Chapter Text
Eom Seonghyeon didn’t know which was worse: liking someone and doing absolutely nothing about it—or liking someone and spilling it all to his best friend, only to have his head filled with the most ridiculous advice imaginable.
They sat on the sun-warmed bleachers, the metal heating through the thin fabric of their uniforms. It was lunch break, which meant the field was alive, with the chatter from students loitering around and the sharp whistle of the coach cutting through the humid air as the athletes sprinted across the grass, giving all their might like they had something to prove.
Seonghyeon sat two rows above the lowest step, chin resting on his palm as his elbows propped on top of his knee, his eyes fixed not on the football drills and practice, but on someone else entirely.
Martin.
Martin Edwards from Class 3-B who stood near the edge of the field, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his tie loosened around his neck, watching the game from the sidelines like the rest of them. Seonghyeon noticed how he kept mussing his dirty-blond, spiky hair every few seconds, as if it was some unconscious habit.
Martin, who somehow managed to smile like it came as easily as breathing, that when he laughed, it just burst out of him, bright and careless, his shoulders shaking as his head tipped back like the world had just told him the best joke it knew. It was the kind of laugh that drew people in, the kind that made everyone around him grin without even realizing why.
So carefree… So effortless.
And, to Seonghyeon’s quiet misery, it was simply… astonishing.
Because while everyone else saw Martin Edwards—the friendly and goofy guy from 3-B, the one who got along with everyone—Seonghyeon couldn’t help but notice the “other” things: The way he slung an arm around his friends’ shoulders when he talked. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled too hard, showing the rows of his perfect teeth. The way his face easily flushed red whenever he got embarrassed, something that Seonghyeon later realized happened so often, since his hyung was surprisingly easy to fluster.
“Jesus. Stop staring,” Keonho muttered beside him, crumpling his juice box, eventually cutting off Seonghyeon from his thoughts. “You’re gonna burn a hole through him.”
Ahn Keonho. His best friend since they were five years old. Just like something straight out of a cliché or well-worn trope in literary fiction, they had met at a children’s park one afternoon when they were five, and had been inseparable ever since.
Seonghyeon didn’t even blink as he replied, “I’m not staring.”
Keonho, sitting beside him with his usual nonchalant posture, gave him a sidelong glare. “You’ve been ‘not staring’ for the past twenty minutes,” Keonho said, a wry grimace tugging at his lips.
Well… Someone as anti-romantic as Ahn Keonho would never get it. Would never understand how just looking at Martin made Seonghyeon’s blood pound in his cheeks.
Seonghyeon’s eyes flicked back where Martin was jogging halfway across, meeting a certain Kim Juhoon as he ran back from the field after the practice game for a quick break. Eom Seonghyeon knew how much Martin adored his best friend. So when Martin raised his arm toward Juhoon for a quick dap, with that wide grin lighting up his face, Seonghyeon felt heat rise to his own cheeks, unable to stop the flush spreading across them as a smile tugged at his own lips.
Keonho followed his gaze and let out a long, knowing sigh. “Ah. So it’s that bad, huh?”
Seonghyeon swallowed. He had known ever since he met Martin that he harbored a small crush on the older boy, and now, perhaps, it felt like the right time to finally admit it to his best friend.
“I think I like him,” he confessed, his breath shaky as he watched Juhoon and Martin interact—Juhoon sipping his energy drink while Martin talked, hands moving so expressively that Juhoon couldn’t help but snicker.
Just the sight of them made Seonghyeon’s stomach twist in ways he wasn’t entirely ready to analyze yet. He knew Martin adored Juhoon. Everyone could see it. And yet, here he was watching him light up for someone else, and feeling entirely irrelevant in comparison.
He had been close to them for a while, since they all belonged to the same club alongside another hyung who was older than the rest of them. Being around Martin almost every day and having to interact with him constantly, had brought him to one undeniable conclusion: what he felt for Martin wasn’t just simple admiration. It was something that was close enough to be called a crush.
