Work Text:
"I hate this stupid game."
Beomgyu curses under his breath, hands rising to run his hair as he stares at his monitor. On that very screen, defeat was proclaimed in all caps on a banner that shamelessly taunted him, as if it were presenting a mere loss of the draw and not spelling out the end of the most important game of his life, the game that would have finally gotten him up to Master rank. The very path that would have gotten him the recognition that he deserved had just closed down in front of his very eyes. If this weren’t already bad enough, he had confidently named his stream “The Final Push to Master!!” and he could foresee the online ridicule impeding his future if he were to give up now.
Still, it was not his fault, and he intended to let all the viewers know that.
“It was all that stupid ADC’s fault! I mean, it was like his map was shut off the entire game. The nerve of that dumbass to call ME useless after having the lowest CS! I literally adjusted for them too? I’ll never know how I’m stuck in the same rank as some of these idiots,” Beomgyu exclaimed, shifting his headphones and spinning on his overpriced gaming chair.
He briefly considered quitting, as one usually does after a sore defeat in the name of incompetent teammates. Alas, he had spent too many years of his life on this pathetic game to give up now. He sighed as he threw himself into the abyss once more, queueing up for another match as he read the comments piling up from the viewers in the chat.
@1234678: THAT WAS CRAZY
@hueningkai: wow this guy sucks u guys shd watch me instead ^_^
@xX_leaguesweat420_Xx: ggz nice try
@gyusuperfan: ur handling this better than me i wlda kms-ed two games ago
“Kai, I swear I’m gonna ban your ass from my stream if you don’t stop self-promoting.”
Sporting a user that helpfully exposed his real name, Hueningkai was one of the (three) friends he had met in college, who coincidentally enough, also had a crippling addiction to MOBAS. Though not particularly active, he had a fairly popular Twitch account which he occasionally streamed a variety of games on. On League, he shared the Diamond rank with Beomgyu, only without the agonizing desperation to climb up.
No matter how much they fought or taunted each other, he knew that Kai would, not particularly for the benefit of his academics, drop whatever psychology paper he was drowning in as soon as he texted him the singular word “league.” While they would sometimes head to each other’s dorms to play and yell at each other from across the room, they preferred to hop on a call and occasionally leave hate comments on each other’s streams.
Despite this active feud between them, Kai was actually the one who encouraged Beomgyu to try streaming, claiming that it would be a waste to not showcase his charisma and gameplay. He had even added a few concerningly descriptive comments about his face, which Beomgyu quickly waved away. Knowing the younger’s penchant for mischief, Beomgyu had hesitated to delve into the idea of being a streamer. Though prior experience gave him no qualms about being in front of a camera for a while, he worried about being entertaining or skilled enough to convince people to watch, or much less, even click on his stream.
When he finally took the leap, he expected to perpetually see only Kai, Taehyun, and Yeonjun as his 3 measly followers. He had never expected to reach follower milestones or even become somewhat of an icon in the community.
Fast forward to now, streaming had become one of his passions, and even comforts, especially amidst the busy college life he had to lead. Being on stream had created somewhat of an alter ego, for him to escape into when his mind became troublesome and everything felt too heavy. Though it came with its own downsides, Beomgyu considered himself lucky to be where he was now and would be eternally grateful for his followers.
@sunooholic123: nt
@dumbassslope: lol noob quit plz
@hyukasversion: FREE (shocked emoji) ROBUX (money emoji) AVAILABLE NOW ?! CLICK 123VIRUS.COM
@thyun: maybe the real master was the friends we made along the way
@realglucosefather: Looking for sugar baby
Feeling unfazed by hate comments yet significantly entertained by those familiar scams, Beomgyu shrugged the frustration creeping from his loss off and was just about to signal that he was ready for the next game, just as a single comment caught his eye.
@page.soobin: u play like u belong in bronze lol, u wld probably play adc just as bad if not worse
He paused.
On a normal day, Beomgyu would have let it slide. Really. As a benevolent and PR-trained streamer of a few hundred thousand followers, he was used to receiving comments like this. Mean-spirited remarks, ranging from obvious bait he had seen earlier to mildly concerning threats, were nothing new, especially for someone of his fame. Ever since he reached the six-digit range in followers, Beomgyu had become all too aware of the frequency of these comments and had taught himself to be unbothered by those attention seekers.
After being stuck in a back-and-forth between being a game and two games away from that coveted rise to Master rank, all that promptly went out the window. Seriously? Comments about his appearance he could (maybe) take, but remarks about his gameplay were a whole other story. He inhaled deeply, thinking of music and midnight ramyun and all things good in the world. He could handle this. It wouldn’t be the first time he had been baited by a commenter who probably had a 10pm curfew. He would follow the usual plan and ignore this commenter with dainty silence.
“Pagesoobin... what the fuck? What are you talking about? Have you seen any of my streams?”
