Sometime in mid-September-

Stop. Pivot. Pop. Turn. Spin. Drop.

Young bae watched himself closely in the dance room mirror as he fervently practiced the new dance routine that he had created with the help of one of YG’s top choreographers.

True, they had just finished promotions less than a month ago, but the Big Bang member had always had a passion for dancing.  As he got older and higher up in the industry, he liked to push himself to perfect his craft and take on new challenges.  He didn’t want to let fame and seniority to make lazy or soft.

Recently, he had begun working on creating choreography of his own - whether it be for Big Bang, possible future solo promotions, or other YG artists.  It was new and interesting and he liked it.

Dance was his favorite form of exercise anyway.  If he could kill many birds with one stone, he was all the happier.

He paused to restart the song he was practicing, wiping the sweat from his brow with the front of his tank top, before whipping the garment off completely.  It was mid-morning on a Sunday and, as far as he knew, he pretty much had the floor to himself.

He bobbed his head to the music diligently, picturing his choreography so far, moving his body slightly as he tried to work out how to transition between two moves he hoped to work in toward the end of the song.

He restarted the music once more- taking the dance from the beginning, monitoring himself closely, particularly his footwork.  The start was really coming together as he got into his flow, adding a little flair, keeping his movements precise.

Just as he was getting to the middle where he was still building, there was a mild clatter outside before the door burst open and a cheerful Caden bustled inside.

“Ah Yeon unnie~” she called in a sing-song voice that he barely heard over the music.

They both froze at the same time - Young bae surprised by the interruption, and Caden seemingly surprised to see him.

“Ah, Young bae-yah, I’m sorry!” she cried, still mostly drowned out by the volume of his music.  He hurriedly moved to turn it off while simultaneously brushing off her apology.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” he said with a polite smile, turning back to his teacher now that he could finally hear her.

“No, really - how rude of me,” Caden continued somewhat regretfully. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you while you were practicing!  I was meeting Ah Yeon unnie for a workout and lunch, but she wasn’t in the gym or the cafeteria, so I heard the music and thought she came into the dance room to practice.”

She paused, looking him over curiously for a moment.

“Huh…” she pronounced thoughtfully, gaze traveling downward from his face. “This is strange to say, but this is the first time I’ve seen you shirtless in person.”

He glanced down at himself, arms instinctively raising to cover himself.

“Ah, I was practicing,” he explained lamely, wondering vaguely why he sometimes became so awkward in front of her.  Caden grinned widely, eyes returning firmly to meet his eyes and staying there.

“Of course!  No need to explain - I was the one who burst in on you,” she replied, clearly trying not to laugh. “And I totally understand that you might feel awkward; you probably weren’t expecting to see anyone… but…”  She covered as a series of giggles managed to escape, “It’s just so funny that you could ever be embarrassed to be found shirtless!  You practically live that way on stage-”

“It’s different when I get burst in on,” he sputtered somewhat harshly, cutting her off. “Plus… it’s like… they… you… I don’t know the audience personally. PLUS, you know, they aren’t my teacher.  Even if it was one of the dancers or other staff, I’m used to them hanging around while I practice or workout, but you - I only expect to meet you fully clothed.”

He finished with a huff, halfway between annoyed and flustered, dropping his hands purposefully.  Caden had totally sobered from her fit of laughter and was now peering over at him cautiously with kind eyes.

“I know, you’re totally right,” she said earnestly, with an apologetic smile. “I would probably be embarrassed if you walked in on me shirtless as well.”

“‘Probably’,” Young bae repeated with a disbelieving chuckle as he casually retrieved his missing tank top.

“I’m sorry that I made fun of you,” she continued sincerely, “no one understands more than me that, when it comes to shirtlessness, consent is key!”

He paused halfway through putting his shirt back on, staring at her incredulously through the neck hole, before shaking his head and completing the action.

“Where did you even learn such a phrase,” he demanded with a grin, finding her sudden sincerity decidedly amusing.

