“I see you’ve brought your little protégé! Been hearing about this kid, gotta say I’m excited to see him fight.” 

“Laugh it up now, Byung-sshi, you’ll be cursing me later, though.” 

“Cursing you for what, Eric, making me laugh too hard? How old’s your kid, anyway? Ten?” 

“The more you pile it on now, the worse you’re going to feel later when he kicks your fighter’s .” 

“Only way that’s gonna happen is if Kyungil-ah trips!” 

Jinhwan listened to the exchange and nervously pulled at the ends of his knotted blue belt, trying to ignore the jabs of the other trainer (he hadn’t missed the dismissive way the guy had quickly looked him over). This was his first appearance in a tournament as a blue belt. While part of him was proud at being selected to represent their club, another part of him wished he could have competed first in something local back on the island. When he’d looked over the bracket listing on the way in, he hadn’t recognized any names in his division. He’d recognized the majority of the green belt fighters, though. 

“I’d love to stay and talk with you, Byung, but we’ll leave that for later." Eric ended the conversation and draped an arm around Jinhwan’s shoulders, quickly steering him into the gym. “Don’t worry about him, he likes to talk up his club all the time but I’ve seen every single one of his students fight, and not a single one of them can hold a proper omoplata.” 

Jinhwan couldn’t help but grin, both at the comment, and at the arm around his shoulders. He’d only been training with Eric for about seven months but they had a very tight bond already. Even though he was his instructor, Jinhwan really preferred to think of him like the older brother he’d always wanted. “Ah hyung, I’m not worried!” 

“Sure you’re not,” Eric replied, ruffling his hand in Jinhwan’s hair, “it’s good to be nervous, especially before your first fight at blue belt. It’s a big step up for you, so it’s important to respect your opponents.” 

“I know, and I do!” 

“Except this first one, you don’t have to respect Lee Kyungil, he’s got piss poor technique and he’s a snotty little brat on top of it.” Eric whispered into his ear, laughing at Jinhwan’s shocked gasp. 

“Hyung!” Jinhwan couldn’t help but laugh, surprised at the words but kind of comforted? This was part of what made Eric stand out as a trainer. Maybe it was his relatively young age, but Jinhwan thought it probably had a little to do with all the time he’d spent in the US as well. He wasn’t quite as strict as the others. 

“Don’t tell anyone I said that.” Eric joked back with him. “In all honesty, you definitely have a more solid technique than he does. I watched him two months ago and he was still looking sloppy in his defense. I really don’t think you’ll have trouble getting him into a submission? He’s got more power than you, but he makes a lot of mistakes. To tell you the truth, I think they promoted him up too early. I would have kept him at green if he were my student.” 

Jinhwan smiled at the comment. Every so often Eric would talk about fighters from other clubs, pointing out their lacking points and how he would fix things for them. It made Jinhwan feel like he was really training with someone who knew what he was doing, who understood every little intricacy of the sport. Further than that, though, was that every time Eric happened to point out someone’s fault, it was against something that Jinhwan himself had mastered. So it kind of felt like Eric was saying, in his own way, “my student is better than this guy”. 

It just made him feel special. 

“When you fight this guy, Jinan-ie, try and get the submission, okay? I always tell Byung he needs to work on submission defense with his fighters but he brushes me off. Too much pride.” 

“That doesn’t seem like a good response from a trainer. Does he have something against you?” 

“Of course he does, it’s called jealousy.” Eric replied with a wink. “We fought each other two years ago when I was home visiting my family over the holidays. I was still a brown belt, he’d been in the circuit with his black for a while. It was just a fun sparring opportunity, since everyone was making a big deal out of my training with the Gracies in California. Scoffed when he saw me, made it obvious that he thought he was above me. I submitted him in three minutes.” 

Jinhwan grinned at the answer. “What move did you beat him with?” 

Eric grinned back at him. “What do you think?” 

Jinhwan remembered his comment of earlier. “Omoplata?” 

Eric ruffled his hair again. “ing right it was the omoplata.” 

Jinhwan couldn’t help the feeling of butterflies in his stomach—it was just so nice to have such a comfortable relationship with him! He really looked up to Eric, respected him in a way he rarely respected anyone. For someone so amazing to be so friendly with him was really nice. “So you’re saying I should try and submit his fighter using an omoplata?” 

Eric laughed at the suggestion, and it made Jinhwan’s smile even wider. “You’re so smart, Jinan-ie! Picking up on my hints.” 

Jinhwan beamed at the praise. “I’ll do my best, hyung.” 

“That’s all I ask, in the end! Even if you lose, as long as you learn something, that’s the most important part.” 

“I know. But I still want to win anyway.” 

Eric looked down at him in silence for a moment (direct eye contact that Jinhwan almost couldn’t handle) before nodding. “I have every expectation for you to win. But just fight your best and I’ll be proud of you no matter what.” 

An hour later and they were sitting in the stands. Jinhwan had taken Eric’s advice and locked Kyungil up in an omoplata, right in front of his trainer, and secured a fast submission. The look of unrestrained pride on Eric’s face made Jinhwan feel almost invincible, like no one could even hope to defeat him. 

