Chapter Text
Seongje stared at the boy beside him. The one he called his… friend.
The word still felt absurd in his head.
There were many kinds of people in Seongje’s life. Those categories were simple enough for him to understand.
Strangers : People you didn’t know and didn’t fucking care about.
Victims: People you beat up when you felt like it.
Acquaintances: People you worked with because there was something to gain.
Lackeys: People you could order around.
But friend?
That was unfamiliar territory. Something he had never touched before, never properly understood.
For a long time, he used to think he had something close to that with the late Na Baekjin. Looking back now, it was obvious Baekjin had never seen him that way. At best, Seongje had only been an ally. A useful hand. Maybe even just another lackey standing under the former Union boss.
The realization still left a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he thought about it too long.
One night, unable to sleep, Seongje had even searched the word on the internet while laying on his bed with his phone above his face.
A friend is a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, trust, and support, often built on shared experiences and common values.
The definition had sounded fake as hell.
Mutual affection? Ridiculous.
Trust? Maybe. He could trust Suho, at least more than most people.
Support? They had saved each other before. Suho had nearly died doing it.
And shared experiences…
Yeah. Maybe that one made the most sense.
Maybe that was why this strange friendship between them even existed.
Because they had gone through enough shit together that somehow walking beside each other started feeling natural.
Still, Seongje narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the so-called friend beside him.
Suho finally noticed and frowned. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Still confused why you call me a friend.”
Suho blinked once, then chuckled under his breath. “You think too much. I thought you were the type to punch first and think later.”
“Only in a fight.”
“Aah. Okay.” Suho nodded seriously for half a second before his lips twitched again. “Then don’t think too hard about it. I just feel like it.”
“You’re really an idiot.” Seongje scoffed, pulling out a cigarette before slipping it between his lips. A small flame flickered in the dark as he lit it. Smoke curled upward into the cold night air.
The bus was late again. Probably traffic somewhere else. A breeze swept through the shelter, carrying the smoke away from Suho.
“You don’t have to walk me home every night, Seongje-ya,” Suho said suddenly.
“Isn’t that what friends do?” Seongje replied while exhaling smoke. “Friends support each other. Make sure the other gets home safely.”
Suho let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, you’re right. But you really don’t have to do it every night.”
Seongje took another drag before slowly turning his head toward him. “So I’m fucking annoying now?”
A snicker escaped Suho immediately. “Come on, Je. I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want to burden you. You can just text me and—”
“I don’t mind.” The answer came too quickly.
Suho paused for a second before an amused smile spread across his face again. “Okay, fine. Do whatever you want. Just don’t complain later saying you’re tired because of me.”
Seongje smirked. “If I complain, I’ll still blame you.”
“Yaah. Asshole.” Suho scowled at him, though the smile lingering at the corner of his lips ruined the effect completely.
Another gust of wind brushed across them. The weather was colder than usual tonight even though the sky was clear. Probably because it had rained yesterday.
Suho leaned back against the bus shelter bench and zipped his windbreaker higher. He looked tired after his shift at Baku’s place.
Ever since his legs fully healed, Suho had been taking part-time jobs almost every day again. Three days a week at Baku’s Chicken. Two days doing delivery work somewhere else. Weekends were usually split between training, helping his grandmother, and whatever random plans appeared.
“Cold?” Seongje breathed smoke into the air before offering the cigarette toward Suho.
Suho’s eyes flickered between the cigarette and Seongje’s smug face. “No.”
“Come on. It’s been a while. You know it warms you up.”
Suho laughed softly and shook his head. “No, man. Seriously. I still hate it.”
“I know.” Seongje extended the cigarette closer anyway. “Just once.”
Another cold breeze swept through the shelter.
“This weather’s fucking freezing now, Suho-ya.”
Suho looked at the cigarette again, clearly debating with himself, before finally sighing and taking it from Seongje’s hand. A quiet chuckle escaped him before he slipped it between his lips and inhaled carefully. He coughed almost immediately.
“Never learn. Still pathetic.”
“Shut up.” Suho took another drag despite the cough lingering in his throat. Smoke escaped slowly from his lips this time. “You really want to turn me into a smoking addict like you.”
“Yeah.” Seongje grinned without shame.
Suho rolled his eyes before taking one last inhale and handing the cigarette back to him. “Can’t waste money on this stuff, Je. I still have other priorities.”
Seongje snickered softly and placed the cigarette back between his own lips. “If you want one, just ask me,” he said. “We can share like usual.”
Suho didn’t answer. Only a quiet chuckle slipped from him while he looked away.
