The Trouble with Ddukbokki

The spring air was cool and crisp as they stepped out of Hongdae station. As always, young people made up the majority of the crowd as the Hongik University campus was mere minutes' walk away. Some strode rapidly and with purpose while others just strolled along - chatting with friends or just solitarily staring into space, wired to their earbuds.

Pale cherry blossoms whispered gently  from trees along the sidewalk. Their watery pink petals carpeted the dappled ground, scenting the air with their faint perfume. Hongdae was breathtaking  in the spring, but truth be told, Jongin was too focused on the slight young man beside him to pay much heed to the beauty surrounding them. Kyungsoo had been quite a relevation. At first glance, he'd seemed like a jittery, nerdy kind of guy but once you got him talking ... he kind of drew you in. But in a quiet way.

Jongin sensed that there was nothing noisy about Kyungsoo. Jongin himself was somewhere in between - definitely not noisy but at the same time not exactly quiet either. He was relaxed enough in social situations but he always avoided the spotlight - that wasn't who he was. Kyungsoo, he suspected, was the type who preferred to just observe and listen in a group situation. Jongin's family and friends were mostly extroverts so hanging out with Kyungsoo was a welcome break from all the manic energy and noise. It was calming. And nice. It was nice.

"So where do you live, hyung?"

"About ten minutes' walk from here - in that direction," he pointed vaguely to the left, "past the Hello Kitty Cafe. I've never been inside though!" Kyungsoo added hastily as Jongin raised a mischievous eyebrow.

"You know you should totally go inside and check it out, right? Take a walk on the wild, I mean pink side," Jongin chuckled self-consciously at his own lame joke.

"You did not just suggest that! The entire building is pink. The furniture? Pink. And I have no doubt the toilets are pink too."

"Yeah, the toilets are pink," Jongin grinned.

"How do you even know that?!" Kyungsoo laughed delightedly.

"Their latte is pretty good .. You erm get cocoa sprinkled on the foam in a Hello Kitty shape. I just try to ignore the fact that I'm sitting on a pink plush chair with a red bow on it, and enjoy the coffee. It's good coffee, you should try it one day," to Kyungsoo's great amusement, Jongin only looked mildly embarrassed  as he said all this.

"But why would you even ...? Wait, are you a Hello Kitty fan?"

"Hell, no! Ga In loves Hello Kitty and she loves the waffles they serve at the Cafe so I take her there every couple of weeks or so,"

Ga In? Waffles? Who?

But before Kyungsoo had a chance to feel a twinge of envy or even ask Jongin who Ga In was, a booming voice bellowed from across the street, "Jongin-ah!"

Jongin laughed and waved at the street vendor. "Come on!" he grabbed Kyungsoo by the arm and propelled him to the other side of the road. It was all over very fast but it was more than time enough for Jongin to enjoy the way Kyungsoo's slim arm felt in his right hand. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo tried his best to ignore how hot Jongin's palm felt and how even this lightest of touches was making his arm feel all tingly.

The ddukbokki ahjussi - a hairy mammoth of a man with pale beefy arms, tiny eyes and a big mole on his right cheek - began chatting animatedly with Jongin. He was asking very volubly why he hadn't brought Ga In today, and how pretty Ga In was his favorite customer in all of Seoul and he'd saved the very best of the ddukbokki for her. Jongin smiled easily and said Ga In wouldn't be dropping by today, but he might bring some ddukbokki home for her later.

Bring ddukbokki HOME?

Between the constant mention of Ga In and the whiff of ddukbokki tickling his nostrils and the close proximity of those rubbery sticks, swimming in that viscous red gravy, Kyungsoo was beginning to think that anywhere but here would be a good place to be. He should have known there would be a Ga In. Or a Ha Eun. Or a Da Som. Such a charming, good looking guy couldn't possibly be unattached, right?

"Here you go, hyung." Jongin handed him a styrofoam container of ddukbokki and Kyungsoo paled visibly before noticing he wasn't carrying his own container of the vile stuff. They found a nearby bench and sat down.

"Aren't you having any? You have to help me finish mine, ok?"

"Oh, I'm all right, hyung - I had a lot of bibimbap before I boarded the train. I'll just get takeaway later because Ga In will want some too." Jongin sounded just a little too blithe, and avoided making eye contact with Kyungsoo all of a sudden.

Because he didn't want to be exposed as a big liar, Kyungsoo forced himself to chew and swallow the slithery ddukbokki while Jongin watched him expectantly.

"It's good, right? Ahjussi has the best ddukbokki in Seoul."

"It's ... great, yeah." Kyungsoo hoped he didn't sound and look as miserable as he felt. The taste and texture of ddukbokki hadn't improved since the last time he ate some ... about, it must have been five years back. It was still the grossest thing to eat ever. And then there was the whole issue of the mysterious Ga In. He was beginning to feel really sorry for himself. After the third piece of ddukbokki, he decided he was going to have to stop if he was going to retain his dignity and not puke in front of Jongin.

"Um, Jongin? I don't feel so good so I think I'm gonna head home," he was pretty sure he sounded as bad as he looked and felt. Jongin's features registered surprise, then concern and finally mulishness as he insisted on walking Kyungsoo home in spite of the latter’s protests.

"There's no need, really. I'm fine." Kyungsoo announced a little weakly and made a move to walk away, but Jongin completely ignored his silly little speech and draped his right arm lightly over Kyungsoo's narrow shoulders.

"Which way to your place?" Jongin’s voice was commanding and deep and Kyungsoo's feet started moving reluctantly. He may not have been feeling too good, but he could still appreciate Jongin's warmth in the chilly evening air ...

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So ... Jongin and Kyungsoo kinda refused to have their story rushed and they made me add another chapter. Guess this is gonna be a threeshot rather than two, orz. The next few days are gonna be crazy busy but I'll try and wrap things up as soon as I can! Hope you liked Chapter Two!

Hugs,

LotusK