“Really, Jinan-ie, it was just perfect all around. You could see it in the way you approached the fight, even. Your focus is no joke, kiddo! You’re scary on the mat.” 

Jinhwan smiled at the English nickname. He hadn’t really thought much of it until one of the other students had asked him what it meant, pointing out that Jinhwan was the only one Eric ever called “kiddo”. Ever since then, Jinhwan beamed every time he caught Eric using it. 

“I know, hyung, I’m lucky!” 

“You’re not lucky, Jinhwan, you’re talented! You have a natural gift for this sport.” 

Jinhwan laughed at Eric’s reply, at his almost offended tone. “No hyung, I mean I’m lucky that I have you as a trainer.” 

Eric’s expression softened immediately. “Ah, Jinhwan! You’re too cute for this sport.” 

“You’re not supposed to call me cute on matchday!” Jinhwan pretended offense, but in reality he’d gladly have Eric call him cute. Any compliment was welcome. 

“It’s fine. The cuter they all think you are, the worse they’ll feel when you beat them, right?” 

Jinhwan nodded, face still lit up in a bright smile. Eric believed in his ability, and right now that was all the support Jinhwan needed to get over the nerves of upcoming matches. He was a skilled fighter already, and he deserved to be here. Any time he questioned that, Eric always had a way of reminding him. 

“Eric Kwon! Where the hell have you been?”

Jinhwan stopped in his tracks, flattened back against the wall and quickly looked around the hallway, searching for a familiar face that he wasn’t quite ready to see yet. The only people milling about were strangers to him, though, fighters, trainers, and their families.

“Woobin! Wow, have the years been unkind to you, my friend!”

The voices came from around the corner, and Jinhwan remained against the wall to catch his breath and slow his heart a little. He hadn’t been at the venue long yet and the first thing he’d done upon arrival was scout around for Eric. He hadn’t found him, though. He’d left Bobby in the stands while he’d gone to the bathroom (he hadn’t actually needed to go, but it was the only place left he hadn’t checked yet) and was headed back to Bobby now that his search had turned up empty. But Eric was right around the corner, and it was a little too close for Jinhwan to handle right now.

“Ah, still the same old I see. How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you since you left for the US! Too good to keep in touch with an old friend, huh?” Jinhwan remained where he was, desperate to listen to the conversation. Maybe it would help calm his nerves a little. “I hear you have some genius new student? Had to go looking for someone worth your time after your little golden boy left you?”

Jinhwan’s breath caught in his throat at the comment, “golden boy”—they were talking about him. Jinhwan was Eric’s golden boy. Who was this new genius student, though? Must be someone brand new who hadn’t been training at the club when Jinhwan had left. He listened more closely, desperate to hear information.

“Ah, yeah is that what they’re saying now?” Eric’s teasing voice responded. “I guess they must be talking about you, huh?” A bubble of laughter that Jinhwan didn’t recognize met the question. “This is my newest student, Park Jimin! Jimin-ah, this is an old friend of mine, Jung Woobin. We actually started our jiu jitsu training together when we were kids, believe it or not!”

Park Jimin. Jinhwan etched the name into his memory, needing to remember it so he could check out where this kid was listed in the schedule. Was he a purple belt as well? Or was he still just a blue? If he was a purple belt, would Jinhwan get to fight him? How good was he really if he was being teased with the genius nickname? Could he be as good as Jinhwan was?

“I looked over the brackets, saw your old boy is here too! Kim Jinhwan! Watched him at the last tournament, still as lethal as ever. You really have a way with training the small ones, huh?”

“Hey, I don’t pick the superstars, they pick me!” Eric joked back, and Jinhwan felt so weird hearing his own name from some stranger’s mouth.

“Looks like they have a chance at meeting in the final, if they both get there. What odds are you taking if it happens? New kid versus the old kid? Who’s your winner?”

“Ah seriously, what kind of question is that?” Eric groaned, and Jinhwan’s heart raced suddenly, because he wanted to know what Eric was thinking. Wanted to know who he thought was better. There was no way he could be training someone better than him. No way. He’d have heard of this Jimin kid by now!

“Hyung!”

A new voice. Jimin?

“Hyung come on, why are you even hesitating?” The voice had a whiny, petulant quality about it that already had hairs standing on the back of Jinhwan’s neck. “You’re going to pick me, right?”

“Ah, Jimin-ah, you’re both excellent fighters--”

“Hyung, you’re seriously hurting my confidence right now!” Jinhwan couldn’t help but sneer at the whining response. He hated this Jimin kid already. It didn’t matter to him that Jimin was probably just being playful with his coach--it was irritating and bratty and Jinhwan felt like punching him already.

The group was laughing, though, and Jinhwan wondered what sort of looking Eric was giving Jimin? Did he look at him they way he’d looked at Jinhwan, back at the beginning? Affection and pride in his eyes? Had Eric gotten close to him, the way he’d gotten close to Jinhwan?

