Chapter Text
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Choi Yeonjun had the It Factor and because of this he was arguably the most popular student on campus. And he was well aware of this status. It would’ve been hard for him not to be. Everywhere he went on campus there was someone who just knew him.
It only helped that Yeonjun was social by nature. He would become friendly enough with his project partners, attended all the parties, and was a prominent member of his university’s dance studio.
So there Yeonjun was, the week before his senior year started, lounging around his apartment and attempting to detangle his jewelry. He’d moved off campus basically as soon as he was allowed to at the end of his freshman year. He lived alone, too. A fairly spacious studio apartment he’d furnished using second hand furniture. A bed in the back corner with a nightstand and his desk. A clothing rack was used to separate his sleeping space from the living space where he had a small loveseat, a bean bag chair, a TV stand (with no TV), a small table, and the kitchenette. It wasn’t much but it was home and luckily his parents were willing to help him out with the cost of rent as long as he covered his own utilities. It was a dream situation for anyone in their twenties.
Living alone, off campus, he could do whatever he wanted. Never mind that whatever he wanted was usually a face mask and watching Bridget Jones's Diary at three in the morning. Occasionally he brought people back to hook up. And it was so much more convenient than when he’d been living in a dorm. He didn’t have to worry about quiet hours, people walking in on him, or him walking in on anyone else.
He loved his freshman year roommate, Wooyoung, he really did, but sharing a dorm that year meant he’d seen way more of his friend than he’d ever wanted to.
“Are you coming tomorrow?” Wooyoung was sprawled out across Yeonjun’s bed while Yeonjun sat at his desk, organizing his jewelry drawer - it always ended up super messy and he’d put off detangling everything all summer. He’d taken to staying in his college town over the breaks. He had a sweet gig at a local dance studio where he helped teach dance classes for little kids.
“Yeah, but I’ll be late. I have that meeting with Coach Jung about how I’m helping in his dance elective this semester.”
“Just don’t be too late. Last year, when the basketball team hosted, the floor had caved in by twelve.” Wooyoung snorted at the memory.
“The floor won’t cave in. The field hockey house is much newer than the old basketball house was.” Yeonjun finally disentangled his two pendant necklaces and placed them back in separate compartments in his organizer.
Wooyoung hummed in agreement, rolling over to grab the magazine Yeonjun had on his bedside table and started to flip through it.
A loud thump startled both of them.
“I guess your neighbor is still moving in?”
Another thud was followed by several loud voices, yelling curses.
“Apparently,” Yeonjun mumbled, moving on to try and separate one of his hoop earrings from a bracelet.
His new neighbor had been moving in in installments over the last couple of days. For about an hour at a time, usually in the afternoon.
“A-ha!” Yeonjun held up the earrings triumphantly just as through the walls there was a high-pitched, dolphin-like laugh followed by more curses.
Wooyoung flinched. “Are they always this loud?”
Yeonjun had been complaining about how long it was taking for the past two days. The other senior dance studio members who had come early to prepare for the underclassmen had been poking fun at him. Saying he was being dramatic. Yeonjun’s apartment complex was inhabited predominately by single people in their thirties so it was relatively quiet. No big college ragers happening next door. But by now he felt like he had grown accustomed to the noise. He simply shrugged. “Hopefully they’ll quiet down after they finally finish moving in.” Yeonjun was clearly paying more attention to his jewelry drawer, staring down at it and looking appraisingly over all the different compartments. He decided he was satisfied with how it looked.
“What if they’re not moving in? What if they’re a hoarder and they’re just adding copious items to their collection every afternoon like a dragon adding treasure to his trove?” Wooyoung didn’t even look at Yeonjun as he spoke, voice flat, as he halfheartedly continued to flip through the magazine.
“Those are some big words for you, been studying your SAT vocab?” Yeonjun slammed his drawer shut and turned to face Wooyoung head on.
Wooyoung refused to look back at him and instead smirked down at the magazine, pretending to read the interview between Tom Holland and Timothee Chalamet.
Sighing, Yeonjun picked up his phone. “Oh, Beomgyu and Taehyun are coming over. They wanna have dinner together.”
