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World’s Best Martial Art

kaasjee

Summary:

In which Taehoon and Yeonwoo being NewTube disasters.

Notes:

A sequel to “Are You Happy?”
I just want them to be friends after everything. Yeonwoo’s strong, calm and patient, and probably be the only one who can put up with Taehoon’s strength and bad bitch energy.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: You’re not a bully.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Never in his life Taehoon would have imagined himself hanging out with a nerd. Not until Lee Dowoon. But even Dowoon had let him decide on the idea of having fun. His friend had always followed his lead.

So why the hell had he agreed to Ji Yeonwoo’s invitation to this lame-ass hang-out session on the weekend?

After the arcade night, they’d exchanged Kakaotalk (before that they’d only known each other’s Messenger account on Pacebook), in case both of them wanted to hang out again. Yeonwoo absolutely refused to skip class, much to Taehoon’s annoyance, so they either met up after school or on weekends. It was his pleasure to show Yeonwoo the rope to proper teenage rebellion.

They weren’t close – not enough to share embarrassing secrets or have sleepovers or some shits – but they weren’t mere acquaintances. Taehoon hadn’t told him about Lee Dowoon yet, and Yeonwoo never pried into it. Instead, they sent each other random stuff, mostly martial arts, trendy games and memes. Yeonwoo had a quirk of sending weird-ass medical facts at wee hours, attached with references. To be fair, Taehoon had no interest in the mandible being the hardest bone, or that the feet had 52 bones and made up 25% of all the bones in the human body (hmm, they could be useful in fights?); however, he appreciated his friend’s thoughts. In response, he urged the guy to sleep.

Exam weeks were approaching, which meant Yeonwoo deliberately turned his nerd level to maximum. He equated their weekly hangouts with study sessions (“No, Taehoon, I’m doing this for myself!”). Compensation was a must, of course. At the end of the day, they sparred at Taehoon’s dojang until both collapsed.

At the moment, they were sitting inside a small café in Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu. Yeonwoo had thought it’d be a great idea to study in a neighborhood surrounded by a large student population and top universities. Taehoon wouldn’t mind though, since the area also offered various entertainment and cheap restaurants.

Lucky for them, it was a quiet Saturday morning. The only sounds were from the coffee machines, doorbells and soft jazz music. In front of him, Yeonwoo started to pull out a pile of textbooks while waiting for their drinks, and Taehoon was so close to regretting his decision.

Well, too bad. Sooner or later he’d have to revise all these materials. Perhaps studying with this weirdo would make it less painful.

Contrary to people’s beliefs, Taehoon wasn’t dumb, just not foresighted. He preferred living in the moments. And it wasn’t like his future career would need advanced maths. If asked, he’d say something predictable, like a professional athlete. The idea of him working behind a computer was unthinkable.

Yeonwoo, though, the guy would be fit for an office job. He’d said he wanted to be a sports physical therapist (“No, Taehoon, this is what I really want! Father has no idea about it.”). That might also work out well.

Taehoon leaned forward, slurping the last drops of his coffee and observing his friend. Yeonwoo was doing his assignment with laser focus. His postures were identical to those on his NewTube videos. He’d been studying non-stop for more than 45 minutes. Taehoon couldn’t possibly concentrate for that long. Dude had the patience of a monk.

“Well, you said you wanted to pass final term exams.” Yeonwoo flipped a page. “And I said we should finish revising these materials before doing other fun stuff. Plus, I can help if you have any questions.”

He looked down, frowning. Taehoon knew this frown. It was a difficult question.

Taehoon pulled those AirPods out. “That’s it, time for a break.”

“Where are you going?” Yeonwoo asked.

“Order another drink.”

On his way back, there were eyes from other customers, mostly girls. For long he’d gotten used to being gawked at, knowing that he was conventionally attractive. It was a huge advantage as a NewTuber, but also a minor inconvenience. He wasn’t sure if those fangirls had subscribed for his Taekwondo or his looks. His channel was growing so rapidly – reaching 500K subs – that Taehoon had a hard time brainstorming new content, and he didn’t want to ask Hobin for help. Not for the next live stream.

A slice of lemon cheesecake was put in front of Yeonwoo. “Here, eat this.”

“Pay me back later.” Rich bastard. Taehoon wished he was rich too.

There were giggles from a nearby table. Taehoon took a glance. Ah! Those girls were goggling at them for a while, which was kinda understandable. He also heard their names amongst those chitter-chatters.

Were they really celebrities? Taehoon didn’t give a shit or two about public opinion, but his friend seemed to be slightly uncomfortable. It was subtle. Upon hearing his name, Yeonwoo tensed, only for a brief second, before slouching against his backrest. Sometimes Taehoon forgot he was an ex-1.8M-sub NewTuber. Dealing with unwanted attention was exhausting, and hanging out with another famous NewTuber made it worse.

Besides, the dude was easy on the eyes. Even if he was a normal high-schooler, Taehoon bet girls would still flock around him, like flies around a piece of shit.

“Hey, don’t you have other nerdy friends to hang out with?”

“I-I do.” Yeonwoo bowed his head, ten fingers intertwined. “But most of them have been avoiding me ever since that incident in the schoolyard. It’s like they’re afraid of me or something.”

Taehoon swallowed a lump in his throat. “Ha ha… So you hang out with a bully instead.”

“You’re not a bully.” The answer was so earnest Taehoon almost believed him. Yeonwoo, despite his build, was looking at him like an abandoned puppy. “I enjoy spending time with you.”

