Three days of endless nights, Taemin was suffering with anxiety. Jonghyun scolded him like a hell upon resisting on going to school the day after the awful kiss. Jongin played him really well. Taemin started to has a second thought about quitting school and completely getting rid of Jongin which he knows Jonghyun will definitely opposed to his dumb idea anyways.

The first time Taemin decided that he had enough of everything, he went to school in hope he won't get blacklist by his frequent absent. He had been good in avoiding Jongin. Mingling on the quad of the main campus, they accidently bumped into each other and Taemin had flung at him in all bitter bile in his heart. It was an awkward meeting he must said, with Jongin's face close to him. Taemin froze in his spot as breath caught in his throat.

Taemin groaned inwardly as their body touched and tentatively pushed up to stare at the perfect profile. The tender light that shone in those beautiful eyes, the gentleness of his features, that soft luscious lips begging to be kiss, the passion in his smile...

"Knock it off princess! It's too late for daydreaming. Day time is almost over."

Horrified at himself, he backed away from Jongin and spat, "I wasn't daydreaming, brat! Who the hell are you calling me princess?!"

Taemin turned from him, bolting across the street, knowing he failed miserably to hold onto any dignity at all.  Longing to get home and shut himself in, and never, never ever to come out. Not until the image of Jongin long gone in his head.

Jongin was acting like nothing happened since then but Taemin swore he can feel the smile of mocked victory thrown towards him, cutting him deep inside. For god sake, it was the second worst days for him. No, it wasn't the fact that they had been in this state several times. But, it was because he found himself being weak and helpless while Jongin was brave. Too much stupidity going on there, Taemin thought. His pride is hurting. He had actually fallen in love and it was far stupidest mistake he had ever felt in his entire life.

It was late evening when Taemin was on his way back home.  Suddenly, the clap sound emerged. A breath later, Taemin paused in his walk and cocked his head to one side as if listening to something. He heard nothing save the beat of his own heart. The clap-clap pattern could hardly be coming from somewhere, the sounds issued from an unknown location near the main hall and were getting closer by the second. Taemin eyed his surrounding, then held his bag tighter to his chest and walked slowly down the corridor in the direction of the noises source.

 The unsettling clap-clap sound echoed continuously and above it he heard someone yelling, another terrible sound this time and he was sure that it did come from human's throat. He could sense it, there was intense fight going on at the end of the hallway. Taemin neither know nor cared. But, the voice he seemed to recognize lured him in.

Taemin gasped, almost losing his grip on the bag as he saw the two shadows more clearly now.

“Give it back now!” Jongin exclaimed furiously.

Sanghyun whistle while swung the glasses in his hand back and forth, making him really angry, “Then try to reach for it, idiot! You still can see now with your two eyes, right?”

“Park Sanghyun, give the ing spec or else,” he threatened.

“Or else what? You gonna fly over here with your hideous bag and being a to slap me again?”

Jongin tightened his fist and charged at him with much force but stopped a centimeter away from his face. Sanghyun looked at him and then laughed, like this was all joke. “Ahh, you indeed can't see anything without this.”

He grabbed at the hand but Sanghyun fled away, leaving him stumbling and staggering. Jongin slowed his movements as like the tired old fighter and he ceased any effective movement. He stopped fighting. No longer cared about what was happening.

“You really want this, huh? Then tell him that you’re gonna drop out from our team. You must learn to obey me, Kai.”

Jongin now spoke freely. “Why?! Why would I do that?! So that you can replace me? You are playing dirty, my friend! After all, I’m the best dancer among us and your dance is no better than me! Don’t you think this is too much to ask?”

Sanghyun spoke freely as well. “Kai, you’re so delusional if you think that we can win easily because of you! It won’t!!! But, if you want some advice…I’ll give it to you! How about you end up all these insanities by just giving up and surrendering yourself right now. Just give it up, you maniac! Drop out from our team and let me replace you. I’m sick of you leading our team like a !”

Jongin gave him a little push which took him by surprise because instead of Sanghyun withdrawing the shove, he flew backwards, merely off the ground, knocking hard against the cupboard. Jongin laughed for moments and when he finally reduced his laughter to a mere smile. He said quite fervently, “You think I would surrender? Are you crazy or even mad? Perhaps, you wanted to be like me. Just say it! Or maybe we should surrender together and see whose winning this time around, deal with it? Man up, don’t be so coward.”

The laughing stops almost immediately as Sanghyun smashed the glasses in his hand hard and stepped on it in split second.

Jongin growled as he heard his glasses being crushed underneath those big giant feet. Park Sanghyun marched forward like an angry bull and pushed Jongin hard till his back harshly hit the wall. “I don’t need you to tell me what I need to do! I don’t give a damn about how good you are in dancing!” Sanghyun threw a big punch at the side of his lips.

Jongin groaned as he felt blood from the cut. He wiped the blood with his sleeve, still smirking. “They had to choose! And they chose me instead of going with someone like you because they damn know that you’re not even worth it. How does it feel actually? You suffered with all the training and then I just smashed it right in your face?”

“You think you’re so good, don’t you. Maybe some more hit can knock your sense!” That moment of time Jongin lifted his face, Sanghyun backed away, swung his leg. Jongin was caught off guard and was hit right at his pelvis area. It forced him to the ground. He groaned before stood back up with much difficulty. Sanghyun threw another punch and Jongin dodged it. However, Jongin didn’t see the other fist was coming towards him, Taemin eyes went wide.

Although as a perfect stranger, Taemin burst into the scene with a loud, “Stop!Stop!” All the time he kept it up and ridiculing Jongin out from the danger point. Sanghyun was going to hit Jongin again by grabbing near unconscious boy by his collar, when Taemin shouted, “I said stop right there, jackass!”

And the answer he got was, “Go away! I don’t have time to serve the weaklings.”

Taemin hissed, his words tumbling faster and higher with agitation. “Whatever it is, he is not someone that you can toy with. You’re not in any position to beat him and make him quit!”

Unfortunately for him, he was about to find out that Sanghyun didn’t respond well to his words. The boy was pissed now. Sanghyun make last punched in Jongin’s face, knocking him down, hardly moving and walked straight towards Taemin with eyes red and unblinking. “Unbelievable! How long since you’ve been hiding there and eyes dropping?” Smirking as he said, “Yah Kai, your dongsaeng is so funny. He thinks he is some kind of a hero. Come out of nowhere like that—“

“I-I’m not his dongsaeng! I’m Lee Taemin!”

“Does it really matter, dude? Do I look like I care? I don’t give a who you are.” Sanghyun blew out a sigh of anger and darted a quick glance at the boy which he thought twice smaller than him, seizing him down. What was he, about fifteen? Sixteen, tops. What the hell was a little boy doing alone and bravely shouting at him? It dawned on him then, “Okay, Kai, so your baby-sitter didn’t show up and you had to bring this kid to work with you? You shouldn’t mind with adult business, kid!”

“Darn you! You better not call me names! Now one more sass word and you will get it!” Taemin warned.

Hell yes, it mattered in Taemin’s view. In fact, Jongin was nowhere strong enough to take the blow. Taemin looked at Jongin, clearly surprised how the boy was still able to stand on his own feet in that state. He hated the shrill cackle of mad laughter coming out from Sanghyun’s mouth and he hated seeing Jongin wobbles before he could regain all his energy. Taemin wondered at the unusual strength that left on him. He watched him compassionately for a while. His heart melted completely. Taemin felt overwhelming pity for Jongin, and a soft forgiving sigh escaped his lips.

 “You think I’m afraid of you ?! You want to serve this guy, then, it’s your loss because I’m the best fighter in this town. I'm gonna kill you right now and blow your head off!”

Sanghyun said as he shoved his way up and this time he sort of crabbed in sideways, like he wanted to box. He feinted with his left and threw a straight right and when he did, Taemin pushed past and snapped a sidekick to his head that made him stumble back and drop his hand. Taemin kick him twice more and punched him hard once at the stomach and Sanghyun went down. The hit was hard enough to keep the boy there.

Taemin squatted beside him not touching and said, “You’re gonna listen to this. I know who are you and I know pretty damn well where you live...I'm letting you go, but if I see your punk out here on the street again, I'm gonna beat the out of you. You understand me?"

Sanghyun nodded his head in utter fright, a low shivering whimper escaping his trembling lips. His nose was swelling and blood still dribbled from one nostril.

“Now you can go!” Taemin smiled, rubbing the dust in his hand and stood up, immediately rushing back to Jongin with worried mind.

“Jongin are you—” 

“Taemin watch out!” Jongin screamed suddenly, terror stricken and Taemin looked back right on time Sanghyun swung down with a stick in his left hand and hit him a swinging blow at the side of his head, smearing quite amount of blood. Taemin was breathing heaving, his heart pounding, adrenaline surging through him and before the final blackness engulfed his visions, Taemin felt the dreadful pain knocking him to the ground.

Taemin woke to the sound of talking. He was not sure if it was a dream and the words are muffled. His head was in pain, not too deep of a cut but enough for the dizziness come back to him as he tried to open his eyes. He was dazed as he scanned the unfamiliar place, everything was blurred and the room is so white that it blinded his visions. He could see shadows of two people standing over the curtain. They were talking to themselves. He could see one of them pointing at him. Their ghostly presences brought fear. Was it real? In a sleep-like state, the conversation he heard was stressing his mind.  Words like, “Is he going to be alright?”, “Nothing serious, we will have to wait for him to awake.”

Taemin tried to open his mouth in response, but the pain strike in immediately. He feels a burn alongside his right head and hits through his skull. “A-ah…”

“Jong-in…” Taemin whispered in a thin voice.

“You’re awake.” Jongin come rushing in after hearing his call, cautiously relieved. “How are you feeling?”

“Horrible…like I was hit by a truck,” Taemin answered. He started to glance around the room, but as soon as he moves his head, a small, soft moan escaped his lips again. He lay still for a few seconds and turned slowly back at Jongin. “Urgh, w-where am I?” he asked in a strained voice.

“After you collapsed, I called for the medical attendant. We’re in the sick bay right now.” Jongin asked worriedly, “Do you want me to get the doctor?”

“I don’t think so.” Taemin closed his eyes and took a careful breath. He opened them again and stared at Jongin, saying nothing.

His eyes travelled down Jongin’s face, who for once not wearing his glasses. Yes, attractive enough to embrace, to kiss, to invite to bed… In fact, the attraction he would always felt to Jongin suddenly overwhelming. Then, an odd realization seized him. Too much bruises. It was so clear Jongin had taken a really bad beating. But it was also ridiculous and sort of horrible!

Jongin scrambled for something to fill the silence. He had always been good with emotional crises but never knew what to say to people who were in physical pain especially when it’s involved Lee Taemin. Under certain circumstances, it was even harder than usual. “Do you remember what happened?”

“I remember he hit me right after I went up to you. Where’s that bastard?”

“He jumped off the school gate and ran away. I couldn’t catch him because he ran too fast.” Jongin replied, wishing that Sanghyun doing worse than the man who saved him.

“Ran away?” Taemin said as his lips trembling suddenly, his voice sharp. “I swear to god, I will catch him and beat him some more. Let him be alive or let him dead, I will have his bones to feed my dogs.”

Jongin leaned in, and his voice grew impassioned as all the emotions for the last five hours welled up inside him. “You know, what you did take a lot of guts. Most people would have just looked the other way or gone back inside the school to call the teacher. But no, not you! It looked to me like you ran and help me without even thinking twice about what might happen. Why are you fighting for me like that?”

Taemin looked puzzled at first, then simply astonished. “To be honest with you, I saw the whole thing. He hit you, what do you expect?”

 “You had done something stupid like this, that’s why you’re lying here, in this bed.” Jongin exclaimed, clearly baffled and possibly angry.

“It was your fight that you guys started! But because I was so focused on beating his , you’re safe from him. I could say that I was protecting you.” Taemin said tightly, but he saw the distrust, also the weariness in Jongin storm-cloud eyes and realized, Jongin wasn’t going to believe him. Damn you, Kim Jongin!

“You wanted to save me by interrupting our fight. You thought by doing it you can protect me from harm? Truly noble but dumb. I know your attention solely not for my welfare. You wanted to prove to me that you’re strong enough to save me. Clearly you had a selfish motive to your noble idealism.”

“He gonna hit you again and beat you dead as hell. What’s your problem? I saved you from dying, and now you throw at me your wrath!” Taemin was confused as why he was blamed instead of being grateful towards his kindness. He is not an attention seeker or whatever that comes in Jongin’s mind. Did he really have to say he like Jongin enough to sacrifice himself?

Jongin sighed. How can he explain everything he had seen and felt since Taemin collapsed in his arms? Jongin felt frustrated, and not even able to express his feelings in words. It came out harsher than it sound. “It doesn’t make any different if you’re saving me or not because I’m already screwed for the rest of the week. I can’t take part in that dance competition anymore. Dying was better than being stuck here with you. I supposed you’re good at ruining other’s life.”

“Did you say those things to drive me away?” This time Taemin didn’t try to hide his disbelief, “Oh now it’s my fault that you’re done with your competition? Okay, I’m sorry because I’m being total nuisance and meddling with your business. Maybe you want to die. You don’t want to be saved, right? I’m not saving you for any reason. You won’t owe me anything.”

Jongin knew immediately he had offended Taemin. The boy looked truly upset. “I didn’t mean to say that,” He blurted out. “I’m not mad. In fact, I’m grateful you’re there. I-I just felt guilty when you ended up this way.” Jongin said, precisely in a correcting tone. He knew he had made terrible mistake.

Taemin did not reply but he sat perfectly still, breathless at how near Jongin was, his body heat warmth the air around him.

“Your wound is pretty obvious. How are you gonna walk around in school tomorrow? Let me take a look.”Jongin lifted his hand and gently slid it along Taemin’s hair, careful not to touch the bandage at his right temple. Taken completely off guard, Taemin blinked at him and flinched under his touch. After a moment, Jongin asked again, “Is it painful?”

Taemin bit the side of his mouth and shifted nervously. “No. What about you? He hit you more than once.”

 “It’s nothing, really. Well my hips injury is quite severe, other than that, just small cuts and bruises like you see. Dr. Jung advised me to stay off dancing for another few days or maybe even a week. I don’t know if I could handle it or not.”

 “It’s that serious?!” Taemin gasped and started to panic.

 “Yup, I still feel sore whenever I’m walking around. But not as much as before, anything would hurt if you push hard enough.”

“Thank god it’s not as bad as it looks.” They smile at each other. Jongin felt a pang of surprise, for it was the smile of relief.

“Hey, thank you, um, for helping me.” Jongin said, slightly embarrassed as Taemin nodded in return. He couldn’t help to look at Taemin’s eyes, they seemed soft, and not the cold hard eyes that forever burned in his memory.

“I like you! No! I-I mean…I love you!”

Taemin looked at Jongin a little differently now, with a twinkle in his eyes as he closed their gap, proudly proclaimed, “I’m in love with you from the moment I saw you danced at the club,”

“Alright...” Jongin gave him his fullest attention. The setting sun did amazing things to Taemin’s fair hair and his bright eyes while making his skin appear even smoother. Was Jongin imagining things? Or did he come to not