Dancing With the Phantom
Title: Dancing With the Phantom
Pairing: Eunhae
Rating: PG 13
Length: 1/1
Genre: Romance; Fluff
Warnings: Might cause sudden acceleration & momentarily pauses to heartbeat
Disclaimer: I don't own the members, but I own the plot. OTPs are real & made for each other.
Summary: The themes for parties are so typical, isn’t there any originality to it?
A/N: This is dedicated to the wonderful masupeerman who helped me to spot all my horrible mistakes. xoxo
Sequel of Masquerade Ball
Seoul, Jongwook University
December 2013
It was a dark and cold winter Wednesday morning. White snow was covering on every surface seen: the porch, the cars and the roofs of the houses in the neighborhood; but the young man was sure that the bottom layer of snow was murky and dirty. Feeling disgusted with the thoughts of dirt and muddy soil that would be thrown in the snowball that the kids would be playing with, Hyukjae walked away from the window of his room and sat back on his bed.
Hyukjae knew it was a perfect day to just roll in bed with a cup of warm Earl Grey tea and another of Jodi Picoult selection - Don’t judge me, she supports her gay son.
The birds were still chirping, happy children in the neighborhood were laughing while playing in the snow; everything seems so calm and peaceful and Hyukjae was just thankful for the beautiful atmosphere, just before his favorite cousin’s voice was heard behind his door.
As much as he loves Heechul, his presence isn’t much appreciated on such a day.
Hyukjae’s cousin had decided to pop by his house for a visit that morning, coincidentally finding out about Hyukjae’s upcoming Appreciation Night; which he had no idea of.
Upon finding out about Hyukjae’s attire for Appreciation Night, Heechul had then insisted to bring his younger cousin for a mini shopping trip to get all the items which Hyukjae would for the dinner - which the latter insisted that there was none since he had argued that he wanted to wear that suit in his closet; which was bought five years ago.
~~~
“It’s Appreciation Night and you tell me that you want to wear that ugly thing?” Hyukjae was being mocked at the moment he stepped out of his toilet, in the black suit that he had intended to wear.
“It’s not ugly!” Hyukjae stared at his reflection, running his ends through the crumpled suit.
Maybe it looks ugly because I’m ugly.
“Shut your trap. You’ve worn that thing as many times as you worn those ugly black crocs,” Heechul scoff and pointed at the pair of black crocs that were laid by the side of the closet, “You need something to show your beauty, and not something ugly to hide them.”
“They are not crocs! Those are leather shoes that go together with the suit; of course they are worn together!” Hyukjae picked up the black leather shoes that he had bought together with the suit when he was sixteen.
“They are not crocs? Well... those things are as hideous as crocs. I’m surprised you can still fit into them.... No wonder you haven’t grown since middle school! Come on, we need to get you more manly clothes!” Heechul grabbed the crocs and threw them to some corner of Hyukjae room. He pushed the smaller man back into the toilet, “Get changed, we are going shopping.”
~~~
“Just remind me why I have to do this again…” Hyukjae whined as they walked out of yet another store and stood by the railings of the mall. That was the tenth shop that Heechul had dragged Hyukjae into that afternoon. He stared at the Christmas decorations that were hung around the mall; there was still a fair three weeks before the day arrives, but everyone was in the festive mood already. Hyukjae didn’t really like Christmas, ever since that event that happened three years ago.
High School prom withdrawal syndromes. Sigh.
“When is Appreciation Night?” Instead of answering Hyukjae, Heechul threw him back with another rhetorical question.
“This weekend…” Hyukjae sighed. He honestly found it a waste of money to spend so much for one night, and “Can’t I just re-wear what I’ve been wearing for the past five years?”
“Appreciation Night: the night for all the leaders of the school to gather and receive their gift of appreciation; and you want to wear that kid costume and crocs? Blame yourself. Why are you the president of the dance society?” Heechul narrowed his cat-like eyes and shot them at Hyukjae, “So too bad, this is your night of recognition! Come on, we don’t have much time to waste. Why are you so skinny anyways, there’s barely any suit that will fit your scrawny little body.”
“It’s not a costume, hyung!” As usual, Hyukjae had whined before being dragged into yet another shop.
Instead of replying, Heechul returned the whines with a glare - implying for the younger one to shut up before he does something worse. Who wouldn’t be afraid of the great Heechul’s evil mind? No one would ever know what he is thinking of doing, and provoking him might just lead to Hyukjae having to wear a dress for his Appreciation Night dinner. Hyukjae had no choice but to shut his mouth and follow reluctantly.
Heechul grabbed a few pieces off the rack, without even looking at the prices, and dumped them all on Hyukjae who was trying his best to catch all the expensive pieces without leaving any crease on them. He was then pushed into one of the dressing room, which he was ordered to change into every single piece and do a mini show for his personal stylist.
“I don’t understand why I have to do this, honestly. It’s just Appreciation Night; all we going to have are dinner and an award ceremony for all the presidents of the various clubs and society. It isn’t as though I’m going on a date…” Hyukjae continued complaining from the dressing room cubicle as he stripped out of his clothing.
“It isn’t only about the dinner or the award ceremony. It is the fact that you are representing the Dance Society of Jongwook University, your own Faculty of the Arts and you as my younger cousin. I don’t want you to be seen wearing the same old tux that you wear for every function you had, since middle school. Honestly, it just seemed as though you never did grow out of it. Do you even eat…? This is your last function in Jongwook, just take it as a treat for yourself!”
Hyukjae had his reasons for wearing that suit - which he might have that chance to meet that man he had danced with during Shinhwa’s Graduation Night. Ever since the man ran off, Hyukjae wasn’t able to find him again that night. He asked the two girls about the masks and they told him that there were only one design for each mask, so it was unique and not possible for anyone else to have it since Shinhwa had ordered it to be handmade - given to each student as a door gift in fact.
Since then, it has been three years and never once did Hyukjae meet the man again. Sad to say, his heart didn’t do any weird stunts since then too.
Maybe I’m drugged by that strawberry dessert that he gave me.
