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Youngjin sits on Jeongguk's chair, and they chuckle at something Minsu said. It makes Jeongguk wonder what must have been so funny. It irks him to see them so close already. From a distance, it looks as if they have known each other for a few years. Jimin is free to choose who he wants to be friends with. Why does it bother him so much? 

Only when he approaches the table and the song that is currently being played becomes a little quieter again does he get a snippet of what it's all about. The heat that has been kindled turns into an uncomfortable tingling. His hands, clenched in a fist, loosen, and he blushes. 

“I felt so bad at that moment. Jeongguk was so nervous and so worried about it when he met his favourite singer and then something like this happened.” 

It doesn't take Jeongguk long to guess what Minsu is telling Jimin. The event happened last year. They had a concert, and one of Jeongguk's favourite overseas singers was at the concert. He had contacted their manager beforehand and was interested in meeting him. 

Jeongguk was more than nervous at the time, and since they hardly ever give concerts except in Korea, his English is not the best either. 

He wanted to make a good impression and had learned a whole speech by heart in English. However, this all went down the drain very quickly due to his nervousness, and the adrenaline rush he had instead of the speech in English rattled off in Korean. Thinking back on it is still unpleasant and makes him clench his hands into a fist. Not a day goes by that he wishes it had gone differently.

“The good thing is, the singer didn't think it was bad at all, he thought it was rather cute. Jeongguk may look like someone who, from the outside, has a rather hard shell, but when it comes to his passion or what he likes he’s totally different.”

Jeongguk cracks a smile. Youngjin isn’t wrong. He automatically becomes more open when it comes to music or other things that he sees as his passion. 

“Oh, you're back!”

Jeongguk's smile vanishes, making eye contact with Youngjin before he casts a glance at Jimin. The latter avoids his gaze and looks down at his hands, shyly lip-biting, and his smile disappears completely. Jeongguk can only guess that he feels bad for laughing. And honestly, Jeongguk could be annoyed and upset at him, but he probably would have grinned too. Jeongguk also realises Jimin makes it hard to be mad at him, so he takes it easy, nods, and sits at the table again—this time across from Jimin.

The song ends, and a new one starts playing. At this point, fewer party guests are on the dance floor, dancing as if they were in a club. Some are swaying their bodies slightly to the beat while chatting with a drink in hand. No one is colliding with anyone else through their increased space.

“How about we go dancing? It doesn't look so crowded anymore,” Youngjin suggests and looks excitedly into the faces of his friends. His fingers drum impatiently on the table along the song's beat, and a silly grin appears on his lips.

“Yeah, I'm up for a dance. Need to let off this steam I've got stored up from the MV shoot.” Minsu agrees, looking at Jimin and Jeongguk with longing in his eyes, willing them to say yes. 

“What's the worst that could happen? Let's go dance for a little while,” Jimin says confidently, but his body language is shy, now waiting for Jeongguk's reaction. “Sure, let's go.” 

All four bodies move out of their seats and advance forward to the dance floor with drinks in their hands. Youngjin can't help himself with an upbeat song playing and starts making some serious moves as the beat takes over his body. Minsu and Jungkook can't help but laugh at him. His moves are energetic and all over the place; he's having a good time, and Minsu is quick to join. Out of them, Minsu and Youngjin are the ones who like to go out most of the time. It's no wonder that if they see the opportunity to dance, they don't hesitate to take it.

Watching what's in front of him, Jimin hesitates to join them. It looks fun, but he's never danced at a party before. What if someone is watching, and he's making a fool out of himself? 

He eventually starts slow after Minsu grabs his hand, getting him to budge. Jimin's motions aren't as energetic, but he still moves his body easily and lets the music flow, making him appear less shy. 

Jeongguk looks at Jimin, unsure of what's unfolding in front of him the more he dances. Jeongguk is impressed, as he wasn't aware of his skills. Jimin blends in with the other people who dance, and Jeongguk cannot take his eyes off him.  He’s beginning to feel like a creep just staring at him when Jimin isn’t looking. Jeongguk is intrigued and knows he should stop staring, yet he can’t. Not until Minsu speaks up, which makes him also realise how stupid he must look just standing there.

“To say you are slightly shy, you have the moves Jimin, maybe we could use you in an MV in the future,” Minsu states with certainty, steering up a new conversation. He flips his hair and swings his hips before taking a sip from his drink. 

“Hey, have you seen any of our MV's or heard any of our songs at all?” Youngjin jumps in with his question, a curious glint in his eyes. Neither of them seems to have eyes for Jeongguk as they close their eyes, feeling the beat of the music in their bodies. Jeongguk gets to see them dance closer to Jimin, leaving a weird feeling in him again. He scoffs.

Jimin shakes his head and moves his lips in a ‘no’. “Only the song from the MV.”

“So you didn’t know Jeongguk was a drummer in a band before you met him, I assume.” Youngjin nods and continues, “Based on that, would you rather keep listening to this one song or listen to more songs? If you liked it, that is.”

“I could only listen to a few sequences, but I want to listen to more songs soon. I liked what I heard.”

“You said it! Jeongguk really needs to show you some other MV's of ours, or we can do that the next time we see each other. I want to know what you think.”