“I purposely asked about it,” Caden replied proudly, with a humorous gleam in her eye. “Understanding consent is important in every language… Now I just need to work on the not bursting in on people part.”

Young bae laughed at this, becoming more comfortable again as the conversation went on, particularly now that they were both clothed.

“Who was it that you were looking for, again? Ah Yeon noona?” he queried, wiping the last of the sweat from his forehead with the front of his tank top. “I haven’t seen any of the dancer hyungs and noonas all day…”

“That’s odd… did she forget about me?” Caden mused with a small pout.

“You are pretty forgettable,” he offered in an attempt to join in the sarcastic teasing that most of the members tended to use on their teacher.  He’d thus far been mostly too unsure of his humorous abilities to jump in, but this morning he was feeling a bit brave.

Caden immediately looked over at him with a mixture of offense and surprise before snorting with laughter.

“That caught me off guard,” she laughed as Young bae shot her a rather proud grin. “I’m not used to that kind of talk from you.  You were the last survivor!  The last of the polite!”

He easily rolled his eyes are this comment, knowing that she was only trying to guilt him in order to regain the upper hand (he may not have done much participating in the classroom smack talk, but he did arguably the most listening of anyone.  He knew the drill).

“You like playing around better anyway,” he replied earnestly, which set Caden looking at him in a queer manner that left him feeling some of the awkwardness creeping back to him.  He glanced down, running a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out how to shift the conversation back to comfortable joking.

He needn’t have worried too much, however.  Caden quickly regained her composure, shooting him an apologetic smile as she glanced around the practice room.

“So what are you working on in here?” she asked cheerfully. “Now that I’ve successfully ruined your concentration, I might as well keep bugging you.  Plus, I still have no idea where my lunch date is - there’s nothing to stop my distracting!”

Young bae grinned, relieved by the subject change.  He really didn’t understand his uneasiness toward Caden.  True, he sometimes had trouble figuring how to talk comfortably with staff members off the bat - particularly when they were close in age - but his teacher was clearly an agreeable and friendly person.  Maybe it was just talking to a foreigner in Korean that was throwing him off.  It was hard to have Western-style talks in his native language.

Maybe it was just because he didn’t generally become close with girls around his age that he wasn’t dating.  Either way, he did like Caden.  He was glad to get the chance to practice having a fun, casual conversation with her.

“That’s alright,” he announced, forcing a confidence into his tone that he hoped would follow in earnest. “If your visit causes me to forget my whole routine, I’ll be sure to blame you.”

Caden gave him an appreciative laugh at this, which in turn further fueled Young bae’s confidence.

“Actually, I’ve just been working on creating some choreography,” he explained with a grin. “I’m not really sure what for yet… but I’m interested in becoming more involved in the production side of the music and the creation of choreography, so I guess you could say this is practice.”

“That’s so awesome!” Caden enthused.  “That’s what I walked in on, I assume… Since it’s not for an official single, can I see?  If you don’t mind performing on such a small stage.”

He blinked a few times in surprise at the sudden request.  He wasn’t sure why he should feel surprised.  Staff members requested lessons and demonstrations from him all the time.  He loved it, to be honest - he was never more in his element.  For some reason… he wasn’t sure - maybe he just hadn’t expected Caden to be interested?

He shook himself out of his internal dialogue to find an expectant Caden still awaiting his answer.  He offered a sheepish smile.

“I’m still working out an ending, but I’ve got the beginning pretty nailed down,” he informed her rather shyly. “I can show you that.”

“Sounds great,” Caden announced happily. “Whatever works for you.  I don’t mean to come in here and demand performances out of you.”

He grinned at this, batting her concern away once more,

“It’s okay - this is what I do best.  I am a professional after all.”

Caden clapped excitedly, moving to sit at the edge of the studio, out of his way.

Young bae took a deep breath, refocusing on the dance and the moves he had been working on throughout the morning.  He bounced up and down on his toes, stretching his arms out briefly before hitting start on the song.

Stop. Pivot. Pop. Turn. Spin. Drop.

