#╰ * 𝙸𝙼 𝚈𝚄𝙽𝚂𝙴𝙾𝙽𝙶. : threads. ⧽ ft 𝚈𝙸𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽 .

[pyolyuja]

chicken fight ft. @yourvanity — w/ yichan

there may have been no starry sky or perfect tanning weather, but the indoor pool at the midlight hotel suited yunseong just fine. he was testing the limits of another thirty minute work break, letting his hair splay back into the pool. sometimes, he swore that he could hear the unmistakable rolling tide of his beloved jukdo beach echoing in his ear, but it was likely just his wishful thinking and the fact that his head was slightly submerged. he let himself slide down off his inner tube, sparkling pool water engulfing his whole body in a refreshing and endless cocoon.

once he surfaced, nimble hands palming his soaked hair back out of his eyes, he became aware of an additional presence on the side of the pool. this time, it wasn't that of the hotel guests that were trying to enjoy themselves at the other end of the pool despite his breaktime intrusion. no; looming over him was the shadow of his nemesis, kim yichan. okay, maybe nemesis was putting it a bit strongly, but yichan and his manager seemed to have the strange idea that yunseong should limit his pool visits to when there weren't hotel guests around. still, his demeanor was as calm as ever, if not a bit playful. "let me guess, your manager sent you out here to give me a talking to again? i'll have you both know, the guests love me being here," he declared, motioning to the people across the room. they all maintained blank stares at his insinuation. unfazed, yunseong turned back to yichan. "you guys should make me your official pool mascot, if anything," he speaks casually, beginning to backstroke right under where yichan stood.

[pyolyuja]

it was actually eerie the way the atmosphere in the room changed from behind yunseong's casual form. what had previously felt like the energy sapping balminess of a jungle had turned to the uninviting chill of a meat locker. yunseong's body tensed up involuntarily, goosebumps erupting on his skin. the words were so casually out of his mouth before he'd really thought them through — it was fairly obvious yichan wasn't in the mood to be fucked with, but no, yunseong couldn't leave well enough alone. there was apart of him that feared turning around, and it seemed to want to overpower the rest of his body.

still, the wrought silence that lingered between them had him far too curious what yichan's next move would be. he slowly turned around, placing his chin back in its resting place on the side of the pool. for a moment, he avoided meeting yichan's eyes, but when he heard the other draw air into his lungs, reluctant hues found him again.

there was something so...sinisterly endearing about kim yichan when he was this angry. the defiance that flashed in his eyes; the subdued wish to tear yunseong apart until there was nothing left. maybe that's what you want. the unwelcome words dominated his mind like a hand gripping his throat. he felt naked in the pool all of a sudden, exposed by the piercing gaze of the figure looming above him.

when yichan turned foot to leave the room, yunseong was left bobbing in the water like a deflated beach ball. the lack of a verbal response was haunting, and it nearly undid yunseong more severely than any hateful comeback a person could muster.

it took him a moment to realize what yichan had likely left the room to do, sending him into a frenzy. he didn't bother wasting time with the ladder, yunseong used his palms and the natural grain of the concrete to slide himself out of the pool. his heavy limbs could only move so fast, but he pursued yichan anyway.

once he reached the lobby, he saw that yichan already had the front desk phone to his ear. he made a mad dash in the right direction, but the polished hardwood floors in the hotel lobby had no respect for his wet feet. in one fell swoop, his legs gave out and his chest collided hard with the floor. still, he refused to waste a moment. his sore body crawled itself toward yichan, but in the midst of the attempt, the information had been relayed. he was done for.

