Jiyeon’s POV

“Okay class, let’s review the entire choreo with the music one last time today alright!”

“Neh, seonsaengnim.” My students chorused. I chuckled to myself. ‘Seonsaengnim’ sounds really old. In fact, I am younger than more than half my students in the night class. Well, I told them they could call me Jiyeon but Hyunjoon would insist that they address us as ‘seonsaengnims’.

I clicked the ‘play’ button on the stereo. The lyrics to Dev’s Bass Down Low began playing.

A/N: Heh. Kinda braindead to think of other songs at the moment. It was playing on my iTunes.

If you wanna get with me

There’s some things you gotta know

I like my beats fast and my bass down low

“5, 6, 7, 8!”

I leaned back on the wall in the corner and grabbed my towel, wiping sweat off my forehead. I’m thoroughly exhausted. It’s been a long day, with the first class beginning at 10 in the morning, and now it’s way past dinnertime. My last proper meal, as far as I can remember, was at 12. I checked the clock hanging on the wall.

8.30 PM. 

Thankfully, my embarrassing stomach growls were covered by the loud booming music coming out of the stereos. I stretched my back and watched my students dance in satisfaction. This bunch has come a long way. They were our first batch of students ever.

“That’s it for today! Be sure to drink up and shower after practice before you head home! Thank you everyone!”

“Kamsahamnidah seonsaengnim!” My students bowed and one by one, they sauntered out the studio.

“Ahhh so tired!” I lied on the cool parquet floor and rolled around. My stomach growled and I winced as I felt the effervescence of my stomach juices. Ugh, this is gonna get bad. One day my stomach wall may just dissolve.

“Here you go! I can’t believe it, Yeon-ah, you’re eighteen and you can’t even feed yourself properly!”

A bowl of piping hot kimchi noodles appeared right before my eyes. Eyes wide like saucers, I tilted my head to see the owner of that familiar voice. Hyunjoon smiled at me and handed me a pair of chopsticks.

“Thanks, Hyunjoon oppa.”

I gave him a tired smile and tucked into the noodles. The hunger pangs subsided as the hot kimchi soup warmed my stomach. Hyunjoon gave his classic one-sided grin and ruffled my hair.

“Yah, oppa I told you I don’t like people touching my hair!”

I grimaced and wriggled away from Hyunjoon. I absolutely hate having messed up hair. And I’m kinda sweaty now, doesn’t my hair feel a little grimy and disgusting? Ew. I will never understand Hyunjoon.

“But I love doing just that, Yeon ah.”

Hyunjoon’s POV

Jiyeon made an I-am-super-grossed-out-by-you face after I said that.

“Aish oppa at this rate you will never get a girlfriend!”

She exclaimed, full of noodles. Unbeknownst to her, I felt a dull ache in my heart. That’s you I’m waiting for Jiyeon. I longed to tell her that. But I couldn’t. There was already one person in her heart. It’s been two years, why can’t you forget about him and see me instead? My heart has been yearning for an answer, Jiyeon.

I smiled and stared at my phone while she ate, in hopes of relieving the awkwardness her last comment created. I can’t confess to her just yet, it’ll merely create a wider gap between the both of us.

“Thanks for the food oppa!”

Jiyeon smiled and stood up to clear away the bowl and chopsticks. Her cheeks had regained their natural rosy sheen. Anything for you, Jiyeon ah.

“Yah! Hyunjoon, Jiyeon ah! The rest are here!”

Ha Eun’s voice disrupted my train of thought and I stared at her stride into the studio happily after her barbeque dinner (well she sure smelt of bbq smoke). Hanseul, Chun Seok and Woojin trailed behind her like she was a mother hen and they were her chicks.

Back in middle and high school, Ha Eun, Hanseul, Chun Seok, Woojin, Jiyeon and I were in the same dance crew, Enigma. Hanseul and Chun Seok were our third year seniors who came up with the entire dance crew thing. Woojin and I were roped in first, then Ha Eun and Jiyeon, our first year dongsaengs. Ha Eun and Jiyeon were best of friends since young, and naturally, both of them joined Enigma together.

