Seunghyun was early. Not because he had suddenly turned into a diligent student, but because he had yet to go to bed. After a crazy night at the club, he had ended up at Seungri's, and there hadn't been much time for sleep. It was happening more and more often these days. They used to just be each other's back up plan, only every so often casually sleeping together, but most nights choosing a bit more daring menu, going for the night's special. Nowadays however, they usually ended up eating the same old pork chops day in, day out. Were they getting old? Had they lost their magic? Oh, it couldn't be, they were still in the prime of their lives. Maybe they were just getting lazy. He made a mental note to try a little harder next time, get himself a slice of freshly cut veal.

He had borrowed a sweat suit from Seungri, so the trousers were more like three quarter pants. It was okay, he could pull it off. He made it look like it was on purpose, pulling up the sleeves as well, going for a fresh, summer style. He felt everything but fresh on the inside though, the hangover catching up to him. He swallowed his coffee in one go, almost giving himself a third degree burn on the inside of his throat, it was so hot. That ought to wake him up.

He was so early, that he was only the third one to show up. Still, third! Did those two before him have no life? What did they gain from showing up so early? Brownie points?! No, not even, since the teacher wasn't even here to see their brown-nosing. Idiots. Or maybe they too had come straight from a club or were doing the walk of shame. He doubted it. They had this Goodie Two-Shoes look about them.

A little later, one by one, the classroom started to fill up. There was a notable vibration in the air, everyone's nerves were on the fritz. Everyone's but his. Today their teacher would give their performances an oral review, in front of everyone. And according to Jiyong, a new friend he had just made not two seconds ago, this teacher was more brutal than the rest of the staff combined. Apparently he was known in the dance community, both for his superior dancing skills, but even more so for his vicious bite. Seunghyun wasn't really sure if he meant it as a metaphor, or if he had actually bitten someone. He wouldn't put it past him.

“How do you know all this?” Seunghyun asked, curiosity tickling his vocal chords.

“Oh, I've been in this business since I was in diapers.” Jiyong snorted, his cheeks getting slightly flushed. What a cute little dork. Though he didn't show it, Seunghyun could sense that he too was a nervous wreck. Wow, all that ambition. Seunghyun's blood was barely flowing he was so calm. So he would probably get a crappy review from that weirdo, oh no, how was he supposed to live with himself after that? He chuckled to himself, laughing at his own sarcastic joke. He knew he couldn't dance, his teacher knew he couldn't dance, heck, the whole class knew, so it was not like he was in danger of losing his reputation or anything like that.

“Guys, up, up, everyone up! Professor Park is on his way!” the teacher's assistant said in a deep and kind voice as he entered the room. People started springing up like a snake had bitten them where the sun rarely shone.

“Hey..” Jiyong whispered after they had both gotten up. “That TA ...he's kind of cute, right?” he suppressed a giggle. Seunghyun looked at Jiyong with surprise. Huh, he had had no idea Jiyong was playing for his team, and out in the open to boot. His gaydar wasn't perfect, but it usually picked up some suspicions at least. Interesting. Interesting indeed. He gave him a once-over with his eyes, he did not hate what he was seeing, trying to remind himself that sleeping with a classmate was off limits. But that only made him want it more.

“He's alright.” he shrugged, smirking crookedly.

“Alright?! Come on! Do you not see what I'm seeing?! You can almost see his abs through that white shirt of his!” Jiyong whispered, he had turned all giddy, almost drooling as his eyes were stuck X-raying every inch of the TA's body.

“I hate to have to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure he's straight.” Seunghyun patted his shoulder as a sign of sympathy, but liking what it had found, his hand lingered a little too long.

“Oh, just you wait, by the end of the semester he will be as crooked as the day is long!” Jiyong cockily declared.

“What does that even mean?” Seunghyun chuckled.

“Agh, you know! Like, crooked, as in not straight... I don't know! Whatever... before the semester is over, he'll be mine. Or he'll at least wish he was mine, but we'll see, if he's as good as his body indicates, I'll consider keeping him on as a regular thing.” he crossed his arms with overflowing confidence, staring out into space like he knew what he was talking about. Seunghyun couldn't help liking his tenacity, that little nugget was going places.

The moment they heard the creak of the door opening, Jiyong instantly straightened up, and so did the rest of the class. There was silence. It was almost overbearing. The only sound that could be heard, were the steps of professor Park as he made his way to the front.

It was worse than he could have ever imagined. From the first second forward it was a merciless blood bath, and nobody was safe. Even the class's most talented dancers were fed to the shredder. If anything, the best ones got the worst treatment of all.

