumbs-up emoji.
Meanwhile, back at the dorms, Hyunjoon was in the middle of a chaotic Overcooked session with Minhyung. His task? ‘Get Minhyung to Understand Minseok’s Feelings.’
“Hyunjoonie, stop chopping onions; we need tomatoes!” Minhyung yelled, completely engrossed in the game as the kitchen timer ticked down to disaster. Hyunjoon, who was supposed to be focusing on cooking, glanced at Minhyung and decided it was now or never.
“So, uh, Minhyung,” Hyunjoon said, trying to sound casual as they virtually scrambled around the digital kitchen. “You and Minseok… you two seem pretty close, right?”
“I guess so? Why do you ask?”
“Because you two have been ignoring each other, and I wanna know why,” Hyunjoon pressed.
Minhyung blinked, looking over at him. “Was it obvious?”
“Dude, yes. You two were never like this,” Hyunjoon said, gesturing at the strained silence that had been hanging over the team for days.
Minhyung noticed the timer on the game about to run out, and the TV flashed a low one-star rating. He sighed, dropping his controller. “Hyunjoon, I really don’t know. I’ve been trying to talk to him, I really have, but it’s like he doesn’t want to talk to me.”
Hyunjoon nodded, clearly curious now. “Well, what happened right before he stopped talking to you?”
Minhyung thought back, a fond smile sneaking onto his face. “Well… he brought me coffee, and then—oh! He bought me medicine at 3 a.m. He was so cute in his little puffer jacket that night. I really wished I didn’t have a cold so that I could’ve kissed him…”
“Hold up,” Hyunjoon interrupted, his eyebrows shooting up. “Did you just say… kiss, Minhyung?”
“Yeah? Aren’t I allowed to do that to my boyfriend?” Minhyung replied casually, still reminiscing.
Hyunjoon’s jaw dropped. “Boyfriend? Since when?”
“Hm, it’ll be a month soon, why?” Minhyung mumbled, cheeks turning bright red.
Hyunjoon burst out laughing, slapping Minhyung on the back. “Dude, does he even know you’re his boyfriend?”
“Are...are we not?”
Hyunjoon just shook his head, feeling bad for his fellow teammate.
Minhyung groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I thought I was obvious! I mean, how I act around him is entirely different to how I act with you guys. And I thought Minseokie's actions were his reply that he also liked me…”
“Minhyung, I don’t think he got the message. Looks like you’re gonna have to actually tell him.”
“Oh. So, we were never even a thing this past month…and he was ignoring me just because..damn.” Minhyung thinks in his own headspace, and with that, Hyunjoon bit back a laugh as he got up and headed out, leaving Minhyung in his own world of shock. Once he was clear of the room, he took out his phone and sent a quick message to the group chat. Done.
A second later, Sanghyeok’s reply came through: So was I right?
You were, Hyunjoon confirmed, adding a thumbs-up emoji.
You were, hyung, Wooje echoed.
Haidilao for dinner, your treat, Sanghyeok messaged back, clearly pleased with himself.
Now, all that was left was Minhyung and Minseok’s confession—which they were all sure would be worth the wait.
So it was just them back at the dorms, just Minhyung and Minseok there—no coaches, no other team members. Just the botduo trying to face the tension they had built over a small misunderstanding.
Minhyung paced around the living room, glancing nervously at Minseok, who was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Every so often, Minseok would look up, as if expecting Minhyung to say something, only to go back to his screen when silence settled again.
Minseok was scrolling through his phone, but in reality, he was just scrolling to the blank screen, trying to muster the courage to say his confession but he didn’t think the actual words would be harder to say. Suddenly, he felt the couch dip beside him as Minhyung sat down, close enough that Minseok felt his warmth.
Minhyung was surprised as Minseok didn’t leave. He scooted a little closer.
“Minseok,” Minhyung started, his voice soft.
“There’s something I want to talk about,” they both said in unison.
They paused, blinking at each other in surprise.
Minseok raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What?”
