There's a coffee shop next to the Performing Arts School that Jongin attends. The atmosphere is cozy, and they sell cheap bread biscuits that Jongin finds he can't stand, but somehow still shoves them into his mouth hungrily after hours of dancing and even longer without a proper meal. He knows he should eat better. 

"Yo, Jongin." 

He doesn't notice the presence of his friend until a large hand slaps him on the back. He winces at the harsh contact, his muscles still sore from overuse. He sends a glare in the direction of the tall, thin boy with pale skin and rainbow-colored hair.

"Your parrot-looking hair looks dumb," He says gruffly and looks away.

The other male sends a glare right back, his face never one to show too many expressions anyway, much like his tanned companion, but responds, "There's something you gotta see. Come out with me tonight."

Jongin shoves the last bite of fish-shaped bread into his mouth and shakes his head. Mouth still full, he moves out of his seat. "Can't. Have to practice."

The other boy rolls his eyes. "Oh, come on, don't be so boring. You're the best, blah blah blah, there's nothing to worry about."

Jongin casts the boy a sideways glance. "The showcase tryouts are soon."

The other boy scoffs. "Re--lax," he drawls, "It's not for another week. You call that soon?" 

Jongin frowns and looks down. Is there really enough time? Considering he hasn't gotten his routine down. No, he shakes his head. He can't waste time playing around. Not when nothing seemed to fit exactly what he wanted to show. He'd been through hundreds of different styles, his mind wandering through various choreographies, and they were all missing something that he just couldn't figure out.

"Sehun-ah!" A soft voice rang out and Jongin finally lifted his head. He watched the shorter, baby-faced male skip over to Sehun and wrap an arm lightly around his shoulders. The boy's doe eyes fell onto Jongin and he seemed startled for a moment. "Oh!" The boy looked at Sehun. "Did you ask him?"

Sehun crossed his arms and stared coldly at Jongin. "Nah, Luhan, he's boring. We don't need his company anyway."

The shorter male's eyes widened in surprise and then turned to Jongin again. "But it's a dance competition! Lay said there's some really talented dancers competing."

Jongin's brow quirked at the words dance and competition. He inclined his head towards the other two boys to indicate he was listening. 

Sehun eyed the tanned male with amusement. If anything could sway the normally overly-focused and at times too-serious Jongin it would always be dancing. In the two years he had known the other boy, he knew a couple things. Jongin was widely known at their school, not only for his amazing talent, but for his brooding good looks as well. He was like a movie star, yet he didn't seem to realize it. He slaved for hours until his movements were perfect and precise, all the while ignoring the adoring eyes of girls and boys alike. It always confused Sehun as to how someone so popular, talented, and seemingly perfect, could sit all alone in a coffee shop with the most solemn expression. What was it that made Jongin so passionate on the dance floor yet so flat once his body stopped moving? 

"So. . .you gonna go?" Luhan prompted and snapped Sehun out of his thoughts.

"I dunno know, he might be scared. There could be someone there that dances better than him," Sehun challenged with a single raised brow.

Jongin smirked. He didn't feel the need to brag about his talent. He knew he was good. But he also knew that he could be surpassed. That's why he worked as hard as he did. But he supposed it would be interesting to watch instead of be watched for a change. "Sure. I'll go."

Luhan beamed and took out his phone. "Lay says the spot is on the other side of town. A trendy club, so dress casual."

"A club?" Jongin questioned, his smirk instantaneously disappearing. He was not impressed.

"Just wear jeans and be ready to go in thirty minutes." Sehun said and ushered the two boys out of the coffee shop. 

"The other side of town" might as well be on a different planet. Small, shabby homes lined the pot-hole ridden streets. Tied sets of shoes hung from the power lines and music blared from a tiny blue house on a corner lot. 

The groovy bass and funky beat of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean blasted through the teen's room. So loud, he could barely hear the banging on his bedroom door. 

"Taemin-ah! Turn it down!" His brother shouted.

 , the boy on the bed shot up quickly and ran over to the old stereo on the floor. "Sorry Taesun!" He called back, his voice light and fluttery like the wings on a butterfly.

The door of Taemin's bedroom creaked open. "Are you going out tonight?" Taesun asked, arms crossed and eyes knowing. 

Taemin sighed restlessly and pulled his long brown hair into a pony tail. "Yep," he replied back lightly. 

"You need me to go with you?" Taesun pressed, coming into the room and sitting down on the bed.

