As promised, here is the full outline of Our Friends Talk (About Us).

I’ve already posted Chapters 1-3, but if you want a recap of what happened in those chapters without having to read the full-length of each, they are also included in this outline!

Total length: 12k words

 

 

Characters & Settings

MAIN CHARACTERS

Baekhyun Byun Korean; born in Los Angeles, California, USA Dyed his hair blond, thus called “blondie” by Nami His father is a real estate developer, his mother is an architect; both parents are wealthy and travel the world in between properties, so Baekhyun lives alone Doesn’t take academics seriously; more interested in soccer than anything else (currently plays center-midfield for the UCLA Bruins) Frat boy, part of “Zeta Alpha Psi” – but not really interested in parties or drinking; he’s just good friends with a lot of people Gets distracted very easily Major in business management, will probably take over his father’s business Nami Fujita Japanese; born in Los Angeles, California, USA Her short height earns her a nickname of “shortie” from Baekhyun; naturally tan from going to the beach and getting some sun Her mother is a nurse, her father was a construction worker before he passed away Takes academics very seriously; has a strong work ethic when it comes to learning and building skills; doesn’t really like parties but is down to have fun with her best friends Very involved in the Environmental Student Network (ESN), is Vice President of the club after being on it for almost four years Focused, already has an eight-year plan for what she’ll do after graduating Double major in communications and political science, future investigative journalist

SIDE CHARACTERS

NOTE This list is incomplete and only mentions some of the many side characters. BAEKHYUN’S FRIENDS Mark Lee A freshman (first year) soccer player, 18-years-old, and hasn’t gotten over his horndog phase (he’s always gawking at the women’s soccer team during practices) Needs help with talking to girls → and that’s why Baekhyun is there for him Andreea Florescu A senior (fourth year) conspiracy theorist, believes in aliens amongst other things, doesn’t really trust the government, and wants to work as an astronomer She failed Writing 2 → and that’s how she ends up in Baekhyun’s class again NAMI’S FRIENDS Aru Athanne London-born French-Korean girl with wealthy parents that own Michelin 3-star restaurants in France and England; dismissive finance major The “rich” friend in the group Khushi Malhotra Born in the United States but her parents were from Jaipur, India; student body president and future physician The “planner” friend in the group Lizeth Yanez Born in the United States but her parents were from Sinaloa, Mexico; fine arts major and future actress The “dreamy” friend in the group

SETTINGS

MAIN LOCATIONS Los Angeles, California, USA University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) OTHER LOCATIONS West LA: Baekhyun’s principal residence Bel Air: Chanyeol’s house Little Tokyo: Nami’s favorite rooftop parking lot

 

Chapter 1 – We Hate Each Other (A Lot)

SETTING

TIMEFRAME START: September, start of new academic year, fall quarter END: October, first week POINT OF VIEW: Baekhyun

CHAPTER 1, SCENE 1

Baekhyun is on the soccer field, leading the men’s soccer team in practice, when Coach Matt says that he wants to talk to him. Baekhyun finds out that he won’t be captain anymore because his GPA has been falling, and the university has a baseline average for athletes playing in Division I. The university wants their students to excel in academics before sports. “You’re not captain anymore.” “What do you mean I’m not captain anymore?” Baekhyun asks defensively, almost snapping. “What? I led us to a championship last year.” Baekhyun is barely meeting the requirements with his 2.63 GPA, so he can still play on the team, but he can’t be captain unless his GPA is higher. “You haven’t passed ‘Writing 2’ apparently. That’s a GE. It’s a state requirement to pass that class if you want to graduate.” Baekhyun is understandably pissed, but there’s nothing he can do. Coach Matt says that the Dean of the English Department wants him to see a tutor to help him pass the Writing 2 class. → Baekhyun will also be required to see the tutor on Mondays and Wednesdays, meaning he’ll miss practices, including the current one. “On Mondays and Wednesdays? From 2PM to 4PM?” Baekhyun stares at Coach in disbelief. “I’m gonna miss half of our practices. It says that I shouldn’t even be at here today.” Baekhyun is fuming; he feels violated. The one that he’s proud of, being a team captain, is being taken away from him. Baekhyun grabs his stuff off the field; his teammates are confused, but Baekhyun tells them to ask Coach, and he angrily storms off the field.