“Wait, you go first,” Minhyung said, a hint of laughter in his voice.
“No, you go first!” Minseok insisted, feeling the nervous energy between them.
They both chuckled, realizing how ridiculous the situation was, then they finally replied together, “What?”
“Hey, ADCs are supposed to be in the frontline. You go first,” Minseok said.
“That’s the support's job! I’m not strong enough in the early game,” Minhyung protested.
“Ugh, stop being a baby,” Minseok teased, rolling his eyes but as the laughter and nerves ended, Minseok decided to be the first one to take the step.
“Alright, fine. I’ll go first. The truth is… I…um—really enjoy spending time with you. You’re not just my teammate; you mean a lot to me. And I think…” He hesitated, searching for the right words. “I think I like you…more than a friend…more than an ADC.”
Minhyung's eyes widened in surprise, but before Minseok could continue, he interrupted, “Wait, so you were trying to say you like me?”
Minseok blinked, caught off guard by the sudden excitement in Minhyung's voice. “That’s what I’ve been doing for months? You think I would go to someone at 3 a.m just to give them medicine because they were asking for it?”
“No—that’s what I thought—wait,” Minhyung covered his face, laughing as his cheeks turned red. When Minseok saw that, his face flushed too.
“You know, this is my fault, Minseok,” Minhyung said, trying to catch his breath.
“How?” Minseok asked, confusion clear in his expression.
“I thought we were a thing for a month. Like, I thought we were official,” Minhyung admitted, his voice slightly muffled as he peeked through his fingers.
Minseok’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?”
“Yeah! I mean, the coffee runs, the way you look at me—like, I was convinced we were basically dating!” Minhyung exclaimed, finally lowering his hands and meeting Minseok’s gaze, which he was surprised to see Minseok keeping eye contact with him for so long.
“So what I did was…working?” Minseok said, a mix of relief and embarrassment washing over him. “So I being obvious about how I felt—and then you decided to ignore me!”
“Me? Ignoring you? You were the one ignoring me!” Minhyung exclaimed.
“Because you were acting oblivious to what I was doing!”
“That’s because I thought we were already dating!”
A moment of silence followed, each of them processing the misunderstanding.
“So, we were both assuming things,” Minseok said, breaking the silence.
“That we were,” Minhyung agreed, a smile creeping onto his face.
They both chuckled, realizing how silly the situation had been, and the tension began to dissipate completely.
“What now?” Minseok asked,
“Well, now we do the exact same things but with a label,”
Minseok raised an eyebrow. “So you’re going to ignore me again, but this time with a label?”
“No, no! That’s not how this works!” Minhyung laughed, shaking his head. “This time, we actually communicate. We talk about everything, no more assumptions.”
Minseok leaned back, crossing his arms with a teasing smirk. “So, you’ll actually notice that I’m saying I like you with coffee?”
“Mhm. And I’ll make sure to appreciate all those little things you do, like staying up late just to check on me when I’m sick. I’ll even bring you snacks during scrims.”
“Snacks?” Minseok’s interest was piqued. “You mean the good snacks?”
“Of course! Oh, and then I can also do this—” Minhyung said, quickly kissing Minseok on the cheek.
“Hey! We’re in the living room!” Minseok exclaimed, his cheeks flushing.
Minhyung blinked, playfully scanning the room. “Minseok, I think you forgot that they all went to Haidilao without us.”
“Still! It feels weird!” Minseok protested, though the smile on his face betrayed his enjoyment.
“Just think of it as our secret,” Minhyung said, leaning in with a mischievous grin. “Besides, I plan to do this a lot more now that we’re officially together.”
“Hey, Minhyung. Why do you say it like that… You’re scaring me,” Minseok half-joked, suddenly realizing how serious things were getting and forgetting what boyfriends typically did.
“Minseok? Are you shy after all this time?” Minhyung teased, “You’ve been openly flirting with me for months, trying to seduce me— in front of the team. ”
Minseok’s face turned a deeper shade of red as he remembered the playful banter and accidental touches and stolen glances they had shared. “I—uh, that was different! It was just for fun!” he stammered, trying to recover.
