35 NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN (EPILOGUE)

There’s no fight we cannot win

Just you and I, defying gravity

With you and I defying gravity

They’ll never bring us down

Kibum pats down the lapels of his coat and adjusts the cufflinks on his dress shirt, lost in thought, trying to remember if he had ever worn cufflinks in his life. It seems capricious, even for a stylish and accessories-obsessed person like him. But if he deems this item unnecessary, Kibum could only imagine what Taemin thinks of it. Taemin whose puzzled face was comical when he received Dior cufflinks as a birthday present from their management. Kibum chuckles at the memory of Taemin’s furrowed brows and puckered lips when he unboxed the gift and studied it from all angles. Without any word, he just handed it to Kibum.

After everything they have been through, Kibum and Taemin find themselves in no need of words a lot of times. They’ve developed such a deep understanding of each other that glances, gestures, and even the other’s general aura for the day will suffice. It benefited their relationship greatly because Kibum has the tendency to say too much to the point of sounding overbearing, while Taemin tends to say too little that he comes off as indifferent. But whatever lack or inadequacy there is in their communication as a couple, their touches more than make up for it. In fact, they are so addicted to touching each other that they struggle to abstain from it in public.

Nevertheless, there is something magical about the way they touch each other and move together that people around them cannot help but stare at them. This is why it was suggested by colleagues and fans that they collaborate as a duo or a unit and release an album. But before the pitch could blossom into a full-blown proposal, the executives shot it down out of fear of a scandal.

“Kibummie, are you ready?” Taemin is now all suited up too and Kibum thinks he could cry over how beautiful his man is. And what’s more devastating is that in spite of Taemin’s lifelong dwelling in the spotlight, he still looks shy and almost bereft of confidence when he’s not on stage.

Taemin is buttoning the sleeves of his black blazer when it briefly crossed Kibum’s mind to prank his boyfriend by getting him cufflinks for Christmas.

Christmas! Kibum cannot believe that the year is about to end. Wasn’t it just yesterday when he and Taemin welcomed the New Year with a kiss at the Mercure as Jonghyun and Jinki sang the words Nothing can stop me from loving you? And that grand moment necessitated the alliance of Minho, Haru, Heechul, and Jongin for it to happen.