Taehoon blushed. Damn, this guy had no filter. Things were getting sentimental, again.

“Let’s get back to work.”

An hour and then some later, Taehoon had done with Physics and Yeonwoo with Korean Modern History. As compromised, they’d end the study session after two subjects.

It was time for real business.

Taehoon opened a notebook, in which he kept track of his NewTube channel’s activities. Promoting Taekwondo was something he took seriously. He’d even consulted his dad for a teaching curriculum. Apart from pre-recorded training videos, he needed to create appealing contents for his live streams.

“How are you doing with NewTube?”

“Not bad.” Taehoon scratched his head. “But I’m kinda stuck at the moment.”

Taehoon was a bit jealous. Yeonwoo didn’t have to think much about content since his whole channel was about Gongbang. He doubted the guy would be helpful…

“Join my next live stream.”

Messy bits were flowing inside his head. Taehoon tried to conceptualize them by speaking out.

“It’s a Taekwondo-versus-Kyokushin-Karate challenge.”

“But I don’t fight–”

“We won’t be fighting each other. You see, each martial art has different training methods and different requirements for belt tests. You can give me some Karate challenges, and I’ll give you Taekwondo challenges. We’ll test each other’s limits to see which martial art is the best. What do you think?”

“Um…” Yeonwoo chewed on his straw. He looked genuinely concerned. “It sounds risky to me. Are you sure your hands can survive my challenges?”

Taehoon raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure your legs can survive my challenges?”

A beat. Their staring contest should’ve become a habit by now.

“Alright.” Yeonwoo shrugged. “As long as we are careful and take precautions, I’m in.”

“Great!” He packed everything and stood up. It was time for real fun. “Arcade?”

Notes:

Sinchon-dong is an amazing neighborhood, one of the best places for students to hang out in Seoul.
Many thanks to jiyunwoosgf for the permission to post your art. It’s gorgeous uwu

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Call Me By His Name

kaasjee

Chapter 5: You Got It Wrong. He Is Not My Boyfriend.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Four

Being a friend of Seong Taehoon was one of Yeonwoo’s greatest honors. Taehoon had made it his mission to show Yeonwoo all the things he’d been missing in his life. Once they started hanging out, everything with Taehoon became his first actual experience. First arcade game, first internet café, first movie, first NewTube collab, first cheeseburger and spicy fried chicken. Yeonwoo treasured every moment spent with him (and Yoo Hobin Company). The memories were reserved in his long-term storage, and his phone.

Yeonwoo had a whole album with just photos of Taehoon. Most of them were from NewTube and Naver, a few he secretly snapped when Taehoon was particularly enticing. He felt like a creep, or one of Taehoon’s crazy fangirls and fanboys. Taehoon was a friend, for goodness’ sake! A best friend even! Taehoon would no doubt kill him if he knew.

Yeonwoo wasn’t stupid. He was aware of which direction it was getting to, but he made no effort to stop it. It’d gotten worse ever since the rumors. They hung out often, so naturally, their fans would assume they were dating.

As for Taehoon, he didn’t care about public opinions. He even taught his friend how to deal with them. Yeonwoo, though, he’d encountered some disturbing, homophobic remarks that had kept him up at night. His relationships worsened, especially with his parents, which again, Taehoon had taken them personally.

“We’re friends. Your problem is my problem.”

“It’s alright. I can deal with-”

Taehoon slapped him on the back. “No, you can’t. You pathetic dipshit can’t even defend yourself. Lemme handle things my ways, got that?”

Yeonwoo didn’t trust Taehoon’s methods, given his violent tendency to pretty much everyone. He came to Hobin and Rumi, who reassured him of Taehoon’s credibility.

“Taehoon had to deal with dating rumors months ago. He was shipped with me. Have you watched my fight with Lee Hyeonsoo?”

“What about you, dweeb?”

Yeonwoo stood up and took out his headgear. He couldn’t answer the question.

Out of all the places they hung out, Ha Yan Taekwondojang was the most frequent. Yeonwoo visited the dojang twice a week for additional Kyokushin and Taekwondo lessons from Seong Hansoo, and sparring sessions from Seong Taehoon. After training, they would go down to the convenience store for a quick snack, then chat until other students came in. Today, Taehoon didn’t want to talk. He was in a mood for some music.

They were sitting in comfortable silence, their backs leaning against the wall, when Taehoon took out a familiar AirPod in his dobok’s pocket. Yeonwoo’s old AirPod.

“Since we’re friends,” Yeonwoo pointed to his ear, “c-can I have my AirPod back?”

Taehoon opened one eye, rosy lips curled into a smirk. “No.”

“Friends share, right? Do you have the other one?”

Yeonwoo went to retrieve his other AirPod, the one he always kept in his school bag. How naive of him, thinking a guy like Taehoon would return things he’d confiscated from his victims. Friends, foes, once the item was in Taehoon’s hands, it’d be Taehoon’s.

“Turn it on,” he ordered. “I have some good music.”

They had different tastes, yet Yeonwoo’d be willing to add more punk rocks, classic rocks, indie, and retro into his playlist. Taehoon didn’t follow any distinct trends, and most of his songs were non-romantic. He was a picky listener.

Taehoon closed his eyes and let out a sigh. The setting sun warmed his pale complexion, giving his light brown hair an ethereal glow. The serene atmosphere, these little intimate moments between them, were invaluable treasures to Yeonwoo.

“Beautiful.” You’re beautiful.

“I-I mean the sun is beautiful.” You’re the sunshine in my life.