Beomgyu and Taehyun…okay. So, Yeonjun didn’t not like Taehyun. He actually quite liked Taehyun. He was smart, observant, funny when he wanted to be, and was really nice to Beomgyu. And Beomgyu deserved someone who was nice to him. Especially after the hell his high school boyfriend had put him through. It was just, Yeonjun’s sophomore year Beomgyu had joined him at university, auditioned for the dance studio and gotten in, and Yeonjun had been so excited to spend time with his friend. He and Beomgyu had been friends since elementary school. Inseparable. And Beomgyu wasn’t one of those guys that ignored his friends when he was in a relationship either. But something about seeing Beomgyu and Taehyun together and so in love just made Yeonjun feel lonely.
Yeonjun had never really done boyfriends. It wasn’t that he was opposed to the idea of one. It was quite the opposite really. Yeonjun just had a knack for picking the worst guys. Guys that wouldn’t commit or guys that were still closeted or guys that said they would date Yeonjun then ghosted him after they slept together. So, when Yeonjun had gone away to university and basically left his hometown behind he’d made a promise to himself. No more distractions. He would focus on school and dance and that was it.
And for the most part, it worked. He occasionally got laid or made out with someone at a party, but he was not looking to date or enter a talking stage or have friends with benefits. It had saved him so much time and energy, time and energy he’d wasted back in high school on boys that weren’t worth it, and with that time and energy, he’d been really productive. So productive in fact that he had been invited to help Coach Jung teach his intro dance class and had been named co-captains with Wooyoung for their senior year. It was exciting.
But he was still lonely.
Beomgyu barreled into the apartment without knocking. “You really should lock your door.” He was dragging Taehyun behind him, their fingers locked together as they slid off their shoes and made themselves comfortable on Yeonjun’s couch.
Yeonjun and Wooyoung moaned and groaned as they stood and stretched before moving over to join the younger boys.
“Listen to them, Tyun - so old they can’t stand up without all their bones popping.”
Yeonjun thumped Beomgyu up the side of the head as he passed behind him before joining the two of them on the loveseat, letting Wooyoung have the beanbag chair.
Having his apartment be the spot all his friends hung out in was something Yeonjun was particularly proud of. At first, it had been out of necessity as everyone else had still been living on campus. But junior year Wooyoung and his boyfriend, San, had moved into an apartment together. And because there were two of them it was bigger than Yeonjun’s and closer to campus making it more convenient. Yet Yeonjun’s apartment was still where everyone went to hang out. He felt like Monica in Friends but cooler and less uptight.
Hours later when the four of them were sitting around, eating fried chicken and drinking beer Beomgyu sat up ramrod straight, like he’d been zapped by lightning, and clapped his hands. “Oh my god, you know Kai - the cute guy from the music department?”
Yeonjun and Wooyoung nodded. It would’ve been hard to forget someone like Kai. He was super talented. Played just about every instrument known to man. Had played piano for one of the dance groups in their spring showcase the year before. And on top of all that insane talent, he was also extremely handsome. Not to mention he was the younger brother of one of Yeonjun’s dancers - Lea.
“We saw him showing a new kid around campus today. They were walking arm in arm. And he was so handsome. And tall!”
“Taller than Kai,” Taehyun tacked on like that was vital information Beomgyu was overlooking. And to be fair it kind of was. Taller than Kai, just how tall was this new kid?
“We think he might be Kai’s boyfriend.” Beomgyu was practically shaking from how excited he was. He lived for gossip and almost always knew everything that was going on at their university. Yeonjun didn’t know how he did it but was thankful for it. If for nothing else, it was good entertainment.
“We don’t know for certain, though.” Taehyun’s level-headedness about the whole scenario balanced Beomgyu's over-romanticized view of life well. It wasn’t the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last time that Yeonjun was struck with the realization that they were well suited for each other. Perfect even.
