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Humin’s a little worried. He’s been waiting for Baekjin to text him— anything. It’s been a while since the taller teen had left the shop, looking for a place to stay. He hadn’t given Humin his number either, so he’d have to rely on Baekjin himself to reach out first.
Humin still felt off from his previous interaction with his dad, so he thought nothing of it. Until now, hours later, there hasn’t been any sign of his best friend. Though straining his ears helped him latch onto that familiar heartbeat. It’s a comforting rhythm of thumping that Humin had learned almost a month into their friendship.
At the very least, Baekjin was alive. That fact kept him sane when worry threatened to overtake him.
When the sun gave its goodbyes, the shop closed, and he’d retreated into the apartment upstairs. His dad was passed out on the couch, with the TV being the only source of light in the room. Humin draped a nearby blanket over his body before creeping into his room.
He follows his usual bedtime routine of showering, changing, and then watching basketball highlights in bed. This free time passes leisurely. It’s nice to have solo moments like this, especially with his busy schedule. It’s actually one of his favorite parts of his day. He doesn’t have to worry about anything in the comfort of his room. There aren’t any facades to put up for the sake of others, nor are there any expectations. He can just breathe.
Then a text notification pops up on his phone.
[UNKNOWN NUMBER]: ‘Hi, it’s Na Baekjin. I found a hotel to stay at for a bit. I thought about it and I’m fine on my own for now so just stay home. Goodnight. :)’
Humin smiled at his phone, quickly setting the contact to “Jinnie ^_^” with his favorite photo of Baekjin’s as his contact. Juntae had taught him those silly faces and he thought they were tuff as hell.
‘Hi jinnie! If u say so… Please stay safe and warm and i will see u tomorrow. If u need anything call me. Goodnight 🔥🔥”
Turning off his phone, Humin sleeps with a giddy heart.
…
The week that followed had been odd. What Humin lacked in intelligence (or so his dad and teachers say), he made up for it emotionally. He can tell when others are not acting like themselves.
In this case, it was Baekjin. The taller teen had been secretive as of late. At first, it was playful, since Humin assumed that he was hiding some sort of gift. When he poked and prodded, he’d been met with short responses or topic changes. Obviously not something Baekjin wanted to discuss. Okay, he can do that.
They hung out as per usual, going places together, or on the rare occasion, with Humin’s friends. Humin’s offered to meet Baekjin’s friends before, but he had quickly declined. He knows he has them, though, since he’s been putting that new phone to work. So surely, someone must be on the other end. It stung a little bit.
He felt like he and Baekjin told each other everything– so suddenly being barred from.. something was like a thorn in his side. Humin just had to remind himself that his best friend will talk when he wants to. He just has to be more patient.
Then the questions started. Baekjin would ask random moral questions to Humin. One that truly stuck out to him was: “If I were in danger, what would you do to save me?”
Humin paused, looking at his friend from where they sat on a park bench. God, he was beautiful. Shit.. what was the question again?
“Odd question.. But an easy answer. Anything. I would do anything in my power to make sure that you’re okay. And you know— I have a lot of power, so you can trust me on that!”
Baekjin smiles softly in response. Humin’s own heart reverberates in his chest.
“Me too. I would do anything for you.”
The two stare at each other for a moment. Smiling. It was sweet, and it made Humin feel all gooey. In the back of his mind, a part of himself questions if they’re talking about the same thing.
…
Life always seems to be going well until the universe decides to say fuck you.
Today was that day— Baekjin got into a fight.
Now, the two of them were sitting on Humin’s bed as he was cleaning Baekjin’s wounds. Baekjin was vague as hell about who he fought and why, but Humin felt something bad curl up in his gut. Maybe it’s better if he didn’t know. He knows Baekjin. He wouldn’t needlessly get into situations like this unless it was important. Now, to set the record straight, Humin never thought fights were necessary at all, but he could imagine a few mock scenarios in which he would resort to it as a desperate option. Most of them include protecting the people he cares about. It’s understandable.