Fortunately, Taehoon didn’t see his friend’s expressions. He was falling into slumber.

Yeonwoo’s eyes trailed down his dobok, from the three Hanja characters Tae-Kwon-Do on his right chest to the black belt with three white stripes and the embroidered name Seong-Tae-Hoon. Yeonwoo stopped at his hands on the green mat.

Taehoon had very nice hands. Long, bony fingers and rectangular, perfectly trimmed nails. They looked soft and smooth, unlike Yeonwoo’s calloused hands. Last night, those hands had held tightly to Yeonwoo’s; their fingers had intertwined. It wasn’t their first time, but his heart had squeezed just as hard. He’d felt dizzy and breathless, to the point of embarrassingly losing their sparring match.

Now, his entire being longed to reach out again, to hold those hands in his. To touch those white, delicate (yet deadly) fingers and give them a massage.

He did just that. Slowly, he placed his right hand on top, thumb gently rubbing Taehoon’s knuckles.

His friend pulled an unimpressed face.

“You-you were fine with it yesterday,” Yeonwoo explained lamely, “on our live stream. ”

“Yeah? Because they donated 50,000 won. You got 50,000 won?”

“Ahem!” Seong Hansoo was chuckling to himself at the doorstep. “That explained a huge amount of money in our bank account last night.”

Yeonwoo scrambled up and bowed at the dojang director. “Good afternoon, Taehoon’s father.”

“Dad!” Taehoon, however, had zero courtesy. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough,” Hansoo answered, unfazed by his son’s rudeness. Their father-son relationship still sometimes baffled Yeonwoo. He would never dare to talk in that manner with his father.

Taehoon gritted his teeth, disconcerted by Hansoo’s response. Or perhaps he was jealous. Hansoo always preferred his son’s friends over him.

Yeonwoo grimaced. “I did not!”

“Taehoon!” Hansoo scowled. “Don’t bully your boyfriend!”

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Alright, my mistake.”

Yeonwoo deliberately kept his head down after being smacked. He felt out of place all of a sudden.

“Yeonwoo,” Hansoo asked, “are you coming on the weekend?”

“What? Don’t say you’re teaching him ITF-Taekwondo too? You shouldn’t teach him for free!”

“I didn’t. You see, he helped us clean the dojang and brought in some good NewTube money…”

“Don’t be greedy to your friend. Treat him something nice this weekend, Taehoon.”

Yeonwoo left out their conversation. His mind drifted back to his first ever Taekwondo lesson. Last week, while waiting for Taehoon, he accidentally met Taehoon’s father, leading to a friendly spar and some ITF-Taekwondo knowledge.

“You’re a good kid, Yeonwoo. I’m happy Taehoon-ie could befriend more martial artists outside of Taekwondo,” Hansoo had said to Yeonwoo. “Do you want to learn anything else? Anything beside Kyokushin?”

Yeonwoo would never miss an opportunity to learn new skills from Seong Hansoo.

“Yes, master. I will be there at 9 a.m.” He bowed again. It was his cue to leave. “I’m sorry, but I really have to go. My Karate class will start soon. Goodbye.”

Behind him, Yeonwoo heard a loud thump.

“Ack! Mah thangue!”

Yeonwoo’s subtle adaptation to ITF-styled Taekwondo didn’t go unnoticed by his fellow Karateka. He didn’t plan to abandon Kyokushin, but his style had evolved with more lethal and technical moves, in addition to weapon fighting (Hansoo was horrified his son had told his friend to tank knife). His footwork, sabaki, had significantly become lighter and quicker.

He would catch up to Seong Taehoon in no time. They’d fought each other, and they’d fought together. Martial arts were the closest connection he could have with his best friend.

The second closest was humor. Their shared senses of humor were mild and relatively innocent, which was such a relief. Yeonwoo thought he wouldn’t be able to handle dirty jokes from Taehoon.

“Yeonwoo, catch!” His senior Karateka threw a shield at him. Their punching session had finished. They were on a 5-minute break.

Drinking tiny sips of water from his bottle, Yeonwoo caught a notification on his phone. A Kakao message from Taehoon.

It was a self-made meme, using Yeonwoo’s most awkward photos. Taehoon liked to play around with classic meme templates and the ugliest pictures of his friends. A few minutes on the PhotoShop app and, bam, high-quality blackmailed materials.

“Hmm? Something funny?” His senior Chang Wonshik poked his head in.

“Taehoon just sent me something hilarious.” Yeonwoo showed him the meme.

“Taehoon? That Seong Taehoon?” Wonshik gasped. More heads turned his way. “Yeonwoo, how dare you let yourself associate with a Taekwondoin? You traitor!”

Yeonwoo blinked, perplexed by Wonshik’s words. “But he’s a nice guy.”

“Bud, I’m kidding!” The senior burst out laughing, clasping Yeonwoo’s shoulder. “I mean, yeah. If I were you, I’d do it too. Seong Taehoon, your boyfriend, is a fine piece of ass. No homo.”

Yeonwoo blushed. The rumors had been troubling him for weeks. He was harassed and teased, and punished for false information. Usually, he would strongly protest and try to correct them. However, after Taehoon’s second lesson about dealing with rumors, he’d learned to keep his head high and ignore them.

“Um. ” This time, though, he only laughed it off. “You got it wrong. He is not my boyfriend.”

“You can have him if you want, haha. ”

After leaving a confused Wonshik, a brown-belt junior held onto his sleeve.

“Oppa! Don’t let him beat you up on stream, yeah? You gotta honor Kyokushin Karate.”

