Chapter Text
Hands in his pocket and resisting his urge to swing the grocery on his hands to look cool, Gotak walked carefree through the almost isolated street. There were few pharmaceuticals and food stores around as it was near the hospital.
Out of nowhere, he would've swore no one was behind him, he felt a tug at his sleeve.
“Ya-” Gotak spurted out like a reflex, turning at an angle quickly, his muscles tensing up.
His mouth shut up almost immediately after seeing who it was. A taller figure, the usual maroon uniform, hair and everything. Something was different. He didn't have his specs on, as usual whenever he fought.
But this wasn't the Unions number two. Or the one everyone feared to even make eye contact with.
Why?
Besides his height, he looked smaller. His shoulders drooped. His hand is still hanging onto Gotak's sleeve. And his eyes were terrifying. Not in a way that Gotak feared he'd get assaulted right here, but he had a certain innocent gleam. His lips open and close as if he's trying to form words.
It was new and yes, equally scary. Maybe it was Seongje's newest tricks but there's no way he'd show up like this.
Not to Gotak at least. Not to his favourite playmate.
“What's wrong with you, you as-”
oh.
Seongje leaned in, putting his head on the crook of his neck. Gotak was too shocked to process it, he silently waited, holding his arm to defend the punch he was expecting any time soon.
“Please don't leave me” Seongje said, his voice was sweet, almost baby-like.
“Please-”
Gotak shook him off, putting a distance. His heart was going off like an alarm. For a second Gotak wanted to hit himself across the face so he'd wake up from this sick dream, but it felt too real.
Seongje dropped down with a thud. Tearing welling up in his eyes. He raised his arm, his fist clenched over his right eye.
He cried?
Geum Seongje? Crying?
There's no way.
Gotak took a step back and laughed out loudly trying to break the tension. He genuinely didn't know what he should've done.
“This crazy fucker, Seongje you're scaring me”
He cried out, in huffs, like a little child. His voice strained, tears flowing out too realistically. He whined, breathing in short gasps, leaning forward as he sat in the middle of the road.
This guy….. Did he start taking acting classes?
Gotak laughed once again. One last time before his face totally retorted into stress and fear. It was scaring him more than he cared to admit. And like a reflex, on the tip of his tongue was Baku's name
Baku no, he's too dumb. Maybe I should call Sieun. Fuck. This is hell.
“Stop acting you fool, this is your last chance” Gotak took another step back. Seongje weakly grabbed his leg. His touch was soft and careful, too soft even.
“Don't leave me” he wailed, his usually cold playful voice had ‘magically’ turned into something broken.
Despite all the history they had, Gotak couldn't help but listen to him for this once. Just this time. Because it wasn't Geum Seongje who was there in front of him, it was barely a child.
Gotak swore under his breath, before crouching forward to take a closer look at seongje who was crying with his eyes closed. Gotak tells himself how he would've paid to see Seongje broken like this, but he was never that kind of a person. Though he had exploding fits of anger every now and then, deep inside, Gotak couldn't stand seeing anyone broken.
And now he knew it could be anyone. Even if it's his worst enemy
“What-” Gotak gulped, he pressed his lips together and sighed.
Pull it together, Gotak. Come on
“What's wrong? Are you okay?” Gotak's tone was rushed, he was panicking and it was evident.
Seongje stopped crying for a second before looking at Gotak. And for the first time ever, Gotak felt like Seongje was beautiful. He observed his plumb lips, notably pretty eyes now wet from crying. His straight nose.
“Are you okay?” Gotak asked, as softly as he could despite feeling stuff all over his body, a cold sweat breaking out, the sheer panic of seeing him this close, broken.
“I'm scared,” Seongje said softly. His voice was high pitched almost child-like
It was weird. Everything was weird.
“Let's sit somewhere, okay?” Gotak said, looking around before pulling seongje up. He held Gotak's hands tightly making him jump.
“Yes” Seongje said, wiping his own tears. Something like a smile- no, not a smirk- a smile. He looked at Gotak with relief.
“Where are we going?” Seongje asked softly.
And this gave Gotak creeps. He slanted his whole body towards the opposite side, somehow putting a distance between them.
And if anyone, from Eunjang or Ganghak had seen them like this, Gotak thought, he would be jumping off the nearby river. No, the actual Seongje would push him off. No, Baku, worst case scenario.
A few steps forward, Gotak wanted to vomit. This was too much. His hand felt weird intertwined with Seongje's. He could explode. His eyes darted everywhere, but it didn't dare to go to Seongje's face again, though it was tempting.
“Do you wanna go home?” Gotak asked carefully, as if the real Seongje was watching him. He felt threatened.
“No.”
“Where-”
“I want to go to your home” Seongje said, smiling brightly.
