#gotak fluff

Being Baku’s younger sister, you’d practically known Gotak for your whole life. Ever since you two were little kids, he’d been in your life, whether it was hanging out at your house, or eating lunch with both of your friend groups together.

Your relationship and love for Gotak had always been special. He always looked out for you, especially in school. He would say that he only cared for you because you were Baku’s sister, but if he were to be truly honest with himself, it was way more than that. He loved you for as long as he could remember.

In school, Gotak made sure nobody picked on you, often snuck you sweets during free periods(“Please don’t tell Baku or he’ll crash out on me, okay?”), and taught you basketball and taekwondo, even though you were rather bad at it.

He also made sure no stupid boy broke your heart. When he found you sobbing at the foot of the library staircase one day because a guy from your class had asked you out then proceeded to get caught making out with his ex the day after.

It was safe to say that you never say that boy ever again, because he went missing from school for weeks before promptly transferring to another school on the opposite side of the country. You had always thought it was strange, but never questioned that incident, or questioned how Gotak always always looked so exceptionally angry whenever someone brought up his name.

Christmas rolled by, and as per usual you were getting into the spirit: shopping for presents with Baku at the winter themed mall, decorating your christmas tree with the most adorable ornaments and warm fairy lights. Hell, you were even talking about “getting with a guy because it’s romantic with the festivity and all”.

Baku just shook his head at you. “Yah, what you need to do right now is to only focus on your studies. Don’t waste your time on random men, understand?” he said sternly and you let out a groan, turning to look at Gotak.

“Help me out!” you shot him a pleading look from across the living room.

Gotak, who always laughed along and usually took your side, suddenly went unnaturally quiet. He looked away, and took a drink out of his mug of hot cocoa. “You heard your brother.” He said in a neutral tone, but his feelings of annoyance were evident on his face. “You shouldn’t be dating around.”

And so the case was closed, and you slumped your shoulders in defeat as you somberly thought about how you were going to have yet another loveless Christmas.

════════════════════════

Your change of feelings for Gotak was abrupt.

There was a snowstorm. You had seen the news from the television in your living room, whilst curled up on the couch doing your homework. You suddenly sat up straight, as the weatherman announced that the snowstorm may possibly last for days and was “possibly the most heavy snowstorm the town has seen in years”.

“Oh no. Gotak! He’s still outside at basketball training!” You scrambled for your phone, fingers fumbling at your phone screen and you quickly dialed his number. You bit your lip anxiously as Gotak answered.

“Gotak! Where are you?” You cried out. You could hear the howling of wind from the other end which wasn’t helping you calm your nerves. “Are you alright? Are you in the neighbourhood?”

“That’s a lot of questions,” Gotak yelled over the wind. You almost thought that you heard a chuckle. “But yeah, I’m in the neighbourhood.”

“Come to my house right now!”

“You’re that worried for me?” Gotak teased. “Alright, I’m coming right now.”

Gotak crashed out at your house for the rest of the day. He was still dressed in his basketball jersey and shorts, with a winter jacket loftily thrown over his fit. You let out a sigh of exasperation when you saw him (“You’re always so worried I get sick Gotak, but have you seen how you dress? You’re not any better than me, seriously!”) and dragged him into the living room. Gotak spent some time working on various basketball drills, weaving around the coffee table and obnoxiously doing high-knee kicks and push ups whilst you continued on your essay project, until he got bored of that and insisted that you two make something together.

Neither of you were particularly talented in baking. But the cookies you both made were fairly edible and you both had a lot of fun making them, whilst snow continued to pile up outside the kitchen window.

You were getting ready for bed before the heater broke. Groaning and cursing your bad luck, you and Gotak tried your best to fix it, but being two high school kids, you two did not have much combined IQ.