“Of course, Eunhee.”

Yoo Hobin Company was the second most frequent hang-out place for Yeonwoo. Although he wasn’t an official employee, Hobin and others treated him (and the Han siblings) as their allies-slash-friends. He tutored the trio, trained with Mangi, and chatted with Rumi.

Yeo Rumi seemed to pay particular interest in his relationship with Taehoon. She’d helped them a great deal in tackling those unfounded rumors. More than that, she’d done Yeonwoo’s wardrobe a makeover before their collab at Notte World.

“But I like the blue track-”

“Nope! Get rid of them. We’re going shopping today!”

“Rumi, what about the-”

“Yeonwoo, do you want to be more attractive than Taehoon on our live stream?”

Yeonwoo nodded. I want to be more attractive for him.

“Have you ever worn accessories?” Rumi asked. “Except your glasses. We’re going to get rid of them too.”

Yeonwoo shook his head. He had a bad feeling of what was to come.

The results of their shopping day were half a wardrobe of clothes, contact lens, two necklaces, three pairs of earrings, and five rings.

“Now, you look like an idol!” Rumi patted his cheeks. “You’re very handsome, Yeonwoo. You should show off those big puppy eyes more often.”

“Do you think Taehoon will like them?”

“Oh, he will love them!” Rumi winked. “Go woo your man!”

Yeonwoo lowered his head, fingers fidgeting with his Kromitz ring. “We’re not interested in each other.”

Rumi must have sensed his uneasiness. She gave him a comforting hug, something he’d never received from a friend. Not even Taehoon (all of his hugs were for the ultra chat donations).

“Don’t worry, Yeonwoo. Your secret is safe with me.”

Of course, how much more obvious could he be?

Today was a special day. He was excited to show his friends at YHC the new earrings and snake bites. Classmates and strangers had told him he rocked the idol looks. All he needed to do was to dye his hair a lighter shade. Yes, he would match his best friend, Seong Taehoon.

“Wow! Yeonwoo!” Jiksae greeted him at the gate. “Looking good, man.”

“Thank you. I got them just yesterday.”

“Oppa@!” Eul rushed towards him, notebook in hand. “Woah, what a handsome fella@!! Where did ya get ‘em rings@?”

Compliments from his two friends boosted his confidence. Yeonwoo grinned, striding into the company like a K-pop idol.

“Hi, Yeonwoo!” Rumi, who had expected the change, looked like a proud designer to her model. “Pretty boy. Ice-cream?”

“Yes, please. And thank you!”

“Taehoon’s in the conference room.”

His friend was in the dobok, preparing for his NewTube Taekwondo lessons. In the next hour, he would stream it at the front yard. He didn’t notice Yeonwoo’s appearance.

The guy whirled around, slightly irritated. Upon the sight, his glare intensified.

“What do you think?”

There was no answer.

His confidence level dropped more than half. Yeonwoo shifted his gaze elsewhere. Anywhere but Taehoon.

“Don’t dye your hair!”

How did he know Yeonwoo wanted to dye his hair?

“You already look good in dark hair,” Taehoon explained.

To validate his fear, Taehoon gathered his things and walked out. Apparently, his friend didn’t like the rings. They must be horrendous!

But. but the others like them! Jiksae, Eul, and Rumi liked them!

“Did something happen? Did I do something wrong?”

“Don’t worry, Yeonwoo.” Rumi put the ice cream down. “You look great.”

“But Taehoon looks upset!”

“That bastard has his moments,” Jiksae crossed his arms. “Ignore him for a couple of hours.”

Yeonwoo let out a sigh. It was easier said than done.

“The hook kick itself is already dangerous. Adding the spin increases its power. Got that? Here, I call it Dwi-Huryeo Chagi. In another lesson, I called it Nakka Chagi. They’re the same.”

Watching Taehoon’s stream was an enjoyable pastime activity for Yeonwoo. Watching it live at YHC was another type of privilege. There he was, sitting silently in a corner, observing his friend’s every movement, and listening to his friend’s every word.

“This kick is an intermediate-level kick. You have to master all the basic kicks, including the hook kick, spinning back kick, and spinning side kick, to learn it. It is a difficult kick. I only teach you when you reach blue belt or red belt, as in. 5th or 4th geup.”

Oh! It was the Ushiro-Mawashi Geri, the Kyokushin’s equivalence of the spinning hook kick.

After explaining all the steps, Taehoon needed a partner to demonstrate the kick. It was usually Hobin’s job.

“Hobin’s out with Bomi. You don’t remember?” Jiksae answered.

“Eul’s gone home earlier.”

“Should I stop the stream, Taehoon?”

Yeonwoo curled himself into a ball. His friend didn’t see him there. Should he volunteer? He should!

He stepped out of the shadow, squinting at the lights. He really should get used to his new contact lens. Taehoon glowered at him again.

Three words. Those three words were enough to shatter Yeonwoo’s heart.

“I-I just want to say goodbye. Have a nice evening!”

So it was like that.

So it was how it’d always been.

Seong Taehoon, the person he looked up to, the person he cared for, the person he.

Seong Taehoon didn’t see him as who he was.

Now, he wasn’t even sure if their friendship was real.

Did Taehoon befriend him for someone else?

Did he do it for the person called Lee Dowoon?

Yeonwoo was no longer a doll. He was a shadow.

Light created shadow. Shadow could never reach the light.

