Chapter Text
Kim Gyuvin, 21 years old, second year at the prestigious Seoul National University, Business Administration major, massively in love with Shen Ricky, is the eldest son of a family of– Wait. Hold on. Something’s not right…
Ahem, again. Kim Gyuvin, 21, second year Business Administration major at Seoul National University, crazy in love with Shen Ricky and.. oh. Well?
It all started during his freshman year, one the most formative experiences a young adult could have. He’s standing in the middle of the main gate square on campus, lost in the crowd of fellow, frantic freshmen and experienced seniors. Utter chaos.
It’s to no one’s surprise that he’s immediately lost, unsure of what to think of the situation. He’s glad to be away from his previous school, one where he had no friends at all, or rather, friends who stuck around. Gyuvin’s about to commit to the oath of an extrovert, one where he solemnly swears to be a terminal pathological people-pleaser, before he is interrupted by a person bumping into him from behind.
His backpack rustles loudly with his school essentials as he fumbles forward, clumsily managing to regain his balance. Gyuvin’s first instinct is to sharply turn around, apology right on the tip of his tongue and–
He freezes.
Gyuvin locks eyes with an elegant and stylish man, one whose face looks as if it was carved to honor a god. Tall, blonde, beautiful, with broad shoulders and in an all-black, sleek leather outfit. He’s surprised, accustomed to having to bend his head slightly downwards to face eye-to-eye with a person. Damn, he’s tall… and hot.. and..
He didn't realize his mouth was slightly agape until he caught Adonis-incarnate staring at him with wide eyes. ‘Wow, his eyes look like 500 won coins..’ he thought, weirdly enough.
“Um..” They paused. “I’m.. uh, sorry?” The person stammered, flustered by his intense staring, the words coming out clumsily with a slight, yet cute foreign accent. They tilt their head sideways slightly, eyes displaying a sense of confusion and amusement simultaneously.
With how they’re just standing in a bustling crowd like rocks in a river, the two catch some heads, most of which are probably mistaking it as a commotion on the first day. Gyuvin feels his muscles recovering their motor skills, the idea of being the center of attention in a negative light deeply worrying him.
“Oh.” Shoot. Had he really been staring? “.. uh, no worries.” He awkwardly let out, smiling wearily as he lightly bows. The other bows back, a small smile on their lips as they disappeared into the congregation of people, somehow still standing out in the midst of countless students.
That was their first encounter.. and last (for now, he’d like to think). Unfortunately for Gyuvin, the man left quite an impression on him, one that only started to grow fonder and fonder as the semester progressed. As wise men once said, ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder.’ The blonde quickly became the subject of most – if not all – of his tweets on his private Twitter account, constantly thinking about the other. And with some intensive research (stalking), he stumbled across the beautiful stranger’s Instagram account by chance (or fate ?).
Said beautiful stranger’s name is Ricky, Shen Ricky of the Fashion department. Which, checks out; Chic get-up, an attractive, almost magnetic aura, and a sharp yet approachable disposition. Ricky’s profile page was nothing short of perfection, each photo deliberate and curated to have an aesthetic vibe. His profile was the kind you’d expect from celebrities, and the blonde’s followers made it seem like he was: About 100k followers, he learns Ricky is a part-time model, and wow, does he look good in these promotional brand teases.
Gyuvin’s not quite thinking when he presses the follow button, the decision dawning on him right after. Shit. He pauses, a likely thing for him to do, before realizing it should mean nothing. Ricky seems to only follow the brands he models for, except for a select few, who Gyuvin presumes to be his friends. He sighs in relief, with 100k followers and 9 following, he should just slide under the radar.
..
That was, until a random Thursday morning, a day after his mishap. 8 AM, eyes blinking in drowsiness behind glasses as he stares and types in notes into a laptop for marketing. A barely audible notification diverts his attention to his phone mid-lecture. He eyed the notification that, in hindsight, seemed so unlikely and impossible for a man like him.
Instagram 9h
@shenricky started following you
Oh.
Oh.
‘What an interesting turn of events,’ he feigned nonchalance. In reality, his ears are red and now unable to process the words his professor is yapping about, fingers now glued to the phone as his eyes try to discern for any fallacies in the notification.
It seems legit. The profile’s the same, the picture is too, same iconic username with a verification mark next to it. To quote a legend; “What the fuck is going on in here on this day?”
Before anything, of course, he has to update on his private account with 0 followers, as any person should.
gyub @gyubbiethoughts 🔒
WHATT THE FUCKKKAWDIQHFUAFHUQF
Anyway,
He’s immediately reminded of how remarkably unremarkable his profile looks in comparison: his profile picture is just him in bed, his profile not as formulated as the other’s, just a bunch of photo dumps of.. about anything. But hey, he thinks it looks lived in, it’s honest, normal, and perfectly him. No shame to user mangyuvin_, that’s his dear son. It’s safe to say he doesn’t retain a single bit of information during the hour spent in that class.. At least he has some notes?
..
Throughout the end of the second semester, he only sees Ricky in passing, which is rather unfortunate, though predictable. He works part-time at an ice cream shop, already immediately cutting more chances to see Ricky on campus. To make things worse, Ricky lives outside dorms, of course, while he’s situated in the school’s dorms with a wonderful roommate; his friend-turned-best-friend from his senior year, Park Gunwook.
Gunwook was probably the only thing keeping him sane in his last year of high school, with how much of a social outcast he was that time. The only time Gyuvin really gets a glimpse of Ricky is in photos, and occasionally, parties.
The most sick and twisted part of all this is that Ricky and Gyuvin’s respective friend groups are all friends themselves, the two of them separated by one degree. It’s sick, but it goes in his favor. He sees Ricky in their mutuals’ pictures, and if he really was that desperate, he could go to the parties his friends attend, and by extension, Ricky.
Interactions are sparse, but it’s honest work. Gyuvin longingly admires Ricky from a distance, yearning for a friendship (?) so close yet so far. That is until a fateful Monday morning.
..
From the moment Kim Gyuvin stood under the shower head, he knew something was amiss. The water pressure wasn’t as intense as it was previously. It wasn’t the slightly cold showers he had come to tolerate over the long years he had spent on campus dorms (though he’s only a second year student). The water was warm, the pressure just right, where he felt oddly relaxed under the stream of water. Almost too relaxing for a Monday school morning. Something as trivial as water shouldn’t be so alarming to him, and Gyuvin was no superstitious person by any means. It was just.. peculiar.