Maybe it was natural for Gotak. Maybe for him, it was just another simple, loving gesture for his best friend’s little sister, but he acted so… normal when he held you under layers of blankets, arms wrapped tight around you and breath warm on your cheek as you two’s combined body heat under the sheets were the only heaters that kept you both warm in the midst of a snowstorm.

There had never been a physical boundary between you and Gotak. You guys often hugged, hit each other, hell, you always got Gotak to help you brush your hair. But there was something so much more intimate about this.

Something just clicked inside of you, and it was as if you had just truly realised how much Gotak loved you.

“Why does the heater have to choose to break down? At this time?” you belated. It was dark under the blankets and Gotak let out a sleepy quiet sigh, as he shifted to pull you closer into his chest.

“Worst timing ever, huh…” he mumbled.

“Hey,” he said suddenly. “Have you ever kissed anyone?” He laughed to himself. “Of course not, you’re terrible with guys.”

“I swear I’ll kick you out of the blankets right now!”

Gotak’s eyes gradually opened, and then they crinkled at the corners as he grinned. Even under the dim lighting, you could tell that he found the situation funny.

“Of course not. I’ve never kissed anyone, so what’s the problem?”

“Nothing. I guess I just find it funny … anyways, I bet you’re a terrible kisser.”

You lightly punched his chest. “What’s your deal? I should kick you out of my bed right now.”

“I don’t want to.” He replied, his eyes suddenly twinkling with humor.

You grabbed him by his shoulders and try to shake him out of your bed, but he grabbed onto you for stability, one hand tight around your waist and the other on the side of your neck, his warm palms hot against your skin. He pulled you in closer for fear of falling out of bed, as he laughed. A little bit of the blanket had slipped off you both from the wrestling and moving around, and moonlight shone in through the windowsill, casting his face in this gentle glow. You could feel his breath, warm and slow, as he looked at you with those eyes.

“Honestly… I don’t understand how someone like you has never been in a relationship.” He said lightly, as he continued to hold you in a steady gaze. You watched his lips part, as if he were about to say something.

Then he gently pushed you away and fell back to sleep.

That was the day you fell for Gotak. How could you not? After what he had just said? It was safe to say that you never saw Gotak the same ever again.

juntae was the type of person who made space for you without ever making you feel like a burden. he brought you snacks during lunch and showed you where to hide out when the hallways got too loud. he also talked a lot about his friends, and one afternoon—like it was the most natural thing in the world—he said, “oh, you should meet sieun. you’d like him.”

you did. he was quiet and careful with his words, but funny in a dry way that caught you off guard. he’d glance at juntae like you really brought them here? but still offered you a spot at the table. he even let you steal a fry. so you counted that as a win.

after that came baku—loud, sunny, fast-talking. he practically tackled you into a high five and said, “juntae’s new bestie? you’re in good hands,” before dragging you into some debate about what counts as a sandwich.

somehow, you ended up kind of... just around. like a ghost that turned real. people knew your name before you introduced yourself. baku waved whenever he saw you. sieun always made room for you on the bench. and juntae, sweet as he was, forgot to formally introduce you to one person.

“yo,” gotak called, wiping sweat from his neck as he tossed the basketball to baku. “who’s that?”

baku looked up from tying his shoelace. “huh?”

“over there,” gotak nodded toward the sidelines, where you were doubled over laughing next to sieun and juntae. “they’ve been hanging around a lot.”

baku blinked, “that’s y/n.” as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

gotak simply stared, as baku tilted his head. “you know them. don’t you?”

gotak looked back at you. you were teasing juntae about something, eyes crinkled, whole face lit up. juntae said something back that made you shove his arm, half-laughing, half-gasping.

gotak frowned, “i’ve never met them.”

baku paused. “wait. what? i thought juntae introduced you already—he told everyone else. dude. even sieun knows her.”

gotak narrowed his eyes. “so why didn’t he tell me?”

“damn,” baku grinned. “someone’s feeling left out.” as he threw the ball to his chest, a little too roughly to snap his friend out of it.

