Chapter Text
“Seriously, Humin, I don’t think this is a good idea…” Hyuntak trailed off as he watched Humin shake a hat with a grin on his face. “I mean, what if I get Suho? What if I get you? Ew!”
Humin waved him away like he was barely paying any attention to him. “Come on. It’s fun! And it’s a tradition, so just play with us.”
“Like hell it’s a tradition! We’ve never done this before!” Hyuntak rebutted, looking at the box of pepero on their shabby table. Suho and Sieun were whispering to each other, Sieun’s eyes following Hyuntak. “Hey, Tak-ah,” Suho started. Hyuntak turned to him. “You know you don’t have to actually kiss any of us, right?” There was a small smile on his lips, as if he found Hyuntak stupid or something.
Hyuntak scoffed. “I know that.”
Suho just snorted and shrugged, before putting his attention back onto Sieun, who’s eyes finally left Hyuntak and to his boyfriend instead. Juntae was sitting on the couch too, to the right of Suho. “What do you think, Juntae?”
Juntae perked up. “Oh! Well, I don’t know.. It’s just a game, right? And like Suho said… we don’t have to actually kiss each other.”
Hyuntak just sighed. “Whatever. If I get Humin, I’m seriously going to puke.”
“Ouch,” Humin gasped, holding his chest like he had just gotten shot. “You’re a jerl. Anyway, you can go first.”
Hyuntak stepped over to Humin and glared at him. Right before he put his hand into the hat, the door swung open.
Seongje came striding in, along with Baekjin behind him. Seongje had a cigarette in his mouth, and he took one last puff before throwing it outside.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Hyuntak asked, a warning tone to his voice. Seongje smiled. “Bored. What are you guys doing?”
Hyuntak walked towards him, a strong, serious gaze fixated onto him. “None of your business. Leave.”
Seongje looked him up and down before snickering. “Nah.” He said, before shoving past Hyuntak with his shoulder. Baekjin followed behind, glaring at Hyuntak.
“Seriously? Literally nobody wants you here.” Humin said, defending Hyuntak’s side. His eyes flickered once to Baekjin before going back to Seongje. He seemed to gulp, and Hyuntak noticed it.
“Come on, what are we playing?” Seongje asked. He picked up a box of the pepero, waving it in Humin’s face. “A bit childish, don’t you think?”
Humin huffed and tried to snatch the box out of his hand, but Seongje was too fast. He avoided his move, and began walking around him. “Got any extra paper?”
Juntae was the first to get up. He ripped a piece of paper into two small bits, and began writing both Seongje’s and Baekjin’s names down on each of them. He folded them up and placed them in the hat, before sitting down without saying a word. Seongje smiled at him. “Thanks, Juntae.”
Hyuntak stood on the sidelines, still by the door. He watched the whole scene unravel, completely annoyed by Seongje and his antics. He finally decided to move, walking over to where Juntae was sitting, standing beside him with his arms crossed around his chest.
Seongje spun back around to Humin, who was still holding the hat. “So, can I go first?”
Defeated, Humin sighed. “Sure, man, whatever.” He shook the hat up a few times before holding it out to Seongje. While his hand dug around in the hat, his eyes scanned the room at everyone inside. His eyes lingered on Hyuntak for a second longer than the others, making Hyuntak’s skin crawl. Then, when he pulled out a paper, he unfolded it with a smile.
“Hyuntak-ah,” He pointed at Hyuntak and smiled. “You’re mine!”
Hyuntak’s heart dropped. He quickly looked around the room, and everyone looked as shocked as he felt. The fun, whimsical air in the room suddenly felt tense and quiet. Seongje just stood there as he opened up the box of pepero, “Well, come on.”
Hyuntak clenched his jaw as he reluctantly stepped over to Seongje. When facing him, he could smell the cigarette he had just smoked, stuck to him like glue. His nose crinkled at that.
“You know, you don’t really have to do this, Hyuntak..” Humin said, but Hyuntak shook his head. “No, it’s fine.”
He took in a deep breath before stepping closer to Seongje.
Seongje winked at Hyuntak before putting an end of the pepero stick between his teeth. He nodded at him, signaling for him to hurry the fuck up. Gulping, Hyuntak bit the other end of the stick. One of Seongje’s hands reached up to the side of Hyuntak’s face, cupping it with a strong grip. Hyuntak wanted to move. He wanted to swat him away, punch him in the face and shout a string of curses at him– but he just had to pull through for only a few seconds.
Humin looked at them nervously before starting the countdown. After the count of one, Seongje immediately took action. His eyes were glued onto Hyuntak’s as he began slowly eating the pepero, not even blinking for a second.
Hyuntak, being the stubborn, competitive person he is, fought back with a quicker motion. He felt his heart beating in his chest, the sound of it completely drowning out the rest of the room. He didn’t even know if his friends were saying anything– if they were reacting or just silent because of the tension. All he could focus on was Seongje, and beating him in this game.