The next few seconds pass too quickly for Jeongguk, and before he realises what is happening, Youngjin has moved closer to Jimin and places his hands gently on Jimin's hips. Jeongguk thinks Jimin would be uncomfortable, but instead of pushing his hands away, he blushes. 

Jeongguk doesn't see his cheek's colour; he sees it as Jimin shyly moves his head down and smiles. It causes Jeongguk to push his tongue against the inside of his cheek, eyes narrowing on Youngjin’s hands as he wishes he could push them away and place them on Jimin’s hips instead. 

He instantly snaps out of these thoughts as Minsu approaches him with a grin. “Why aren't you dancing?”

Jeongguk gives him a harsh look, and his lips form into a thin line, unimpressed by his teasing. Choosing not to answer, his gaze automatically drifts to the hybrid dancing with his bandmate as if his gaze is drawn. He licks his lips, nervousness and uncertainty spreading through his body. His fingers itch to reach for the other, but he remains unmoving. What is it about him that he can't look away?

The music becomes quieter and eventually comes to an end. Instead of a new song, the DJ's voice sounds through the music speakers, making Jeongguk look to the DJ platform, eyes widening with bewilderment. 

“We'll take a short break, so you can catch your breath and gather some energy. Here comes a slow song for all those who want to dance slowly.” Jeongguk's heart begins to beat faster at his words; seeing some people leaving the dance floor, and Youngjin grabs Minsu’s hand, pulling him close. Others do similarly. Did the DJ do it intentionally, knowing Jeongguk hasn’t danced yet? 

Panic shoots through his body, and he has no idea what to do. His glance darts around, head turning as if looking for answers. Should he go back? When he turns back, he meets Jimin's gaze, and Jeongguk blinks in confusion as he notices a faint spark in his eyes, but it's gone as quick as it came, and Jimin lowers his head again. Jimin looks as lost as he must do on the dance floor, judging by his posture. 

Jeongguk senses the awkward atmosphere between the two and doesn't know what to say to defuse the situation. He would love to go back to their table and let the others dance; however, something about how Jimin stands there makes him pause. And before he realises what he's doing, he stretches out his hand, waiting for Jimin’s reaction. Will he refuse to dance with him? Will Jimin say no since it's strange-

A charming smile from the hybrid brings his thoughts to a full stop, and his heart flutters as Jimin places his hand in his. A pleasant sensation blooms in Jeongguk's chest as their hands come into contact, and he pulls Jimin closer as if he belongs there.

Seconds pass with no one saying anything. Together, they quietly revel in the moment with Jimin's head on Jeongguk's shoulder and Jeongguk's hands on his hips. It's a moment when there's no need to speak, and Jeongguk admits defeat and accepts how good it feels to be so close to Jimin and that he finds him attractive. He feels like there will be things they need to discuss in the future, but for now, he just lets himself be guided by what feels right, and if it's being close to Jimin, then so be it. He can worry about that tomorrow.

They quickly fall into a rhythm, and Jeongguk only subconsciously notices that he closes his eyes for several seconds in between, enjoying what's happening. Jeongguk doesn't care what's going on around them as long as they dance. The familiar shampoo scent lingering in Jimin's hair reassures him that he doesn’t imagine it.

At some point, Jeongguk can't hold back the question, wondering why Jimin hasn't told him about dancing being one of his skills. The curiosity is too great. “How come you haven't told me you can dance?”

The question comes out as a faint whisper, and Jeongguk wonders if Jimin has heard him, considering he mumbled into his hair, but he did. 

“You haven't asked. I used to have school balls and was kind of forced to learn how to dance every year, but apart from that, I really enjoyed dancing.”

“You said you're from the countryside, have you… studied something? You never told me if you had a job or studied before you met me.”

“I haven't studied, I mean. I finished high school and then lived in the countryside, working as a florist in the town before the shop closed. I couldn't afford to go to the city to study.”

“If you had the chance to choose, what would you want to study?”

“I—I honestly don't know. I didn't really have a chance to think about it.”

“Hmm, maybe you'll know soon. Know that I'm here to support you.”

Jimin stops dancing and stands on tiptoe after gazing into his eyes for a few seconds, whispering straight into Jeongguk's ear. His voice is full of sincerity. “Thank you. I might need it in the future.”

Unbeknownst to Jimin, his sudden whisper sends sparks down Jeongguk's spine, making him swallow hard. He opens his mouth, ready to say something, but words fail him, and in the blink of an eye, Jimin moves them to slow dance again after his heels touch the floor. It elicits a smile from Jeongguk, who hides it behind Jimin’s hat. He is happy that Jimin enjoys dancing with him as much as he does.

One song goes by, and the second goes on, again a slow song. Regardless, both continue to dance, close and leaning on each other. Jeongguk is so deep in their bubble that he doesn't care if anyone sees them. He just can't stand the teasing should Youngjin and Minsu see them.

Fortunately, no one comments on it. Not even when they separate from each other and drive back home later that evening. They used the rest of the time to talk and dance some more. Youngjin and Minsu even offered Jimin to teach him a little about playing the instruments when he showed interest. Jeongguk was a bit miffed that Jimin eagerly agreed and then broadly smiled at them. He had to remind himself that it was not his business and that he doesn't have to worry about them becoming friends. 

After all, they are great friends and would only act so eagerly at the start. It would certainly stop soon once they spend more time with Jimin.

Well, a part of him at least hopes so.