“shitty pass,” gotak muttered under his breath, passing the ball back to him.

baku snorted. “you sure you’re mad about the ball and not the fact that your bestie got a new bestie?”

gotak didn’t answer. but later that day, when he caught you waiting for juntae outside the gym, he slowed down.

you waved, and he waved back. maybe a little delayed, a little thoughtful.

maybe a little curious.

he hesitated like he was deciding something, then crossed the space between you with that awkward confidence some people carry when they’re not used to starting conversations but do it anyway.

he scratched the back of his neck, eyes flicking down before landing on yours. “hey. uh... y/n,”

you smiled. “hi.”

he nodded, like that helped him keep going. “i’m also juntae’s friend, in the basketball team. with baku.” you tilted your head. “oh yeah—go hyuntak, right?”

he blinked.

you shrugged. “baku mentioned you once. and you were on the court earlier.”

gotak looked a little caught off guard, like he hadn’t expected you to know his name. then his mouth twitched, the smallest upward curve. “...right. that’s me. call me gotak.”

you stood there for a beat, quiet.

“it’s nice to meet you,” you said.

he glanced up, then back down, like he was working through a million thoughts at once. “yeah. you too.”

just then, the gym doors creaked open behind you.

“y/n!” jun-tae called, jogging out with his bag slung over one shoulder. “sorry—got caught up helping the coach—oh, hey gotak!”

gotak stepped back half a pace, nodding. “hey.”

juntae looked between you, confused for half a second. “wait—did i never introduce you guys?”

you and gotak both said, “no.”

juntae blinked. “...oops.”

you laughed. gotak didn’t, but his shoulders relaxed a little as he looked over at you again.

after that, he finally had an excuse.

or maybe it was just that now you were officially introduced—he started showing up more. like how he always just happened to walk by your classroom when it let out. or how he’d offer to carry your stuff from your locker even if it wasn’t heavy. he’d still act casual about it—mumbling something about "heading that way anyway"—but the look in his eyes always lingered a little longer than it used to.

you started showing up to practices more too. usually with a water bottle in hand. eventually, two.

then four.

baku started calling you their "hydration manager" and gotak rolled his eyes every time, but he’d take the bottle from your hands like it meant something, every time you handed him his bottle, your fingers would brush. lightly. deliberately. like a habit you weren’t in a rush to break.

he wasn’t loud about it, but as the days passed, he found himself looking for you more often than he meant to—your voice across the court, your laugh when juntae said something stupid, and the way you stuck around even when no one asked you to.

he didn’t say it out loud, but your presence became something he... liked. something that made the world feel a little softer when you were around.

and sometimes, when you laughed a little too hard at juntae’s jokes, gotak would glance over without meaning to. once, he got so distracted that baku shot the ball clean over his head and it smacked him right in the back.

“yo!” baku shouted, rushing over. “you good?!”

gotak muttered, rubbing the side of his head, “i wasn’t looking.”

“clearly,” baku huffed. “what were you looking at?”

gotak didn’t answer. just glanced back toward the sidelines, where you were sitting, completely unaware.

you weren’t exactly subtle either.

at first, it was just a glance. maybe two. maybe three, if you were feeling brave and he was too focused on the court to notice. there was something about the way he moved—steady, grounded, all quiet strength and furrowed brows. you’d never really watched basketball before, but suddenly it was your favorite part of the afternoon.

whenever he scored, you clapped a little louder. a little quicker. maybe even stood up once, under the excuse of stretching.

juntae caught you once. leaned over and whispered, “you cheer louder for him than for baku.”

you blinked. “no i don’t.”

he grinned. “yes you do.”

you smacked his arm. “shut up.”

but the next time gotak glanced toward the benches after a point, your hands were already mid-clap, eyes already on him.

he met your gaze.

just for a second.

you looked away first.

the more you saw of gotak, the more you saw him. it started with the little things—running into him by the vending machine after class, both of you reaching for the same pack of chips at the same time. you laughed, unsure of who should take it first.

