Seungkwan was expecting to wake up somewhere around nine. Knock on Seokmin’s door, apologise to his mom for showing up (again) with little notice, bearing a packet of chips and holiday homework.

Then he was going to screech at Seokmin. Figure out what happened to Soonyoung, whether he went home all sad and started crying before he went to sleep. Try to guess if Seokmin betrayed all his hopes and pissed Soonyoung off even more like the blunt nature of his tends to.

And if everything else went well, he would find out that Soonyoung was feeling better and then he would proceed to refer (more like copy) Seokmin’s Physics homework.

What he wasn’t expecting was for Seokmin to show up to his house at eight. When he was still hazy from sleep and brushing his teeth, wearing his cute pajamas.

“Why are you here! Don’t tell me you’ve messed up so bad that you need to find me so early in the morning. Bad boy! Get out of my house! And my bathroom!”

Really, you can’t blame Seungkwan for panicking. When easily the laziest guy he knows turns up to his house at eight in the morning, the world has got to be ending. Maybe the sweet Soonyoung actually went crazy and killed puppies. And now Seokmin is asking for shovels to bury them.

“Woke up early. Brush your teeth, how do you even speak with your mouth full of toothpaste.”

And who is Seokmin to want to put Seungkwan in his place? Grumbling, he brushes his teeth and changes into new clothes. Something loose, so if he needs to take Seokmin down by force he can. There’s a fair odd that Seokmin deserves to be hit for something he said last night, anyway.

“You never wake up early. Spill, how did you break Soonyoung’s spirit?”

“He wasn’t that sad when I left, okay. Didn’t really cry or anything.”  

Seungkwan gasps. So leaving Seokmin there was the right decision. But crying? That’s something Soonyoung only does in front of people he trusts. Tears are like weaknesses, he liked to say. Don’t show them to just anyone.

“I don’t think I comforted him. But he looked better okay.”

Seokmin scratches the nape of his neck. He looks nervous about something, and nervousness isn’t a look that Seungkwan sees frequently on him. Especially when he’s leaning against Seungkwan’s bag, eating- is that the pretzels he was saving? What a jerk.

“Anyway. What exactly happened to the dance club last year?”

Ah. So that’s why Seokmin came. Trying to figure out why he made Soonyoung so upset last night. And way too quickly he’s came to a conclusion.

“Soonyoung is going to hate you if you fight the battle for him, you know?”

“Perfectly aware. Now spill.”

Of course Seokmin would force him into that corner. Soonyoung doesn’t like talking about it, hates it when other people ask too many questions about the dance club of the past.

But for that same stupid reason he trusted Seokmin last night, he trusts Seokmin enough to tell him. Even though Soonyoung is going to find out and flare up when he figures out Seungkwan was the one sharing information.

Well, that’s a risk Seungkwan is willing to take. All he wants to see is Soonyoung happy again, and if Seokmin can cheer him up, he’s going to give Seokmin all the help he can get.

----

Jihoon wasn’t always mean to Soonyoung. Seungkwan remembers that one day where no matter how long he seemed to wait for Soonyoung, he never appeared. And when he finally gave in and walked all the way to dance studio, he found Soonyoung having way too much fun dancing some old anime theme song with Jihoon.

Jihoon walked back with them that day. Sharing stories about watching that old anime series about this girl who wanted to be singer. Fairly ironic, since they were both in the dance club.  But from next week onwards after the dance club there was always another person joining them. And then Soonyoung stopped forcing him to watch anime as often.

They were friends. Good friends with similar interests, something Seungkwan wasn't. 

Despite Seungkwan's constant pestering to run to lead the dance club, Soonyoung was perfectly happy to let Jihoon do it. Less pressure, he had said. Jihoon’s the better technical dancer. He actually went to those fancy dance classes, took lessons under professional teachers.

It never stopped you before, so why do you suddenly feel stressed by that? Anyone can join those classes. 

Jihoon’s a better dancer. He should know better.

The words ring in his ears now. Maybe Seungkwan should have known. Warned Soonyoung harder. But Jihoon had looked so harmless. Innocent, almost.

Jihoon was Soonyoung’s friend. He really couldn’t mean any harm. They had so much fun together, chatting and practicing dance moves together.  

Then the videos appeared. And everything went up in flames. The seniors way too happy to leave the dance club in the lurch, kids in the same year quitting left and right. Why be stuck with a leader who plagiarizes? Why stay when the proud words, choreographed by the Dance Club, are all lies? 

If the plagiariser stays in power, why keep clinging on?

And Soonyoung only believed in Jihoon, like a fool. At first it was a coincidence. Then it became Jihoon must have accidentally remembered a move or two after watching dancing videos.

How’s the dance club supposed to live without Jihoon?

If we just stick together we can brave this together. The Dance Club can make it

Don't only blame Jihoon, it's my fault for not spotting the similar choreography too. 

I believe in him. Jihoon can change.

Soonyoung’s faith truly wasn’t misplaced in that aspect. Two days after that Jihoon released that statement, the one even someone as far removed as Seokmin heard about.

“Our other choreographer Kwon Soonyoung apologises for plagiarising various dance performances.”

