Chapter Text
A good story starts with a bang and ends with a bang. In a hero’s journey, the hero is taken away from the comfortable safety of his old world, meets new allies and defeats the evil, whereupon he has been transformed so much that the journey back to that comfortable safety is more difficult, if not impossible. There is often a catalyst, or a chosen one. A mythical artefact to guide one’s path.
In this story there are six catalysts for six key individuals, all gathered around their usual table at their usual bar. Each has an alcoholic beverage in front of them. Everyone has a bottle of beer except for Eri, who has recently received her monthly pay check and was treating herself to a single glass of whiskey. She’s still trying to broaden her horizons when it came to alcohol. Adachi keeps telling her to just go for a girly drink, much to Saeko’s annoyance.
The bars and tables are decorated red and pink for the season. Hearts dot the streets outside and the vendors are selling roses. Love is in the air, and the six of them find themselves thinking about one man. The same man.
“So, Valentine’s Day,” Joon-gi says with a gentle smile. “Do any of you have any plans?”
“Nothing,” Saeko says, which is a tiny lie. Hidden in her purse lies catalyst 1, store bought and wrapped with a pretty pink bow, so beautiful and luxurious that it is almost too good to be eaten. The dark boozy chocolate gave the illusion of luxury and fine taste.
“I’m just gonna sit here and drink, like I do every Valentine’s,” Nanba sighs as he nurses his beer. It is another lie. Catalyst 2 is hidden inside a pocket in his jacket, cheap and ugly but handmade. It might even be edible, it was impossible to say at this time. It’s evident despite its appearance that a lot of time and effort went into its creation.
“And you, Eri?” Joon-gi asks.
“I gave a few obligation choco to some of my colleagues,” she blushes. Catalyst 3 has been delivered but not yet seen by its intended recipient. A unique product, chocolate glazed senbei, based on her grandmother’s recipe. It’s this senbei that brought her grandparents together. She hopes the magic works twice.
Adachi smiles knowingly. “Sounds like you got a special someone in mind for the good chocolate, huh?”
Eri blushes further. “I might,” she squeaks.
“Hey, you can’t say that and not tell us who the lucky guy is,” Zhao laughs.
“What about you?” Saeko challenges. “Girls must’ve given you chocolates already.”
“Mukouda-chan, I know you think I’m popular but aren’t you projecting a bit much there?” Before she can groan, Zhao adds, “No, I haven’t received any. But maybe I might be giving chocolates myself. Nothing in the books says I can’t.”
Zhao is in fact giving chocolates. Catalyst 4 is hidden away behind the bar in a luxurious box. Unlike the others this is an assortment of smaller delights with different flavours, handmade with love and care. Behind the intimidating packaging, the delights within betrays the creator’s intentions. A masterpiece that can only be made from an exceptional chef.
“I haven’t received any chocolates either if it makes you feel better,” Joon-gi says.
“Not even from Seong-hui? No obligation choco at least?” Zhao asks.
“In Korea, typically women give chocolate to men if she likes the man or if they are already dating, so the concept of obligation choco is only here in Japan. However, Seong-hui and I used to celebrate Black Day. It’s a holiday for single people, where you go for jjajangmyeong.”
“Ah, the noodles in black bean sauce? The instant ones are pretty good here, I like mine with beef,” Zhao says.
“So you’re not giving chocolate then, Joon-gi?” Adachi says. “Lotta kids do it nowadays,”
“I never said that. Although technically, in Korea, I would be expected to give candy.” Hidden in his jacket is catalyst 5, the smallest of the catalysts but perhaps the most expensive. A white bag with a pink bow holds a few grams of bite-sized candy-coated chocolates, known worldwide for their bitter but smooth taste, for only the most sophisticated of palates.
Adachi relaxes into his seat, finishes off his beer, and grins. “You all got Valentine’s chocolate for someone, haven’t you?”