By the time lunch rolls around, Gyuvin has accepted that Lady Luck was on his side for that day. For what reason? He couldn’t tell you. All he knows is that thus far, everything’s looking up, with no sign of an abrupt downward slope. That morning, not only was the shower ‘showering,’ but the toast was perfectly crisp and golden brown, the weather breezy and cold in all the right ways, just the way he likes it. The accumulation of all these fortunate circumstances lead him to feel lighter, walking with a pep in his step, and with the smile of a girl who’s going to be okay. These minor details in his day may seem insignificant to others, but for an impoverished, struggling-to-get-by, boy-failure university student, it was a refuge.
Seoul National University’s campus seemed to be lively that day, at least in the Business department building. Gyuvin finishes his tediously uneventful classes for the day and loiters around, not really having any direction on what to do now. He ponders to himself, quiet and brief, before skipping towards the fashion design lab with a small smile on his face. Upon reaching an all-too-familiar hallway, he slowed in his steps. Gyuvin cautiously looks around for a certain person, standing out like the 6 footer he is, the glass walls displaying everybody except the one he wants to see the most. He hangs around for a bit, albeit awkwardly, before leaving after no sign of this person’s appearance.
Unfortunately, for a day so fortunate, time sure flew by. Soon enough, Gyuvin found himself in front of a familiar apartment complex. He lets out a content sigh, as if all his worries melt like lemon drops, as if he accomplished anything meaningful that day. Just as Gyuvin grabs the door handle, feeling the stainless steel in his hands, an eerie sense of foreboding hits him in full force. His unease isn’t helped when he opens the door to his shared apartment with his best friend of two years, Gunwook, a notable shut-in and anti-social, only to find said man to be missing. Odd. Peculiar, even.
“Wooks, you home?” He is, of course, met with silence. Shrugging it off, Gyuvin takes off his backpack and mindlessly slings it onto the kitchen counter, dawdling down the hallway and into his room. Even in the comfort of his bed, he can’t seem to shake the uneasiness in his thoughts, though he supposes it makes sense after such a strong start for the day. Whatever , he thinks, the foreboding evil curse that will inevitably ruin the rest of his day can wait until he has a long and peaceful nap, at the appropriate time of 4:50 in the afternoon.
But of course, before he slumbers, he must document his daily life, as all people do. He types out something quickly, carelessly pressing ‘Post’ before diving head-first into his bed. All is well.
…
All is not, in fact, well.
The incessant notifications, accompanied by the glaringly bright blue light of his phone were enough to force a tired Gyuvin’s eyes open. His head incessantly ached, raising a hand to He blinks away his drowsiness, groggily sitting up to check the time on the clock. Except, he can’t quite see with the blurriness of his freshly awoken senses. He squints, before he realizes he might as well be nearsighted right now, and checks the time on his phone: 5:51 PM.
He lifts his left arm, looks around his room, and forgets the time. Did he really nap for just an hour? Somehow it felt as if he slept for a whole night. Gyuvin stretches, an act that should’ve given his bones relief, but instead physically implodes and shatters all the bones in his spine.
Ding!
What the hell? He flinches, a notification from his phone breaking him from his daze. A message from Gunwook on KakaoTalk. Little did Gyuvin know it would be the worst notification of his life.
DA BOYZ
gunWOKE: dude.. real or fake?
child: 😨
muscledaddy69: 🤨🎤🎤
mang(yu)o: bro what??
He’s quick to reply, fingers brushing over the virtual keyboard on his phone. What happens next is bone chilling… Top 10 moments before disaster.
gunWOKE: you?? ricky??? you like shen ricky from fashion??
mang(yu)o: WHATATWA THEFUCK
World stop. What? What.
Huh? Gyuvin stands up in a daze, phone falling from his hand onto the bed. Blankly staring at the wall, as if an invisible camera were there recording his demise. His jaw visibly drops as he continues to stare at said wall. How the hell did his friends know? This is so embarrassing, he thinks. It’s not like he’s the only one competing for the Shen Ricky’s heart and attention. And certainly not the first to crush on him. Although, Gyuvin thinks ‘competing’ is a bit of an extreme word. He’s simply admiring, as he says to himself.
He knows a man liking another man isn’t normal, or generally accepted in Korea, at least. Despite that fact, Gyuvin can’t help but anticipate every time the man’s tall and poised figure comes into view. Look forward to all the slim chances of bumping into each other at a college party, parties he only attends because he knows Ricky will attend.
Their interactions often are the highlights of Gyuvin’s day, albeit short and spontaneous. It shouldn’t come to a surprise that Gyuvin slowly fell for Ricky, after all, the heart wants what it wants. He isn’t infatuated per se, but he definitely has a teenage girl type of crush. The kind where he kicks his legs back and forth as he scrolls through Ricky’s posts.
The two know each other from mutual friends; one degree of separation, but never had a connection deeper than that. Gyuvin had hoped that he could change that, step over the moat around Ricky’s circle, to be let in the castle with tall and thick walls. But, oh well.
Oh.
Wait. He thinks. If his whole friend group knows, who else does? Full stop. Alarms, sirens, red warning signs, ominous tones. After that revelation, his priority is to clasp his hands together, look up, and pray to the higher beings in the sky. The divine message coming in the form of another text from the group chat.
hambeen: you there gyub?
gunWOKE: respond now!!
OLDIE: what’s going on
Gyuvin stared at the message, scrutinizing the screen as if he were willing it to explode in an outburst of flames. He responds shortly.
mang(yu)o: No, it isn’t true.
gunWOKE: wtf y r u typing like that
mang(yu)o: I’m here to dispel the false and defamatory rumors regarding me and Shen Ricky of the Fashion department.
OLDIE: 😟
mang(yu)o: I have no romantic affiliation with the man, who buys boba at around 2:30 PM in the afternoon after his 4th class, which is Contemporary Fashion Trends, a class on his Wednesday schedule.
gunWOKE: right.. right…. and you know this how?
muscledaddy69: 😁
hambeen: matt…..
mang(yu)o: Mr. Park Gunwook of dorm 510, how many of our beloved classmates have heard of these hearsays?
child: not the full government name..
mang(yu)o: …
mang(yu)o: GUYS IDK WHAT TO DO DOES EVERYBODY KNOW?? DO YOU HATE ME FOR LIKING MEN I CANT DO THIS ANYOMREO!! 😭😭😭😭
mang(yu)o: BUT U GOTTA UNDERSTAND HES SO CUTE AND ENDEARING THE WAY HIS INVISIBLE CAT EARS RISE WITH INTEREST WHEN HE SEES A DRAMA HE LIKES AND
gunWOKE: alr bro ENOUGH OF THIS! BE QUIET!!!!
mang(yu)o: AND HES SO ARGHHH!!
mang(yu)o: okay.. just tell me now.. how bad is it. lords.. please please please.. 😢
gunWOKE: okay seobaerin-ah carpenter js check the gc
gunWOKE: and for the record idgaf if u like men i was js surprised
muscledaddy69: live laugh love men 💗
hambeen: there’s nothing wrong with being LGBT!
