A webcomic about the deep, emotional bonds between high school boys, with maybe two girls involved? Homoerotic tension was inevitable, but even then there are some moments that really stand out.
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Ben and Alex
- In the first episode, Gerard teases the two of them by calling them inseperable, and that they look good together.
- Attacking Alex is the one sure-fire way to piss Ben off, a fact that's so well-known that bullies actively take advantage of it. On the flip side, bringing up the incident where Ben suffered an arm injury at Donald Na's hands causes Alex to fly into an absolute frenzy.
- Alex stoically takes a brutal beatdown from Jimmy Bae, the guy who terrifies him, out of fear that Ben will be hurt if he acts up.
- When Alex hides away at home to stop Ben from seeing his injuries, Ben is notably restless and upset at not having Alex around. When Alex finally confirms that he's returning to school- after Ben calls him countless times- Ben immediately perks up with a smile and blush.
- When Alex gets beaten near unconscious by Forrest, Ben flies into an Unstoppable Rage and pummels Forrest until he's near unrecognisable. It's only Alex's assurance that he's okay that brings Ben back to lucidity.Ben: [shaking] Gosh... Gogo... your face... why do you always... it's not your fault, damn it...
[shuts eyes]
...You're alright, yeah?
Alex: Yup... I'm alright. So stop... Ben. The game's over. - Ben and Alex are together so often that, on the rare occasion that they're seen apart, everyone assumes that they know where the other one is. Ben brings light to this after rescuing Alex from Jimmy.Ben: What am I... doing here? Gogo. Was there ever a time when I wasn't by your side?
- Back in middle school Alex was always picking fights, not because the other students constantly underestimated him, but because they started to spread rumours that Ben was all talk. When a classmate insulted Ben within Alex's earshot, he launched himself across the school desks and pummelled the boy in question.I should be the only one to be treated like that. I can't bear to see Ben being judged like that...
- While on the verge of unconsciousness, Alex hears footsteps and finds himself wishing that they belonged to Ben, not knowing that he's right and Ben is coming to his rescue.Just when I was about to give up, a stupid thought crossed my mind... that the distant sounds... of those runnings footsteps... might be his—
- Alex is victim to another beating when Naksung comes at him with a broken piece of wood. This time Ben's fury at Alex getting hurt is so intense that he explicitly would've killed Naksung if Jake hadn't intervened at the last moment.
- Episode 148 reveals that, even when they're in completely different cities, Ben can instinctively sense when Alex is in danger.
Gray and Ben
- Ben is very eager to get Gray to join his group of friends. When Gray finally acquieses to a game of pool, Ben is ecstatic and blushing. And then there's his comment afterwards:Ben: Gray Yeon probably couldn't resist after seeing my superpowered one-punch knockout energetic manliness and he had to open his heart.
Alex: There's a weird undertone to that statement, hahaha. Did you confess your love to him or something? - After beating down Wolf, Gray sees Ben coming to help him and mistakes his silhouette with Stephen, another boy with whom he had a very close, homoromantic relationship with. He collapses and Ben catches him in his arms, then carries him off while vowing to himself that he'll take down the Union that hurt Gray.
Gray and Alex
- When Gray first demonstrates his ruthless fighting style, Alex watches with an enraptured blush, and the narrative describes him as "falling for Gray".
- In Episode 5, Gray cooly refutes Ben's offer to hang out and walks away. Alex stares after him with a blush and a half-lidded gaze, thinking to himself "Edgy as hell, my God..."
- When Gray leaves behind his phone after a game of pool, Alex thinks to himself with a smile and a blush that Gray has an unexpectedly vulnerable side.
Gray and Eugene
- It doesn't take long for Eugene to start fawning over Gray; in the second episode he's amazed that Ben freely offers an apology to Gray, and then thinks with a blush about how Gray is skillful, brave, and lucky.
- Episode three has Eugene appraising Gray's physique, starting out reasonably enough until he thinks with a blush that Gray could be mistaken for a girl with his looks.
- In episode nine, Eugene closes the curtains in the class so that Gray can sleep peacefully. When Gray awakens:Eugene: [thinking] He's a guy, but he's still making me blush. What's with his sad dreamy eyes...
- After Eugene tries his hardest to stop Teddy from stealing Gray's bag, Gray calls Eugene by his name for the first name. The realisation makes Eugene blush and feel odd.
- After realising that Gray isn't as fearless as he seems, Eugene becomes determined to help him in any way he can, even though he can't fight at all.Even if we die together... I'll be by his side.
- When Eugene is held back in class, Gray says that he'd like to wait for him, but there's a make-up class he has to attend. That he'd be willing to wait at all makes Eugene chuckle and blush to think about.
Gray and Stephen
- One could reasonably make the argument that Gray was in love with Stephen. Everything about Gray's current personality and philosophy- his lack of sympathy, his cold behaviour, refusal to lose, and hatred of bullies- all stem from his previous relationship with Stephen. Stephen is the one who gave Gray's life meaning when he couldn't find it himself.Gray: Stephen was the one who completely filled... the hole in my heart.
- When Gray asks Stephen to explain why he's so charitable.Stephen: I can tell you about all of it. For some reason, I feel like you're the one who could understand me, all of me, for who I am.
- After one of their usual fighting game face-offs, Stephen comments that Gray has an adorably competitive side.
- Oswald's gang start up a group chat that speculates that Gray and Stephen are dating. When Gray discovers this, it's the first (and so far, only) time in the series that he blushes.
- Once he becomes the victim of bullying, Stephen admits to himself that Gray remaining safe is the only thing that's stopping him from breaking down. Once he realises that Gray might become a target, he resolves to bring all attention back to himself so that Gray doesn't get hurt, which is what leads to him falling off the school roof and ending up with permanent injuries.
- When Gray visits Stephen in the hospital, he's seen caressing his face as he watches over him. Then, after he leaves, Gray can't keep up his stoic persona and breaks down sobbing.Gray: Just like I saw a light in Stephen, did Stephen also see a light... in me?
- While in the hospital, Gray reminisces over his memories of "him":Thinking about him was painful because of those agonizing feelings of loss and guilt that came along with it. So he kept it buried deep inside his heart... but when those memories ruptured to the surface, he was no longer able to contain them. So he decided to think about him as much as he wanted to. And that's what he did.
Other
- Even before Gray gets on Ben and Alex's radar, Gerard follows him home out of concern that he'll be jumped by the bully that Gray beat in class.
- When explaining the various members of the Yeongdeunpo Union, Eugene reveals that Jake Ji is the reason he became a fan of delinquents in the first place. And then he goes on a tangent about how Jake is loyal and kind and talented and super handsome...
- Gerard's former bandmate Hyeonjin was the one who wrote their songs, and the way Gerard reacts about his songwriting capabilities brings to mind something else.
- Ben's reaction when seeing a picture of Stephen for the first time is to blush and wonder if all the kids from Gray and Stephen's area are as pretty as they are.