~~~
“Hyung, this is the fifth piece! If this doesn’t fit me too, I’m just going to head back home and wear what I have in my closet for the dinner!” Hyukjae yelled behind from behind the curtain as he unbuttoned the fourth collared shirt that Heechul had rejected.
Taking the silence as consent, Hyukjae changed into the fifth suit and stepped out of the tiny cubicle.
“How is it?” Hyukjae asked for the umpteen times that day, as he took mini steps towards Heechul. He was so afraid that he would tear the expensive piece of cloth.
“Noona! We’ll take this piece! Please wrap it up!” Heechul exclaimed at the shop assistant, who was dazzled at Hyukjae’s beautiful body and seemed to be a little shocked when Heechul suddenly yelled at her.
And I bet she was mentally thankful that we were finally going to buy something.
Hyukjae was worried that the only reason that his older cousin had bought the suit, was to make sure that they bought something home - to prove that they really shopped. He kept pestering Heechul, wanting him to return the eight hundred dollars suit. Hyukjae didn’t want Heechul to be wasting any unnecessary money on reasons that didn’t make much of any sense.
Heechul didn’t utter a single reply to Hyukjae, and just shoved the paper bag to Hyukjae and left the shop.
Hyukjae kept whining through the entire journey back home, and it was a miracle how Heechul had not snapped at him - not even once. When Hyukjae realised this, he kept his mouth shut immediately; how afraid he was that Heechul was going to snap at him.
“Omma! We’re home!” His cousin had the habit of calling Hyukjae’s mother that, after all they were maternal cousins and it made no much of a difference especially since their mothers were twins.
Hyukjae’s mother walked out of the kitchen, with a spatula on her right hand and a kitchen mitten on her left. She ran up to them, trying to peep into the bag that Hyukjae was holding onto; which was impossible since Heechul kept hiding it away.
“Omma, he looks amazing in it. Even the sale assistant looks like she wants to bang him on the spot! He was so good looking!” Heechul spazzed as he did some weird hand gestures while he was explaining to Hyukjae’s mother, who seemed quite shocked with her nephew’s choice of words.
“I want to see! Hyuk go change!” Hyukjae’s mother had flunked her spatula towards Hyukjae and flipped it back to his room, forcing him to go change into the suit and do a catwalk for his mother.
Murmurs could be heard as Hyukjae was putting on his suit. It was so beautiful and it doesn’t seem to match him a bit.
Reluctantly, Hyukjae stepped out of his room; only to bump into his smirking cousin and excited mother standing in front of the door.
“What are you two doing here?” Hyukjae had the shocked of his life, and took a step back - which gave a better view to the two bystanders.
“Hmmm, Chullie dear, you really made a good choice. I always knew I could trust your taste when it comes to fashion.” Hyukjae then realised that Heechul’s sudden visit wasn’t by luck, but that his mother had called the latter over for help.
Hyukjae’s mother took a step forward to examine her son. The navy blue collared shirt fit him nicely, as the greenish-grey suit hung over his small build. The deep V-neck cut on the jacket was able to emphasize on his lean chest, revealing the concaves of his abs that were vividly visible behind the shirt.
“He is so damn-god-sexy. Tell me about it.” Heechul did that weird hand gesture again - where he will pretend to faint and fan himself.
And it feels so weird having to hear your cousin spazz about you; what more a male cousin. In front of your mother.
Awkwardly, Hyukjae stepped back into his room to change out of his newly bought suit while his mother and cousin discussed about his look. Discuss would technically be an understatement since they were practically screaming oh my god every second.
~~~
Hyukjae stood in front of his closet and stared at the two suits that were hung on there. In the darkness, both looked almost identical - Black long sleeve button top with a neatly pressed jacket. However, it was obvious that the recently bought one had a more up to date design; its plunging v-neck on its jacket, studded with Swarovski beads sewed on its edges. The material was rougher and the cotton was harder than his older one.
The other was worn less than two weeks ago - during Graduation Night, and that was only his fifteenth time wearing it. Fifteenth. He mentally cursed at the number of functions that he had to attention in University. After graduating from High School, which is the second time he had worn the suit, he had to wear the suit four times each year, on average - from Appreciation Night, to Dinner and Dance, to Prom Night, and Graduation Night. Apparently in Universities Prom isn’t Graduation Night, vice versa, unlike Middle and High School.
High School prom. Masquerade Ball. Sigh.
Sliding his fingers along the older one which he had painfully bought using his swear-earned money, he clenched onto the jacket - exactly how that unknown man did.
Hyukjae swallowed the invisible lump in his throat as his body moved against the man’s automatically. The air in his lungs was getting a little thinner as he tried to breathe in more oxygen. The excitement drowning him like a bottle of hard liquor flowing through his veins as their bodies started to synchronize.
Just as the man slid his right hand down Hyukjae’s chest from his shoulder, their little party was crashed with the teacher yelling straight into the Microphone, stopping a couple from dry humping each other on one of the tables, followed by the lights being switched back on . After all this was only a High School prom and things weren’t supposed to be rated, yet.
Upon realising what had just happened, that man ran away before Hyukjae could ask for his name.
It’s crazy how one man can drive Hyukjae’s mind crazy. Correction, one memory of an unknown man. Hyukjae has no idea who he was, where he is, what he does. All Hyukjae remembers is that vanilla scent that lingers in his mind, that unique scent that seem to be engraved in his mind and not found anywhere else, and the doe-like eyes that he found comfort in.
This is crazy. I’m going crazy.
~~~
Heechul had decided to pop by early that morning of the Appreciate Night, along with his Chinese boyfriend, Hankyung. Both Heechul and Hankyung were graduates from Jongwook University too, and each of them held reputable positions when they were still undergrads. While Hankyung was the president of the dance society, before Hyukjae had taken over the role, Heechul was the just known for his witty personality and outgoing character.
Heechul thought bringing Hankyung along would be helpful for Hyukjae since he is going to be going what Hankyung had done the year before.
