Seong taehoon how to fight

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How To Fight And Win Against Rumors?

kaasjee

Summary:

In which Taehoon trying to deal with rumors about him and Yeonwoo dating.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Acknowledge the rumors

Summary:

Taehoon discovered a whole new world.

Notes:

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

Chapter Text

Seong Taehoon was no stranger to fame. It’d started at the early age of five, when he’d been voted the most adorable kid in his neighborhood by housewives and old aunties. Being the son of Korea’s legendary Taekwondo player Seong Hansoo, he’d been exposed to the world of famous athletes in primary school. Most notably on the PBS channel, he’d been officially known as “The Spin Genius.” The title had been something he’d dearly carried to Taekwondo tournaments, and later to Max FC. In high school, he’d decided to lay low and stay away from social media, until How to Fight came and declared he’d fight Taehoon.

Now, as a 500k-sub NewTuber, Taehoon was very much aware of his fame. Heh, it wasn’t wrong to say he liked the attention. More attention to him meant more people were interested in Taekwondo. At least he hoped so. Even his fangirls asked more questions about Taekwondo in the comment section instead of nonsense gushing about his looks.

Fame came with a price, of course. People poked into his private life, speculated theories, and stirred up rumors. Taehoon initially hadn’t thought much about his public image or others’ opinions. However, according to Yoo Hobin’s NewTube lesson number two: “The viewers are gods!” It wasn’t that he should pander to them, rather, he should listen to their requests and respond in the most friendly manners.

In the past months, fans had started asking more and more questions. Taehoon replied by making an FAQ video. This seemed to satisfy them. One thing he noticed was a huge amount of questions surrounding his (suspiciously absent) love life.

>What is your type?

>Taekwondo is my type.

>I don’t discriminate genders. That’d be disrespectful to Taekwondo.

>What’s your favorite position?

>I don’t have a favorite position. I just beat them.

Taehoon didn’t have time for a romantic relationship. Hell, he didn’t even need one. Hanging out with his friends was enough, though it irked him whenever they blabbered on about romance – Hobin waxing poetic about Bomi, Jiksae giving out cheap love advice and pining for Eul, Eul crushing on Hobin, Rumi warming up to Wanguk and Mangi doing whatever he could for Rumi’s attention.

It was a relief, to have someone who didn’t talk about sappy romance bullshit. Who would have thought they could share a similarity?

Everything was going fine until the rumors popped up. About him and Yeonwoo being a couple. He’d confirmed his relationship status, so what was all the fuss they were talking about?

Taehoon had no idea how, why, or when they’d started, but as Jiksae pointed out, they were already trending. His live stream with Yeonwoo apparently added fuel to the fire.

Taehoon couldn’t care less about gossip, but this time they involved his friend. After quitting NewTube, Yeonwoo deactivated his Twitter and Ingsta accounts, and barely posted anything on his mostly dead Pacebook page. The poor guy avoided fame like the plague, possibly trying to escape Baek Seongjoon’s watchful eyes. He just wanted to live like a normal teenager: graduate high school, go to university, practice Karate.

And now Taehoon pulled him into this shit.

Damn, why did he always mess up? He shouldn’t have befriended Yeonwoo in the first place.

“How to fight and win against rumors,” he muttered, writing down in his NewTube notebook. “Self-taught lessons by Seong Taehoon.”

Lesson one: Acknowledge the rumors.

In this situation, ignorance wasn’t bliss. Like in a fight, rumors were your opponents. As an amateur, ignoring them would likely result in your defeat. Fortunately, Jiksae had informed him about the core message of those rumors. It was Taehoon’s turn to self-educate by digging deeper into the worlds of his fans.

So, on a fateful Saturday afternoon, Taehoon stepped to the point of no return.

First stop, Naver. Taehoon clicked on Naver News: Sports and Entertainment section. There weren’t many headlines about Taekwondo or NewTube, which was disheartening. Maybe he was looking at the wrong place.

Taehoon returned to the home page and typed his name on the search bar. To his pleasant surprise, his wiki page and thousands of results appeared in the form of blog posts. His eyes scanned through a few top headers:

NEWTUBER SEONG TAEHOON WAS SPOTTED ON A DATE WITH EX-NEWTUBER JI YEONWOO? HERE’S THE EVIDENCE.