The words rattled out of him like a train speeding off the tracks, frustration rushing into him once again. For these finals wins, he needed to be in perfect shape, and the last thing he needed was to be getting into fights with some kid. However, maybe he also needed to let loose. Maybe what he needed was someone to take his frustrations out on, and who better but this lovely commenter who had volunteered themselves for an argument?
Beomgyu promptly decided that if he was having a bad day, then user PageSoobin better face the same humiliating fate for daring to mock his reputable skills. This is exactly why he needed to get to Master rank, to prove these kinds of fools wrong. But first, it wouldn’t be bad to size his opponent up.
“Pft, trying to call me a bronze rank. I guess it takes one to know one.” Ignoring the frenzied comments pointing out his unusual outburst, Beomgyu scrolled towards the abhorrent comment and promptly clicked on the adjacent profile, muttering under his breath. He would embarrass this miserable soul enough to make sure he never tried to speak on his gameplay again.
“Besides, what kinda username is PageSoobin, did you steal that from some celebrity’s instagram? Tacky..”
The commenters’ profile revealed an unremarkable few thousand followers, measly compared to Beomgyu’s amassed own. He scoffed, turning his attention towards the uploaded videos. Their contents were clearly taken from League, and among them stood an innocent stream, entitled “master rank is mine!” posted a few weeks ago.
Beomgyu’s jaw promptly dropped. “As if you could do that when you spend your time leaving useless hate comments on people’s stream. There’s absolutely no way, PageSoobin…” He murmured as the username spilled out of his mouth in disgust and shock.
Almost like it sensed his horror, the commenter’s, or should he say Soobin’s bio subsequently floated into his line of sight. The mere phrase “master rank lol player 🐰” was about as dreadful as the very banner of defeat that led him down this regrettable road. Though he knew that he shouldn’t be so quick to fall for mere descriptions, something about this felt horrifyingly real.
As if he weren’t already lucky enough, he was about to fall for more than that.
“Well.” Beomgyu scanned the profile for something, anything that he could mock to make himself feel better. Instead, he caught sight of doe eyes, caged by thin-framed glasses that accentuated his eye shape and aegyosal. The picture captured a tall man, probably around 6 feet, with his hands tucked into his pockets and his mouth lifted in a slight smirk. He can insult me all he wants, his mind impulsively thought, before he told it to shut up.
Agh. There was truly nothing worse than meeting the evil version of your ideal type. To make matters even worse, if he zoomed in, he was pretty sure he could see dimples devastatingly appear on his face, a detail that made it very difficult to stay angry.
Fuck, had he just done that on live for all of the internet to see?
Briefly clearing his throat, Beomgyu then turned back to the chat, holding his breath in anticipation for the ridicule he was about to witness. The game’s queue timer sounded neglectfully in the background as he was returned to the lobby.
@hueningkai: love u but the second hand embarrassment rn is too much
@gyusuperfan: the zoom in is crazy LMAO
@thyun: i see ur future and its enemies to lovers
@fujoqueen: king ur mouth is hanging open 👀
Heat flooded into his face, and he closed his mouth, which he had no idea was even open. He had to remedy the situation before this either spiraled into some internet starcrossed lovers situation or somehow got him cancelled. Desperate to get some sort of control on the situation, Beomgyu proposed the first thing his league-obsessed brain could come up with.
“Well, if you’re so good, then 1v1 me.”
@thyun: like in league or…
@yawnzzz: a little birdy told me something gay is happening
“In league, of course! Where else?” Beomgyu had never hated his friends so much. His face burned as he furiously tapped his right leg, fists balling as he faced the camera with all the dignity he had left. User PageSoobin had yet to follow up on his comment, and it was making him look like a petty bully, which only pissed him off more.
“If you really think you deserve your rank, you would fight me on stream tomorrow, PageSoobin.”
If this didn’t get him, Beomgyu didn’t know what else would. He had to use the foolproof method to engage a league player — questioning how much they really deserved their rank — a tried and tested trick that had already worked on Kai several times.
@page.soobin: if it makes you stop pouting ig
Beomgyu promptly ended his stream.
~
“Yeonjun, what the fuck am I gonna do? It all happened so fast. He humiliated me… checkmated me, even.”
The streamer flopped uselessly onto his friend’s bed, whose owner was paying Beomgyu no mind in favor of his admittedly captivating closet. Since he had abruptly ended his stream and stared at his apartment’s wall in dismay, the offending events had been replaying in his mind as the highlights of a personal pity party.
Perhaps it wasn’t that bad. All he had done was irrationally lash out at some random commenter, ogle them on live for all to see, challenge them to what was probably a losing battle, and get humiliated enough to turn his live off, just in that specific order.
He unfortunately decided that it was that bad. The next thing he should turn off would probably be his life support, he dejectedly thought as he watched Yeonjun from across the room.
