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Minho smiled stiffly behind his mask as thousands of cameras flashed in his face.
His passion for dancing struggled to remain intact in the moment as the news reporters fired off question after question, aggravating his already blinding headache, courtesy of Hyunjin and Felix's usual shenanigans and an agonizingly long and difficult show.
He longed to be back home in Jisung's arms, his petite figure pressed flush against his muscular one, his face buried in the crook of his boyfriend's neck as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of his hair. He longed for the peace of his shared apartment, of the hushed laughter over an obligatory midnight bowl of ramen, of their intertwining hands as misadventures of their days were recounted.
He missed him awfully, and he swore he saw red when he heard the insinuating question escape from a particularly nasty-looking woman's lips.
"So, Minho, you were amazing on stage today. You danced flawlessly, maybe even outshining the others. But I must say, something was amiss. The usual spark was not there in your dance. Huh, it was almost as if you were, I dare say, distracted. What could be the possible reason for this downgraded performance?"
"Could it be that something - or perhaps, ah, someone - is distracting your job?"
Fool, was all Minho thought, as the woman's heavily lipsticked mouth twisted in a devious smile as if to say, Gotcha, didn't I?
Minho could only shake his head in response. He knew what this was about. Ever since June last year when he announced his relationship with Jisung, his fans hadn't been exactly happy with him, which, of course, came as no surprise to him or the management, given the fact that he was an internationally recognized dancer.
And he was fine with it. He did not owe the world either an explanation or an apology. He wasn't shy to flaunt his stunning boyfriend off at public events - though, his attendance to such events was mostly restricted to one per year, two if he was feeling generous.
But he hated how it was Jisung who paid the price for his fame, who was at the receiving end of all the vicious remarks and bitter ridicule.
Their relationship was built on trust and honesty, and Jisung had admitted on multiple occasions that sometimes these comments did get to him. Minho swore he felt his heart drop in his stomach the first time he admitted so, tears uncontrollably rolling down his cheeks as he showed him the mean tweets against their relationship, against him. But Jisung was concerned with himself, though; with wobbling lips, he'd asked him if he was really enough for Minho, saying that perhaps he did deserve better. Someone who was of the same world as him. That night, while Jisung sobbed into his chest, Minho swore vengeance on every person who said one word against his partner.
He stared into the dark, beady eyes of the interviewer and decided the time to return the favor had come.
He narrowed his eyes pointedly, pushing away her mic with the tip of his finger. "I appreciate his concern, Miss, but I don't think you understand how a performance works. Dancers don't merely waddle around the stage, randomly flapping their hands or legs. The aura, the charisma, the sparkle you were missing, all these are subjective to the performance we're putting up. I mean we performed 'Slump' and not 'Wolfgang' or some other energetic song for fuck's sake. Put some respect on Chang hyung's trauma."
"Coming to the second part of his question, I appreciate that you didn't forthright name my boyfriend as the source of this so-called disturbance, because then I am afraid I would have asked the security to throw you out. Jisung is someone so dear to me that I am afraid to even imagine my life without him. He's been the constant source of motivation for me to do well because there's nothing in this world that makes me happier than seeing his eyes shine with excitement and awe whenever I pull off a complicated move. His existence is the only thing preventing me from murdering Hyunjin on sight-"
"Hey!"
"-and I am very much in love with him. If there is someone with whom I wish to spend my entire life, it's forever him."
"And," he said, his dark eyes boring into the camera, "I would be grateful if my fans respected my decision. Please refrain from making any comments about my boyfriend. Thank you." He walked off, leaving the unpleasant woman stunned.
He ignored his bandmates teasing looks and wiggling eyebrows and sat in the team van while the others completed their interviews. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and fished it out.
A message from Sungie💛 - was displayed on the front screen. Clicking on the notification, his heart melted at the one-line message he'd sent him.
I look forward to spending my whole life with you as well, Min💛.