“How far gone are you?” Keonho asked, sweeping his long raven hair back.
“Down bad,” Seonghyeon sighed, his eyes still fixed on Martin and Juhoon.
Keonho stared at him for a second longer than necessary before nudging Seonghyeon’s knee with his own.
“So confess.”
“What? No.” Seonghyeon scoffed, like it was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. “That’s just so… straightforward.”
“That’s usually how liking someone works, dumbass,” Keonho snarked, rolling his eyes at Seonghyeon.
Seonghyeon shook his head, still watching the two on the field. A sharp whistle from the coach cut through the air, signaling another round of practice. Then, chorus of groans erupted immediately—someone swore loudly while another athlete threw himself onto the grass in exaggerated defeat.
Keonho snorted, while Seonghyeon huffed a quiet laugh beside him.
For a heartbeat, they just sat there watching.
“I don’t want to just confess,” Seonghyeon admitted after a while, leaning back against the metal of the bleachers. “I don’t think I’ll ever have the guts to.”
Keonho raised a brow.
“I want him to like me back first.” Seonghyeon breathed. He knew he was being unreasonable. Why would he even think he had a chance with the Martin Edwards? There was plenty of competition, and Seonghyeon knew Martin deserved someone better. Besides, Seonghyeon had never been the type to pursue someone or confess outright.
Most of the time, whenever he developed a crush, he’d observe first—waiting to see whether it was just a fleeting attraction or something actually worth pursuing. So far, though, they’d all been temporary, fading after a week or so. Either he’d get bored, discover their true colors, or realize he didn’t actually like their personality beyond the pretty face.
But with Martin…
A week passed. Then a month. Then a year.
And Seonghyeon knew he was completely fucked.
Because Martin Edwards was the most genuine, most lovable person he had ever met from the moment he realized he liked him.
He didn’t know what to do with a crush that refused to disappear. He didn’t know if he should ever act on it—whether he should confess, try to pursue him, or just keep quiet. Because the idea of Martin liking him first?
That felt almost impossible.
He broke out of his reverie when he heard Keonho scoff beside him.
“Wow, did you just hear yourself? You think Martin-hyung would like you back and confess first? The confidence right there is… immaculate.”
“Oh, shut up,” Seonghyeon shot back, rolling his eyes. “I’m telling you this because you’re my best friend. Now tell me—how do I make Martin-hyung fall for me?”
Keonho glanced at him with a slight grin. “You’re actually serious?”
Seonghyeon met his stare head-on. “Dead serious.”
Keonho leaned back on his hands, tipping his head back and looking at the sky like he was about to solve a complicated math problem. “Hm… make him fall for you, huh.”
He glanced down at the field, then back at Seonghyeon, then at the field again. Slowly, a mischievous smile curved on his lips.
“Easy,” he said lightly. “Just use pick-up lines.”
Seonghyeon blinked.
“…What?”
What the fuck?
Seonghyeon knew Keonho like the back of his hand. He knew the guy had been born solely to be an absolute menace in his life—but even then, he hadn’t expected pick-up lines of all things. Clearly, Keonho didn’t think this was as serious as Seonghyeon did, and somehow, that irritated him.
Still, he chose to hear the other out first.
“Pick-up lines,” Keonho pointed out. “The cringier, the better. Girls love that stuff, so maybe guys do too.” He shrugged. “Confidence is attractive.”
“That’s stupid,” Seonghyeon deadpanned.
“Exactly.” Keonho grinned. “It’s so stupid it might actually work.”
Keonho expected Seonghyeon to laugh it off.
But Seonghyeon didn’t.
Instead, he nodded slowly, like something had just clicked into place inside his head.
Well… Keonho had a point.
Seonghyeon thought about how easy it was to make Martin smile, how the older would lit up over the smallest things. He knew Martin liked compliments, too, so maybe saying something ridiculously cheesy—something straight out of a pick-up line—might actually work.