“you can have it,” gotak said, smiling, though you could swear there was a flicker of something in his eyes. something that felt... not exactly like embarrassment, but not entirely casual either.

"no, it’s fine, you take it," you said, holding your hand out. "you reached first."

he paused, just staring for a second, before he gave a small shrug and grabbed it. “you sure?”

“yeah.”

you both took your snacks and stepped aside, awkwardly aware of how close you’d been. as you tried to avoid eye contact, you were almost certain your heart was racing. had he been looking at you like that... or was it just your imagination?

the awkward encounters started happening more often, though. a lot more often.

you’d bump into him in the hallway. near the library. at the school gates. suddenly, you felt like you were always in his orbit—and not just you. everyone noticed.

“you two are weirdly always in the same place at the same time,” juntae pointed out one day while you were grabbing lunch. “it’s like you’re following him around.”

you choked on your drink. “what? no. no, i’m not. i—he just happens to be there. i’m—just minding my business.”

juntae fixes his glasses, shrugging it off with a playful grin, though you could tell he wasn’t completely convinced. “alright, y/n. totally.”

and of course, baku caught on too. one day, while you were standing at the sidelines during practice, watching gotak and baku scrimmage, he glanced over at you, then at gotak, then back at you. then gotak. then you. he raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious.

“hey,” baku said casually, tossing the ball to gotak. “you two are like, besties now, huh?”

gotak froze, looking at him, and then glancing over at gotak to avoid meeting baku’s gaze. “what? no. we’re not—”

“uh-huh,” baku grinned, spinning the ball on his finger. “sure, and i’m top of the class.”

during practice one afternoon, it happened.

gotak went up for a dunk, but his foot slipped awkwardly when he landed, and he crumpled to the ground with a loud thud. your heart dropped as you watched him clutch his ankle, wincing in pain.

“gotak!” you shouted, rushing to his side.

he grimaced, leaning against the floor, clearly in pain.

“dude, what happened?” baku called out, rushing over too. “you good?”

“i’m fine,” gotak muttered, trying to push himself up, but his face twisted in discomfort. “just sprained it, probably.”

sieun was quick to appear by your side, his usually calm demeanor shifting slightly as he assessed the situation. without missing a beat, he turned to you, a rare glint of something in his eyes. “maybe y/n can take him to the infirmary? we still have to clean up here.”

you blinked, unsure how to respond. “huh?”

sieun shot a pointed look toward baku, who was still oblivious to what was going on. his lips curved in the smallest, lopsided smirk. “baku doesn’t need your help right now,” he said, almost too casually, before giving a side glance at you.

you noticed baku didn’t catch the hint, just furrowing his brows at the situation. “wait, what? you seriously want y/n to drag him to the infirmary? you do realize that guy’s gonna crush ‘em under his weight, right? y’know gotak’s been having too much chicken—”

sieun’s eyes flickered with something that might’ve been amusement, though his expression stayed neutral. “go on,” sieun said, motioning to gotak, tone soft but firm. “help him out.”

you looked down at gotak, who was still struggling to stand, and it dawned on you that he was huge—much bigger than you. and the thought of dragging him all the way to the infirmary alone? absurd. awkward.

but you couldn’t exactly say no, not when everyone was watching and not when he was looking at you like he needed your help.

“you okay to walk?” you asked, kneeling down next to him.

“i think i’ll survive,” he grumbled, clearly embarrassed by the situation.

you offered him your hand. “come on, let’s get you there.”

he took your hand, and you tried not to notice how big his hand felt wrapped around yours. you both started walking, and although you tried to make it seem like a casual walk, every step felt like you were carrying the weight of his entire body.

sieun watched you both for a second, his gaze unreadable. the smallest of smirks tugged at the corners of his mouth.

the walk to the infirmary wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be, though you were still struggling to act normal when you finally helped gotak sit down on the clinic bed. his ankle was already wrapped up, but he kept fiddling with his fingers, looking down at his feet, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

you sat across from him, the silence stretching for a moment as you both just sat there, waiting.