“Fuck, I didn’t even know I was pouting. Can you believe it? What kinda loser would even notice that? What kinda loser would have his elo in his bio?” Beomgyu groaned, tossing and turning on his friend’s folded bedsheets.
“Tsk, you’re ruining my bed again.” Yeonjun frowned, though his dismay was betrayed by the laughs threatening to reveal his amusement at Beomgyu’s plight. Moving over to sit beside his pitiful form, his friend reached down and flicked his forehead, now sporting a full grin at the clear dismay on his face.
“You’re acting like you wouldn’t have the same bio as him if you could,” Yeonjun pointed out, bringing his legs towards his chest.
“That is not true, why would I ever want to share anything with that low-life?” Beomgyu adamantly denied, the mere thought being offensive enough to incite anger within him.
Yeonjun studied him. “See, you’re doing it again. Anyone watching you for at least 5 minutes would know you have a habit of pouting.”
“No way…” Beomgyu slowly raised his right hand to his lips in disbelief, as if that itself would wipe the pout off.
“Anyways, maybe he really isn’t as good as you think he is. It’s not as if you’ve ever played the guy before.” Yeonjun shrugged, now eyeing his nails with an air of elegance you would expect to see in one of those fashion magazines.
“I knew you believed in me, as your favorite streamer.” Beomgyu shamelessly grinned.
A few months ago, the two had met through some general classes that intersected Beomgyu’s communications course with Yeonjun’s fine arts. Though his habit of being the world’s fastest class leaver prevented them from initially interacting, they had eventually bonded over a shared disdain for a professor, which Beomgyu considered the best way to meet a friend for life. Since then, he found himself turning up to Yeonjun’s apartment often, whether that be to work or whine about his life, so much so that the older had to give him a key.
Throughout all his complaints, he had never been so grateful to see Yeonjun for this particular tragedy. It was not often that you received both gameplay slander and homosexual yearning accusations for your hater within the same day.
“As one of your three followers for a few days, how could I not?” Yeonjun cackled. “Besides that…”
Beomgyu perked up like a kicked puppy that had been offered a treat, expecting words of encouragement.
“He’s kinda hot though, you gotta admit.” Yeonjun instead supplied helpfully, paying Beomgyu’s sulking no mind as he wiggled his eyebrows like the point was not already driven into Beomgyu’s useless mind. “Well, clearly you know that, given how you spent a minute staring at him in front of all your viewers.”
“Fuck you. He’s not even all that. You could find tons of guys like that posting thirst traps on Instagram.”
Yeonjun only laughed, not believing a single part of his defense, and tousled Beomgyu’s already dismayed brown locks.
“Sure. Maybe you can also zoom into their dimples on your next stream.”
“I can already see it.” Yeonjun moved his hands into a vague rainbow-shaped motion. Fitting. “Beomgyu and Soobin… Soogyu.”
“Wait, why does my name come second??”
“Wow,” Yeonjun smirked. “That’s what you’re focusing on? You’re already gone for him, like they said in those ship edits.”
Beomgyu sat up in disbelief, eyes going wide. Being a streamer, he considered himself unsurprisingly often online, even landing him in a few fandom spaces of his own. Though he kept up with his own community and expected to see clips from the stream with egregious captions once he checked at the end of the day, he didn’t think they moved that fast down the romantic lane. “There are edits?”
Huh. Maybe this is why he should check his messages more often, particularly the grand total of 57 that Kai and Taehyun had left for him.
Clearly, Yeonjun found this entire ordeal very funny, and he seemed determined to let Beomgyu know by failing to speak in between his laughs. If he weren’t so caught up in the horror of ship edits, he would be concerned for the possibility that the older would fall off the bed in his hysterics.
“My reputation will be destroyed, and you’re laughing? You are never getting anything from my sponsorship deals anymore.”
At that, Yeonjun’s head turned towards him so fast that Beomgyu was surprised no injuries were involved.
“Have I mentioned you’re the best streamer and Lol player ever? You’re gonna beat PageSoobin’s ass. You’re a swan and he’s a frog. Now please, take that back.”
Beomgyu genuinely laughed for the first time in a good hour, jokingly blocking his ears from Yeonjun’s pleas as his friend continued to bow at him in desperation.
Their conversation gradually drifted from recent incidents that have happened on stream, to the horrors of higher level education, and finally to Yeonjun’s latest modeling deals.
All this catching up made Beomgyu feel surprisingly optimistic, and for a while, he believed. He could emerge from the shadows of loss and defeat the evil PageSoobin.
Beomgyu could do this.
~
Beomgyu could not do this.
After bidding goodbye to Yeonjun and receiving a “bye loser” in return, he had quickly stopped by the store to grab a snack before trudging back to his own apartment.
As he lay on his disheveled bed scrolling through social media and shoveling chips into his mouth, he discovered yet another harrowing piece of information, in the form of PageSoobin’s actual Instagram account.
