Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Just another normal day. That’s what Kenny thought as he made his way down the busy street of Seoul to the school he’d been going to for a decade. He was in 12th grade and school had become his first priority. It was only a few weeks into the first term, but Kenny was already sick of it. He would get to school, put his stuff in his locker, and meet his best friends Hyuk and Aito before going straight to homeroom. They shared the same homeroom, which made school a little more bearable. As they were settling into their seats at the back of the room, Hyuk pointed out a new, unfamiliar kid walking past.
“Isn’t that the new kid? Who would come sixth week into the first term. Just come at the start of the year!” Hyuk complained, playing with a pencil in his free hand. A few of the innocent grade 8s and 9s that were in their homeroom either stared at the three boys with awe or confusion. They didn’t understand the struggles. Kenny didn’t blame Hyuk for being so fed up; they had math with Mrs. Hwang first up. They all hated her equally, and she hated them equally. It was quite an annoying relationship they’d held since 9th grade when the three of them all wrote ‘Jesus’ on every question of their test and retorted with; ‘Jesus is the answer to everything’.

It only got worse from there.

Suddenly, a high-ish voice pulled Kenny from his thoughts.
“Aito!” A small 8th grade girl peeped, placing her slim fingers on the table in front of an utterly confused Aito. Younger girls would always go up to him because he was so pretty, and had a young face but mature attitude for 19 years old. The girl looked back at her friend who was watching from her seat across the room, and Kenny wondered why they thought a near-adult would give her a chance. “I was wondering if you would want to… maybe… study with me at lunch? I hear 12th graders need to study a lot.”
“I’m so sorry, I have soccer training with these guys at lunch.” Aito replied, though they all knew that wasn’t true. Aito was really good at excuses. Kenny and Hyuk nodded as if to agree, and the girl nodded back, still smiling brightly before walking back to her friend, unfazed.
“You little bitch.” Hyuk chuckled, meaning no harm in those words. “Just tell her no straight up, she’s a minor and you’re nearly an adult.”
“Dude, I’m not that mean!” Aito retorted.
Kenny laughed to himself, opening his laptop as the teacher called for silence. Their homeroom teacher Mr. Choi was pretty chill, he told everyone to check their emails and do everything they needed to before they were allowed to study, play games, or join in to do the Wordle he did every morning. Kenny would always watch tiktok on his laptop, Hyuk would occasionally join in, otherwise playing the Wordle, and Aito would always be reading a novel. It was shocking how fast that boy got through a book.

“Alright everyone, see you tomorrow.” Mr. Choi called as the clock hit 9:00am.
“What do you have?” Aito asked Kenny as the three of them headed in a similar direction.
“I have PE, Hyuk you’re coming with me.” Kenny announced as Aito nodded, parting from them to head for the English block.
“Ken, I heard we have a new kid in our class.” Hyuk told Kenny, sounding tired.
“Now? Why not join at the start of the year?” Kenny complained, staring off towards the soccer pitch.
“I know, right?” Hyuk began, and Kenny could tell he had a lot to complain about aswell. “Like, first of all, why choose to come to this school? It’s shit.”
Kenny couldn’t hold back his laugh, nudging Hyuk in half disbelief, half agreement.

“Hey, look, there he is,” Hyuk pointed subtly towards a confused boy around their age. He walked aimlessly down the same path they were taking, just further away and less certainly.
“I hate new kids.” Kenny admitted, throwing his sports bag over his shoulder and crossing his arms. His sports bag contained his PE clothes and shoes, nothing more, so it was decently light.
“Damn…” Hyuk covered his mouth with the back of his hand before hitting Kenny over the back of the head. “You were there once, idiot.”
“Not anymore,” Kenny pointed out, his eyes glancing over towards the annoyingly attractive new kid. Suddenly, he felt the need to help said new kid. “You go ahead, I’m gonna give Dora the Explorer a hand.”
“Dora the Explorer,” Hyuk laughed, shaking his head before nodding and running off towards the gym.