He was in the moment, adding a little bit of the extra flair of one performing for an audience.  He’d intended to stop halfway through before he reached the unfinished part of the song, but by then he was in his groove - simply freestyling his way through the rest and experimenting on the aspects he planned to add.

When the song finished, Caden was instantly on her feet with enthusiastic applause.

“That was amazing!” she gushed, batting his shoulder affectionately. “Not that you need to be told, I’m sure.”

“Anything for my fans,” he joked slyly, rubbing the back of his head with a touch of bashfulness.

“Spoken like a true idol,” she pronounced, nodding seriously.  Then she grinned. “I guess I should leave you to your practice.  I’ve interrupted your valuable practice time enough-”

“What’s this?” Young bae demanded, trying to sound as firmly sardonic as his bandmate in their teasing. “You’re just going to demand a performance, then run?”

Caden looked momentarily surprised,

“You said I wasn’t-”

“I can’t believe you didn’t at least offer some sort of compensation for my services,” he interrupted, getting into the flow now.  He could tease Caden naturally.  She was no different from the dancer noonas or the 2NE1 hoobaes.  He loved to tease.  He could do this.

“What, like a prize or something?” Caden demanded jokingly, finally seeming to realize that he was actually dedicated to messing around with her.

“I was thinking more like a dance of your own,” he declared, grinning. “Performance for performance.  Tit for tat.  You know…”

She burst out laughing at this, too surprised by his demand to even think of a comeback.

“Me??” she cried, still chuckling.  “I don’t dance!  I’ll happily teach for you if we’re each performing what we’re good at…”

Young bae shook his head, pretending to look annoyed.

“Ugh - you won’t sing around us, you won’t dance,” he complained slyly. “You’re really no fun, Teacher…”

“How am I - a lowly teacher - supposed to compete with all of you - actual idols - in these aspects, hmm?” she queried with a pointed look. “No, it’s just easier for all of us if I leave that up to the professionals.”

“All of us were amateurs at some point,” Young bae countered cheerfully, using his earnest sincerity against her. “Why not explore new activities with a professional around to help you.”

Caden deflated, looking put out by his excellent point.  Young bae - sensing he was close to victory - gave her an encouraging smile.

Caden groaned dramatically.

“Ugh, fine!” she cried, defeated. “Fine!  You win!  You and your puppy-dog eyes!  How dare you peer pressure me, I’m not your peer!”

He only laughed happily at this, gently moving her toward the middle of the floor where he had just finished performing.

“What kind of music would you prefer?” he asked brightly, scrolling through his music player.

“Ugh, I don’t know…” she mused poutily. “Anything with a good beat and a nice groove.  Think Destiny’s Child, TLC era.”

Young bae scrolled a bit further, considering his choice carefully before settling on a song he liked.

He grinned, satisfied, settling down on the floor in front of her while Caden got a feel for the beat.  He watched with anticipation as she took a deep, steeling herself to begin.

For his disappointed amusement, she immediately began breaking out in silly, uncoordinated movements with a lot of fist pumps, elbows, a little bit of disco pointing, and swimming .

“Come on, Caden ssi,” he complained, trying not to laugh as she continued.

“I call this one ‘the Sprinkler’,” she announced displaying the coordinating arm movements.  Young bae rolled his eyes are her silliness, standing to pause the music.

“I’m sorry…” she apologized, trying to hide her grin. “Dance in front of someone is awkward!  I at choreography and you sitting there staring at me isn’t helping the situation!”

Young bae sighed, understanding her discomfort but determined to see this through.

“Alright, fair enough,” he admitted with a kind smile, “but you must have some sort of dance experience.  Even if it’s just out with your friends, or-”

“Sure, I can shake my to the beat,” Caden interrupted in a manner so vehement, he couldn’t help but laugh. “But that isn’t… like… real dancing.  Plus it would still be super awkward to do with you sitting there watching.”

Unsure of what to say to reassure her, Young bae simply plopped back down on the floor, pretending to cover his eyes with his hand.  Caden laughed at this, to which he peaked out at her from between his fingers, wearing a wide grin.

