~Hyukjae~

After school, I asked Heechul if he could drop me off at my dad’s company. Despite it being my day off, I wanted to use one of the vacant dance studios and practice some free style choreography. Ever since the incident of me passing out, I haven’t danced since. My body has been aching to feel the rhythm and beat once again.

“Don’t over stress your body, okay?” Heechul worried as he dropped me off.

“I know,” I rolled my eyes as I exited. “I’m not gonna pass out by just dancing.”

He exhaled some of his worry through his mouth. “Just making sure.”

I waved good bye and his car drove off to run some errands for my dad. While walking into the familiar building, two trainees on their phones were lingering near the front entrance. They greeted me.

“Hyukjae-nim! Welcome!” The first trainee bowed to me. The second trainee did the same.

“Thank you – Do you young ladies know if any dance studios are being used at the moment?”

After I asked, the trainees were so eager to answer, as if I would like them better if they spoke right away. Trainee #1 stepped on her tippy-toes to look cute and small. “Studio B and C are in session right now, but studio A won’t be used until 6!”

“Oh, and studio D also isn’t being used at the moment, but it will be in 30 minutes!” Her buddy added.

I gave them one of my gummy smiles. “Thanks.” Just as I waved a farewell, the first trainee called out for me to wait.

“C-can we please a quick picture with you? We know you’re busy, but it won’t even take a minute.” She held her phone in her hands tightly and they both looked hopeful.

“Sure.” I replied. They hurried to my sides and took many shots, I couldn’t even count since the photos were being taken rapidly. They scurried off, squealing in a low volume but with such happy gestures. I brushed off the common scene and headed towards my office to look for some spare clothes.

No luck. Sighing, I strutted out from my office. While doing so, a body crashed into me. The person apologized but then froze. I looked at them to see who it was and it totally wasn’t who I was expecting.

“Siwon?”

“Uhh… Y-yeah...?” He awkwardly looked at me, carrying a bag. He took a few steps back to distant himself from me. I walked forward, closing the gap, and placed a hand on his shoulder so he couldn’t move away.

“W-What are you doing?” He backed away even more. However, every time he did so, I approached him closer. He ended up bumping into a wall behind him. Even though I was shorter, I still had the upper hand. My hand moved from his shoulder to the wall, next to his head.  

“Nothing.” I chirped.

“Isn’t this your day off?”

“How would you know?”

“No reason…”

“Do you work here?”

“Kinda…”

“Seriously? Wow, I never noticed you were an employee.” I began to laugh. “I know this is big company, but still! I knew you looked familiar!”

“I’m a trainee,” he corrected. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer.

“Why are you sweating?”

It looked like he took offense to my question.

“’Cause I just finished a dance class.”

“Where you heading now?”

“Outside.”

“Do you have spare shorts?”

“Huh?” His expression changed.

“Shorts, sweats, anything loose, do you have another pair?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I’m gonna go dance and I don’t have anything to wear for my bottom half. You mind if I borrow?”

“Sure…” He rummaged through his bag and pulled out an extra pair of black shorts. I thanked him.

“Walk with me.” I ordered.

“What?”

“I said walk with me.”

It took a second for him to process it through. “O-okay…” He obeyed and did as I said. I smirked. It feels good to have power.

I lead him to Studio A. He looked around the spacious room and asked, “Why did I have to come?”

“Because we’re not done talking – I’m gonna change. Look away if you want to.” I started with ing my blazer, which was part of my school uniform. Next, I stripped off my tie and shirt, revealing a black wife beater. After that, I bent down to take off my pants. My eyes peeked to see what Siwon was doing. I saw his eye closed and he stood facing the opposite of me. Really a gentleman.

I slid the shorts on and threw my other clothes in the corner and walked to the CD player. I picked out one of my favorite CDs that contained many of my usual dance songs and I pressed play. The music boomed from the loud speakers and I made eye contact with my fellow schoolmate.

“Are you going to just stand there?”

“I’ll sit then.” Siwon suggested, already starting towards the back of the studio. He set his bag down and sat next to it.

“Fine by me, but you can’t leave.”

He was eyeing me; neither anger nor joy. I free styled a bit and used a remote control to skip some tracks. An hour had passed and not a single word was exchanged. I was a bit surprised how docile he was. He remained seated the entire time and didn’t interrupt or attempt to escape.

I stopped the music to accompany him on the ground. “How long have you been a trainee here?”

“I started in the summer.”

So he’s new… No wonder.