Notes:

Thank you @drinkforindigestion for the amazing fan art (yes I moved it to this fic) and @taehoon-taekwondo (aka Taehooncheeto) on Tumblr for his Taekwondo «spinning hook kick» lesson.

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Just a prank by bkwwf

Fandoms: How to Fight (Webcomic)

Summary

“Really? That’s the best you can come up with?” Hobin asked bewilderdly like he had never heard something so stupid.

“Ha?” Taehoon had stayed up all of last night watching shitty NewTubers all for his channel and this is what he got, Hobin being an arrogant little prick about it. Even though he was being a prick he was still somehow so cu-

Ngl the lack of fanfics about them is kinda homophobic

An accidental date by bkwwf

Fandoms: How to Fight (Webcomic)

Summary

After the Hobin Yoo company had been formed life had continued on as normal. Sure it was more chaotic what with finding a building and thinking up new content ideas but that was something he expected going into it.

Hobin should have been completely focused on building up the company and finding a way to take down Seongjun, but one thing kept nagging at him. It had been weighing on his mind ever since the company had been formed and was slowly driving him insane. What had Jiksae promised Taehoon?

Hobin gets curious and unknowingly goes on a date

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How To Fight And Win Against Rumors?

kaasjee

Chapter 3: Clear the rumors with your close ones

Summary:

Taehoon tried to convince people they were not boyfriends.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Yeonwoo was doing well these days. Too well, that he scared Taehoon a little. At first, he’d still fidgeted at the sight of their fans, but had made an honest effort not to look at them. Three days later, the guy had revolved back to his cheerful, affectionate self. After ten days, he’d exuded confidence and the middle finger attitude to their haters (e.g. homophobes).

Was that how a smart dude learned his lessons?

When Taehoon was a teacher, he had certain… standards. Unlike his dad, he didn’t want his students to do better than him. He was petty like that.

So Taehoon had invited Yeonwoo to another Taekwondo-vs-Kyokushin live stream, this time about sparring techniques (Should he make a series out of them?). In front of 250k viewers, he’d knocked Yeonwoo out cold with a jumping back kick, once again proving that Taekwondo was superior. Despite brutal rivalry, their fans were still very much convinced they were dating. When Yeonwoo had been unconscious, the ultra chat had exploded with petitions – to wake the guy up with a kiss. The amount of money offered had been insane, but Taehoon would never do that to his friend. He was a decent guy, damn it!

(He’d done some innocent, kid-friendly requests though, like hugging or hand-holding. Screw pride and shame, he wanted to be rich too! And Yeonwoo had nice hands, so who cared?)

At the moment, it was pointless to clear the rumors to outsiders. Taehoon didn’t give a shit anyway. But some people in his life deserved to know the truth. He cared about their opinions too much to let things slide.

Lesson three: Clear the rumors with your close ones.

Before he got the chance, it’d happened. They were hanging out in the conference room of Yoo Hobin Company. The informal meeting was held to discuss their next company trip. Hobin wasn’t allowed to decide on a whim like last time. In addition, they would hold a special event for someone.

That person was towering over him. “Taehoon, will you come to my birthday party?”

Taehoon would never say no to free food. Hwang Mangi used to work at the butcher shop, so he’d try to get a discount for their BBQ party.

“Please invite your boyfriend too. I don’t have his phone number.”

Mangi squinted. “He’s a good friend to our group. I don’t see why you’re against it.”

Attention was all on him. Being put under those inquisitive gazes made Taehoon squirm. He didn’t expect his chance to come clean to be this soon.

How the hell should I explain it? Taehoon scratched his head. Let me tell you a story?

“So…” Jiksae propped himself up from the couch. “You’re finally dating now. When’s the wedding?”

Yeo Rumi giggled. “Congrats, Taehoon.”

“Yeonwoo is the only person who can control Taehoon’s temper,” Hobin added with a shit-eating grin. Exactly like the time he’d announced a Karate collab with Yeonwoo right in Taehoon’s face. Lucky for the cheater, Yeonwoo had stopped him from going batshit right then and there.

“Hmm, that’s true,” Jiksae said. “We should invite him more often, as a shield…”

“Yeah@! He teaches me a bunch of cool stuff too! How to pass exams with minimum efforts@@. ” Ga Eul said. “Taehoon’s boyfriend is wayyy cooler than you, boss Yoo@!”

Taehoon had enough. He spoke through gritted teeth, “He’s not my boyfriend, for fuck’s sake!”

“Yeah, right. How do you explain this?”

Jiksae showed a picture of them practically hugging in the arcade.

Oh. Taehoon remembered it now, that time he’d taught Yeonwoo his second lesson. He hadn’t expected it to go viral.

Four heads were fixed on the phone screen for five seconds, then simultaneously turned towards him, waiting for an explanation.

Taehoon was never good with words. He didn’t even know where to start. The more he said, the more suspicious it’d get.

Fuck this. He facepalmed. Should I just give up?

“Damn it. Why would I lie to you?”

Everyone looked at one another, confused. He glanced up at Rumi, making a poor attempt at eye contact. She would understand him, right?

“Guys, don’t tease him. I think he’s telling the truth.”

Hobin? Did he just say that?

Taehoon gave him a grateful nod. He forgot his student could be so perceptive.

Then came the disappointing noises from three other members. Taehoon would gladly kick their asses, if not for Hobin standing up and putting on his sunglasses. He was imitating Jiksae the love expert.

“They’re in the ‘getting-to-know-each-other’ phase. It also took me months to date Bomi,” he said grimly, putting a hand on Taehoon’s shoulder. “Dating is hard, so don’t rush, okay?”