CHAPTER 1, SCENE 2

It’s almost 4 when Baekhyun finally shows up at Kaplan Hall he meets Nami Fujita, his new tutor. While on his way, Baekhyun takes note of the UCLA’s architecture. It’s hinted that he has a close relationship with his mother who happens to be an architect – and that’s why he likes looking at the buildings so much. Baekhyun meets Professor Tanveer Goyal, his past professor, by the entrance with one of his “top” students – Nami Fujita – who will be his tutor. Immediately, Baekhyun recognizes Nami as the girl who reported him for academic dishonesty last summer – and the girl who called the campus police on him for bringing alcohol to campus. Baekhyun hates Nami for those things because it got him in a lot of trouble with his father, and he wants to protest Nami as his tutor, but Professor Goyal reveals that he’s personally overseeing Baekhyun’s progress. → Nami and Baekhyun can’t be fighting. “So you’re the one who failed half my essays last year?” “And you’re the one who didn’t even try to do the readings?” Professor Goyal will be his reporting advisor; Professor Yeager is his professor for the class. Professor Goyal leaves Baekhyun with Nami so they can discuss the syllabus, coursework, etc. Nami doesn’t really want anything to do with Baekhyun, so she dumps a bunch of info on him. “Don’t be late for our meetings or I’ll kill you for wasting my time. Any questions? None? Good.” Baekhyun already doesn’t like being bossed around by someone who he despises, so he just stares at Nami and tries to drown out her voice. While going their separate ways, Baekhyun doesn’t open the door for Nami, letting it close right in front of her face. He calls Nami “shortie.” “I’ll see you on Wednesday shortie,” Baekhyun says loudly to Nami. He opens the door before she can and proceeds to let it close on her face.

CHAPTER 1, SCENE 3

Baekhyun drives home and gets a phone call from his very disappointed father. Baekhyun lives in a luxury apartment building in West LA, by himself. Baekhyun is estranged from his father (Baekhyun calls him by “Sir”), but they still remain in contact, with Baekhyun’s father funding Baekhyun’s education and housing. Baekhyun’s father is a wealthy real estate developer who is constantly travelling between properties, so he doesn’t have time for Baekhyun as much. Although Baekhyun’s father is strict, he also shows a genuine attempt to reach out to his son; he tries to ask Baekhyun why he’s getting phone calls about his status at UCLA and if there’s anything he can do. “Do you want to tell me why Tanveer Goyal called me?” “Not really.” Although Baekhyun’s father wants to repair their relationship, Baekhyun is standoffish and rebuffs his father’s attempts.

CHAPTER 1, SCENE 4

Next Tuesday (October), during soccer practice, Baekhyun interacts with his team members. Hunter McAllister (third year) is the tall, American goalie who first asks Baekhyun why he wasn’t at their first practice on Monday. The co-captain, Hades Bordeaux (fourth year), is asking why he’s the team captain now. Baekhyun tells them both that he needs to focus on graduating, so he’s missing two practices a week to study. Baekhyun sees Mark Lee (first year), one of the new freshmen, who’s too busy watching the women’s soccer team do their laps to notice Baekhyun calling for him, so Baekhyun kicks a ball into his . Mark yelps, turns around, and runs to introduce himself to Baekhyun. Mark is Baekhyun’s “mentee” for the season. Baekhyun laughs at Mark’s awe of him and his stammering demeanor; he doesn’t really think much of the kid.

