Chapter Text
Baek Yu Seoul had learned, over the years, to recognize the sound of trouble before it reached him.
It was never loud. Never dramatic.
Just the subtle shift in air—like something sharp being drawn from its sheath.
He felt it now as he turned the corner of the hallway.
Ma Yuseong stood there, arms crossed, his shoulder leaning casually against the wall as if he owned the place. His expression was unreadable in that infuriating way of his—eyes calm, lips neutral, posture relaxed. Too relaxed.
Yu Seoul stopped short.
Of course.
“You’re blocking the way,” Yu Seoul said flatly.
Yuseong tilted his head, gaze flicking over Yu Seoul in a way that felt less like looking and more like measuring. “Am I?”
“Yes.”
A pause. Then Yuseong stepped aside—just barely. Not enough to be polite. Enough to be deliberate.
Yu Seoul passed him anyway, shoulder brushing Yuseong’s arm.
The contact was brief. Electric. Unwanted.
“Still can’t stand me?” Yuseong asked, voice low, almost amused.
Yu Seoul didn’t stop walking. “I don’t think about you enough to care.”
That earned him a soft laugh from behind. “Liar.”
Yu Seoul clenched his jaw.
It wasn’t always like this. Once—before the rivalry, before the misunderstandings and bruised pride—they had been nothing more than two people occupying the same space. But something had shifted. A competition turned personal. Words said too sharply. Silence held too long.
Now, every interaction felt like a blade pressed between them.
They were opposites in the worst ways.
Yu Seoul was precise. Control. Every movement intentional, every expression guarded. He built walls and made sure no one saw the cracks.
Yuseong, on the other hand, was chaos disguised as calm. He smiled easily, fought brutally, and had an unsettling habit of seeing right through people—especially Yu Seoul.
That was the real problem.
“Careful,” Yuseong said as Yu Seoul reached the stairwell. “You’re angry.”
Yu Seoul spun around. “Don’t pretend you know me.”
Yuseong met his glare without flinching. For a moment, something unspoken passed between them—an understanding neither of them wanted.
“I know enough,” Yuseong replied quietly.
Yu Seoul hated that his chest tightened at those words.
Hated that, beneath the resentment, there was something else. Something sharp and confusing. Something that made his pulse quicken every time Yuseong looked at him like that—like he was a challenge worth pursuing.
“You’re not my enemy,” Yuseong continued, voice softer now. “You just keep acting like you want to be.”
Yu Seoul scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
He turned away before Yuseong could see the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
Behind him, Yuseong watched him go, expression unreadable once more. But his fingers curled slowly at his side, and his gaze lingered far longer than it should have.
Enemies, he thought.
For now.