TAEHOON HAS A TYPE? INTO THE DATING HISTORY OF SEONG TAEHOON.

TASTE OF THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT – THE ROMEO AND JULIET OF MARTIAL ARTS.

POWER COUPLE CHALLENGE EACH OTHER: 5 SIMPLE WAYS TO HEAT UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP.

In the end, curiosity led him to tap on a random blog title. It read, “SEONG TAEHOON PROVES THAT A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP IS THE BEST RELATIONSHIP.”

Nothing beats the inherent rivalry that sparks an intense passion of youth love. In the case of Taekwondo player Seong Taehoon, the line between love and hate is inadvertently blurred, blending with teenaged confusion and rebellious attraction towards a certain Karate practitioner. We do not know for sure what kind of relationship they have, but who could ever deny the unresolved sexual tension thickening as they pushed each other to their limits?

Okay, Taehoon closed the tab, that was a bit too much. Although he begrudgingly admitted that a friendly rivalry with Yeonwoo did spark joy and arousal, it didn’t necessarily lead to a romantic relationship.

As for attraction… Yes, Ji Yeonwoo was kinda cute, in a dweeby way. Like a sheltered puppy that he wanted to coddle. And yes, damn it, Taehoon had a tiny soft spot for the nerd. Not that it would stop him from kicking the shit out of Yeonwoo in their sparring matches.

As for tension… They were stand-up fighters, so sometimes they switched to practicing grappling techniques in Judo and Jujitsu. Tackling, choking, twisting arms and legs. Taehoon, who was more experienced from his MMA training, usually got the upper hand. It felt good pinning a sweaty and sticky Yeonwoo down on the dojang mat. It was a feat he didn’t pop a boner from all that friction. Taehoon blamed the adrenaline for everything.

All in all, their physical contacts were 5% of affectionate gestures, 10% of Taehoon’s casual touches, and 85% of intentional violence. He would tell himself those were enough. Their love-hate relationship was more than enough.

Taking a deep breath, Taehoon braced himself for another informative journey.

Next stop, Twitter. He was more familiar with the platform, thanked Rumi. Hashtags were easy to use. He just needed to look at the column ‘Trending in Korea’. It had been a week after their live stream, yet some tags still made it to the top twenty.

#TaeYeon

#TaeKara

#TaehoonsTakenAgain

Taehoon clicked on the thread of the latest posts.

>If you look at what Taehoon did to Yeonwoo’s crotch, there’s a high chance he’d sleep on the couch for a week or two. Lmao the guy blue balled himself on his own livestream. #TaeYeon

“What the hell is this?” It was true they’d taken a week off from sparring to rest their injuries.

>Classic question: Why are the good-looking ones always taken? Whyyyy. #TaehoonYeonwoo #TaehoonsTakenAgain

Taehoon mumbled, “I’m not taken, dumbass.”

>Is it true he broke up with ssamdog and dates a StudyTuber? Man, I ship TaeHobin so hard 🙁 #justiceforTaehoonHobin #asupremeship

“Me and Hobin broke up, huh? More like I broke him up, ha ha…”

>Bet you guys also compete offscreen kekeke. So, who’s the top @TaehoonTaekwonTV? #TaehoonYeonwoo #TaeKara

“It’s me. Taekwondo’s always on top,” he answered the obvious.

>With their physiques, they definitely switch. #TaeYeon #YeonTae #TaeKara #KaraTae

“Defensive or offensive, it really depends on you and your opponent’s fighting styles and body types. This one did their homework.”

Twitter was hilarious. Taehoon had a good laugh from those silly tweets. Most of them were light teasing. Some contained sexual innuendoes. Taehoon didn’t mind because he was used to those perverted fans. What pleased him the most were his fans’ positive attitudes towards Yeonwoo. They had a special fondness for his charms as if they wanted to adopt him. After their live stream, Yeonwoo’s old fans also came to his channel, asking him to take care of Yeonwoo. He was a 550k-sub NewTuber now. Maybe the dating rumors weren’t so bad after all. (A few days later, he accidentally found out the true meaning of ‘top’, and his answer wouldn’t change a bit.)

