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Park Humin wasn't stupid.
Sure, he wasn't the smartest one in the group—that title belonged to Sieun—but he definitely wasn't stupid. Especially when it came to Gotak. They had a long friendship, years of teamwork, so he knew all his buddy's traits, all his tastes and all his habits. They even knew each other's underwear sizes.
And he definitely knew that the way he acted with Juntae wasn't normal for him.
Hyeontak was the rough type. That was nothing new. That was why he was known as his right-hand man, as “Pittbull”, the one who could take on responsibilities when he couldn't and everyone knew about his fighting skills. But it was obvious that all that brutality seemed to fade away whenever Juntae came into the picture.
Juntae was cute, that was obvious. He was small, his round glasses made his eyes look huge,and he was always calm and kind to everyone around him. Even Baku sometimes couldn't help but throw a few cute attacks at the boy. But the thing is, he had noticed that Gotak was a little more biased towards the smaller one.
With him, it was always arms around the shoulder, cute giggles, smiles with closed eyes, squeezes on the cheeks. Very different from how he was with him — he still had some bruises from the last time he tried to hug him. So, in his view, that could only mean one thing.
His friend was in love. Strong, deep, and foolishly so. And of course, as his best friend, he would have to help him win the heart of the one who made Gotak's heart of ice melt.
He waited for his friends to say goodbye and watched as Gotak took a bit longer with Juntae, who told him he didn't need any company home, since it was still light out, and how the taller boy replied that even though it was still light out, it was dangerous. They stayed in that bubble for a few minutes, until the player gave up and let the boy with glasses leave.
Baku smiled slightly before approaching his friend with a funny face.
“What do you want?” Gotak asked as soon as he faced him, watching Juntae leave his field of vision. “You know the way he takes home is dangerous, right?”
“Oh, Gogo, my friend!” Baku placed each hand on his friend's shoulders, watching Gotak frown. “You really don't understand anything about life.”
“What?” Gotak stared at him in confusion, wondering if maybe the hit Baku took during training had started to affect his brain.
“Don't worry about our Junjun!” He replied as if it were obvious. “I, as your best friend, will help you.”
Gotak blinked a few times, as if he didn't understand.
“Help? Did you hit your head?”
“You don't have to tell me. I already know everything.” Baku replied. “I have some ideas.”
“Ideas? What are you talking about?” Gotak replied.
Baku interrupted him, now putting his arms around his shoulders and walking with Gotak.
“I'll help you, Gogo, leave it to me.”
1.
The first plan was easy and simple. He had watched a few movies and noticed a pattern in most romantic comedies: an accident. Not a serious one, just something small, like Juntae tripping and Gotak catching him.
It wouldn't be difficult, since Gotak was completely focused on Juntae, and that was the main point of the plan.
Now, the only thing he had to do was try to knock Juntae down. It wasn't the best idea and he felt bad about causing any kind of injury to the boy, but he knew Gotak wouldn't let him fall for real. And he wouldn't actually hurt the boy, he wasn't a monster.
With that in mind, he created the perfect situation. None of his friends had class during the same period, so he called them — insisted, until they all said yes — to play a game. Nothing out of the ordinary, since it was something they did routinely.
The problem was convincing Juntae and Sieun to join them. The two boys usually sat in the stands, watching while he and Gotak played. Juntae would occasionally take a chance, but after the last game where he ended up tearing his uniform, he gave up.
But today, Baku was going to make them play.
He and Gotak caught up with the other boys as they were leaving their classroom. Baku had a suspicious smile on his face, which made Sieun stare at him strangely. Neither Gotak nor Juntae seemed to notice this, because the moment they met, Gotak practically kidnapped Juntae, putting his arms around the boy's shoulders. Baku's smile grew even wider.
“You're acting strange." he heard Sieun say. “More than usual.”
Baku grimaced at his friend. Sieun's words attracted the attention of the other boys. Juntae stared at him curiously, and Gotak maintained a calm expression, unlike the grumpy look he always carried.
“He's always weird, Sieun.” Gotak replied with a sarcastic smile, which quickly faded when Juntae nudged him.