In a matter of seconds, he was already an inch away from Seongje’s lips. The same lips that had a stupid smirk on it. Seongje’s eyes flickered to Hyuntak’s lips before pressing further, their lips touching for not even a second. Hyuntak huffed through his nose before quickly turning his head, baring his teeth as he bit the last piece off, a little more than a crumb falling into his hand. Hyuntak immediately stepped away from Seongje, shoving him backwards with one hand. Seongje just chuckled and strudded back to an empty seat, taking up the entirety of it when he sat down.
Shaken, Hyuntak turned to Humin and placed the small piece of pepero on the table. “There.” He said. Humin didn’t say anything, and that’s when Hyuntak realized that nobody was talking at all, and all eyes were on him. It was completely silent, and suddenly, Hyuntak’s face heated up.
“Didn’t you guys kiss?” Suho asked with a raised eyebrow. Hyuntak shot his eyes towards him and gritted his teeth. “No! He purposely touched my lips!” He glared back at Seongje, leaned back in his seat, relaxed as ever. He had a smug look on his face and Hyuntak just wanted to punch it.
“Well, anyway..” Suho said with a chuckle. Sieun stared at him before speaking up. “That’s a loss.”
“Let’s just keep going. Save the nitpicking for later.” Humin said, waving them off. He picked up the hat and walked towards Sieun. “Take it. I’ll go next.” Sieun just stared at him before taking the hat. Humin looked at him expectedly. “Shake it..”
Sieun shook the hat a few times before holding it up to Humin. Suho was watching Sieun with an adoring smile, and Hyuntak found it gross. No matter where, no matter who's around, Suho could never contain himself.
Humin cranked his head away as he dug into the hat, squeezing his eyes shut. Hyuntak watched with low anticipation. He couldn’t be excited or entertained by this game in the slightest. Sure, maybe doing it with his friends wouldn’t have been so bad afterall. But with Seongje?
He couldn’t stop thinking about it–how close they were, how he could smell a mix of Seongje’s cologne and cigarettes. How fast his heart was beating, and how he somehow managed to tune out the rest of the world.
It’s fine. He was probably just too angry.
He tried to ignore the pair of eyes he felt burning into his skin. He wouldn’t dare to acknowledge who they belonged to, although he already knew who it was.
Humin unraveled the paper, his face immediately turning red.
“Who’d you get?” Suho asked, perking up with interest.
Gulping, Humin showed the piece of paper to the group. “Baekjin.” He muttered.
A stifled laugh came from Seongje’s direction, Hyuntak just barely glancing over to him. Suho’s lips were formed into a line, like he was obviously trying not to laugh. Sieun looked.. usual, but if Hyuntak squinted, he could maybe see a glint of interest in his eyes.
Hyuntak wondered how many of them knew about Humin’s crush on Baekjin. It was unfortunate for sure, despite everything he put them through, but Hyuntak understood. It was a kind of love, a kind of attachment that has gone on for years, way before Baekjin turned cold. He knew, deep down, it would be hard for Humin to see things the same way Hyuntak saw things, even if he tried.
Baekjin, finally asserting his presence in the room, walked towards Humin. “Let’s get this over with.” He said, unbothered. Humin nodded quickly, a little too eager on his part, but no one else seemed to notice. Maybe they just thought it was due to the pressure.
As much as Hyuntak tried to be invested in this unfateful turn for Humin, his mind kept circling back to Seongje.
His lips were surprisingly soft.
Humin placed a piece of pepero between his teeth, blinking excessively as Baekjin did the same. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white from the tension.
Hyuntak wondered if he looked that nervous when it was his turn with Seongje. If anyone could hear his heartbeat as loud as he did. If his cheeks were red, if his hands were shaking.
He gulped and looked away.
“Someone–countdown–watch!” Humin shouted between his teeth. Juntae sprung up, jumping to the two of them, watching closely. “One… Two… Three!”
Suddenly, Humin froze. Baekjin was the only one moving, biting the pepero stick at a considerably moderate rate. Humin’s eyes were just blown wide, not moving an inch.
Hyuntak watched, and he almost felt an ounce of pity for Humin. It must’ve been hard doing that with the person you had a crush on. Hell, if Suho and Sieun pull each other, nobody else should’ve bothered playing.
But then he thought back to his and Seongje’s piece, and began to feel a little more triumphant. There’s no way any of them could top that–not even the boyfriends.
Once Baekjin got reached just a little past the middle of the stick, he pulled away. The last bit was left in Humin’s mouth, still unmoving as if he were stone. Then, Baekjin just walked away, leaving the room entirely. Hyuntak watched as he left, then flickered his eyes to Seongje, only to be met with him staring right back.
Hyuntak looked away.
