Cho Kyuhyun liked order and calm. He liked music too, and was good at it—so good, in fact, that it led him to become the youngest professor of classical music in Seoul Music Academy's history. He'd only been graduated five years before they asked him back as a teacher.

Kyuhyun was glad to accept, because as much as he loved music and loved to sing, performing in the classical singing world wasn't really his thing. He'd tried it and while it was fun, the chaos and sometimes vicious, jealous attitudes of the other performers was too much for his blunt and straightforward personality to deal with.

So he returned to his alma mater to teach at the age of 27, a legend to the students and professors alike. And he liked his position and the respect it garnered him. It was easy to keep his world ordered and in place when most people kept to a respectful distance.

"Yah, Kyuhyun-ah!"

This respectful distance did not apply to everyone, Kyuhyun reflected, as he turned and an arm was slung around his shoulders familiarly. "Good morning, hyung."

Park Jungsu, known most commonly by students and teachers alike by his stage name Leeteuk, beamed at his younger colleague, his single dimple making an appearance in his right cheek. He'd been several years ahead of Kyuhyun at the Academy and so they had never actually attended at the same time, but as two of the youngest members on the staff Leeteuk had adopted Kyuhyun as his hoobae and insisted on dragging him out to socialize.

"Hey, do you have any plans for this weekend?" Leeteuk asked, running a hand absently through his newly copper-colored hair. Kyuhyun's eyes tracked the movement, and he shrugged.

"You know me, hyung. I never have plans."

"Excellent!" Leeteuk beamed. "We're going out this weekend, okay? I want to go clubbing!"

"Hyung," Kyuhyun sighed, "We're professors at the most prestigious music university in South Korea. Don't you think we're a little beyond that?"

Leeteuk waved this off. "If you're under forty, there's no way you can be beyond clubbing. Besides, I teach rhythm and diction. What better place to practice than at a club?"

"And I teach classical singing and composition. Therefore, I should be spending the weekend attending concerts and performances. And grading papers. I have a lot of those."

Leeteuk latched even more firmly onto Kyuhyun, and they began receiving amused looks from passing students and staff members. "No, Kyuhyun-ah," he whined, setting his chin on Kyuhyun's shoulder, "You have to come with me! It's no fun by myself!"

Kyuhyun took a steadying breath and focused his attention on the other side of the hallway, rather than his sunbae's uncomfortably close eyes. "Admit it. You just have no other friends."

Leeteuk gasped in outrage, thankfully loosening his grip and allowing Kyuhyun to put a bit of distance in between them. "That's mean! I do too have other friends! But they're all touring right now." The attractive man's face became lonely for a moment, before brightening. "So that's why we have to stick together. I know your friends are touring right now too."

Kyuhyun sighed, hefting the papers in his arms a bit higher as they reached the door to his classroom. "Okay, hyung. We'll go out this weekend. But only because I like you so much. You know I don't like clubs."

Leeteuk beamed and helpfully opened the classroom door for him. "Okay! I'll see you later, Kyuhyun-ah!"

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and walked to his podium, setting his papers down with a thud and ignoring the looks he was getting from his students. "All right. Let's get started." One of the girls raised her hand. "Yes?"

"Are you and Leeteuk-seonsaengnim going out this weekend, Cho-seonsaengnim?" she asked, leaning forward eagerly. "Invite us too! It would be a great learning experience! We could learn about different styles of music!" The other students murmured their agreement, looking up at him hopefully.

Kyuhyun stared at the student flatly. "Unfortunately for you, this is a classical composition class, and thus the study of anything other than classical composition is unnecessary. If you are interested in other styles of music, sign up for a class instead of bothering your professors." The girl visibly deflated, slumping in her seat and staring at her desk. "Right," Kyuhyun continued, "I have your compositions right here," he tapped the pile of papers, "but you won't get them back until the end of class. I find that your attention is better focused on me when you do not have the distraction of your grades in front of you. That being said, let's start class."

Kyuhyun stared at his mirror assessingly. Was his shirt too sober for a club? He tugged at the charcoal cuffs, and then undid one more button at the top. Yes, that was better. The V of skin at the top of the button-down lent a more casual feel to the outfit. He stared critically at his jeans, dark blue and plain, and decided to leave them as they were. He wasn't one for accessories. His dark eyes drifted upward, stopping on his hair.

