Archive of Our Own

Being the best has consequences Woojin hasn't gotten used to yet.

When you’re at the top of the chain, despite the satisfaction that brings, feeling lonely from time to time is unavoidable. It's a loneliness that has high chances of not being accurate, however, just a figment of Woojin’s imagination that has developed wings and is flying inside his head.

Woojin has close friends that take care of him. He has Jihoon, Jinyoung, and much to his despair, he has Jaehwan although the older shouldn't hang out with a bunch of juniors so often.

The problem is that it's hard to befriend new people when Woojin has a reputation for himself. After years of being considered the ace of his department, Woojin has come to the conclusion that half of the dance school is intimidated by him. It has reached a point in which other dancers won't make eye contact with him in the halls and will avoid being partnered up with him in dance projects or even in written assignments.

All this behaviour towards him looks, at best, ridiculous to Woojin's eyes. He's just a regular boy that happened to have a talent for dance, and definitely not all types of dance, just his specialty. That's another reason why the intimidation he infuses is unreasonable: he can do hip hop, and that's pretty much it. But he is the best at it. That bit is legitimate.

“It would do you good to meet someone that doesn't know anything about you,” Jihoon smartly says as they're packing to go to their rooms after a long day. It's the tenth time Woojin complains in the same month. This time his nitpicking has been caused by Sejeong telling him that she wasn't going to work with him ever again, not after last semester Woojin exploited her for a minor assignment. Thus Woojin doesn't have a partner for the next evaluation. “Since everyone here knows you're an insufferable bitch when it comes to dancing, you should fool yourself thinking you can have healthy friendships out there.”

“You're a parasite,” Woojin huffs, not concealing his offense well enough.

“I leach off you, yes. People don't bother me when I'm with you and I don't want to talk to people,” Jihoon reasons, putting so much emphasis on the word that one might have thought he's talking about worms instead of humans.

Woojin zips his bag, ignoring that he has just mixed his clean clothes with the clothes he has been using for the past three hours. “It's you who needs friends, Park. I'm good. I'm shy, but I don't run away from people when they just want to say hi.”

Woojin can joke about this only because they’re inseparable. Jihoon doesn't take it to heart, and even he seems to find some relief in the way Woojin treats this topic, like Jihoon isn't a weirdo for preferring to spend time alone or in silence, rather than talking through several shallow matters. Woojin agrees that after so much practice, when his muscles are screaming and his mind can't string thoughts together anymore, he values the silence. Silence doesn't bring arguments or hurts friends. It's safe.

Jihoon nudges him, slinging his bag over his shoulder and almost falling back because of the weight.

“See you tomorrow, loser,” he awkwardly waves his hand before spinning around, and Woojin snorts at him. Jihoon shuts him up with a simple, “If you don't find a partner you will end up with Jaehwan.”

By the time the words sink in, Woojin is alone and whining in an empty room. He stares at himself in the fogged up mirror for a moment, not recognizing the boy that he finds; his face looks older today, and dying his hair red wasn't the best idea, though Jinyoung insists it gives him a fiery vibe.

As he leaves the studio, he realizes that fiery doesn't suit someone that holds so many insecurities within.

“You don't have a partner?”

Woojin groans at the question, no intention of hiding his annoyance. It's a Wednesday morning, and they're stretching before an infernal lesson of swing, which is never a good beginning for the day; but what's worse is that Jaehwan has eavesdropped his conversation with Jihoon and Jinyoung, sliding his butt across the floor until he invaded their personal space. Jinyoung has the nerve to laugh at Woojin's bad luck, but he's also polite enough to nod as a reply to Jaehwan's question, stealing Woojin’s chance to lie.

“No offense, hyung, but I'm not partnering with you,” Woojin states as a matter of fact. Chungha, next to him, sends him a scandalized look, probably for talking to someone older than him with such contempt. Woojin doesn't mind. He doesn't have a reputation for nothing, he supposes.

“You're literally the three biggest idiots of the school, aren't you?” Jaehwan retorts, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “You missed the part in which the assignment is supposed to be interdepartmental. In case you have comprehension difficulties, it means you have to work with someone from another department.”

Judging their reaction, none of them had been listening when that was reported. Jihoon and Jinyoung had already agreed to work together, and they're sporting similar dumbfounded expression on their faces. One could swear the world is crumbling down right before their eyes. If Woojin hadn't just made a fool of himself too in front of the greatest fool he knows, he would enjoy the moment of misery.

“For the record, Woojin, you’re a nightmare,” Jaehwan attacks him, as if he could forget. He can sometimes, because he doesn't consider that his work ethic is that horrible to keep up with. It's called passion. Then Jaehwan draws a smile that tells Woojin more than he would like to know and announces, “My partner is Minhyun.”

Even though Jaehwan is clearly very proud of himself for that, both Jinyoung and Jihoon look away from him, still too shocked to pay attention to Jaehwan and his endless crush.

“How is Woojin going to ask someone from a different department?” Jihoon wonders out loud, stare fixed on the floor as he extends one leg and reaches for his foot.

That is a very valid concern, and Woojin has no idea how he’s going to solve it. He's too shy to talk to strangers, and his circle of acquaintances is reduced to people that have shared classes with him. And they fear him.

Jinyoung frowns at Jihoon, “Wait, what about you?”

“Oh my god, what about me?” Jihoon repeats with a gasp, horrified, as if he has just realized he's in the same situation Woojin is.

“It's just a dance project, Jesus,” Jaehwan huffs. He doesn't need words to make them know that he thinks they all are hysterical. And maybe they are, but Jaehwan doesn't understand how it feels to assume that everyone dislikes you because you're too shy and infamous - like Woojin - or because you have a resting bitch face and can't talk to strangers without stuttering, therefore not talking at all - like Jihoon. “You don't have to ask them to a date. I mean, you can, but that's unprofessional.”

“You only went for Minhyun because his ass looks, and I'm quoting, fucking tight in his maillot,” Jinyoung reminds him, and Jihoon forgets all his worries to lie on his back and release the longest guffaw they have heard in months.

Judging how speechless he is after the accusation, Jaehwan must have forgotten that once upon a time he would talk about Minhyun’s ass on a daily basis. He inspects Jinyoung’s face in an attempt to discover if he’s joking or not, and then extends his leg to kick Jihoon’s thigh so that he stops laughing. It’s effective, but Jihoon howls at the attack and that attracts unwanted attention, the instructor’s included. Much to Woojin’s amusement, Jaehwan is recoiling even before the instructor can begin to scold him, which doesn’t prevent her from doing it anyway. Woojin admits that it’s always pretty satisfactory to hear a reprimand directed at Jaehwan.

“We have to hurry or only ballet dancers will be free,” Jinyoung whispers into Woojin’s ear, leaning his chin on his shoulder.

Woojin shudders at the thought. Ballet dancers aren’t that bad per se, but they rarely give into requests of people like them since their styles differ too much. Jinyoung is right: dancers from other departments will avoid ballet as well, since it’s the toughest to adapt to, and they should look for a partner soon or they won’t have any choice.

Woojin needs money, and that’s not a novelty.

Living on a scholarship isn’t enough, at least not when you’re eighteen and have no means to manage money properly. Woojin learned a lot about money during his first two years of scholarship, due to weeks without enough money to eat and in consequence a dozen fainting spells while training. Funnily enough, it was because of one of those episodes that he became friends with Jihoon, except it was all for the wrong reasons.

(“Stop puking your food,” Jihoon had ordered, approaching him after a practice in which Woojin had had to stop several times because his vision was so blurred that he couldn’t see anything. “Or I will ask for help.”

“What?” Woojin had answered, too shocked to explain that it wasn’t that what was happening to him. But telling someone you were poor wasn’t an easy task either.)

In the end, Woojin found the key to collect a decent amount of money apart from the scholarship. Though underground competitions are frowned upon in such a prestigious school like Woojin’s, it’s the easiest and most entertaining way to put his abilities to good use. Besides, it was Jihoon’s idea, even if it took Woojin an unbelievable amount of time to convince him that he had a problem with money, not with food.

Almost one year ago, they attended an underground competition for the first time. It was so small and humble that you could sign up at the door, and that’s exactly what they did. Woojin didn’t win that one, although it was the first round and not the final, but by the time they found another competition, Woojin had understood what the trick was: forget that he was a dancer who had received training, who had technique engraved in each inch of his skin. Let go.

According to Jaehwan, that’s the reason why Woojin’s performance has been decreasing lately, and he never fails to point out his bad habits every time Woojin gains a new one. It’s an open secret that Woojin has built his own name among underground dancers, even if he’s not one of them, but no one except Jihoon knows that Woojin does it for the money. Or he did in the beginning, at least. He belongs to the underground scene in more ways than he ever imagined.

As usual, Taehyun greets them at the door, interrupting his chat with the bouncer. “We have a few new contestants,” he tells Woojin specifically. “They must know you because they looked excited when they caught your name in the list.”

Jihoon arches a brow at him, questioning, but Woojin hasn’t talked to anyone that was planning to sign up for this competition. Sometimes strangers have heard about Woojin before, since he’s pretty known in the scene, so that’s a possibility.

“Are you in tonight too, Jihoon?” Taehyun asks him, once he sees Woojin shrug off the information.

Jihoon shakes his head and laughs politely, turning down the suggestion. He pats Woojin’s back with more strength than needed and explains, “Not tonight. Just being a great friend and tagging along.”

That seems to satisfy Taehyun’s curiosity for now, although at some point of the night he always corners Woojin to discuss how he’s doing at school. Woojin knows his intentions are good, but it’s hard to make people understand that he can’t make the most of his talent at the academy. Taehyun has big expectations for him, and he’s not the only one.

“There aren’t many people tonight,” Jihoon observes as soon as they walk down the stairs.

It’s not the most crowded day, but the place is far from empty. For instance, Woojin would have trouble to find Jihoon if they went separate ways, not that Jihoon would ever leave him on his own will. Considering that there’s still one hour left for the competition to start, they walk up to the bar and order drinks; the waitress jokingly requests their IDs even though they haven’t ordered alcohol, and makes sure to poke fun at Woojin because he looks pretty ugly in the photo.

Jihoon gulps his drink in one go, right before someone sets a hand on his shoulder and startles him. He still chokes on the remainders he hasn’t gulped down, and when Woojin turns to see the newcomer, he finds Haknyeon smiling so wide that one would think he enjoys giving Jihoon the scare of his life.

“Jihoon!” he exclaims, frowning a bit because Jihoon keeps coughing. Any concern he might have had disappears once he recognizes Woojin standing next to him, and although he isn’t less happy to meet him, Woojin notices how his expression falls down. “Woojin. God, I shouldn’t have signed up. I’m wasting my time again.”

“Stop with that,” Woojin complains. He should be habituated to it, but it’s odd to admit that your own friends don’t want to compete against you. Woojin feels that he’s ruining people’s chances. “I already like you, you don’t need to suck up to me.”

“I’m not sucking up to anyone,” Haknyeon retorts, shaking his head. He tilts his head to check that Jihoon has, indeed, not died and can breathe normally; once he’s completely sure Jihoon isn’t going to die while they talk, Haknyeon continues, “I’m being sincere. You know that happens, right? People appreciating you for real and not to get something in return.”

Woojin is stunned for several seconds, and he has to make an effort not to gawk at how casually Haknyeon has just thrown those words at him. Haknyeon is a decent person and he doesn’t acknowledge Woojin’s stupid reaction, but it’s evident he notices.

“In Woojin’s defense, you like everyone,” Jihoon chirps in, voice still raspy from the trauma.

Haknyeon scrunches his nose at Jihoon in disagreement, but he doesn't bother to contradict him. Woojin knows Jihoon isn't right, and people who assume that Haknyeon likes everyone just because he is nice to everyone are up for surprises. It's a misconception, just like Woojin doesn't hate everyone, but his fear for human interactions translates in a different way to the exterior and he gets misinterpreted.

Haknyeon is a polite boy that Woojin thought was harmless at first, but in reality he's a young boy with strong opinions, hard-working and more proactive than Woojin could ever be. He has aims and plans for his future, which neither Jihoon nor Woojin have. Being Haknyeon must not be easy, yet Woojin wishes he had the tools to try to be like him.

“I'd welcome it if you managed to kick my ass one day,” Woojin points out. Haknyeon jokingly sends him a skeptic look, as though Woojin means to pick a fight, and Woojin remembers that under that sweet boy façade Haknyeon hides a good pair of biceps that would definitely win over his in a fight. "On the stage. Don't you even dare to look at me like that."

Haknyeon laughs and slings an arm around his waist, and Woojin stays put for a moment, tense, not accustomed to physical contact. Haknyeon touches him often and Woojin doesn't mind because it's him, but he can't adapt to it either.

“I'm going to look for Taehyun and cry about my lost money,” Haknyeon announces, dedicating Woojin a last bittersweet look.

Once Haknyeon is far enough not to hear them, Jihoon snorts so hard that Woojin jumps in surprise, which doesn't help him to keep his ego intact. As he meets eyes with Jihoon, he discovers that spark of mischievousness he's so familiar with.

“I bet you would want him to kick your ass as long as he's touching you ass,” Jihoon says, a lopsided smirk spreading on his face.

Woojin feels the heat invading each inch of his body, not letting him think straight. They have talked about this before, but Woojin avoids the topic like it's a virus and he will get infected otherwise. Haknyeon might be not as good as him when it comes to dancing, but when it comes to any other aspect of life, he's on a higher level. Woojin doesn't even have the nerve to dream about it.

“Shut the fuck up, Park,” he grunts.

“You should see yourself,” Jihoon continues, even more amused because Woojin can't defend himself. “You get so starry eyed when he shows up, I can't recognize you.”

Rolling his eyes, Woojin decides that his best option is to ignore Jihoon, even though he's determined to make a list about Haknyeon's attributes from head to toe. Woojin is grateful no one can decipher their conversation because Jihoon's thoughts are borderline offensive, and Woojin has always supposed someone will punch him one day for them.

“I should stretch before the competition,” Woojin says one hour later, when the place is brimming with people and they have been relegated to an isolated corner. This happens often, however, because neither of them is disposed to chat up strangers. “I'm going backstage, you coming?”

Jihoon simply nods and hangs off his arm, giving him some words of encouragement that Woojin only hears in this sort of situations. That's the proof Jihoon isn't a heartless parasite, because he cares about him to some extent and wastes his time just to accompany Woojin to an underground competition.

Taehyun is right behind the door that leads to backstage, and he brightens up upon spotting Woojin. “I was wondering if you were going to ditch us.”

“I wouldn't, hyung.”

“I have your ditching records, kid,” Taehyun warns him, yet he pats Woojin's head as he passes by. “Just go inside. There are already some dancers preparing,”

The room for dancers is just a simple room with a couple of couches and some mirrors, although from Woojin's experience, most contestants are too nervous to make use of the couches and they tend to pace around. In Woojin's case, he stretches for a while and then lies on the couch until the competition begins; he's familiarized with the environment, so he doesn't feel intimidated.

But today is different. Yes, sure, there are some known faces, dancers that Woojin has beaten before and that wouldn't be a problem. But as soon as Woojin steps into the room, he feels observed, a pricking sensation travelling up to his neck, and his instinct guides him to glance at a certain spot.

Across the room, sitting on one of the couches, is Kang Daniel, staring into Woojin's eyes as if he has been waiting for him, as though Woojin is the reason he's here.

Woojin stops breathing.

“What the fuck is Kang Daniel doing here?” Jihoon whispers, sounding as puzzled as Woojin is.

That's the only question in Woojin's mind as well, and it would be funny if Woojin could feel his legs or remember how to talk, but that's not a plausible task when Daniel has his eyes on him. He doesn't even know how he's capable of breaking the eye contact, heart hammering inside his chest so loudly that he's afraid others will hear it.

“He's from the ballet department,” Woojin mutters, more to himself than to Jihoon.

The statement is so obvious that Jihoon looks at him like he's concerned about his mental health. “Thanks for the information, Woojin, I didn't know the best dancer of our school before you opened your mouth.”

Daniel’s presence here is void of logic, and it’s logic what usually preserves Woojin’s stability. Like Woojin, Daniel is just a boy, but he has the power to make Woojin feel intimidated. Perhaps it’s his fame, his talent, the fact that everyone knows he’s unbeatable in ballet, and Woojin wonders if that’s the effect he has on people too, because despite not being the best academically, people are aware of his underground success.

Maybe Daniel is here to watch Woojin’s ability with his own eyes, and that would be much more plausible than Daniel competing against him. Woojin doesn’t fool himself, however, because Daniel wouldn’t have been allowed into this room if he wasn’t a contestant.

“I don’t want to do this,” Woojin sputters, but it isn’t something he has throughout considered; it’s as if his unconscious possessed him, manipulating his mouth to avoid an unpleasant situation.

“What?” Jihoon scoffs, interpreting it as a joke. “What’s wrong with you? You can’t cancel this just because someone you know is here. You don’t even know him, actually, don’t be ridiculous.”

Any protest dies in Woojin’s tongue. Jihoon is right, and the fact that someone like Jihoon, who stutters every time he has to talk to a stranger, is putting him in his place, brings a blush to Woojin’s cheeks. He’s here for dancing, not socializing. Pretending he doesn’t recognize Kang Daniel, or the two familiar guys he’s with and whose names Woojin doesn’t remember, is the best strategy.

Even though Woojin does his best to ignore the turmoil of thoughts, Jihoon perceives his uneasiness. He takes advantage of helping him to stretch to whisper to him, “They are ballet dancers, dude. They’re not going to win over you, so relax.”

Woojin isn’t so sure. Why would they attend this competition if they knew they have no chances? And losing isn’t the most worrisome part – though it’s still concerning, because Woojin can’t afford having solid rivals that can take away the money he lives off on – it’s the possibility of them being better than him. This is Woojin’s talent, an unique thing that works for him, and no one should be allowed to replace him.

Thus he zips his mouth and waits, inwardly praying that his worst fears don’t come true. Taehyun enters the room to announce the order of performances, and he’s lucky enough that he gets to be one of the first ones; Daniel performs right after him, which is great for Woojin to forget his doubts as he stands on stage.

He has executed this performance a hundred times, just never in front of the audience. But Woojin has never needed an audience, and when he moves his body, he doesn’t have to think about the choreography. It goes by fast, adrenaline shooting through his whole system, and when the music stops, Woojin doesn’t remember anything he has done. He feels great, heart racing, but he has no idea if he did well or not. This is a constant, and he’s used to it.

The public, as always, is roaring and Woojin doesn’t have courage to look at them. He’s supposed to retreat into backstage until all the performances have finished, yet right then, with the audience cheering and his body flowing with unreleased energy, he jumps out of stage instead. He receives some pats on the back as he pushes past people, touches that Woojin barely feels since his head is in the clouds.

Woojin doesn’t understand why he’s walking to the back of the club, right behind the crowd, where he can analyze the stage perfectly, at peace and without interruptions. Even if he’s not conscious of own actions, he comprehends them once Daniel steps into the stage, tall and slim and staring at the public as though he knows them on a personal level. Maybe he does. Maybe that’s Daniel’s talent: interpreting people’s wishes and providing with what they need.

Woojin sucks in a breath, appreciating Daniel’s features from his secret corner; and it feels like a secret, indeed, because Woojin can strip Daniel with his eyes, both physically and emotionally, whether Daniel is allowing him or not.

 And then Daniel starts dancing.

Jaehwan slips on the seat next to Woojin, a smirk perched on his lips. His mere presence is enough to interrupt Woojin’s meal, and he looks up at Jaehwan with a hint of fear in his eyes, well aware that Jaehwan isn’t just joining him and Jihoon for lunch. He hasn’t brought his own food, a sign that he isn’t interested in eating, just in bothering Woojin.

“Congrats,” he purrs, resting his chin between his hands. Woojin sends Jihoon a confused glance, in search of an explanation, but Jihoon looks as disconcerted as him. Jaehwan releases an exasperated sigh, although not letting his smile die. “A little birdie told me about the competition. I should be offended because you hid it from us again. What’s so bad about your friends watching you perform?”

Woojin is speechless for a second, because the only one who knew about the competition was Jihoon. He didn’t even tell Jinyoung. And then it hits him: only Daniel or his friends could have told him or told Minhyun, and in this last case the news could have reached Jaehwan through Minhyun. Anyway, that implies that they had to mention Woojin, and though he shouldn’t be surprised – because he won, after all – being acknowledged by someone you look up to doesn’t happen often.

“We share classes everyday, what’s so interesting about watching me perform?” Woojin defends himself, pretending he hasn’t been mute for thirty seconds.

“You win every time,” Jaehwan remarks, and a frown appears between his eyebrows. “It’s called friendship, asshole. I want to see you success.”

Jihoon croons, “Aw. Jaehwan loves you, Woojin.”

“You two are heartless,” Jaehwan protests out of embarrassment, leaning back on his chair. Woojin could have felt guilty, he could have even apologized, but then Jaehwan continues, “By the way, Daniel and Seongwoo send their own congratulations. They said you ran away so fast that they couldn’t approach you.”

Daniel and Seongwoo. Uneasiness sits in the pit of Woojin’s stomach. That’s the confirmation it was them who informed Jaehwan. Woojin didn’t remember Seongwoo’s name, but now he can link it to a face: it’s that handsome senior that is incredibly popular thanks to both his dancing and social skills.

This isn’t Woojin’s best day, because Jihoon indiscreetly elbows him in the ribs, gasping. By the time Jihoon understands that Woojin wants to avoid mentioning Daniel, it’s too late, and Jaehwan is hyper aware of their exchange.

“What?” Jaehwan asks, narrowing his eyes at them. “What’s up with that reaction?”

Woojin could ask the same. He ignores the reason Daniel makes him so nervous, but it's so evident that not only Jihoon has realized: now Jaehwan suspects it as well. Revealing to Jaehwan that he almost renounced just because Daniel was in the competition, despite his lack of chances against Woojin, would involve an amount of questions thathe isn't ready to face.

“It's a completely normal reaction,” Woojin lies, lowering his head so that Jaehwan can't read the truth on his face.

“Are you hot for them or something?” Jaehwan tries, and well, that isn't too far from the truth.

One of the main attributes of Daniel, or Seongwoo and Minhyun for that matter, is that they're incredibly attractive. Tall. Intimidating. Woojin hasn't meditated about the level of attraction he feels towards Daniel, because he has eyes for Haknyeon and that's it, but he doesn't discard the possibility of being physically intimidated, rather than just because of his dancing skills.

The silence extends for so long that Jaehwan guesses the answer. He pretends to gag at Woojin and Jihoon, noises included, and dictates, “Gross.”

“What do you mean gross?” Jihoon says, pointing at Jaehwan with his chin. “You salivating over Minhyun is the grossest thing here.”

At least, Woojin supposes, they haven't had the chance to show the whole world if they're attracted to them or not. On the contrary, there isn't a single soul that doesn’t know Jaehwan is pathetically whipped for Minhyun. Even Minhyun is aware, and he indulges Jaehwan's crush for unknown reasons.

“I bet you two think Daniel and Seongwoo are inhumane prodigies.” Jaehwan swifts a hand through his disveheled hair, proudly smiling. He's the most suitable to badmouth Daniel or Seongwoo, since he spends too much time with them when he can't convince Woojin to pay him attention. “But they’re idiots. Minhyun, however…”

Before Jaehwan has the chance to begin a speech about Minhyun's attributes, Woojin decides to interrupt him - his cheeks are on fire, anyhow, because he never discusses boys out loud. “I don’t like any of them. Stop assuming things. You don’t even know if I like boys.”

Jaehwan's eyebrows shoot up so high that they disappear under his bangs, and his skepticism just pushes Woojin to step over a new line of embarrassment. He must be more obvious than he thinks, even if he avoids the topic, or Jihoon might have been a big mouth about Haknyeon - which wouldn't be that odd, because a drunk Jihoon is a Jihoon that loses the concept of secrets.

“You both don’t like humans in general,” Jaehwan points out, but much to Woojin's relief, he doesn't insist.

“Touché,” Jihoon concedes.

It's a strange day. Or it might not be, but Woojin is more conscious of his surroundings, keeps his head up when most days he just stares at the floor.

He crosses paths with Seongwoo three times as he walks from one class to another, and every single time Seongwoo grins at him. It's not a shy or discreet smile, but a wide, shameless one. It infuses paranoia within Woojin. Rumors spread fast in this type of school; in fact, he can't even sleep over in Jinyoung's room without someone coming up with a whole story about how they're fucking around. It's ridiculous, yet it happens, and at this point Woojin wonders if another student heard Jaehwan over lunch and has decided to spread that Woojin is hot for them.

It's also a strange day because Woojin doesn't have energy to practice after classes, and he has no option but to break his routine. He winds up joining his friends in the common room, where a few students are watching a movie and another group is playing cards. Jinyoung is huddled in one of the couches, sitting next to one of the ballet dancers - a young prodigy named Daehwi, if Woojin recalls correctly - as they flick through a book. Woojin wouldn't approach them in other circumstances, but he really doesn't know where Jihoon is and prefers not to meet Jaehwan until he has cleared his mind.

“Hey!” Jinyoung greets him as soon as he spots Woojin across the room. His face lights up, which is understandable, since it's beyond unusual to see Woojin in a common place for students. Daehwi coyly waves at him. “Come here, we're reading.”

