Chapter Text
Yunho walked through the tables to the one that sat at the very back.
The newspaper’s editor, Hongjoong, sat behind the ‘main desk’. It wasn’t any different than the desks in the small room, but it had a plaque naming him as the editor. He was the one in charge of deciding what articles got into the paper, who should be working on what, and basically got final say in everything. Hongjoong had been working on the newspaper since his freshman year and had worked his way up to editor during his senior year.
He was a bit intimidating, as most in the room would praise his work ethic and ability to see what would do well or not. Most of the journalists in the room, though maybe not saying it out loud, would call him an inspiration of what they all wanted to do in eventuality. The man would probably have a golden portfolio whenever he went looking for official employment, and it was rumored that many well known publications were already vying for him when he finally graduated.
So to say that Yunho was nervous was an understatement. He was the paper’s photographer. Well, one of three, but he was considered the best. Or so Hongjoong would tell him when no one else was listening. They had been friends since Yunho had joined in his freshman year, when Hongjoong was only a sophomore journalist. It hadn’t surprised him when his friend made it to the top spot. Friends or not, he still found his stomach churning with apprehension as he approached.
Sitting down in the chair across from Hongjoong, who was typing away quickly on his laptop, he waited until the man finally paused whatever he was doing.
He looked up, and motioned to his screen, where the most recent email of Yunho’s work was pulled up. “Some of your best work.” He commented.
It was said matter of factly, not much more emotion than that. Yunho knew that was his highest praise. There was no twinge of an eyebrow, or downturn of his lips that would normally imply it could still be better. The less emotion he showed when giving a compliment, the more honest his words were. It had been something to get used to, for the whole room. He had rarely seen Hongjoong smile when giving praise unless it was to the younger students he was encouraging.
The older students got tougher love.
“Thank you. I still feel like it could be better.” Yunho offered, twisting his hands in his lap.
Hongjoong grunted, finally giving a small smile. “Good. Do better next time.” It wasn’t an insult, only an understanding of always wanting to be better at the things they cared about. There was always growth and learning to be done. He had turned away, thinking the conversation was over, but raised an eyebrow when he realized Yunho was still fidgeting across from him. “Is there something else?”
Clearing his throat, rehearsed words playing through his head, Yunho sat up straighter. He towered over his friend even when sitting, but still the other was more intimidating. “Umm…” Another clearing of his throat. “I uh… I want to try my hand at writing something.”
Sitting back in his chair, Hongjoong gave him a calculating look. “Have you taken any journalism classes?”
He nodded. “I started one this semester. I’ve been thinking of expanding my portfolio.” Yunho continued on, seeing the raised eyebrow. “I also feel like I’ve learned a lot by working with the others, and you.”
The praise falls flat, as it always did. Hongjoong was immune to it. He brought up a hand, fingers running across his lips in thought, watching Yunho squirm uncomfortably. “It probably won’t make it into the paper.”
Yunho nodded quickly. “I know, I don’t expect it to be perfect or for it to be good enough to put in the paper, I just want to try.”
A small, impressed, smile appeared on the editor’s face. “Okay.” Yunho deflated, relief settling his tense shoulders. Hongjoong reached for his laptop, typing away until a ding came from Yunho’s phone. “There’s an interview everyone has been fighting for, but he keeps turning people down.”
Pulling out his phone, Yunho pulled open the email, taking in the basic picture of a man in a studio. He looked like a dancer. “You want me to try to interview someone who turned down everyone else?” Sighing, he gave Hongjoong a frustrated look. “You couldn’t give me something easy?”
“Interviews are always awkward.” He waved his frustration away. “You said you want to try. So try.”
Yunho rolled his eyes. “You’re setting me up for failure.”
“Everyone fails. A lot.” The editor was uncaring, almost amused. He shrugged. “Do or don’t, that’s all I got for you right now.”
He let out a deep breath. “Is there a time limit?”
Hongjoong barked out a laugh. “For something that probably won’t make it into the paper? Nah, just get some experience.”
