Chapter Text
The first time he noticed Duang, it was because he was loud. Running in the hall, yelling his friends' names, chasing his stolen shoe. It was annoying. The noise. The chaos. The sheer amount of energy being expended near his own quiet existence.
The next few times he noticed Duang were for different reasons. Walking girls to the train or bus stop….daily. Buying multiple kinds of feminine hygiene products and dropping them on the floor because he was in a hurry. Being relentlessly teased by his friends. Duang was kind in a way most people had forgotten how to be. Consistent in a way most people wouldn't be able to maintain. Loyal in a way that was damn near extinct for humanity.
Annoyance turned into curiosity. Curiosity turned into fascination. Fascination turned into study. And study turned into obsession. Duang's voice wasn't noise anymore. It was music. His chaos was an opportunity for dissection. And his energy…. it became oxygen. Duang became an addiction from which Qin had no desire to recover.
Qin's past had taught him two things: 1) Staying silent kept him safe; and 2) People followed patterns. Qin became an expert in pattern recognition through quiet observation. Not because he enjoyed it. His own hyper-vigilance was exhausting. He yearned for the kind of safety where his brain could just shut down. Deducing moods through analyzing body language and the weight and cadence of footsteps wasn't for fun. Being able to accurately spot when someone lied wasn't a personality quirk. Reading intentions wasn't to manipulate. It was for survival. It was a shield. Because being caught unprepared meant pain was inevitable.
So, encountering an anomaly like Duang was bound to capture his attention. In his cold existence of calculated exchanges for mutual gain, finding someone who set his surroundings ablaze with genuine care and affection that lacked any expectation of return was like fate playing a cruel prank on him. Duang was an exception to every conclusion Qin had made in his life. Knowing that, can you blame him for being obsessed? For forcibly warping the fabric of his existence to orbit the warmth of the sun that was Duang? Even if it was wrong, Qin would make the same decision over and over again. To become an addict of genuine warmth. To desperately seek a fix every chance he could.
It started innocent, mostly. He was curious. When Duang would walk his female friends to the train, Qin was a distant, silent, uninvited companion. At first, he just wanted to see if Duang was different on these walks compared to the tutoring center. He was looking for a crack in the façade. Some shift in demeanor that Qin could point to and say he was just like everyone else.
So, he followed them. Just three students in light blue button downs and navy bottoms casually walking down the sidewalk in the early evening when the sun made the sky turn orange with its farewell.
“Duang, you really don't have to walk me to the train station every time,” the girl complained. It was a fake complaint. This was the 17th time Duang had escorted her to the train. She liked the attention. Qin had already noticed that the girl was touching her hair, puffing out her chest, swaying her hips. She laughed at nearly every word Duang said. She found opportunities to touch him. Her seduction was deliberate. She wanted a piece of him for herself. He'd seen her act the same way around other guys, too. He rolled his eyes, disgusted by the blatant machinations.
The anomaly that was Duang hadn't noticed. He was completely oblivious, in fact. He smiled that same warm smile he gave so freely to everyone. “It's really not a problem, Grace. It gets dark around this time and girls shouldn't walk alone.” His tone was excitable, as usual. His steps were bouncy, as usual. Shoulders relaxed, maybe even a little slumped. No posturing. No hidden intention. No physical sign he returned any of the mating display of the girl next to him.
Qin briefly cursed Duang under his breath. He was annoyed he hadn't found a chink in the sunshine’s armor. His curses were redirected when Grace wrapped herself on Duang's arm. Disguised as being playful, she fully intended to press herself against Duang to steal more of his attention. Qin saw Duang go rigid. His steps stuttered like he was the one doing something wrong. It was so miniscule that anyone else would have missed it. Qin didn't. He also didn't miss that Duang created space between his arm and the rest of his body. The language of his body didn't say discomfort, though. Just respectful and polite. If Qin had to guess, Duang's libido probably reacted to the move. They were all young, hormone-drenched teenagers on the precipice of what society deemed adulthood. Their own biology screamed at them daily that they were animals in heat. Polite society begged to differ. For good reason, of course. But that didn't stop their instincts. Duang was presumably walking Grace to the train station to protect her from the unrestrained instincts of men who would take advantage of a young girl walking alone. His tiny acts of respect were firmly stating he wouldn't be that kind of man in spite of his own body's betrayal. It made Qin want to bite Grace's arm so she would remove herself from Duang's presence.
Instead, he stayed silent. He walked a parallel path when they got to the train station. Climbed halfway up the stairs across the street from the train platform so he could continue to observe. Relief inexplicably flooded him when he saw Grace had detached herself from Duang on their ascent to the platform. Qin leaned against the stair railing and watched. Would Duang's expression change when Grace boarded the train? His question was answered a few minutes later. No, his expression remained warm, kind, and open. And the second that Qin felt Duang start to perceive him, he turned his back. He became a faceless student lounging on the stairs with nowhere better to be. That day, Qin became fascinated.
Qin had started a log in his tablet specifically for his observations about Duang. Interactions, routines, moods, information gleaned from snippets of conversation. Dates, times, locations. Neatly organized into what Qin imagined an intelligence agency would envy. All locked behind a security screen protector and password locked file. He knew it was weird. Not socially acceptable. Highly invasive. Still, he couldn't stop. He cataloged the pieces of Duang he could reach like a dragon hoarding gold.
His friends noticed.
“You're keeping notes from us aren't you, Qin.” Kim playfully accused. His statement pretended to be playful. Qin knew Kim was actually skeptical and ambitious by nature. Qin appreciated that Kim was typically blunt. His motivations were easy to read. Kim was honest but respectful. Theirs was an alliance of motivation and mutual exchange.