As they packed away the leftover food and settled back in, Yeonjun got out his little projector and hooked it up to his computer and put on a movie for them all to watch. Beomgyu and Taehyun rearranged themselves so Beomgyu was between Taehyun’s legs, leaning back against his chest. Wooyoung excused himself to head back to his place, back to San. And Yeonjun once more felt that old, familiar ache in his chest. When would it be his turn to find love?
*~*~*
Yeonjun walked into the track and field house and was immediately slapped over the head by the smell of marijuana. The low-fi hip-hop that had people shuffling awkwardly on the makeshift dance floor was so loud that the walls were rattling. He probably should’ve gone to look for his friends first, but instead, Yeonjun took a detour into the kitchen where he immediately poured himself a cup of the punch. He gave it a sniff. It was giving rubbing alcohol, but was probably just a poorly mixed batch of jungle juice. He drank it anyway. The party had been going on for almost an hour already, and knowing his friends, he would be needing to play catch up big time.
He headed down into the basement, and sure enough, that’s where they were. Beomgyu and Taehyun were playing a heated game of beer pong. Taehyun could hold his alcohol really well and was doing pretty well. Beomgyu was clearly already tipsy - flushed red and giggling at everything, hanging all over Taehyun when it wasn’t their turn to throw.
Wooyoung and San had been recruited to play flip cup at another table, so Yeonjun just hung back and watched. It was times like these that he realized it was inconvenient to be single. Would it have been hard for him to find a partner? No. But it was the principle of things.
Yeonjun needed more single friends.
He caught Taehyun’s eye and gave him a little wave before pointing upstairs to let Taehyun know he was going back up. The basement was less crowded and significantly quieter, but Yeonjun was craving the chaos of the first floor.
Someone else had clearly taken over as DJ, as the new song playing was much easier to dance to. For starters, it actually had a beat you could move to. Yeonjun tossed back the rest of his drink, re-filled his cup, and then moseyed out to the dance floor.
It was easier to forget he was lonely here. Getting tipsy, dancing, music so loud he couldn’t hear his own thoughts. That was what he needed right now.
Yeonjun started by dancing alone, he always did. His hips moved side to side in a sultry way as he raised his arms over his head. It didn’t take long for him to attract attention and with attention came a dance partner. They slid behind him easily, pressed their front to Yeonjun’s back, and wrapped an arm around his waist to guide Yeonjun into moving together with him. Grinding. Yeonjun just let it happen. It was fun. Sue him.
They were a good dancer, too. Clearly had a nice sense of rhythm and body control. The way their fingers were spread across his abdomen was kind of hot, Yeonjun couldn’t lie. He turned in the guy's arms, wanting to see what he looked like - if he was hot maybe they could go up to the second floor where the bedrooms were and Yeonjun could pretend for one night that sex would be enough.
Except as Yeonjun was turning, over his dance partner’s shoulder he saw the most gorgeous man he’d ever laid eyes on. Tall, dark hair falling in his eyes, pale skin, broad shoulders. Yeonjun had never seen him before, he knew, he would remember seeing a man that beautiful. And then he was pulling away from his partner, pushing off the dance floor, and towards the handsome stranger.
“Hey,” Yeonjun looked up at him and batted his eyelashes.
He wasn’t in his best party look because he’d felt weird even thinking about meeting Coach Jung in his “hoe clothes” as Beomgyu called them. So instead, he’d opted for a tight black sweater and some patchwork jeans over his big boots. It wasn’t his best, but he knew for a fact he still looked good. His own hair was a little longer than he normally kept it, long enough that he could tuck it behind his ears. So he did, tilting his head as he offered the stranger a soft smile.
The man in front of him startled slightly. Cute. “Hi.”
His voice was deep and soft. Kind of sexy, Yeonjun thought.
“Are you a freshman?”
“Do I look like a freshman?”
“No, but I’ve never seen you here before, so there’s only three real options. Freshman, transfer, or party crasher.” Yeonjun took a sip of his drink, looking at the new guy over the rim of his cup.
“I’m a transfer.” The silence stretched on for far too long before Yeonjun realized he wasn’t going to say anything else. No elaboration or anything.
That was fine. Yeonjun didn’t normally go for shy boys, but tonight he’d make an exception. “Where are you transferring from?”