Saeko and Eri look shocked. Zhao splutters, halfway between laughing and choking. Joon-gi is expressionless while Nanba blubbers away at his lukewarm beer, blushing furiously.
“I knew it! You all did it! C’mon, lemme see what you’re gonna give.” Adachi leans against the table, nearly spilling several beers.
Saeko clutches her beer tight to her chest. “W-what makes you say that? Adachi-san, you’re being crazy.”
Adachi continues to smirk as he fumbles inside his pockets and carelessly throw onto the table catalyst 6, the cheapest of the bunch and meagre in appearance. To compensate, Adachi has put in the effort to bring a Valentine’s card with some romantic text printed on one side, and a crude doodle of two stick people fucking on the other.
Zhao snatches the card up to see its message. Written in bold thick lines, in surprisingly neat handwriting, was a simple sentence.
Wanna be my fuck buddy?
—Your big daddy
“Very romantic,” Zhao snorts as he sets the card down.
“Who’s the unlucky girl?” Saeko teases.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“That detective’s wife?” Nanba asks.
“His best friend’s wife? No way, even Adachi won’t stoop that low,” Saeko says.
“Perhaps the bartender?” Joon-gi asks. “I’ve heard you two are…intimate.”
“Nah, he’s got something else.”
“What, you’re gonna give this to Kasuga-kun?” Zhao teases.
“Yep. Gonna ask him if he wants to be my fuck buddy.”
An awkward silence falls over the group. Though they hold different personalities, the same line of thought drifts in their head, to the catalyst in their possession and Adachi’s catalyst on the table. Some clutch their catalysts closer, tighter.
“I was, uh…I was joking,” Zhao says, a bit quieter than usual.
“I’m not,” Adachi says. “I’m gonna give this to Ichiban later today.”
“Today? But today’s Valentine’s Day,” Eri says.
“Yeah, so? I do like him too, y’know. I mean, I don’t just ask anybody to be my fuck buddy. If I just wanted sex, I’d pay for it like a gentleman.”
Eri’s cheeks go brighter. “B-but that’s not proper.”
Adachi rolls his eyes. “Guys, you don’t need to hide it. We’re all giving chocolates to Ichiban because we all want to fuck him.”
Another stunned silence, shorter than the last.
Joon-gi raises his hand sheepishly. “I’m giving candy, not chocolate.”
“Still counts,” Adachi smirks.
“Wait, what do you mean everybody here likes Icchan?” Saeko waves her finger at Zhao and Nanba. “It’s obvious you two want to fuck him—”
“Hey!” Zhao shouts.
“I-it’s not just fucking,” Nanba mutters into his beer.
“—and I can see why you might like him, Eri-chan, but Joon-gi? Adachi-san?”
Adachi shrugs. “What? He’s hot.”
“He’s pleasant company. And hot,” Joon-gi adds. Adachi puts his hand out for a fist bump, which Joon-gi reciprocates.
“What about you, Sa-chan?” Nanba asks. “Do you like Ichiban too?”
“I…I mean…” Saeko takes a big gulp of her second beer and wipes her mouth. “He is kinda sexy too.”
Saeko half-heartedly returns Adachi’s high five.
Zhao sighs. “So we all wanna fuck Kasuga-kun.”
“S-speak for yourself,” Saeko blushes.
“Fine. At least three people here want to fuck Kasuga-kun.” When the others stare at him curiously, Zhao adds, “I’m not afraid to say I wanna fuck him. You all saw him when he got that job as a street musician, I know his dick’s big. But we all brought Valentine’s chocolates to gift to him.”
“Candy,” Joon-gi interrupts.
“And candy,” Zhao adds. “Which means we all came up with the same idea to tell Ichiban that we each like him today, the most romantic day on the calendar. All six of us. If one of us did, sure. Ichiban might reciprocate normally. But if all of us do it, he’s gonna think this is all friendship choco.”
“He might still think that regardless,” Saeko says.
