Work Text:
As most things do, it starts with a message.
The thing is, Suhwan, for the most part, doesn't really get messages if they aren’t from his family or unless it’s through the league client. So when he checks his phone and sees it's from someone who very much isn't part of his immediate family, he doesn't know what to do with himself.
Lucid: heyヾ(●ω●)ノ it’s yonghyuk
Lucid: i need to talk to someone
Lucid: but no one wants to listen to me (*｀へ´*)
Suhwan stares at his phone screen mildly confused and a bit scared. It’s not like people outside his family don’t have his phone number; Jihoon, Hwangjoon, and Hyunjoon all have his number to name a few. It’s more so he doesn’t know how Lucid has his phone number.
A minute passes before he remembers how and why Lucid—or, rather, Choi Yonghyuk—has his number.
It had been sometime during the summer split, around halfway through. Geonbu had decided to go visit DK headquarters and had insisted on bringing Suhwan along. It had been something about how he had been playing too much TFT and that he needed more friends his age. Both Siwoo and Jihoon had agreed, and off Suhwan had gone to DK to spend time with someone he didn’t know the name of.
It had started off awkward, at least considering how easily Geonbu had abandoned him, but Yonghyuk had managed to break the tension easily enough. From there, they had spent the rest of the day playing TFT together, and before Suhwan had left, they had exchanged numbers. Geonbu had been proud when he heard that Suhwan and Yonghyuk had exchanged numbers, probably thinking that his idea of getting Suhwan more “friends his age” had worked out. Only, they had never actually ever used the information to talk—except for now it seems.
Peyz: Talk about what?
Lucid: about why the fuck my midlaner’s always GONE (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
—
“I’ll be back.”
Yonghyuk glances up from his phone, having successfully commandeered Heo Su’s bed to do Important Things like playing mobile games and complaining about his TFT rolls. “Where are you go—holy shit.”
“‘Holy shit,’” Heo Su snarks back in a nasal imitation of Yonghyuk’s voice. With a few smooth movements, he zips his small suitcase closed and stands up from his squatting position. He squints at Yonghyuk. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I thought you meant like, you were going to the convenience store or something. Why do you have a suitcase?” Yonghyuk’s teammates are probably flaming him for going AFK right now. It doesn’t matter. He has more important things to attend to.
“Of course the suitcase is for carrying all the things I’m about to get from the convenience store. How else am I going to transport all of the instant ramen I could ever want for the next several months?” the mid-laner says, rummaging through the contents of his backpack next to the bed.
“Oh,” is all Yonghyuk says at first. “I guess that makes sense?”
An exasperated sigh cuts through the room. “Yonghyuk, I was joking.”
“Oh.”
“Also, I’ve been packing my things the entire time you were here. How did you not notice?” he deadpans, straightening up and swinging the backpack over his shoulders. “Stop being so addicted to your phone.”
Yonghyuk tosses his phone on the bed. “I’m not addicted, I was doing something very important, I’ll have you know—”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Heo Su waves him off. “I’ve got a flight to catch. See ya.”
“Wait, wait, wait, but where are you going?” Yonghyuk calls, clumsily rolling off the bed. “Is it sponsor duties like that trip to Vietnam? Is it for membership content?”
Heo Su shrugs. “Nah, just a personal trip.”
Which, Yonghyuk normally wouldn’t pry about his mid-laner’s personal affairs, but all he can do is sputter and look at Heo Su like he’s crazy, because he is. “I mean, yeah, we have a rest day tomorrow, but we have a double scrim block the day after that?” And sure, the mid-laner for DK Challengers is probably very nice and good enough to do some scrims if Heo Su doesn’t make it back in time—but that defeats the entire purpose of scrimming. And either way, his mid-laner is Showmaker. The organization’s identity is entirely Showmaker. Yonghyuk wants to do scrims with him.
For two seconds, he tries to think of a way to communicate that to Heo Su without the risk of sounding weird or grossly sappy and only draws up blanks, so he gives up.
Heo Su finishes tugging on his shoes. “I’ll be back in time, I promise. It’s a short flight. Just consider it a day trip.”
Yonghyuk’s rare day trip consists of him going to the movies or going to the PC Bang with his friends. What a difference in lifestyle.
“Where are you headed to?” he asks. “Wait, no. I want to guess. Gangneung? Busan?”
Heo Su shifts from side to side, a blank look decorating his face. “I have to go, you know,” he reminds Yonghyuk. “One more guess.”
