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More often than not, Gotak would say no to Baku's invitations to go pick up girls because honestly it just never works. Don't get him wrong, it's not like they would fail from the get go. It’s nothing like that. The picking-girls-up part is never the issue, because, not to toot his own horn, Gotak simply looks good and so do his friends. It's just every time they manage to snag a group of girls to play around with, they would still somehow end up girlfriend-less at the end of the day and the numbers they exchanged remain untouched. The hangouts always end up with the girls complaining about them–Baku's way too loud, Suho's more focused on the food and entertainment rather than the girls, and Gotak just doesn't seem interested at all. He doesn't really get them but he never argues.
Baku is not someone who gives up easily. For some reason, he is crazy determined on trying to find partners for his friends and himself. Gotak doesn't really care either way, they're still young, so he's not really in a hurry or particularly bothered that he's still single. He's got his friends and basketball anyway, so it's whatever. But, today he is especially bored and nothing he does around his house manages to cure his boredom. He tries watching TV, playing a few games, working out… He even ends up playing house with his little sisters, which doesn’t really last long, because at one point he feels like he is being bullied by the little menaces. So when Baku’s text arrives in their group chat, asking to meet up with them, Gotak instantly gets ready and leaves the house to the location Baku shared.
So, here he is now, at a random café that Baku swears is a cute girls hotspot, with his two friends, who are both vigorously sipping on the monstrosities of drinks–there are sprinkles and whipped cream, a lot of whipped cream–they currently have in front of them. Gotak doesn’t think the drinks would last long seeing how both Baku and Suho are acting like they’ve never had a drink in their lives. Gotak looks at them with disgust. How do they expect to pick up girls like this?
“Can you guys slow down? You’re embarrassing me,” Gotak tells them, frowning when Baku looks up at him, whipped cream at the corners of his lips like some fucked up looking moustache. He’s not really exaggerating; a few older people from the nearby tables have been glancing at them, clearly disapproving. Some girls look at them and keep on giggling.
“No way,” Suho replies, “this shit is actually crazy good, I’m getting another.”
And the bastard actually gets up and goes to the counter, almost running into some poor girl. Thankfully, he’s got good reflexes and manages to get out of the girl's way, with his arms raised, before they could collide into each other. He gives the girl an easy wink before turning around and continuing on his way, his purpose not forgotten, leaving the girl blushing as she walks back to her friends. Gotak watches as the girls start excitedly talking over one another, occasionally glancing at Suho who's currently leaning against the wall near the counter, patiently waiting for his drink.
“You should try this, man. Suho’s not kidding, this is really delicious. Why are you only drinking iced Americano?” Baku tries to tempt him, snapping his attention away from Suho and the girls, while frowning at Gotak’s drink of choice, clearly not happy with it.
“Dude, you’re disgusting,” Gotak says instead, throwing a piece of napkin at Baku’s face. They’re actively tanking their chances at getting girls. Okay, maybe not Suho because he looks like he’s doing well. “Clean yourself up,” Gotak orders, pointing to the sides of Baku’s mouth. Instead of using the napkin Gotak threw at him, he keeps trying to lick the cream off with his tongue instead. Gotak watches, disturbed, as Baku tries and fails in getting all of the cream off.
“Are you serious?”
“Wipe em off for me, bro,” Baku pleads, offering his face, leaning his body forward, almost knocking off his drinks, but then manages to stabilise it. Instead of replying or complying, Gotak throws another piece of napkin at him. Baku, feeling defeated, ends up properly wiping the cream off of his mouth with the napkin while pouting.
Suho returns a few moments later, victoriously, with his drink in hand. He starts practically lapping at the drink as soon as he lands back in the seat next to Baku. Gotak looks at him reproachfully.
“Just big and greedy,” he comments, offhandedly. Suho sports a mock-hurt look.
“You’re just jealous,” he fires.
“Of what? You and your drink? Get help,” Gotak shoots back.
“You get help,” Suho quips, “and maybe a sweet drink, might help you be nicer.” Gotak flicks Suho’s forehead with his finger and Suho tries to retaliate.
