Chapter Text
"Sunoo! The catering service needs to know if the tteokbokki stand will be located by the entrance or near the stage!"
A second-year girl called out, hurrying toward him.
"By the entrance," Sunoo replied without breaking stride, a smile playing on his lips. "The first thing they should do is smell the aroma and open their wallets"
"President!" another student interrupted, stepping in front of him. "The football team says they can't play in the friendly tournament unless we confirm their medical insurance for the field. The visiting high school team is demanding it."
"Tell them to relax. Jay is already reviewing the contracts."
" Sun-"
"Okay, okay, let him breathe."
Yang Jungwon stood in front of Sunoo and the throng of students crowding around him.
"We have a meeting at the end of classes today. That's where we'll organize and break down the logistics until there are no more questions. In the meantime, let Sunoo walk to his locker."
It was the first period of the school day, and Kim Sunoo was already meeting with various students from different clubs in the school, all trying to organize everything related to their respective activities.
Sunoo understood them, and that's why everyone loved him: Kim Sunoo, student council president, captain of the cheerleading squad, and everyone's unrequited love.
He always had a smile on his face, always had money to lend you and insisted you didn't have to pay him back. Sunoo made everyone feel like they were his best friends, remembering birthdays and basically being the most beloved person in the place.
This is why many took advantage of him, but luckily his best friend, Jungwon, was there to intervene.
The students gathered around looked at each other, a little embarrassed, and murmured "it's okay" and "we're sorry, Sunoo" before leaving.
"It's okay, guys, see you later!"
Jungwon rolled his eyes when he saw they'd finally left his friend alone and grabbed his elbow, linking arms and leading him to their lockers.
"They're just looking for excuses to talk to you early."
Sunoo giggled. He loved the attention; he basked in it every day from the moment he woke up until he went to sleep. When he reached his locker, he opened it to fix his makeup in the small mirror inside.
"They're desperate, Wonie. Everyone wants the go-ahead so they can finally practice in peace for the festival."
The Winter Festival. It wasn't just a fun event at school; it was what defined the financial survival of the school's clubs. And this school was known for its clubs. In what other school, besides the typical boring subjects, would you find clubs for all kinds of art, with classrooms made specifically to rehearsals and scenarios?
It was also a way to attract new students, drawn by the sheer amount of art on display.
But art is expensive. Terribly so. That’s why, for three days in December, the school transformed into a giant snow-covered marketplace. The hallways filled with food stalls selling everything from hot hotteok to chicken skewers to raise funds. There were raffles sponsored by local businesses, theater shows in the small auditorium, and, of course, the grand dance performances on the main stage. The finale was always a friendly football match where the seniors said goodbye to the field, preceded by a performance from the cheer squad.
And it was Kim Sunoo who was in charge of that too.
"I know, but they should wait until you've taken three steps inside before pouncing on you like vultures."
"That's why I have you, isn't it?" The dark-haired boy winked at him, a spark of mischief dancing in his pupils after fixing his mascara, and Jungwon felt his cheeks burn.
That's when Park Jay approached from behind, putting his arm around his boyfriend shoulders.
"Good morning, cuties,"
his voice vibrated behind Jungwon as he placed a kiss on his temple.
"I've got the contracts, the insurance permits, and the public liability clauses. We're covered even if someone has a heart attack because of the cringe of the freshmen acting in their first play" Jay announced with his characteristic lopsided smile. He was the captain of the football team and also served on the student council.
"You too?" Jungwon complained, though he buried himself in his boyfriend's embrace, seeking his warmth. "Is my life going to be nothing but logistics from now on?"
"I told you that running for vice president in your senior year was going to be complicated, love. You didn't listen to me," his boyfriend replied as Sunoo closed his locker and they headed down the hallways to their first class of the day. "And you, sunshine, you abused your power to handpick him without going through the polls"
Sunoo shrugged playfully, amused, while he greeted everyone who passed by, because everyone wanted to greet him.
