"You've got to be joking."

"No, I swear. 100% true."

Chanyeol let out a huff that was somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, disbelief written all over his face. His eyes were doing that weird thing where they looked like saucers again, and his mouth being ajar didn't make him look any less idiotic at the moment.

Sehun just kept staring at Baekhyun, while the latter merely sipped on his iced tea, looking back and forth between Sehun and Chanyeol with wide, almost innocent blinking eyes. After explaining his whole plan and how it was a success, he had even smirked at Chanyeol, who was trying to figure out how his own plan failed but this disaster somehow survived.  

"You're telling me, the headmaster, the headmaster who graduated from Oxford and has 2 PHD's, fell for a paper bag over your head and a couple of screenshots?" 

Baekhyun nodded in response to Chanyeol's question, still sipping his tea. 

"To be honest, like I said, it was mostly Kyungsoo's idea. He was the one who knew about the blackmail he could obtain and stuff. I just asked him to help us and also helped to be the paper bag boy."

Sehun and Chanyeol were still flabbergasted beyond imagination. Of course, Sehun was not complaining at all. He had never felt so relieved in his entire life and for the first time, he was actually thankful for Byun Baekhyun's existence. 

"Holy , I think I'm in love with Kyungsoo again." 

Baekhyun chuckled, but only momentarily before his face suddenly became serious. Sehun and Chanyeol tensed up; a serious Baekhyun was like the blood moon- very rare and pretty phenominal. 

"Sehun, now that I've helped you, I kind of have a favour to ask in return." 

-------------------------

"I still don't understand why you need my help for something like this."

"You're the only one with experience in fixing things."

"I literally fixed a lightbulb once, like 8 months ago. Chanyeol's the handyman out of all of us."

"Well Chanyeol isn't free, so I'm asking you."

"What do you mean he isn't free, I saw him in the library just before this-"

"JUST SHUT UP AND GET IN THERE AND FIX MY CABINET ALREADY!"

"ALRIGHT! JESUS CHRIST CALM D-"

Jongdae stopped mid-sentence as he noticed a presence in the middle of Sehun and Chanyeol's room once he opened the door. 

As he stared at Baekhyun sitting on Chanyeol's bed, Sehun shoved him forward and slammed the door, quickly leaning his bodyweight against it seconds before he heard expletives and bangs from the other side from his small but fiesty friend. If it were not for the fact that the school required payment for any damage to its property, he was pretty sure Jongdae would have kicked the door down.

He was one stubborn man, and if he didn't want to see Baekhyun, he was not going to see Baekhyun. That was that. 

Unluckily for him though, Sehun was pretty much a who couldn't care less about Jongdae's stubborness.

Baekhyun helped to save his precious , he owed him this. 

"I swear to God Sehun, open the damn door!"

"Not until you make up with Baekhyun."

A very frustrated groan and what felt like a kick against the door was the only response Sehun got, which actually amused him as he pictured a flustered Jongdae which was more like an angry little duck. 

"Come on J, please hear me out. Let me explain."

Once Sehun heard a muffled sigh, he pushed himself off the door and paused for a moment, making sure Jongdae was for sure still not trying to escape like his life depended on it. After a few seconds passed without the door being pushed open into his face, he heard Baekhyun start to talk, which was his cue to smile in satisfaction and leave the 2 love puppies to make up.

He just prayed to God they wouldn't have in his bed. 

Chanyeol's was comfier anyway. 

-------------------------

"Bring your hand up a little faster after you spin. Like PAH!"

Sehun rolled his eyes as he watched Jongin teach a rather complicated dance step to Hyoyeon. Johnny and Ten were behind them, watching him as well and trying to follow his precision and technique. 

The fact that Hyoyeon actually approached Jongin instead of him to ask for help was ludacris in itself. 

Hyoyeon always asked Sehun.

Everyone always asked Sehun.

"He's really handsome isn't he?" 

Sehun turned to find Krystal plop down next to him on the floor, tightening the cap on her bottle of water. She was still panting, which was rather normal as she was not exactly the fittest out of all of them, but her eyes were glued to Jongin as he danced, a faint smile on her lips as well.

Ugh.

He got it.

Jongin was great.

Everyone loved him.

He didn't need to be reminded of that literally every other second. 

"Yeah, he's not bad."