OLDIE: 🌈🏳️🌈
mang(yu)o: 😢 thank u guys.. love yall…..
child: all my hyungs gay.
gunWOKE: GOOD LUCK!! (love u too bro)
With new found (and quickly lost) vigor and an imaginary military cap, he’s ready for combat. Judging from his friends’ reaction, it didn’t seem as dire as he thought it’d be. Gyuvin warily eyes the ‘9+’ that shows on his notifications, which quickly escalate to 99+ notifications, all stemming from the batch group chat. That is.. alarming. Fuck!
He opens the KakaoTalk chatroom with bated breath and a concerningly shaking hand. At first glance, it looked like a normal and riveting conversation, with various people laughing and joking around, it was almost hard to keep up with the rate the messages were coming in. Gyuvin almost lets out a sigh of relief before somebody replies to an awfully familiar screenshot.
Theheee: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
gyuvin ☆ ! @kimgyuvin_
didnt see loml today.. ricky 💔 our children are waiting…..
Gyuvin’s heart sank. What the fuck? He had sworn he posted it on his private account. Shame and humiliation flooded his mind, making his arms quake. His eyes led him to the replies under the message.
beeeadd: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
kasdf: bro what is this LOL @kimgyuvin
woajAF: wtf ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Worst of all, upon long-pressing on the screenshot, it read three terrifying words: seen by shenricky . That was it. Maybe his fatal mistake was ever being alive in this godforsaken world in the first place, he solemnly thinks. In the near future, this dark moment in Gyuvin history was henceforth dubbed ‘The Incident™.’ With all the chatter and rapid messages, it isn’t long until a resigned Gyuvin hovers over the magic button.
kimgyuvin has left the chatroom.
…….
…….
Gyuvin simply stares at his phone screen, which has powered off due to its inactivity. There’s almost nothing going on in his brain, just quietly resigning into his fate. It takes him a few minutes of mental processing and sorting out his feelings before he takes his next action: dropping his face head first into a pillow and screaming his heart out. FML.
“ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” His neighbors definitely heard that.
He gets up, aggressively paces around his room as he hysterically tries to make excuses why he’d even send those messages to some ‘friends’ he thought he could trust. The same jerks who ratted him out. He scoffs to himself, punching the air like some retired boxer turned mental institute escapee. Suddenly, a notification breaks through his self-imposed rampage. He immediately rushes over back to his bed, where his phone was haphazardly thrown, barely hanging on to the edge of his bed frame. Gyuvin pauses for a bit, pondering who could be texting him right after The Incident™. The phone’s blue light shined brightly in the dim-lit room, displaying a notification from his friends’ group chat once again.
gunWOKE: dude r u okay???
gunWOKE: u js left the gc
hambeen: gyubbie it’s okay 🙁
child: wait whats going on
muscledaddy69: no wtf whats their problem
muscledaddy69: gyub didnt even do anything bad??
OLDIE: Oh.. i just saw..
mang(yu)o: 👍
gyub @gyubbiethoughts 🔒
i wanna kill myself
With that, he shuts off his phone once again and sits there in the darkness of his room. An exact reflection on the state of his mental being. Dark, hopeless, and angry. At this point, he imagines he’s about halfway done with the ‘anger’ stage of grief.
A while later, he hears the faint sound of the apartment door opening. Gunwook must have just gotten home. It isn’t long until the knocking on Gyuvin’s door starts.
“Gyub, I know you’re in there.” Gunwook’s voice sounds muffled through the door. He soon hears the sound of the door opening, before turning around. Light floods the dark room, with Gyuvin finding himself raising an arm, in an attempt to block out the light.
A presence, Gunwook, soon approaches him and his bed.
“Hey, you good? Don’t think about what the others think.”
“Yeah, yeah. I just need some.. time to process.” It’s embarrassing. The situation quickly escalated to a from a small mishap to a full blown Mean Girls Burn Book Exposing scene, with Gyuvin as the sole victim. It’s embarrassing how much this is affecting him, it seems too juvenile and something that should be below him.
“If it helps, I brought some wings.” Gunwook silently carried a box in a plastic bag, a brand of chicken wings from downtown, his favorite. Gunwook takes the liberty of sitting next to him on his bed, aiming to provide comfort. Gyuvin registers the smell of the chicken from the restaurant he really liked coming from the kitchen. His heart warms from Gunwook’s gesture, a small smile creeping up his face.
“Thanks, man.” He feels his spirits rising slowly. “Let’s eat?”
“Sure, let’s get you out of whatever slump you’re in.” Gunwook extends an arm, an invitation, one he takes.
As he gets up from his bed and wanders to the kitchen, the worries on his mind slowly, but surely fade. Though he’d consider the situation fucked, he’s glad he has friends to help ease the burden on his shoulders. It sounds dramatic – because it is, but he can’t help but fluster over how unserious it all is.
Gyuvin takes a seat next to Gunwook, and they decide to eat at the kitchen counter, as if they even have a dining table. Peak broke college boy dorming experience. He wants to say something about the situation, but soon chooses to take a big bite of the wings instead, an excellent way of shutting himself up.
“Good?”
“Yep.”
“Right…” The silence is a bit awkward, if tense. Gyuvin continues to eat while staring at the closed window, accompanied by the sounds of crunching and utensils. Now that he thinks about it, it’s honestly not that serious. He’s wistful, hopeful almost, that he can handle it all with a smile on his face. Treat the situation as a joke, like how he was treated by his friends. Well..
From next to him, Gunwook clears his throat.
“Uh.. Yes?” Gyuvin twiddles his fingers, looking anywhere but at his best friend. He purses his lips, annoyed at his own silence.
“C’mon man, don’t be a stranger. What’s on your mind?” Gunwook’s thick eyebrows are slightly furrowed, his lips pulled in an almost straight line.
He tries to muster up the best response he can, the words falling flat and failing on him. “Wait. I’m hashtag thinking.”
“Did you just say hashtag?”
“Yes, now be quiet.”
…
“Wooks.. I’m just.. yeah..” What a wordsmith Kim Gyuvin truly is. In truth, there really are no words he can offer to explain his feelings. He blankly finishes his food, looking around pensively like a deer in headlights. “I like Ricky.” There, he said it, heartfelt and true.
“Yeah, everybody does… and knows.”
“Keep yourself safe!”
