Choi Minho pressed the black briefcase crammed with the pile of important papers closer to his chest and with a heavy sigh entered the night club with the most banal name, “Paradise”.

Noise and loud beats filled his head, causing only one wish – to run away! Minho has never liked such places.

He did his utmost to avoid going anywhere near night clubs, in spite of constant pleases of his best friend who happened to work as an administrator here. But Jinki was always a little scatterbrain. What you can’t tell about highly intelligent Minho who, after finishing school (with honors), graduated university with the “The engineer-designer of spacecraft and upper stages” degree (and honors as well).

However, already holding the diploma gained with the sweat on his forehead, he remembered that there were only two space fields in Korea, one of which almost collapsed after the first launch.

That’s why Choi Minho was a HR-manager now.

 

Music was flowing like a river, threatening to knock the young man down and taking him away into the dancing crowd.

On the edge of the big stage a half- girl was shaking her two “master degrees”; somebody drove his elbow into Minho’s ear; on the opposite side of the room a weird guy with a cry "FOR THE SM!” smashed the bottle of beer over his head.

Minho got scared.

 

“Hey, Minho-o!” he heard somewhere from his left. The voice was barely audible through the chaos of the club. The brunet turned around to see his best friend’s face – Lee Jinki was happily waving to him, standing behind the small counter, a bit aside from the main mess.

 

“Thank God!” Minho shouted in response, finally getting to his comrade through the crowd. “How do you even work in this hell?”

 

“I like it here!” Jinki answered with a cheerful smile on his lips and then set straight the metallic badge that was swinging on his chest.

 

“How am I supposed to find him here?!” Minho shouted once again, leaning closer to his friend.

 

Seriously, it wasn’t a difficult task to hoarsen in this place.

 

Yesterday Minho’s boss suddenly decided that having a white ceiling in the office was not modern anymore. Dull colors had been depressing their lovely customers, he said. Thus the ceiling needed to be repainted in blue, just like the sky.

But the bunch of painters and (as the consequence) the paint, dripping down right on your head, is a doubtful pleasure. How do you want to invite customers in such a mess? And of course Minho has planned the meeting. And of course it couldn’t just be canceled. Wonderful.

 

Organizing a children's party is not as easy as pie. Not only good bakers and designers must be found but also a skilled animator who is ready to entertain kids during the celebration.

Minho just needed a little bit of a quiet space to discuss the details and at the same time to evaluate talents of this creator of children's happiness. There were no doubts that he couldn’t bring a complete stranger to his apartment. And the more - he couldn’t agree to come to a stranger’s place. So he ended up whining to his old, nice friend about how hard his life was. Then Jinki said everything’d be alright and invited Minho here.

 

It was supposed to be a stupid joke, wasn’t it?

 

“I’ve reserved the VIP-room for you!” Jinki exclaimed, pointing a finger at his ratty-looking copybook. “There’s nobody to disturb you!”

 

“Oh, that’s great!” Minho’s mood cheered up a little. Furthermore, he has never been in the VIP-zone before. Telling the truth, he didn’t really know why it was so popular with customers.

 

“And what about this guy, who is he?!”

 

“Kim Jonghyun, the animator for the play date! I’ve been told he’s good!”

 

“Oooh, you should have invited me instead! Hey, do you hear me?! I am a pro! Want me to show you a duck? Children love my duck!” All of a sudden, Jinki became a bit too excited, getting out from behind the counter to demonstrate his questionable talent to the other.

 

“Not the duck, Onew, just not the duck, I’m begging you!” Minho lifted up his briefcase, cutting himself from the older. “Better tell me where to go?!”

 

“Ah… this… ” Jinki turned around and glanced at his copybook. “The ninth booth! This way!”

 

“Thank you, buddy!!!” Minho patted him on the shoulder and with a loud battle-cry jumped into the sea of people, heading for the given destination.

 

“No problem,” Jinki smiled and returned to his usual spot behind the counter. He was so glad that his friend has finally paid him a visit to his workplace. But wait a second… Jinki landed his eyes on the copybook’s sheet one more time and figured out that he’d been looking upside down before.

 

“Oops, Minho! It’s the sixth, the sixth one! Minho, can you hear meee?!” he tried to inform his friend, but the brunet has already been swallowed up by the crowd. “Aish… okay, they will deal with it”.

 

“Hey!” somebody shouted from the other side, making Jinki jump to the sound.

 

Turning around, he saw an easy on the eye guy dressed in fashion clothes; the first signs of irritation caused by the lack of attention were shown on his face. He was impatiently tapping his foot.