It should make him upset, the almost rude explanation, but it makes him feel better. Growth was uncomfortable and often ended in many failures before a win. Having his editor, and friend, be brutally honest was what he needed. Also, knowing that even if he did get the interview and write it, only Hongjoong would be privy to the quality. It was a learning experience, and he knew his friend wouldn’t put him through unnecessary embarrassment by sending it through the sub editor.
“Okay.” He sighed, feeling his nerves return in full force. “Is he nice?”
“From what I’ve heard, it’s always been a respectful refusal.” Hongjoong was already back to clicking away at his laptop.
Nodding slowly, he chewed on his lip. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll go then.”
“Drinks tonight?” His friend asked as he rose to leave. “You can update me then.”
Yunho smiled. “Sure. See yah later.” He turned and left.
~~~
He looked down at his phone, rereading the information other journalists had compiled during their try at interviewing Song Mingi.
Mingi was a Junior, like Yunho. He was well known in the dance major, not only because of his technical ability, but for his charisma and teaching ability. He was also the main choreographer for Ateez, a dance group he had started in freshman year. They were national competition winners. All of the members of the team, a group of five men, were being scouted by many crews and studios for when they graduated, and some even before. Quite the intimidating team leader, he mused, seeing that all the other members had agreed to interviews in the past, though it had been a while for their oldest member, Park Seonghwa. Only Mingi had consistently denied interviews.
Sighing, nerves spiking, he put the phone away as he walked down the hallway. He was headed toward the practice room where the reports said Mingi practiced everyday at the same time. Besides the weekends, apparently. Yunho didn’t want to wait till Monday, worried his nerves would get the better of him and he would bail out before even trying.
It had been a while since he had felt nervous about something. He usually prided himself in his abilities, but there was something about interviewing someone that sent his fingers fidgeting. Befriending someone had always been a hit or miss with him, but he had never cared enough to feel embarrassed if his personality didn’t mesh well with someone. There was a kind of unbiased thinking that came with journalism that he didn’t know if he could acquire. He doubted he would interview someone he didn’t think he’d like.
Luckily, from all reports, Mingi seemed like a rather cool person.
When he ducked his head into the room, he found all the lights off. Yunho frowned, stepping into the doorway and staring into the room. Pulling out his phone, he saw that it was about twenty minutes past what his information had told him. Mingi should be here. It’s not like he expected the information to be law, but he kind of felt a little put off by it. He groaned, putting his phone away and crossing his arms over his chest, cursing the man that technically didn’t do anything wrong.
“Are you looking for someone?” The lights came on.
The voice startled him, and he jumped away, cursing. Yunho took in the amused face of Song Mingi, who stepped past him to place his bag on a table against a wall. The man was tall, very tall. Well, not as tall as Yunho, but this man still ended pretty close even when he kicked off his shoes, if only slightly since Yunho still had on his. The face was youthful, marked with a couple blemishes on his cheek, with less severe sharpness compared to most of his fellow dance team members.
He was wearing joggers, though they seemed to be a bit higher on his ankles than they were meant to be, and Yunho could sympathize with that, knowing how annoying it could be to find the right length of pants. Mingi’s amused, curious look disappeared as he pulled off his loose sweater, showing off a lean body in a compression shirt. The joggers were low on his hips, showing a sliver of skin and the waistband of underwear when he raised it over his head.
Yunho blinked after a moment, realizing he had been asked something. He stood up straight, clearing his throat as he fixed his own jacket. “I’m here for you, actually.”
The eyes found him quickly, tossing away the sweater without caring that it only landed near the table instead of on it. He felt his face nearly turn into annoyance as he watched Mingi’s eyes look him over, judging him, eyes landing on the camera that always was around his neck. “What for?”
“An Interview.” He didn’t have to wait long for the answering eye roll. “Yeah, I know. You’ve turned down every other person.”
He barked out a laugh, moving off toward the middle of the room, beginning to lean down to touch his toes. “And yet here you are, bothering me like the rest.”
Yunho watched him begin to stretch, already seeming to write him off. He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning at him. “Hey, I didn’t want to bother you either, but I had to try.”
