Baek Woobin
Hi, Taehyeon. How are you?
I was wondering whether you had time to meet up with me this week?
15:22
Mo Taehyeon
Hi Woobin.
I'm good, thanks. How are you?
And I'd love to get together this week.
15:23
Baek Woobin
That's great.
15:25
The immediate high of finally hearing from Woobin sinks quickly. Is that it? Taehyeon very patiently waits for the bus to pull away from the next bus stop before he tries to prompt a follow up.
Mo Taehyeon
So
When do you want to meet up?
15:33
Baek Woobin
What day would be best for you?
15:35
Mo Taehyeon
Any day. Anytime is great for me.
15:36
Taehyeon threw away any semblance of self-respect as soon as he received the message but he still doesn't like how long it takes Woobin to reply to each message. Taehyeon supposes this must be a symptom of being shy. These sorts of conversations are difficult for people who aren't achingly shy but Taehyeon would appreciate just a smidge more proactivity from his unofficial boyfriend.
Again, Taehyeon pushes himself to be patient and waits for the bus to reach the next stop before he gives in to push Woobin to say something.
Just as Taehyeon is typing out something he hopes is inoffensive, Woobin finally sends a message of his own.
Baek Woobin
Can we meet on Wednesday after school?
I'll come to your school.
15:43
Mo Taehyeon
I can't wait!
15:43
Baek Woobin
:)
15:45
Taehyeon shouldn't expect too much. He sends a message asking what Woobin wants to do that gets no reply. Pretending that he isn't bothered about having to wait until Wednesday to meet up, Taehyeon starts thinking up a list of activities they could do on a school night. Bada is the one who says the things Taehyeon is trying very hard not to think.
Kim Bada
Why Wednesday though?
Should I ask him what he's doing tomorrow?
I'll pretend I don't know that you're meeting him this week.
15:47
My brother told me to stop being nosy but I'll ignore that.
15:49
As thrilled as he was by the prospect of someone doing some detective work for him, another thought very quickly comes to mind. He gives himself twenty seconds to think of a reason that makes sense but he can't come up with anything he likes very much.
Mo Taehyeon
Why did your brother say you're nosy? Are you reading my texts out loud or something?
15:50
Kim Bada
Oh.
No
He just saw my phone screen.
15:53
Taehyeon very calmly breathes deeply. So what if Bada's brother saw anything? The deep breathing doesn't work and Taehyeon's mind very kindly shows him all the horrors resulting from the gradual spread of his secret. And he misses his stop. Now he's also dumbfounded at the bus blowing past his bus stop like it's attempting to break a land speed record.
Taehyeon focuses on getting off the bus at the next stop and then finds a wall to pathetically collapse against.
Mo Taehyeon
Let me get this straight
I made a special effort not to mention boys that you've kissed but you're showing your brother my texts about my boyfriend?
15:57
Bada doesn't respond right away. In fact he doesn't respond until well after Taehyeon has dragged himself home. A more cynical part of his mind suspects Bada sensed the threatening aura of Taehyeon's message from the preview alone. Whilst he seemingly has enough common sense to avoid opening an incriminating text message, Taehyeon would prefer if that thinking was extended towards him and his secrets too.
A couple of hours of Dynasty of Destruction gives Taehyeon the time to reflect and he decides Bada wasn't being an idiot on purpose. Taehyeon has done plenty of idiotic things himself and he has made himself annoying enough that Bada doesn't hold that sort of thing against him.
Along with the thing which had him considering changing his identity and living deep in the woods away from civilisation, Taehyeon has the time to think about other, more realistic things. Namely, his boyfriend and their date planned for Wednesday.
As though he intends to be as inconvenient as possible, Minjun sends Taehyeon a link without comment. There is a non-zero chance this is yet another video of Nayoon's fledgling mukbang career. Taehyeon doesn't even have it in him to watch ten seconds and follow up with a vague text to Minjun. He calls up the only person willing to listen to him talk about this sort of thing.
"Taehyeon, I'm so, so sorry," Bada says, answering on the first ring. "I told Haneul that we're joking and there's nothing gay about what we were saying. I think he believes me."
"Have you met your brother?" Taehyeon asks, "You know he will just pretend to go along with whatever you say."
"So you think he's pretending to believe me?"
"Exactly."
"Oh."
"That's not important anyway," Taehyeon says. He needs to quickly move onto the important subject here because he already foresees some awkward encounters in his immediate future. "If you were my very shy boyfriend who barely mustered up the courage to ask me on a date, how would you feel about me being friends with a boy I fancied in the most embarrassing way possible?"
