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“Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Baking With Minho! I know my last episode was only uploaded a few days ago, but considering I can’t exactly leave my house right now, and you all shouldn’t be either, I decided to go ahead and show you all how to make one of my absolute favorite cookies!” Minho smiled and he imagined a glamour shot of his finished cookies flashing on the screen before continuing.”
“Now, if you haven’t checked the thumbnail and just clicked the second you saw the notification, then you’ll hopefully be excited to know we’re making thumbprint cookies today! Woohoo!” Minho made little jazz hands, cringing slightly as he did so, but he knew the action would lead to several GIFs, and maybe a few new followers, so he would keep it in.
“Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the recipe! Today we’re Baking with Minho!” Minho kept the camera rolling as he quickly shuffled the pre-measured ingredients into the frame, grabbing his stand mixer (a gift from himself when he reached 500,000 subscribers) and then grinning at the camera. For that portion of the video, he would do a time-lapse and flash some words on the screen with some cheesy music playing in the background in a true Baking With Minho style.
He ran through the list of ingredients, also telling the camera, “If you’re planning this recipe for more than 3 people, I recommend making a double batch. When I make these for Binnie’s friends when they come to hang out, I’m lucky if there’s one left by the end of the night!” He felt his face break into a grin as he ran through the next step in the recipe — mixing the sugar and butter together. He hummed a bit as the stand mixer whirled away, and reassured his audience that a hand mixer would work just was well with the recipe, it just wouldn’t mix for as long. He always seemed to get concerned comments asking if their appliances were too outdated, so Minho had started to just reassure his viewers that any baking supplies will work if you have enough heart.
“Okay,” he chirped after he checked the dough in the bowl. “Once you’ve reached this crumbly texture, you’re ready to wrap and chill the dough! If you have some time on your hands, maybe you’ve been procrastinating cleaning up your room or doing the next load of laundry, you can pop this bundle in the fridge for about an hour until it sticks by itself! But!” he called, holding up a finger and grinning mischievously, “If you’re like me and trying to get these done before your health-nut roommate catches you baking for the third time in a week, the freezer works twice as quickly and gives you the same results!” Minho chuckled as he found a spare spot in their freezer, setting a timer on his phone for 25 minutes. He turned the camera off and set about cleaning up his batter dishes.
Minho had started his channel nearly a year ago, and he had tried uploading one video a week but had found that he didn’t have the time to bake that much with his schedule, so he had quickly shifted to posting every other week—sometimes every 3 weeks with some new project for people. Despite the fact that he was one cooking YouTuber in the shadow of hundreds, if not thousands, more, his channel had quickly gained traction and he found himself dancing on his bed 5 months later looking at the 500,000 subscriber mark. From then, his channel continued to grow, and now he had to pretend he’s talking to 1.7 million people every time he turned the camera on.
Checking the time he still had left on his timer, about 10 minutes, he started pulling the sprinkles and icing ingredients out of his cabinets, measuring them out and setting the ingredients to the side before prepping his baking sheets. He preheated his oven, and then went and sat on the sofa as he waited for the obnoxious quacking he had set to notify him his time was up.
Moving to the camera and pressing the record button again, Minho quickly grabbed the dough from the freezer and smiled as he centered himself in front of the camera.
“Welcome back!” he greeted. “I hope your cleaning went well, and you’re ready to prep these cookies!” He pulled the bowl of rainbow sprinkles into the frame and grinned as he peeled the wrap away from his dough.
“If you’re health-conscious, I’m not sure what you’re doing on my channel, but there is a slightly healthier preparation method to these cookies. However!” he called, holding up another dramatic finger, “If you’re here for the biggest sugar crash you can manage, I recommend rolling sprinkles into your dough, then rolling the dough in the sprinkles. Not only does that give the cookie a bit more charm, but it’s also prettier to look at. But if you’re just no fun,” he sighed as he looked at the colorful ball of dough in his hands, “then you can just roll the cookie in sprinkles once.”
Minho continued to roll his dough out, quickly filling two pans with colorful balls of practically-sugarless dough. “Once you’ve finished rolling your balls, you can either use your thumb, or a small measuring spoon—which I’ve learned works better—to press indentions into the center of your cookies. Once you’ve given each cookie it’s “thumbprint”, go ahead and pop them in the oven for about 12 minutes, checking the undersides when they’re cool enough to touch.” Minho moved the cookies to the oven, setting another timer on his phone and turning back to the camera. “If your indentions shrink while they’re in the oven, feel free to press them back down once you pull them out. Although,” he looked at his hand, scrunched his nose, then looked back up at the camera, “I wouldn’t do it with my thumb if the cookies are fresh out of the oven.”