We participated and won numerous dancing competitions all across Korea back in our day. When the hyungs graduated from high school and Chun seok entered college, Enigma’s activities gradually died down.

Ha Eun, Jiyeon and I decided to open a dance studio and give dance classes after we left high school to earn pocket money before we enrolled in college. I had bought an apartment to live in, and two of the rooms were converted into a dance studio. Due to our lack of creativity, we named it after our dance crew too.

Woojin was working at a restaurant, while Hanseul was working at his father’s company, preparing to take over the business. Chun Seok was studying Business at Kyunghee University. He sure was one heck of a smartypants.

Other than pubs and noraebang, the Enigma studio became our frequent ‘rendezvous’ venue. We even had a PS3 and a Wii installed.

Oh, Enigma had seven members originally. There was Jongin, who left us shortly after he joined S.M. Entertainment as a trainee  due to a couple of restrictions imposed on him. I guess he hadn't had the time to commit either. 

Most importantly, he left Jiyeon.

Jiyeon’s POV

“Yah! Nu-ohhh you can’t beat me hyung! I’ve practiced real hard for this day to show off my skills!”

Woojin chirped, his eyes fully glued onto the TV screen as he skillfully maneuvered his character through the complicated city maze, avoiding bullets flying his way.

“Oh reaaaallyy?” Hanseul muttered under his breath, as beads of sweat appeared on his face, his concentration at maximum too. I stifled a laugh when I saw how he twisted his body whenever he wheeled his character in different directions, his mouth gaping open. It seemed like he was the one in the game.

“Oh Jiyeon ah, you’re done showering. Those fools, I bet if someone were to creep up behind them and pocket their wallets, they would hardly even feel a thing.”

Ha Eun smirked at them as she washed the dishes in the sink. Woojin was always so fond of challenging his hyungs at games ever since his recent addiction to them. I speculated he'd been out gaming whenever he was free from work. 

We walked out of the kitchen to join the rest in the television room where the others were engaging in ‘Wii battles’. I slumped on the couch next to Chun Seok, completely worn out by the day’s activities.

“Oh hey Jiyeon ah! Woojin is completely owning Hanseul at this,” he chuckled and made some space for me. I gave him an eye-smile and continued watching the guys fight it out over the Wii.

“AWW YEAHH I WON I BEAT HANSEUL-HYUNG!” Woojin punched his fists in the air as a triumphant smile spread across his face, flashing his dimples. Being the monkey he was, he began flailing his arms in the air, doing his signature victory dance around the room. Totally derp style. 

“Ugh here we go again.” Hyunjoon facepalmed and shook his head.

“Yah! No respect for your hyung huh!”

“But the fact is, I won! Aw yeah!” Woojin made a face at Hanseul and continued doing his victory dance.

“No matter how good you get, you will never beat the sniper! He’s the ultimate king of gaming, that Jongin ah – ”

Hanseul was interrupted by a tug on his arm, and he turned to look at Ha Eun and Hyunjoon who shot him disapproving looks.

“I-I’m sorry, Jiyeon. I momentarily forgot, and you know, I just thought about him and all.”

Hanseul gazed at me with apologetic eyes. I looked around at everyone, whose attention was now focused on me. Even Woojin stopped dancing. The room suddenly became extremely quiet, in contrast to the chaos it was previously.

This was awkward.

“It’s okay Hanseul oppa. About Jongin, I’m over him. He’s just... someone from my past I guess.”

Fatigue was overtaking my body as I felt an impending migraine. I stood up, gave him a small smile and walked toward the balcony.

I. Need. Fresh. Air. Pronto.

Cold wind greeted Jiyeon the moment she stepped outside onto the balcony. She inhaled the fresh air deeply several times and gazed into the infinite darkness of the night sky. For some reason, blankly staring into space provided her with the solace she rightly needed. And it cured her migraine, too.

It was the first day of school. As she entered the school halls, she fidgeted nervously with her bag straps. Multitudes of equally clueless first-years brushed past her as she wandered aimlessly in search for her designated homeroom, D402.

