photo credit: http://leuhans.tumblr.com/post/58338359941

hihihi long chapter ahead. (please notice how adorable Se Hun is in that photo) 

the milk tea shall appear on the next (i.e. concluding) chapter! also this is special because it is written in the perspective of the protagonist. nyahaha.

enjoy and comment if you can! 

You were known as the rational one, the one with the stoic face, the one with the tiny smile that was scarier than it was happy. Only a few things in this world could shoot fissures of exhilaration down your spine: Adventure Time, amusement parks, SHINee, EXO.

And there was one more thing that you absolutely loved and couldn’t hold your excitement for:

Taek Won Do competitions.

As you drove to Apgujeong, you were calm and composed, chuckling quietly to yourself as you peeked at Se Hun’s lopsided grins every now and then. The maknae was like a kid on his first trip to an amusement park, and pestered you with cute, verging on annoying questions of “Are we there yet?” and “What was your first Taek Won Do competition like, Noona?” You gave curt answers, though, because you had to focus on the road; while you were more than happy to give in to the kid’s manic energy, you couldn’t risk the lives of two of the campus crushes (cue rolling of eyes).  When he finally realized that he couldn’t get anything from you, he turned to the back, and started bombarding your fellow black-belter. A few minutes later, Se Hun had stopped altogether, growing dizzy from moving too much.

“Save your energy for later, kiddo,” you said, taking advantage of the traffic-halt in order to ruffle his nest of bouncy hair.

As you drove to Apgujeoung, you were calm and composed, and you put all your concentration on the road, but all that dissipated when you stepped inside the small sports stadium. Your eyes rounded in amazement at the ceiling lights that illuminated the center of the arena where two sets of puzzle mats were placed. Settling in their own corners were the competing teams, stretching and doing some last minute drills to warm up. The sound of skin against punching bag was music to your ears, bringing you back to your childhood when you had been the overly driven first grader who liked to kick anything that could be kicked. In between the mats were the referees and the judges, holding their own small meeting before the event started. There were already a few spectators in the seats, and you could see that some of them had brought posters to show their support. The arena was small, and honestly, you didn’t really expect it to be filled with people, even later on when the event was at its highlight, but there was something about it that was simply exhilarating, and you couldn’t stop yourself from flashing a big, goofy grin reflective of the big, goofy grins of your two companions.

“It’s been a while,” you say, and Xiumin nods in agreement. It was almost a tradition for you and Xiumin to watch a Taek Won Do competition at least once a year, but your third year had been so hectic that you couldn't find the time to do so, and missed every opportunity that came your way. After one long year of deprivation, you were finally here, and the oldest among the twelve was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as his small eyes wandered the arena, absorbing everything and marveling at its spectacle.

“I so miss this,” he grins, going into his forward stance, and showing off a few low kicks. Xiumin’s last Taek Won Do competition was four years ago, back in high school when he was a member of the varsity. Every so often, you and he would visit the local Taek Won Do studio to do some rounds, just to make sure that neither of you would get rusty. But it was still and it would always be different from the thrill of a real Taek Won Do competition.

Before you can reply, a low, almost baritone voice calls out to you, and you all swivel your heads to see a certain tomboy dinosaur flailing her arms to catch your attention. Behind her were some familiar faces dressed in their doboks, and you easily recognized them as the students you would spar with on your free days. Half were already black belters, while the rest were composed of varying levels. You knew that for many of the low-leveled belters, this was going to be their first competition in their entire Taek Won Do career, and, just as you have experienced long before, they were nervous. The very thought of losing terrified them, had them thinking that they were going to be failures for the rest of their lives if they messed up. But you knew better, and you didn’t want their nerves getting the best of them, so you had required your classes to go and offer support for the team.

"Yo, Amber," you casually greeted as the three of you approached your home team. Amber grinned at you, flashing her sharp canines, and, after high-fiving with you, proceeded to giving Xiumin and Se Hun a light group hug.

“Glad you could make it, Unnie!” she said, arms still linked with Xiumin’s.

