Yeosang walked alone down the streets of his city. He walked alone a lot, as it allowed him to think about things. It’s nighttime, the week before high school graduation. He already had his next few years of his life figured out, but he wondered if he made the right decisions. Being shy and introverted, he didn’t have a lot of friends and it was difficult for him to make new friends. He wasn’t looking forward to the new hardships that he’ll have to face alone. Why is it so difficult for me to make friends?

“Wow, look up at the stars in the night sky! They look so pretty!” Yeosang heard someone say. He glanced up at the night sky, but he only saw darkness. The stars did not shine in the night sky that he was looking at. He continued to walk while looking down at the ground.

As Yeosang continued walking, he noticed someone dancing on the side of the street. He looked like he was busking as there was a ball cap sitting in front of him with some change inside. Yeosang stopped and watched the boy dance. He looked to be around his age, and his clothes were all dirty and sweaty and ripped in a few places. He was trying his best, but he looked exhausted. Yeosang watched as the boy finished his dance before going over to his hat on the ground to see how much money was in it. He sighed and looked disheartened at the small amount of money that was there. He scooped up the money and shoved it in his pocket anyways, and put the hat on his head before sitting down on a nearby bench.

Yeosang would normally walk away, but something made him change his mind tonight. He slowly walked over to the boy and stood in front of him. “You know… you’re pretty good.” he said in a shy voice.

The boy looked up at him and gave him a forced smile. “Thanks. I’m trying to make enough money to take dance lessons.”

“You can’t afford dance lessons?” Yeosang asked.

The boy lowered his head and shook his head. “No. Its my dream to become a dancer, but I don’t have enough money… maybe I should give up.”

Yeosang’s heart dropped. This boy had a dream that he couldn’t achieve because of lack of money. Yeosang’s hand clenched around the $50 that his parents had given him this month. He went out tonight to spend it, but he had nothing that he wanted to spend it on. He thought about how hard this boy danced with so much passion. He heard his parents’ voices in his head. “When someone has a lot of passion and determination, it should be rewarded.”

Yeosang pulled out the money and handed it to the boy. “Here. I don’t have anything useful to spend this on. You can have it.”

The boy looked at the money and his eyes went wide. He hesitated, looking up at Yeosang with a hopeful expression. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Yeosang nodded. “My parents told me that passion and determination should be rewarded.” He held the money closer to the boy.

The boy slowly took the money out of Yeosang’s hand and bowed his head a few times. “Thank you so much.” he said. Yeosang could see the boy’s eyes begin to water. “I’m Mingi by the way” he said.

Yeosang smiled and turned his outstretched hand to Mingi. “I’m Yeosang. Nice to meet you.”

Mingi shoved the money into his pocket and stood up, shaking Yeosang’s hand while giving him another bow. “Nice to meet you, too. And thank you again. I really appreciate it.”

Yeosang smiled, although a little uncomfortable with the tall boy bowing to him. “You don’t have to bow to me. I’m happy to give you the money.” he paused while Mingi scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Where are you going to take dance lessons?”

“Ah, here.” Mingi said, pulling out a piece of paper from his other pocket and unfolding it to reveal a flyer for a dance studio. “I saw this in a cafe. They’re going to put together a dance group. I want to be part of a dance group.”

Yeosang smiled, and then took out his phone. “What’s the address?” Mingi gave Yeosang the address and he saved it in his phone. He wanted to go and see Mingi get into the dance group when he saved up enough money. Yeosang put the phone back into his pocket and looked back up at Mingi. “I hope that you can get into the dance studio soon.” he said with a smile. 

Mingi smiled back. “Thank you. I hope that you can join, too. Or at least watch me perform my best.”

Yeosang couldn’t see himself in a dance group, but maybe he could try for a day. “I might go and try next week after my graduation.” he said. “Maybe I can see you there?”

Mingi’s smile remained on his face and he nodded. “Yes, I should have enough by then. I’ll see you there!” he said in an excited voice.

