“You really want to go?” Junhong asks, more of a whine than a question. It’s Friday night and he and his roommate are getting ready to go to the welcoming party. Though it’s a school sponsored event, the talk around school is that everyone is going.

Sehun runs his fingers through his artfully messy hair one last time, checking his appearance from every angle in the mirror. “Yeah, I really want to go,” he says. “Besides, what else are we going to do on a Friday night?”

“Play video games?” Junhong suggests. “Watch a movie. Sneak off campus and do something crazy. I don’t know. Anything besides going to a school party.”

“It might be fun,” Sehun says. “Besides, everyone is going to be there. Surely it can’t be that bad.” It’s not that he’s that into school functions – he’s most decidedly not – but a little birdie has told him that a certain doe-eyed third year is going to be at said party and he really doesn’t want to give up the opportunity to ogle. He’s only been a part of the dance club for less than two weeks, but already he knows that those two hour long practices three times a week are not enough.

Junhong shrugs and gives in. Though he could just as easily blow Sehun off, his roommate had asked to go to the party together and Junhong isn’t one to go back on his word once he gives it. So he shrugs into his jacket – even though it’s March the weather is still quite chilly – and follows Sehun from their dorm room.

There are literally dozens of other students making their way in the same direction. The party is being held in the gymnasium on the far side of the basilica, and, like Sehun had said, it seems that the entire student population is attending.

“Why do so many people want to go to a school sponsored party?” Junhong wonders aloud as they follow the crowd.

“Because apparently the student council is given complete free reign for these parties and the staff has nothing to do with the planning,” a cheerful voice announces from behind them, a slender arm coming to circle around Sehun’s neck. “It’s not like a school sponsored party at all.”

Sehun disentangles himself to look at his attacker, who happens to be a new friend from his homeroom class. “How would you know, Yookwon?” he demands skeptically. “You’re just as new to this school as we are.”

The boy, Yookwon, grins jovially and jabs his thumb over his shoulder at the shy, long-haired boy with him. “My roommate Taemin told me.”

“Uh, no offense, but aren’t you a first year too?” Junhong asks. He’s pretty sure he recognizes the kid from one of his classes.

Taemin blushes a little and shrugs. “My boyfriend is a second year. He told me all about the parties.”

“Yeah, otherwise we definitely wouldn’t be going,” Yookwon declares, throwing his arm around Taemin’s shoulders now. “So let’s get going! There won’t be any booze left if we don’t hurry!”

“There’s going to be booze at a school function?” Sehun repeats skeptically, but then Yookwon is grabbing his hand and they’re squeezing themselves through the crowd towards the gymnasium again.

The gymnasium is already crowded with other students, dressed in casual wear, laughing and joking with one another. Though there are still snacks and some red-colored punch, there was no sign of any alcohol. Junhong isn’t really surprised by this, no matter what Sehun’s friend’s roommate’s boyfriend had said.

There’s loud music blasting through the stereo system, and the lights are dim. A lot of students are dancing, but most are sitting around on sofas and couches pushed up around the perimeter of the gymnasium. Taemin recognizes his boyfriend sitting over on one of the couches, so he leads the way over. Taemin takes Yookon with him, who in turn takes Sehun, who in turn takes Junhong. So the four of them make their way through the crowd to the boys sitting on the couch.

The tallest one unfolds himself from the couch, all long limbs and dark hair and swarthy skin. He immediately wraps his arm around Taemin’s shoulder, planting a kiss on his forehead even though they’re in a crowded gymnasium.

“Ah, let me introduce you,” Taemin says quickly, blushing cutely as he leans into his boyfriend’s side. “This is my boyfriend, Minho. This is my roommate, Yookwon, and his friends Sehun and Junhong.”

The tall boy called Minho inclines his head politely. “Nice to meet you. This is Kibum, and the idiot over there is his boyfriend Jonghyun.”

“Yah, I’m not an idiot,” one of the boys, Jonghyun, exclaims petulantly. Junhong vaguely recognizes him as one of the student council members from the opening ceremony at the start of school.

His boyfriend, Kibum, shuts him up with a kiss. “Don’t be ridiculous, dino,” he says sweetly. “Everyone knows you’re an idiot and we still love you.”

Minho pulls a disgusted face before turning to Taemin. “They’ve been like this all night. So sickeningly sweet that I want to throw up.”

“Don’t be so hypocritical,” Kibum calls teasingly. “You and Taemin make out like crazed hyenas.”

Minho rolls his eyes. “Lies. All lies. Come on, let’s go dance.” And he grabs Minho’s hand and disappears into the crowd.

Sehun makes an excuse pretty quickly after that to go look for friends – although more specifically he’s looking for a pretty-faced Chinese third year – and he disappears.

That leaves Junhong and Yookwon sitting on the couch with Jonghyun and Kibum, who have already started making out. Yookwon peers around Junhong and makes a face at the public display of affection taking place on the other end of the sofa. “Let’s get out of here,” he suggests to Junhong. “I don’t care where. Anywhere but here.”

