*Author’s Note: Hey, all! So, I will be trying something new in this chapter. I know that other authors have already done this, but I’m doing it for a completely different reason. One of the scenes will involve music and for good reason. The first link will be background music and the second will have to be watched… You’ll know when you get there, haha. And Happy Thanksgiving, all! I hope that you all eat lots of turkey and thank away! ^^

Aside from the major pain in my lower back, my bruised wrists and knees, and a twisted pinky toe, I was sleeping like a champ.

Not.

I groaned as I shifted into a more comfortable position on my bed.

Earlier that night, "The Three Musketeers" and I stopped by our dance studio shortly after they returned my living room back to normal. There were a few flaws in our latest choreography and our choreographer, Jiho (who insisted that I call him 'Xero' since we were in “dancing mode” at the dance studio), wasn't going to take any chances in the next competition. Which was not for another month.

I had always admired Jiho’s strength as a dancer, even though he was a bit of an idiot otherwise. Rather than flow, his moves often focused on power and expression. Rather than precision and timing, he worried more about rhythm and feel. He was a perfectionist who embraced passion and that was exactly how he led our practices. I appreciated his determination and persistence because without him, our team would likely have failed as an underground sub-unit dance crew.

Jiho fell fast asleep once our quartet arrived home. He simply flopped onto the bed right next to mine and began snoring like there was no tomorrow.

I stared at his sleeping form, feeling pity well up in my gut.

It was officially two years since he had last seen his father. Two years since he began boarding with me. Two years since he declared himself independent.

Jiho grew up rich and spoiled. To him, living without money was like living without a leg, or an arm, or an eye. Sometimes, it could even be without air. Although he didn't care much for money, it was second nature for him to spend it.

His mother was a quiet, yet beautiful woman with an apathetic stare and monotone voice. Whenever she spoke, words of discomfort, disgust, and discontentment tainted her flawless image. She was the type of woman who refused to wear any brands less expensive than Dolce&Gabbana, to invite guests into her home, to attend any of her children’s graduations, and above all, to bid her children goodnight or goodbye. During the years that I had “known” her, she appeared in front of me twice. Once, to warn me to stay away from Jiho, and the other to remind me of the poor little orphan I was.

Suffice it to say, she disappeared without a trace (and without a word) a little before Jiho’s 16^th birthday. On the cusp of him becoming a man, she decided to bail. Not that I had anything against that. But, Jiho did. Thus, I despised her for what she did to him.

Jiho’s father, on the other hand, cared too deeply for his eldest son. Whenever Jiho was off with me and the boys, Jiho’s father would check up on him regularly. He called him every 30 minutes, just to see if he was alright. Each time his phone vibrated or rang, Jiho gave it a quick glance, then tossed it to the side. Or have me answer in place of him. Perhaps he found his father annoying. I rather thought that his old man was quite endearing.

As soon as Jiho turned 18, his father kicked him out of the house and burdened me with an enormous task: keeping an eye on his eldest son. He wanted Jiho to enter the world on his own. He trusted me with Jiho; he knew that I would never abandon him like his mother did. His father still kept tabs on him, calling me weekly for updates on how Jiho was faring at home and at school.

Jiho had never experienced the type of love Hansol and Byungjoo received daily. The pair was adored at home by their siblings and their parents. Not only were they good-looking, they were praised for their skills in synchronized freestyle and breakdancing. Also, they were freaking adorable human beings. Whatever prompted them to come live with me, I concluded that they simply didn't want to be at home and therefore chose to live with their favorite Hyung.

Me.

Funny how despite my protests and complaints, the three boys firmly insisted on staying with me. Perhaps that was what true friendship was.

I squirmed a little before sighing. There was no way for me to fall asleep. Post White-Day jitters? Unlikely, but that was the best reason I could come up with.

"Hyung, are you still up?"

I flinched, startled by Jiho's sudden utterance. "Yah, kkamjjak nolhaesseo (*you startled me)!"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Why are you still up?"

"I just wanted to apologize..."

"For what?"

"For being a nuisance."

I paused. Never in the fifteen years I had known Jiho did he apologize to me, let alone realize that he was a minor pain-in-the-. "You aren't a nuisance."

"I know that I am. That's why Mom left and Dad kicked me out."

I propped myself up on my elbows to glance at him. He looked up at me with watery eyes, then smiled slightly before turning over on his side. I felt my heart tear a little. Jiho was truly hurt and sad in the deep recesses of his heart. It was so unlike the Jiho I knew since the age of seven.