Final stop, Pacebook. Taehoon had his first social media account here to join a gaming group. He knew exactly where to look for his fans.

There were about a dozen of fan pages, from couple fans to only fans. Most were on friendly terms, only a few roasted each other about which ship was the best. A shipping poll was pinned on “The first and most active Seong Taehoon fan group.” Taehoon was both amused and horrified he was shipped with all of his friends.

Which is the best Taehoon ship?

He voted too. Taehoon x Taehoon was the best-underrated ship, and no one could tell him otherwise.

“Hmm? What’s this? A private group?” With more than 2k active members? Should he create another Pacebook account to join the group? That way Taehoon could receive the latest updates about rumors, and possibly delve into the mysterious world of his fan base.

Yeah, good idea. But first, he needed to answer a questionnaire on “How well do you know about Seong Taehoon?” and waited for the admin’s approval.

Halfway through the questions, Taehoon regretted everything.

These people weren’t normal fans. They were all crazy (borderline sasaeng fans). Who in their right minds would even ask about someone’s armpits? Taehoon imagined he’d be severely traumatized if he entered the group. No, screw that. He was already traumatized.

Taehoon shakily closed the laptop and buried his head in his hands.

“You’re early,” Taehoon stated.

Yeonwoo was bouncing on the balls of his feet, popcorn in hands. It was his first time going to the cinema with a friend.

“I heard the movie Johnny Wick was really good. We should watch it.”

They were sitting in the lobby. Taehoon propped his chin up, watching the oblivious Yeonwoo with a raised eyebrow. He had absolutely no idea what people around them were gossiping about, didn’t he? The guy was transfixed by the large screen hanging up front, showing all the movies’ trailers. Taehoon was feeling generous today, so he decided to teach Yeonwoo the first lesson about rumors.

“Hey, there’s something I want to show you.”

Taehoon slid his phone across the table, opened at a Naver blog. Ha, there came Yeonwoo’s funny reactions. Brows scrunched up, eyes bulged out, lips quivered.

“Ok, that’s enough.” Taehoon snatched his phone back. “Just so you know.”

“How did… Why… But we’re friends…”

“Dunno.” Taehoon shrugged. “But people like it more if we’re boyfriends.”

Yeonwoo didn’t say anything. He lowered his head, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and stuffed his mouth. At this rate, they’d run out of popcorn before the movie started.

Wait, was Yeonwoo upset?

“I-I don’t know. I guess I am?” He tilted his head. “As long as they don’t hurt you or your NewTube channel.”

“They don’t.” Taehoon grinned, pointing at the chart on his channel. “In fact, I gained tens of thousands of subs from them.”

“Oh. I-It’s good then?”

“He he, this is interesting.” How should he make use of the rumors? “Ya know what, we should do a collab again.”

Additional note: Moment before disaster

A friend also said that Yeonwoo definitely had a schoolboy crush on Keanu Reeves after watching the film series Johnny Wick.

Notes:

Some points in this fic are references from @Piinutbutter’s «Smash That Dislike Button», my other fic “World’s Best Martial Art” and our discussion about TaeYeon. Their works are AMAZING and you should totally check them out.

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How To Fight And Win Against Rumors?

kaasjee

Chapter 4: Seek help if you need it

Summary:

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Ever since the start of those dating rumors, nothing dreadfully bad had happened to Taehoon. Sure, a few bigoted fans had unsubbed his channel, and insults were still casually thrown his way in public. Not that people dared to openly confront him. Thankfully, his inner circle was very accepting. Relentless teasing aside, Taehoon was genuinely glad to have them in his life.

Yeonwoo was not as fortunate. Taehoon realized it during a short break from their weekly sparring session. They were sitting cross-legged on the dojang mat, and Yeonwoo finally took his headgear off. Dad had suggested his friend wear it before Taehoon arrived, knowing too well Taehoon’s kicking habits to the head.

“What the hell happened to your face?”

Dark bruises spread from the jawline to his chin. There was a split at the corner of his mouth.

“Um…” Yeonwoo hesitated, eyes shifting downward. “I fought with someone.”

The only person who hit Yeonwoo’s head was Taehoon. But they were using head gears now, so he was even more curious.

“A fellow student in my Karate class.”

