“I lost money and got stood up,” Yi Jung said a while later, aiming his rifle carefully towards the decoy. “That Goo Joon Pyo is seriously no help.”

“Ah, it’s cold,” Woo Bin nodded, rising up his own rifle once Yi Jung made his shot. “If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have just played a game of squash.”

The two turned towards Ji Hoo, who stood near, waiting for his turn.

“How did you know hat Goo Joon Pyo wasn’t going to come?” Yi Jung asked, if a bit accusingly. As it was, the boy in question was out with Jan Di and Ga Eul, apparently on a double date.

Ji Hoo gave a smile, “I’ll treat you with the money I won on the bet.”

“Stupid, that’s not what I meant…”

“Tae Min, it’s your turn,” Ji Hoo called lightly towards the boy seated on a bench, not much further away from the three. The said boy crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly, his usual smile replaced by small frown.

He really had no desire to be there at the time.

“I don’t want to.”

“Yah, Tae Minnie,” Yi Jung used the pet name purposefully, knowing it would only further annoy the other. “Isn’t it cold to just sit there?”

“Sikkeuleowo, if I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to do it.”

“What? Are you speaking informally to your elders?”

“Wae? Why do I have to be here anyway?” leaning further back in his seat, Tae Min wrapped his coat tighter around himself. Yes, he was cold. No, he did not want to be there and play with the three members of F4. He wanted to be in his studio, doing what he liked most – dancing.

“It can’t be helped,” Ji Hoo gave a shrug.

“Woo Bin-ah,“ Yi Jung glanced at the other, cocking his head slightly towards Tae Min. “You should take him home.”

“What?” Woo Bin glanced up at the potter, his eyes clearly showing he was alarmed by the thought. “Wae- why should I do it?”

“That’s obvious. He’s your responsibility.”

“Ah, jincha… Joon Pyo’s not even here. Just let him go home.”

“I can go by myself,” Tae Min called from his position, eyes narrowing at Yi Jung. “Just tell your bodyguards that it’s okay for me to leave… they wouldn’t let me out earlier.”

“Ani, Woo Bin will take you,” Ji Hoo agreed, sharing a somewhat knowing glance with Yi Jung.

“Yah, are you listening? I have my own two legs.”

“It okay, Tae Minnie,” Yi Jung waved as Woo Bin moved away with the younger boy. “You can complain to Woo Bin about your two friends ditching you for their double date on your way home.”

Tae Min was unsure, but he thought he heard Woo Bin sigh and mutter something about his friends being complete idiots.

*

“About earlier… mianhae.”

They were in Woo Bin’s car, Tae Min and him. Tae Min had asked to be taken straight to the dance studio, as it was where he had originally intended to go. Woo Bin complied without question and drove there – throughout the ride there was nothing but the awkward silence between the two, and even after Woo Bin parked in front of the SM building that silence continued, until he dared break it.

“Aniyo, it wasn’t your fault,” Tae Min said slowly, reaching to unlock his seatbelt. “That is… thank you. The walk would have taken long, and it is quite cold outside…”

Woo Bin couldn’t suppress a small smile at that. Seriously, that boy…

“Sunbae?”

“Yes?” the older boy almost slapped himself at that – he had spoken much too quickly and it did not go past Tae Min. For a moment it seemed a frown would pull across his lips again, but then, and to Woo Bin’s surprise, Tae Min glanced away, the tiny smile on his lips seeming almost… shy?

“Do you… want to come up to see the studio?”

Idly, Tae Min wondered when it was he first admitted to himself to having slight interest in Woo Bin.

“Okay.”

And then, why his heart began beating so ridiculously fast when the Flower Four’s Don Juan agreed to such an innocent request.

*

“I am most definitely not gay.”

“What?” Jan Di laughed at her friend’s sudden outburst. “What’s that?”

“Jan Di-ah,” Tae Min gave a half-pout, scratching the back of his head and feeling rather awkward discussing such a subject. “At some point, everyone experiences what they think is attraction towards the same gender… isn’t that right?”