“You can’t be going home, because you live way too close to fly…” Yonghyuk gasps. “Are you going to Jeju? You’re totally going to Jeju, aren’t you.”
This time, Heo Su cracks a grin. “You gotta think bigger than that, Yonghyukie,” he says, dramatically opening his arms. “The world is so much bigger than Korea.”
Yonghyuk can’t help but stare at him. “What.”
Heo Su firmly unlocks their apartment door. “I didn’t stutter.” He effortlessly maneuvers his luggage out of the door, the motions seemingly practiced. “See you in two days!” The door shuts with a soft click, and the mid-laner is gone.
—
If that was the only time Heo Su had made an impromptu trip, Yonghyuk would have totally let it slide. He lets a lot of things slide when it comes to the mid-laner, especially with all the weird and cringy things he likes to do—or at least agrees to do—but a trip every other week is absurd.
At least he gets back in time to play scrims and keeps up with his solo-queue and streaming obligations. Yonghyuk’s not sure if he’d be able to handle seeing Bengi’s disappointed face if Heo Su didn’t.
One day, when he’s emerging from the kitchen with his 3 AM snack, Heo Su’s quietly rolling his suitcase out. In truth, the mid-laner doesn’t need to sneak around: all of them are awake anyway, since they had just gotten back from their solo-queue duties, but it’s probably the principle of the matter that makes him try to be as quiet as possible. Or something like that, anyway.
“You.” Yonghyuk points. “What are you doing.”
“It’s rude to point, you know,” Heo Su says. He’s right, so Yonghyuk changes from pointing his finger to pointing his spoon at the mid-laner. “And I’m taking a trip, of course. I’ll see you in—”
“You’re always taking a trip,” Yonghyuk complains. “This has to be what, the fourth time? Why don’t you stay here with us?”
Heo Su sighs. “You can take over my bed when I’m not here too, you know,” he reminds Yonghyuk, as if that’s the reason why the jungler’s annoyed and possibly even upset. He’s partially right, which is even more irritating. “Honestly, isn’t it more convenient this way? You don’t have to deal with me nagging you to get out of my room when I need to sleep.”
“But that’s what makes it fun,” Yonghyuk says before his brain can catch up with his mouth. “If I wanted a bed, I’d just lay down in mine. Yours is more fun because I have to fight for it.”
“You are so weird,” Heo Su complains.
“So are you,” Yonghyuk fires back, “Mr. ‘I-Take-An-International-Trip-Every-Two-Weeks.’ Where are you even going this time?”
The first time, Heo Su had gone to China. The second time, Heo Su had gone to China. The third time, he’d spouted something about terrible, foreign solo-queue and inting teammates, and that was all Yonghyuk had gotten out of him. That trip was longer, a couple of days rather than just one for Lunar New Year. Since they don’t have a holiday, he’s willing to also bet China this time, but…
“I’m going to China,” Heo Su says, like he hasn’t gone to China at least twice in the past two months now.
Yonghyuk brings it up. “You’ve already gone there twice in such a short span of time,” he points out. “Are you trying to visit each city one-by-one or something? Surely the airfare price adds up.”
“I’m visiting a relative this time.” Heo Su picks up the falling handle of his suitcase. “His name’s—” Yonghyuk’s not sure what he says next. Ruichan? Raychen? Ruaytzan? Whoever it is, their name definitely sounds more Chinese than Korean.
“I didn’t know you had Chinese relatives,” Yonghyuk says. Heo Su snorts—for what reason, he can’t tell. “That’s pretty cool. Do they follow the LPL?”
Heo Su bites his lip. “Yeah, they might,” he says, a warble in his voice as he fights to keep himself from laughing. “I should ask.”
—
Lucid: and he keeps on telling me all these crazy reasons
Lucid: like did you know he has chinese relatives??????
Lucid: i searched up the guy’s name too
Lucid: pretty cool that his like. cousin or whatever is such a famous violinist i guess
Lucid: cant believe hes hanging out with his cool relatives. he should be hanging out with ME, his awesome jungler. smh (ꐦ¬_¬)
Peyz: Uh. That really sucks for you…?
Lucid: yea it does. who else am i gonna bother. geonhee?? ew. siwoo?????? it’s like kicking a puppy. absolutely not
Lucid: hence why im bothering you ૮ • ﻌ - ა
Peyz: Okay
—
A few days pass before Suhwan really pays attention to what he and Yonghyuk have talked about.