“Okay, okay.” Baku waved his arms. “It's Baku's moment of humiliation, haha, funny.”
Gotak rolled his eyes, pulling Juntae with him, who just let himself be led away. Baku tried to throw his arms around Sieun, but he was quick to dodge and follow his other friends, leaving the tallest one behind. Baku chuckled, following his friends out of school.
The walk to the court was uneventful, and when they reached the bleachers, the four boys threw their backpacks on them, and Baku and Gotak automatically took off their jackets. He saw Juntae's eyes follow Gotak's movements, watching as the bespectacled boy's cheeks turned red, and he smiled. His plan was foolproof.
He stretched a little before turning to his friends.
“Okay, guys. Ready?” Baku said, giving Juntae a little nudge.
The teams were divided as usual, with him and Sieun against Gotak and Juntae. He saw the other two boys walk away and sneaked up to Sieun.
“I need you to stay on Gotak. Leave Juntae to me.”
“Why?” Sieun gave him a strange look. He was doing that a lot today.
“I'll explain later, grasshopper.”
He didn't seem to buy the idea, but he didn't argue either. Baku smiled discreetly, shouting that the game was about to start.
After about 30 minutes, Baku realized that both Sieun and Juntae were tired and it was time to put the plan into action. He stole the ball from Gotak, dribbling past him, and that's when he looked in Juntae's direction. The difference in their sizes was obvious and Baku knew that kicking the ball a little harder in his direction would cause a spectacular fall, but it was for the greater good. Just a little more and he would have a scene worthy of a movie, with Gotak stopping Juntae from falling to the ground and the two looking at each other passionately.
He made a few more moves, feeling Gotak on his tail. He looked back at Juntae and, when he saw that he was distracted enough, threw the ball with all his might.
What he didn't count on was that, at that very moment, Sieun decided to join the game and got in the way. He saw when the shorter one pushed Juntae out of the way with a little force and stopped right where the boy was. Baku closed his eyes when he heard Juntae scream.
“Sieun!”
When he dared to open them, he saw that Gotak and Juntae were surrounding Sieun, who was on the ground with a bloody nose, staring at him furiously.
Maybe, his first plan hadn't worked out so well after all.
2.
Baku was sitting at the back of the theater, watching Gotak and Juntae's heads a few seats ahead. The movie hadn't started yet, but the theater was already dark, so they definitely wouldn't be able to see it.
Maybe following his two friends to the movies was a bit too much, but Baku couldn't pass up the opportunity. He had planned the whole situation: he mentioned the movie, got Juntae to invite everyone to watch it and made sure that, in the end, only the two of them came.
Well, the two of them and him. He was only there to make sure everything went smoothly.
Taking some popcorn and putting it in his mouth, he saw Gotak saying something to Juntae, who laughed. Their shoulders were close, or as close as the height difference would allow, so they were always bumping into each other when one of them moved. Baku found it all very cute and comical.
The movie they were watching was about time travel, and Baku was no critic, but most movies on this theme failed to live up to their name. Or maybe he was just a nerd about it.
Returning to his plan, there was nothing special about observing his friends, since they themselves weren't doing anything different. There had been no hugs, no kisses on the cheek, not even popcorn in each other's mouths. Baku muttered.
While paying attention to his friends, he noticed that someone had arrived and sat right in front of him, blocking his entire good view. He tried to move a little, but apparently, every time he moved, the guy also moved to the same side. Seriously?
The worst part was that he couldn't even poke the guy or call out to him, because he knew his friends would recognize his voice as soon as he spoke. He sank into his seat, trying to keep up with his friends and the movie, but the guy in front of him laughed uncontrollably as if the movie were very funny.
Stuck in his seat, eating popcorn and watching the screen, his attention was drawn when he saw Juntae lean slightly toward Gotak. The room was a little cold, and apparently, the boy hadn't brought a sweater.
Standing up a little, he managed to see the moment his friend turned toward Juntae and whispered something in his ear, receiving a nod in response. Looking closely, they were very close, staring at each other. Baku celebrated quietly. It was the perfect moment for Gotak to act.