And it didn’t even have to be obvious. It didn’t have to sound like a confession or anything that would give away his feelings.
He could easily pass them off as jokes, like the way friends teased each other. Like casually hyping someone up; just rizzing up Martin a little without making it obvious he was actually flirting.
Good, this might do.
“…Pick-up lines,” Seonghyeon murmured, already thinking about what he’d do the moment he got home.
Keonho rolled his eyes. “I’m kidding, you idiot.”
But Seonghyeon was already pulling out his phone, typing a note into his to-do list.
And that was the beginning of the end.
When Seonghyeon came home that night, he did his research seriously.
…Way too seriously.
He lay flat on his bed with the lights off, phone hovering above his face as the glow of the screen lit up the ceiling. His thumb scrolled endlessly through forums, Reddit threads, and badly designed websites that screamed “TOP 100 PICK-UP LINES THAT WILL MAKE ANYONE FALL FOR YOU” in obnoxious neon green fonts that practically burned his retinas.
Half of the sites looked like they hadn’t been updated since 2007. Still, he read them like he was studying for a midterm.
He even took down notes.
Every now and then, he’d whisper a line under his breath, testing how it sounded out loud, rolling the words around on his tongue to see if they felt natural. Most of the time, they didn’t.
“Did it hurt…” he murmured quietly into his pillow.
He paused.
“…when you fell from heaven.”
Seonghyeon immediately grimaced, burying his face in his hands and letting out a frustrated groan. He was cringing so hard because some of these pick-up lines were so ridiculously dumb that it physically hurt to even hear them coming out of his own mouth.
“God, that’s just awful.”
(He wrote it down anyway.)
Some of the lines were even worse. At one point, he buried his face in the pillow and just yelled.
Fuck. Why are these all so embarrassing?
But Keonho told him to try pick-up lines.
And Seonghyeon, unfortunately, was the kind of person who committed to things once he started them.
So he kept scrolling. Kept bookmarking the ones he thought were actually worth keeping. Kept mumbling them to himself, over and over, until they started sounding… just a little less horrifying coming out of his own mouth.
By the time he finally put his phone down, he had a list.
A very serious list.
The next morning, Seonghyeon arrived at school looking suspiciously confident. His schoolbag hung sideways across his body, the strap cutting diagonally across his chest. A strawberry lollipop sat between his lips as he walked through the hallway, hands stuffed casually inside his pockets, hair pushed back like he’d actually made an effort to style them that day.
Students milled around the corridor, lockers slamming, voices overlapping in that chaotic morning buzz.
And right there, exactly where Seonghyeon expected him to be, was Ahn Keonho.
Standing in front of his locker.
Keonho’s raven hair was slicked back with a little too much hair gel, his wired earphones tucked in as he casually dug through his locker for the books they needed for the first period. His backpack hung loosely over one shoulder, posture relaxed like he had absolutely no concerns in life.
Seonghyeon pulled the lollipop from his mouth, then he walked straight toward his best friend. And before Keonho could even finish pulling a notebook from his locker, Seonghyeon stepped in and cornered him between the lockers.
“Keonho.”
Keonho slowly looked up, one brow slightly raised. He stared at Seonghyeon for a beat before letting out a long, exaggerated sigh. “If this is about the math homework, don’t ask me. I’m dead.”
Seonghyeon rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might actually get stuck up there. “No, dumbass. Nothing about maths.”
Keonho shut his locker halfway, giving him a suspicious, side-eye glance. “…Okay? Then what?”
Seonghyeon inhaled slowly, trying to calm himself, though his irritation was already bubbling. “I need you to stand still.”
Keonho blinked. “Why do I feel like I’m about to regret this?” He pushed his locker door closed with a metallic clang that echoed down the hallway.
Seonghyeon let out a heavy sigh. “Just—don’t move.”
