The stage lights dimmed as twelve figures took their last pose. The screams of the fans was deafening as they called out the names of their beloved idols. Kai mentally congratulated himself and his group, lips stretched out in a full grin as his chest heaved. Wiping the sweat off his face with a towel thrown in his general direction, the tanned dancer followed his group backstage. He watched, contented as the other eleven boys celebrated another wonderful performance. Yet, he did not join in the festivities. Instead, the boy quietly changed his clothes in a corner. Kai made eye contact with their leader, Suho, who looked at him with sad eyes, a small smile on his lips. With a nod, the leader dismissed the younger. The dancer returned the smile half heartedly, catching Sehun's eyes before he turned and walked out the door.

Every time they finished a performance, Kai would always disappear and would only return in time for other activities or for the meal the group would usually share. Nobody, except maybe Sehun and Suho, knew why. They learned not to question it, but they were curious as to why the young dancer would sometimes come back with puffy, red eyes, as if he had just cried, and a tired smile. The boys were worried, but Suho insisted they give the boy some space. Sehun always stuck to him like glue when he returned, sometimes talking to the other in hushed tones. Kai would be unusually quiet, though, so sometimes they talked to him, trying to cheer up the seemingly down dancer.

Once the door had closed, heads whipped towards the direction, hesitating. They were curious. But Suho just ushered them into changing their clothes so they could leave.

Kai walked back to stage, which had been cleared of people. Sighing, the dancer shuffled over to the edge before sitting down, feet dangling over the edge. He heaved another sigh, enjoying the silence as his mind wandered, as it always did, back to the past. 

--

Everyone knew Kai; he was always the guy in the spotlight, the clear favorite. But once the lights dimmed and the show was over, he was just Kim Jongin. Everyone knew Kai, but very few knew Jongin. Everyone loved Kai but that did not matter. Because Kai and Jongin only loved dance.

To Kim Jongin, dance was everything; he couldn't imagine life without it. Ever since he could remember, the dance, the rhythm- it lived inside him, like a brightly burning flame that refused to die. Jongin lived to perform.

But somewhere along the way, he grew tired. Maybe it was the pressure, the expectation- he couldn't tell. He just eventually grew tired of everything, of the perfection everyone expected from him. When did everything start to revolve around perfection and impressing others? He sometimes found himself wondering. What happened to performing for the adrenaline rush it gave him? What happened to performing for the thrill and expression? For love?

Eventually, Jongin made up his mind; it was time to pack his bags and say goodbye to the stage. He had given up before he had even started. He was determined to leave Kai to rest permanently. With his mind made and an unwavering resolve, the boy stalked towards the familiar building. But it seemed like fate loved to play games with him. Once he was outside a familiar door, Jongin realized it was Sunday, which meant that nobody was in. Jongin cursed his luck and sigh. He'll just come back tomorrow, he figured. 

Walking away, Jongin slowly made his way down the hallway, passing by several practice rooms. Noticing a slightly open door, Jongin curiously made his way over. He was a good feet away when he caught wind of a slow song. He stilled, vaguely recalling Sehun's stories about the paranormal regarding that particular practice room. Whether the poker-faced boy had been serious or not, Jongin wasn't entirely sure. But either way, he knew Sehun only spoke of it to scare Tao. Which, by the way, worked, judging from the way the said boy kicked and screamed every time Sehun tried to drag him in.

Jongin shook his head, mentally scolding himself for getting sidetracked. He was seriously contemplating. What if Sehun's stories had been true? He'd probably run. But it wasn't like anyone would see him if that did happen. Curiosity got the better of him, and Jongin found himself slowly inching towards the door. His heart raced as he slowly peeked inside. What he saw, however, left the boy mesmerized. In the middle of the empty practice room was a figure clad in white. 

Each motion of his arm, each step left Jongin in a daze. He watched as plump, (perfectly kissable, his mind helpfully supplied) pink lips stretched into a serene smile. Jongin's breathing hitched, observing the boy's flawless face, from his pretty eyes, high, full cheek bones and lips. The way the dancer moved took Jongin’s breath away. But somehow, jealousy burned somewhere in him. He envied the way the dancer seemed to enjoy what he was doing. Jongin longed to feel the happiness that dancing used to give him.

For a ghost, he's pretty.  Jongin found himself thinking as he watched the figure dance with such grace and passion that left him dumbfounded.

Jongin would have continued to stare, had not the dancer stop and notice him. Curiosity filled the boy’s eyes as he cocked his head to the side and looked at the dazed boy at the door. Jongin’s cheeks flamed, realizing the boy was looking at him. He shifted awkwardly.

“Are you the ghost they talk about?” Jongin blurted out, then immediately cursed himself.

Talk about a bad first impression, He thought, lowering his head in embarrassment. The figure looked at him in amusement before raising his hand to his lips and laughed. Jongin’s head snapped up at the (pleasant) sound. The boy only smiled at the flushed teen, extending out a hand. Another song had started playing by then.

“Would you like to dance with me?” the pretty boy asked, softly.

