Chapter 8: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons -TS Eliot”

“We need to at least present something,” Sungmin suggested as everyone ate on the table that evening. “I mean, Mr. Yoohyun all became our Geometry teacher, right?”

Ryeowook raised his hand awkwardly. “Mr. Shin’s my Geometry teacher. So, yeah...never met him before.”

“So did I,” Kibum seconded.

Noticing that only the freshmen didn’t get to know Mr. Lee, everyone looked at Kyuhyun, who heartily pigged out eating the meal. He looked up finally, when he couldn’t anymore hear lousy exchange of dialogue among the boys.

“What?” he asked, completely unaware of what was happening.

“Is Mr. Lee your Geometry teacher?” Eeteuk clarified.

He shook his head in surprise. “Who’s that? What am I suppose to do with him?”

“Everyone here except for the maknaes became his students.” Siwon responded instantly. “Because Eunhyuk-sshi was asked to present a dance, and Yesung-hyung was also requested to perform, I guess we have to help them out. I don’t know who else were requested to showcase something in Mr. Lee’s Pool Party, but I guess it’s not just us.”

Kyu nodded, understanding. “You guys are weird. Need time to reflect on your selves, just tell me, okay? I’ll be in my room with my darling. Don’t drag me into any of your shenanigans like the last time. I’m not going to that pool party.”

“Darling?” almost everyone wondered.

Heechul was standing up, fists balled, annoyed by the maknae’s disrespectful comment. Eeteuk quickly pulled his sleeves so it was impossible for him to stand up and start shouting like what happened before. Heechul looked at his hyung, gazing at Leeteuk with confusion. The eldest begged him to control his temper because Kyuhyun would explode as much as he wanted to, and they didn’t want to have another misunderstanding.

Yesung rolled his eyes and looked straight at Kibum who too stared at his hyung, knowing exactly what the maknae meant about his darling.

“My first love,” Kyuhyun smirked at all of them as got out of his seat, leaving them all with a worried look.

“His PSP,” Yesung muttered who continued eating. “He calls it his special darling, his first love.”

“Oh, I thought it was the girl he liked,” Eeteuk sighed in relief. “I didn’t think he would be able to get her that fast.”

“And if he did,” Donghae joined in, “he’d totally tell us.”

“Kyuhyun doesn’t tell much about his personal life,” Kibum added. “He never does. He just tells us not to touch any of his stuff or else we’ll regret it. It’s either his eyes are stuck on a game or on his books.”

“That’s Kyuhyun-sshi,” Heechul agreed. “He really isn’t sociable, is he? Would you think he’d come to the pool party?”

“Is Kibum-sshi going to participate to?” Eunhyuk asked. “I really need everyone’s cooperation on this. I know you guys are awesome dancers!”

Sungmin grinned. “How about we prove it tonight?  Therefore, we can definitely do both performances. We’ll sing in Yesung-hyung’s request, and we’ll dance for Hyukjae. How about it, could we determine our strengths and weaknesses? Let’s imagine we’re auditioning to be stars.”

“That’s good, Sungmin-sshi,” Hangeng told him. “Yesung and Hyuk had to pick for themselves who is who. I bet everyone here is good at something, right?”

Everyone agreed that after dinner, they would do it. All the boys were now excited for the party. They were going to do well; nobody seemed to doubt that they were something of less value.

‘Are you attending that pool party? Kyuhyun.’ Kyu typed in his message on to his phone, sending it. After a few seconds, it vibrated inside his pocket.

He took it out realizing it was her text message. It didn’t contain much; a simple ‘YES’ sounded decent in some way.

Kyuhyun’s heart pounded on his chest, raging with longing. He dropped his PSP on the bed, bounced down and rushed to go and tell his hyungs that he was in on anything they would perform for this Mr-whoever-he-is.

Presenting their own talents, the boys below were huddled up in the living room when Kyuhyun came running down the staircase. He noticed too that Donghae must have been the last to finish eating because he was not yet with the rest of them.