“Right. Well, I’m not going to school to be a therapist, so.. wanna play some Mario Kart?” Gunwook surprisingly drops the fruitless interrogation. Maybe he has realized that Gyuvin’s semi-illiterate and unable to provide a satisfying enough answer as of now. Luckily for Gyuvin, he’s not one to turn down a good game of Mario Kart.
…
Gyuvin turns the knob on his door, lazily walking in. He soon falls flat on his bed, feeling the soft mattress under him. He splays his limbs, arms and legs forming a starfish-like position. This ultimate form of meditating will lead to an effective reflection of the day, he thinks. The games with Gunwook were nice, a welcome distraction and a nice way to end the day. Those games helped him arrive at the conclusion that indifference and nonchalance is the best way to approach this case. Truthfully, he’s already over it in his mind. He’s so over it, in fact, that he pulls out his phone and decides to update his Instagram notes.
fuck this stupid baka life 💔
mangyuvin_
Perfect. Short, concise, a perfect summary of how today went. The best message to send – Ultimately, nothing matters, and knowing nothing matters is the best way to dance through life. These people will (hopefully) forget all about this overblown fiasco, and Gyuvin will go back to being the quiet tall kid in Business Administration. Most importantly, Gyuvin can go back to admiring Ricky from far, far away. With no obstacles, just the motivation to live on with a small teenage-girl crush.
Ding!
A message from his friends. Oh. All that Mario Kart really made him forget how the others were in the dark about the situation.
hambeen: gyub i just want you to know we all love and accept you 💔
OLDIE: People only throw rocks at things that shine, don’t let them get to you, Gyub!
child: hyungg feel better soon 😢
muscledaddy69: ALL OF THEM WILL PAY!!
gunWOKE: now maybe dont mashu hyung..
muscledaddy69: oh.. okay.. hehe..
mang(yu)o: thanks guys 🔥 trust im so over it
hambeen: that’s good!!
mang(yu)o: yeah.. def need some sleep though
muscledaddy69: ill come over tmr with pancakes ♥️
child: well..
gunWOKE: maybe don’t!
OLDIE: Good night, Gyuvin 😴
muscledaddy69: NIGHTT!!
hambeen: good night !
child: good night 🙄
muscledaddy69: ♥️
He blinks, slowly finding it harder to keep his eyes open. Gyuvin rolls over to his side, curling up on himself as he makes himself snug and comfortable. His phone is thoughtlessly thrown behind him, on the empty left side of the bed. The drowsiness and grasps of sleep completely block the sound of a notification.
Instagram Now
shenricky liked your note.
…
Kim Gyuvin wakes up, the blinding rays of sunlight pouring into the room. Laying there, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression, he felt an energy. Similar to yesterday’s sunshines-turned-thunder-clouds, today felt.. amiss. Although this time, he feels it right from the get-go, in the comfort of his bed. Something tells him a catastrophic anomaly is nestled within his phone, call it his gut instinct, but he calls it his intuition; an educated guess from remnants of the trauma yesterday brought today.
For all that, he’s learned his lesson. Gyuvin tosses his blankets to the side as he sits up. He deliberately places his phone on his nightstand, choosing to open the inevitable Pandora’s Box later. He stretches, lazily flexing his body as he stumbles out of his room and into the kitchen. It is then he decides to be the responsible roommate he is.
A quick glance at the clock in their living room tells him it is approximately 6:30 AM (approximate, because Gyuvin’s clock-reading skills need to be further examined). A perfect time to cook breakfast, he thinks. Yesterday was just a big bad nightmare. Today, he’ll make sure to smile through it all!
..
Cooking went as well as he expected. Average. To translate to modern language, “he tried to cook but got cooked.” To start, he tried to make sunny-side-up eggs, the kind that were crisp on the edges, yet decently cooked on the yolk. Although, the sunny-side-up eggs Gyuvin’s looking at right now doesn’t seem to be very perfect. They look.. passable. Like a sunny-side-up egg. He had a vision, a vision that wasn’t met, but a vision nonetheless.
It evidently is far from the Master Chef meal he was expecting for himself, but he supposes that Gunwook wouldn’t mind. Speaking of, said roommate appeared in the midst of Gyuvin’s not-so-masterful frying, the sound of the oil sparking alarming the other.
“Gyub? Are you cooking..?” Gunwook had said, with a noticeable surprise in his tone. Personally, Gyuvin’s not so sure why there was so much shock in his roommate’s voice, but he digresses. Maybe it’s the fact he’s never seen operating the kitchen, but he’s never been a bad cook. Or.. maybe it is the fact that he’s never been seen operating the kitchen, with no one to back up his cooking skills.
In the many months he’s lived in school dorms, he has never once cooked on his own. Why would he? He had a perfectly great roommate who knew how to cook. Though, that doesn’t mean he’s hopeless! Gyuvin had had that epiphany during his interaction with Gunwook, and was ready to show him his truth.
Which brings them to the present scene; Gyuvin poking at his eggs and toast, clearly unsatisfied with his work, while the man next to him absent-mindedly enjoys his meal. There’s a peaceful silence that lingers over them, the kind of quiet that defines mornings.
“.. Are they any good?” Gyuvin breaks the silence.
“Yes? They taste like eggs.” Gunwook looks at him, an eyebrow raised.
“But are they good eggs?” He says it more like rhetoric than an actual question. He’s not so sure why he’s acting insecure about his eggs (what?).
“Gyub. Respectfully man, they just taste like regular eggs. Nothing wrong with your eggs.”
“Wow, okay.” Gyuvin scoffs dramatically, sharply turning back to his own meal, finishing it with a clack of his utensils. “How’d you like it if your eggs got called regular?” He snarkily retorts.
“Woah there.. Now, that’d never happen to me because I’m a great cook.” Gunwook matter-of-factly replies. It infuriates Gyuvin, but had no clap back against his evidence. “Why so defensive? I said your eggs are fine..” Gunwook said after a beat of silence.
“....” Gyuvin went nonverbal, unsure of what to respond with. He’s about to open his mouth before the other beats him to it.
“You tryna wife Ricky up?” The question hits him like a bullet to his brain. It was sudden, targeted, and with malicious intent. Since the events of last night, they had silently agreed to avoid the topic and continue their gaming as they would any other day. It seems the peace treaty has been severed. Gyuvin will wage war. Worst of all, Gunwook replaced his usual gummy smile with a smug one, looking at Gyuvin with self-satisfaction at his own joke. Prick.
“Oh.. oh, okay… Well..” It took him a beat too long to respond. Gyuvin was, to say the least, truly gagged. He supposes Gunwook wasn’t wrong, perhaps he does want to seem boyfriend-able to Ricky (assuming he still even has a chance), but what was that about?!