Before Keonho could protest or ask another question, Seonghyeon stepped closer and planted one palm against the locker beside Keonho’s head. Seonghyeon looked at him with fire in his eyes—a weird mix of determination and bravado that made Keonho falter for just a fraction of a second. Slowly, Seonghyeon reached up and plucked one of Keonho’s wired earphones from his ear. He knew Keonho could hear him perfectly fine anyway, but still—it would be better if he heard this clearly.
Seonghyeon cleared his throat, squared his shoulders, and looked at Keonho as if he was Martin.
“Are you French?” he asked.
Keonho stared at him blankly. “...What?”
“Because Eiffel for you.”
Silence.
A deafening, ridiculous silence settled over them for a heartbeat. Keonho’s mouth twitched as if the words were physically striking him.
Then Keonho burst out laughing—so hard he had to lean against the lockers; a full, wheezing, shoulders-shaking kind of laugh that made a few students in the hallway paused, giving them curious glances, but Keonho barely noticed.
“You—” he tried to speak, but the words died in another burst of laughter. “You actually—oh my god—you actually took yesterday’s advice seriously? God, that’s so fucking terrible, it’s actually diabolical,” he gasped between his chuckles.
Seonghyeon’s face flushed a little red, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. He dragged a hand down his face. “You told me to do it. Said they might actually work.” He ruffled his hair in defeat, then popped the lollipop back into his mouth. “Well… anyway, I already wrote some of them down.” He shrugged like it was no big deal, even though his cheeks were burning.
Keonho finally relaxed, leaning sideways against his locker with that infuriatingly wide grin spreading across his face. He shook his head, trying to catch his breath between laughs. God, Eom Seonghyeon had just made his entire morning with that level of ridiculousness.
“So… you made a list?”
“Mhm.” Seonghyeon hummed, trying to act casual, though the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
“Oh my god.” Keonho chuckled again, this time pretending to wipe imaginary tears from his eyes. “This is the best fucking day of my life.”
Seonghyeon shoved his shoulder. “Man, stop laughing!”
“I can’t!” Keonho wheezed, clutching his stomach as another wave of laughter hit him. “You’re trying to seduce someone using internet pick-up lines!”
Seonghyeon yanked the lollipop stick out of his mouth again, leaving his lips moist and slightly damp. He didn’t notice, but Keonho did, eyes slightly lingering on those plump, cherry red lips.
“I’m not seducing anyone!” Seonghyeon insisted, a flush creeping up his neck.
“Then what exactly are you doing?” Keonho asked, eyes drooping just enough, the corners of his mouth twitching as his laughter faded. “Isn’t that why you made that list? So you could make Martin hyung—quote, unquote—fall for you?”
“Hey! Shh! Someone might hear you!” Seonghyeon hissed, clasping a hand over Keonho’s mouth as he darted a paranoid glance around the hallway. “I’m practicing, okay?!” He muttered through his teeth as he slowly removed his hand from Keonho’s mouth.
Keonho watched him for a moment, slightly amused. “…Practicing.”
“Yes,” Seonghyeon sighed, letting his eyes flutter shut for a second, feeling the weight of the day already pressing down on him—even though it was barely morning.
“With who?” Keonho asked, clearly enjoying himself.
Seonghyeon blinked.
Well… why did he even go straight to Keonho to test the pick-up lines? What was he thinking?
Maybe it was because he was comfortable with his best friend. Maybe he wanted honest feedback. Or maybe he just needed to build up the courage before actually trying them on Martin. He wanted to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself—to come across naturally, without looking like a complete fool in front of his crush.
And what better way to try than with your best friend?
“…You.” Seonghyeon admitted finally, his voice quiet but firm, meeting Keonho’s eyes without looking away.
The silence that followed was heavy. The kind of silence that made everything else in the hallway fade into nothing.