"How could I deny my best friend's wish to be with me all day? You would have done the same, Hyung. Besides, Wonie is brilliant under pressure, even if he's a little overstimulated right now with everything related to the festival."
Jungwon grimaced.
"I still have to choose which play we'll perform..." Jungwon sighed, and Jay kissed his hair.
"Oh, Wicked is really popular right now" suggested Sunoo, waving to a group of third-year students who were looking at him adoringly.
"Hm, maybe..."
Jungwon was the main director of the school plays (along with, of course, the teacher in charge of teaching them), and the three of them were also the respective leaders of their clubs. That's why, walking through the hallways, they were everyone's favorite sight.
Sunoo and Jungwon arrived at their classroom, and Jungwon said goodbye to his boyfriend with a kiss. Upon entering, they greeted their classmates and sat at their desks to wait for the teacher.
"Well," Sunoo turned around instantly to continue chatting, "Sunghoon from the art club told me he was planning for the entrance decorations to be light blue, but I wanted pink. I told him it was my favorite color, but he said color theory doesn't care about my favorite color!"
"Oh, Sun, you did the pout?" Jungwon raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I did!" Sunoo exclaimed, puffing out his cheeks.
"What kind of heartless man could resist that..."
"I know," Sunoo agreed, regaining his composure. "But then he bought me grape juice to make up for it, so I forgave him. For now."
Jungwon nodded, carefully studying his friend's features and the way he expressed himself. Sunoo was so beautiful and delicate, made of porcelain from head to toe, dressed in a skirt that looked incredibly cute on him, his shirt tucked in perfectly, highlighting his small waist..
He was perfect.
"Wonie! Are you listening to me?"
Sunoo exclaimed. Jungwon snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head in embarrassment. The dark-haired boy puffed out his cheeks again.
"I said I’m in charge of my own choreography for the final show! The coach told me that with my years of effort, she'd let me prepare and have my own solo!"
"That's...wow, I'm so happy for you!"
"I know!" Sunoo squealed just as the teacher entered and began the class.
Afterward, they both headed to math, then to science, and by eleven o'clock it was already lunchtime.
"And then...oh!" Sunoo had bumped into someone while chatting so intently with Jungwon. Inmediatly about to apologize, but then he stopped himself when he looked in front of him and saw a mole he knew too well.
Nishimura Ni-ki.
A year younger, a prodigy dancer, winner of every dance competition in the city, the rising star, the hope of youthful dance...
And a complete jerk.
This...thing between them didn't start immediately. In fact, Sunoo wanted to be his friend at first. Of course he did. The new kid, who was famous in his previous city for winning everything from local contests to serious competitions, was a sensation. Even though the school was full of artists, Ni-ki stood out somehow, and Sunoo wanted to get to know him.
Ni-ki didn't want to, but Sunoo wasn't going to take it personally, of course not, because maybe the boy was shy! Maybe he wasn't good at socializing, and that's why he said "No" to all of Sunoo's attempts:
"You want a tour around the school?"
"Don't you want company at lunch?"
"Do you need help with anything? With the schedules?"
The worst part was that everyone noticed. The new kid spent his first week alone, and Sunoo was always with someone. That's why, when they approached each other, everyone seemed to notice, and everyone even seemed offended to see the new kid shake his head when Kim Sunoo himself was offering him company.
But it was okay! Maybe the boy was shy. Right? That's what he thought during the first week of classes last year, but when the club activities started, Ni-ki seemed to get along very well with the dancers there. He made friends; he saw them in the hallways. Ni-ki wasn't shy; he was selective, it seemed, and he didn't select him.
Sunoo felt his pride bruised, but it didn't matter! Of course not. They greeted each other politely and all that, but things quickly took a different turn.
It was inevitable, because Ni-ki had become the leader of the dance club just a month after starting high school. He'd almost matched Sunoo's grades, the teachers fawned over him as much as they did over him, and people... people were chasing after him.
Sunoo didn't understand it. Not at all. Ni-ki didn't look at them with a smile, Ni-ki didn't offer to help with anything that wasn't related to his club, he didn't seem to have a life outside of dancing, and yet they loved him, just like they loved him.