“I mean.. judging from your reaction and lack of response..” Little did Gyuvin know, Gunwook’s joking and teasing questions were only one of many to come. It was safe to say Gyuvin jabbed Gunwook’s sides after that response, unrelenting to the other’s yelps of mercy. He was not one to be trifled with.
..
On the walk to university, he’s decided to open his inescapable demise. Whatever it was, it has never left Gyuvin’s mind for that very long hour he spent getting ready. He’s not even sure if anything happened, though.. with him dramatically leaving the batch group chat, something should happen.
His phone lit up, in response to him pressing the power button. Surprisingly, his notifications looked normal; news, Instagram, some messages from concerned friends. Wait.. Hold on.
Instagram 9 hours ago
shenricky liked your note.
Oh shit. What? That’s.. surprising, though he’s more disturbed with how oddly composed he feels at the moment. Despite that, the notification did bring a few questions in mind. Did he do it on purpose or was it a misclick? Shen Ricky isn’t and has never been the type to interact, whether it be a post or story, let alone for someone like Gyuvin. Heck, it’s already a miracle he’s mutuals (or mooties) with Ricky.
Additionally, what was his intention with this interaction? Judging from how Ricky had seen the incriminating screenshot from The Incident™, it could either be malicious or humorous. Though, he’d like to give Ricky the benefit of the doubt.
…
Yeah, who was he kidding?
In actuality, the moment Kim Gyuvin saw the notification, he jumped up, almost fumbling the phone out of his hands. The entire population of Rickyville (consisting of just him) is clapping and cheering, a celebration in order! He recovered from his mini-tumble, silently squealing to himself as he opened the notification on Instagram, checking if it's real over and over. Gyuvin lightly slapped himself on the cheek, not believing the sight beheld.
fuck this stupid baka life 💔
mangyuvin_
♥️ shenricky 💬
Holy shit.
“LET’S GOOO!!” Gyuvin’s sudden yell definitely turned some heads. Some weird student screaming on school plaza grounds in the morning, what a reputation he’s built for himself. Gyuvin really couldn’t help the feeling of giddiness coursing within him. It’s evident in his blinding smile, every step feeling like it bloomed flowers from underneath.
Gyuvin skipped through the sidewalk, a floral aura radiating throughout his body. This didn’t last for long. The moment he stood in front of the modern triangular gate of Seoul National University, his mental atmosphere took a 360. Today, on the 29th day of May, he embarks on a great journey to survive an even greater war. Game face: on.
He walks at a brisk pace, passing a few department buildings and into the unnecessarily large roads that seem to continue endlessly. Seriously, who decided to make this campus so gigantic? A walk to each department building is essentially a workout and a half.He garners a few odd glances towards him, the sharp stares slightly prickling at his back. No doubt a result of The Incident™ spreading its influence. Nothing too dire to worry about so far, he supposes.
Gyuvin lets his legs guide him through the familiar surroundings of large modern buildings and the small steps leading towards them. It isn’t long before he’s face-to-face with Building No. 59-1, the Business Administration department building. He lets out a deep sigh, lowering his head as he passes by familiar faces, the faces of which have not forgotten the incident the previous day.
It is in the Business Administration building where he gets the most attention, the teasing, yet judgmental type. His tall and lanky figure doesn't help in drawing more eyes as he towers over the heads in the hallway.
From an outside perspective, this whole situation is out-of-proportion. In hindsight, Gyuvin should’ve never underestimated the boredom of gossiping young adults, especially in such a mundane course like Business Administration; where your degree is only as useful as your connections. The Incident™ has no business being this much of a smash hit, chart dominating, global sensating comeback, something that will definitely go on his résumé. Gyuvin rushes inside the lecture hall, head hung low and legs in a mini-sprint.
He sits down, immediately hearing hushed whispers in a sad attempt of discretion.
“Isn’t that the guy?”
“Kim Gyuvin? What about him?”
“Like on Kakao, y’know? It was kinda funny-”
“Ohh.. Wait! The one who posted about Ri..” The background chatter starts to fade into white noise. Gyuvin clenches his fists to the table as he feels a growing shame build within him, most likely looking like a loner, staring into nothing with a blank table while others are preparing their notes and laptops.
He doesn’t really have friends in Business Administration, his friends scattered around the departments. Gyuvin was a natural born-extrovert, he was approachable, bubbly, and loved to please others.. to an almost excessive degree. He’s not sure what it was, but college just wasn’t cooperating with his ‘making friends’ agenda. Maybe everybody was just too cool for him.
It was an honest mistake, really. He had meant that tweet for his private account, his drowsiness from that time most probably causing it.
Gyuvin really doesn’t want to have a panic attack in front of everybody–or worse, cry, but he truly hates being stared at like an outsider. All he can do is try to ignore the chatter, even if it wasn’t about him, it never included him. He knows people, but people don’t tend to want to know him. Stereotype him to be a typical sunny guy, the kind that’s fun for a few weeks before they lose their shine.
He faintly hears more murmurs before the professor steps in the room, effectively shutting the idle chatter within the lecture hall. Gyuvin sighs in relief, raising his head as he fixes his posture and takes out his laptop.
..
Class went as well as expected. A mix of annoyance and peace, where Gyuvin knows he’s the topic of conversation while being relatively left untouched. The good thing about this generation, he thinks, is that nobody has the guts to talk shit to his face. Not to be a Debby Downer, but Gyuvin doesn’t think lunch could get any worse. Spoiler: it does (depends on how one looks at it).
The sound of the bell rings sharp throughout the lecture hall, he’s been dismissed from his final morning class. Gyuvin slings his messenger bag across his chest, neck bent as he adjusts the straps. He takes one last survey of his surroundings, to ensure he hasn’t forgotten something, before quickly trying to fade in the crowd. Navigating the packed hallway, Gyuvin slowly arrived at the exit of his department building, walking towards the school cafeteria.
It was loud. Normally, Gyuvin wouldn’t be bothered. In fact, he’s usually the cause of the noise in a room. This time, he’s forced to sit down at some table in a far corner, scrutinizing and looking at the friend groups’ chatter like some bitter loner. It doesn’t help that he’s staring at his phone as if he got stood up on a date.