Sehun realised he really needed to enrol in acting classes, for he had no idea how to convincingly fake not being pissed off. Luckily, Krystal was too busy still oggling at Jongin to notice Sehun's rather terse reply. 

He didn't blame her though.

As he looked back at Jongin, his bronze skin glistening with sweat and his mouth forming a really weird but y snarl as he executed a powerful move, Sehun couldn't deny it.

He looked super ing y. 

The more he watched him, the more he forgot just how much he hated him and how much he actually wanted to gnaw on that plump lower lip and get rid of that annoying shirt that was covering what he knew just had to be perfectly toned abs and-

.

STOP.

As Sehun took a deep breath and tried to think of kittens and bubbles instead, from the corner of his eye he noticed Krystal staring at him with bewildered eyes. 

"What?"

"W-Why did you just...slap yourself?" 

Sehun blinked as he reached up and touched his cheek, only now beginning to feel its soreness. 

He slapped himself.

He literally slapped himself as he was ualising Jongin and he wasn't even aware he did so. 

This was it.

He really was losing his mind.

He officially spent too much time with those 3 idiots that they finally managed to scramble the wiring in his brain. 

Krystal was still staring at him with a quirked brow and wide eyes, not even bothering to hide her utter befuddlement at his action. Sehun, on the other hand, was getting sick and tired for having to come up with lies to cover himself, and at this point he honestly had no idea what to reply her. 

Luckily, Yixing decided to pick just that moment to call out for everyone's attention. 

God bless Zhang Yixing.

"Alright everyone listen up! I've got an important announcement." 

Sehun shifted his position so that he was facing his leader, and while it had been a week since the theft incident was resolved, a small part of him still feared he would be caught one day.

you guilty conscience. 

"As you all know, in a couple of months we have our first Winter showcase."

Ah, The Winter Showcase.

It was their most important and anticipated performance of the year. Talent scouts, dance directors, entertainment managers, all these VIP's were going to be there. The dance club had a history of members going on to join some of the best agencies and teams there were not only in the country but in the world. The showcase was huge and so the level of calibre expected was nothing less than perfect." 

Sehun subconsciously took in a deep breath, biting his lip.

It was where all his dreams and future lied. 

It was the greatest opportunity to get discovered and scouted by the entertainment world.

It was his golden ticket to success.

The nation-wide Winter Showcase was started only the previous year and was coming to their university for the first time this year. The moment it was announced, everyone already knew Sehun was probably going to be the one all the VIP's would fight over.

And up until a month ago, he would've thought the same thing.

But as he glanced at the freshie just a few feet from him, the thought that that was no longer true made his fists clench and his teeth gnash. 

"So as all of you are already aware of, the 2 pieces we have been working on for the past few weeks is for the showcase. However, there is also the special performance which showcases the best talent of the club. It requires at least 2 people and initially, it was supposed to be Sehun and Taemin..."

Oh no, where was he going with this?

Sehun knew he was performing with Taemin for the special stage. They had already began working on a choreo the previous week. He didn't mind working with Taemin, as he knew Taemin had already secured a music scholarship for when he graduated so he did not want or need to be scouted. That was also why he stopped having dance as his main priority and ended up passing the baton of best dancer to Sehun.

What was Yixing announcing about this now...

"However, I just got word this morning that Taemin has actually suffered a pretty serious arm injury which means he will not be able to dance for at least a few months."

Oh crap.

Everyone broke out into worried and concerned murmurs about Taemin's injury. It was common for him to miss dance practices and just catch up with the choreo by himself later, but none of them had known or suspected an actual injury.

Sehun looked at the floor with a frown. 

Of course he felt bad for Taemin, and hoped he recovered as soon as possible.

But at the same time, he was also anxious about his special performance.

Was he now supposed to do it alone?

Was it cancelled?

"Don't worry, he will be fine. He's receiving treatment, it was from a car accident which could've ended up much worse but thankfully just resulted in a broken bone. Obviously we wish him a speedy recovery, but at the same time, we still have the issue of the special stage. Therefore, after some thinking, I've decided..."

Oh man.

"Sehun,"

Oh god what has he decided?

"You'll be doing the special performance with Jongin instead."

Oh.

. 

------------------------- 

A/N: Just a little filler chapter, don't worry, the next chap is where all the real fun begins ;-) anyway, as usual, thank you for supporting/reading this story and please leave any constructive feedback you have! :)