Hyukjae was still in bed when Heechul barge into his room and dragged the little man out of bed. It was only ten in the morning, way too early for a guy to start preparing for a dinner. Hyukjae’s mother had his suit well pressed the night before, and he had everything neatly placed on his table - the invitation card, his wallet and his accessories. There was no reason for him to wake up at ten, to prepare for a dinner at seven.
Despite Hyukjae’s constant whining and Hankyung’s nagging about it being too early, Heechul still managed to get the former out of his bed fifteen minutes later.
“Hyung, I am a man. Why do I need eight hours to prepare for a stupid dinner? It isn’t as though I will take half a day to travel to the hotel, it’s Bleu Saphir - it is located just thirty minutes away?” Hyukjae mumbled as he brushed his teeth. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Hankyung giving him a pitiful look, and his cousin pacing up and down his room.
“We have to do your hair, your make up, make sure that you are well-groomed and well prepared for your speech, and of course make sure you have your mask!” Hyukjae spat out the toothpaste in his mouth as he stared at Heechul who wouldn’t stop babbling about irrelevant things.
When Heechul finally realised that Hyukjae was staring at him, he noticed the complete shock and lost expression: What are you talking about?
“Oh my god, you don’t have your mask? Don’t you know that tonight’s theme is Dancing With The Phantom?” Heechul picked up the invitation from Hyukjae’s desk and pointed to him the fine lined wordings:
Theme: Dancing With the Phantom
Masks should be worn upon entry
Hyukjae threw his towel on his chair as he grabbed the invitation card.
Isn’t there any originality to party themes?
Hyukjae threw his invitation card on the table as he slumped back onto his bed, another perfect reason to not go for the Appreciation Night.
“I don’t have any mask.” Hyukjae threw the pillow over his face and tried sneaking under the blanket, hoping to get back to sleep since he couldn’t go without and mask and he didn’t have a mask now.
For a good five minutes, Hyukjae did fall back to sleep while Heechul dragged out a box from Hyukjae’s closet.
Pulling out all his old uniforms, Heechul found the exact thing that he was looking for - Hyukjae’s High School prom’s mask. Hyukjae had treasured it like gold, for some reason that Heechul couldn’t dig out. There were a couple of times that Heechul tried bribing Hyukjae to sell him the mask because it was really pretty, but it was of no use since the latter refused to budge. When Heechul actually tried stealing the mask from its owner, Hyukjae eventually ran to the thief’s house and ripped Heechul’s shirt in the process of trying to get back his mask. That particular incident allowed Heechul to finally realise the importance of the mask - no way was he going to risk his clothing being torn again.
Hankyung was instructed to drag Hyukjae out of bed, like literally, but the Chinese man was too demure with the simple tapping of shoulders, which obviously wouldn’t work on a log like Hyukjae, and ultimately Heechul had to personally pull the skinny one out of bed. Pull.
Profanities were thrown all over the room as Heechul woke Hyukjae up in a very unpleasant way. Thankfully the peace maker Hankyung was there to calm Hyukjae and allowed him to sit up properly on his bed to listen to Heechul.
“Being a year older, don’t give you the privilege to pull me out of bed like a toy. I can feel pain.” Hyukjae cursed lowly, as he sat by the edge of the bed. Heechul rolled his chair towards Hyukjae as he revealed the mask in his hands.
Hyukjae snatched back the mask, thinking that Heechul had that intention of stealing his mask again. Mask, right. That was when it had struck the dancer that he had a mask, and he had to attend his Appreciation Night.
Grumbling, Hyukjae slammed his face onto his pillow while Heechul triumphantly skipped out of his room.
“5 minutes.”
And that was Heechul’s indication for Hyukjae to be down for breakfast.
~~~
“My handsome son, what have I done to earn such a good looking son?” Hyukjae’s mother held his face as she smiled brightly. She took a step back and revealed the expensive DSLR in her hand, snapping a few shots of Hyukjae.
Hyukjae had his hair freshly dye chestnut brown and applied some wax onto the messily ruffled hair, giving him a sexy, yet innocent small boy look.
Six, the exact time that he wanted to leave his house. Hyukjae had no idea how those eight hours had past so quickly - all he did was dye his hair, take two baths, ate three meals, drank five cartons of strawberry milk, recited his speech a thousand times, and messed his hair.
“I told you, I’m always accurate with planning for big days.” Heechul stepped in front of Hyukjae, sweeping off some invisible dust from his shoulder and gave his infamous smirk.
Hyukjae rolled his eyes, pushing Heechul away as he grabbed his phone, wallet, mask and invitation card that was left on the dining table.
“I’m leaving.”
~~~
As usual, Hyukjae was waiting for his friends at the bus stop near Bleu Saphir. He was the earliest, since the traffic was light and had arrived at a quarter before seven.
It didn’t take long for Jongwoon and Ryeowook to turn up, just about ten minutes later. Hyukjae was about to call Sungmin and Junsu, when he saw the two running towards him with their boyfriend.
“Seven, we are on time!” Junsu panted as he checked his watch. Indeed, they were or otherwise.
“Come on, I have seen the other presidents walking in! I bet we are going to be the latest!” Hyukjae took the lead, as the other three couples tried to catch up.
Funny thing was, Yoochun, Junsu’s boyfriend, and Kyuhyun, Sungmin’s boyfriend, were nagging at how the other was taking too long. From what Hyukjae thinks, Kyuhyun should be the one that caused their couple to be late - with his starcraft addiction, and Junsu was obviously late because he was too busy eating. This would mean that Sungmin is being nagged for a wrong reason, and obviously he rebutted.
“Cho Kyuhyun, who was the one playing for hours and refusing to change; and only switched off his stupid game when he realised it he was running late for his Appreciation Night? Don’t make me confiscate your laptop from you, again.” Sungmin argued with the gamer, who returned with a pout and endless pleads. It didn’t make sense to anyone why Kyuhyun had to make it seem that Sungmin was at fault.
“Let’s go register! Everyone’s entering the ballroom already!” Ryeowook pointed at the entrance of the ballroom where the leaders was walking into.
“Hyukjae, why are you so late?”
