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Jisung hadn't interacted much with the backup dancers, he'd admit. Or at all. He was happy to just follow the instructions from the choreographer, and otherwise limit his interactions with the other people in the room to just the members. Their schedule was stressful enough on its own, and he had no desire to deal with strangers on top of that. Maybe that was why he almost jumped out of his skin when one of the backup dancers suddenly tapped him on his shoulder.
It was the second day of practice for part 2 of the ‘No Limits’ theme. The room was filled with people—dancers, film crew and other staff, not to mention his members, who took enough space on their own—and quite frankly, Jisung was feeling a little claustrophobic. While the choreographer and the rest of his members were working on a segment he wasn’t part of, he purposefully found himself a less crowded corner of the practice room to wait in.
He fiddled with his vest, trying to tighten the shoulder strap to no avail. It had kept sliding down all day, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to properly fix it, and now that he was on break, it was proving to be more challenging than he had anticipated.
It was around that time he felt a hand on his shoulder. It came out of nowhere and so unexpectedly that Jisung literally jumped in surprise, much to his own embarrassment.
The stunned dancer stood frozen as Jisung heaved after his breath. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—" he said, but Jisung cut him off.
“No, it was my bad, I’m sorry,” he said, still breathless. “I should pay more attention to my surroundings.”
“No, no, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you,” the dancer said.
“You didn’t sneak up on me! I just startled!”
“Even so, I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“You didn’t—it’s not—I mean—” Jisung started, feeling more and more flustered. He promptly cut himself off before it could get any worse. “Really, it’s fine, don’t worry about it. What did you want?” he said instead, hoping to put an end to this already horribly awkward interaction. It was embarrassing enough to get jump-scared by a tap on the shoulder—no need to put ‘nervous rambling’ on top of that.
“Ah, I just wanted to ask if you needed help with that,” the dancer said, gesturing at the shoulder strap that was still hanging loosely on Jisung’s arm.
Heat rose to his face as he realised that the dancer must have seen him struggling and decided to take pity on him. His immediate instinct was to vehemently deny the need for help—he’d already embarrassed himself enough—but the truth was that he kind of needed it. So he swallowed his pride and said, “thank you, I’d appreciate that.”
He sat down again, and let the dancer work on his vest. He felt the strap loosen before it was firmly reattached. “There,” the dancer said.
Jisung experimentally twisted his upper body and rotated his shoulder a couple of times. The vest felt securely fastened. He grinned and turned to the dancer. “Thank you so much, uhm…” he trailed off. “Uhm, what’s your name?”
“Minho,” the dancer said.
“Thank you, Minho-ssi. I’m Han,” he said.
The dancer, Minho, glanced down at his chest where his name was written in big, black letters on the vest.
“Ahaha, right,” Jisung said, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn’t see much of Minho’s face, since Minho was wearing a black mask that covered most of his face and an equally black beanie that was dragged all the way down to his eyebrows, but he could still see how his eyes crinkled in a smile.
He wanted to say something to keep the conversation going, but he suddenly couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He just stared awkwardly for another moment, until he was abruptly saved by the choreographer calling him back to the dance floor.
“Ah, I should…” he said, and gestured at the group.
“Yeah, you should,” Minho said, and his eyes crinkled again. “It was nice meeting you, Han-ssi.”
“It was nice meeting you, too,” said Jisung, and he hurried back out on the floor before he could make even more of a fool out of himself.
After meeting Minho, Jisung felt like he was everywhere. He was embarrassed to realise that Minho was literally standing right next to him during at least one point of the choreography, and he had never noticed. He had simply been one out of many backup dancers. Jisung suddenly felt very ashamed of himself for not having introduced himself or talked to a single one of them, not counting the group greeting.
He definitely wouldn’t start chatting up every backup dancer or stage technician or staff member he ever met—just the thought made him so anxious he wanted to puke—but from there on, he made an effort to at least say hi. He tried to notice the people in the practice room or on set, and at least recognise some of them.
No one stood out like Minho, though. It was hard to recognise anyone behind a mask in general, but there was something about him that was hard for Jisung to forget. So he started noticing him. He saw him when he was sitting on the side with the other dancers, he saw him when he was going over choreography by himself during break, and he saw him on the dance floor, where he effortlessly executed even the most difficult steps. Jisung wondered how he could have ever not noticed him.