Caden sighed heavily once more.

“Okay, let me see what you’ve got,” she declared, taking the music player herself and quickly scrolling through.  Seeming to come to an option she liked, Caden paused, finger hovering over her choice.  She shot him an accusatory look.

“You have to promise not to laugh,” she demanded seriously. “You asked for this!  No mocking!”

“Promise,” Young bae instantly agreed, holding out his pinky.  She ignored this with a roll of her eyes.  She started her song - a classic from Beyonce.

She walked back to her place in the middle of the studio, facing away from him as she bobbed, feeling the beat.

Finally, she immersed herself in the music, not doing much in the way of dance steps, but just moving her body and shaking to the rhythm.  Young bae bobbed along happily, excited to see her let loose.  Eventually, she began to add a bit of footwork, left and right on a four count, and working in some arm movements for a bit of extra flair.

She stopped about halfway through, taking an exaggerated bow to cover up both her slight embarrassment and her heavy breathing.

Young bae applauded heartily, standing to make his way over to her.

“That was great, Teacher,” he announced with a big grin, pausing the music.

“I doubt it, but thanks for the thought,” she replied, appearing a bit satisfied despite her self-deprecation.

“No really - you said you didn’t know any choreography, but you added a few coordinated steps in there.  I was impressed.”

Caden appeared initially surprised by this comment but proceeded to laugh it off.

“Oh that,” she said with a chuckle. “That was just a bit of Bachata.  Learn a bit of Bachata and you can make any song danceable.  Well, almost any.”

“It’s on a four count, right?” he asked, coming up to where Caden had been dancing, repeating some of the movements he remembered.

“It’s the Western version, but yeah - three steps and a tap, so basically on a four count.  Since most pop songs are on a four or eight count, it makes it really easy to use,” she explained. “Have you ever done any latin dancing at all?”

“I learned a bit of Salsa and Ballroom,” he answered with a grin, going into lead position.

“I’m not that great at Salsa for some reason,” Caden hastily informed him, doing her best to follow his basic eight count steps. “Something about the front to back versus the side to side.  They managed a few sets back and forth, undeterred by the lack of music before he allowed her to finish with a careful spin.

“Shall we try a bit of your Bachata then?” he suggested, seeming excited to get to attempt something new.  Caden laughed easily as he finished his own movement with a freestyle hip hop flourish.

“Sure.  I’m not good enough at it to teach you by reverse lead, but you already know how to Salsa - I’m sure you’ll pick it up easily,” she pronounced.

They started standing beside one another, both facing the mirrored walls as they quickly practiced the basic steps.  Caden showed him a few of the common alternative step/tap styles (tap to the side, step behind the foot, heel break, etc.) and they looked up a few instructional videos before Young bae started to get ambitious and excitedly demand that they learn some of the intermediate moves to add in.

He threw some of his pop-ier music on shuffle and they began practicing, with much laughter and mistakes along the way.  Ever the expert, as his ability increase, Young bae began adding style points and movements of his own - usually attempting to draw her more often into closed position and add silly, sensual movements.  At one point Caden was laughing so hard on a spin, she accidentally lost her grip and went spinning across the room before collapsing in giggles.

Young bae proceeded to dance around her in concern, which only caused her to laugh harder.

As time went on, Caden - who hadn’t danced seriously in quite some time - was really beginning to get back into the swing of dancing.  Despite his relative lack of familiarity with Bachata, Young bae’s dancing talent allowed him to quickly take the reins and lead in a way that made it quite easy for her to follow, as well as master new moves.

They were working quite diligently on a move he’d come up with - Young bae would do a double hair comb before dropping one hand and bringing her into a close spin, then finally dropping her other hand and quickly wrapping his arm around her waist to bring her into closed position.

They had finally managed to complete the move in a fluid manner and were about to continue the dance with huge, victorious grins when the music abruptly halted.

“And what is going on here?” a somewhat accusatory voice demanded, causing Young bae to immediately drop his arms as if caught in a compromising position.

