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“May I have this dance?”
San scanned the ballroom, “Why don’t you ask your partner to dance? I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. You two are never apart,”
“My dear Mr. Choi, I don’t have to do everything with him. What if I wanted to spend some time with you?”
San scowled but waited a beat too long before snapping out a comeback.
“It’d be rude to refuse,” Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, smirk playing at his lips. He knew he had San cornered, and there was nothing else he could do. San took the man’s outstretched hand and followed him out onto the dance floor.
A slow tango drifted across the hall, rich guitar strings echoing in the silence the guests gave the orchestra to start up.
Hongjoong and San both assumed the leading positions, and San blinked when he realized they couldn’t dance like that.
“I invited you to dance with me, it only seems fitting that I would lead this one,” Hongjoong offered slyly.
San bit his cheek and changed his stance.
The guitar picked up as the singer began. All around them, couples began to dance in time, completely unaware of the tension between the two.
“Where is your partner, anyway?” San growled. He was uncomfortable with the hooded look Hongjoong kept trained on him, feeling hot under the collar. Damn these suits.
“He’s waiting his turn. Simply couldn’t miss an opportunity to dance with you, but I got you first,”
San was so taken aback that he lost track of all thoughts of locating Seonghwa. “With me?”
“Of course,” Hongjoong led him through a graceful spin, pulling him back in a moment, “A gorgeous man like you, in a suit like this? Absolutely delectable,”
San fought his face to keep a blush from creeping in. “It’s my job to fit in at events like these,”
“Well, I for one think you actually stand out. You’re the prettiest one here, and other people aren’t blind either. Look around, they can tell,”
San stole a glance at the other people on the dance floor and definitely noticed some others taking a sweeping look up and down as they swept past. He needed to change the subject fast.
“You dance well. I’m surprised you haven’t stepped on me yet,”
Hongjoong’s smile turned bloodthirsty. “Why, did you want me to?”
San choked. “Stop it,”
“Come now, Mr. Choi,” Hongjoong sang under his breath, right in his ear as he pulled him in close for a dip, “You wouldn’t want to make a scene. You’re not supposed to be here either, are you, mon voleur débutant ?”
Hongjoong spun him out from the dip and San’s mind reeled. He needed to get the upper hand any way he could or this mission would go further south.
The song ended with polite applause, and a new tango began, more intense than the last.
“My turn,” he grabbed Hongjoong’s hands and maneuvered so he was the one leading, attempting to bring them back to the fringes of the dance floor. Whatever step he made, however, Hongjoong fought him the entire way, somehow bringing him further into the middle even though he wasn’t leading anymore.
He was the picture of casual innocence. “My dear, are you sure you know how to lead? I can show you if you like,”
“I know how to dance!” he hissed, flicking his wrist to send Hongjoong spinning.
Hongjoong came back in and laughed quietly, “There’s no shame in not knowing. I’ll go gentle on you,”
San stumbled on a single step and Hongjoong was there in an instant, taking the lead again as easy as breathing as the pace sped up.
“I’ve got you,”
“Fuck you,” he snapped under his breath.
“I’d rather treat you to dinner first,”
San choked and went through a series of moves on autopilot as his mind reeled to catch up. He tried to push away, but Hongjoong grabbed his arm and swung him back in as if that was the move he was expecting.
Their legs intertwined but never touched, but with a smooth motion, Hongjoong lifted him just a few inches off the ground. It was just enough that San had to hold the man close, chests pressed together, to keep his stability and continue the dance.
“Would you let me?”
“Treat me to dinner? You’re insane,”
“Maybe. Would you let me?”
Before he could answer, someone tapped Hongjoong’s shoulder and a low voice asked, “May I cut in?”
Hongjoong looked offended for a moment, but his face melted when he recognized who it was. Seonghwa was asking to switch places with him.
“Of course, love,” he bowed out gracefully and let Seonghwa take his place.
“Would you prefer to lead or follow? I noticed Hongjoong leading, but didn’t want to assume,”
San said nothing but took the lead as the song changed once more.
Dancing with Seonghwa was an entirely different beast compared to Hongjoong. Hongjoong tried to undermine him, making opportunities to take the lead and move San where he wanted. Seonghwa, meanwhile, was perfectly happy following San’s every direction, every guide, relying on him for lifts and twirls like a true dance partner. Ever so slowly, Seonghwa’s hand drifted lower and lower. He slid his inner thigh along San’s, making no attempt to keep their bodies apart. Seonghwa pressed his chest firm and warm against San’s and rested his head on San’s shoulder, allowing San to completely control the pace.
“You’re a wonderful dancer,” Seongwha complimented in his ear.
“You make it much easier to dance than your partner did,” San grunted.
Seonghwa smiled. “He can be a little … Passionate, can’t he?”
