Chapter Text
HAE WONRYANG
Wonryang stared at the envelope in his hand like it was a live grenade, ticking down to an explosion he wanted no part of. His father’s worker had shoved it into his grasp so suddenly—no warning, no chance to refuse, just a simple “Give this to Young Master Ma Yuseong.” And now here he was, stuck with it, stuck with the sheer problem that was Ma Yuseong.
It wasn’t that Wonryang was scared of Yuseong. No, that wasn’t it. It was just… exhausting to deal with him. He was loud, unpredictable, and worst of all, impossible to ignore. There was something about him that made even the simplest interaction feel like a game, like he was always testing people, always looking for reactions just to entertain himself. And Wonryang had no interest in being part of whatever amusement Yuseong sought.
So now, standing in the middle of the hallway, gripping the letter far tighter than necessary, Wonryang let out a slow breath through his nose. He had a few options here. He could just shove it into Yuseong’s locker and be done with it. That would be the easiest, but then again, knowing Yuseong, he might just let it sit there for weeks, untouched. He could ask someone else to pass it along, but that would mean explaining things, and he really didn’t want to answer any unnecessary questions.
Which left the last and most annoying option, and that handing it over himself.
But there still ideas to do this.
Wonryang sighed as he stared at the envelope again, flipping it between his fingers like the action itself would magically transport it to Yuseong without his involvement. He really didn’t want to deal with this. He had already considered multiple ways to hand it over, but none of them felt… right.
So, naturally, he did what any sane person would do, sane in his opinion, because having thing to do and Ma yuseong is affiliated is not sane. He sought out Flame for advice.
"Just give it to Yuseol," Flame suggested nonchalantly, arms crossed as they leaned against the wall, watching Wonryang struggle with barely hidden amusement. Face flat.
Wonryang frowned. "Why should I give it to Yuseol?" He wasn't even trying to hide his confusion. Yuseol and Yuseong weren’t exactly- wait. Were they? He knew they were close, but handing Yuseol something meant for Yuseong felt… weird.
Before Flame could answer, another voice chimed in from behind them.
"Because Yuseol is Yuseong’s boyfriend."
Wonryang turned sharply to see a first-year, their classmate. Student casually joining their conversation like this was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I literally saw them yesterday, eating together on the backyard bench of the academy," another student added with a knowing grin. "They looked quite cozy."
Flame let out a chuckle, clearly enjoying Wonryang’s stunned reaction. "Yeah, I heard about that too. Yuseol's really got a leash on Yuseong, huh?" and all she like to do is adding the gasoline to the fire, make it burn burns until yuseol just accepts it (not gonna lie, Flame is in disbelief too, hearing yuseong have a crush on yuseol, but she had to hold herself, yeah mentally their older than these kids, physically? The same.)
Wonryang was speechless. He blinked, staring at them, then at the envelope in his hand, then at the floor. He had thought Yuseol liked Flame. He thought Yuseol was the type who quietly admired people from a distance, the type who was soft and harmless and-
But he already has a goddamn Dobermann.
Yuseong, of all people.
Something in Wonryang’s stomach twisted, and he hated that he couldn’t immediately pinpoint what it was. Discomfort? Yeah, maybe.
Flame, clearly enjoying the moment, nudged his shoulder. "So? Gonna pass the letter to the boyfriend now?"
Wonryang exhaling a loud sigh, gripping the envelope tighter. "Shut up." His day couldn’t be worse, right?
Absolutely right, take a note on the sarscram.
Wonryang sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, running a hand through his hair as he stalked down the hallways of the academy, searching for a certain someone. The envelope felt heavier than it should’ve been, and he still wasn’t entirely sure why he had to be the delivery guy for this nonsense.
Yuseol wasn’t exactly hard to find, he had a tendency to wander aimlessly when he had nothing better to do. And sure enough, after turning a corner, there he was, casually strolling through the halls like he had all the time in the world.
"Hey," Wonryang called out, stepping forward and holding out the envelope without much preamble. "Give this to your boyfriend."
Yuseol froze.
Like, completely. Mid-step, mid-breath- just froze for a solid five seconds, staring at Wonryang like he had just spoken in an alien language.
That was all the confirmation Wonryang needed. He gave a small, satisfied nod and turned on his heel, already walking away.
“Right. Got it,” he muttered, already turning on his heel to walk away.
He barely made it three steps before-
“I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND?!”
It was then that Yuseol’s brain rebooted, and he let out a screech so loud it nearly shook the chandeliers.
A couple of students in the distance turned to stare. A few doors creaked open as curious heads peeked out. Wonryang merely kept walking, clearly uninterested in entertaining Yuseol’s crisis any further. But before Yuseol could even process how absurd this situation was, a familiar voice chuckled behind him.
“Oh? You don’t?”
Yuseol stiffened. A cold shiver ran down his spine.
Slowly, he turned his head, already regretting it before he even completed the motion. And there he was—Ma Yuseong, standing there with an infuriatingly smug expression, his arms crossed, his entire being radiating amusement.
“So, what’s this I hear about you not having a boyfriend, Yuseol?” Yuseong purred, stepping closer, much too close.
Yuseol scowled and tried to step back, only to realize he was already backed against the wall. “What the hell are you smirking for?” he grumbled. “You know exactly what that was. Someone’s spreading stupid rumors about us again!”
“Mmm, are they really rumors, though?” Yuseong hummed, tilting his head, his teasing smile only widening. “I mean, think about it. We eat together, you always end up with me one way or another, and now people are naturally assuming things, beside that someone is so kind on spreading it"
Yuseol deadpanned. “That doesn’t mean anything. People assume a lot of things, and most of them are stupid.”
Yuseong leaned in ever so slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Then why do you look so flustered, Yuseol?”
Yuseol’s eye twitched. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again—only to shut it once more because, damn it, how was he even supposed to respond to that? Yuseong took advantage of his silence, reaching out to lightly tap Yuseol’s forehead with a single finger. “Admit it, Yuseol. You like having my attention.”
Yuseol swatted his hand away aggressively. “Get lost.”
But as he stormed off down the hall, his ears burned red. And behind him, Yuseong simply chuckled, watching him go like a satisfied cat who just knocked a glass off a table.