“We wouldn’t miss this for anything!” Xiumin exclaimed, tightening his grip on Amber’s arm as he led her to the bleachers. Xiumin began babbling about how excited he was to watch the competition; your friend laughed at the elder’s enthusiastic story-telling as she listened intently to his every word.

“Sorry about that kids,” you told the students, “You know how Xiumin is when he’s excited. Anyway, good luck today. I am very ish at giving pep talks and doing cheers, so I invited my students to watch you. I hope you gain strength from them.” You gave them a thumbs-up, to which they all bowed and said their thanks at your efforts to support them.

“Ah, Handsome Sah-bum-nim is here!” two identical voices said in unison. You turned around to see the twins running toward you, their parents following behind. Min Jung and Jung Min were all smiles as they sprinted, forgetting that their belts were yet to be tied around their trousers. Despite all the suffering they put you through a few weeks ago, you let out a chuckle, amusedly watching the two as they fumbled with and pulled at the waistband of their pants to prevent them from slipping off.

“Hello, Min Jung, Jung Min,” you said, looking down at the two as they panted. “You don’t have your belts yet, you shouldn’t have run.”

The twins looked up at you, their chubby cheeks flushed ruby red from the exhaustion. “Sorry, Handsome Sah-bum-nim! We just didn’t expect you to be here!” Jung Min answered, stubby fingers still on his pants.

“Jung Min, Mr. Fairy’s here, too!” his twin exclaimed, smiling and pointing at your dongsaeng. Min Jung latched onto Se Hun’s thin, long legs, surprising your adorable student. Se Hun’s eyes widened at the sudden action and he turned to you, looking like a clueless and helpless puppy. “You’ve gotten taller, Mr. Fairy!” the child commented, still not realizing that the boy before her was not your roommate.

“Noona…?” Se Hun mumbled, reaching out for your sleeves. You couldn’t help the laughter that escaped your lips as you bent down to gently (you tried, at least) pry Min Jung off.

“I didn’t want to be the bringer of bad news, kid, but he’s not Lu Han.”

Both twins gasped, looking like they had been scandalized. “WHAT,” they exclaimed, taking a few steps backwards to examine your dongsaeng. They scrutinized him—up and down (well, not really, because they were at least two and a half feet shorter than he was)—and gasped again when they finally realized that Se Hun was not your beautiful roommate.

You stood up, and put a hand on Se Hun’s head to pat it.  

Following the rainbow experimentation that he had suffered, Se Hun was forced to take on a more subtle, yet just as eccentric, color for the street dance club's activities. Much to his chagrin, he now donned light pink strands that, in your opinion, suited his milky skin very well. When he had first showed it to everyone, you had immediately shushed the boys just before they could tease their poor maknae again. You had told him that only real men wore pink, and to your delight, the boy had given everyone a smile, proudly saying that he was the only one among his teammates who had the guts to actually accept the challenge of having pink hair (you all knew that he was forced to do it though, but some secrets were better kept than revealed).

Today, Se Hun decided to comb his fringe sideward to expose his forehead, giving him an image that perfectly blended maturity and innocence into one Oh Se Hun. His thin, pink hair strands settled delicately above his forehead, with some going astray and falling down to cover his eyes. You took those naughty strands and tucked them right above his ear, along with the rest of his bangs. “This is Se Hun, my dongsaeng. He’s no bloom-fairy like Lu Han but…” you grinned, unable to control yourself as you lightly pinched Se Hun’s cheek. “He’s cute, isn’t he?” You chuckled at Se Hun’s reaction: his alabaster face had turned thirty shades of red and he continuously his lips—a sure sign that he was flustered.

“N-noona,” he stammered, for Oh Se Hun had the habit of stammering when his cuteness was the topic of the conversation. Se Hun knew how much cute he had in him—he was the maknae, of course—but whenever that fact was bluntly presented to others, the adorable maknae was reduced to a bumbling mess.

Which was also very, very adorable.

"Cute, right?" you asked the twins, nodding for their approval. Gradually, their looks of disbelief turned into shining beams of happiness as they took Se Hun's hands and shook them.

"You're a Cute Fairy, Handsome Sah-bum-nim's dongsaeng!" Min Jung sang.