“Why?” The dancer looked at him through the mirrors that made up the whole wall opposite the door. He sat on the floor, continuing his stretching.
He didn’t turn away, locking eyes with him. “I’m usually just the photographer, but I wanted to try my hand at journalism. You were the only option I was given.”
Bending the other way, Mingi stretched out his legs in an almost split. “They couldn’t tell you to write for a music column or interview one of the soccer players? Any of those sport freaks would kill to feel like they matter in this school.” They were at a very well known arts university, and being on a sports team wasn’t the bragging point it normally would be at another university.
Yunho snorted in agreement, finding himself smiling and relaxing. “Trust me, an interview is the last thing I was expecting.”
“So you’re not that invested?” He asked, leaned back on his hands, still only watching through the mirrors.
He shrugged. “I’d really like to prove myself, but I’m not going to be put off if you turn me down.” Yunho raised an eyebrow, thinking of something else that might help his case. “Though, it most likely won’t make it into the paper because I’m new and it’ll probably be useless. So if you give me a chance, you would be helping without having to worry about anyone actually reading it.” He paused, watching the curious look the dancer was giving him. “I could use the practice.”
There was a long moment where they watched each other through the mirrors. Yunho fiddled uncomfortably with his camera, trying to to look away. He knew it was in his head, but he felt like he was being assessed. Like Mingi was sizing him up whether he was worth something or not. He didn’t really like that feeling coming from a stranger. Especially a fellow student.
“What’s your name?”
“Uh, Jeong Yunho.”
“Do you dance?” Mingi’s question caught him off guard, frowning as the dancer rose from his sitting position and turning to him.
He shook his head, an incredulous laugh escaped before he could stop it. “No. I take pictures. That’s about it.”
Mingi stepped forward, face impassive as he reached out and lifted the camera, letting it fall back against Yunho’s chest. He cleared his throat awkwardly as the dancer hummed. “And yet here you are trying something new.”
Yunho reached up, fixing the strap of his camera nervously. “What’s that have to do with dancing?”
Turning away, he walked over to his bag, pulling out his phone. “How will you understand a thing about me if you don’t understand anything about dancing?” Soft music began playing through speakers wired around the room.
“Isn’t the point of an interview for you to answer those types of questions?” He found his patience starting to wane.
The dancer turned to him, head tilting to the side, giving him that assessing look again. “Your interview would interrupt my practice time.”
“We could find another time.”
“I don’t have any other free time.” Mingi took a couple more steps forward, watching Yunho fidget uncomfortably with his camera strap. “Help me practice, and you can have your interview.”
It took him a moment to process the words, but he felt the laughter bubble out of him, eyes closing with mirth. “Right. I don’t know how to dance, so how does that help either of us?”
“Teaching is great practice.” Mingi was suddenly in front of him when his eyes opened, causing a sound of surprise to escape him.
He was frozen as the taller man lifted the camera strap over his head. Yunho could do nothing more than stand there, mouth open in confusion and surprise as his bag was taken as well, and he watched Mingi set his stuff on the table. Returning, smile small but amused, Mingi reached out for his jacket, pushing it over his shoulders.
“It’ll get too hot if you wear that.” He said softly as he pushed it down to his elbows.
Yunho finally got control of his frozen shock, pulling away and replacing his jacket to its original spot. “I don’t think this is what my editor wanted me doing when he told me to get an interview.” He stepped away, feeling his ears burning with awkward embarrassment. “Thank you for your time.”
He was walking over to the table, beginning to collect his things when Mingi sidled up beside him, amusement splitting a wider smile across his face. Leaning back against the table, he crossed his arms over his chest as he watched a flustered Yunho put the camera strap over his neck. “Have you always been scared of new things?”
Turning on him, he narrowed his eyes. “I’m not scared. It’s just awkward.” Yunho was unbothered by his own honesty.
Giving him a softer smile, more sympathetic than amused, he leaned a little closer. “How jealous will those other journalists be that you got an interview and they didn’t?”
Yunho’s eyes narrowed more. “What do you get out of it? Enjoyment at making fun of me for being bad?”