And Sunoo burned with envy. The only thing he had in his life was that people loved him, but Ni-ki arrived being the complete opposite but having everything he had, his unique style and skills... that also bothered Sunoo.
However, Ni-ki wasn't better than him academically, and that's where Ni-ki began to resent him. He needed to graduate with honors in every subject at that institution; EVERYTHING counted when it came to getting into a good arts university and having more opportunities.
Ni-ki hated him because he noticed that Sunoo didn't need it the way he did. Ni-ki did it because if he was the best, he would have better opportunities later on with his dream. Sunoo took all the extra credit and assignments before he could, stealing every chance of extra credit right in front of him, just to surpass him, and Ni-ki realized it.
And well, adding to that, there were constantly dance club events where Ni-ki couldn't understand why they had to include the cheerleading squad. It was like the director had thrown all logic out the window. Why was there a gymnastics routine among all the dance numbers? It was absurd, but people loved watching the cheerleaders, especially Sunoo. Everyone asked for Sunoo at the small showcase galas before the festival, they asked him to participate in everything in some way, even though he wasn't in any of the clubs.
"Sunoo, do you want to participate in the photography gala as a model?"
"Sunoo, the theater group wants you to do a cameo in the play."
God, the guy was everywhere. It annoyed Ni-ki because he realized he wasn't doing it for the love of art, he was doing it for the attention, and Ni-ki hated that kind of person.
They were polar opposites. Sunoo was bright and accessible, always at everyone’s service. Ni-ki was closed off, wearing headphones to ignore the world, interested (in sunoo's eyes) only in what benefited his craft.
And God, he was also incredibly handsome. Sunoo hated that he probably didn't have ten thousand skincare routines to take care of himself.
Anyway, all of this had been brewing and developing over the course of the previous year, but it was kept quiet for the first four months. There was still a bit of leniency, but the resentment was growing silently, and everything exploded at the winter festival.
Ni-ki had been preparing his choreography for months with his group, but he missed many council meetings because, according to him, he only had to dance and had nothing to do with it.
Sunoo let it go because he didn't really want to see his face, and if anything came up, he'd ask one of the guys in his club to pass the information. And that's what he did. He thought he'd told Taki everything he needed to know, and Taki nodded and passed on all the information to the leader of his club.
But Taki was also rather forgetful. Between the schedules, the rules, and everything Sunoo had told him, and... well, he also got a little distracted by the president's fluttering eyelashes, he missed important details to explain to Ni-ki about that day's itinerary.
And so it was that on that big day, when they were at the climax of the contemporary dance, the moment of absolute silence where technique is everything, suddenly, the cheerleaders' music erupted 30 seconds early, and Sunoo stormed onto the stage leading the group with pom-poms, shouts, and an energy that completely shattered the artistic atmosphere of Ni-ki's group.
Ni-ki was convinced that Sunoo did it on purpose because the audience was too mesmerized by the dance, and Sunoo couldn't stand to lose the spotlight.
In his opinion, Sunoo trampled on his art because he didn't know how to value art; for him, standing out was more important than truly making people feel something.
The people, who didn't realize there has been a mistake, did you heard the saying "only the artist knows when they have made a mistake on stage?"
Well, that's how it was, first rule if you're on stage is that the public never knows what is supossed to happen, so don't look guilty if a mistake happens, they won't know.
but Ni-ki was a perfectionist, and for him, it was a humiliation in front of the audience.
And Sunoo, also a perfectionist and noticing every detail, noticed the dancers' barely concealed surprise, noticed them shifting uncomfortably backstage, realized something had gone wrong because he'd spent sleepless nights organizing the festival.
And Ni-ki's group's choreography was supposed to be shorter.
But there was also a staff member telling the cheerleaders when to enter. This person stuck too closely to the script and simply told them they could come in once the required time on their sheet had elapsed, instead of checking if the dance was still going on stage.