Yeonjun clearly lied when he told him about the edits, because that guy had not spent more than a minute on social media since the stream ended. Anyone who did would be subject to see headlines entitled, “Unexpected Banter between Micro Celebrity Choi Soobin and Twitch Idol Bamgyuuu Drive Fans Wild” and even the more clickbaity alternative of “Popular Streamer Bamgyuuu Fawns Over Instagram Star Soobin?”, along with similarly offensive variations, and he doubted that Yeonjun would leave Soobin’s fame out while bullying him.
“Fuck you, Pannchoa.”
It turned out that Beomgyu wasn’t wrong when he said that his Twitch user sounded like it was stolen from an Instagram page, because it actually was. Only, the said account, exhibiting the name Choi Soobin, was his personal account. Unlike his Twitch account, this boasted close to a hundred thousand followers, and as Beomgyu’s gaze trailed down to his posts, he could unfortunately understand why.
His jaw dropped for the second time that day in relation to the hater, which he supposes he can now call Soobin. First name basis is deserved at this point, for all the stress he has caused him.
And because there was nothing worse than a hot guy than a hot guy who knows he’s hot.
Just as Beomgyu was listlessly scrolling through his posts (many of which contained a smirk that seemed to taunt him), a DM notification popped up on the top of his screen. The last thing he was expecting to see was the very profile picture that had kept him company for the past hour.
@pagesoobin: so how r we gonna do this
He decided to purposefully ignore it for a few minutes, entirely out of spite. He didn’t want Soobin to think he was desperate or something, after all. That was until a second notification entirely ruined his plans.
@pagesoobin: stop hiding ik ur online
@bamgyuuu: not even a hello?
@bamgyuuu: rude
@pagesoobin: hi
Minutes passed before it became apparent he had nothing more to say. Beomgyu sighed and decided to break the virtual silence with a reply.
@bamgyuuu: …
@pagesoobin: what
@bamgyuuu: add me on twitch
@bamgyuuu: wait
@pagesoobin: what
@bamgyuuu: how’d yk i was online
@pagesoobin: ? u literally liked one of my posts
@pagesoobin: from like.. a few months ago.. but thanks ig
There was no fucking way. He quickly closed the chat, heart pounding against his chest in cold fear as he scrolled back towards Soobin’s profile. A quick glance at the post he had been looking at when he received the notification caused him much dismay, as it did in fact have the heart colored. He must have misclicked it while shifting to the menu meant for messages.
@pagesoobin: did u have a change of heart
@bamgyuuu: anyways
@bamgyuuu: would 9 tmrw be okay?
@pagesoobin: u mean pm right
@bamgyuuu: im not that crazy
@pagesoobin: think back to past events and see why i might think that way
@bamgyuuu: fuck off
@bamgyuuu: bye
@pagesoobin: i bet on my win tmrw that ur pouting right now
@bamgyuuu: ???
@bamgyuuu: and ur NOT gonna win
@pagesoobin reacted to your message with 😂
What a weirdo, Beomgyu thought, as he fought the stupid pout off his face. He proceeded to crash out in the solitude of his apartment.
~
Just like that, the day of the fated duel came.
Saying it like that made it seem much more serious than it actually was, when it really just was a battle between two people who had spent way too much time on a game meant for losers. Beomgyu could not believe his life had come to this, but maybe he would get clout from fighting with someone who others deemed to be a “micro-celebrity.” Or maybe he would get horribly cancelled, banned from every online space, and forced to focus on his academics. Both worked.
Either way, he was in too deep to give up now — after all, the only thing worse than falling for ragebait on stream and rashly proposing a 1v1 was losing the said 1v1 afterwards. And it’s not like he wanted to call it quits in the first place. He would show that annoying, egotistical show off that he messed with the wrong streamer.
And so, Beomgyu wisely cut his classes to log on and prepare for the match.
He first opened his Twitch account to see that yes, Soobin had already followed him. After begrudgingly adding him back, Beomgyu further scrolled down on his profile and clicked through random streams to study his opponent’s gameplay. It seemed that he mainly selected heroes that fulfilled mage or support roles, specifically favoring Cassiopeia and continually asking for her to receive a buff on stream.
When considering his expertise in filling the ever so capable jungler role, victory practically seemed at hand, and Beomgyu decided to call Hueningkai and tell him the great news.
“Kai! I was so right.” Turning his phone camera on as he set it on the table to face him, Beomgyu cheekily grinned at his best friend. “He mains mid, this is an easy win.”
His friend blatantly disregarded Beomgyu’s expectant look, setting his phone down sideways across from him and rolling over in his bed. He pulled the covers over himself until his face is no longer visible in his camera.
“Hey! Why’d you accept my call if you were just gonna sleep?”
“I’ll be ready to listen in five minutes, I swear.” Kai’s voice was muffled by the weighted blanket, but Beomgyu knew his habits far too well to not know what he was saying.
