#JOONGDOK NEVER STOP JOONGDOKING

[cum-villain]

had an amusing train of though

han sooyoung made yoo joonghyuk for kim dokja and kim dokja alone

this means she didnt go by trope conventions exactly, just by what she thought kim dokja would enjoy

yoo joonghyuk being extremely good looking thus cannot be because of genre conventions, but because she knew kim dokja would want that in yoo joonghyuk

why is yoo joonghyuk being good looking so important to him

[koifishanonymous]

i swear if the silly little white& black duo end up separated by fate again

[mhaynoot]

yjh and kdj and how their happiness are each other and each other's happiness and how their life and death are also each other and how their beginning and ending are also each other and how there is no ending for yjh without kdj because he will refuse such an end but can and will never ever force kdj into yjh's idea of happiness but will only ever want for kdj to wish for his own happiness

[mae-i-scribble]

Shipping joongdok not in a "they should hold hands and kiss and maybe have sex" sort of way but the "you give my life meaning," "i have chosen you time and time again and will keep choosing you," "i would throw myself away to save you," "even when separated by time and space i will keep trying to reach out to hold onto your precious existence, "i thought i understood you more than i understood myself but along the way i lost sight of who you were but will never stop trying to understand you," "i want you to rest, i want you to be happy, and i want you to feel loved," and the "there is no one else in this world who means quite the same to me as you do" sort of way

[lialox]

Hhhhhhh more AU's that I will never write based on that post that's like:

"You came back wrong and i am racked with guilt because i cannot bear to see you like this and i should have let you rest. i loved you so much that i defied death itself but i do not think either of us are happy."

Joongdok:

KDJ gets isekai'd right at the ending of Ways of Survival. The ending of a story is like death. There is nothing written past the Final Scenario and YJK slowly starts transforming into an outer god. Not like SP, but more like an extant form of life, with garbled memories and messed up form like 'Made in Abyss' if you've ever seen it.

YJK just looks like a blob of stories. He cannot even be called remotely human. KDJ tries to pick him up, but his existence is like a gelatinous sack, and sentences slip past his arms. He cannot even hold him.

They spend their days in N'Gai forest. KDJ tries to make him comfortable. He cooks for YJK. They watch rounds of Ways of Survival together.

I want to die I want to die I want to die I want to die

KDJ won't let him

Doksoo:

Her childhood friend committed suicide when she was young, and her therapist suggested she write out her feelings in the form of a story. Han Sooyoung is the type who loves hard, and the grieving process takes decades. By the time she's ready to let go, she's 26, and she's thousands of chapters in. She gets isekai'd into her own story.

KDJ is there, alive, like a protagonist

She spent years trying to understand him in the hopes he would be resurrected in her writing, but because her understanding of him stopped when he was at the lowest point in his depression, this Kim Dokja is eternally at his lowest point in the pages.

The narrative keeps him alive. The purpose of this story is so that KDJ can live.

Living is so painful for KDJ, but for a universe that was meant to grieve him, to hold onto him, to capture him 'exactly as he was' he is doomed to never become happier because a happier KDJ did not exist in reality. HSY tries. She tries so hard to change the already-written sentences.

She can't she can't she can't

The one who loves this story cannot change this story.

Yoohan:

A soul for a soul. That is the law of exchange in demonic pacts. They wanted to bring back their deceased mutual friend. They thought they were being smart and had found a loophole: they would each trade one half of their soul in exchange for one whole Kim Dokja. That way neither of them would die and KDJ would live. But demonic pacts aren't fair. The demon gave each of them one half of Kim Dokja.

50% YJK now inhabits 50% of KDJ in his body. He doesn't understand himself anymore. He's acting different and he knows it and its almost like he's a character and a reader is projecting himself into his actions.

50% HSY now inhabits 50% of KDJ into her body. She can hear him talking to her sometimes. She barely recognizes who he is.

HSY and YJK chase after the vestiges of someone else in each other.

(When they wake up the next morning, bare shoulders peeking past the sheets, they both turn their backs and start crying)

It's not who they're looking for. They cannot recognize each other broken. They cannot recognize themselves.

Who are you? Who am I?