 

“Good evening!” Jinki greeted, stretching his mouth in an impressive wide smile.

 

“Kim Kibum! The ninth booth!” the guy reported, pointing at the copybook in Jinki’s hands.

 

“Hmmn…” he paused, remembering about Minho. Two seconds later a brilliant idea came to his head and Jinki hastened to announce it, “I’m sorry but the ninth booth is already occupied. Please go to the sixth one!”

 

“Great organization… ” Kibum scoffed, giving him a disgruntled look. Then, however, he went in search of the named room.

 

“Have a nice time!” Jinki shouted and set his eyes on the club’s dancer passing by, Lee Taemin.

 

“Hey, Taemin-ah! Taemin-ah!!!” he yelled.

 

Jinki honestly wanted to warn the blonde that things have changed his order has been transferred to another room, but…

“Alright, they’ll deal with it” he sighed once again when Taemin disappeared from the sight without paying any attention to his yells.

 

“Hello there!” again the sudden loud voice was heard over Jinki’s ear. The administrator didn’t even shudder anymore.

 

“Good evening!” A sunny smile returned to his lips.

 

“My name is Kim Jonghyun, I have a meeting here…”

 

“How did you say? Kim Jaejoong?!” Jinki asked and started to flip through the pages of his copybook. When were they going to buy him a new PC? At what time did they live, the Stone Age? And who cares if he has broken the previous one? Anyway, it wasn’t his fault…

 

“Jonghyun!” the male announced louder.

 

“Okay, okay, found it! Booth number six is under your name!”

 

“Thanks!”

 

“Have a good evening!” Jinki wished for the umpteenth time, looking at the back of the leaving customer. “Hey, aren’t you the same Kim Jon-… well, okay, they’ll deal with it”.

 

***********

 

With cautious curiosity, Minho looked around the VIP-room where he was currently sitting on the large and very soft sofa. So soft that his sank almost to the floor and his knees almost reached his chin.

The bright red walls of the booth were amazingly soundproofed, and Minho was truly enjoying the almost complete silence.

He slightly shifted on the couch, trying to get out of its depths, but ended up only falling further inside.

 

How the hell to negotiate in this position?

 

Suddenly, the room was filled with loud music and cheerful cries and, after the door’s shut, went quiet again. Minho gave the newcomer a perplexed look.

 

Frankly, Kim Jonghyun appeared to him… a bit older. And with more clothes on. But maybe all those holes in his pants weren’t anything but some kind of coloring… After all… it was dark in the room… he couldn’t see well.

And of course, Minho blamed the shadow, falling on the boy’s face, for creating a false impression of thick liner around his eyes.

 

Was he a boy at all? Sure, he was! Kim Jonghyun would certainly warn him, if he was a woman. Ugh…

 

Nevertheless, Minho decided it was impolite to judge people by their appearance so he cleared his throat and opened his mouth to talk, flouncing on the sofa, trying to stand up and properly greet his potential business partner, “My name is Choi Minho, and you must be Ki-”

 

“Formalities aside. Time is money,” the guy harshly interrupted, not even having a single thought about helping the poor man.

 

Another cowed dork who was too afraid of showing up his gay nature so that’s why he sneakily went to clubs to order pretty boys. That was Taemin’s vision of his current client. And of all the others, though. They usually started bugging him with stupid “hellos” and pointless attempts to take his phone number.

Taemin didn’t give a about it. His job was to dance. Let it be in the miserable club with the miserable, paradisiacal name.

 

“Oh… hmm, well… yeah…” Minho felt even more abashed than a couple of moments ago. On the phone, Kim Jonghyun seemed much more welcoming. However, he was right.

 

“So what do you want?” Taemin asked, not bothered to look at him, playing with the remote controller in his hands.

 

“What do I want?” Minho repeated, giving up on the idea to get up from the sofa; he was completely lost in his thoughts.

 

“Which dance?” the boy clarified, finally looking at him.

 

Wait a minute… He’s going to begin with… dancing? Shouldn’t I like… tell him about the main program first? Well, okay… What children’s dances do I know..?

 

“Hmm… it's up to you,” Minho answered hesitantly, suddenly realizing that he knew absolutely nothing about this question. “Anything of the most popular.”

 

 “Okay,” Taemin nodded, quickly pressing a few little buttons.