“Boys, heel,” Baku instructs, like he's a trainer and they're just a couple of misbehaving dogs. Gotak opens his mouth to protest but Baku doesn't give him a chance.
“Sorry,” he apologises, smiling apologetically and bowing his head slightly at the couple at the next table. The woman looks amused while her partner looks a tad annoyed. Okay, maybe they are causing a scene. Gotak and Suho look at each other and then the couple, and then apologise to them, too, copying Baku.
“Anyway...” Baku trails off, his eyes stealing glances behind Gotak, “don’t look, but the cutie at the table over there has been stealing looks at us.” Of course, Suho and Gotak immediately look. Gotak has to twist his body a bit to look behind him. They hear Baku calling them stupid, but pay him no mind.
Gotak eyes zeroes on one table at the back of the café next to a huge window. Instead of girls, like he expected, a guy is sitting there alone, reading some kind of book. As if sensing that he’s being watched, the guy’s head snaps up and he locks eyes with Gotak, whose gaze doesn’t falter. The guy looks confused, looking out the window, kind of expecting that Gotak is looking at something outside and not at him, but there really isn’t anything worth checking out outside. The guy looks back at him, blinks a couple of times, and then goes back to his book. Gotak has to admit, from his current location, the guy is kind of cute, in like a hamster way.
“Okay, Gogo, you go,” Baku says, “Suho and I already went the last few times. Your turn now,” he explains further.
Gotak tears his gaze away from the boy and looks at Baku, a little confused. Since when do they hit on boys? It’s not like he’s homophobic or anything shitty like that, he’s just genuinely confused. Never once have they discussed or, like, shown any inclination of maybe being into boys, too.
“Wait, you’re being for real?” Gotak asks, looking between Baku and Suho.
“Yes, of course I am, bro. You can’t just let us do it every time,” Baku persists. Gotak feels like something isn’t quite aligning right now between them, but he doesn't know how to voice it out.
“Dude, just go,” Suho urges, “or he’s going to be even more annoying.” He points at Baku with his thumb. Baku slaps his offending hand away from his face. Gotak hesitates, asking with his eyes if this is really okay. Baku makes a shooing motion at him, obviously not wanting him to waste any more time.
“Fine, fine, okay,” Gotak says in the end, throwing his hands up, feeling defeated and a little exasperated.
So, he gets up and begins walking towards the boy while his friends are giving him thumbs ups behind him. As he gets closer, it appears that the boy notices him, because their eyes meet again for just a second before the boy looks back down at his book. He clearly isn’t reading anything, since Gotak can see that his eyes are only focused on a single point on the page. Gotak finds himself smiling; the guy’s being shy. Gotak stops next to the guy’s table, lightly knocking on the surface with an index finger.
“Hi,” he greets, smiling charmingly, “mind if I sit here?”
The guy, finally realising he can’t ignore him any longer, hesitantly looks up at him through his big glasses, wide eyes confused. Gotak stares. Okay, he really is cute and a lot smaller than Gotak. It's like every single of his features screams ‘cute’. He has a tiny face, thin eyebrows peeking through his bangs, a pair of sweet looking eyes hiding behind his glasses that are perched on top of his adorable nose, and pinkish almost round lips. Gotak thinks he kind of looks like a combination of a bunny and a sparrow. He is almost overwhelmed with cuteness aggression. He feels like he’s the kind of guy people can’t help but feel protective of, because at the moment Gotak thinks he’s one of those people.
“Hi?” the guy greets him back, doubts visible in his expression. Maybe, he thinks Gotak is trying to mess with him. “Um, I’m waiting for my friends, though,” he tells him instead. It’s not an outright rejection, so Gotak pushes.
“That’s fine, they’re not here yet anyway. I’ll sit with you until they arrive,” he persuades.
“Uh, okay, then,” the boy replies, clearly still unsure of where this is going, but still he nods at him. Gotak beams and take the seat right in front of the boy at once.
“So, what’s your name? I’m Go Hyuntak but my friends call me Gotak.”