No one is happy

[chai-en-kaadhale]

bc lee seolhwa x yoo junghyeok really is a good ship tank x medic ... guy who never once stops and heals x woman who's entire job is to heal

but also what makes yoohan/joongdok/yoocroft compelling is "why is he getting himself hurt in the first place? who is he tanking all of this for? who does he want so badly, whos purpose is he willing to serve to such an extent that he's actually going through with all this?"

anyways gnight

[professorsparklepants]

Spotify | Youtube (lyricless) | Youtube (with translated lyrics)*

a voice came to me in a dream saying that i could make a life and death companions playlists using only kpop songs. and that voice? was kim dokja.

*flashing warning for Killing Me

TRACKLIST BELOW THE CUT

Illusion | aespa

Follow me, come and get illusion Swallow it all at once, delicious Irresistible bait, hook up Feeding on attention and growing up

Did I pick this song just because it had the word dokkaebi in it? Maybe. But you can't deny it's a starstream bop.

Deep | Hyo

Hiding sharp teeth, tension with you I predict eyes to eyes, explore it with you Oh you can take it? Won't be easy, you'll see Like the waves I'll hit you, whip up the water, deeper into me

This was the last song I added, but "two sharks circling each other in the water as a metaphor for a relationship" is SO early joongdok.

Camo | BoA

Hey baby, in the darkness with all the lights off I've hidden my shadow, I can't be tied down To some place tonight, my face has changed My heart is moving, but my camouflage will hide it I still don't know, yeah, my own heart The thick colors of the camouflage cover up the new world that'll surprise me

The dowager queen of kpop delivers a Kim Dokja song through and through.

Drunk-Dazed | ENHYPEN

I feel it, my head's in a daze daze daze I'm addicted, I replay-play-play The way you want it, go as far as you can to reach it Trapped in the carnival wow wow

[slaps Yoo Joonghyuk] this boy can fit so much timeloop trauma inside him

Want | Taemin

(Hot, Hot) Teasing you slowly (Hot, hot) Making you fall for me without limit (Hot, hot) Waking you up from the silence underneath your deep sea (Hot, hot) Will leave you wanting more, thirsting for more

I can't do a kpop themed shipping playlist and NOT include the King of Hoe Anthems himself.

Devil By the Window | TXT

Waste, waste away in the gutter with me No, I can't tell what is fake in my reality I see the waves, see the waves wash over me Oh, stay, you can stay when you're tempted to leave

Deja Vu | Dreamcatcher

Me deleting Lucifer by SHINee from the playlist because the lyrics don't fit: OTL

Me when I find another kpop song about Devils that's also way gayer: 😈

So now, I'm holding this pain Like you, who has thrown everything away Each day gets clearer Endlessly before me, oh deja vu Oh deja vu, oh deja vu, Oh deja vu, so I've fallen now Till the day I run out of breath, I can't let you go again Because we'll spend every moment together Don't get any further away from me

This is the only surviving entry from when this was 100% a joke playlist and not partially serious.

Psycho | Red Velvet

You got me feeling like a psycho, psycho People keep telling us As we fight like it's our last but then we get along They don't get it, it's so funny

Dysfunctional relationship anthem.

Killing Me | Chungha

Forgotten again these days The time has stopped When does it end? Try to pretend I'm used to it by now Something just fell apart What fell is the broken heart Future is trapped and has collapsed Everything is because of you

Is is really a joongdok playlist without at least one depressed breakup song?

Fiction | Highlight (formerly Beast)

Like this again (fiction in fiction) I can't end it (fiction in fiction) I am writing the story that will never end in my heart I will hold onto you (fiction in fiction) I won't let you go (fiction in fiction) I'm in the story of you and i that hasn't ended still, even today in fiction

I know Kim Dokja is the reader and not the writer but I couldn't NOT.

Heroine | Sunmi

In this drama of just us two The true hero was you, baby Yeah today you're being you Like a brilliant hero Just do as you have always done Even if that's playing the villain Even if that makes me sad You've got to be yourself Even if that hurts me, even if it's a sad ending The show must go on

This is the first song I added, honestly. Perfect for them.

What Can I Do | Day6

What am I to you? Do you even have feelings for me? Every time I meet you, you change Feels like I know you, but then I don't You meet all the people in the world but you have no time to give me? You're too much, why do you drive me so crazy?

I found this on a list of the gayest kpop songs.

