Hoya had not been expecting this. And yet, here he was, on the grass, his co workers watching him, a phone connected to a speaker, ready to blare out a familiar tune.

How had this happened?

It had started when the pool had closed. It had been a normal, boring day: the families came by with little children and grandparents in the morning and early afternoon, then the kids came in the afternoon after school until evening, when they left to do homework and the adults came by for an adult swim in the late afternoon and evening, and then the pool closed. It would get more hectic as the summer progressed, kids got out of school, it got hotter, and people found more reasons to go to their country club pool, but for right now, it was calm. Nice.

Except for one thing.

Hajin and Areum had been hanging out a lot today, watching something (somethings?) on Hajin’s phone, giggling, and then looking at either him or Chae Seon. Why? He didn’t know. Everyone already knew he and Chae Seon were close friends and that they preferred to hang out with each other over anyone else, so what else could they be talking about that concerned the two of them?

“Why do Hajin-noona and Areum-noona keep looking over at us?” Chae Seon said finally as she went to help him clean the loungers. The downside of having an outdoor pool was the fact that where there were birds, there was bird poop. Add that to some of the members forgetting to clean up, or spilling something by accident, and the loungers often did get very dirty at the end of the day.

Hoya shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“There has to be something,” she mused. “We’re not doing anything different today.”

By the time the two of them had finished cleaning the furniture, most of the guards were in the guard office, but none had come out or gone home yet. It was strange. Most people were excited to go home at the end of their shift, but something exciting was happening in the guard office that two of the quietest, coldest guards were not privy to. Naturally, they still were curious, so the two of them carefully ventured to the guard office.

What they hadn’t expected were the familiar melody, played live in a concert hall, accompanied by cheers.

I done been around the world, I done kissed a lot of girls

“So, I’m guessing that it’s true?” Hajin joked. “You’re a pretty... provocative hip hop dancer.”

Hoya’s ears were turning red, he knew it. He wasn’t ashamed of his dancing; he worked hard and he was a good dancer. He was a dance major, and he had told them so! It wasn’t that he didn’t want to show them some of the pieces he’d done, it was just that he never got around to it. So, for them to find out on their own... it wasn’t the most ideal situation.

“Uh...” was all Hoya could get out before Hajin had moved onto his best friend.

“And you!” Chae Seon flinched as the 22-year-old guard turned to point at her. “I didn’t know you did dance!”

“I thought you were a computer science major,” Dongwoo added, a gleeful smile on his face.

“I am a computer science major,” Chae Seon replied, a little awkwardly. “I just... I’m a dance minor.”

The two of them had the most awkward, embarrassed expressions on their faces. Hajin had never seen these looks on them before, but she really was enjoying them. Hoya’s ears were turning a bright red, and she could see Chae Seon’s blush going down her neck. Both of their hands were twitching. It was so adorable!

“Your ‘Colors’ piece was really cool, Chae Seon,” Dongwoo complimented. “It had a graceful flow to it I liked.”

“Your dancing style is different to Hoya-hyung’s,” Myungsoo, ever the observant artist, commented. “Other than his ‘Seven Years’ video, but it’s really different from the rest of his pieces. But you’re in his ‘Good Kisser’ video.”

“I met oppa in dance,” Chae Seon said finally. “We were in the same dance studio as kids, so we were partnered together a lot. We grew up together.”

That came as a shock to everyone. Chae Seon and Hoya were childhood friends? Everyone knew the two had known each other before, but not the extent of it. They went to the same university, so everyone assumed they’d met there somehow.

“Can you show us something?” Hajin asked finally. “One with the two of you?”

Chae Seon hadn’t expected to reveal all that she had. It was clear that no one had thought that she and Hoya were childhood friends, considering the age difference--she was almost four years younger than him--and that they had met in dance.

She wasn’t embarrassed to dance in front of her co workers. If it changed anything on their end, she would just ignore them until they treated her normally. She was already awkward and stilted with them, completely ignoring them wouldn’t be a complete stretch.