No. No, of course not. What he and Eric had had… Not possible now for someone else. If Jinhwan hadn’t been enough… No way some new kid would even come close. It was just professional. That’s all it could be.

“Ah listen to you, you big whiner! Of course I’d choose you to win it all.”

There it was. Eric had chosen Jimin. A sudden sense of rage flooded Jinhwan’s system, rage coupled with betrayal and jealousy and a childish desire to walk around the corner and tell Eric to go himself. Eric thought he’d found a replacement for him? He’d replaced his golden boy with a genius? 

Park Jimin was going to be destroyed. 

Jinhwan pushed his way off the wall and stalked back into the gym, wanting to put as much distance between himself and Eric as possible. He knew it wouldn’t last long, but he couldn’t chance seeing him right now because he didn’t trust himself to react calmly. He paused at the board to look over the groups, eyes scanning for that ing name.

Earlier he’d found out that he and Junhoe were in opposing groups with their only chance to meet up being all the way at the top in the final match. It was kind of exciting, the thought of fighting Junhoe again. A little weird since they were friends now. The match would undoubtedly be different than the last tournament. Jinhwan hoped he would be able to refrain from teasing Junhoe, but he hoped they’d be able to fight without any awkwardness afterwards. He’d try to win, of course, but he wouldn’t be malicious like he’d been the last time.

Park Jimin changed things, though. Jimin was in a third group, and Jinhwan’s heart sank when he saw that Jimin’s route to Jinhwan lay directly through Junhoe.

Jinhwan was torn. On one hand of course he wanted Junhoe to win, because he was a great fighter and he deserved to go as far as he could. But on the other hand, Jinhwan wasdesperate to face Eric’s new fighter. Wanted to destroy him right in front of Eric. Wanted to submit him using a damn omoplata just to rub salt in the wounds. Wanted Eric to watch as he dismantled his new genius. 

God, he was starting to sound like some bitter ex. He needed to calm down before this affected him any worse. If he spent his fights focused on Eric, he’d possibly slip up and pay for it. He needed to refocus on himself and forget about this Jimin kid. Forget about Eric. He left the board and made his way back to Bobby, eager to see his face and hear his voice so he could use him to drive Eric out of his thoughts. Bobby was texting and from the look on his face Jinhwan was sure it was Hanbin he was talking to. Jinhwan was still surprised at the way Bobby was approaching this new relationship. He’d never been cute with any of his other boyfriends, never gotten mushy and ridiculous. It was sweet, the way Hanbin was changing him. Jinhwan liked seeing it on Bobby.

“Are you being gross right now?” Jinhwan teased as he approached, and he leaned down behind Bobby, wrapping his arms around his best friend’s shoulders, draping himself over Bobby’s back. He was cuddling in an attempt to push Eric further from his brain, and he was grateful that Bobby wasn’t pushing him away.

“Oh shut up,” Bobby replied with a smile, “they’re almost here. Listen though, before they do get here, do we need to have a talk about you and Junhoe?”

“What about us?” Jinhwan asked, shifting a little to look at Bobby’s face.

“He hasn’t said anything, but Hanbin thinks he’s nervous about what’ll happen if you guys fight each other. None of us want you guys being awkward and unfriendly again, so please be nice to him.”

Jinhwan grinned, not surprised that the request came from Hanbin. He always seemed to be two steps ahead of them all in terms of emotional intelligence. “The only time we might meet is if we both make it to the final, and in that fight you can’t afford to have any friends!”

“Jinan! I’m being serious.”

Jinhwan hugged him tighter. “I know, I’m just joking. I plan on being really nice to Junhoe all day, even if we do fight each other. I won’t be an , not even as a joke. I know he’s more sensitive than I am.”

Bobby seemed relieved with the answer. “Okay good, just making sure. I’ve enjoyed watching you two get along, I think you’re good friends.”

Jinhwan grinned and tugged on the strings of Bobby’s hoodie. “I promise I’ll be good! I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“Can’t be disappointed if I don’t expect anything good.” Bobby teased back.

Jinwan laughed at his response and nuzzled his face into Bobby’s neck. Having him here was really helping at the moment, it was almost like Bobby knew that Jinhwan needed the physical closeness and light hearted teasing. “Ah, don’t be mean to me! I need your support today, it’s a big tournament!”

While Jinhwan and Bobby were being playful in the stands, Junhoe and Hanbin were just arriving at the venue. Junhoe hadn’t ended up saying anything to Hanbin about Jinhwan, deciding instead to play it by ear. If Jinhwan was in a friendly mood, than he hoped he wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

“Hey, let’s look at the brackets first?” Junhoe grabbed Hanbin’s arm and pulled him over to the board. Usually he never checked the brackets first and didn’t look at them until he had a team meeting. There was something about checking them right away that made him feel vulnerable, like he was worried about who he was going to be fighting. It was all a mental game, the pre-fight waiting period. But he wanted to know if there was a chance he’d be facing Jinhwan in his group.

