"One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four."

Hoseok took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles. He looked like a statue- perfectly carved into reality, but if you looked closer, you saw his lips moving as they quietly counted the beats of his favourite song. As the opening notes played, his body began to move, perfectly in rhythm, as though the music was a physical being that was guiding him. Music and dance were in perfect harmony.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. The dance stopped as gracefully as it had started. Hoseok's face did not betray any annoyance he might have felt. He was used to this. He pulled open his door to find his older sister facing him.

"Dinner is ready. I'm sorry I interrupted."

Hoseok smiled at her fondly. She was the only one keeping him sane, what with his parents' constant, but probably not intentional, reminders that he was nothing but a disappointment to the family. He grinned, "That's alright. I'll be down in a minute."

Once his sister had left, Hoseok walked back into his room and turned off the music. He sighed and prepared himself for dinner, just as he had been doing for the past couple of months. His family had always been a close-knit one, in fact, they still were. They lounged together every evening, talking about their day, while the TV played in the background. Most people envied the harmony that the family lived in. They never shied away from showing their affection for each other in front of others. Parents would ruffle the children's hair, or the children would often walk up to mother or father for a hug. However, ever since he had announced to his family that he was going to become a professional dancer, Hoseok seemed to have become a stain on the family name. His parents were both professors in a world renowned university and his sister had started a clothing brand of her own, which was doing rather well, but, like most families with traditional outlooks, they believed that dance was an unconventional profession to pursue.

Hoseok had always had a very deeply rooted sense of family and family honour. However, when he saw that his parents were using this to cut him off from the thing he loved, he realised that there was no honour in depriving oneself of what one truly believed in. Dance was everything Hoseok wanted to live for, and more. He felt dance like a musician feels music, or a poet feels the world. He just wished his parents would see how much it meant to him. They couldn't stop him from doing what he wanted with his life, indeed, they did encourage him to tell them about his days at the dance studio, but there was always an underlying sense of tension when this topic of conversation was brought up. His sister was on neutral ground. She never spoke on behalf of her parents, but whenever the family had a rough conversation regarding what the children would do with their lives, she would have a hand on her brother's shoulder or thigh, as if reassuring him that she was there for him. She knew everything there was to know about him and his dreams. She was Hoseok's light.

The dinner was a relatively uneventful one. His father barely looked up from his phone, and his mother and sister made small talk over some fashion ideas the latter had. Hoseok tried his best to be cheerful and happy throughout the meal. By the time it was done, he was exhausted. He excused himself from the table, dragged himself up to his room, and got ready for bed. He knew what he felt was silly. His parents loved him and only wanted what was best for him. However, they believed that he would only achieve the best by fulfilling their dreams. They wanted to live their unfulfilled dreams through him. He wished he had the courage to tell them how he felt. He wanted to discuss his passions and ideas with them. They were, after all, the heroes in his life. But how could he do so when they thought so poorly of his chosen line of study? He had not only failed his parents' expectations of him, but also failed his passion by not being able to explain it to the two people in his life, whose opinions truly mattered to him. His tears hit his pillow before his head did.

***

It was the day before Christmas and the entire family had been invited to an after lunch party at one of the university professors' houses. As always, brother and sister walked side by side as they entered the crowded room. There were many old friends as well as several unknown faces. Hoseok nudged his sister forward, urging her to lead. She was their parents' star after all. He didn't hold a grudge against her because of that. In fact, he was very proud of her. However, he wished that his parents would sometimes let him know that he wasn't entirely a failure to them.

The party lasted long past dinner time and it was a very uncomfortable experience for Hoseok. Every time someone wanted to know what he was interested in, his parents would swoop in and steer the conversation away. He understood that they did not want to face unsavoury social characters that judged their son's life choices, but he wished he could discuss his dreams with someone who might take interest in them, and might be able to help him. Did societal perception really matter more to his parents than their son's life? Despite the turbulence in his emotions, Hoseok made sure to be the liveliest person at the gathering. Not one guest left without complimenting his parents for the well brought up, cheery, and positive son they had raised.