But before he could see what happened next, the guy in front of him got in the way, blocking his view. He tried to see what was going on, but when they returned to their seats, Juntae was sitting normally, wearing Gotak's sweatshirt. Annoyed, Baku ended up throwing popcorn at the guy, apologizing quietly afterwards.
After what felt like the longest hours, Baku left the movie theater, a little upset that nothing else had happened between his friends. He hadn't even been able to pay attention to the movie. He threw the empty popcorn bag in the trash, patting his clothes to clean up the crumbs and the dirt on his own hands.
Distracted by his thoughts, he was snapped out of them when he heard Juntae's voice. His eyes widened when he saw his friends walking out of the theater, and almost automatically, they looked in his direction.
Baku panicked, pulling his hood back over his head and hiding behind a poster. He couldn't tell how many minutes had passed, but suddenly he heard the voices of the two boys very close by.
“What's wrong, Jun?” He heard Gotak ask in a low voice.
“Strange, I thought I saw Baku,” Juntae replied, thinking for a moment. Baku cursed a little inside for his mistake.
“Baku? He said he was going to help his father, didn't he?” Gotak said and before he could mentally thank his friend, he continued. “I doubt that idiot could finish everything there on time.”
Annoyed, he almost stood up. He could finish helping his father if he wanted to. He just procrastinated because he liked chatting with customers and always ended up getting stuck. That idiot Gotak deserved a slap for being so stupid.
“Yeah, I think you're right,” Juntae replied, somewhat thoughtfully. “Are we going to eat now?”
Gotak chuckled and Baku heard some movement, but he didn't dare look to see what his friends were doing. He heard Gotak agree and tell them to go, so when he thought the voices were far enough away, he came out from behind the poster. He let out a long sigh, thankful that he hadn't been discovered yet.
3.
Baku looked around, waiting for the hallway to be completely empty before approaching the large row of lockers. He had spent a few days watching Juntae, following the boy as he left his things before and after class. Maybe it seemed a little weird and maybe he had to give Gotak a good excuse not to follow him after class, but it was for a good cause.
“What are you up to?”
Baku was scared by Sieun's voice, who appeared like a ghost behind him. The paper fell to the floor, the artistic envelope he made opened, and he was desperate, thinking that the letter might fly away down the hallway after he had spent hours writing it.
“Oh, Sieun, you can't just come up behind people like that!” he replied, exasperated, placing a hand dramatically on his chest.
Sieun didn't even blink as he continued to stare at him. He saw the shorter boy look down, coming face to face with the white envelope full of hearts he had on his chest.
“What are you up to?” Sieun repeated the question, now with his eyes half-closed.
Baku sighed. He wasn't going to be able to lie to Sieun, especially with the boy staring right at the papers.
“Look...” The taller boy began, nervously scratching his hair. “This is just a little letter for Juntae.”
“And why are you leaving a letter for Juntae?”
Baku shook his head. Apparently, Sieun wasn't so smart about some things after all.
“Because, my dear Siunnie, our friends are in love,” he replied, obviously, with a smile on his face. “And I'm on an elaborate plan to bring them together.”
Sieun's eyes wandered from the paper in his hands directly to his face. Surprisingly, Baku could swear that his friend was controlling some kind of smile, as one side of his mouth was tilted. It took a few minutes before he replied, and from the slightly incredulous tone of his voice, he found the situation funny.
“And your plan is to write letters to Juntae as if you were Gotak?”
Baku was skeptical.
“Of course not! That's just one of the steps.”
Boy, did Sieun not understand that it was a plan?
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. Considering that he was Gotak's best friend and, obviously, Sieun had a soft spot for Juntae, they could team up. Ignoring his friend, he shoved the letter into the closet any old way and placed both hands on his shoulder. Sieun stared at him, the laughter fading and now a confused expression appearing.
“I think it's fate that you're here now, Siunnie.”
“I was just late,” he replied. “And I saw you sneaking around.”
“It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're going to help me with this plan.”