It isn’t like Suhwan pays much attention to his own mid-laner’s comings and goings though, mainly because he had figured what he and Yonghyuk had discussed only applied to Yonghyuk’s mid-laner—ShowMaker. However, this is the third time in less than two weeks that Yechan has decided to fly to… somewhere. And they have a match soon. In less than two days soon. As the saying goes, once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern—and this time, Suhwan is paying attention.
“Hyung?” he asks, peeking over the couch as Yechan makes his way down the hallway with a suitcase in tow. “Where are you going?”
Yechan spares Suhwan a glance before he clicks the down button for the elevator. “Back to Korea.”
Suhwan blinks. In hindsight, it both does and doesn’t make sense why Yechan would be leaving so often. It makes sense because, well, homesickness. The first time Yechan had told them he was leaving, they had all assumed it was homesickness and Yechan had only shrugged in reply. It doesn’t make sense because of just how often Yechan seems to be leaving—and why he keeps bringing a suitcase with him. It’s quite inconvenient all things considered and no less because they have a match in two days. “Why?”
This time, Yechan offers him a barely-there grin. “To put Yuumi in my will.”
Suhwan is confused— very confused at that. “But Yuumi is my cat?” He doesn’t mean for it to sound like a question but it comes out like one anyways. Why would Yechan want to put Suhwan’s cat in his will anyways?
Something in Yechan’s eyes soften while his grin sharpens. “Well Suhwanie, I like to think of Yuumi as family too.”
The elevator doors ding open before Suhwan has a chance to even formulate a reply, and he can only watch, still highly confused, as Yechan disappears behind the closing, silver doors. And well, there’s really only one person Suhwan can even begin to talk to about… whatever is happening.
—
Peyz: Yonghyuk?
Lucid: !!!
Lucid: hi suhwan! (✿◠‿◠)
Lucid: what’s up?
Peyz: I think I have the same problem as you
Lucid: [O.o]
Peyz: Yechannie-hyung keeps going back to Korea for some reason
Peyz: At first I assumed it was because he was homesick or something
Peyz: but then he told me it was write in his will(???) for some reason(???)
Peyz: And just now he went back to Korea to put *my cat* in his will(???)
Peyz: this is the third time he's left in less than two weeks btw
Lucid: wtf. it’s spreading.
Lucid: you have a korean coach right. tell him to watch out LMFAOOOO
Peyz: ദ്ദി(ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ )
Lucid: BROOOOOOO OMG
—
Absolutely nothing is happening, and so, Suhwan is also doing absolutely nothing. Well, unless scrolling on his phone counts as doing something, except he doesn’t think his teammates would say so. He breathes out, letting his phone fall onto his chest with an oomph as he stares at the ceiling. He doesn’t really know what he wants to do right now.
Maybe grind more solo-queue? That’s always an option, and maybe he could practice more Yunara combos or something. Only, he had already grinded a good amount of LP already, and he’s getting kind of bored of playing Yunara almost every game. Maybe he could play Draven this time? Or even play on the Korean server instead?
He sighs dramatically, rolling onto his side even as his phone pathetically falls to the ground. Suhwan makes absolutely no moves to pick it up.
Outside his room, he can hear movement and voices, probably just his teammates saying hi to each other as they pass by in the hallway. Only, the sounds don't go away and the roll of suitcase wheels becomes apparent, and so, Suhwan’s curiosity is piqued. What reason does his Yechannie-hyung have to leave now?
This time, Suhwan gets out of bed and picks up his phone, making his way to the hallway. The door creaks out as he peers outside, only to find Yechan and Yunfeng talking. Thank God it wasn’t their top-laner.
“Yechannie-hyung?” he asks, and immediately both his teammates turn to him. “Why are you leaving this time?”
Yunfeng raises an eyebrow at Yechan, which isn’t the weirdest thing, but then he gestures at Suhwan, almost as if to say, “Well?” Now that also isn't the weirdest thing until Yechan says something in Mandarin Suhwan doesn't entirely understand and then Yunfeng goes to smack himself in the face. Suhwan didn't even know his support could do that.
“It's nothing, Suhwan,” Yunfeng says gently when it becomes entirely apparent that Yechan won't address Suhwan directly. “He’ll just be occupied for a few days, that’s all.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
Now, Suhwan may be young, but he isn’t dumb or all that innocent. He's nineteen! It's just he didn't expect Yechan of all people to get laid. Apparently miracles do exist, though maybe sometimes for the wrong people.
“Okay,” Suhwan says slowly, gaze darting between Yechan and Yunfeng. “Stay safe then, Yechannie-hyung…?”