Star | Loona

You're in my mind when I'm asleep I'm seeing stars sink in these dreams I don't wanna spend these hours with nobody else I'm in your mind, you're my dreams I'm freaking out I don't wanna leave But so selfishly I want you and nobody else

I debated between Voice (Korean version) and Star (English version) but then I realized Star has lines that can be read as the possession thing so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Untouchable | Everglow

Tell me now, tell me now you want me Your feeling can be seen clearly like mine You and I are like one, we're so alike Talk about, talk about us, I want you My feeling can be seen clearly like yours Whatever people say, we're untouchable

Battle couple anthem.

Feel Special | Twice

You make me feel special No matter how the world brings me down Even when hurtful words stab me I smile again cause you're there That's what you do One moment I feel like I'm nothing at all Like no one would notice if I were gone But then when I hear you calling me, I feel loved I feel so special

When I realized I could put this song on this playlist I cackled.

Fairy of Shampoo | TXT

I don't feel lonely when I see you Even if I'm with my sad heart It just disappears far away Dear, you are my fairy of shampoo From this moment on, I will love you

This song is so fucking funny. Me and the woman from a shampoo commercial I have a parasocial relationship with.

Survive the Night | The Boyz

A crying child pouring starlight I got lost in the night I'm still lost there Though I realize it all I have to get out of here, warning warning warning Towards you running running running Small fragments and intersecting sensations only faint traces remember you I endure the dawn without you again, oh yeah

[pours one out for Kim Dokja's entire personal timeline]

Into the New World | Girls Generation

I love you, just like this The longed end of wandering I leave behind this world's unending sadness In the many unknowable paths I follow a dim light It's something we'll do together to the end Into my new world

Joongdok can have a protest song about reaching the end of the scenarios together. As a treat.

[myfckingnameisnuwanda]

Alternate Banquet (Joongdok)

Uriel felt a tad bit guilty, at that moment. She remembered all the times she had pressured and demanded "content" from Incarnation Kim Dokja. All the times she paid him for it, too.

And it hadn't seemed a problem, before. But now Kim Dokja had given the money back.

That had never happened before.

And it was obvious why, too.

This wasn't for prying eyes. This was for Yoo Joonghyuk. For himself. Nobody else, including Uriel, was important at that moment. Just them.

At the center of the ballroom, Yoo Joonghyuk had taken Kim Dokja by the hip and the hand, and they danced and danced, eyes locked on each other.

There was no music, but they didn't seem to need it.

There were no other constellations or incarnations dancing, but that didn't stop them.

There was no one else that mattered at that moment.

An Ancient could have come through the very roof they were under, and they still would have danced and danced, uncaring.

She suspected not even Kim Dokja’s companions could have interrupted if they tried.

Uriel turned her gaze away.

This wasn't for her.

[chuncao]

Kdj had never confessed to anyone, so when he decided to ask yjh out, he had to a lot of practices. And by practices I mean saying the 5k-word script that he had prepared in front of biyoo. Every day. For months.

But one day, yjh accidentally overheard kdj practicing by himself.

Kdj *talking to biyoo, his face reddened like a boiled squid*: i love you, you are the sun of my life, i don’t know how i could live without you…

Yjh: Oh- so he has someone in his heart *feeling dejected*

Kimcom couldn’t understand why yjh acted like a kicked puppy for the next few weeks.

—

After deeming that he had practiced enough (actually he didn’t feel prepared but biyoo couldn’t put up with his daily practice sessions anymore), kdj finally decided to confess:

Kdj: h-hey sunfish *starting to feel nervous*

Kdj: I love you, you are the sun of my life… *repeating the script that he had learnt by heart*

Yjh: Erm-

Yjh: I think the confession is good. The other person would like it *trying his best to be nonchalant*

Kdj: Huh?

Yjh: You are practicing for your confession right? Is it ysa?

Sp *through the chat*: Ofc it would be-

Kdj: What?!!!

Kdj: I’m confessing to you, you idiot *blushing like crazy*

Kdj then ran off, leaving a dumbfounded yjh behind.

Yjh: HUH?

yjh.exe has stopped working.

—

The constellations’ reaction to kdj’s confession:

Uriel: *silently uploading her 50k joongdok fic to star stream sns*

Sun Wukong to Sp: wanna go grab some soju?