"Not as pretty as Mr. Fairy, but you're very cute!" Jung Min chirped. "Minnie," he turned to his twin, eyes sparkling with a wonderful discovery, "Since we know two fairies, we should give them different names so we know who is who!"

Min Jung giggled, "That's right, Oppa! Handsome Sah-bum-nim's dongsaeng is our Cute Fairy, while her roommate is our Pretty Fairy! And together, they're..."

The twins unleashed their light grips on Se Hun's hands and instead, entwined their own stubby fingers together, as their free arms spread wide in happiness. "Our Flower Fairies!" they cheered, almost loud enough for the entire stadium to hear. If not for everyone busy doing their last minute drills, your dongsaeng would have been humiliated by the naive twins that sang his name like he was a dreamlike character from a fairytale. But those who were close enough to hear (i.e. Amber's students) began to snicker, and Xiumin and Amber approached you just in time to catch the twins' boisterous proclamation.

"Oh ho ho ho," Xiumin sniggered, snaking an arm around Se Hun's shoulders (the oldest among the twelve was on his tippy-toes since the maknae was at least 10 cm taller than he was), "You're a fairy now, huh?"

Se Hun pouted as he glared at his Hyung, pawing at Xiumin’s navy blue sweater and incoherently shrieking somewhere along the lines of “Hyung, stahpppp iiiittttt.” Xiumin half-yelped and half-laughed at the maknae’s flustered state, and scampered behind Amber to use her as a shield from Se Hun’s more than serious punches. When Xiumin was out of reach, Se Hun turned to you, giving you his famous “I’m not impressed” look, and continued to give you that look. And just like Xiumin, you chuckled at the youngest’s behavior, and pat his head despite the very deep scowl on his face.

“Okay, because you’re my Noona, I forgive you this time,” he mumbled, and then smiled shyly at you, his eyes crinkling into half-moons as they casted downwards to hide the redness of his cheeks.

Behind Amber, the students started to snicker again, shooting Se Hun knowing looks and mischievous grins as a few made noises that were more than distracting. However, just as you were about to flash them your infamous poker-face, Amber approached you, snaking in between you and Se Hun. “I hate to interrupt your cute moment, Unnie, Se Hunnie,” at that, you shot her a displeased expression, but Amber—just as she always did—turned the other cheek, completely unfazed in spite of your icy stare, “But our competition’s about to start, and look, Unnie.” She nodded towards the entrance, and you followed her gaze to see familiar faces entering the stadium. You waved at them, hoping to gain the attention of your confused students searching for their teacher, and their faces lit up upon noticing your long arm flailing about.

“Your students are here, Unnie,” Amber finished, “Cheer for us, okay?”

“YES, CHEER FOR US, HANDSOME SAH-BUM-NIM, MR. CUTE FAIRY!” the twins exclaimed, pumping fists in the air.

You rolled your eyes, but gave a small smile nonetheless. “What did you think we came here for, you idiot-dinosaur?” Amber responded with her usual bright grin, scratching her head in embarrassment. You then turned to her students, many of whom you had sparred with. Although you weren’t their teacher, you knew them well enough to be familiar with their strengths and weaknesses when it came to sparring, and you knew that all of them shared the same, unyielding passion and fire in their eyes. “Like I said, my students and I will be cheering for you. So you better do your best and kick their asses, all right?”

Amber’s students smiled at each other and then at you, before doing a 90-degree bow simultaneously. “Yes, we will, Handsome Sah-bum-nim!” they exclaimed in unison. When they looked up at you with their cheeky grins, your lips had been pursed into a thin, displeased line and your eyes had turned hostile and stony.

“Don’t push it, guys,” you said, earning goofy grins and a variety of mehrongs from them.

~

It was a while after that majority of your students finally arrived, and practically filled the bleachers closest to your team’s side. After taking attendance, you had introduced them to Xiumin (whom all of the girls knew because he was part of a group of 12 boys who had taken the campus by storm because of their ridiculously good looks and even more ridiculously good skills in dancing and singing).