Hanbin stood next to him and didn’t say anything, aware of the change in Junhoe’s pre-fight behaviour. He had a feeling it was because of Jinhwan, but he didn’t want to say anything. While this tournament was technically smaller than the last, there were far fewer belt classes participating, so that made for more groups within Junhoe’s belt range. Unlike the last tournament, where there had been only two groups, this tournament had four. But Junhoe and Jinhwan were in opposing groups, and if Hanbin was reading things properly, the only time they might meet was in the final.

Junhoe was relieved to see it. While he wouldn’t mind fighting Jinhwan again, he did not want to fight him early on. It gave him plenty of time to judge Jinhwan’s personality today.

“Do you recognize anyone in your group?” Hanbin asked, looking over the names.

“Yeah, I know I’ve fought one of them before, beat him of course.” Junhoe studied the other two names. “I know one of the other guys, but haven’t fought him since I got promoted. I don’t recognize the third name, though. Some guy from Jeju island. I wonder if Jinhwan knows him?”

Hanbin couldn’t help but grin when Junhoe mentioned Jinhwan. Things seemed to be going well in that department, judging from Junhoe’s continued casual mentioning of Jinhwan in conversation. He always seemed to find some way to bring him up. Hanbin hadn’t drawn attention to it, of course, because he knew it would probably make Junhoe awkward.

“Do you know anyone in his group?” Hanbin asked.

Junhoe studied Jinhwan’s group, looking over the names and club attachments. This was a country-wide tournament, after all, unlike the previous that had been city only. He only recognized one name in Jinhwan’s group.

“One guy, but I haven’t fought him either.” It was interesting to see so many names he didn’t know. Were they all older fighters who hadn’t competed in the past two tournaments ever since he’d gotten his purple belt? For the first time since promotion, Junhoe couldn’t help but feel young. He’d only had his purple belt for five months but there were probably guys here who’d been purple belts for years. Of course experience didn’t always mean you’d be a better fighter than someone new. Junhoe knew that when it came to the sport, he was better than average. He’d risen up quickly through the ranks at his club. It granted him confidence in the face of experience.

After spending another minute looking over the other competitors they headed inside and Hanbin immediately started making his way over to Bobby and Jinhwan. He stopped suddenly, though, and looked back at Junhoe.

“Do you want to sit with them for the whole thing? I didn’t even ask, I’m sorry. We can sit on our own if you want?”

Junhoe shook his head, a little confused about why Hanbin was asking. But then he realized that Hanbin had probably picked up on his nerves regarding Jinhwan, and Junhoe smiled at Hanbin’s thoughtfulness. “No let’s sit with them! I mean we’re not fighting today anyway, and I don’t want to deprive you of Bobby all day. The pathetic puppy dog eyes you’d be making at him wouldn’t be worth it.”

Hanbin huffed in disbelief. “I am not that bad!”

“Oh yes you are!” Junhoe replied, grinning as Hanbin reached out to link their arms together. He was so grateful that Hanbin still came with him every time because no matter how he was feeling, he could always count on Hanbin to pick up on it and be helpful in some indirect way. If things did start getting awkward between he and Jinhwan, there was no way Hanbin would let it happen, Junhoe was sure of that.

Jinhwan watched them walking in together and his heart felt even lighter at the sight of friends. Forget Eric! He didn’t need him. Not when he had such a good group of people to surround himself with. Jinhwan waved in greeting as they got closer. “Wow, fancy meeting you guys here! It’s almost like we planned this or something!”

Hanbin grinned back at him and he couldn’t help but think it was cute, seeing Jinhwan cuddled up to Bobby. Maybe people would think it was weird, seeing some other guy cuddling with his boyfriend, but they were best friends. Hanbin liked to do the same with Junhoe, after all, so it would be hypocritical of him to be upset at Jinhwan.

“I know, it’s a weird place to have a double date, right?” Hanbin teased, grinning when Junhoe playfully shoved him away. Jinhwan laughed and retreated from Bobby, while Bobby held his hand out and Hanbin took it, sinking down next to him on the bench.

“Should Junhoe and I go and sit by ourselves? You guys aren’t gonna be disgusting all day, are you?” Jinhwan teased, surprised when Junhoe came over to sit down next to him instead of staying beside Hanbin. It gave him a warm feeling, like Junhoe was actually seeking him out instead of just tolerating his presence.

“Probably not all day, but a good majority?” Hanbin teased back before quickly leaning forward to kiss Bobby’s cheek. Bobby kissed him back, and Jinhwan still thought it was adorable how quickly Bobby would do it now.

Bobby liked the change in himself too, the more he thought about it. Sure, it was weird, being all cute and cuddly with Hanbin in public. But it just made him happy, and that was the most important thing, he thought. It didn’t matter anymore if people thought he was too soft for wanting to kiss his boyfriend in public. Despite the confusion of his thoughts as of late, at the end of the day he was just happy to have someone who was so open in showing his affection. For whatever reason, Hanbin really was into him, and it felt nice to get constant reminders of it.

“We’ll give you guys a break when it’s time for you to fight, promise!” Bobby replied.

“Ah, so selfless!” Jinhwan teased.

“Yeah, Bobby hyung’s a real saint!” Junhoe added, grinning at the both of them.