They turned to see Ah Yeon, the backup dance friend that Caden had been looking for that morning.

“Ah Yeon unnie!” Caden cried, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with the front of her shirt, briefly revealing her sports bra to both Young bae and Ah Yeon’s surprise. “Where have you been?  We were supposed to meet hours ago!”

The older girl appeared appropriately chastised for all of a moment before returning to her initial position.

“I-I’m the one asking the questions around here,” she announced snidely, clearly attempting to turn the negative attention away from herself.

“Well I went looking around for you when we were supposed to meet, and accidentally interrupted Young bae’s dance practice,” Caden explained somewhat sassily. “Since you never showed up, I figured I’d stay.”

“It certainly looks like you worked up a sweat,” Ah Yeon pointed out, crossing her arms. “I guess you don’t need me as a workout partner after all.  Is that what you were doing when I came in?”

“Yep,” Young bae piped up quickly, happy to steer the conversation away from any sort of dangerous territory.  Not that he had anything to worry about. “No better exercise than dance.  We were trying Bachata.”

“Yeah,” Caden added brightly, “Young bae was ‘putting the moves on me’.”

So much for not worrying.

The two Koreans froze for a moment before Ah Yeon burst into laughter.

“Caden ssi…” he complained, horrified, before turning to the dancer noona. “‘Showing her some moves’!  She meant I was showing her some dance moves!”

“Oh, did I say something weird?” Caden asked, appearing adorably clueless as she began stretching her shoulders out after their session.  Young bae slapped his palm to his forehead in utter embarrassment as Ah Yeon continued to cackle, leaning on the speaker for support.

“What?  What did I say?” Caden asked, half confused, half amused by her unnie’s mirth.  Since she clearly wasn’t getting any information from Ah Yeon anytime soon, she turned her attention to Young bae, getting in his face at his refusal to enlighten her.

“Come on, how am I supposed to learn if you don’t explain my mistakes,” she prompted, invading his space, forcing him to bat her away while simultaneously shrinking away from her touch. “Haven’t you learned anything from my classes?”

“Teacher… please…” he pleaded, still red with embarrassment as he fought off eruptions of awkward laughter. “I can’t… I don’t wanna-”

“Is your girlfriend aware of this arrangement?” Ah Yeon cried between cackles, further collapsing in her laughter.  Caden looked between the two of them, thinking back to her wording.  Finally, she gave up her determination, allowing him to escape her attentions.

“It must have been weird,” she muttered to herself with a bit of a smirk and a shake of her head.  

She instead turned her attention to her unnie.

“Alright, we’ve clearly overstayed our welcome,” she announced, gathering the older girl up in her arms and attempting to make her way toward the door. “It’s about time we let Young bae get back to being productive.  Anyway, now that I’ve got my workout in you owe me a really big lunch.”  She glanced over her shoulder, offering her student an amused wave.

“Thank you for letting me bother you for so long and keeping me busy while Unnie abandoned me,” she called with a grin.

“It was no problem,” Young bae said, half sheepish, half amused. “It was very productive, in its own way.  I’d do it again… if both of us were ever free. Goodbye Caden ssi.  Ah Yeon noona.”

Caden grinned once more, offering him a cheeky wink before dragging the older girl out the door.

“So why were you so late, huh?  Did you forget me?” he heard her demand before the door closed.

Young bae stood there for a moment in the center of the now empty studio.

After a reflective moment, he made his way back over to his music player, scrolling to find his original song, still smiling contentedly.

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A/N

Helloooo everyone ^^

Today is a new day that brings with it a new chapter, lol.  Some surprise Taeyang love to shake things up!

I'm going to try to give all the boys a little individual love in time.

I love reading your comments, by the way!  I know you guys are longing for the return of GD, and he's coming soon I promise!

But not in the next chapter T_T  I'm sorry!  He should get his spotlight in the one after that ^^

It's been too long~

Thank you for reading and for the story love <3  Keep up the comments and the guesses and requests!  Who knows which of your brilliant ideas could influence the outcome? ^^