“Group reading?” Woojin asks, and though it's meant to be a joke, it sounds more sarcastic than he intended. “Did you see Jihoon after dinner?”

“I'm wounded, Woojin,” Jinyoung dramatically sighs, placing a hand on his chest as though he has been shot in his heart. “Am I not enough for you? Only Jihoon is? All these years of friendship and you don't appreciate my beauty or my intelligence yet.”

Woojin mumbles an incoherent response, ashamed, and he lets himself fall next to Jinyoung. Daehwi laughs at how fast he has given up, yet he's too nice to tease him out loud - or not close enough to him, anyway.

Woojin soon learns that they're reading a book about pop culture throughout the history, if you can call reading to checking the pictures and commenting on the singers' outfits. It's pretty entertaining at first, and Woojin realizes he kind of likes Daehwi when he's mean, because his observations have a certain wittiness to them.

“Do you have a partner for the project?” Daehwi asks him directly after a while, when Jinyoung has disappeared to go to the bathroom.

Woojin would be scared to answer in case Daehwi was about to propose him to do it together, although there isn't anything scary about working with Daehwi, he supposed. Still the simple idea makes him sweat.

As though Daehwi can smell his panic, he adds, “Jinyoung and me, we have already chosen a song.” Then he looks around the room, studying every student one by one, and after that he leans towards Woojin and whispers, “There's a certain person that wants to ask you to partner with him.”

Woojin is so stunned at such affirmation that he doesn't ponder if he wants to know or not. “What? Who?”

Daehwi holds the book against his stomach, the corner of his lips travelling up despite being evident that he's trying to be serious. “You don't know?” Daehwi questions, tilting his head. “He's not being prudent about his intentions. I wouldn't reject the offer if I was you, though. I mean, I would die to work with him at least once, you always have an excellent grade assured.”

Woojin's hands are trembling, so he sticks them between his thighs. It's ridiculous that this conversation, these insinuations provoke a total chaos in his body, and Woojin can't imagine how he's going to survive this assignment if the simple prospect of working with a stranger induces this state in him.

He glances at Daehwi, pupils shaking, and though he uses his lowest tone, he's still afraid another student will overhear him. “Is it Kang Daniel?” Woojin whispers, so carefully that one would think his name is a forbidden word.

Daehwi candidly smiles at him, yet no confirmation ever comes out. Woojin could suppose it's because Jinyoung is striding towards them and this was a private conversation, not meant to be shared with anyone else.

But Woojin knows better, however. Ballet dancers are his worst nightmare, and Daniel is on the top of the list.

Woojin enjoys peace for a few days, given that Jihoon is too worried for himself to bully him and Jaehwan trails after Minhyun like a puppy. It’s a false peace, and Woojin wouldn’t fool himself believing otherwise.

Yet days go by and Woojin doesn’t have a partner, and when there are two days left to choose and he has received several scoldings from different instructors for not being ambitious, he’s sure that no one is going to approach him. His only consolation is that Jihoon is in the same situation, and he even accidentally rejected one of the students from the modern dance department, just because he got too nervous to answer properly.

“We can wait for the deadline and partner up with whoever is alone,” Jihoon suggests, gloomy. He has been waiting outside Woojin’s bedroom, like every morning, and he tugs Woojin forward as soon as he steps out. “Jaehwan is right. We don’t have to marry them, so it doesn’t really matter. It’s just another project we will deal with.”

Woojin wishes he could agree. The project will last around six months and Woojin doesn’t want to be stuck with someone who hates him or is afraid of him; that is, almost anyone. He groans, “We can take that risk, I guess.”

Woojin barely pays attention to the lectures that day, and during practice the teacher corrects his position an embarrassing amount of times. By the time the lessons end, no one has to ask him if he’s physically fine: they already know. He hasn’t recovered from the competition yet, not the competition itself but the training he had to do beforehand, and it’s pretty obvious.

“I’m going to stay for a while,” Woojin announces after the last class.

Sejeong gives him a pat on the back, which is the mildest reaction among his classmates. Jihoon orders him not to skip dinner and Jinyoung makes a comment about how he’s just trying to look interesting, which draws a few laughs from other students. Although Woojin using the rooms during his free time isn’t an extraordinary thing, he always takes at least a break before returning to the room. But today his brain is tired of listening to hip-hop, and even his body refuses to move along to the music, so he connects his phone to the speakers and goes through his playlist.

Lights go off a few minutes later, and Woojin is completely alone, only illuminated by the light of the dusk. He plays John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, and even though he would like to, he absolutely can’t dance to it. He just sits on the floor, listening and occasionally looking at his reflection on the mirror. That’s why he doesn’t notice a figure intruding the room; it’s just a shadow that doesn’t knock before entering, and Woojin only catches it out of the corner of his eye.

“That doesn’t fit you,” the person says, voice deep, and Woojin’s hand slips over the floor and he nearly falls back, a soft shriek leaving his lips.

Not only Woojin has just embarrassed himself, but he doesn't he process the words fast enough. Daniel is closing the door after him, and he looks incredible tall; maybe due to his position, his back completely straight out of habit, and Woojin has the strange sensation he's staring up at a giant. He scrambles to get up, pretending he hasn't just gotten startled, and his brain races for an intelligent reply.

“What?” Woojin dumbly asks, much to his disgrace, mouth becoming dry in a record time. “Jazz?”

Laughter bubbles up from Daniel, but it's short and shy, as though he doesn't mean Woojin to hear it. He's carrying his backpack and, despite being amused at Woojin's panic, he strides to the other side of the practice room, dropping his bag there.

“Yes, jazz,” he confirms in the end, spinning on his heels to stare at Woojin. He pauses to make sure that Woojin isn't going to continue the conversation - what is he supposed to say, anyway? He doesn't understand if that assumption is insulting or not - and after an awkward silence, he adds, “I reserved this room.”

Daniel is kicking him out, being as polite as he's able to be without pointing out that Woojin looks like an idiot standing there. They're not going to share the room, and Woojin should have read the moment better, because Daniel wouldn't have walked in and interrupted if he didn't have the right to do it.

Woojin feels the heat spreading on his face, and he blurts out, “It’s almost night.”

It comes out as accusing, at least to Woojin's ears, yet Daniel merely smiles at him. In Woojin's defense, it's hard for him to talk to anyone that isn't close to him, and if the person is someone like Daniel, who would leave any human breathless, Woojin has no hope.

“But you’re here, aren’t you?” Daniel remarks. It's condescending, and Woojin is sure of that this time, but given his response Daniel could have replied rudely. “It isn’t that weird. I see you practicing very late sometimes.”

The implications of that confession are what rob Woojin from words. He has never noticed Daniel around, only at shows or during evaluations, and it shouldn't be a surprise because Woojin is very absorbed in himself throughout the day. He would never admit out loud that he stares at Daniel when he spots him in the cafeteria, however: it's almost impossible not to do so, since he stands out and other students also look at him with the same reverence Woojin does. The fact that Daniel has been aware of Woojin’s late night practices, of other people’s presence, makes him a little bit more human.

“That's fine, you're right,” he manages to say.

He's proud of himself for a second as he maintains the eye contact, luckily not in an aggressive way. His pride dies off very quick when he tries to leave, realizing that his legs tremble under Daniel's stare and praying that he doesn't notice. He success and reaches the door, even though the exchange has been terrible, and he's going to replay it a thousand times in his head later and regret that he wasn't nicer to Daniel.

“Woojin,” Daniel calls him then, right when he's pulling the door inwards. Woojin glances back by instinct, and he's grateful the lights are off and Daniel can't see his expression when he asks, “Why did no one ask you to be their partner?”

The first mystery is how Daniel knows for sure that he doesn't have a partner. Jaehwan might have told him, but Woojin could have, as well, gotten a partner in the meantime; Daniel and assumptions are two words that are linked to each other, Woojin realizes.

That's why he's so intimidated: Daniel gazes at him like he's reading him, ready to point out every one of his flaws and talents.

“You really don’t know?” Woojin muses. There isn't any need to rise his voice, anyhow, because the room is empty and silent, and Daniel can even hear his breathing. “I have a reputation.”

Daniel doesn't deny it, nor does he act like he hasn't heard about it before. He even nods to acknowledge it, but the most interesting part to Woojin is that Daniel doesn't seem to be judging him.

“People are scared of me too.”

He displays a coy smile, and Woojin realizes that Daniel finds it funny. While Woojin thinks it's a relief that people don't approach him because they're afraid of him, Daniel is amused at it. He doesn't care.

Daniel clears his throat, and although he was clearly expecting Woojin to say something, he continues, “Two negatives make a positive. We can try, if you want to.”

Woojin should say no. No, because Daniel is a ballet dancer, and yet he signed up for a hip-hop competition and nailed it regardless. No, because Daniel is multivalent and Woojin can do only one thing, and he's going to hinder Daniel's progress. No, because Daniel's eyes can cut through his soul, can cut Woojin in half, and Woojin isn't ready to open up to anyone.

But Woojin loses control of his body and he hears himself say, “Sure.”

Keeping his partner a secret is irrational. Everyone will find out sooner or later that he accepted Daniel's proposition, but somehow Woojin can imagine his friends' excessive reactions, so he decides to tell them in the morning. Tossing around in bed, he barely sleeps in the whole night, an unexplainable anxiety keeping him awake, and he winds up texting Jihoon at a godly time of the morning. He doesn't beat around the bush and sends a simple Daniel asked me to be his partner and I said yes.

Woojin supposes that Jihoon is sleeping and he won't read the text until two hours later at least. He's wrong. Jihoon has never shown up at his bedroom so fast.

“What the fuck?” is Woojin's greeting as Jihoon laughs and pushes him back inside the room. It's evident he hasn't even brushed his hair or his teeth, and the fact that he's wearing his pink pajamas betrays him. During the years they've spent in the school, Jihoon has never set his foot outside his room looking anything other than perfect. Saying that Woojin is shell-shocked would be a big understatement.

“Haknyeon dead in a ditch!” Jihoon exclaims, displaying a smile that is even more terrifying due to the meaning of his words.

“He’s not,” Woojin gasps. “Don’t say that!”

If Woojin wasn't so agitated, he would never play along to a teasing that implies admitting he has a crush on Haknyeon. Right now, though, he falls into the trap without realizing.

Jihoon sits on his bed, throwing the sheets over his shoulders, no intention to share with the owner. “No can do,” he announces, bright. “You're going to be with Daniel, dude. You aren't even going to remember Haknyeon exists.”

Jihoon talks like Woojin has Haknyeon on his mind every hour of the day, which is far from the truth. It’s a mild crush that goes and comes, and Woojin remembers exclusively when he’s around Haknyeon.

“That's rude,” he protests anyway, even if Jihoon is right.

The thing is, Haknyeon may be prettier, and Woojin may know him and love his personality, but it’s an universal truth that admiring someone –in the way Woojin admires Daniel – can erase all these feelings. Woojin hopes that he can’t connect with Daniel, that they get the job done and part ways like he did with Sejeong and Nayoung last year. His useless crush on Haknyeon is his safe place and he wants it to remain this way.

“I was born rude,” Jihoon agrees. His amusement fades away one second later, for some reason, and he frowns at his own feet. “Damn, how did you all score such good partners? Minhyun, Daehwi and Daniel. They all are ballet dancers, though, that’s pretty masochist.”

“Maybe you should go for one of them too,” Woojin says. It’s not a good advice, because they’re going to have trouble to meld their styles, but at least they can adjust their schedules and meet them at the same time. It would save them a few awkward moments. “I don’t know if Ong Seongwoo is free, but if he is…”

Jihoon scoffs, sounding more hysterical than entertained, “You’re a madman. He’s a social butterfly and I would die.”

Woojin simply shrugs, a response that increases Jihoon’s nervousness, because Woojin has just planted the seed knowing that it will grow by itself. Ignoring his friend, he lies on the bed again, the exhaustion finally taking over him after releasing the news.

“I’m going to text Jaehwan about it,” Jihoon announces, fishing his phone out of his pajamas pants. “He will be sleeping but expect a storm later.”

Much to his luck, it’s Saturday and it isn’t obligatory for them to attend classes – they are optional. Most students attend unless they’re injured or need urgent rest, and this is the case for Woojin today, thus he drifts back to sleep. He’s a heavy sleeper, and when he wakes up two hours later, there’s no trace of Jihoon in the room except for the fact that he stole a pair of sneakers. Woojin doesn’t remember he was barefoot when he arrived, but he must have been.

In order to feel that he’s not wasting the whole day, Woojin opts for spending a couple of hours in the library, reading an assigned book he should have finished by now. He’s glad he recently graduated, though, because he doesn’t have time to balance the regular school and dance school’s schedules, but it’s true that he has lost the habit of studying because of that.

Since it’s Saturday, the library is relatively empty, and Woojin can’t help but get surprised when someone sits next to him while three quarters of the seats are empty. He’s not usually straightforward, but he’s not disposed to let someone invade his space like this, so he turns around to speak up. Except it’s Daniel, shyly smiling at him, aware that this counts as an interruption.

“You’re skipping lessons?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. His eyes widen for a moment, and Woojin doesn’t understand why until Daniel continues, “Sorry, dumb question. Why?”

It’s none of Daniel’s business, and somehow Woojin still replies without thinking twice, “Fatigue.”

Daniel nods, as though he can relate to Woojin’s struggle. He’s skipping too, after all, even if Woojin will never know why because he wouldn’t pry. Daniel waggles on his seat, visibly disturbed by the short explanation.

“I was looking for you,” he admits, smile fading bit by bit. “Man, Jaehwan never knows where you are.”

“It’s on purpose,” Woojin jokes.

Daniel looks shocked for several seconds at the insinuation, and Woojin can’t blame him, because he’s just as shocked at himself. The joke has slipped past his lips unconsciously because he wasn’t thinking if Daniel knows what kind of friendship he has with Jaehwan – Woojin hates that he can make a fool out of himself this fast. Bullying Jaehwan behind his back requires a different type of trust that Daniel and he don’t have. Daniel thinks that he’s serious.

Woojin gulps, “What did you want?”

Still hung up on the joke, Daniel has to snap back to reality. He fumbles with his bag, looking for something in what seems to be a bag full of unnecessary items. In the end he pulls out a red flash drive with his name engraved on it and hands it to Woojin, who accepts it like Daniel is giving him a weapon.

“I have some songs for the project, tell me if you like any of them.” Daniel licks his lips, and Woojin feels observed, for Daniel is analyzing his face in search of a reaction. “You can give me some too, and we’ll discuss them later. Is next Saturday okay for you to start?”

This might be the most ridiculous second of Woojin’s life, because he stares into Daniel’s eyes and thinks that damn, he’s cute. He’s big and intimidating, voice deep and an elegancy that doesn’t fit him at all: he’s cute, so are the words he uses, his hesitation, the imperfections of his smile. The difference between his neat skills and the way he acts off stage is disconcerting.

Woojin has never made a bigger effort than he’s making now to say, “Yeah, if we manage to find a song by then.”

“Great.” For no apparent reason, Daniel flashes a wide grin at him, satisfied, and Woojin feels his own lips tugging upwards. “Give me your number, I can’t rely on Jaehwan every time I need you.”

As he flushes red, both because of his comment from earlier and because Daniel is going to need him, Woojin does just that. They exchange phones to type the numbers, and Woojin spots Daniel’s background, a picture of him and Seongwoo, both smiling and wearing performance make-up. Woojin stares at it for a moment, wondering if he looks this happy when he’s with Jihoon.

Woojin doesn’t know why, but when Daniel bids him goodbye and leaves the library, he’s still thinking about the picture. He doesn’t know why it draws a smile out of him, either.

Daniel’s songs are unexpected, the twenty of them. They are barely fitting for ballet, and less for hip-hop. They are ballads and mid-tempo songs, which Woojin hasn’t danced to in months – underground competitions are won through impactful songs, and you can’t create the intimate atmosphere that a ballad requires in a place filled with screaming and hormoned teens. Woojin is puzzled, because it’s obvious what Daniel has in mind for the duo: something personal, something to share between them and that isn’t directed directly to the public. It’s scary.

However, suggesting his own songs seems to be out of place when his ideas divert so much from Daniel’s. He’s going to think Woojin is a fool that doesn’t take dance seriously and prefers performing empty yet easy songs.

When he shows the list of songs to Jihoon over lunch, his friend whistles, impressed, “I bet you were going to propose a Jay Park song or something. I’d have paid to see Daniel’s face.”

“Look at the lyrics of this song,” Jinyoung chirps in, staring at his phone after making a quick search on internet. “When I touch you, I fly like a flower petal flying in the spring wind. Time stops and it’s zero gravity. Only in this moment in this world, your body, your eyes, your whisper, your tears.”

It’s impossible for Jinyoung and Jihoon to hide how amused they are, especially because Woojin whines like a wounded animal. Jihoon even gets up to sit next to Jinyoung and check out the lyrics with him, not bothering to hide their intention of humiliating Woojin.

“That looks like a song you would play at your wedding,” he concludes, infected by Jinyoung’s continuous giggling. “Are you ready for marriage, Woojin? You can’t let Daniel down.”

“Wedding?” Jinyoung repeats, scrunching his nose in disapproval. “It mentions his body.”

“It doesn’t mention my body. It isn’t a song about me, what the fuck!” Woojin protests, freaking out as both of his friends burst into laughter. The ruckus is attracting attention from other tables, but trying to shush them is useless, so Woojin takes the list and crosses out the song several times. “Okay, there’s no way we will choose this song.”

Jinyoung does a bad job at pretending to be serious, taking into account Jihoon has sunk his face in his arm, all his body shaking with laughter. “The rest of the songs aren’t softer than this, Woojin. Let me read them.”

“No! Stop,” Woojin cries out, throwing himself over the table to try to reach Jinyoung’s phone. Jinyoung dodges him easily, lifting the phone up and backwards and cackling at Woojin’s desperate expression. “I’m going to eliminate any song that is about love, problem solved.”

Laughter dies off and Jihoon’s expression falls, “You’re no fun. Anyone in their right mind would be willing to perform a love song with Daniel.”

It’s Woojin’s turn to smile, though the uneasiness remains in the back of his mind. “Well, I’m not anyone.”

“Don’t act so brave now,” Jinyoung warns him. He drops his phone on the table, giving up on bothering Woojin further. He doesn’t let him win so effortlessly, anyhow, and reminds him, “You shit your pants every time you see Daniel.”

That shuts Woojin up quite fast, and it would be ridiculous to deny it. The way his legs trembled the first time he had a conversation with Daniel is a solid memory; being that nervous isn’t that foreign to Woojin, but he doesn’t shake that much by anxiety alone. Daniel had an extra effect on him.

As he has told Jihoon and Jinyoung, he picks three songs that have nothing to do with love, except one that is about a break-up. Given Daniel’s own selection, it’s a hard task, but in the end Woojin is pretty content with the result. He texts Daniel to see if he’s free tomorrow night and they can meet in the common room. It’s a clumsy, forced text, exactly like how Woojin would be if he was in front of Daniel – he cringes at his own words, but at least they are the representation of his real self. The sooner Daniel realizes how Woojin is like, the faster Woojin will stop worrying.

 “Don’t make me beg,” Woojin says.

That counts as begging, however, and Woojin isn’t making any progress at convincing Jaehwan. Truth to be told, crashing his study session, considering Jaehwan rarely studies, was an ugly move on Woojin’s part. But desperate times require desperate measures, and Woojin is setting his pride aside – or to be precise, his fear has swallowed his pride.

“I don’t see how I can help,” Jaehwan grumbles, spinning on his chair. Woojin avoids staring at the rest of the room, since it’s full of clothes that Jaehwan threw around and Woojin is sure he has spotted underwear before. He doesn’t want to know if that underwear was Jaehwan’s or someone else’s. “But okay.”

Woojin makes an excited noise in the back of his throat. “Just the first minutes, and then you can leave.”

A couple of pats on the back are enough for Jaehwan to move and put on decent clothes. Woojin didn’t plan to drag Jaehwan to his meeting with Daniel, yet two problems came up: one, Woojin isn’t ready to be alone with Daniel for a long time; second, they’re supposed to meet at the common room and Woojin passed by half an hour ago just to discover that Daniel was already there. With at least five of his friends.

The mere thought of having to approach Daniel while he’s hanging out with other five strangers terrified Woojin enough to run to Jaehwan’s arms.

“He won’t bite you,” Jaehwan assures him as they walk through the halls. Woojin stills sticks to him like he’s his shadow, though. “He’s nice and his friends are nice. My friends are nice. You’re getting worked up over nothing.”

Woojin has the decency to feel ashamed for a moment, because he doesn’t mean to insinuate that they’re going to make fun of him. Yet as soon as they arrive at the common room and Woojin spots them again through the glass doors, he remembers why it was so scary. They’re a loud group, to the point that others don’t dare to tell them to lower their voices even though they’re obviously bothering their activities. Jaehwan doesn’t hesitate to step inside, anyhow, and grabs Woojin’s hand to pull him inside.

Much to Woojin’s surprise, Daniel turns his head towards his direction even before Jaehwan can greet the group. A smile blooms on his face upon recognizing Woojin, and he waves at him to come over. All of sudden Woojin’s feet are excessively heavy, and he has never been luckier of having Jaehwan guiding him.

“I was wondering if you couldn’t come,” Daniel tells him, honest concern in his voice. That’s a nice way of pointing out that Woojin is late, and that yes, Daniel might have been here with his friends, but he was waiting for him. The guy sitting next to him elbows him so indiscreetly that Woojin blinks at him in surprise, yet Daniel seems to fall into some kind of realization. “Oh, right. Woojin, these are Seongwoo, Jisung, Sewoon and Yongguk. And Minhyun and Daehwi, but you must have already heard about them”

That last part brings out a protest from Jaehwan, and Woojin is amazed to see how Minhyun simply sends an endearing smile his way – like he’s aware of the power he holds over Jaehwan and he enjoys it. On his part, Woojin has to make an effort to ignore the interested stares from the rest of Daniel’s friends. He feels like an animal in a zoo.

“Nice to meet you,” Sewoon greets, with a politeness that hints his shyness. “Do you want to play with us for a while? Yongguk has come up with his own cards game.”

Declining is his only option to dodge the mess, and Woojin racks his brain for a non-aggressive answer. He’s saved by Daniel, whether because he detects his panic or because he prefers working to playing. “Nah, we have to start on the project,” he brushes Sewoon off. “Besides, you only want him to play to have someone to win over.”

That could have been offensive, Woojin reckons, if he wasn’t terrible at cards. Daniel stands up, ceding his seat to Jaehwan, and takes a notebook with him.

When they sit on the couch, just a few meters away from Daniel’s friends, Woojin is self-conscious about two things: one, the fact that he has brought a wrinkled sheet with the songs while Daniel has brought a whole notebook with notes on it; two, that Daniel is so close to him that the side of their thighs are pressed against each other.

“Let me see,” Daniel softly asks him, and Woojin hands him the sheet right away.

While Daniel has his attention on the list, Woojin stares at him like a fool, anxious for his reaction. Daniel is wearing a yellow jumper today, one that doesn’t fit his concentrated expression and differs a lot from the tight performance clothes Woojin is used to seeing him in. But that’s not what draws Woojin’s interest: it’s that, as Daniel checks which songs Woojin eliminated and which ones he chose, an unreadable smirk appears on his face. 

Not able to contain himself, Woojin blurts out, “What?”

Daniel doesn’t even turn to stare at him. He taps his pen on the list and remarks, “You didn’t pick any song about love.”

Daniel isn’t stupid. That’s Woojin’s first thought. He never imagined his intentions would be this clear, that Daniel would discover him so fast and not only that, he would confront Woojin about it.

“I’m still standing references love,” Woojin defends himself, taking advantage of how Daniel isn’t looking at him yet. He’s conscious that one simple glance will leave him speechless and he will give into Daniel’s accusations.

Daniel drops the pen to run a hand through his hair, leaning back on the couch. He isn’t frustrated, but Woojin would swear he’s disappointed at how many songs Woojin crossed out. After a pause, he finally looks into Woojin’s eyes, his semblance cordial and cautious.

“It isn’t implied it’s romantic love. It’s still about oneself,” he explains, not a single trace of condescendence, as if he knows Woojin is just lying to him. However, Woojin isn’t expecting what leaves Daniel’s mouth next, stare fixed on him so intensely that Woojin can see his pupils dilating. “Is it because you can’t relate to love songs?”

It’s only the second time they meet each other for more than two minutes, yet Daniel is already throwing personal, too personal questions at him. Woojin isn’t a fool, though, he knows that almost no one would have an issue with telling if they have been in love before or not. The difference is that Woojin doesn’t share, and thankfully his friends have never pressured him to do it – they don’t go further than teasing.

Since the silence has prolonged for Daniel to realize something is wrong, Woojin takes a deep breath and admits, “I guess… I’m just uncomfortable.”

“That’s fine,” Daniel says, nodding. Despite the tension between them a second ago, he shows Woojin the list and points at the remaining songs, pretending nothing has happened. “I chose these because I thought you could relate to them too somehow. At least judging based on what I think of you.”

Whatever that means, Woojin prefers not to know, because if Daniel has already built a persona for him, reality will knock it down on its own.

“These three are easier for me, yes,” Woojin agrees anyhow. “Do you have a preference?”