At the entrance, Jeongsu, the President of Jongwoon University Student Union (JUSU) questioned Hyukjae as he pointed out to them the the sitting arrangement. Like in Shinhwa, Hyukjae and friends were all very popular among the other students. It wasn’t a surprise since they were all the presidents, or vice presidents of the various clubs or societies of the school.
As mentioned, Hyukjae is the president of the Dance Society; Jongwoon and Junsu were the President and Vice-President of the Vocal Society, respectively; Sungmin was the President of the Guitar Club, Ryeowook was the President of the Pianist Society; Yoochun was the President of the Theatrical Society; and Kyuhyun was the President of the Business Faculty.
Based on the sitting arrangement that was allocated, the leaders from the various societies were seated on the left of the stage, while the faculty leaders are on the right. This would also mean that all of Hyukjae’s friends, except Kyuhyun, would be on the left. The VIPs, mainly the teachers and committee of JUSU, were located right in front of the stage.
Jinki, the Vice-President of SUSU, required them to show their masks upon entry. Jinki was also giving out some, to those who didn’t have; which was everyone except Hyukjae.
“I’m surprised you have a mask.” Junsu peep at the sliver mask in Hyukjae’s hand, “isn’t that our High School mask? I’m surprised you still kept it.”
Before Hyukjae could think of an excuse, Sungmin came to the rescue.
“Let me guess, Heechul?” Hyukjae nodded and tied the mask to the back of his head.
“Why am I not surprised…” Junsu replied back.
~~~
It was around eleven, and the event was supposedly over. Awards were given out, speeches were made, and the teachers had taken their leave, but the students still sat around the table. Everyone had reshuffled to sit with their own group of friends. They knew Jongwook University would never end their night without a round of dancing. It was part of the tradition in Jongwook, to never end off an event without letting the students dance their nights out.
Hyukjae would always try to sneak off with his other friends after every event, who knew they had better plans this time.
“Why don’t we stay for once? We would never be able to enjoy it anymore… It’s our last event for Uni life! Let’s just dance our night away!” Junsu whispered, loud enough for everyone across the table to hear.
“I agree! Who knows if this would be the last time all of us can gather together!” Ryeowook added.
The table of friends continued their discussion for a few moments before the lights started dimming. Cheers resounded through the ballroom as fast pumping music was played.
“Let’s go!” Jongwoon shouted and dragged his petite boyfriend along with him. Ryeowook pulled his best friend, Sungmin, along, who was stopped by Kyuhyun, which he failed in doing so since Sungmin was stronger than him. In the end, everyone was dragged onto the dance floor.
Floors were vibrating, the room was getting stuffy and thankfully, the soundproof walls came in useful at this point of time. Good job to the committee in choosing the right location.
Latest clubbing songs were played through the audio system and the leaders were dancing their night away. As expected, girls were surrounding the more popular group and trying to sneak their numbers into Hyukjae’s jacket and trousers. Hyukjae tried to skilfully shift his body away from anyone that were too close for comfort but he ended up bumping into others. Thankfully, it was his closer friends that were surrounding him.
At one point, Hyukjae was really getting frustrated with the people grinding onto him. He was tired of apologising to the others too, so he just allowed his school mates to continue their actions. He wasn’t sexually-deprived; he just didn’t feel like causing any more trouble to those around him and would rather suffer weird molestation from desperate girls than to knock into anyone else.
Hyukjae’s life in Jongwook is similar to Shinhwa, being chased by tons of girls and confessed by many too; yet despite Hyukjae’s constant, “I am gay,” no one seem to believe him and just continued falling for him. A couple of boys tried hitting on Hyukjae too, but they eventually failed when his fanclub found out about it.
Fanclub. How scary can that bunch of girls get…
Hyukjae was feeling really uncomfortable with the weird touches. He was mentally begging them to leave, or for the music to stop, just like High School prom.
And that brings to the point, why Hyukjae really hates clubbing or dancing in such stuffy area. These dances get too intimate and the touches get too sexual. The frequency of people grinding onto his body get higher, the distance between his body and the others gets shorter. It was suffocating and Hyukjae felt faint. Plus, it really reminds him of that man.
I think I’m hallucinating. That scent… It’s here…
It was as though God had finally heard his cries when hands were slowly removed away. Bodies started to untangle themselves away from the dancer and he was being pushed out of the crowd. Protective arms were wrapped around Hyukjae to prevent him from falling. Even with Hyukjae out of the dance floor, everything was still heated; everyone was too immersed in dancing to notice the missing boy.
The unknown force brought him out of the ballroom. Hyukjae was led to the hotel’s garden and he was honestly thankful to finally have some fresh air in his lungs. Hyukjae’s head was kept down as he was so afraid that someone would spot him and pull him back into the ballroom.
“I hope you wouldn’t think that I’m kidnapping you… You just looked like you needed some help back there.” The unknown man spoke as he passed to Hyukjae a bottle of mineral water.
“No, thank you… really. I was dy-” -ing back there.
Hyukjae choked on his words as he lifted his head to meet the eyes of his saviour for the first time.
“It’s you…”
The stranger smiled shyly at Hyukjae and rubbed his hands on his white platinum hair.
“You remember me?” The stranger questioned, somehow hoping Hyukjae would.
“Shinhwa prom… 3 years ago…” Hyukjae spoke cautiously, worried that he might have mistakenly recognised the wrong person.
“Ah, yes. You remember…” The man smiled cheekily as a faint blush spread on his tan skin.
Hyukjae was mesmerised by the man’s beauty. He seems hotter than what Hyukjae had remembered. Those brown orbs that that were staring straight at Hyukjae, they were beautiful. He could see his own reflection in them and it almost seem like Hyukjae was the only one in his eyes.
“Nice to finally meet you again, Hyukjae. My name is Donghae.” Donghae’s voice snapped Hyukjae out from his trance.
Staring at the out stretched hand out, Donghae was hoping to hint a handshake but the dumbstruck Hyukjae could only grab the blond in for a tight hug.