Baku saw a small flash of something funny cross Sieun's face. He imagined that his friend would say no, push him away, and tell him to mind his own business. But for some extraordinary reason, Sieun rolled his eyes but nodded.
“Okay.”
“Okay? Really?” He asked, not believing that his friend had accepted his offer so easily.
“If I didn't accept, you'd keep asking me until I did. It's exam week, and honestly, I'd rather not deal with your crazy insistence on it.”
Baku blinked a few times before breaking into a big smile and pulling Sieun into a side hug, beginning a long conversation about all his ideas for bringing their friends together.
4.
His ideas were running out. The letter plan hadn't worked, since Juntae had never mentioned them. Locking them both up hadn't changed anything either, because when Sieun let them out, he said the friends were just talking. His only option was to try the old, familiar jealousy tactic.
They were playing some online game that Juntae had chosen, and their microphones were on. Baku was thinking about how he could make his friend jealous when something clicked in his mind and he remembered a specific situation.
“Junjun, who was that boy waiting for you in the club room?”
His words caused a long silence. Gotak ended up dropping something on the floor, Juntae let out a strange cough, and Sieun remained silent, as if that would make the situation end faster.
“Why are you talking about this now, Baku?” Sieun asked, his voice sounding strange.
Baku swallowed hard. He didn't think anyone would question the reason.
“Because it's friday night and we're playing a game instead of going out, duh.” He replied as if it were obvious. “But back to Junie, who was he?”
Baku was referring to a random day when he had stayed late at school because he had agreed with Sieun to study. His friend was still stuck in the classroom, so, with nothing else to do, Humin had decided to walk around the school. He passed by the library, a few classrooms, the lab and finally arrived at the club area.
The basketball club was closed, but he thought about stopping by the literature club, which Juntae was a part of. Given the time, he would probably still be there, so, determined, he went after his friend. As he approached the door, he heard the little boy talking to someone inside.
Baku couldn't quite make out what they were talking about, but judging by Juntae's gentle voice, the conversation was quite long. He even thought about going in to see if his friend needed help, when the somewhat dramatic voice spoke.
“Why can't you leave with me today, huh?” Baku chuckled softly, because the honeyed tone with which the person spoke was definitely funny.
“I already told you, I have to talk to a teacher.” He heard Juntae reply, his voice sweet.
The voices grew quieter, but Baku could swear he heard a slightly amused complaint from Juntae. Before he could enter the room and eavesdrop some more, his phone beeped with a text notification from Sieun asking why he wasn't at the library waiting for him. He pouted, sad that he couldn't stay there any longer, then turned to head toward the library.
He hadn't forgotten that day. Juntae didn't have many friends besides them, so if that person was so close to him, they must be very close. And if he knew Gotak well—and he did—just the idea of someone being as close to Juntae as he was would be enough to make him jealous.
“Um, I don't really remember that day, to be honest, Baku.” Juntae replied, a little nervous. “Are you sure it was me?”
Well, of course he was sure it was Juntae. Who else would be in the literature club at that time? But he had to admit that he thought it was cute that the boy was shy about telling him about his apparent flirting. After stating with certainty that he had heard his voice, he realized that Gotak had turned off the microphone at some point. Baku had to call him a couple of times before getting a response.
“Gogo, don't you think Jun should introduce his new friend to us?” Baku asked after Gotak had returned to the call.
No one said anything for a few minutes. A sound that sounded like a laugh came from Sieun, but he doubted his friend found anything funny.
“I-I don't know,” he replied, trying to sound indifferent. “I don't think we should talk about it if Jun says it's no one.”
“Well, I think he should introduce him,” Baku replied, not letting his friend's nervousness go unnoticed. “An addition to the group would be great. Besides Suho, of course.”
After a few more comments on the matter, Baku left the conversation hanging. He felt that both Juntae and Gotak were more distracted, which made him celebrate a little. Maybe this plan had worked.
The next day, Baku should have noticed the signs. The lack of a “good morning” message in the group chat, or Gotak not sending him a message to make sure he wasn't late. Baku waited at the main entrance, as he did every day. The first to arrive was Sieun, who, curiously, had a less “Sieun” aura than usual.