Bobby still felt stupidly happy when Junhoe called him hyung. Everything in the group was just getting so peaceful and comfortable, and he was relieved that Junhoe really seemed to be relaxing when he was around them now. It was nice seeing a more playful side of him emerge.

“Jinan hyung, Junhoe mentioned that he’s fighting some guy from Jeju island in his group. We were curious if you knew him?” Hanbin asked.

Jinhwan focused a confused gaze on Junhoe, trying to remember the brackets. Jimin wasn’t in Junhoe’s group, so did that mean that Eric had brought other fighters to the tournament? “What’s his name?”

“I think it was Jang Soohyun?” Junhoe replied.

“Oh, I know Soohyun!” Jinhwan answered, surprised he’d missed his name. He must have been too focused on looking for Jimin to recognize anyone else. “We trained together when I was living on Jeju. He’s really good, his submissions are really tight, that’s what he spent most of his time focusing on. Make sure you protect your back, that’s what he always tries to go for.”

Junhoe was surprised at the sudden bits of information that Jinhwan was giving him. He’d trained with Soohyun for years, while they’d only been friends for a few weeks. “Were you guys friends?”

Jinhwan shrugged. “Ah, not really? I mean we were friendly, we got along, but he’s a year older than me and he takes age super seriously. Like if I ever spoke to him and wasn’t perfectly respectful, he’d be offended and would ignore me for the rest of the night.” Jinhwan grinned now that he was thinking about it. “Of course I used to make it a point of not speaking to him respectfully sometimes, just to annoy him. Actually, if you really want to get under his skin, when you’re shaking hands before the fight tell him that Jinhwan sends his regards to Soo-sshi! He hates that nickname!”

Junhoe laughed at the anecdote, amused at the name. Jinhwan really did have a bratty side to him, but Junhoe was seeing that it was very playful, and that made all the difference.

Bobby shook his head at them. “Ah Jinan, being a bad influence already!” He had to admit it was a little cute, though, the way Junhoe was coming more and more out of his shell around Jinhwan. He was starting to see more of that attraction Hanbin had mentioned, caught the way they sometimes looked at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking.

Bobby had the sinking feeling that he was going to be losing his bet to Hanbin.

Junhoe was feeling good about the day, pleased that Jinhwan seemed to be in such a good mood and that he automatically had his back in fights against former club mates. It made him confident that if they did fight each other later, it would be nothing like their first fights. He probably wouldn’t even take Jinhwan’s teasing seriously either. That was only if they both made it to the final, of course. Nothing was guaranteed, especially not with a much wider spread of competitors. There were fighters here he knew nothing about, after all. He had to remember that. He was still fresh in the ranks as a purple belt, so he couldn’t afford to be cocky and overconfident. That had gotten him an kicking the last time he’d done it. He had to learn from his experiences with Jinhwan.

Hanbin had moved to sit in between Bobby’s legs so it was easier for him to see Jinhwan and Junhoe when they talked, and Bobby had his arms wrapped around Hanbin’s shoulders as he looked out over the crowd. He was scanning everyone there, and suddenly wondered if Jinhwan’s old trainer was here? It would make sense, if there were guys from Jinhwan’s old club. Of course he hadn’t been the only trainer, but any time Jinhwan had come to Seoul to compete, Eric had always come with him.

“Hey Jinan, who came from Jeju with the fighters? Any idea?” Bobby asked, and he just missed the involuntary tensing that had seized Jinhwan with the question.

“I don’t know, I guess we’ll see when Junhoe fights Soohyun.” Jinhwan replied, and he tried to keep his voice level, tried to not give himself away. Bobby didn’t know about Eric, after all. Didn’t know they’d dated, wasn’t aware of the extra layer of problems. Of course he’d ask about him.

“Don’t you still keep in touch with Eric? Did he say anything about coming?” Bobby asked, curious if they’d be seeing him. He’d always liked Eric.

Junhoe’s head snapped up at the name. “Eric Kwon?”

Jinhwan looked at him in surprise. “Yeah, he was my coach back on Jeju.” How did Junhoe know Eric?

“You trained with Eric Kwon?” Junhoe repeated, shocked at the revelation. “He’s amazing! I’ve watched his fights on-line so many times, he’s so good!”

Jinhwan didn’t respond at first, because it was just weird hearing someone else talk about Eric like he was some kind of celebrity. Jinhwan wasn’t sure why he was surprised though. Eric was something of a celebrity, at least in the Korean fighting world. It was just odd because Jinhwan knew him on a personal level.

“No wonder you’re so good!” Junhoe said. “Man, I’m jealous! Why did you leave if you had him training you?” Junhoe asked, legitimately curious. Eric was easily one of the top five fighters in Korea. How could Jinhwan give up training under him?

Jinhwan shrugged, unsure as to how he ought to respond. “I uh, just needed to get off the island,” true enough, of course, “and my trumpet instructor wanted me to come here for music anyway.” Kind of a lie, but believable.