Sp: …Fine

Persephone to Hades: Dear, how about we create some trials again? I’ve had some nice ideas.

[kimdokjas]

give me those fics u wanna rec sooo bad but havent otten the chance to yet😈

@mauxanhduong

HI YES I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED

these are some of my absolute FAVORITE orv fics. the writing overall is just amazing showstopping spectacular. also several of them made me cry (both happy and sad tears) and now it's time to inflict that pain on others eheh

most of these are joongdok fics just fyi. also pls beware about spoilers!

ORV Fic Recs Pt. 2

(pt. 1)

i love ALL of these but the first five have such a special place in my heart, so if you have to choose pls choose from one of those!

before we diverge (let me tell you this) by carolee_sea

Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk go on a date together in First Murim.

fallen leaves by moo_lan

There is a faerie sleeping in the forest, and he has been sleeping for millennia. Yoo Jonghyuk has been travelling for a long time, and for some reason he feels that this was his destination all along.

Devotion by memoriesofdust (BehindTheRobinsMask)

It was cute. And because it was cute, Yoo Joonghyuk leaned in to do something unthinkable. He kissed Kim Dokja, shivering when the demon's lips pressed against his own. Surprisingly enough, the skies didn't rumble with anger. God didn't smite him right then and there. Yoo Joonghyuk continued to kiss Kim Dokja, drowning in his sweet taste, but the universe never cared. Yoo Joonghyuk did not fall from grace. Perhaps there was a reason for that. After all, angels were born to love God, and Kim Dokja was his. 

missing person report by lorilanda

Kim Dokja opens his arms. "Okay, okay." He takes a deep breath. "Okay. C'mere. Give me a hug." To his absolute horror, Yoo Joonghyuk actually does. Kim Dokja returns.

the false last act by younglegends

Living in a big house with everyone was convenient, most of the time. But there were other things that couldn’t be avoided. Or: The end.

(^^^ for the love of god pls read this one TWICE)

Down by AbsurdHerb

1863rd regression Yoo Jonghyuk tries to find out who Kim Dokja is and finds a lot more than he bargained for. You know that scene where 1863 tries to kill KDJ and the Third Wall stops him by sharing the whole story? I like that scene a normal amount.

Repose by Waltzfor-Zizi (azro_zee)

There were things that bound to linger when one had gone through the apocalypse and back. "Why aren't you sleeping?" Junghyeok asked, ever so coldly, but Dokja had seen him for over twenty thousand years to notice that there were subtle concerns hiding beneath his tone. "It's just…" Dokja gulped. Man, he felt so pathetic. "It's quiet," he finished lamely. In which Kim Dokja feared the silence, and Yu Junghyeok was reminded that the lull could be a little scary.

I am you (no sir, you are you) by aynchent

“It’s okay! Our,” Joonghyuk paused as he placed his hands around Dokja’s shoulders, as if the words tasted bad in his mouth, “Joonghyuk-ie is just struggling to deal with his emotions again.” “Kim Dokja. . .” Dokja growled, internally crying. A good old-fashioned challenge of, “How Well Do You Really Know Your Companion?” Spoiler, the winner may just surprise you!

Taking Action to Contain a Hopeless Squid by gayboy_advance

It started out innocent—just some minor actions to ensure the slippery man’s safety. Yoo Joonghyuk made sure to check on Kim Dokja every time before going to bed, specifically when the other was already sleeping soundly. He figured it would be less explaining if caught, as well as less likely that the man would up and leave once he had actually taken the time to fall asleep. Unfortunate or not, it was not enough to settle his worries as time progressed. Or: Yoo Joonghyuk is anxious about Kim Dokja wandering off and accidentally killing himself at night. His solution? Sleep in Kim Dokja's bed.

you used to be my satellite by Karelyon

One moment, darkness, stillness, silence. Then, the world comes alive once more. Cacophony of noises, the train rolling on tracks, people talking, laughing. Music from his headphones. Sunlight through the window. Smell of cologne, a teenage boy’s deodorant, stale air and flowery perfume of the grandma sitting a few rows ahead. Yoo Joonghyuk is once again in that subway. It is familiar, but also foreign. A whole lifetime in the past. He blinks as the world descends into chaos. or: Yoo Joonghyuk in his first regression, with all his memories from the 0th round, meets one Kim Dokja.

can wait for you at the bottom by trainerlyra

He didn't really have anything to say to him, then. It wasn't like he hadn't said everything before. To his surprise, Kim Dokja broke into a smile. Or: Kim Dokja goes off on his own again, and when he comes back, he's noticeably different. Yoo Joonghyuk isn't sure how to deal with this.

seldom the ghost returns by yamscooper

“Do you think you deserve this?” the Oldest Dream asks. Dokja is exhausted, miserable, shaky in his own skin. He’s so tired of being tired. “I’m starting to think I do,” he says.