As he waited for the cookies to bake, he walked his viewers through how to make the icing for the cookies, then jumped a bit when he heard his phone start quacking. He pulled the cookies out of the oven, and he started to reshape the indentions he had previously made. He left the cookies on the pan to let them finish baking through, then shifted them from the pan to the cooling rack.
“Now if you’re looking to eat these while they’re still warm, you can really put the icing on the cookie whenever just know that you have to give it enough time to set so the icing won’t run out of the cookie when you bite into it.” Minho began drizzling icing into each of the cookie indentions, smiling as the heat from the cookie melted the icing and allowed it to gloss over into a clean finish. That was one of his favorite parts of the thumbprint cookies, how pretty they looked afterward.
Minho gently shifted a few of the cookies to one of the prettier plates that they kept in the apartment so he could do glamour shots of the things he made. After he snapped a few photos that he was happy with, he smiled at the camera and gave a quick outro. “Well, that’s another recipe to add to the books! Like I say in every video, if you tried this recipe, please tag me on Twitter or Instagram! I want to see if you were successful or if I’m responsible for another kitchen fire,” Minho giggles a bit, remembering how exasperated a few of his followers had gotten at trying his more advanced recipes when they were still at a beginner level. “You can find a link to the recipe I used in the description, but until next time, stay safe, stay inside, and keep baking!”
Minho waved at the camera, then trotted around the counter to stop the recording. He dismantled his tripod, and moved to his room, leaving the cookies to cool next to the half-eaten tin of brownies he had made a few days ago. There was, at one point, a cobbler keeping the other dessert company, but Changbin had finished that last night in a round of midnight snacking.
He began humming as he sat down at his computer starting to upload the videos he had of the bake so he could begin editing them together.
It really was lucky that Changbin hadn’t made it home during the recording portion of his video making. Minho knew he was going to get yelled at for baking, yet again, but he didn’t really have anything else to do around the apartment! His job was closed because of the lockdown, and he was now relying solely on YouTube checks for income (which wasn't something super reliable in the first place). Changbin has insisted he could cover their rent for the next few months if he needed to, but Minho felt guilty not being able to split the bills like they had since moving in together.
While the increase in free-time meant more time to make baked goods, he was also starting to put on a few extra pounds from eating the goods and not being able to go to the gym every other day like he was used to. Try as he might, Minho was never really able to get into home workouts. He needed the gym to inspire that extra motivation in himself to push the extra 100 meters and beat his last goal… or even just to get on the treadmill and run.
Changbin found this inability to exercise stupid. Minho couldn’t count the number of times he had woken up and gone out to make himself some (very healthy) Poptarts for breakfast only to see his roommate watching some woman in yoga pants and sweatbands leading a group of men and women through a set of jumping-jack-burpees. And the worst part was Changbin got just as into those videos as he could. Minho was afraid one day he would walk out at the end of a jazzercise video and get hit in the face with sweat drops. It wasn’t something he wanted to experience twice.
Minho knew it was going to happen soon. As he watched through the footage that had finished uploading, he bit back a smile when he heard the door ease open. (They desperately needed to grease their hinges, but at least Minho has a heads up whenever someone comes through their door.)
He knew exactly what Changbin would do. He would take his shoes off, hang his hoodie (that he never ended up wearing because he never got cold, but he always took it “just in case”) on the cheap DIY nail board Minho had made in one of his more artsy phases, then move to the kitchen where he would put his keys in the bowl at the end of the counter. If Minho had cookies or something that was already made into individual servings, Changbin would then grab one as he moved to his room. It was clockwork. The next thing he would do is notice that Minho left something on the counter. It never registered until after Changbin had eaten that there shouldn’t be two dozen cookies on a platter, that he had told Minho not to bake when he wasn’t there, but it never stopped him from eating whatever snack there was.
After Changbin notices the cookies, he comes to Minho’s room. Before quarantine, he would comment on what he thought of whatever it was Minho made. They would chat about Changbin’s day and figure out what they were planning for dinner. The picture of domesticity.