“I’ll say,”
“What were you talking about earlier, I wonder? You had the entire audience captivated,”
“I told him to fuck off and he asked me out. You should get a tighter leash on your boyfriend,” San answered with disdain.
Seonghwa laughed a beautiful chiming laugh, like windchimes in the summer. “Shame I wasn’t there to help. It’d be a delight to take you to dinner sometime,”
“What?”
Seonghwa lifted his head and looked San in the eye, but they kept dancing. “I’d be delighted to go to dinner with you,”
San rolled his eyes, “I don’t think both of you cheating on each other with the same person is a good idea,”
Seonghwa stood fully upright and tilted his chin, “Who said anything about cheating?”
In an instant, he took the lead as the song morphed into a dark waltz. The beat of three rang through his body and it felt right to let Seonghwa shift their stances. Seonghwa kept a firm hand on his lower back, leaving no place for San to guess where he was supposed to go. It was easy, unlike dancing with Hongjoong, where he had fought to keep control.
“You can’t be serious,”
Seonghwa didn’t break eye contact. “Let us take you to dinner sometime,”
“What if I refuse?”
“That’s your choice, and we’ll respect it. But you can’t expect us to keep meeting you like this and not fall for you,”
San choked once more and decided he’d had enough for the night. He stepped back, breaking their hypnotic dance, and held up a hand.
“If you’ll excuse me,”
Without another word, he rushed out the first door he could find. He ended up on the balcony.
The sweet night wind cooled his heated body. Waitstaff came by with a tray full of champagne flutes, and San plucked one and downed it immediately. Only after it was drained did he wince at the thought of wasting such expensive champagne like that.
The sun had just dipped behind the treeline, casting the sky in beautiful shades of purple, pink, and blue. It got darker by the minute, and eventually the lights outside the mansion lit up the drive. He leaned on the stone balcony, taking a deep breath and rubbing his face, not caring about any makeup he did earlier.
“Care for a drink?”
San whirled around to see Hongjoong and Seonghwa, each holding a champagne flute and one extra.
There’s other people here on the balcony, San reasoned, they wouldn’t try anything with other people here, murderous or sexual.
“We didn’t do anything to it, promise,” Seonghwa laughed softly as he and Hongjoong joined San at the balcony, each taking a side so they bookended San.
“Ah yes, because that’s so reassuring,” he scoffed but took it anyway. It was free, and damn if he wasn’t going to take all the free expensive booze he could get.
The music from inside echoed out the large bay doors, but not enough where conversation couldn’t be heard.
“Relax, we won’t do anything untoward,” Seonghwa reassured him.
“Nothing that you don’t ask for, anyway,” Hongjoong grinned crassly.
“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa scolded. Hongjoong shrugged in surrender and raised his glass to his lips.
“What do you want with me? I can see the game you’re playing, you know,”
“And what would that be, Mr. Choi?” Hongjoong raised an eyebrow.
“You’re trying to make me uncomfortable so I’ll leave you alone. Leading me on, dancing, getting me a drink? I won’t back down that easily,”
“Are we not allowed to get to know another in the field?” Seonghwa asked innocently.
“‘Another in the field,’ pah. I don’t even know why you’re approaching me at all, I’m a kid taking snacks from a gas station compared to you two,”
Seonghwa looked like he was coming up with an answer, but Hongjoong jumped in from the other side.
“Perhaps. But everyone starts somewhere. Maybe we could… help you along,”
“Help me along,” San repeated. He took another sip of the expensive drink.
Hongjoong handed him a napkin with something scribbled on it.
“Here’s my personal number. Let us take you to dinner. There’s so much we could talk about,"
San didn’t have the option to refuse as Seonghwa took the napkin, folded it, and gently tucked it behind his pocket square, patting his chest a little too sensually to be accidental.
A commotion inside drew their attention. San stood and faced the doors to see security rushing into the ballroom from all sides. The music stopped with a discordant clash.
“Attention all guests, there has been a robbery. We are placing the estate on lockdown until the culprit has been found and apprehended. Everyone, please, come inside,” their host, Mr. Yungho Jeong, announced once he took over the microphone from the singer.
San turned around to glare at the only two who could have done this, but they were gone. Their empty champagne flutes sat delicately on the balcony ledge: the only evidence they had been there at all.
San grit his teeth and scowled. Over the ledge, he could make out the shadows of Seonghwa and Hongjoong stepping into a car and driving off. Before they were completely gone, however, Hongjoong’s silver head popped out of the sunroof and found San immediately. He waved goodbye, just as security arrived to escort anyone on the balcony inside.
There goes any chance of getting out of here with something worthwhile, he thought to himself.
He took the napkin out of his pocket and looked at Hongjoong’s note above the number.
Dinner? That suit looks too good to waste on a job.
Well, maybe he got something worthwhile.