Kyuhyun had a love-hate relationship with his hair. It was black, as all Asians, but unlike most Koreans his hair curled and waved frustratingly. He generally kept it cropped close to his head out of irritation, but he hadn't had the chance to get it cut recently and his hair was happily curling around his ears and flopping over his forehead.

Well, nothing he could really do about that. His hair would do as it pleased. His gaze moved to the rest of his face, and he frowned. He wasn't very fond of his face—too odd, too disproportionate, in his opinion. His eyes too big and dark ("Dead eyes," more than one person had commented), his nose too prominent, his mouth too wide, cheekbones too high. Some people called him handsome, but Kyuhyun didn't really see it. He just saw the awkward teenager who had never really grown into his height and limbs.

He sighed and, in a fit of anger, spun away from the mirror. No amount of primping was going to make a difference. He wasn't going out to attract attention; he was going out to keep Leeteuk from ending up in an alley. And, hopefully, to keep him from going home with anyone too dangerous. Kyuhyun's gut clenched at the thought.

Well, might as well get going. He made sure his wallet was tucked into a pocket along with his keys, and caught a taxi to the club.

It was already busy when he arrived, glancing around slightly nervously for his colleague. He spotted him fairly easily, chatting to a couple of men near the entrance to the club, and he approached quickly, sliding in close to Leeteuk.

"Oh, Kyuhyun, you're here!" Leeteuk smiled, half-turning to face him. Kyuhyun nodded and smiled politely at the two men, remaining close to Leeteuk, who didn't notice. The men soon said their goodbyes, and Kyuhyun and Leeteuk headed for the short line at the door. "They were nice, weren't they?" Leeteuk asked, bouncing slightly in anticipation.

Kyuhyun smiled slightly. "You meet the most interesting people, hyung."

The music reverberated in their bones as they entered the dimly lit club, the scents of cigarette smoke, sweat, and alcohol hitting their noses simultaneously. Leeteuk was grinning and excited, but Kyuhyun was a little more cautious, looking around for a quiet corner or stool where he could sit and watch Leeteuk dance.

"I'll buy the first round!" Leeteuk shouted into Kyuhyun's ear, the subtle cologne he'd splashed on invading Kyuhyun's nose like a tease. "What do you want to drink?"

Kyuhyun, slightly dazed from the overstimulation of so many different things, blurted out, "White Russian."

Leeteuk grinned at him, dimple flashing in the dark. "Starting out light, huh?" He whirled away to the bar.

"It's not light," Kyuhyun said to the empty space in front of him, and then followed Leeteuk's path to the bar, trying to avoid touching too many people on his way.

He reached it just as their drinks arrived, and Leeteuk turned and handed him his. "So," the older man said, leaning back against the sticky hardwood and sipping something tall and highly alcoholic, "Any plans for meeting someone tonight?"

Kyuhyun watched him swallow for a brief moment and then turned his gaze away. "No, you know me. This really isn't my scene."

"Aw come on, loosen up!" Leeteuk giggled, leaning into him with a little extra sway. He'd always had a low alcohol tolerance. "Just get somebody's number, okay? With a face and a body like that, I'm sure it can't be hard!" He finished his drink and placed it on the counter, pushing past Kyuhyun to disappear into the crowd of dancers.

Kyuhyun watched him go, sipping his drink a bit more slowly. What did that mean, a face and body like his? Did Leeteuk find him attractive? Kyuhyun ignored the little wriggly feeling inside his stomach at the thought. Attractive or not, this really wasn't his scene. At all. He always felt out of place and awkward, expecting someone to point at him and say, "He doesn't belong here! Kick him out!"

"Hey," a smooth, clear—accented—voice behind him said, "Can I buy you a drink?"

Kyuhyun in a quick breath and turned, eyes meeting a very nice collarbone and neck encircled by a thin chain carrying a bass clef pendant. He tilted his head up and met the amused, interested gaze of a tall foreigner. His face was broad and jaw defined, mouth wide and mobile. Kyuhyun couldn't tell much else in the bad light besides the fact that his nose was big (not disproportionately though) and had a little hook at the end.