Daniel shakes his head. “We can try I’m still standing and Palette and decide which one fits us better. They have advantages and disadvantages. Palette is slower and harder to interpret, acting wise. But it has a surprise factor, because everyone expects us to go hard. Be dramatic, be technical. So we should do the contrary, dance about the simplicity of life. Be simple and relatable.”

Needless to say, Woojin can’t believe Daniel’s speech. Not the speech itself, but the fact that all that eloquence is coming from someone like Daniel, that he’s not afraid to bare himself and his feelings just to discuss a song. Woojin is a stranger, yet Daniel doesn’t mind. The conversation sounds intimate to Woojin and he can’t help but check if any student is listening to them; they aren’t, of course, because Daniel and Woojin look like any other two students spending their time in the common room.

Woojin gulps down his nervousness and glances up at Daniel, “Two persons dancing a song that is about individualism and personal growth?”

“Those were your picks, Woojin,” Daniel reminds him, amused. And then he does something that leaves Woojin dumbstruck: he leans forward, eyes sparkling, and whispers, “You’re considering the love songs now?”

It’s a knee jerk reaction. Woojin pushes him away, not carefully, and although Daniel looks shocked for a moment, he bursts into laughter the next second, causing so much noise that it makes heads turn.

“Not funny,” Woojin complains, but he finds himself sounding sulky rather than angry.

Since Daniel is still laughing, he needs some time to calm down, and Woojin doesn’t even notice that Daniel’s hand is resting on his thigh. Even if Woojin has thick thighs, Daniel’s hand can cover them completely, and he’s so fascinated by this fact that he doesn’t have room to panic about Daniel touching him.

“You have to get used to this. We will have to touch and be close to each other to perform together,” he says, this time with some tenderness, as not to make Woojin feel threatened. He circles the two songs they’ve talked about, and then writes them down on his notebook. “Well, Palette. Why did this one catch your attention?”

It feels like an exam, and at this point Woojin is aware that Daniel is the sort of dancer that analyzes the music word by word, chord by chord, before dancing. That explains why Woojin has felt so overwhelmed every time he has seen Daniel perform: because he knows the story he’s telling.

He has never contemplated the possibility of having to express himself like Daniel wants him to, but somewhere inside him, Woojin remembers the lyrics and recites, “I know you like me. I got this. I’m truly fine. I think I know a little bit about myself now, but I still have a lot to say. I know you hate me.” Daniel is petrified, head down, but he’s not writing anymore, pen hovering over the paper. Woojin swallows. “And repeat.”

Daniel’s head snaps up, sharp eyes piercing through Woojin. There are both great shock and interest painted all over his expression, and Woojin is embarrassed at such regard.

“That was… specific,” he observes in a low voice, but he doesn’t let go of Woojin’s stare. “I like it. We could have you do that last part alone if you connect well with it.”

Woojin only finds strength to nod, for he doesn't have any mental image of what the choreography could be like. On the opposite, Daniel seems to come up with ideas easily, and Woojin is afraid he will be useless during the project, so he makes a mental note to dedicate the project a few minutes before the next meeting.

“I'm glad we're together,” Daniel confesses without previous notice. He folds Woojin's list carefully, even though it's too wrinkled for salvation, and places it on Woojin's lap. “I have never worked with someone specialized in hip-hop.”

It's odd to detect excitement in Daniel's words, because it should be the other way around. Working with Daniel is a honor. Working with Woojin, a nightmare. Daniel must be crazy if he thinks otherwise.

“But you can dance to it,” Woojin recalls.

Can is not enough of a verb to describe what Daniel did during the underground competition. He transformed completely, to the point no one in the audience, not even Taehyun and his expert eyes, knew that Daniel was trained in ballet. It was different in Seongwoo's case, and even though his skills were impressive too, Daniel was still superior. Woojin even feared that his position would be in danger, fears that according to Jihoon were unfounded because Daniel is far from being as good as him. Woojin disagrees: the way Daniel adapts to another style is natural talent, and schools can't teach that.

For the first time, Daniel is taken aback, “That's just... a guilty pleasure. I wanted to try for once, but I knew I wouldn't achieve anything. It was nice though.”

Woojin is torn between being offended and touched. “Did you just call my discipline a guilty pleasure?”

When Daniel gazes at him with an innocence that Woojin hasn't seen before, caught off guard, Woojin forgets that they're in a public place, surrounded by students and huddled on a couch that doesn't guarantee any intimacy.

And Daniel forgets too, because what he murmurs next isn't appropriate and isn't meant to be heard by anyone else. “Watching you perform is a guilty pleasure. It makes me feel that I shouldn't be watching.”

Woojin's breath hitches, invaded by an overwhelming feeling that forces him to look away from Daniel. Much to his surprise, Daniel does the same, yet that only contributes to the speed Woojin's racing heart. It doesn't take a genius to know they have a crossed a line that shouldn't have been crossed, and not even Daniel has the key to fix the situation.

Daniel coughs and closes his notebook, and the sound of the pages is what breaks the moment; suddenly Woojin's ears are filled with laughter and noise, even if he doesn't remember that people were being so loud a moment ago.

“Saturday, then?” Daniel questions him.

He throws a quick glance at Woojin, and Woojin might not be the most perceptive person in the universe, but he notices Daniel has a sudden urge to run away. He's familiar with that feeling, so he wouldn't miss the signals.

“Saturday,” he accepts.

After that, it's pretty hard to get rid of Daniel's friends, who insist he should stay with them until it's time to sleep. Daniel doesn't join the pressure and just plasters an apologetic smile on his face. Even Jaehwan, despite knowing Woojin to the bone, is disconcerted at how fast he intends to get away. By the time Woojin is walking through the halls, Jaehwan running after him to catch up - he was too entertained saying goodbye to Minhyun a hundred times - sweat is dripping down his neck.

“Was it that bad?” he pries, breathless, settling an arm around Woojin's shoulders.

Bad isn't a proper word for Daniel: he's anything but bad. Perhaps that's why interacting with him is such a hard task for Woojin, since he can't uncover any flaw that makes Daniel more human, easier to talk to.

“Daniel is so intense,” Woojin concludes and yes, that does fit him. “So intense. I may not survive this project.”

Life is funny sometimes. Jihoon doesn't get paired up with Seongwoo, although later they find out that he was free, but with a girl from the modern dance department that none of them know. The ironical part is that Jihoon complains for hours, not for the girl herself, but because deep inside he imagined what it would be like to dance with Seongwoo. Woojin is joyful because it's the first time in years Jihoon admits something of this caliber out loud, yet after a while it becomes annoying. And Jihoon’s capacity to annoy is mind-blowing.

“You got it coming,” Woojin reminds him.

Jihoon has invaded his room and his bed, announcing that he doesn’t want to sleep alone, which isn’t an unusual mood for him. Woojin has always thought that it was strange how both of them, despite enjoying loneliness, would need to spend some nights with each other. They don’t need to talk, just exist in the same space and be aware that there’s someone else around. It was Jihoon who started this habit, and Woojin hates that he has become attached to it and developed the same dependence.

“True,” Jihoon admits, lying on bed but with his knees bent and his legs closed. “Still I’m going to complain. I want a Daniel that tells me I’m the forbidden fruit too.”

Woojin flushes red, so red that he avoids turning around so that Jihoon can’t see it. He focuses on cleaning his desk and mumbles, “He didn’t tell me I’m a forbidden fruit, don’t twist his words.”

“A guilty pleasure,” Jihoon repeats. “The fucking same thing. He feels guilty of his thoughts when he sees you dance.”

This time, Woojin does spin on his heels regardless of how hard he is blushing. Jihoon is smirking at him, hugging the pillow as a way to protect himself because he’s aware that Woojin’s first idea, after the teasing, is to attack him.

“What?” Jihoon continues, shrinking against the wall as Woojin approaches the bed, clicking his tongue. “You know people think you’re sexy, right? I mean, not when you’re being an asshole or an idiot, just when you’re dancing. And they haven’t seen you compete underground, if they had done it they all would have gotten severe nosebleeds.”

The compliment decreases Woojin’s will to hit Jihoon in the blink of an eye, so he lazes his way into the bed, pushing Jihoon aside to lie comfortably.

“That’s ridiculous,” Woojin mumbles, sinking his face in his pillow and reaching for the phone, while Jihoon is trying to turn off the light with his feet. “You’re ridiculous.”

Despite the absurdity of Jihoon’s attempts, lights go off and Woojin hears him release a yelp of self-pride. Then Jihoon shifts his weight on the mattress and pats Woojin’s head as if he’s just a kid throwing a tantrum.

“You don’t want to accept that Daniel has eyes like everyone else and he can see your fine ass too,” Jihoon concludes, firmly but still placing his pillow between them in case Woojin decides to take revenge.

Woojin wishes he could kick him in the face.

Contrary to what Woojin has expected, he doesn't dedicate any thoughts to Daniel or the project in a few days. Training is exhausting since they're in the middle of the course and none of them have time to think about anything that isn't the present time. Even Jaehwan's continuous adoration for Minhyun lessens - which must be a relief for the guy, in Woojin's opinion, since Jaehwan can be overly enthusiastic sometimes.

It's just a week before Woojin has to meet Daniel again, and when the day comes, he's far from prepared for it. He nearly forgets about it, a forgetfulness that is miraculously saved by Jinyoung's choice of topic during lunch.

“Taehyun called to tell you about another competition,” he says, waving Woojin's phone at him. Woojin never brings his phone with him while serves his food, due to an old accident in which his phone swam through a soup all the way to the bottom. He's lucky he trusts his friends enough to let them pick up the phone, though Jinyoung is the only one who dares to do so. “But the place is three hours away by train.”

“I don’t need money right now,” Woojin sighs. The truth is that if the competition was nearby, he would join, despite having loads of work. “Is any of you going?”

“It’s too far away,” Jihoon agrees, shaking his head. Jaehwan doesn't bother to answer, both because his mouth is full and because he repudiates the idea of participating himself. Then Jihoon lowers his voice to ask, “Do you think they…?”

None of them need names to know who Jihoon is referring to, yet that just contributes to the absurdity of the conversation.

Jaehwan, who doesn't seem to understand why they talk about Daniel like his name is cursed, clicks his tongue, “They don't belong to the underground scene. The other competition was probably a last minute idea because they didn't have anything to do.”

“Why are you so grumpy about this?” Jinyoung notices, a smile spreading on his lips. Jaehwan glares at him, even if he doesn't lift his head. “Are you by any chance jealous because these two fools are thirsting over your friends?”

Woojin releases a yelp of protest, “We're not thirsting! Wait, I am not. Jihoon may be.”

Jihoon gasps dramatically, “Traitor.”

Although it's evident Jaehwan has been caught, if the way he pouts is anything to go by, he still has enough pride to refute them.

“Do you think Daniel is stupid? He knows that he's likeable,” he sentences, and then he settles his stare on Woojin, serious. “And he can feel how nervous you are around him. I’m a great friend and I told him that it’s because you're extremely shy, but I observed you two in the common room and that's not the reason you're so intimidated. I know you, Woojin.”

Woojin wonders what Jaehwan thinks he knows, because not even Woojin himself is aware of the origin of his nervousness - apart from Daniel being intimidating physical and talent wise. Unless that's all there is to it.

After lunch, he regrets not having spent any time of thinking about the choreography. He bets Daniel did, so he practices in his room a few improvised steps while listening to the songs despite the lack of space. The downside is that Daniel rented the studio pretty early, thus Woojin barely manages to get the gist of his own steps and ends up running through the halls not to be late to the meeting.

Daniel is already there, music playing loud and body moving all over the place. Woojin watches from outside through the windows and, too entranced in Daniel’s dancing, a whole minute passes by until he can snap out of his daze. Daniel is dancing to Sia's The Greatest, one of Woojin's choices that however they didn't mention while picking a song. After observing Daniel, Woojin is beyond glad they dismissed it. Even if they had agreed on a style that fits both, Daniel would have destroyed him technically, and Woojin only needs a minute to realize that.

When Woojin pushes the door and enters, Daniel looks at him through the mirror, freezing in the middle of a movement. His quietness doesn’t last, because he breaks into a warm smile and greets Woojin.

“Hi there, you’re not late,” he points out, sounding like he assumed Woojin would be. His voice is soft enough not to be offensive, however, and Woojin simply nods at him as he drops his bag by the door and takes out his bottle of water.

Daniel runs to the control panel to stop the music, throwing Woojin an undecipherable glance. It’s obvious he didn’t want to be seen, for whatever reason, and Woojin makes a note of knocking on the door before interrupting next time. Daniel changes his shoes, though he keeps his tights which, in Woojin’s opinion, are the most distracting thing he could keep on, and they sit on the floor face to face.

It’s not as awkward as the last time, but Woojin has great problems to look into Daniel’s eyes for long. He knows that Daniel notices, too polite to mention it since Jaehwan told him it’s part of Woojin’s personality. If it was another person, Woojin would be ordering him around and living up to his reputation by now, and although he likes to lead, at least when it comes to dance, he has the impression that Daniel won’t let him. His stare alone doesn’t let him.

“I thought about what you said,” Daniel tells him while they discuss the concept. “That thing about being a song about personal growth and how we are a duo. But I wouldn’t say it’s about individualism, especially since there is a small conversation between the female and the male.”

Woojin doesn’t need to go over the lyrics to refute that, “They’re still talking about themselves.”

Daniel tilts his head to the side, half confused half curious. “So?” he prods, and when Woojin doesn’t answer, because he has no idea of what he’s supposed to explain, Daniel continues. “You can be your own whole person and still not be individual in the egoistical sense. The song is about maturing and knowing oneself, but unless you’re a hermit, your relationships and the way you interact with others is going to shape that process.”

In his head, Woojin curses Daniel once again, because it’s not fair that he’s both good with words and with his body. At the same time, he likes this, whatever is what they’re doing, since he has never had the chance to discuss a song so deeply with any of his partners. It’s true that most of the songs Woojin has performed weren’t meant to be intimate or well thought, and this is a change that he appreciates.

“Then what sort of story are we telling? Some references don’t fit us and people will inevitably link them to girls, especially because it’s a girl singing,” Woojin adds, hoping that it doesn’t come out as a complaint. He chose the song because he could relate to some of its parts, but not all of them, and he’s curious of how they’re going to resolve that.

For some reason, Daniel finds that pretty funny, face scrunching as he laughs. He settles a hand on Woojin’s knee and squeezes it as to reassure him, and then he says, “That’s the smallest of our problems. A story is a story, no matter the gender.” Still smiling, he straightens up, and Woojin is confused for a second until he realizes Daniel is getting up. “Are you into improvisation?”

Woojin nods, “Yeah, why?”

“We can find out what sort of story we want to tell by improvising,” he proposes, and that’s a first for Woojin. He has never worked on a song this way, yet it seems to be a constant for Daniel, judging how sure of himself he is. He offers his hand to Woojin to help him up, and Woojin responds to it without thinking; Daniel’s hand is warm and big, engulfing Woojin’s so tightly that he feels a wave of comfort radiating from the touch. Daniel grins. “Let’s start.”

Dancing is easier than talking.

Woojin learns that, when it's about working, Daniel is just like him. He never doubted discipline would be part of his routine, otherwise he wouldn't be that good, he wouldn't have gone this far in his field, yet Woojin has found many types of disciplines and many that don't fit together with Woojin.

But Daniel does, adapting to Woojin’s limitations without protesting. It’s undeniable that Woojin isn't as loose as he should be: it's hard not to tense up when they have to make body or eye contact, and even when Daniel is simply touching his hand, Woojin can't breathe.

As opposed to last time, he doesn't divulge this to his friends, shrugging when he's asked or limiting himself to short, falsely carefree answers. Except it doesn't work, because he might be opaque to strangers, but he is transparent to Jihoon, Jinyoung and Jaehwan. Besides, Jaehwan has extra information and he doesn't try to hide it; still he waits to catch Woojin between classes, right before they have to part ways to different places.

In the hall, he ungracefully grabs Woojin by the back of his t-shirt like he's a dog, and states, “You're going out with Daniel and me this weekend.”

Woojin isn't the only one who replies. It just happens that Jinyoung and Jihoon are as dumbfounded as him and that translates into the three of them asking at the same time, “What?”

“I said we're hanging out,” Jaehwan starts with a huff. “Together. Actually, not just with Daniel. We usually go to this bar on Friday and Daniel told me I should invite you.”

We must include Minhyun and Seongwoo too at least, and Woojin is scared of how many more people can be part of that group of friends. He's not skillful at interacting with small groups, let alone big groups.

“Why didn't he invite Woojin himself?” Jinyoung pries, and that's a question Woojin wouldn't have asked out of embarrassment, but he's curious of it as well.

“Something about not pressuring him.” Jaehwan smirks with malice and makes a vague hand gesture. “All façade, of course. He said I should make sure you agree to come but I shouldn't tell you that he said that.”

Jihoon scorns, “Sweet. Only Woojin is invited?”

They all know the answer, and Woojin isn't disposed to allow that. First of all, he's sure of why Daniel came up with this idea: since they're not comfortable with each other, the easiest and fastest path is to get to know each other outside the school. Perhaps get drunk. Make some shameful confessions. But Woojin is also sure of something, and that is that he won't get through that alone, in case he winds up regretting his actions.

“No way,” Woojin refuses before Jaehwan can respond. “You two are coming, I'm not going there alone.”

“Hi? I'm going to be there?” Jaehwan reminds him, hitting his own chest and pretending to be offended.

Jinyoung mumbles something about how Jaehwan is awful emotional support and he wouldn't understand a hint even if Woojin was bursting into flames. Jaehwan hears it, because his ears have developed to an inhuman level, and Jinyoung is fast enough to react in time and ran away. That's how Woojin gets rid of Jaehwan: he chases after Jinyoung with a scream, scaring and startling all the students on the way. Both Jihoon and Woojin turn around and walk far away from them not to be linked to that type of behaviour - it's too late for that, almost three years late - and Jihoon tugs at his sleeves to catch his attention.

“Daniel is making an effort to get to know you,” he declares, so firmly that he doesn't leave room for discussion. It's the verbalization of that intent what makes it real, what makes Woojin truly understand, which doesn't mean it stops being overwhelming. “Do you remember what I told you a few weeks ago? About how you needed more friends but it had to be with someone that didn't know anything about you?”

Not able to predict where Jihoon is leading him with this conversation, Woojin nods. He remembers. Jihoon has probably told him that more than once, though.

“This situation is a good chance too,” Jihoon continues, but he has to shush Woojin when he opens his mouth to contradict him. “He's not judging you and that's a first. I know it's scary. You know I do. But I think you should go alone.”

That’s exactly what Woojin wants to avoid, despite how logical Jihoon’s arguments seem. Having a new start with someone opens a hundred possibilities, but starting from a familiar point is safe, though it would restrain him.

Jihoon reads his silence without needing to ask. “If we are there you’re going to be conditioned to act like we know you act around strangers,” Jihoon says, not mentioning that it’s not a good behavior to make friends. He lives that in his own skin too, so he comprehends Woojin to a further extent than the rest of their friends. “Am I right? We’re the excuse.”

He’s right. Woojin releases a sigh and reminds him, “But Jaehwan will come anyway.”

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Please, he gets drunk after two beers. He doesn’t count.”

Perhaps it’s time to learn how Woojin is like without the safe belt that his friends are. They’re performing a song about getting to know oneself, after all.

Nervousness before a social meeting isn’t extraordinary for Woojin. It’s the rule. Daniel is a factor that adds up to that uneasiness, but Woojin is aware that he would have a hard time without him too. The fact that they haven’t practiced in the whole week after that first time is just another reason why Woojin hasn’t gotten used to the idea of being around Daniel. If they saw each other every second day, the process would be faster and Woojin would learn to accept his presence.

So when Saturday comes and Jaehwan texts him in the morning that he better not ditch or Jaehwan will strangle him, Woojin has nearly forgotten the power of Daniel’s presence. He’s not planning to sneak out of the plans.

He distracts himself by attending the elective lectures and a session of modern dance that he hasn’t joined in a long time, and hours before he has to leave, Jihoon knocks on his door and they decide together what he should wear. Woojin refuses to dress up, but it’s true that wearing jeans is already a big change since he mostly wears baggy clothes to be comfortable while dancing. He wonders if his friends have seen him wear jeans in the last six months.

“If I didn’t know you well, I’d think you’re trying to set me up with Daniel,” Woojin reproaches, lying on the bed after taking his jeans off and claiming he will put them on later.

Jihoon shrugs, folding a pair of jeans and returning them to the wardrobe. “Well, at least I’m setting you up to be friends,” he admits, shameless. “The rest is up to you.”

“He isn’t gay,” is Woojin’s defense. It must be too obvious that he has just made that up, because Jihoon turns around, eyebrows shooting up. Woojin whines, “My radar says so.”

“Your radar doesn’t exist,” Jihoon puffs, not bothering to repress his laughter. “You know who isn’t gay but you still have a crush on?”

There isn’t any need to say his name. Woojin is aware Haknyeon wouldn’t even consider the idea of dating a boy, but Woojin’s crush on him isn’t going anywhere, anyway, because even if Haknyeon liked boys, Woojin wouldn’t take the initiative.

“Shut up, I’m wounded,” Woojin mutters, offended at how Jihoon merely laughs harder.

Despite the jeans and the fact that he’s breathing fresh air, Woojin doesn’t feel that different once he’s waiting for Jaehwan to pick him up with his car – which they won’t be able to ride later if Jaehwan is drunk. Tension only begins to eat him as soon as Jaehwan parks his car and Woojin spots the bar they're supposed to go to. Not making a big deal of it, Jaehwan simply curls his arm around Woojin's shoulders, blabbering about something Woojin can't focus on.

They're not the first ones to arrive. In fact, they might be the last ones, unless this is a big gathering: there are five boys around one of the farthest tables, and Woojin recognizes Daniel, Seongwoo, Minhyun and Sewoon right away. The fifth is, to his shock, Daehwi. The bar is way too full for Woojin's liking, but he guesses that some people prefer a noisy, lively atmosphere. In fact, Daniel and the rest are pretty noisy themselves, and Woojin can gather proof of that as they walk up to them.

Daniel is smiling up at him - a gorgeous, blinding smile - from his seat before anyone else does, though it has something to do with the fact that they don't notice their arrival until Jaehwan shouts, “Hey! Losers!”

Except for Minhyun, they all answer with similar insults, but Woojin didn't expect better from people who befriended Jaehwan. However, it's odd to meet a bunch of ballet boys, who Woojin has only ever seen wearing a certain type of clothes, in this situation. If he crossed paths with Seongwoo or Daniel in the streets, he wouldn't identify them unless he carefully looked into their eyes. It's partly because both of them are sporting their bangs down, which in Daniel's case makes him look a lot less intimidating. Woojin is grateful for that because he's able to return the smile without awkwardness, just a sincere gesture since yes, deep inside he's glad to see Daniel. He perceives what seems to be surprise in Daniel's eyes. He can't remember if it's the first time he has smiled at Daniel like this.

“Sit with me,” Daniel offers, not really giving him an option as he pulls back the chair next to him. “I didn't know if you would come.”

Woojin is about to answer with nonsense but then his attention drifts to Jaehwan, who not only is sitting beside Minhyun, but also leaning for a kiss. Woojin thinks it's an inner, personal joke between them. But it isn't: Minhyun responds with total spontaneity, planting a peck on Jaehwan's lips, and no one except Woojin is fazed at the kiss.

Woojin doesn't realize he has his mouth open until Daniel taps his chin up, laughing. However, he's sensitive enough not to ask the question out loud, so he whispers, “You didn't know about that?”

Jaehwan is a traitor, Woojin has the urge to answer. Jaehwan has let them make fun of him for drooling after Minhyun when, in reality, he was drooling just because they were together. The little betrayer hasn't even bothered to warn him even though he was aware that Woojin would look like an idiot when he found out. Woojin is going to kill him when they're alone.

“He never mentioned anything,” Woojin manages to say instead, sounding much calmer than he is. “I'm hurt.”

This time, Daniel does get the joke regardless of Woojin's serious expression. “It's easy to get back at him, you know,” he says, but Woojin has no idea what that means.

Sewoon stands up to ask for their drinks, convincing Woojin to trust his criteria - Woojin is scared, though - and Seongwoo takes advantage of the subsequent silence to send Jaehwan a wicked grin.

Seongwoo jerks his head to point at Woojin. “I can't believe you convinced Royalty to hang out with us.”

“Royalty,” Jaehwan scorns. “What is he? A prince or a king?”

Woojin is still too horrified at the kiss Minhyun and Jaehwan shared to have room for embarrassment. After that, Seongwoo calling him royalty is bearable.

“Depends on who you're asking,” Daehwi interrupts them, nonchalant. “I've heard many theories.”

Woojin, not sure if they're teasing him, timidly says, "No one calls me that."

“Uhm, yeah, they do?” Seongwoo lifts his eyebrows, half confused, half skeptic and Woojin stares at him, disconcerted. Daniel tries to muffle his cackling, but it's impossible given that he's right next to Woojin. “There's no way you haven't ever heard it.”

“He lives in his own world. And we never brought it up,” Jaehwan aids him, if that can be considered help.