Taehoon was so done with this little shit. He swung his leg up, ready for an ax kick.

Hobin ran away and hid behind Mangi. Among the laughter, Mangi calmly asked him again, “Anyway, invite him for us, yeah?”

Taehoon hated making plans and appointments because sometimes he completely forgot about them. Like today. This morning, Yeonwoo had asked him for a sparring match at 6:30 p.m. He’d made a flimsy mental note before it got lost a few hours later.

Until Rumi pointed to his phone on the table.

“Taehoon, someone just sent you a text.”

>Taehoon, are you alright?

Shit, I’m sorry. I forgot. It’s okay. 😅

>I’m going to Karate class now. See you tomorrow.

“Ah, Taehoon, you’re late.” Dad greeted him with a wide smile. “Your boyfriend was here. We sparred a few matches. He even helped me clean up the dojang.”

Taehoon wasn’t mentally prepared for another round.

“Dad, what the hell? Not you too!”

“Language, Taehoon,” he chided. “Ji Yeonwoo, he’s such a polite kid. How can my son date someone like that?”

It was the first time they openly talked about Taehoon’s love life, and dad compared him to another kid right away. Yes, his son was rude, and Ji Yeonwoo was so freaking polite. The nerd used honorifics for his own friends.

No wonder dad liked him so much. If he knew about Yeonwoo’s poor excuse of a father, dad would no doubt adopt him.

Wait, he should say something about the misunderstanding.

“He’s not my boyfriend! And I’m married to Taekwondo.”

Taehoon professed his undying love for Taekwondo by performing a 1080-degree kick. Dad was the only person who could pull an unimpressed face after this magnificent kick.

“Yes, I’m married to Taekwondo and your mother.”

“That’s cheating.” He adjusted the swinging sandbag. “By the way, did he say something to you?”

“No, he didn’t need to. I already knew. It’s all over the internet.”

Taehoon gasped. “You read the gossip newspapers!?”

“I read some articles about you,” Dad explained with a shrug. “Taehoon, when you asked me for a teaching curriculum, then you brought a lot of students to our dojang, I wanted to know what you were doing with NewTube. I’m one of your subscribers too.”

Okay, this was kinda weird. He knew dad cared a lot about his NewTube activities, but not to the point of acting like his fans. Dad could just ask him directly instead of believing in other people’s craps.

“Dad, he really is not my boyfriend. They’re just dumb rumors. You have to believe your own son.”

“Alright.” Dad smiled, barely holding back a laugh. He ruffled Taehoon’s head. “Whatever you say, Taehoon.”

“Ugh! Don’t touch my hair!”

Dad left him to teach a late evening class. Taehoon wasn’t sure if dad still believed the rumors, but he was sure of one important thing: whoever he might date in the future (Taekwondo), dad would respect his decision. It was enough to make him happy.

Notes:

Shout out to Seong Hansoo. Best dad of the series.

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Sweeter than Chocolate

Anonymous

Summary:

In which Hobin gets valentine’s day chocolate from one of his fans and so now, Taehoon isn’t happy.

Notes:

This might be out of character, sorry! I wrote this in 2 days because my internet went off and I wanted to add more to their relationship on AO3.
There might be some typos in this fanfic, I will edit it soon!

Work Text:

“Oi, Hobin.” Jiskae casually sneaking towards his friend, Hobin, who sat there eerily still, only looking down at his crotch. Slamming his hands down hard onto Hobin’s wooden desk, which shook and bounced off all of Hobin’s stationery, waiting to see Hobin’s annoyed reaction twisted on his bruised face that he received from a previous fight. Surprisingly, Jiskae got nothing but the same face he saw when he walked into their class: eyes widened and jaw hanging loose. “Hey, what is this? A prank cam? ‘pranking my cameraman’ sort of bullshit?” The blonde hair boy stared down at his friend, clearly now confident on catching onto Hobin’s little scheme in their next content but still…no reply. He started looking around in the hope to find Gaeul holding Hobin’s phone while trying to suppress her cute giggle in order not to get noticed but only being disappointed to not find the yellow-jacketed junior. “Hey…you’re freaking me out, man..” Jiskae gave an awkward laugh “Oi, What’s gotten into yo-“ Hobin finally stood up, still holding his shocked expression, and in his bandaged hands was an X brand chocolate, specially made to be given to loved ones…Given to Hobin…on Valentine’s day…

“Hey! What’s this?!” In an attempt, Jiskae tried whisking the chocolate bar out of Hobin’s hand but Hobin was too fast and already retrieved the chocolate, cradling it into his chest as if it was a precious item not to be shared. “Wait, wait! You got chocolate?!@@@” A familiar voice came from the entrance of the class, introducing their editor: Gaeul. Speedily, she skipped towards boss and Jiskae. “Boss! That’s the expensive type! Where did you get it, boss?!@@” Her high-pitch cutesy voice rang through both of their ears.