So instead of prying, he simply obeys. Baekjin is walking him through certain steps since Humin has never done anything more than putting a bandaid on someone. He’s using a bottle of his dad’s alcohol to disinfect. It might bite him in the ass later, but it’s for Baekjin, so he’ll suck it up. If a few insults hurled at him meant Baekjin feeling better, then he’d welcome them with open arms.
Baekjin flinches at an accidental prod at the bruise on his cheek. Humin frowns and apologizes.
“Sorry, sorry.. next time, try to dodge when fighting, yeah?”
Baekjin rolls his eyes, “Oh really? I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I know, I’m a genius. We should practice that someti—“
“Humin-ah, that was sarcasm.”
“Oh.. yeah well.. offer still stands.”
Baekjin smiles despite himself. Humin grins right back. He holds a cold pack to the bruise and leans back to look at his fine work.
Baekjin’s knuckles were only bruised, so he’d put a soothing ointment on them. There was a slight cut on his lip, which had been cleaned, a horizontal cut on his forehead, the aforementioned bruise on his cheek, and then a cleaned-up bloody nose.
“Wow! I’m really good at this.”
Under the other boy’s scrutiny, Baekjin flushes. Humin watches as the blush rises from his neck with curious eyes. He can hear both of their hearts speed up in tandem. Damn it, not again.
This sort of thing happens a lot around Baekjin. Sure, Humin’s always excited around his friends, but for some reason, the taller boy always gets special treatment. Humin feels grounded when he’s around him. He feels alive, but not the same alive that comes with an adrenaline rush. This one is more mellowed out; it’s softer, more intimate. When the jarring sounds around him threaten to overwhelm his mind, he finds himself honing in on Baekjin’s steady heartbeat to self-regulate.
Is that creepy? Maybe. He’s never told Baekjin about this, but the other boy is smart enough that he most likely figured it out already.
It’s hard for Humin to put a name to how he feels. Having to define emotions accurately is a human concept that he struggles to get used to. It’s easier to see the signs in other people, but when it comes to himself, he’s at a loss.
Not to mention that it’s a lot to keep track of for someone who feels so much all the time. His heartbeat is spiking. Is that fear or excitement? His face feels hot. Is that anger or embarrassment? There’s so much to keep track of. But if he knows one thing for certain, it’s that whatever he feels around Baekjin is nice. It makes him feel special beyond all of the alien bullshit.
Humin knows that this isn’t a normal thing to feel for your friends. He just doesn’t care. Why should he? What he feels for Baekjin is his own business! So what if he has to violently fight the urge to kiss his pretty face sometimes? This is normal!
Humin comes back to the sound of Baekjin calling his name for what seems to be the third time. Shaking his head cartoonishly, he focuses back on Baekjin.
“Whatsup?”
“I was asking you how your day was. You seem pretty... occupied though.” Baekjin muses.
“Whaat? Of course not, I’m always focused. Y’know me! .. Don’t look at me like that. But my day was pretty good, I’d say. I didn’t do much except work a bit and then go out with the others during my lunch break.”
Baekjin hums, satisfied with the answer. Humin fiddles with the blanket under his hands.
“I would ask how yours was, but.. haha..”
Baekjin’s relaxed posture tensed. There it is again.
“If it means anything, I expected it to go worse. Your lessons seem to have stuck.”
Humin couldn’t help but smirk as pride filled his chest, “That’s cause I’m a great teacher. I’d never let my Jinnie go out there all helpless like that! I bet you beat their ass and sent them running, eh?”
Rolling his eyes, Baekjin felt a small laugh escape his mouth, “Of course I did. I’ve learned from the best after all.”
Laughter filled the room, a booming sound accompanied by a much quieter expression of mirth. A waste pile had accumulated from Humin’s first shaky attempt at patching someone up, so the two moved to clean it up after. They chatted idly about whatever came to mind as they did. Everything was easy; it always was when they were alone.