Yeosang bid Mingi farewell and continued to walk down the street to his home. As he got away from the city lights, he looked back up at the night sky and he could see all of the beautiful stars shining brightly. He stopped in his tracks and took in the beautiful sight before him with a smile on his face. “It really is beautiful”

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Living without dreaming is normal for a guy like Mingi. His family was poor, and didn’t have enough money to spend on dreams. Mingi even had to drop out of school in order to help provide for his family. Ever since he was a child, Mingi always enjoyed watching dancers on the TV in school. He always tried to copy them, and only learned his dancing through watching people on TV. He used his dance skills to busk in the streets during the day and at night. He didn’t make much money, but last night a kind boy named Yeosang gave him all of his pocket money to Mingi. He was more than grateful to Yeosang and he wished that he could repay him somehow. The only way that he could repay him is to use his money and build his dancing skills so that his money won’t be used in vain.

The rest of the week, Mingi did more busking in the street and managed to make enough money to finally receive those dance lessons. When the day came, Mingi was so excited that he forgot to eat before he left. He kept counting the money to make sure that he had enough. He held onto the money like he was holding onto his life. But he was holding onto his ticket to his dream. Dreams are too lavish for the poor, but Mingi’s passion and determination for his dream made him rich.

Mingi entered the dance studio, suddenly becoming overwhelmed with happiness that he finally made it here. He went to the front desk and registered for his classes. He hesitated as he handed over his money, but he remembered Yeosang’s words. After he registered, he heard the door behind him open. He looked back to see Yeosang standing there. Mingi’s face lit up upon seeing him standing there.

Yeosang waved at him with a shy smile. “I’m happy to see you came.”

“I had to. You’re the one that gave me hope.” Mingi said before gesturing toward the front desk. “Are you going to join me?”

Yeosang hesitated, but eventually walked over to the desk. “I’m not a dancer, but I’ll try it out.”

Mingi was happy to have his new friend join the dance group. 

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Jongho sat on a bench in the basketball court after playing with his friends. He wanted his friend Wooyoung to join him, but he declined and said that he needed some time to think. Jongho knew about his friends’ situation. Wooyoung was accepted into a college overseas, which is very impressive. However, he didn’t want to go. Jongho tried to help his friend figure out what he wanted to do, but he only felt like he was putting more pressure on his friend. As much as he wanted his friend to stay, he knew that it was Wooyoung’s choice to make. Jongho cursed himself for not knowing what to do for his friend. He was too young to know how to reach out to his lost friend. Where should I go?

Jongho got up off of the bench and dragged himself over to the locker room. Just before he entered, he noticed something on the bulletin board just above the water fountain. It was a flyer for dance lessons. Curious, Jongho took the flyer and looked at it. Wooyoung one said that his dream was to become a professional dancer. When the dance studio closed, Wooyoung stopped dancing. Jongho remembered how happy Wooyoung was when he talked about dancing. Maybe this will cheer him up.

Jongho quickly got changed and went up to the classroom where Wooyoung was. Even if his friend leaves for college, Jongho still wanted to see his friend smile again before he left.

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Wooyoung sat at his desk in an empty classroom. It won’t be long before he will be graduating high school and going off to college overseas. He sat there at his desk in deep thought about his future. He thought about all of the memories he had with his friends in high school and how much he’d miss them once school was over. He had to make an important decision very soon, and it wasn’t an easy one. Starting a new life in a different country that he never aspired to live in was not ideal for Wooyoung. Sure, he can make friends easily but he wasn’t quite ready to leave his friends and his home behind yet.

“Wooyoung!”

Wooyoung snapped out of his thoughts and looked over toward the door to the classroom. It was his friend Jongho. Wooyoung pushed his thoughts aside and smiled at his friend. “Hey, Jongho!” he said in a cheerful voice and waved him over. He stood up from his desk as Jongho approached him.

“Have you made up your mind about what you’re going to do after graduation?” Jongho asked as he plopped his backpack onto a nearby desk.

Wooyoung’s expression went sullen again as those thoughts bounced right back into his mind. He shook his head. “No, not yet.”

Jongho was rummaging through his backpack as if looking for something when he spoke up again. “You know, you don’t have to go. If you’re not ready then you shouldn’t force yourself to go. Even if your parents don’t understand now, I’m sure they will later. Ah, here it is.” Jongho pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper and tried to uncrumple it as much as he could before handing it to Wooyoung. “If you’re not ready to study overseas, you can stay here and build yourself up a little more until you are ready.”