"I'm a guy," he blurted dumbly.

The man's eyes squinted even more in amusement. "I know. If that bothers you…?"

"Um, no," Kyuhyun said, waving a hand. "I was…just surprised." He knew that this club was open to all orientations—Leeteuk would never come here otherwise—but he'd never gotten hit on so blatantly before.

"Ah." The man studied him for a brief moment. His smile did not waver. "So how about that drink?"

Kyuhyun automatically glanced down, and realized with a shock that his glass was empty. At some point during his thinking he had finished off his White Russian without even noticing. "Um. Sure. Green apple vodka?"

The stranger nodded and leaned in to place the order with the bartender behind Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun in a breath and quickly turned to the side to give him room to reach the bar. Judging by the amused tilt to his mouth, the stranger noticed and found it entertaining. He took the offered space though, sliding in right up to the bar and very close to Kyuhyun.

"So," he said, the amused twinkle never leaving his eyes, "Do you come here often?"

Kyuhyun shook his head, searching half-heartedly for Leeteuk to give himself something to do. "I'm just accompanying a friend. This really isn't my scene."

"Ah." The stranger nodded. "So does that mean you don't dance?"

Kyuhyun glanced at him, slightly wary. "Why?"

The stranger shrugged, eyes never leaving Kyuhyun. "Because after you drank the drink I bought you, I was going to ask you to dance."

Kyuhyun gaped. "Um," he floundered, "I don't really—I mean—I can't—"

"You don't like to dance?" the man asked, eyes searching Kyuhyun's face curiously.

"Uh, no, I like it," Kyuhyun said weakly. His every defense was down in the face of this man's straightforward interest. He had no idea how to deal with something like this.

"Then after you drink this," he handed Kyuhyun the bright green drink that had just arrived, "will you dance with me?"

Kyuhyun stared down into his glass. "Um. Okay. I guess."

The man beamed. "Thank you!"

Kyuhyun looked away and took a sip, letting the alcohol and sweet flavoring slide down his throat. "What's your name?"

The man's eyes widened. "Oh, of course! My name is Zhou Mi." He extended a hand.

Kyuhyun took it, leaning in closer so that he didn't have to shout his name out into the club. "I'm Cho Kyuhyun."

Zhou Mi turned his head so that his nose grazed Kyuhyun's cheek. "Kuixian. Nice to meet you. Are you finished with your drink?"

Kyuhyun glanced at his glass. "Not quite."

Zhou Mi drew back. "I'll wait."

Feeling self-conscious, Kyuhyun glanced out at the dance floor and froze, catching sight of Leeteuk dancing pressed up against a muscled, lithe figure. He jerked his head away and downed his drink.

"You okay?" Zhou Mi asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"I'm fine." Kyuhyun looked down and placed his glass back on the counter. "Let's go." He let Zhou Mi lead the way onto the dance floor, deliberately putting his back to where Leeteuk was dancing. 

He was so focused on ignoring him, however, that he'd forgotten that he didn't dance, and he froze up as Zhou Mi moved in close against him.

"Um…"

"Problem?" Zhou Mi asked, breath stirring the hair at his ear.

Kyuhyun repressed a shiver. "I just…I don't dance."

A low chuckle sounded by his ear, and Kyuhyun in a sharp breath as hot hands settled on his hips. "Just move to the beat. I don't expect any more than that."

Kyuhyun followed his directions, too embarrassed to look directly at his partner and instead staring at Zhou Mi's shoulder. He was so focused on the closeness of the man pressed up against him that he forgot to be on the lookout for Leeteuk and his partner, and thus was startled out of his mental embarrassment when a hand cupped his waist and Leeteuk shouted in his ear, "I didn't know you could dance!"

Kyuhyun stumbled, the very nice rhythm he'd fallen into completely broken, and Zhou Mi pulled him in closer for support. He turned, eyes wide, to see Leeteuk grinning at him, copper-colored hair sweaty and beginning to stick to his flushed face. His dance partner was nowhere to be seen.