But now that Minho has made more delicacies than Changbin could work off in a morning Zumba video, their conversations have gotten more lively.
Sure enough, minutes after Changbin had likely grabbed a cookie, Minho heard his heavy steps as he came down the hallway to Minho’s room. The door was shoved open, and Minho found himself trying to hold back a smirk as Changbin stood with a half-eaten thumbprint cookie in his left hand, and two more grasped in his right.
“What the hell is this?” Changbin asked, and Minho had to applaud the control in his voice. He could tell his roommate wanted to shout, but they both knew their walls were thin, and anything over a regular talking voice would have their neighbors sending the landlord after them faster than they could say “sorry.”
Minho looked at the cookies, then at Changbin, weighed his chances with lying, then responded, “I made cookies for another video.”
“I can see that,” Changbin snapped. “I’m just wondering if you forgot the promise you made to me two days ago?”
Ah yes, the promise: I won’t bake anything until my previous baked good has been gone for 24 hours. Originally, Changbin had wanted Minho to wait 48 hours, but negotiations over who would cook dinner and exchanging cleaning duties led him to surrender half the original time.
“In my defense,” Minho began, but when Changbin raised an eyebrow, disappointment radiating off of him in waves, Minho realized he had nothing.
Changbin waited for him to say something, anything, but when Minho remained silent, he continued. “You made me a promise, and you broke it. You’ve put on weight, even I can tell, and if you keep baking at this rate it’s not going to be healthy.
“Even with your income from YouTube, soon you’ll have to buy more supplies, and I know you’re not going to want to spend the money to get them.” Minho winced when Changbin mentioned money. Yes, he had some baking money stored away, but supplies got expensive after a while, and he wasn’t looking forward to the moment he needed more.
“No more videos,” Changbin declared, “I will lock you out of the apartment if I see one more baked good on those counters before you’ve started to actively try working out from home.”
“There is no way I’m doing those dance workouts you do every day, Bin,” Minho protested.
“I know that,” his roommate sighed, “There’s a YouTuber, his name is Chan, and his channel is Chan’s Room. You might have seen it on your recommended…?” When Minho shook his head, Changbin huffed, then explained that Chan ran a health and fitness channel with workouts. He was a personal trainer, and since quarantine started, he had begun making daily workouts for people with all levels of fitness.
After Changbin finally left, taking another bite of the cookie in his hand as he went, Minho sighed and went back to watching his footage. Depending on his mood, editing his videos was either his least favorite or most favorite part of making the video. But Changbin had ruined any desire Minho had to post the video tonight.
After the initial watch-through, Minho made sure to save the footage and closed the program. Crawling into bed, Minho decided to forgo his normal nightly routine, instead putting an episode of Criminal Minds on and allowing himself to fall into a spiral of profilers and mystery.
The next day, Minho found himself at his desk again, attempting to finish his recipe screens before he could finally ( finally) upload the video.
As he was typing away, comparing the recipe on his blog to the screen in the video, he got a notification that someone had sent him a text. Minho sighed as he opened the message banner from Changbin. “Remember our deal,” the message threatened, followed by a link to a YouTube channel. The first thing that drew his eye when the app opened to the page was the terribly damaged bleach blond hair that glowed, practically like a beacon, in the thumbnail. The man’s face was covered with a black mask, but his eyes were crinkled in a happy smile that definitely didn’t match the size of his biceps. Hello, Minho thought as he clicked the video, only just registering the thumbnail as it loaded: Ten Different People You’ll See At the Gym.
Minho snorted, wondering why that was the first thing that the channel would recommend him, instead of the workout videos Changbin was boasting were the best on YouTube, but when the video started playing, Minho quickly realized why. He hardly registered the “Hey guys, I’m Chan, and welcome back to Chan’s Room. Today, we’re back at the gym and--” Minho hummed as Chan’s voice washed over him. If he had been in his right mind, and not drooling over the tight shirt Chan was wearing (which hid nothing), he would have questioned the oddly gentle name. But, as previously stated, Minho’s thoughts weren’t exactly intelligent at that moment.
