RIVALS? NEVER

The alley was their designated stage, a grim backdrop of brick and graffiti for the day's performance. At one end, Y/n stood at the head of his Daeil High crew. He projected an aura of bored confidence, hands shoved in his pockets, a smirk playing on his lips as he waited for his rival.

And then she appeared. Ahn Yujin.

Leading the Seoyun High faction, she strode into the alley with a fiery bounce in her step. Her chin was held high, her ponytail swinging behind her. She put on a magnificent show of arrogance, placing her hands on her hips and sizing up Y/n's crew with an exaggerated eye-roll. It was an impressive performance.

"Well, well," Yujin chirped, her voice dripping with fake saccharine poison. "If it isn't the Daeil delinquents. Did you get lost on your way back to the junkyard?"

Y/n played his part, letting his smirk sharpen into a sneer. "Careful, Yujin. Wouldn't want you to scuff your shoes in our territory. This alley's probably cleaner than your whole school, but we can't be too sure."

The insult was their cue. The air crackled. Both crews tensed, waiting for the explosion.

Yujin gasped, placing a hand over her heart in mock offense. "How dare you! At least we don't look like we all share one brain cell." She took a bold step forward, pointing a finger directly at Y/n. "You, especially. Is that vacant look your only expression?"

He closed the distance between them, his gaze carefully shielded. He leaned in, his voice a low growl for all to hear. "You've got a lot of nerve for someone who runs her mouth more than her crew. Why don't you go back to whatever hole you crawled out of?"

For just a split second, Y/n saw her bright facade flicker. The insult, though scripted, had landed a little too hard. He saw it in the subtle clench of her jaw, a vulnerability no one else would have noticed.

She recovered instantly, tossing her head back with a haughty laugh. "As if! I'm bored now. Wasting my breath on you is a bigger workout than gym class." She spun on her heel. "Let's go, everyone. The air here suddenly stinks of desperation and bad cologne."

With that, she marched out of the alley, her crew trailing behind her like a victorious army.

Y/n watched her go, shouting one last taunt for effect. "Yeah, you'd better run!"

His boys cheered, slapping him on the back. He managed a victorious grin for them before dismissing them with a wave. "Alright, clear out. Show's over."

As his crew dispersed, the triumphant energy faded, replaced by something else—a familiar, quiet responsibility. He knew where he had to go next.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the small, forgotten park behind the library. He slipped behind the curtain of branches from the weeping willow and saw her sitting on the bench, her back to him. Her shoulders were slumped.

He approached quietly, the gravel crunching softly under his shoes.

"You went too far," she said, her voice small and tight, without turning around.

Y/n stopped beside the bench. "It's what the role required," he stated, his voice neutral. "We have to make it look convincing."

"I know," she replied, her voice wobbling slightly. "But… it still hurt." She finally turned to look at him, and his neutral expression softened. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

He let out a quiet sigh, the last of the hardened leader persona melting away. He sat down beside her, leaving a respectable distance between them. For a moment, they just sat in silence, two rival leaders in a secret truce.

Then, she let out a soft, hiccuping sniffle.

And that was it. The act was over.

In one smooth motion, Y/n closed the distance, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her sideways directly into his lap.

The shift was instantaneous. Yujin didn't even seem surprised. She immediately curled into him, her tense shoulders relaxing as she buried her face in his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on tight.

"I know," he whispered into her hair, his voice now impossibly gentle. "I'm sorry."

She mumbled something into his jacket.

"What was that?" he asked, stroking her back in slow, comforting circles.

She lifted her head, her pout now in full force. "I said, you're a big, dumb idiot."

He couldn't help but smile, his heart aching with affection. "I am. A huge one." He tilted her chin up, using his thumb to wipe away the tear that had escaped gently. "Is there any way this big, dumb idiot can make it up to the brilliant and powerful leader of Seoyun?"

Her pout deepened, though her eyes were starting to sparkle. "Maybe."

"Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?" he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Apology kisses," she declared, her voice still a little stuffy. "At least ten of them. And they have to be good ones."

He chuckled, the sound warm and low. "Deal."