Filling his body with the vanilla scent, Hyukjae whispered, “I found you, I finally found you…”
Pairing: Eunhae
Rating: PG 13
Length: 1/1
Genre: Romance; Fluff
Warnings: Might cause sudden acceleration & momentarily pauses to heartbeat
Disclaimer: I don't own the members, but I own the plot. OTPs are real & made for each other.
Summary: The themes for parties are so typical, isn’t there any originality to it?
A/N: This is dedicated to the wonderful masupeerman who helped me to spot all my horrible mistakes. xoxo
Sequel of Masquerade Ball
Seoul, Jongwook University
December 2013
It was a dark and cold winter Wednesday morning. White snow was covering on every surface seen: the porch, the cars and the roofs of the houses in the neighborhood; but the young man was sure that the bottom layer of snow was murky and dirty. Feeling disgusted with the thoughts of dirt and muddy soil that would be thrown in the snowball that the kids would be playing with, Hyukjae walked away from the window of his room and sat back on his bed.
Hyukjae knew it was a perfect day to just roll in bed with a cup of warm Earl Grey tea and another of Jodi Picoult selection - Don’t judge me, she supports her gay son.
The birds were still chirping, happy children in the neighborhood were laughing while playing in the snow; everything seems so calm and peaceful and Hyukjae was just thankful for the beautiful atmosphere, just before his favorite cousin’s voice was heard behind his door.
As much as he loves Heechul, his presence isn’t much appreciated on such a day.
Hyukjae’s cousin had decided to pop by his house for a visit that morning, coincidentally finding out about Hyukjae’s upcoming Appreciation Night; which he had no idea of.
Upon finding out about Hyukjae’s attire for Appreciation Night, Heechul had then insisted to bring his younger cousin for a mini shopping trip to get all the items which Hyukjae would for the dinner - which the latter insisted that there was none since he had argued that he wanted to wear that suit in his closet; which was bought five years ago.
~~~
“It’s Appreciation Night and you tell me that you want to wear that ugly thing?” Hyukjae was being mocked at the moment he stepped out of his toilet, in the black suit that he had intended to wear.
“It’s not ugly!” Hyukjae stared at his reflection, running his ends through the crumpled suit.
Maybe it looks ugly because I’m ugly.
“Shut your trap. You’ve worn that thing as many times as you worn those ugly black crocs,” Heechul scoff and pointed at the pair of black crocs that were laid by the side of the closet, “You need something to show your beauty, and not something ugly to hide them.”
“They are not crocs! Those are leather shoes that go together with the suit; of course they are worn together!” Hyukjae picked up the black leather shoes that he had bought together with the suit when he was sixteen.
“They are not crocs? Well... those things are as hideous as crocs. I’m surprised you can still fit into them.... No wonder you haven’t grown since middle school! Come on, we need to get you more manly clothes!” Heechul grabbed the crocs and threw them to some corner of Hyukjae room. He pushed the smaller man back into the toilet, “Get changed, we are going shopping.”
~~~
“Just remind me why I have to do this again…” Hyukjae whined as they walked out of yet another store and stood by the railings of the mall. That was the tenth shop that Heechul had dragged Hyukjae into that afternoon. He stared at the Christmas decorations that were hung around the mall; there was still a fair three weeks before the day arrives, but everyone was in the festive mood already. Hyukjae didn’t really like Christmas, ever since that event that happened three years ago.
High School prom withdrawal syndromes. Sigh.
“When is Appreciation Night?” Instead of answering Hyukjae, Heechul threw him back with another rhetorical question.
“This weekend…” Hyukjae sighed. He honestly found it a waste of money to spend so much for one night, and “Can’t I just re-wear what I’ve been wearing for the past five years?”
“Appreciation Night: the night for all the leaders of the school to gather and receive their gift of appreciation; and you want to wear that kid costume and crocs? Blame yourself. Why are you the president of the dance society?” Heechul narrowed his cat-like eyes and shot them at Hyukjae, “So too bad, this is your night of recognition! Come on, we don’t have much time to waste. Why are you so skinny anyways, there’s barely any suit that will fit your scrawny little body.”
“It’s not a costume, hyung!” As usual, Hyukjae had whined before being dragged into yet another shop.
Instead of replying, Heechul returned the whines with a glare - implying for the younger one to shut up before he does something worse. Who wouldn’t be afraid of the great Heechul’s evil mind? No one would ever know what he is thinking of doing, and provoking him might just lead to Hyukjae having to wear a dress for his Appreciation Night dinner. Hyukjae had no choice but to shut his mouth and follow reluctantly.
Heechul grabbed a few pieces off the rack, without even looking at the prices, and dumped them all on Hyukjae who was trying his best to catch all the expensive pieces without leaving any crease on them. He was then pushed into one of the dressing room, which he was ordered to change into every single piece and do a mini show for his personal stylist.
“I don’t understand why I have to do this, honestly. It’s just Appreciation Night; all we going to have are dinner and an award ceremony for all the presidents of the various clubs and society. It isn’t as though I’m going on a date…” Hyukjae continued complaining from the dressing room cubicle as he stripped out of his clothing.
“It isn’t only about the dinner or the award ceremony. It is the fact that you are representing the Dance Society of Jongwook University, your own Faculty of the Arts and you as my younger cousin. I don’t want you to be seen wearing the same old tux that you wear for every function you had, since middle school. Honestly, it just seemed as though you never did grow out of it. Do you even eat…? This is your last function in Jongwook, just take it as a treat for yourself!”
Hyukjae had his reasons for wearing that suit - which he might have that chance to meet that man he had danced with during Shinhwa’s Graduation Night. Ever since the man ran off, Hyukjae wasn’t able to find him again that night. He asked the two girls about the masks and they told him that there were only one design for each mask, so it was unique and not possible for anyone else to have it since Shinhwa had ordered it to be handmade - given to each student as a door gift in fact.
Since then, it has been three years and never once did Hyukjae meet the man again. Sad to say, his heart didn’t do any weird stunts since then too.
Maybe I’m drugged by that strawberry dessert that he gave me.