Without hesitation, Kenny began walking toward the new kid as soon as Hyuk was out of sight. Was this the right thing to do?
“Hey,” Kenny began, catching the attention of the starlost boy.
“Hello.” He said bluntly, seeming a bit nervous.
“You’re new today?”
“Yes.”
“Your name?”
“Seok Kim.” Seok responded, all his words short and sharp. He wasn’t ready to have full conversations with Kenny yet.
“Oh, cool. I’m Kenny Hao and the stupid kid you saw running away from me is Hyuk Yu.” Kenny informed Seok, unsure why he was even trying to be friendly with him. He didn’t seem like someone Kenny would associate with.
“Are we in the same PE class?” Seok asked, lifting his head to look up at Kenny, who was horrifyingly tall. Seok had an innocent, shut-off look in his eyes, as if this wasn’t the first time he’d been new to a school and had no idea what to do or who to talk to.
“Yeah, Mr. Song your teacher?” Kenny replied, glancing down at Seok before looking forward, a few year 8s and 9s running around to their classes.
“Mhm.” Seok replied, his eyes locked on the gym building, obviously thinking about something.

To break the ice as they entered the gym and headed for the change rooms, Kenny asked if he’d talked to anyone yet or made any friends.
“No. Everyone looks at me weirdly.” Seok replied, holding his PE kit close as he walked into the change room behind Kenny. Seok was the opposite of most of the boys; he was quiet and didn’t want to talk to anyone, obviously really nervous. Kenny guided Seok to a spot in the corner of the room, chucking his stuff on the bench beside Hyuk, who was just putting his shoes on.

“Hyuk, have you seen Michelle yet?” Kenny asked his friend, referring to a girl in their PE class that they hung out with. Generally, Kenny, Hyuk, Michelle, Aito and Michelle’s friend Vanessa would hang out together with a few other kids in their year by a tree in the garden next to the science block. it was convenient since their lockers were lined up next to each other beside a science classroom. Maybe Seok would join them when he felt more comfortable. Not that it mattered, but still.
“Oh, yeah, she was with Vanessa.” Hyuk nodded, leaning back against the white brick wall, watching Kenny as he slid off his shirt to reveal his thin frame. Seok couldn’t help but steal a glance to his left, struggling to tear his eyes from Kenny’s body. Soon enough, Seok took his own shirt off, revealing toned muscle and a six-pack. For some reason he was embarrassed by it.
“Woahhh.” Kenny chuckled, pulling his PE shirt on over his head. “We got a strong boy?”
Seok quickly put his PE shirt on. His face turned bright red. Hyuk and Kenny glanced at each other, a look that had no particular meaning but they both understood it.

Once Kenny had finally finished putting his clothes on, the three boys walked out of the change room and found their teacher waiting with the rest of the class by the door to the gym, waiting for those three slowpokes to get there.
“Kenny, Hyuk, hurry up! My favouritism is running out.” Mr. Song, their good-looking PE teacher, called out to them across the indoor basketball court. They picked up their walking speed and spotted Michelle and Vanessa, dragging Seok with them to stand together. “Oh, we’ve got a new student. What’s your name?”
“Seok Kim.”
“Ah, yes, welcome! I see you’ve already familiarised yourself with Kenny and Hyuk. Don’t let them get to your head, they’re troublemakers. I know all too well.” Mr. Song shook his head, chuckling to himself. He’d been Hyuk’s teacher since he started 7th grade, and Kenny’s since he joined in 9th grade. Kenny had gained popularity very quickly, and he wasn’t scared of anyone or anything. He hated when people obsessed over him, though.
“Don’t listen to him.” Hyuk nudged Seok before slinging an arm around his shoulder in a way as if they’d been friends for years. Seok was stiff as a board though, and Kenny could see his muscles tensed like he was worried he’d ruin everything if he moved.