But on second thought, the year didn’t actually breeze through; so much has happened that it’s hard to believe that all of those events took place in just a single year…

~~~

The music video of their song “You and I” was released for SM Station on Valentine’s Day. Although it drew speculations about Taemin and Kibum being more than just friends, the management decided to sweep it under the rug, thanks to the song’s commercial success. It also received positive reviews not just for the music and performance but for the audacity on the part of SM to release a tragic love song on Valentine’s (it was actually Kibum’s idea). The public lauded the move, believing that the new reality is that Valentine’s is just as much for lovers as it is for single people and that nothing is more true than love bringing pain and desolation.

At the beginning of spring and with the blessing of both families, Minho formally proposed to his longtime girlfriend Chanmi. Although Kibum had planned to go to war with SM if they drop Minho for this, he was relieved (and stunned) that the executives took it in stride. But Kibum understood the peaceful reception when Minho explained to him that he had been accepted in the marines so his temporary inactivity in show business will give his fans time to process and accept this development in his personal life. Minho is entering a new season in his life, which he is absolutely thrilled about, and Kibum can only be happy for his best friend (he has informed Jinki that he has two best friends now).

Speaking of Kibum’s best friends, Jinki and Jonghyun had a June wedding in Taipei. It was the most beautiful wedding Kibum has ever witnessed. As Jinki waited by the altar, Jonghyun walked down the aisle with a guitar, singing a new song he wrote called Hallelujah. Jinki looked like an angel wearing an all-white evening suit, the coattail complementing his great figure, which is often concealed by his childish choice of clothes. It was also perfect for Jinki’s performance during reception wherein he wowed the guests with his rendition of Puccini’s Nessun dorma.

Jonghyun, on the other hand, looked very handsome in a suit of a shade in between mint and turquoise (which Kibum later found out, from the designer, is called pearl aqua). It highlighted his caramel complexion and brilliant smile, which he cannot help flashing all day.

Taemin sang Truth after the couple’s exchange of vows. By that time, Kibum was bawling his eyes out, taking a gargantuan willpower on Taemin’s part to keep himself from bursting into laughter. He finds it utterly cute when his elegant boyfriend-hyung loses his composure.

Kibum thanked the heavens that he and Taemin found each other and that they went to the wedding together because everyone in attendance ended up lovesick one way or another.

Jongin and Heechul attended the wedding, but not as a couple, of course. Heechul came with his girlfriend, Momo. In spite of his reputation as a player, Heechul surprised everyone with the devotion he’s shown Momo for the past six months.

As for Jongin, he and Haru never hooked up or anything of the sort after New Year’s Eve but they did end up as good friends. Haru hangs out with Jongin and Taemin whenever she came to Seoul. But Jongin came to the wedding with a plus one— Mark Lee, a friend of Kibum’s from New York who moved back to Seoul in January. Jongin and Mark didn’t hit it off right away because the latter is younger and too westernized for Jongin’s taste. But as they often ended up third & fourth wheeling for Kibum and Taemin, the dinners they go to with the couple soon became double dates. Taemin was a bit worried at first because Jongin has a penchant for whirlwind romances. But when his best friend told him that he’s spending the Christmas season with Mark and family in Canada, Taemin realized it’s for keeps. 

After Jinki and Jonghyun’s honeymoon in Tuscany, the latter returned to work and formally opened his own music studio. SM allowed him to be a trainer and producer for independent artists as long as he manages his schedules and projects so as not to compromise his commitment to SM.

Going through the slew of record demos was an adventure for Jonghyun and Jinki, who is also Jjong’s managing partner. One particular ‘adventure’ was listening to an unremarkable demo from a wannabe DJ/singer/rapper, who turns out to be someone they know from the not-so-distant past. It isn’t the painful mediocrity of the demo that got their attention (they’ve encountered quite a number) but it’s the cover letter that came with it. It says there that Jonghyun owes him for the breakdown of his career in dancing, that he would have risen from the ranks of backup dancers with his exceptional looks and talent if not for SM’s cruelty, and that he is willing to forgive and forget as long as Jjong supports his new  career. Jjong doesn’t know if it’s just the sordid memories but he thinks the guy looks even more smug now in his ‘homemade’ music video. He may have dyed his hair blonde and changed his name to Chaejin, but in the eyes of Jjong and Jinki, Jinchae will always be the slimy bastard who tried to ruin Taemin and Kibum. The demo and the letter ended up as the first occupants of the stylish automatic sensor dustbin that Jinki purchased for their studio/office, which the newlyweds have been excitedly furnishing and decorating as if they were going to live there.

Jonghyun’s music studio became so successful in no time that they had to hire staff to assist them. The triumph of this endeavor also became a leverage for Jonghyun in protecting Taemin and Kibum’s relationship.

When Taemin moved to an apartment adjacent to Kibum’s, the executives vehemently warned them against coming out and revealing their relationship to the world.  During the meeting the management called, the couple explained that they have no such plans since they consider their private lives, well, private. But in the same breath they say that they are not going to hide their affection for each other like it’s a disease. They will neither confirm nor deny their relationship but they won’t be living like escaped convicts. When Miss Seok insisted on having Taemin return to his apartment in the compound owned by SM and scrapping Jonghyun’s plan to write a new song for Kibum and Taemin to record together, Taemin said his piece.

“Miss Seok, when Kibum and I decided to commit to each other, we anticipated this. So we discussed the matter with Jonghyun-hyung and his husband and we’ve come up with a plan that we will be forced to execute should the management insist on running our lives for us when you should only be managing our careers.”

“My contract with SM has no non-compete clause,” Jonghyun adds. “According to the lawyer we consulted, this means that if I resign I can engage in a business that is in direct competition to yours. I already have a studio and I’m happy working with independent artists. You know that music is my passion more than anything and I never cared about going mainstream. But if SM continues to be oppressive towards its artists, my husband and I are willing to open the doors of our studio to Taemin and Kibum, who have told us that they are considering not renewing their contracts and signing under Sun and Moon Records instead. Woah, I just realized we’re SM too, Sun and Moon! Funny.”

Kibum made his own unrehearsed speech. “Do you have any idea how many artists would follow suit? Aside from the huge amount of respect they have for Jonghyun and their faith in his company, our friends will be titillated by the idea of sharing their artistry to the world while having the freedom to live their lives as they would want to. Please don’t think we’re threatening you. We’re saying these things in good faith. We are just exercising our rights. We may be abiding by your rules right now but only until our contracts end, which is in the first quarter of next year.”

Since Lee Sooman’s gaze was fixed on Taemin, who felt that this confirms his suspicion that the big boss is mainly concerned about Taemin’s spot in his empire—or more of a throne than a spot since everyone knows he’s practically SME’s crown prince—Taemin decided to have the last say.

“Kibum is right. We are not making any kind of threat here. This is more of an appeal for you to treat us better. I have a comeback album to be released soon, Never Gonna Dance Again. The concept I had for this was me breaking away from the Taemin that was and emerging as the Taemin I am now. The title alludes to me never going to dance again for the forces that make up a life lived in the limelight or dancing for everyone else but myself. But if this is the end of the road for us, then it’s me never gonna be dancing again for SM.”

Kibum grabbed Taemin’s hand and they linked their fingers under the conference table. Jonghyun beamed at them, relived that he is able to keep himself from bursting into tears.

~~~