Strangely, Woojin isn't that uncomfortable with them even if he's the center of the conversation. It might be because it's evident none of them intends to treat Woojin with malice, and they move onto another topic so fast, leaving no doubt that they don't plan to shame Woojin for whatever people call him. Woojin himself doesn't give it too much importance. It might have to do with the fact that Daniel turns out to be very distracting, because Woojin has never had the chance to observe him outside a practice room.

This isn't the Daniel that Woojin works with: he isn't focused, but all over the place; he isn't serious or calm, but loud and cheerful, and Woojin didn't imagine someone could crack so many dumb jokes in such a short time. Woojin discovers himself laughing along at some point, not because he finds the jokes clever but because they're so bad that it's hard not to laugh.

It's Sewoon who decides when they should take a break from drinking, so around midnight they decide to play pool for the rest of the night. Jaehwan, like Jihoon predicted, is too drunk to stand on his own though he barely finished his second beer, and Minhyun stays with him. Woojin tries not to examine them, but he has the feeling that Minhyun prefers Jaehwan's company to playing with his friends - and that is a big realization for Woojin, because on the contrary, he prefers to play pool with Daniel rather than staying in the safety of his friend's company.

“Have you ever played?” Daniel asks him, picking up a pool cue.

Woojin shakes his head, guessing that it's better to say the truth instead of letting them think he's horrible at it. “Not really. Just once when I was a kid and I could barely see over the table.”

Daniel mumbles a word that sounds pretty much like cute, yet Woojin can't tell because it could be due to Daniel's lisp and, Woojin has noticed, a habit of talking too fast.

“Let me teach you,” he brightly says, handing the pool cue to Woojin.

Of course, Woojin doesn’t have any problem with learning, but that lasts until Daniel walks behind him, pressing himself against Woojin’s back and hands holding the underside of Woojin’s arms. Seongwoo glances at them curiously and sets one of the pool balls within Woojin’s reach, and then crosses his arms over his chest, watching them in amusement. Woojin would usually care about all this attention, but right now, with Daniel’s body against him, he can only think about his inability to breathe.

“Breathe,” Daniel whispers, and Woojin does exactly that, embarrassed that Daniel has perceived his tension. “Put your fingers like this, then you slip the cue between them and hit the ball. You can use the back of your hand as support, but it’s harder for beginners.”

Before Woojin can obey, Daniel passes an arm around his stomach and drives him to bend forward. Woojin is aware that this is a more correct position to play, only because he has seen it in movies that might or might not be accurate, yet it’s not a good position for his heart: Daniel’s chin is brushing against his shoulder, and Woojin can feel both the rhythm of his breath and his heartbeat. It’s overwhelming. It’s fast, but Woojin’s is faster.

The pool cue slides between his fingers, although Daniel leads the whole movement from behind, and the ball smoothly disappears into one of the holes.

Woojin can’t even express his enthusiasm because Seongwoo clicks his tongue, disapproving stare on Daniel, and loudly says, “If this ain't flirting 101.”

This time heat rushes to Woojin’s cheeks. He’s lucky Daniel lets him go in that moment, since that gives him the chance of turning away to hide his expression; as opposed to him, Daniel looks far from concerned.

“Get out of my face,” he spits at Seongwoo, and Sewoon and Daehwi openly laugh at his childish tone. Woojin proceeds to shrink further, since he isn’t familiar with flirting in general and in public it just becomes worse. “I’m just teaching him.”

“Yeah, and Minhyun only wanted to introduce Jaehwan to ballet,” Seongwoo bites back. Daniel pretends he’s going to throw one of the balls at him, which makes Seongwoo flinch by instinct, almost like Daniel has completed that threat in the past. “He deserves a better teacher, then.”

Everyone turns to stare at Woojin, as to ask for his opinion, and Woojin stammers over his words just to spill what he supposes will end the argument, “I’m satisfied for now, thanks.”

“He's satisfied,” Daehwi repeats with emphasis, and when no one is looking, he has the indecency of winking at Woojin across the pool table. That is even worse than Seongwoo's direct teasing, because Woojin can't protest and Daniel can't deny they're flirting.

They begin to play a few minutes later, after Seongwoo and Sewoon have bickered about the position of the balls inside the triangle. Woojin teams up with Daehwi and Daniel, which they assure is a way of compensating Woojin's amateurishness, but in reality Woojin turns out to be pretty good for a beginner. When they're about to finish the first round, Seongwoo is already expressing his discontent over the disadvantages and suspecting that Woojin lied to them.

Perhaps it's because Woojin drank around four beers, yet he doesn't feel tense in any moment and he even enjoys Seongwoo's suffering. He discovers that Daniel is competitive and a bad winner as well, and that Daehwi thinks that winning is a good excuse to kiss his friends. This explains why Jinyoung, who loves affection, gets on so well with Daehwi.

They win three rounds in a row, and even though Seongwoo and Sewoon keep asking for one more to prove they're not that pathetic, Daniel refuses to comply. Much to Woojin's surprise, when they go back to the table, neither Jaehwan nor Minhyun are there, and their belongings have disappeared with them.

“Don't worry, they do this a lot,” Daniel tells Woojin, noticing he's disoriented and a bit concerned. He puts a hand on Woojin's low back, but it's a natural gesture, almost like he's doing it subconsciously, so Woojin doesn't mind. “We can take you to the dorms, all of us live there except Sewoon.”

“That's-” Woojin starts; he stops, because he doesn't have any option to go back home unless he rides a taxi. He observes how the rest of the guys are ordering more drinks, very much disposed to spend a few more hours at the bar. It's past three in the morning, however, and Woojin is worried about messing up his schedule. “I don't want to make you go home so early, you should stay.”

For some reason, Daniel smiles at that as though Woojin is being funny on purpose. “It's not a problem. You should force your partner to rest too, for our own good.”

Seongwoo must have been overhearing them, because he whistles, impressed, and announces, “Damn, Royalty is making Daniel go to bed early. This is a miracle.”

“I'm going to buy some tape to shut you up, dude,” Daniel retorts right away. Seongwoo remains unbothered, and Woojin swears that he had never imagined that a boy that looks so polite and well mannered would be this awful. “Have a good night, gentlemen.”

Woojin can't help but laugh at the sarcasm dripping off Daniel's voice, and they say goodbye among laughter and Seongwoo's indignation. Daniel's car is across the street, and as they dodge the rest of the cars, Woojin becomes aware of what sort of situation he has gotten into: Daniel is going to drive him home, only the two of them, alone. It's even worse because Woojin is still a bit tipsy while Daniel is completely sober, mild amusement in his eyes as he helps Woojin not to lose his balance. He even has to pull the seatbelt for him, muttering something about how Woojin is a hopeless kid.

And Woojin, somehow, does feel like a kid with Daniel around. He feels that Daniel understands him better than any other dancer, understands the struggle to be and stay at the top and, for a moment, Woojin doesn't feel the weight he usually carries on his shoulders. He doesn't have to live up to what it would be expected of him: he can be shy, he can express himself with rough words and don't get misinterpreted. Daniel doesn't find him rude or arrogant, as if he can perceive that it's his personality and the rumors come from people projecting their admiration and transforming it into personal opinions. Daniel probably deals with the same prejudices.

“I'm sorry about Seongwoo's jokes,” Daniel apologizes as he starts the engine, and Woojin glances at him in confusion for the sudden apology. “He doesn't have a filter. Did it annoy you?”

Woojin is about to smile, except he registers the seriousness in Daniel's face, thus he answers with honesty. “Not really, Jihoon does it all the time too, so it's not new.”

Content, Daniel nods. However, he keeps his eyes on the road with an agitation that wasn't there seconds ago. Woojin doesn't get why until Daniel opens and closes his mouth several times just to finish with a, “It was nice to hang out with you.”

“Yeah,” Woojin agrees, mouth dry. “It was.”

Agreeing with Daniel has a big effect, since he displays one of the widest grins Woojin has ever seen from him. His shoulders relax, his fingers loosen up around the wheel. It's impossible not to grin back at him.

“You should come with us again,” he continues, more animated. “Maybe not for this, but something calmer. These idiots don't realize their output decreases when they spend the whole weekend at the bar.”

Curiously, the ride is quite peaceful, and Woojin has an impressive facility to build small talk with Daniel. It might be due to Daniel's range of topics, since he's able to make the most boring story sound interesting. Woojin sobers up on the way, fingertips tingling as he regains his own awareness: Daniel's smell, presence, and the fact that Woojin doesn't want to leave his side tonight. Yet he has to, and while they walk the stairs to the dorms, Woojin wonders if it would be too weird to ask him to spend a short time together in the common room.

However, there's a point in which they have to turn to different ways, and Daniel merely gives a compliant smile and coyly asks, “Monday afternoon?”

It takes Woojin more than ten seconds to understand what Daniel is referring to. It's a punch from reality: they're partners, not friends, and Daniel wanted to know him better in favor of having complicity during the performance. And despite all that, conscious that it's only about work, Woojin is still happy he had the chance to be with Daniel.

Considering Jaehwan's lie constitutes a great betrayal, Woojin doesn't discuss it with him before breaking the news to Jihoon and Jinyoung. Needless to say, they don't believe Woojin at first, and it's Woojin's own irritation what convinces them that it isn't a joke. Both of them storm out of Woojin's room, incensed, and Woojin happily trails after them, prepared for the storm Jaehwan has it coming.

They ran into Jaehwan leaving one of the practice rooms; he's with Sejeong and Chungha, but both of them are equally shocked and step back when they spot Jihoon's expression.

“You have been fooling around with Minhyun and didn’t tell us?” Jihoon confronts him, poking his index finger into his chest.

Jaehwan's first reaction is glare at Woojin, no trace of remorse for lying to them. “God, you have a big mouth.”

“You deserved it.”

Annoyed, Jihoon snaps his fingers, demanding an explanation. Jaehwan sighs in resignation, shoulders hunched, and argues, “What, did you guys think I was being that pathetic? I wouldn’t chase after him like this if I knew he isn’t interested in me, I’m not a psychopath.”

That would be a fair point, but when you're Jihoon and your motto is that friends before boyfriends, Jaehwan's words can only worsen the situation. Jihoon points at himself, arching his eyebrows, “Do I look like I care about you being a psychopath?” Jinyoung nods to support him, and Jihoon becomes even more confident. “I’m not asking this: you're inviting your boyfriend to have dinner with us or something.”

Panicky, Jaehwan tries to hush Jihoon down but covering his mouth, which he fails at because Jihoon slaps his hands away. "Don't call him that! Someone may hear!"

Jinyoung deadpans. “Call him what? Your boyfriend?”

“Oh my god, you haven't had the talk?” Woojin chimes in at last, for this concerns him too. Judging the way they acted at the bar, Woojin didn't doubt they were officially dating even if Jaehwan hid it from them. Greeting someone with a kiss should be enough of a proof, but apparently Woojin was wrong. “Please, tell me you aren't only fucking or something like that. You're whipped for him.”

None of them are expecting Jaehwan to turn sour. He does, and that gives away all they needed to know. “This is why I didn't say anything. I don't want to brood over our relationship because we're fine,” Jaehwan grunts, so irked that Woojin discreetly grabs the back of Jihoon's t-shirt. “I'm not going to ruin everything just because I like him more than he likes me.”

Woojin has the urge to protest. They all know about Jaehwan's feelings, therefore Jinyoung and Jihoon are aware of one side of the story. Woojin has an advantage, however: last night at the club, he was not only shocked at the discovery, but also at how Minhyun stared at Jaehwan. How he took care of him while he was drunk. How they disappeared without minding anyone else, as though they needed each other and that was all.

“Typical coward Jaehwan behaviour,” Jinyoung points out, ruthless. “Very bold for stupid things, but not for important things.”

It's obvious Jaehwan thought his friends would slow down after that self-deprecating comment: his eyes widen at Jinyoung's words and he has to mend his composure.

“You, and you,” he says, pointing his finger at Jinyoung and Jihoon individually. “Need to get a life. And you, Woojin, have to learn to keep a secret. Unless you don't mind me telling them about Daniel and you.”

Woojin shouldn't turn pale at the accusation, since he's certain he didn't do anything suspicious. That's it, until a memory of last night assaults him, followed by the realization of how that must have looked to outsiders, and he feels all the blood leaving his body.

“What do you mean?” Jinyoung asks, beffluded, and both Jihoon and he spin on their heels to focus all their attention on Woojin. Suddenly tables have turned and Woojin is the one being cornered, with two pairs of eyes trying to cut through him. “What happened with Daniel?”

Behind their friends' back, Jaehwan flashes a triumphant smirk at Woojin. Jihoon is frowning at him, even more offended than he was at Jaehwan, and Woojin feels so pressured that no words come out of his mouth, just an unintelligible mumble.

“I can help,” Jaehwan announces with a snicker. “They were stuck with each other all night and here, our friend Woojin, actually responds to flirting pretty well to be such an introvert. Also Seongwoo told me that Daniel drove him home. No one knows what happened after that.”

Jihoon releases a faint gasp that makes the situation both ridiculous and dramatic, and Woojin would kill Jaehwan for this satanic behaviour if he didn't have to rush to calm Jihoon down.

“You're so manipulative. Don't insinuate that,” Woojin whines, throwing a punch that doesn't reach Jaehwan because Jinyoung is between them. “We parted ways and that's it. And we didn't flirt, asshole.”

Jaehwan scoffs, “You're such a liar.”

“Should I ask Daniel instead?” Jihoon threatens. Woojin can read the skepticism on his face, could even smell it if he was high. The threat doesn't affect him much, though, because Jihoon would never approach a stranger like that, much less Daniel. “I can demand best friend privileges.”

Aware that he has won this discussion, Woojin manages to dedicate them a fake sweet smile. “Okay, go ahead. Good luck with that.”

Naturally, Jihoon and Jinyoung persevere for the rest of the weekend until Woojin has revealed enough information for them to put all the pieces together. However, Woojin never mentions what happened at the pool table, which moderates the story considerably.

It’s irksome that Woojin has to meet Daniel so soon, because although he was willing to do so one day ago, Jihoon has shoved so much nonsense into his head that Woojin is getting paranoid over if Daniel was indeed flirting with him. Or if Woojin himself flirted back without knowing.

Making sure he isn’t late this time, Woojin goes directly to his room after classes to shower and change clothes, and then strides to the practice room they have rented. It’s way too early, and not the right moment to arrive, judging the situation. Daniel is there, but so is the instructor, and the last dancers are exiting the room in that exact moment, expressions flooded with a severity that doesn’t have to do with being tired.

Woojin doesn’t step into the room, well aware of what’s happening. Daniel has his head down, his arms tensed, ending in knuckles that have turned white from the pressure, and the instructor’s voice blasts through the walls. Despite the volume, words don’t run through the walls clear enough for Woojin to understand them, but the mere image of Daniel being scolded pushes him to turn around. He doesn’t want to look. Someone like Daniel isn’t supposed to double over in front of anyone.

Still pissed, the instructor leaves first and Woojin stands by the door, hesitating. Daniel must have known he was there all the time, because he signals him to enter without even glancing at him. The silence inside is overwhelming; Daniel doesn’t greet him, hunched as he takes off his ballet shoes, and Woojin racks his brain to find something to say.

“Are you okay?” is what escapes his mouth.

Ironically enough, Daniel sounds anything but okay as he answers, “Yeah.”

Even if Woojin has never been great at recognizing people’s feelings, he has a long career of watching dancers break down and cry, and he would never mistake Daniel’s tone. He has received an amount fair of reprimands himself, and he knows the last time he cried wasn’t the first nor will be the last. It’s part of their training and part of the job.

So he timidly approaches Daniel, and his fingers hover over his shoulder until he dares to touch him. The contact startles Daniel, yet he doesn’t stand up, eyes fixed on the floor.

“Daniel,” Woojin whispers as softly as he can. “What happened?”

Daniel doesn’t react right away. He stays still, as though he hasn’t heard Woojin, and it isn’t until Woojin crouches down to be at the same level that Daniel looks at him. His eyes are swollen and red, and yes, Woojin expected that, but it’s still extremely shocking to see it directly on Daniel’s face. It’s different from whatever Woojin has been feeling so far: Daniel looks so vulnerable that Woojin can only think about hugging him, about wiping his tears.

“Someone snitched on me for, you know, the hip-hop competition,” Daniel confesses, breaking the eye contact. Woojin gives him a moment, squeezing his arm, as Daniel deals with a wave of unstoppable sobs. He looks so small that Woojin is lost, almost feeling that he’s intruding a personal moment. “We have an important group showcase in a few weeks and our contracts stated that we couldn’t join any other competition, official or not.”

There are many questions on Woojin’s tongue, but most of them could drown Daniel further into his misery. It’s not the right moment to be curious about why Daniel joined a competition that he didn’t need to be in and jeopardized his academic opportunities; and even if it was the right moment, Daniel could tell him that it’s none of Woojin’s business.

Daniel wipes his dry tears with the back of his hand and groans, “They kicked me out.”

Even after listening to him, Woojin wouldn’t have considered that was a possibility. Kicking Daniel out of any competition means losing the strongest card of the game, and the instructor must have been beyond mad to leave him out.

In a moment like this, there’s not much Woojin can do, but his body seems to break away from his mind, moving on its own. He barely registers that he’s closing the distance between them, and the next second Woojin is on his knees, arms around Daniel’s big frame and Daniel’s head adjusting on his shoulder. Contrary to what Woojin could have expected, it’s comfortable. Daniel smells good, and though his body is full of muscles that Woojin doesn’t even know exist, the lack of tension makes them soft. It makes Woojin remember that he hasn’t hugged anyone in a long time, and that despite being a consolation hug towards Daniel, Woojin melts in it too.

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbles, as if talking out loud would scare Daniel away. “Do you know who did it?”

With just a small movement of his head, chin rubbing Woojin’s shoulder, Daniel says no. Only then he breaks away, hands lingering over Woojin’s waist as he lets go. Woojin doesn’t dare to look into Daniel’s eyes, but Daniel stares at him, and they share a silence that speaks for itself.

“We have been practicing for months,” Daniel continues at last. He runs a hand through his hair, exasperated, but there’s a hint of acceptance in his expression. “I didn’t think they would get rid of me even if I got caught. Not this fast, at least.”

Daniel is sharing his pain, a pain that Woojin can’t even imagine, and he’s grateful that Daniel trusts him enough to tell him. It’s still surprising, though.

“I’m not going to say it’s their loss.” Woojin shrugs. If he was in Daniel’s situation, a lie is the last thing he would appreciate. Both of them know that Daniel worked for the showcase and all that work has been poured down the drain. “I don’t think I can say anything to make it better, actually.”

Daniel makes a weird noise and covers his mouth, and it takes Woojin a second to realize that, behind his long fingers, he’s smiling because of Woojin’s words.

“You’re so honest,” Daniel points out. “This is why people don’t like you.”

“Wow, thanks,” Woojin says, feigning offense. Perhaps he would have taken it to heart any other day, yet it’s hard to believe Daniel has any malice when he’s wearing such puffed eyes. “I’m going to forget that insult just because you cried.”

Daniel pretends he’s tipping an imaginary hat and grins, “A gentleman.”

Woojin can’t repress the smile that blooms on his face as a response. Perhaps this is what Jaehwan calls flirting; in Woojin’s opinion, this is far from the tension he experiences when they dance together, which feels much more like an intimate moment.

“I think we shouldn’t practice today,” Woojin spurts out then, reading Daniel’s stillness. “You aren’t in the mood.”

Of course, Woojin is aware that Daniel is going to give into the proposition easily, so he’s ready to hear whatever excuse he can come up with. Daniel furrows his eyebrows, as though this is worse than him getting expulsed from the showcase. 

“We can’t stop practicing every time I’m not in the mood. I’d never dance if that was the case.”

“I don’t want you to link this type of emotions to our performance,” Woojin cuts in before Daniel can develop his logic further, or otherwise he’d have a chance to leave Woojin without arguments. It’s true that most of the time they don’t have an option, but this is an independent project and Woojin has the power to give him that option. “We can outline the choreography on paper if you want, since we don’t even have half of it.”

For an instant, Daniel is too shocked at the way Woojin has interrupted him, or maybe at what he interrupted him with. By the time he manages to recover himself, he only mumbles, “Okay. Should we go to a bedroom?”

“What?”

Daniel pulls a face, as though explaining it is humiliating; he’s so immersed in his own feelings that he doesn’t realize, much to Woojin’s luck, how he has interpreted the bedroom mention.

 “I don’t want anyone to see…” Daniel starts, making a vague gesture with his hand.

“Oh.” Realization sinks so hard that Woojin wants to curse at himself. Daniel doesn’t want people to know he has been crying.  “Yeah, sure. Your room? I think mine isn’t presentable.”

Daniel nods, so they pick up their bags and pay a visit to reception to cancel the reservation. The secretary gives them a dirty look and keeps mumbling under her breath for cancelling when the time has already started, and Daniel has to pull Woojin out of reception because he’s about to have a laughter fit.

It’s the first time Woojin visits Daniel’s dormitory wing, at least that he can remember, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that Daniel pays more than Woojin for his room. The room isn’t exceptionally big, just enough to have a tiny kitchen in one side and a king size bed. Woojin is sure he has never slept on one to begin with, but his scholarship is barely enough for his humble room, let alone one like this.

Given that there is a desk wide enough for both of them, Woojin doesn’t expect Daniel to offer the bed instead. His expression, however, must be terribly easy to read, because Daniel arches an eyebrow at him and adds, “There is only one chair, so unless you want to sit on my lap…”

Woojin has the impulse of joking that, yes, he prefers using Daniel’s lap rather than the bed, but then he is assaulted by the truth: it wouldn’t be a joke. Daniel isn’t dumb. He would detect the lie right away. Thus, he spins around to hide his blushing face and occupies the bed. When Daniel joins him, carrying two notebooks, he doesn’t sit down. He lies down on the bed, facing down, and pats the space next to him so that Woojin imitates him.

Even though they only write down their ideas and sketch some moves, Woojin is impressed at Daniel’s drawing skills. That’s the wrong move, since that leads Daniel to check Woojin’s sketches and spend ten minutes straight up laughing at him. At first Woojin is embarrassed, hurrying to flick the pages so that Daniel can’t see them again, yet in the end he just stares at Daniel in boredom as he tries to get over his own laughter.

“You’re an idiot,” Woojin protests. “No, wait, you’re being mean. Both.”

Daniel punches him in the arm, grinning. The problem is that he doesn’t control his strength and almost knocks Woojin off the bed, both of them shrieking.

“Don’t make sad faces, that’s unfair,” Daniel retorts as he grabs Woojin by the hips so that he doesn’t fall. Even after making sure Woojin is safe and sound, he leaves his hand there, resting over Woojin’s hipbone. “My first impression of you was that you had a stick up your ass. And then the reality is that you’re shy, gullible and can’t draw to save your own life.”

It’s difficult for Woojin not to cackle at that. A stick up your ass. He has heard that before, and it’s an adjective that he should add to the list, besides Royalty, to have a general idea of how people perceive him.

“I’m not gullible.”

“Sure,” Daniel says, a smirk spreading on his face. He ignores Woojin’s glare and rolls on the bed. He’s about to stretch, but then his eyes fall on the clock and he forgets about it with a gasp. “Shit, Woojin, it got late. I’m so sorry.”

Woojin supposes he’s exaggerating until he faces the clock: it’s two in the morning, so they have been in the room for five hours and have unconsciously skipped dinner. It still feels like ten minutes to Woojin.

Both of them have class tomorrow, which implies they will get six hours of sleep at best. Daniel helps him to gather his belongings, almost tripping over his own feet, and insists he should take the notebook too even if it’s not his. Woojin accepts because Daniel doesn’t look disposed to let him go otherwise.

Woojin plans to leave without anything else besides a goodbye, but when he settles his hand over door knob, a foreign urge invades him. Daniel’s stare is on his back, and he doesn’t need to look at him to be sure of it; he does it anyway, because it would be strange to ask the question he intends to ask without facing him.

“Daniel,” Woojin calls, slowly moving to his direction. Daniel is still on the bed, which forces him for once to crane his neck to gaze at Woojin. His eyes are glassy, not from the previous crying, and Woojin wonders if it's just an illusion due to the dim lights. “Why did you go to the underground competition?”

If Daniel is surprised at the question, he doesn't show it. He might be taken aback at the fact that Woojin had the guts to do it, however, judging how he scrutinizes Woojin.

“Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and caged in ballet,” Daniel replies in a low voice. His posture doesn't indicate he's ashamed, despite the crudeness of his confession, as if he's at peace with his own revelation. Woojin can't imagine how it would be to be a prisoner of the only thing that makes him happy. “I have spent so many years of my life on this. My entire life, actually. I wish I could take a break, but you know this world moves fast and I wouldn’t be able to go back afterwards.”

Woojin sucks in a breath, not very discreetly, and Daniel grants him a sweet smile. Not expecting Woojin to make any comment, he continues, “I had heard about you. Well, obviously, everyone has. But I was curious because they said the difference between your dancing here and your dancing in the underground scene was massive.”

That's not where the conversation is meant to progress. First, because Woojin isn't ready to listen about how Daniel had paid attention to him, how he was interested in him for whatever reason. Woojin fears Daniel will place hopes on him while he keeps being a disaster that, despite having a scholarship in a prestigious school, prefers performing in dirty clubs in front of a bunch of dancers that have never attended a dancing lesson. It's a public that appreciates what Woojin really is, not what he's supposed to be. And Daniel isn't his public.