Yecham breaks into a grin this time, sharp and teasing around the edges. “I will, Suhwannie,” he all but sings, patting Suhwan on the shoulder as he walks past, and in the background, Yunfeng rolls his eyes.
When Yechan vanishes for yet another time behind the elevator’s sliding doors, Suhwan immediately turns to Yunfeng, struggling to find his words. “Is Yechan-gege really…?”
Yunfeng shrugs, the action almost helpless. “Maybe,” is all he says, though he pauses. “I wonder if you would be able to find a boyfriend.”
Suhwan freezes. “Gege, what?”
—
Suhwan: I think he’s seeing someone back in Korea
Yonghyuk: [O.o]
Yonghyuk: HE HAS A BOOTY CALL???
Suhwan: uh
Suhwan: idk but missing seemed to think so
Suhwan: and think about it
Suhwan: he keeps going back and forth
Yonghyuk: wait does this mean *showmaker* has a booty call????? Σ(OДO ᵕ)
Yonghyuk: bc he’s been doing the same thing too
Yonghyuk: we have to start keeping tabs on this. there’s no way
—
Yonghyuk: HA
Yonghyuk: hyung cant go on his trip to china this week
Yonghyuk: bc we meet cvmax tomorrow o(｀ω´*)o
Suhwan: oh!
Suhwan: I forgot he was coaching your team this split
Yonghyuk: even after i told you multiple times *and* the official announcement??
Yonghyuk: suhwannie im hurt ╥﹏╥
Yonghyuk: but anyways thats beside the point
Suhwan: ???
Yonghyuk: whats really important is that hyung cant go to his booty call now
Yonghyuk: so i can go BOTHER HIM AND STEAL HIS BED ψ(｀∇´)ψ
Suhwan: whats so great abt his bed anyways?
Yonghyuk: you just dont get it bro
Yonghyuk: 1. it isnt mine 2. it inconveniences him and 3. it's not mine
Suhwan: ?
Suhwan: aren’t 1 and 3 the same thing?
Yonghyuk: EXACTLY •̀⩊•́
—
Look, Yonghyuk was expecting to see many things when he walked into their practice room. Probably Heo Su warming up with a game of solo-queue, or Siwoo using the practice tool to try and scope out flank points. Maybe he was expecting to even see Geonhee playing his gacha game or cvMax deciding he wanted to literally terrorize one of their players.
But what he didn’t expect to see was Suhwan’s mid-laner.
“You’re supposed to be in China,” is the first thing that comes out of Yonghyuk’s mouth, because he’s a stupid 20-year old with no filter. “Uh, no offense, Scout-seonsu,” he hurriedly adds before Scout has the chance to turn around and respond.
Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to care about Yonghyuk’s unorthodox greeting, turning around with a casual smile on his face. “Oh, hi. You’re…” he squints a little, jutting his head slightly forward, “…Lucid, right?”
Yonghyuk is struck momentarily by two things: one, that Scout’s hair is leagues better than the disaster it was at Worlds last year, and two, that he’s blind as fuck, especially considering how thick his lenses are. “Um, uh, yeah,” he awkwardly responds. “That’s me.”
“Huh. Well, nice to meet you,” Scout continues, reaching forward to shake his hand. Yonghyuk’s arm limply flops along. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Well, what the fuck is that supposed to mean? “Thanks?” Yonghyuk says, if only because he’s not sure what else to say. It’s at this moment that he realizes that he accidentally interrupted Scout’s previous conversation: cvMax’s still patiently waiting for Scout to finish talking with Yonghyuk so that they can continue. Yonghyuk scratches his head. “Oh, I didn’t realize you two were talking, sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Scout says. “Just wanted to catch up with my old coach, you know?”
“Oh, you went back to Korea to talk to him?” Which is weird, and kind of reminds Yonghyuk of his own situation with Heo Su randomly disappearing off to China. At this point, the LPL has to be trying to poach him or something, there’s just no other explanation.
“Among other things,” Scout says, his smile turning slightly mischievous. “You know.”
Actually, Yonghyuk doesn’t know, but sure, whatever —
— but wait, no. Scout, going to Korea to talk to cvMax… and doing other things…? Oh no. Oh no, no no.