“You’re in last place for sure!” Suho chimed out, slapping his knee giddy. Sieun looked at him, the corners of his lips twitching into what Hyuntak would consider a smile. Well, a smile for him.
Humin finally reached up to his mouth and took out the pepero, placing it on the table. Defeated, he stepped over to Sieun and took the hat back. “Who’s next?”
Suho whispered a few words to Sieun before nudging his shoulder. Then, Sieun slowly stood up and faced Humin. “I’ll go.”
Humin smiled widely and patted his shoulder. “That’s the spirit!” He shook the hat a few times before pushing it to Sieun’s reach. Sieun stared off into the distance as he pulled out a piece of paper, glancing at Humin before he opened it.
He turned to face the group. “Juntae.” He said.
Humin laughed.
Juntae wasted no time and stood up from the couch and walked to the table. Picking up a pepero stick, Hyuntak noticed him snickering to himself. Juntae glanced back once at Suho, who just nodded at him, as if he was giving him approval.
It was just a game, anyway.
Juntae and Sieun got into position. Before Humin could even start the countdown, Juntae pulled away, giggling.
Humin groaned frustratedly. “Come on, Juntae!”
Juntae kept giggling as he adjusted his glasses. “I’m—I’m sorry! This is just so weird..” He got back into position. After looking into Sieun’s eyes once, he snorted again, before shutting his eyes completely.
That seemed like the safest option.
After Humin finished the countdown, Sieun moved first.
He barely got anywhere before Juntae opened his eyes, snorting again, causing the pepero to snap in half.
Hyuntak smiled and shook his head, while Suho laughed loudly. The room filled with Humin’s groans. “You had one job! One job..”
The two of them sat back down on the couch.
Hyuntak glanced over to Seongje, his silence unnerving. For once, Seongje wasn’t staring at him, but at his phone instead. His expression was unreadable, but he seemed invested at least.
Hyuntak’s eyes flickered down to Seongje’s lips. The same ones that just briefly touched his, a ghost of a touch if even. His stomach began to twist at the memory, forcing him to look away.
Humin raised the hat high into the air. “Any volunteers?”
Hyuntak took one more glance at Seongje before standing up. “I’ll go.” He said.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Seongje’s head shoot up from his phone. Immediately locking it and tucking it away, he suddenly looked very interested in Hyuntak. “Go for it.” Humin said, lowering the hat.
Hyuntak took a few prideful strides towards the hat. This was his redemption—his redemption from whatever the hell that was with Seongje. He knew that whoever he pulled wouldn’t try a stunt like Seongje did.
He didn’t even close his eyes as he picked a name. He stared straight at Seongje, gaze steady.
He unraveled the paper he got and groaned. “Seriously? Suho?”
Suho stood up immediately with a grin on his face. He patted Hyuntak’s shoulder twice before reaching for the pepero box. “You’ll be fine.” He said.
Hyuntak wasn’t worried. He wasn’t nervous nor was he anxious—not like how he was with Seongje. It was just gross.
“Whatever.” He scoffed, before biting the end of the pepero stick.
Humin seemed bored of the game at this point. Of course he was, the exhilarating part was over. The first round or two are always the best, and with the boys’ luck, the first rounds consisted of the people they hate the most.
Well, most of them.
The countdown finished with both Hyuntak and Suho immediately moving.
Hyuntak’s heart wasn’t thumping. His mind wasn’t racing, and he nerves were at an all time low.
This is weird.
He felt completely different compared to Seongje.
Hyuntak was never scared of Seongje, so he couldn’t use that as an excuse. Even if Seongje decided to randomly punch him in the gut before the game started, Hyuntak still wouldn’t be anxious. That’s just how Seongje is.
Crazy. Unpredictable.
Insane.
Maybe it’s due to the fact that Suho is one of his closest friends. It’s granted that he’d feel more comfortable doing this with him, right?
They finished with a fifth left of the stick.
After them, Suho pulled Sieun. It wasn’t really that fun to anyone since they’ve been boyfriends for longer than anyone can remember.
Last but not least, Humin and Seongje. A pairing made by process of elimination, and Humin was less than thrilled about it. Just his luck— pulling his crush, and the person he hated the most pulling him.
Hyuntak watched from the corner of the room, unable to tell if we wanted to laugh or puke.
There was something poking at him in the back of his mind seeing the two of them together so closely. He couldn’t tell what it was other than discomfort.
It confused him, and he swallowed hard to try to forget about it.
He didn’t pay attention to this round.
After the game ended, the group gathered around the table to decipher the winner. As Humin went on and on about how Hyuntak and Seongje were disqualified, Hyuntak noticed Seongje sit up from his seat.
They locked eyes, and suddenly Hyuntak felt his heart spike.
Without saying a word, Seongje left the room with a smirk on his face.
Hyuntak’s eyes lingered on the door for a few seconds before returning his focus on his friends, who were still trying to figure out the winner.
It was Suho and Sieun, obviously.