"Um," Kyuhyun stammered, "Uh…"

Zhou Mi leaned over his shoulder. "I bought him a drink in exchange for a dance." He smiled. "He didn't have a chance to say no."

"Oh. Okay." Leeteuk swayed slightly to the beat, smiling at the two of them. "My partner went to get drinks, I'm going to go find him. Have fun, you two! Be safe!" And he disappeared in the direction of the bar.

Kyuhyun stared after him, feeling a bit like someone had swung a pole into his gut. It felt a little hard to breath or move. Zhou Mi hummed thoughtfully, placing his hands on Kyuhyun's waist and turning him back around. "So that's what it is, huh?"

"What?" Kyuhyun asked dumbly, rocking a little to the beat as Zhou Mi looked at him searchingly.

"It's too bad, though," Zhou Mi sighed. "I really like you."

Kyuhyun wrinkled his forehead in confusion, wondering what was so bad, but he didn't care enough to ask.

"Well," Zhou Mi offered, "If you ever get tired of chasing him, I'd be happy to get him off your mind."

Kyuhyun gaped. "What—what—" then he panicked. "No!" He twisted away, but the crowded club didn't allow a lot of movement. "I don't know who you are," he said, scowling, "But you have no right to judge me or my life. It was nice meeting you. Goodbye." He hurriedly pushed through the crowd until he found Leeteuk, pressed up close to the man he'd been dancing with at the bar. Ignoring the stranger, Kyuhyun leaned in close to Leeteuk's ear. "I'm going home. I don't feel well." And he didn't. Hot rocks had lodged themselves in his stomach when he thought about either Leeteuk or Zhou Mi. Oh my god, this guy I don't know figured me out!

"Oh," Leeteuk said, blinking up at him. "Well, okay." He smiled, and Kyuhyun's breath caught as always when his dimple flashed. "I'll see you at school on Monday!"

Kyuhyun nodded and headed for the door, needing to get out where he could breathe. He pushed open the door and escaped out into the chilly night air, breathing deeply and determinedly not looking back. He stood on the sidewalk for a minute, trying to collect himself, and then hailed a cab.

When he reached home Kyuhyun stripped off his clothes and flung them around his room, pulling out his most comfortable sweatpants and T-shirt. Once he felt comfortable in his own space he moved to the piano sitting in state in the living room. The keys were worn and familiar under his fingertips as he began playing. He resolutely did not think about dimples gracing smooth cheeks or wide mouths dripping faintly accented words for the rest of the night.

"Yah, Kyuhyun-ah!"

Kyuhyun turned at the call, shifting the papers he was carrying to his left arm. Leeteuk hurried up to him, smile as bright as always. "Hey," he said, holding up a manila folder, "You're heading to the music room, right? Can you take this to Choi Siwon? It's my suggestions for the showcase this spring. You know where the contemporary music offices are, right? A few doors down from the music room."

Kyuhyun felt slight distaste, as always, whenever the contemporary (or "pop") music department was mentioned, but smiled. "Sure, hyung." He added the manila folder to the top of his pile as Leeteuk beamed and hurried off, saying something about being late for a class. Kyuhyun continued down the hallway, oblivious to the admiring looks and whispers he gained from students as he went.

It wasn't like he minded the pop music department. It was definitely an important part of music culture, but he just couldn't understand it. At all, really. There was no soul or depth to the sugary songs that too often blasted out of his radio, and Kyuhyun saw no reason at all to insert so many foreign words into a song. Was Korean no longer good enough?

He sighed as he turned the corner into the corridor that held both the music room and the pop music teachers' offices—really one big room with open cubicles for each teacher and their teaching assistants.

Although they were a music university, there was only one room that was called the "music room": the large room filled with all of the sheet music and songbooks that the school had ever collected, which was quite a few, considering how old the school was. There was talk about expanding the room into an actual library, but construction hadn't started yet. Kyuhyun opened the door and took a deep breath, smiling softly. To him this room smelled like music and knowledge itself. If possible, he would spend all of his free time here, unearthing songs as old as Korea itself. But since that was impossible, he settled for simply replacing the sheet music he had been using in his Advanced Classical Singing class. The shelf where they belonged was above his head, and he grunted quietly, trying to shove them in without the aid of a stepstool.