“Helping one more person understand the freedom I feel when I dance.” Mingi’s answer was more profound than he was expecting, and even his kind eyes and warm smile felt genuine.
He was thrown by it, honestly. “What kind of dancing?”
Smile turning more playful, like he was winning, Mingi shrugged. “The normal. I’m currently trying my hands at couples’ dances. Hip hop and group choreography comes easy to me, but I’m trying my hand at the more classical dances. Waltz, tango, stuff like that.”
Yunho’s cheeks flush, suddenly aware of his closeness. “We’re both dudes.”
The barked, incredulous, laugh in response is slightly judgment filled. “Oh boo hoo, poor photographer is scared to dance with a boy. My whole team is boys, it’s not a big deal. Dance is dance.”
His body shivered at the intense eyes watching him, as if challenging him. Yunho turned away, fidgeting with his bag’s straps. Part of him wanted to bail, to run out of the room and tell Hongjoong he changed his mind. Another part of him rose up at the challenging tone and demanded he proved the man wrong. Yunho had never been good at being told he couldn’t do something. It always made him have to at least try.
“How will I get to interview you if you’re teaching me to dance?” He tried to keep his voice firm, to not give away his nerves.
Mingi smiled like he had won a battle, pushing away from the table and, once again, pulling the camera off from around his neck. “Trust me, you can’t dance with someone and not learn things about them.” He smiled as he sat the camera down. “It’ll be organic, trust me. It’ll make for a better article. Come on.”
He pushed away the hand that tried to help him out of the jacket. Yunho huffed, finally giving in but making sure Mingi knew he wasn’t happy about it. “You never offered this trade to any of the other journalists.” Guys or girls.
Shrugging, he waited patiently. “You caught me on a good day.” He kicked Yunho’s shoes, motioning for him to take them off, and the photographer raised an eyebrow in amusement as their height difference became more obvious.
Yunho sighed heavily, giving him a careful look. “Shouldn’t have even come.”
“Probably not.” Mingi grabbed his wrist with a smile, pulling him toward the middle of the room. He pulled him around, pulling his arms down. “Stretch first. Dancing is like a workout, I don't want you hurting yourself.”
He grumbled as the dancer helped him stretch, which he hadn’t done in quite some time. Yunho worked out about three or four times a week to keep his body in shape, but he was bad at doing the ‘correct’ things. He didn’t eat well, didn’t drink enough water, didn’t care enough to do the extra work. There was a very good chance that his lack of physicality would become obvious very quickly.
The dancer sat on the floor with him, pressing his feet against Yunho’s. They had near equal length legs, but the photographer groaned as Mingi grabbed his hands and pulled him forward over the empty space between their bodies, stretching out his legs and back in a way he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He laughed softly at the strained noises, not letting up on him until he was nearly pulled all the way forward.
“That’s it, breathe.” Mingi murmured, not trying very hard to fight the amused smile.
“Fuck you.” He muttered as his muscles screamed their denial at such movements.
Mingi’s hands were warm, locked around his wrists as he let Yunho pull back. This time he tried to pull the dancer to cause him similar struggles, but he seemed to be able to lean all the way forward with ease. Yunho should have known better, glaring down at him, indignant. They continued other stretches, Mingi always having a far easier time than the other man. He was regretting his decisions.
Eventually he was being pulled up, the music having gone through multiple shuffles to something a little more face paced. Mingi pulled him forward, hand held in his, grabbing his other and placed it on his shoulder. Yunho couldn’t help the awkward blush as the dancer’s hand found his waist, looking down at their feet as he used his own to position Yunho’s feet and legs.
“Not too close to me. Take your time, and let me lead.”
He started talking him through the steps of a waltz, leading him in slow circles. Thankfully, besides a few missteps and stepping on Mingi’s feet only a few times, he seemed to be able to catch on quick enough to stay upright. Their movements seemed to not really coincide with the music, and it was making Yunho struggle with keeping in tempo with Mingi.
“Don’t worry about the music you actually hear, just feel the movement. Feel where I’m leading you.” Mingi’s voice was soft, face close as he pulled on Yunho’s waist to have him closer. “Make up the music in your head.” Then he started to hum softly, the tempo of his humming mixing better with the music around them, and Yunho found himself having an easier time keeping up.