“uh, thanks for this, y/n,” gotak mumbled, his voice quiet in a way that was almost unlike him. he kept glancing at you, then back at his hands.

you tilted your head, a smile tugging at your lips. “no problem, seriously. i told you, i’m happy to help. anything for you,” you said, maybe a little more casually than you intended, your heart racing just a little.

he met your gaze then, eyes wide and slightly soft, a subtle smile playing at his lips. “anything?” he asked, teasing, but there was a hint of something more in his tone.

“well, yeah,” you replied, trying to sound more confident than you felt. “you’re my friend. i’ve got your back.”

there was a beat of silence as you both just looked at each other. gotak’s gaze lingered on you, his fingers still fidgeting, though a little more nervously now.

“you’re…you’re a really good person, y/n,” he said softly, his eyes lowering to his hands again, as if he was unsure of how to put his feelings into words.

you couldn’t help but feel your cheeks warm at the sincerity in his voice. “thanks, gotak. that means a lot coming from you.”

the moment stretched longer than it probably should have, but neither of you seemed to want to break it.

finally, he cleared his throat, looking up at you with that familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. “so, uh…if you’re willing to do anything for me…”

you raised an eyebrow. “yeah?”

he shifted a little, suddenly a little more serious, though his usual playful grin still tugged at the corners of his lips. “you think you could—i don’t know—not make me fall for you?”

your heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, you swore you didn’t breathe. his words hung in the air, the playful edge still there, but there was something different about the way he said it. something that made your heart flutter in that puppy-love way that only people in the early stages of affection could understand.

“w-what?” you stammered, unable to hide the rush of warmth that spread across your cheeks. “you’re—you’re falling for me?”

he raised both eyebrows now, the teasing gone from his voice, replaced with something more earnest. “maybe,” he said with a small, sheepish grin, his gaze never leaving you. “maybe it’s too late for that. i think i’m already halfway there.”

you blinked at him, unsure how to respond, and for a moment, neither of you said anything. the air between you was suddenly thick with something you didn’t quite know how to define.

you broke the silence with a nervous laugh, the words tumbling out before you could stop them. “well, i guess it’s not so bad to meet you in the middle if you’re already halfway there.”

gotak chuckled, his lips curving into that genuine smile you’d come to look forward to. “yeah, i guess it’s not, huh?”

if u liked this, a reblog would be greatly appreciated to help my work reach other people as well >><< !! thank u thank u

You left the class to refill the bucket with clean water, when you noticed something, or rather someone. It was the guy your brother had told you about, Hyun-tak. He was standing by the vending machine, still wearing his usual hoodie for practice in chilly days. Do they have a break now?

You saw him sigh as he reached into his pockets, his expression was focused and slightly desperate, his brows furrowed, how many times has he ravaged this pocket by now? As you got closer, you noticed that he was missing some change to get a drink. Without thinking much, you reached into your uniform, walked over and put the missing amount of coins into the machine.

It was the first time you saw him up-close, he was covered in a faint layer of sweat, his features were sharp, yet his eyes seemed kind. His shoulders were slightly slumped from prior exercise, no wonder, you’d be tired after finishing just the warm-up. You’ve heard things about him here and there, about his fighting skills, but Jun-tae sums him simply as a “good person”, so you never really questioned that. They’re friends, although it seems hard to believe once you get to see just how much they’re different.

He looked at you, then back at the vending machine, a little confused at first, but then his eyes crinkled at the corners and he smiled, now fully facing you. “You’re so nice.” He said sincerely – yet casually, like he’d done this a thousand times before and it came as second nature. Then he reached down for the drink.