—
Yonghyuk: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yonghyuk: SCOUT IS HERE IN KOREA
Yonghyuk: I REPEAT
Yonghyuk: SCOUT IS HERE IN KOREA
Suhwan: Yeah I know
Suhwan: he told us before he left
Suhwan: wait…
Suhwan: but how do *you* know
Yonghyuk: BECAUSE HES TALKING TO MY COACH. HES IN OUR PRACTICE ROOM
Yonghyuk: and by my coach i mean CVMAX
Yonghyuk: i asked “oh you went back to korea to talk to cvmax?” and he was like “heh. among other things”
Yonghyuk: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
Yonghyuk: and with your support’s theory that scout’s going to see his booty call…
Yonghyuk: SURELY HE ISNT, RIGHT? RIGHT?????
Suhwan: …….
Suhwan: wait but that would be impossible, cvMax was in China before
Yonghyuk: OH you’re right thank god
Yonghyuk: but then that begs the question, who *is*scout meeting with??
—
Yechan leans against a tree, periodically looking up from his phone as he continues waiting. His fingers dance across the keyboard, and it isn’t until he receives a return text that he slips his phone into his pocket.
“How long have you been waiting?”
A grin crosses his face as Yechan lets more of his weight rest on the tree. “Long enough,” he says, and he can’t help but laugh when Heo Su gives him a look. He pushes off the trunk, leaning down to steal a kiss from Heo Su’s lips, and grins again when Heo Su grumbles but leans into the kiss anyways. “But as long as I get to see you, it’s more than okay.”
Heo Su rolls his eyes when they part, but his gaze softens as Yechan sneaks a kiss onto his cheek. “You need to work on your flirting,” is all he says before he begins to walk away, and Yechan has to hurry to catch up to him. Even if Heo Su is much shorter than him, he walks fast.
When he does catch up to Heo Su, Yechan bumps their shoulders together. “What, are you not happy to see me?”
Heo Su rolls his eyes again and returns the favor. “You know Yonghyuk saw you talking to cvMax, right?” he says in lieu of an actual answer, but Yechan had expected as much.
They still haven’t defined… whatever they are, but as it stands, Yechan finds himself content enough with their relationship. It just kind of sucks when Heo Su mentions his junglers so easily.
“What does it matter that Yonghyuk saw me?” he asks, tilting his head back to enjoy the sun on his face. They aren’t walking anywhere important, and Yechan doesn’t go out much anyways. Might as well enjoy it while he can.
He can feel Heo Su’s stare even if he can’t see it. “He’s friends with Suhwan, isn’t he?”
So that’s what Heo Su’s worried about. “He is,” Yechan says easily, “but I don’t think they’ll be able to figure anything out. Besides, they’re League players. They’re not exactly the brightest.”
Heo Su stares. “You’re also a League player, you know,” he says slowly. “We’re both League players.”
Yechan shrugs. “Like I said, not exactly the brightest. And that includes me.”
Heo Su jabs him in the side.
Yechan squawks, desperately trying to defend himself from the onslaught. “Hey, I’m right!”
Heo Su stops, only to stare at him before going back to trying to stab him. “You don't have to admit it!”
“But what else am I supposed to say!? Neither of us finished high school!”
“This is impossible.” Heo Su throws his hands up. “This entire conversation is so stupid.”
Yechan shrugs again, though he eyes Heo Su warily just in case. He would very much not like to get jabbed again. “Surely it’s not the stupidest thing I’ve said, right?”
Strangers are staring at them now as they pass by, but neither of them seem to care. They’ve done weirder things on the street (which is not as bad as it sounds) and this is by far not the weirdest.
“And why is that a question?”
Yechan raises his eyebrow. “Because Tian Ye has a list of every single stupid thing I’ve said. Have you been spending time with him recently?”
Heo Su groans, spinning on his heel to continue walking. “You’re being stupid again,” he declares dramatically—only to then stop so suddenly that Yechan almost crashes into him. He whirls to face Yechan. “And how exactly do you think I’d be able to talk to Meiko of all people?”
And yeah, fair point. Tian Ye does know basic Korean—a whole suite of swear words included, of course—but not enough to have a substantial conversation with a Korean player that isn’t Deft. Sue him, Yechan would much rather Heo Su not have a conversation with Tian Ye, but at this point, he’s committed to the conversation. “I don’t know, I guess you’d use a translator?”
For the third time in less than seven minutes, Heo Su rolls his eyes again, and then he’s walking off once more. “And who would translate for us?” he asks, “Dohyeon?” and Yechan has to hold up his hands in surrender, because yeah, that’s also a fair point—and yeah, Yechan doesn’t want Heo Su to be having conversations with Dohyeon about him either.
“Please tell me you aren’t having conversations with Tian Ye through Dohyeon,” he says instead.
