The two soon fell into a silence. It seemed that when Jongin wasn’t talking about dancing, the strange stiffness to him returned, and Yixing was not naturally disposed to chattiness. As Jongin eased his car smoothly out of the parking garage, flashing his employee badge to the attendant, Yixing wondered idly why the young man seemed so rigid. He was young, intelligent, charming, and devastatingly handsome; this collection of traits was usually found in open, social, relaxed people, and that made Yixing curious. After a few minutes of slowly grinding through traffic, Yixing decided to ask Jongin a question. It took him another moment or two to come up with a question that it wouldn’t be strange for him to ask, and another moment after that to unstick his throat in preparation for initiating a conversation.

“You, um, are a business student? What year?” Yixing twisted his fingers into the hem of his sweater, trying to sound casual.

“Third.” Jongin replied simply. There was a short pause, but the man elaborated with, “The busy year.”

“Oh.”

So he’s two years older than me.

“And you’re studying biochemistry. Do you like it?” Yixing was almost surprised to hear Jongin trying to continue their halting exchange.

“Not very much.” As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Yixing felt guilty, but wasn’t really sure why. Was he being selfish? He couldn’t quite tell.

“Then why do you study it?” Jongin smoothly braked behind another car at the stoplight and turned to look at Yixing, one eyebrow raised.

“Because...” Because it’s the right thing to do? Because I want to make my grandmother proud? “Because it’s...stable...”

“Huh. Well. I guess I shouldn’t be judging you anyway, business isn’t exactly my passion either. Not to say I don’t like it, I actually like it a lot, but I really thought I could make it as...” He stopped, a little grin playing with his pretty mouth. “Now how did you get that out of me? I usually never feel like talking about myself. You must be pretty sneaky, huh?” He teased kindly. Yixing blushed and that only made Jongin’s grin widen.

“No...I’m not sneaky!” Yixing protested softly, pouting a little through his embarrassment.

“You’re pouting! That’s so cute!” Jongin giggled like a kid, obviously a little surprised by Yixing’s pursed lips. Yixing was unsure of how to respond, so he just smoothed his mouth into a non-committal line and said nothing as his blush grew deeper. The light turned green, and Jongin’s pretty car purred forward. It got quiet again as they traversed the city’s crowded streets, inching their way towards their destination. Yixing’s focus slipped to the exterior of the car as he considered every building and pedestrian with interest.

“We’re here.” Jongin told him, startling him out of his reverie.

“Oh!” Yixing responded as Jongin turned into yet another parking garage to his left. Jongin swung into a parking spot and the two young men stepped out into the biting, musty, chill of the underground air. They walked in silence up to the surface world, an odd looking pair to outsiders. Jongin looked confident and suave in a charcoal peacoat and shined dress shoes, Yixing looked young and nervous in his eyeglasses, ski-coat, and worn converse. When they were outside, the Chinese boy made sure to stay close behind Jongin on the busy sidewalk. He hadn’t explored much of the city and didn’t fancy getting lost in unfamiliar territory. Jongin would occasionally look back over his shoulder and smile at the shorter boy’s antics as he stared at street signs and tried to read posters in coffee shop windows while keeping Jongin within reach.

The theater was small and modern. It was apparently used as a community theater and often rented for performances by the music department of Seoul University. Jongin gave his name to the ticket booth and the young woman inside handed him an envelope with obvious interest in the tall, handsome man Yixing watched her face fall when Jongin gave her a polite, but vacant ‘thank you’ and immediately turned back to recapture Yixing.

“Here’s your ticket,” Jongin offered him the stiff, shiny, colorful cardstock. He took it in his hands with careful interest, examining the typeface that announced the Black Pearl Dance Academy’s annual showcase. “They always give me two tickets. I think because I’m an alum, and also because my uncle is SM’s CFO. Although...” Jongin shot Yixing a wink. “The enormous donations I make probably help too.”

“This was your dance academy?” Yixing asked. “Then I hope you weren’t being biased when you told me this would be good...” He let himself joke, a shy smile brightening his face and showing off his dimple. Jongin laughed at this, his eyes crinkling and making him look much younger.

The doors of the auditorium were soon opened by a set of three teenage girls in white blouses and black pants who probably danced with the academy and giggled when Jongin and Yixing passed them. They found their seats down near the front, almost dead center, and sat as the rest of the audience filed in. The gentle hum of the crowd made Yixing feel invisible, but not in an unpleasant way. Invisible like a cloud of vapour, seeing and hearing everything, feeling all of the emotions that all of these strangers felt, but without any of them knowing. It was a peaceful thought and Yixing found himself tracing it with the fingers of his mind. Jongin tapped him on the shoulder when the lights started to dim, he leaned sideways to whisper into the Chinese boy’s ear out of the corner of his mouth.

“I really do hope you like this,”

A middle-aged woman with graying hair stepped onto the stage, a spotlight illuminating her for the crowd.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, honored guests and potential benefactors,” A chuckle went up from the crowd, “My name is Kang Yun Ha and I am the proud director of the Black Pearl Dance Academy. I am now proud to welcome you to our annual showcase!” As the audience applauded, she gave a bow and, re-entered the wings. Expectant silence fell like gossamer over the raked auditorium. The deep purple curtain opened. The stage was dark. A collective inhale, and....

“That was absolutely amazing...” Yixing hummed for the dozenth time as he and Jongin stepped into the night.

“I’m so happy you liked it! I think this year’s crop is very talented. I hope to recruit a couple of them for the company when we next hold auditions.” It was very chilly, a stiff breeze picking obstinately at Yixing’s face as they walked. “Hey, are you, um, hungry?” Jongin asked suddenly, tugging Yixing out of the way of foot traffic to the doorway of a shop where they could stand still and discuss this new thought.

“Um...Are you?” The Chinese boy really didn’t want Jongin to go out of his way if he wasn’t hungry and was just being polite. A strange gurgling noise from Jongin’s stomach silenced his worries. Jongin smiled sheepishly and splayed his fingers over his stomach.

“Could we go get something to eat? My treat for dragging you along with me tonight?”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to pay...”

“I want to. Like I said, it’s a thank you gift.”

“Alright then...I guess that sounds nice.”