Taehyeon watches Bada walking ahead with his Eoleunjeol friends. Taehyeon never imagined he would feel jealous at a time like this, yet here he is.
Stupid and annoying Taehyeon can't say anything whilst Bada is shyly laughing along in hiccups to whatever the Eoleunjeol boys are talking about. Even if Taehyeon could identify Siwoo and Pilgyu, Taehyeon would struggle to pinpoint just who it is that Bada clearly likes so much. Woobin is walking with them all too. Someone from the school of shy nerds is bringing out Bada's awkward giggles but Taehyeon couldn't confidently guess who that person is.
"Bada is so popular with boys," Minjun notes.
"Yeah," Taehyeon agrees. A second later, Lee Dongmin's smug face comes to mind. Bada really is popular with boys. Taehyeon has to wonder whether this is all an act and Bada will end up kissing all three of the Eoleunjeol boys.
"Are you… popular with boys?"
As bizarre as that question is, Taehyeon needs to look properly at Minjun's face to work out if that was meant to be a joke. They don't know each other that well but Taehyeon can't shake off the notion that Minjun asked the question sincerely.
"If I was popular with boys, I'd hope to have convinced at least one boy to kiss me by now," Taehyeon mutters. He shouldn't take questions like this personally. Even from the first time they spoke, Minjun has always seemed genuinely curious about the fact that Taehyeon likes boys (likes Minjun, in fact). If this turned out to be an elaborate prank, Taehyeon would be too shocked to feel betrayed by it. At least, that is his thinking at this point.
"Kissing?" Minjun laughs. "If more people knew about you, I bet loads of boys would want to kiss you."
Minjun's smile always looks sincere, as far as Taehyeon can tell. This isn't the time to get annoyed at someone who is on their way to becoming an ally. Taehyeon stays totally calm. They have emerged from the shelter of the underpass and the strategically planted trees. The bank of the Han River is in sight and Taehyeon can breathe in the immune system-boosting atmosphere of phytoncide in the air.
"What, like if more people knew that I existed?"
"No. People know that you exist. Just looking at you, I reckon there are already loads of people who want to kiss you. I mean that if they knew that you liked boys, more of the boys who want to kiss you would want to do something about it."
"Are you serious?"
Minjun nods, the cold air bringing more pink to his cheeks. "Of course! You're really… handsome. So—"
"No," Taehyeon interrupts. He knows that he is blushing terribly right now but he needs to ignore that. "I'm not talking about that. The people who would 'do something' about the fact that I like boys would be people who want to punch me, not kiss me."
"What do you mean? Who would want to punch you?"
Taehyeon needs to try really hard to keep his exasperation in check. He isn't sure whether it is better or worse that Bada is out of earshot. For now, Taehyeon should be content to steal glances at all the fun Bada is having at the Han River with a boy who strangely keeps changing height.
"There are people who think that me and Bada are weird. Liking boys isn't normal to a lot of people. Because we're different, and some people don't like that fact, it is a reason for people to want to hurt us. Or people like us."
"But that sounds stupid. Isn't it flattering if someone likes them?"
"We wouldn't have to actually like those people for them to decide that we're gross. They would want to hurt us just in case. Because we're weird and gross it is better to teach us a lesson now before we drag someone normal into our weirdness."
"You're not weird or gross," Minjun says with such ferocity that even Bada and the Eoleunjeol boys turn back. Taehyeon waves away the frowns. All is fine here. Even when Minjun grabs Taehyeon's arm, blunt fingers biting through the padding of his coat, and he stares, all is well.
"Thank you."
"I mean it, Taehyeon. You're not any of those things."
"There are still people who would disagree with you," Taehyeon says. He sees Minjun's frown deepen and he does not want to hear something else which will make him embarrassed. "You're just a nice person, so you don't get it. Being honest about who we like is risky because we don't know how anybody is going to react. Bada hasn't even been able to ask his new friends over there whether they like boys because even that is scary."
The words seem to settle and Minjun relaxes his grip on Taehyeon's arm.
"Are they scary too?"
"Yeah. They are. Everyone is scary when you don't know how they will react."
Comprehension is slow to smooth over Minjun's face but Taehyeon thinks it is enough. And then Minjun goes and says,
"That means you think I'm scary too, doesn't it."
The fact that Minjun didn't pose it as a question means that he expects Taehyeon to agree. There is nothing to lose by being honest here.
"Yes. You're the scariest of all."
Minjun huffs. When he places his hand on Taehyeon's shoulder, the touch is much softer than the insistent grasp before. "We're friends. I really want us to be good friends. I don't know what I did that was scary but I don't want you to think things like that about me."
Taehyeon already has thought lots of scary things about Minjun. As nice as it is to hear Minjun trying to dispel anything like that going forward, Taehyeon has already pictured his entire social demise at the hands of this new friend a million times over. He has also pictured lots of things that Minjun would take umbrage with for very different reasons but that is neither here nor there. Suddenly remembering something he shouldn't be thinking about in public makes his face burn and there is no doubt Minjun will have something quite unhelpful to say about that.
Looking away in search of a distraction, Taehyeon finds that they are alone. Well, there are people milling about but Taehyeon doesn't know any of them. He points the fact out to Minjun and awkwardly scurries off to follow where the others might have gone.
Taehyeon is clearly an idiot for worrying whether Minjun, star of multiple Jeonwon Metropolitan High School sports teams, would be able to keep up with him. Grinning as he jogs alongside Taehyeon, Minjun nudges Taehyeon with his elbow.
