[ our worlds collided long before you met me, darling ]
Jisung swung his keychain as he walked into the dance studio, kicking at the pebbles on the sidewalk that poor Renjun always managed to trip over. Ten greeted him from behind the front desk with a half-hearted wave and a cup of room temperature coffee. Well, it was 90% french vanilla and 10% coffee, but coffee nonetheless.
The kids weren't scheduled to arrive for another hour, and Jisung lazily lounged on the couch in his booked studio. His phone was on silent, but occasionally the screen would flash with another TikTok notification. He posted a 15-second video last night covering Stray Kids' new song Back Door, and the comments were still pouring in twelve hours later.
Jisung started Tiktok about six months ago when quarantine boredom was beginning to set in. The dance studio closed due to the virus, and Jisung became a complete hermit. He downloaded TikTok ironically months before he started making videos, and never considered using the platform for dance. When he saw the number of mediocre dancers on TikTok receiving thousands of likes, he stepped in. His first video was a short cover of Taemin's Move, and it garnered him about 200,00 followers. Most were teenage girls gushing over his cute nose and sexy body, but other dancers steadily joined his following. 5.5 million followers later, and Jisung was posting weekly covers and back to his studio.
He needed to film his original choreography dance while the studio was booked, but the coffee didn't usually kick in for another forty minutes, and the kids were prancing into the classroom by then. As much as it pained him to stay later on a beautiful, college-free Saturday morning, he would have too.
Jisung tossed his empty coffee cup in the trashcan by the speakers and stretched his legs. Teaching a kids hip-hop class sounded easy in theory, but dancing the same choreography for an hour took a toll on his muscles. He already pulled his thigh muscle breakdancing, and if he wanted to participate in his school's winter showcase, he had to be cautious.
Renjun, the oldest of his kids, requested they learn Ice Cream by Blackpink, which was simple enough. It was crucial to teach the kids to have fun when dancing, so every other week was Say So Saturday. The kids voted on a popular song with choreography the week before, and Jisung taught the top pick. But Sunday was Renjun's tenth birthday, so Jisung let him pick the song without the other kid's input. And maybe Renjun was his favorite, just maybe. He plugged his phone into the speakers and marked through the chorus.
"Chenle is coming to get you later. Okay, baby?" Renjun's mom crouched in the doorway, dark hair flowing down the uncomfortable arch of her spine. She played with the straps of Renjun's Spiderman backpack and placed a motherly kiss on his forehead. They spoke briefly in Chinese before the woman waved goodbye to Jisung and left.
"Good morning, Mr. Jisung!" Renjun chirped, tossing his book bag into the wooden cubbies leaning against the wall. He switched his slip-ons for a pair of neon green Skechers and hopped to his spot in the room. The kids had assigned seats for class, marked by peeling blue painters tape that Jisung slapped against the floor before each lesson.
"Good morning, Junnie! Is Chenle your brother? I've never met him." Jisung asked. He heard tales of Renjun's eighteen-year-old brother daily, both good and bad, but never met him in person.
Renjun giggled as he butterfly stretched on the floor, a goofy grin on his face. "But he's on your phone all the time!"
Jisung froze where he was stretching, staring at Renjun upside-down. "Huh? When?"
"Can I show you, Mister?" Renjun asked politely. Jisung didn't want an almost-ten-year-old touching his phone (he was a hormonal teenager, after all), but his curiosity outweighed his caution. He unplugged his phone and sat next to Renjun. After unlocking it with his fingerprint and checking for anything incriminating, he passed it to the eager child. Renjun opened the Tiktok app and clicked on Jisung's following. He didn't follow many people, just a few dancers, and Renjun found who he was looking for easily. How could he not? Chenle had over 20 million followers and was possibly the cutest boy on the app. But wait, why would Renjun show him Chenle's profile? Oh my god. Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!
"Your Chenle is Tiktok Chenle?" Jisung spluttered, cheeks red. He left many comments on Chenle's makeup tutorials, most less-than-appropriate. He had a beautiful smile, the softest-looking hair, and donated monthly to charities combatting child abuse. Yeah, Jisung was crushing hard.
Renjun nodded, and Jisung would have spent the entire hour grilling the poor kid about his hot older brother, but more children were arriving. He stood from the ground and brushed the dirt from his sweatpants to greet the parents properly. Hendery, Yangyang, and Xiaojun, the triplets, plopped onto their spots, whispering amongst themselves. Donghyuck bounced into the room a few minutes later, dolphin plushie tucked in his armpit for safety. Lucas, the tallest kid, shuffled past the doorframe with his eyes locked on the ground. He tried to appear invisible, but his spiky hair and extra inches made him a skyscraper among houses. Mark arrived last, per usual, and threw himself onto his tape with a tired pant.