CHAPTER 1, SCENE 5

The following Wednesday, Baekhyun is on campus again, basically ready to die. Baekhyun meets up with his frat brothers (Zeta Alpha Psi, ZAP) who are in the middle of Rush Week. Johnny (second year) and Sehun (third year) give Baekhyun an update, saying that there’s a prospective recruit who’s also on the soccer team named “Mark Lee.” Baekhyun doesn’t know him well, so he shrugs it off and goes to class. Once at Professor Yeager’s classroom, Baekhyun only recognizes the one other person who must have failed Writing 2 from last year – Andreea Florescu, the “weird” astronomy major girl who always sat in the back of classes and tried to bribe Baekhyun for his notes (but he didn’t have any). “Hey, it’s you again,” Andreea whispers loudly as Baekhyun takes the seat next to hers. “You’re that guy who was always late to class last year.” “You’re the girl who tried to start a UFO-sighting club.” Andreea’s eyes widen. “Do you still wanna join? You wanna be my VP?” Andreea tries to recruit Baekhyun into her “space club,” and he’s too nice to flat out decline the offer. Baekhyun can barely pay attention in class, so he starts doodling. → Small implications that he has always had difficulty in paying attention. When class ends, Baekhyun doesn’t go straight to Kerckhoff Coffee House to tutoring with Nami; he wanders around campus, trying to get rid of his headache. When he does go to see Nami, he’s 20 minutes late. Baekhyun flirts with the cashier when he buys his chocolate croissant before sitting with Nami. “Why are you 29 minutes late?” Nami demands. “I had stuff to do.” “What stuff? I just saw you flirt with the cashier for the most useless two minutes of my life.” “You know what they say. Flirting’s just like a sport.” “You’re an idiot. No one says that.” Baekhyun can barely focus again. While Nami is talking, he notices several things about her (her lipstick color, her white nails, the rainbow highlighters peeking out of her pencil case) – and she gets mad that he’s not focusing. Nami gets mad and starts politely reprimanding Baekhyun, but Baekhyun doesn’t want to hear a word of it, so he just rebuffs her as a “bossy .” “Look, I know how much you don’t care about your grades, but I also know how much you supposedly hate wasting your time. So why don’t you just drop out and take an ‘L’ if you don’t even want to try?” “, I am trying. Maybe if you weren’t so neurotic over your Post-It notes, you’d notice that I’ve been trying to listen to your bull instructions for the past ten minutes.” Nami doesn’t want to argue, so she says that she’s leaving. He’s free to ask her questions, but she doesn’t want to waste her time arguing. They go their separate ways, Baekhyun clenching his jaw.

CHAPTER 1, SCENE 6

On Thursday, Baekhyun is at soccer practice, taking his anger out on free kicks. While during partner drills, Mark asks Baekhyun how to be a better midfield player since Baekhyun is a 4-year veteran, and Mark is new. Baekhyun gives great advice, but Mark gets distracted by the girls’ team doing laps around them. → Baekhyun kicks a soccer ball into Mark’s . “Wanna play good midfield? Pay ing attention.” Mark apologizes, but Baekhyun decides that he’ll need to run one “suicide” as punishment. Mark complains, but Baekhyun raises his hand and starts running. Baekhyun clearly loves being good at soccer; it’s the one thing that he knows he’s good at, so he revels in his abilities.

CHAPTER 1, SCENE 7

On Friday, Baekhyun goes to the last practice of the week. Baekhyun talks to his best friend, the techbro who’s also a boy, Chanyeol “Loey” Park (fourth year). Chanyeol wants Baekhyun to skip practice so they can drive to Malibu for a party, but Baekhyun declines him, saying that his practice is more important. While walking to practice, Baekhyun sees Andreea posting “SPACE CLUB” posters, and he chuckles at that. Baekhyun meets up with an ecstatic Mark near the Janss Steps. Baekhyun asks what he’s doing there, and apparently, Mark is waiting for the “cute girl” from his Anthropology class. “Who’s the girl?” Baekhyun asks, amused. “Jhazeen.” Mark turns away from a group of girls and shrugs towards one of them. Unfortunately, Baekhyun realizes that Jhazeen is in the Environment Club (Environmental Student Network, ESN) with Nami, and they’re hosting a weekly hike. Baekhyun makes eye contact with Nami, and he immediately rolls his eyes. At the same time, Mark is making heart eyes at Jhazeen – who doesn’t seem to notice. Mark tries to talk to Jhazeen, but Jhazeen is disinterested, and Nami tells Baekhyun and Mark to go to practice instead of fooling around. Nami tells Jhazeen to go post more posters by the Student Center, and Baekhyun tells Mark that newbies should never be late to practice. Baekhyun and Nami just hate each other. “Get your weirdo soccer boy friend away from my mentee,” Nami hisses. “Weirdo soccer boy friend? I didn’t know we were issuing new titles. What the hell are you then?” Baekhyun retorts. “Psycho queen?” “Excuse me? Did you not just see your friend try to be a bad influence?” “Bad influence? He could barely even ask her out.” “Exactly. I don’t condone weak men trying to ask out strong women.” Baekhyun and Nami are just fighting because they don’t like each other, like they only want to argue and make nothing out of nothing. Nami makes fun of the fact that Baekhyun isn’t the captain of the soccer team anymore, so Baekhyun tells her that he’s the VP of his own club (it’s actually Andreea’s Space Club). “I’m actually Vice President,” Nami snaps right back. She does this with a smirk too. “While I’m VP, you’re not even captain of the soccer team anymore, so watch your mouth.” “I’m Vice President of my own club too,” Baekhyun says despite his statement’s inaccuracy. “You’re not special.” “Oh, yeah? What club? The idiot society?” “The Space Club, actually.” Nami tells Baekhyun to stay away, essentially. “Fine, I’ll stay away if you stay away, shortie,” Baekhyun scoffs. “You too, blondie.” Baekhyun stands there, half-angry and half-surprised that Nami gave him a nickname too. Chapter 2 – Pretty Smart (But Mostly Pretty)