Did anyone tell the dweeb he was a terrible liar? Attacks on the head were not allowed in Karate classes. Taehoon was slightly offended Yeonwoo thought he was a dumbass.

“Cut the crap and tell me the truth!”

“My father,” Yeonwoo blurted. “Last night, we had a… disagreement, and he hit me…”

Taehoon ground his back teeth. He never liked the old man from the beginning. Abusive, manipulative, the most despicable parent he’d ever met. Even worse than Dowoon’s father. The man had sold his son to the devil for an illegal business connection. Taehoon had lost all of his respect a long time ago.

After everything he’d done to Yeonwoo, how dare he raised a hand to his son?

“…and asked me about the rumors, that we’re in a relationship…”

“What kind of father hit his son for liking someone?”

“No.” Yeonwoo shook his head and gestured vaguely in Taehoon’s direction. “Because you’re a guy.”

“Then what kind of father hit his son for liking a guy?”

There was no answer. Both knew it anyway. Yeonwoo clenched his fists – weapons that could have easily defended his face. Taehoon couldn’t understand the guy. He’d been a puppet for years and had only stood up to his father that one time. Why couldn’t he now?

Damn it! Taehoon didn’t pull him out just to watch him fall down that hole again. If Yeonwoo was too chicken to do anything, Taehoon would have to take matters into his own hands.

He stood up and walked to the door.

Yeonwoo started. “Where are you going?”

“I’m gonna find your father and beat him up.”

“No!” Yeonwoo pleaded. “Don’t do it, Taehoon!”

He barely held Taehoon back by grabbing the pants of his dobok. Taehoon walked two more steps. Yeonwoo’s hands moved up to catch on his belt. Taehoon would have laughed at their ridiculous positions if he wasn’t so pissed.

“Please don’t.” Yeonwoo looked like he was about to cry. “I can deal with him.”

“I-I don’t know. But I’ll figure it out. Please trust me on this.”

Fuck no. He wanted to scream. Let me help you.

But he sighed and sat down.

“Thank you, Taehoon.” Yeonwoo smiled, wiping away tears on his cheeks. Taehoon hated this sight so much. It was like he’d somehow failed Yeonwoo.

The rumors hurt his friend. So far Taehoon didn’t do anything because he thought they were harmless. Now he had to fight back and do some damage control.

First problem: he didn’t know how to attack rumors.

With a bunch of evidence out there, it would be very difficult to turn the tide. Manipulating public opinions on rumors was not something he’d learned from Yoo Hobin’s NewTube lessons…

Wait, the arts of manipulation! That was it!

Taehoon actually had two teachers for NewTube. Hobin had taught him basic NewTube functions. The other one had given him a crash course on social media and social influence.

“How to fight and win against rumors? Lesson four: Seek help if you need it.”

“You idiot, you don’t have to deal with everything by yourself. It’s not a one-on-one fight.” Taehoon smirked. “I know a person who can help us.”

“What do you mean? Who is it?”

“It’ll be alright.” Taehoon put the headgear on Yeonwoo. “Don’t worry, yeah?”

They resumed sparring. This time Taehoon tried to avoid hitting Yeonwoo’s injuries. He also noticed how Yeonwoo’s footwork improved – he moved at a faster pace, with more jumping, almost Taekwondo-like. Dad had probably taught Yeonwoo in their last training, which was totally unfair. In the end, Taehoon could no longer get an upper hand on his friend.

Exhausted and dehydrated, they sat at the doorstep and gulped down energy drinks.

“You know,” Yeonwoo said, a faint smile on his face, “my father hates you.”

Taehoon snorted. “The feeling’s mutual.”

“At first, he thought it was Baek Seongjoon’s fault. Then he watched our fight on Hobin’s channel, saying that you’re the one who made me like this, and you ruined me.”

Wow! Hearing it felt strangely cathartic. An ego boost, much better than praise. Taehoon couldn’t help grinning like crazy. He waved his hand, asking for Yeonwoo to continue.

“He thinks you’re a bad influence on me as a friend, even worse as a boyfriend.”

Yeonwoo chuckled. For a brief moment, they shared a look, one of mischief and affection. Then his smile dropped.

“But… right now I want to clear the misunderstandings. Whatever he did, he’s still my father.”