Gotak felt his heart drop.
And he thought this couldn't get any worse
But hey, it could.
There was no way he could've gotten rid of this guy that easily. Now he was only a few blocks away.
Gotak glanced at Seongje. He swinged his hand slightly, he stared at the streetlights with some kind of amusement, and whenever motorbikes went past him he turned all the way back to see it disappear in the tracks.
“Fucking hell” Gotak whispered. Seongje's head tipped to Gotak's direction making him gulp loudly.
“What did you say?” He asked sweetly. His eyes, looking at Gotak with great interest, huge and brown.
“It's just....nothing” Gotak smiled, trying to make it look genuine. He had forgotten how to smile usually.
Seongje stared at him intently, his eyes trailing down to his mouth and to his eyes repeatedly, he was definitely paying his full attention to Gotak, so different from the Seongje he knew.
He was in front of his house. Hopefully his mom is in the kitchen, totally engaged. He couldn't tell his mom he had brought a guy who broke his knee along with him because acting like a 2nd grader.
He opened the door with one hand, switching the grocery bag to his thumb, too afraid to let go of Seongje who- God knows how he would react. He entered slowly and motioned him with his hand to stay silent.
“Shhh” Gotak said.
Seongje let out an unexpected giggle making Gotak panic, he could feel the dryness in his throat. He slowly went to his room on the same floor. For a moment he wished he had his old room upstairs, would've given him more privacy to deal with a psychopath or whatver the fuck this was.
He let Seongje sit on the bed pressing him by his shoulders to let him down.
“Wait for me here okay?”
Seongje nodded. His eyes immediately went to the blank walls and to Gotak's shelves.
He used this distraction to shut the door. Feeling cool against his sweaty palm from holding onto him so tightly.
Seongje swung his legs, they were shut close. He supported himself by placing both of his arms closely on his sides. Once again, all of this only made him look like a child. It reminded Gotak of his sister when she was a kid.
Gotak sighed. He has always been good with kids. Early memories of his mom handing him his sister whenever she threw tantrums came back to his mind. He kinda missed her, she's far from home, left for her studies. Gotak sighed dreamily before going to the toilet. He looked at himself in the mirror.
Yeah that's right. He needs a plan. To get rid of this disaster….no, that's a harsh word.
He sighed. What he had with him was a ticking bomb. Gotak peeped back into the room again through the door. Seongje was standing picking up random things like medals and old books from his desk.
He went into his room slowly, in a predictable rhythm, not to startle Seongje. He took his phone and went back into the bathroom.
Opened his phone. He stared at his recent contacts. It has been Baku or Sieun. Baku would murder him if he breathed anywhere near Gotak. But this isn't…
“Fuck-”
CLICK
Gotak's head tipped towards his bed. He took a step forward. He could feel his chest heaving.
CLICK CLICK
It sounds like… a lighter?
Gotak opened the door quickly, making a banging sound. He had forgotten about being careful and predictable like he was with children to deal with this Geum Seongje-
SHIT.
shit.
His maroon uniform fitted him perfectly now. As it usually did. His legs spread wide as he sat on the bed, a cigarette on his left hand, a lighter on his right. He had his specs on now. He leaned forward, his entire body language changed to what was familiar before, of what demanded submission, of what reeked of danger.
Oh this was THE Geum Seongje
He looked at Gotak. His eyes widened before it narrowed, following his unmistakable careless smirk. Gotak felt like he had jumped right into his trap.
His phone dropped out of his hand. He stared at Seongje like a deer in headlights. He had locked himself in a room with Seongje. In his own house.
I am a fucking idiot.
Gotak said to himself. Half accepting that it's over. Actually over. Maybe he should tell his mom his final good bye.
“Gotak? Is this your home?” Seongje chuckled as he kept his cigarette on his lips, taking a slow drag and breathing it out tastefully.
“Fucking stinks” he remarked before standing up. Now appearing wayy taller and more dangerous than he did before.
Gotak took a step back, his hands flew to the bathroom door. He might be safe if he locked himself-
But Seongje was quicker, and he loved predicting each of Gotak's moves just to get a reaction out of him.
He grabbed the door with one hand, pushing it backwards with a smirk.
“Stop hiding” Seongje whispered. He cracked a humourless laugh, his throat bobbing, his pupils fully dilated, his eyes sharp.
Gotak's eyes flicked to his uniform once again.
Geum Seongje
And back to his face.
It was really him. And he was tricked.
Meanwhile Seongje had no memories of how he got here, all he knew was the familiar frightened face in front of him and it wasn't half bad. He had guessed it was Gotak's after seeing his favourite blue colour everywhere and taekwondo medals all over the place. And he had no idea his secret was out to a second person. Another one, after Baekjin.