~~~
“Hyung, this is the fifth piece! If this doesn’t fit me too, I’m just going to head back home and wear what I have in my closet for the dinner!” Hyukjae yelled behind from behind the curtain as he unbuttoned the fourth collared shirt that Heechul had rejected.
Taking the silence as consent, Hyukjae changed into the fifth suit and stepped out of the tiny cubicle.
“How is it?” Hyukjae asked for the umpteen times that day, as he took mini steps towards Heechul. He was so afraid that he would tear the expensive piece of cloth.
“Noona! We’ll take this piece! Please wrap it up!” Heechul exclaimed at the shop assistant, who was dazzled at Hyukjae’s beautiful body and seemed to be a little shocked when Heechul suddenly yelled at her.
And I bet she was mentally thankful that we were finally going to buy something.
Hyukjae was worried that the only reason that his older cousin had bought the suit, was to make sure that they bought something home - to prove that they really shopped. He kept pestering Heechul, wanting him to return the eight hundred dollars suit. Hyukjae didn’t want Heechul to be wasting any unnecessary money on reasons that didn’t make much of any sense.
Heechul didn’t utter a single reply to Hyukjae, and just shoved the paper bag to Hyukjae and left the shop.
Hyukjae kept whining through the entire journey back home, and it was a miracle how Heechul had not snapped at him - not even once. When Hyukjae realised this, he kept his mouth shut immediately; how afraid he was that Heechul was going to snap at him.
“Omma! We’re home!” His cousin had the habit of calling Hyukjae’s mother that, after all they were maternal cousins and it made no much of a difference especially since their mothers were twins.
Hyukjae’s mother walked out of the kitchen, with a spatula on her right hand and a kitchen mitten on her left. She ran up to them, trying to peep into the bag that Hyukjae was holding onto; which was impossible since Heechul kept hiding it away.
“Omma, he looks amazing in it. Even the sale assistant looks like she wants to bang him on the spot! He was so good looking!” Heechul spazzed as he did some weird hand gestures while he was explaining to Hyukjae’s mother, who seemed quite shocked with her nephew’s choice of words.
“I want to see! Hyuk go change!” Hyukjae’s mother had flunked her spatula towards Hyukjae and flipped it back to his room, forcing him to go change into the suit and do a catwalk for his mother.
Murmurs could be heard as Hyukjae was putting on his suit. It was so beautiful and it doesn’t seem to match him a bit.
Reluctantly, Hyukjae stepped out of his room; only to bump into his smirking cousin and excited mother standing in front of the door.
“What are you two doing here?” Hyukjae had the shocked of his life, and took a step back - which gave a better view to the two bystanders.
“Hmmm, Chullie dear, you really made a good choice. I always knew I could trust your taste when it comes to fashion.” Hyukjae then realised that Heechul’s sudden visit wasn’t by luck, but that his mother had called the latter over for help.
Hyukjae’s mother took a step forward to examine her son. The navy blue collared shirt fit him nicely, as the greenish-grey suit hung over his small build. The deep V-neck cut on the jacket was able to emphasize on his lean chest, revealing the concaves of his abs that were vividly visible behind the shirt.
“He is so damn-god-sexy. Tell me about it.” Heechul did that weird hand gesture again - where he will pretend to faint and fan himself.
And it feels so weird having to hear your cousin spazz about you; what more a male cousin. In front of your mother.
Awkwardly, Hyukjae stepped back into his room to change out of his newly bought suit while his mother and cousin discussed about his look. Discuss would technically be an understatement since they were practically screaming oh my god every second.
~~~
Hyukjae stood in front of his closet and stared at the two suits that were hung on there. In the darkness, both looked almost identical - Black long sleeve button top with a neatly pressed jacket. However, it was obvious that the recently bought one had a more up to date design; its plunging v-neck on its jacket, studded with Swarovski beads sewed on its edges. The material was rougher and the cotton was harder than his older one.
The other was worn less than two weeks ago - during Graduation Night, and that was only his fifteenth time wearing it. Fifteenth. He mentally cursed at the number of functions that he had to attention in University. After graduating from High School, which is the second time he had worn the suit, he had to wear the suit four times each year, on average - from Appreciation Night, to Dinner and Dance, to Prom Night, and Graduation Night. Apparently in Universities Prom isn’t Graduation Night, vice versa, unlike Middle and High School.
High School prom. Masquerade Ball. Sigh.
Sliding his fingers along the older one which he had painfully bought using his swear-earned money, he clenched onto the jacket - exactly how that unknown man did.
Hyukjae swallowed the invisible lump in his throat as his body moved against the man’s automatically. The air in his lungs was getting a little thinner as he tried to breathe in more oxygen. The excitement drowning him like a bottle of hard liquor flowing through his veins as their bodies started to synchronize.
Just as the man slid his right hand down Hyukjae’s chest from his shoulder, their little party was crashed with the teacher yelling straight into the Microphone, stopping a couple from dry humping each other on one of the tables, followed by the lights being switched back on . After all this was only a High School prom and things weren’t supposed to be rated, yet.
Upon realising what had just happened, that man ran away before Hyukjae could ask for his name.
It’s crazy how one man can drive Hyukjae’s mind crazy. Correction, one memory of an unknown man. Hyukjae has no idea who he was, where he is, what he does. All Hyukjae remembers is that vanilla scent that lingers in his mind, that unique scent that seem to be engraved in his mind and not found anywhere else, and the doe-like eyes that he found comfort in.
This is crazy. I’m going crazy.
~~~
Heechul had decided to pop by early that morning of the Appreciate Night, along with his Chinese boyfriend, Hankyung. Both Heechul and Hankyung were graduates from Jongwook University too, and each of them held reputable positions when they were still undergrads. While Hankyung was the president of the dance society, before Hyukjae had taken over the role, Heechul was the just known for his witty personality and outgoing character.
Heechul thought bringing Hankyung along would be helpful for Hyukjae since he is going to be going what Hankyung had done the year before.