He felt an inexplicable urge to talk to him. He didn’t know why, he just really wanted to get to know him, even though they’d exchanged only a handful of words. He always chickened out, though. So when Minho took the initiative to talk to him, he felt like he'd won some sort of lottery. At first, it was just a greeting and a short exchange of pleasantries, but it soon developed into something that could definitely be categorised as a ‘conversation’, and Jisung felt his heart beat a little bit faster every time.
Mind, they never talked in depth about anything, or even for a particularly long time, but it was always fun. Jisung’s first impression had been right, Minho was an interesting person, and the more they talked, the more Jisung wanted to get to know him. Even for such a surface level relation as theirs, they clicked, chatting and joking as if they’d known each other for much longer than they had. Jisung found himself gravitating towards him when the others were doing their parts, and even during breaks, just hoping Minho would strike up a conversation when Jisung didn’t dare.
The week passed quickly like that. They got through the rest of the preparations, and all of the sudden, it was the day of the performance. Jisung didn’t see Minho the whole day, too caught up in his own head to keep track of anyone that wasn’t another member or the stage director.
He did bump into him after the show was over, though. He was still buzzing with energy, grinning from ear to ear after having fucking nailed the whole thing, when suddenly a pair of very beautiful eyes were blocking his vision.
“You were great,” Minho said, and his eyes narrowed in a smile above his mask.
“Thank you!” Jisung grinned. “And thank you for your hard work, the show wouldn’t have been what it was without you guys,” he added sincerely.
Minho seemed a little taken aback, and there was a missed beat before he said, “Thank you.”
Before Jisung could think of anything more to say, Minho continued, “Well, I’m sure you’ll do great in the rankings, it was a great show.” Then he smiled again, and raised his hand in a fist. “Fighting!”
Minho had already turned around, when Jisung spontaneously decided that this could absolutely not be the last time he saw this person. “Wait!” he called out in a rush of post-show high, and Minho turned back, surprised. “Uhm, do you wanna meet up sometime?”
Oh god, he did not just say that. Did he just say that? Oh god, he totally just said that.
“What?” Minho said, and Jisung saw a glimmer of hope. Maybe he didn’t hear. Maybe he could still save this. Then he met Minho’s eyes, and nope, no, he definitely heard, oh god—
“I just—I mean—I enjoyed talking to you during practice, and—uhm—wanted to see you again?” Fuck, this was a disaster. He should have just let Minho turn around and walk away, then he wouldn’t have once again been making a fool out of himself in front of him.
Minho just smiled, though, so maybe this wasn’t going as bad as he thought— “You know I work at JYP? We’ll probably see each other again,” —and oh god, could someone please just kill him now, because that would surely have been a kinder fate than— “But I’d love to meet up some time,” —and everything was great, life was shining down on him, and Jisung could die happy, and—
“Really??” he squeaked. “I mean, that would be great! Um, I can give you my KakaoTalk ID?” he said, fumbling for his phone.
Minho took out his as well, and a few moments later, Jisung was the proud new owner of one cute dancer’s contact information.
He scurried back to his team after that. He found Chan in the crowd, who was dutifully lagging behind to make sure no one got left behind. The rest of the group were all slowly shuffling out, heading towards their room backstage to watch the next performance. Jisung hurried to catch up.
When he did, Chan threw an arm around him and gave him a shit-eating grin. “So. Minho-ssi, huh,” he said.
“What, how, who? How do you know…?” Jisung stuttered.
“He works at JYP,” Chan said easily. Jisung resisted the urge to groan. Of course Chan knew him. Chan, who made an effort to greet all the staff members and got along with strangers like a house on fire. It was just Jisung who was oblivious to the rest of society. He felt his face heat up with the confirmation that he and Minho probably had met before.
Suddenly feeling a little defensive, Jisung turned his head away. “We’re just talking,” he said defiantly.
Chan just laughed and slapped his shoulder. “Relax, it’s fine. I’m glad you’re making friends.”
Jisung rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”
“Yah!”
Jisung laughed and twisted himself out of Chan’s hold, running ahead to catch up with the rest of the guys. “Keep up, old man!”