“He’s not that dumb, Sa-chan,” Nanba says. “I think even he will know when someone’s trying to ask him out on Valentine’s Day. Heard him mumbling to himself about what if he’ll get anything this year or not.”
Zhao shakes his head. “So what the fuck do we do then? Because I spent a fuck ton of time making my chocolate truffles and I am not throwing them out for any of your garbage—no offence, Adachi-san.”
“You could let us eat them,” Nanba suggests.
“No. No way.”
“Dunno why you’re worked up about the chocolates, Zhao,” Adachi said.
“Because they’re my chocolates. For him.”
“I get it, man. I do,” Nanba says. “My chocolate’s probably shit compared to yours, but it’s special. From the heart.” He stares meaningfully at Zhao.
Zhao looks away, ears flushed. His gaze falls to two familiar barstools near the piano. Everyone remembers the moment at that barstool, the time that they each fell in love.
Joon-gi clears his throat. “I think it’s clear none of us want to ruin our friendship by pursuing Kasuga-san, but we also do not want to give up on the pursuit. Is that correct?”
Everyone nods.
“So. We should come up with a way to determine which of us Kasuga-san likes. Any ideas?”
Adachi and Nanba think into their beers. Zhao crosses his arms and rubs his moustache.
Eri finishes off her whiskey and slams it down onto the table. She winces at the force she accidentally exerted. “I might have an idea,” she says. “I’m not sure how good it is.”
“Go ahead,” Joon-gi says.
“Well, we all want to confess to him. Why don’t we do just that then, one by one? Let Kasuga-san decide for himself who of us he wants. Love’s supposed to be mutual between two people.”
“Or more,” Adachi adds.
“Ah, I see how it is. Make it a competition, win him over, and the winner gets the attention of the hero,” Zhao grins.
“I-I didn’t mean a competition…”
But Adachi is already laughing. “I like it. Winner gets a boyfriend, losers stay in the friend zone.”
Joon-gi smirks. “It’s unwise to make this a competition. Some of us might be willing to play dirty.”
“Speak for yourself,” Saeko retorts back. “It’s obvious Icchan wants to be with me. There’s no way he can resist my cuteness.”
“Cute? What about the guy who saved his life multiple times? I’m cute too.” Nanba says.
“What, the guy who doesn’t shower every day?”
“It’s not good for your skin to shower every day.”
“Joon-gi, I know we’re friends and all, but I ain’t gonna hold back. No offence,” Zhao teases.
“Is this the start of our formal rivalry?” Joon-gi smiles. “Very well. But I must warn you that beneath these clothes I’m quite well built.”
“Hey, I’m a sight to see myself, but I ain’t stripping for you to prove my point.”
“But you will for Kasuga-san?”
“All’s fair in love and war. That’s just how it goes.”
Eri shakes her head as Nanba takes the seat next to her. The others are arguing amongst themselves, their voices reaching a fever pitch.
“I just wanted to let Kasuga-san make the decision,” Eri compulsively explains to Nanba.
“I get it,” he sighs. “I just don’t think the others got it in their heads.”
Eri and Nanba watch as the others work themselves up to a frenzy, getting more competitive but also more excited.
“Well, I am the one who works out the most,” Joon-gi says. “Surely in terms of beauty I outclass you, Zhao-san.”
“Hah, you think Ichiban likes his pretty boys?” Adachi laughs. “What he wants is a rock solid bear to slap him around.”
“You two have your own shticks, but I’m always easy on the eyes,” Zhao proclaims proudly.
“Get real, all guys want is a lady to show him affection and get his dick wet.”
Adachi drags his gaze to Saeko’s feet. “He’s not getting his dick wet with those shoes.”
“You take that back!”
Nanba sighs, raising his empty beer bottle to Eri’s empty whiskey glass. “To the victor, I guess.”
After a pause, Eri clinks her glass with Nanba. “To the victor…”
The argument dies down as soon as Ichiban returns, but the game has already begun. And everything was about to change.