The bus finally hissed to a stop in front of the shelter. Both of them stood at the same time.
Seongje crushed the cigarette into the ashtray beside the bench before following Suho onto the bus. Warm air greeted them immediately inside the vehicle. Only a few seats were left at this hour.
Suho moved toward the right side and sat beside an office worker already half asleep by the window. Seongje dropped into the seat across from him, one row behind.
As the bus started moving again, Suho pulled out his earbuds like usual. Without even looking, he handed one side toward Seongje.
Rock music started leaking quietly through the speakers a few seconds later.
Seongje took out his phone and opened their game app.
A notification immediately popped up.
AhnPuppy : don’t cheat this time
Seongje smirked.
Wolfkeum13: I never cheat.
Wolfkeum13: Don’t be a sore loser.
AhnPuppy: liar.
AhnPuppy: you cheat. you treat.
A low snicker escaped him.
Wolfkeum13: STFU and play
The game loaded again across his screen while colorful lights reflected faintly over his face. Rock music mixed with the low hum of the bus engine and the muted clicking sounds from the game.
Somehow, this had become their routine after Suho came to Ganghak’s rooftop a month ago and challenged him.
Since Seongje reluctantly agreed to this whole friendship thing, he had started picking Suho up after work almost every night. They shared earbuds during the ride home, played games side by side, and spent Saturdays wandering around random places without any actual plan.
Sometimes Suho split his time with Yeon Sieun and the others from Eunjang too.
Reluctantly, Seongje tolerated it. Even if he didn’t really like it.
Another notification appeared.
Jihoon Yuseon
Got the money
Seongje typed back lazily.
Seongje
Meet me at the usual place in 30.
No reply came after that, but Seongje already knew Jihoon would show up anyway. He glanced outside the bus window. Their stop was getting close. Closing the game app, he shoved the phone back into his pocket.
When the bus stopped, he stood up at the same time as Suho and followed him out together with the remaining passengers. Cold air welcomed them again the moment they stepped onto the pavement. The bus hissed shut behind them before pulling away into the night.
They started walking side by side. It would take another fifteen minutes to reach Suho’s goshiwon.
Several times before, Suho had told him he didn’t need to escort him all the way there. The bus stop was enough. Seongje could just go home after that.
But Seongje always refused. Maybe friendship really did make people weird. Because now Suho’s safety had somehow become his problem too.
“Seongje-ya.”
Seongje hummed.
“Don’t forget to come to Eunjang tomorrow.”
Seongje frowned slightly, trying to remember what he meant.
Suho stared at him in disbelief. “Ah, come on. Eunjang School Festival?”
Seongje sighed exaggeratedly. “Suho-ya. I hate school festivals. They’re fucking boring.”
“That’s because when I came to Ganghak, you stayed on the rooftop the whole time.”
“Because festivals suck.”
“No.” Suho turned around and started walking backward in front of him. “Because you didn’t spend time with me.”
Seongje rolled his eyes.
“Come tomorrow,” Suho continued. “My class opened a food stall. After my shift ends, let’s go around together and try stuff.”
Seongje exhaled slowly. He really hated crowded events like that. Loud, annoying, full of useless people.
“Seongje-ya…” Suho pouted slightly.
Honestly, the sight of a guy this big pouting at him should’ve looked ridiculous. Unfortunately, it somehow worked.
“You should trust me on this,” Suho added confidently. “I trusted you with cigarettes. Now it’s your turn to trust me about having fun.”
“I already trusted you by agreeing to be friends with you.”
Suho burst out laughing at that. Then suddenly he stumbled backward when a cat darted across the sidewalk behind him. “Fuck—”
He quickly regained his balance and returned to Seongje’s side like nothing happened.
“I know,” Suho continued shamelessly. “Now extend that trust to festivals too. It’ll be fun with me around.”
Seongje glanced sideways at him while stepping aside for a passing delivery bike.
“Seongje.”
“Okay, fine. You’re fucking annoying.”
“Great.” Suho grinned brightly and gave him a thumbs up. “This’ll become an unforgettable memory for you.”
“Don’t get too confident.” Seongje scoffed. “I’m hard to please.”
“Nah.” Suho looked completely unconcerned. “Trust me.”
Seongje stared at him for another second before a new thought crossed his mind. “Then you have to treat me.”
“What?!” Suho stopped walking entirely. “Why?”
“Do you want me to come or not?”
Suho narrowed his eyes suspiciously before letting out a long suffering sigh. “Fine. Just this once. Next time we hang out, it’s your turn.”
“Deal.” Seongje’s grin widened immediately.