“Duke.”
Yeonjun almost spit out his drink. Duke was a good school. A great school. Why would he leave Duke to come to such a small university in comparison? Yeonjun had picked this school because it had one of the top ten dance programs in the country. But this kid wasn’t a dancer, and as far as Yeonjun knew, none of the other departments were that notable in comparison. Especially compared to a school like Duke.
He was about to ask the guy what he was studying, though the small talk was getting a bit boring, when they were interrupted.
“Oh, Yeonjun! I see you’ve met Soobin.” It was Kai, a large grin on his face and two cups in his hands. He handed one of the cups to Soobin.
Yeonjun glanced back at the guy in front of him. He looked like a Soobin. “Yeah, we were just chatting. Or, well, I was chatting. Your friend here seems to be a man of few words. Quite enigmatic of him. I bet lots of girls are into the whole brooding mystery guy schtick.” Yeonjun belatedly remembered he might be Kai's boyfriend and worried for a moment he'd just stuck his foot in his mouth in a major way.
But thankfully, Kai laughed, though Soobin just squinted at Yeonjun like he didn’t quite understand what Yeonjun was saying.
Yeonjun turned to go, to excuse himself from talking to Soobin. He was handsome, but that couldn’t change the fact that he was dry. And boring. And he clearly didn’t want to talk to Yeonjun. He knew when he wasn’t wanted.
But as he was leaving, he overheard Kai say to Soobin. “How do you feel? Yeonjun is the most popular guy on campus - it looked like he was into you.”
Soobin scoffed. “I’m not interested. Besides, he doesn’t seem like the relationship type.”
Yeonjun felt his body go rigid. Was he being slut shamed by some miserable nobody? All of a sudden, Soobin’s rejection hurt. What about Yeonjun made him seem like he wasn’t the relationship type? He wanted to be the relationship type - he wanted that desperately. And hearing it laid out like that, by a stranger, stung.
Yeonjun wasn’t the type to let rejections like this get to him. Some people just weren’t into one night stands. He got it. But he’d never realized…was that why he couldn’t find a boyfriend? The vibes he sent out were just those of someone meant to be perpetually single? Did he just come across as the one night for fun kind of guy instead of a take them home to mom kind of guy?
All Yeonjun knew was that the party wasn’t fun anymore. He sent a text to Taehyun - he was too tired and was going to dip out.
So Yeonjun went home, sat on his couch with his knees pulled to his chest, and thought back on his life. Had he always come across as being someone flighty? Like he didn’t want a relationship? Or was that a recent development, brought on by his increased focus on academic and professional success? Did everyone think about him this way, or was it just Soobin?
Yeonjun decided he couldn’t dwell on it anymore. It was in his nature as a Virgo to overthink things like this. So instead, Yeonjun came up with a game plan. He was going to get a boyfriend for his senior year. He was going to prove Soobin - and everyone else who thought he was undateable - wrong.
*~*~*
Finding a boyfriend was difficult. Sure, it had only been a weekend, but already Yeonjun was beginning to regret his decision to find a boyfriend.
One, there were no good men on campus. And Yeonjun was only ever really on campus. When he wasn't on campus, he was either in the studio or at home. And now classes were starting and he was going to become even busier. Homework, projects, work, dance - how the hell was Yeonjun going to find time to form a meaningful human connection with someone?
This was why he stuck to hookups. They were quick. They were practical. They fit his lifestyle.
“Why are you so eager to find a boyfriend so quickly? You know, they always say you find love when you’re not looking for it.” Beomgyu said to him as they stretched in the studio, preparing for their morning contemporary class. As members of the dance studio, they were dance majors and therefore were expected to study various styles of dance while in university, besides their specialty. Beomgyu’s specialty was ballet, while Yeonjun’s was hip-hop. But both boys also took contemporary and musical theatre together as well as the standard classes on choreography, strength and conditioning, and technique. All that with their other educational requirements like English, math, science, art, history, and music. And then they even had practice for showcases, competitions, and other special performances their team was invited to. It was a big commitment and one of the reasons Yeonjun would have no time to find a boyfriend now that classes were beginning.