He jumped as someone whom he hadn't noticed enter reached up and helped him slide the last few stubborn sheets into place. Whoever it was was tall and bony, judging by the long, skinny arm that stretched about Kyuhyun's head. "Ah, thank you," Kyuhyun said, turning around—and feeling the smile freeze and drop off his face as his gaze met a very familiar collarbone and bass clef pendant. He made a noise in the back of his throat and backed into the shelves behind him, clutching Leeteuk's folder to his chest and staring upward.

"Hello," Zhou Mi smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I never thought I'd see you here, Kuixian."

Kyuhyun gaped. "What…what are you doing here?" he asked incredulously. Oh, this was not okay. Not at all okay. The man he had danced with in a club was not supposed to pop up at his workplace. That was the stuff of dramas and romance books, not real life!

Zhou Mi smiled even wider, if that was possible. "I work here. I'm a teaching aide in the contemporary music department."

Kyuhyun gaped wider. Zhou Mi placed one long finger delicately under his chin and closed his mouth. "In China we say 'you'll catch flies like that,' Kuixian."

Kyuhyun blinked, pulling away from that gorgeous finger—piano fingers, his mind noted slightly hysterically—as if he'd been burned. "Kyuhyun."

Zhou Mi tilted his head. Kyuhyun did not think that was cute. "I'm sorry?"

"My name is Kyuhyun." Kyuhyun turned abruptly back to the shelves, flipping through music scores as though he was looking for something. "You shouldn't even be calling me that, you should call me seonsaengnim. We don't have the kind of relationship where we call each other by our first names."

"Ah." Zhou Mi turned away, and judging by the rustling sounds had begun looking for whatever had brought him into the music room in the first place. "What would it take, then, to get that close to you?"

Kyuhyun turned unconsciously to stare at him. "What?" He got the constant feeling that he was always two steps behind Zhou Mi whenever they spoke, he thought, irritated.

"To become friends." Zhou Mi turned to face him as well, tapping the music he'd pulled out against his palm thoughtfully. "I told you on Saturday, didn't I? I want to get to know you, Kuixian." He smiled a slow smile. "I mean, seonsaengnim."

Kyuhyun scowled at him and marched out of the music room, ignoring the little wriggly feeling that smile had given his insides. So Zhou Mi was incredibly attractive. So what. He was also creepy and a stalker, and Kyuhyun did not want to have anything further to do with him.

"Would you stop following me," he snapped as Zhou Mi's long legs kept pace with his easily all the way into the pop music office.

Zhou Mi gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. "But you're going the same place I am, Kuixian. Seonsaengnim." He flashed a quick grin at Kyuhyun and went to sit at his desk in the corner of the room. Kyuhyun noticed that it was too small for his legs and hoped slightly vindictively that he got bad cramps from sitting there all day.

"Do you need something, Cho-seonsaengnim?" one of the teachers asked, and Kyuhyun's attention snapped away from his tall annoyance.

"Ah, I'm looking for Choi-seonsaengnim, is he here?" he asked, looking around. Choi Siwon raised his head from where he was sitting at his desk and Kyuhyun hurried over, completely ignoring Zhou Mi on the other side of the room.

Choi Siwon was the kind of perfect person you only came across rarely. Kyuhyun harbored an amiable sort of hatred for him in his free time, simply because he was so perfect. He was tall, handsome, had an amazing body, sang beautifully, could dance, and was the kind of gentleman that girls swooned over. And what made it all worse was that he was truly, genuinely nice to everyone. For Kyuhyun, who knew that he had a prickly attitude and was only really confident in his singing and music, Siwon was like the ideal he had never been able to emulate.

"Choi-seonsaengnim," he said politely, handing over the manila folder. "These are Leeteuk-seonsaengnim's suggestions for the spring showcase. He asked me to pass them on to you."

"Oh, thank you!" Siwon smiled, his deep dimples making an appearance and giving his slightly intimidating handsomeness a much more approachable little-boy air. Kyuhyun wondered abstractedly why his dimples didn't make his heart skip, and supposed it was a skill unique to Leeteuk. "This will make preparations much easier. How are things going in the classical department, Cho-seonsaengnim? Any bright rising stars you're dying to show off?"