All that remains inside Woojin's mind, and his mouth follows a very different path, “Was it?”

Daniel's smile grows. The warmth of his gesture is so powerful that it crowds around Woojin, reminds him that maybe he's wrong. Maybe Daniel understands him beyond the assumed greatness both of them have in common.

“Yes,” Daniel says. “You looked so happy.”

Internally cursing Daniel, Woojin wakes up feeling like he has come from the dead, muscles aching not for physical exhaustion, but for the emotions he went through last night. All that tension has been lost now to give way to a mixture of delight and regret, both thanks to Daniel.

Yet Woojin’s body isn’t the only wrong factor that morning, and he merely has to arrive to the cafeteria to perceive the way some students glance at him. As he serves his own food, he tries to convince himself that he’s imagining the attention; except even the persons next to him in the line are giving him odd looks, and Woojin winds up checking out his own outfit in case he’s still wearing his pajamas.

By the time he strides to the usual table he shares with his friends, who are already having breakfast without him, Woojin has learnt that he’s not experiencing any type of paranoia. It’s real: for some reason, the rest of the students find him very interesting in this particular morning.

Woojin sets the tray on the table with a bang, which startles Jihoon, and whispers, “What the fuck is happening.”

The three of his friends carry the same panicky expression, and Woojin has never lived a silence that lasted this long. In the end, Jihoon nudges Jinyoung so hard that he gasps, instigating him to answer.

“Someone saw you two go into Daniel's room last night. And they said you didn't leave.” Jinyoung clears his throat, avoiding looking at Woojin directly and focusing on his tray instead. “Also something about weird noises coming from Daniel's room.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Woojin catches Jaehwan nodding.

“In other words, his whole department and our whole department know, I mean, they think you two fucked.”

Woojin’s legs don’t respond, though there may have been reasons for that: one, that he has stopped breathing, either voluntarily or because he really can’t; two, the cafeteria is spinning around him, faster and faster. Predicting he’s about to have a breakdown, Jihoon pulls him down on the chair, which doesn’t improve Woojin’s state yet it prevents him from falling on the floor. 

Woojin’s voice sounds beyond anguished, “We didn't!”

Jihoon rolls his eyes at him, still he curls an arm around Woojin’s shoulders to calm him down. “Thanks for the information, we totally thought you did.”

“They don't care about that, Woojin. People around here are bored and need new gossip from time to time,” Jaehwan assures him. Among his friends, Jaehwan is by far the most composed regardless of the situation. It’s likely his attitude comes from all the jokes and comments about how he was too pitiful for liking Minhyun. Bearing that must have had a strong effect. “And a rumor becomes the truth really fast, you would know about that.”

It’s childish that Woojin cares so much about this, but so is that people are staring at him this way just because they assumed he hooked up with another dancer. Even if it was true, it’s just sex, and relationships aren’t uncommon here. He reckons that period of peace he enjoyed for a while was meant to de destroyed at some point. He simply didn’t expect that it would involve Daniel too.

“People are horrible,” Woojin grunts.

Jinyoung shrugs as a way to agree with him. “You don’t know how to have fun. I would troll the fuck out of them if I was you.”

“You sure are bored around here too,” Woojin shoots at him, but Jinyoung is unfazed, an accepting grin blooming on his lips. “They can think whatever they want, but I’d like not being stared at.”

That’s a wish that, throughout the day, doesn’t get granted. It’s not the first time this happens, just that the topic of the rumor is much more different, but Woojin surfs through his classes ignoring the sensation of being observed.

Since Woojin agreed to meet Daniel in the common room every night to discuss the project, he can’t ditch him tonight. He hopes that there’s a chance the rumor hasn’t reached Daniel, yet if he hasn’t, being together in a public place will be enough for him to notice. Still, Woojin can’t sulk for long, because even if just a few hours passed since he saw Daniel, he’s willing to talk to him again.

In the common room, much to Woojin’s surprise, Daniel is alone. It’s a great change from having to face at least three friends around him before Woojin can snatch him away. Woojin is aware that he trusts Daniel enough, feels comfortable enough too not to need Jaehwan or someone else to ease the tension. That sort of tension doesn’t exist anymore.

Lifting his head, Daniel beams up at him from the couch, and Woojin forgets about the few heads that turn to glance at them. Woojin realizes that they’re meeting like they’re not strangers for the first time, and being self-aware of that progress creates a bundle of nerves in his stomach.

“Did you sleep well?” Daniel asks as a greeting, guilt reflected in his voice.

Woojin can’t help but chuckle, “Have you seen my face?”

Daniel tilts his head, not understanding the question. “Yes? You look as good as always.”

There isn’t any hint in Daniel’s face or tone that indicates he’s messing with Woojin. In fact, his casualty is nerve wrecking, and Woojin wishes he could detect any sign, no matter if it’s good or bad. Woojin feels like a fool, because they’re here to work on their project, not to psychoanalyze each other.

All in all, Woojin can’t resist the temptation as soon as he plops down next to Daniel. It would be unnatural not to mention, pretend that it hasn’t happened. ”You haven't heard?

Daniel frowns at him, confused. “What?”

It’s stupid that Woojin has to clarify what he’s talking about, but he gathers the courage to say it out loud, “The rumor.”

Daniel knows. He doesn’t question Woojin further, and any trace of confusion fades away in the blink of an eye. Contrary to the reaction Woojin has anticipated, he isn’t horrified; Woojin even would affirm he’s closer to indifference.

He taps his pen on the cover of his notebook and confirms Woojin’s suspicions, “I don't care. Actually, I feel honored they think you would sleep with me.”

Insanity must have invaded Daniel’s head, and that’s how Woojin gawks at him: as though he has lost his damn mind. No other explanation is possible to spit such nonsense, or not to give any importance to a rumor that is probably going to extend to all departments. 

“Daniel,” Woojin begins, very slowly as not to choose the wrong words that could offend Daniel. Though having into account he doesn’t mind this type of rumor, Woojin doubts he could get offended at his simple words. “Are you kidding me?”

This time, Daniel has the decency to look a bit troubled, if it’s not for himself, for Woojin’s serious expression. “No?” he attempts. “I’m sorry, do you care? I’m being insensitive?”

The worst part isn’t that Daniel thinks sleeping with him would be an honor, the worst part is that Daniel didn’t mention the topic because he supposed Woojin would have the same opinion. Apart from that, the concern that blooms in his eyes as he gazes Woojin is as horrible, and it’s the first time that Woojin feels like a kid compared to him. Not in a good way.

“You’re unbelievable,” Woojin grunts, giving up. Explaining why Woojin is uncomfortable, not only for the attention but also because it’s about Daniel, would give him dangerous information that Woojin isn’t ready to put on the table. He might care too much about if Daniel would truly feel honored if Woojin happened to like him. “Let’s just start.”

Instead of obeying him, Daniel lifts his head and scans the room, meticulous. His intention is clear, and after getting proof that some students are indeed looking at them with curiosity, Daniel seems to grow aware of the real situation.

“This is ridiculous,” Daniel agrees with a sigh. “Let’s go somewhere else where you don’t have to worry about them. You look like you want to fight every person in this place.”

For once, Jaehwan is right: the rumor mitigates only two weeks after, when people get either tired or used to spotting Woojin and Daniel together. It helps that the time they spend together increases and increases, and by the time Woojin realizes that even some morning he has breakfast with Daniel, it’s too late to return to his shell.

In the span of a few weeks, Woojin learns an impressive amount of new techniques from Daniel, which are adaptable to his style too. Their choreography doesn’t resemble anything that they have done before, it isn’t a mixture of them and their specialties. It’s something new, and they don’t need words to understand it. Woojin feels it every time they touch each other, when Daniel has to support him during a step, when they’re moving so fast that they can’t see anything, just perceive each other’s presence and breathingg; when the song finishes and Daniel snaps out of his daze, smiling at him.

At the end of each practice, the pain and the sweat have been forgotten, and Woojin experiences something akin to happiness, akin to the electricity that runs through his muscles when he’s performing at a dark club. But it isn’t caused by the dancing. Even when they’re out of what would be a healthy schedule, Daniel sometimes asks Woojin to teach him and, for very specific reasons, Woojin doesn’t have the heart to refuse.

He remembers what Daniel said about ballet being his cage, so Woojin turns the music on, always a song that Daniel will never perform on a stage, and enjoys the way Daniel looks at him for a second. A strange, different way that only blossoms when they’re alone and exhausted, maybe because their defenses are down, maybe because they don’t need to hold any defenses up.

The collateral damages of meeting Daniel so often is that Woojin develops what would anyone call a relationship with his friends, but at least Jaehwan is glad that he has the chance to have Woojin around. Sewoon is by far the sweetest among Daniel’s friends, and somehow he has become the official adviser for the rest – except some of them disregard his advice and wind up taking the worst possible decision. He’s always the first to notice if Daniel is in a bad mood, thus Woojin pays a lot of attention to how Sewoon treats Daniel.

The only one who gives Woojin a hard time is Seongwoo, yet to some extent Woojin predicted this would happen, like it’s a small requirement to be friends with Daniel. Seongwoo has to allow him.

Despite the suspicious gazes and how often Woojin catches Seongwoo staring at him with his most serious face, nothing happens for a while. That’s it, until Seongwoo shows up at Daniel’s room one night. And Woojn and Daniel were supposed to be working on their very finished project, since Daniel cancelled the plans with his friends for that same exact reason. Yet Daniel’s skills to get distracted and distract others led them to talk about if Jaehwan has a soul or not, and then about if cats are better than dogs (Woojin supports dogs and Daniel claims he’s going to kill him).

Woojin realizes that they have been speaking so loud that they could be heard from outside when Daniel opens the door for Seongwoo, and deadpanning, Seongwoo states, “You aren’t working, pair of traitors.”

Instead of showing remorse, Daniel scoffs at him, shameless. “Night to you too,” Daniel greets him. “Though I didn’t invite you.”

Seongwoo, who never takes offense in Daniel’s harsh words since both of them joke around like this, surprisingly pulls a face at the comment. Only Woojin spots the change, because Daniel is already letting himself fall on the bed, using Woojin’s leg as his personal pillow. Of course, Woojin has grown used to touching Daniel, for their choreography forces them to have a much more intimate contact. However, it isn’t comparable, and Woojin feels uncomfortable as soon as Seongwoo fixes his eyes on his thigh, frowning.

“Did you even shower? You stink,” Seongwoo tells Daniel, grasping his ankle and pulling. He glances at Woojin, pensive, and then focuses on Daniel again. “If you’re going to have someone over, at least act like a decent person.”

“I don’t stink,” Daniel whines, but his face falls considerably.

Truth to be told, Daniel smells amazing, but Woojin decides to keep his silence. It’s evident that Seongwoo needs a moment with him and this is his strategy, so Woojin pats Daniel’s head and tells him to go – he assures him that he doesn’t smell bad, but a shower will help him to relax. The fact that Daniel is more persuaded by Woojin’s words than Seongwoo’s warning doesn’t improve his mood, and Woojin shrinks in the bed the moment Daniel disappears into the bathroom.

Seongwoo grins at him, and it’s not a kind smile. He’s very composed as he fills the space next to Woojin, who peeks at him with wide eyes, and joins his hands together in his lap.

“I’m watching you,” Seongwoo announces with a neutral voice. It’s the same tone he would use to talk about the weather, and his dark, analyzing pupils set on Woojin as though he has a thousand secrets that Seongwoo will reveal. “I don’t know what you’re doing to Daniel, but I’m watching.”

Woojin’s natural reaction is to glance at the bathroom’s door, anticipating that Daniel will save him, yet that’s impossible. In fact, that seems to flame up Seongwoo’s suspicions, since he presses his lips in a line and bends back enough to block the view of the door.

“What am I doing to Daniel?” Woojin muses, fidgeting on the bed.

Seongwoo raises his eyebrows, but Woojin detects a spark of hesitation. “You tell me? He would talk a lot about you at first, and now he won’t say a word even if we ask him. He ditches us for you though, like tonight, and when you come with us he still acts like you two are alone and we don’t exist.”

He must have pondered about it deeply, because he doesn’t even breathe in between, spitting all the accusations without mercy. Woojin is speechless; to begin with, because he didn’t know that Daniel was casting his friends aside just to be with him, but also because he hasn’t noticed Daniel’s behavior when all of them are together. Seongwoo is pretty pissed at the last part, anyhow.

“Maybe you should discuss it with him,” Woojin proposes, because that’s all he can help Seongwoo with him. This is new for him too.

Seongwoo clicks his tongue, losing his patience. It’s clear that he’s attempting to hold back his next words, and Woojin watches him struggle internally just to sputter, “Did you kiss him? Have you slept with him?”

“What?”

“He won’t tell us anything!” Seongwoo complains, and it’s in that moment, when he progresses to pure immaturity, that Woojin stops feeling scared.

Seongwoo is mad because he’s sure they’re dating and Daniel is hiding it from him, and the situation is so ridiculous to Woojin that laughter inevitably escapes his mouth. That must be the last response Seongwoo has imagined, given the astonishment on his face.

“Don’t laugh at me, what a fucking asshole,” he says, horrified.

“You’re an asshole,” Woojin shoots back. “You were threatening me because you thought I’m sleeping with Daniel or whatever.”

The frown on Seongwoo’s face deepens, and he needs a moment before replying, “That’s not the reason, dude. He’s all over you, okay? And we haven’t talked about it so I don’t know why, but I was worried you were playing with him. For the record, having sex and then throwing him away counts as playing with him and I would literally kill you.”

The threat doesn’t affect Woojin, since he can’t feel alluded to. However, Seongwoo’s fear transpires so transparently that his words reach another part of Woojin’s mind. He exchanges a look with Seongwoo, who has regret plastered all over his face, and that’s enough of a proof to wake up Woojin’s ill curiosity.

Softly, Woojin whispers, “Has that happened before?”

Seongwoo licks his lips, looking down at the bed. It’s obvious he’s considering if he should lie, but at last he must decide that it’s too late for Woojin to believe him, and he admits it. “Yes.”

The true mystery of life is the reason Jihoon is at the library on a weekend, first because he avoids the place like it’s infected, and second because he’s truly focused on reading, to the point he doesn’t sense Woojin’s presence until he closes the textbook he’s drowned in. Only then he gets startled, though his surprise evaporates when he recognizes Woojin.

 “Seongwoo has threatened me,” Woojin confesses, plain and simple.

Far from what Woojin predicted Jihoon would do, he’s unfazed at the news. “Adorable,” he concludes, much to Woojin’s disgrace. “He knows you have grabbed his best friend by his dick.”

Woojin doesn’t understand what Jihoon means, yet he reckons it must not be a positive comment. “Don’t talk about Daniel’s dick,” Woojin warns him, slapping the back of his head. Jihoon is indignant this time, and that’s a small achievement for Woojin and his frustration. “And I haven’t.”

“It’s a metaphor, Woojin.”

“Fuck your metaphors.”

Glaring at him, Jihoon drags his book back to his part of the table and flicks through the pages to find where he was. It’s irksome that Jihoon is so determined to ignore him, because Woojin needs to have a conversation, and it’s definitely a conversation that shouldn’t take place at a library. Woojin doesn’t have many other options, though, because he has to share his discovery and he has to do it right then. The fastest way to attract Jihoon’s heed is not beating around the bus, even if it’s hard for Woojin too.

“I think I don't have a crush on Haknyeon anymore,” Woojin affirms in a low voice, yet firm enough not to let any room for doubts.

Jihoon jerks his head up and gazes at his friend as though he has just admitted a murder. Woojin can’t blame him: for starters, Woojin refused to acknowledge his crush on Haknyeon for a long time, but now he’s accepting the reality just to announce that it’s over. It should be irritation to Jihoon, though Woojin detects a sign of hope instead.

“Did you just-”

“Yeah,” Woojin interrupts him, impatient.

Jihoon’s gaze analyzes him in a matter of seconds. Reading Woojin is an art he has mastered, so he just needs a second to evaluate what words are appropriate and won’t make Woojin put his walls up. 

“It's because of Daniel,” Jihoon says. It’s not a question.

“Yeah.”

“Stop denying it.” Jihoon stops, about to continue his blabbering, and blinks, registering the fact that Woojin didn’t deny anything. “Fuck, you said yes. I wasn't ready for that.”

It would be the perfect moment to laugh, since for once Woojin has managed to beat Jihoon’s quick wit, but it’s hard when Woojin himself is nervous at his own revelation. On the contrary, Jihoon is staring at him in expectation, completely calm despite the initial shock.

“That’s all you have to say?” Woojin pokes his arm, furrowing his eyebrows.

“No offense, Woojin, but we know you like Daniel.” Desperation must be flourishing in Woojin’s face, because Jihoon reaches out to caress his arm. “Since that night you went out with him and his friends.”

Incredulous, Woojin defends himself, “That’s impossible.”

“Don’t you dare. My judgment is sharp and neat,” Jihoon assures him. He’s slightly offended at Woojin trying to dismantle his theory, as though Woojin isn’t capable of interpreting his own emotions and feelings. For the most part, Jihoon would be right. “I told you that you looked at Haknyeon starry-eyed, and that was intense enough, but you have no idea of how you look at Daniel. And it’s reciprocal. That’s why Seongwoo is so worried.”

Woojin doesn’t believe him, for that’s effortless, while accepting the possibility of Daniel feeling something for him would be tough. It sounds like fiction, too, even if Woojin is conscious that at least Daniel doesn’t hate him like a great amount of dancers do. And overall, Daniel understands him, and if he doesn’t, he’s shameless enough to question him until he can comprehend Woojin.

“This is so weird,” Woojin mumbles.

Jihoon nods. “Indeed.”

They don’t bring up the topic again in a few minutes, but before Woojin leaves the library, Jihoon tells him that he should make Daniel feel welcome in Woojin’s life too. Just like Daniel calls him some weekends to hang out with his friends, or speaks about his parents or his hometown, Woojin should let him know more about him. It’s disturbing that, although Woojin has never informed Jihoon how much he opened to Daniel, Jihoon still can suppose it wasn’t enough.

Woojin racks his brain to decipher what would transmit that message to Daniel; they practice together once, twice, three times, yet in the end as they part ways and both disappear to go sleep or continue with their training. Daniel either never notices Woojin’s hesitation or decides to disregard it, assuming that Woojin needs space or time.

It isn’t the case. Woojin needs Daniel, and realization strikes him the same exact day they dance the whole choreography for the first time, no interferences or wrong steps; and it’s then, after their bodies flow through all the steps like they have become part of them, Woojin seizes the future, almost tangible truth: the project will be over at some point, and so will be these meetings, these moments, the excuse to have Daniel by his side.

While it’s satisfying for both of them to touch the conclusion of their performance, it reminds them how tired they are. It’s almost past midnight, which means they aren’t allowed to be in the practice rooms anymore, so Daniel proposes him to grab some snacks from the vending machines – the cafeteria doesn’t offer food service at this hour.

“We can’t keep eating this crap,” Daniel points out as he hands Woojin a sandwich. There isn’t any guilt whatsoever in his tone, though, until he continues, “I think I gained weight.”

Woojin rolls his eyes and accepts the sandwich, which seems to flatter Daniel’s ego because he won’t be gaining weight together. Instead of searching for a place to eat, they sprawl on the floor, not minding that in the halls only the emergency lights are on.

They devour their sandwiches in the blink of an eye and Daniel buys a couple more for them, disregarding Woojin’s pride because he’s paying for all his food.

“Don’t you have a performance the week after this?” Woojin remembers all of a sudden.

Daniel mentioned once that most ballet dancers that are under the school have an individual evaluation, even the ones that are working as professionals and joining high quality competitions. That’s the case for Daniel, who unlike the rest, has barely trained for the evaluation, claiming that he does better if he prepares it during the last week. He mumbled something about the rawness of the performance, which Woojin didn’t manage to understand.

“Yes,” Daniel replies, engulfing the last piece of bread and chewing. He wraps his fingers around Woojin’s wrist, a soft, small gesture that sends chills down to Woojin’s spine. “Are you going to come?”

“What?” he muses automatically. “Me?”

Any other person wouldn’t be as patient as Daniel, who grants him a sweet, idiotic grin. “No, the other Woojin that is sitting next to you.”

Even if Woojin laughs, cheeks heating up, the impact of his joke decreases as he slides over the floor to hook their arms together. And then his grasp isn’t around Woojin’s wrist anymore: now their fingers are intertwined, forearms gently touching. Daniel’s skin burns, but so does Woojin’s whole being.

Stare settled on their hands, Daniel whispers, “Do you think I want you there or not?”

“I don’t know,” Woojin answers after a pause. He gulps, well aware that Daniel would figure out anyway, perhaps he has already had, and forces himself to pull courage out of nowhere. “I hope you do.”

Taking advantage of their position, Daniel squeezes his hand to comfort him. It’s a comfort Woojin didn’t know he needed until he receives it, and it’s scary that Daniel has reached that point in which he can foresee his insecurity. Feeling brave, Woojin turns his head to gaze at Daniel, but Daniel isn’t staring at their hands anymore. He’s staring at his lips, and it takes him an endless second to flick his eyes up to Woojin’s eyes.

“It shouldn’t be about hoping. You should know by now.”

Woojin knows. He’s not capable of verbalizing it, though, not even while Daniel strokes the back of his hand with his thumb. The fact that he can’t speak out doesn’t trouble Woojin, since he still feels safe with Daniel, sure that Daniel will wait.

“What are you performing?” Woojin whispers.

The question drags Daniel out of his own world, whatever world he has built up around them, and makes him return back to the bad illuminated hall. “Bird set free, Sia. Do you know it?” he says, though it’s a rhetorical question. “I arranged the beat a bit, but not the lyrics.”

 “Why that one?”

Woojin remembers how Daniel, once upon a time, wanted to know what Woojin found special in their chosen song. Discussing the message of a song was never Woojin’s forte, yet after a few months having Daniel leading him, he has learned both the importance and the way that changes his attitude when he performs.

And Daniel must be thinking about the time Woojin recited Palette’s lyrics too, for he does exactly the same, reproducing a concrete part of the song, “I have a voice, have a voice, hear me roar tonight. You held me down but I fought back loud.”

Who held you down? Woojin wishes he could ask. Yet that’s a doubt that must stay within. Woojin already intuits the answer thanks to Seongwoo, anyhow, and Daniel is avoiding the topic; he finds easier to express himself through dance, and Woojin will never deprive him from that.

However, Daniel is smart. A simple glance at Woojin’s expression reveals his thoughts, which means that Woojin is showing himself without any protection, but also that Daniel has an extraordinary skill to get into his head.

“I had a fight with Seongwoo,” he confesses with a bitter smile, a subtle way to confirm Woojin’s suspicions. “He apologized to me for accidentally telling you about that. Still I was so angry, I couldn’t hold back and was too harsh on him.”

Woojin can’t picture Daniel angry. He’s smiling most of the time, and even after watching him cry, Woojin believes that there’s something too pure about Daniel, so pure that it feels unreal.

It’s Woojin turn to console Daniel, who isn’t just sulking: he looks miserable for a moment, the orange lights accentuating his exhaustion. Woojin doesn’t intend to pry, yet it’s likely they Daniel has been mad at Seongwoo for a few days, not just today, and has been hiding it for Woojin’s sake. Maybe so that Woojin wouldn’t feel guilty, or because Daniel wasn’t ready to explain it without breaking down.

“He meant good.” Woojin slowly unties their hands, avoiding any abrupt movement. Daniel doesn’t seem offended at the loss of that touch, and Woojin immediately moves his hand to his shoulder, and then slides to his neck, fingers resting there where he can perceive Daniel’s pulse. Daniel closes his eyes. “You know that.”

“I know,” Daniel breathes out, bringing up his hand to cover Woojin’s. “But no one else has to carry the weight of what happened. Not you, at least.”

Daniel falls silent after that, and Woojin follows after him. He agrees with that, after all, because he wouldn’t let Daniel carry with problems that aren’t his, like not having enough money to pay this training or spiraling into panic attacks. It would be nice if he could help Daniel, but he understands why sometimes good intentions aren’t enough, and lending an ear is more useful than looking for solutions.

When Daniel speaks again, his debility has transformed into robust delicacy, “This is funny because when we were choosing a song and you didn’t want any about love, I thought that maybe you had been hurt too.” Indeed, he finds It funny, judging how his lips quirk up, this time without any trace of bitterness. Comparing a first impression to the reality can make one realize how ridiculous their assumptions were, Woojin reckons that. “But it was just me.”

Woojin delivers a sincere smile too. That’s a signal that Daniel interprets well, hugging his waist and bringing him closer, and Woojin finds himself resting back against Daniel’s shoulder. A few weeks ago, Woojin’s heart would have jumped out of his chest. Now it doesn’t; his heart speeds up a bit, but Woojin experiences a calmness that he didn’t think was possible to achieve.

“That would have explained so much about you,” Daniel continues. Except Woojin can feel the vibration of his voice now, and that amplifies the meaning of his words. “Then Jaehwan insisted you were shy and I believed him at first.”

Remembering how Jaehwan lied to Daniel for his sake, Woojin lets out a short laugh. “It’s not only because I’m shy.”

