Ben leaned back as the wind rushed in.
"It feels like I'm in a drama right now," he said, running his fingers across the glove compartment in awe. "Anyways, where are we going?"
Kai grinned. "I thought we could pick up Terrence."
"Terrence? Where'd he go?"
"Suwon, to visit eomeoni."
Ben blinked. "Didn't he go before the second round of the NDC?"
"He was supposed to," Kai said, eyes flicking to the rearview as he made a sharp turn that sent Ben crashing into the door. "Oops. Anyway, Daniel hyung's training drained him."
Ben chuckled, rubbing his shoulder. "So he does get exhausted. Good to know Terrence is still human."
They both laughed as the car pulled into the station. Sure enough, Terrence stood outside with a backpack. The moment his eyes landed on the shiny BMW, his expression soured.
"You stole it again?" he said flatly, not even waiting for them to get out. "If abeoji asks me, I'm selling you out."
Kai immediately switched to Chinese, making wide puppy eyes. "Hǎo cánrěn!" [How cruel!]
Terrence rolled his eyes but climbed in anyway, muttering under his breath.
***
At the Dance Studio
By the time they finally reached the studio, they were running late. Kai had insisted on swinging by his house to drop off the car, and Ben nearly had a heart attack when he saw it. Calling it a house was a crime; it was a sprawling estate that looked like a luxury hanok hotel hybrid with sweeping gates, manicured lawns, and a glossy stone exterior that Ben had only ever seen in magazines. He nearly bolted the second they parked, like a stray cat chased off by a rabid dog, and sighed in relief once they left that surreal world behind.
All three of them expected Daniel and Sean to already be knee-deep in warm-ups when they arrived. Instead, the first thing they saw upon entering was Daniel, planted in the middle of the room, dressed like a secret agent in a sharp tuxedo, polished shoes gleaming, and a grin bright enough to light a stadium.
Ben froze, astonished. Meanwhile, Kai and Terrence didn't even blink, strolling straight past him toward the lockers like this was just another Tuesday.
Ben blinked. "What the hell are you wearing?"
Daniel practically skipped over, full of his usual golden retriever energy. "Ben! Do I not look amazing?"
"You look like you're auditioning to be the Korean James Bond," Ben muttered, still stunned.
"It's for my part-time!" Daniel struck a dramatic pose. "I turned it down three times due to my injury, so now I've got to make up for it with two shifts. This gig needed me in a tux. I borrowed it from a senior. Don't I look stunning?"
"You look…," Ben started dryly when–
Terrence, who just came out of the locker room, interrupted with a snort. "Hyung, can we stop the narcissism? Let's rehearse."
Daniel looked wounded. "How dare you. It's called self-love."
Ben wisely redirected his attention. "Do we know anything about the next NDC round?"
Terrence shrugged.
Kai, bounding over just behind Terrence, said with enthusiasm dripping in every syllable. "Last year was the judges' choice. The year before that, theme dance. Before that, regional styles. I hope they repeat the theme dance!"
Daniel lit up like someone had flipped a switch. "Ooh, once they did world dance. I vote for that! Imagine us doing Bollywood!"
Sean offered calmly, "They uploaded clips of our previous rounds. Do you want to scope out the competition?"
That got everyone's attention.
"You checked?" Ben asked, blinking.
Kai laughed. "Hyung, since when do you care about this stuff?"
"I checked," Sean replied, as dry as toast.
Daniel threw an arm around Sean with mock affection. "Such a diligent child. Let's grant his wish."
Sean promptly shrugged him off.
Terrence already had the site open. "Only thirty teams left now. We started with sixty-one."
Ben leaned in, watching as clips from different universities played. KAIT University popped up. Kai was practically vibrating.
"They produce idols, I swear! Look at that girl, what a spin!"
Daniel pointed to a dancer. "She's good. Great lines, tight form."
Terrence rolled his eyes. "She looks like she'd sue you for breathing too loudly."
They moved through more. IISP– solid dancers, but no one memorable. PNU– a girl caught everyone's eye.
"She's trained," Sean said.
"She's confident," Terrence added.
Eventually, they pulled up their own video. One by one, their segments played; cheers, critiques, and laughter followed. Finally, came Daniel's clip.
Daniel let out a dramatic wail, sounding like a cat mid-yodel. "My broken ankle ruined my vibe! I was meant to fly!"
Terrence rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Drama queen."
Kai laughed, patting Daniel's arm. "You still looked cool, hyung."
Ben, however, said nothing. His eyes were glued to the screen. And for a moment, the world fell away. Daniel was not able to use his full power, but he was still fluid and intense. As usual, Daniel's dancing was breathtaking. It was not a new thought, but now, Ben's heart was filled with a strange tightness that was never there before.