As the class walked down to the massive grassed oval, Kenny stayed by Seok’s side, not wanting him to feel left out.
“So, Ken, you found a new buddy?” Michelle spoke up from in front of the three boys. She was like their mother in a way. She would always tell them off for being stupid, and she would always be there for them when they needed it.
“Let’s just hope this one doesn’t turn in to a Minhyun.” Vanessa added. Minhyun was a girl that tried to be friends with Kenny when he was new, but as he gained popularity quickly, she tried to act like his ‘girlfriend’ and that lead to her getting bullied by other girls that liked Kenny as well. She left the school soon after.
“Don’t even think about bringing her up, Vanny.” Kenny pointed a finger at Vanessa before grabbing her long blonde ponytail and pulling it back, making her head jerk.
“Oi!” Vanessa exclaimed, twisting around and tackling Kenny to the floor. She slapped him lightly across the cheek before walking off, Michelle following close beside her. Hyuk rolled his eyes as Kenny lifted himself off the grass, standing up tall once more.
“That never happened.” Kenny said sternly, glancing at Hyuk before looking at Seok for a few moments too long.

They soon reached the field that had lines marked out in a circular formation, clearly made for sprints and races.
“Are we finally moving on to sprints?” Kenny asked, excited. Sprints were his favourite part of athletics.
“Yeah, didn’t you check the lesson outline?” Hyuk replied, scoffing. The three boys, Seok still staying silent, made their way to where the class were sitting down, throwing their water bottles carelessly towards the only shady spot under a small tree beside the outdoor basketball courts.
“Funnily enough, Aito was being attacked by little kids, so no.” Kenny retorted, rewinding to when Aito was being ‘asked out’ by a grade 8 or 9. Kenny couldn’t remember their grade for the life of him.
“Boys, shut up.” Mr. Song called out to the two boys, talking to them as if he was their dad. At this point Kenny lived at the school. He hated being away from it, even though he kept saying it was a horrible school.
“Yes, sir!” Hyuk nodded, sitting down further away from the class next to Vanessa and Michelle. Kenny followed, and when he saw Seok going to sit down away from them, he immediately got up and dragged him over. He wasn’t going to let this one escape.
Seok seemed perplexed by the fact that someone cared enough to want him to sit with them, which was kind of concerning.

“Okay, pick teams of up to 6 and no more. You’ll be sprinting against those people, but you’re not racing. The only person you’re racing against is yourself. You’ll get two attempts, and we’ll use your best time for the ranking for heats at the carnival next month.” Mr. Song explained, diverting his eyes from the 6 kids all sitting together away from the class. They had special privileges.
“Okay, Me, Vanny, Hyuk, Kenny, and… Seok, right?” Michelle counted out, pausing on Seok and trying to remember and confirm his name.
“Mhm.” Seok nodded, looking down at the grass as he picked at it mindlessly.
“Okay… we’ll do some practise before our turn.” Vanessa decided for the group, getting them to line up facing the open field where nobody else was. “Sprint from here to that black line.” She commanded, pointing at a black line that marked out the football area.
“Ready? Set. Go!” Vanessa called, and the five of them sped off. Surprisingly, Seok was close behind Kenny in the lead, with the two girls at the back. They didn’t really care for sport, they were just there because they had to be.

Kenny and Seok crossed the line at the same time, with Hyuk coming in third, followed by Vanessa and Michelle.
“You have long legs, Kenny! So unfair!” Michelle called out from her spot in the grass. She was the shortest of the five, and it didn’t help when it came to athletics.
“Skill issue, honestly.” Kenny shrugged, glancing at Seok who was completely silent and just standing there, watching the scene.
“Does that kid ever talk?” Vanessa asked suddenly, pointing at Seok.
“Oi, he’s new, cut him some slack. When he has to deal with bitches like you-“ Kenny began, but was cut off immediately as Vanessa leaped up and tackled Kenny once more, dragging him to the ground. Kenny toppled over, and Vanessa leaped to the side to watch him fall. He accidentally grabbed Seok’s shirt sleeve for support, dragging him down too. Seok fell right on top of Kenny. Their faces were inches apart, and that caused Hyuk to cover his mouth and inhale deeply. Michelle giggled, and Vanessa just stared, like the freak she was.
“S-Sorry,” Seok stuttered, lifting himself off Kenny as fast as possible and wrapping his arms around his waist.
“Nah, you’re all good,” Kenny replied, sitting up and glancing at everyone, their faces still showing excitement and second hand embarrassment.