~~

i have more but i need to stop at some point lmao, i hope you enjoy!!

[honey-katsu]

Hello everyone! I’ve been lurking for years but never made account. But now it’s time >:)

Hi, I’m Isai!!

I use she/her pronouns and I’m asexual. ☺️ I also go by Honey or Katsu online.

I’ll likely be using this space to post about anime, fanfic, and fandom. And occasionally my artwork, photography, and crochet. Oh, and I have a little dog named Shang, so I’ll probably end up posting about him too!

Anyways, here’s a list of some of my favorite things:

Color - any and all shades of light purple!!

Foods - pasta and cheese 🥰, chicken tikka masala, Thai yellow curry, fried rice

Anime/cartoons - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mob Psycho 100, Psycho-Pass, Jobless Reincarnation, The Owl House, Gravity Falls, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Land of the Lustrous, Dungeon Meshi

Movies - Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, A Silent Voice, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, The Anthem of the Heart, Dune

Manga - Witch Hat Atelier, The Girl From the Other Side, Vinland Saga, Beast Complex

Games - Pokémon, Persona 5, NieR: Automata, Sky: Children of Light, Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Lethal Company

Other fandoms - Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, The Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi, Solo Leveling

Streamers/content creators - CDawgVA and Ironmouse

Characters - Sesshomaru, Milly Thompson, Xiao, Arataki Itto, Cyno, Bennett, Mithrun, Pompompurin, Phos

Ships - Royai, Huntlow, M!Dimilyth, Kavetham, 9S/2B, JoongDok, Dipcifica, RodyDeku, EraserMic

Poly ships - JoongDokSoo, EraserCloudMic, EraserCloudMic+Midnight, EraserMic+Midnight (idk the ship names)

I also love to write fanfiction!

But only for things I deem imperfect or unsatisfactory. Right now, I’m mostly writing for My Hero Academia (I stopped watching around season 5 but kept up with the manga and anime via TikTok lol). You can check me out at chickenKatsu on ao3.

Oh, and I crochet, too! I recently started an Instagram account for it here. I’m really proud of my original Onikabuto design 💕

[king-of-a-kingless-world]

hell yea he is

and a bitch

^this. IM STILL CONFUSED WHY TF SOOYOUNG WANTED HIM AS HER SPONSOR

aka my bestie #1 joongdok shipper

i think i know who they are bc of spoilers ive come across but i really wanted it to be dokja from the future or the author :(

you dont even need the monkeys help for that man ✋

youd never get scenes like this in the novel 👍

FUCK FUCK NONONONONINO O ISTG EVERY TIME I READ THIS ONE SCENE I GET SO SPOOKED WHY IS HE SO SCARY HERE JOONGHYUK STOP PLS IM SCARED T~T

WHY IS HE SO FUCKING SPOOKY WHAT THE HELL MAN

[milkmynk]

Having Joongdok Feels again

Just thinking about how YJH had lived 1863 lifetimes worth of pain and loss and solitude, but what brings him to his knees at last is losing KDJ forever. The realization that KDJ had truly, finally gone somewhere he could never hope to follow...

He fell into despair so deeply that he stopped caring for himself and even left his beloved sister behind, his one remaining wish to die by HSY’s hand.

And the only thing that stopped him was that fragile, ephemeral hope that Anna Croft (his once-mortal enemy) offered, that he might yet be able to meet his Demon King of Salvation again. T__T

For that single prayer, he picked himself back up and embarked on what he knew was little more than a suicidal mission with next to nil chances of success, and for that prayer, he returns back to Earth hoping against hope that their words reached KDJ...