“I bet you fangirls didn’t know that Xiumin’s a black belter, too,” you said, smirking at your star-struck (which you thought was ridiculous) female students as they gaped at Xiumin’s mere presence.

“Sah-bum-nim, will your roommate come, too?!” one girl exclaimed. That was Young Jae, a second year student who was very open about her crush on Lu Han. (But she was the boisterous type who liked to dress in neon shirts and bright jeans and liked to do some gags during your water breaks. She wasn’t very conscious of her appearance though, and that was what you liked most about her. She was a fresh sight among Lu Han’s admirers who were mostly the demure, feminine girls).

You shrugged. “Probably not. I don’t know with him. He likes to be lazy.” Young Jae’s bright grin instantly fell, and her friend, that girl Hee Bin, patted her back, cooing a bunch of there, there-s to comfort the downhearted fangirl. Well, it wasn’t like Lu Han confirmed; he was still stuck inside your room, cramming his project (and a bunch of other stuff, you presumed).

Xiumin jumped up, giving everyone a too-bright-for-comfort smile, “Who needs Lu Han when you’ve got me?!” he said.  

“Xiumin, aren’t you best friends with Lu Han?” you asked.

“Xiao Lu’s gonna be sad when he hears that from you!” Se Hun quipped, laughing at his Hyung’s blunder.

Xiumin cleared his throat, patting his ivory cheeks to soothe the redness out. “IN ANY CASE,” he bellowed, “I’m here to teach you guys a cheer! Let’s go support them, okay?! So unroll those posters, and get those diaphragms ready, because we’re going go all-out to support this team!” You could feel the heat of his aura as Xiumin the Mighty—as you would now call him—raised his fists in the air. He was like one of those activists you saw on tv, shouting their hearts out in an attempt to overthrow the government (or employer—it really depends on who’s doing the actual protesting). Only this time, there was no government (or employer) to overthrow, and there was no black paint to streak Xiumin’s cheeks (although you were sure that had you given him some, he would be more than happy to put some on). You looked at Se Hun, who was giggling at his Hyung’s silliness, and you couldn’t help but laugh as well. Your students, disillusioned and unsure of what to think about this totally new and different side of EXO’s Baozi (who had the image of being the adorable sunbae) simply stared at each other and at Xiumin.

From behind Xiumin, you nodded at your students, silently telling them to just go with the flow. Crooked grins began to appear on your student’s faces as some hesitantly raised their hands to mimic Xiumin’s actions.  But when your friend—who was too excited for his own good (and it got you thinking what the hell he drank before going here)—gestured for them to speak up and repeat after him, they eventually transformed into activists themselves, gaining energy from your enthusiastic friend.

Within minutes, your students’ voices echoed throughout the entire arena, their mighty roars bringing all eyes onto them to marvel at the sight of a bunch of college kids who were less adept to the field of Taek Won Do but were more driven than anyone else in the audience.

You shook your head, chuckling at the scene in front of you: your students had easily caught the virus that was Xiumin’s enthusiasm. Those who brought posters raised them high, showing off their efforts. The fine arts students went all out and produced posters that put the other teams to shame. The others, who were not as…gifted…did their best though, and you saw how hard they tried.

And you shook your head again, unable to stop the big grin that tickled your lips.

Now you remembered.

There were times that you questioned why the hell you applied for such a job in the first place. You hated people—absolutely detested them, was the more appropriate term, and you always found yourself exhausted from dealing with them, especially since they were a handful of college kids who usually thought they were better than you and liked to party and get drunk to the point that their hangovers prevented them from attending classes.

And then you remembered.

Your passion for Taek Won Do was like an unwavering flame that refused to be extinguished. And you wanted to share this very same passion to others; to let them feel the fissure of excitement just by watching a good fight, the adrenaline that would rush throughout you entire body when you witnessed two people duel as if their life depended on it.

And as you shook your head again, laughing at the silliness of your students, you remembered.

This was why.