DA BOYZ
mang(yu)o: where r u guys 💔
gunWOKE: coming, prof was yappin a whole lotta nothing :/
hambin: gyubb! will be there in a min
hambin: im right outside
mang(yu)o: hurry 🙁 i look like a fucking loner loser
child: you arent??
mang(yu)o: 🖕
OLDIE: 😂
mang(yu)o: GO BACK TO READING YOUR NEWSPAPER POPS
OLDIE: Oh.. 😢
muscledaddy69: whats 4 lunch today
muscledaddy69: some chicken mayhaps? 🥰
mang(yu)o: COME HERE AND FIND OUT 😡
A finger taps on his shoulder. Startled, he swiftly looks over to his right: it was Sung Hanbin, his best friend; one of the only people who manages to tolerate him in college. Gyuvin’s face lights up immediately, getting up from his seat to give a big hug.
“Easy there bud, what’s up with you?” Hanbin chuckles, returning the hug and patting Gyuvin on the back. They separate, Hanbin sliding into the chair next to Gyuvin. The table they were sitting at was a 6-seater, with 3 seats on two sides.
“Hyung, my life is over..” He whines, arms splaying out on the table, head resting between them. Gyuvin turns his head to face Hanbin, a pathetic pout on his face. Hanbin stays silent, right eyebrow raised as if to ask for more context.
“Don't you remember..? You know.. The..”
“The..?”
“Hey guys!” Matthew abruptly shouts out, suddenly appearing in the chair opposite to Hanbin and Gyuvin. “What’cha talking about?” He asks a bit too loudly, his signature toothy smile on display.
“Well, Gyuvin here is being awfully cryptic about his situation..” Hanbin side-eyes him, dragging his words to emphasize his curiosity on the matter.
“Is this about how Gyuvin apparently has this really massive crush on Ricky?” Matthew asks innocently. His eyelids fluttered as if he didn’t just crush Gyuvin’s soul.
Gyuvin reaches out to slap a hand over Matthew’s mouth with a scowl on his face. “Hey! Not too loud!” Gyuvin questioned, exasperated. Hanbin looks to Gyuvin, then Matthew, then repeats that cycle for the few seconds in between the other two’s talk. It takes Hanbin a second before his mouth forms into an “O” shape.
“Gyub, c’mon dude! All that happened in the batch chatroom, practically everybody knows now.” Matthew said matter-of-factly. “Also, congrats on coming out a gay– err, or bisexual.. or bi-curious.. To the whole uni too!” Matthew’s words had only struck Gyuvin then. What the hell. No wonder everyone was being excessively weird about it. The stares were to be expected, but Matthew’s last comment really cemented the idea into his brain.
Hanbin, now processing the situation, having seen the chatroom conversation the previous night, lights up as he reaches a ‘eureka!’ moment. “Gyub-ie, are you okay? I know some people have a very.. negative reaction to queerness..” Hanbin says slowly, as if approaching a kitten that may run at any moment.
“... Yeah, I’m fine. But hyung, it’s not that bad, really. I left the chatroom before I saw anything suicide-worthy.” Gyuvin tried to reassure Hanbin, his own voice failing him, showing the reluctance in his voice. “Anyway, it’s not like anybody cared.. right?”
“Gyuvin-yah.. people can be really mean..” Hanbin steadily descended, nestling back into his seat. His head hung slightly lower, a regretful tone present. Honestly, it didn’t shock Gyuvin in the slightest, having experienced the scrutiny that morning.
“Hey, don’t get so down, guys! Who cares what others think? None of us do.” Matthew cheers, referring to their friend group. Matthew never failed to bring the atmosphere back up, his bright and cheery nature an infectious disease.
“True, now I don’t have to worry about coming out.” Gyuvin chuckled, not really meaning his words, but not feeling the despair anyone would feel in that situation. Coming out is a serious and monumental occasion, and to have it spoiled is rough. He’s lucky to have good friends with him, speaking of which.
“So.. Ricky, eh? Not a bad choice.” Matthew cheekily says.
Unable to refute is statement, Gyuvin only flushes and looks away to the side, the cafeteria line suddenly interesting him. Matthew’s teasing him, Hanbin laughing loudly at his side, then he sees him. Even in the midst of a lively cafeteria, that flash of blonde hair, towering with a sleek figure over the others was unmistakable.
Gyuvin looks back at his friends, hoping that the other didn’t see him. He prays his face doesn’t actually flare up in flames. Before he could panic even further, a shadow looms over Gyuvin, startling him. He looks behind him, seeing Gunwook’s familiar figure. “Wookie!” He gets up to hug Gunwook and pat him on the back. Phew, something to distract him from Ricky’s presence.
“Hi hyungs!.. And Gyuvin.” Gunwook greeted, his last statement earning a ‘yah!’ and a light slap from Gyuvin. Gunwook sat beside Matthew, who were on the opposite side of Hanbin and Gyuvin. It was a bit awkward, with one seat free on each side. Seats usually reserved for their very busy fourth year hyung and.. a future freshman (who has yet to graduate their senior year).
“Finally, dude. Been itchin’ to get some food!” Matthew stood up, waiting for the others to join him to get a meal. As people do in cafeterias. “I saw chicken earlier, c’mon!!”
“Chill, Matt. I just got here..” Gunwook whined, not wanting to abandon his seat (that he has occupied for approximately 10 seconds). Something tells Gyuvin that Gunwook didn’t mind at all… much to think about.
Matthew smiled. “Aww, don’t worry about it, Wooks! I’ll get you food too!” He said sweetly, the flowers practically flying around them. Gyuvin faked a gag.
“Get a room will ya?!” Gyuvin protested, continuously pretending to choke on air. Hanbin laughs beside him, Gunwook following his laughs soon after. He, Hanbin, and Gyuvin stand up and start standing in a short queue for food, with Hanbin leading, followed by Matthew, and with Gyuvin at the back of their line.
“What was that?” Gyuvin laughed. “ ‘Aww, Wookiebear, I’ll get you some food too!’ Like dude!” He guffawed, a little too loudly, causing some heads to turn their way. He purses his lips to shut himself up.
“Ughh! Shut up!” Matthew groaned, a light blush creeping into his face. Sweet, sweet revenge. He mischievously smiles to himself.
“Tryna be all cute for Gunwook, like what!?” Gyuvin playfully slaps Matthew’s back. Eliciting another groan out of embarrassment. He thinks it’s funny, how Matthew and Gunwook have been friends for so long, yet fail to act or realize the chemistry between them.
Hanbin smiles when he turns to look at them, before turning his head to the left, where the tables are seated – seemingly perking up at the sight of somebody, who Gyuvin quickly identifies as Hanbin’s long-term boyfriend, Zhang Hao.
Gyuvin stilled. Standing next to Hao is Shen Ricky himself, in all his young & rich, tall & handsome glory. He quickly looked away, pretending to busy himself with how appetizing the cafeteria food looked. He should’ve been more cautious, it’s a little known fact, really; wherever Zhang Hao goes, Ricky is sure to follow, vice versa.. The two are inseparable, practically attached at the hip.