“Ah, I see. That’s unfortunate though! I still can’t believe you actually trained with him! That’s amazing.” Junhoe was floored. Eric Kwon… He hoped he’d be here. Maybe Jinhwan could introduce him? Junhoe didn’t want to look like some kind of lame fan boy or anything, but he’d been watching Eric’s fights for years now. Eric had competed in international competitions, always faring well. It would be amazing to train with him.

“He’s just a regular guy, Junhoe-ya. But if he’s here I’ll introduce you.” Jinhwan really hoped Junhoe wouldn’t want to keep talking about him. Luckily he didn’t, and soon enough they were discussing music. Hanbin and Bobby were talking about their favourite tracks from Swings’ newest mixtape “Levitate”. Jinhwan wasn’t surprised, it was all Bobby had been listening to for the past two days since it had dropped. After twenty minutes it was time for Junhoe to head down and prepare for his first match, and Jinhwan went with him.

Hanbin and Bobby bid Junhoe good luck, opting to remain where they were sitting high up in the stands, and Jinhwan was certain they were just desperate for a little time alone together. It was fine, though, probably better if they stayed where they were. Jinhwan had enough on his mind already.

Junhoe was the first one to spot Eric, stopping and looking back at Jinhwan. “He is here!” Junhoe looked back at the bottom of the stands. “Is that the guy I’m fighting?” Junhoe asked, watching the guy who stood next to Eric.

“Yeah, that’s Soohyun.” . What was he supposed to do now? Junhoe was fighting Eric’s trainee, there was no way Jinhwan could avoid him. His anger from earlier had abated with the help of his friends, thankfully, but he still didn’t feel ready for the meeting. He was going to have to acknowledge him, though. Junhoe wanted an introduction, after all. Could he handle it without being weird?

“, I can’t believe I’m actually fighting in front of him.” Junhoe couldn’t stop himself from making the comment, too surprised to filter out any stupid fan boy comments.

“Don’t be nervous,” Jinhwan replied, focusing his attention on Junhoe, “think of it this way—you need to kick Soohyun’s if you want to make a good impression, right?” Okay, he definitely had to make sure that Junhoe didn’t flop from nerves. The last thing he wanted was for Eric to see him being friendly with a nervous flop. He needed Junhoe to look impressive. Needed Eric to respect him. Needed Eric to worry that his precious little genius might not even make it to the final, not if he had to go through Junhoe.

“I’m good, I can do this. I was just surprised to see him.” Junhoe took a deep breath, calming himself down. He was grateful that Jinhwan was here, lucky that Jinhwan actually knew Eric so he wasn’t freaking out over him. Jinhwan didn’t seem affected at all that he was even here. It was good. Junhoe needed to leech off of that lack of celebrity intimidation.

“Come on, let’s get you ready. You’ve got this, I know you do. Like I told you, just watch your back and don’t let him get you in a submission and you’ll be good. You’ve got better attacking skills, so get points on him. Soohyun looks for submissions, not points, so just outlast him, which I know you can do. If you do try for a submission, go for his knees, they’re his weakest points.” All of Jinhwan’s training memories of Soohyun were coming out now, and he was desperate to fill Junhoe’s head with them.

“Thanks, hyung!” Junhoe replied, eating up every word Jinhwan told him. He wondered why he was so desperate to help? Was there bad blood between Jinhwan and Soohyun? Or did Jinhwan just legitimately want him to win? Whatever it was, Junhoe considered himself lucky for it. It always helped to know your opponent.

Jinhwan took a seat with Junhoe’s club mates, who looked a little confused to see him. Jinhwan didn’t say anything to them, though, watching as Junhoe walked out to meet Soohyun. His eyes continued to settle on Eric, watching him while he watched Soohyun. Jinhwan couldn’t help himself from feeling annoyed. Eric must have seen him by now? Hadn’t he noticed him standing by Junhoe? Why hadn’t he tried to make eye contact with him yet? Why hadn’t he texted him, said hello and confirmed they were still going to meet up later? The more Jinhwan thought about it, the more aggravated he felt.

Junhoe had better win his match. Jinhwan needed his victory, just for his own peace of mind. Eric wouldn’t have a choice but to acknowledge him, either at the end of the match or when Jinhwan went over to formally introduce them. He wanted to introduce Junhoe after Eric was forced to watch him beat Soohyun. Wanted to rub the victory in Eric’s face and make him regret his words earlier.

Suddenly Jinhwan realized that Jimin would probably be sitting by Eric to watch this match. He couldn’t be fighting right now (otherwise Jinhwan was sure that Eric would be with him, watching over his stupid little genius) so Jinhwan scanned the fighters settled around Eric.

He recognized Song Changwook (a fighter who was a year younger than Jinhwan, and who must have just only been promoted to purple belt) and Seo Insung (a brown belt three years Jinhwan’s senior) but there was one fighter he didn’t know, a purple belt with messy brown hair and chubby cheeks. Was that Park Jimin? Was that Jinhwan’s newest enemy?

He was so focused on the new face that he missed the start of the match. He gave his head a shake and focused his sights on Junhoe, watching him closely, judging his technique against Soohyun’s. Junhoe was a little taller and had a longer arm reach. Soohyun, for his part, looked respectful of Junhoe’s size, and they circled one another, trying to feel each other out.