He started with her forehead, then her nose, then each cheek. He kissed the corner of her mouth, making her giggle. He saved the last one for her lips, a slow, sweet kiss that communicated every apology he couldn't say in the alley. When he pulled away, she was beaming, all traces of her earlier sadness completely gone.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much better," she confirmed, snuggling back against his chest with a contented sigh. "You're forgiven. But you're on thin ice for tomorrow's performance, mister."

He laughed, tightening his hold on her. "Noted. I'll try to come up with insults that are slightly less emotionally damaging."

She poked him in the ribs. "You'd better."

They sat like that for a long time, hidden from the world, the only evidence of their rivalry being the school crests on their uniforms—uniforms that were now pressed together in the safest place they knew.

The next day, the air at Daeil High was thick with ambition. The staged victory in the alley had emboldened Y/n's crew, and now they wanted more than just bragging rights. They wanted territory.

Y/n found himself in an abandoned classroom after school, surrounded by his inner circle. His right-hand man, Jae, was pacing in front of a dusty chalkboard, practically vibrating with energy.

"This is our chance," Jae declared, slapping a hand against the board for emphasis. "Seoyun is rattled. We saw it yesterday—Yujin talks a big game, but she backed down. If we make a real move now, we could become the undisputed top crew in the district."

The others murmured in agreement. Y/n leaned back in his chair, maintaining a calm, thoughtful expression. Inside, he was fighting a smile. Rattled? Yujin? If only they knew.

"What kind of move are you thinking?" Y/n asked, his voice steady.

"The Stardust Arcade," Jae said immediately. "It's neutral ground. Everyone goes there. If we claim it, if we make it our spot, it sends a message to every other school. It says Daeil is in charge now."

It was a bold plan—a dangerous one. The arcade was a powder keg, and trying to seize it was like lighting a match. Y/n had to navigate this perfectly. He couldn't look weak by refusing, but he also couldn't let his boys get into a real, bloody brawl with Yujin's crew.

He stood up and walked to the chalkboard, picking up a piece of chalk. "It's a good idea," he said, earning him nods of approval. "But we can't go in stupid. Seoyun will be there. Yujin's not an idiot; she'll expect us to try something eventually."

He drew a crude map of the arcade. "We don't go in looking for a fight. That's what they'll expect. We go in to make a statement. We take over the back room, claim the pool tables. We don't throw the first punch. We just… occupy. We make it so uncomfortable for them that they have to leave. It's a power play, not a street fight. We beat them with strategy, not just fists."

Jae's eyes lit up. "A psychological attack. I like it. We make them look weak for not fighting back."

"Exactly," Y/n said, putting the chalk down. He felt a thrill course through him. He was feeding his crew a plan that sounded brilliant and aggressive but was designed for minimal actual conflict. He was orchestrating a cold war, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Yujin's face when she figured it out.

Meanwhile, on the sunny rooftop of Seoyun High, a similar meeting was taking place, albeit with a much more fiery energy.

"I heard whispers," Gaeul, Yujin's fiercely loyal second-in-command, reported, her arms crossed tightly. "Daeil is planning something. Something big. I think they're going for the Stardust Arcade."

Yujin was sitting on the ledge, kicking her feet back and forth with a cheerful rhythm. She was sipping on a carton of strawberry milk, looking completely unbothered.

"The arcade, huh?" she said with a thoughtful hum. "How predictable."

"We should set up an ambush," Gaeul insisted. "We get there first, hide in the upstairs offices, and when Y/n and his thugs walk in, we hit them from all sides. They'll never see it coming."

Yujin took a long, noisy sip of her milk before shaking her head, a playful smile on her lips. "An ambush is messy, Gaeul. And so… primitive. Fighting is what they want. It's what everyone expects. Why would we give them the satisfaction?"

She hopped off the ledge, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "No, we're going to do something much, much worse. We're going to annoy them into submission."

Gaeul looked confused. "Annoy them?"