Jisung clapped his hands, and the chatter stilled. "Alright, boys. Today we're going to learn..."
_________
Five more minutes, just five more minutes, and he was free from the repetitive chants of ice cream chillin'. Renjun's excitement about learning his song choice kept Jisung's exhausted mind alert for the remaining class time. Donghyuck's plush was dancing with him, wiggling its fins in tune with Jennie's voice. The twins abandoned the song halfway through, and Jisung occasionally roped them back in with empty promises and faux enthusiasm. 9:59, the clock read. That was close enough.
"Circle up!" He called out.
The boys rushed to the front of the room, forming a lopsided semi-circle around Jisung. Lucas was the only one tall enough to make eye contact, and Jisung avoided his puppy eyes at all costs. He'd much rather stare at the top of Mark's fluffy hair than have his darkest secrets exposed by some eight-year-olds eyeballs.
"You all did so well today! Any suggestions for next week?" Jisung asked. Lucas shyly raised his hand. "Whatcha got for me, Lucas?"
"Can we learn one of your songs, Mister Jisung?" He timidly requested. The boys cheered their approval, jumping around and mimicking the dances they've seen Jisung do. It was cute, albeit too hyper for ten in the morning.
"Of course you can! Don't forget your bookbags." The boys scattered across the classroom, Donghyuck rushing to his dolphin and Mark running to wait by the door. It was a studio rule that no child was to leave without the teacher first seeing their parent, and Jisung respected Ten's sincerity. Mark's dad, a young man with eyebags deeper than the Mariana Trench and always sporting a hideous mustard-colored tie, approached the door first. He waved to Jisung and took Mark's hand. Donghyuck left next, then the triplets, leaving him and Renjun in the spacious room.
Jisung ignored his presence in favor of setting up his phone and checking the angles for his video. Renjun sat quietly on the couch, kicking his feet against the wall like being late was normal. His mother was a punctual lady, which meant his brother had an affinity for being behind schedule. It didn't matter to Jisung. He just wanted to film his TikTok and be done for the day.
"Renjunnie?"
Renjun perked up.
"Is it alright if I record a video? For Tiktok?" The camera angle blocked the couch completely, and he doubted Mrs. Zhong would care anyway. Renjun nodded and swung his feet again, softly humming a tune Jisung hadn't heard. He shrugged and hit record. The music video for Dinero shone on his laptop, and he clicked play before rushing to his starting position.
Dancing for Jisung felt like writing to an author, or the stroke of a brush for an artist. He moved like he was Shakespeare writing about love, creating art that transcended boundaries. His mind was a constant whirl of 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. His discarded school work, the C in his bio 201 class, the thoughts of a love he'd never recover, none of it mattered. As long as his feet hit the counts and his face sold the story, he was the wealthiest man in the world.
He repeated the choreography until the clock read 10:37 a.m., and fetched his belongings. Renjun was no longer seated on the couch, and a quick chat with Ten revealed the boy's whereabouts. He left with his brother ten minutes ago, and Jisung would die by Ten's hands if he got distracted again.
He left the studio and drove home, bopping to the pop songs on the radio. His apartment complex was hidden between a Wal-mart and a retail store specializing in men's tuxedos, and the entrance was nearly invisible to anyone who didn't live there.
Jisung parked his car next to a scraggly oak tree and locked it. His poor Ford would be covered with pine needles by the time he woke up for his brother's weekly brunch, but it provided the best shade in the parking lot. With difficulty, he unlocked his front door and tossed his keys onto the coffee table. His legs felt like wet spaghetti noddles had replaced the flesh and muscle. He collapsed on the couch with a disgruntled huff and opened his video. Out of the five takes, he narrowed it down to two. After noticing the constipated expression he made in one of the contenders, he skipped to the third attempt. The dancing was smooth, as he expected, and his face conveyed the emotions accurately. His fans would love it. But there was one teeny-tiny problem.
Zhong Chenle was in the background of his video carrying his little brother. How the hell did Jisung miss meeting the love of his life? What a shame. Ignoring the familiar smile in the background, Jisung uploaded the video to Tiktok. Hopefully, his dancing would hinder the brightness of Chenle's pretty smile. He typed a basic caption about his Youtube channel, added the latest tags, and hit post without a second thought.