The shadow of a smile on the boy's lips should have been the second sign that something was not normal. And the third sign came like a hurricane in the form of Juntae and Hyeontak.
The two boys, Baku noted, were acting weird. Sure, Gotak was naturally weird in his view, but today he was more so than usual. His face was red and he walked with his hood up. Juntae had his head down, but Baku noticed that he was trying to hide a smile. He gave a quiet “good morning,” grabbed Sieun by the wrist, and walked ahead.
He stared at his friends' backs, watching as they whispered things to each other, but before he could run after them, he felt Gotak attack him with a rear naked choke.
“Gogo, my friend.” Baku slapped his friend a few times, trying to break free from the hold. “Why are you doing this?”
“Baku, you idiot.” The other boy replied, squeezing a little harder.
5.
His ideas were running out. The letter plan hadn't worked, since Juntae had never mentioned them. The plan to lock them together inside the basketball club, thinking that this would magically bring them together, also didn't change anything, because when Sieun let them go, he said that the friends were just talking. His only solution was to try the old and ancient jealousy.
He felt exhausted. From his point of view, none of it was working, and to make matters worse, everything seemed the same. Gotak was still glued to Juntae, as if they were stuck together, he still followed him everywhere, but they hadn't changed their status.
But today, he was trying to put his last plan into action. After sending a message to Sieun, letting him know that he was starting stage 5, he smiled.
He had sent a message to Gotak, asking him to meet him at the new café, making up that he wanted to try some of the new variations they had there. Gotak called him weird, but said he would be there on time.
What his friend didn't know was that he wasn't going out with the boy, but with Juntae. As a last resort, Baku would make his friends go on a perfect date, obviously supervised by him, without them knowing. Nothing strange.
Hidden behind a pole a little way off, Humin smiled when he saw his friend approaching, dressed up, just as he had asked. He took out his cell phone and sent one last message, making up that his father forced him to stay at the restaurant and that he wouldn't be able to meet him. He wasn't going to lie that he felt slightly offended when he heard his friend cursing him out loud.
Still hidden, he despaired a little when he saw his friend turning away from him, ready to leave. But, as fate would have it, Juntae appeared walking in that same direction, heading for the coffee shop.
“Hi, Taka-ah,” Juntae said excitedly as he approached Gotak. “What are you doing here?”
Baku saw a small sigh escape his friend when he looked at the other boy. Juntae had dressed up quite a bit, wearing black pants, a green sweater that matched his sneakers perfectly, and no glasses. He looked like a teddy bear, in Baku's opinion.
“Hey, Jun." he heard his friend say, approaching and squeezing the other boy's cheeks. Still behind the pillar, Baku did a little celebration. “Baku asked me to come here. What are you doing here?”
Juntae tilted his head slightly, staring at Gotak with a smirk. He approached the boy, whispering something in his ear, which resulted in him rolling his eyes. Baku tried to hear what they said, but Juntae was very good at whispering gossip.
“I think we better go in. Looks like they have that iced coffee you love.”
Juntae nodded, following Gotak side by side. The boy took advantage of the closeness, putting his arm over the smaller boy's shoulder, walking towards the door of the establishment. Baku waited for his two friends to go in before following them inside.
The coffee shop had a nice atmosphere. It was well lit, with several tables scattered throughout the place, and it was quite crowded. Baku greeted the attendant cheerfully, who handed him a menu and said to make himself comfortable.
As casually as possible, he scanned the place, looking for his friends. He spotted them sitting at a table further back, practically isolated. Perfect!
Trying to hide from them, he took a menu, using it to cover his face and headed for one of the nearby tables. His view was a little poor, but at least he could hear their conversation perfectly. He watched Juntae laugh at something Gotak had said, while his friend waved his hands and had a slightly reddish color on his face. With a little daring, he took a photo of his friends and sent it to Sieun with the words “Plan in action.”
“Hello, what would you like to order?” Another attendant, a tall guy with black hair, asked, distracting him for a few minutes.
