oh oh oh oh oppareul saranghae
ah ah ah ah manhi manhi hae

Taecyeon woke up to a sneeze as his alarm clock went off. He was tempted to push the snooze button, but he knew that if he did so, the chances of his waking up again were slim as he only had three hours of sleep after staying up late to finish his last minute papers. With a groan he rolled himself out of bed, landing with a light thump on the carpet. His clothes still were on the floor, just were he’d left them last night when he got back, and the laptop sitting on his desk was still on standby mode, waiting for him to come and finish up his work.

He pushed himself up and peered over at the bed on the other side of the room. His roommate Junsu had arrived sometime during his sleep and was still under the covers dozing the early morning away. Unlike Taecyeon, Junsu worked the swing and night shifts and didn’t have to wake up until later in the day. Taecyeon didn’t have class until after lunch, but he did have papers to finish so he heaved himself off the floor and slumped on his work chair and pulled his laptop and books closer to him to get his work done. It wasn’t as if he didn’t like his major, he loved it, but he loved dancing too and it was becoming a chore trying to reconcile both. Especially with the extra strain of maintaining a grade average to keep his scholarship.

Taecyeon played hot potato with his toast, regretting to have pulled it out of the toaster right when it popped up, be he had no time to waste. Once he was sure he had avoided the chances of getting a first degree burn, he shoved it in his mouth and grabbed his bag off the table, doing a quick spin and snatching his keys off the kitchen counter. He hopped on one foot as he tried to get his shoes on, stumbling and slamming his hand on the wall to prevent himself from falling over. He heard a distinct groan and quickly mumbled an apology before racing out of their studio apartment and to his university two blocks away.

Running was like second nature to him now and he bolted through the university corridors, spotting Renn standing idly by a tall column, and he zipped past her mumbling a hi and bye before crashing into the lecture hall. He had made it in time and not even out of breath. He took his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose to steady himself before pulling out his glasses and sitting them on his nose. His thoughts drifted to his roommate who was snugly sleeping in their shared apartment, and to Nichkhun who was probably leisurely walking the halls of the nearby university.

If only I could have it easy like Khun.

Nichkhun stifled a yawn as his professor droned on and on about the nature of accounts. He was taking up accounting as one of his required majors, and now he had to endure three hours a week listening to the most boring professors and talking about debits and credits when he would rather be inside the music lab with Renn or at the studio practicing with the other guys. He was fortunate enough that his parents provided for his expenses, but sometimes he wished they would leave him alone. Although he had managed to extricate himself partially from their hold, they still had a significant amount of control over him- control he was willing to relinquish if only for monetary reasons.

He looked towards the window and saw Mai sitting next to him looking bored- possibly more than he. They were going to be stuck in school for a while, and he leaned further into his seat feigning interest. His eyes drifted momentarily towards her as he saw her visibly cringe. He followed her line of sight and a dry chuckle escaped his lips.

“Who wears a mini-skirt in the middle of spring?” she mumbled.

Nichkhun leaned slightly towards Mai. “The ones that would like boyfriends and-slash-or have them.”

“Whatever.”

“This isn’t you being bitter and sad, is it? She’s got legs and she’s proud to flaunt them. Maybe if you tried harder guys would actually notice you.” Nichkhun smirked as he jerked his head towards aforementioned random girl in the mini-skirt Mai had been referring to. “Exhibit A.”

Mai scoffed. “I have more than enough personality and the capacity for decent conversation. I’d rather a conversation to my face than to my legs, thank you very much. I don’t need a mini skirt for guys to notice me. Unlike some people over here.”

“Did you know that rationalization is a treatable symptom?”

The girl finally turned around, and Mai rolled her eyes before lazily shifting her gaze away. Nichkhun caught the other girl’s eyes, and he quickly pulled a charming smile, and a tiny smile snuck on her lips before she turned back around in her seat.

It was euphoria the moment class was over and Nichkhun joined his classmates as they poured out of the classroom. Several girls were smiling at him as he stepped out and smiled in return, back to his patented Thai Prince charm. If he wasn’t so used to it by now, he would have thought it a chore to patronize these girls that had gathered around him. Checking his watch, he calculated how much time there was left for lunch and how much more time until class was over. He was terribly unmotivated in class, yes, but it was completely the opposite for dancing.