So, when Hajin had asked them to dance together, she didn’t really mind. “How about ‘Deja Vu,’ oppa?” She said readily. It was more her style than his, but it wasn’t too difficult to do on the grass (no way was she going to dance barefoot on concrete--flip flops wouldn’t be enough protection.) “Or we can do ‘Been Around the World’ if you’d rather.”

“Why not both?” Dongwoo said. “We’re done for the day. We have time.”

“What are the guards doing?” Sungjong asked as all the guards filed out of the guard office, sitting in some of the loungers to stare at two other guards.

“Did Hajin actually get Hoya and Chae Seon to dance?” Areum squealed, excited beyond belief.

Woohyun’s head snapped up. He knew Hoya did dance, but Chae Seon did as well?

“Wait for us!” Sungyeol yelled out the window, before cleaning faster. “We want to be at the dance recital!”

“Okay!” Hajin yelled back. “We’ll wait!”

By the time everyone had gathered--even Sunggyu had come back from the clubhouse in time to watch--Hoya and Chae Seon were giving each other nervous glances. “I think we’ll need to do more dances,” Hoya said.

Glancing at all the people in front of them, Chae Seon couldn’t help but agree. “I guess we can both do a solo dance.”

“I’ll do ‘Bang it to the Curb,’” Hoya said.

“I’ll do ‘The Ocean,’” Chae Seon replied.

“We have two more songs,” Hoya called to Hajin, gesturing for her phone, which she had connected to her bluetooth speaker.

“Two more?” She said, excited. Behind her, everyone cheered appreciatively.

“This is a real dance showcase,” Sungjong commented.

Chae Seon shrugged. “Since you all are here to watch us, it might as well be,” she said before turning back to Hoya.

“She talks more to you than most others,” Woohyun observed. “Are you close?”

“No,” Sungjong said calmly. “I’m usually the one there when she orders something, so she’s used to me. I guess she’s more comfortable with me, but we’re not close.”

“We’ll start now,” Hoya’s voice broke through all the chit chat, making everyone silence. “This is ‘Bang it to the Curb.’”

Hajin pressed play.

It was a good song, Woohyun noted. Good for the kind of dance Hoya seemed to be into, based on the guards’ observation.

Then Hoya’s eyebrow arched, and Woohyun’s throat went dry.

What was going on? He wondered as Hoya danced. Why were the guard’s dance moves so... alluring?

Hoya as a guard and Hoya as a dancer were two completely different people. Hoya as a guard was quiet, reserved, someone who did his job, got it done, and left it at that, no two ways about it.

Hoya as a dancer, though, was... confident. He moved with power and strength, and just oozed confidence and (dare he think it?) iness. He could imagine him on a stage, wearing tight jeans and a leather jacket, dancing with two other guys, but still being the forefront.

His heart was beating so fast, why? Why was Hoya affecting him so badly? Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

When he dropped to the grass, Woohyun’s jaw dropped. He didn’t really realize that people could dance on the ground, and even if they could, he doubted they could dance as well as Hoya.

Hoya’s finish was met with applause and heated whispers. Female staff members were whispering about how much hotter the guard had become, male staff members were talking about how good he was.

Woohyun didn’t say anything, but his mind was shut down. He knew Hoya was attractive, but now...

Hoya was attractive to him.

He was attracted to Hoya.

But at that moment, he didn’t think too much of it.

His mind turned back on when Chae Seon stepped up and Hoya stepped to the side. “I’m dancing to ‘The Ocean,’” she said.

Hajin pressed play.

Chae Seon became infinitely more graceful when she danced, Sungjong decided. As an art-related major, he was able to fully appreciate Chae Seon’s dancing.

People always thought Chae Seon was rather boyish. People thought she must be gay, as she was so much of a “tomboy.” None of the staff believed that, though. Chae Seon was Chae Seon, and if that meant she could pass for a boy if she got her hair cut and she could do more “manly” tasks better than most guys, then that was okay. Some of the members weren’t so considerate, however, and that pissed Sungjong off. If only they could see her dance, Sungjong mused. Then they would see that she was more than a “tomboy.”

