Running to You | Park Han + JL + Steven | Haneulz + Stejay AU

Chapter 20: Breakfast Banter

The sunrise broke slowly over the campus, painting the sky in hues of pale pink and soft orange. Despite the early hour, the track field buzzed with chatter and sleepy laughter. JL jogged alongside Han, their pace steady yet relaxed, neither fully awake but unwilling to lag behind. 

Despite what had happened between them the night before -- the soft touch, the confetti, the closeness -- Han seemed composed, like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. JL, on the other hand, felt the memory still buzzing faintly under his skin, a reminder that the lines between them were starting to blur.

Woongki, dramatically yawning every few seconds, joined Kyungho who maintained perfect composure even during warm-ups. "Did you see the hashtags?" Woongki asked, his voice filled with excitement.

Kyungho glanced at him, amused. "Which ones? There were dozens."

"#KyunghoAmbulanceSquad," Woongki announced loudly, drawing laughs from around them. "You carried six 'fainted' customers who couldn't keep a straight face!"

Kyungho smiled, slightly embarrassed. "It was very suspicious."

"At least you got your workout in," Steven interjected dryly, stretching his arms overhead. He flexed unconsciously, causing several nearby students to pause and stare.

Juwon leaned toward Shuaibo, smirking. "And our medic. I heard someone say they 'needed CPR' at least ten times."

Shuaibo sighed with mock exhaustion. "I'm just a man. I can only resuscitate so many."

"Someone held your hand and said, 'I'm feeling faint,'" JL laughed.

Suddenly, Woongki turned sharply toward JL, grinning wickedly. "JL, care to explain your wardrobe malfunction? The apron caught on the doorknob and your fans practically exploded."

JL groaned. "It wasn't intentional."

"But extremely popular," Jeongwoo teased lightly, nudging him. "The customer you nearly flattened looked like they won the lottery."

"You should consider doing it more often," Juwon added cheekily. "It was effective."

"Let's talk about who really won the café war," Jeongwoo added. "Chih En."

All eyes turned to the stoic youngest, who was calmly drinking a Gatorade as if he hadn't emotionally vaporized half the female population with one-liners.

"Explain," Steven said, deadpan.

Chih En blinked slowly. "I served water."

"You served water and lines like, 'You ordered me, not the drink,'" Woongki pointed out. "Where did that come from?"

"Online," Chih En replied. "I prepared."

Jeongwoo bent down to do calf stretches. "They didn't even look at their drinks. I brought one girl the wrong order. She still said thank you and cried."

"I think I saw that," Han said. "She posted and captioned it, 'he could have poisoned me and I would have died smiling.'"

The entire group laughed.

It was the kind of moment only possible with people who had been through something absurd together. The teasing was constant but affectionate. JL felt the knot of stress he hadn't realized was there begin to unravel.

As the sun rose higher, the team headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. The lively banter continued, quickly turning toward Shuaibo. "So, Shuaibo," Jeongwoo began, leaning forward curiously, "what's it like being a celebrity back in China?"

Shuaibo's eyes widened slightly before settling into his usual calm. "Busy. Surreal. Sometimes overwhelming," he admitted with a small smile. "Fans there are enthusiastic. Very enthusiastic."

Juwon nudged him playfully. "More enthusiastic than here?"

Shuaibo laughed, lightly embarrassed. "Maybe just louder."

Attention soon shifted to JL. Steven grinned, resting his chin on his hand. "So, JL, what's the Philippines like?"

JL chuckled. "Hot. Very hot. We joke there are only two seasons: hot, and hot and wet."

Kyungho nodded. "He's right. It rained all the time back when I was in the Philippines, but it was also crazy humid."

"Wait -- you studied there?" Woongki asked.

"Yep. For a few months. Filipino is hard."

"Do you speak it?"

"A little. Mostly English. But Filipino grammar is nothing like Korean."

"We should compare," JL said. "I speak Filipino, English, and Korean now. Sort of."

"Sort of?" Han asked.

JL scratched his head. "Let's just say I've been here four months and I still don't know how to say 'desk' properly."

"I speak English!" Woongki piped up. "Fluently. I argue with international fans all the time."

Steven raised a hand. "Australian English counts, right?"

Juwon made a gagging sound. "The accent makes girls swoon. Unfair advantage."

"Thanks, grew this accent myself," Steven said jokingly.

"I bet my English is better than JL's Korean."

JL raised his eyebrows. "You wanna go?"

"Oh, we're doing this," Woongki clapped. "Welcome to the first AHOF Language Olympics."

The next five minutes were filled with JL fumbling through formal grammar and Juwon speaking aggressively charming phrases like, "Where is the nearest bus station?" and "This machine is out of order."

Jeongwoo held up fingers for scoring. "Juwon wins. JL, your pronunciation is adorable though."

JL threw his towel at him. "I've been here four months!"

Four months. Had it really only been that long?

When Han first saw JL on campus, he thought he was just another transfer -- talented, probably, but not his concern. Now, Han couldn't imagine practice without JL's grin or his running commentary. He couldn't remember what breakfast was like without JL's flustered answers, or mornings without the occasional accidental trip into his shoulder.

It had only been four months.

But JL was part of them now.

Kyungho clapped his hands suddenly, cutting through the nostalgia. "Alright, reality check. Regionals are next week." Everyone groaned.

"There's a catch," he continued. "Coach said the regional committee has a GPA clause. You can't compete if your grades are failing." Another louder groan.

Woongki faceplanted on the table. "We're doomed."