Taehoon frowned. He couldn’t believe this bullshit. Yeonwoo was too submissive that somehow it had become a vicious cycle of abuse. This guy needed a way to escape and free himself.

“Ya know what, once everything’s settled, move out.”

Taehoon did a quick calculation. “The money you made in two live streams is more than enough to pay for a year of rent.”

There was no response.

“Hey, listen to me.” Taehoon grabbed his shoulders. “You’re old enough to live by yourself, and you don’t need that kind of toxic parent anyway. You can make money by tutoring or something. Or join my live stream again.”

Yeonwoo was still deep in contemplation, so Taehoon stood up and ruffled his hair.

“If you need anything, just call me, okay?”

Taehoon was being overly nice here. The nerd should better follow his advice. Or else he’d beat up Yeonwoo’s father for real one day.

“I’ll think about it.” He smiled weakly and nodded. “Thanks again, Taehoon.”

A famous dessert café that served huge portions of matcha bingsu was a perfect place to bribe his teacher. Taehoon put down her order with a grateful smile.

“Thanks for coming, Yeo Rumi.”

Before their meeting, Taehoon had called her to briefly explain their problems and his current approach to rumors (including four self-taught lessons). It was Yeonwoo’s turn to share his story.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay.” Yeonwoo scooped a huge spoon of ice cream and stuffed his mouth. It was one of his nervous habits. “I’m glad you can help us.”

“Of course.” Rumi pulled out a huge folder and her Pearpad (Taehoon thought she was Jiksae for a second). “I did a bit of digging into your case and found some interesting ideas and theories. In order to deal with rumors, we have to understand how, when, and why they started.”

Taehoon dutifully took notes.

“This is the first blog about your ‘ship’ on Naver, which is more than three months ago. It’s a popular one, but not enough to cause a trend. Do you recognize these photos?”

There was the one when they’d fought at Yeonwoo’s high school – Taehoon screaming at a teary Yeonwoo. There was the aftermath – Taehoon carrying an unconscious Yeonwoo back to his dojang. The final one showed them playing Taekkwon7 at a random arcade.

“Ah, I remember it. It was our first hangout at the arcade in Songjung-dong,” Yeonwoo said. “That day you also wore the red Kila jacket.”

How the heck could this weirdo remember the detail?

“Rumors didn’t start on Naver. It was actually on Twitter. About two and a half months ago, someone else created the TaehoonYeonwoo hashtag with a link to Naver. People reblogged and it became a trendy tag after one week. Do you know the reasons?”

Taehoon shook his head. This shit was too complicated. People were weird.

“Rumors are ways for people to explain the uncertainty.” She showed him a few more pictures of them – in the arcade, the café, the library and his dojang. “Taehoon, you said you were single on your channel, yet you appear to be very close with him in public. Compared to your other friends, you’re seen hanging out with him much more often.”

Because I don’t want to be a third-wheel in your romance, Taehoon thought. And no one is willing to fight me except this nerd.

“Well, we’re friends.” He shrugged. “I’m allowed to hang out with whoever I like.”

“The fans don’t know that. The rumors escalated because you didn’t say anything to disprove them. You even held his hands on your livestream.”

“For the money,” Taehoon said, looking over Yeonwoo for support. After all, this was a two-people game. Onstream, Taehoon wouldn’t have done anything if his friend hadn’t agreed.

But Yeonwoo was suspiciously quiet. The guy was staring down at his rainbow-sprinkled ice cream like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Oh, right. That night he’d forgotten to send half of the ultra chat money to Yeonwoo. The amount had been more than five million won. No wonder Yeonwoo was ignoring him. Gotta make a mental note to send it later.

“Again,” Rumi repeated, “the fans don’t know that.”

Taehoon pouted. Rumi giggled and patted his hand in consolation.

“Taehoon, you just need to be yourself to the viewers. Your directness is the best way to deal with uncertainty. First, you will make a video with Yeonwoo to clear up the rumors. Be friendly, polite, and firm. Then you will answer some of the fans’ questions in the chat. That’ll hopefully clear up the rumors.” She turned to Yeonwoo, “You did a video like this before, so perhaps you can help him?”

“Okay,” Yeonwoo answered. “But I doubt my father would believe us.”