 

***********

 

Kim Kibum was a school art teacher. A very strict school art teacher whose pupils had to redraw their “kids doodles” a hundred times a day (while weeping crocodile tears) in attempt to receive enough points. But that was because they all seemed to be “ungifted bunch of losers with two left hands” to the God of arts (also known as Kim Kibum).

However, Kibum always refused all requests to show his own pictures. Because he didn’t have anything non-rated. Moreover, his drawings showed either the prettiest guys from his class or the gym teacher. He had some pictures of the headmaster, too, but Kibum wasn’t fond of such creativity. Only after being called “on the carpet”. Just imagine this reddened from shouting man, beating the table with an ashtray, and everything because Kibum has been spoiling the academic rating of the whole school… ahem.

 

Kibum came to “Paradise” on the advice of his friend because there was “a hot boy with a hot with hot dances, private included”. And Kibum had a weakness for hot boys with hot asses. And for private dances, too. It was his so-called “dirty side” that went out only at night.

 

“Hello there,” was heard through the music that was suddenly booming in the room.

 

Kim Kibum skeptically raised one of his perfect brows, watching the other male carefully as he failed to close the door on the first try (this mini-jumbo needed an extra one).

 

“My name is Kim Jonghyun, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” he introduced himself, put his bag on the floor and quickly bowed.

 

“Erm… so why don't we get to the point?” Kibum inquired.

 

Dear lord, they called him “a boy”?! The blonde could swear he saw a full-fledged man in front of his eyes! But whatever happens, it happens for the best, though. Kibum liked when men had some flesh; bones didn’t turn him on.

 

“Um, yeah, sure.” Jonghyun was a little bit confused now. “Choi Minho’s” voice was different from what he’d heard on the phone. In person this guy was way stricter than he thought.

 

“Well, go ahead… show me what you can do.” Kibum reclined on the sofa and crossed his legs, prepared to watch the show.

 

“Okay. And where to begin?” Jonghyun decided to specify as they have not discussed the program yet. “Who should I be? What character?”

 

“Excuse me?” Kibom’s brows rose up immediately.

 

“I can be a pirate. Yo-ho-ho, pipe all hands on deck!” Jonhyun yelled in a strange voice, making the other cough nervously.

 

“No, thanks. I’m not paying for extra services.” With every passing second Kibum felt himself losing patience. “Just stay yourself and dance!”

 

“Alright,” the male agreed, noticing the music system. He immediately perked up: with music it’d be much more fun!

 

“Don’t tell me you are new at this…” Kibum sighed tiredly, watching male’s failed attempts to deal with the stereo.

 

“I’m not! It’s actually my second year in this business.” Jonghyun looked offended and, wearing an expression “I know what I’m doing” on his face, continued to press all the buttons in a row.

 

“Look everybody on the left, everybody on the right, everybody, b-body e-everybody in da house. Say'n lalalalala, oh lalalalala…” some unintelligible singing was heard from the speakers.

 

“Faggots are like rabbits… have multiplied everywhere,” Jonghyun grumbled, immediately cutting off the music.

 

But how could you help it? He just didn’t understand nowadays pop-music. Not a bit.

 

Kibum, who fit the cap on himself, sank into a mini-coma for a few seconds - he didn’t see such impudence coming. But (luckily for Jonghuyn who’s already inserted his CD in the stereo) the shocked boy didn’t have a chance to give a response.

 

***********

 

Either Minho knew little about modern children or else this wasn’t the dance for kids. Not at all!

While “Kim Jonghyun” was just twisting his hips – it was endurable. Minho almost didn’t want to scream in fear. No, it’s not like he didn’t enjoy the show (certain parts of his body were even overjoyed it), the thing is… it just happened so… all of a sudden.

 

“Um… I’m sorry!” he shouted, still dealing with the shock. He started seriously doubting that this dance would make eight-year kids happy. The monster, called the sofa, didn’t want to let him go of its tight embrace, so he panicked more.

 

Taemin hasn’t seen such shy clients for a long, long time, but the loud music allowed to pretend that he didn’t hear man’s miserable mumbling.

It didn’t matter, though; he wasn’t the first shy guy.

 

Minho’s face filled with an unspoken terror and fright as the music grew louder and ier, and Taemin got hot, literally the floor. How else could he call those squirms..?

 

Poor kids. Poor, grown gray-haired kids who were standing before Minho’s eyes when he imagined (just for a mere second) what would happen to them if such animator rolled up at the children’s festival.

 

Suddenly Taemin rose from the floor and headed right to Minho, whose thoughts about children, animators and space ships instantly disappeared in the air. Pulling off his waistcoat, the boy plunked himself down on brunet’s knees, to the maximum digging Minho into the sofa.