“I-I just found it in my bag while I was packing away??” Hobin sounded as shocked and surprised as they were combined. “By who??” Both Jiskae and Gaeul questioned, edges of jumping onto Hobin to grab the chocolate off of him and inspect it. “I don’t know?? Must be from a female fan. ” They both intensely watched Hobin examine the finely wrapped bar, caressing his fingers underneath its folds but not opening it. “This must’ve cost at least 10 thousand won…”

Jisake gave out a snort, “all that for a bar of chocolate? That person must really like you, damn bastard.” Making sure he emphasised the last part for Hobin to hear. “What if it’s a prank, boss?” Gaeul immediately recommended in a light whisper: “What if the chocolate is filled with weird medicines? Not like the digestive medicine, boss.” The trio thought quietly, too tensed to speak or breathe in general. “Why are we getting so worked up for a bar a chocolate?” Jiksae gave a thought. Moments passed as their thought process cogged on until finally Hobin carefully placed the chocolate in his backpack and gave out an exhausted sigh.
“What are you going to do now, boss? With the chocolate I mean@@@” Gaeul huffed out and Jiksae swore he could spot a tiny speck of drool salivating out of the girl’s mouth. “I’m going to find the girl who gave me this chocolate.” He nodded in certainty, confident that he’s not going to find a douche who just poked fun at him, It was expensive chocolate! Who would give it to a person like Hobin?

Before Jiskae could protest against that idiotic idea, Hobin already sprinted out of the classroom, leaving Gaeul and Jiskae behind.

Alone together in an empty classroom. This is a perfect time to shoot for Jiskae to shoot his shot…

“Hey, Gaeul?” Jiskae didn’t flinch or move his head when he heard Gaeul give out a “What is it, cameraman?”

“Do you perhaps have any chocolate to give to someone?” Aah, he could feel his face heating up from embarrassment; this is probably the most dangerous thing he had ever done by himself.

“Chocolate? Why would I give it to anyone if I can just eat it?” Gaeul asks with a dumbfounded tone.
“I see…” Jiskae gave a smile at Gaeul, pressuring himself to act cool but in reality, Jiskae is just masking the disappointment of not receiving chocolate…once again.

How did it turn out this way? One thing Hobin was speed-walking to Rumi’s small apartment to hopefully get her help in revealing the secret admirer’s identity but now he’s stuck sitting on a worn-out leather stool in an old arcade playing against his fan-stealing taekwondo master: Seong Taehoon. Hobin instantly noticed his master’s foul mood when he was being dragged into the arcade, his V-neck vest being gripped tightly by Taehoon’s right hand; it was embarrassing for Hobin to receive pitiful looks but he rather has those then feel his master’s wrath.

But that’s not the only thing Hobin noticed.

On the drink-stained carpet floor innocently rested a heavy bag filled with chocolate goodies, all ranging from branded chocolates, similar to Hobin’s chocolate, to chocolates you would find in grocery marts which probably cost about 4500 won. In the pit of his heart, Hobin couldn’t help but feel jealous of the martial artist, receiving chocolates every year but doesn’t bat an eye at the giver’s feelings. It was just…so cool.

Pressing the same scratched-covered button, Hobin watched his bear character wipe Taehoon’s taekwondo fighter on the floor as if they were a mop. He could hear his master’s frustration growing more and more visible.

Then, from Hobin’s arcade machine, the commenter’s enthusiastic voice yells “You win!” along displaying a huge golden font, saying: “WINNER” as the bear character gave a victorious cheer. Soon after, there was an audible thud that came from the person who sat opposite Hobin. Despite not winning many girl’s attention, Hobin surely won this match as always. Taehoon’s muttering profanities such as “fuck dis shit” or “dis bastard must be cheating.” Made Hobin feel a sense of pride pounding loudly inside of him. But of course, he couldn’t express his satisfaction or else he’ll be facing a beating in their next training.

Hobin could only slightly give out a nervous laugh while trying to soothe down the angry man by asking: “Wanna go another round?” Whilst pulling out 2 500 won coins from his battered wallet. Hearing a grunted reply, Hobin took it as a ‘yes’ and plopped the coin onto Taehoon’s hand.

Taehoon only kissed his teeth then inserted the coin into the slot, proceeding to pick the same character he plays as. Hobin did the same and the round began.
In the end, Hobin always wins with his techniques and mastery in fighting games.

When Taehoon finally accepted the distasteful defeat, Hobin finally checked the time on his phone only to see that it was 8:25 pm not only that but he could suddenly compare the previous weight of his wallet to his now recent one, feeling the lightness that wasn’t there before.

“Oi, what’s dis?” Hobin turned around to see Taehoon holding the golden wrapped chocolate between his thumb and index finger. HIS golden wrapped chocolate.
“Wait- that’s mine.” He hurriedly rushed towards Taehoon to retrieve it back but the man was a giant compared to Hobin, the taller man quickly held the chocolate above his head and stared down at Hobin with an annoyed expression. Hobin continued: “I need that back, Taehoo-“

“It’s ‘master’ to ya.” Cutting Hobin’s words off with a snarky reply “Ask for it nicely if ya want dis back.”

Desperately and embarrassingly, Hobin stood on his tip-toes with his arms outstretched above his head in an attempt to grab onto even one small part of the bar. When that fell in vain, Hobin had to give in “Please can I have it back, Master…” He sunk his teeth through his lips after he muttered those words out. “I can’t hear ya.” Taehoon snickered, waving the chocolate around. “I might just eat dis. Dis looks expensive.” The lighter brown hair male began unwrapping the wrapper using his teeth, occupying his remaining hand by pushing Hobin down and preventing him from leaping onto him.

“What?! That’s not fair!” Hobin shouted, surprising Taehoon and stopping him from unwrapping the chocolate during the process. The shorter male pointed at the bag which still laid on the floor “You already have so much of them anyway! I don’t even get two, only one!” Hobin acknowledges that he sounds like a child just right about now but that chocolate was important to him since it’s the first valentine’s chocolate he’d ever receive. “Isn’t that enough for you. ” Hobin mumbled, eventually pausing the struggle in getting the chocolate from Taehoon.