Keonho slowly pointed at himself, a teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
“You want to flirt with me?” Keonho asked with a grin, clearly trying to piss Seonghyeon off.
He would never admit it out loud, but Keonho thrived on moments like this. There was a special, unexplainable joy in rage-baiting his best friend. Only Seonghyeon could give him endearing reactions like this. And honestly? It was kind of adorable how he would reliably fall for it every single time.
Seonghyeon glared, cheeks tinged with pink. “The fuck—? No! I want to practice with you.”
“That’s flirting,” Keonho said, smirking like he’d just delivered a verdict.
“Oh my god. You’re fucking hopeless,” Seonghyeon groaned, shaking his head. “So can I start?” He huffed frustratingly.
Keonho raised a brow. “Start what?”
“Practicing, idiot. What else?”
Keonho snorted, letting the grin stretch even wider. “Oh, absolutely. Go on. Please ruin my morning,” he teased, voice dripping with sarcasm, clearly enjoying himself.
Seonghyeon cleared his throat, trying to focus, trying to ignore Keonho’s teasing. And yet… a strange flicker of nervousness crawled up his spine, and he didn’t even know why.
Well. It’s just Keonho. Just his foolish best friend. Not Martin.
This is why you’re doing this, Eom Seonghyeon, he muttered to himself. So you’ll actually have the nerve to face Martin and be your confident, goofy self. Like you always are. You’ve got this.
Keonho leaned forward. “Well then,” he said, that grin still plastered on his face. “Hit me with your best shot.”
“…Okay.” Seonghyeon exhaled shakily, pushing his hair back and straightening his posture. He tried to look confident. Really confident.
“Keonho,” he began.
“Yes, sweetheart?” Keonho replied almost immediately with that deep, velvet voice of his.
Seonghyeon paused. “What the fuck… Don’t call me that.” Seonghyeon’s brows furrowed. What the actual hell was he doing?
At this point, Seonghyeon was already regretting his life decisions. Regretting choosing his best friend as his practice partner. Keonho was clearly enjoying this—enjoying watching him suffer and slowly drown in embarrassment.
“May I just remind you that in this scenario, we’re not best friends,” Keonho pointed out, his grin mischievous enough to make Seonghyeon want to punch him. “You’re practicing. You’re supposed to think I’m Martin-hyung, and that you’re flirting with me.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake—would you please just listen and let me finish?” Seonghyeon groaned, throwing his hands up in frustration.
Keonho raised both hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. Jesus. Proceed,” he urged, as if he had no choice but to endure this spectacle.
Seonghyeon inhaled slowly, chest tight with nerves he didn’t entirely understand. Then, he shifted a fraction closer.
Keonho’s brow shot up. “…Why are you moving closer?”
“It’s part of the effect,” Seonghyeon muttered, trying to sound confident, trying to convince himself as much as Keonho.
“The effect,” Keonho echoed, voice dripping with amusement. Clearly, everything Seonghyeon did at this point was hilarious to him.
“Yes,” Seonghyeon said, nodding as if that explained everything.
Keonho snorted, shaking his head. “Sure. Totally makes sense.”
Seonghyeon drew in another breath, heart thudding. “Did it hurt?” he asked, trying to keep his tone low and smooth, like he was delivering a line he’d practiced a dozen times.
Keonho blinked, lips twitching into a smile. “…Did what hurt, baby?”
Seonghyeon bit his lip. The unnecessary pet names were making him turn beet red—not because Keonho was the one saying them, but because his stupid brain kept replacing Keonho with Martin. In his head, it was Martin standing there before him, saying those words to him.
Then he sighed, like he was bracing himself, before casually dropping the line. “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” he asked. “’Cause I think an angel just landed right in front of me.”
For a moment, Keonho stilled as he watched Seonghyeon trying his best, biting his lip to stop himself from exploding into laughter. “Well, no.”
Seonghyeon blinked. “No?”