SETTING

TIMEFRAME START: October, third week END: November, first week POINT OF VIEW: Nami

CHAPTER 2, SCENE 1

During a Wednesday in the English Reading Room. Nami is a library assistant, and she spends most of her Mondays and Wednesdays working since she doesn’t need many units to graduate. It’s revealed that Nami is the daughter of a Japanese immigrant, so she spends a lot of time thinking about her “next” moves. She’s double-majoring in Communications and Political Science. Nami is having a good day. She waits for Baekhyun at the Shapiro Courtyard where they’ll be studying, and she almost doesn’t mind that he’s late because she gets the time to think about her future plans after college. When Baekhyun arrives, Nami reflexively rolls her eyes. As usual, Baekhyun is unprepared for anything, and he doesn’t even know that he has an essay due in two weeks. Nami tries her best to prepare for him the “easy” essay, but Baekhyun simply doesn’t care (in Nami’s eyes). “Are you doodling while I’m talking?” Nami’s thoughts about Baekhyun become very clear; she thinks that he’s a dumb jock type of guy who’ll get a cushy job somewhere because his parents are most likely wealthy. Nami is so done with Baekhyun that she says that she’ll just write his essay for him, shocking him. Baekhyun’s thoughts aren’t clear since he seems so stunned. “Seriously?” “Yeah, seriously. Why are you looking at me like that? I’m doing you a favor.” Baekhyun is genuinely surprised that Nami is already leaving, but Nami doesn’t care; she doesn’t want to waste time tutoring someone when she can just do the work herself and go home.

CHAPTER 2, SCENE 2

Next week. Nami is researching Baekhyun's essay while talking to her best friends at Aru’s big house.  Khushi Malhotra (fourth year) is the student body president and future physician. Like Nami, she was born in the United States to immigrant parents; hers were from Jaipur, India. She thinks that Baekhyun could be a decent person since she doesn’t know the full story. Has a very optimistic take. Does mention that she hates Hasan Bhasin because he’s a Desi boy. “Oh, Baekhyun? Yeah, I think I know him. He hangs out with Hasan all the time.” “Hasan?” “Hasan Bhasin. The Desi boy who plays right defense.” Aru Athanne (fourth year) is a dismissive finance major. She’s a London-born French-Korean girl with wealthy parents that own Michelin 3-star restaurants in France and England. She cheats on exams all the time, so she doesn’t see the big deal. “I think you’re hating on the guy for no reason. Is he cute?” “No, he’s the worst.” “I’ve never seen an unattractive soccer player, though.” “How is that relevant?” Lizeth Yanez (fourth year) is a fine arts major and future actress. She’s a second generation Mexican immigrant. She thinks that Nami is overreacting and that she should give Baekhyun a chance. “I remember him from the summer party that one frat hosted. He has blond hair, right?” “Yeah, he was such a .” “No, I think he was actually pretty nice. He wasn’t into drinking.” “That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a .” Nami’s friends are all sympathetic and understanding, but they also shrug it off since Nami won’t be stuck with him forever. Nami agrees with them, and she goes back to working on Baekhyun’s essay. Aru brings up the Halloween Party that Loey is hosting next Friday. “We should all go next week. It’s in Bel Air.” “That guy lives in Bel Air? Why do all the ty guys have nice things?” Nami doesn’t want to go, but her friends convince her that she needs to go since it’s their last year at college, and therefore, they need to make the most of it.