I lifted a hand to touch his shoulder. "Jiho... I don't think you're a nuisance."

"Yeah," Jiho sniffled. "I know that. You're too kind, Hojoon-hyung. You let people who are younger than you live in your home for free. We don't make money. We can’t make money. So, we can't pay you back for all the food or help pay rent. In fact, the only income we bring in is from winning all those dance competitions."

"That's true, but I make enough to stay afloat."

Jiho frowned. "We don't even help you with the chores."

"I wouldn't allow you even if you wanted to. You guys would probably make a bigger mess while cleaning."

It was silent for a moment before Jiho spared a grin and replied, "I guess so."

I laid back down with a smile. "So, why the depressing thoughts? That's not like you."

Jiho's grin dropped. "I don't know. While we were practicing today, I was just thinking that when the four of us are together, things click. Our moves are clean and in sync, which makes for a better stage performance. But, when we're at home, all Hansol-hyung, Byungjoo, and I do is drive you crazy. I feel bad about it. And I was thinking that maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"Maybe my dad kicked me out because I drove him crazy. Or maybe my mom left because she couldn’t stand living with me."

The room fell silent. Jiho's snores resumed.

~:~:~:~:~

A week after White Day, I arrived at my post a quarter after six. With my head stuffed into the yellow “Lotte World” cap, my uniform ironed, and my breath minty fresh, I was ready. Whatever the day had to throw my way, I was ready for it.

Well, sort of.

“Jeon Hojoon!” barked Boss. I flinched before turning to look at him, expecting him to wear the same frown that he wore last week. On the contrary, he wore a goofy grin.

“Yes, sir?”

“Great job last week! I received a few compliments about your services and several eyewitnesses of last week’s… blunder commended you for standing up to that man. Because of this, I will give you a raise.” He clapped me on the shoulder and walked out of the ticket booth.

Glee bubbled within me. After four years of working as the ticket guy, I was finally getting a raise! Perhaps I should have gotten into more of those kinds of situations in the past, then I could have gotten the raise sooner.

Unable to hide a giddy smile, I decided to be generous and opened up all of the computer monitors before anyone else came in. I figured that I might as well make myself useful and earn that pay raise.

As I wiped the counter with a disinfecting disposable cloth, Left Girl and Choi Girl arrived. At the exact same time. Five minutes before their shift. But, that wasn’t what caught me off guard. I looked up at them from my tedious task and gasped.

Left Girl, who repeatedly reminded me every single day last week that her name was Shin Jisoo, appeared a little disheveled, with her hair flapping wildly behind her and one sleeve of her blouse rolled up to the armpit. She gave me a sheepish smile as she quickly tied her long hair into a tight bun. A light breeze picked up long tendrils of her hair and tickled me on the cheek.

I gulped. Was she always that pretty?

Choi Girl, of whose name I finally remembered was Yoonsun, popped up right behind Jisoo, looking as cheerful as ever, yet so much more adorable than her appearance on White Day. Her auburn-hued shoulder-length hair was in an attractive mess, with a tiny unicorn horn of a ponytail sticking straight up in the air. She fumbled with the tie on her blouse and mumbled a few incomprehensible sentences. When she noticed me staring at her, she flashed two peppy thumbs-up.

I blinked twice before rubbing my eyes. Did she change since I saw her last?

“Hojoon-oppa?” murmured Yoonsun as she peered directly into my eyes.

I cleared my throat before squeaking, “Hm?”

“Can you help me with my tie? Please?”

I could have replied like a normal person, but my tongue chose to freeze at that exact moment. What a pathetic excuse of an oral muscle.

Instead, I reached out, extending my arms as far as they could go, and readjusted her tie. My thumb brushed her chin when I pulled back my hands. Heat crept onto my cheeks.  

I cleared my throat once more as I faced forward. I squinted at the ever-increasing crowd behind the front gates. I heaved a sigh. It was going to be a long day.

~:~:~:~:~

And a long day it was.

The same girl who bailed on her shift on White Day bailed again. I was stuck with yet another 14-hour shift. Although Boss promised to give me a raise for my hard work, I seriously doubted that he would even remember such a promise.

Thankfully, the same man who harassed Jisoo on White Day didn’t return. If he did, I would have taken the chance to sink my fist into his face like I wanted to before Himchan did what he was trained to do as a security guard. His girlfriend showed up, though, with her arm hooked around the elbow of a much different man.

“Goodnight, Joonie!” exclaimed Himchan from the front gate. He waved his arms at me, looking oddly like a coconut tree in a tropical storm.