The face Heo Su makes is a perfect blend of confusion, incredulity, disbelief, and why do I choose to spend time with you? “You’re not jealous, are you?”
This time, Yechan is the one who throws his hands up. “And you wouldn’t be?”
Heo Su stares at him for a second, for two, a few more—only to begin laughing so hard he nearly doubles over. “Ah, Yechan-hyung,” he says, when he’s finally calmed down, eyes sparkling with more than just mirth, “you really are being stupid again.”
Yechan has to look away as a vibrant flush spreads across his cheeks. He huffs, trying to cool the slight burn beneath his skin. “No I’m not,” he says weakly, but it’s not really a defense—just him giving in to whatever Heo Su wants.
Another laugh rings out again, and this time, Heo Su rolls his eyes affectionately. “Come on, hyung,” he says, grabbing onto Yechan’s hand and beginning to pull him down the street, “there’s a new restaurant that I want to show you.”
—
Yonghyuk’s still waiting for his solo-queue to pop, idly spinning around in his chair in the meantime, when someone softly knocks on the door to the team practice room.
From his hunched position next to Siwoo’s chair, Bengi straightens up and glances toward the door. “Yes?” he calls out. Scout’s head peeks past the doorway.
“Hey, hyung,” he says, his waving hand peeking out as well. “Just wanted to say bye since I’m leaving.”
Bengi smiles. “Okay,” he says, readjusting his glasses. “Stay safe. Good luck in the summer split, Yechan-ah.”
Scout’s eyes crinkle slightly as he smiles. “You too,” he says. “I hope I get to play against Heo Su again in the future.”
At the mention of his name, Heo Su glances away from his solo-queue game on Taliyah and nods at the other mid-laner, his mouth twitching as he returns to his game.
Scout’s grin grows a little bit wider, like there’s some joke that only he understands. “See ya, then,” he says, giving one final wave before he disappears—
—and his head pops into view again. “Oh, by the way, Lucid, tell Suhwan I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I haven’t had time to respond to his texts.”
Yonghyuk barely has time to point at himself in confusion—as if anyone else in the room had a name even remotely close to his own—before Scout slips away for good. “Me?” he asks, slightly in disbelief.
“Yes, you,” Scout says with amusement. “Anyway, see ya, Seongwoong-hyung. See ya, Heo Su.”
“Bye,” Heo Su says, his words cut off by the click of the door closing. Yonghyuk’s jaw drops as he turns to the mid-laner at his side, but Heo Su’s still intently focusing on the game.
—
Yonghyuk: bro wtf. i didnt know scout and hyung knew each other ??? and more importantly, how does he know who i am???
Suhwan: I talk to him about my friends a few times and this happens…
—
Suhwan isn’t doing much when Yechan comes back. It’s been a couple days since the cvMax incident, but Yechan hadn’t come home right after that. Instead, he had stayed behind in Korea a little longer before returning. During that time, Suhwan and Yonghyuk had been calling every chance they had gotten, talking, sometimes, in frantic, hushed whispers about what Yechannie-hyung was doing at DK headquarters.
Suhwan sits up on the couch as Yechan enters the room, placing his phone face-down in his lap. “Did you have a good trip, hyung?” he greets, and something mischievous in his hyung’s eyes sends a shiver down his spine.
“Hi, Suhwannie,” Yechan says back, and instead of heading directly to his room as he typically did, he makes a beeline straight for his ADC. “Have you been doing anything interesting while I was gone?”
Aside from texting Yonghyuk about what their mid-laners were up to, there wasn’t much, if anything at all, except the usual rotation of Arena, TFT, scrims, and the eternal solo-queue grind. Suhwan chooses not to mention his texts, instead responding with a noncommittal “Not really.”
Something downright terrifying lines Yechan’s smile as he leans over to ruffle Suhwan's hair. “Well Suhwannie, you still have a chance.”
And with that, he leaves the room, the squeak of his suitcase wheels echoing behind him.
Suhwan can only stare, stunned, as Yechan disappears down the hallway. “A chance for what?” he asks, mostly to himself. The empty hallway offers no answers, so Suhwan turns to the next best thing.
Suhwan: I need help.
It isn’t a greeting, but they have started conversations with less.
Yonghyuk: ???
Yonghyuk: who’s bothering you. I will end them. ╰(⇀︿⇀)つ-]═───
Suhwan: no one is
Suhwan: yechan-hyung’s just being weird again i think
Yonghyuk: so… do i go beat him up??
Suhwan: no
Suhwan: but he did say something that i didn’t understand
Suhwan: he said “you still have a chance”?