Hyukjae was still in bed when Heechul barge into his room and dragged the little man out of bed. It was only ten in the morning, way too early for a guy to start preparing for a dinner. Hyukjae’s mother had his suit well pressed the night before, and he had everything neatly placed on his table - the invitation card, his wallet and his accessories. There was no reason for him to wake up at ten, to prepare for a dinner at seven.
Despite Hyukjae’s constant whining and Hankyung’s nagging about it being too early, Heechul still managed to get the former out of his bed fifteen minutes later.
“Hyung, I am a man. Why do I need eight hours to prepare for a stupid dinner? It isn’t as though I will take half a day to travel to the hotel, it’s Bleu Saphir - it is located just thirty minutes away?” Hyukjae mumbled as he brushed his teeth. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Hankyung giving him a pitiful look, and his cousin pacing up and down his room.
“We have to do your hair, your make up, make sure that you are well-groomed and well prepared for your speech, and of course make sure you have your mask!” Hyukjae spat out the toothpaste in his mouth as he stared at Heechul who wouldn’t stop babbling about irrelevant things.
When Heechul finally realised that Hyukjae was staring at him, he noticed the complete shock and lost expression: What are you talking about?
“Oh my god, you don’t have your mask? Don’t you know that tonight’s theme is Dancing With The Phantom?” Heechul picked up the invitation from Hyukjae’s desk and pointed to him the fine lined wordings:
Theme: Dancing With the Phantom
Masks should be worn upon entry
Hyukjae threw his towel on his chair as he grabbed the invitation card.
Isn’t there any originality to party themes?
Hyukjae threw his invitation card on the table as he slumped back onto his bed, another perfect reason to not go for the Appreciation Night.
“I don’t have any mask.” Hyukjae threw the pillow over his face and tried sneaking under the blanket, hoping to get back to sleep since he couldn’t go without and mask and he didn’t have a mask now.
For a good five minutes, Hyukjae did fall back to sleep while Heechul dragged out a box from Hyukjae’s closet.
Pulling out all his old uniforms, Heechul found the exact thing that he was looking for - Hyukjae’s High School prom’s mask. Hyukjae had treasured it like gold, for some reason that Heechul couldn’t dig out. There were a couple of times that Heechul tried bribing Hyukjae to sell him the mask because it was really pretty, but it was of no use since the latter refused to budge. When Heechul actually tried stealing the mask from its owner, Hyukjae eventually ran to the thief’s house and ripped Heechul’s shirt in the process of trying to get back his mask. That particular incident allowed Heechul to finally realise the importance of the mask - no way was he going to risk his clothing being torn again.
Hankyung was instructed to drag Hyukjae out of bed, like literally, but the Chinese man was too demure with the simple tapping of shoulders, which obviously wouldn’t work on a log like Hyukjae, and ultimately Heechul had to personally pull the skinny one out of bed. Pull.
Profanities were thrown all over the room as Heechul woke Hyukjae up in a very unpleasant way. Thankfully the peace maker Hankyung was there to calm Hyukjae and allowed him to sit up properly on his bed to listen to Heechul.
“Being a year older, don’t give you the privilege to pull me out of bed like a toy. I can feel pain.” Hyukjae cursed lowly, as he sat by the edge of the bed. Heechul rolled his chair towards Hyukjae as he revealed the mask in his hands.
Hyukjae snatched back the mask, thinking that Heechul had that intention of stealing his mask again. Mask, right. That was when it had struck the dancer that he had a mask, and he had to attend his Appreciation Night.
Grumbling, Hyukjae slammed his face onto his pillow while Heechul triumphantly skipped out of his room.
“5 minutes.”
And that was Heechul’s indication for Hyukjae to be down for breakfast.
~~~
“My handsome son, what have I done to earn such a good looking son?” Hyukjae’s mother held his face as she smiled brightly. She took a step back and revealed the expensive DSLR in her hand, snapping a few shots of Hyukjae.
Hyukjae had his hair freshly dye chestnut brown and applied some wax onto the messily ruffled hair, giving him a sexy, yet innocent small boy look.
Six, the exact time that he wanted to leave his house. Hyukjae had no idea how those eight hours had past so quickly - all he did was dye his hair, take two baths, ate three meals, drank five cartons of strawberry milk, recited his speech a thousand times, and messed his hair.
“I told you, I’m always accurate with planning for big days.” Heechul stepped in front of Hyukjae, sweeping off some invisible dust from his shoulder and gave his infamous smirk.
Hyukjae rolled his eyes, pushing Heechul away as he grabbed his phone, wallet, mask and invitation card that was left on the dining table.
“I’m leaving.”
~~~
As usual, Hyukjae was waiting for his friends at the bus stop near Bleu Saphir. He was the earliest, since the traffic was light and had arrived at a quarter before seven.
It didn’t take long for Jongwoon and Ryeowook to turn up, just about ten minutes later. Hyukjae was about to call Sungmin and Junsu, when he saw the two running towards him with their boyfriend.
“Seven, we are on time!” Junsu panted as he checked his watch. Indeed, they were or otherwise.
“Come on, I have seen the other presidents walking in! I bet we are going to be the latest!” Hyukjae took the lead, as the other three couples tried to catch up.
Funny thing was, Yoochun, Junsu’s boyfriend, and Kyuhyun, Sungmin’s boyfriend, were nagging at how the other was taking too long. From what Hyukjae thinks, Kyuhyun should be the one that caused their couple to be late - with his starcraft addiction, and Junsu was obviously late because he was too busy eating. This would mean that Sungmin is being nagged for a wrong reason, and obviously he rebutted.
“Cho Kyuhyun, who was the one playing for hours and refusing to change; and only switched off his stupid game when he realised it he was running late for his Appreciation Night? Don’t make me confiscate your laptop from you, again.” Sungmin argued with the gamer, who returned with a pout and endless pleads. It didn’t make sense to anyone why Kyuhyun had to make it seem that Sungmin was at fault.
“Let’s go register! Everyone’s entering the ballroom already!” Ryeowook pointed at the entrance of the ballroom where the leaders was walking into.
“Hyukjae, why are you so late?”
At the entrance, Jeongsu, the President of Jongwoon University Student Union (JUSU) questioned Hyukjae as he pointed out to them the the sitting arrangement. Like in Shinhwa, Hyukjae and friends were all very popular among the other students. It wasn’t a surprise since they were all the presidents, or vice presidents of the various clubs or societies of the school.
As mentioned, Hyukjae is the president of the Dance Society; Jongwoon and Junsu were the President and Vice-President of the Vocal Society, respectively; Sungmin was the President of the Guitar Club, Ryeowook was the President of the Pianist Society; Yoochun was the President of the Theatrical Society; and Kyuhyun was the President of the Business Faculty.
Based on the sitting arrangement that was allocated, the leaders from the various societies were seated on the left of the stage, while the faculty leaders are on the right. This would also mean that all of Hyukjae’s friends, except Kyuhyun, would be on the left. The VIPs, mainly the teachers and committee of JUSU, were located right in front of the stage.
Jinki, the Vice-President of SUSU, required them to show their masks upon entry. Jinki was also giving out some, to those who didn’t have; which was everyone except Hyukjae.
“I’m surprised you have a mask.” Junsu peep at the sliver mask in Hyukjae’s hand, “isn’t that our High School mask? I’m surprised you still kept it.”
Before Hyukjae could think of an excuse, Sungmin came to the rescue.
“Let me guess, Heechul?” Hyukjae nodded and tied the mask to the back of his head.
“Why am I not surprised…” Junsu replied back.
~~~
It was around eleven, and the event was supposedly over. Awards were given out, speeches were made, and the teachers had taken their leave, but the students still sat around the table. Everyone had reshuffled to sit with their own group of friends. They knew Jongwook University would never end their night without a round of dancing. It was part of the tradition in Jongwook, to never end off an event without letting the students dance their nights out.
Hyukjae would always try to sneak off with his other friends after every event, who knew they had better plans this time.
“Why don’t we stay for once? We would never be able to enjoy it anymore… It’s our last event for Uni life! Let’s just dance our night away!” Junsu whispered, loud enough for everyone across the table to hear.
“I agree! Who knows if this would be the last time all of us can gather together!” Ryeowook added.
The table of friends continued their discussion for a few moments before the lights started dimming. Cheers resounded through the ballroom as fast pumping music was played.
“Let’s go!” Jongwoon shouted and dragged his petite boyfriend along with him. Ryeowook pulled his best friend, Sungmin, along, who was stopped by Kyuhyun, which he failed in doing so since Sungmin was stronger than him. In the end, everyone was dragged onto the dance floor.
Floors were vibrating, the room was getting stuffy and thankfully, the soundproof walls came in useful at this point of time. Good job to the committee in choosing the right location.
Latest clubbing songs were played through the audio system and the leaders were dancing their night away. As expected, girls were surrounding the more popular group and trying to sneak their numbers into Hyukjae’s jacket and trousers. Hyukjae tried to skilfully shift his body away from anyone that were too close for comfort but he ended up bumping into others. Thankfully, it was his closer friends that were surrounding him.
At one point, Hyukjae was really getting frustrated with the people grinding onto him. He was tired of apologising to the others too, so he just allowed his school mates to continue their actions. He wasn’t sexually-deprived; he just didn’t feel like causing any more trouble to those around him and would rather suffer weird molestation from desperate girls than to knock into anyone else.
Hyukjae’s life in Jongwook is similar to Shinhwa, being chased by tons of girls and confessed by many too; yet despite Hyukjae’s constant, “I am gay,” no one seem to believe him and just continued falling for him. A couple of boys tried hitting on Hyukjae too, but they eventually failed when his fanclub found out about it.
Fanclub. How scary can that bunch of girls get…
Hyukjae was feeling really uncomfortable with the weird touches. He was mentally begging them to leave, or for the music to stop, just like High School prom.
And that brings to the point, why Hyukjae really hates clubbing or dancing in such stuffy area. These dances get too intimate and the touches get too sexual. The frequency of people grinding onto his body get higher, the distance between his body and the others gets shorter. It was suffocating and Hyukjae felt faint. Plus, it really reminds him of that man.
I think I’m hallucinating. That scent… It’s here…
It was as though God had finally heard his cries when hands were slowly removed away. Bodies started to untangle themselves away from the dancer and he was being pushed out of the crowd. Protective arms were wrapped around Hyukjae to prevent him from falling. Even with Hyukjae out of the dance floor, everything was still heated; everyone was too immersed in dancing to notice the missing boy.
The unknown force brought him out of the ballroom. Hyukjae was led to the hotel’s garden and he was honestly thankful to finally have some fresh air in his lungs. Hyukjae’s head was kept down as he was so afraid that someone would spot him and pull him back into the ballroom.
“I hope you wouldn’t think that I’m kidnapping you… You just looked like you needed some help back there.” The unknown man spoke as he passed to Hyukjae a bottle of mineral water.
“No, thank you… really. I was dy-” -ing back there.
Hyukjae choked on his words as he lifted his head to meet the eyes of his saviour for the first time.
“It’s you…”
The stranger smiled shyly at Hyukjae and rubbed his hands on his white platinum hair.
“You remember me?” The stranger questioned, somehow hoping Hyukjae would.
“Shinhwa prom… 3 years ago…” Hyukjae spoke cautiously, worried that he might have mistakenly recognised the wrong person.
“Ah, yes. You remember…” The man smiled cheekily as a faint blush spread on his tan skin.
Hyukjae was mesmerised by the man’s beauty. He seems hotter than what Hyukjae had remembered. Those brown orbs that that were staring straight at Hyukjae, they were beautiful. He could see his own reflection in them and it almost seem like Hyukjae was the only one in his eyes.
“Nice to finally meet you again, Hyukjae. My name is Donghae.” Donghae’s voice snapped Hyukjae out from his trance.
Staring at the out stretched hand out, Donghae was hoping to hint a handshake but the dumbstruck Hyukjae could only grab the blond in for a tight hug.
Filling his body with the vanilla scent, Hyukjae whispered, “I found you, I finally found you…”