Yeonjun scoffed. That was the kind of bullshit advice all taken people gave to their single friends. Besides, Yeonjun had not really been looking for love for about twenty years, give or take a few months. If that were true, love would have already found Yeonjun by now, statistically speaking.
“Not everyone can just happen upon a boyfriend like you did with Taehyun, Gyu. Besides, I was in a hurry because now that classes are starting, I’m not going to have any time to meet anyone new.” A pause. “You’re not holding that position long enough.”
And then Yeonjun was behind Beomgyu, pushing him forward to help him hold onto his toes for the full thirty seconds required of the stretch and not just the ten seconds he’d tried to get away with.
Beomgyu began grumbling under his breath about how he’d thought having Yeonjun as a captain would come with perks like getting to slack off. But honestly, Beomgyu should’ve known better. If there was one thing Yeonjun was always going to take seriously, it was dance.
*~*~*
Tuesdays were going to be Yeonjun’s longest day. He had to be at the studio by eight in the morning to help with Coach Jung’s class for non-dancers. A general ed. P.E. credit for those who needed it. Then he had to book it to his British Literature class (he’d failed a literature class as a freshman and was having to make it up now). Then he had lunch before heading back to the studio in the afternoon where he would have private time to work on his senior choreography project - a duet with Wooyoung (he still needed to come up with a concept for that), and then he would have to book it into town to teach a children’s dance class before heading home to do homework, eat dinner, and go to bed.
It was a long day. One that Yeonjun wasn’t particularly looking forward to. And it would only get worse.
He sat on the floor at the front of studio A, sipping an iced Americano and ready to introduce himself to Coach Jung’s students and get them started on some basic warm-ups. He heard the first of the students enter and glanced up to say hello, a bright smile on his face.
“Hey, Coach Jung is running a little late today, but I’m his TA, Choi Yeonjun. What’s your-“ He cut himself off.
Standing in front of him, looking terribly uncomfortable in a pair of sweatpants and a big sweatshirt, was none other than Soobin.
The smile dropped from Yeonjun’s face completely. “Oh, it’s you.”
Soobin’s brow furrowed, his plush bottom lip jutting out before his mouth formed a little ‘o’.
“Take a seat. When the others arrive, we’ll start stretching.”
Soobin moved and sat on the far end of the room, putting as much space between him and Yeonjun as possible. Yeonjun tried to pretend like that didn’t hurt his feelings.
The other students arrived soon after. A freshman, Bahiyyih, three fellow seniors - Yesung, Mark, and Arin, and a sophomore named Ethan. The other students made a good buffer and served as a great distraction from Soobin. They answered Yeonjun’s questions. Happily. And even asked questions back.
See, Soobin. This is how you hold a conversation, you arrogant prick.
Coach Jung arrived just as they were finishing the warm-up. He introduced himself and the class. They would experiment with a variety of styles of dance, and hopefully everyone would leave the class with a love of movement and a basic proficiency in the dance styles they tried out.
It was a fun course, Yeonjun thought. You got a bit of hip-hop, a bit of contemporary, and a bit of ballroom. There weren’t enough girls in the class for ballroom, but Coach Jung had already spoken to Yeonjun about having to step in to fill the gaps if needed.
Since it was the first day, also known as syllabus day, and they didn’t really have a syllabus, instead, they started with learning some basic line dances. Most of the students would already know them, and it would be a fun way to break the ice.
For most of the students, it worked. Arin and Bahiyyih were both quite good dancers. Light on their feet and they moved in a way that was naturally graceful. Yesung had trouble staying on beat, but he was confident, and confidence was key when it came to dance. Mark was clearly the best dancer out of the boys. He sheepishly admitted he was friends with several dancers and they’d taught him some things before. Ethan moved like a slug. Yeonjun predicted that he’d probably drop.
The worst dancer in the class, though, was Soobin. He hesitated before every movement and clearly projected that he was shy. All his movements were too small to look good and it was very clear that he was uncomfortable.