“This is where I’ll step in. You guys will join my next live stream.”

“It’s a surprise.” Rumi winked. “Trust me, okay?”

Taehoon nodded. He always trusted Yeo Rumi on this.

When Taehoon arrived at a random Stellarbucks café somewhere in Songpa-gu, Yeo Rumi was already streaming. The overcrowded streets of Gangnam didn’t stop streamers from recording, or in Rumi’s case, gaining attention from both bystanders and viewers. Taehoon spotted her from afar and struggled to get past these nosy people.

“Ah, Taehoon, there you are!” Rumi gave him her brightest smile and pulled him over. “Everyone, say hi to my first guest for today.”

“Um, hi, Rumi’s fans.” He waved awkwardly. “I’m Seong Taehoon, from TaehoonTaekwonTV. Rumi and I are collea– I mean, we’re friends.”

Fuck, this was embarrassing. What should he do in a girl’s stream? Would she ask him to go shopping? What about the arcade?

He leaned down and asked Rumi for some instructions.

“You should treat me like how you treat Yeonwoo,” she whispered back.

“Hah?” What did she mean by that?

What a strange request, but Taehoon complied anyway.

Hmm, how did he normally treat the nerd? Taehoon imagined a tall, broad and muscular figure in front of him. He casually slung his arm around the person’s shoulders and gave a light squeeze.

Rumi’s shoulder blade was small and bony. Her petite body fit right into his arm. Taehoon felt weird, but not at all unpleasant. Her perfume smelled really nice too, a bit sweet and fruity. This was his first time being so close to a girl.

He asked, “Are we going to the department store?”

“No, silly!” Rumi linked her arm to his and pointed at a huge castle-like building across the road. “We’re going to the amusement park! Notte World is right there!”

Damn it, now Taehoon’s bomber jacket and ripped jeans felt sloppy. He knew Yeonwoo was experimenting with new styles since his wardrobe had been tagged as unfashionable. Taehoon was so used to seeing Yeonwoo in lame-ass school uniform or Karate gi that the new image caught him off guard.

“Please welcome my second guest, Ji Yeonwoo!” Rumi said. “Woah, you look really good.”

Taehoon silently agreed. Was Yeonwoo trying to outshine him today or something?

“Thank you.” He blushed, scratching the nape of his neck. “For the advice.”

Yeonwoo and Rumi were chatting amicably at the front, leaving Taehoon strolling behind, hands in pockets. He kinda expected that in a group hangout. Come to think of it, both were wearing matching outfits. Like a couple.

See, he smirked, a third-wheel.

“You slowpoke, you’re coming with us.” Rumi was bolder. She strode back, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him forward, squished in between them. “We’ll have fun till the cow comes home!”

And having fun they did. These two idiots roamed around the indoor theme park and tried out tamer games first, such as bumper cars (fierce competition), horse carousel (fucking cheesy), and Sinbad’s adventure (Taehoon fell asleep halfway through the boat ride).

He yawned. “Can we try something else?”

When his friends enthusiastically pointed at the roller coaster and disco pow pow, then collapsed on him from motion sickness, Taehoon regretted everything.

“It’s okay,” Yeonwoo mumbled to his left shoulder. “I’m getting used to it. It’ll get better, I promise.”

Rumi was sniffling on his right shoulder. Taehoon freaked out a little.

“Hey, you okay? Sheesh, don’t cry, you baby. This is all your fault anyway.”

“I’m okay,” Rumi said. She aimed the selfie stick closer to their faces and gave a teary smile. “I’m having so much fun right now.”

From third-wheel to babysitter. Taehoon didn’t sign up for this.

At the outdoor theme park, despite Taehoon’s constant protest, they went on the tri-gyro combo: drop, spin and swing. As promised, it did get better. Sorta. At least they were all enjoying themselves. Both made sure to stick closely to his sides, in case they needed someone to lean on.

Rumi ended her live stream with them being three big messes. Yeonwoo loosed the trench coat, Taehoon wasn’t able to fix his disheveled mullet, and Rumi lost three of her fake manicured nails.

“Thank you for the collab, Taehoon.” Rumi stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Taehoon was dumbstruck. Should he kiss her back?

“Um… You’re welcome?”