Daniel giggles too, much to Woojin’s surprise. “I’ve noticed. You don’t have to talk about it out loud, I know you don’t want to,” he soothes Woojin, whose body is progressively tensing up. “You only trust Jihoon for that, right?”

Daniel is very observant, to the point that it could be scary if Woojin didn’t trust him too. He’s lucky he does, and for some reason, Woojin thinks he always trusted him and Daniel was the one who controlled Woojin’s steps so that he wouldn’t precipitate and regret it later.

“Right,” Woojin admits. “Jihoon does understand it. I guess that’s why we became so close.”

“So close is an understatement,” Daniel remarks, amused at the choice of words. He slants his head so that they can look at each other’s face, and only then Woojin becomes aware of the small distance between them. He can feel Daniel’s breath hovering over his lips as he adds, “You only let Jihoon see you.”

That’s true. Woojin never did it on purpose, yet the way his friendship with Jihoon developed brought them to share revelations that they wouldn’t even insinuate to other persons. That doesn’t mean Jaehwan or Jinyoung, for example, ignore Woojin’s problems; they have learned to read Woojin’s eyes instead of asking questions, and though that technique has limitations, they can empathize with Woojin to some extent. It wouldn’t be comparable to how Jihoon comprehends Woojin thanks to his own experience.

That’s why Woojin is surprised at Daniel’s sensibility, how he grasps things that no one else does. And that’s why, as well, Woojin comes up with a question that intends to figure out how deep Daniel has gone into him. “Can’t you?”

Daniel becomes still, but it’s for a fleeting moment as he finds how to explain himself. He timidly runs his fingers through Woojin’s fringe, fixing it so that it doesn’t bother Woojin’s eyes; once he’s satisfied with the result, Woojin’s surrender included, he replies, “I can. But that doesn’t mean you let me.”

Since Woojin and Daniel have managed to perfect their performance, they simply have to practice until the choreography becomes an unconscious act. Announcing that they’re almost done with the project isn’t a good idea, for all of a sudden most of their friends insist on watching them. Even though Jihoon and Daniel aren’t especially familiarized with each other, Daniel allows him to be the first one. It seems like a random decision to Woojin, but it isn’t, and he falls into comprehension once they start dancing in front of Jihoon.

With public present, even if it’s just one person, Woojin becomes self-conscious of how intimate the choreography is. All this time, Woojin has been comfortable in their solitude, building up a strong link with Daniel and the song; it has transformed into something else, something too personal, and Woojin hasn’t registered the small changes that led to this big change. He does now, as he breathes in and glances at Jihoon in the middle of the performance, and Daniel has to guide him back the song, discreetly caressing his cheek, a move that isn’t part of the choreography.

When they finish, Daniel sends him a reassuring smile, a subtle sign to tell him that he was perfect, and for a second, Woojin isn’t so afraid of having exposed himself like this anymore.

Jihoon’s face is distorted, Woojin doesn’t know by what type of emotion, and he remains the same even as both Daniel and Woojin look at him. Silence crows around the three of them, and the reason is an open secret that no one has the courage to mention.

“I want to think that’s a positive opinion,” Daniel dares to say at last, making a hand gesture to refer to Jihoon’s face. “But it could be constipation too.”

That destroys Jihoon’s inquietude, a resigned smile appearing because of Daniel’s joke.

“This is unfair. That’s all I have to say.” He shrugs and stands up, striding to his bag. He was supposed to watch and leave, yet Woojin thought he would give them advice so they can improve. “Jaehwan is going to hate you both so much for this.”

Given Jaehwan’s ability to get offended, it should be a threat, but Woojin can’t help but burst into laughter, invaded by sudden, unexplainable happiness. That takes Daniel and Jihoon by surprise, and upon their confused faces Woojin laughs harder, bending to hold his stomach.

Then it hits Woojin: yes, he’s happy. Because their performance is so good that Jihoon is transpiring jealousy, because Jaehwan, and unlike the other hundred projects Woojin did before, he enjoyed every second he spent with Daniel. They didn’t work excessively hard, there was no frustration, no fights, and Woojin never felt like a bad person for scolding his partner or disagreeing with him. Despite how different they are as dancers, all their pieces fit together as if they belong to the same puzzle. Woojin laughs because it’s unbelievable, because this is why he loves dancing.

“Are you okay?” Daniel asks him in concern, though there’s a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He looks as if he’s deciding if Woojin is having a nervous breakdown or laughing for real, and he squats to be able to see his face. “Woojin?”

“Yeah, fine” Woojin manages to wheeze; he settles a hand on Daniel’s shoulder for support, and Daniel grins up at him.

“No, he’s nuts,” Jihoon contradicts him, annoyed. He drags his bag to the door, disposed to leave, and mumbles, “Completely nuts.”

As soon as they’re alone, Daniel releases a laugh full of honesty and embraces him, allowing Woojin to sink his face into chest. They stay like that for a moment, a nonsensical moment, and that’s why it’s important.

Woojin is ready.

Two days later, they have already shown the performance to all their friends, who reacted with varying degrees of surprise and deep silences. Except Seongwoo. Seongwoo doesn’t watch them, either because he doesn’t want to or because Daniel avoided telling him that he could come over. Woojin is inclined to think the latter is the correct answer, which is worrisome at best.

Daniel is still sulking and Woojin has no idea how to distract him. He can’t empathize with the situation either, because every time Woojin has ever fought Jihoon, they solved it fast and physically. However, Daniel and Seongwoo seem to have a friendship in which they don’t even hit each other jokingly – it’s all about words, Woojin realizes, and that’s why whatever Daniel told him during the fight matters so much. Woojin could insult Jihoon’s mother and Jihoon would stop being furious after having Woojin in a headlock for a few minutes. Daniel happens to be more sensitive than that, and so does Seongwoo.

The most obvious proof is that Daniel has lunch with Woojin and his friends for five days in a row. Woojin is aware that confessing that he and Seongwoo aren’t on speaking terms is the perfect excuse for Daniel to avoid his usual table, his usual group of friends, and hence the awkwardness that comes with it. And that’s a real problem, because avoidance won’t improve the situation.

Besides, Woojin feels somewhat guilty for the fight. He’s a piece of that puzzle, after all: he asked Seongwoo a direct question, and although Seongwoo could have lied, he doesn’t seem to be a liar. That explains why he didn’t lie to Daniel afterwards, which would have saved both from the unnecessary pain. Woojin admires that, for one has to be brave to be that sincere.

“You can’t keep sitting with us,” Jaehwan concludes one day as soon as Daniel settles his tray down. He doesn’t pay Jaehwan any mind, beaming at Woojin because he’s patting the chair next to him; only two hours passed since they met, but that doesn’t matter. “I’m serious, you fucker.”

Jinyoung sends him a warning look across the table, “Don’t bully him. We will kick you out first.”

“It’s not because of that, shut your mouth.”

Even though Daniel is the cause of the bickering, he doesn’t take any role in the conversation, poking at his food. Woojin is assaulted by a sting of concern; he would expect Daniel to be tense, at least, not totally apathetic.

“Daniel,” Woojin calls him, careful. His wariness doesn’t work, since Daniel becomes visibly uneasy anyhow, the muscles of his back hardening under Woojin’s touch. But Woojin has already begun and there’s no point in backing out. “He already apologized. I know you’re feeling bad but honestly, he looks much worse.”

That drives Daniel to glance at Seongwoo who, to his luck, is paying attention to his own business. Yet Woojin is right, and that’s a truth Daniel won’t be able to deny: Seongwoo looks tired, and way sadder than Daniel, which is an actual achievement considering Daniel looks like someone kidnapped his pet.

“You just have to say you’re sorry for getting so angry,” Woojin continues once Daniel gazes back at him, a hint of desperation on his face. “You are, right?”

“Yeah,” Daniel manages to utter.

Woojin comprehends that it’s hard for Daniel to simply walk up to Seongwoo and apologize. If he was in Daniel’s shoes, he would be embarrassed of his own outburst, the lack of control over his feelings. It must be especially humiliating because Daniel isn’t the type to get carried over, not by anger spurts. He’s calm, except for the laughter fits, and level-headed. Or that’s how Daniel appears to be, how he has learned to be because Woojin is well aware that Daniel wouldn’t get anywhere in this industry if he was an emotional mess.

That’s why Woojin doesn’t pressure him further, and shushes Jaehwan when he tries to complain because Daniel is accepting his advice but he didn’t accept Jaehwan’s advice during the whole week. Daniel’s shoulders are hunched and remain that way throughout the day, no matter how much Woojin attempts to lighten up the mood. It’s only at night, as they lazy around in Daniel’s bedroom and watch a ridiculous show that Daniel likes too much, when Woojin comes up with the definitive idea.

Woojin has gotten used to lying in Daniel’s bed as if it was his, and so has Daniel, to the point that as Woojin rolls over the bed and touches his back, Daniel doesn’t even blink at the contact. It’s necessary for Woojin to tap him with more strength, and when Daniel glances at him, he seems to be a bit confused as to why Woojin is touching him. He doesn’t mention it, though, and he only dedicates him a questioning look as he turns to focus on Woojin instead of his laptop.

“We’re going to an underground performance this weekend,” Woojin explains, not waiting to be asked. Daniel’s expression barely shifts, but it’s enough for Woojin to intuit what he’s thinking about. “Not to compete. It’s only Jihoon and me, and it’s because a friend is one of the contestants.”

Daniel’s silence is enough of a proof of how he isn’t following Woojin’s logic. It should be obvious, since it’s obvious to Woojin, but he needs one second to realize why Daniel is lost. Woojin wants him to be happy, and he remembers Daniel’s words about being caged in ballet. He might not be able to dance in such underground competitions, but sometimes enjoying it as an outsider is enough – it works for Woojin, at least, when he’s injured or getting drowned by duties. Plus it’s the perfect excuse to drag Seongwoo into the plan together.

“You should tell Seongwoo to come,” Woojin continues. “If you don’t want to invite him yourself, I can do it.”

Daniel opens and closes his mouth twice, speechless. “Woojin, I-”

“You’re already taking it too seriously,” Woojin whines, slapping a hand on Daniel’s stomach. However, Daniel grins at him, recovering from his initial shock, and stares at Woojin with something akin to satisfaction. “Also I want Seongwoo to watch our performance, so you have to make up with him fast.”

That breaks the remainders of any tension that was left. Daniel snickers at him and shakes his head as if he can’t believe Woojin is being this shameless. The show he has been watching is long forgotten, like Woojin is a much more interesting entertainment, and Woojin becomes aware of how small the distance between them is. Woojin can’t even back away without hitting the back of his head against the wall, yet he isn’t sure when Daniel invaded his personal space like this.

“So is it because of egoistical reasons?” Daniel teases him. “Not because you care about me. Or because you don’t like seeing me upset over Seongwoo.”

“Not at all.”

“Not at all,” Daniel repeats, amused. He reaches out to grab the hem of Woojin’s t-shirt, but he doesn’t pull. It’s distracting for Woojin, even if Daniel isn’t touching him, because they’re alone, comfortable with each other and Woojin knows that if Daniel tried to kiss him, he would let him. “You’re going to be very happy when this project ends and you can finally get rid of me, right?”

Woojin smiles to himself, closing his eyes, and has to make an effort not to laugh. This is a game he can play too, yet it’s hard to ignore the warmth growing in his chest, a strange placidity: Woojin doesn’t have to tell Daniel anything. Because Daniel knows everything.

“I think I’m going to reach a milestone of happiness in my life,” Woojin assures him, even if he doesn’t do his best job at pretending.

Daniel’s smile disappears bit by bit, but the spark in his eyes stays. Woojin’s heart speeds up, blood blocking his ears, and his ability to breathe abandons him completely. It’s a familiar sensation, but not the one he’s used to. It’s not the nervousness that covers in cold sweat; it’s warm, like the way Daniel looks at him, and it’s safe. Woojin doesn’t want to run away.

“That’s a pity,” Daniel concludes, fingers travelling up the hem of Woojin’s t-shirt. The light from the laptop darkens his features for a moment as he comes closer, but then Woojin can see his face from up close. “I guess you won’t be happy, because I’m not going to let you go that easily.”

At first, Woojin doesn’t answer. It’s not only because of Daniel’s words, but also because Woojin can feel Daniel’s breath over his lips, and it would take a slight move from his part to steal a kiss from Daniel. It’s a big temptation, but there’s still fear in Woojin; he could ruin everything for both of them, he could lose Daniel as a friend, he could have misinterpreted Daniel’s feelings for him.

So he gathers his impulsiveness and pushes it away, and replies, “You can’t kidnap me, Daniel.”

Daniel arches one of his eyebrows, surprised by Woojin’s answer. It’s a challenge, like Daniel is sure he can prove him otherwise, and Woojin doesn’t doubt it. But admitting it out loud is a fight he can’t lose.

“I can try, can’t I?” Daniel whispers, so low that despite the closeness, Woojin barely hears him. Yet Daniel is staring into his eyes with an intensity Woojin has never seen before. It’s impossible to decipher what’s going on his mind, and this is an unknown territory for Woojin, who has learned to read Daniel’s mood step by step and smile by smile. But Daniel simply says, “I don’t think you would resist.”

Woojin is unable to contradict him. There are many things implied in his words, some that aren’t part of a game, some that Woojin cares about. Whatever Daniel has to offer him, Woojin is willing to take it. And not only that, because Woojin knows he needs so much from him, so much that it’s unrealistic. No one can love Woojin as much as he can love others, despite the jokes about hating people and living better completely alone.

By the time Woojin is aware he has destroyed the moment, it’s too late. Daniel’s playfulness has been replaced by concern, and he has stopped toying with his t-shirt, hand now travelling to Woojin’s hair. He caresses from the crown of his head to his nape, but he gives Woojin some space, letting him decide if he’s content with the invasion of personal space or not. That’s not the problem.

“It’s fine, Woojin,” he says, like he understands him. “You’re safe.”

Woojin wonders if he really understands.

“You did what?”

Jihoon doesn’t swallow the news well, but it was pretty much expected. As soon as Woojin announces that Daniel and Seongwoo are coming along to watch Haknyeon’s competition, he can see Jihoon’s life pass before his eyes. The next thing he does is hurling one of the shoes that is sitting around the changing room at Woojin, who has to duck not to get hit. He doesn’t take it to heart, however, because Jihoon is stressed and he has been a mess lately, which decreases the chances of him not being a ball of rage.

“Don’t be dramatic, dude,” Woojin says, nearly begging. “You don’t have to become his best friend.”

Judging by Jihoon’s expression, not only he disagrees, but also is he inclined to cut Woojin’s head off. Thankfully, he doesn’t have any more shoes within his reach, so he has to limit himself to a mere glare.

“You’re such a traitor,” Jihoon accuses him. “Both of us are going to be third wheels. You will be all over Daniel, Daniel will be all over you, and I will have to entertain Seongwoo.”

“You don’t have to entertain anyone, what the fuck,” Woojin says, shocked. He gets why Jihoon is so nervous at the perspective of having to deal with Seongwoo all by himself, but that’s not going to happen. The aim is to spend time all together, so that Daniel and Seongwoo can talk their issues out, not to force Jihoon to make new friends – especially not befriend someone that makes him so anxious.

Jihoon throws a desperate look at him, “You know I can’t socialize, less with someone like him.”

Woojin manages to approach him without getting attacked, which allows him to pat Jihoon’s butt in sympathy. His friend doesn’t seem to appreciate his intentions. As they move closer to the shower section, Jihoon grows more and more gloomy, not amused even when Woojin has to run back because he has forgotten his towels.

“If I survived Daniel, you can survive anyone,” Woojin tries to cheer him up.

Jihoon bursting into laughter is a big turn of events, since he was drowning in distress one second ago; it could be the consequence of him losing control, but Woojin suspects that isn’t the case. It all becomes clear when Jihoon manages to control his laughter, settling a hand on Woojin’s shoulder as to console him, as though he’s doing him a favor.

“You didn’t survive Daniel,” Jihoon guarantees, and it sounds like what is: mockery. “You fell heads over heels for him. He fucked you up and not in a good sense.”

Woojin isn’t up for discussion, and there isn’t anything to discuss anyhow. In fact, Woojin would use worse words to describe what Daniel has done to him.

“Hey,” Jihoon calls him, this time softer. There are just a few dancers that haven’t left the room, but most of them are in the showers, which Jihoon seems to deem as enough privacy. The noise of water usually blocks the conversation from outside. “You know you don’t have anything to be worried over, right? I know I haven’t told you, but your performance… It says all you have to say.”

Woojin, who is in the middle of removing his dirty socks, looks up at Jihoon in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean the song isn’t about love, but you two made it about that. It doesn’t matter how much you work against that, it’s still going to happen,” Jihoon explains with a shrug. He speaks so fast that it’s impossible he hasn’t pondered about this before. Knowing him, he probably went crazy to decide how to tell Woojin, which in other circumstances would be funny, but now it only aggravates Woojin’s uneasiness. “That’s what the audience is going to see. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. It’s just a fact.”

Woojin disagrees, because the point of their performance isn’t making people believe they’re in love. That has nothing to do with the song, and it pisses Woojin off; he hasn’t practiced for months just to get the wrong results, and he’s sure that Daniel won’t be pleased either.

When it becomes obvious that Woojin is quiet because he’s annoyed, Jihoon rolls his eyes and grabs him by the shoulders. That eliminates any option that Woojin has to escape his scrutinizing gaze.

“I know what’s going on in that head of yours.” He pokes his index finger in Woojin’s temple several times, and Woojin has to swat him away because he doesn’t have any intention to stop. His semblance is still serious, despite his actions, as he adds, “But yes, Daniel looks at you the same way you look at him. It’s not your imagination.”

After spitting that like it’s not a big deal, Jihoon turns around and begins to undress, leaving Woojin fumbling with his thoughts.

“Don’t say that,” Woojin hears himself protest.

“Why? Because you’re scared?”

“I’m not scared.”

Whether that is a lie or not, it’s evident Jihoon assumes it is, and that’s how Woojin loses the urge to fight him. Wasting his energy on this isn’t worth it, not when he doesn’t have his priorities straight or, for that matter, has found what his issue with Daniel is. 

“And serious stuff aside, have you seen his ass?” Jihoon asks, louder than he should. He tosses his t-shirt aside and grins at Woojin’s expression, conscious that he never expected to have a conversation about Daniel’s ass. It’s not a secret both of them found Daniel attractive, but Woojin had supposed – incorrectly – that Jihoon would learn to moderate his opinions. He doesn’t. “If you pass on someone with that ass, I’m going to lose faith in the human race.”

Woojin is about to argue that Jihoon never had faith in anyone, less in humans, but he zips his mouth as soon as he glances at his friend. Jihoon isn’t looking back at him, though, but at the closest shower, which has been opened. Following the direction of his gaze explains more than Woojin would like to know.

It’s Seongwoo, wearing an expression that doesn’t leave any doubt about if he has overheard their talk or not. He has the decency to look a bit guilty, but Woojin already knows him enough to notice the tightness of his lips, the way he’s suppressing one of his smirks. Jihoon’s face isn’t even red, but purple, and Woojin is positive it will turn black if Seongwoo doesn’t fade away within the next minute.

“I’m sorry?” Seongwoo starts, hesitating. He scratches the back of his head with one hand, which puts in grave danger the hold on his towel, the only thing that prevents him from being naked. That seems to be the last of his worries, however. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.”

Perhaps because of the embarrassment, Jihoon has lost any sense of pride, because he says out loud, “You’d be more useful if you killed me right now.”

It’s the first time Woojin sees Seongwoo become speechless, no comebacks to tease Jihoon. An excess of honesty can do that, but Woojin never imagined that the one who would finally make Seongwoo shut up would be Jihoon. That drives them to be equally embarrassed, for different reasons, and Woojin is inclined to think that being caught talking about Daniel’s ass, by his best friend, is worse than having your sarcasm slip away from you for once.

“Go shower,” Woojin tells Jihoon, shoving him so that he moves into the shower Seongwoo was using.

Jihoon snaps out of his daze, grabs his towel and nearly runs inside, still with his pants on. Seongwoo stares at him, still startled, and for a moment he looks like he’s about to ask something, but he doesn’t. Once Seongwoo and Woojin are alone, he recovers from whatever he’s suffering and throws Woojin a tight smile.

“You usually talk about Daniel like that?”

Woojin gasps, perceiving the veiled threat, “Don’t you dare tell him.”

Seongwoo openly snickers, as though he enjoys Woojin’s distress, as he rummages through his bag to get another towel for his hair. “What’s your offer?”

“My offer is letting you live,” Woojin spats at him, but that just pushes Seongwoo into a deeper delight. “Plus I wasn’t the one talking about his ass, you can’t blackmail me.”

Seongwoo rubs his hair with the towel, water splashing everywhere, and Woojin has to step back not to get wet. Which is absurd, since he has to take a shower too, but he doesn’t want it from Seongwoo.

“You sure?” he sneers. “Your silence spoke for you. I bet Daniel will be glad you like his ass.”

After that incident, Woojin recognizes that maybe hanging out, only the four of them, isn’t his most brilliant idea. But contrary to what he supposed, it’s harder to pull his other friends into the boat. Jaehwan claims that he can’t watch the competition because he made plans with Minhyun, which obviously rules both of them out; Jinyoung is going to visit his parents during the weekend, and Woojin isn’t brave enough to ask Sewoon or Daehwi to join them. He wouldn’t be able to explain why he needs more people so desperately, and Jihoon would kill him if he said the truth.

So by the time Saturday arrives, Woojin hasn’t achieved his aim and Jihoon whimpers next to him as they wait for Seongwoo and Daniel in the common room. They show up together, and Woojin couldn’t be happier to see them laughing as if they hadn’t stopped talking to each other for days. It helps Woojin to relax, although Jihoon can’t say the same.

Much to their relief, Seongwoo seems to have lost the urge to torture them. His smile is placid, without second intentions, and Woojin figures that he’s not going to snitch on them. Unless he has already done it and that’s the reason he’s at peace right now.

“Seongwoo is driving us,” Daniel tells them after exchanging lazy greetings. “If you don’t mind.”

Jihoon does mind, Woojin can tell, but it’s cold outside and taking the bus would imply walking a certain period of time and freezing their asses off. Thus, Seongwoo’s car being their best option, Jihoon makes sure to drag Woojin to the backseat with him – a smart move, considering that Daniel was about to sit with Woojin in the back and let Jihoon in the front with Seongwoo.

Woojin reckons it must be awkward for Jihoon at first, because despite being next to him, Daniel asks his usual daily questions. All of them are for Woojin, and he has never realized how out of place, specific Daniel’s questions are; no wonder everyone assumes they like each other. Daniel asks about something as simple as his day, but knows by heart his schedule, the assignments Woojin had for this week, remembers which nights Woojin didn’t sleep well and he can scold him because he remembers what he ate yesterday and knows if he’s skipping his diet (he is).

Only ten minutes are necessary for Jihoon and Seongwoo to gawk at Daniel like he’s an alien. Woojin never found this type of behavior odd until now, and the worst part is that he acts the same way towards Daniel. Now he is shrinking inside the car, self-conscious, not sure of who began this, while Daniel is completely oblivious and happy.

“We’ve heard everything about Woojin, unless you’re going to ask about his bathroom activities,” Seongwoo tells Daniel before he can come up with a new topic. However, Seongwoo looks beyond satisfied as he watches Woojin’s expression through the rearview mirror.

“I know a bit about that,” Jihoon chimes in, void of sarcasm. Woojin doesn’t waste a second and punches him in the arm so that he zips his mouth, but the result is that Jihoon yelps in protest. “No need to be so violent.”

Seongwoo smirks. “You can’t ruin the fantasy.”

Woojin understands the insinuation right away, but for once, he’s the only one. Daniel sends a curious glance to his friend, and Jihoon barely hesitates before asking exactly what Seongwoo intended them to ask, “What fantasy?”

Had he not been in the backseat, Woojin would have slapped a hand over Seongwoo’s big mouth. It’s unbelievable how fast Jihoon fell into the trap, though Woojin could have warned him about Seongwoo’s tricks, which he didn’t do. It all comes down to a match between Seongwoo and his ability to make fun of Woojin and Daniel, except the latter is too used to him to care.

“Daniel’s fantasy of Woojin being this demigod that doesn’t poop or pee or fart.”

That’s the weirdest way to explain it, so of course Seongwoo would choose it. Woojin groans and avoids making eye contact with Daniel, who against all odds is unfazed at his friends’ words. Jihoon seems to be the most affected among the four of them, and Woojin can imagine that he’s determining if they all are crazy or they’re just joking around. The answer is, sadly, both.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Daniel plays along, grinning. He spins in his seat, pulling at his seatbelt to be comfortable. There’s no way Woojin can escape his gaze now, and the fact that Daniel is normalizing this situation, this joke, makes it even worse because it means they have talked about it before. “But please don’t try to prove me wrong.”

Woojin pulls a face, disgusted, “You’re a fool.”

“I knew you had to have at least one flaw,” Jihoon comments, recovering his composure after the strange conversation. He grabs the wings of Daniel’s seat and whispers to him, “You’re a psychopath.”

“Are you, Park Jihoon, insinuating you thought I was perfect?”

Woojin scoffs so loudly that it serves as a life saver for Jihoon, since all the attention shifts to Woojin instead. Daniel arches an eyebrow at him, as if he interpreted Woojin is questioning his perfection, so he clarifies, “For that you would have to be a dog.”

Daniel mumbles something about being surrounded by nasty dog lovers, which Woojin brushes off with a giggle, but Jihoon is offended during the rest of the ride. Luckily, it only takes them ten minutes to reach the club and Seongwoo finds a parking near it, although he forces them to promise they will remember when he left the car – according to Daniel, Seongwoo has nothing similar to graphic memory and gets lost even in his hometown.

“What shitty excuse did Jaehwan and Minhyun have to ditch us this time?” Seongwoo asks as they walk towards the club, clutching their coats and trembling.

Daniel elbows Woojin and attempts, “Fucking?”

For a second, Woojin is frozen, since he’s distracted and has to put Daniel’s words in context.  He must look like a fool, judging how Daniel’s lips stretch into a knowing smile, so Woojin hurries up to answer. “I don’t know, Jaehwan just said they had plans.”

“That means fucking,” Seongwoo confirms. For some reason, Daniel and Seongwoo are able to normalize the situation, while Woojin can’t help but show his disgust. On the other hand, Jihoon just purses his lips, discontented, and Seongwoo notices right away. "You have a problem?"

Even though the question could have been aggressive, Seongwoo's tone turns it into real confusion. Jihoon is caught off guard, since he reckoned no one would keep an eye on him - going unnoticed has always been his forte, so Seongwoo paying attention to his expressions, even if it's just for a moment, is extraordinary.

“I’m just worried,” Jihoon confesses, but he doesn't seem disposed to illustrate them.

However, there isn't any need to. It might not be the first time Daniel and Seongwoo have to face an insinuation of this caliber, because Seongwoo rolls his eyes, unashamed.

“Oh, come on, you think Jaehwan is going to get hurt?” he tells Jihoon. It's not meant to be answered, thus Jihoon simply sends him a judging look, as to dare him to contradict his theory. “How adorable.”

“What makes you think he wouldn’t?” Jihoon retorts, any previous shyness evaporating. There is only one reason why Jihoon would lose his self-consciousness, and that is friendship. Woojin is aware of this, plus he agrees with Jihoon. All of them have been worried over Jaehwan and his inability to explain why he can't officially date Minhyun although he wants to, so Woojin is grateful that Jihoon is standing up for him now, no matter if it's in front of Seongwoo. “He has feelings too, he’s a person.”

Despite the seriousness of Jihoon's statement, both Daniel and Seongwoo smile at him. Daniel throws an arm around Woojin's shoulder, which is an excuse to bring him closer, and Woojin suddenly doesn't care about the conversation, only about how Daniel feels against him as they walk.

“You’re not getting the gist of it,” Seongwoo insists, voice a mixture of frustration and amusement. “Why does everyone assume Minhyun wouldn’t want to date Jaehwan? Whipped isn’t enough to describe how Minhyun is towards him. Minhyun could marry him tomorrow and I wouldn’t be the least surprised.”

Jihoon doesn't have time to confirm that what he has heard is right, nor does Woojin. It would be pretty clear if they hadn't spent the last month assuming that Minhyun would get rid of Jaehwan sooner or later. Woojin feels like a fool because he witnessed with his own eyes that no, Minhyun wasn't playing with him, and no, Minhyun didn't love him less than Jaehwan loved him.

At the entrance, it's Taehyun again charging the entry fee, and it takes him a moment to recognize them.

“I haven't seen you two in ages,” he accuses, pointing at Jihoon and Woojin. After that, he scans Daniel and Seongwoo from head to toe, not trying to hide that he's judging every part of them, Daniel's hold on Woojin, his stupid smile; none of them recoil, anyhow, like being observed is something that happens to them daily. “I didn't forget you either.”

“I'm supposing that's a good thing,” Daniel says, unbothered.

Taehyun shrugs at that, not giving in, but Woojin is familiarized enough with him to know that it's indeed positive. Taehyun wouldn't remember anyone that isn't great on the stage. He makes sure to nag at Woojin and Jihoon for a while before allowing them to enter, and Seongwoo verbalizes that he finds very funny how docile Woojin becomes for Taehyun.

“Don't mind him,” Daniel whispers into his ear once they have left Taehyun behind. “He actually likes you.”

The club is already pretty crowded, considering it's early and there's still one hour left for the competition to begin. Woojin appreciates the atmosphere, however, since he's not performing and can enjoy this from the other side. Plus he doesn't need to have Jihoon around all the time to feel safe, given that they're a group of four, and even if he was alone, he thinks he would dare to stand alone among all these people. Only today.

Anyway, they stride to one of the calmest places, in order to avoid the noise and the danger of the crowd. It's just a temporal measure until the performances start, but it's good enough.

“Who is your friend? Have you seen him?” Seongwoo asks, craning his neck to look over a group of girls.

“He's probably backstage,” Jihoon chirps in. “But I told him we would come, so we can meet him later.”

Neither Daniel or Seongwoo are satisfied with the information, which is quite odd, yet Woojin attributes it to his own paranoia.

Seongwoo leans his head to the side, a move that intends to make Jihoon hear him, but also invades his personal space. “What was his name again?”

Deciding it's time to lend Jihoon a hand, aka stopping Seongwoo from pestering him, Woojin hurries to intervene.

“Haknyeon.”

There is a long silence in which Seongwoo and Daniel exchange a look, and that one Woojin is sure he hasn't imagined it. However, he doesn't have to figure out the problem himself, for once, because Daniel shifts his weight from one leg to another and spits, “The kid you used to like?”

Woojin must have heard wrong. Daniel doesn't know Haknyeon, less the fact that Woojin was crazy about him. So Woojin does the only thing he can do: turn to Jihoon for help, a frown extending on his face. That strategy turns out to be useless, since Jihoon looks just as bewildered as him, and he has also assumed that the solution was looking at Woojin, as though he could know what's happening.

“What?” Woojin finds himself asking, first staring at Jihoon, but then focusing on Seongwoo and Daniel.

Seongwoo is, undoubtedly, laughing, though he's doing a good job at hiding it. Meanwhile, Daniel has a hand covering his mouth in a mute gasp, and that's when Woojin realizes: whether Daniel knew or not, he wasn't supposed to divulge that. Someone told him, and there are only three persons, beside Woojin himself, that are aware of Haknyeon's existence.

“How the fuck do you know that?” Jihoon snaps, alarmed.

“I'm sorry,” Daniel whimpers, looking at Woojin like he's confessing that he has killed someone. Woojin can't register that: one, Daniel is doing something similar to begging to him; two, he sounds so adorable that Woojin could kiss him right now. “It was Jaehwan. But it wasn't his fault! I bothered him until he gave me some information.”

“That's still his fault,” Jihoon points out, ignoring Daniel's pleads. “Regardless of you being a nosy little shit.”

Completely oblivious of how sensitive this is, Seongwoo nudges Woojin's arm and once he gains his attention, he smirks. “Now it's time to ask why Daniel wanted to know that.”

Daniel quickly grows into a panicky mode that Woojin has never seen before, grabbing Seongwoo and pulling him away from Woojin. Even though he evidently means his words only for Seongwoo, Woojin still can catch them. “It isn't. Shut the fuck up.”

Much to Daniel's luck, Woojin is too embarrassed because of the implications and doesn't have any courage to interrogate him. He bets Seongwoo would be glad to tell him, yet it doesn't feel right. Woojin is curious, of course, because even if he accepted that Daniel may like him, that urge to discover something about his love life is unexplainable. Woojin has never been interested about Daniel's past relationships. He really doesn't care. He only cares about Daniel now and here, and he would listen to anything Daniel wanted to share with him, but he doesn't need it for himself.

“I'm never hanging out with them again,” Jihoon grumbles.

To their relief, Seongwoo softens and they manage to swim away from this that talk. Daniel has a gift to entertain people, and he does just that, until Woojin winds up forgetting all about it. It works for a while, but not forever, because when the lights go off and the stage becomes brighter, Woojin becomes conscious of the circumstances. They're about to watch a performance of the guy he was deeply crushing on months ago, a crush that had been going on for more than one year before Daniel appeared and devastated everything. It wouldn't have mattered if Daniel didn't know, but he knows, and that translates into Woojin's disaster idea. He brought the boy he fell in love with to see Haknyeon's competition, while Daniel can't join because he would get penalized again. Woojin's intentions were good, yet the results are horrible.

But when they squeeze themselves among the audience, Daniel locks arms with him, bends down and tells him, “I'm fine.”

Woojin can only sigh. “Sorry, I didn't think this through.”

Daniel stares at him for a long time, and although Woojin gazes back at him, the lack of light doesn't let him decipher what's in Daniel's eyes. “Think about it now,” Daniel says. It could have been a joke, but it isn't. Daniel is completely serious, and Woojin fears that, under Daniel's attention, his knees are going to fail him anytime. “Do you want to stay? Or do you want to leave with me?”

Woojin glances at Seongwoo and Jihoon, who have miraculously found a new thing to fight over. Jihoon made him swear that he wouldn't ditch him for Daniel, but that was when Jihoon thought he wouldn't be able to get a single word out of himself. He seems alright now, because Seongwoo is too talkative to lead anyone to a dead end, and Woojin wouldn't feel terribly guilty if he was to abandon them.

Woojin doesn't need to say it out loud. Daniel grins at him and shakes his head, strengthening his grip. “Maybe I should have said, don't think about it. Let's just leave.”

A smile takes over Woojin's face, but he can't put an end to it. It just happens, and then Daniel is drawing him out of the turmoil of people, intertwining their fingers together in a warm, firm hold. Woojin breathes in and out, trying to undo the knot in his chest that restrains him, but it isn't until they're outside that fresh air invades his lungs. Daniel doesn't let go of his hand.

It's weakly raining outside, like a storm that is building up and begins with a few innocent drops, but Daniel doesn't trust it. He covers Woojin's head with his hood, not waiting for Woojin to do it, and only then he worries about himself. They can't use Seongwoo's car to go back home, so Daniel rushes him and they run to the nearest train station. Since he has been to this club so often, Woojin knows the path like the back of his hand. They don't have to sprint to the train station, except because in the last minute the rain becomes stronger and Daniel whines about the possibility of getting sick.

Given the time, the train station is almost empty, and Woojin would swear they will take the second-to-last train that can carry them home. But it's fine, because they sit together at the station, pressed to each other in search of warmth, and Woojin doesn't need anything more besides this. Still, Daniel doesn't let go of his hand.

“You called it home,” Daniel says all of sudden after a short time of silence. He's looking at the track instead of at Woojin, and that's why Woojin doesn't understand him at first. Daniel releases a huff, aware that Woojin was distracted, and repeats, “The school, you called it home.”

Woojin blinks. He still has some drops of water in his eyelashes, so he rubs his eyes with his free hand. When the water has stuck to his palm and he can see again, he discovers Daniel gazing at him, inquisitive.

“It's home.”

Daniel simply nods. Whether he understands or pretends to understand, Woojin doesn't mind; the importance of this lies somewhere else.

“I'm not upset because you brought me to watch Haknyeon, by the way,” Daniel assures him, and it must be true, because otherwise he wouldn't be able to draw the smile that lights up his face. “But I wanted to see if he was handsome or not, at least.”

Daniel's confession is quite ridiculous, impossible not to laugh at, therefore Woojin releases a shy giggle. “Still, I'm sorry. It was foolish.”

Not aware that he's holding his head down, Woojin suffers a second of surprise when Daniel taps his chin up, making look upwards. He timidly caresses the line of his jaw, but it's ephemeral, as though Daniel hasn't done it on purpose, only as a subconscious thing.

“I actually thought it was kind of funny. You're so mature, but then very innocent sometimes,” he continues.

Woojin is skeptic at the adjective. “Innocent?”

“Emotionally clumsy,” Daniel clarifies.

“Emotionally clumsy.”

Daniel hums as an answer, enjoying Woojin's perplexity. No one has described him like that before, but the fact that it fits Woojin perfectly is somewhat impressive.

“You know why I looked for you for this project?” Daniel asks him, not missing a beat. Woojin doesn't know, of course, because they never discussed it. Both of them were conscious, deep inside, that it would be great to work together, and that should have been enough of a reason. But it wasn't. “At first it was just curiosity. I had heard a lot about you, I had watched your end year performances and shit, the whole school has you on a pedestal even if your academical achievements are lacking. They are always talking about how magical you are in the underground competitions.”

The panel at the station changes to inform that the train is arriving, and Daniel loses all his focus, mouth open as if he has forgotten the next sentence. Woojin wants to hear more, yet he's afraid to demand something he might not deserve, to pressure Daniel to reveal things he wouldn't like to disclose. Still, Daniel gives a reassuring smile as the train slides in front of them, and they stand up, still joined by their hands.

The train car they jump into is completely empty, which shouldn't be relevant, but Woojin appreciates. The intimacy implies that when they choose two random seats, he's allowed to lean against Daniel and Daniel is allowed to hug Woojin against him, because there is no one to judge them. That's exactly what they do, and only when the train starts moving again, Daniel realizes they left an important conversation unfinished.

“Every time I saw you perform, I would never shut up about you afterwards. But it was just that, admiration. When we were told we had to do this project, I immediately thought about you, but Seongwoo was like, you're rushing it, calm down, you don't know the boy...” Daniel sighs, like the memory itself exhausts him, and then he concludes, “I'm too stubborn, Woojin.”

Woojin agrees with his silence. He doesn't consider that being stubborn is a negative trait, at least not the type of stubbornness that Daniel transmits. In fact, Woojin would call it tenacity, and it's how Daniel got so far in dancing; Woojin doesn't have to ask to know that.

There isn't much Woojin can contribute to, yet he's interested in something, “Do you have any regrets about being my partner?”

Although Daniel's reaction is a reply itself, he still says, “Of course not.” And then a cloud of suspicion obscures his expression, and he asks, “You?”

Woojin couldn't have been luckier in this project. Daniel is hard-working, talented, pure magic, and when they're not dancing, he's mature, yet cheerful and caring. All in all, Woojin has regrets, but all of them have to do with his inner fears and his inability to show everything he wanted to give to Daniel.

There's only one right answer, so Woojin chooses to mutter, “A few.”

At first, Daniel doesn't realize Woojin is serious, but when the silence expands between them, comprehension hits him. He cups Woojin's face, smoothly driving him to look up at him, and asks, “Yes? Tell me.”

Woojin has never been stared at this way. Daniel's gaze is sweet, careful, makes Woojin think that Daniel would run around the world just for him. It's impossible not to get lost in that sensation.

Woojin is overwhelmed by a surge of sincerity as he glances at Daniel's lips, red from the cold, and admits, “I should have kissed you the other day.”

That's the last thing Woojin expected to spill. It was also the last thing Daniel expected to hear, eyes widening and hand becoming tense on Woojin's cheek. Woojin suddenly has the urge to laugh, because Daniel is a fool too, a fool that probably thought Woojin didn't hold romantic feelings for him. It's the issue with silence, with understanding each other through exchanged looks: they can read what the other is thinking, but a fleeting moment of insecurity is able to evaporate that certainty.

Eyes bright, Daniel whispers, “Which day?”

Woojin closes his eyes. Though he was referring to a very concrete moment, a second is enough for him to remember how many times he wished he could touch and kiss Daniel, or wished Daniel took the initiative and made things easier for both of them.

“Every day this last month.”

Daniel doesn't believe him, there's no doubt about it, but Woojin couldn't have meant it more. However, despite that lack of confidence, Woojin can spot the will to believe him, a hint of desperation because Daniel wants it to be truth.

Woojin doesn't know where his braveness comes from, but he finds himself lifting up his chin, a move that leaves them inches away from touching each other's lips. It's then when Daniel understands, hand slightly trembling as he leads Woojin closer. This time no one stops in time, lips softly meeting in the middle, and Woojin forgets to breathe. Daniel is careful, trapping Woojin's lips like he's afraid he will hurt him, but it's just a way to weigh up if he's doing something wrong. Woojin can only reassure him by grasping the front of his coat yet that’s enough, anyway, because Daniel takes that as permission to grab the back of Woojin's head and deepen the kiss.

Woojin doesn't remember the last time he kissed someone, but he knows for sure that no one ever kissed him like this. Daniel's lips tell him everything Daniel couldn't: he kisses him like craved for just this one kiss, like he isn't sure if he will have this chance again. Woojin responds with the same enthusiasm, except he has no doubts about Daniel: he knows that when they arrive at home, they won't part ways this time. If it depended on Woojin, they would stay inside this train, because he hopes this moment never ends. When Daniel breaks the kiss, he doesn’t go far away, just enough to give him a coy smile. Woojin grins back at him before leaning in for another kiss, and right before melting against Daniel’s mouth, he realizes something that fills him with warmth: Daniel hasn't let go of his hand yet. He’s not going to.

Woojin sleeps in Daniel’s bed, which inevitably translates into a catastrophic morning. Out of excitement, and because Daniel’s lips are too distracting, Woojin forgets to set an alarm on his phone. Daniel, who has classes much later than him, doesn’t remember either. It’s a small consolation that Daniel is just as into the make out session as Woojin is, but it doesn’t solve anything when Woojin wakes up, well aware that he has accidentally slept in.

On top of that, Daniel decides to lure him back into the bed, claiming that since he’s already late, he could skip classes as well. Woojin ignores the devilish advice and runs around the room to get his own clothes, until he realizes that he can’t dance with such uncomfortable clothes. Daniel makes sure to offer him his, and that’s when he leaves the bed to pick the most ugly clothes he has, which drives them to physically fight as Daniel pushes his jumper over Woojin’s head, cackling. The downside is that Woojin doesn’t have time to waste, and Daniel is conscious of it, so he runs out of the room wearing Daniel’s ugly choices.

Rampant, he bursts into the class, except he shows up in one of the worst possible moments: the instructor is teaching them the choreography, the very beginning of it, which means the music is off and no one except him is dancing. Therefore, all the dancers crane their necks to look at the cause of the noise, and once they spot Woojin with his panicky expression on, the attention shifts to his clothes.

Under the severe gaze of the instructor and a collective moment of laughter, Woojin hurries up to mix with the rest. Among his friends, the only one who is laughing is Jinyoung, probably because he has no idea of what happened last night. Jihoon is glaring at him like he’s going to jump at his throat any moment, while Jaehwan discreetly changes his position to approach Woojin. It makes sense that Jaehwan heard the events through Seongwoo, though it’s shocking how fast he decided to open his mouth.

“Please, tell me you two did something. Anything,” Jaehwan pleads in a whisper.

There’s no point in lying, plus Woojin doesn’t think he will able to hide it for longer. Besides, he has a hunch that if after abandoning Jihoon with Seongwoo, he announces that it was to make zero progress with Daniel, Jihoon is going to have his head on a silver platter.

Yet Woojin is still receiving some attention from other dancers, so he just sends Jaehwan a timid nod. That unleashes a series of reactions that should be reserved for a private place and moment, like Jinyoung releasing a shocked yelp, Jihoon dramatically gasping, and Woojin has to grab Jaehwan by the neck and cover his mouth before he has the chance to announce it out loud.

It’s hard to focus on the lessons after spending half of the night touching Daniel, but Woojin does his best. They have been hired for a festival next month and he’s probably going to take an important role, since he’s high on the school’s internal classification. The practice is a disaster on a personal level, but somehow Woojin manages not to get scolded. As soon as they’re free, Jaehwan nearly drags Woojin outside.

In the blink of an eye, his three friends are cornering him in the bathroom, and Jinyoung is blocking the door so no one steps inside. Woojin has never seen them act this ridiculous, but he supposes there’s a first time for everything. In contrast to how dramatic they’re making this look, there are huge grins on their faces, maybe because they don’t need Woojin’s ratification.

“What did you do?” Jaehwan asks, voice so loud because of excitement that Woojin startles.

It’s confirmed that his friends are complete fools, so Woojin decides to be clear. “We kissed,” he admits, and Jaehwan shrieks right away; luckily for Woojin's ears, Jaehwan is so surprised that the shriek gets drowned. Woojin shrugs, half embarrassed, half defeated. “A lot, I guess.”

“Wait, wait,” Jinyoung says, frowning. “That was the first time?”

Woojin can't help but gawk at him, because what did Jinyoung think? That he has been going around kissing Daniel on a daily basis?

“What do you mean? Of course it was the first time.”

Everything falls into the right place as Jihoon does an idiotic triumphant dance, humming a just as idiotic melody.

“I told you, asshole, he would have run to me if Daniel had ever laid a hand on him,” he spits to Jinyoung

In times like these, knowing them so well is a disadvantage. Woojin can perfectly picture them discussing his love life behind his back, and even getting mad at each other over their disagreements. This is a fair proof of it, since Jinyoung looks both pissed and regretful, and he has the nerve to glare at Woojin like it's his fault.

“You have been betting about this?” Woojin sighs, resigned.

For a moment, his friends seem to be conscious of the possibility of their actions affecting Woojin, but that doesn't last. All that matters to them is who won the bet, and like Jihoon points out, the fact that Woojin is finally getting it on, literal words, with a hot dude.

Jinyoung lets go of the door, which thankfully no one has tried to open - they would have had to come up with an explanation for blocking the bathroom - and Jaehwan rubs Woojin's back as they walk out.

“Minhyun, Sewoon and Daehwi were in this too, if it helps,” he says, grinning as if it's the best new of the year.

“That doesn't fucking help.”

Jinyoung, who is walking ahead with Jihoon and clearly paying Jihoon in a way he must consider discreet, shoots at him, “Shouldn't love turn you into a less grumpy version of yourself?”

Before Woojin has the chance to protest that it isn't love, which is a blatant lie on his part, Jihoon scoffs so hard that Jinyoung steps away from him in disgust.

“Once a bitch, always a bitch,” Jihoon claims. Woojin speeds up to be able to slap the back of his head, and Jihoon whines at the attack, like a dog that was behaving bad but never expected to be reprimanded. “Seongwoo made me go drink with him, you fucking traitor. You have no right to hit me.”

Woojin can't bring himself to feel guilty now that it has been revealed that Jihoon bet about his relationship with Daniel. He had it coming, in fact, and Seongwoo should have been  enough of a punishment.

“That explains your face today. Do you have a hangover?” Jaehwan asks, suddenly very interested. “Come on, don't make that face. Seongwoo is fun.”

Jihoon swats away Jaehwan's hand, which was trying to pull him in for a kiss on the cheek. Although Jihoon usually accepts Jaehwan's excessive affection, today he's too traumatized for what he has been through.

“Hell isn't fun,” he says.

Woojin has never been happier.

“Can I kiss you?”

It’s a warm afternoon, and Woojin has been thinking about Daniel’s mouth for the last whole hour but, despite his own wishes, the question still catches him off guard. They’re occupying the common room, watching a movie with all their friends except Daehwi, who refused to watch horror because it’s crap. So when Daniel talks, even if he's whispering into Woojin's ear and they're in the farthest edge of the couch, some guys still hear it.

Woojin doesn't mind, a grin blooming on his face, a gesture that Daniel imitates right away. Maybe a week ago Woojin would have been embarrassed about showing public affection, but it's easy to forget about that when Daniel is constantly touching him as if they weren’t surrounded by people.

“I want to switch seats,” Jihoon complains, pushing Daniel away from him even though that only provokes him to be pressed tighter against Woojin. His objection is absolutely rightful, because not only has he Woojin and Daniel on his right, he also has Jaehwan and Minhyun on his other side. “I'm going to puke.”

“Come here,” Seongwoo offers with a grin, patting the space next to him.

“Ew, no, thanks.”

Woojin laughs, which earns him a questioning look from Daniel, but there's no simple way Woojin can explain to him why Jihoon being disgusted is so funny. Perhaps because Woojin is certain that Jihoon, instead of despising Seongwoo's treat, can even secretly appreciate it.

If Jihoon was determined not to move away from them, he changes his mind as soon as Daniel leans over Woojin and plants a kiss on his mouth. It's Jihoon's fault, in part, because he's observing them, but Woojin guesses that he needs the last excuse to go sit with Seongwoo.

Once they have switched the seats, Woojin barely pays attention to the movie, since it’s more entertaining to observe how Daniel gets startled with the jump scares. At some point, Daniel loses interest too, maybe because the movie is boring or maybe just because he’s sleepy, so they opt for talking in hushed voices and laughing at how tense their friends are.

“You should sleep early tonight,” Woojin mumbles to Daniel after a while.

Daniel nods, aware that he shouldn’t be awake by now. Tomorrow he has to perform his individual stage, and most of the other performers are already resting. It’s one of the regular showcases the school prepares every year, but there are always casting representatives in the public and the instructors take into account the quality of the performance to decide who receives a scholarship next year. Or who gets into the competition teams. Not that Daniel would have a possibility of not being included, unless a disaster happened.

“I know,” Daniel whimpers. “Are you going to sleep with me?”

Woojin is tempted to say he will, yet that would be counterproductive for Daniel. Daniel is sullen even before Woojin can reject him, “We’re all day together, you’re not going to die for spending one night alone.”

It’s obvious that Daniel disagrees, but he doesn’t express it out loud. “Will you at least do my make-up? It will be easy for you to sneak into the backstage.”

Woojin can do that. Even if Woojin isn’t the best at make-up, since they barely use it for his performances, he sure can help Daniel to look decent. He already looks decent, and that would be an understatement, but with make-up and the help of the lighting, he would look like god himself got on stage to dance.