Gotak has one arm propped on the table on his elbow, his chin resting in his palm, giving the boy his best smile, the one Baku claims will make anyone let their guards down. Gotak doesn’t really trust Baku's judgement, but he knows he’s right about this because it usually works on the girls he hits on. He’s sure this time’s not that different. Gotak’s elated when he sees that the guy is clearly affected, a blush slowly creeping on his cheeks, as he avoids Gotak’s eyes.
“Seo Juntae,” the boy, Juntae replies shyly, still not looking at him. Gotak chuckles and looks at how red Juntae is, all the way up to his ears and disappears down his neck. Gotak licks his lips, maybe out of habit more than anything.
“You’re adorable, Jun,” Gotak comments, voice low, a lazy grin on his face. Juntae squeaks, clearly not expecting the nickname. He also hears some gasps from the table next to them, but he doesn’t look away from Juntae. Not wanting to tease the little guy any longer, because it is a little concerning how red he is, Gotak shifts his attention to the book spread open in front of Juntae.
“What’re you reading?” he asks, looking pointedly at the book, a manga actually, and then back at Juntae. Juntae looks a bit relieved at the change of topic.
“Uh, Haikyuu? It’s a sports manga, volleyball,” he explains. Gotak nods.
“You play?” he asks, pointing at the manga with his chin. Juntae replies with a ‘hm?’ and Gotak clarifies, “Volleyball, I mean.”
“Oh!” Juntae exclaims, “no, I don’t unfortunately. I’m not really good at sports.” He shakes his head, smiling, his dimples on display.
“Do you like volleyball, then?” Gotak asks further, intrigued.
“I guess? It looks fun, but I’m more into the camaraderie between the characters,” Juntae replies.
“You read a sports manga for the characters’ relationships and not the actions?” Gotak questions, snorting. Juntae blinks cutely, and then pushes up his glasses.
“Kinda weird, right?” he says, chuckling.
“Nah, not really. I kinda get it,” Gotak says, not actually getting it. “By the way, I play a sport: basketball.” He bounces his other hand above the table, mimicking the action of dribbling a ball. Juntae watches and then nods.
“You do look like you’re good at sports,” he offers, “you’re really tall and it looks like you work out...” Catching himself talking too much, Juntae quiets down, touching his finger to his lips.
Seeing an opening, Gotak grins and says, “Handsome, too, right?” Juntae’s eyes widen and he blushes prettily.
“Um, yes,” Juntae replies unexpectedly, his voice small. Gotak feels his cheeks heat up. He clears his throat awkwardly. Why is he feeling shy all of a sudden?
“Which school? Your basketball team, I mean,” Juntae asks. Perhaps, feeling brave when he sees Gotak getting flustered.
“Eunjang,” Gotak answers simply. Juntae nods.
“I go to Yeoil,” he says.
“Oh, fancy,” Gotak comments. “We play against Yeoil sometimes. Maybe we’ll see each other at the next game.”
“Sure,” Juntae agrees.
Gotak starts talking more about basketball and their school's team. Juntae listens intently and nods once in a while. Then, Gotak asks Juntae about himself. Juntae tells him that he's currently in his second year (same as Gotak) and that he's really into manga. Gotak listens with a smile as Juntae gushes about some events from Haikyuu that ‘drive him crazy’, trying not to spoil the story for Gotak too much. It's endearing watching him being so spirited. After a bit, there’s a sound of the door opening and closing. Juntae’s eyes go directly towards the direction, recognition appears in them and he stops talking. Barely three seconds later, Gotak feels a presence next to him.
“Is this guy bothering you, Juntae?” the person next to him asks, his voice soft but sharp as a knife, clearly not liking what he is seeing. He feels like the temperature in the café suddenly drops, the voice sending chills down his spine. He’s aware that the noises around the café have died down a little bit, sounding a bit muted.