“Yah, Tae Min. Is there someone you like?“

“Andwae. No way.”

“Lee Tae Min,” Jan Di eyed the other a bit critically, pausing in her step. The two were walking home together, Tae Min seeming a bit absent-minded so the girl simply let him be. But when he spoke aloud suddenly, it sparked a bit of her interest. Up to that point, she never really knew anything about if there was someone he liked, whether it was a girl or a boy. He had many female admirers, certainly, but never showed much of an interest – at least, Jan Di never saw him showing such. And even then, she hadn’t thought of the possibility of him being queer. It just… didn’t seem like Tae Min.

“You can tell me if it’s bothering you.”

“Ga Eul and you, Jan Di… you both have people you like,” Tae Min spoke slowly. Though Jan Di would have denied it any other time, she now gave the slightest indication of a nod. It was a complicated relationship between Joon Pyo and herself, but…

“Ne?”

“Then Jan Di, tell me this… exactly how does that feel?”

Jan Di took a moment to think. She never really dare acknowledge her feelings out loud, but it was Tae Min… he already knew what she had made known, and to someone who knew them, it was clear form just watching her and Joon Pyo together.

“That is… I’m not really sure. When it’s Joon Pyo, I usually just get irritated because he does whatever he wants, but… then it’s like… it feels strange in my stomach. Sometimes, I feel like my heart is going to burst.”

Tae Min stared at her silently for a moment before exclaiming again.

“There is no way, it’s impossible for me.”

*

Tae Min walked into the dance studio silently, flicking on the lights as he did so. His eyes met the reflection of his figure in the mirrors lining the opposite wall… and of Woo Bin, right behind him.

“Woah, I heard this place was big, but I didn’t know what to expect.”

“To be honest… this is one of the smaller studios.”

“Jincha? Ah, the SM Agency is really amazing.”

Tae Min gave a thin-lipped smile, moving across to the cabinet that held the stereo. Having pulled a small key from his pocket, he pushed it in and opened the cabinet, rummaging through a stack of CD’s for a moment before giving up and simply wiring his iPod to the thing.

“Woo Bin sunbae?”

“Ne?” Woo Bin turned to glance at the other, still a bit distracted by the vastness of the place.

“Will you watch me dance?”

Tae Min never went quite as far to describe himself as rudely blunt, but there were moments when he was pretty straightforward. And to ask something such as that of Woo Bin, to allow him to watch him dance… when he still practised or worked on a new choreography… the more Tae Min thought about it, he realized could not have been any more straightforward than that.

It was common knowledge, after his cousin slipped the words to the press: “Taemin is a terrible perfectionist and won’t show his work until he’s completely satisfied. The thought of someone watching him while he’s practicing totally sets him out.”

Perhaps it was just his need to be acknowledged, and disappointment Jan Di couldn’t make it again, or perhaps he was finally admitting to himself that he felt comfortable enough around Woo Bin. Tae Min didn’t care.Free-styling and combining in the steps from the choreography he was working on, once he began, his attention focused solely on his dance. He noticed not Woo Bin, or the eyes followed his moves, the reflection of his own, determined expression.

The way Tae Min danced made Woo Bin seriously question his sanity. He’d seen and gone out with a fair share of girls, some more locomotive than others, but Tae Min was just so… flexible. There was something in the way he moved, and it didn’t help much that Woo Bin kept noticing every little thing the other did – the certain way his hips swayed, or how he cocked his head… when he bit his lower lip like that…

Woo Bin, he scolded himself at some point. What the hell are you thinking?

As the song came to a close and Tae Min did his finishing steps, Woo Bin stood from where the boy had previously instructed him to sit. Tae Min had approached him, wiping bits of sweat from his forehead, his cheeks a bit red – though whether it was the heat of the room and his jumping around that made them so or a simple blush… that was left to one’s wonder.

“You're an amazing little dancer, you know?” Woo Bin said, getting Tae Min all worked up immediately.

“Little?”

Resisting the urge to ruffle the boy’s hair, Woo Bin offered a cheeky smile. “Ah.”