“Today, if you couldn’t guess, it’s going to be a more relaxed video. I can already see my more fit friends leaving this video, and I promise I’ll have a good workout out later today for you all to follow, but I was lucky enough to end up in an empty gym today, and my friends and I--”
Before Chan could continue his introduction, he was cut off by loud shouts off of the camera. A boy with red hair ran into the frame, followed by someone who looked like he hadn’t seen a day in the gym. The two boys wasted no time tackling Chan, and Minho felt his breath catch at the bright laugh that Chan gave as he easily caught them. Once he realized what he was doing, he shook his head in disappointment at himself. You shouldn’t be acting like a 13-year-old girl, he scolded himself, waiting for the video to continue.
The video cut to a different shot, this time with all three boys lined up neatly in front of the camera. “As I was saying,” Chan said, his eyes curved into the same smile Minho had seen in the thumbnail, “because we got this entire gym free for use, me, Seungminnie, and Jeonginnie decided to pull one of the most basic cards in the book.”
“That’s right, everyone,” the redhead chimed, and his name flashed above his head in gaudy red letters: Jeongin. “We decided to make a
Types of Blank
video for you all!”
“And, as I’m sure many of you are disappointed to learn, there won’t be many shots of Chan working out this video,” the brown-haired boy (Seungmin, according to the sparkly blue font above his head) said, and he grinned sharply at Chan. “I’m sure you’ll be able to hear the collective groan of disappointment whenever you release the video even from your room.”
Minho chuckled at the comment, understanding that he would have probably been groaning too if he had seen any of Chan’s previous workouts. He watched the rest of the video, finding great joy in watching Seungmin try to jump rope with the battling ropes, and seeing Chan and Jeongin compete over who could run faster on treadmills. Before he realized it, the video was done, and autoplay suggested Good Yawning-- Morning Yoga Routine, which was also by Chan, to him. He allowed the video to play and found himself captivated by Chan’s much healthier--much browner-- hair.
The into was similar to his last video, but he was much quieter, and there was no happy shouting to interrupt him halfway through, instead, Chan rubbed his eyes and explained that, yes, he had just woken up and decided to show everyone a simple workout they could do in the morning to get their blood flowing and prepare them for the day. However, like his last video, he did apologize to the more cardio-based people who watched his channel and promised to get something out for them soon.
How much content does he generate? Minho found himself wondering. If he had to promise a different type of video for each workout he releases, does he do anything other than exercise? Despite his worries, Minho found that the routine Chan walked his viewers through was very simple, and he explained the reason for each move, as long as what it would benefit in their body for maintaining each pose for different amounts of time.
As Chan finished the video, he led the viewers through a small breathing exercise, then flashed a brilliant smile at the camera that made Minho do a double-take. “Now I hope we’re feeling more awake,” Chan grinned. “This is something that everyone should be able to do, regardless of your athletic ability. It’s a great way to make yourself happier and helps to loosen any tension you might have had from the day before or something you gained during your sleep.
“Sometime later I’ll post an evening yoga routine, which will mirror a lot of the workouts you saw here, so please keep an eye out for that video! Like always, I ask that you find something that makes you happy. There are all sorts of exercise methods out there, and thousands of ways to keep yourself happy. If yoga isn’t the right thing for you, then that’s okay, but don’t give up on your search! Once you find a form of exercise that makes you happy, then you’ll be set for the rest of your life! So once again, I remind you to stay fit, and to stay happy! If you’re ever bored, you can find me here in Chan’s Room! Goodbye for now,” Chan held his fingers up in a peace sign, shooting a wink at the camera before the screen cut to black.
Minho found himself staring at his reflection for a few seconds before the next video began playing, this time the title was Time to Sweat--A Cycle Circuit from Hell, and Chan greeted the viewers with the same, happy go lucky, greeting, but his attire was more like what he was wearing in the gym video, and as Minho got further into the video, he understood why. Chan seemed to be beating himself up with the routine he was going through, explaining each move he was doing, as well as the times he was using for each step in the circuit. As he moved throughout the video, Chan got more and more out of breath, and Minho wondered what he would look like if he tried to do the same routine at even half the pace Chan was going.
When Chan gave his outro, his face was flushed, but he still flashed the camera with an eye smile that made Minho grin at his screen. Chan explained repetitions of the workout, as well as what cooldown stretches people who did the circuit should use, and how much water they would need to drink. Minho was honestly a bit shocked at how attentive Chan was to making sure his viewers were staying safe while following the exercises he dolled out. While he, himself, made sure his viewers understood the calories they would be taking in with each sweet he offered (all listed in linked recipe cards), he knew there were quite a few people who didn’t show the complete story for whatever their brand endorsed. They explained a concept once and assumed their viewers had seen that video.