He had really thought he was imagining Ricky at the cafeteria earlier.
“Ooh, here’s your man, Gyub!” Matthew teases, quickly getting into his space. Damn it. What goes around really does come around, karma biting him in the ass right this moment.
“Don’t. Pretend I’m not here.” Gyuvin muttered, trying to shrink into himself. He feels his friends knowing eyes on him, a plotting smile probably on their faces. “Is he looking?” He asks, panicked. His heart was racing, as it usually did in Ricky’s presence, although now, it was more out of anxiety than giddiness. Hiding was futile, he was the tallest in their group after all.
“Baobei!” Hanbin waved, loudly calling for his boyfriend, which brought the two Chinese mens’ attention to their line. Gyuvin cursed to himself, urging Matthew to get his and Gunwook’s food quickly, seeming as their precious friend had already gotten his food in a rush to talk to his lover, essentially foregoing their friendship, Gyuvin thinks.
Matthew and Gyuvin got their food, the latter unsettled. What’s scaring him is the odd glint in the other’s eyes, a foreboding sign of mischief in Matthew language. He had barely even made it to their table before Matthew speedily put him and Gunwook’s tray on the table, skipping back over to Hanbin, who was happily chatting with Ricky and Hanbin. Oh shit.
“Heyy guys! Wanna join us for lunch?” Gyuvin hears Matthew excitedly ask Hao and Ricky. His heart drops, this is betrayal to the highest degree. From his best friend , no less. ‘Please don’t say yes, please don’t say yes..!’ Gyuvin chants the mantra in his mind, praying to avoid any more awkward situations.
“Sure. As long as I’m sitting next to my Binnie~” Hao had said. His castle crumbled, life flashing before his eyes. Gyuvin considered him and Hao to have a decently close friendship, being Haobin’s illegitimate child, but he might start reevaluating that after lunch.
Gyuvin, using his superior critical-thinking skills, decides to steal Matthew’s seat beside Gunwook, the other confused at his antics. This way, it would be Gunwook, Gyuvin, and Matthew (who was relocated to his side instead of next to Gunwook) on the left side. With Hanbin having to sit with Ricky and Hao!
It truly was a foolproof plan, he thinks proudly of himself. Plus, he punishes Matt for his evil-doings, by not allowing him the pleasure of sitting next to his Gunwook.
Matthew, being the little shit he is, notices with an angry look too cute to pass as angry. The shorter man flashed him a glare, slowly transforming into a sly smile. Oh no, a counterattack. Should he be worried?! Matthew sits opposite of Gunwook, immediately crashing Gyuvin’s plans to the ground. Wait.. Gyuvin thought for a bit, realizing how the arrangement would end up as.
Hao and Ricky get to the table with their trays. “Bin-hyung, do you wanna sit next to me?” Gyuvin asked, almost pleadingly. Hanbin makes a skeptical face, before his thinking is interrupted.
“Nope! Bin’s sitting with me.” Hao cheerily said. Gyuvin’s world ends. Hanbin traitorously breathes a sigh of relief. Gyuvin’s seriously thinking over all their years of friendship, Gunwook also charged guilty for his nonchalance and inaction.
The seating arrangement is now like this: On the right side, Matthew, Hao, and Hanbin. Which leaves only one seat, the one next to Gyuvin. This is exactly what he was afraid of. Before he could fully process the devastating news, a light dusty smell of sandalwood and vanilla overcame him. He flushes, realizing Ricky is standing right next to him, he recognizes Ricky’s scent, his signature cologne that compliments his sharp looks.
“Mind if I sit here..?” Ricky’s deep, yet soft-spoken voice sends Gyuvin’s heart into overdrive. His tone carried a sense of amusement and apprehensiveness, Ricky being known for being a tried and true pure introvert. Of course, they had interacted before, but had never been as close as they will be now.
“S-sure.. “ He blurts out like a loser. He shifts his chair slightly away to give space for Ricky to sit down. Gyuvin doesn’t miss his friends’ knowing looks. Ricky sat down, placing his tray in front of him as he sat with perfect and impeccable posture.
Unfaithfully, Gunwook pushes his chair to go closer to Ricky’s, loudly proclaiming: “Man, give me some space.” Dickhead. Treason. Treason of the highest degree! They will all pay.
With their close proximity,, he swears he’s light-headed from Ricky’s scent and adrenaline. It shouldn’t be this serious for him, but Rickyville has only survived through rare Ricky sightings alone, he’s unsure whether to be ecstatic or terrified right now.
Ricky, seemingly oblivious to Gyuvin’s internal dilemma, picks up his chopsticks and starts to eat. Which reminds Gyuvin to do the same. Does Ricky know about The Incident™? He randomly thought. A thought that was quickly dismissed to the back of his brain, deemed too dark to think right now. He’ll know when he’ll know.
A casual conversation looms over the table, Gunwook and Matthew happily talking about their day from their opposite sides of the table, while Hao and Hanbin (which will henceforth formally be abbreviated to ‘Haobin’) were feeding each other sickeningly. This situation is fucked, he thinks. Gyuvin and Ricky sat and continued to eat in awkward silence, the latter outwardly not minding the peace and quiet.
Though, Gyuvin did. He definitely minded the silence, but could not muster up the courage to start a conversation. Thankfully (?) Hanbin, who sat across from Gyuvin, spoke up. “Ricky-yah, this is Gyuvin! I dunno if you know him personally, but he’s a nice guy.” Hanbin said, as if he was promoting Gyuvin to be this super-boyfriend.
“Gyub-ie’s like an overgrown puppy!” Hao chimed in. When Gyuvin made no reaction, Hao’s voice made a dramatic dark turn. “Gyuvin.. You’re like an overgrown puppy.. right?” Gyuvin froze.
“Y-yes!! Everyone calls me a puppy.” He shakily lets out, embarrassing himself further. Gyuvin feels like a punching bag being thrown back-and-forth in between two fighters.
“Good.. Know your place.” Hao leans in to ruffle Gyuvin’s hair from across the table, Gyuvin just having his head hung low. He must look so pathetic right now, being actively treated as a promotion material in front of his crush by his two parental figures. All while Matthew and Gunwook attempt to hold their laughter, cheeks puffing up like stupid ass hamsters.
“Oh.. um, I guess I’ve seen Qubing-ssi around.” Ricky muttered, trailing off as he got quieter after every word, he thinks he likes this new pronunciation of his name. Hao gives Ricky a stern look. The man abruptly clears his throat in response. “I mean.. Ahem, hi. I’m Shen Ricky, I study Fashion Merchandising.” Ricky said timidly, he didn’t seem to be enjoying this either, is that a good thing.. or a bad thing?