“I’ve met most of the rookies here, but it’s strange that I barely recognized you at school.”

“Probably because I don’t live in the dorms.” He answered bluntly.

“Is that so? May I ask, why should I keep this a secret for everyone else?”

He was hesitant to respond, but I waited. “It’s annoying,” He scowled. “Once a SM student becomes a trainee, they won’t be left alone. Everyone is so desperate. Some absolutely have no shame and beg for others to get them into a company.” The more he talked, the most frustrated he seemed to get.

“That .” I frowned.

“SM knows you have a lot of power, even if you’re just the son of the president here. Students already have been warned by teachers to treat you with respect. That’s why no one has bothered you about it.”

“So everyone is oblivious that you’re a trainee here and you purposely avoid me to help conceal it?”

“Not quite. I don’t purposely avoid you, I’m just… Rather uncomfortable around you…”

“Ehhhh?! Why is that?” I pouted.

“Because you’re weird,” A female voice interrupted us. Startled, our glances both shot to the door. It was Hyoyeon. “Hey.” She said leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed. She had a slanted smile on her face, “Mind if I join?”

I gulped. But before I could say anything, Siwon already answered. “Not at all.”

She gladly sat next to me and got comfortable.

“Why are you here?” I said.

“My Appa is visiting, so I just came along. It’s been years since I’ve last been here. Really brings back memories.”

“Yeah, but how did you know that I was here?”

“The trainees roaming around the front told me.”

“You two know each other?”

“Yes, apparently,” I answered Siwon. “Ever since we were babies.”

“I was his fiancée.” Hyoyeon added.

“Was.” I emphasized. Hyoyeon nodded in a sad agreement. I went back to the topic of me making Siwon uncomfortable.

“You always stare at me and it’s… Weird.” He pointed out.

“He’s gay if you didn’t know.”

“Do you have to tell everyone that?” I complained.

She shrugged at me. “Did you see the way he and Donghae kissed today?” She was speaking particularly to Siwon. He grinned at me.

“That was soooooome kiss there.” He admitted.

“I know I was acting really pissed that you rejected our engagement and everything – don’t think that I’m still not angry about that – but I must say, you and him look really cute together.” She seemed to be very interested in the topic. “Do you like him?” Hyoyeon asked me.

I hesitated. “Why?” My red face didn’t help to convince them.

“Oh my god, you really are gay.” She said.

“Nooooo, really?” I mocked sarcastically.

“I bet he might like you too.” She also said in addition to her prior question she asked me.

“He’s got a girlfriend ya know.” I said.

“Yeah, Jessica and Donghae are still together.” Siwon reminded us. Hyoyeon frowned. “Is that so?”

The air was silent and the atmosphere became slightly heavy. Siwon decided to lighten up the mood. “Though it may be true that they’re dating for the time being, they’re never going to go any further than a peck on the lips of a hug around the waist.”

“Why?” Hyoyeon wondered.

“He has no ual desires. He just wants attention.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, curious.

“Well, I don’t know much about him, but what I’ve heard from Kibum is that his parents disapprove of his acting dreams. They’ve stopped loving him and even adopted another son to replace him. So basically it’s like they don’t want him anymore. Don’t tell anybody I told you this, ‘kay?”

“We won’t, but why are Jessica and Donghae dating then? Couldn’t they just stay friends?”

“Donghae doesn’t carelessly tell people about his personal life. He’s the type to not tell people his troubles. Ya know? He bottles things up. Jessica is a person he really trusts and he can find comfort from her because she loves him. Kibum love him too, but they’re more like brothers. They just decided to date because it would be an easy excuse to be intimate. However, Jessica isn’t very serious about their relationship. She just goes with the flow because she knows he’s just lonely.”

“So she’s just going out with him because she feels sympathetic for him due to his family circumstances?” Hyoyeon clarified.  Siwon nodded. I got up.

“Where are you going?” Hyoyeon called out to me.

“I’m gonna head home. I’m tired. You guys can leave. Sorry for forcing you to come with me, Siwon. You can go home too. See ya both tomorrow.”

I still had a chance…

HI!! IT'S BEEN AGES SINCE I'VE LAST UPDATED, BUT I'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY BUSY WITH SCHOOL. TESTS, TEST, HOMEWORK, HOMEWORK, SPORTS, I HAVEN'T HAD MUCH TIME TO WRITE MY FANFICS, BUT I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER AFTER FOREVER. FORGIVE ME T^T. Please enjoy. I still have Sweet & Sour to finish, so please look forward to that too. Thank you~