The youngest crossed the room to where Eeteuk sat, laughing his bum off with Eunhyuk’s dorky dance. He slowly tapped the hyung on the head, bowing down in respect when Leeteuk appeared like he was dishonored.

“I want to go to the party, too.”

The eldest stopped chuckling and gazed at Kyu with dreamy eyes, “Why the change of heart, Kyuhyun-sshi?”

“Because I want too,” was all he said.

Eeteuk nodded, smiling. “You have to be a student of Mr. Lee to get in. Since you aren’t, you’re only access is if ever you could perform for a special participation. Okay, you wait for your turn to present your talents. We’ll see what you can fit into.”

The hyung continued laughing at Hyukjae’s gags as the maknae, sinking in to the cheerfulness, sat next to him. Donghae entered the room now, his arms all wet from washing the dishes. It was the boys’ idea that whoever was last at the table would be the one to wash everyone else’s plates. Donghae for the past week had been the only one doing this since he had been the slowest----though that didn’t matter anymore when he started dancing to the beat of ‘Sorry Sorry’. Eunhyuk, being jealous of his best friend’s attention, joined him, getting all the cheers from everyone too.

“This song is awesome!” Sungmin commented, watching very closely at the boys’ steps. “Who sang this?”

“Ah, Super Junior!” shouted Leeteuk, smiling. “But Eunhyuk-sshi’s making up all the moves himself. Even my friend Shindong likes this!”

“They must be really old that even Eeteuk-hyung knew of their existence,” Kyuhyun remarked, laughing uncontrollably as Leeteuk pinched Kyu’s belly.

“I’m very ticklish, so please don’t do it,” he told him.

“So you’re ticklish? Why didn’t you say so,” Leeteuk grabbed Kyuhyun by the arm and pulled him to his pits, tickling him all around his tummy side, then up----causing the poor boy to wildly roll on the floor, his mouth wide open and eyes practically closed.

“STOP IT!” he yelled when he couldn’t take it anymore, still cackling like a maniac.

“Sorry sorry sorry”sang Eeteuk along with lyrics. “Ha, Kyu-sshi. The song fits you well.”

“You’ll be very sorry, indeed!” Attacking from behind, Kyuhyun’s grin was still ineffably ongoing, enjoying how his hyung laughed as he took revenge by tickling him on his sides. It was like a wheezing balloon, high-pitched and funny. The others too noticed the two’s different way of showing affection, and they started laughing.

“Okay Eunhyuk-sshi! We already know you’re an awesome dancer,” Heenim said loudly when the music switched to another beat, a lot faster than ‘sorry sorry’.

“Who want to be our dancers?” asked Hyuk, wiping his sweat as he fronted the swinging fan.

Yesung’s hand was the first one in air, grabbing Hyukjae’s attention the minute he did so.

“I’ll do it,” he proposed, looking by his shoulder to see Kibum snickering.

Eunhyuk smiled. “Hyung is not only a singer but a good dancer too? Cool!”

“Do you want me to show you?” he calmly suggested.

Kibum stood up; pulling his hyung’s sleeve that had caused the volunteering boy to be pulled back to his seat. He eyed the young kid dangerously, his eyes gashing more like that of a snake. Kibum had seen this kind of reaction from his hyung but he laughed it out anyway. He usually got back to his numb expression a minute after that stage.

As expected, Yesung quieted down, silent as always.

“I suggest you guys rather not,” Kibum mused. “Yesung-hyung’s sticking to singing.”

Yesung simply shrugged, easily forgiving and giving up. Leeteuk’s hand along with Donghae’s was up in the air, calling Eunhyuk’s presence. The eldest stood up, smiling enthusiastically with dimples shyly coming about. Donghae was puffing his cheeks in anxiety, a bit nervous when Eunhyuk asked them if they were that good.

Because he was used to any kind of choreography, Eunhyuk led them into the center, teaching them a few steps----including the footwork. Hangeng, amazed at their showdown, joined the two boys in the middle as they danced to a song called ‘Boom Boom’ sung by the same artist as earlier. On the other side of the room, Kibum and Sungmin could no longer control their jazzy feet that they