"Think about it," Yujin began, her hands moving animatedly as she explained. "What does Daeil hate more than anything? Looking stupid. So, we're going to get to the arcade first. And we're going to take over every single popular game. I'm talking a five-person rotation on the Dance Dance Revolution machine. A never-ending tournament on the Street Fighter cabinet. We'll put our top scores on every game. We won't fight them. We won't even acknowledge them. We'll just be there, having more fun than them, so loudly and obnoxiously that they can't stand it. We'll beat them with pure, unadulterated spirit."

The girls in her crew slowly started to grin. It was a ridiculous plan. It was a brilliant plan. It was pure Yujin.

"They'll be expecting a war," Yujin finished with a triumphant clap of her hands. "Instead, they'll get a party they weren't invited to. Y/n will be so furious he won't know what to do."

A secret, giddy part of her couldn't wait to tell him all about it.

That evening, the sun was setting as Y/n waited on their bench. Yujin arrived a few minutes later, and the moment she saw him, she broke into a run. He stood, and she launched herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as he spun her around in a hug.

"You're late," he teased, finally setting her down but keeping his arms securely around her.

"War council ran long," she replied breathlessly, her fingers immediately finding their way into his hair. "Planning your imminent and utter humiliation takes time, you know."

He chuckled, leaning his forehead against hers. "Funny. I was just doing the same for you. So, the arcade?"

Her eyes lit up. "Gaeul got a tip. She wanted to stage a full-scale military ambush." Yujin giggled, the sound bright and clear in the quiet park. "I had to talk her down. Can you imagine the mess?"

"Jae wanted to go in and just start breaking things," Y/n admitted, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I had to sell him on the whole 'psychological warfare' angle. He's probably at home reading The Art of War right now."

They both burst into laughter, holding onto each other as they shook with shared amusement. This was their favorite part—the deconstruction of their own carefully crafted chaos.

"So what's your grand, brilliant plan, General Ahn?" he asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, it's devious," she said, her expression turning comically serious. "We're taking over the DDR machine. You won't stand a chance. My crew has been practicing."

Y/n's laughter boomed through the park. "That's your secret weapon? You're going to defeat us with K-Pop choreography?"

"And high scores!" she added defensively, poking him in the chest. "Don't underestimate the power of a perfectly executed combo. While you're all sulking by the pool tables, we'll be having the time of our lives."

He pulled her closer, his smile softening into something incredibly fond. "You're ridiculous."

"And you love it," she murmured, leaning up to kiss him. "It's fun, isn't it? Watching them all run around, so serious, so clueless."

"It's the best part," he agreed, his voice a low, happy rumble. "They think we're enemies, planning each other's downfall."

Yujin nestled her head into the crook of his neck, her arms tightening around him. "When really, we're just planning our next date."

The fallout from the Stardust Arcade was immediate and severe. Humiliation, it turned out, was a far more potent fuel for rivalry than a clean fight ever could be.

At Daeil High, the mood was thunderous. Y/n sat through a post-mortem in the same abandoned classroom, listening to Jae fume.

"They made us a laughingstock!" Jae seethed, slamming his fist on a rickety desk. "They didn't fight us. They threw a goddamn party on our declaration of war! We looked like idiots just standing there while they hogged the DDR machine, singing some stupid girl group song at the top of their lungs."

Y/n had to admit, Yujin's plan had been a stroke of chaotic genius. His crew had stood there, poised for a strategic takeover, only to be met with a barrage of cheerful pop music and a line of Seoyun girls executing flawless choreography. There was no way to fight that without looking like villains in a teen movie.

He had to project the same fury his crew felt. "You're right," Y/n said, his voice dangerously low. "She played us. She wanted to make it personal, so that's what we'll do." The room fell silent, hanging on his every word. "We're done with subtle moves. From now on, anywhere Seoyun goes, we go. We make their lives a living hell. No more neutral ground. The entire district is now a warzone."

His crew roared in approval. Y/n felt a familiar thrill, a mix of power and amusement. He was pouring gasoline on a fire he and Yujin had lit together, all for the fun of watching it burn.

Across town, the atmosphere at Seoyun was celebratory but tense. Yujin found herself on the rooftop, Gaeul looking at her with a mixture of pride and concern.

