Song of the chapter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP5VEN40jv0

After what seemed like a painful eternity, the tears stopped flowing and you became slightly more sober. You weren't upset anymore, but there was a numb sensation in your heart. You sat there for a while, wondering what to do. Looking at your house, you remembered why you were even there in the first place. 

Kai, who was standing behind you quietly all this time, gave you a warm hug when you walked up to him towards your house and let you go when you didn't respond to his hug.

"Fighting!"

You smiled weakly at his encouragement and nodded.

"I'll go home first. If anything happens, call me. If nothing happens, call me too. I just want to hear from you, okay?"

You nodded again, but you weren't actually paying much attention to his words.

You entered the house quietly as the door was unlocked, much to your surprise, since your mother was quite uptight about locking the door at all times. There was no one in the living room, and there was no sound at all - as though the house was empty. You wondered if both of your parents had gone out, until you heard a heavy sigh from upstairs. Pressing yourself against the nearest pillar, you tried to listen for any other sounds, and soon a decent conversation was audible.

"I told you you shouldn't have pushed her so hard! Look what happened now? She decides not to pursue her dream, because you thwarted it for her, and now she's missing because you chased her away!" It was rare of her father to get angry, and it was obvious that he was extremely furious as he didn't bother to mince his words with her mother.

"What could I do? I just wanted her to finish that childhood dream of mine so badly...I want my daughter to be someone I can be proud of -"

"She's a good girl, isn't that something worth being proud of? Look at those hooligans out there wasting their life away, and compare them to our __. Our daughter went through so much just to make us proud, and if that's not someone you want to be proud of, then I don't know who else can be worthy enough."

You choked as you heard your father standing up for you. He had always been submissive to your mother in a way, watching on as you struggle with your mother and your teacher's demands, but now he was defending your actions, and pointing out your mother's unreasonable side. 

"I know I haven't been a good mother..."

"No, you are."

You shouted back, and climbed the stairs hurriedly to your parents' room. They were shocked when they saw you, and the three of you just continued looking at each other until your mother pulled you into a hug. It was the first outward show of love she had ever displayed to you ever since you were sensible, and it was a pleasant surprise as you hugged her back tightly. You saw your father smile, and you nodded back at him.

"I'm sorry for running away like this. I shouldn't have -"

"It's my fault, darling. I'm sorry, I really am. I'm sorry for making you do things you don't want, I'm sorry for trying to make you achieve my own dream. I'm a selfish mother."

"I'm sorry for being selfish too. I should have thought that you wanted this...wanted me to be a great ballerina."

"No, you did good."

As both of you pulled apart, your mother wiped the tears off your face. "I must have been blinded by ambition not to see how tired and sad my daughter has become. I don't know what came into me, honestly. Last night was a tough one, not being able to see your face before I sleep."

"And all's well." Your father placed his hands on both you and your mother's shoulders. "Now, let's sit down and talk through your plans for the future, and whether you want to continue ballet. Okay?"

You had never been happier to sit down and talk to your parents, and for now, life seemed to have returned you the sunshine you missed for so long.

"Okay, so you're telling me that your best friend has feelings for another guy who is hotter and more talented you, and vice versa?" Sungyeol finished bandaging Myungsoo's fist.

"Yeah, and your bandaging ." Myungsoo pointed at the loose ends sticking out, and Sungyeol dismissed him. "You think I'm a professional first-aider? Pfft. Anyway, didn't you have some kind of mental preparation for this? That you would be friendzoned?"

"It hurts more when that fact is established."

"I know, I know. But are you 100% sure that they are together?"

"He was kissing her when I saw the both of them. KISSING. Does that not ring any bells?"

"I can kiss you if you want, and it won't mean we're dating." Sungyeol rolled his eyes. "From what I can establish...that guy likes your girl all right, but she doesn't necessarily like him back. Did she even respond to the kiss?"

"How would I know? I was just furious at that moment and all that -"

"Ta-dah! So you don't know for sure that she likes him! Stop assuming, it's not good to jump to conclusions!"

"How could she not like him? I mean, he's good-looking, good in dancing, good in almost everything, and I'm just a good sidekick." Myungsoo frowned.

"You honestly need to give yourself more credit than that. You dance pretty well too! It's pretty sick of you to be mastering our dance in such a short period of time, you know? I took forever and I used to think Sunggyu-hyung wanted to kick me out for being so slow."

"Still nowhere as good as Kai."

"Wait, hold up - you're talking about Kai? The one from EXO?"

"You see, you see? He's so famous that even you know him! His dance moves are so slick, he could be the god of dancing, after Yunho-hyung."

"Sheesh, he's not as handsome as you." Sungyeol patted his back and offered a bottle of mineral water, which Myungsoo gladly accepted. "Your friend's coming to the dance-off, right?"

"I think so. Kai invited her."

"Stop Kai-ing here and Kai-ing there, it's no wonder she'll gain interest in him. Or are you the one interested in him? It's okay, I'm not homophobic." Myungsoo poured water down Sungyeol's shirt, and that shut him up for a while as he flinched from the sensation of the cold water running down his body.

"I hope she'll realize that I'm trying hard to be as good as her, that I'll always be there for her, that I'm always waiting for her to accept me for someone more than a friend."

"If she doesn't, she's just plain blind, go find someone who has better eyesight."

"I don't think I'll fall for anyone else."

"Okay, so she'll be your first and last love. That's just creepy. Sometimes I wonder if playboys like Woohyun get it easier." Sungyeol grabbed a few tissues and attempted to dry himself. "My advice to you right now: go home, sleep, call her and patch things up, work hard for the dance-off, blow her mind there, and live happily ever after with her. Done."

"I love-hate how you always make things sound easy. Thanks hyung."

"What are hyungs for?" Sungyeol punched him slightly on the shoulders and walked him to the door. "By the way, stop punching lamp posts. They'll get hurt."

"Alright, I get it. I'll punch you next time."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, see you later at practice!"