Wooyoung better end his shift early, we need to get this routine done.

Wooyoung rolled his shoulders to ease off the tension that had built there during the past hour where he had been hauling sacks of flour from one end of the room to the other. New deliveries of sugar and flour were coming tonight, and he needed to clear the storage room for the new supplies. He stretched his back, wiping the sweat off his brow with the sleeve on his shirt as he checked the progress he had made so far. Only a few more sacks to go and he was done with the bakery, for now at least. After spending his lunchbreak here, he had to get back to the studio for his other, his steady job, manning the lights for broadcasts and photoshoots.

Satisfied with how the rearranging had gone about, Wooyoung dusted off his hands on his pants and headed for the door that led back to the bakery. He was done for the period and all that was left for him to do here was to announce his leave.

Wooyoung slipped in through the office doors and found his direct superior hunched over several recipe books on her table with a girl about his age sitting nearby, doing the same thing. Her long hair was tied in a bun on top of her head and it bobbed up and down as she nodded every now and then as she took down notes.

Wooyoung opened his mouth to catch her attention, but the aunt looked over before he could speak, “Wooyoung-goon, can I help you?”

Wooyoung pursed his lips and gave a slight nod towards the backroom. “Everything’s stacked up just like you instructed. I’ll be back to help with the deliveries if you need me.” With a curt nod, Wooyoung spun on his heel and headed for the exit, not failing to hear the younger girl’s comment.

“Never seen him here so early before, or finish this early either.”

So I can finish this early and get to practice before the guys maul me for being late.

Wooyoung left the bakery, j-walking to the nearest bus stop across the street to catch the already approaching vehicle. He needed get back to his building before his lunch break ended, preferably with some spare time so he can snack and not starve on the job. He didn’t exactly hate his job, but he hadn’t had a chance to further his education after high school- getting a job was priority and playing with his uncle’s sound equipment seemed to have paid off in the end. Dancing had also been an option for him, he could have been teaching classes with Jay and Mai, but he needed a steady job with steady pay.

He got off at his stop and stepped back into his building, his eyes catching the huge clock on the wall before he speed-walked to the elevators. He was late, and it looked like he’d have to skip food until his next break. It was days like these that he hated and wished he were with Jay instead, doing what he did best.

Jay loved dancing. That was a given. He loved the spotlight too, but sometimes, too much attention could be a pain when concentration was key. He repeated the series of steps he had been teaching his class one more time, it wasn’t a difficult move, but it was a difficult class. Not to mention he was feeling like a goldfish being ogled at by the multitude of mothers and sisters standing by the large window panes to the studio. He shot Renn a helpless look, and the girl merely shrugged as she stood up and walked towards the glass panes.

Eyeing the females outside with clear condescension splayed on her face, she hit the button controlling the blinds brutally with her fist. “Oops,” she muttered, ignoring the screams of complains that erupted from the unnecessary crowd outside. With a sneer at Jay’s students, Renn disappeared into the sound room.

Jay sighed in relief and returned his attention to his students. “Okay, one more time from the top.”

A hand shot up from the group of students he had, and Jay nodded in acknowledgement. “Oppa...I need to go pee...” said one of his female students.

Jay froze as he stared slightly dumbstruck before turning towards the sound room. “RENN!”

Jay stared at the room, and he was about to yell again when Renn poked her head through the door of the isolation booth. “This better be important.”

“Renn, someone needs to go to the little girl’s room.”

Renn scowled. “Hana can go to the washroom by herself, Hana can even go to school by herself if not for that overly smothersome brother of hers. You don’t need me, or anyone else for that matter to help. Just show her where it is and she’ll be fine.”

She disappeared as Jay turned his attention back to the young girl in front of him. “Um. You can go, you know where it is right?” he asked hesitantly, and the girl smiled and nodded before disappearing out of the room.

Jay looked back at his students and inwardly wished that Mai were there. She knew how to handle kids, maybe that’s why she got along with Junho’s little sister so well. Surprisingly, Renn did too, and yet she almost seemed to despise his class of seven to eight year olds. Jay rolled his eyes at the thought, selectively evil, he was sure of it.