He’s a good person, Minho realized as the next video began playing, this time Workouts for the Soul--Berry and Kkami at the Park! Minho watched as Chan and another incredibly pretty person talked to the camera. They were somewhere outside, and Minho was beginning to realize that the first part of the title was likely there so people could find similar videos on his channel. Smart. It’s an easy way for people to make sure they’re getting the content they want to see, especially when you generate so much different stuff.
As Minho continued to watch the video, he realized that this was more of a vlog than it was a workout video. But he couldn’t seem to find it in himself to care. He watched as Chan played with his dog, happily throwing a ball for Berry to retrieve, and mocking Hyunjin, who Minho had learned was Kkami’s owner, for being able to get his dog to bring the ball back. The video was shorter, but it left Minho with a warm feeling in his chest that he didn’t quite understand at first, but when another video from the Workout for the Soul collection started playing after that, Minho began to understand.
Chan’s entire goal was to keep people happy and healthy. Whether Changbin watched the more relaxed videos or not, Minho was glad he had harassed him into watching Chan’s content. He felt oddly at peace.
He subscribed to Chan’s channel and swiped to see what Chan was doing to deal with the quarantine. As he looked at Chan’s recent videos, he nodded to himself. Just like Changbin had said, Chan was showing people how to do easy, at-home workouts that didn’t require any heavy gym equipment. He watched the most recent video, and found himself smiling as Chan benched a biology textbook. Whatever works, works. He grinned. Swiping down to make sure there was nothing new to see, Minho closed out of the app and turned back to his screen. He hadn’t meant to take such a long break from editing, but now he had something to look forward to when he was done.
Grinning, Minho set to work on the last directions he had, and he set about making another incredibly unhealthy masterpiece.
————
Minho hummed as he puttered around the kitchen. Changbin had asked him to make dinner that night since he was coming home late, and Minho had yet to actually start exercising, so it was the first time he was actually allowed in the kitchen unsupervised since Changbin made their deal.
As he set out the stuff to make a chicken caesar salad (he likes the croutons best), Minho became aware of his phone buzzing on the counter. While he was used to several notifications, especially after he posted something, he hadn’t been active on any of his socials or blogs recently, and he knew no one he knew personally would be messaging him with such frenzy.
Going over to his phone, he saw that he was being tagged on Twitter by what seemed to be everyone and their cousin. Looking at a few banners before they flashed away, he saw people screaming at him to “PLEASE REACT TO THIS” and “LOOK AT HOW TERRIBLE HE DOES”.
Minho clicked on the next banner that appeared, and the quoted tweet ended up being from Chan’s Twitter account. Ignoring the “IF YOU NOTICE THIS I WILL DIE A HAPPY DEATH” in the quote, Minho clicked on Chan’s original tweet.
This took a lot of patience, he read, but my next video is up! Share some love, and hopefully, your cookies will come out better than mine! The thumbnail to the linked video showed Chan grinning at the camera with blackened… blobs on a pan. The title read Workouts for the Soul - Baking With Minho vs. Burning with Chan!
Minho clicked on the video, completely disregarding the fact that he was supposed to be baking chicken and chopping lettuce and whatever else Changbin expected from his salad, and leaned against the counter to watch Chan do an intro in front of a small kitchen. Minho smiles when he realizes that Chan was mimicking the intros he usually did in his own videos, which he found oddly endearing.
The endeared feeling quickly vanished, however, when Chan began measuring his ingredients out with the same cup. “The recipe calls for a cup and a half of flour,” Chan explained after pausing Minho’s video that was playing from a laptop beside him on the counter. “I’ve only got this one measuring cup that’s clean, though, so I’m just going to use it and hope for the best.”
Minho winced as Chan added what looked to be about 2 cups of flour to the bowl, but thankfully that was the last dry ingredient, and everything else had been okay up until that point. The cookies might still end up okay...ish.
Any hope he had for Chan finished when Chan asked, “Melted is technically softened, right? Because I put my butter in the microwave for too long and now it’s… well…”
The rest of the video went in a similar manner. Minho would think that maybe Chan would get the whole step right, only to watch him botch something in the last step of the process.