[bidokja]

ppl reading my "kim dokja never learned how to live without yoo joonghyuk" post as A JoongDok Post and like. i did not post it for the message "whoa they really love each other <3" (like. they absolutely Do, that's vital, it's one of the layers. it's just not the point)

i made the post to highlight how - from the very beginning, LONG before we learn that kim dokja has attempted suicide in the past - all of this perfectly builds upon and foreshadows that kim dokja is not just the "dies a lot" guy, he is very much still currently suicidal. and the Only thing he is sticking around for is to make sure everyone else can make it past the ending. and to him, joonghyuk is necessary for that because it is His Story. just like he was Necessary before the events of orv for kim dokja to keep going. he never stopped needing him, he doesn't know how to stop needing him. he does not know how to Want To Live without relying on yjh existing

[orviposition]

the only thing stopping orv from being a bl is the fact that it's not a romance ☝🏻 going from canon however, the protagonist (the "I'm not interested in men" guy) has gone batshit insane when he thought mc (kdj) died saving him. his baby sister tells him he looks happy whenever he thinks abt mc, they get teased to be a couple by multiple characters and never outright deny the allegations. our dearest protagonist is the embodiment of what mc loves the most, and mc is the protagonist's one weakness. the entire suffering of the protagonist started because he wanted to meet mc. the protagonist spent hundreds of years stranded alone in space for mc. he even wanted to sacrifice himself for him. mc too (multiple times) has shown that if the protagonist isn't happy then nobody else get to be happy. he's shown to get angry after the protagonist fucks up but no matter how grave those fucks up he cant bring himself to hurt him and stop worrying about him. etc etc etc you get the point.... joongdok are *wheeze* light and dark, day and night, summer and winter, leo and aquarius. readers and protagonists. reading each other's story saved them both. oof I might've gone a bit out!!! everything i said is real tho 😭

the "I'm not interested in men" line debuted in the webtoon newest (still behind paywall) chapter and mfers on reddit are like "hah finally the shippers' dreams are crushed" you Fool, you illiterate buffoon. you Do Not understand yaoi literature like I do and it shows. if the many, many, many novels, mangas and doujinshis that I've read have taught me ANYTHING is the irrefutable fact that this single line is PEAK homosexuality and you Cannot actually prove me wrong

[kdj-225]

oh yay you're on tumblr now!! i've been following and enjoying your joongdok stuff on twitter for awhile now so thank you♡ saw you were looking at fic requests, so... maybe some joongdok high school au shenanigans, where everyone thinks they're pining but they've actually been together for awhile? you don't actually have to write anything of course lol i just appreciate all your hard work on your stories!!

[ I'm happy to know that you enjoy my joongdok content on twitter, thank you so much!!! 💕🥰💕 I hope you like this short fic fill for your prompt!! ]

※DO NOT REPOST / HOST MY WORK ON OTHER APPS OR SITES

“You keep staring at him like that, you may as well just ask him out.”

Kim Dokja sighs. The few times Joonghyuk isn’t looking over and squinting at him, someone else (in this case, Jung Heewon) has to come over and disturb him. He really can’t eat his visual fill in peace no matter the circumstances, it seems.

“Yoo Joonghyuk,” he calls out.

He gives a little wave when the other student looks over with furrowed brows. Again, Dokja is hit with the temptation to smooth those wrinkles over with his fingers.

So young, yet so grumpy.

“Go out with me,” he mouths quietly. He grins when Joonghyuk blinks narrowed eyes in disbelief at him, and laughs when the other dares to flip a finger in response to his words.

He flips a finger back, just because he can.

“What was that?” Heewon asks. Her face, when it enters his view, is twisted in confusion at the odd and random exchange that just occurred before her. “What’d you tell him?”

“To go out with me.”

She laughs. “That’s why he flipped a finger at you?”

He nods. “That’s why he flipped a finger at me, yes.”

“I meant to ask him out seriously. Not as a joke, Dokja-yah. It’s no wonder he’d be so mad…”

He hums, resting his cheek on his chin. Again, he returns his gaze to Joonghyuk’s profile—sharp jaw despite his youth, a cat-like gaze, thick brows that highlight his eyes well, and a sharp nose with a line that naturally led one’s gaze to his kissable lips. His is a face that was awkward in his earlier years with his ears and brows and nose too large on his small face, but now, it was just unfair how attractive he’s grown up to be.

Who could blame him for staring, anyway? Anyone else would, he’s sure.