Yunho’s eyes kept finding Mingi’s face when he made a mistake. The man never looked upset, or annoyed, though sometimes amused. His lips were always lifted in a small smile, seeming to be enjoying the lesson. Yunho felt his nerves at dancing change into nerves of being close to Mingi. He realized he was enjoying himself, unable to fight his own smile when the dancer would praise him when he caught on to something he was having issues with. Being so close to him, the soft words spoken between them, he wondered if he was imagining the intimacy, or if that was just the essence of the dance itself.
It felt like such little time had passed when Mingi was pulling away at the sound of his phone ringing. He pulled away, leaving Yunho frowning as he realized it was an alarm. The sudden empty space in front of him, and of his hands, made him feel like he was missing something. Yunho watched Mingi push back his hair, placing his phone in his pocket and turning a smile his way.
“That was a good lesson. You seem to have a natural talent for dancing.” The dancer began to collect his things, leaning down to put on his shoes.
Frowning, rubbing his sweating hands on his jeans, Yunho cleared his throat. “Are you leaving already? I didn’t even get to ask you any questions.”
Mingi raised an eyebrow at him, pulling the sweater over his head, showing off that sliver of skin again. He spoke when his head reappeared, dipping to the side in amusement. “I’ve got plans I’ll be late to if I don’t leave soon.”
He huffed. “Sounds like you just distracted me for a couple hours to not have to answer any.”
Settling his bag over his shoulder, he leaned against the table, giving Yunho that assessing look. “I could have just told you no if that were true.” He stepped forward, reaching out and patting his arm as he passed. “That was fun though.” Mingi gave him a beaming smile, one last pat, before walking past him toward the door. “See you Monday.”
Yunho frowned, watching him leave. “Monday?”
“I practice every weekday. Same time.” Mingi sent him a shit eating grin. “Guess you’ll have to try again then. Wear something more comfortable.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t think I like you very much.”
He barked out an amused laugh, waving over his shoulder. “See you Monday!”
“I won’t come.” Yunho called out in defiance.
“Okay.” The response didn’t sound convinced, the figure disappearing out the door.
Yunho let out an annoyed noise, looking down at his sweat soaked shirt. “Ass.”
He collected his things and left as well.
~~~
Jongho belted out into the mic, uncaring about his two friends behind him.
They had come to a karaoke lounge. Jongho had been the one to bring it up, and neither he nor Hongjoong cared, just wanting to drink mostly. They had all taken turns singing and rapping and having a good time, but of course the prodigy singer was having a better time. The other two boys had let him commandeer the mic as the alcohol continued to flow, leaving the two sitting behind him, passing a bottle of beer and soju between them.
Eventually their earlier conversation was brought up. “Oh, did you go see that dancer?”
Yunho rolled his eyes, taking another shot. “Yeah.”
“And?” Hongjoong watched him, taking in the annoyed look.
He sighed. “He said yes. Kinda.”
Raising an eyebrow, Hongjoong smiled, amused. “He’s turned down everyone else, you should be happy. Or at least proud.”
“I am. Kinda.” He let out a deep breath, wincing as he followed it down with a shot. “He’s not making it easy.”
Hongjoong barked out a laugh. “Didn’t expect him to. Expected him to tell you no like all the others.” He watched him for a moment. “What does he want?”
They both winced at a particular high note. “I basically have to take dance lessons from him to be able to get anything from him.”
“Journalism and dancing? You’re picking up all kinds of new hobbies.” Hongjoong’s tone was playful and amused.
Yunho turned on him, still feeling the frustration of the experience. “I dance with the dude for nearly two hours, sweat through my clothes, and he just left right after instead of answering any questions. The fucker laughed when I brought it up. Said to try again Monday.”
Bursting out in amused laughter, Hongjoong made a noise of pleasure. “I like this dude. He sounds funny.”
“He’s annoying.” Yunho crossed his arms over his chest, falling back against the seat and pouting.