Suhwan: which i don’t get. a chance at what? going to dk headquarters? why would i ever want to go there?
Yonghyuk: yeah why would you lmfao
Yonghyuk: suhwan our hyungs are weirdos… (*￣m￣)
—
“Get up loser, we’re going to China.”
Yonghyuk barely has a chance to roll over before Heo Su’s mousepad smacks him in the head. “What the heck,” he whines, limply tossing the foam on the floor. “I just wanted to sleep in your bed.”
“No freeloaders,” Heo Su continues, dragging the blankets off of his jungler. “If you really don’t want to go, then get out of my room.”
“I don’t want to go to China,” Yonghyuk complains. “I still have like, three years of my career before I reach that point.” He blinks, suspicious. “Why are you even inviting me in the first place? What are you planning to do to me? I thought the LPL already had a ton of junglers?”
“Yeah, BLG called us yesterday and they said they wanted you,” Heo Su deadpans. “No, of course I’m not selling you to an LPL team, oh my god, Yonghyuk. You’ve been curious about where I’ve been going on my trips, right? Now’s your chance to find out.”
“Wait, really?” Yonghyuk asks, scrambling to sit up on the bed. “I can actually go with you? You promise you’re gonna show me for real?”
Heo Su nods. “Yes, for real.”
“This isn’t some ploy to kidnap me and sell me to the LPL?”
“Nope.”
“You’re going to show me what you actually do on these trips, right?”
Heo Su squints. “Did I do something do deserve this interrogation? I promise I’m not going to do anything other than my normal trips, Yonghyuk. I swear on my TF skin.”
Yonghyuk may be stupid, but even he can recognize the weight of Heo Su’s sincerity. “Okay,” he says slowly, “I’ll believe you for now.”
Heo Su throws his hands up. “See, was that really so hard?” he asks, exasperated. “Don’t answer that, by the way,” he says, pointing at Yonghyuk. “That was rhetorical.”
Yonghyuk slowly swallows the words he was going to say. “Okay.”
“Start packing, our flight is in five hours.”
“Okay.” Yonghyuk makes no move to actually leave Heo Su’s bed. “How long are we gonna be there, again?”
“Just two days. Now move, or I’m going to toss my suitcase at you, too.”
—
Now, Yonghyuk’s not a genius by any means, but he can still put two and two together from time to time.
This, unfortunately, is not one of those times.
Heo Su navigates the airport and the taxi with the ease of someone who’s done it a million times, showing the taxi driver the address in Chinese and expertly paying the yuan without asking once for him to repeat himself.
“So where are we going?” Yonghyuk asks when Heo Su settles back into the seat.
“You’ll see,” is all that Heo Su says, the mid-laner preoccupied with storing the rest of the bills he hadn’t used. He looks completely at ease, slouching in the seat as soon as the driver takes off. “We have some time, so try to get some rest if you can.”
Unlike Heo Su, Yonghyuk has never been in China, so he’s much more tense for the rest of the ride, so much so that his legs shake a little when he steps out of the car over half an hour later.
Heo Su’s already pulling their luggage out of the trunk and tipping the driver an extra bill. “You alright, Yonghyuk?” he asks, glancing at the jungler.
Yonghyuk weakly nods. “Yeah, I think so. So why are we here?”
Heo Su blinks. “Oh, you’ve never been here, have you?” he says, realization dawning on his face. “No wonder you’re confused.”
“Well yeah,” Yonghyuk says, looking around at the buildings, including the one they’re standing in front of. It’s vibrantly red with black tones, and there’s a sign outside in Chinese script, but Yonghyuk has no idea where they are. As he peers into the window, trying to make out the interior of the building, he sees a slightly familiar-looking design. “Wait. Hyung.”
“‘Wait, Hyung,’” Heo Su repeats, adopting a nasal tone in imitation of Yonghyuk’s voice. “So you’ve realized?”
“We’re at the JDG building, aren’t we?” Yonghyuk gasps, pointing at the logo. “You’ve been going to China to go to JDG? Why?”
Heo Su grins. “What do you think?”
The problem is, Yonghyuk doesn’t think. Then again, no one on the team thinks.
“I don’t know?” is all he says. “And I still don’t know why I’m here?”
Heo Su laughs. “Think about it,” he says, nudging Yonghyuk. “What do you know about JDG?”