They continued walking for another few minutes before finally arriving in front of Suho’s goshiwon.
A few windows still glowed with light while several tenants moved in and out through the entrance.
“Remember,” Suho said while walking toward the door, “After school. Eunjang. Call me when you arrive.”
“Yeah.”
“And text me when you get home.” Suho waved once before turning toward the entrance. Then suddenly he looked back again. “Stay out of trouble.” A grin spread across his face.
Seongje let out a low chuckle. “Shut the fuck up and go inside.”
Suho laughed softly before finally disappearing through the door.
A faint thud echoed as it closed behind him.
Seongje stood there for a moment before pulling out his phone again. There was already another message from Jihoon waiting. He replied briefly, shoved the phone back into his pocket, then lit another cigarette.
His gaze drifted upward toward the small window where Suho’s room was. The light was still on. But he already knew it would turn off in another ten minutes or so.
Smoke curled slowly into the night sky as Seongje exhaled.
“Good night, Suho-ya.”
Then he finally turned and walked off toward his next destination.
The next day, Seongje stood in front of the two stone pillars with Eunjang’s name carved across them.
Students from different schools streamed through the entrance in groups, laughing loudly as they stepped into the festival area. Uniforms of various colors mixed together beneath hanging banners and paper decorations.
And in the middle of all of that, Seongje was the only one wearing Ganghak’s dark red blazer.
Every gaze followed the same path whenever people noticed him. His face. Then the blazer. Then back to his face again.
Seongje only exhaled quietly around the lollipop in his mouth. Sweet and sour flavor spread across his tongue as he shifted the candy lazily from one side to another.
If not because of Suho, he would never willingly step foot inside Eunjang.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
Maybe this wouldn’t be completely boring. There were still plenty of hotheaded idiots in this school. Plenty of people who knew exactly who he was. Plenty who had bad blood with him from the Union days. Maybe one of them would get brave enough to start something.
A slow grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
Yeah.
Maybe Suho was right.
Maybe he really could have some fun here.
Seongje finally started walking together with the flow of students entering the school grounds. Festival banners hung above the pathway while rows of stalls stretched across the courtyard ahead.
As he got closer to the crowd, he pulled out his phone and dialed Suho’s number. Heads were already beginning to turn toward him. Some students frowned in confusion. Some immediately looked wary. Others stared openly, whispering to their friends while glancing between Seongje’s face and the Ganghak blazer draped over his shoulders.
The call rang longer than expected. Then finally it was picked up.
“Seongje. You here?”
Seongje pulled the lollipop from his mouth. “Yeah.”
“Where are you?”
“School yard. Near the stalls.”
“Ooh. Wait there. Don’t hang up. I’ll come get you.”
Seongje hummed quietly and slipped the lollipop back between his lips while keeping the phone against his ear. His gaze wandered around the festival.
Students walked past carrying skewers of eomuk in paper cups. Some blew carefully against hot bungeoppang while steam still curled faintly into the air. Loud laughter and overlapping voices filled the courtyard while music blasted faintly from somewhere deeper inside the school.
“Seongje. Which stall are you near?” Suho asked through the speaker.
Seongje glanced to the side where two girls stood holding pink drinks in clear plastic cups.
“The drink stall. First line.”
“Ah, okay.” Muffled voices echoed from Suho’s side of the phone before the call shifted with movement.
Not long after, Seongje spotted Suho waving one arm widely above the crowd. He ended the call and started walking toward him. More eyes followed them immediately.
“Is that… Geum Seongje?”
“What the hell is he doing here?”
“Maybe he came to enjoy the festival?”
“Geum Seongje? Seriously?”
Seongje ignored every single whisper. Hands inside his pockets, lollipop between his lips, he simply followed behind Suho through the crowded pathway.
“Come on,” Suho said while motioning for him to follow. “This way.”
They passed rows of stalls crowded with students lining up for food and games. The deeper they went into the festival, the more attention Seongje attracted. Some students stepped aside instinctively when he walked past. Others kept staring openly.
Suho, meanwhile, acted completely normal about it. “Here.”
He finally stopped in front of one of the food stalls. “This is ours.”
The stall itself was simple but busy. White folding tables were lined beneath the tent while steam rose from several large pots near the back. Handwritten menus were taped crookedly along the front.
Tteokbokki.
Eomuk.
Dakgangjeong.
The smell of spicy sauce and fried chicken lingered warmly in the air.
“You cooked all this?” Seongje asked while eyeing the setup.
“Nah. Some of it was already prepped beforehand.” Suho glanced behind him toward the inside of the stall before suddenly grabbing Seongje’s wrist. “Ah—come here.”
