Three teenagers, three stories;

story #1 – the boy who owned the nights.

This young kiddo was by no means a simple character; he had many sides of him hidden and undiscovered.

Many thought he was just a little kid; many saw him as a thug but he saw himself as just a boy, still growing and learning about what the world had to offer him.

Choi Junhong was his name. He was Choi Junhong to himself but to others—he was Zelo, a boy living wild, young and free.

Moonlight began to waltz in between the transition from an orange evening to the night with a string of seeking stars.

Half past ten of a Friday and the night was still young. To teenagers like him, they were just getting started.

A night would be wasted if spent at home.

As the wise saying goes—you only live once.

A blonde lad emerged from the darkness into the spotlight, moving at a fast speed on his neon orange skateboard. Both diverted the attentions of the other teens on the court and they stared at him from head to toe, some envying how cool he was, some admiring his rebel image.

Dressed in a black sweater, red basketball shorts and a snapback with the word “dope”, many girls were attracted to that badass. 

“He's so hot!” “Who is he?” “Wow!”

The boy of course, was aware of the many eyes on him and he smirked in triumph, adoring the attention he had garnered. He glowed in glory as he settled himself in the middle of the court.

Without taking a breather, he started on his routine and once he began, he was sure he had captivated all hearts. He did a little trick uphill and hopped off the ramp swiftly for a finish.

He wanted to prove to the world that he was able to do whatever he wanted to do. All long with practise, nothing was impossible.

Girls cheered and boys hooted loudly. He knew he had captured everyone’s hearts. He was glad he had managed to impress them. Maybe people were just that easy to be happy because at that moment, Choi Junhong felt really happy.

This was the kind of night he loved and lived by. He was a skater boy who stayed out till late at night to play hard before going home. He wanted to live his life to the fullest before he couldn’t because he’d only live once.

“Dude, your moves are slick as heck. You’re a master at this, god damn it!”

“Dude,” one of his buddy meandered towards him and exchanged a fist pump. “That was ing rad. The best.” Following that, he heard the crowd roar in unison, dedicating a standing ovation to him.

“You’re the champion, Zelo.”

“Thanks bro,” Junhong chuckled softly, grateful for the compliment. To be truthful, he obviously knew he was good at skateboarding. He was a humble boy but to say that he was just a mediocre skater would be a lie. 

When he was off centre-stage, he walked away from the spotlight to join his older friends for a smoke break. From his back pocket, he fished for his packet and a lighter.

He ignited a flame and lit up both his cigarette and his beautiful night. Pressed to his lips, he inhaled deeply. He liked the numbness—it helped him forget the pain.

Zelo was the boy who owned the nights.

He was also the kind of boy parents would warn their children not to talk to. 

Then again, he was a complex person and had many sides of him hidden and undiscovered. Many thought he was just a little kid; many saw him as a thug but they did not know his story because Junhong saw himself as a survivor.  

They only saw his exterior, they didn’t know his interior was merely a young child.

❋

story #2 – born dancer.

Dimmed lights, sick beats, dancing shoes pretty much summed up his night. The youngest amongst the males moved to the rhythm and allowed the melody to hypnotise him.Drenched in sweat, he managed to move with the beat like how he had practiced.  

The boy was glistening as the light shone on him. The starlight that casted upon him also sparked off faith in him. He hoped he would do well.

But she wasn’t here, he realized when he stole a glance at the audience. Truthfully, he was a tad despondent—it would be nice if she came to watch him dance.

Okay, he wanted her to come but he didn’t know if she had gotten his message since his battery went flat.

Jeon Jungkook was a born dancer.

He loved dancing like how he loved playing video games. Maybe the latter a little lesser. He loved dancing as much as how he loved seeing and making his family, his friends and her happy.

He loved dancing the way he loved being happy when dancing. He was happy because he was doing something he loved.

Every Friday his dance crew would perform in public as a form of rehearsal for the big day in November. Thus, he looked forward to Fridays the most because he loved performing in front of the big crowd. He just yearned—even though he was still lacking—for the day where he could dance in front of his family and her. He dreamed of doing them proud.

“Good job, Jungkookie. That was great!” Jimin slapped his back as a form of congratulation. The latter returned it back and they shared a laughter before his senior interrupted them. With a cigarette pressed to his lips, he motioned for the two juniors to follow him to watch a skateboarding challenge.

The night was still young and Jungkook was burning with spirit.

He watched the grey smoke linger the air and cringed. Even though most of the people he knew smoked, he was still adamant on being a good boy.

(She had warned him not to smoke or else she would break his ing legs and he could kiss dancing goodbye.)

That was his best friend, all right. Foul and sassy. But she still hadn’t arrived and that fact made him unsatisfied. Even if he received many good words about his pe