“That’s what I said.” Hongjoong leaned back beside him, still laughing softly as he took a drink, watching Jongho get very into a sad love song. “I think it will be good for you. It’s pretty normal for artist types to make people work for it. Jihye had to sit for a painting to get anything from that girl who would barely speak to anyone. Took her a week.”
Yunho made a frustrated noise. “A week!?”
“What else do you got going on?” His friend gave him a leveled look. “Is he really that bad?”
Sigh. “No.” He admitted. “He’s actually kind of cool.”
“Then stop complaining. You can either give up or see it through.” Hongjoong shrugged. “You’re just trying something new.” He corrected himself. “Two new things. It’s an experience, so experience it.”
Yunho huffed. “You’re not the one waltzing with a dude.”
His friend rolled his eyes. “Either give up or stop complaining. He’s just making you work for it. We’ve all been through it before.”
Turning to look at him, he raised a curious eyebrow. “Who made you work for it?”
He made a noise, face twisted in a kind of smirk but looked less amused. “His name was Seonghwa, freshman year. Made a stir because his mother was a famous alum who is a huge fashion designer now.”
Yunho frowned, remembering the email. “Park Seonghwa?”
“Yup.”
“He’s on Mingi’s dance team.”
“Uh huh.” Hongjoong took a drink, sneering at something in his mind.
He watched him for a second. “Didn’t end well?”
Hongjoong shrugged. “Was offered the sub editor position sophomore year because of the article.”
Yunho’s eyes widened. “You turned it down?”
“The article was well received by the editor, not by Seonghwa.” He took another sip, not meeting his eyes. “I’ve heard it’s part of the reason Mingi hadn’t accepted an interview from anyone.” Hongjoong sighed. “Seonghwa also hasn’t accepted another since then, even though his move from fashion design to dance caused a big fuss.”
He dipped his head, not having seen Hongjoong look regretful before, if that’s even the word he would use to describe the furrowed eyebrows and twisted lip. “Did it make him look bad?”
Hongjoong sighed heavily, finally looking at him with open guilt. “I inadvertently outed him.”
“Oh.” Yunho shifted uncomfortably. “But not on purpose?”
Shaking his head, Hongjoong shifted forward to grab the stronger soju over the beer in his hand. “I hadn’t realized Seonghwa wasn’t out, but he had been open about it to me. He always said he understood that he hadn’t told me not to include it, but I also didn’t let him read it before it was published. The decision was made for me.”
“So it wasn’t your fault.”
Shrug. “It doesn’t matter who's to blame. It happened.”
“Were you friends?”
The response takes a moment, Hongjoong looking out at the room but not seeming to really see anything. “Even if we were, we’re not now.”
Yunho felt bad for his friend, seeing the obvious guilt that still plagued him. Hongjoong had always spoken out against unethical journalism, even amongst his own. Now he realized why the editor took his job so seriously. Nothing made it past him, and even the smallest things he deemed unethical would be reworked until he decided it was worth publishing. The newspaper had garnered far more success since he took over the sub editor position his junior year.
“I’m sorry.” He couldn’t think of what else to say, finding the words falling flat.
Shrugging, Hongjoong finally looked over, giving him an ‘it is what it is’ look. “Don’t worry about it. Made peace with it long ago.”
He wasn’t going to tell him how it didn’t really look like it. “Okay.”
“Jongho, Yunho wants to duet.” Hongjoong called out suddenly.
Yunho’s eyes widened as their friend turned crazed, drunken eyes on him. He turned to glare at Hongjoong, and he smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He let himself be pulled away, knowing that his friend probably wanted the conversation to end and to be left alone. Jongho chatted excitedly as he scrolled through song options, forcing Yunho to help him choose.
Later that night, when he found himself in bed, he thought about Hongjoong’s story and Mingi. For some reason, it made him want to do it well for him. He wasn’t sure how a good interview with Mingi would do anything for Hongjoong’s guilt over the past, but maybe if he did well with Mingi, he could talk Seonghwa into doing an interview. Part of him wanted to question the unknown man about the experience and drama caused by Hongjoong’s article.
He fell asleep, hoping the weekend passed by quickly.