Only a few seconds pass before something interrupts Yonghyuk’s train—more like trolley crash—of thoughts. “Hey, Heo Su-yah,” a strangely familiar voice says, in Korean of all languages. Yonghyuk turns around to see none other than Lee “Scout” Yechan striding towards them. “I’m glad you got here safely, jagiya.”
Yonghyuk can feel his jaw drop. “Oh my god,” he says, lifting a shaking finger. “Oh my god.”
“Yonghyuk—” Heo Su starts to say, his eyes darting between Yechan’s grinning face and Yonghyuk’s shocked expression. Scout places a hand on his arm as if to say no, no, let him say it.
“THIS ENTIRE TIME, YOU’VE BEEN GOING TO CHINA FOR SCOUT???” Yonghyuk screeches. A few people on the street turn to look at them for a few seconds, but otherwise go about their day. “IS THAT WHY BOTH OF YOU HAVE BEEN FLYING BACK AND FORTH ALL THE FUCKING TIME?”
“Yonghyuk?”
A new voice emanates from behind the jungler, soft and familiar. Yonghyuk turns to see an equally shocked Suhwan, his eyes wide as he clutches his backpack with his peripherals. Rather deliriously, Yonghyuk realizes the ADC’s probably heading to begin working for the day.
“You’re here?” Suhwan continues, taking another step forward. “In China?”
Yonghyuk swallows, suddenly aware of how dry his throat feels. “Yeah,” he croaks. “Heo Su said he was going to take me to where he’s been going on his trips. And we ended up here, I guess.”
Only then does Suhwan look past Yonghyuk, his gaze sliding to Yechan, then Heo Su, and his shocked expression becomes even more so. He blinks. “…You’ve been seeing each other,” he realizes. “So Yunfeng was right.”
Yechan turns to his ADC, amused. “You should listen to Yunfeng more often.”
Suhwan stares at Yechan. “I do! But,” he hesitates, “I didn't think he would be right this time.”
“Yunfeng is wise beyond his years,” Yechan intones. “Never doubt your support, Suhwannie.” He brightens and turns to Heo Su. “Which, now that you’re here, Suhwan, Heo Su-yah and I can go on our date! You can show Lucid around.”
Heo Su worriedly glances at Yonghyuk. “I shouldn’t just leave him here,” he says, clearly conflicted. “It’s his first time in China.”
Yechan waves him off. “It’ll be fine,” he says. “He’s with Suhwan, after all. They can just play Arena or something until we get back.”
“…I guess you’re right,” Heo Su eventually agrees. “Are you okay with that, Yonghyuk?” In reality, Yonghyuk really doesn’t have a choice.
“Yeah, I guess I am?” he says, pointedly avoiding eye contact with Heo Su. “Uh. Have fun on your date, I guess?”
“See, they’re fine. Bye, you two!” Yechan cheerily says, waving at the both of them as they walk into the distance, Yechan expertly maneuvering Heo Su’s luggage on the uneven pavement. It’s not long until the two mid-laners disappear into the hustle and bustle of the city, leaving Suhwan and Yonghyuk by themselves.
Suhwan scratches his head. “So… what do you want to do now? I just came back from the teamhouse, but I wouldn't mind showing you around.” He glances at Yonghyuk's suitcase. “I think we should probably take care of that first, though.”
Yonghyuk follows his gaze, glancing down at his luggage as well. “Yeah, probably. I mean, I don’t really know,” he sighs. “Heo Su-hyung kinda bullied me into going here. China’s probably super cool but I think I need to process what I just learned about him and Scout and all that.”
Suhwan nods. “TFT?” he offers. “I find it helps when I need to think.”
“Sure.” Yonghyuk pauses. “Can I play on your bed while I'm at it?”
Suhwan blinks. “If you want,” he says, and well, that's that.
—
epilogue:
“Did you hit?” Suhwan asks, spinning lazily in his chair as he rolls down.
“NO,” Yonghyuk groans, throwing his hands up in defeat. He rolls onto his side. “My life is over. I only have two-star units, I can’t find any more of them, and I’m about to go eighth,” he stresses.
Suhwan shrugs, blue light flickering across his face. “I just hit three-star Gwen,” he says, “I'm sorry for your loss.”
“Fuck.” Yonghyuk groans even louder as he watches his next opponent’s comp load onto his board. “This guy’s got three-star Gwen too. I’m so behind.”
Suhwan smiles. “That's me.” In a few seconds, he manages to wipe all of Yonghyuk’s units. “Omu-riceu!”
“Omu-riceu,” Yonghyuk weakly repeats. They stare at each other for a moment, then break down into loud laughter.