When lunch time finally came, Hyuk and Kenny walked down to their meeting spot together, spotting Aito walking with Vanessa.
Where was Seok?
Kenny looked around the courtyard multiple times before Aito and Vanessa finally caught up to them.
“Who you lookin for?” Vanessa asked, one hand on her hip as she looked up at Kenny with knowing eyes.
“The new kid.” Kenny replied bluntly, ignoring Vanessa’s glare as he scanned the area more.
“Oh, Seok? He’s with Michelle. They have Math together.” Vanessa added the last sentence when she saw the flash of jealousy in Kenny’s eyes. He probably didn’t even notice his own feelings; but Vanessa sure did.
“Ah.” Kenny nodded, turning and leading the four others to their spot.

“Oh, look, there’s Seok. Who’s that?” Hyuk asked as soon as he saw Seok walking down with someone none of the boys knew.
“Nathan. He was new at the start of the year.” Aito answered Hyuk. He was in Nathan’s Health and PE classes, but they never spoke unless they had to. “He’s cool, but I don’t really know him.”
Michelle came out of the year 9s locker area just as Seok and Nathan were walking past it, heading for someplace that wasn’t the meeting spot.
“Where’s he going?” Kenny spoke up, alert immediately. He wasn’t going to let this one escape that easily.
“He’s not yours, if he feels uncomfortable with us then let him make his own friends.” Aito spoke genuinely, giving advice like an old grandfather. But then again, he was the ‘wise’ one.
“But…” I want him. was what Kenny wanted to say, but he knew that Vanessa would be on her notes app immediately if he said anything.
A few extra people joined, people that weren’t that important to Kenny but were there because they were friends with Michelle or Vanessa.

“If you want him, go get him,” Hyuk whispered to Kenny.

Chapter Text

“Hyukkkkk~” Kenny hummed, slinging his shoulder around his friend’s shoulders. It was the next day, and Kenny and Hyuk were heading for their food specialisation class. Or that’s what Kenny thought, until Hyuk spoke up.
“Oh, right, Ken. I’m not in your FS class anymore.” Hyuk said casually, pausing in time with Kenny. Kenny’s face dropped.
“you DITCHED ME?!” Kenny exclaimed, capturing a few confused or amused looks.
“No, I just got moved to a new class.” Hyuk shrugged. He knew damn well he should tell Kenny that he asked the Head of Senior School to let him change classes because he ‘felt left out’. But, it was really because he wanted Seok and Kenny to get closer.
“Why?” Kenny pushed, desperate for a concrete answer and maybe a reason to bring him back, until he began to think of reasons why he was moved. “Don’t tell me it was because I made that egg explode last week. Or was it because I told the teacher I was vegetarian so that the vegan kid couldn’t get the plant-based meat? That was pretty messed up, I guess.”
“No,” Hyuk shook his head, chuckling at Kenny’s stupidity. “Though it would’ve been a smart thing to move you instead…”
“That’s beside the point!” Kenny waved his hands in the air in front of him, earning himself a couple of confused looks. “Who’s replacing you? Do you know?”
“I heard Seok is replacing me. He’ll be your new partner.” Hyuk explained, ignoring Kenny’s face as his jaw dropped. “Well, the technologies building is there, and I have Korean in the commons. See you later.” And with one last effortless wave, Hyuk walked off, leaving Kenny standing at the door of the Food Specialisation room with a couple of other kids from his class. Mainly girls.
Odd, Seok wasn’t there yet.

“Kenny!” A short, black haired girl spoke up, resting her hands on Kenny’s bicep. “I heard Hyuk moved classes, do you want to be partners?!” No. In truth, he really didn’t want to. He glanced up at the girl’s original partner, a Japanese girl called Mizuko. Or it could’ve been Mezuki. Kenny didn’t really care. her expression was scowling, staring daggers into Kenny.
“Look at your friend’s face,” Kenny pointed out, shaking her hands off his arm. Then, he added with a smirk, “I don’t want to be put in a death note.”
“Bitch.” Mizuko growled, grabbing her partner by the shoulders and shoving her in front but keeping her close in case someone else decided to steal her.
It was then when Kenny noticed Seok walking up the path towards the FS room. His heart rate picked up, and he had no idea why. Before he knew it, he was calling out to the lonely boy. “Seok! Here!”
Seok lifted his drooped head, his eyes meeting Kenny’s immediately. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes seemed to light up slightly, as if there was some hope left. Anyway, it was only Seok’s first day, so he wouldn’t make all the friends in the world, yet.