It wasn't Sunoo's fault; it was a series of misunderstandings. Okay, it was fine, things don't always go perfectly, and the show must go on, which it did, so Sunoo was satisfied.
Even so, Sunoo tried to apologize backstage, but Ni-ki didn't let him speak.
He completely exploded, calling him "envious" and saying that his cheerleading squad was "unnecessary," that they were cluttering up the stage, and that the choreography couldn't really be called that; that he just wanted attention and couldn't stand that someone else was getting it.
"But unfortunately for you, Sunoo, nothing you can orchestrate will change the fact that I'm better than you at all of this."
And Sunoo, who had tried to be nice to him since he arrived, felt that Ni-ki was an ungrateful brat who used an accident to humiliate him and belittle the work of his entire team.
"You know what? You're a self-centered idiot. If you had gone to the meetings, you would have learned something, but since you're busy only looking at your own ass, you didn't go, and this happened."
"To listen to you talk nonsense for two hours? No thanks. I have enough to deal with in class, having to listen to you spout all sorts of superficialities in the classroom all day!"
"Oh yeah? For someone who spends all day talking about superficialities in the classroom, it's surprising I still have better grades, don't you think?"
They were getting off-topic, airing the envious and competitive thoughts they'd kept bottled up for months, hiding them because maybe they didn't make sense, maybe they were being too harsh...
But no, in that moment, they both confirmed everything they believed about each other. Sunoo, still in his cheerleading uniform with perfectly applied makeup, and Ni-ki, sweating from the effort but still looking ridiculously good, pointed at each other, their teams listening to the conversation and growing resentful themselves. That's when the rivalry between the dance club and the cheerleading squad was sealed.
And that's where the rivalry between Kim Sunoo and Ni-ki Nishimura was cemented. Rumors swirled throughout the last few weeks of school, their social media followings grew, but Ni-ki made his accounts private, and somehow even that bothered Sunoo, who wanted to stalk him to criticize him, but he couldn't.
To Ni-ki, Sunoo was a narcissist obsessed with attention, always striving to be the best and not caring about anything to achieve it, because that's what he saw, that's what he later assumed in his mind, and that's what, according to him, Sunoo ended up proving. It didn't help at all that Sunoo paraded around in the most extravagant outfits imaginable; it only confirmed what he believed.
And to Sunoo, Ni-ki was an egocentric who thought he was better than everyone, he thought he was better than Sunoo, and that's why he didn't want to be his friend and he thought he was better than everyone because he only associated with his club. That's what he used to think in his head. And after Ni-ki preempted his apologies by turning a logistical error into some kind of calculated plot by Sunoo, it only confirmed his suspicions.
Besides, he believed Ni-ki had no heart or personality beyond dancing.
It was quite a scandal, and at the beginning of this year, the rivalry was noticeable and intense on both sides: hateful glares, shoulder bumps, fights for the best grade on exams, and... not to mention that the cheerleading squad now glared angrily at the dance club and vice versa. In a place where all the arts blended together, sports were something that also blended in well because they shared discipline, but for Ni-ki and his club, being and airhead cheerleader didn't require discipline.
The latest problem this week was that, since preparations for the winter festival (which was still about five months away) were slowly getting underway, the football team was using the campus all the time, and since the cheerleading squad didn't yet have a space of their own, the principal thought it best to cut the dance club's practice time.
Which, Sunoo wouldn't deny, was his idea, because he cared too much for Jay to cut his team's training time, and because, yes, he admitted it, he wanted to annoy Ni-ki.
Was he immature? Perhaps, but Sunoo still hadn't recovered from the humiliation and the lump in his throat caused by someone yelling at him, firstly because no one had ever treated him so harshly, and secondly, because it happened in front of an audience.
And the feeling of wanting to be better never went away; it only intensified.
"Watch where you're going, President," Ni-ki blurted put, the title sounding monotonous and dull on his lips. Sunoo straightened his posture, adjusting his skirt with a sharp movement.
"The space between the tables is big, Nishimura. Good morning," He said politely nonetheless. Ni-ki narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenching in a way tat betrayed how much Sunoo's mere existence irritated him.