"Actually, yes," Kyuhyun said, and forgot himself enough to give the other man a small smile. "Two, specifically, Kim Jongwoon and Kim Ryeowook. Both have absolutely beautiful voices and I'd really like them to try a duet together. I think they'll do well, although Ryeowook is very shy. I think a duet will be perfect for helping him build confidence without paralyzing him with fear."

"That's great," Siwon said, nodding. "You really care about your students, Cho-seonsaengnim. Those kids are lucky to have you as their teacher."

Kyuhyun's eyes widened, and he felt his neck flush slightly. "Tha-thank you, but I don't think I do anything very special. It's our job to take care of our students."

"Of course," Siwon said, smiling slightly. Then he looked beyond Kyuhyun and his smile widened. 

"Oh my."

Puzzled, Kyuhyun turned around. The door and the windows into the hall were filled with students, mainly female, who seemed to be staring dreamily at the two of them. "Um…what?"

"We seem to be quite popular together, Cho-seonsaengnim," Siwon grinned, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he stood up. "I suppose it's no surprise, the girls probably enjoy seeing two handsome young bachelors together." He winked and took a pile of papers over to the copy machine.

Kyuhyun wrinkled his forehead in confusion. Okay, he could see how the girls would gather around to watch Choi Siwon, but it didn't make any sense that he would be included in that. Unless somehow, by association, he became more handsome when he was around the other teacher. Which was possible, he supposed. Just unlikely.

Kyuhyun shook his head slightly and headed for the door, causing a stir amongst the watchers, which almost made him miss the odd expression on Zhou Mi's face as he passed. It was a very peculiar expression, one that Kyuhyun didn't recognize, but it made him feel edgy and out of place, so he wrenched his attention away from the tall China man and scowled at the students.

"Why aren't you all in class? Your teachers are not animals for you to gawk at in a zoo!" He shooed them away and hurried back to the safety of his own department, away from tall, handsome, confusing colleagues.

—

Zhou Mi propped his chin on his hand and watched Kyuhyun chastise the loitering students, a small smile on his face. "That man has absolutely no idea how attractive he is."

It was incredibly appealing to Zhou Mi, who had always liked the quiet ones, but it also made his goal that much more difficult to obtain. Kyuhyun was clearly so caught up on his silent love for Leeteuk that he had never entertained the notion that someone else might want him for exactly who he is.

Zhou Mi sighed. Well, I'll convince him eventually. His eyes narrowed as Choi Siwon passed through his line of sight, shuffling through the papers he'd just copied. And he had better not be interested in my Kuixian. They are completely incompatible. I will not allow it.

Even more determined to win over his newfound colleague, Zhou Mi turned back to his work with a smile.

—

Kyuhyun sighed as he locked the classroom door behind himself, tugging his coat closer around his body as he began to slowly walk through the night-darkened hallways toward the entrance of the school. His classes were giving him bigger headaches than usual, and all he wanted right now was a hot cup of tea and his comfortable couch. Leeteuk had been distracted lately and hadn't asked him to accompany him out on the weekends, and Kyuhyun found himself both grateful and insecure about it. He'd put Zhou Mi and his unsettling smile out of his mind and avoided that part of the school as much as he could, but the stress was getting to him and Kyuhyun just wanted to relax.

As though his thoughts had summoned him, Kyuhyun heard low voices from a lit room and slowed, curious. He peeked into the room and immediately wished he hadn't. Zhou Mi was lounging against a table, long-legged and gorgeous, speaking quietly to an equally handsome and well-dressed man. Their voices were so low that it took Kyuhyun a moment to realize that they were speaking Chinese. Something the unknown man said made Zhou Mi laugh softly, head tilting just enough to catch sight of Kyuhyun in the doorway.

"Kuixian!" he said, eyes widening in surprise as he stood up straight. He smiled that unsettling smile again, eyes warm with appreciation and pleasure. Kyuhyun unconsciously pulled his coat even tighter around him. "I didn't expect anyone else to be here so late. Were you working with a student?"

Zhou Mi clearly hadn't been doing the same. "Yeah," Kyuhyun said. "I'm trying to prep a couple of students for the showcase. Is this a friend of yours?"