Seungkwan remembers running across the school compound to find Soonyoung that day. Screaming at him that Jihoon doesn’t care for him, that whatver crappy promises of friendship he gave were all lines. Soonyoung should go clear his name, right now. Because Seungkwan knows how much of Soonyoung plagiarizing is a lie. Kwon Soonyoung is the number one hater of plagiarism. He even gets mad when he feels the choreography is repetitive. Slavishly copying, even as far as clumsily imitating, he gets so riled up. That isn't dancing, that's just moving your body, You might as well go running or take a route march. 

All the times Soonyoung was whining that the choreography Jihoon put out felt boring and used was so accurate. But even as perceptive as he is in that way, Soonyoung couldn’t understand that betraying Jihoon was the only logical course of action. Someone has to take the fall for the plagiarism, and it sure as hell shouldn’t be Soonyoung.

Seungkwan doesn’t understand why Soonyoung refused to say Jihoon did it. “I didn’t copy anything”, were the flimsy words he chose to speak. Fighting isn’t good for harmony. All I want to do is carry the Dance Club until the juniors take over. An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind. 

Yeah, but why does Soonyoung has to be the one who gets blinded? 

That’s partially the truth, but you will have to stick a knfe at Seungkwan’s neck for him to agree that’s the only reason. He’s positive there’s something more. Some twisted form of loyalty, some residual feelings of friendship that Soonyoung was unable to quash. Maybe the year of Jihoon exerting superiority of Soonyoung really convinced him that he wouldn’t make it, that he wasn’t good enough a dancer.

Seungkwan always fears it's the last one. While he acts all strong and laughs off all the petty insults, he’s a rather sensitive guy. And Seungkwan won’t put it past Soonyoung taking all the blame for the plagiarism issue just so Jihoon, that jerk, wouldn’t get hurt.

-----

“I thought he was coward.”

Those are the soft words that come out from harsh features, eyebrows furrowed and frown etched onto his face. All this time, Seokmin’s frown has only deepened.

“Is that why you acted so arrogant to him?”

Something clicks in Seungkwan. Seokmin’s normally a little snark king, so there’s nothing abnormal with a sharp retort or two. But at the start of the year, that tirade of insulting lines those two traded were a record high even for Seokmin's standards. 

“You know I don’t like cowards. And you’ve known him for so long, you’re completely soft when it comes to Soonyoung.”    

‘Excuse you? I can be objective. And objectively Soonyoung is nicer than you. So are Minghao and Jisoo. I can stop being your friend and chase you out right now okay?”

“Liar. You like me too much to kick me out.” Seokmin sticks his tongue out childishly. Seungkwan hits him and Seokmin scrambles across the room, trying to dodge his feeble blows.

Soon they’re tired out, sprawled across the cold floor. A little like the choir room after practice in middle school. Playing too hard they lose their strength.

“Not everyone is as stupidly brave as you, Seokmin. You can’t hold everyone to your standards.”

“I know, I know.” Seokmin says this almost indulgently. “Soonyoung is strong in his own right. It’s true, Boo Seungkwan doesn’t make friends with lousy people.”

“I’m glad you’ve acknowledged my fabulous!”

Seokmin rolls his eyes. Seungkwan sits up and chases him downstairs. Stop bothering my life when we have school tomorrow, I still have homework to complete.

And even though he’s a little sad to see Seokmin go, real life calls. And he doesn’t want to get detention over unfinished holiday homework that he had way too much time to complete.

----

Seokmin isn’t quite sure if he should do this. But it’s something he can’t just stand back and watch. Jihoon and Soonyoung might have been friends before, but all Jihoon does nowadays is hurt Soonyoung. And even though he doesn’t view himself as a super righteous guy with a burning desire for justice to be served, Seokmin wants Soonyoung’s name to be cleared. And quickly. The kids as Seungcheol’s party are undoubtedly going to help spread the word, but Seokmin can do it faster.

Seungkwan told him not to fight for Soonyoung, but this is for himself too. Lee Seokmin has his own issues with Jihoon. That it’ll help Soonyoung is a (very huge) bonus. Okay, he lies. It’s just for Soonyoung. All the endless questioning he forced on Seungkwan was to just check that this wouldn’t make Soonyoung even sadder than he already is.

It’s been a while. The current Soonyoung isn’t that sentimental, if anything, he tends towards hating Jihoon a little. Knocking Jihoon down from his pedestal is really only going to make Soonyoung happier.

And Soonyoung never needs to know who did it. Some anonymous online crusader with a vendetta, that’s all. A disgusting coward who hides behind usernames and display pictures while single-handedly destroying the dance club. Not someone who cares for Soonyoung, not someone who wants to see him smile widely, to be completely happy. 

Switch on his laptop. Log into YouTube. Upload a comparison video of Jihoon’s plagiarized freestyle dancing. And fold his arms as he lets the 400-odd subscribes from Pledis High do the rest for him.

It’s been a while since pledisplagiarisers has been active, and this time he makes the clearest title yet.

LEE JIHOON PLAGIARISING “FREESTYLE DANCE”

Never let Seungkwan find out. He’ll probably become plant fertilizer.    

Eleven in the morning, when Kwon Soonyoung is still asleep after a tiring night, Lee Seokmin has started protecting him from a distance.  

a/n: I have no excuses. I hope you found this interesting at least?