"That was brilliant, Yujin," Gaeul admitted. "But they're not going to let it go. Daeil is all pride. You didn't just beat them; you embarrassed them. They're going to retaliate, and it won't be with a dance-off."

Yujin, who was meticulously applying a sparkly top coat to her nails, gently blew on them. "Let them. We're not afraid of a little trouble. If Y/n wants to escalate, we'll be ready. We just have to be smarter, faster, and ten times more annoying."

Gaeul nodded, her expression hardening with resolve. "I have our people keeping tabs on Y/n's inner circle. We'll know their next move before they do."

Yujin smiled sweetly. "Perfect. Now, has anyone seen my lip gloss?"

The tension between the schools festered over the next week. Shoving matches in the hallways became common. Graffiti wars erupted on public walls, with each school's insignia being crossed out and defaced. The rivalry was no longer a game to anyone but the two people in charge.

Which was why their next date was so daringly, stupidly perfect.

The annual city night market was in full swing, a chaotic maze of neon lights, sizzling food stalls, and bustling crowds. It was precisely the kind of place where enemy factions might cross paths.

Y/n was there with Jae and a few others, ostensibly to "patrol their territory." They were walking past a ring toss game when Jae suddenly stiffened. "Hostiles at nine o'clock."

Y/n followed his gaze. There, by a stall selling skewers of spicy rice cakes, was Ahn Yujin, flanked by Gaeul and her lieutenants.

"What's she doing here?" Jae muttered. "This is our side of the river."

"Looks like she's looking for trouble," Y/n replied, his heart doing a little flip. He had been waiting for her. He plastered a scowl on his face. "Stay here. I'll handle this."

He strode towards her, his crew watching his every move. Across the way, Gaeul had also spotted him. She put a protective hand on Yujin's arm.

"Daeil scum," Gaeul hissed. "What do you want, Y/n?"

Y/n ignored her, his eyes locked on Yujin, who was taking a deliberate, slow bite of a rice cake. She looked up at him, her expression a perfect mask of bored disdain.

"You're going to pay for what you did at the arcade," Y/n growled, his voice loud enough for both crews to hear.

Translation: You're buying the next round of snacks because your plan was hilariously effective.

Yujin raised an eyebrow. "Is that a threat? I'm shaking." She took another bite. "Get lost. You're ruining my appetite."

Translation: I'm so happy to see you. I saved you a bite.

He stepped closer, invading her personal space. From their crews' perspectives, it appeared to be an aggressive confrontation. In reality, he was close enough to smell the sweet and spicy sauce on the food and the faint floral scent of her perfume.

"I'm serious," he said. "You don't get to walk away from that." He gestured to a nearby shooting gallery. "Right here. Right now. Let's settle this."

A shooting game. To their gangs, it was a symbolic duel, a public challenge for dominance. To them, it was their favorite date activity.

Yujin's eyes sparkled. "Fine. But when I win, you and your cronies get out of my sight."

Translation: If you win, you have to get me the giant pink alpaca plushie.

They marched over to the stall, their crews watching from a tense distance. Y/n picked up a rifle, aimed, and flawlessly knocked down every single target. The stall owner whistled in appreciation.

"Pick your prize, kid," the owner said.

Y/n's eyes scanned the wall of oversized, fluffy animals. He pointed directly at the gaudiest, most adorable pink Alpaca. He snatched the prize and, with a look of utter contempt, shoved it into Yujin's arms.

"Here," he sneered. "A trophy to remember how you were beaten."

Jae and his boys let out a low cheer. Gaeul and her girls looked ready to riot. Yujin, however, clutched the giant plushie, her expression a storm of fury.

"You arrogant—!" she started, but Y/n cut her off.

The crowd suddenly surged, and in the chaos, Y/n grabbed her wrist. "We're not done," he said gruffly.

To their gangs, it looked like he was dragging his enemy away for a private threat.

Gaeul started forward, but Yujin shot her a look that said, Stay put, I can handle him.