"Oh, yes," Zhou Mi said, stepping to the side and placing his hand on the man's arm. "This is my sunbae, Kuixian. He's an international idol in China and is here for a few months while he tries to break into the Korean market."

"Annyeonghaseyo," the man said, his voice soft and slightly hesitant around the foreign word. His accent was the same as Zhou Mi's, vowels rounded and consonants not as firm as they should be, a lilt in his voice where he was used to using tones. "I'm Han Geng. It's nice to meet you." He bowed and gave Kyuhyun a smile.

Kyuhyun returned the bow, but not the smile. "Nice to meet you too. I'm heading home, so I'll see you two later."

"Ah, wait!" Zhou Mi said, hurriedly snagging his jacket from the back of a chair and his bag from the floor next to him. "We're heading out too, we were just talking. Geng-ge, I'll call you, okay?"

"Hǎo," Han Geng said, smiling at his countryman. "I'll see you later, Zhou Mi." He even said Zhou Mi's name weird, probably pronouncing it with the correct tones and everything, Kyuhyun thought uncharitably. He turned and walked off down the dark hall without another word, not wanting to wait for Zhou Mi with his long legs and confusing words or his handsome, internationally famous friend.

"Wait, Kuixian!" Zhou Mi jogged down the hall after him, pulling on his coat with a bit of flailing. He caught up at the top of the stairs to the first level, nearly crashing into Kyuhyun's back as the other man slowed to take the dark stairwell with caution. The shadows cast by the moon made things even trickier, and Kyuhyun did not appreciate the startle.

"Be careful," he snapped. "You want me to break my neck?"

"Sorry," Zhou Mi said sheepishly. They exited the school without another word exchanged between them, and Kyuhyun began walking briskly towards the train station. Zhou Mi kept pace beside him, clearly content with the silence. The night was chilly but not too cold, and the streetlamps cast yellow circles of light across the pavement. An occasional car drove by, but other than that they were alone on the street.

"Is there a reason you're in such a hurry?" Zhou Mi finally asked. Kyuhyun felt a little bit of petty satisfaction at the fact that the other man had broken the silence first, but then reprimanded himself. That was just the exhaustion talking.

"No," he answered finally. "I just want to get home."

"Ah."

They traveled only a few moments more in silence before Zhou Mi asked, "Kuixian, can you do something for me?"

Kuixian cast him an irritated look. "It depends entirely on what it is."

"It's simple, don't worry," Zhou Mi smiled, taking his arm and gently pulling him to a halt. "Look out at the street. It's beautiful, isn't it? Look down the street, and then blur your vision."

Kyuhyun stared down the street for a moment. "What the ?" he finally said, too tired to be polite anymore.

Zhou Mi's grip on his arm was solid and warm. "Just try it, Kuixian, okay?"

Kyuhyun sighed but gave it a try, just wanting to get on the train so he could get home. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be seeing here."

"You don't see it?" Zhou Mi murmured. "If you blur your eyes, the streetlights become hundreds of ghosts going home."

Kyuhyun stared down the dark road, each streetlight a glowing ball of warm light in his blurred vision. As Zhou Mi gently nudged him into a slow walk again, the glowing lights began to move as well, seeming for all intents and purposes to be moving along the road as he was.

"I do see it," he murmured. "It's beautiful."

He could hear the smile in Zhou Mi's voice without even looking in his direction. "It is, isn't it?"

They traveled the rest of the way to the train station in a comfortable silence, their pace much more leisurely. Kyuhyun could feel the tension of his day (week) draining out of him with every step he took, strangely comforted by the silent presence of Zhou Mi at his side. They parted on the platform, Zhou Mi boarding a different line with a quiet smile and a wave. Kyuhyun stared after him, only snapping out of it when his own train rushed into the station with a squealing of brakes. He got on and sat in an empty seat, mind curiously dazed and empty. He had no idea what had just happened, but he knew that he'd be paying more attention to Zhou Mi in the future.

Kyuhyun blew gently on his coffee cup, breathing in the steam with a happy smile as he walked down the hallway to his morning class. He'd had a very good night's sleep and had even woken before his alarm clock went off, with the result that he was in an excellent mood as he arrived at school.