If months ago Woojin had been told that he would be waking up at six in the morning just to put make-up on a ballet dancer, he would have straight up laughed. He probably would have heartlessly made fun of whoever came up with that mad idea.

Yet there he is now, sliding into a backstage full of half naked dancers that, in varying degrees, look disposed to die instead of performing. Spotting the amount of dancers that are going to perform shoves Woojin back to reality: even with all this competition from professional and amateur, yet promising dancers, Daniel is still the best without a doubt. That has been achieved through hard work, but hard work alone wouldn't have placed Daniel where he is now. It's something more, something in Daniel's body and mind, maybe in his eyes, that pulls people in.

Almost as soon as he steps in, he receives weird looks, since he shouldn't be here. Most people don't notice him, though, too embroiled in their own worries. And he's lucky enough to run into Seongwoo in the first thirty seconds. Seongwoo doesn't look that calm himself, to the point he forgets to greet Woojin and simply indicates where Daniel is waiting, waiting for you.

Woojin finds Daniel in a very small room, with the only company of two girls that are going over their respective performances in silence. Unlike everyone else, Daniel looks quite peaceful and collected, which relieves Woojin right away; Daniel dedicates him his widest grin when he recognizes Woojin, and stands up for no reason except he may have been too excited to stay down.

“You came,” he states, as if he actually thought Woojin would break his promise.

Woojin doesn't ignore how Daniel is hesitating, how he glances at the girls and then at Woojin, wondering if they're allowed to kiss around acquaintances or strangers. Woojin smiles, and placing his hands on Daniel's shoulders, pushes him so that he sits down again.

“Of course,” Woojin replies casually. “I wouldn't miss the chance of ruining your pretty face.”

Daniel is satisfied with the backhanded compliment, so he points at all the make-up tools that are resting on the vanity table, a wicked smirk on his face. Woojin doesn't understand his reaction until he's sitting in front of him, and when he reaches out to cup Daniel's chin, Daniel blatantly tries to bite his fingers.

“Don't start,” Woojin reprimands him, pulling his hand away. But this time, Woojin doesn't even touch Daniel before he attempts the same trick, laughing hard when he actually manages to give him a soft bite. Woojin gasps louder than necessary. “You're a damn dog.”

“I am,” Daniel admits. One bite is enough though, apparently, because he offers his face and closes his eyes. Yet when Woojin has a good grasp on him and he's about to start applying moisturizer, Daniel informs him. “I'm really good at biting, you know. Not just fingers.”

Woojin flushes bright red within an instant, and instead of verbally scolding Daniel, he slaps his thigh. Daniel is smirking, eyes still closed, as if he doesn't need to look at Woojin to know the effect that insinuation had on him.

“How are you this happy at this time of the day? It's unfair,” Woojin huffs, indignant.

“Don't you know the reason I'm happy?” Daniel fights back. He doesn't intend to hide his intentions, and Woojin isn't a fool to convince himself that he isn't the reason why Daniel is happy. It's somewhat unbelievable, still, and Daniel must perceive that doubt in Woojin, because he adds, “Do I need to say it?”

“Just shut up for five minutes,” Woojin mutters, avoiding his gaze and focusing on Daniel's cheeks.

Although Daniel obeys him, his eyes can't hide the truth. Every time Woojin dares to look into his eyes, he finds Daniel staring at him, pupils sparkling, and he feels a knot growing in his chest. Because again, Woojin isn't used to be the target of that sort of stares, smiles, affection. Woojin doesn't know love, and he will have to learn through Daniel, who is way more certain than him and would have no trouble to guide Woojin anywhere.

“I hope you brought flowers for me,” Daniel says after a while, right when Woojin has moved onto deciding which lipstick to use.

Aware that it's just to tease him, and buying flowers for this showcase would be over the top, Woojin shoots back, “What if I didn't? What are you going to do about it?”

Daniel pretends to be mad, a frown that Woojin pokes until it disappears.

“Then you owe me dinner,” Daniel assures him, placing a hand on his own stomach.

Turning around so that Daniel doesn't see his smile, Woojin takes more time than usual to choose a lipstick. The lipstick isn't supposed to be that noticeable, since Daniel isn't inclined to that type of make-up, but Woojin tricked him into wearing at least something discreet.

“What a pity, I didn't bring any flowers for you,” Woojin confesses, cheerful as he spins on his heels. Daniel holds him by the hips to balance him, which is completely unnecessary, another excuse to touch him. Woojin doesn't have any objection. “Open your mouth.”

Pliant, Daniel parts his lips, though there’s a hint of rebelliousness in the way he gazes at Woojin. It’s just lipstick, two boys and a make-up routine, and despite the fact Woojin has already kissed Daniel too many times to keep the count, applying lipstick on Daniel’s lips becomes oddly intimate. Daniel is aware of the shift in the atmosphere, lips twitching as he attempts to suppress a smile, and Woojin sighs a desperate sigh.

“You should have kissed me,” he states once Woojin detaches the lipstick bar from his lips.

That’s pretty funny, considering that Woojin has the sudden urge to do just that, but he would ruin the job he has just done.

Instead of giving into Daniel’s hoax, Woojin rolls his eyes, “Daniel, did you only want me here to flirt with me? Not for moral support?”

Daniel responds with a curt nod. “That’s correct.”

“I hate you,” Woojin grunts, which only provokes Daniel to laugh at him. Daniel checks himself in the mirror as Woojin puts all the tools away. “Isn’t Jaehwan around here? He told me he would come to watch you and Minhyun. I should go to say hi.”

“Don’t tell Seongwoo that Jaehwan didn’t mention him,” Daniel warns him, alarmed. Jaehwan forgetting Seongwoo wasn’t on purpose, and Woojin is certain he remembered mentioning Daniel just because Woojin was in front of him. Daniel tugs at his sleeve, not because he’s distracted, but because he wants Woojin closer. “Anyway, don’t go. They want to be alone.”

The two girls happen to leave the room right then, whether it’s because they have noticed Woojin and Daniel’s body language or because they have something else to take care of. It doesn’t matter. Woojin prefers to spend the time before the performance with Daniel in private, and he would swear Daniel agrees with him.

“How do you even know?”

Daniel shrugs, which differs greatly from his words. “Minhyun is waiting for the right moment to ask Jaehwan out. As in, officially. You can’t be more together than they already are but well, Minhyun is an old-fashioned guy. Except for that little detail of being gay.”

Since Woojin isn’t familiar with Minhyun, he trusts Daniel’s judgment. All Woojin knows is that Jaehwan is hopelessly in love with Minhyun, and he hopes that his friends’ feelings are reciprocal. Woojin might not be the best to interpret feelings, but even with his flawed skills, if he had to, he would bet that Minhyun loves Jaehwan at least a bit.

“He really likes Jaehwan,” Woojin mutters, pensive.

“He does.”

They share a moment of silence, no tension in the air, and Woojin drags one of the closest chairs to sit down too. Daniel grabs the chair once Woojin is on it and sweeps it over the floor; Woojin is stunned at the fact that Daniel is strong enough to move all his weight this easily. The grin that blooms on his lips indicates that Daniel himself is content with his achievement, or rather, with Woojin’s reaction.

“By the way, Seongwoo wanted to thank you, but he’s too prideful and-” Daniel bites his lower lip, as to contain himself, and he only speaks once he has found the right words, “Don’t tell him I told you, but he doesn’t know how to talk to you when you’re on your own.”

Woojin has to make an effort to assimilate that. Seongwoo never looked intimidated by him, and in fact, he has a fixation with bothering Woojin. Woojin wonders if that’s his way to cope with his nervousness. That would make sense.

“What is he thankful for?”

Daniel sends him a meaningful glance, as to evaluating if Woojin is asking for real.

“He knows we made up because of you,” he explains with a shrug. Seongwoo might have guessed it because Daniel wouldn’t have invited him to a random competition with a stranger – Jihoon – and Woojin. “Seongwoo always says that people think it’s hard to stay by our side when we’re struggling. But it’s harder when we hit it big.”

Woojin isn’t prepared to hear that. It’s the way Daniel speaks, fearful, like he has pondered so much about it that now it’s eating him inside. It scares Woojin too, because he’s aware of what Daniel is talking about: they’re not going to stay at this school forever, unless they become instructors, and neither Daniel nor Woojin are meant to teach others.

“He’s right, isn’t he?” Daniel whispers, unsure.

Woojin refuses to acknowledge that. Seongwoo is right. But it would upset both Daniel and Woojin and they don’t know if it will be hard for them. Perhaps it will be easy. Perhaps not. It’s not in their hands, thus Woojin wishes Daniel would ignore whatever the future holds for them.

Woojin does what has to be done. He reaches for Daniel’s hand, that fits in his like they are two pieces of the same puzzle, and asks, “Are you going to stay with me?”

Daniel doesn’t miss a beat, and although his answer is automatic, he sounds sincere, even hopeful.

“Yes,” he says, serene. “And you? Are you going to stay with me?”

“I wouldn’t go anywhere,” Woojin answers.

Even though he didn’t expect the question to be directed back at him, he’s glad for it. The remainders of his anxiety dissipate as Daniel squeezes Woojin’s hand, and his gaze irremediably falls on Woojin’s lips. That’s all Woojin needs.

“Okay, whatever, remove your lipstick, I will do it later again.”

Without an ounce of delicacy, Daniel smudges his lipstick on his forearm and grabs Woojin by the front of his jumper, pulling him closer.

The showcase is longer than Woojin has anticipated, plus Daniel performs in the last batch. For once, Woojin is grateful that Jaehwan is there to annoy the hell out of him, since at least being irritated is better than being bored. And although he would never admit it out loud, but Jaehwan’s giddiness for watching Minhyun perform is beyond cute. They’re lucky that they chose one of the last rows, or otherwise they would have gotten called out for talking and making too much noise.

When it’s Daniel’s turn, Jaehwan elbows him so hard in the ribs that Woojin can’t breathe. Overlooking that he has just hurt him, Jaehwan scoffs and announces, “Your boy.”

“Don’t call him that.”

Jaehwan grins at him with mischievousness. “Okay. Your man.”

Woojin can’t bother to correct Jaehwan again, even if it’s because he’s too delighted with his own joke. Lights are out and the room drops into an absolute silence; even with the lack of illumination, Woojin recognizes Daniel’s figure stepping onto the stage, tall, slender and elegant. It’s a new feeling, but Woojin experiences a rush of pride sweeping him along, well aware that Daniel is about to deliver the best performance today. Jaehwan hooks their arms together, flashing a knowing smile at him, and Woojin feels a knot blocking his throat.

A spotlight is born right where Daniel is. Only then, when Daniel is under the light, surrounded by darkness, Woojin realizes that’s exactly what Daniel is for him.

After the performances, the backstage is so crowded that Woojin gives up on entering before even he can reach the main door. It's not something to be pitiful for, since Daniel must be receiving and giving congratulations and it's better if Woojin doesn't intrude that moment. The showcase was so long that they had time to text their friends to grab an early dinner together, although Woojin doesn't know if Seongwoo, Minhyun or Daniel will join them or will go out with their department. Jaehwan says it doesn't matter, that they can have fun on their own too, so they drop the idea in the group chat and part ways to change clothes. After being by Daniel's side since seven in the morning, waiting for the rehearsals and then watching the actual showcase, Woojin needs to take a shower.

By the time he comes out, he has a ton of messages telling him to hurry up because they're waiting for him. Who they are, Woojin has no idea, but he wears his thickest clothes, coat included, and runs all the way to the entrance. Much to his surprise, the hall is filled with both his friends and Daniel's. Woojin slows down, observing them for a few seconds, a grin invading his face because yes, it's weird, but also satisfactory. It was Daniel and Woojin partnering up what brought them together, and that's yet another reason to be happy for the decisions Woojin made months ago.

“I’m going to get you drunk,” Seongwoo is saying, clearly threatening Jihoon as he points his index finger at him.

Jihoon grunts. “Who says I'm going to let you near me?”

“Me,” Seongwoo assures him, patting his own chest with pride. “Plus you don’t have any other friends, let’s be real.”

Woojin hasn't even greeted them, but he bursts into laughter at Jihoon's offended face. Seongwoo has a big mouth, and Jihoon is used to being the one who doesn't mince his words while he's wrapped in a cocoon. Woojin doesn't have time to point this out because his eyes spot Daniel looking at him, forgetting that he was talking to Minhyun one second ago, and Woojin realizes he hasn't congratulated him for his performance.

“Finally, we can leave!” Daehwi announces, clapping his hands to gather everyone's attention.

It works pretty well, since most of them start walking to the exit, even though Jihoon and Seongwoo are still arguing over a new topic and therefore they're the last ones to leave the building. Woojin lets Daniel sling an arm around his waist, and tonight it isn't because of the cold; Daniel's only greeting is a kiss on the cheek, hand slipping into Woojin's coat pocket, and Woojin doesn't need anything more from him. Which is a strange feeling, since at the same time, he needs everything.

“You don't have to say you liked it,” Daniel reminds him as they walk through the street, tailing after their friends. Somehow, they have sensed that it would be better to allow Daniel and Woojin to walk a few steps behind, even if this limited intimacy isn't ideal. Woojin is growing accustomed to it. To share. To mix his two lives, the one in which his friends live and the one in which Daniel lives. He likes it. “I know you loved it.”

“I don't need to boost your ego, that's right,” Woojin confirms. He has to suppress a chuckle as Daniel looks at him with feigned sadness. It's that simple to persuade Woojin. “But it was fucking amazing and I'm done with your talent. You should share a bit of it.”

Daniel arches an eyebrow at that, "You're asking for more talent? Greed is a sin, Woojin."

Compliments aren't a novelty for Woojin, but they mean more when they're coming from Daniel. He hopes it's the same for Daniel, since Woojin has the urge to praise him for everything, with the small impediment of not finding the perfect words to describe his thoughts. At this point, however, they have danced together so many times that their bodies know each other on a not verbal level. There isn't anything more illustrative than dancing together.

Since they're following their friends without participating in the conversation, they're surprised to discover that the place they're having dinner is a restaurant in which you can choose the songs they play. There's an old jukebox in the middle of the place and it's the first time Woojin sees one. The restaurant allows you to go onto the stage and sing too, but Woojin is sure none of them is brave enough and they require a few drinks to reach that point of ridiculousness.

"This is my dream," Sewoon hums, striding straight to the jukebox instead of choosing a table with the rest.

The idea of leaving the school early turns out to be wonderful, because they order so much food that the waiter apologizes and tells them it will take a while. That isn't a problem. For once, Woojin can assure that everyone is enjoying the night, and it's merely because of the company. Daehwi is louder than ever and makes Jinyoung look quiet in comparison, Seongwoo has managed to get on Jihoon's good side but also provoked him a laughter fit that no one can stop, Minhyun insists on serving food to everyone, Jaehwan is beating his own record of how many bad jokes he can tell in one night, and Sewoon only needs one beer to start singing.

Second-hand embarrassment aside, Woojin is merry. He would have never imagined he would have the chance to feel comfortable around a bunch of guys he hadn't talked to a few months ago, and of course, he wouldn't have imagined he would be holding Kang Daniel's hand under the table. All in all, the impression Woojin had about Daniel has become comical throughout time, since now he has discovered how Daniel is like. Daniel might be that dancer that leaves the public in awe and seems to be unattainable for any other human, but that's the same person that insists on holding Woojin's hand in public and isn't afraid to ask for affection when he needs it.

“Has everyone here seen their performance?” Jihoon asks at some point of the night, when he has drunk enough to feel anger for things like his best friend's performance.

Woojin recalls they have performed for everyone except Sewoon, who usually isn't around in the weekends, and that must be the reason why Sewoon is the only one that doesn't protest in unison with the rest. Daniel is so shocked that he startles, but after understanding they're protesting because they're jealous, his worry fades away.

“All this hard work just to be stepped on by Daniel again,” Minhyun whimpers, and then he lifts his drink, pointing to the ceiling. “Thanks, universe.”

While Woojin laughs, because he can imagine that he would have gone crazy if he had to constantly compete against Daniel. Daniel simply rolls his eyes.

“Our choreography is pretty simple, I don't know what you're talking about,” Daniel defends himself, but he can’t stop the smirk that follows up. Woojin pinches his thigh under the table because he’s being arrogant, even if he has reasons to be.

Jinyoung almost spits the food he's chewing to say, “This blatant lie. You literally fly during some steps.”

“It feels like you're watching a couple that has been dancing together for a decade," Jaehwan supplies. “I'm so jealous. Minhyun still steps on me and we're two weeks away from the performance.”

“I don't step on you. You step on me.”

“Technicalities.”

Losing interest in their petty quarrel, Daniel turns to Woojin and points at the jukebox with his head, "Want to pick a song?"

The way he proposes it makes Woojin laugh. It could be a bad idea, considering that Sewoon has spent half of the money he brought tonight on the jukebox, and they could follow the same fate. But Woojin needs to breathe and escape from the asphyxia of his friends being overwhelmingly loud, so he accepts. Daniel becomes excited immediately, approaching the jukebox so fast that he doesn’t even give Woojin enough time to stand up.

By the time Woojin catches up with Daniel, he’s already crouching to check which songs are available. Woojin squeezes his shoulder and squats with him, although he’s not as tall as Daniel and squatting is disadvantageous for him.

“They have old songs too,” Daniel mumbles.

As he reads the tags, his finger stops on a certain song, but after a moment of hesitation he continues. Woojin doesn’t miss that gesture, the way his face shifts, and he grabs Daniel’s hand to guide him back to the previous song. Daniel looks up at him in shock, yet he doesn’t say anything, just pulls out his money and chooses the song.

It’s With a determined heart to forget you, which Woojin and probably everyone else knows perfectly. But he doesn’t turn around to analyze the silence that expands behind them for a moment. It’s understandable, because they’re having a great time and all of a sudden Woojin and Daniel are playing a sad song, but it’s worth it just to see the way Daniel stares at him, like this means the world to him. Just a few chords into the song, their friends return to their original behavior and Daniel breathes out, relieved.

Usually Woojin wouldn’t let Daniel explain his feelings at his own pace, but he’s too curious not to ask, “Why this?”

Woojin would have never guessed what Daniel replies. It reminds him that there are many things he doesn’t know about Daniel, important things, and regardless of his feelings for him, he still has to learn all the aspects of Daniel’s life.

“My mom left us when I was ten,” Daniel tells him, no trace of shame or sadness in his voice. He states it, like he has explained it out loud so many times that it has lost its real meaning, but that doesn’t mean Woojin isn’t appalled at such confession. In fact, Daniel’s nonchalance leaves him even more horrified. “Don't be sorry, it shaped me. I expressed all I had to express through ballet, with sweat and blood, but I let it all out.”

Speechless, Woojin can only hold his breath. He doesn’t know if Daniel’s success in ballet was due to the fact he used it as his escape from reality, or in fact to accept reality, but anyway it would be admirable for him to stick to dance despite the bad memories.

“My dad would play this song when he missed her,” Daniel continues. Then it makes sense: Daniel’s hesitation joined to the strange urge to play it, how Woojin could tell there was a hint of fear on his face when Woojin led him back to the song. After all, Daniel gives him an understanding, calm smile, like he can read Woojin’s contradictory thoughts. “I should hate it, right? But I don't. I love it. I don't know why, but it had the opposite effect, just like I should have lost faith in both romantic and platonic love but I never did.”

This is why Seongwoo was warning Woojin even before he could involve himself with Daniel. Woojin isn’t the sort of person that would use someone and then would throw them away, but even if he was, doing that to Daniel would be the cruelest thing he could do to him. Woojin doesn’t want to picture how crushing it must have been for him to realize that, after his mom abandoned him, history was repeating. Woojin isn’t going to let that happen.

“Because you’re strong,” Woojin finds himself saying. It isn’t a conscious reply, and it leaves his mouth without previous notice, but once it’s out, Woojin realizes he’s right. “Thank you for telling me.”

Petrified, Daniel stares at Woojin, as though it’s hard for him to soak up in that gratitude. When he recovers his voice, he says something just as shocking, “I knew there was someone like you out there.”

Despite being in a public restaurant where any stranger can judge them, Woojin can’t prevent himself: he drifts towards Daniel, tiptoeing, and kisses him like he would have kissed him if they were alone in his room. Daniel is caught off guard at first, but then he smiles against Woojin’s lips and responds, threading his fingers into Woojin’s hair.

The song is coming to an end, and when they break the kiss and smile at each other, Daniel jokes, “What now? Do they have Jay Park?”

They don’t have Jay Park’s songs, but throughout the next weeks, Daniel makes sure he plays them for Woojin's enjoyment. He plays them in his room, just to laugh at Woojin's expression when he picks the dirtiest song he can find; sometimes they're sitting in the train and Daniel slips one headphone into his ear, grinning at him, and Woojin tells him he's a fool. He is. Yet it makes Woojin happy. Daniel would never make fun of him, even if Woojin himself can admit that his music taste differs incredibly from Daniel's taste. They only have jazz and Woojin's secret liking for romantic ballads in common.

They barely train anymore for their performance. Both of them have internalized it, and Woojin could find Daniel in the middle of a step with his eyes closed and in the darkness. He's sure Daniel could too.

Woojin's life with Daniel is about small changes. It's hard to notice, since they have been meeting each other for months, but dating openly is a different story. Still, the most obvious proof is reflected on their friends' behaviour, on the fact that Minhyun tries several times to drag them into double dates, on Jihoon planning Woojin's birthday behind his back with Daniel - and not alone, how he did every year - or on Woojin spending more nights at Daniel's room than at his own. Woojin's friends become Daniel's friends and viceversa, and it's not shocking anymore to find Jihoon hanging out with Seongwoo or Daehwi, while Woojin runs into Sewoon and Jinyoung a few times too. Sometimes all of them manage to be together, pure chaos that Woojin only appreciates the next day, when he doesn't have to deal with them anymore.

Soaking up in the new routine eases up the anxiety Woojin was developing towards their performance. Despite the plot of their choreography and the meaning of Palette, it's true that Woojin and Daniel are in love and it becomes evident when they dance together. Once upon a time Woojin was scared to show it to his closest circle, but soon they will have to expose themselves in front of other dancers and experts that will judge them, maybe a few casting directors and trainers. And it's scary, somehow, because they will inevitably judge their relationship too. Woojin has the strange urge to protect it, perhaps because it's his first real relationship and he wants it for himself, for themselves, not for the whole world.

"That's because you have grown too attached to the performance," Jihoon remarks when Woojin resorts to him for advice. They have just left one of their classes, but they had to slow down to talk on their own, since Jaehwan and Jinyoung are discussing next week’s plans. "But that's the reason why it's great. You're not competing. You two are doing your thing, what you like, and art is supposed to expose oneself. If you don't, people can't connect."

"I don't know why I'm overthinking," Woojin admits.

"I know why." Jihoon passes an arm over his shoulder, bringing him closer, and smirks at him. "Daniel isn't going to care about the audience more than he cares about you. Whatever they think of this, it won't matter in the end. I can promise you that."

Woojin's mind is incapable of coming up with a coherent answer. Jihoon has shot right into the center of the target, and it won't be the last time; he's too much of an expert in figuring out Woojin's feelings by now. And if Jihoon has been able to reach that conclusion with a small talk, Daniel has definitely had to notice Woojin's insecurity. He was tactful enough not to bring it up, probably because he noticed that Woojin himself wasn't aware of what was causing the problem.

"I'm such a fool," Woojin concludes with a groan.

Jihoon pats his cheek, and it has been a long time since he did that. He used to, when they were younger and Woojin was inexperienced in more areas apart from emotions. Jihoon has always been the most mature between the two of them.

"You're learning new things," Jihoon assures him, a hint of amusement in his voice.

To his relief, they have arrived at the cafeteria and Jaehwan is at the entrance, so Jihoon can't tease him further about how much he has to learn. Woojin doesn't count on Jaehwan playing along, but somehow he has caught Jihoon's words and doesn't need to be told what the conversation was about.

"There's something very important he doesn't know yet," Jaehwan says, a grin extending on his face like a virus that could devastate the whole room. “No sex allowed the night before a performance. I know you two are very excited but don't let Daniel convince you that it won't have an effect. It does.”

"Shut up," Jihoon grunts, shamelessly shoving Jaehwan's face away. He laughs anyhow. "Don't hinder his sexual life now that he finally has one."

Leaving them to fight each other, Woojin ignores both of his friends for several reasons. First of all, he's not ready to discuss sex with them. He may not be a prude, but one wrong word and Jaehwan won't let him live in peace for the rest of his life. One unnecessary detail and his friends will call him disgusting.

Besides, Woojin has a realization that he should have had long ago: his friends don’t intend to irritate him. They're genuinely happy for him and this is how they manifest it in their own childish way. Woojin wouldn't dare to ruin that happiness.

This time, when lights go off and the silence takes over the auditorium, Daniel isn’t alone on the stage. Woojin is with him. In the dark, Daniel holds Woojin’s hand, even though they’re not supposed to grab each other at the beginning of the performance. Woojin doesn’t mind: instead of worrying about the first step, he finds an endless comfort in Daniel’s touch.

And by the time the spotlights illuminate the stage and Palette starts playing, Daniel hasn't let go of his hand yet. He’s not going to.