Taemin met his older brother's concerned eyes and smiled. "Of course not, don't worry," he said and went and sat next to his brother on the bed.

Taemin's older brother stared at his younger brother. Their body structures were similar. Both tall and thin, but Taemin was thinner to the point of frailness, and that always pulled at the elder's heart. Taemin's face was different too. Double-lidded eyes that curved beautifully, high, full cheekbones and a smile that made you forget to breathe. To put it simply, Taemin was too pretty for his own good.

"Oh! Taesun, guess what!" Taemin excitedly prompted, his small hands grasping the elders lightly. "I found the perfect present for mom's birthday. Just you wait."

Taesun frowned. Mom's birthday wasn't for weeks. "What is it?"

Taemin beamed. "Well, I was at work the other day, and there's a regular customer that comes in often. She always smells really nice, so I asked her why and she told me that she knows this really fancy shop that sells specialty soaps and fragrances. They even have those tiny little bottles, you know that hold little things I guess," he laughs and continues in a rush, "anyway, those little bottles are really pretty. So I want to buy one for mom, once I have enough money." Taemin finally finished. He took in a deep breath and felt satisfied. 

"Taemin-ah, nothing too expensive, you know mom wouldn't want you wasting money on something unnecessary. And I certainly don't want you skipping meals again."

Taemin's smile faltered for a mere second before he was shaking his head and relieving his brother's worries. "I told you not to worry. I'm gonna win that competition tonight. There's a really great cash prize!"

Taesun sighed. He ruffled his little brother's light brown hair and stood up from the bed. "Alright. Just be careful."

Taemin smiled. "Ne~" he responded playfully.

Thirty minutes later, four drop-dead gorgeous boys walked into a dance club on the other side of town. The music blared against the black walls painted with graffiti of all different colors. The floor, also black, was crowded with bodies dancing, standing, or simply parting to make way for the boys that were so obviously not from around here. 

Dressed in dark skinnies, an old pair of sneakers without socks, a simple black button up and a dark cap to cover his face, Jongin moved through the crowd, intent on getting a spot closest to the stage. Regardless of what image he as trying to portray, none of the girls that eyed him were that stupid. The boy was tall and lean, his well muscled thighs and perky perfectly outlined in tight pants. Broad shoulders and long arms that looked like they could give you the best bear hug ever. He was quite a vision, as he moved around people with a graceful confidence that left a mysterious cockiness to the air in his wake. 

Jongin wasn't bothered by the stares. In fact, he didn't even really notice them. He kept a safe distance to his three other friends and they all found their way right in front of the stage, waiting for the show to start. Jongin didn't have any great expectations for what he was about to see. Actually, right when he saw the outside of the club, and Lay mentioned it was a "street-style competition" he mentally face palmed. He should have stayed back on campus to practice. Typically, street-style simply meant, untrained and unrefined. What exactly was he supposed to get out of that?

But the lights dimmed briefly only to spotlight the stage. Suddenly a boy with platinum blonde hair and tight white skinnies came prodding towards the center of the stage wearing army boots and holding a silver encrusted microphone. The sounds of the crowd could be considered deafening as the squeals of hundreds of girls echoed throughout the club. Probably at the fact, that said boy on stage wasn't wearing a shirt, his broad chest and muscled abs outlined in tattoos of various sayings scattered all over his glistening torso. "When I say Jong, you say Hyun!" He greeted the rowdy crowd by starting a ping pong of shouts back and forth. 

"Jong!"

"Hyun!"

And so forth until he began describing the competition that consisted of ten dancers with a grand prize of a whopping $500 dollars. 

Sehun scoffed. "Kinda cheap aren't they?" He yelled to Luhan who smirked and clapped along with the crowd. 

The first four dancers were pretty bad, in Jongin's opinion. Then there was one guy with blue hair, a clear favorite, as the crowd easily screamed louder when he appeared.

"Hey, doesn't that guy go to our school?" Luhan asked.

Jongin couldn't place him. Although, he didn't pay much attention to others to begin with. The guy was a bit showy, playing up to the screams, even taking off his shirt mid-way through the routine. But his movements were sloppy, his reflexes slow. Jongin decided, the boy might be a good performer but he lacked rhythm and raw talent. 

The next girl came out and unsuccessfully tried to y-dance her way to first place. 

Five minutes and a broken high heel later, Jongin almost felt sorry for the girl as she unevenly limped off stage amidst the brutal cackles and boos from the crowd. 

Sehun was cracking up, almost falling over as he clutched onto Luhan's jacket.

Jo