You could listen to that voice for hours.

“I’d get you a drink as thanks, but…”  He was saying something, but you were too focused on the sounds that came from his lips more than anything else. “I’ll do it on the next possible occasion, alright?” And you just stared at him. Nice, you’re so nice, why did these words have such a big effect on you? Why were you suddenly so flustered? Your eyelashes fluttered, a beat passed – then two. He suddenly sensed the awkwardness, you could see he waited for your response, but to no avail.

Trying to break you free from whatever caused your sudden stop, he pointed at the drink. “Thank you for this...” He looked down at your uniform to read your nametag. “…Seo Y/N”. He wondered for a second where he could recognise you from. Suddenly, it all clicked. “Are you perhaps… Jun-tae’s sister?” Upon hearing your brother's name, you came back down to earth.

You nodded. “Ah— yes! You must be Hyun-tak, right? My brother told me lots about you.” Your voice softened the further you got into the sentence. Did you just freeze in front of him, he must think you’re weird–

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” He replied, that smile crept onto his face again, but then his brows furrowed again. He looked down at his watch and sighed. “Listen– I’ll see you around, okay? I’ve gotta go now, I’ll buy you a drink later! Thanks again!” He said the last part while already making his way to the exit. You put your hand up to wave, but it was more a twitch of your fingers as he disappeared into the back of the school.

You can’t believe this, but based on the way your heart is beating right now, could it be… that you actually fell in love at the first sight?

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《

EPILOGUE

How did you end up here?

While applying to Eunjang High, your main thought was going to school with your brother. You’d take your textbooks after him, go to school together in the morning, and come home with a regular escort. It’d be both sufficient and safe.

Is there a better deal?

Now, you found yourself sitting in a cramped classroom, where weird stickers covered most of the lockers, the desks have definitely seen better days, and half of your class seemed more interested in fighting than anything. At this rate, next thing you know is that you’re going to get invited into the Study Group by Ga-min himself.

Not all hope was lost, as you quickly found yourself a friend in the girl named Hee-won, she was extremely kind on the first day of school, and soon you realised that you had a lot in common. You both hate PE, she likes studying, and most importantly – she loves romance too!!

She introduced you to her friend, Ji-woo, and you formed your very own first friend group.

Maybe it’s worth looking forward to tomorrow?

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《

You pushed the door into your house with less force than usual, the lock giving away more easily. A good sign, something pleasant awaited you. At least that’s what your grandmother used to say.

Curious to see what would boost your mood, you stepped into the adjoining living room, the bubbly chatter of voices already spilling into the hall.

Unable to bite away your smile, you ducked your head into the room, the pleasant surprise actually making your eyes sparkle in delight.

Plopped on the sofa like it was his throne, sat your boyfriend, Hyuntak, eyes locked on the TV before him while your little brother had one elbow rested in his lap, equally enthralled by the video game they were playing.

And when you thought your heart couldn't jump any higher than that, the sight that awaited you next proved you wrong. Your gaze darted towards his shoulders where your little sister sat, her tiny hands raking through Hyuntak’s thick hair while she babbled something about making him look pretty.

Your boyfriend hummed at that, his hand flexed to have a better grip around her back so she wouldn’t fall. And still his other hand flew over his controller with an ease that left you stunned, frantically working buttons to ensure his win.

A jolly melody emitted from the speakers, announcing their win, but before your brother could toss his console away or ask for a new game, Hyuntak tipped something into the joint chat, chuckling to himself.

You turned your head lightly, not wanting to intrude yet so you fixed your eyes in the reflection of the window instead, deciphering the spill of letters on the screen. “EZ”.

You scoffed at that, bursting into the living space. “Go Hyuntak.”, you scolded, putting your hands on your hips. “Don’t you dare teach my little brother to rage bait.”

Hyuntak just smiled at you, erupting in a laughter as he pointed at the TV screen. He got kicked from the lobby.

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