“Oh really? So it was all just a game to you?” Minhyung leaned in closer, a teasing smirk on his lips.
“No! It just feels a little different. It’s, um… more serious?”
“Well, it is serious now. We’re officially boyfriends, remember? That means I get to tease you like this.”
Minseok groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Is it too late to back out?”
“After I heard that you were actually hurt by me ignoring you? Hmm, No. I don't think so. You love it when I tease you, either way.” Minhyung shot back, laughing.
Minseok peeked out from between his fingers, his heart racing. “Okay, fine. Maybe I do.” Minhyung gently took Minseok’s hands away from his face and stared at him, the tension rising softly, filled with yearning and a hint of nervousness. They both leaned in closer, anticipating the usual things boyfriends do with each other when alone, an inch was all it took for them to—
Then the entrance to the dorm burst open, and Minseok instinctively pushed Minhyung off the sofa.
“Ah, Minseok-hyung! Why are you getting physical with Minhyung-hyung?” Wooje exclaimed, wide-eyed.
“It’s okay, Wooje, we were just joking around,” Minhyung said, on the carpet ground, trying to hold his laugh.
“Ohhh,” Hyunjoon chimed in, “Are you guys okay now?”
“We were always okay! I have no idea what you guys mean,” Minseok insisted, feigning innocence.
Sanghyeok, Wooje, and Hyunjoon exchanged knowing looks and then slid Sanghyeok some cash. “You win again,” Hyunjoon said with a satisfied smirk.
“Guys, the ice cream is gonna melt,” Sanghyeok called out as he dropped the bag onto the dining room table.
“Mine’s the vanilla ice cream!” Hyunjoon announced triumphantly.
“Hyung! I told you that was mine!” Wooje protested,
“Wooje, you’re too slow! If you want it, come and earn it!” Hyunjoon teased, holding the ice cream container out of reach and then proceeded to run around the dorm from Wooje who then completely followed up. Sanghyeok then watched as he waited for the coaches near the entrance.
“Looks like we’re not the only ones being dramatic in the team,” Minseok said as he watched the top laner and the jungler run around the dorms, his heart still fluttering from the earlier moment.
“Yeah, but at least our drama is more fun,” Minhyung replied with a wink, leaning back against the sofa as he watched the chaos unfold.
“I almost forgot,” Minseok said under his breath, low enough for only Minhyung to hear.
“What is it?” Minhyung asked, leaning in closer.
Minseok gestured for Minhyung to come even nearer, and once he was close enough, Minseok whispered softly in his ear, “I really, realllllly like you, Lee Minhyung.” He punctuated his confession with a quick kiss on Minhyung's cheek.
Minhyung’s face was fighting a wide grin as he secretly interlaced his fingers with Minseok's on the couch, the chaos around them fading into the background. “I think I like you even more, Ryu Minseok.”
“Yo, you guys aren’t slick; we can see everything,” Hyunjoon interrupted the lovely moment, fanning himself dramatically from running around. Wooje finally got his vanilla ice cream, but for some reason, it was half-bitten already.
“If you can see everything, then maybe you should learn something from us, hypocrite!” Minhyung answered,
“What are you talking about?” Hyunjoon confusingly asked,
“You too, Wooje,” Minseok added, pointing at him.
“Oh, do you two want to bet on something?” Sanghyeok chimed in as he walked over to Minhyung and Minseok, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Hey! What’re you betting this time?” Hyunjoon asked, his cheeks flushed, but it was Wooje whose entire face resembled a tomato, hoping his running could serve as an excuse for his face.
As the banter continued, laughter filled the room, and the T1 botduo situation was finally resolved. Though, they couldn’t help but wonder if the team’s other duo would also start things up. For now, today’s celebration was all about Minhyung and Minseok, who finally stopped ignoring each other, resolved things, took a few steps forward and a few steps back and finally, became a couple. (officially, this time)