“You little—” he heard from behind him, but Jisung didn’t stick around to hear the rest of it. He was still laughing when he joined the other members in their assigned room.
Jisung didn’t get the opportunity to meet up with Minho after the end of the No Limits stages, both of them being more than busy preparing for the finals. Stray Kids dropped WOLFGANG, and then they were thrown head first into practice. He did see Minho, though, because true to his word, he really did work on their team, and was going to be dancing with them for the finals as well.
Jisung had no qualms skipping over to him this time around. The simple knowledge that Minho actually enjoyed his company, enough to have given him his number even, gave him the courage he needed to reach out first for once. It wasn’t just Jisung’s one-sided interest; Minho liked him too—or at the very least enjoyed his presence.
Minho smiled behind his mask when he noticed him. “Shouldn’t you be with your group?” he asked.
“Nah, they can manage without me,” Jisung said. They both looked behind him to where the rest of Stray Kids were making a spectacle.
“Hm. Probably for the best,” Minho said, and Jisung burst out laughing.
Minho just watched him, bemused. When Jisung eventually caught his breath, Minho continued: “You’re laughing awfully well for someone who was being equally loud a moment ago.”
“What, were you watching me?” Jisung said cheekily.
“You’re hard to miss,” said Minho. It sounded like it should have been a joke, but Jisung was taken aback by his sincerity. He felt his face heat up, and all he could do was stare.
Minho eventually grinned behind his mask. “You’re cute when you blush,” he said, which only made Jisung blush harder. Then, out of the blue, Minho reached out and pinched his cheek. Hard.
Jisung yelped, and Minho laughed. “You’re a menace,” he scowled.
Whatever moment they were having was gone, and they easily fell back into their usually lighthearted exchange.
He eventually got called back to set when the rehearsal started. Chan looked knowingly at him when he returned. It was a mix between being fond and teasing that instantly made Jisung’s ear burn.
“Not a word,” he warned.
“I didn’t say anything!” Chan protested.
Jisung just scowled at him, which did little to save his pride and nothing to hide his undoubtedly red ears, but made him feel marginally better regardless.
Chan raised his hands in a ‘backing off’ gesture, but he still chuckled to himself when he turned away.
With Chan off his back, Jisung snuck a glance back at Minho, only to find him staring intently at him. Jisung fought the urge to duck his head, and instead stared back. He couldn’t see Minho’s expression from across the room and behind a mask, but it still felt like electricity between them. He only snapped out of it when his name was called by the stage director.
The countless of hours they spent practicing paid off, because not only did the final stage go GREAT, they fucking won the whole thing. Jisung was in shock. He was overjoyed. It was unreal. It was the realest thing that had ever happened to him.
They stuck around after the filming concluded. All the groups were gathering around, congratulating them and being generally so nice. Hugs were passed around, and pictures were taken. It felt more like a group of friends coming together than anything else. And a lot of them were. They had entered as rivals, and come out on the other end as friends, and Jisung was genuinely going to miss everyone.
After returning to their room backstage, they also did a short segment for STAY that was going up on their own YouTube channel, before eventually getting ready to leave.
The exhaustion set in shortly after that, as the adrenalin from the performance and the win eventually left his blood stream. He sunk back in his seat in the car on the way back to the dorm. Beside him, I.N was staying mostly quiet as well, but the rest of the members were being loud as ever. Jisung was happy to tune them out, staring mindlessly out the car window at the city lights.
He didn’t check his phone until they all got back to the dorm. He hadn’t seen Minho since the performance, and he had desperately wanted to text him about it, but he hadn’t wanted to do that with all the members still looming over him.
When he opened his phone, though, Minho had already beaten him to it.
Congrats on the win!!!!
The message made Jisung grin from ear to ear. He shot back a ‘thank you’ with double the amount of exclamation marks. He hesitated for a moment, typing out another message and quickly pressing send before he could change his mind.
We have some time off now that Kingdom is over, do you want to meet up sometime?
The moment he sent the message, a wave of conflicting emotion rushed through him, ranging from giddiness to instant regret. He threw his phone on the bed and buried his face in his pillow to muffle a scream. Fuck, he was down bad.