Junhoe attacked first, gaining a takedown and powering his way into the guard position. Jinhwan nodded, pleased with the first act. Junhoe was listening to his advice. As the first round went on, Jinhwan felt like this was already a different side of Junhoe than he’d seen at the last tournament. He fought more intelligently, instead of simply powering his way through an opponent with the expectation of victory. Jinhwan liked what he was seeing.

The first round of the match was a technical affair, both fighters looking good but Junhoe was ahead on points at the end. Jinhwan was content with the round, Junhoe had obviously heeded every bit of his advice. He was confident in Junhoe’s ability to finish.

The second round went in a similar direction, and Jinhwan tried to keep his focus on Junhoe, but his eyes kept sliding to Eric, drawn to him instinctively. With only a minute left in the second round (and Junhoe still ahead on points, but the gap had closed a bit) Soohyun managed to attain guard position on Junhoe, ankles crossed against Junhoe’s back.

Jinhwan leaned forward in his seat, biting his tongue to keep from yelling encouragements. Junhoe was his friend but not his teammate. It already looked weird for him to be sitting with Junhoe’s team for his fight. It would look really suspect if he started giving instruction.

But Junhoe remembered Jinhwan’s advice and he took his time to think about his best option. He drove his elbows down against Soohyun’s thighs, loosening his legs up so his ankles uncrossed, breaking the lock around his back. He knew he’d have to be careful in his movements, knew he’d have to anticipate and think about how to escape if things went the wrong way.

He wanted to go for a kneebar on Soohyun, but he remembered Jinhwan’s warning that Soohyun was particularly dangerous when he went for the back. In order to get the knee bar, Junhoe would be showing his back. Necessary evil, unless he went for something different? But time was running out, and even though Junhoe knew he was up on points, it wasn’t by much. He wanted an impressive win, not a safe win.

So being safe. He was fighting right in front of Eric Kwon—he wanted to be noticed.

He dug his elbows in again and quickly pushed off with his left foot, swinging up and over Soohyun’s leg, hooking his arm around the calf. He quickly twisted onto his side on the floor, grabbing Soohyun’s ankle with his other hand and arching his hips forward, applying pressure onto Soohyun’s knee.

He felt fingers gripping the back of his gi, an attempt by Soohyun to get leverage and break out of it, but it didn’t last long and seconds later he heard the tapping sound of Soohyun’s hand on the mat, followed by the official’s call for him to drop the hold. He did, rolling off of Soohyun and pumping his fists in excitement, pleased with his performance.

He sought out Jinhwan first, huge smile directed at him and he bowed in his direction, grateful for every bit of advice Jinhwan had given him. Soohyun had been a difficult opponent, and if Junhoe hadn’t known what Jinhwan had told him, every opportunity existed that he might have gotten himself into a very bad situation very quickly. Instead he’d followed a different approach, using his intelligence to anticipate the moves, managing to stay ahead of a difficult opponent the entire time. He felt proud of himself for the victory, prouder than he usually felt.

He turned around after bowing to his coach, seeking out his opponent. Soohyun had just risen from the mat, shaking his knee out. They bowed to each other and clasped hands after, sharing compliments on the fight. Junhoe completely forgot about Jinhwan’s teasing comments about Soo-sshi, too happy with his own performance to even want to .

They quickly moved off the mat and Junhoe met his coach, who was standing now with Eric, both of them having what looked like a friendly conversation. Before Junhoe had a chance to say anything Jinhwan was there, grabbing his hand and pulling him in for a hug.

“Congrats, Junhoe-ya! You looked great!” Jinhwan meant it. The difference in technique and approach had worked against Soohyun, and he was happy that he’d been able to help. It felt good to be a positive influence on him.

“Thanks, hyung! I’m really happy with how it turned out.” Junhoe hugged him back, arms tight around Jinhwan’s back. He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face.

They were interrupted, though.

“Kim Jinhwan! I should have known.”

Despite being angry and annoyed and bitter only minutes ago, the sound of Eric’s voice saying his name had Jinhwan suddenly smiling, the expression emerging all on its own. He reluctantly let go of Junhoe, turning to face Eric.

God, he’d missed him.

“Come here!” Eric beckoned him forward with outstretched arms and Jinhwan couldn’t stop himself from bounding forward and hugging him, eyes closed briefly when Eric’s arms circled around him tightly. The hug didn’t last long, and Jinhwan reached back for Junhoe, finding his hand and pulling him forward.

“Hyung, this is my good friend Koo Junhoe! He’s a big fan of yours.” Jinhwan kept his promise of an introduction, grinning when Junhoe awkwardly bowed.

Eric watched them both with a smile. “Ah, I figured he must be a friend, since I see you’re not with the same club?” He winked at Jinhwan before focusing on Junhoe. “Impressive fight! You both did really well, that was a great opening match. I hope you’re proud of your performance.”