~

It was after lunch that Kris arrived, along with Baek Hyun, Chan Yeol, Lay—to the delight of many of your female students. Majority of your students who arrived this morning were still there, and many more were added just in time to see the arrival of said EXO members. Your students were too busy belting out Xiumin’s cheers to notice their presence, that was, until Xiumin halted to wave at and hug them. Young Jae, who was just about to leave, suddenly decided to stay longer, her hope of seeing Lu Han rekindled when Kris and the others entered the stadium. Squeals erupted from your female students, and you had sternly reprimanded them from causing a scene. The contestants were used to hearing low, blaring chants, but fangirl shrieks? No, no they were not. The high-pitched voices of your students had resulted to you being called by the referee who asked that you and your students refrain from producing more noises that could distract the contestants and disrupt the competition. You had given icy glares at your kids, venomously muttering that should they do that again, they better be prepared next Saturday because you were going to make sure that they wouldn’t be able to walk the next day, or the next days after that. You had also punched (you made sure to control your strength, however) Kris and the others for just suddenly appearing without even giving you a heads-up; Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol—who were too loud and noisy and too giddy—received extra punches for being unruly.

So maybe that was being unfair to them, but sometimes, you just wished they weren’t as good-looking as they were, and weren’t as famous as they were (they weren’t even idols, for god’s sake). You had apologized afterwards, feeling guilty for treating them like they were at fault. Baek Hyun  and Chan Yeol beamed at you, telling you that there was only one way for you to be forgiven: and that was that you do aegyo. Your students, intrigued by the conversation between you and BaekYeol, started chorusing for you to actually do aegyo.

The nerve.

You stared at the two of them, peering into their eyes, cleaving their resolution and breaking theirs very beings. In a matter of seconds, the bacon-boy and the lanky-kid were hiding behind Kris who, along with Lay, tried to chastise you. All it took was a dimpled smile from Lay to dampen your anger. Regaining your composure, you sighed then flashed them a tiny smile, finally welcoming them into the competition and expressing your gratefulness for their attendance (Kris was required though).

After that tiny scene, the four finally settled into their seats in the first row Se Hun had reserved for them. The maknae stuck his tongue at them, “Noona got mad at you, Hyungs!” he teased, earning him a smack on the head from Baek Hyun.

“Noona!” the maknae cried, pouting at you.

“I saw what you did there, Baek Hyun.”

The bacon-boy gawked at you, clearly offended by your partiality towards the makane. “Noona, why are you so soft on Se Hun?!”

“Because unlike you, he doesn’t make me do stupid things. Now, shush, Baek Hyun and learn the cheer.”

Baek Hyun grinned at you, “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, Noona! Chan Yeol and I already know the cheer! Xiumin-hyung taught us last night!”

“And see!” Chan Yeol removed his backpack and took out a folded piece of cartolina. He unfolded it to reveal a poorly drawn poster. You assumed from the usage of too many colors and unrefined techniques that he and Baek Hyun were up all night creating that mess of a masterpiece. “We made a poster! We wanted to support you, and Amber and the team!”

“Kiss-ups,” Se Hun mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“I HEARD THAT!” Chan Yeol, who was right beside Se Hun, roared. Which was a horrible move, with Chan Yeol’s booming voice and Se Hun’s sensitive hearing (but whether or not the maknae had sensitive hearing, Chan Yeol’s voice was more than enough to cause deafening).

But before Se Hun could retaliate (you realized that the maknae was becoming more and more rebellious), you spoke up, “Boys, please, you came here to cheer, right? Then do it. Baek Hyun,” you turned to the bacon-boy who responded with an unnecessary eye-smile that had grease written all over it, “I know you want to join Xiumin here in the front in leading this pep team.”

Baek Hyun laughed, nodding as he stepped down to join Xiumin. “I’ve been looking forward to doing this, Noona! I practiced really hard!” You gave him a thumbs-up, signaling for him and Xiumin to continue their chants. The cheering restarted, louder and more energetic than ever. When you saw that Lay and Chan Yeol, and even Kris, were doing the cheers as if they had already done it before, you were more than surprised. Kris, who noticed that you were at a loss for words, smiled and approached you. “Surprised?”

“Hell yeah.”

Kris chuckled, “Everyone in EXO learned this cheer last night. We knew this was important to you and Amber, and we really wanted to give it our all. If it’s important to you, it’s important to us.”