“Chogi, do you happen to know where D402 is?”

Jiyeon’s keen ears picked up the magical numbers D402 and she quickly scanned the vicinity for the owner of the unfamiliar voice, who was possibly her savior of the day. She came face to face with a tall lean boy about 1.8m tall who towered over her.
 

“Hey, are you looking for D402 too?” he grinned. What a beautiful smile, she thought.

“Neh, I am, but I can’t seem to find it!” she furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him, still rather intimidated by his sheer height.

“Let’s search for it together! By the way, I’m Kim Jongin, nice to meet you! You can call me Jongin. You are?” Jongin grinned at his newly found friend. His first friend in this school, in fact.

“Song Jiyeon. Nice to meet you too.”

Jiyeon did a small bow, and at that instant, a group of excited students jostled past her, causing her to lose her balance. Jiyeon found herself colliding into Jongin’s chest, and immediately jerked backward.

“I am so sorry, Jongin-ssi!” Jiyeon flushed bright red like a tomato and looked down at her shoes, realizing what just happened. Colliding into a guy’s chest was not on her to-do list on the first day of school. Or any other day, for that matter. Her heart was beating at insane frequency, and she did not know why.

“No worries! Just call me Jongin, we’re best friends now, aren’t we?” Jongin chuckled and slung his arm over her shoulder (rather easily since he was much taller than her) and dragged her to Block D where their classroom was. Her heart was still pounding like crazy against her ribcage.

“Jiyeon, are you alright?”

Her thoughts vanished abruptly and she turned to smile at a worried-looking Hyunjoon.

“I’m doing just fine, Hyunjoon oppa. Go back inside, I’ll join you guys soon!” Jiyeon smiled while pursing her lips. Hyunjoon knew something was amiss when she suddenly stood up and left the room after the mention of Jongin’s name.

“Uh okay... See you back in there, yeah?” Hyunjoon bit his lip and retreated back into the warmth of his apartment. His heart ached because he knew what, or rather, who was going through Jiyeon’s mind.

“We’re going now, Hyunjoon oppa! Goodnight, and remember to lock the doors!” Ha Eun waved to Hyunjoon and ran to catch up with Jiyeon. They were the last to leave the studio.

Ha Eun was bothered about what she had understood from the exchange she witnessed earlier between Hyunjoon and Jiyeon. The way Hyunjoon looked at her was like no other.

She kept thinking, Should I ask her now?

“Yah Eun ah! The bus is here! And I think it’s the last one! Hurry up quit spacing out!” Jiyeon grabbed Ha Eun’s arm and hauled her toward the bus at top speed, causing Ha Eun to lunge forward. The sudden movement caused Ha Eun to snap out of her daze and she realized what they were doing – running after the bus like total maniacs.

“Kamsahamnidah ahjussi,” Jiyeon panted as they entered the near empty bus. The girls stumbled to the back of the bus when the bus began moving, still panting from the 200m sprint earlier.

Ha Eun observed her friend whose attention was completely fixated on some promotional video being played in the bus. Now is the right time to ask her about it since we’re alone. Fighting! Ha Eun mustered all her courage, and gulped on her saliva.

“Jiyeon ah.”

“Hmm?”

“What do you think of Hyunjoon oppa? What do you see – ”

Ha Eun turned to look at Jiyeon, feeling neglected. The dark figure in the PV tossed his hat and cape away, and the camera zoomed in onto his face, revealing his entire face.

Omo, the resemblance is uncanny. No, it can’t be, Ha Eun thought. The dude on the PV began showing off his sleek moves and signature footwork. Okay, it’s definitely him.

The PV ended as several words flashed on the screen,

EXO. FROM EXOPLANET. KAI.

“Eun, it’s him. It’s J-Jongin.”

A/N: Presenting... THE EX. KAI!!!!! ^^ 

Kinda re-uploaded chapter 1 cus a friend of mine told me that it was too short, so I added some part of chapter 2 into it :)