His first year of high school had commenced. He no longer took the train to school, opting to walk instead due to the short distance from home. Hoya knew he should be studying with every ounce of energy he had to get into a reputable University his parents had hoped, but somehow with all the stress encompassing his student life, he yielded to dancing at a local dance studio.

It was only meant to be a short 3 months course, but when his fellow dance mates and his instructor deemed him as having potential in the activity, Hoya’s confidence rose and he became determined to succeed at it. Dancing had become a full-time hobby for him when he had no classes.

He enjoyed the way his body moved to the rhythm of the music, and with every slide and turn he could feel his worries shaken away. He loved seeing the sweat accumulated across his forehead, dripping wildly down his cheeks, his nose his mouth he could taste the saltiness in it after a round of practice; the rising and falling of his chest reminding him of his existence in this world; his aching and strained muscles a testament of his hard work and effort.

It was also at this dance studio that he met a certain someone that shared his same passion in dancing, his same love for hip-hop music.

That certain someone by the name of Jang Dongwoo. There was something in Dongwoo’s dancing that made it seem so effortless, and while Hoya had to train hard to grasp the various techniques in his routines, for Dongwoo everything just felt so easy.

Dongwoo was a free spirit, his parents were supportive of his every decision, and it felt like he never had a worry in his life, which might explain that spunky hairstyle, that excessive ear studs he had on each ear and the silly grin he always kept on his face.

That silly grin Hoya loathed.

---

What do you want to be in the future Hoya?

Dongwoo asked one night after a particularly gruelling and tough session of practice, the room having long been cleared of fellow dance mates.

An Accountant.

Hoya simply replied. He wasn’t sure when he had that thought set in his mind, but a part of him knew why. He wanted to become an Accountant just like Kim Sungkyu.

What? That’s so boring Hoya! When I graduate from high school next year, I’m gonna take up dancing in University. You only live once man, have some fun while you’re at it!

I’m envious you can have the luxury of that thought hyung.

In truth, Hoya was jealous. Jealous that Jang Dongwoo’s life was everything he had dreamt of.

And so when Dongwoo ran up to him two weeks later with a messily scrunched up poster he had torn from a nearby street wall, flushed with excitement, shouting a little too vivaciously that there was going to be a weekly hip-hop dance battle going on and the both of them had to enter as a duo and win it all, Hoya was determined to live his life for once and write his own destiny. 

---

• There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. -  (Beverly Sills)

Hoya wasn’t sure where he heard that damned phrase before, but it sure described the hell he was living that very moment. His parents disapproving his passion for dancing, his grades slipping because he was losing focus in his studies; and his dancing, the one thing he was sacrificing his hours and sleep for did not seem to be perfecting itself the way he had hoped.

Sure, he could memorise those dance routines taught by his dance instructor effortlessly during classes. But those were idol-like dances, which he was pretty sure all trainees those big entertainment companies currently house could master just as easily. He wasn’t looking to dance like those cookie-cutters, he aimed for individuality and forging his own style.

Compared to Dongwoo who had the natural swag and confidence exulting from him, Hoya’s moves were often deemed too disciplined, too rigid and too forceful for hip-hop. He detested the fact that his body and the music were not binding as one as required and he was beginning to lose faith in his ability.

Why don’t we try incorporating locking into our dances? Their moves are generally rhythmic and I think you’ll be perfect for it. What’s more it’s fun and you deserve to have some of that!

Dongwoo grinned as he spoke one late night after an unfruitful practice and suddenly, everything clicked. At that moment, Hoya dawned upon the belated realisation that Dongwoo wasn’t the self-centered person he had pictured him to be.

Funny how, as he recalls back, that it was also on that night that Hoya found out about Dongwoo’s habit of eating peppermint candy after practice. That same pack of candy brand he found himself thinking of ever so slightly, ever so often. That candy he had never purchased again since that winter, because the green packaging and that minty scent reminded him painfully of the person that had plagued his mind long after he was gone, that hyung he was sure had erased him off completely.

You want one? It helps clear the mind and perks you up especially after practice. 

But Hoya only shook his head and smiled, he didn’t want to rid his mind of him, not when his heart wasn’t ready to.

---

With one week left before the start of battle season, they began practising even harder, just the two of them together, in an attempt to synchronise their moves so they could become mirror images of each other. They worked tirelessly, drilling on their free-style routines coordinating them with different beats of music so they could appear spontaneous and effortless during their battles.

And hard work it seemed, as well as hidden talent did pay off after all. Of course, there was also luck to be factored into their string of victories and the boys recognised that. Week after week, they battled and succeeded, danced and triumphed.

They were opposites of each other, but together their performances received raving responses. During solos, Dongwoo, with his big smiles and bright coloured clothing incorporated fun-natured and comical movements into his dance while Hoya focused on maintaining a serious demeanour, placing emphasis on technique. So the crowds got bigger, the cheers got louder, and their confidence shot up the roof.

They became well known in the realm of Busan’s hip-hop dance scene, taking challenges by storm, talent bursting like brightly shot fireworks in the night sky. They were the duo with limitless potential, and in that year, Infinite, the name Dongwoo had insisted on calling them, was born.

---

It was unbearably hot that summer of Hoya’s second year of high school, with news reporting of record temperatures and on-going heat waves. The duo’s practice room, located in the basement of a run-down three-storey building, contained all the heat from the day that passed, serving to continue to steam its occupants upon nightfall.

The clock ticked 11.30pm. Dongwoo was eating his regular peppermint candy again after a tiring round of practice Hoya was sure could have knocked him unconscious; his whole body slouched against the mirrors in an unflattering manner. The air was stale and humid, and for some reason the scent of Dongwoo’s candy lingered among the air between them.

The more he chewed, Hoya realised, the more he could smell it. There must have been something terribly off about Hoya that day, his mind he reckons, having been knocked blank from before.

With a sudden surge of pent up feelings coming from deep within his stomach, Hoya leaned forward, his lips meeting Dongwoo’s. It was soft and warm. From the pressing of lips Hoya could taste him, that distinct flavour of his first love coupled with a mixture of both their sweat. It must have been salty, but Hoya remembers it to be sweet. The air in the room falls terribly still and for a moment both forget to breathe.

Hoya felt the other dancer stiffen at his touch, and he could trace the outlines of his muscle lacing his well-toned arms as his hands travelled up the bumps, smoothing out at his broad shoulders, and finally circling his neck. But then, as if acting on instinct, both closed their eyes, their tongues slowly peeking out and lips were hastily swiped open.

And Hoya forgot the rest because he thinks he must have fallen asleep. The last thing he remembered though, was a pair of hands resting firmly on his hips, pulling him closer to a field of peppermint goodness. 

---------------------------------

Author's Note: There are many things I cannot write, of which two of them are dance scenes which I know nothing about (I must be a robot) and kiss scenes. :/

It's sort of like a new story again, this time Yadong, Infinite's official couple. 

In case you're wondering, yes it's a flashback into Hoya's past, and I know I wrote Dongwoo to be in the same high school year as Hoya, yet Hoya calls him hyung. 

Why? Let's just assume that Dongwoo got held back a year. Gahhh, I don't know I'm so bad at this. 

Thank you for all the comments and subscribers! I know it may sound silly but I like reading and re-reading all these lovely comments all the time. :D 

So keep them coming please?