“.. Hello, Ricky.. I’m Kim Gyuvin , we’re the same age, so we should drop the honorifics..!” Gyuvin awkwardly said out of obligation, feeling the heat start to bloom in his cheeks. From the looks of it, either Ricky doesn’t seem to know about The Incident™ or he’s just very good at hiding and selectively hearing Gyuvin, he hopes it’s the former
“Ah.. sure– I mean, yes.” Ricky replied, awkwardly playing with his fingers. Gyuvin looked at him, the way Ricky acts was reminiscent of a timid, shy cat. Cute. What..? Who said that? Not Gyuvin, that’s for sure. Gyuvin sees Haobin cooing at their interaction in his periphery. He will bring wrath upon them someday, he thinks.
..
Before the group knew it, it was already 1:20, just 10 minutes before lunch break ended. Shoot, he still has one last class for his afternoon schedule. He checks his phone for his schedule, before rechecking the time.
“That’s cute, is that your dog?” A voice re-emerged from his side. He jumped back slightly, recognizing the voice as Ricky, who he forgot was sitting next to him.
“Oh-.. um, yeah! This is my dog, Eumppappa!” He showed off his lockscreen, which featured Eumppappa, an italian greyhound, looking down while Gyuvin holds her in his arms, snuggling her close to his chest.
“Eumppappa..?”
“Yeah, that was my first word as a baby! Isn’t she the cutest? She pretends to not like me, but she acts all affectionate and cute when I bring out the treats– Sorry, um. Did I ramble too much?” That was so embarrassing. Literally who asked? Ricky must think he’s a weirdo.
“Oh. No, it’s okay. It’s good you.. uh.. love your dog a lot.” Man, even Gyuvin cringed (in a good way!) at how Ricky delivered that. His slight Chinese accent showed through Ricky’s fumbling. Though, he never said that it wasn't crazily endearing.
Gyuvin chuckled, checking his belongings before slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder. The others have already continued their chatter, walking out the cafeteria as they keep talking about God knows what. “Well. Uh. It was nice to meet you, Ricky!”
“Yes.. I’ll.. see you around?” Ricky offered him a small smile. That meant everything to Gyuvin.
The blonde did a tiny wave with one hand, the other hand holding the strap of his black Birkin 40 bag. Elegant, in true Ricky fashion… Although it’s unclear how his laptop and belongings fit in that bag?
Gyuvin shouldn’t have found Ricky’s real life self to be so impossibly cute to talk to. He's so.. squishable. He’s almost, no, definitely getting cuteness aggression when he notices the tips of Ricky’s ears turning slightly red; Ricky must be as embarrassed as he is.
“Yep!” He said, popping the ‘p.’ “See ya!” He walked off, practically soaring with how happy he felt. Gyuvin looked back while walking, smiling at Ricky, who waved again, with his lips slightly curved upwards. This was a win in his books. Gyuvin - 1, Haters - 0.
..
He was practically on Cloud 9 for his last class, his professor’s words practically coming in and out of his ears. Some phenomena cannot be explained, for example: Gyuvin leaving the class with full notes, detailed annotations, and all that pizzazz on the topic, but with no recollection of hearing or experiencing the class itself. He’s not sure what form of spirit possessed him during marketing class, though the same spirit must be the kind to always be smiling, because Gyuvin can’t seem to get rid of that cheekily wide grin on his face.
It must be what people call the ‘boyfriend buff,’ he thinks (minus the boyfriend part.. but Gyub’s working on it!). The rest of his afternoon flew by, spent smiling from ear-to-ear like Beyoncé Love on Top Pre-chorus, except.. nobody was really asking why he was smiling from ear-to-ear in the first place.
All Gyuvin knows is that a massive weight is off his shoulder, likened to if Sisyphus broke free from his eternal punishment. He still gets teased every so often, but if Ricky didn’t care about his supposed crush, why should he care? Before he knew it, doors were opened, legs were running, and he was back in the refuge of his apartment room.
Gyuvin faintly hears the sound of Gunwook washing the dishes, accompanied by the tunes of some playlist Gyuvin would often call the ‘softcore e-boy valorant player’ music taste. The kind of playlists that Gyuvin would never stoop as low as to listen to, backed up by his superior music taste and copious amounts of aesthetic Spotify playlists.
His pride and joy. Heh. Meanwhile, the superior music taste in question being any song or artist Ricky features on his posts. To be fair, he thinks Ricky has a superior taste in anything and everything, though he might be a tiny bit biased.
Gyuvin lays on his front, lightly hugging the pillow nestled underneath his chest as he scrolls through his social media platforms. He mindlessly zooms past his mutuals’ notes, pondering on what he should change his to. Gyuvin is a strong believer of the power of Instagram notes, but he’s not quite ready to part with the one that earned the Shen Ricky’s like.
A screenshot is taken, or two.. or three. For documentation purposes, of course! All he knows is he’s definitely smiling like an idiot, as he has been the whole afternoon. Whoever his CIA agent would surely be confused by the amount of duplicate screenshots on his phone gallery. Gyuvin flips over, the pillow that once was beneath him flopping to the side as he rests on his back. A notification ping startles him. Ricky posted on his Instagram stories.
Gyuvin waits a second, wondering if it’s wise to view the story so quickly– is what he should’ve done. Instead, he opened it immediately, liking it before he had even seen nor comprehended the contents of the story. He smiles immediately, despite not knowing what he’s looking at. He blinks. Ricky is the type of person to post with purpose, careful angles, creative designing choices, you get the gist.
He’s looking.. at a picture of a plushie. Specifically, a cat; one that’s presumably of the calico breed, with black and yellow accents around it. He finds it impossibly adorable, eyeing the pale, thin, and long fingers holding the plush. Nope. The fingers are not doing anything to Gyuvin.
The story was captioned with a text at the top verbatim: “this is my child rinini” with no further context to boot. Adding to that, there was no attached music playing in the background of the story. It’s unclear what the goal of the usually deliberate Ricky was with this post, nevertheless, he had Gyuvin grinning and cooing and his plushie. It was supposed to be a 15 second IG story, but he swears that it’s a story longer than 10 minutes. Maybe his Instagram glitched, he’d wager.
The rest of his night was uneventful, in contrast to his traumatizing morning and explosive afternoon. He texts his friends good night before the grasps of sleep start to take their hold on him. He yawns, flipping over once or twice before the world around him fades to a happy darkness.