Gotak looks up next to him, face passive, his arm dropping flat on the table, and he’s met with two pairs of distrusting eyes. Juntae’s friends, he assumes, have completely different vibes from him. Juntae’s adorable, sweet, and looks like he volunteers at a pet shelter every weekend. His friends on the other hand look like they could kill someone for pay and maybe even for free. One guy is really tall, skin pale, his eyes sharp and unwavering, his hair is neatly slicked back. He has a snake-like look to him and he is kind of giving off a ‘royal’ vibe. The other guy seems harmless at a glance—a lot shorter than the first one, fluffy looking hair, a pair of moist looking big brown eyes, round cheeks... But, the way he’s intensely shooting daggers at Gotak with said big brown eyes makes him think otherwise. Gotak is feeling just a little uncomfortable, and maybe even threatened.
“Baekjin, hi! And don’t worry, he’s not bothering me,” Juntae explains to his friend, waving his hands in front of him, trying hard to convince him.
“Why is he here?” the other guy asks. Juntae blinks and bites his bottom lips.
“Accompanying me?” Juntae replies, unsure. “It’s really okay, Sieun. He’s nice!”
His friends clearly do not believe a single word Juntae’s saying about him and are still observing him like a pair of watchful hawks,
“And when is he leaving?” the tall one, Baekjin, asks, obviously urging him to leave. Juntae worriedly looks between his friends and Gotak, his eyebrows scrunching adorably behind his glasses. Gotak actually thought about pinching his cheeks or something, but ultimately decides against it, because Juntae’s friends might actually kill him.
“Right,” Gotak says, understanding the message. He gives Juntae a small smile which the latter returns, his bright eyes showing concern, as he makes a move to get up from the seat.
Probably realising that they are kind of crowding him, Juntae’s friends take a step back, making space for him to get through. The two boys immediately get around him and get in their seats, once he moves out of the way–Baekjin in the seat Gotak was in and Sieun in the one between the window and Juntae. Gotak doesn’t leave right away, instead he keeps standing next to their table, shifting on his feet, feeling the stares from Juntae’s friends on him again. They look like they wonder why he’s still there and breathing their air.
“Jun, give me your phone,” he says at last, holding a hand out towards Juntae. Sieun’s face morphs into a frown. Baekjin’s head snaps towards him when he hears Gotak calling Juntae so familiarly. Sieun is now staring hard at Juntae, who is fidgeting under his friend’s direct gaze. Juntae hesitates but ends up fishing out his phone from his pocket, unlocking it, and then handing it over to Gotak. Under the scrutiny of Baekjin, Gotak inputs his number into the phone, saves it, and then calls it; he stops once his phone rings in his pocket. Satisfied, he smiles at Juntae, handing the phone back to him.
“I’ll call you later, okay?” Gotak smiles softly at Juntae as the latter nods, looking up at him, desperately ignoring Sieun’s fierce look. Gotak winks at Juntae before he leaves the three friends. He notices Baekjin’s eyes narrow but all he can pay attention to is Juntae’s timid smile, hesitant wave, and his pinkish dimpled cheeks. Cute.
Gotak can hear the girls from the next table whispering again when he leaves, the coldness from before dissipating. Gotak feels like he can breathe easier. His eyes catch the looks from his friends from across the café. They look equally concerned and confused, looking between Gotak and Juntae’s table. Gotak gives them a thumbs up, in case they’re worried about the little confrontation with Juntae’s friends. Baku and Suho give him thumbs up back, still looking a little lost.
“Thought I was gonna die,” he says, a bit overdramatically, as he gets back in his seat, getting a hold of his drink, giving it a little stir with the straw.
“That was kinda intense,” Suho comments. Gotak nods, taking a sip of his watered down (formerly) iced Americano. “Looked like you were one wrong move away from them beating your ass.”
“Bro, you should see them up close. I literally got chills,” Gotak shares, his eyes moving to Baku who’s still looking confused. It’s kind of unnerving that he hasn’t said anything since Gotak returned.
“If they ended up jumping you, I don’t think I’d come to your rescue, to be honest. They kinda look like they bite,” Suho makes another comment. Gotak snorts, almost inhaling his coffee.
“They give off stab-y vibes, actually. It’s whatever, I secured the phone number anyway,” Gotak says before looking at Baku again. “What’s with you?” he asks, frowning a little. Baku blinks at him before straightening up his posture, leaning his arms on the table.