He was startled out of his good mood, however, by the sound of raised voices coming from a teacher's lounge at the end of the hall. Kyuhyun frowned, recognizing Leeteuk's voice and quickening his pace slightly. Although not many students had arrived at school yet, teachers should still not be shouting in public.

The door to the lounge swung open, and Kyuhyun's step faltered, his eyes widening as Leeteuk hurried out looking flustered. He was about to call out to his colleague when someone else exited the lounge, catching up to Leeteuk in several long strides and taking his arm. Kyuhyun's eyes widened and his breath caught, recognizing that figure. It was the man Leeteuk had danced with a couple weeks ago—Kyuhyun would never forget the way their bodies looked against each other.

"I said no, Hankyung," Leeteuk said fiercely. "Not in my workplace."

"Then when?" Hankyung asked. "You avoid me outside of school. It was an accident that I found out where you work."

Hankyung, Kyuhyun realized with a bleak feeling of hopelessness. Zhou Mi's sunbae. The international superstar. Completely out of my league.

"Um," he said.

Leeteuk and Hankyung (Han Geng?) turned to face him, and Leeteuk's face went beet-red. "Kyu-Kyuhyun-ah!" he stuttered. "Um…"

Kyuhyun smiled. "You probably shouldn't be dealing with private matters in the school hallway, Leeteuk-hyung." He walked past them, barely bringing himself to meet Han Geng's eyes and nod politely.

He heard a fierce bout of whispering behind him before Leeteuk caught up to him, looking ruffled. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "That was just…a friend of mine."

Kyuhyun shot him an unimpressed glance over his coffee cup, all enjoyment in the drink completely gone. "I'm not stupid, hyung. That was the guy you took home from the club the other week. So he wants to meet up again?"

Leeteuk smiled slightly, an unfamiliar look in his eyes. It's soft, Kyuhyun realized with an unpleasant jolt. He looks soft. "Yeah, he does. I don't know if I'm gonna agree—"

"Now you're being stupid, hyung," Kyuhyun interrupted, focusing his attention on the passing classrooms to keep his gaze off of his friend. "Of course you should agree. He really likes you, if he chased you all the way here. It might not work out, but don't cut yourself off from a potentially good thing."

Leeteuk was silent for a moment, and then sighed. He clapped a hand on Kyuhyun's shoulder with a smile. "How did you get so smart, huh? I must be losing my touch, if I'm taking advice from my dongsaeng. Thanks, Kyuhyun-ah." He moved ahead, hurrying toward his office, and Kyuhyun stared after him bleakly.

"Why did you do that?" A quiet voice asked from behind him, and Kyuhyun turned to see Zhou Mi standing there frowning at him. "You could probably have completely discouraged him from pursuing Geng-ge, if you had wanted to."

Kyuhyun shrugged and took a sip from his cup, the coffee bitter in his throat. "He looked happy. When he talked about Hankyung, he looked sort of bewildered and happy. He should be happy, don't you think?"

Zhou Mi smiled. "You should be happy too, Kuixian."

Kyuhyun turned away and headed for his office again, because that smile was doing weird things to his insides and he didn't like it. "I have music. I'm happy enough."

Zhou Mi caught his shoulder and turned him around. "Don't settle for less, Kuixian, when you could have the world. But before I work on getting you that," his eyes twinkled, "How about we start with dinner?"

Kyuhyun gaped, once again feeling like he'd completely lost Zhou Mi's train of thought. "What?"

Zhou Mi laughed, hands warm on Kyuhyun's shoulders. "Dinner, Kuixian. I want to take you to dinner. When is a good night for you?"

"Um…" Kyuhyun didn't think Zhou Mi would accept "I don't eat dinner" as a good excuse. "Later? Sometime in the future where I don't have to think about it right now?" He moved out of Zhou Mi's reach and opened the door to the classical music department's office. "I have to teach. Go away."

"I'll let you think about it then," Zhou Mi's amused voice said right before the door clicked shut. Kyuhyun let out a big breath, and then moved to his desk. Work. Work he could do. Safely away from confusing men and their confusing invitations.