Once the bed was cleared of trash, Humin took his phone out to show Baekjin some funny videos he’d saved. As they got comfortable, though, Baekjin’s phone rang. He tilted the screen away from Humin so he couldn’t see who was calling. Whoever it was needed to be gone immediately. At least, that’s what Humin had concluded after seeing the way Baekjin’s face fell.
“I have to go, Humin-ah. I’ll text you when I’m free again.” Baekjin was quick to stand, adjusting his clothes, just as he had gotten comfortable.
Humin pouted, “Who is it?”
“I.. I’ll tell you another time, I really have to go.”
Turning off his phone, Humin nodded a bit solemnly, “…Alright. Text me when you’re free.. and be safe this time!”
He walked Baekjin down and out of the shop, then headed back up. Once the apartment’s door was closed, he stood there for some time. The silence left in his wake felt unnerving. Honestly, everything felt wrong. Something was going on, and Humin so desperately wanted to know what it was, but at the same time, he didn’t want to stress Baekjin out. That’s the last thing the other needs right now. He wants to help, but how can he when he doesn’t even know what the fuck is going on?
Humin rubs a hand down his face and sighs. His dad is coming home soon, so he should tidy up the place.
Restlessness fuels his actions as he moves from room to room, completing small chores as he goes. It’s almost as if energy was coiled up inside of him, and if, for even a second, he stopped moving, he would genuinely explode. He always gets antsy when he’s worried; old habits die hard. It just so happens that his dad asked him to clean up in the morning as well. A task that he had been professionally procrastinating doing up until this point. Might as well get it done now.
He started with his room, except with more care this time. Usually, he throws everything in a closet or under his bed and calls it a day. Now he finds himself putting stuff away in boxes or shelves like Sieun told him to. The one time that Sieun hung out in his room, he mumbled slight critiques about its cleanliness the whole time. It’s safe to say that Humin took all of them seriously.
Going through the junk in his room made him feel a little nostalgic. He’d found gifts from past birthdays that his friends gave him, clothes that he hadn’t worn in a while, and even volumes of Slam Dunk left unfinished. Seeing the manga gave him the bright idea of listening to music as he cleans. So, he turns on his go-to playlist titled “BAKU’S BEATS” and puts on a pair of wired earbuds.
The cleaning was smooth-sailing from there. The loud music kept his brain concentrated on the task at hand, leaving no room to overthink whatsoever. That’s another habit he’s noticed. On the rare occasions in which he’s surrounded in quiet, he finds his mind prone to spiraling. It’s as if his brain is so unused to the lack of noise that it makes its own.
In fact, Gotak found him spaced out in their basketball clubroom once. Apparently, he was just staring at the ceiling while lying out on the couch, not moving at all. That’s when Humin had opened up to him about his brain and its quirks. Gotak proceeded to give him this pair of earbuds the following week. Humin treasures them dearly. He puts them to good use too!
After his room came the bathroom, then the storage closet, and then the kitchen. He’s never gone into his dad’s room ever since he was a kid, and he has no plans on going in anytime soon. Now he just has the living room to finish off, and then he’d be done.
Speaking of his dad’s room, he barely uses it anyway. It’s more common to see his dad sleeping on the couch rather than in his own bed. Humin can tell that it takes a toll on his back. He wishes he could just make it better for him. All of it.
It’s partially why he could never fight back against him. His dad has sacrificed so much to raise him. His “mom”, whom he barely remembers, took him in after his homepod crashed onto Earth. She was the reason he’s here today— but his dad is really why he’s still alive. Raising an alien toddler had proved to be too much, so his mom left early in his life. She couldn’t handle him or his dad’s ever-worsening behavior. Except, her leaving had been a catalyst for everything after that. Not knowing what to do with this child, his dad kept him and raised him as humanely as he could. He ignored the emergence of powers and instead focused on skills that would be used later on in life.
