THE BODYGUARD | JAEYONG NCT

21: Ball Beginnings

There was a tingling buzz of excitement in the air, a jostle of it travelling down the length of Taeyong's spine. It was anticipated, as it always was, the mid-summers ball, but this time Taeyong felt on edge. He wished Jaehyun was there to comfort him in that moment, run a hand through his hair and tell him it'd be okay, and that he was getting worked up over nothing. The door opened and for a split second, Taeyong's chest swole with the hope that it was him before his face fell. It was just a maid.

"Sir Lee, the ball has begun and your father requests your presence."

Taeyong nodded wordlessly at the scrambling maid, fixing his bow tie in the mirror so that'd it'd be perfectly straight. He liked to dress up on special occasions and get himself pretty. If Jaehyun was here he'd probably spin him around and give him a kiss and he'd giggle like a little schoolboy, he mused. But he was alone and he needed to remember that.

"Okay Tae, you can do this." He pointed a finger at himself in the mirror, repeating the mantra over and over hoping it'd somehow stick. How bad could being in a room full of rich snobs really be? "Just nod and smile."

Taeyong found that the answer to that question was very hard and that he had to do a whole lot more than nodding and smiling. As he descended of the venue to the door to greet the guests, he had to deal with their half surprised, half disgusted looks. And they weren't even discrete about it either.

"Taeyong, darling." A woman kissed the air by his cheeks, he recognised her to be Kun's mother. She had invited him to Kun's birthday party back in fifth grade and no invite came ever since. "You look nice."

Taeyong could tell she was insincere by the way her voice wavered when she finished her sentence. Her eyes had lingered on his hair and Taeyong himself had to stifle a laugh. He knew his pink hair didn't exactly match the black and white theme of his outfit.

Dying their hair was an unspoken taboo but that never stopped Taeyong a day in his life. It was semi-permanent anyways and the only thing his father hated more than a pink-haired child was a bald child.

"Thank you." Taeyong smiled before looking over at Kun himself.

"Has Ten arrived?" Kun smiled brightly and Taeyong forced one back. Don't get him wrong, Kun was a nice guy, good grades, good looks and the poster-perfect guy, but Taeyong found him incredibly boring. Even more boring than Doyoung. He didn't understand how he and Ten got together but he didn't ponder on it for too long either. He supposed they were a good looking couple.

"Yeah, he's over by the chocolate fountain." Taeyong gestured over to another end of the room and Kun's brilliant smile grew. He patted Taeyong's shoulder as a thanks and Taeyong mumbled an awkward you're welcome.

Just as the soon as the spark of recognition came from talking to someone he knew, it left and he was back to greeting random people at the door. Taeyong shifted from foot to foot, the soles of his feet feeling oddly prickly and his cheeks aching from being forced to smile for so long. Johnny's arrival was like a blessing from God.

"Thank God, you're finally here. I've literally been standing here for hours and my cheeks hurt and my feet are killing-"

Johnny cut in from Taeyong's whining with the dismissive wave of a hand. "Where's Ten?"

Taeyong eyed his riled up friend with narrowed eyes. His auburn, gelled hair was messy - he had obviously ran his hand through it one too many times.

"He's with Kun." Taeyong knitted his brows together, glancing back at the couple.

Johnny smiled widely, as if finally acknowledging his friends presence, before he decided Taeyong was as unimportant as he was ten seconds ago and running off. Taeyong caught the mischievous glint in his eye as he passed him and shuddered. Johnny was out to cause trouble, he could feel it in his bones.