“Why aren’t ya contactin me anymore then.” What? What does that have to do with anything Hobin just said? “Are you dating that Blondie girl? Or are you dating your editor? Maybe someone else, huh?” Taehoon pressed further, this time poking Hobin’s chest using his hand which held Hobin down. Not wanting to hear any more of Taehoon’s nonsense, Hobin gave out a spiteful response: “Why do you care?” Gritting those words through his teeth. Taehoon only stared at Hobin in silence.

Both of them said nothing.

Just dead silence.

“Tsk, whateva- I’m leavin.” The chocolate bar which used to be in Taehoon’s hand was finally released on top of Hobin’s head which then swiftly slid off and onto the floor, plotting it’s new position there, in front of Hobin. The shorter male listened to the chocolate-filled bag being lifted and slumped onto Taehoon’s shoulder, listening to his converse leaving the area. During the process, Hobin could only glue his eyes onto the chocolate, feeling as if his heart is being ripped into shreds.
Why does this hurt? Why does it feel as if Taehoon is leaving him forever? All this over chocolate.
…
Does Hobin like Taehoon. Hobin isn’t gay…he only fantasize about having a relationship with girls and girls only since the very beginning so why? Why does it hurt to see Taehoon getting so many chocolates from girls when Hobin barely has any? Is he just jealous of Taehoon…or is he jealous of the girls. Thinking about this made Hobin whimpered out his name.

“T-Taehoon…” He croaked out, feeling the other boy stopping as if just saying his name was a command. “Is it possible that you…like me?” He finally asked the question which whizzes itself in during his thought process. Swallowing the largely invisible lump in his throat, Hobin dreadfully awaits Taehoon’s response.

“…I guess so,” Taehoon answered truly.

Does Yoo Hobin have a crush on Seong Taehoon? Yes…Yoo hobin has fallen in love with his taekwondo master: Seong Taehoon.

“I…” Hobin tried to reply back to Taehoon but not finding the courage that was always there when he was rushed to start a scheduled fight for his content. But once Taehoon tried to leave again, the words finally fell out into a sob. “I like you too, Seong Taehoon-” Hobin turned around only for a chocolate bar to be thrown at his face.

“OI! What was that for?! I just confess-“ Being cut off once again by soft lips connecting with him. It tasted like cherries…or was it strawberries?

When Taehoon finally pulled away from Hobin, panting heavily like Hobin, he quickly turned away, hiding his blushing face from Hobin. “Dis bastard…making a scene..” Taehoon muttered out. Hobin could only give Taehoon a flustered laugh, picking up the chocolate that Taehoon threw at him.

“Do you like me then?” Hobin asked once again, watching Taehoon look at him with annoyance scrunched up brown-haired and deaf? Is that kiss not enough for you?”Hobin huffed “I need to hear it to believe it.” He smirked cunningly, feeling more comfortable to express his prideful self.

“You wanna die?” His new lover sneered. “Please, master?” clasping both of his hands together then giving a wink at his boyfriend. Watching Taehoon roll his eyes, still holding the annoyed expression. “ugh…dis bastard..” He mumbled. He started to walk away from Hobin once again but this time pausing and looking back at Hobin, as if he’s telling Hobin to “hurry up”.

Hobin quickly picked up his bag and stuffed the chocolate he got from Taehoon, which Taehoon got from some random girl from his school, and hurried to his side like a dog with its owner. “Taehoon.” He called out teasingly to his boyfriend again, noticing the eye twitch from his lover. “It’s ‘Master’ damn it.”
“Can you give me half of your valentine’s day chocolate?” Hobin smiled innocently at Taehoon. “Why? Ya jealous or something?” The light brown-haired boy laughed when he saw Hobin’s smile quickly dropped into a frown. “Sure whateva, you need some fat on ya bones anyways.” Taehoon nodded.

It wasn’t long until they finally were forced to depart, Hobin waved goodbye at his boyfriend while Taehoon just looked at him as if he was a maniac but gave a quick flick of his hand as a goodbye wave.
“If better contact me when you get home or else you will actually die when I see ya sorry face again,” Taehoon said before they departed, making sure he poked Hobin’s hips and stretched his face like dough. “If someone tries to attack ya, just use the back kick.” Hobin only nodded, wanting to only enjoy his rough touches before they leave.
Obviously, when Hobin finally entered his dark home, he quickly opened his messenger app and tapped on Taehoon’s contact number; sending him a message that he safely made it home.

His phone instantly vibrated and Hobin went to see what Taehoon replied but only to be disappointed to see a text message from Rumi: “Aiigoo

Hey Hobin” Quickly typing up his response and hitting send: “Hey, Rumi. Sorry for not coming over to help you with your mukbang content.”

“No worries, there wasn’t that much anyway.” Rumi always replied the quickest, along with a lot of expressive emojis. “How was the chocolate by the way?” Hobin paused for a bit, fingers deleting the message he was going to send about asking her for help in finding the secret admirer.

“That was you. ” Hobin carefully chose a certain emoji, picking a surprised face. “Yeah, I got PO box chocolates from fans and thought you wanted to try Some. How was it? ^^”

“I. left it at an arcade haha.”

“WHAT. SUCH A WASTE!” He snickered at the 18 angry and 4 crying faces but then turned off his device and stared at the ceiling.
It’s almost unbelievable how much he already misses talking with Taehoon even after it being an hour and a half since they both left. He’ll make sure tomorrow he’ll come to visit the dojo.