Before he could do anything, she turned around and gave Yeonwoo a tight embrace. “Such a pleasure to hang out with you.”

Of course the nerd hugged back. “You too, Yeo Rumi.”

“Phew, it ends well.” She scrolled through her NewTube channel and snickered, mostly to herself. “I guess I have to be careful with your fangirls from now on.”

Without the viewers, she slumped to the nearest bench, head rolled backward, arms and legs made into a star. He could detect a slight difference from her overly-optimistic NewTube persona. Unlike Taehoon, Yeo Rumi overworked herself for NewTube. Today, she dedicated her time to solving his own problems.

Taehoon had a sudden urge to treat her something.

“I’m hungry,” she said. “Yeonwoo, can you get some snacks for all of us?”

“Of course,” he answered.

Or Yeonwoo could do his part. That left him and Rumi, sitting half a meter apart in comfortable silence. He knew Rumi had sent Yeonwoo away on purpose. Taehoon sensed some personal inquiries coming.

“I watched your live stream,” Rumi said. “Both of you did a good job.”

“Yeah, thanks. It was easier than I thought.”

“Does his father believe him?”

“No, but he no longer gets hit.” Taehoon’s hand itched for his vaping stick, but he’d deliberately left it at home. He had to remind himself to buy some nicotine patches later.

“Actually, I kinda threatened him.” Taehoon promptly burst her bubble. “If I see one more bruise on his face, I’ll beat up the old man myself.”

“After today, I realized something.”

“I told you to treat me like Yeonwoo,” Rumi explained, pointing out moments from their recorded live stream. “You used your body to block me from falling off the disco pow pow. You fussed over me while I was motion sick. You held me when I was scared shitless in the haunted house.”

Taehoon felt like someone was poking dangerously close to his thundering heart. He didn’t like it one bit.

“You’re overprotective of him,” she concluded, as matter-of-fact. “Is it because of Lee Dowoon?”

Goddamnit. He shut his eyes. Why here, why now?

He just didn’t know why he’d acted like that.

Rumi gave his shaking hand a light squeeze. “I hope you’ll tell him one day. Ji Yeonwoo is a nice guy. He doesn’t deserve to be treated as someone’s shadow.”

“I told you,” he swatted her hand away, “I’m not–”

Or was he? Ji Yeonwoo was no longer living the life of Lee Dowoon. Taehoon had saved him, befriended him, and taken good care of him. He was doing the right thing, after all.

Taehoon saw no fault in his actions, so why did Rumi accuse him of such?

From afar, he made out his friend’s sturdy figure at the food truck. He was searching for some spare changes, one hand balancing bags of food.

He looked content. Happy. Opposite of Lee Dowoon.

Dowoon was the past. Yeonwoo was the present.

Taehoon had failed Dowoon. Taehoon didn’t fail Yeonwoo.

They were too different anyway. What Yeo Rumi had said was incorrect. Taehoon was protective because he was trying to be a better friend. Nothing else.

“Nevermind,” he muttered. “Sorry about that.”

Taehoon stood up to a smacking sound. Rumi had playfully slapped his butt.

“It’s okay. The guy adores you, I’m sure he’ll understand. So don’t worry too much, alright?”

“That’s it for today. Class dismissed.”

“Thank you, master.”

It was 9:30 p.m. when he ended his evening class. Dad was busy being the judge of a national competition, so he’d left all his classes to Taehoon. For a week, he had to instruct two classes per day after school. Taehoon couldn’t complain though. He’d brought this to himself.

It was time to go home. Teaching those brats was a pain in the ass. He was in no mind to clean up the dojang. Perhaps he could call Yeonwoo for free labor…

Or not. The guy was already waiting at the doorstep, back turned to Taehoon. Judging from the school uniform, he must have been at the academy.

“Hey!” He called out. “Dweeb!”

“Oh. Good evening!”

“What are you–” Taehoon was attacked by a bear hug. They stumbled backward, almost fell down the mat if he hadn’t shoved away in time.

“Get off me! I stink.”

Yeonwoo didn’t mind the rejection. He let out a breathy laugh, still holding onto Taehoon’s dobok.

“Taehoon, my father finally believes me. And I’m moving out.”

Notes: