Club goers eyed the mob walking in one after the other, dripping with authority and charisma. While some were intrigued with the handsome males and beautiful ladies, some just resumed whatever they were doing since the mob only blended in with the fun. Some of the group went straight for the dance floor while others went to the VIP room where they ordered and waited patiently for their drinks. Minji walked with her unnies and oppas to the room where she ordered a cocktail and drank with small sips. Bom who was beside her, scooted close to her and whispered a question she knew would come but hadn’t exactly expected the time to be now.

“How do you feel seeing him again?”

“Fine I guess but I don’t know. I feel nervous yet happy around him. It is our first time meeting after he decided to leave the country for a while” replied Minji as she scanned the crowd for him.

A soft smile graced her lips as she saw him drinking by the bar as he talked with those around him.

“You know, I still approve of him. I think we all do really” Bom nodded as she followed the younger’s gaze.

She heaved a sigh, downed her drink and grabbed Minji’s hand, dragging her to the dance floor. There, they danced and mingled with their friends once again. Minji jumped to the music, moving her body to the beat before she felt someone pressed against her back. She turned in surprise and looked up at the intruder but smiled widely and danced comically with him, moving her whole body in the same direction as his with a wide smile. They laughed at their silliness as the others around them also burst in laughter, their gazes softening at the youngest of the pair before they joined in with the fun. The whole dance floor was filled with bodies dancing and rubbing against each other before a dance battle was suggested by none other than the DJ – the president himself. He smiled as he called up the names of each, turning the dance floor into a heated females versus males battle.

Regular club goers watched on with amusement and excitement because they knew that these people basically owned the place – they frequented the place and often had a say in most of the occurrences here. The battle ended with laughter, smiles and tears – some were serious, some attempted, some were comical and some were maybe not meant for the dancing department. Minji giggled at the moves busted out by her unnies, oppas and dongseangs – they were all cool and cute in their own special way. As the crowd slowly began dominating the dance floor again, Minji pushed her way towards the bar amongst the dancing bodies for refreshments. She ordered a few shots and downed them all at once before her eyes scanned the room for the rest room which she walked happily to. After she had finished her business, she walked out of the ladies room with a smile still planted on her face only for it to widen as she saw the male figure walk out from the men’s room. She called him and they smiled at each other, chatting as they slowly made their way back to the others. She smiled brightly next to him, touching his toned arms lightly as they looked at the almost silent crowd with club goers standing to the side and what seemed like two groups on each side. The two frowned at the strangeness and hurried into the crowd where the bodies of their friends were settled. As they were about to open their mouths to enquire what was wrong, the voice of their president rang through the now rather quiet club.

“Hello Mr Lee. It’s very nice to see you and your students here today at my club”

“Greetings to you Sir. Your club?”

Yang gestured to the logo plastered at the bar and smirked.

“But now that I see you are here, I’d like to have a chat with you. Would you mind heading to my office with me?”

“Sure” Lee replied before he turned to his former students to give them a look which told them to behave.

As the two presidents walked away, the former students from both academies stared at each other, judging and looking at each other.

Being the kind man that he was, Sean spoke to them, telling them that they were free to enjoy themselves as they wished as their presidents continued with their talk. When no one made a move, Teddy walked from the crowd with a smirk to their usual VIP lounge which prompted everyone to follow after him. The others watched as their rival walked, eyes widening when they realised some faces. Chaerin slightly gasped as she scanned the opposite side to see her dear boyfriend and her friend’s husband. Yanggeng who was next to her looked at her weirdly but walked calmly with her towards the VIP lounge. Minji felt butterflies in her stomach for some odd reason but despite her nervous feelings, she maintained a poker face as she walked past them, stopping only when she met eyes with her husband. She whispered his name and her eyes widened, he had dyed his hair dark orange and had a cut which made him look more mature and more attractive. She frowned and turned away from him as she felt someone tugging at her wrists.

She went to her reserved seats beside her unnies and began chatting with them, well actually everyone as they all realised that her husband was in their rival academy. She groaned and sighed, gulping down shots to help her forget these series of events and to drown their voices. The others had moved to the bar and now sat directly opposite of them, staring and glaring. Taemin felt shivers down his spine that day as her oppas in that room all looked at him at one point, glaring daggers at him. His hyungs who saw this, also glared back but was met with mocking laughter which could not be heard but instead seen and felt. They sighed and groaned, annoyed that they had stepped into the rival’s property. Minji would sneak glances at him as she was surrounded with voices. He had seated himself on a stool, holding a beer in one hand as he sat facing her direction. She watched as he took small sips before a girl approached him, sitting on the empty stool beside him as they conversed. She saw a wave of emotions occur over his features – surprise, excitement, pain, hurt, disappointment and confusion before he returned to his normal poker face. She also didn’t fail to notice the looks his hyungs, noonas and dongseangs had given him when they witnessed the scene un-fold before them.

She ignored the weird feeling in her heart as she let her eyes scan them slowly, she smiled softly and nodded at faces she recognised as they did the same. She took one more glance at him to see him still occupied with the female but looked up when she felt the seats beside her dipped and two bodies crushed her. She laughed as she heard Bom screaming at the two intruders to which they replied with a cheeky smile. They smiled at her and conversed with her, she ignored the butterflies in her stomach, reminiscing of the times they’d joke and dance with each other. She laughed as Youngdon mimicked a scenario that occurred between Yeungdeuk and her before, failing to notice the glare that was directed at her by none other than her own husband who had ignored his ex but stared at his wife and the two men surrounding her. As he glared at her, he felt a slight twinge in his heart to see her laughing and smiling so brightly, something he wasn’t able to achieve until recently but then again it did not seem as sincere as it did right at the moment.

He snapped out of his daze as he heard the president’s voice which informed them that instead of leaving, they would be staying and enjoying the night in this club with their rivals. As the others were about to open their mouths to protest, he stated that the rivalry had been ongoing for too long and that a discussion with Yang president had settled differences between them. And they quietened down, they knew it was childish and silly but their sense of pride wouldn’t let them back down. Lee sighed but walked over to where Yang, who was also speaking to his students, informing them of their discussion and decision. Yang introduced Lee and the students reluctantly greeted him. Lee scanned the lounge for a certain girl, his eyes landed on her and he offered a small smile. She nodded and smiled in return. His student was sure as hell lucky to have a very understanding and lovely wife. He had frowned when he heard of the proposal made by Yang but stopped as the president talked about the relationship between his student, Minji who was married to his own student, Taemin. He listened and slowly nodded in understanding. He had known of the engagement but did not know that the female was from Yang’s academy – a background check that he did not bother doing. 

They soon came to terms because the married couple had in a way defied their unofficially established rules between the academies and if there were more of similar cases to come in the future then, it might as well be settled now. And so with the happiness of their students in mind, they agreed to mutual feelings with specific details to be discussed at a later date. The two presidents conversed freely, drinking and laughing as they shared some stories with each other, watching as their students interacted with each other – though unwillingly at first. They conversed, drank and danced with each other, enjoying a night out with neither of the couple bumping into each other. Minji was honestly preoccupied with reuniting with her friends as Taemin was with his and of course someone. Maybe anger and jealously blinded him for a while but now that he seemed settled with his feelings, he actually felt quite nervous seeing her. It has been a while since she attended their reunions and not long ago before he had seen her and she was still as beautiful. As she spoke to him, Taemin tried to shake away the fluffy feeling growing inside of him – a feeling he knew all too well. They surprisingly conversed with what appeared as mutual feelings, he listened to her speak of her problems and her reasons. If it was the old him, he’d be believing everything she said but right now, he doubted the truth within her words. He didn’t know why he did but he felt that something about her didn’t feel right. But all these thoughts were drowned when he saw his Kibum hyung running to him with messy hair and a drink in hand. She also realised his lack of response and followed his gaze to see what had occupied his attention. She greeted the older male and left them as soon as he asked for some privacy but it was not like they would get any privacy here anyways – it was a god damn club.

Taemin looked at the older male with questioning eyes but before Kibum could open his mouth to utter a single word, music ceased in the club and a deep voice drifted to their ears. The two males searched for the source of the voice and found a man wearing a hat over his hoodie, smirking and starting what seemed like a dance battle. The two groups were immediately separated and this was seen with the empty space left on the dance floor. As the music resumed, the dance battle had unofficially started with Taeyang taking the stage to show off his moves which were cheered upon by his fellow friends and watched intently on by their rivals. The names of their rivals were not known or asked about – hell they didn’t even care, they were just intent on winning. The battle had gone on for several rounds with the dancers exuding their flawless yet clean moves and despite them not wanting to admit it, their rivals, SM was definitely better than them in delivering their choreography and moves. YG hadn’t always been about dancing anyways they tried comforting themselves. Minji watched in the back, clapping and bobbing her head to the music as she cheered on her team and was sure as hell surprised when she was grabbed forward by none other than Seung Ri who pushed her onto the dance floor. She stood with wide eyes and open as she faced them and she stiffened when she met eyes with him, who had participated in the battle and was now standing and observing in the opposing crowd. She closed her eyes briefly and with the cheers from her peers, moved her body with the music as she opened her eyes and stared straight back at him.

He felt the heat of her gaze but couldn’t meet her eyes as his own travelled all over her body. She was clad in a black dress and with her newly cut hair, looked more beautiful than ever. He was entranced, unaware of his surroundings – that was until he had met eyes with her again before the song ended where she blew him a kiss and sent him a smirk, challenging him. He smirked and despite him having already gone before, his peers watched as he walked forward, pointed and winked at his wife before he showed her his moves to which she watched with crossed arms and raised eyebrows. He in a way, serenaded the woman as he danced his way to her and took her hand in his, planting a soft kiss on it to end his dance. She laughed and smiled at his actions, oblivious to the look her unnies and especially oppas had given the interaction. She felt for some reason contented for the night and backed away from the dance battle to get herself another drink, wanting to be away from the noise and headed to the rooftop of the club. It was a place not a lot of people knew about and she’d be able to get some fresh air from there. She sipped her drink silently and thought about the events of the night, smiling as the cool breeze brushed past her.

“Lonely?” asked a voice from behind her.

She turned her head back in surprise to find the guy she once crushed so hard upon stare right back at her with a charming smile. They had talked a few times before this encounter but she never failed to notice the quick thumping of her heart as she stared at his handsome face. And the moment he smirked or smiled that goofy smile of his, she felt like she would melt. She frowned at her thoughts, she had honestly believed all her feelings for this guy was over and that she loved her husband and him only. Yet the rapid beating of her heart told her otherwise.
He took the seat beside her and overlooked the scenery, sipping his own drink. They sat in silence, comfortable silence and embraced the nature they had around them.

“I missed you Minji” he said with his eyes closed after a while.

She looked at him in surprise and nodded.

“I did too. We’ve all changed huh? Grew up and all” she laughed as she spoke, thinking back to the memories she shared with him.

Back then, she was just a mere kid when she had meet him and then her  feelings slowly started to develop at the age of sixteen and when she was eighteen, she had believed she was in love with him. A one sided love. Their feelings weren’t mutual and she knew which was why she never confessed to him. She felt guilt arise within her as she realised why she had agreed on the marriage so easily. It wasn’t just to comply with her parents but it was also because she needed out from this heartbreak caused by him. He had indirectly broken her heart when he showed up one day with his girlfriend where they publicly displayed their affections for each other. She knew months after her marriage that her mind had been clouded with embarrassment, disappointment, crushed hope, confusion, hurt and pain, so much pain that she decided to agree with the marriage. She knew herself that she was selfish and that’s why she tried, tried so hard to forget and move on. And when she was ready to move on, slowly hoping that her husband would be the one, she was crushed again. From then, she silently held onto a tiny hope of either of them appearing before her and saying that they loved her. What wishful thinking but as the contact with her husband was unavoidable yet so rare, she felt more attracted to him than she had towards the man sitting beside her since she had in a way, avoided all contact with him to help her move on.

She looked at him, observing his side profile and smiled, her eyes burned with tears she didn’t want to shed nor want him to see. She turned to the side, away from him and quickly let the tears fall before wiping them away as discreetly as possible. However, she knew he had caught her crying because she felt his gaze on her but she simply chose to ignore it, hoping that he’d get the message and not pry on and thankfully he did. Instead, he took a sip from his bottle and let out a sigh, throwing his head backwards before getting up and pulling her along. She laughed and protested but his grip was firm yet gentle. He pulled her back into the club and down into the dance floor where he made her dance with him. They swayed to the music with him sneaking occasional worried glances at her. He had known of her feelings when they were much younger but knew that he was unable to return them. That’s what he had thought until the day before her wedding where he realised that he did love her. He just didn’t think that he saw her beyond being a little sister and best friend to him.  Yet he could do nothing. She was to be married and so, he watched silently as she did. He smiled for her despite the aching of his heart then.

He also soon realised that she didn’t marry out of love, neither of them did but she began ignoring him, avoiding him and he knew, any wishful thinking he had for the both of them to be together were gone. For whatever reason she had, she married a man who didn’t love her, who she didn’t love. He laughed with her and put his hands around her waist as they danced a routine they had always practiced back when they were still students. He also didn’t fail to notice the heated glare that Lee Taemin had been giving him the moment he saw the two dancing. As he met the eyes of the pretty boy, he smirked at him with challenging eyes. He had always wanted to give that guy a lesson with all the gossip going around about him and Minji’s marriage. He might have been unable to give her the comfort and love as a lover but he sure would as a brother and as a best friend. She didn’t know but he had frequently been updated with gossip surrounding the couple even though he had travelled for some time with his twin – an attempt to forget, to start anew and to rethink over his life.
He hadn’t exactly been able to give the dude a lesson either with them barely even seeing each other and her other oppas telling him that it was of no use. Their little sister had fallen deep, so deep that she’d do anything to keep him away from the wrath of the guys. The guys stayed silent then but he knew that they were more than willingly to do something. And that’s what he didn’t get, nearly three years into their marriage and anyone could tell she was so in love with him. Yet the odd thing was, he also saw the love Taemin had in his eyes when he gazed at Minji. Was all the pain she suffered for him finally paying off? Or was this a mere misjudgement from him and those around them? He glared ahead of him, straight into Taemin’s eyes as a certain thought lingered in his mind.

“I don’t care what’s going on but if you hurt her now, you’ll have to go through me, Kwon Yeungduek”

He wasn't fighting him for hurting her as a love interest but as a best friend who had failed to protect his best friend for years now.