The strobe lights were focused mainly on the stage as one lone figure took it- dominating it with her stage presence. Everyone turned to her as the lights dimmed to fit the mood of the song. It was freestyle night tonight, and anyone could claim the stage for a few minutes of fame.

Jay Park leaned back on the back wall as he watched the girl- no woman, take her position on the top of the platform. The heavy beats of song had yet to start so her movements were soft and light, and Jay knew what she was waiting for. When the first down beat came, he was almost startled by her reaction- she hit the base hard and her body rocked to the rhythm, worthy of the crowd’s roaring reaction.

“Damn she’s hot.”

Jay didn’t have to turn to know who it was, but he did anyway as the tall figure settled beside him. Taecyeon handed him one of the beer bottles he held in his hand.

“Isn’t she from Closed Formation?” Chansung asked, moving to Jay’s other side.

“That doesn’t make her any less hot,” Taecyeon stated.

“True,” Jay and Chansung replied in unison. Jay took a swig from his bottle as he watched her move; she had changed styles and was now krumping to the beat.

“Her krumping is kinda... lacking.” Chansung commented.

“‘Course it is,” Jay scoffed. “She’s a girl.”

As they watched, the music dipped, the back beat disappearing into a softer almost inaudible beat, and the strobe lights swivelled over changing into another darker shade of blue as the music shifted from a heavy percussion beat to a more robust synth exhibition.

She suddenly moved sideways just as the music boomed back in, revealing another dancer already moving to the tempo. Jay winced as the noise volume of the crowd escalated again but he had to admit, the transition was impressive. She had taken advantage of the dim light to move behind her fellow member, making it seem like she appeared out of nowhere.

“Now that’s hot.”

Jay didn’t answer Chansung’s comment, his eyes focused on the new dancer. She was wacking, or as Jay liked to put it, doing the girly version of popping and locking. Her movements were a lot more fluid than the previous dancer- she was obviously flexible, and she proved it with her finishing move.

The crowd was hollering and Taecyeon had to yell to get his question across. “You think Wooyoung could do that?”

Jay snorted. “Probably. But that’d be borderline gay if he did.”

Taecyeon and Chansung’s laughter was lost in the noise as the girls finished and moved aside, leaving the spotlight empty. The music echooed off the low ceiling, its resounding rhythm enticing the next dancer to take to the dance floor.

“Should we show them how it’s done?” Jay asked, eyeing the empty floor.

“You don’t even need to dance. All you have to do is rip your shirt off and--”

Jay shoved his half finished beer into Taecyeon’s chest, causing the taller boy to groan before the older made his way through the crowd. Jay stepped into the empty spot, the noise volume immediately shooting upwards as the crowd recognized the dancer.

“Looks like 2PM is in da house!” shouted the MC by the DJ. “Ladies and gentlemen, Jay Park!” The MC emphasized the last word, the last name accentuated and lost in the uproar.

A techno remix blared through the speakers, and Jay grinned. Perfect. He started popping his body to the beat- popping, like how it was supposed to done. It didn’t take him long before he started top rocking, the basic kick steps that break dancers started off with before getting down and dirty. The next instant he was sweeping across the floor with a modified version of the six-step, ending it with a freeze. The crowd responded, and Jay waited a few more seconds before finishing off with a second freeze, his two legs pointed straight up into the air. Just when he thought the crowd couldn’t get any louder, it did. He smirked, standing up and dusting off his jeans.

He made his way back to join Taecyeon and Chansung who awaited him on the side, but Jay didn’t fail to notice the two previous dancers standing nearby. Since they were all acquaintances, at most, he didn’t see a problem walking over to acknowledge them.

“Well if it aren’t the boys from 2PM,” one of the girl commented dryly, her arms crossed, long hair tied back in a ponytail. Jay couldn’t remember her name, but well, it didn’t really matter.

“How’d you girls like the performance?”

“You just had to go and try to upstage us, didn’t you,” the second girl said, leaning on her friend.

“I didn’t try, I did,” Jay replied smoothly, mouth still curved into a lopsided grin. He was joking, but so were they. Nothing like a little friendly competition.

“Someone needs to get off their high pedestal before he falls, flat on his face.”

Jay smirked, about to respond when someone gripped his arm.

“Hyung, Wooyoung’s on the phone. We need to go, now,” Chansung told him, the seriousness in his face preventing the older boy from disregarding the call.

Jay gave the girls a curt nod before turning to follow his two taller members to the exit. Once they were outside, Chansung waved a taxi down before the others could say a word. After giving the address to the driver, their maknae slumped back down to his seat, the same expression from before still etched on his sharp features.

“Chansung-ah, why are we going to the hospital?” Taecyeon asked quietly, leaning forward past Jay who sat between them to eye the younger boy.

“Wooyoung-ah called to tell me Grann’s in the hospital again,” he replied softly, looking out the window.