Wooyoung took the piece of paper. It was a flyer for dance lessons. Wooyoung looked puzzled. “What’s this?” he asked. He already took dance classes for a few years until the dance studio closed. He never joined another dance studio even though he wanted to.

Jongho crammed all of his things back into his backpack and zipped it back up. “You said you dreamed about becoming a professional dancer. You think that you need to always take the easy way out in life, but you’re wrong. Do what you really want to do and be happy. Live your dream.”

Wooyoung smiled slightly at Jongho’s words of wisdom. “You’re too smart for your age. But I might check it out. Thanks, Jongho.” he said sincerely.

“No problem!” Jongho said as he flung his heavy backpack around onto his back. “Let me know what you decide. I might go with you.” Jongho was about to leave when he looked back at Wooyoung and asked “Do you want to meet at a cafe sometime next week after exams?”

Wooyoung thought for a moment before nodding. “Sure. Text me when and where.” With that, Jongho said his farewell and walked out the door. Wooyoung stared at the flyer. He had to make a choice. He really loved dancing, but he knew how hard it would be to achieve that dream. Going to college overseas might be the easier route to go, but he didn’t want to leave his friends and his dream behind.

Wooyoung went back to his desk and grabbed his bag before heading out of the classroom. He already made up his mind. I’m only going to think about one thing now. Wooyoung thought to himself as he headed toward the dance studio. Wooyoung gave up on the easy way out to be with his friends.

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San’s life has been as ordinary as anyone can imagine. His days were filled with both happiness and sadness as he was raised in a quiet lifestyle. But lately, his days were filled with more sadness than happiness. After graduating high school, San was now faced with the decision to choose a career. He was accepted into a college as an undecided major until he could make up his mind. San’s parents decided to move closer to the university and today is moving day. As San rode in the back of his parents’ car with boxes of their belongings on the seat next to him, he was unsure about what to do with his life. He enjoyed a lot of things, but he couldn’t figure out what he really wanted to do. His father gave him an ultimatum before they left: “Decide what you want to do by the time we get to our new home, or I’ll decide for you.”

I just want to be happy. San thought to himself. He needed meaning in his life. He needed a purpose and passion in his life. He didn’t like the thought of doing something that he didn’t enjoy. He opened his eyes to see some rain clouds beginning to roll in. They weren’t far from their new home and he still hasn’t made up his mind. He needed time to think.

San looked out of the window of the car, his mind absent as they zoomed past all of the familiar surroundings that San grew up in. He thought about his closest friend Yunho and how much he would miss him. San’s phone chimed in his hands. He looked down at the screen to see that it was Yunho.

YH: Did you leave yet?

San unlocked his phone and texted back. S: Yeah, We’re almost there.

YH: Are you nervous?

S: No. I don’t want to go. I don’t have much time to decide.

YH: What are you going to do?

San looked up at his parents in the front seat, and noticed they were deep in conversation. He thought about how he could delay them so that he could have more time to think. An idea popped into his head, and while it might not have been the best idea, it was the only thing that came to mind in the moment. He quickly texted Yunho again.

I’m going to run away.

He put his phone back into his pocket and within a few minutes, they approached a red light. When the moving car stopped for a moment, San quietly unbuckled his seatbelt. Then, before his parents could see what he was up to, he jumped out of the car.

San bolted down the unfamiliar street. He didn’t look back as his heart pounded in his chest and the adrenaline rushing through his veins made him run faster than he'd ever run in his life. He needed to get away. He needed to think alone. As he ran, the sky opened up and it began to rain. He kept running until the adrenaline began to subside. He stopped in front of a café, his wet hair clinging to his face and his soaked clothes felt heavy on him. He looked over and saw a bench in front of the café. He dragged himself over to the wet bench and collapsed onto it. He buried his head in his hands and he began to cry. All of his frustrations and emotions came pouring out like the rain poured out of the sky. San is sick of his life. He’s sick of having to meet everyone’s expectations and goals instead of creating his own. He also felt anger toward himself because of his indecisiveness. What am I going to do? San thought to himself as the tears and the rain began to fall even harder.