When the family went home, Hoseok asked permission to spend Christmas night in the ice skating rink. His parents were tired and wished to retire for the night, and they agreed to this. His sister had to get ready for yet another party with her colleagues. The family did their daily group hug at the front door, and Hoseok set off for the rink, but not before his mother planted a huge kiss on his forehead and his father, a strong pat on the back.

Hoseok had never felt so happy before. His sadness at the party had completely evaporated with the hug, kiss, and pat on the back. He knew he had the perfect family, the perfect life, if only the two would stop being so mutually exclusive. He knew his parents loved him, but he also knew that he loved dance. He wished he could make his parents love his dance.

Upon reaching the rink, Hoseok breathed in the fresh cold air and slipped into his skates. He then went up to the middle of the rink, knowing that the gathering crowd only skated around it, and put down the Bluetooth speaker he had picked up at home. Choosing his music, he began dancing.

It was as though the words and emotions, the turbulent sea of feelings was crystal clear lake, flowing in perfect harmony with the music. His body moved and spoke of all his insecurities, his fears, his dreams, everything he loved. Unknown to him, all present watched him in awe. When the song ended, he was rather surprised at meeting thunderous applause. He swept off his woollen cap and bowed gracefully. Picking up his Bluetooth speaker he skated away to get himself a warm cup of tea.

***

"I'd like some strong, black tea please."

Hoseok looked up, eyes filled with curiosity. He could've sworn he had heard that voice before. From where he sat, hands cupped around the mug of tea, drawing warmth from it, he saw a man, no more than a year older than himself, with bright blue hair, and the palest skin, almost like sugar. As he watched, Blue Hair walked up to where he was sitting and asked, "Mind if I sit here?"

Hoseok shook his head and gestured towards an empty chair. There was something very charming about this guy. The seemingly drunken manner of talking, the cool air of self confidence, not to mention, the feeling that Hoseok had heard his voice somewhere.

"You are a very good dancer."

Hoseok looked up in surprise. He grinned, "Thank you."

After a couple of minutes of silence, Hoseok could not contain his curiosity any longer. He asked, "Excuse me, but who are you? I feel like I know you from somewhere, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember where."

Blue Hair smiled, "Oh forgive me. I'm Min Yoongi."

Hoseok's eyes widened, "The music producer?"
"The very same."
"Oh my God! I am such a fan of your work! Most of your songs are my favourites! It's such an honour to meet you!"

Yoongi seemed to flinch a little at that, but one couldn't be very sure. He took a sip of his tea, "What's your name?"
"I'm Jung Hoseok. Dancer."
"Hmm. And a very good one."
Hoseok blushed, "Thank you."
"Performed anywhere special?"
"Oh no, not yet."
Yoongi turned to him in disbelief, "Why?"
"Oh no reason really. I don't think I'm good enough to show the world."
"Dude, are you kidding? You're really good! Besides, you did just give us all a performance."
"This? No, no, this was just me clearing my head. I wasn't putting up a performance!"

Yoongi stared at the red head in disbelief for the second time that night. If the dance on the rink was just him clearing his head, how good would an actual stage performance be? This strange man that had tugged at his heart seemed to have much more to him than he showed the world. If only they could be friends, get to know each other.

"Are you warm enough yet?" Jungkook's voice turned Yoongi's attention from Hoseok to the skating rink. He yelled that he would be with his brother in a minute. When he turned back to the dancer, his heart skipped a beat. The cutest smile adorned Hoseok's face, "Is that your brother?"
"Yes."
"You should probably join him. He's been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes."
"Really?" Yoongi smirked, "Well then, nice talking to you."

They shook hands and Yoongi stood up awkwardly. Just before he started skating back, he turned to Hoseok and said rather abruptly, "Would you like to meet up sometime?"

Hoseok grinned, "Of course!" He took out a pen from one of his coat pockets and jotted down his number on a tissue paper. Handing it to Yoongi, he said, "Text me the time and place, and I'll be there."

The gummy, childish smile Yoongi gave him as he took the paper, melted his heart. He may have had a life full of perfections that refused to coexist, but suddenly, Christmas was beautiful.