Minho didn’t reply until the next day. Jisung’s phone pinged with the message while the whole group was gathered for a communal breakfast. ‘I’d love to, when and where?’ it said, and Jisung made an embarrassingly high-pitched sound. He clasped his hand over his mouth, six pairs of eyes looking questioningly at him.
“Minho-ssi replied,” he said, and the whole table erupted in cheers and whistles.
“Shut up,” Jisung groaned. “This is serious! What am I gonna say?”
“What did he say?” Chan asked.
“He asked when and where we should meet.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know!”
The room erupted in overlapping voices as the members started throwing out suggestions, all while mercilessly teasing him at the same time. Jisung let them get away with it, secretly very thankful for their input.
“Ok, I got it,” he said eventually, settling on a café he’d been to before that he knew he liked. The table calmed down as he typed out the address. Before sending it, he added, ‘I’m free this week, so anytime is fine!’
The reply came instantly. How about later today, maybe 7 PM?
With all the members gathered around and watching him closely, Jisung refrained from squealing again, but it was a damn near thing. He pressed the phone against his chest, though it did nothing to contain the butterflies inside him.
“Well, what did he say?” Hyunjin asked impatiently.
Jisung couldn’t hold back his smile. “Later tonight!”
Changbin slapped his back. “Way to go, Hannie,” he grinned.
Jisung blushed. “Shut up, hyung, it’s not like that.”
“If you say so,” he said and smirked.
Jisung shoved him. Chan chose that moment to intervene, and seamlessly changed the subject to spare him from further embarrassment. Jisung didn’t pay it much heed—all he could think about was Minho—but appreciated it nonetheless.
The day seemed to snail away, and Jisung got more and more nervous as time passed. He spent an unreasonable amount of time getting ready. He even swallowed his pride and went to I.N for an outfit approval. He proceeded to stress-pace around the dorm, until even Felix started teasing him. He couldn’t even be properly mad at them for it, because it was not like they were wrong—he was nervous about meeting his crush one-on-one for the first time. It wasn’t even a date, and he was still acting like this!
(But god did he want it to be. He had a big, embarrassing crush on one Lee Minho, and there was nothing he wanted more than to go on a real date with him.)
The members eventually kicked him out of the dorm, sick of his pacing and general restlessness, even though there was still a good hour until seven o’clock. Jisung went without too much of a fuss—he was getting sick of himself at this point. He started walking, hoping to kill both time and walk off some of the nervous energy that was thrumming through his body.
By the time he reached the café, he was only 15 minutes early. It was late, and there weren’t many people around, other than another guy leaning against the front of the building. He was dressed in dark clothes with a black mask to go with it. His face was illuminated by his phone screen, but Jisung couldn’t see much of it because of the hair that was falling into his eyes. Still—
“Minho-ssi?” Jisung asked tentatively.
The guys looked up. “Ey, so formal,” he said, tucking his phone away. “We’re friends, no? You can call me more familiarly.”
Jisung beamed. “Should we go in then, hyung?” he said. He couldn’t see much of Minho’s face in the dark, but he thought he was smiling as well.
They found a seat away from the windows, mostly hidden from view. It was one of the things he had liked about the café the first time he went.
“Do you mind if I—?” Jisung said, gesturing at his mask.
“No, it’s fine,” Minho said.
Jisung took off his mask and put it away. When he looked up, Minho had done the same, and Jisung’s mouth fell open.
“What, do I have something on my face?”
Jisung violently shook his head, still at loss for words. “N-no, I just realised I’ve never seen you without a mask before.”
Minho looked genuinely surprised. “Really?”
“You’re really pretty,” Jisung blurted, and oh dear, he did not just say that out loud, someone please just put him out of his misery—
Except Minho just smiled, and for the first time, Jisung could actually see his smile, and not just the crescents of his eyes. “You’re cute.”
Jisung’s entire face felt like it was on fire. He was sure not even the dimmed lighting could hide his blush. If so, Minho was kind enough not to comment on it, though. “Do you want something to eat or drink?” he asked instead.
Relieved, Jisung accepted the out Minho had given him. “Maybe an iced americano,” he said. He didn’t think he could stomach anything right now, even if he wanted to.
“Sure you don’t want anything to eat? My treat.”