To drown out the pain of his wife leaving, as well as having to navigate through this uncanny lifestyle, his dad took up drinking to cope. At any time, he could have simply abandoned Humin, left him for dead. But he didn’t. He’d kept him and put in the work to raise him. Why he did that, he might never know. Nonetheless, how could Humin possibly hate him?
So he’ll bear it all. The fighting, the yelling, the insults, all so that he could repay a scrap of the kindness that his dad had shown him.
The living room has been tidied up now. His ears picked up the jingling of his dad’s house keys. He’s home earlier than usual. Humin turns the TV on and sits down, trying to appear casual.
His dad walks in and b-lines to the kitchen as Humin greets him quietly. He instinctively reaches towards the cabinet where all of the booze is kept, pausing when he notices that one whole bottle is gone. Humin’s gaze stays glued to the TV as dread starts to settle in his gut. He knew he had forgotten something.
“Hey.”
Humin’s head turns, and he puts on a neutral expression.
“Hm?”
“Don’t ‘hm’ me. Where’d you put the bottle, Humin?”
Caught red-handed, he scratches the back of his head, “I used some of it to help Baekjin. He’d been hurt, and we don’t have any rubbing alcohol on hand so.. I had to make do.”
His dad pinches the bridge of his nose. Annoyance, Humin notes to himself. An expression he’s grown to see all the time on his father’s face.
“Bring the bottle back. Now. I’m not humoring you tonight. I’ve had a tough day as is.”
Humin stands up immediately and mumbles out a quick, “Sorry to hear that.”
He shuffles to his room and picks up the open bottle. In his defense, he didn’t even use that much of it. There’s still a good portion of the bottle left. Even if there wasn’t, his dad had others in the same cabinet. There’s no use in pointing that out, though, since it’ll only cause more trouble for himself. He learned to stop asking questions the second time around. Maybe it’s one of those human customs he just doesn’t understand.
Making his way back to the kitchen, he hands the bottle over to his dad, who takes it without a word and walks over to the couch. For a minute, Humin just watches him. He hopes he never takes after his father.
Humin heads back to his room without looking back. He’s already mentally planning on telling Baekjin about all of this.
…
Baekjin stands before Mr. Choi in the latter’s well-decorated office. He’s been here once, and that’s when he first agreed to shadow under the adult. Now, he’s back with purpose.
For a little over a week now, Baekjin has been settling into his new lifestyle. It’s not as bad as he expected, actually. Mr. Choi and his group only seem to target those who have a debt to pay. Those people borrow money, and if (when) they fail to pay it back, Choi’s men are sent to really hammer in how important total compliance is. Bakejin has yet to be let in on those assignments himself, but he’s overheard how far it goes at times. The most he’s done so far is a fighting assessment against another employee to test how useful he’ll be in the future.
The people who are being hurt dug their own grave. Most of Choi’s targets are criminals or addicts who just never knew when to quit. They got what was coming for them. It’s just as the older man had put it— it’s justice. It’s a way of cleaning up the streets, really.
Baekjin’s phone lay facing upwards on the desk as he presented it to Mr. Choi. On it was his recent conversation with Humin, in which he heard about his father’s relentlessly cold demeanor once more. Baekjin was so sick of that man.
Mr. Choi looks up at Baekjin with a knowing glint in his eye. As if he’s been waiting for this very moment.
“And why are you showing me this?” He asks, casually sitting back into his chair.
Baekjin holds his gaze, “That plan you had, to make his dad pay, I’m interested in it.”
In response, Mr. Choi grins sleazily, “That’s good. That anger I see in your eyes? Keep it. Use it against him.”
The older man gets up and walks toward a bookshelf to his left. He picks out a single file and puts it down on the desk. Baekjin stares at the file’s front, which has the name of Humin’s dad on it. He glances at Mr. Choi, who is quick to answer his unsaid questions.