"We're friends, right? We're going to be good friends."
If Minjun was considerate and polite, he'd understand that Taehyeon changed the subject on purpose. Taehyeon is torn. Whilst being friends with Minjun would probably be nice, Taehyeon isn't ignorant to the possibility that is the worst fate of all. Idiots without common sense don't draw hearts around boys' names just because they want to be friends.
Like with most things Taehyeon doesn't want to think about, he ignores Minjun's question until his hideous trot brings him far enough along the path to spot Bada's familiar parka.
"Oh look, they're just over there."
As though Taehyeon fired a starting gun, Minjun legs it all the way over to Bada and the Eoleunjeol boys. Luckily, Taehyeon has already resigned himself to his distinct lack of athleticism. He doesn't even care that he has been left in the dust by the admittedly cute boy insisting they're friends. In fact, Minjun ran so fast that he kicked up a load of dust from the path. That's why Taehyeon's eyes are watering when he finally reaches everyone else, panting and sweatily ugly. It's dust. He's not crying.
"Are you sure?" the Eoleunjeol boy with a head like a mop asks. Thankfully Bada knows all about Taehyeon's dust allergies and he changes the subject.
"Woobin's brother came to play basketball too," Bada says cheerily. He points at the row of basketball courts cordoned off with black netting. "He looks really good. It looks like all of the courts are full anyway so we wouldn't have been able to play after all."
It seems like everything worked out. Except Taehyeon has no idea what on earth they are supposed to do now.
"Which one is your brother?" Minjun asks.
"That one in the black t-shirt and the blue hat," Woobin points out. As if cognisant of the fact that he is being watched, Woobin's brother gets a home run. Or a goal. Goal makes sense. Taehyeon is cautious of saying anything aloud in case he is still wrong.
"Wow," Minjun says with the sort of reverence people usually use for celebrities. "You have a brother who looks like that? He looks so… popular."
"What is that supposed to mean?" the decidedly small Eoleunjeol boy asks.
"Do you want me to introduce you to him?" Woobin offers.
"No way!" Minjun splutters. "I'd hate to have competition like him. Imagine if I was talking to someone with intentions to get to… to get to know each other well. Wouldn't they ignore me completely and take an interest in your brother?"
"My brother isn't competition for you. He wouldn't be interested in the type of people you're interested in," Woobin says. His voice is so gentle that Taehyeon can't tell whether the words are meant to be soothing or admonishing. "Whoever you're interested in isn't going to be taken away by my brother."
Minjun nods and quietly repeats whichever parts of Woobin's words he likes the most under his breath. Taehyeon can't help but notice that Minjun's clouds of condensation float somewhere between relief and elation. He also can't help but notice jealousy churning slowly like a hideous sea monster in his gut. He doesn't want to hear about Minjun winning someone's heart without worrying about people like Woobin's brother.
"Waiting around here won't be fun. Shall we look around for something to eat?" Bada suggests.
The idea is a good one and only Taehyeon must be still thinking about Minjun happily flirting with all the people Woobin's brother has no interest in.
After a while of checking the local restaurants on their phones, one the Eoleunjeol boy with pouty lips and an upturned nose offers to order a food delivery.
"No way!" the boy with poofy hair shouts. "It's cold! Why do you want us to freeze to death out here?"
"If that's what it takes to make you shut up then that sounds great!" The boy on Bada's other side draws himself up to his full height, almost as tall as Bada himself, and glares at the shorter kid with big hair.
"Oh, you've been trying to get rid of me? That's funny because I'm sure you're also the one who was constantly bleating, 'Pilgyu, Pilgyu, what do I do? You have to help me!' like a pathetic little—"
"Do I have to make you shut up?"
"Try it! Let's see who shuts up first!"
Bada sheepishly retreats from the front lines of this battle. He goes unnoticed by the two arguing Eoleunjeol boys but Taehyeon grasps at him for some sort of explanation.
"I thought they were friends or something. What are we supposed to do if they try to kill each other?"
"They are friends," Bada squeaks nervously. He doesn't look certain about that at all.
"Let's try to get along," Woobin offers feebly. Naturally, the words have no effect because people tend not to hear quiet voices when they're screaming at each other.
"Do they remember that we're in public?" Taehyeon asks. "Make them stop that."
"They'll stop soon."
"I think they're funny," Minjun says cheerily. "Shall we go to get something to eat?"
Taehyeon has to wonder what is wrong with Minjun. Actually asking about that is a bit beyond Taehyeon's remit. He sticks to the person he knows best.
"What do you normally do when they're squabbling like five year olds?"
"I don't know. I think they'll make up soon."
"What if someone from school sees us?" Taehyeon implores. He knows that Bada's reputation is of supreme importance to him. Any risk to that should get some reaction out of him.
"Someone from school is looking at you right now," Minjun says with a grin. His hand is a brief pressure on Taehyeon's elbow before he wheedles his way between the quarrelling Eoleunjeol boys. "Hey, I'm about to do another survey. Can you pretend to be friends again for just a few minutes?"
Inexplicably, the request works. The two boys stop shouting at each other. Only one of them looks vaguely ashamed at the interruption. Minjun slides an arm over each of the boys' shoulders to guide them closer to the group.
"Thanks everyone for joining in with my survey," Minjun says as though he had mentioned this to literally anybody else ever. "So. Does anybody here like boys? I'm asking for a friend."