It was like she was flying. She moved without a sound, beside the soft ruffling of the grass beneath her feet; even her breath was silent. Her feet seemed to never fully stay on the ground as she twirled, jumped and moved around the “stage.” Her movements were so fluid, like water. There was so much emotion on her normally stoic face that it almost took his breath away.

She was even more beautiful when she danced, Sungjong decided. She was more... herself when she let herself go in dance.

No, he wasn’t falling for Chae Seon. Unlike Woohyun and Sungyeol, dense idiots that they were, he knew exactly what he was feeling. He empathized with Chae Seon on so many levels. Where Chae Seon was “too boyish,” Sungjong was “too girly.” They both pursued interests that were frowned upon by people of their gender: Chae Seon was pursuing a STEM field, which was male dominated, and Sungjong was pursuing hair and makeup, which was a “feminine/girly” occupation. She was reserved, quiet, and restrained. He was outspoken, strong willed, and loud. She was short and muscular. He was tall and lanky, (though that’s not to say he wasn’t strong--he was!) They were each other’s complement, that was all.

As Chae Seon finished her flowing dance, Sungjong was sure he’d clap the hardest, just to show his support.

Woohyun was inexplicably nervous about watching the first partner dance, “Deja Vu.” Sure, Chae Seon and Hoya could dance well separately, but together? They had a strong connection already, so he was unsure of how that would translate into dance.

The dance itself was pretty innocent. They barely touched, and simply did similar dances. There was one instance where Hoya slid, on his knees, on the grass, to Chae Seon’s side, and another instance where the two of them slid their hands down each other’s chest, but he realized later that they never actually touched. Their finishing pose had more skin contact than the entire dance combined, with her hand on his shoulder, and his hand on her waist.

While the dance itself was harmless, the connection and chemistry between them were obvious. The way they glanced at each other, the way they smiled at each other, even their general aura changed. Everyone could tell. They instinctively knew where each other was, and their dance styles merged effortlessly to make something unique, something that was theirs. Woohyun knew the dance was more Chae Seon’s style than Hoya’s, yet he still danced like it was his style: he was that comfortable. It made something in his stomach twist.

The worst, however, was yet to come.

And when it came, it came in the form of the next dance: “Been Around the World.” This dance was more Hoya’s style, but like the last dance, Chae Seon still managed to make it her own, find her place in Hoya’s dance style. And she became ier. As did Hoya (how, Woohyun wasn’t sure).

The intro was so heavy and sultry, that it made Woohyun’s chest clench. Immediately, they were moving in a sync that was unreal, flinching and twirling in sync. Their expressions were different as well: it was more focused, more intense, and more ual. The amount of contact was also increased... dramatically. It was easily three or four times the amount of contact in “Deja Vu,” and ten times more ual.

It started when Chae Seon did a little air grind on Hoya, while he hovered above her, moving his chest in a way that should be illegal and smirking deliciously. Then, the two got closer to each other, with each beat, and then glanced at each other with a heat in their eyes that was surprising for the two. Then Hoya was moving backwards while Chae Seon, behind him, was touching his waist, and then they were so close together, staring in each other eyes like they were each other’s lifeline. Then Hoya was on his knees for her, and moving her arms over her chest from behind.

Then their midsections were touching.

Woohyun felt an anger rise up in him. How dare they? Why would Hoya touch Chae Seon like that? This was way too ual for the two of them. How could they possibly be friends while doing a dance like that?

Then their finishing move.

They were clinging to each other, following each other’s movements. Hoya was leaning backwards, while Chae Seon was pliantly following him, leaning forward to keep the contact. All while maintaining the intense eye contact Woohyun had always associated with closely-followed .

It was too much.

“Hyung, you know you’re frowning, right?” Sungjong hissed in his ear. “And you’re in the front, too, so Hoya-hyung and Chae Seon-ah can see you’re upset and not clapping?”

Instantly, Woohyun put a smile on his face and began clapping.

Inside, he felt anything but happy.

He was the first to leave.

“That last dance was... hot,” Areum told Hoya and Chae Seon bluntly, fanning herself. “How do you not get attracted to each other while dancing?”