Bada ponders this for a moment, fidgeting on the other end of the line. Taehyeon does his best to remain calm and patient. He has been patient enough with Woobin all this time so it is only fair that Bada gets the same grace.
"I don't think you were embarrassing about fancying Minjun," Bada says. He sounds like he expects it to be the wrong answer. And he's right.
"No, not that. If you were my boyfriend, would you be fine with me still texting the person I fancied for like a year before I even met you?"
"I'm not sure. I've never thought about something like that. Hold on, do you really think Woobin is shy?"
Taehyeon splutters. The fact that he knows they are definitely talking about the same person only makes this more absurd. "Yes. He's very shy. I'm sure my mom would call him 'painfully shy' if she ever met him."
"Maybe you just think that because you're so used to how weird and overfamiliar Minjun is," Bada reasons. "I think Woobin is just normal."
"Maybe," Taehyeon says — not because he agrees with Bada in any capacity but simply because he really cannot be bothered to argue about something that doesn't matter at all. "Do you think he wouldn't mind me being friends with Minjun? He's texting me about videos I should watch, you know."
"I'm not sure about that," Bada says carefully. "You could ask him when you meet him. But I think if it was me I wouldn't like to be asked. If you still like Minjun it would be weird to still act the same with him. Someone might think you were just keeping a backup option."
Bada is speaking in circles but he at least helped Taehyeon to make up his mind. Despite having no chance with Minjun he must look like the sort to put his eggs in too many pies. Or baskets. Something. Taehyeon doesn't know what he is thinking of right now but he knows even Bada thinks he is keeping his options open.
"I should talk to Minjun."
As decisive as he feels right now, Taehyeon is nervous.
"What am I supposed to say?" Taehyeon asks when Bada's generic words of support don't give him any ideas.
"I don't know. Let's brainstorm and write up a script for you."
Spending the majority of the weekend preparing, Taehyeon is exhausted on Monday morning. Over and over he read the little script of phrases he came up with on the phone with Bada. He thinks he will come across as composed and mature but he feels like he will end up tripping over his words when he is face to face with Minjun.
"You look terrible," Minjeong tells him when he flops into his seat. This all feels very familiar but Taehyeon doubts this will be enough to steel him for the day ahead.
"You do," Taeri trills. "Did you sleep at all?"
"No."
"Oh dear. Are you that excited for the trip next week?" Taeri asks.
"No. I'm not a kid."
"Right because playing games all weekend and not sleeping before school are the things grownups do," Minjeong says.
Taehyeon honestly doesn't know what he attempts to say in his own defence. He deserves to be laughed at for the garbled nonsense that tumbles out of his mouth. Obviously being laughed at isn't pleasant at the best of times but this feels especially cruel.
Listening to the laughter and unfunny jokes made by Taeri beside him and Minjeong in front of him, Taehyeon realises what is unusual. He sits up as straight as he can before giving up and leaning over his desk.
"You're friends again."
"Yep," Taeri chirps cheerily. "We're going to be in the same room on the glamping trip too. It all worked out nicely."
"It could have worked out more nicely than it did," Minjeong says. Her tone is light but even Taehyeon can hear the edge to her words.
"Maybe, but we'll never know," Taeri reasons.
Taehyeon chooses to get in a quick nap before his first lesson starts instead of risking getting drawn into this nonsense. If he had to guess, Minjeong is still bitter about something. Taehyeon would like to avoid any bitterness that he can. He needs to remember all the smart and careful things in his script for whenever he speaks to Minjun.
Thankfully, there isn't too much that forces itself into his head throughout the day. Any words from his teachers go in one ear and out the other without so much as jostling Taehyeon's memorised lines.
His initial determination crumbles to nothing by the time breaktime arrives. He knows exactly where Minjun is on account of the messages where Minjun has volunteered his every movement. In another world, things must have ended up differently with Minjun taking him for a creepy stalker. Taehyeon doesn't exactly envy that hypothetical version of himself but he would at least feel less pressured without knowing all these things about Minjun.
Seeing as he is in this world and he would rather get this over with sooner rather than later, Taehyeon goes to find Minjun out on the dusty field. He texts Bada and gets a feeble 'good luck' in response. Taehyeon doesn't know what else he expected but he reminds himself that Bada spent a considerable amount of time helping him with writing and rehearsing his script. That was more than enough support.