Shaking my head in amusement, I waved back. He saluted me, then marched off into the night.

I glanced at my watch and gasped. It was well past midnight, well past the time to change and go to dance practice with the boys. As I powered down my monitor, the silhouette of a man materialized out of the shadows, provoking a very high-pitched scream to pierce the night air. My very high-pitched scream.

“Yah, Jeon Hojoon!” yelled a familiar voice. The owner of the voice and the silhouette happened to be Park Sehyuk, dressed in his usual black no-sleeved collared shirt and smiling his usual lopsided smile. He crossed his arms, his thick biceps popping into place. “What are you screaming about?”

I grinned widely as I recovered from the scare. “P-Goonie Hyung!”

He reached over, cuffed my shoulders, and then pulled me into a hug. He squeezed my arms before releasing me. “What is this, Joon? Why are you so thin?”

“Nothing major.”

“Are you neglecting your God-given gift to eat food or something?”

I chuckled. “No.”

“So, what is it?”

“It’s called stress. It happens when you work 14-hour shifts to take care of three five-year-olds disguised as young adults.”

P-Goon laughed heartily. “I think I know what stress is, Joon. Imagine having to take care of nine more five-year-olds.”

As if on cue, said five-year-olds emerged from the dark in packs of twos and threes. Seogoong and Gohn sent me their greetings, then returned to their “deep” conversation about ballad artists and R&B artists. Jenissi, Atom, and Yano bickered amongst each other, the younger two ganging up on the eldest and shortest Hyung. Kidoh, Sangdo, and Yooncheol greeted me in the same fashion as P-Goon. Hansol, Byungjoo, and Jiho waved at me manically from the back of the group.

I couldn’t fight back the smile twitching at my lips. The last time I saw all thirteen of us together was five months ago. They all grew since the last time we met. Yano was a lot taller than I remembered and his jawline was more chiseled and manly. Atom adopted a better haircut. Sangdo got rid of his cornrows and was finally sporting a hairstyle that matched his easy-going personality. Seogoong and Gohn appeared to have bulked up. Only Jenissi, Kidoh, and Yooncheol managed to avoid changing all too much.

Not that I minded.

“Long time no see, Hojoon,” Kidoh uttered with a dimpled grin. “How have you been?”

I gestured around me. “The same as always, Hyosang. How are things at your new job?”

Kidoh scratched the back of his neck. “Oh, I sort of quit that job.”

“What?”

P-Goon rolled his eyes and smacked Kidoh on the shoulder. “This guy isn’t made for stacking toilet paper and soup cans into neat piles. You know how messy he can get.”

“Hyung!” Kidoh protested.

P-Goon silenced him with a look. “Thank goodness he was able to get a job at TS Night Club. Yongguk-hyung agreed to take him in.”

Kidoh sighed. “The main thing is that I have a job now, alright? Why bring up the past when my present and future is so much brighter?”

I chuckled in amusement. “So, you’re still pursuing that dream of becoming a producer? I heard that Yongguk-hyung is a self-taught producer.”

“That’s right. Which means that I’ll be learning from the best.”

As Kidoh turned to start a conversation with Yooncheol, Jenissi stumbled over to me, finally breaking free from the pestering maknaes. “Hey, Hojoon.”

I looked up at him and swallowed my laughter. He looked like a man who just went on a shopping spree with his girlfriend. “What’s up, Hyung?”

“You know, now that you have your own place, the maknaes have chosen me as their next target. Nice going, Joon.”

“Sorry, Hyung. I’m 22. I should be entitled to my freedom.”

Jenissi shot me an unreadable look. I could only assume that it was annoyance. He sighed forlornly. “Ah, well, I get to see you here and that’s all that matters.”

The maknaes dragged him away once more, chastising him for little and insignificant things. I surveyed the group of 12 boys in front of me. They chatted animatedly amongst each other, as though the five months of separation did anything but separate them. Nostalgia flooded my memories. A mixture of contrasting emotions surged through me, contentment and confusion at the forefront.

That was when I finally noticed that all of them were dressed in black, even the “Three Musketeers”. What were all thirteen of them doing here dressed in black?

I turned to P-Goon and tapped his shoulder. “What is this, Hyung? What are you guys doing here?”

He beamed enthusiastically. “What does it look like, Joon? We’re kidnapping you.”