The question startled Jongin, but the boy’s smile drew him in. As if in a daze, Jongin stepped inside the room, hand reaching out to take the other boy’s soft ones into his. Neither of them spoke, the only sound in the entire room coming from the speakers. Then the boy moved. Jongin surprised himself when he found his body responding to the other’s movements. Both boys moved in what seemed like a familiar routine. Their bodies moved in perfect synchronization. Whenever the boy turned, Jongin would be there to catch him. And every time caught him, he found that the boy fit perfectly against his body.

He was in a daze. Jongin could feel his heartbeat accelerate with every touch. Every caress sent shivers down his spine. He couldn’t hear the music, he couldn’t really see anything. But he could feel. Every touch, every breath—Jongin could feel it. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he led the slighter boy across the floor.

It was then that he remembered—the forgotten thrill, the passion—and it hit him with full force.

This is what’s been missing. He realized.

But something was strangely different. Every glance, every peek at the other dancer’s face sent his heart into frenzy. He could feel something stirring within his heart—but this had nothing to do with dance, but rather with the boy himself.

Never had the smile left the boy’s face, Jongin noticed.

It was there, still intact, all calm and beautiful.

Jongin was in awe once again.

As the song came to an end, the other dancer moved further away from his grasp. Fear clutched Jongin’s heart and his body moved on its own. Gingerly taking the boy’s hand into his own, Jongin halted the other boy’s movement. They stood, staring at each other for what seemed like decades.

As the last note faded, the other dancer’s browse rose in confusion, looking at their intertwined fingers.

“What’s your name?” Jongin asked softly.

It took a while for the other to respond, but when he did, he smiled so sweetly that Jongin almost melted.

“I’m Taemin.”

--

 Taemin.

The name was forever tattooed on Jongin’s mind. No matter what he did, the boy would always cross his thoughts, sometimes even making him forget other things.

But after the strange meeting, Jongin never saw the pretty boy again. The passion that sparked within him that day died down as well.

“Your movements are perfect as always, Jongin,” his Yunho sunbae would praise him, “But something... I don’t know, something’s missing.”

Jongin knew exactly what he was missing. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing could reignite that flame the boy had sparked in him.

He held his passion.

“Tell you what,” Yunho began, seeing the troubled face of his dongsaeng, “I’ll bring someone over to help you. In fact, I think he can help your group as well.”

The other eleven boys behind them groaned, complaining about how they never get any rest. Yunho could only chuckle.

“Oh, you’ll love him.” He smiled, “He’s a charming young boy. You remind me of him, Jongin. I think you’d get along great.”

Jongin could only nod miserably.

--

He could not believe his eyes.

There, in the center of the practice room, was the boy he had been dreaming about. Even though his back was turned to him, his mind kept screaming Taemin that he thought he was going crazy.

He walked past Chanyeol, who had been trying to strike up a conversation, and dazedly walked towards the boy. Jongin was a feet away when he stopped. He watched Taemin laugh and talk animatedly with some of s and their Yunho sunbae.

“Taemin?”

Said boy turned and immediately, his smile grew brighter upon seeing the tanned dancer.

“Jongin.” The way Taemin said his name sent pleasant shivers down his back.

And then every pair of eyes in the room was on them.

Jongin stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say. But, hell, he was thankful he didn’t collapse right then and there. His knees shook too much (with anticipation) that he seriously thought he would fall down any minute now.

The slighter male stepped towards the boy.

“Would you like to dance, Jongin?”

Taemin’s playful voice drew a smile on Jongin’s lips.

Taking his hand, Jongin squeezed it gently.

“Yes.”

Yunho smiled knowingly.

--

Everyone was in awe as the two boys danced.

They watched as separate bodies molded and moved as one. The passion was over flowing; the grace so captivating that none of them could find the courage to look away.

Jongin, they noticed, seemed so happy. His moves oozed with confidence and so much feeling, so unlike the perfectly blank dancer he usually was.

Their dance was so passionately intimate; each caress held so much affection that left the audience spellbound.

As they ended their seemingly well-practiced routine, Yunho bounded up to them with a smile, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

“That was wonderful. Jongin, that was amazing.”

Taemin only smiled up to the taller male. Yunho chuckled and patted his head affectionately.

“It was a beautiful performance, Taeminnie.”

“Jongin, I think you know what you’ve been lacking.”

“I know,” Jongin agreed, “But I can’t do it.”

Jongin was aware that most of the ears in the room were listening into the conversation.

“What do you mean?” Yunho’s brows furrowed.

“I don’t…” Jongin faltered, face flushing as he looked down, “I can’t find the passion in me anymore…”

“But you danced so passionately, Jongin.” Taemin reached out, squeezing his hand gently.

“Yes, but…” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “I can only dance like that…”

Looking up, Jongin bite his lip and stared into Taemin’s eyes, gently squeezing his hand back.

“… with you.”

--

This'll be a short story, guys. About 2-5 chapters all in all? Anyway, thanks for reading!~ Hope you guys enjoyed. Please leave a comment about your opinions and yeah... an upvote is nto necessary but greatly appreciated ^_^v

Peace out.

KtothePOPyo