"Hoya, do you really think you are cutting it? Huh?! What would you do in my shoes? Sure, you work well on your own, but how's that going to help you? Where are you going to practice dancing solo, the North Pole? Well, you're fresh out of luck cuz Santa's elves just started a dance team and you're not invited! Want to know why? Because you are a self-centered, egotistical , that's why! You only care about how you look and to show how good you are, even if it's at the expense of your team. If the team can't match you, you have to match the team! Good dancers dance, great dancers lead. And right now you're neither!". The teacher's voice echoed through the classroom, the words terrorizing every single soul that was unfortunate enough to be in here, but none more than Hoya himself. The poor guy had obviously showed up this morning thinking he did well and that he had nothing to worry about, only to be scolded ten times as much as the guy before him. A chubby guy that by the looks of it belonged here even less than Seunghyun. He could see tears forming at the edges of Hoya's eyes. Desperately trying to hold them at bay, Hoya bit his lip. He sent him a silent 'hwaiting!'.

The next one to be put on the chopping board was a scrawny boy named Taemin, who didn't look a day over sixteen. Were they recruiting babies or was he just a late bloomer? Either way, he was an amazing dancer, so Seunghyun couldn't imagine what the professor could possibly have against him. But Taemin got the worst scolding of all, and it was so technical that Seunghyun didn't even understand what the problem was, but he did get that it wasn't good. Especially when Taemin's friend Kai started bawling his eyes out over how unfair the teacher was being towards his best friend. Poor Taemin was too busy comforting him to be able to be sad for himself.

“Jiyong!” professor Park boomed without so much as a hint of regret after sending half the class into tears. Jiyong jumped at the mention of his name, his hand fumbling about until it found Seunghyun's, squeezing hard. Seunghyun squeezed back, hoping to lend him some strength.

“You have the X-factor, you do, but that's about the only thing you've got. I'm not even going to discuss your technique because there is none to speak of. I understand you've had ties to this business since you were a kid, but I cannot for the life of me imagine what you've been doing all this time, dancing at least is not one of them.”. Quick and painful. He could feel Jiyong's hand shake slightly, but he had his game face on, determined not to let anyone see how much those words were affecting him.

“Get out.” the teacher was looking Seunghyun right in the eyes. Seunghyun stared back, petrified.

“Wh.. what?” was the only thing he could muster up.

“Just get out, you are wasting our time, and that I can't stand for. Your lack of training can be fixed, with a lot, and I mean a lot, of hard work, but your lack of ambition is poison, so before you infect the rest of your fellow classmates, I suggest you get out, and never return.” he simply said, before moving on to the next student. Seunghyun just stood there, not sure of what had just happened. Was it a figure of speech or did he actually want him to leave? His eyes found Jiyong's, concern coloring his irises. He started to realize that it hadn't just been a theatrical suggestion in order to give his presentation a dramatic flare, it had been a direct order. Fear started filling his chest, making it harder to breathe. Awkwardly, he got to his feet and with his head hanging he let go of Jiyong's hand and quietly walked out the door.

As he started walking down the gloomy corridor, it all started sinking in. He had been ousted, he hadn't even lasted a week. Disappointment locked its icy nails into his heart. Not because he regretted not becoming a dancer, but because he was also kissing his dream of becoming an actor goodbye. He couldn't believe this was really happening, he felt like he had already gotten a part in a movie, the part of a pathetic dancer that couldn't even hold on for one lousy week..

“Seunghyun!” a soft voice behind him called out his name. He could feel a strong hand getting a hold of his elbow, pulling him to a standstill. When he turned around, a sweet smile greeted him. It was the nice TA, Chansung. He was tall and strongly built, but instead of using it as a form of intimidation, he wore his heart on his sleeves, more likely to make you want to hug him rather than instilling emotions of fear. He was kind of starting to see what Jiyong saw in him.

“Look, don't give up. It might seem impossible, but it's not over yet. This is just professor Park's way of trying to motivate you. He strikes where you are the most vulnerable and then watches to see how you react to that. If you show tenacity, you might still have a chance. Show him you care, show him you have what it takes, that you really want this. Get a tutor, preferably an amazing one, like Taeyang for instance, and do nothing but dance for the entire weekend. I mean, nothing. Don't eat, don't sleep, don't rest. Dance like you've never danced before, until your feet start bleeding. And then come back on Monday and show us what you're made of.” he sent him an encouraging wink before returning to class.

“Oh hey!” Chansung stopped and turned around for a second. “Nice outfit, by the way.” he snorted, his eyes full of laughter.