~:~:~:~:~

U-KISS - Neverland

A throbbing bass issued from behind the sleek steel door at the end of an alley smack dab in the middle of Hongdae. Byungjoo and Hansol whooped in exhilaration as we drew closer to the door, surpassing a long line of sulky, anticipating customers. Apparently, they weren’t VIP members, as we were. A few scantily-dressed females eyed P-Goon and Kidoh, earning a stoic wave from the former and a flirtatious wink from the latter. When we finally approached the entrance to TS Night Club, the thick-necked bouncer gave us a quick nod and opened the door for us.

The throbbing bass swelled into head-bobbing club music as soon as the door opened. The sickeningly sweet odors of alcohol, sweat, and perfume welcomed the thirteen of us. We were already immune to it, having attended the club since P-Goon and Jenissi were juniors in high school.

We squeezed through the narrow corridor that led us into a downward spiral towards the main dancing floor. Once we entered the room, there was a hush. I stared at the surrounding crowd, hoping to catch a familiar eye, but to no avail. This was a rookie crowd, first or second time attenders who didn’t know who we were or the legacy we began on the very same dance floor seven years ago. The legacy we left behind five months ago.  

“Topp Dogg, Topp Dogg, Topp Dogg,” chanted a low voice from amongst the crowd.

I cracked a smirk. That was a voice I recognized.

Slowly, the crowd picked up on the chant and began to pump their fists to the rhythm.

“It feels great to be back,” muttered P-Goon from beside me.

“No, ,” replied Kidoh. “This feels exactly like home.”

“Are you sure you guys haven’t gone to the club in the five months that we haven’t seen each other?” I asked no one in particular, not quite expecting an answer.

“Joon, you’re not the only one who has a life, you know,” voiced Gohn with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, we’ve got jobs, too,” interjected Seogoong.

Hands thumped and slapped out backs as we were pushed closer to the center of the dance floor. I stared at the polished floor under my feet. Although I had just performed on the same floor the night before White Day, it was different with all thirteen of us standing in the middle of it. Excitement pulsed throughout my entire body, from the core of my abdomen to the tips of my finger and toes.

On the balcony above us, a figure stepped into the light. Bang Yongguk, the owner of TS Night Club, gazed down at us with a fatherly smile gracing his lips. Yongguk rarely came out on the balcony, but whenever he did, it meant serious business. And tonight, we were that serious business.

“Topp Dogg, what a pleasant surprise!” Yongguk boomed in his cave voice. “Finally, the thirteen of you arrived, completely intact.”

“Of course, Yongguk-ssi!” P-Goon shouted up at him. “We wouldn’t miss tonight for the world.”

Yongguk blinked in surprise before breaking out into a gummy smile. “How did you know?”

“Kidoh, of course!”

Kidoh flushed red. “I’m sorry, Boss, I didn’t mean to--”

“Don’t worry, Kidoh. I’m glad that all thirteen of you came.”

“Also,” interjected P-Goon. “One of our members haven’t been out to have fun for a good five months, so we decided to kidnap him before he agreed to work more hours.”

“Oh?” Yongguk squinted at us. “Which one of you is it?”

P-Goon pulled me into the spotlight. “This one.”

Yongguk guffawed. “Him? He came last week for a competition with his crew!”

P-Goon casted me a surprised expression before dropping his voice. “Really?”

I nodded. Yongguk laughed once more. “No matter, no matter. Thank you for coming in for my birthday, P-Goon. Why don’t you take the dance floor tonight? Himchan!”

“Yeah?” asked Himchan from the DJ booth.

“Play one of their songs, will you? Let’s get this party started!”

Topp Dogg – Open the Door Live

Himchan a song that we performed once a few years back. Recognizing it, we immediately scrambled into place, a “V” formation with Kidoh at the vertex. He popped up and shouted, “Yeah! TS, what’s up? Been a long time waiting! T-O-Double P, D-O-Double G! We doin’ our thing real big, yeah, hu! We ready to blow this higher!”

The crowd roared around us. We were the life of the party.

It felt great to be back on the dance floor. To be back with the boys.

It finally felt like home.

*****Hey, all! So, I'm sorry for the long hiatus... I won't say more than that, though. I know that all of you have been anticipating this chapter for a while and... I'm sorry if it's not up to par with your expectations... I just thought that it would be nice to receive an update, especially when it's Thanksgiving. At least, it is in America, haha. Anyway, I hope that all of you are doing well and please stay tuned for the next update soon! As always, please comment and subscribe! Constructive criticism is always welcome. I truly appreciate everyone taking the time to read and comment! Thank you! 11.26.14 :)*****