“I'm not. I already shared the document for notes with you both. You can see me update in real time.” Qin said plainly.
“Yeah, but you've been updating something. Like, obsessively.” Tong pointed out, a hint of concern laced in his voice. Tong was more emotionally adept than both Qin and Kim. He carried a brighter energy than the calculative Kim and cold Qin. Tong carried mostly pure intentions. He was serious in his studies like his two friends. But he also enjoyed Qin's popularity. Tong was a tiny bit vain in that way. Qin forgave this bit of selfishness because Tong actually cared and never tried to use Qin. Despite Qin being so guarded, Tong genuinely wanted the best for his friends. He helped where he could even if he was a little oblivious sometimes. He checked in with them regularly. Shared interesting information. Kept Qin and Kim connected to other people. Tong was a good friend to both of them.
“It's not for school stuff.” Qin hedged. “And I'm not obsessed.”
Kim raised his eyebrows. “Could have fooled me.”
“Yeah, you've been glued to your tablet way more than normal. Are you sure you're okay?” Tong asked.
Qin softened his defenses slightly. Just enough to let his friends know there was nothing to worry about. “I'm just researching something for myself. You guys know how I'm pretty good at reading people, right?”
“Understatement of the century, but go on.” Tong said with a smirk making brief eye contact with Kim.
“I figured it would be interesting to gather data points of my observations. I'm going to have to improve my social skills for college.” Qin gave an explanation that would settle Tong's concern and soothe Kim's suspicion without revealing the true nature of his data log. He was pretty sure if they knew the only subject of his observations was Duang, they might have him committed or jailed.
“Interesting,” Kim noted, accepting the lie. “Let me know if you come up with anything useful. I'm not the best at socializing either.”
“As the social butterfly of our trio, let me know if I can help. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself, though. Not everyone is an extrovert like me.” Tong said, delighted to hear that his adopted introverts were trying to be more social. The method may have seemed strange, but he had accepted that their brains worked differently than his own.
“Developing extroversion is not the goal.” Qin deadpanned, like the idea of enjoying social interaction was more of a mental health problem than a personality trait.
Though he was completely serious, his friends laughed. Crisis averted. Secret secured. Qin was satisfied that he could continue with his log on Duang without further interference from his friends. He would eventually have to come up with something to show them, but that was a problem for later. Right now, he had his next area of Duang’s life to investigate.
While Duang was friendly with basically everyone, Jamie and Pae were his constant companions. Qin wanted to understand their dynamic. He wondered if it would be similar to his own friends. Carefully balancing personal interests with guarded connection. The level of noise the trio generated led him to believe that there wasn't much guarding between them.
Jamie was just as loud and animated as Duang, but he was very, very interested in sexual pursuits. Qin had seen the guy chatting with multiple girls and a few boys in their study hall as well as furiously texting multiple people on his phone. Still, Jamie was silly with his friends in a way that shouted trust and comfort rather than any sort of attraction.
Pae was the most quiet of the three which wasn't saying much. He was sarcastic, had incredible comedic timing, and served as a grounding wire for the chaos of the friend group. He was a peacemaker as well as a shit stirrer. Pae was also the most observant. If anyone would be able to notice Qin's obsession with Duang, it would be Pae. Qin marked him as high risk in his files.
Qin conveniently left a red portable charger near Jamie's usual seat. He had implanted a virus on the charger to gain access to Jamie's phone. Again, invasion of privacy, Qin was aware. But the friend trio had a very active group chat and he needed that information. Jamie took the free portable charger as predicted. As soon as Qin had access to their group chat, he almost regretted it.
3 Soldier Tiger 🐯
Uniquely Duang: GUYS!!!!!!!
Uniquely Duang: SOS 🚨🚨🚨
Uniquely Duang: HELLLLLPPPPPP
Just Pae: 👀
Warrior: i stg if this is smthng stupid imma knock out ur front teeth
Uniquely Duang: Sooooo……
Warrior: today genius
Uniquely Duang: Grace asked me for a favor and idk if I should do it….
Just Pae: Idk if you should either bc you haven't said what the favor is yet
Warrior: DUANGS GETTIN HIS DICK WET 😎
Uniquely Duang: NO!!!
Uniquely Duang: Well…. maybe?
Just Pae: ......how tf is that a favor?
Warrior: she low on vitamin D 😏
Uniquely Duang: But should I? 🫣 I told her I haven't before….
Warrior: DUANG!!!! WTF?!?!?!
Just Pae: You so fkng unique man! Even I know better than to say that 🙄
Uniquely Duang: 😢
Uniquely Duang: But like…. should I do it?
Just Pae: Do you like her?
Warrior: YES U SHLD DO IT!!!!!!
Warrior: ffs you didn't even have to try
Warrior: pussy bein offered to u on a platter and u askin if you shld do it 🙄🙄🙄
Uniquely Duang: I'm nervous…
Just Pae: Look, if you're interested go for it. But make sure you're clear with her about what it is you both want.
Warrior: actually…Pae speakin facts
Just Pae: I always do. You just never listen?
Uniquely Duang: Okay, thanks 🙏
Warrior: tell her I got her if you dont wanna
Just Pae: stfu Jamie
Qin's blood boiled at Grace's audacity. Who the hell did she think she was to ask that of Duang? But then a thought occurred to him. It wouldn't be a bad idea to watch them…right? If Duang agreed, it would give him information. He would see a side of Duang that he hadn't seen before. That was worth it. So, he started planning.