“Oh, he’d be mad regardless,” he says, smiling in amusement as he finds Joonghyuk’s gaze softening as it flickers over to him.

“But he’s cute like that.”

---------------------------

“You may as well make it official and stake your claim, you know.”

Yoo Joonghyuk struggles very hard not to throttle Han Sooyoung in full view of the student populace. He’d only been in the middle of unwrapping the food he’d prepared for himself and Kim Dokja on a desk in the courtyard; he doesn’t see why that’s worthy of her accosting him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Making his lunch? You are either his mother or his lover, and yet, you are neither of those things.”

He huffs out a breath. “You can meddle elsewhere. Or are you dissatisfied with him eating a proper lunch?”

“We’re literally provided meals at school every day.”

“Not enough protein for him. You also know how picky he is.”

“You’re really—” Sooyoung scoffs. “I’m not saying you should stop anyway, you punk. I’m saying that you should make things clear so he doesn’t get the wrong idea.”

“What wrong ideas can anyone get from being provided with food?”

“That you’re just doing this for your entertainment until you get bored of him. That you’re thinking of him as a charity case.”

“Kim Dokja has never been a charity case. And if he were, how would I be any different?”

Sooyoung makes a face—not at him, but at herself. It’s as if she’d forgotten just who it is that she’s talking to, which wouldn’t be a surprise to him. Of course she’d forget the fact that he’s an orphan in favor of Kim Dokja, who has to live with only his mother after his old man passed away in the way that he did.

He likes it better this way, even if the miserable look on her face seems to have her believing otherwise.

“Don’t look like that,” he says, frowning at the wary look she sends his way. “I prefer it, that you forget what I am. And Dokja is not enough of a fool to think of himself in that way around me.”

“But—”

“Ah, Joonghyuk-ah! Did you make my favorite today?”

Dokja’s voice cuts through whatever Sooyoung’s complaints might be, making the both of them look back at him. He’s got his phone in hand, as is the usual, and the way he jogs over to them reminds Joonghyuk that he really should get Dokja to exercise more. He’s heaving for breath when he finds his way to their table in such a short distance…his stamina really is abysmal.

“No,” he says. He ignores the pout that Dokja gives him in response. “You can’t eat omurice every day, you fool.”

“But your omurice is so good?”

“I don’t care. Mia wanted white meat today.”

“Ah, so is it fish or chicken?”

“Fish.”

“...you two may as well get married,” Sooyoung grumbles.

Dokja blinks at her as he takes a seat beside Joonghyuk. “What was that?”

“Nothing, idiot.”

-------------------------

When Heewon sighs for the umpteenth time, Hyunsung can’t help it.

He finally voices the question he’s been wanting to ask ever since the start of group outing, the question that’s rested on the tip of his tongue ever since he saw the determined expressions on Sooyoung and Heewon’s faces.

To everyone at their table, he asks, “Is there something wrong..?”

Yoo Sangah quietly sips from her glass of juice, then smiles at him. Lee Seolhwa, in a similar way, shares a placid smile that has Hyunsung fidgeting in confusion. Those looks explain absolutely nothing, and only make him sweat nervously at what it is he must be missing.

Sooyoung, on the other hand, nods her head over to the distant counter where Joonghyuk and Dokja are still lined up to get their own orders. She says, “It’s them.”

He blinks. “Joonghyuk and Dokja? What about them?”

“We’re staging an intervention,” Heewon says. Again, that answers nothing. “They need our help, pronto. I can’t deal with this anymore.”

He smiles awkwardly. Somehow, he feels like he’s back in class when he nervously raises a hand to get their attention. “Um, what’s “this”?”

“This—”

“I’ve succeeded in corrupting our Joonghyukie!”

Hyunsung looks up at the sound of Dokja’s voice, and finds his pale classmate grinning while pulling a scowling Joonghyuk down to sit beside him. “Corrupt?” he asks.

“You know how he doesn’t like to eat food that he didn’t cook? I got him to get a burger today,” Dokja explains. Joonghyuk quietly slides the tray he’d brought over to Dokja’s side of the table, which Dokja takes as a sign to grab his own burger. “So, what were you talking about before we came back? It looked serious.”

“Oh,” Seolhwa begins to say, picking up some fries with one hand, “we were just talking about our plans for the future. What about you two, Dokja-yah, Joonghyuk-ah?”