"you — you — you actually...?" came his sputtered response, belaboured by the fact that the wind had been knocked out of him. despite being the cause of everything, his feelings seemed legitimately hurt.

maybe if the world weren’t so hellbent on pushing kim yichan down, then he’d cave under the faintest of fault lines. but he’s fought his way despite everyday, every cell in his body unrelenting to survive. yunseong’s teasing banter is not what will make his downfall, and yet –

i think you’re bluffing; each syllable echoes through him, pulses through every vein in his body. it’s a phrase he’s heard countless times before, every friday under piercing glares rooting for his demise. the words are meaningless to him by now, and yet –

perhaps it’s the circumstances surrounding: the audience indifference to his loss or victory, no prize for winning, the never ending game, the 3 double shifts in a row eating away at his sanity, the doctors telling him his grandma’s condition is getting worse by the day, the way yunseong manages to look down on him from the floor. he’s at his limit, and it’s like a matchstick to a fuse, everything set ablaze.

i think you’re bluffing; he wants to spit at the phrase, make it beg until its crying, tear it to shreds and rebuild it in his image, kick it off the edge of the pool and hold his head down until the struggle stops. and –

yichan takes a deep breath. bites his tongue, clenches his teeth, grounds himself on the feeling of the water spreading through his socks. he will not let himself be consumed on a monday afternoon; not today, not like this. so he flashes a smile, nothing like the one he walked in with, cheekbones high and eyes turned crescents this time. and he leaves, not a single word uttered, silence cutting through the humid air that fills the room.

if yunseong wants to play games, then yichan will play. all cards on the table now.

not a single thought is running through his head as he heads back towards the front desk. the call to xpixel lasts less than a minute.

[pyolyuja]

the threat almost catches yunseong; almost. the indifference in his eyes had nearly melted into genuine concern, but he refused to let the stony expression fall. he'd stopped splashing about now, his angled jaw solid and resting on the edge of the pool. little did he know, yun more closely resembled a pouting child than a man standing his ground, but in his mind, the upper hand was always his.

it wasn't as if he was going to float there and make some sort of appeal to yichan, explaining that the pool was as close as the homesick boy could feel to the beach he'd practically grown up on, at least until the following year. his work schedule wasn't going to allow him to visit home over the summer, so in some strange way, the damp and arid hotel pool room made him feel like he was there. yichan would never let him live something so embarrassing down.

"god, you really have become a stooge, haven't you? i mean, i know i'm no better. at least i admit it, though," yun finally broke the uneasy silence, still piling on irreverent musings and half serious jabs at the other. he feigned a yawn, leaning back against the edge of the pool with his arms folded behind him. his back was to the other now, feet lazily treading water to keep himself up in what he thought was a cool & intimidating position.

"here's the thing, though. i think you're bluffing," he continued, in the most relaxed manner. in some ways, this was a game for him. it was like some sort of twisted brotherhood that told its stories through standoffs and disagreements, but at the end of the day, encountering yichan had become routine. something told him that if these little exchanges ceased to happen, part of yunseong would miss them. not that he'd ever admit such a thing.

a heavy sigh escapes yichan’s lips. he peels open the heavy door to the midlight’s pool room, humid air greeting him once more, a stark contrast to the icy air that fills the rest of the hotel’s halls – how many times has he had to do this now? steps echo as loafers meet tiled floor; his business casual feels so out of place among a sea of half-dressed guests mid recreation. he regrets wearing his nice pants today.

dealing with im yunseong was definitely not included in his job description (he knows, he double checked the fine print), but he hasn’t the spine to refuse his manager each time she approaches him to, quote, handle him – some voice in the back of his mind reminding him he’s just another cog in a machine when he’s on the clock. another sigh, they really should give him a raise.

he parks himself at the concrete slate that marks the pool’s edge. ���you already know what i’m going to say, yunseong-ssi. just save me the breathe, please.” his words are sharp, unfitting the the soft customer-service smile drawn across his face. he squats down closer to the water and lowers his voice in some effort to avoid the ears of the audience watching them, “honestly, is it really that hard to just wait a few hours? you know this place is empty by 4.” i got you your hook, are you just doing this to annoy me now? he wants to say but catches the words before they escape his throat.

yunseong’s strokes splash the water between them, ever so giving the bottom hem of yichan’s pants a good soak. his eyebrow twitches at the wet feeling creeping into his socks, patience running paperthin; something behind his eyes grows empty, but the smile pressed onto his lips does not falter. he stands up, “or should i just call xpixel?”