“No, it’s fine,” he said. “And I can pay for myself, no worries.”
“No,” was all Minho said in response, before abruptly getting up and leaving. Jisung blinked after him.
He returned a few moments later, carrying two iced americanos and a piece of cake. He sat down and shoved one of the americanos towards Jisung.
“Thank you,” he said, but Minho waved him off.
The tension from earlier had mostly dissipated. Jisung thought it was mostly thanks to Minho for being so not weird about this. They fell back into familiar patterns, and Jisung almost forgot why he had been so nervous in the first place. Being around Minho was easy. He laughed, rambled, listened, teased and got teased in return, and it was like they had known each other for years, not mere weeks.
When Minho eventually took the first bite of his cake, Jisung had long since regained his appetite, and unabashedly followed the movement with his eyes. It didn’t escape Minho’s attention, who magically conjured a second spoon, and wordlessly pushed the plate forward so it sat right in the middle of them. Jisung accepted the spoon, and then they were sharing the cake, and it was the most romantic thing that had happened to him in his life. He might swoon on the spot if this went on.
They sat there for hours, just talking. They sat there for so long that he even got a message from Chan asking him if he was okay. They sat there for so long that the staff had to come over and remind them of their closing time. Still, Jisung never wanted this night to end.
They did eventually have to get up and leave, though. Minho followed him to his bus stop. The tension from earlier didn’t quite return, but there was still something in the air between them that made Jisung’s heart race. They walked silently side by side, so close that their hands almost brushed together.
When they arrived at the stop, Minho suddenly turned to him.
“Jisung, I hope I’m not reading this wrong, but was this a date?”
Jisung almost stumbled on nothing, shocked. “I—I wasn’t—I mean, I hoped so?” he stuttered.
Minho grinned behind his mask. “I did too.”
They stared at each other for a long time. It was quiet outside, but Jisung’s heart was beating loudly in his chest. He wanted to kiss him so bad, but they were in public, and he couldn’t. Jisung wondered if Minho was thinking the same.
He leaned in for a hug instead, just because he could. Minho stiffened for a half a second before hugging him back whole-heartedly. They fit together like clay in a mould, and Jisung clung to him, a little too tightly for someone he had barely known for a month.
Unfortunately, the bus was approaching in the distance, and Jisung forced himself to step back.
“I’ll see you soon?” he asked, not even bothering to hide the hope in his voice.
“Yeah, I’ll see you soon,” Minho said softly, and warmth spread in Jisung’s whole chest. He really liked him so much.
They finished practice early for once, after a long week in the practice room. Kingdom might be over, but there was enough work to be done with their second full-length album coming up. Jisung wouldn’t normally mind—they had so much fun in the practice room, it barely even felt like work half the time—but he had somewhere else he would like to be right now.
The other members were still joking around when Jisung got up. “I’ll see you later,” he said.
“Hey, wait up! Where are you going?” Changbin shouted before Jisung managed to sneak away.
“Oh, you know…” he said in place of answering, gesturing vaguely at the door.
“Are you going to see your boyfriend?” Felix asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.
Jisung pouted. “He’s not my boyfriend.” Yet, he added mentally.
“So you are going to see Minho-ssi?”
“Who else?” Jisung huffed. Let’s be real, it wasn’t like he had a whole bunch of other friends at the company. For all that the members teased him about ‘sneaking around’ with Minho, he wasn’t actually going out of his way to hide it. He just got very… flustered whenever the topic came up.
With the members still whooping and shouting after him, he swiftly exited the practice room and headed to where Minho would be. He took a slight detour through the cafeteria, picking up a sandwich for each of them. He definitely didn’t skip down the hallway.
Minho was alone in the room when he entered. It was another practice room, smaller than the rooms Stray Kids usually occupied, but still familiar, with its red walls and light wooden floor. The music was blasting, and Minho was going through a routine that wasn’t familiar to Jisung. They locked eyes through the mirror as Minho noticed him, but Jisung gestured for him to continue. He sat down on the side of the mirror, so he could see him better.
Jisung watched Minho, spellbound, as he danced. The precision, the fluidity, and the sheer force behind his movements—it was amazing. Jisung couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing hidden away in a practice room at JYPE.