“The future? Hm, I haven’t thought that far,” Dokja hums. It’s easy, the way he leans into Joonghyuk’s side as he thinks, that Hyunsung can’t help from wondering just what the others believe they need an intervention on. They seem to be happy enough as is, right? Or was there something he just didn’t know? If so, what was it?

“Liar,” Joonghyuk huffs. He unwraps his own burger, makes a face down at it, before taking a hesitant bite.

The grimace on his face deepens as he chews. Dokja laughs and laughs, and Hyunsung can’t help from laughing a little too—though, he does end up stopping when Joonghyuk squints at him.

Joonghyuk, for all his visual dismay at his food, still keeps eating. Hyunsung wonders why; it’s not like he’s the type to keep doing anything he doesn’t like. Maybe Dokja dared him into it? He’s usually only terrible at rejecting dares when Dokja is involved, from what he remembers.

Dokja asks, “Why am I a liar, Joonghyuk-ah?”

“We already have plans.”

“Living together isn’t much of a plan,” Dokja says. “They were probably talking about the jobs we’ll do. You’re going to keep going as a pro-gamer, right? As for me, I’m not really sure yet.”

“Wait.”

Dokja looks over, as does Hyunsung. Sooyoung’s tone is unnaturally urgent, so of course they’d end up looking at her. She says, “What do you mean, live together?”

“Exactly what it means? We’ll be living together. Sharing an apartment, or something along those lines. Maybe if Joonghyukie gets rich enough we can buy a house…”

Hyunsung finds himself growing more and more confused, the more that Dokja’s innocent smile grows deeper and deeper in its slyness. Like he knows something they don’t, somehow.

Sooyoung cries out, “You..!”

“If you have something to say,” Joonghyuk says bluntly, “just spit it out instead of mumbling nonsense.”

Heewon smacks both of her hands to the table with enough force that it shakes. Hyunsung has to set his own hands on the other end of the table to make sure it doesn’t fall over. She says, “Are you two dating?!”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

A chorus of screams resound from their table, catching the attention of servers and customers alike. Hyunsung finds himself shrinking in his seat, though Sangah and Seolhwa are remarkably calm as they continue to drink and eat their fill.

“You bastard!?” Sooyoung grabs Dokja by the collar and shakes him from across the table, gaze wild with fury while Dokja laughs in her face. “How dare you! We’ve been trying to set you both up, and you couldn’t even say that you were already together?!”

“It was funny watching you struggle, though,” Dokja says. He’s wheezing with laughter even as Joonghyuk pries Sooyoung’s hands off of him. As he curls into Joonghyuk’s side, one hand resting on the other student’s shoulder for support, he says, “And it’s not like we’re that subtle. Sangah and Seolhwa knew without either of us saying anything.”

“Sangah!”

“Seolhwa-yah, are you serious?”

The two of them, in response to the accusatory words, give a shrug and a smile. Sangah says, “It was their secret to tell, so…sorry?”

Seolhwa adds, “You’d have noticed it if you looked at them while they’re alone together. They usually only put on a show when they think someone’s looking.”

“I can’t believe you two!”

“You guys are terrible…”

“What about Hyunsung? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Ah. Ah,” he sputters, holding both hands up in surrender as he smiles at the accusatory glares being thrown his way. “I didn’t know either? I didn’t think there was even an issue in the first place, I just thought that Dokja and Joonghyuk are fine as they are…”

“Of course they’re fine as they are, when they’ve already been dating under our noses,” Sooyoung scoffs. “How long has it even been?”

“One year, three months?” Dokja says, looking over to Joonghyuk.

Joonghyuk nods.

“ONE YEAR?”

“You bastards?!”

Hyunsung is the one who ends up sighing this time. Quietly, shoulders curled in on themselves, he eats his burger—all while the others argue on the secrets that have been hidden from them after all this time.

He’d lied, just a bit. It wasn’t like he had confirmed knowledge on Joonghyuk and Dokja’s relationship, but…

It wasn’t like it was that difficult to see, just from how they smiled at each other whenever they were together. In those moments when they thought no one was around and they were alone, it was far too easy to see just how gentle Dokja could get, and how warm Joonghyuk could look.

Hyunsung hides a smile behind his mouthful of food.

It’ll be fine eventually.

They’re friends, after all.