As San sat there in the rain, he suddenly felt the raindrops come to a stop. It was still raining as he could hear the rain hitting something, like an umbrella above him. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down before he rubbed the tears out of his eyes and looked up. A boy, about his age stood over him holding a large black umbrella over San.

“Hello” the boy said, with the smile still on his face

San gave him a nod and managed to choke out a raspy “Hello.”

“If you stay out here like this, you’ll get sick.” The boy said before nodding toward the café. “You can come and sit with me and my friend in the café if you’d like.”

San looked over toward the café to see another boy around his age sitting at a table by the window. The boy gave San a shy little wave. San looked back up at the boy in front of him.. “Um… Are you sure it’s OK? I’m-”

Before San could finish his sentence, the boy spoke up. “Yes, I’m the one who invited you.” There was a pause as San thought about it. “Come on. Maybe you can join our dance group.”

San perked up slightly at the idea of a dance group. He’s tried many sports and activities, but one thing that he really wanted to try was dancing. “I’ve never danced before, but I always wanted to try.”

The boy then pulled out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to San. “Well, then here’s an official invite to our group. If you don’t like it, then you don’t have to come back but you can at least try.”

San opened the paper to see a flyer for dance lessons at a nearby dance studio. He felt a small surge of happiness that he hadn’t felt in a long time. In the midst of his sadness, the boy’s small gesture was like a small ray of sunshine peeking through the darkness. San looked back up at the boy and gave him a light smile and nod. “Thank you.” He said before folding the paper back up and stood up. He held out a hand to the boy and introduced himself. “I’m San by the way.”

The boy smiled brightly again and shook San’s hand. “I’m Wooyoung. And my friends’ name is Jongho.” He said. “Now, are you going to join us? I’m starting to get a bit cold out here.”

San smiled and nodded. “Yes, I would love to.” And with that, San followed Wooyoung into the café. 

In that very moment, San’s life changed forever.

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Yunho and San have been friends since they were just learning how to walk. They were considered brothers since they were so close. Yunho always knew how to cheer San up whenever he was feeling down, but lately San was not himself. The last couple of months have been rough on San as he couldn’t make up his mind about what career path he wanted to take. Yunho tried to help his brother, but it was no use. For the first time, Yunho felt powerless to do anything. He tried to talk to his own parents about it, but they couldn’t help either. It was painful to watch San deteriorate so much, but he never gave up trying to cheer him up. When Yunho learned that San would be moving closer to the university that he got accepted into, he became upset. The brother that he grew up would be moving away and who knows when he’ll be able to see him next. They had bid their farewells the day before San left.

Yunho had just returned to his car from shopping when he texted San to ask if he had left. The text exchange was a lot more solemn than usual. He got into his car to drive back home when he saw San’s last text: I’m going to run away.

Yunho’s heart dropped. How can his friend think so rashly? Is he really serious?

What are you talking about? Are you OK?

Yunho waited for San’s reply for a few minutes, but he never got a response. He started up his car and began to drive toward his friends’ new home. He got a call from San’s parents. They were angry and upset that San had just run off in the middle of traffic. They told Yunho where they last saw him, and he headed toward that place.

Yunho sped down the roads while trying to call his friend San, but to no avail. As soon as he arrived in the neighborhood where San was last seen, he parked his car along the street and got out. Thankfully, the rain had subsided but it was starting to get dark out. Yunho ran up and down the streets calling out San’s name, but no one answered. Exhausted, Yunho finally collapsed onto a bench on the sidewalk. He buried his head in his hands and began to sob. Where is his brother? Why did he run away? What am I supposed to do if you disappear?

Just when he thought he’d never see his brother again, Yunho heard a familiar voice call out to him. He wiped his tears away and looked up. There, standing in the doorway of a cafe was San. He couldn’t tell if he was just hallucinating, so he got up off of the bench and walked over to San. It really is him.

Yunho let out a huge sigh of relief and hugged his friend. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” he said before realizing that he was getting wet. He pulled away and looked up at San up and down. “Did you get caught in the rain?” he asked

San nodded and then pointed to the table where two other boys sat. “Yeah, until they invited me to come in and join them. Sorry for worrying you.”