“Fine,” Beomgyu responded. Knowing there was no way to get Kai out of his last ditch attempt for sleep, he despondently sets a timer for exactly five minutes. While waiting, he decided to go back to his PageSoobin research, trying to notice details about his gameplay rather than the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Fuck, even the way he sulked when his character died was kinda cute.
While he was skipping through a stream from 2020, the timer suddenly sounded off.
Beomgyu grinned, scrolling to a certain clip in his gallery before reaching to unmute himself. Now this was another tradition in their friendship, though, how should he say this — definitely the more evil kind.
He hits play, and a blaring alarm rings through the call, knocking Kai out of peaceful slumber and into a frightened frenzy as Beomgyu cackles. That never gets old.
“I never told you to wake me up.” Kai frowns, sitting up with his phone in his hand and fixing his hair away from his eyes.
“As I was saying,” Beomgyu pauses for dramatic effect, his smile further rising on his face in a way that unsettles Kai. “PageSoobin plays mage! His defeat is inevitable.”
“Uhm, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. No matter his role, it does take considerable skill to reach such a high rank. I mean, playing mage gives you pretty good game sense and map control, especially at his level.”
Leave it to Kai to delve into the specifics even after being fresh from sleep.
The call goes silent, though an offended gasp quickly changes that.
“That’s nothing compared to what a jungler has to do! When playing jungler, you need precision, leadership, and awareness! While other roles just have to manage their own lanes, the jungler has to take care of them all! It’s definitely the most difficult role, and the one that receives the most trash talk as well. It’s just not fair, Kai, I’m telling you. In the name of a jungler’s honor, I will defeat PageSoobin and prove you all wrong.”
Kai merely shrugs, resisting the urge to laugh at Beomgyu’s desperation. To him, winning the argument doesn’t really matter. It’s just funny to see his friend so riled up. “Mhm.”
“You think you’re so funny, you little punk.” Beomgyu reaches his hands out, as if to virtually strangle him through the call.
Kai’s eyes drastically widened as he creates some distance between him and his camera, before his phone pings with a message. “Wait, Taehyun’s asking if he can join real quick. He has something to say to you.”
“Okay, but he better leave after and not just stare at you with heart-eyes.”
“Jealous.”
Taehyun pops up below him and Kai’s screens before he has a chance to retort.
“Hi Kai! and Beomgyu.”
“Could you at least pretend to be more excited about me?”
“Beomgyu, sometimes it takes more courage to give up than to keep going. Don’t underestimate the power of knowing when to quit, when to leave, and when to walk away,” He recites with a deadpan expression. “That’s all.”
“Hey, that’s cheating!” Kai protests.
Taehyun leaves the call without another word, his delivery of Pinterest quotes complete.
“What’s with him?”
“You see, Taehyun and I have a bet about tomorrow,” Kai explains. “If you quit in 5 matches or less, he wins, but if it’s more than that, I win. So, keep working hard! Don’t give up!” He raises his hands out in front of him and cheers.
“Thanks,” Beomgyu says, before processing the latter half of what Kai had just said. “Wait. Why are you assuming that I’ll lose! I hate you and your mean boyfriend.”
“In his defense, it was my idea,” Kai winces and turns down the volume as his friend cries betrayal in a half shout.
“That just makes it even worse,” Beomgyu cries out melodramatically, bringing his hands to the left side of his chest. “I thought we were friends, Kai Kamal Huening.”
“Sorry dude, that's a master rank player, not to mention a superstar, you’re fighting. I’m a broke college student, I can’t afford to make any losing bets.”
“I was one game away, I swear!”
“If you win, I’ll give you both of our bets’ worth,” Kai proposed, clearly having zero faith in him.
“Deal,” Beomgyu responded anyway, then sternly pointed at the camera. “Just you watch, Kai. I’ll win every match and prove you wrong.”
Needless to say, he didn’t end up making any money, but he did win something else that night.
~
It was exactly 9pm when Beomgyu started his stream. He had already sent an invite to Soobin for a joint stream, so all he could do was wait and speak to the viewers in the meantime. Based on how fast the chat was moving, there seemed to be more people than usual, which made him uncharacteristically nervous.
As he greeted the chat and read through comments, he spotted some that confirmed his suspicions.
@soobfairy: dk anything ab this game i came to stare at soobin
@cinnamalol: when does soobin come on
@duckbread: h0w d4r3 u h8 on soob1n !!!!!
He started it, Beomgyu thought to himself, ignoring those comments in favor of discussing today’s agenda. God, this guy’s fans were just as annoying as their idol. His sole consolation was that his follower count had gone up by a bit since his last stream.
“Welcome to the stream, guys! If you somehow haven’t heard already, we’ll be having a guest on today’s stream that I’ll be facing off against in League. He’s… uhm… someone I met recently. Don’t ask how.”