"Good to you, I guess. Does the cheer team need extra hours because they’re having trouble remembering their cartwheels?" Ni-ki hadn't planned on running into Sunoo so early on this beautiful (sarcasm) Friday morning, but he had, so now he was going to speak up, his voice was low and dangerous, he had been mad since the principal called him that morning to tell him the news about the new change.
Jungwon, noticing that his friend was already clenching his fists at his sides, intervened.
"Good morning, Ni-ki," he began, standing in front of his best friend for the second time that day. "Listen, it's still really early, okay? Let's have some lunch, and then, today at the first meeting about the festival, we'll have time to resolve that-"
"So we have to adjust to your schedule?"
Jungwon looked at him, a little confused.
"Well, yes? We're the student council..."
"I don't think there's any objectivity here, and clearly, people are taking advantage of their positions."
"I understand your point, Ni-ki, but..."
"I’d like to know right now why my club’s hours were cut," Ni-ki insisted. "Is the dance club seen as inferior? I seem to recall we raised the most money last year."
"Indeed, Ni-ki." Jungwon quickly gave in.
Sunoo, standing a little behind him, stood with his arms crossed, staring intently at the younger man. His clothes were as dark as his soul, his serious expression only making him more irritating, as if life itself bothered him, as if everything bothered him. Sunoo hated people like that, people who seemed to hate everything in this life. These were his thoughts inwardly, while outwardly he maintained a straight and serious posture, slowly looking the younger man up and down.
"But, really, Sunoo and i are hungry. After this, the meeting will take place, and we'll talk about this."
Jungwon spoke to him like a child, and Ni-ki hated that, so he just said "Tsk" and went to the table where his friends were, but not before brushing past Sunoo, the two of them exchanging a look of pure disdain.
"I loathe him," Sunoo muttered, sitting down after waiting in line for lunch (they didn't have to wait; the students in line let him go first).
"To be honest, what you did was kind of cruel."
"Cruel?" Jay interrupted again, approaching them and sitting next to his boyfriend. "Are you against me or on my side, love? I have double training hours for my boys." Jay smirked.
"I'm trying to take the role of vice president seriously."
"So I'm not taking it seriously?" Sunoo cut him off. Jungwon glanced at him for a second, and Sunoo grimaced. "Ugh, sorry for my tone! He just exasperates me so much..."
"It doesn't matter... and yes, of course you do, Sun, but it was a low blow, even for me."
"Well, it was a little," Jay agreed as he cut his chicken.
Sunoo remained silent, playing with his food while thinking that...
He didn't regret it one bit.
He regretted it less when, with only five minutes left in the council meeting, most of the main issues had been discussed. Sunoo had mainly been in charge of noting each club's needs and their ideas. He would spend the weekend reflecting on them and, depending on the cost, preparing an estimated budget. It was just the beginning; it was tiring, but he couldn't deny that he loved organizing and, why not admit it, leading with a smile and having everyone agree with him.
Everyone, that is, except for the one who entered after everyone else left, leaving Sunoo, Jay, and Jungwon.
"You're late. The meeting literally just ended," Sunoo said, standing at the end of the long table in the living room.
"I was informing my guys about the big news," Ni-ki said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, approaching Sunoo as he carelessly tossed his backpack onto a sofa.
"It took you an hour and a half to do that?" Sunoo replied, his arms crossed, his posture unchanged as Ni-ki approached him.
"It doesn't matter, there's no rush to get home yet. It's Friday, and we have the school keys," Jungwon said. Sunoo rolled his eyes and sighed, clapping his hands once and giving Ni-ki a fake smile.
"Okay, then, I'll tell you what the principal already told you. We've restructured the schedules. Due to the scale of the Football tournament and the complexity of the cheerleading opening routine, my club will occupy the classroom from six to nine at night, Monday through Friday."
The silence that followed was thick. Ni-ki's eyes locked onto Sunoo's with an intensity that would have intimidated anyone, but Sunoo just held the gaze, defiant.
"That leaves us, the dance club, with rehearsals at five in the morning or after ten at night," Ni-ki said. His voice was flat and cold, eternally deep. "Are you kidding me?"
"It's a matter of numbers, Ni-ki," Jay interjected, leaning back and looking at him from his chair. "My team has thirty people. The cheerleaders are fifteen. Your dance group is six people who can perfectly rehearse in the mirrored room on the second floor."
"The second-floor classroom doesn't have the right flooring for a dancer to rehearse. We could literally be falling behind because we're at risk of messing up our technique and getting unnecessarily injured. Besides, it doesn't have enough space for the jumps we’re preparing."
He spoke in a tone that, to Sunoo’s ears, was insolent and pretentious; he hated it.
"You don't know the first thing about technique, Jay. You only know how to chase a ball." Jungwon rolled his eyes at the completely unnecessary comment and covered his face, resting a hand on his temple.
"And you only know how to complain," Sunoo muttered, interjecting before Jay could snap back. "It’s about visibility. The football team and the cheerleaders are the face of this school. The dance club is... an accessory."
Ni-ki let out a dry laugh, devoid of any trace of humor.
"An accessory? We were the most-applauded act last year. People pay to see art, not to watch a group of people wave pom-poms while you try to keep your mascara from running."
"Say it again," Sunoo hissed, stepping even closer. They were close enough to smell each other's cologne. Sunoo looked up, his eyes shimmering with a threat.
"Say one more time that my work is inferior to yours."
"Your work is seeking attention, Sunoo. Mine is dancing," Ni-ki replied, dropping his voice to a dangerous whisper.
"You’re so transparent it makes me sick. You’re using Jungwon and Jay to take my rehearsal space because you know that if we practiced under the same conditions, your little sideshow would look pathetic."
"Enough!" Jungwon shouted, startling all three of them. "Ni-ki, the schedules are signed by the principal. Sunoo proposed them, but administration approved them."
Ni-ki shifted his gaze to Jungwon, his face hardening into a mask of disappointment and rage as he backed away from Sunoo.
"Of course. The principal signs whatever his pet wants. What a surprise."
Sunoo was about to retort but noticed his friend’s exhausted expression.
"Ni-ki, that’s not fair," Jungwon said.
"What’s fair about any of this?" Ni-ki grabbed his backpack with a violent jerk. "Keep your room. Keep your shitty schedule. But don’t complain when the dance club puts on a show that makes your cheerleaders look like amateurs at a birthday party."
Just as Ni-ki was about to walk out, Sunoo threw the final punch.
"Make sure to wipe your sweat off the floor when you’re done at eleven p.m., Nishimura. I don’t want my girls slipping because of your lack of hygiene."
Ni-ki flipped him off and slammed the door so hard the room's windows rattled.
Sunoo collapsed into his chair, exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding. His hands were shaking slightly from the adrenaline.
"That was too much, Sun," Jungwon said softly, rubbing his temples. "I actually think he has a point."
"It was necessary," Sunoo replied. "And you know what, Wonie? I really don’t care. If he bothered to be less insufferable, I’d feel pity, but I don’t."
He shrugged and, after saying goodbye to the couple and closing up the school, headed home.
"Daddy, I’m home," was the first thing he said upon entering. He walked into the living room to find his father sitting in his rocking chair, a blanket over his legs despite it not being cold.
He was staring blankly at the turned-off TV. He was a man who had fathered Sunoo in his late fifties, and now, the years weighed heavy in every wrinkle and in the way his hands trembled slightly on the armrests.
"Sunoo..." the man murmured, turning his head slowly. "You're late. Was the market crowded?"
Sunoo swallowed hard. His father sometimes confused the days, or the eras.
"No, Daddy. I was at school. I’m the president, remember? I have a lot of responsibilities," Sunoo said, stepping closer to adjust the blanket.
"Ah, yes... the president." The man gave him a tired smile, his clouded eyes barely focusing on his son’s perfect face.
"You’re so bright, Sunoo. Sometimes I’m afraid you’ll burn out if you stop moving."
Sunoo froze for a second.
"I’m not going to burn out, everyone is watching me."
He got up after giving his father a quick kiss on the cheek and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for his dad. As he chopped vegetables with surgical precision, the silence of the house began to close in on him. Everything said in the meeting raced through his mind; he was organizing so many things at once that he accidentally cut his finger.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed.
"Sunnie, are you okay?" He heard his father’s worried voice and cursed under his breath.
"Yes, Daddy! I just saw something on my phone!" he hurried to reassure him. What Sunoo hated most in life was making his father worry.
His father had raised him alone since Sunoo was five, after his mother abandoned them because she had found "someone better" someone with more beauty, someone with more talent. His father was also an artist, with his works decorating every corner of the house.
Sunoo hated that many of those pieces were dedicated to the woman who gave birth to him.
He hated her for leaving them, for making him and his father believe they were not enough for her, even though to this day, they still had food on the table by selling old portraits and the few new ones his father managed to paint on his more lucid days. People loved his father’s art. Sunoo hated that his mother hadn't appreciated it like the rest of the world did.
And sometimes, he hated himself for doing whatever it took to ensure that, in the future, no one would think of him what his mother thought of his father, or that he wouldn't end up the same way he did.
He couldn't command time to stop, nor tell his father’s cells to stop aging. He couldn't control any of that. But there was something he could. After putting the vegetables in the pot, he pulled out his phone and checked the comments on his Instagram photos, then TikTok, then Twitter.
Sunoo read the comments over and over, feeding off them as if they were oxygen.
After telling his dad about his day, he hurried upstairs to finally shower and change into comfortable clothes. Then, he went to the backyard and started looking for the perfect song for his solo.
He spent hours doing that, and once he found the right one, he began to prepare.
He started marking the steps, structuring the movements in his head, but nothing convinced him. He tried once, twice, ten times. He looked at his reflection in the glass patio door and didn't like what he saw.
His choreography felt basic. Boring.
He was a true perfectionist, someone who analyzed every angle and every transition, and right now, he saw that it wasn't enough. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't satisfied.
He stopped dead. He looked toward the house, at his father's paintings visible through the window. Sunoo clenched his fists until they hurt. The idea of being mediocre consumed him from the inside, and Ni-ki’s words echoed in his head, making him scream in frustration as he restarted the music, trying to create the choreography all over again.
Elsewhere at the same time, someone else was dancing too.
"I liked that sequence," a man in his forties told Ni-ki as the boy showed him what he was planning for his club members. "But your movements are too sharp. Is something wrong?"
Haneul was a teacher at the most important dance academy in Korea, and the one who had taken Ni-ki in when he first arrived. It hadn't been hard; Ni-ki only had to dance for twenty seconds for the man to make him his favorite student. Since then, Ni-ki attended every day, fitting classes into whatever gaps his school schedule allowed.
Haneul took him to every competitionx small or big, made him work twice as hard as the others, and somehow became a father figure to Ni-ki, who had left his parents behind in Japan. They began sharing dinners, and Ni-ki felt comfortable chatting with him after classes.
"I had some trouble at school."
"What have we said about that, kid?"
Haneul always stressed that he couldn't get into trouble at the institute and that, in reality, that world didn't matter.
He always told Ni-ki that if dance was truly his dream, he had to fall in love with it, become devoted, and his biggest concern should be how much free time he had to rehearse.
Ni-ki agreed, but it was very difficult in these cases. Sunoo... he really made him feel a different kind of anger.
"I’ve always told you: friendships, romances, and in this case, enemies...they never last. They don’t matter. Adolescence is something you’ll only remember in flashes when you’re an adult. Make it count and spend it cultivating your future, not wasting it on meaningless people."
Haneul walked toward him, grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, and forced him to look at his own reflection in the studio’s massive mirror.
"Do you remember what I always tell you?"
"Dance first," Ni-ki replied in a whisper. "Then everything else."
"Exactly. I’m glad we’re on the same page," Haneul stated, letting him go. "But you disappointed me today. Your emotions were too visible in your dancing. Come back when you’re not constipated by preschool fights."
Ni-ki felt his face burn with shame. He gathered his things and left the academy with a lump in his throat.
As he walked toward the bus stop, one single thought remained: it was all Kim Sunoo’s fault. He was holding him back, distracting him, and muddying his technique. Sunoo was an obstacle that, even without meaning to, was starting to consume the only world where Ni-ki felt safe.
Upon arriving home, Ni-ki checked his phone and the dance club's group chat. Haneul had told him that teaching was a valuable experience, that it helped build discipline, responsibility, and patience.
He saw they were planning an outing for Saturday, knowing that once Monday hit, they’d start rehearsing and have no free time left. Ni-ki didn’t even bother declining the invitation; he never joined those gatherings anyway.
He enjoyed the company of his team,he liked being around people who shared his passion, felt they understood him, and had a good time, but he simply didn't have time for friendships.
Still, he cared about his crew, and this whole situation with the schedule was eating him alive. He couldn't realistically get home at midnight every day, nor could he wake up at four in the morning and force his team to do the same just to get in time and rehearse at five a.m.
Kim Sunoo was a son of a bitch hiding behind a facade of pink and cute clothes.
He spent the entire weekend at home creating the choreography too, staying up late and tearing his hair out, wondering what the hell he could do to stop the president from getting his way.
Monday was difficult, and Sunoo was grateful it was a rainy morning; many students had chosen to believe umbrellas didn't exist as an excuse to skip. He didn't have the energy to deal with anyone, and when Jungwon asked what was wrong, Sunoo took him to the council room so they could be alone.
He almost burst into tears explaining that he was a useless person who didn't know how to dance. Oh, and he added at the end that Ni-ki was a total piece of shit and that everything he said had been ringing in his head all weekend.
"Sun, listen to me," Jungwon said calmly, reaching out to take his friend's hands. "You are a brilliant organizer and you have a distinct quality in every aspect of your person that makes you unique. But Ni-ki... well, Ni-ki breathes dance. It’s a language for him."
"Don't tell me what I already know," Sunoo hissed, crossing his arms. He always suspected Jungwon might have a secret crush on Ni-ki despite being with Jay, a childish thought that came to him because Jungwon never backed him up when Sunoo spewed venom!
"I’m not saying it to annoy you. I’m saying it because you have a problem and he has the solution." Jungwon sighed, measuring his words as Sunoo looked at him in confusion. "If you want that solo to be legendary, you need someone with a different technical vision to help you polish it."
Sunoo narrowed his eyes, sensing where the conversation was going.
"Don't even think about it."
"Ask Ni-ki for help, Sunoo."
"What?!" Sunoo looked at him as if he’d grown three heads. "Are you crazy? I can’t stand him. I’d expel him if I could. What makes you think I could handle being in the same room with him for more than five minutes?"
"Think about it," Jungwon insisted, leaning in. "Make him an offer. You have the power over the schedules. Ni-ki is desperate to get his hours back. Offer him a deal: he helps make your choreography technically unbeatable, and you give him back the afternoon hours."
Sunoo looked at him for a moment and then began gathering his things with violent movements, his heavy breathing betraying how much the suggestion had affected him.
"I’m going to fix this on my own. I’ll practice until my feet bleed if I have to. I don't need some arrogant brat who only knows how to sweat and look at me with disgust telling me how to move."
"Sunoo, you won't have time to—"
"I have plenty of time!" Sunoo spat, heading for the door. "Don’t ever mention his name and the word 'help' in the same sentence again. Before I ask Nishimura for anything, I’d rather jump off a bridge."
He stormed out of the office, leaving Jungwon alone.
Sunoo walked with long strides, his jaw so tight it ached. But as he crossed the hallway toward his first class, a pang of terror pierced his chest.
He knew his pride was the only thing keeping him standing, but he also knew, deep down, that his choreography was still garbage.