The moment they were swallowed by the throng of people, out of sight of their lieutenants, their entire demeanor changed. Y/n's harsh grip on her wrist softened, his fingers lacing perfectly with hers. Yujin's scowl melted into a radiant grin as she hugged the Alpaca tightly to her chest.

"His name is Al," she whispered, her voice bubbling with laughter. "Short for Alpaca, of course."

"I can't believe they fell for that," Y/n murmured, squeezing her hand as he led her through the crowd. "Jae honestly thinks I just psychologically scarred you with a stuffed animal."

"Gaeul is probably planning your murder as we speak," Yujin giggled, leaning her head on his shoulder for a brief second. "She thinks you kidnapped me. This is the most fun I've had all week."

They spent the next hour like that—flitting through the market, their hands secretly clasped, their words a series of inside jokes disguised as threats whenever they thought someone might be watching. They shared a bag of sweet, fried donuts, fighting over the last one in what looked like a tense standoff to any distant observer.

Later, sitting on their bench in the quiet park, the ridiculous pink Alpaca sitting between them, they finally let themselves relax completely.

"Honestly," Yujin said, catching her breath from laughing so hard. "Their cluelessness is the best part. It's like we're the only two people in on the world's biggest joke."

Y/n draped his arm around her, pulling her close. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." He looked at her, then at the Alpaca, and back at her. "But seriously, you owe me for the arcade. Al the Alpaca doesn't count."

She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Fine. I'll buy the snacks next time, you big baby." The war could wait. Tonight, they had a victory—and a giant stuffed alpaca—to celebrate.

The final straw wasn't a strategic move or a carefully planned provocation. It was a bucket of neon pink paint.

Someone—a low-level Seoyun upstart looking to make a name for themself—had vandalized the sacred Founder's Statue at Daeil High, draping it in Seoyun's colors and painting a crude, winking smiley face on the solemn bronze figure.

For Daeil, this was an unforgivable declaration of war. All the simmering tension from the arcade, the night market, and a dozen other minor skirmishes boiled over. Honor was at stake.

"This is it," Jae declared, his voice trembling with righteous fury in the abandoned classroom. "No more games. No more psychological warfare. We meet them, and we end this. For good." He turned to Y/n. "Give the order. We're ready."

Y/n looked at his crew, their faces a mixture of anger and anticipation. He knew this was the point of no return. He had to give them the battle they craved. He took a deep breath, projecting an aura of cold fury. "The old shipping yard by the river. At sunset. Tell them to come, or we'll burn their school to the ground." He had to admit, the line felt very cool. He couldn't wait to see Yujin's reaction when he told her later.

At Seoyun, Gaeul presented Yujin with a photo of the defaced statue, a triumphant glint in her eyes. "They're furious. They've challenged us to an all-out brawl at the shipping yard."

Yujin, who was trying to teach a stray cat to give her a high-five, gasped dramatically at the photo. "Oh my gosh, that's so PINK! It's kind of cute, though, right? The winky face is a nice touch." She looked up at her crew, her expression turning serious, though her eyes were sparkling with mischief. "A final battle? Oh no! Are we all super scared?" She waited a beat. "Nah! Let's go teach those grumpy Daeil boys a lesson!"

As soon as her crew dispersed to prepare, she sent a flurry of texts.

To: Y/nnie 🥰

Y/nnieeeee! Sunset at the shipping yard? Are we in a movie?! It's so romantic! Also, your statue looks way better in pink, just saying 😉. Don't be late for our boba date after that, okay? I want the taro one today! Love youuuu! 😘

The sun began its descent, casting long, dramatic shadows across the rusted containers and decaying cranes of the shipping yard. On one side stood Daeil, a grim, determined phalanx. On the other hand, Seoyun is equally numerous and just as resolute.

Jae and Gaeul stood at the forefront of their respective armies, their eyes locked in a hateful glare.

"Where's your leader?" Jae bellowed. "Hiding behind you like the coward she is?"

"He's probably too scared to show his face!" Gaeul retorted. "Yujin will be here to watch you fall!"