Yunho looked at the other two boys, one of which waved at him to come and join them.

San briefly explained what happened as he led Yunho over to the table. He introduced himself before sitting down at the table.

“So, uh… dance?” Yunho asked San.

San nodded. “Yeah, I’m just going to try it out.”

Jongho pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to Yunho. He looked at the contents carefully before turning to them and asking “Do you think I can try it out, too?”

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Seonghwa sat in a cafe in a nearby town, trying to figure out what he wanted to do next with his life. He was already in college, he had a lot of friends, he was part of a dance group, and he had a wonderful girlfriend. That is, until recently. A lot of Seonghwa’s friends decided to leave the college, or they found a new group of friends. His dance group disbanded and his girlfriend decided to leave both him and the college that they attended. Seonghwa had a few girlfriends, but she was the first one that he really loved.  Everyone left, but only her scent remained. His heart was broken and he couldn’t shake the feeling of being empty. The past year felt as if he was dreaming within his own dream, but now he has woken up.

He watched the rain fall outside. He watched as a boy cried on the bench until another boy went out and brought him back in. He watched as another boy came in and joined them a while later. They talked about a dance group, which caught Seonghwa’s attention. It caused Seonghwa to reminisce about his own dance group that just disbanded. He was about to leave when he saw those other boys get up to leave together. He wanted to follow them and ask about the dance group, but his body felt too heavy.

Soon after, someone went to clean up the mess and Seonghwa noticed a flyer had fallen to the floor. The person cleaning the table did not notice the paper and left it there. Seonghwa went and grabbed the paper when the cleaner left and opened the flyer. Seonghwa felt a surge of happiness wash over him. Maybe he can join a new group?

Seonghwa was about to turn to leave when he accidentally ran into someone. He immediately began apologizing to the person he had just run into. It was another boy around his age who looked like he worked at the cafe.

“I’m sorry, I should have looked to see where I was going.” Seonghwa said to the boy.

The boy held up his hand. “No, it’s OK, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He noticed the paper that Seonghwa was holding. “Is that a flier for the dance group?” he asked.

Seonghwa nodded. “Yeah. My dance crew disbanded, so I want to join a new one.”

The boy smiled. “Good. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to show up.”

Seonghwa tilted his head. “You’re in the dance group?”

The boy shook his head. “No, I’m the one who created the dance group and the flyers.”

Seonghwa’s face lit up. “Oh, really? I’m glad that you did. I look forward to dancing with you.” he said with a slight bow. “I’m Seonghwa by the way.”

The boy gave him a slight bow and responded “I’m Hongjoong. I hope that you come. It would really mean a lot to me.”

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A month earlier, Hongjoong sat in his dorm room trying to piece together his final project. He’s a music major trying to create music for future singers and dancers. He himself never aspired to become a singer or dancer, but he wanted to encourage others to do so. As he spent hours and hours working on his music, his dream of becoming a producer drew closer. How much longer will it be before I can achieve my dream?

Then, one night, Hongjoong walked past a dance studio that was having a show in a few days. He decided to attend the show, and saw how passionately the dancers moved to the music that was being played. I wish someone could dance to my music with that much passion.

When Hongjoong returned to his dorm that night, he  found that there had been a fire and that most of his belongings, including his precious laptop, had been incinerated in the fire. He cried, wondering what he should do. He walked past the dance studio again to see a flyer up looking for a producer to put together songs for the dancers. He jumped at the opportunity and bought himself a new laptop and began to produce more music. He landed the job as a producer and began to work on music for the dance studio. His upbeat electronic-type music inspired many people, and eventually he was asked if he could put together a dance group that could dance to his songs. Hongjoong hesitated, as he did not know many people. But he decided to accept and made flyers. He put them up at the cafe he worked at, and not many people seemed interested at first, but once he saw the group of boys talking about the dance group, he felt overjoyed. Will they really come?

The day finally arrived. He didn’t think anyone would show up, but here stood 7 boys eager to dance. He did it. Hongjoong’s dreams burned in a fire, but the good thing about dreams is that you can build them up again. A dream doesn’t go away forever, it just gets re-built. Everyone in that dance group had different dreams, but they shared the same string of fate. And although young, their passion burned like a fever.