The social ‘system’ at their school was slightly odd, because the girls obsessed over Kenny and Hyuk, and the guys obsessed over Michelle and Vanessa, BUT, when new kids join that don’t talk to everyone immediately, they’re thought of as weird and annoying, until they become friends with one of those four. Take Aito for example; when he joined, he was quiet and didn’t talk much, so nobody talked to him. Then Kenny joined a year later and once he had gained majority of the popularity, he befriended Aito and everyone seemed to forget about disliking him. Maybe Kenny could use that to his advantage. If he became really close with Seok, maybe Seok would really come out of his shell just as Aito did.
But who was the kid Seok was hanging with at lunch?
Forget it. He’d ask later.

Soon enough, the class crowded around the middle table where the teacher gave all her demonstrations. Seok stood at the back and waited for everyone to push in first before he even tried. That was, until Kenny grabbed his arm and dragged him around without a word, earning him a spot right in front of the table. These kids would do anything to please Kenny for even a moment.
“Everyone, as you may know, Hyuk swapped out with Seok, and now he is in our class. Please try to be nice to him and include him, this is his first day and he doesn’t know anyone.” The teacher, Miss Nam explained. She was a respectable teacher, she always knew what to say and when to say it. She gave constructive criticism and was completely honest with everything to do with cooking. Arguably one of the best 12th grade teachers. “Now, today we’ll be attempting a quick and easy lemon meringue tea cake. This shouldn’t be too hard, but keep in mind it’s just a break lesson from your theory work. next term we’ll be getting into harder dishes and looking at your big assessment worth 40% of your overall grade. Remember; you chose Food Specialisation.” Miss Nam finished with a wink before shooing everyone back to their workbenches. She stopped Seok before he walked off to speak to him.
“Seok, I know you’re new, but you’ll have to replace Hyuk since he isn’t here anymore. I hope working with Kenny won’t be too much of a hassle, as he can be trouble sometimes.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. He’s already been welcoming to me in PE this morning.” Seok said formally, speaking in a professional tone for no exact reason.
“Good, now go help him before he puts metal in the microwave.” Miss Nam pointed Seok in the direction of Kenny’s workbench, and, as she said, he was about to put a glass bowl with a metal fork in it in the microwave.
Idiot.

“Kenny!” Seok called, grabbing his arm to stop him. He was so close to losing his mind. “You idiot, you can’t put metal or this type of glass in a microwave. Also, why are you using a microwave? It’s not even in the recipe!!” He emphasised, pointing at the clear instructions on the bench.
“Oh. My bad.” Kenny chuckled, putting the bowl back on the bench. It had cracked eggs in, along with a flavourful eggshell. His face was heating up and his palms felt oddly sweaty. He was being an idiot on purpose.
“You absolute social degenerate.” Seok shook his head, all his respect forgotten.
“Well, do you know what to do?” Kenny tilted his head. He didn’t even know how he was still in the FS class, because he was genuinely absolutely terrible at it.
“Not exactly… let me read the recipe.” Seok pushed past him to get to the recipe, his eyes scanning it in detail. While he was doing that, Kenny occupied himself with something else.
“Hey, Wish and Prince, do we just make these like any other cupcakes?” Kenny asked the two Thai boys working together directly next to Kenny and Seok. They had come to the school before Kenny, but Kenny was friends with almost every guy, so it wasn’t hard to start a conversation. He flung his arms over both boys, and they didn’t move an inch. This was normal for them.
“Yeah, you just make it like you would any other cupcake. it’s just the icing that’s different.” Wish explained while efficiently mixing their batch. Meanwhile, Prince was fidgeting with the device they were going to use to ‘burn’ the icing and give it that crispy texture. “Prince, I swear if you don’t start making the icing I’ll poke your eyes out.”
“I should probably leave you two to it.” Kenny nodded, taking the insult as his cue to leave. He spun back around and found that Seok was rushing around collecting ingredients while he was yapping to his friends. Why did he feel kind of bad for Seok?
Why do I want to help him?