Junhoe’s heart felt like it was at risk of combustion. “Ah, thank you!” He replied, flustered now that the match was over. He kept telling himself that he had no reason to be so nervous in front of this guy! Eric Kwon was a regular person, just like anyone else. It was just the adrenaline that had him flustered, too much excitement and nowhere to expend it now that the match was done.

Jinhwan smiled as he watched Junhoe address Eric. Okay, despite everything he was feeling, all the confusion and skipping around between opposing emotions, it was sweet to see Junhoe so excited over meeting Eric—and it was equally good to see Eric be so nice to him, complimenting him honestly even though Junhoe had just beaten his fighter. Jinhwan turned away from them, wanting to give Junhoe a moment to himself with Eric.

Instead Jinhwan sought out Soohyun.

“Hey, Soo-sshi! Sorry about the outcome, but it was a good fight!” Jinhwan grinned at Soohyun’s annoyed expression.

“Jinhwan-sshi, disrespectful as usual!” Soohyun grumbled back at him.

“Ah, hyung, don’t be a sore loser!” Jinhwan teased, grinning when Soohyun glared at him.

“Did you tell your friend all about me or something?” Soohyun asked, because despite not being familiar with him, Soohyun had noticed that Junhoe had seemed to anticipate everything he’d tried to do. That sort of knowledge could only come from inside information.

“Of course I did! What’s the point in making friends if you don’t use them, right?” Jinhwan replied, grinning when Soohyun rolled his eyes. They parted ways soon after that, but not before Eric pulled Jinhwan in for another hug and whispered to him that they’d meet up after the day was over. Jinhwan readily agreed to it, and when he left Eric’s side he almost couldn’t believe the shift in emotion. He’d gone from blazing anger to content pleasure far too quickly. He wasn’t that easy, was he? Nothing more than simple attentioncould fix things? He was almost embarrassed for himself. He felt like some stupid kid with a crush, overlooking every ty thing that person could possibly do just because they smiled in your direction. If hello and a smile could discard the anger, Jinhwan felt like he was potentially going to be in trouble later.

Maybe. Maybe not. The day was still young, and he still had to watch Jimin fight. Would Eric hug him after the match? Celebrate affectionately with him?

The irritation was already flaring up again.

“Hey, Jinan hyung, I just wanted to say thanks.”

Jinhwan stopped in his tracks at Junhoe’s comment, a little surprised to hear it.

Junhoe stood in front of him, a little nervous but still happy. “Honestly, I uh, don’t know if I would have beaten him without your help. I probably would have walked right into a submission.”

Jinhwan smiled at the comment, pleased to hear it. Junhoe hadn’t really struck him as the type who liked to admit when he needed help, and the fact that he was doing it now, given their short time as friends (and short time as rivals before that) had Jinhwan feeling even more surprised, but overall grateful. It felt good to help others, and he reached out suddenly to take Junhoe’s hand.

“You’re welcome! You know I could really see the difference in your approach this time. Last time I watched you fight, you didn’t really think as much as you did this time. I feel like you went into every fight with the expectation of winning, and you just reacted on the spot as the match went on. But this time you really thought about everything, you calculated every move you made. You looked really good, it was impressive.” Junhoe shook his head and Jinhwan grinned when he saw the faint blush that spread over his cheeks. “I mean it! I was really impressed.”

Junhoe’s face went a little red at Jinhwan’s reply, and he hoped he wouldn’t get teased for it. “Thanks, hyung. I feel better about this victory because of that. I mean, you’re right. I thought way more about everything in this fight. I took my time and weighed the pros and cons of every move. I usually don’t fight like that.”

“Well you can’t always fight like that, really only works when you know stuff about your opponent. Thanks for listening to all my advice.” Jinhwan wanted to for blushing, but he kept it to himself. He felt like they were having a really important moment right now, and he remembered his comment to Bobby earlier. Junhoe was much more sensitive a person than he was. He had to be careful about when he .

“Yeah, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it. And uh, thanks for introducing me to Eric. I can’t believe I met him and beat one of his guys! And then he complimented me! I beat his guy and he complimented me.”

Jinhwan grinned and felt grateful to Eric for being so nice to Junhoe. “Yeah, he’s a really great guy, he always appreciates talent when he sees it. Anyway, let’s get you back to the lovebirds! You three can all be up on cloud nine together!” Jinhwan teased, and he was a little surprised but also pleased when Junhoe put his arm around his shoulders. They walked back to Hanbin and Bobby in the best of spirits.

Whatever happened with Eric would happen. Jinhwan was pretty sure he’d come out of it all unscathed as long as he stuck with his friends. His feelings were still confused, anger over Eric’s comments and the thought of being replaced was at war with the soothing happiness of just seeing him again. The pleasure of one simple little hug had him floating.

Whatever. Just because he was happy to see Eric, it didn’t mean anything. They’d had a weird end to their relationship, and Jinhwan probably just hadn’t gotten proper closure. Maybe that was all he needed. They’d split and intended to stay close, but Jinhwan had hidden from him instead. Maybe all he needed to do was stop hiding.

He had other people in his life. He didn’t need Eric anymore.