i see xiubaek as the "twin frosts" to chanchen's "twin flames": two people who are extremely similar and clash because of it. i agree with others, however, who say they are the closest they’ve ever been this year which, again, reminds me of chanchen’s 2019 breakthrough.

they are both incredibly intelligent, self-aware, image-conscious, introverted, diligent, petty, and sharp-tongued. and they are both drawn to jongdae for similar reasons.

what fascinates me about xiubaek is how their relationship is defined by a mitigation of distance. prior, they’ve had friction because baekhyun's way of being close with someone is to be obnoxiously funny, but minseok is... sensitive and prickly by disposition, which has limited their past interactions to dry, careful politeness. jongdae clicks with them individually because he knows how to play along with baekhyun and stop his antics before they go too far without killing the vibe, and can expertly navigate minseok's boundaries - loves it, even, because he gets to baby and manage his hyung. in a way, i think this clash previously came about from subconsciously hoping the other would fulfil that role of "being jongdae," because xiubaek are also similar in needing someone to bounce off to ease the burden of being entertaining on camera.

this is hilariously evident in ladder s1, which felt like a custody battle in how they took turns monopolising jongdae's attention LOL. even jongdae notices and repeatedly complains, “why are you only asking ME?” because xiubaek do not feel close enough to casually ask favours of one another yet, jongdae is stuck with being minseok’s photo puppet in the museum, and baekhyun’s laughing track when nobody else will gift him a pity laugh, and so on. the FUNNIEST example of this is the legendary ice-cream moment, where baekhyun is too embarrassed to spit out his too big bite into minseok’s offered hand, and helplessly looks at jongdae who leaves him to suffer the consequences of his own stupid joke, so he… just spits at jongdae instead.

and yet. xiubaek have demonstrated closeness when it comes to the serious, off-camera things. they are acutely aware of each other's weaknesses and insecurities - see ladder s4 with minseok correctly guessing baekhyun's fraught relationship with his self-image and, their recent exol jp interview. (tangent but the way minseok calls baekhyun "brother i can't hate" TWICE instead of "brother i like/love" in the latter really encapsulates their dynamic to me.) this is also an area, i think, where they step up for jongdae's sake, given his own general (sometimes willing) obliviousness and difficulty expressing his feelings.

(this could be its own ask, but i also think they grew closer because of the baekchen divorce. in mugi box, cbx named minseok as peacekeeper for baekchen, and i believe that he and junmyeon took on those roles again recently as jongdae's and baekhyun's guardians, respectively.)

ruminating on their current relationship, they are older and more mature (to tolerate each other) and have a vested interest in Actually Getting Along for inb100's, and jongdae's, sake. i also anticipate more xiubaek moments this year, given how they're both quite showy with affection on social media. they are business partners, but have always been closer with each other than with most of the other members, especially now. witnessing their relationship shift is really, really fascinating.