It was over much too soon. Minho dried the sweat on his face and neck with his t-shirt, before joining Jisung by the mirror. “You’re so cool,” Jisung said, eyes still glued to him.
For once, it was Minho who blushed, his ears going delightfully red. “Naturally,” he said dismissively, fooling no one. “Now, did you come to just bother me or what?”
“Well, I did bring food, but if you’re gonna be like that, I might just eat both of these myself,” Jisung said, dangling the bag with the sandwiches in front of Minho.
Minho tried to snatch the bag, but Jisung was faster. “Nuh-uh-uh,” he said, now standing and holding the bag at arm’s length. “What are the magic words?”
“‘If you don’t give me whatever you have in that bag, you will regret it’?” Minho said, blinking innocently.
Jisung looked away, nose in the air. “Threats will get you nowhere,” he sniffed.
“I’m sorry, what I meant to say was ‘Oh, Jisungie, you’re so amazing, your kindness knows no bounds’,” Minho deadpanned.
Jisung grinned as he sat down. “A ‘please’ would have done it, but if you say so,” he said.
Minho glared daggers at him. “You little shit.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Jisung said loudly, propping his hand behind his ear in an ‘I’m listening’ gesture.
“Would you please give me the food,” Minho said, even louder.
“That’s more like it,” Jisung said, pleased, finally handing over the bag.
Minho shook his head, but Jisung could see him biting back a smile. “Thank you,” he said genuinely, when he finally got his sandwich.
They ate in silence for a while. Jisung had almost forgotten how hungry he was, too focused on Minho to notice, but now that they were eating, he could really feel the long day in the practice room.
When they finished eating, Minho went back to whatever he had been doing before Jisung came.
(“Choreographing,” he had replied when Jisung asked.
“You choreograph??” Jisung asked, baffled.
“I told you that I work here, what did you think that I did?”
“I don’t know, backup-dancer stuff?”
“I guess that too,” Minho said, bemused. “But I have a bachelor in Choreography from K-Arts.”
“Wow. You’re so cool.”
Minho just laughed.)
Jisung was happy to just watch Minho as he worked. He really looked incredible, and Jisung honestly felt like he was doing something illegal, being able to watch him up close like this. Jisung was surrounded by dancers, but this was on a whole ‘nother level. Not to mention that he was incredibly sexy, his mind supplied—and nope, that was a thought for another time.
As time went on, Jisung eventually did find other things to occupy himself with. Feeling inexplicably inspired, he spent some of the time with his nose in the notes app, writing down fragments of lyrics that popped up in his head. (All of which he later would end up scrapping just because of how sappy they were.)
Minho eventually wrapped up and slumped down on the sofa Jisung had relocated to. He dried his face with a small towel. Jisung wasn’t sure he managed to look so beautiful even with a red face and sweat dripping down the tips of his hair, but he did, and Jisung couldn’t stop staring.
Minho noticed, and turned his head to look back at him. They stared at each other, and the air between them somehow felt both very comfortable and tense at the same time. Jisung felt his eyes wander down to Minho’s lips, before snapping right up again to where Minho’s eyes were still looking intently at him.
“Can I kiss you?” Minho asked.
Jisung’s mind went completely blank for a moment. He blinked and stared, and with Minho looking back at him expectantly, the words slowly began to register. When realisation finally hit, his whole body was brimming with barely contained anticipation. Jisung frantically nodded, because every moment that was not spent not kissing Minho was a moment wasted.
Minho leaned in, and Jisung’s heart was going haywire. He closed his eyes.
The moment Minho’s lips met his, his mind short-circuited. Minho was kissing him. They were kissing, and it was better than he had ever imagined. Minho’s lips were soft, and so, so gentle against his. They tasted salty from sweat, but Jisung didn’t care. It was the greatest kiss of all time, because it was Minho, and Minho was the greatest of all time.
When they broke apart, the first thing that tumbled out of his mouth was, “I like you so much,” because he had seemingly no control of his words whenever Minho was around.
Minho grinned. “I really like you too.”
Jisung immediately leaned in for another kiss, which Minho readily returned. He was just so happy. He liked Minho. Minho liked him back. In that moment, that was all he really cared about.