“No, uh, glad you survived that and such,” he starts. Then he exchanges this weird look with Suho.
“What?” Gotak’s the one confused now, looking between his friends. Did something happen while he was away?
“Gogo,” Baku says, reaching across the table to place a hand on Gotak’s hand, “I want you to know that we support you fully as your bros.”
“What’s happening?” Gotak asks, knowing that whatever’s coming out of Baku’s mouth in the next second is going to give him a headache.
Baku says nothing at first. He just gives Gotak a comforting smile and a reassuring squeeze with his hand. He exchanges another look with Suho, who immediately gives him an understanding look. Baku nods and then looks back at Gotak. Gotak waits, not knowing what the hell is happening.
“I’m sorry for never noticing,” Baku finally says, voice solemn, his eyes cast downwards. Suho looks equally sorry, nodding along to Baku’s words. “You like boys but I keep making you go pick up girls…”
“Pause,” Gotak says, shaking Baku's hand off of his and raising an index finger. Baku pauses, looking hurt, clutching his rejected hand to his chest. Suho instantly turns his body towards Baku, and then puts each of his arms on each of Baku’s shoulders, giving Gotak a disapproving look.
“Who likes boys?” Gotak questions, eyes fleeting between his friends. They frown, looking at each other and then back at Gotak.
“You?” Baku replies, confused.
“Why?” Gotak asks. Why are they saying that? They were the ones who made him talk to Juntae.
“Huh?” Baku says dumbly, not quite understanding him.
“I don’t think the ‘why’ matters, bro,” Suho answers for Baku. Gotak thinks it matters very much, actually. “What matters is we support you. Love is love, the heart wants what it wants, ‘Live, Laugh, Love’, and all that jazz.”
“Something’s not quite right,” Gotak says eventually, thinking back about the past hour. Before Baku can say something, he continues, “I thought you like boys.” He points at Baku who points his own finger at himself, looking even more puzzled. Suho looks like he might hurt his neck with the way he was looking back and forth between the two of them.
“I’m confused,” Baku admits.
“Wait,” Suho says, looks at Gotak and then resumes talking, “if you think he likes boys,” he points at Baku, “and he thinks you like boys,” he points at Gotak, “then what about me?” he asks, placing his hand on his chest.
“I thought you both like boys,” Gotak replies.
“Not really against the idea honestly,” Suho says nodding, then tilts his head, “why, though?”
Gotak decides not to comment on the first part. “You both literally ordered me to hit on Jun?”
“Who’s Jun?”
”When?”
Baku and Suho ask at the same time. Gotak frowns.
“Juntae, the guy I was talking to, obviously. And did you not tell me to go earlier? I even asked if you were being serious,” he answers both of their questions. He watches as Suho and Baku share yet another look. Gotak can almost hear their brain synapses firing off as the realisation slowly dawns on them and they come to a conclusion.
“Dude,” Baku says urgently, planting his palm on the table, “I obviously was telling you to go to the table next to his, the one actually full of girls!” Gotak opens and shuts his mouth before striking the ‘thinker’ pose. Huh? Wait, yeah, that actually makes more sense. Suho pretty much just loses it and starts guffawing, earning another disapproving look from the couple next to them, which they can care less about at the moment.
“Why would you assume anything else?” Baku looks torn between laughing and being frustrated.
“Well, you said a cutie looking at us,” Gotak argues, raising his voice.
“Yeah, one of the girls,” Baku counters, so stressed he’s almost hissing. Gotak shuts his mouth. Baku was right, why did he assume his friends were talking about Juntae in the first place? He lets it marinate in his mind.
“Whew, this is too good,” Suho remarks, clearly entertained. He wipes the tears from his eyes and then tries to cover his grin with his hand when he notices Gotak’s glare. No one says anything; Baku actually looks at a loss for words. He can feel the amusement spilling out of Suho.
