#gotae

You can see it in the way Gotak looks at him: exasperation edged with fondness, protectiveness laced with disbelief that someone like Juntae still exists in their world. When he coddles Juntae, it isn’t to tease — it’s to remind himself that goodness can still be tangible. Juntae disarms him. In a life built around survival and retaliation, Juntae offers something startlingly simple: warmth without agenda.

There’s reciprocity in their bond. Gotak teaches Juntae to be stronger; Juntae teaches Gotak to be gentler. Juntae listens without judgment, trusts without hesitation, and that trust transforms Gotak. Around him, Gotak doesn’t need to posture. He can laugh without irony, breathe without bracing for a fight. Juntae’s quiet isn’t weakness — it’s steadiness. He becomes the pause between Gotak’s impulses, the calm in his constant motion.

If their relationship ever turned romantic, it wouldn’t be born of confession, but of continuity — long evenings that blur the line between comfort and intimacy. A hand that lingers too long. A silence that feels too full. Gotak would never say the words first, but Juntae would understand them anyway. Their love would unfold in gestures: patching bruises, sharing meals, waiting without asking. It would be less a spark than a slow ignition — the realization that peace, for once, might be something they can keep.

everyone, at least once in their life, took a nap so good, they didn't know for how many hours they had actually slept. it always felt like the time passed so quickly and the next day arrived. they wake up with that irritating dryness in their throat, and the first thing they do after waking up is drinking a whole bottle of water.

sometimes, after such a long nap, we're not fully rested. our eyes are still sleepy, and all we think about is to turn over, close our eyes, and once again, fall asleep for a few hours more.

hyuntak likes taking naps like this. after all, his body knows better what he needs, and who is he to reject lying in the comfy bed under warm blankets? these naps let him not only recover physically, but also mentally—he can escape from his real-life problems, stop caring about school and tests or his grades. also, when he's asleep, hyuntak can't think about his feelings.

but it only happens when he's alone. today, juntae's sleeping right next to him, in hyuntak's very own bed, on his very own pillow, in his very own room.

it's late afternoon. it's the last day of september. yet, the sun shines like it's the middle of august.

hyuntak's room isn't too big, but it's cosy. there's space for everything he needs—shelves with old but golden taekwondo trophies, pictures of him, baku and the basketball team. there are some books for school, but hyuntak's not sure if he has every single textbook they use during lessons. but what he loves the most about his room, is the small window right above the bed. despite the drawn curtains, the bold sunlight falls into the room, shining upon both of them.

juntae looks so beautiful, sleeping peacefully, not a single thought bothering his mind. and the sun? the golden light shining softly on his face, making the boy look like taken away from a dream. he reminds hyuntak of some mystical creature, like an elf or a fairy. gotak doesn't know a lot about elves or fairies, but he's certain of one thing—juntae belongs to the sun.

juntae belongs to the sun.

hyuntak wonders if the other boy's aware of that. does juntae know that his smile can light up gotak's day? with juntae around, the school days are a bit more bearable; hanging out with him makes everything much more exciting, much more joyful. having juntae around just feels right, feels complete.

probably drunk from all that sun or tiredness, hyuntak snuggles closer to his friend. he did that as carefully as possible, since he didn't want to wake juntae up by accident. laying only a few inches away from him, hyuntak took his time to watch intimately juntae's face. soft skin with pink-ish cheeks. long, straight eyelashes. pale marks on his nose from wearing glasses. full, slightly parted lips. juntae's not from this world, he's definitely too beautiful to be from earth—and hyuntak means it, every single word.

he swallows thickly. his hand, moving completely on its own, went to juntae's cheek hyuntak's fingers traced the delicate skin with love, adoration, and care. it felt like touching something forbidden, something too fragile to be held.

"i really like you," he whispers, hopeful that despite being asleep, juntae can hear what he's saying. "i can't describe how happy i am that we met."

is juntae, too, glad they're friends? is his heart also beating faster every time they see each other? because hyuntak is ready to spend every hour and every day of the rest of his life on looking at juntae as if he's the most precious thing in this universe.

gotak's hand moved to juntae's hair, and now, he's gently playing with the short, dark locks. does it tickle? is it pleasant? would juntae say he likes that if he was awake?

thinking with his heart and not his brain anymore, hyuntak moves again, a bit closer. the tips or their noses are now touching, and it's the closest they've ever been. juntae's lips are right in front of hyuntak's, and even the sun himself tells them to kiss.

to kiss, is the only thing hyuntak can think of.

to kiss juntae's lips... that must feel heavenly. he imagines them kissing. it's slow, a bit shy in the beginning, as they both are just discovering how to do it properly, learning the structure of each other's lips. in his imagination, gotak's hands cup juntae's face, holding it dearly, meanwhile juntae wraps his arms around hyuntak, pulling him closer and closer, and closer.

to kiss juntae. in general. to kiss his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, his hands, his neck. to kiss means to shower with love, and when it comes to love, hyuntak can feel it deeply. whenever he looks at juntae, his heart is beating faster, his smile grows, his hands are looking for even the smallest form of physical touch.

but... laying with juntae in one bed in equally pleasant, equally intimate. the world is long forgotten and what matters is the feeling of the hot, steady breaths, of the warmth of the other body. it's only them, sleeping soundly, together—and hyuntak's heart and soul are so in love with seo juntae.

shyly and with fear, gotak presses his dry lips to the tip of juntae's nose. the pressure is so faint and doesn't last long, so he kisses the same spot once again, this time braver and longer.

"i really like you, jun." this time it's not a whisper. hyuntak's voice is louder, more confident, sounds more firm. the confession is being shared between them and the sun.

before hyuntak can move away for the sake of his own heart, juntae's arm moves onto his side, tightly wrapping around him. juntae snuggles closer, hiding his face in the blue of gotak's hoodie. for a second, hyuntak's afraid the other woke up, but no—juntae's still asleep and is now hugging him, and gotak can't help, but smile.

holding someone is nice, but what's nicer is being held. hyuntak's so thankful it's juntae with who he can share this intimacy, and before he can react, gotak slowly falls asleep.