back to you || yeonbin

7

The crowd watched with rapt attention at the now empty stage at the MMA. They knew who were going to perform next.

The crowd roared as he walked into the stage. Strong steady steps. Each one with a vigour of its own.

He was wearing a silver shirt and white pants, with beautiful glass beads sewn into the material. They had the same shine as the wearer.

He slowly unfolded himself into the dance. Every single move hitting every single beat. His eyes skimmed over to the audience; it was a green ocean. He smiled to himself as he did a double spin in the air and brought himself down.
He gave one last look to the audience and winked.

The crowd went crazy.

Their last performance for MMA that year was definitely their most hardest one. With a whooping 100 dancers from different dance studios around the world, the quintet set the stage on fire with their hottest track.

They were having the time of their lives. They were wild, so was the crowd.

Little did everyone knew that it would be one of their last performances together.

Present

Yeonjun snapped back into the present and that was when he noticed a tear from his eyes. He missed performing. Dancing. Being the centre of attention. But he knew it was his own fault that he left all of it behind.
But he was not willing to let go easily. At least not his passion. And that's the reason why he decided to work as a dance teacher. Part of the reason was Jennie beating him up just because he slept too much and couldn't move his lazy ass.

At times Yeonjun gets a bit perplexed on the amount of fame the former Blackpink member has. He craves it too, but in the end he believes it's for the best.

Initially there were a bit of problems when he joined as the dance teacher. Everyone was shocked on seeing the former idol and started giving him way too much attention. That kind of an attention, he didn't want that.
Over time, the students started warming up to him more. They shared food, talked about their homes, families, crushes and pets. Yeonjun was the listener for all of them. He knew immediately if anyone of them had a problem.

Yeonjun was family to them.

And they were family to him.

One day he had the boldness to ask if their initial hostility was due to him getting caught in the scandal back in Korea and all the sexuality issues.

A student named Lyra had gave him an incredulous look and had said.

"You really thought so?! Oh my god, Yeonjun, that's unbelievable."

Yeonjun who was sitting next to them, shifted uncomfortably.

Deric said,"Dude, you were like THE idol. God-tier man. You in a place like this was pretty strange for all of us. And no, it had nothing to do with your sexuality."

Rachel stole a piece of bacon from his lunch and stated, "You do realise some of us here, are bent, right? To be honest, people were happy that you were accepting of your identity and you didn't try to hide the fact."

"I was one of the reasons the band broke." mumbled Yeonjun.

Deric placed a hand over his shoulders and said, " Well, you had to do it, man. You can't blame yourself for that. If they don't accept you for who you are, fuck them. You just don't need them. Thats all."

Rachel looked up from her lunch.
"Are you still in contact with him?"

Yeonjun had not given an answer that day. He had simply stared and shook his head. But on the inside, his mind was in the middle of a thunderstorm. The answer was no, although he couldn't bring himself to blurt out the monosyllable.

Not once had he contacted him, but he was well aware of his ex's public life.

Well, Soobin was everywhere.

Magazines, advertisements, TV, films.

Yeonjun is happy for him. Happy that the other has moved on. But that thought crumbles him. Burns him. He couldn't face the reality of seeing Soobin in someone else's arms. And he cries.

Little does he know, on the other side of the world, another mind is in a similiar state.

◇

"What the hell?!", was the first thing Jennie shouted when she opened the door, 10 am in the morning. She clearly did not expect Park Jimin at her doorstep, plastered with his million dollar smile, in a denim jacket and fitted jeans. He actually looked 10 years younger than her, even though he was older.

What kind of a sinister de-ageing cream does this guy use? She thought.

"Hi."

Jennie looked at him flabbergasted.

Hi?! All these years and this idiot has the audacity to show up at my house and say hi?!

"What do you want?"

"To talk."

"I have nothing to talk with you."

"Surely there's something to talk about."
"No, there isn't."

And Jennie slammed the door, only to be forced back by the male. His expression turned serious.

Oh great. I hate it when he gets serious.

"This is not about you and me."

Jennie noticed his face when he said that.

Was that disappointment she saw?

"This is about Yeonjun. And Soobin."

Jennie widened the door and crossed her arms over her chest.

"He is holding up. Its better this way."

"I don't think you have a say in that."

"Oh really? I am his elder sister. I have been, for the past couple of years. If there's someone who knows what he has been through all these years, I suggest you quit this shit and leave, along with whatever you have planned for him."

She was growing irritated. On one side she hated his presence. On the other, she wasn't quite fond of others meddling into their lives. Again.

"Jennie, please."

She can't look at him. She doesn't want to hear her name from him again.

She doesnt want to face her demons again.

◇

Hueningkai was almost going restless.
He recollects the conversation he had with his eldest hyung once.

"San Jose."

"America? Why? Hyung, look we could solve this. We just need a little time."

"Do you really think we could, Ning-ah? I was the one who broke the band."

"Hyung, you need to realise something. Your relationship is not the problem at all. Hyung, listen to me. You might think we are disgusted by you two, but hyung we are the ones who literally set you up. How could you think like that?"

Hueningkai has only a vague memory of what Yeonjun had said next. He plans not to recollect it.

He looked over to the opposite seat, seeing Soobin fast asleep, resting his head on Jungkookie hyung's shoulders.

Huening wishes he could have a little more time.

Just a little bit more.