Before Seongje could respond, Suho had already dragged him beneath the tent.
Seongje’s eyes flickered briefly toward the hand wrapped around his wrist. He could’ve pulled away. Should’ve, probably. But instead he simply let Suho lead him through the cramped space until they reached an empty chair stacked beside boxes of extra supplies.
Suho pushed him down onto the seat. “Wait here. What do you want to eat?”
Seongje looked up at him, still mildly wondering why he kept allowing this idiot to handle him however he wanted. “I don’t care.”
The corner of Suho’s lips lifted immediately. “Then I’ll bring everything.”
Without waiting for another answer, Suho turned and headed back behind the counter. His movements became quick and practiced almost instantly.
Scooping tteokbokki into paper bowls.
Pulling eomuk skewers from steaming broth.
Tossing dakgangjeong into another cup before coating it with sauce.
A few moments later, he returned carrying all three bowls in his arms. He handed the tteokbokki directly to Seongje before placing the others on the small plastic table beside him.
“Please enjoy.” Suho stepped backward while giving him a small wave. “I still have customers.”
Then he disappeared back toward the front again.
A low chuckle escaped Seongje. He bit down on the lollipop absentmindedly, the candy cracking softly between his teeth before he tossed the stick away. His gaze moved between the bowls for a moment before finally choosing the eomuk first. Something lighter sounded better right now.
As he pulled one skewer free from the broth, his eyes caught one of Suho’s classmates staring at him from beside the stove.
Seongje raised an eyebrow. “What?”
The boy flinched immediately. “N-Nothing.”
He quickly turned back toward the pot in front of him, pretending to focus entirely on cooking again.
An amused scoff slipped from Seongje. Then his attention drifted back toward Suho.
Even from where he sat, he could hear Suho loudly calling out orders, repeating requests back to customers, joking with classmates between movements while handling payments and food at the same time. There was sauce smeared across the front of his apron already. Steam rose around him constantly. And somehow, despite the crowd and chaos, Suho still looked completely at home there.
Even while serving customers, Suho still somehow found time to joke around with the classmates working beside him. One of them bumped his shoulder lightly while saying something, and Suho laughed immediately, loud and easy without holding himself back.
Seongje chewed the eomuk slowly while watching him. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Suho looked… different with them. Looser and brighter. There were casual touches everywhere. Shoulder shoves. Hands grabbing sleeves. Arms slung briefly around necks before disappearing again. The kind of physical closeness people did naturally with those they had known for a long time.
But with Seongje… It was different.
Suho was still comfortable around him. Still loud. Still unfiltered. But there was always a strange line he never crossed. Like he was instinctively careful around Seongje in ways he wasn’t with everyone else.
The thought sat unpleasantly somewhere inside Seongje’s chest.
He placed the empty eomuk bowl down before finally taking the tteokbokki instead. The rice cakes were softer than they should’ve been. Slightly overcooked. Still decent enough to eat.
While Seongje was chewing slowly, Suho turned away from the customers and walked toward the back where another classmate was handling the dakgangjeong. He scooped a large portion into a serving tray before grabbing a stack of empty paper bowls. Then he headed back toward Seongje again.
“Is it good?” Suho asked.
“Not bad,” Seongje answered. “Tteokbokki’s slightly overcooked.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Suho adjusted the stack of bowls in his arms before suddenly opening his mouth slightly. “Give me one.”
Seongje stared at him. “What?”
“Just wanna taste it.” Suho motioned helplessly with the bowls still occupying both his hands. “The first batch tasted normal.”
His gaze flickered from Suho’s open mouth down to the tteokbokki in his bowl. “…Seriously?”
“Come on, Je.” Suho leaned forward a little closer, still waiting shamelessly.
Seongje looked at him for another second before finally grabbing one piece of tteokbokki with the skewer and holding it out.
Suho immediately took the bite.
From the corner of his eye, Seongje noticed movement around them.
Several classmates had frozen completely.
One boy near the stove looked openly stunned.
Another guy almost dropped the ladle in his hand.
Seongje frowned slightly, confused by their reactions, but ignored it almost immediately.
Suho chewed thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah. You’re right.” He swallowed. “It’s overcooked.”
“Obviously.”
“I’ll tell them for the next batch.” Suho straightened again and walked back toward the counter area.
The moment Seongje’s eyes shifted toward the others, the classmates who had been staring quickly looked away and pretended to focus on work again.
A low amused chuckle escaped him.
Weird people.
He slowly continued eating while watching Suho move around the stall.