Gotak is still thinking. He tries to recall any moments from his seventeen years of living that might help him with his, apparently, self-discovery journey on this random Saturday. Okay, so maybe there are times where he would see men shirtless and all sweaty and think they look crazy good. He honestly thought that it was just admiration. Perhaps, that’s not the case. He thinks about the times where he would sometimes get flustered after certain interactions with other boys, like intense eye contacts and prolonged touches. The more he thinks about it, the more certain he is about it. After a few minutes, Gotak drops his head in his hands.
“My brothers,” he begins, lifting his head up and clasping his hands together, face extremely serious, “I might actually like boys,” he confesses.
“Nice. We’re celebrating,” Suho says instantly, getting up on his feet, “I’m getting two of this drink–one for me, one for you.” Then he’s gone, after giving Gotak’s shoulder an affirming squeeze. Gotak is sure Suho just wants another one and it has nothing to do with celebrating his discovery.
Baku looks at him, pride behind his eyes, and grabs both of Gotak’s hands in his. “Bro, like I said, we fully support you. Love is love.” This is a bit embarrassing but whatever, he’s letting Baku have this one.
After a few moments pass, Baku finally lets go of his hands, leaning back against his chair. Gotak is thankful for that because he’s starting to realise that people have been staring at them. He watches Baku’s eyes flick to the side before landing on him again, a smirk on his face.
“So, the cutie’s name is Jun,” he brings up casually. Gotak rolls his eyes at him.
“Well, Juntae to you,” he pauses, “actually, never mind, don’t even think about him,” he jokes, kind of. Baku laughs.
“It hasn’t even been a day, dude. Like, barely fifteen minutes. Relax.”
“Obviously, that was a joke,” Gotak tells him. Baku grins.
“Right, of course,” he says, nodding. “What did you guys even talk about?”
“Nothing much, just about the volleyball manga he’s reading and his school,” Gotak answers, shrugging. He didn’t actually get a chance to talk more to Juntae. “It’s Yeoil, by the way,” he clarifies before Baku asks.
“Volleyball?” Baku asks instead. “He should be reading about basketball, man. You should recommend Slam Dunk to him.”
“He probably knows about it. He kinda looks well-versed in that stuff,” Gotak says.
“What’re we talking about?” Suho asks the minute he gets back to the table. He places a drink next to Gotak’s almost empty glass and another next to his. He signals Gotak to take a sip and Gotak does just that, albeit reluctantly. As soon as the liquid reaches his tongue, he grimaces, looking disbelievingly at Suho, who looks offended by his reaction.
“Bro, this is pure sugar. You’re crazy.”
“Not even a ‘thank you’? I didn’t raise you to be this ungrateful and disrespectful,” Suho scolds him. He takes the drink away from Gotak and places it in front of Baku who immediately takes a delightful sip. Gotak doesn’t actually mind because he really doesn’t think he can stomach that.
“We were talking about Gogo’s boy,” Baku says, answering Suho’s first question, and then just recaps what he and Gotak talked about.
“Yeoil? Fancy,” Suho comments, raising an eyebrow.
“Exactly,” Gotak agrees, nodding.
“He must be smart then. I’m afraid it’s over for you before it even begins, my good bro.” Suho continues, teasing Gotak. Baku snorts. Gotak is unamused.
“Trust that he’s already into me,” Gotak claims, smirking. It’s not really a baseless claim, Gotak thinks, because Juntae clearly was showing signs of being interested in him during their short interaction. Suho nods slowly, making a face like he’s trying to convey that he’s anything but convinced by the statement.
“You gonna call him later?” Baku asks, remembering that Gotak actually got the boy’s number.
“Of course,” Gotak replies. Both Suho and Baku give him high fives and encouraging words. He knows he gives them shit and they get on his nerves sometimes but he’s really glad he’s friends with them. Not that he plans on saying that out loud any time soon, though.
“We should celebrate at my dad’s restaurant later, Gotak’s paying,” Baku suggests and Suho instantly agrees. Gotak finds he’s in too good of a mood at the moment to even get annoyed at that.