Minho grabbed his briefcase and tried to hide behind it, but Taemin pulled the useless shield out of his hands and threw it away. Then, continuing shamelessly riding his knees, he began to take off his top.

 

“Please, don’t!” Minho got scared for real, gripping the meshy top and trying to pull it back down.

 

But Taemin - with a load hiss - painfully slapped his hand away. “No hands!”

 

“Excuse me!” Minho squeaked, watching helplessly as the boy began to get rid of his clothes.

 

***********

 

In his life, there were many private sessions, but this… he has never seen anything like this before.

After Jonghyun has danced to "the three bears’ song" (which Kibum hated since he was five), the blonde persuaded him to take off at least the shirt. Finally.

Although it took a long time, since the dancer sincerely pretended not to understand why he had to undress.

 

these games in touch-me-not.

 

“Well, how else are you ready to impress me?” Kibum asked, giving the man’s bare chest a close inspection, silently hoping that he would finally do what he was supposed to.

 

“I’ve got an idea!” Jonghyun cried unexpectedly and reached into his bag.

 

Kibum tensed.

What else did he come up with? He could just undress and stop torturing him already…

 

“Close your eyes, please!” Jonghyun exclaimed enthusiastically.

 

“What for?” Kibum said sullenly but shut his eyes in hope that once he opened them this scarecrow would be . Another idiotic song poured from the stereo. Kibum remembered it from the kindergarten: he danced as a snowflake with other children back then…

 

“Open up!”

 

“Goddamn it!” he screamed, not knowing if he should laugh or just murder this clown. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, Jonghyun was jumping back and forth while juggling three colorful plastic balls.

 

“Cool, isn’t it?” he questioned, tossing red, green and yellow balls in the air.

 

“Yes, but it’d be cooler if you took off your pants!” Kibum finally lost his temper.

 

“My… pants?” Jonghyun froze in shock, dropping all the balls on the floor. “Naaah, my profession does not imply ”

 

“Then what does it imply?” The blonde asked with wide eyes, feeling like he didn’t understand anything anymore.

 

“Bringing joy to people!”

 

***********

 

“Fifty thousand won… ”

 

“What..?” Minho asked tiredly. In the last five minutes he had the most experience of his life and now he was in a dazed state, lying on the sofa, hugging tightly his briefcase.

 

“Fifty thousand won,” Taemin repeated; he was breezed out, picking up clothes off the floor. It’s been a long time since he had to make all that efforts to turn his client on.

 

He thought it was enough, no more dancing for tonight.

 

“Yes, yes, of course.” Minho didn’t really get what the dancer was talking about; he just found the black wallet in his briefcase and handed it to Taemin.

 

“Thank you,” the other offered him a sweet smile, taking out some cash and returning the wallet to its owner. “Come again soon!

 

***********

 

“It was… it was… unforgettable,” Kibum summed up when Jonghyun has finally finished his performance by handing the blonde the little dinosaur made of twisted balloons.

 

“Did you really like it?” the brunette smiled sincerely.

 

“Ahem… it is not quite what I expected, but…” Kibum managed somehow to stand up and then took some money from his pocket. “Here… Take this.”

 

“Huh?” shocked Jonghyun moved his eyes from the cash in his hand to the guy’s back. “Wait! And what about children?” he called. Kibum stopped on the doorstep and turned around.

 

“Not a word to the children. Neither to the headmaster,” he answered and left the booth.

 

“I still don’t understand… am I hired or what?” Jonghyun mumbled under his breath, frowning, once he stayed all alone.

 

***********

 

Choi Minho was slowly wandered about dark streets, going towards the bus stop. Many strange thoughts were hovering in his mind. “What the hell was that? Why did it feel so good? Should I call Kim Jonghyun once again… but this time for my birthday? And where to find an animator now..?” were some of them.

But all his thoughts immediately vanished as he suddenly slammed into something… or rather somebody.

 

“Oh, excuse me.” Lifting his head, Minho saw a short, confused male; his shirt buttons were awry fastened. It seemed that not only Minho has had some fun this night.

 

“No-no, it’s my fault, I’m sorry,” Jonghyun answered with a little frown; for some reasons it seemed to him that he has already heard this voice. He gave Minho a quick glance, trying to remember if they’ve met before.

 

“Don’t worry, it’s ok,” he answered politely and with a heavy sigh kept walking. Jonghyun gazed after him, and then shrugged.

 

“Must be imaging things,” he thought and went his own way…