Coach Jung spent a lot of time on Soobin for a day-one class. It made Yeonjun happy in a way to see Soobin suffer a bit. His face constantly flushed red - not from exertion but because he was embarrassed that his name was constantly being called.
“Remember to count, Soobin.” Or “You know the steps, Soobin, stop second-guessing yourself.” Or Yeonjun’s personal favorite, “Watch how Yeonjun does it, your movements should be as large as his.” It made his morning a bit better.
Still, Yeonjun didn’t have a lot of time to shower and change before running across campus and into the English building, having to stay after to help Coach Jung clean the studio.
The dance studio was newly refurbished. Modern and sleek, with top tier sound tech. and special floors designed to soften blows to the dancers’ joints. The literature building was the exact opposite. A tall, ancient building on the edge of campus. The building itself very reminiscent of the old South. Sweeping front staircase leading to double doors. The inside of the building had the old fashioned wooden banisters and ornate chandeliers one would expect to see in a fancy manor.
It was very pretty. Yeonjun’s favorite feature of the building was the way each floor was essentially a circular balcony. The center of the building completely open, so you could look all the way up to the domed ceiling at the top or all the way down to the marble bust of the school’s founder in the basement. It was unique.
More than once, Yeonjun had thought about how cool it would be to film a dance video there.
He burst into the classroom, running a little behind, an apology tumbling from his lips.
“Mr. Choi, please take a seat.” The professor himself was a round man with strawberry blonde hair and large glasses. He handed Yeonjun a syllabus as he passed. To his credit, he didn’t seem mad Yeonjun was late, just happy that he’d bothered to show up at all. “I think you’re the only student here that’s not in the English department. So we’re happy to have you!”
Yeonjun glanced around the room. It was a pretty empty class, but most of the kids seemed to be sitting in clumps together, except for one or two. It was then that he noticed Taehyun, waving at him from the back of the room. Smiling Yeonjun headed towards his friend, dropping into the desk beside him.
“Professor seems chill.”
“Oh, he is,” Taehyun whispered back. “My favorite in the department, probably.”
The professor finished going over the syllabus and Yeonjun tried not to be intimidated by the sheer number of books he would have to read for this class. They were having a discussion about the possibility of having a class outside before the weather turned cold when Yeonjun noticed one person in the front row sitting off to the side. Alone. Much like he’d been in the dance class earlier that morning.
“Oh, fuck me,” Yeonjun mumbled.
Taehyun shot him an odd look.
“Soobin’s in this class too?”
“He’s a literature major. What do you mean by 'too'?”
“He’s in my dance class,” Yeonjun said flatly.
At that, Taehyun let out a little giggle.
“It’s not funny.”
“For someone who’s never met him, you sure don’t like him.”
“Taehyun, Yeonjun - something to share with the class?”
“No, sir. Sorry.” Yeonjun ducked his head and tried to look properly admonished, but the only thing he could really focus on was the way Soobin's eyes had widened as he'd swiveled around in his seat to look at him.
*~*~*
“So…is Soobin the reason you’re suddenly desperate to get cuffed?”
Yeonjun glared at Beomgyu. He’d just finished telling everyone about what he’d overheard at the party. He was hoping for sympathy. Not Beomgyu calling him out.
“Junnie’s looking for a boyfriend?” Wooyoung sounded shocked.
“He is. Or at least, he’s trying to. He’s not that good at it. Says he’s too busy.”
“You know,” Wooyoung started. “Love comes when you least-“
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Yeonjun cut Wooyoung off with a pointed glare.
“You know you don’t have to prove anything to him, right? He had a two minute conversation with you. Maybe not even that long. He doesn’t know you, how would he know if you’re boyfriend material or not?” Taehyun made sense. Yeonjun knew he made sense. He didn’t care.
“But if that was his initial impression of me, what if other people get that too?”
“You’re thinking too hard.” Wooyoung stole some of Yeonjun’s fries. “Don’t sweat it. You’ll fall in love one day.”
They just didn’t get it. They were all happy and in relationships. Yeonjun was done with being patient. He was going to find someone to love, and he was going to do it quickly. He had to prove Soobin wrong; he just had to.