@hueningkai: #early
@thyun: seated and ready to win a bet
@sugarrush: LMAO we all know how
A shift on his screen saved his friends from the profanities he was about to utter to them, as a second camera panel appeared to showcase none other than Beomgyu’s mortal enemy of the week. His background showed the same room that Beomgyu had seen in his other streams as well, featuring a few prominent displays like stacks of manga, Pokemon plushies, and a Hatsune Miku figure perched upon the highest shelf. The contrast it held to his Instagram presence made Beomgyu wonder what had inspired him to become active on social media in the first place, almost as if he had been seeking out a double life. Maybe he could ask about it one day if they somehow became friends.
“Hi,” Beomgyu said awkwardly, immediately wishing he could take it back. “I’ll log on real quick.”
Soobin nodded, then started to speak to the chat like a true professional. “Hi everyone, I’m Soobin. I go by PageSoobin both on here and on Instagram, if you wanna give me a follow. I’m excited for this 1v1, hope you guys are too.”
@yawnzzz: yes we are king !! beat gyu’s ass plz
@gyusuperfan: gl
@fujoqueen: i’m excited (to see a ship sail)
As he waited for his game to load, Beomgyu subtly scanned the other’s appearance as he waited for his game to start. He was only dressed in an ordinary black hoodie, yet somehow managed to make it seem like a fashion item. His hair was slightly messy, and his bangs rested on the black-rimmed glasses that adorned his face. It was a little distracting, to say the least.
Beomgyu then turned to his own camera, feeling lucky that he rolled a five out of six on the face die today. If he lost, at least he would go down with style. He adjusted his own glasses, transparent ones that he had recently picked up at a nearby store with Kai, unconsciously tousling his brown hair as the game finally opened.
Soobin had already sent him a friend request, and Beomgyu accepted it before creating a lobby for their match. He was just about to invite him before the other suddenly spoke:
“Wow, it’s quiet as usual,” Soobin commented. “I’ve always wondered how you play with no background music.”
Beomgyu was taken aback to say the least. “You watch my streams that much?”
“Yeah, it’s good entertainment while I’m doing my work.” Soobin shrugged, examining something on his screen.
“Wow, thanks,” Beomgyu responded, not expecting the conversation to go down this route. Was this an imposter or something? He expected Soobin to have been a bit more upset or boastful after what had happened yesterday.
“I guess I don’t play music because I might get distracted easily.”
“Yeah, we saw that happen yesterday.” Soobin laughs at him. Forget what he just thought, this was the real Soobin. “Seriously, I was laughing so hard while you were stalking me on stream. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time.”
“I’m glad you find my anger amusing.” Beomgyu rolled his eyes and sighed in the same breath. As if he needed to be reminded that actions have consequences, and said consequences weren’t already plastered over the internet.
“You’re always so entertaining. Anyways, we can try my playlist if you’re alright with it.”
“What, do you play gaming mixes or something?”
“Better.” Soobin smiles, with an air of giddiness accompanying it. Before he can process what’s happening, the sound of Mr. by KARA fills the stream.
“What the hell?”
“This is only for serious games,” Soobin says with utmost solemnity, a striking contrast to the bubbly pop playing in the background. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“Let’s just start the match…” Beomgyu diverts the conversation and finally invites Soobin to the lobby, which the other instantly accepts.
“Ready when you are,” he says, kinda vibing to the music that Soobin had chosen. He could never resist a good pop song, after all.
“I am," Soobin smugly replied, “if you’re ready to lose.”
The chat visibly went wild over this, much to Soobin’s amusement and Beomgyu’s annoyance.
“Your chat is so cool. Watch me instead guys, this dude is lame.”
Beomgyu rolled his eyes, shooting down the smile irrationally growing on his face, and started the match.
~
And that was how he got his ass handed to him with a KARA song playing in the background.
“I demand a rematch,” Beomgyu said firmly.
Soobin only laughs, endeared by his persistence.
~
Their fifth game had begun, and sunk cost fallacy was hitting him really hard right now.
Losing sucked, but Beomgyu would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying this joint stream. Other than Kai, he rarely played with people, much less in front of a live audience. Soobin was entertaining, and dare he say even fun to be with, and the chat seemed to agree, with some already asking for his return. Beomgyu couldn’t find it in himself to disagree, for there was something weirdly different about talking to Soobin. Their conversation flowed almost as if they had known each other for some time now, and hadn’t just met yesterday in some unorthodox manner.
Beomgyu’s character was currently hidden from view, waiting in the bushes that were spread across the battlefield. As he moved closer to Soobin’s side of the battlefield, he noticed that his character stood completely still, on top of being at a significantly lower level than his.
“Did you disconnect?” Beomgyu laughs and looks over to Soobin’s camera, only to find him staring at the camera, as if he were looking right at him. He had clearly stopped playing, as he rested his head on his right palm with a look of amusement painted on his face.
