The days leading up to the competition blurred together in an endless cycle of sweat, sore muscles, and Daniel's drill-sergeant voice barking corrections. Ben had never trained this hard for anything in his life. Every time he thought he had nailed a move, Daniel would slow the music, point out a tiny flaw, and demand another run-through.
But he wasn't alone in this madness. Kai, despite his eternal laziness, pushed through every routine with sheer determination. Terrence, precise as ever, worked silently, his brows furrowed as he memorized each move to perfection. And then there was Daniel, their mentor, who took no shortcuts, even when exhaustion was painted across his face.
With just eight days left before the National Dance Competition auditions, the air inside the practice studio had become downright electric. Everyone was fired up. People were crashing into walls, nearly dislocating joints, and popping ibuprofen like breath mints.
Ben, having officially added dance as one of his electives, now had access to the studio during college hours. He made sure to align his schedule with Terrence and Kai's, just to avoid being surrounded by strangers.
So when he walked into the studio during a weekday afternoon, bag slung over his shoulder and water bottle tucked under his arm, Terrence, already mid-stretch, raised a brow.
"Look who can't stay away," he said with a crooked smirk. "Even synced your studio time with us. Obsessed much?"
Ben dropped his bag and made a show of rolling his eyes. "Please, I just wanted more time to practice. Didn't feel like suffering next to strangers with superiority complexes."
Kai practically skipped over and slung both arms around Ben's neck like a needy koala. "I get it. I also prefer practicing with friends in a safe and sweaty space."
Ben laughed, half-choking under Kai's weight. He was just about to head to the locker room to change when his phone buzzed in his pocket. The screen lit up with his mother's name.
He groaned loudly. "Oh, come on."
Terrence glanced over. "Girlfriend?"
Ben gave him a long, unamused look. "Eomma. Equally terrifying."
The KakaoTalk text was long. A wall of words laced with polite fury and passive-aggressive phrasing that only a Korean mothers could master. She wanted to know why he had chosen dance as an elective. How she found out, Ben had no idea.
He typed, Who told you that?
Her reply came faster than an AI chatbot: We pay your tuition, Ben. Of course, we know what you're taking.
Ben sighed and leaned back against the mirror, already bracing for a migraine. His parents had always been practical to a fault; reasonable, intelligent people who believed in hard work and stable careers. And they had never been subtle about how they viewed dance: a hobby, or a side activity.
Still, he'd followed their wishes, up until now. Because now…he wanted this. He loved dancing. And after everything, from Daniel's coaching to NDC, how could he give up?
So he gritted his teeth and typed: Eomma, you're overthinking. I just wanted to stay active. Only studies would ruin my health.
Her reply came back immediately, as if she'd been glaring at her phone the whole time: Don't try to be cheeky with me, Benedict!! I know exactly what you're up to.
Ben rubbed his temples: I'm not up to anything. I just wanted to stay active. That's all.
A short pause followed his message: I don't want to see your grades slipping.
Ben sighed while typing: I'll make sure they don't.
Her tone softened slightly: I'll take your word for it. Are you eating properly?
Ben couldn't stop the laugh that slipped out. 'Why are moms like this?' he muttered. 'We could be dying inside and they'd still worry if we ate lunch.'
He typed: Yes. I am. Are you both okay?
Her last message: We are. You take care of yourself. And focus on your study, not dance.
Ben shook his head and pocketed the phone, warmth and frustration twisting together in his chest.
Terrence gave him a look. "Why do you look like you aged ten years in two minutes?"
"Eomma," Ben said flatly. "She just found out I chose dance as an elective."
Terrence whistled low. "Tough luck, broh."
Kai blinked. "Wait, but our grades aren't even out yet. Why's she worried already?"
Ben lifted a shoulder. "She's a psychic, probably. I wouldn't be surprised if she tapped my student portal."
Then he suddenly looked at Terrence. "You know, I never hear you talk about your family. Not a taboo, is it?"
Terrence snorted. "What's gonna be taboo about a family? They're just not celebrities like hyung's and this dumbass's family," he said, tapping on Kai's shoulder, "My dad's an oncologist. Mum used to be a general physician, but she stopped working when my two Hyungs and I became gremlins."
He said it all with a dry casualness that made it sound like he was talking about a sitcom he half-remembered.
Ben let out a surprised laugh. "You're the youngest?"
Terrence helped Kai into a calf stretch. "Yeah. Why?"
Kai chimed in, "No one believes it with your eldest son energy. Always scowling and threatening people with your fist."
"Aish," Terrence flicked Kai's forehead. "Try saying that again, and the fist would land on you." He growled, before turning to Ben with a tilt of his head, "You are an only child?"
Ben nodded, amused. "Yep. Classic corporate parents, nuclear family, mild dysfunction, and zero excitement."
He heard Terrence snort as he stepped into the locker room.
