fluid: haobin

30

yoochan leads hao into the main ballroom, where another male is sitting on the stage with his phone out. the stranger looks up at the newcomers and his eyes dart to where the manager is standing next to the director.

"mr. zhang, this is mr. han jiho, the instructor from 101 steps," yoochan introduces the two to each other. "i know both of you understand the situation and have been talked to individually."

"look, mr. kim, i've already given my statement and we both confirmed that i've sent my team video before fluid studio did. isn't that enough to prove my point?" jiho raises an eyebrow as he crosses his arms.

"yes but both of you have given the same narrative so i decided this is the best way to overcome it," the director walks over to a speaker and turns it on. "the creator will know the dance best so let's go with it."

hao didn't know how this was gonna plan out. his team was dancing to a completely different song than 101 steps and even if the sequence was the part in question, how would they be able to prove anything?

"simple freestyle and incorporate the sequence when you think it's right. that's the best solution i can come up with," yoochan brings up a song and beckons for the other two to go on the stage. "and just do it the best you can. good luck!"

from his peripheral vision, hao can see jiho's frustrated look and it gives him a boost of confidence. what does he have to worry about? he's the one who created the choreography and he knew the steps best. if anything, this is going to be easy.

and he's right. the ballroom is suddenly filled with a heavy bass from the large speakers and the chinese recognizes the song.

hao starts moving, the choreography coming back as muscle memory. it's been a while since he's visited the routine, but each step feels natural. the other dancer does the same, which is a mistake on his part.

yoochan smiles, knowing he found the one at fault. he stops the music, making hao stop immediately while jiho gives a confused expression at the sudden end.

"mr. han, i'm sorry but your team will be disqualified from the competition," the director announces with a firm tone.

"what the hell are you talking about?" the male storms over to the speaker and grabs the director's collar. "this didn't prove shi-"

"yes it did."

"i did the whole routine that you asked for, what didn't you get?" jiho gets up into the other's face, which the director responds with a shove to get hands off.

"that's the point. if you hadn't plagarized, it meant you've never seen the routine before and wouldn't know how to apply the moves to a new song. however, it's because you did that gives me a confirmation."

jiho is about to lunge forward again, but hao had managed to run off the stage and stop anything from happening as he pulls the director away. a surge of courage flows through his body, not being afraid to get closer and give a firm gaze.

"i'm sorry, but i don't understand why you're the one acting like this when i'm the victim here. you're the one who stole my choreography and you're the one who decided to lie about the situation. if anything, i don't think you have the right to act like this and hurt others through your actions," he stares at the instructor, holding his ground

"see, i don't know why you're so pressed. you posted it online, giving anyone a chance to use it so if anything, i'm just saying that i used available resources."