The video ended with Chan sheepishly explaining he forgot to set a timer for the cookies and presenting the camera with what he claimed to be the “best ones.” Minho felt like crying as he looked at what was supposed to be a simple chocolate chip recipe that somehow turned into… whatever was on Chan’s plate.
As Chan began his outro, begging his viewers to go watch Minho’s videos because he’s actually a lot better chef than Chan could ever be, a banner appeared, covering the top part of the video. When he clicked on the notification, wondering who was tweeting him now, he nearly choked when he recognized Chan’s icon in the profile picture.
On a scale of 1-fires of hell, how did I do? He had asked. Below the question, there was a picture of Minho’s cookies from the video Chan had followed, and Chan’s attempt at cookies.
Minho considered not replying for a second. While the interaction would please his fans, it would also mean he was aware that he was noticed by the Hot Exercise YouTuber. But he set his (incredibly sad and gay) fears aside and responded: I’m not sure how you expect anything less than the fires of hell, considering that’s what you seemed to bake those “cookies” in.
Before he had a chance to second guess himself, he pressed the ‘Tweet’ button and watched the comment appear on his page. Within seconds, people were liking, replying, and quoting his tweet. Some were calling him harsh, others were applauding his sass, but the majority seemed to want a collab between the two boys.
Minho closed the app, turning his phone to Do Not Disturb, and going back to the dinner he had left to warm on the counter. As he chopped the lettuce (the chicken was moved quickly to the oven, it was pre-seasoned and he only needed to wait for the oven to preheat), he began to confuse what his fans were asking.
Changbin had told him that he needed proof Minho was trying to exercise and stay fit. Changbin had recommended Chan’s channel for workouts that Chan claimed were “easy for beginners to follow!” Minho had just dissed the poor guy for the entirety of the internet to see if they so pleased. He was quarantined. What better way to apologize/offer a collab than by following one of Chan’s videos and recording it? That way, he could prove to Changbin that he was exercising, therefore giving him the ability to bake again, and he would be tapping into a different side of viewers that he hadn’t before.
Minho grinned as he tossed the salad. Tomorrow, he would put his plan in motion. But for now, he would simply savor the thought that Chan had known about his videos, and liked his content enough to make a video himself.
————
When Minho woke up the next day, he began to regret his idea to record today, but he steeled his nerves. If I want to be able to record myself baking again, or even be able to bake at all, then this video will have to be made.
Minho dragged himself out of bed, but not before he had scrolled through Twitter, seeing if anyone had tagged him in anything worthwhile while he was asleep (nobody had). After he had finished getting ready for the day, pulling on the most comfortable clothes he owned, and he ate breakfast (a granola bar, it wasn’t as good as the ones Changbin made, but since Minho was already in his bad graces, he figured asking for food was probably a bad idea).
Moving his tripod from its standard place in front of their kitchen bar to the living room, Minho sat on the couch and began scrolling, looking through Chan’s videos for one that would work for what he needed to do. Clicking on one titled Workouts From Home--Quarantine Mode , Minho settled in to watch the video, already feeling himself tire as Chan explained the workout he would be doing was supposed to be done three times for people who were used to a more active lifestyle.
I wonder if I could lie and pretend I’m not used to going for a run every morning… I haven’t since quarantine started if that counts for anything? But Minho knew Changbin would call him out for not trying hard enough if he didn’t do something remotely close to his normal level of exercise.
He got up and began to look for all the things Chan used in his video, wishing there was an ingredients list or something similar so he didn’t have to keep awkwardly pausing the video and skipping around in it for each part of the circuit. Thankfully, there weren’t many household items needed, because, as Chan explained, every house was different and what he may have, others wouldn’t.
I’ll say, Minho thought as he paused the video again. Who just has biology and pre-med textbooks lying around their house? All of his textbooks were (thankfully) online, and so he had to go with the next heaviest thing he had in his house, cookbooks. He could already hear the jokes that his followers would make in the video that he was burning calories with the very thing he used to make such fattening treats.
Grabbing one of the chairs from the dining room, he shuffled back into the living room, and examined his set-up, making sure it looked nice in the frame too. Once he was happy with the angle of the camera, he hit record and moved to the middle of the room, beginning his intro with a more resigned tone than normal.
“Hey everyone, if you’ve clicked on this video, you already know what’s going to happen. I’m going to exercise today, instead of baking for you. I wish I could say I’m doing this because I want to, but my roommate blackmailed me into it.”