You looked up at Kris, “Aish, you boys are so cheesy.”

Kris rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless, “Yes, yes, we are.”

~

During the second half of the competition, you had joined Amber by the mats. Dong Yu, her co-coach, received a call from his office (being a Taek Won Do instructor was not enough as a primary source of income in South Korea) summoning him to an emergency meeting, and had immediately stormed out of the arena after asking you to take over. The competition executives had allowed the change, and within minutes, you were down by the team’s side, feeding them with strategies.

Up at the bleachers, your students and some EXO members (Chen and Suho had arrived shortly after Kris, Chan Yeol, Baek Hyun and Lay; and fortunately, your female students were smart enough not to cause yet another ruckus) had taken a break from their cheering to enjoy the match. And you couldn’t complain because they deserved it. Up until now, they hardly stopped their chanting, and it was amazing how their level of energy was still at its highest despite the long duration of their cheering. But the human body could only endure so much, so you had told Xiumin to rest for a while so they could concentrate on appreciating the competition, which was the true essence of inviting them in the first place.

As Amber sat close to the mats, observing every move as the battle unfolded before her, your attention was divided between the duel and looking up at your students to see if they really were watching. And to your glee, your students gave their full concentration in watching the match, their mouths agape as the mere sight of contending individuals mesmerized them. Some boys couldn’t resist standing up and belting out cheers of their own. Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol at the front were still at it, their energy at infinite amounts.

And seated at the far end of the first row was Se Hun who, like Baek Hyun and Chan Yeol, continued to cheer for your team in spite of how much energy he had already exhausted from the journey up till now. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and he paused to wipe them off with his forearm—just like an innocent child who liked to play out on the streets—before resuming.

To many, their very first impression of Se Hun was that he was the type of kid who didn’t like doing work or tiring himself out. He was “the cool kid who thought that cheering and chanting and expending energy for cheering and chanting weren’t cool enough.” But years of friendship—composed mostly of bubble tea dates and late-night tutorials and you patting his head—taught you that Se Hun was nothing like that. He was bratty and spoiled, and thus, to some extent, people’s first impression on him was accurate, but he was more than those pessimistic characteristics that were merely a product of his age. Beyond those, Se Hun was hard-working and always gave it his best, especially at things that he loved.

And it was a pleasant surprise, really, because you never expected that Taek Won Do was something Se Hun would learn to appreciate. It wasn’t like dance, or like singing or like Lu Han or like bubble tea. Taek Won Do was more of a new venture for him,  and was still on its way to being something that he truly loved. And it made you happy to know that it had this wonderful effect on him.

Confident that Won Bin, your team’s current representative, no longer needed her constant coaching, Amber returned to your side, her camera slung around her neck.

“Hey, Amber,” you said, “Let me borrow your camera for a sec.”

Amber blinked. You weren’t the type to take pictures. “Sure, Unnie. Here.”

You gingerly took her camera and turned around to look at your students, and at one boy in particular. You peered through the viewer, and after adjusting the focus, took a quick shot. You clicked the ‘play’ button to evaluate your photo, and smiled—completely satisfied with it. You weren’t a photographer, but you didn’t need those professional skills to know that this photo—although probably lacking in composition—was a beautiful shot of a beautiful scene of a beautiful person.

“Hmmm…I see, Unnie.” You whipped your head to the side to see Amber looking over your shoulder. She grinned cheekily.

“It’s not like I could hide it from you. This is your camera,” you said.

“Point taken. I gotta admit, though, that’s a pretty good photo, Unnie. Se Hunnie looks really cute.” You nodded curtly, and handed her back her camera.

“But, Unnie,” she said, receiving her camera, “What about Lu Han-ge? WHAT ABOUT LU HAN-GE?!”

Your palm met your forehead as the referee blew his whistle to halt the match—just as he had done when your female students had caused a scene—and gestured for Amber to come close so he could talk with her. Amber bowed and apologized profusely, her face stricken with embarrassment at her own stupidity.

You, on the other hand, could do nothing but think:

Good god.