“Agreed,” Junhong mutters, and he gets up and follows Yookwon away from the area of couches. It’s not that he’s opposed to homoual relationships – he’s pretty open-minded, after all – but watching somebody else make out makes him distinctly uncomfortable. So he follows Yookwon over to the other side of the gymnasium where people are dancing.

“Do you want to dance?” Yookwon asks, cocking his head to the side quizzically. “I’ve seen you in dance club. You’re pretty good.”

Junhong shrugs. “I’ve never really danced before. It’s all pretty new to me.”

“But you’ve got good rhythm,” Yookwon points out. “Just feel the music and move back and forth. It’s easy.” He gives Junhong a pointed look. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go ahead. Dance!”

Junhong chuckles. “Bossy, aren’t you? We just met and you’re already ordering me around.”

Yookwon shrugs like it’s not a big deal. “Eh, we’re both in dance club and we have some classes together, so that makes us friends in my book. So dance already!”

Sehun chooses that moment to appear, apparently having been unsuccessful in his search for Luhan. “Chill out, Yookwon,” he warns playfully, slipping his arm through Junhong’s. “It’s a party. It’s supposed to be fun.”

“Then let’s dance!” Yookwon whines, and he grabs Sehun’s hands.

Sehun gives Junhong a sympathetic look over his friend’s shoulder but Junhong just shrugs. He doesn’t mind going solo for a little bit. After all, he’s actually more comfortable on his own. That’s how he grew up.

So, while Sehun is occupied with an eager Yookwon, Junhong slips off to the far side of the gym, near the food. There’s not as many students here – most having eaten before coming to the party – so he has a pretty good view of those gathered. It seems like every first year is there, as well as the majority of the second years. There’s even a ton of third years. He recognizes a group from the student council lounging on one of the couches at the far end, not far from where Jonghyun and Kibum are still heatedly making out. From this angle, it looks like Kibum is straddling Jonghyun and it’s a wonder no one has told them to stop yet but then again, Junhong reminds himself, there are absolutely no teachers here so he supposes that there’s no one who really cares about how far the two go.

But the music is loud and so, after pouring himself a drink of the reddish punch, he wanders out into the back lobby of the gymnasium. Though he doesn’t have gym class this year, he knows that the locker room is below this back lobby. It’s deserted of course, lit only by what little light streams under the cracks in the double doors leading to the main part of the gymnasium. The sounds from the party are muffled here, making it seem almost ethereal.

He’s never been down to the locker room and he’s relishing the few moments he’s got to himself, so Junhong pushes open the door and descends the cement steps into the belly of the gymnasium. The locker room is underground, so there are no windows, and only one of the harsh fluorescent overhead lights seem to be working. The others are either out or flickering ominously. This doesn’t deter Junhong though; he doesn’t get spooked easily. So he pushes on, draining his cup of punch as he goes and throwing the little plastic cup away in the rubbish bin near the door.

The locker room is divided into different small rooms, most of them lined with lockers but a few set up for showers. The whole place smells damp and sort of moldy, and Junhong finds himself thinking that, with such high tuition fees, the school might be able to afford some janitors to keep the place from smelling like death.

He’s about to turn and leave one of the shower rooms, which he’d given only a cursory glance, when he notices what looks like chipped tile on the far side. Curious, he strides across the slippery floor, still wet from showers earlier that day, to examine it. It looks like an entire tile is missing, leaving behind a perfectly rectangle little splotch of white plaster with what looks like a keyhole.

Junhong leans down to press his eye against the keyhole, wondering if it’s a door and, if so, why it’s there.

“What are you doing down here?”

The voice startles him so much that he jumps, bumping his head on the metal shower spigot above. With his eyes watering and unspoken curses lingering on the tip of his tongue, he turns to look at who had spoken.

It’s Mr. Park, his second period Geometry teacher. Even though Junhong hasn’t seen hide nor hair of any teachers since classes ended earlier that afternoon, Mr. Park is suddenly standing in the doorway to the shower room with his arms crossed over his chest, giving Junhong a level and almost suspicious look.

“What are you doing down here?” Mr. Park repeats, never taking his eyes from Junhong. “The locker room is off limits after hours.”

“I-I didn’t know,” Junhong mutters, rubbing the top of his head where a huge knot is already forming.

His excuse doesn’t seem to appease Mr. Park, who, during class, comes across as a jovial sort of man who might enjoy his whiskey a little too much. Now, Mr. Park is stern and almost angry. “Well what are you doing down here? The welcoming party is taking place upstairs.”

“It got a little loud and I just needed some quiet for a minute,” Junhong says, not understanding why it’s such a big deal.

“Well it’s been a minute,” Mr. Park says testily. “Get back to the party.”

“Yes sir,” Junhong grumbles, and he brushes past Mr. Park to go back to the gymnasium upstairs. 

Kim Yookwon [Block B]

Lee Taemin [SHINee]

Choi Minho [SHINee]

Kim Kibum (Key) [SHINee]