They both knew it was strange their leaders weren't there to kick things off, but adrenaline was a powerful distraction. With a final, shared look of animosity, they let out simultaneous war cries.

"FOR DAEIL!"

"FOR SEOYUN!"

The two groups surged forward in a chaotic whirlwind of motion. Fists flew, but more often than not, they were clumsy and missed. Someone from Daeil slipped on a patch of mud and took three Seoyun students down with him like bowling pins. It was less of a brutal gang war and more of an extremely poorly choreographed school play.

For what felt like an eternity, they fought until the initial burst of energy faded into weary, panting exhaustion. Jae, having just broken free from a headlock, scanned the battlefield, looking for Y/n. He wasn't there. Across the yard, Gaeul, trying to fix her now-messy hair, looked for Yujin. She was nowhere to be found.

The fighting sputtered to a halt as a shared, profound confusion began to ripple through the ranks. They were dirty, tired, and leaderless.

It was into this strange, silent tableau that two figures appeared, strolling casually from behind a large shipping container.

It was Y/n and Yujin.

Yujin was practically attached to Y/n's side, her arm looped tightly through his, her head resting on his shoulder as she walked. She was holding a large bubble tea, and Y/n was carrying a bag that smelled suspiciously of fresh, warm pastries. She was laughing, a bright, bubbly sound that echoed eerily in the silent yard.

They came to a stop in the middle of the yard, finally noticing the fifty battered teenagers staring at them.

"Oh! Hi, everyone!" Yujin chirped, waving cheerfully with her free hand. She didn't let go of Y/n's arm. "Wow, you all started without us? And you got all messy! Did you guys have a mud fight?"

Y/n took a pastry from the bag and offered it to Yujin, who took a happy bite. He looked at Jae. "You've got a little... uh... ketchup on your face."

Jae touched his split lip, his brain visibly buffering. "It's... it's blood."

"Oh," Yujin said, her eyes widening. "Ew! Y/nnie, he's bleeding!" She buried her face in Y/n's shoulder. "That's so gross."

Y/n patted her head comfortingly. "It's okay, baby. Don't look."

The silence that followed was deafening. Every single person was frozen, trying to process the impossible scene. The casual intimacy. The pet name. Y/nnie? Baby?

It was Gaeul who finally found her voice, a small, broken squeak. "The... the arcade...?"

"Oh, that was SO much fun!" Yujin beamed, momentarily forgetting the "gross" blood. She bounced on her toes. "I came up with the DDR plan because I knew Y/n would think it was funny!" She squeezed his arm tighter. "Weren't you so proud of me?"

"The proudest," Y/n confirmed with a fond smile, completely ignoring the fifty-plus jaws that had just hit the floor.

Jae pointed a trembling finger between them. "The night market... the alpaca...?"

"Al!" Yujin squealed happily. "He's our son! Y/n won him for me on our date night because I said he was the fluffiest one!" She looked up at Y/n with adoring eyes. "You're the best prize-winner ever."

The collective gasp from both crews was almost comical. Every insult, every threat, every ounce of animosity they had felt—it all replayed in their minds, now tinted with the horrifying, hilarious truth. This wasn't a rivalry. It was the elaborate foreplay for their leaders' date nights.

Jae and Gaeul stared at each other. For the first time, it wasn't with hatred, but with a shared, profound sense of being the two biggest idiots in the entire world.

Y/n, finally sensing they had sufficiently broken their followers, gave a casual shrug. "Well, this was fun. But we're gonna be late for our movie." He leaned down, and Yujin met him halfway, giving him a loud, smacking kiss right on the lips.

She pulled back with a happy sigh and then turned to the stunned crowd. "You guys should really clean up! And maybe put some ice on your boo-boos!" She waved again. "Bye-bye!"

And with that, the two rival leaders walked away. Yujin was now attempting to walk backwards so she didn't have to stop looking at Y/n, almost tripping twice. He just laughed, pulling her back to his side. Their cheerful chatter about which movie snack was superior faded into the evening air, leaving behind two gangs, united at last, in the shared, silent, and deeply embarrassing agony of their own cluelessness.