“Nah. Just found something more interesting to do,” Soobin says, tilting his head slightly.
“And what could that be?”
Soobin continues to look at him, almost as if they were alone, without saying a word. God, was there something on his face or what?
“I guess old habits die hard, I’m just used to watching you while you play,” Soobin eventually explains.
“Is my face really that irresistible to you?”
It’s rash, unfitting for a stream with a few hundred thousand viewers, and probably sounds flirtier than he intended, but Beomgyu figures if the chat has seen their first “interaction,” this is nothing they can’t handle.
“Don’t flatter yourself too much. I’m probably just bored since I’ve won the past four games,” Soobin teased as he mimicked a yawn.
At this point, Beomgyu has forgotten about the game. There’s something that interests him much, much more. “You confuse me, you know?”
Soobin smiles. “Really?”
“I don’t know, you seem so different from what I originally thought,” Beomgyu mused. “Like, why would you leave that hate comment if you were just gonna do… this?”
Soobin shrugged, though his cheeks seem to color slightly with embarrassment. It’s cute. “I’ll tell you when you finally get to master rank.”
“Challenge accepted!” Beomgyu exclaims, quickly ending their current match and creating a rank lobby.
For some reason, a part of him is more excited about the secret rather than the game itself, even in the face of reaching the goal he’s spoken about for so long.
~
@fujoqueen: do they even know we’re here
@hueningkai: i agree w u fujoqueen
@thyun: kai i won the bet js so u know
@hueningkai: dangit :‹
~
Two more games are all it takes for him to reach his long-awaited goal, and before he knows it, the animation for being promoted to Master rank is playing on his screen. Some girl group song, Soobin’s pick, is still playing in the background, as Beomgyu nearly cries tears of joy.
“So was this whole thing just an excuse to get me to boost you to master?” Soobin kindly interrupts.
“My KDA was better than yours in both games, dumbass,” Beomgyu shoots back, but even Soobin’s mockery can’t bring his mood down. Not only did he finally prove his skill as a League player, but he also gets to hear Soobin’s explanation, which honestly has him more curious than he would like to admit.
“Anyways, time for you to fess up.” His chest feels tight with anticipation, his voice almost shaky as he changes the topic of conversation. It’s something he can’t explain, why he genuinely cares about what Soobin is about to say. Something about him, from his nerdy, pop song loving, gamer side to his more confident, teasing online persona, infuriates him just as much as it intrigues him.
He doesn’t even know what he’s expecting. Would it be pathetic to hope that maybe Soobin did all of this for more selfish reasons? His heart seemed close to combusting as he awaited Soobin’s answer with bated breath.
“I was hoping you’d forget about that.” Soobin clears his throat nervously. “Well, I guess there’s no un-embarrassing way to say this. I honestly don’t know what came over me when I commented, but I figured you’d pay more attention to a comment like that rather than a casual or complimentary one. The real reason behind it is, well, I think you’re cute, especially when you’re mad. It sounds dumb, but that’s the truth. I have for a while now.”
“Oh my god,” Beomgyu gasps, "You're… such a loser. This is the best day of my life.” He says in what seems like a single breath, giving Soobin slight emotional whiplash. In the corner of his eye, messages from the chat practically fly by.
“Huh?” The confusion evident in his voice as his eyes widen makes Beomgyu equally endeared and entertained.
“You know what?” Beomgyu proposes, already thinking of a proposition that lands him in a win-win situation. “I’ll strike you a deal, Soobin.”
With that, Soobin recovers from his shock, obviously interested by what he’s about to say. A faint glimmer of hope rests in his gaze.
“Let’s play another round. If you lose, you have to write ‘Beomgyu carried me in League’ on all of your social media accounts, but if I lose, I’ll let you take me out on a date.”
“Deal,” Soobin says, agreeing just as fast as his determination burns alight.
Beomgyu is flattered to say the least, maybe even a little giddy, though he’d rather die before giving Soobin an easy win. Confession or not, it would still be nice to take him down a notch, and he can always take him out on a date afterwards after giving him the taste of crushing defeat.
This time, he’ll win for sure.
~
@hueningkai: bro’s gonna throw the game
@yawnzzz: am i watching a twitch stream or a bl
@cinnamalol: soobin likes this guy?? i’m leaving
@thyun: @cinnamalol boohoo
@hueningkai: wait doesn’t that mean i won the bet @thyun
@thyun: i take it back im leaving w cinnamalol
@fujoqueen: i knew i followed the right streamer !!
@starsighty: there’s only so many times we can watch u lose king
~
Beomgyu swears that this time would have been a real win, but his game was horribly lagging and he somehow lost.
As he looks away from the screen in shame, he can hear Soobin laughing at him in joy. The sound is as endearing as the screech of window wipers can be.
“Aw, do you wanna go out with me that bad?”