***
Practice wrapped in a blur of music and sweat. Terrence and Kai had afternoon classes, so they packed up after a few final run-throughs, promising to swing by later for dinner. Ben knew Daniel was still stuck at his part-time job.
And even though he wasn't exactly thrilled about staying back alone, he didn't leave. Everyone else had been training since they were kids or, at the very least, long before Ben ever dared to take dance seriously. So, he couldn't afford to coast.
He kept dancing right up until the studio lights flickered, reminding him it was closing time.
However, among all these practice and schedules, what none of them had noticed was the simmering resentment they had started to attract.
Just when Ben had wrapped up and was heading back, he ran into them.
A group of guys, people he vaguely recognized from the dance studio, were lounging near the entrance. There were eight of them, and the air felt wrong immediately. The way four of them blocked the exit made his skin crawl.
"Look who's here," one of them sneered, arms crossed. "The pretty boy."
Ben stiffened.
"You're one lucky guy, huh? Clinging onto sunbae like a leech, getting all the perks," another taunted.
He could already tell where this was going. He had heard the whispers before, comments about Daniel's privilege, about how talent came easy when you had money, about how he and his little group thought they were better than everyone else.
"Bet he thinks he's hot shit," one of them, lanky with long hair tied back and sharp, venomous eyes, chuckled darkly. "I mean, look at that face. Almost too pretty to be a guy, don't you think?"
Ben's jaw clenched.
Another one stepped closer, tilting his chin up with two fingers. "So pretty. Wonder if you plan on using that face to seduce the judges, huh? Maybe show a little skin?"
That was it.
Ben reacted on instinct; his fist connected with the guy's jaw, which was a grave mistake. Before he could even take a step back, someone grabbed his wrist, twisting it painfully. Another guy yanked him backward by the collar.
"You little—"
A knee slammed into Ben's stomach, knocking the breath out of him. He gasped, his knees buckling slightly.
Another voice, sickly amused, murmured, "You sure you're even a man? You should prove it."
A hand tightened on his shoulder, and something cold and sick churned in Ben's stomach.
Just then, a fist came out of nowhere, slamming into one of the guys' faces.
The group barely had time to react before Daniel was standing there, eyes blazing. Ben had never seen him look this angry before. His usual playful smirk was gone. His jaw was clenched tight, and his entire body radiated pure rage.
Behind him, Terrence stood with his arms crossed, looking unimpressed. "Wow, what an ugly gathering."
Kai, standing next to him, fidgeted nervously. "Guys, do we really need to—"
"Yes," Terrence deadpanned.
And just like that, chaos erupted.
One of the guys lunged at Daniel, but he sidestepped smoothly, landing a brutal elbow to the gut. Another tried to swing, but Daniel ducked and kicked his knee sideways, and the guy collapsed, cursing.
Terrence, ever the boxer, delivered a clean punch to someone's nose, his expression blank. "Oops. My hand slipped."
Kai, meanwhile, grabbed the closest thing he could find, a bag, and threw it at one of them. "I'M HELPING!"
Ben, finally catching his breath, slammed an elbow into someone's ribs, making them stumble back.
Seeing the chaos, the four guys who did not join immediately ran with tails between their legs. Others started backing out, too, seeing as Daniel, Terrence, and Ben were way more difficult to handle than they expected.
But just as the fight seemed to tilt in their favor, one of the retreating guys took a cheap shot, a sudden kick aimed at Daniel's ankle.
The sharp, sickening crack that followed made Ben's heart stop.
Daniel barely had time to react before his leg buckled underneath him.
"HYUNG!"
Ben reached out instinctively, grabbing his arm before he could hit the ground, but Daniel winced; his ankle was twisted.
The remaining guys, seeing their opening, scrambled away before things could escalate further.
For a moment, everything was eerily silent.
Daniel groaned, his voice tight with pain. "You have got to be kidding me."
Terrence crossed his arms. "Baboya." [Idiot]
Kai hovered awkwardly. "Uh… should we call an ambulance or, like, a doctor or maybe a priest?"
Ben's chest felt tight. He tightened his grip on Daniel's arm.
Daniel was injured a week before the competition??
Daniel sighed dramatically, despite the pain. "Okay. This is fine. No big deal. Just my career-ending injury happening at the worst possible time. Ha-ha."
Ben swore under his breath. "Dumbass."
Daniel grinned at him despite the sweat on his forehead. "You sound concerned, Bennie. What's next, a dramatic monologue?"
Ben dropped his arm.
"Ow—! Ben!"
Kai sighed. "I'm gonna have to carry him, aren't I?"
Terrence nodded. "Absolutely."
As Kai grumbled and hoisted Daniel onto his back, Ben followed close behind, his heart still racing.
This was bad because Daniel had gotten injured.
And Ben had just realized something even worse.
The idea of Daniel not being able to dance scared him more than anything.