Later that evening, they actually go to Baku’s dad restaurant and Gotak actually pays for the food, since he’s feeling a little generous. Half way through eating and after what feels like an absurd amount of attempts to hype him up from Baku and Suho, Gotak finally decides to call Juntae’s number. He picks up after three rings. Gotak asks him out for a date tomorrow and Juntae says yes, earning Gotak some pats on his head and back, from Baku and Suho respectively, as soon as he hangs up. Gotak lets them, too giddy to get mad,
He’s seeing Juntae again tomorrow and when that goes well, he’ll get to see him a lot more times. Gotak smiles to himself.
Life’s good.
Extra Scene:
Baku proposes that they all go home for the day and then regroup later in the evening for a basketball session (maybe) and then continue their meetup at his dad's restaurant, and Gotak and Suho agree. Gotak doesn't notice the exchange of looks between Baku and Suho. He is barely out of his seat when they grab him by his arms and steer him towards Juntae’s table. Other patrons of the café notice the scuffle and keep stealing glances at them, some even gawking.
Gotak finds Juntae’s eyes from across the room. The latter looks confused but also a little worried, his eyebrows furrowing, mouth pouting. Juntae’s friends don’t even care to look up from their books. Gotak shoots Juntae a comforting smile, trying to telepathically tell him that he’s fine and that he will murder his friends later. The message doesn't seem to be getting across since Juntae still looks mildly concerned.
“Dude, the fuck are you guys doing?” He asks, bewildered, planting his feet on the floor, trying desperately to keep them from dragging him off any further. It works for a while. Alas, there are two of them and only one of him.
“We're gonna say goodbye to Juntae before we leave,” Baku explains, beginning to move him forward again. Not wanting to cause any more commotion, Gotak relents, walking properly and letting his friends lead him away. People are still looking at them, three huge dudes basically walking hand in hand, and Gotak is embarrassed. He curses Baku and Suho in his mind.
They stop right next to Juntae and his friends' table, Baku on his left, Suho on his right. Suho looks directly down at Juntae who's sitting in front of him, giving him a warm smile. Juntae smiles back at him before looking at Gotak, who's trying hard not to hit his friends. Gotak hears the girls from the table behind them giggling and whispering again, they must feel like they're watching some kind of fucked up show since earlier. Gotak sees that Baekjin is still diligently writing stuff on his book, but he notices that his grip on his pen might be a little tight. They're probably going to get killed and it's all Baku and Suho's fault.
“Hi, Juntae!” Baku greets him enthusiastically, waving his hand. Juntae gives him a small, unsure wave back. Ah, he's too adorable.
Next to Juntae, Sieun finally stops writing, puts his pen down, and slowly looks up. He glares at Baku who's grinning widely at Juntae, Gotak who's trying not to look back at him, and lastly Suho whose smile drops. Gotak hears a soft gasp coming from Suho and he can't help but turn his head towards him. Suho is looking directly at Sieun, his eyes wide and his lips parted…in surprise? Gotak isn't quite sure. Sieun keeps staring at him, probably wondering what the hell his issue is. Suho gulps and it's so loud Gotak can hear it clearly, causing him to frown. Juntae is blinking up at Suho, looking confused at first and then as if recognising the look on Suho's face, understanding suddenly dawns on his face. Gotak wants to ask what it is, but doesn't even dare to speak.
Then, he hears Baekjin's annoyed sigh and his attention goes directly to the guy. Suddenly, it's like the temperature drops again. Now, it's Gotak's turn to gulp as he meets Baekjin’s calculating gaze. Unlike Suho's, his gulp is definitely born out of fear and not embarrassingly loud. Baekjin's eyes slither away from him, which he is grateful for since he almost couldn't breathe when it was on him. Baekjin tilts his head, watching between Sieun and Suho, who are still locked in a silent stare off, for some reason. He almost seems amused, clearly getting whatever is happening over there. Gotak is still not sure what's happening and he's not really sure if he wants to know.
Baku, who's apparently unaffected by the near subzero temperature, is still looking at Juntae, but his grin has dropped into an easy smile. He points to his chest and says, “Nice to meet you, Juntae! I'm Baku!”