“Uh, hi,” Baku replied. “I'm not going to order anything yet. Thank you.”
The waiter rolled his eyes.
“If you want to use one of the tables, you have to order something.”
Baku snorted indignantly. It wasn't part of his plan to have to spend money there, and on top of that, he was missing his friends' conversation. When he looked at them again, he saw Gotak wiping Juntae's cheek. Damn.
“Okay.” He glanced quickly at the menu. “I'll have that banana and strawberry milkshake.”
“For here or to go?”
“Now. Thank you.” He replied with a weak smile, trying to push the guy away. Before leaving, the guy wrote his name on a piece of paper, saying it would be ready in a moment.
Without distractions, Baku turned his attention back to the couple. Juntae had ordered a chocolate muffin and the classic iced coffee he loved, while Gotak had ordered a cookie and a regular coffee. Shaking his head, Baku thought his friend was stupid for not taking advantage of the opportunity and sharing the drink with the other boy.
The meeting went normally, with his friends acting as usual. When Juntae got something on his face, Gotak wiped it off. When Gotak told a joke, Juntae laughed. The two were close, and whenever Baku thought his friends would do something different, like hold hands, they didn't go through with it.
Even so, he continued to watch them, while sending several messages to Sieun, updating him on the matter. His friend said he should leave them alone, but Baku remained firm.
Putting his phone aside, he looked over the menu at his friends again. Now, the two were close together, Gotak holding Juntae's cheeks with both hands and Juntae staring at him. Baku held his breath, wondering whether or not to look away from his friends, giving them privacy. But before he could react, his name was called. Loud and clear.
“Baku, banana and strawberry milkshake!”
The reaction was immediate. The two friends looked toward the counter, probably looking for him. Baku took advantage of the brief moment to try to sneak out of the place, but, as nothing is perfect, he ended up knocking the chair to the floor, attracting everyone's attention.
Juntae and Gotak stared at him, but not intrigued as Baku had expected. One of his best friend's arms was around Juntae's waist, and he was using his other hand to wipe the tears from his eyes as he laughed. Juntae was using both hands to hide his face, but you could still hear his laughter. Baku felt his face flush at the situation, but he gave them a weak smile.
“Hey guys, everything okay?”
+ 1.
The three boys were sitting at one of the tables in Baku's dad's restaurant, eating fried chicken. Gotak and Juntae were sitting next to each other, very close, while Baku was sitting across from them, sulking.
“I can't believe you guys tricked me all this time.”
Juntae gave a shy chuckle, while Gotak snorted.
“No one tricked you, idiot,” he replied, looking at his friend. “You never asked us.”
Baku remained sulky, eating in silence. The other boy rolled his eyes and Juntae nudged him.
“Sorry, Baku,” Juntae said with a warm smile. “When Sieun said you had come up with a whole plan, we didn't think you'd take it so seriously. And we thought you knew.”
Baku sighed, defeated. He couldn't believe Sieun had deceived him for a few weeks, pretending he didn't know about his friends' relationship, and on top of that, had given him a ridiculous idea. And really, maybe he had been a little stupid not to notice that his friends were too close.
He really should 've been suspicious.
“You're very cute, Junjun, so I forgive you,” he replied, taking a sip of soda and then pointing a piece of chicken in Gotak's direction. “You're a traitor.”
Gotak threw a paper ball at Baku, causing the boy to get up and try to rub his hands on his friend's face. Juntae just laughed at the two of them.
“Come on, man, you're going to hit Jun,” Gotak said, pushing Baku's hands away and approaching Juntae, checking to see if his face was dirty with sauce or something else.
“Argh, you guys are cute,” Humin replied, defeated. “If I had known it would be like this, I should have planned to separate you two.”
Gotak sulked, saying that it would never work, since all his plans were terrible, leaving a kiss on Juntae's cheek, who laughed softly.
And as Gotak used a piece of paper to wipe Juntae's cheek, who laughed happily, he smiled. Happy that even though none of his plans had worked, his friends had found each other.