The crowd in front of them was getting bigger now. Orders overlapped one after another while steam continued rising into the warm afternoon air. Suho moved constantly between customers and classmates without really stopping. Taking payments. Calling out orders. Refilling trays. Laughing in between conversations like he had endless energy stored somewhere inside him.
A buzz against Seongje’s pocket interrupted his thoughts. He set the empty tteokbokki bowl aside before pulling out his phone. Several messages from one of his employers had come in already. His thumb moved lazily across the screen while replying. Then he switched to another chat with Jihoon and Hwangmo, typing short instructions without much thought. Even while texting, his gaze still lifted occasionally back and forth toward Suho and phone. After finishing everything, Seongje shoved the phone back into his pocket.
The last bowl remained untouched beside him. Dakgangjeong.
He picked it up and leaned back slightly against the chair while eating. This one was actually good. Sweet, spicy, crispy enough. Much better than the overcooked tteokbokki.
His eyes drifted toward Suho again. Steam curled around him while he scooped another serving of tteokbokki into paper bowls. There were more sauce stains splattered across the front of his apron now, but somehow he still looked annoyingly fresh despite standing there for hours.
Seongje clicked his tongue softly.
How the hell does this guy still have energy?
Finally, after sitting there long enough, boredom started creeping over him. “Suho.”
Suho glanced over immediately before fully turning toward him. “What, Seongje?”
“I’m bored. Gonna smoke.”
“Ah.” Suho checked the time quickly. “Okay. Go to the right side. No stalls there.” Then he looked back at his watch again. “Ten more minutes. I’ll come after this shift ends.”
Seongje only nodded once before standing up.
The festival had become even more crowded now. Laughter and shouting mixed together from every direction while students squeezed past one another between the stalls.
He finished the last bite of dakgangjeong while walking away from the tent.
After tossing the empty bowl into a nearby trash bag, he continued toward the quieter side of the school grounds in search of somewhere peaceful enough to smoke.
The place Suho pointed out wasn’t far from the food bazaar, but it was noticeably quieter than the crowded festival area. The sounds of laughter and shouting still drifted over from the courtyard, muffled by distance now instead of overwhelming. And no one else was around.
Seongje slipped a cigarette from the pack and lit it up. Smoke filled his lungs before slowly leaving his mouth again. A warm breeze brushed against his face and carried the smoke away into the open air. Honestly, he still didn’t know if he could actually enjoy this kind of event. Maybe he should just tell Suho he changed his mind and leave early. At least he already came. He also already ate the food from Suho’s stall. That should count enough.
“Well. Well. What do we have here?”
An annoying voice suddenly came from the side.
Seongje turned his head lazily toward the source.
A guy was walking toward him together with several others trailing behind.
“Geum Seongje,” the boy greeted with a smug grin. “Never thought I’d see you at Eunjang’s festival.”
Seongje narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to remember the face.
Nothing came to mind.
“Who?”
The guy’s expression twitched immediately. “Yah. It’s me. Choi Hyoman.” He pointed at himself in disbelief. “We met a couple times back when you were still in Union.”
Seongje frowned faintly. Still nothing. “Don’t remember.” He took another slow drag from the cigarette instead.
Hyoman let out a loud offended scoff. “You’re still fucking obnoxious, Geum Seongje.” His voice grew louder as he straightened himself up. “Union already fell. Eunjang destroyed it.”
A low chuckle escaped Seongje. "So?"
The single word immediately made Hyoman’s expression harden.
“Then stop acting like you own the place,” he snapped. “You’re still walking around with that fucking smug attitude like nothing changed.”
Seongje stared at him for a second before slowly stepping forward.
Hyoman’s group instinctively stiffened.
Seongje inhaled from the cigarette once more before blowing the smoke directly toward them.
“Why?” A slow grin spread across his face. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
His voice stayed calm. And that made it worse.
“Union fell,” Seongje continued while walking closer. “But do you really think I still can’t beat the shit out of all of you?”
One step.
Then another.
Hyoman and the others unconsciously stepped backward each time Seongje moved forward.
Seongje noticed it immediately.
And he enjoyed it very very much. Fear looked familiar on people. It was so amusing for him.
“Come on.” His grin widened slightly. “Force me.”
Smoke curled lazily upward between them.
“Punch me if you don’t like my attitude that much.”
Hyoman swallowed visibly.
“There are five of you,” Seongje continued almost casually. “And only one of me.”
Another step forward. “Come on.”
The pressure in the air thickened with every movement. “Entertain me.”
Hyoman stumbled backward hard enough to bump into one of his own friends.
A snicker escaped Seongje immediately.
Now this….this is finally getting interesting.