“Because I tripped halfway down and landed in hell instead,” Keonho said, chuckling softly, shoulders shaking as he tried to keep a straight face.
Seonghyeon stared at him, dumbfounded. How did he even forget that Ahn Keonho is completely and utterly deranged?
“That’s not how the line goes,” Seonghyeon deadpanned, rubbing his temples like his brain might actually crack.
“Well,” Keonho shrugged lazily, “that’s how my version goes.”
Seonghyeon groaned. “You’re ruining it, you idiot.” He sighed, letting his shoulders slump for a beat. “Okay, you know what? Fuck it. Let’s move on to the next one.”
Keonho relaxed as he leaned against the locker, raising a brow and motioning for him to continue. “Go ahead. I’m all yours.”
Seonghyeon looked up and he sucked in a sharp breath as their eyes met. And for a second, he swore he could count every lash framing Keonho’s eyes, and it suddenly occurred to Seonghyeon that Ahn Keonho might actually have the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.
Even better than Martin’s—
Wait.
He’s here to practice, goddammit.
Seonghyeon’s stomach did a weird little flip, and for a split second, he hesitated, mind scrambling for focus.
Focus, Eom Seonghyeon. You’re practicing.
He cleared his throat and leaned in just slightly, lowering his voice almost to a whisper, like they were the only two people in the hallway, his breath fanning Keonho’s lips. “...Do you have a map?” he murmured.
Keonho’s eyes drooped slightly. “Hm. Why?”
“...Because I just got lost in your eyes.”
There was a long, stretching pause, with just the two of them staring at each other.
Keonho stared at Seonghyeon as if he were inspecting his soul, while Seonghyeon shifted awkwardly under the intensity, eyes shaking slightly due to nervousness he couldn’t just get rid off. “…Well?” he breathed shakily.
Keonho blinked twice, then he leaned forward. Just a little at first, then a little more, until their faces were uncomfortably, undeniably close.
Seonghyeon sharply inhaled, breath hitching as his heart thudded like it was trying to escape his chest.
“You know what the real problem is?” Keonho asked, voice low and husked.
“…What?”
“You say them like you’re delivering a PowerPoint presentation.”
Seonghyeon blinked, frowning. “Do I not sound… sincere enough?” he asked, a hint of panic creeping in.
Keonho stared at him, grin barely contained. “No offense, but you sound like you’re actually reading a report, Hyeon-ah.”
Seonghyeon let out a long, dramatic sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a pad of his forefinger. “Shit. This is harder than I thought.”
Keonho laughed again, softer this time, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “Well… I suppose it’s just something you need to get used to. You’ll get better in no time.”
Seonghyeon straightened a little, determination settling over his face. He had to get it right next time. Maybe practicing with Keonho was actually helping. At the very least, this buffoon was giving him actual, somewhat useful feedback.
“Can I keep practicing, though?” he asked.
Keonho looked at him for a moment, then let out a theatrical sigh, like he was resigning himself to some terribly tragic fate. Still, a small, fond smile ghosted across his lips—one that Seonghyeon completely missed.
“Fine.”
Seonghyeon’s face lit up instantly. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Keonho said, waving a lazy hand in the air. “Practice all you want. It’s not like you’d let me go that easily anyway.” He huffed out a laugh. “Torture me every day, I don’t fucking care anymore.”
Seonghyeon grinned, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling too wide. “Pfft. Great! Thanks.”
Keonho squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back like a man bracing himself for war. “…But if Martin actually falls in love with you because of those fuckass lines, I think I’m gonna need therapy.”
“Fuck you, man. Let me just remind you that you started this shit,” Seonghyeon shot back, laughing a little breathlessly just as the bell rang across campus.
He popped the lollipop back into his mouth with an exaggerated flourish, while Keonho pulled out his other earphone and stuffed both into his pocket.
Side by side—still bickering like they always did—they made their way toward the classroom, the start of first period waiting for them.
— 𑣲𝓳 —