“Park Jin-cheol is one of our frequent debtors. He doesn’t always come in for money, but when he does, it’s for a hefty sum. He manages to pay it back, though, so he’s never inconvenienced me. However, his recent payments have been taking longer and longer. I run a business, I can’t wait months for this stuff. If you’d like to pay him a visit along with some of my other men, please feel free. You hold promise, Baekjin, I know you won’t disappoint.”
Baekjin, in disbelief, takes the file and opens it. It contains information on how much was loaned and when, along with payment dates.
A question forced its way out of his throat, “Do you know what he uses the money for?”
Mr. Choi chuckles as if he was amused, it’s hard to tell if it was genuine or not, “I’m sure you already know.”
The room falls silent. Baekjin’s eyes darken with promise. For Humin, he says to himself. He ignores the ever-growing voice in the back of his mind that goads him on. The voice that reassures him that he’s finally doing something good with his life— he’s helping those in need.
Mr. Choi breaks the silence, “You can start tonight, the sooner the better.”
…
It’s past midnight. Humin’s in bed already, watching a re-upload of some video game stream that he’s missed. Talking with Baekjin helped him feel normal again. He’s already wished the other a goodnight and is now counting the seconds until sleep sets in.
Then, amidst the quiet night, Humin hears it.
The faint shattering of a window was accompanied by muffled grunts and heavy footsteps.
The hair on his arms stands on end, and Humin shoots up in bed. He’s in a fitted, worn shirt and basketball shorts, but that’s the least of his worries. Fully opening the window in his room, he flies out and circles downward towards the restaurant. The sound was too far off to be a possible home invasion. It had to have been down there.
When his socked feet land on the concrete below, his eyes lock onto the cruel scene before him.
The restaurant, his dad’s restaurant, had been totaled. The front windows were shattered, glass littered the inside flooring, and the dining furniture was thrown about as well. Some chairs and tables were even broken, as if hit with blunt weapons.
Humin hovers slightly over the ground to avoid the glass as he heads inside through a window.
His keen eyes catch movement further into the kitchen area. Moving without thinking, his feet crash onto the tiled floor as he glares up at a group of five people.
The breath in his lungs punches out of him as he registers two things at once.
One, there are two men on either side of the kitchen. All of them are dressed in dark clothing with gruff features, seemingly hardened with experience.
Two, Baekjin was here.
And he looked slightly surprised.
Humin’s almost crazed eyes darted from man to Baekjin. His Baekjin. What was he doing here?
“Jin-ah..” He chokes out. For such a talkative soul, he’s found himself speechless. He’d be worried for his friend’s safety if he didn’t look so.. calm.
“Humin. You were supposed to be asleep by now. Where’s your dad?”
The other four are tense, making it hard for Humin to relax. Even though his body aches for it at the mere sound of his best friend’s voice.
“He’s.. he’s asleep. What the hell are you doing here? Don’t tell me you..”
A humorless laugh punches out of Humin to convey how ridiculous the thought even was. Maybe the sleep was getting to him. Why would Baekjin do that? There has to be some sort of explanation. He can’t wrap his head around anything right now but—
“Actually, it was my idea.”
A flash of surprise shows in Humin’s eyes. He says nothing, though, and Baekjin takes it as a sign to continue.
“Your father is a horrible man. I know this, you know this. You may not act like it, but I see it, Humin. He needs to learn that there are consequences for his actions.”
Baekjin’s gaze is intense. Except where Humin once found sanctuary in them, he now felt bare. As if the other was seeing right through him. Baekjin was getting closer by the minute.
“You’ve told me before that you struggled to afford basic things like a new jacket. All because this grown man, your father, chooses to waste money on alcohol instead. Well, guess what— He’s been pulling out loans from other people and putting them towards his selfish desires rather than caring for his own son.”
Something deep in Humin pangs sharply at that. The worst part is that he absolutely believes it.
Baekjin is right in front of him now with his hands on Humin’s tense shoulders.