CHAPTER 2, SCENE 3

The day of the party, Nami meets up with Baekhyun. Nami gives Baekhyun the essay that she wrote for him – “A Cultural Phenomenon: The Gaming Industry.” Baekhyun is still at practice, and Nami wants to go home and get ready for the party that starts at 6, so she goes to the intramural playing fields to where his team practices. Nami knows that practice is two or three hours long, so she goes to the field around 4:30 and finds Baekhyun practicing by himself. He’s in the zone, dribbling up and down the field, shooting -- or attempting to shoot -- goals. Baekhyun talks with Nami about the essay. “Here’s the flash drive with the essay.” “Flash drive? You came all the way here to give me a flash drive?” “An email is a paper trail.” “Sounds like you’ve done this before.” Nami just wants to get out there quickly, and Baekhyun teases her because he doesn’t think she has much of a social life. “What’s the rush? You got another test you need to study for?” “Just keep missing your goals, Baekhyun.” Baekhyun scoffs at that, turns around, and kicks a nearby ball right into the goal post’s metal bar – not surprising Nami, however. “You hear that?” Baekhyun asks. “That’s the frame of the goal.” “The goal is 10 feet wide and six feet tall,” Baekhyun states formally. “A pretty big target, but who says I was aiming for that? The goal post’s frame is about half the size of your hand, shortie.” Baekhyun walks off to gather the balls, and Nami stands there, dumbfounded. She didn’t realize that Baekhyun was purposely trying to aim for the metal bar of the goal.

CHAPTER 2, SCENE 4

At the Halloween Party, Baekhyun and Nami inevitably get into another fight. Nami comes dressed up as Sailor Mars. Aru is a y nurse. Khushi is Katniss Everdeen. Lizeth is Lara Croft. The Zeta Alpha Psi boys are dressed like 1950s greasers -- leather jackets, hair in varying styles of pompadours and elephant trunks. Aru and Lizeth go to dance and mingle while Nami and Khushi (the more conservative members) stay behind to just eat some snacks and drink some soda. Khushi has tea on some people. “Hasan Bhasin? I knew him from high school because his parents are friends with mine, and he’s such a boy.” “You already told me that.” Nami goes to the kitchen to get some water since she doesn’t trust the drinks in the front. While in the kitchen, Nami bumps into Baekhyun. “Sorry—oh.” “Ugh.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought ZAP only invited the chill people.” “Then why are you here?” “Very funny, shortie.” Baekhyun and Nami get into a small fight. “What the hell are you doing?” Baekhyun demands. “There’s drinks at the front.” “I’m not trusting some frat bro to keep the drinks safe.” “Chanyeol’s not a gross sleazebag,” Baekhyun snaps. “The drinks aren’t spiked.” “I’m not trusting a guy who got caught buying alcohol for minors.” BACKGROUND: Last spring, the week before finals, Nami was helping a student study in his dorms. There was a loud commotion in the adjacent rooms, so Nami went to investigate. When the people opened the doors, she smelled alcohol, so she reported them to campus police. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were the seniors, and they had brought some alcohol. It’s clearly sensitive for Baekhyun. “I never bought alcohol for anyone,” Baekhyun hisses. “And if I did, my record’s clean.” “Yeah, because you’re a spoiled brat, and your rich dad paid off the university – just like how he paid for your to get admitted here.” Baekhyun is quiet. “You don’t know me.” Chanyeol comes into the kitchen, looking for Baekhyun. He wants to play a game, but Baekhyun is so pissed off that he just pushes past him. “What’s your ing deal?” “Leave me alone.” Khushi comes to get Nami, and Nami walks out of the kitchen, scoffing at Baekhyun’s antics.