Chae Seon shrugged while Hoya responded, “We’ve never felt attracted to each other, so it’s pretty easy do romantic or ual dances like this and not fall in love.”

“Really? You’ve never been attracted to each other?” Hajin asked.

The two exchanged a look, having a conversation both Hajin and Areum were not privy of, but the hesitance was clear.

“You have been attracted to each other?” Areum squealed.

Chae Seon bit her lip. “We did date the summer before my sophomore year of high school and his freshman year of college, but we realized pretty quickly that we weren’t really compatible... like that, and then we went back to being friends.”

Eager to change the topic, Hoya asked, “Where’s Woohyun?”

“Woohyun went home already,” Hajin replied. “Why do you want to know?”

“He seemed... upset about something earlier,” he said delicately.

“Don’t worry about him,” Areum’s waved dismissively, though her eyes were dancing with some emotion he was unaware of. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“Why are you so worried about him, anyway?” Hajin asked curiously.

“I... well... It’s just...” Hoya didn’t know how to justify it. He liked the chef, (not in a romantic way) and he almost-sort-of-kinda considered Woohyun a friend, and to see him upset because of his dancing was mildly concerning.

Thankfully, Chae Seon interrupted, glancing at her watch. “Oppa, can you drive me home? I told my mom that I was going to walk home, but it’s too late now.”

“Okay,” he agreed readily, and the two practically darted to the guard office to get their things.

“Hoya likes Woohyun,” Hajin said immediately.

Areum hummed in agreement. “And Woohyun likes Hoya.”

“But neither of them realize it,” Sungjong interrupted as he joined them. “And that’s an issue.”

Woohyun knew what he was doing was poisonous. He saw the effect watching Hoya and Chae Seon had on him, why would he continue to watch more dances with both of them?

He had watched their “Lose Control” dance. The ual fluidity of their dance was breathtaking. Literally. Woohyun stopped breathing. There was less contact, but so much more chemistry. The way they moved their bodies in response to each other, like a wordless conversation, was so intimate, Woohyun wanted to both look away to give them privacy and tear them away from each other.

The next video, “Close,” didn’t have Chae Seon, so he thought he’d be safe. Nope. It was a blindfolded dance that ended up being more intimate. It was so much more dramatic, emotional and ual, yet Woohyun couldn’t bring himself to appreciate the pure beauty of this piece. His heart kept pumping, his stomach remained in a tight twist, and he simply couldn’t feel any emotion other than anger as he watched them.

Then he saw “Company,” done entirely with guys. Hoya was the leader, and when he saw him, his throat went dry.

Hoya. In a black singlet. With tight black jeans. And those moves.

Dear God.

He never got through the entire video.

That night, Woohyun lay in his bed, entirely perplexed.

He didn’t understand. He was so sure he didn’t care for Hoya like that. He just liked seeing his reactions when he or flirted with him. They were barely even friends. How could someone he didn’t know too well cause these reactions in him?

It was like... he was jealous. But of who? Chae Seon? Of his other partner? Of any girl who danced with him? Why? Hoya had the right to dance with whoever he wanted. He couldn’t not dance with a partner. He was a dance major, and couple dances were always so cool to watch and were always so expressive.

It took several hours of restlessness, until, when Woohyun was about to fall asleep, a subconscious thought finally floated to the surface.

I wish Hoya would look at me like he had with Chae Seon.

Immediately, Woohyun jerked upright. What was that? Why had he thought that?

A sense of dread settled in his stomach when he finally acknowledged it.

He liked Hoya.

I hope you guys didn't mind the delay! I had a big research paper that was due today, and I needed to crack down and get it done.

If you guys want to see the dance playlist (which has all the choreography used in this chapter) click here. I mostly used 1million dance studio's videos if it wasn't Hoya's own dance videos. So, Chae Seon's choreography is Yoojung Lee's, and Hoya's is like Eunho Kim's. I hope you guys are okay with that!

This chapter was mostly for fun on my part and to test my writing abilities. But the main point is, Woohyun's realized he likes Hoya! 

Now to see what he does with it...