“You see why I’m doing this now? The others are here because of personal debts. But I'm here for you. You deserve better, and I’ll do anything if it means that he’d never lay a hand on you ever again.”
That’s what makes Humin find his voice again.
“So you broke into his shop!? You wreck his life’s work and throw away every blood, sweat, and tear we put into this place?”
Baekjin closes his eyes as if he expected this. He sighs before meeting Humin’s gaze again.
“He’d never listen otherwise. He’s rotten—“
“He’s my dad!”
“And a bad one at that. You weren’t supposed to see this anyway. I thought you’d be asleep. He was meant to come down instead. Please just go back upstairs.”
“So you could do what? Beat him up? Fucking- send him to the hospital? What, what are you going to do, Baekjin?”
Humin’s hurt has turned into fleeting anger now. Those feelings of betrayal have twisted into something sharp. His hands grab at Baekjin’s white jacket as he pushes him back a little. Baekjin lets him.
“You’re upset, I get it. Just listen to me, just this once, and let me do this. I want you to be safe.”
All Humin could do was stare up at his best friend. At whoever he had turned into in such a short amount of time. His eyes then dragged toward the others still in the room; they were watching him already. In their eyes, he could only see hate. Man-made violence that would only be satiated with the sensation of knuckles hitting flesh.
“No.”
“Humin—“
“No! Leave or I will make you.”
He glares up at the other teen before him. Baekjin stares right back, his mouth slightly agape before settling into a displeased line.
“You’ll thank me later.”
Baekjin moves back and around Humin, making his way out of the kitchen silently. The four men follow suit, all of them watching Humin closely. He stares at them blankly. He has a feeling he’ll be seeing them around sometime soon. Especially since they weren’t able to finish the job as intended. Thank god for that.
At the end of the day, those four were all just muscle to get the job done. But Baekjin.. he planned this. This happened because of him. His best friend has always been cunning, but never like this. He’s never used it against Humin. Why would he? Except, it wasn’t really.. against him. It was more so his dad. He couldn’t just leave him, though.
The rhythm of Baekjin’s heartbeat gets fainter as he walks away, the other four having been tuned out. Its beat has been steady the entire time. Not once has the other lied about what he’d said. Knowing that only hurts more.
The shop now empty, Humin makes his way back to the main room. Staring at the mess before him, he resigns himself to a restless night filled with repairs.
He just wants to go back to his room.
…
The morning after was a disaster. Humin did his best to clean up what he could. The glass on the floor was cleared, and he’d salvaged whatever broken furniture he could. Luckily, a few tables and chairs had been unscathed. A small piece of him wanted to believe that Baekjin did that to save him the work. Everything else in Humin didn’t want to think about the other teen right now.
Despite his best efforts, his dad hadn’t been happy whatsoever. He yelled, threw a spatula or two, and Humin just stood there. He endured it because yelling is better than the silence that he’d have to live in without his dad.
He never told his dad what had actually transpired beyond “a botched robbery”. The man wasn’t actually upset at him; it was more the whole situation. Humin just so happened to be the only other soul in his vicinity, so by proxy, the anger would be pointed towards him for now.
He still hasn’t wrapped his head around what transpired the previous night. That’s what Baekjin’s been hiding. That he’s a part of some sort of... loan shark vigilante group now. It sounds ridiculous, and he wouldn’t have believed it if he didn’t see that shit for himself.
He still cares deeply for Baekjin. Humin’s convinced that those feelings he harbors are engraved into his soul for eternity. It’s not going anywhere, no matter how far the other has fallen. He just wishes that he could have stopped it before it got to this point. He can’t help but think that he should have acted sooner. Or at the very least, he should have pressed harder. Something. Surely, something could have prevented this.
Out of all the powers he has, Humin can’t turn back time. He can’t fix this mistake or warn his past self that the boy he loves is walking down a path he can’t follow.
But if there’s one thing Humin does have, then it’s hope. Hope that he’ll be enough to convince Baekjin that living a life of revenge is not worth it.