He allowed a small smile to grace his face when he began explaining the plan for the video, talking about how Chan had already made a video of him following (and ruining) one of Minho’s videos. He explained that he chose Chan’s videos for his workout, not just because the content was good, but because this was his way of returning the favor, and making a collab, or as much of one as they could do while quarantined.
“Now, without further ado, let’s go ahead and get to the bad part of the video.”
————
Minho sighed as he sat back from his desk. He had been editing the video all day, hoping to get it finished before that evening to post it. He was to the third circuit in the recording, and his muscles ached as he watched himself struggle through the last round of burpees. Not even Chan’s encouraging voice in the background, telling him that there were just two left, was enough to make him do the last one.
In editing, he had taken (almost) all of the pained groans and swear words out of the video as he did the workouts. Minho thought it was funny that the number of times he swore increased each time he began a new circuit, and so as a small joke, he put a swear counter in the corner, then set about beeping out bad words, because demonization was a real monster that kept him up at night.
Finally, he had finished the outro. He cringed at how red his face was, but he knew that several people would appreciate how real he looked in this video, even if it would turn others away. He made sure his description was in order, referencing Chan in all of the right places, and making sure Changbin knew this video proved he could cook again, then began uploading it to his channel.
Minho left to get a snack while his computer whirred away, processing the video and compressing it to upload. When he came back with his apple slices (this no sugar thing was really starting to affect him), he saw that he had about 25% of the video uploaded. He hummed to himself and flopped on his bed, making sure the screen was still in view so if something shut off, he could turn it back on and begin the process again as quickly as possible, and he pulled his phone out. After another rousing round of scrolling through Twitter, he searched for Chan’s profile, and he found himself scrolling through the other’s tweets.
He didn’t even notice when his computer dinged, letting him know the video had uploaded, he was too busy ogling the umpteenth picture of Chan at the gym. But for every douchey picture he had, there were two pictures of him with his dog, family, or friends. He was constantly interacting with his fans, making sure they were taking care of themselves, and reassuring them that he was there if they needed a (ridiculously broad) shoulder to lean on.
In fact, he only became aware of the fact that his video had uploaded when his mentions started going crazy again. Scrolling to the top of Chan’s page, he hesitated for a second before hitting the follow button before going to see what he had done this time.
Swearing under his breath when he realized it was just his followers reacting to him “finally being healthy”, he was about to put his phone down when he realized he had a new DM from someone. He could only get messages from mutuals, and he was very reserved with who he followed, so he got excited, thinking a kpop group had messaged him for a second. He went to see who the message was from, and his nerves sky-rocketed when he realized the message was from Chan. After rolling over and kicking the air (in a very manly manner, thank you very much), he opened the chat to see what exactly the other boy had said.
Chan: So,,, cookbooks instead of textbooks?
Minho typed a reply almost immediately, but not before laughing to himself at how awkward Chan sounded. Before he hit send, though, he looked over his message, wondering if it was too mean, or if the other would appreciate his humor. Deciding to just go for it, he pressed send and closed the app, pretending Chan’s reply didn’t concern him.
Minho: I’ll have you know not all of us happen to have half a tree lying around our house… I’m tempted to send you a cookbook so you might actually get a cookie recipe right, though
If Minho was worried about his reply, he didn’t have to be. Chan responded a few minutes later, and Minho gave up any pretense that he wasn’t investing any thought to whatever conversation they were having.
Chan: I’ll have you know my roommates tried those cookies, and they only had to cough twice before saying they were delicious!
Minho: and that’s an improvement??????
Chan: … i have no further comments on the matter
Chan: but in all truthfulness and goodwill, thank you for giving me a shout out in your video, I think you made a lot of our fans happy by doing that, and i have to admit, it was cool seeing someone actually do one of my workouts and follow the whole thing :)
Minho: it really wasn’t a problem at all :)) I’m actually kind of grateful my roommate made me have to exercise to bake again, without him I wouldn't have known your channel exists!
Minho: your videos are a bit addicting, I hope you know that. It’s super obvious how much care you put into each video, and i especially love the way you formatted your channel with the different subcategories! It’s super smart and i wish i had thought of it when I started my channel!
Chan: thank you! That really means a lot :)
Minho watched as a typing bubble appeared, then vanished, then appeared again. He got antsy, wondering what the other man was going to say, and just when he was about to send something… probably an asinine question in a vain attempt to keep the conversation going, Chan sent a second message through.