“Ah, hello,” Juntae replies, bowing his head a little at Baku. Then he throws a glance at Baekjin's direction. Baku follows his eyes and he ends up looking down at the top of Baekjin's head. As if sensing it, Baekjin's head turns eerily slow in Baku’s direction and tilts upwards, sharp eyes locked onto Baku's.
“Oh, wow, hi,” Gotak hears Baku say next to him, sounding a bit breathless. Gotak gets it, Baekjin looks terrifying that he was having a bit of a hard time talking to him earlier. And then Baku continues, “Are you seeing anyone?”
Okay, maybe Gotak doesn't get it.
“Excuse me?” Baekjin says, eyes becoming more intense. Baku must be on something right now because he's actually unwaveringly looking back at Baekjin, his gaze heated. Gotak knows if he was in Baku's place right now, he wouldn't even be able to talk.
“Are you single?” Baku asks further, sounding a little too flirtatious for Gotak's liking. He desperately needs Baku to shut his mouth. He needs them to leave like five minutes ago, actually.
“Eh, what's going on?” one of the girls behind them wonders a little too loud and Gotak is with her on this. She's right. What the fuck is going on?
“Aren't you daring,” Baekjin says eventually, eyes narrowing slightly, like he's eyeing a prey. His voice drops a bit at the last word, tongue seemingly curled around the word. Gotak has to admit he sounds somewhat seductive…?
He locks eyes with Juntae. The latter is looking a bit alarmed and Gotak doesn't blame him. Whatever it is that's happening is kind of freaking him out, too. Gotak decides he can't stand this anymore. Determined, he shakes Baku's and Suho's arms off of him and hooks his fingers on the back of their shirts’ collars.
“We're leaving,” he announces, voice a little loud but shaky. His nerves are getting to him. He clears his throat.
“Jun, I'll call you later, okay? Wait for me?” he asks Juntae, voice soft. Juntae nods at him. And then without wasting even a single second or sparing glance at Sieun and Baekjin, he drags his two friends away like a mother cat dragging her kids away by the scruff of their necks. The two limply walk backwards, led skilfully towards the door by Gotak.
“I’m taking you guys into an alley and I'm going to kill you there with my bare hands,” Gotak threatens as they reach the door. Once outside, he lets them go and turns around to look at them. Both Baku and Suho still look stunned.
“What the fuck was that?” Gotak asks, crossing his arms on his chest. No one says anything for probably almost five minutes. Gotak is losing his patience.
“Did you see the guy next to Juntae?” Suho finally finds his voice. He still sounds sort of dreamy.
“That’s Sieun. Yes, I saw him, I was there. The fuck? Did you think he was a ghost or something?” Gotak wonders what Suho is getting at.
“No, dude,” he replies solemnly, shaking his head slowly, “I thought I saw an angel. Fuck! Those eyes are crazy. Ah, Sieun…” Suho cups a hand on his mouth, eyes wide in disbelief. Gotak can almost feel a vein popping.
“You're crazy!” Gotak exclaims, pointing a finger at Suho's chest. “Also, you're driving me crazy!”
“Who's the other one?” Baku asks, voice eerily calm. Gotak hesitates.
“His name's Baekjin. You best not say some stupid shit; I'm already at my limits with you two today,” he warns. Baku says nothing, just nods pensively. Gotak thanks god for sparing his sanity.
“Is today like the fucking Bisexual Awareness Day or something? What is going on?” Gotak laments, mainly to himself.
“The Three Bi-sketeers,” Suho suddenly says, snorting. Baku lets out a chuckle. Gotak glared at him. Oh, this fucker thinks he's so hilarious. Honestly, Gotak does think it's a bit funny but his annoyance level is currently a lot higher than his amusement level, so he doesn't laugh or even crack a smile.
“Let's just go home before I actually murder you both,” Gotak says, still glaring. Baku looks like he wants to say something but the look in Gotak's eyes shut him up.
In the end, they all safely find their way back to each of their homes. Gotak is still a little annoyed but thinking about his planned phone call with Juntae improves his mood by a lot. He honestly can't wait to see him again.