About forty minutes later, Seok pulled the baked cupcakes out of the oven and set them to cool on the bench. That was when Kenny came rushing back from where he was standing with a guy and a girl, whom of which Seok assumed were a couple. “Seok! Do you need anything else? I’ll get it for you!”
“That’d be nice. I need the fire thing, whatever it’s called.” Seok ordered, motioning toward Prince, who was using said fire thing.
“Got it!” Kenny nodded, searching the room for the second one. He didn’t want to take the one from Prince, since he was concentrating so hard. Then, he noticed it was in the hands of Sohee, a girl who was idly watching her partner Inseong ice their cupcakes very neatly. It’d be easy to sway her into giving him the device.
“Hey, Sohee, do you mind if I borrow that?” Kenny asked, running a slow hand through his fluffy brown-black hair. Sohee swivelled around to face Kenny, shocked at how close he was to her. She nodded fast, handing it over without a second thought. He took it, and with a quick wink, spun around and headed back towards the only person he really cared about in this instance. Seok.

The class finished as it usually does, with Kenny having done little to no work, but making sure he was working when Miss Nam looked over. Smart, hey? No. really, it’s just pathetic.
“So, what are you doing after school?” Kenny asked the shorter boy as they walked together down the path towards the 12th grade lockers with a few other boys, including Wish, Prince and Prince’s younger brother, King. Ironic, right?
“Uhm. Not sure.” Seok replied, suddenly nervous again. He looked up and spotted the boy he was hanging out with at lunch by his locker. Their lockers must be close together. Kenny followed Seok’s gaze, recognising that other damn new kid.
“Who’s that?” Kenny asked, walking straight past his locker just to find out who Seok was talking to.
“A friend. He didn’t force me into friendship like someone else.” Seok exaggerated, glaring sideways at this annoying popular boy.
“His name?”
“Why do you care?”
“No reason, just curious.”
“It’s Nathan.”
“Oh. He’s in Hyuk’s Health class.” Kenny tilted his head, remembering the boy slightly. He was new at the start of the year, so Kenny had seen him around, but he was just a background character. Until now.
“Mhm.”
Seok greeted Nathan with a small bow, and Nathan reciprocated.
He’s not Korean. Thai, maybe? He looks a bit Lao…
Kenny’s mind rushed to understand what Nathan had and he didn’t. He didn’t even know why he cared.

“Hey, Nathan, is it?” Kenny spoke in English in case Nathan didn’t understand. He approached the two boys, slinging an arm around Nathan’s shoulder.
“Oh, yeah,” Nathan nodded, also replying in English.
“Where are you from?” Kenny asked, genuinely curious.
“I’m from Arkansas.” Nathan shrugged Kenny’s arm off his shoulder as it was starting to get uncomfortable. “But my family is from Laos, if that’s what you wanted to know.”
“Oh, cool, I’m Chinese but lived in America until I came to Korea. Been here for about three years?” Kenny explained though Nathan did not ask. Seok stood there, his eyes locked on Kenny with annoyance. What did he want?
“There are tons of foreigners in this school. I can name about 15 just in our grade!” Kenny bragged, his eyes finding Seok’s. He almost forgot that Seok was Korean, he wouldn’t know what they were saying. “I’m close with a couple, and the rest I haven’t talked to. There’s Wish and Prince, they’re Thai, they’re in my FS class. Gray as well, she’s in my math class. There’s also Mizuko, I think that’s her name. She’s Japanese. She’s friends with Haruto and Taoru, two nerdy Japanese guys. I’m also really close with the Chinese kids; there’s Ruxing and Huaien, they’re in my core classes. Oh, and there’s also Binghua, Atilla and Yichen. I think they’re in some of my core classes.” At this point, Nathan was about to dig his eyes out of his skull. This couldn’t be more boring. “There’s also these two guys, one from Russia, Evgueni I think, and one from Australia, Jake. They’re chill, I hang with Jake sometimes.”
“Nice. But I really think you should pay attention to how much you talk. I need to get my stuff. I don’t want to be here any longer than you do.” Nathan admitted, patting Kenny on the back before leaving him standing there, baffled.

Who was this kid?!

Who did he think he was?!