Chan: Honestly, that wasn’t even my idea, i got the original inspiration from the way you organized your videos into playlists, but i didn’t understand how you could keep track of what goes where… i’ve kind of been a big fan of yours for a while, and you’re one of the reasons I started my channel in the first place
Chan: if you’re really determined, i think i still have my first couple of videos where i try to do baking tutorials too, but i realized very quickly that’s not where my skills are, i changed branding, and here i am today :)
Minho: so you’re saying that you’re my number one fan?
Chan: moreso that i owe you credit for getting me to where i am today, but if biggest fan is what you read then I can be that too ;)
Minho: that wink is nasty
Chan: you don’t like it?? :(
Minho: wait no
Minho: I do, it’s just nasty
Chan: you think i’m nasty <//3
Minho: i think you’re overdramatic
Chan: can’t believe my idol is a bully <//3
Minho: I will literally block you
Chan didn’t respond to that, and Minho wondered if he had gone too far, when his phone dinged again, signifying someone had mentioned him in a tweet. Deciding not to dwell on Chan, he went to see if the reactions to his video were positive or negative, when he realized the notification had come from Chan’s account. When he clicked on the tweet to see what it was, he bit back a bark of laughter when he saw a screenshot of their last couple of messages, the tweet captioned “i’m being harassed all because I wanted to make him some more cookies <//3”. Minho sent the tweet to Chan, and he couldn’t hold back the small (incredibly manly) giggle that escaped his mouth as he added a message.
Minho: if you come near me with any baked good i have not physically walked you through step by step, then i will run in the opposite direction before you have a chance to say hi
Chan didn’t take long to reply, and Minho ignored the dull buzzing as he was mentioned (probably Chan’s fault, for providing interaction fuel to whatever fires their fans had)
Chan: promise?
Minho: … actually no, i don’t run
Chan: you’re riveting three minutes of jog in place in the video say otherwise
Minho: oh so he’s THAT obsessed
Chan: I literally made the workout you’re using????
Minho: whatever helps you sleep at night luv
Chan: i hate you
Chan: but in all seriousness do you want to teach me to bake properly? I’m sure if I actually have you there to slap me every time I do something wrong, then I might actually make edible dessert
Minho: are you asking for the sheer sake of a collab or as a fan or…?
Chan: Can I say all of the above?
Minho bit back another round of excited kicking. The conversation seemed to be going in a direction he hadn’t expected, and he honestly didn’t think Chan would be forward enough to suggest hanging out in the first hour of conversation, but who was he to complain?
Minho: how about i give you my number, and if you can beat me at 8-Ball, I’ll consider making you my apprentice
Chan: and if i lose?
Minho: you have to take me to that dog park you always go to, and I get to watch you run two laps around it :)
Chan: … it sounds like i have nothing to lose here
Minho: so do you accept?
Chan: gimme ur number before i hire someone to take it from you
Minho sent his number through, and a few minutes later, he got a notification in his messages app, letting him know an unknown number had texted him. Checking the message, he saw that it was Chan, and he laughed at the lack of preamble before Chan sent the game message through. As he broke the triangle and sent the game back to Chan, he realized that Changbin may end up getting his wish for fewer sweets in a way he hadn’t thought of by introducing Minho to Chan.
While they may end up just being friends (Chan could be straight, for all he knew), at least he would have someone to not drive him mad through quarantine. Minho stayed in his room for hours, talking with Chan, playing random games, and sending odd voice recordings of him cheering or yelling into the microphone.
Chan had the same enthusiasm, and when Minho finally decided to go to sleep, checking Twitter one last time before he turned his phone off for the night, he was happy to see Chan had tweeted. There was simply a picture that Minho had sent him (he was using snow filters, and Chan found them absolutely hilarious) with the caption: “A good day, a new friend, a new reason to smile”.
Instead of trying to unpack whatever he meant (as all their fans were doing in the comment section and through various threads) he simply liked the tweet, commented “see you at the dog park when this is all over”, and shut his phone off. Tomorrow, he would talk to Chan again, they would play more games, Minho might even find it in him to do another workout, but he would be happy.
I guess this just means I need to bake Changbin a thank you cake… Chuckling as he rolled over, imagining his roommate’s reaction, he went to sleep with a smile on his face, his heart happy for the first time in a very long time.