“I was obviously lagging!” Beomgyu defends his honor. The chat immediately calls him out.
“Sure. You must be really starting to like me, cause if not that would just make you an easy win.” Soobin smirks.
“Maybe I already do,” Beomgyu answers back as calmly as he can, taking in the way Soobin’s lips part as his eyes now shy away from him.
“Not that I’m complaining,” Soobin mumbles, still looking down.
Beomgyu grins triumphantly, as an idea comes into his mind.
“Wait, I have a question for the chat. Who do you think is better-looking: Soobin or me?”
With that, Beomgyu shows off his best pose and waits as Soobin stares at the camera beside him. Though already understanding his feelings for him, sometimes he really didn’t get this guy. Shouldn’t he be doing some cool model poses as an Instagram star? Well, his loss was Beomgyu’s win.
@cinnamalol: i’m back. soobin.
@painteddesire: ngl soobin
@hueningkai: soobin
@thyun: soobin
@yawnzzz: soobin
All along, Hueningkai was right; five losing matches aren’t enough for him to give up — but this is.
~
A month later, Beomgyu is streaming and screaming over Human Fall Flat as a knock on the door sounds.
“Come in,” He calls, already knowing who it is.
@fujoqueen: could this be..
@sunooholic: bf reveal pleaseee then let’s all pretend to be surprised
@legitbamgeut: yesyesyesyes !!!!!!
With the creaking sound of the door, Soobin enters the room and heads right towards Beomgyu, with no second thoughts spared for the stream
“I missed you,” He says when he gets to his side, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of Beomgyu’s head.
“You saw me a few hours ago.” Beomgyu rolls his eyes, though his heart still flutters in his chest. It feels warm with whispers of contentment, the way it always does when Soobin is around.
“Can I not miss my boyfriend?” Soobin huffs, smiling fondly as he reaches to ruffle his hair to a mess in front of the camera.
“Hey, stop that!” Beomgyu waved his hands away, the game long forgotten on his screen. “Tsk, just when it started to look good.”
“Who are you trying to impress?” Soobin crosses his arms across his chest. “I didn’t even get to watch your stream since I was busy with my deadlines. What’s the point of looking like that when I’m not there?”
“Like what?” Beomgyu flutters his eyelashes at him in the most annoying way he possibly can.
Soobin merely looks away from him with an exaggerated frown on his face.
“I’m sorry, baby. You know I love teasing you.” Beomgyu pulls him in by his arm and presses a soft kiss to his cheek, the combination that always works like magic on a sulky Soobin. “Ah, it seems like only yesterday when you were leaving hate comments on my stream.”
“It was a singular comment,” Soobin clarifies, miraculously already in a better mood, “and it worked, just saying.”
“I guess you have a point.”
“I always do,” Soobin gloats as he steps closer to the camera. “Anyways, hi chat! It’s been a while, I guess. I forgot I haven’t been formally reintroduced yet. Someone here was too distracted.”
That comment earns him a punch to the side, and Beomgyu pulls him backward to speak to the stream again.
“Maybe if you weren’t distracting me,” Beomgyu replies. “Well, I guess you do have a point. Chat, this idiot is my boyfriend now, believe it or not. Surprise!”
@gyusuperfan: no way, really.
@yawnzzz: yeah buddy we can tell
@hueningkai: first to know btw !
“Nice to meet you guys again.” Soobin waves at the camera, accepting the title with pride.
He stays at Beomgyu’s side to catch up with the chat for a bit before a notification sounds on his phone. They both glance at it at the same time, sharing a look of disappointment.
A sullen pout spreads on Soobin’s face as he looks down at the bringer of bad news. Beomgyu doesn’t know if he’s stealing that habit from him, but what he does know is that he really really wants to kiss it off his face. Maybe being a streamer isn’t worth it anymore, if it has to come at such an unbearable cost.
“Ugh, I wish I didn’t have to go so soon, but I have to meet with people for a project.” Soobin breaks his trance with a sigh. “I’ll see you later then?” He smiles, leaning close to press his lips to Beomgyu’s forehead, something he always does when saying goodbye.
“Yeah, see you,” Beomgyu says, wishing he didn’t have to go as he watches Soobin walk out the door.
Not that he would ever admit that to the chat, who seemed to miss his boyfriend even more than he did.
@cinnamalol: bring soobin back pls
@hueningkai: real!
@thyun: for once in my life i agree w u, sum1 needs to bully him when we’re not around
@moonlitsun: play smt w him next time pleasee
@fujoqueen: im getting emotional rn ngl i love my life, thank u soobin for leaving that hate comment i love my parents #soogyu
“Hello? Have you guys forgotten whose stream you’re watching? You guys wouldn’t even know him if not for me.” Beomgyu frowns.
Though as he reads through the chat, he can’t help but agree with a certain comment.
Despite all the praise and kind words he’s received, he’s never been more grateful for anything than that singular hate comment.