Jay turned back to his class as he continued his lesson. The steps were easy enough- the point of this class was to have the kids get used to following simple choreography, get a chance to practice new moves and as they say, have fun. He glanced at the clock, his lesson was nearing an end. He both welcomed and dreaded this moment at the same time. Class ending meant he would no longer have to handle little children, but it also meant that the crowd he was allowed to remove during the lesson could make their way back in.

“Oppa!”

Oppa was normally used to refer to slightly older males or significant others. He was pretty sure he was neither, but he quickly forced a tiny smile as the females waiting outside approached him, asking him for pictures and autographs as they gushed about his dancing. He merely went along, nodding and smiling as they snapped pictures. Renn was no where to be found- Jay knew the girl refused to surface from her hiding place when the so called “fangirls” came out, so he was left by his lonesome for as long as the crowd -

“May I have your attention please?”

The immensely female based crowd turned at the raised voice and Jay found Mai by the door, her eyes flashing as she addressed the group. Her profile was straight, not that Jay ever thought she slouched, but she had taken on that authority presence- there was no way anyone in the room was going to question her.

“Since class is over, I’d like to kindly remind you to grab your belongings and make your way out quietly. If you are neither a student of this class or picking up a student,” Here, Mai turned her gaze on the several females surrounding him, and Jay was sure some of them looked down out of embarrassment. “The front desk is by the entrance of the building. You may address any questions and concerns there. I hope you all have a nice day.” At the end of her speech, Mai actually pulled a smile, much to Jay’s surprise.

Mai moved away from the door, smiling and nodding politely to the people who directed their goodbyes to her. Junsu followed her in, his hands in his pockets as some of the girls noticed him and grabbed some quick pictures before they left. When the studio had finally cleared out, Jay let out a sigh of relief.

“You better get to work on that choreo. I’ll be in the sound room with Renn.”

“How do you know-” Jay stopped mid sentence as Mai disappeared into the other room.

Junsu walked past him and picked up a few CDs on the table next to the player. “Jay, Renn can only be found at four possible locations: home, school, sound room, and on the DJ’s turntables. You can do the math, you’re supposed to be the one who knows her best.”

“Renn, yes, Mai, no...”

“Anyway, was Renn going to remix the old track or are we using the same-”

Junsu was cut mid-sentence as well as a hand holding a CD cartridge appeared from a slit through the open door to the sound room. When Junsu simply stared at it for a few moments, it began to move up and down impatiently until Jay walked over to it and plucked it out of the hand.

“Doesn’t Renn ever do things normally? Ever?”

Jay did a little head shake as he popped the CD into the stereo player, listening to Renn’s mix and bobbing his head lightly to the beat. He and Junsu discussed the differences in the remix, and the differences that could be applied in their routine. Jay was in the middle of demonstrating a move when Nichkhun walked in, dropping his bag at the side of the room. He was already in his sweats and a loose tee, and he joined s in the middle of the studio.

They were in the middle of steps when Taecyeon appeared, yawning as he walked in. He threw his bag to the side and started to stretch as Jay stopped his dancing and eyed the taller boy.

“You have your frames,” he commented offhandedly, and Taecyeon took the moment to push said frames back up on the bridge of his nose.

“Contacts make my eyes dry when I don’t get enough sleep,” he whined, pulling a lopsided grin.

Jay smirked and opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by his phone. “Yo.” He listened for a bit before his eyes darted to the others. “Umm, maybe Renn can come look after Gran?”

Nichkhun’s brows furrowed deeply on his forehead. “We want Gran alive, not fearing for her life Jay. Have him call Kass, I think she’s free at the moment.”

Jay gave Nichkhun a look before nodding and relaying the information through the phone. It wasn’t long before Chansung arrived, with Junho and Hana, the littlest making her way into the sound room to join the older girls. They had already gotten most of the basic alterations to the new choreography down by the time Wooyoung came in, and he was determined to make up for lost time. The boys rehearsed for hours, even after the girls had excused themselves and had taken Hana home. No one noticed the time, no one wanted to notice the time. All they knew was they had to get it down. Nothing else mattered.

Takes a while, yes? Well both oxygenbubble and I are busy at the moment, but rest assured, we already have our girls, and they'll be revealed soon so look out for that =]