CHAPTER 2, SCENE 5

November 2. Monday. Nami is hanging out with Liz and Khushi as they wait for Aru so they can hang out together. Baekhyun has an away game, so there’s no tutoring today, and he just finished a unit in Writing 2 anyways. Khushi starts asking about the party. “By the way, who was that guy at that party? Was that Baekhyun?” Nami groans. “Yeah. That stupid , Baekhyun.” “What’d he do?” Liz interjects. “Is he the same one that plagiarized something?” “Yeah, and the one that should be in jail right now.” The men’s soccer team walks by, and Nami wants to die inside when she spots Baekhyun. He tosses her the USB flash drive, and it lands on her lap. Nami wants to berate Baekhyun for not being a decent person and just tossing it to her, but he’s looking directly ahead, clearly wanting to avoid looking at her.

CHAPTER 2, SCENE 6

That following Friday, Nami is hanging out with some students of the ESN. She leaves to meet with Professor Goyal. Jhazeen, Mimi, and Mus are all freshmen who are helping to plan a “tree-planting” event in Malibu. Nami is the Vice President and marketing director, so they’re designing posters and setting up the sign-ups. Nami plugs in the USB that Baekhyun gave to her into her laptop because she’s running out of storage. However, upon doing so, her files become encrypted. Nami is confused, but she doesn’t have time to worry about it. Nami gets an email from Professor Goyal asking her to meet, so she goes to see him. In Professor Goyal’s office, Nami learns that Baekhyun completely FAILED his first essay. Goyal shows Nami the rubric, and Baekhyun only seems to have earned points on formatting and an “average” thesis statement. Goyal isn’t happy and asks what happened. Nami doesn’t tell Goyal that she wrote Baekhyun’s essay, so she says that she’s not sure herself (because Baekhyun should have gotten an A). Nami says that she’ll go to talk to Baekhyun. Goyal says that there’s only four essays left, and they’ll be significantly more difficult and worth more points. He’s disappointed, of course, and Nami feels responsible -- and angry at Baekhyun.

CHAPTER 2, SCENE 7

Nami finds Baekhyun in the middle of practice, so she makes his coach come to her. Baekhyun is pissed that he has to stop practice, but Nami is furious. “Are you so ing incomptent that you can’t even turn in an essay correctly?” “What the hell are you talking about?” “Look at this!” Nami shows Baekhyun the rubric where he got 20/100 points possible. “I wrote that essay,” Nami hisses, “so I know you should have at least gotten a 95%. The only way you could have possibly bombed this hard is if you forgot to turn in the essay.” “I got 20 points?” “Yeah, you dumb . You know how bad this looks? This was supposed to be the easiest essay. How the hell did you mess this up?” “Just shut the up. Your voice is giving me a headache.” “Then explain this ! I wrote that essay, and I know for a fact that it could have won a Pulitzer prize—” “Well I didn’t turn your essay in!” Baekhyun reveals that he didn’t turn in Nami’s essay. He tried to write his own essay, but it didn’t go so well. “I tried, alright? Obviously, I didn’t write one well enough, but I tried.” “You mean, you turned in your own work?” “Yeah, because you know, there’s this thing called integrity.” Baekhyun walks off, exasperated. He curses out Nami for being a , and Nami stands there dumbfounded. Nami is surprised that Baekhyun had more integrity than her, and she had called him out on plagiarism. She feels bad for acting so rough, but ultimately, she scoffs and walks off the field, embarrassed that Baekhyun is the “better” person in this instance. Chapter 3 – You’re Good (But I’m Better)

SETTING

TIMEFRAME START: November, second week END: November, Thanksgiving break, fourth week POINT OF VIEW: Baekhyun

CHAPTER 3, SCENE 1

Baekhyun is talking with Chanyeol about the malware that Chanyeol placed into Nami’s USB. Baekhyun is sore from last Friday. “Three hundred bucks isn’t that much,” Baekhyun says out loud. “She should have paid up by now, right?” “Well, she hasn’t.” “So she’s just gonna let her files be encrypted forever?” “Maybe she found someone to fix it for her.” Baekhyun just wanted to get back at Nami for being a , and after last Friday, he wants to be petty. “Can we hack into her files and delete everything important?” “Dude, what?” Chanyeol is a chill friend, but he’s not down to mess with people’s lives like that.