Sangwoo eyed my follower. He was the kind of person that didn’t like changes. When we lost members a while back, it put him through the wringer.

“Uh, who is that?”

I pushed Yejun forward in front of me. He wore a black mask and a Union Jack cap. No one could tell that a dazzling idol was in their presence.

“Guys, this is… Jun. He’s my nephew. This punk was caught stealing underwear in the girls’ locker room at his high school. My sister is so mad that she kicked him out. Being the amazing uncle that I am, I offered to take him in. He’ll keep his mouth shut. Won’t you, Jun?”

Yejun frantically glanced between me and my crew with shaking hands like he was trying to deny it.

Payback, you little punk.

“‘High school’? How old is he?”

“Eighteen. It’s his last year.”

Not true. Yejun was actually 21, but his baby face made my embarrassing lie believable.

“Please introduce yourself, my granny-panty bandit.”

If looks could kill, my corpse would be unrecognizable.

Yejun bowed and said, “I’m Jun. I got in trouble and now I’m here. I kindly ask you not to bring up the incident again. It was a mistake.”

He tried to save himself, and the members laughed.

“Can you dance?” Donghyun asked.

“I’m classically trained. Uncle Minwoo’s style is new to me. I hope to learn from you all.”

Yejun bowed again for extra politeness.

Then a phone alarm rang. It was time. Flamin’ Hot—the crew that challenged us—was already inside. It was tradition for the group who called out another to choose the location, arrive early, and set up. The loser had to clean the mess and leave no traces of the battle.

They picked an abandoned warehouse near the ocean docks. It smelled like saltwater and smoke due to the nearby factories. At that time of day, the sky was mostly dark.

Ha-rin stood beside me. She wore her signature Ghostface mask that covered her whole face. She subtly lifted her mask so only I could see her beautiful face.

“You don’t have a nephew,” she murmured with narrowed eyes suspiciously. “And your sister lives in New Zealand. Didn’t you tell me you haven’t talked in years? You are basically an only child now.”

I had forgotten Ha-rin knew about my family mess since she was my ex-girlfriend. There was an unfortunate time in my life when I was serious about her, or I thought I was. Her impressive collection of red flags made it obvious she was cheating on me. Not to whine or anything, it freaking hurt when she refused to tell me who her second man was.

I didn’t hold a grudge against her when it came to SCORPIO though. She’d always be a talented, original member.

“Ouch, thanks for airing out my laundry. You’re right. Jun is not my nephew, but I’m technically in charge of him. It’s complicated. Trust me when I say I had to bring him.”

Ha-rin seemed to accept my explanation since I’m an honest guy… most of the time.

“You do recall who the leader of Flamin’ Hot is, right?”

I didn’t reply. It was going to be interesting.

I opened the door with the broken lock chain hanging from its handle. A lowrider car was parked inside. The trunk was wide open to reveal an impressive stereo. Old lights dangling above lit up the room.

Our opponent had more dancers than we did. Maybe fifty or sixty spectators circled the big checkered mat. The crowd would ultimately choose the winners by flocking to the best crew. I gestured for Yejun to join them since he wouldn’t be participating. He hesitated at first, but ultimately decided to follow my order.

Good boy.

Joo-Young waited for me on the mat. He was Flamin’ Hot’s leader and played dirty when it came to following the rules. You could call him a “loophole professional.”

The last time they battled us was three years ago. Joo-Young almost broke my ankle when he purposely attempted to trip me during my routine. His crew was suspended from the forums for a year. I’d like to think he learned his lesson, but who knew if he did or not?

My members stopped on the opposite side of the mat while I continued to the middle. We bowed.

“Joo-Young,” I greeted.

“Minwoo. Ya bring everyone? I heard you lost some people in your crew. Is the monopoly money any good? Gangnam District treating you well?”

The guy was mocking me.

“You heard correctly. Then again, at least I was able to continue dancing, unlike other groups,” I retorted. “I’m good enough that I don’t resort to hurting others.”

“You’re still the same piece of shit as always.”

“Ditto,” I said then gave him a finger heart with my thumb and pointer finger.

Joo-Young grinned. It was all light-hearted smack talk.

“We good?”

“We good. I can’t wait to see the almighty SCORPIO fall.”

On that note, the bass from the car stereo blasted through the large, empty warehouse. They chose a hard-sounding American rock song. I knew it well. Unconventional for an opener, but edgy.

Joo-Young freestyled to the drumbeats. His each movement hit fiercely. When he finished, he pointed at me. I could go harder than him. Way harder.

I flipped in the air before transitioning into my favorite genre of dance—krumping. My strong foundation helped exaggerate my movements. My chest popped and my arms followed me with controlled aggression. I threw the next turn at Joo-Young again. Although he had good energy, my krumping was better.

Then it was my turn again. I stomped my way back onto the mat. Since krumping can’t be choreographed, I did what my body naturally wanted to do and freestyled the hell out of it. My feet intricately turned and spun.

After I jumped unnaturally high into a body roll on the floor, those watching “Oooh”ed at my impressive move. Over half of the crowd came over to SCORPIO’s side including Yejun. I had won the round.

When the song ended and a new one began, I passed the torch to another member of Flamin’ Hot. It was their turn to battle. Then that person would point to another one of my crew. Back and forth, dancer after dancer. That’s how the freestyle rounds continued until every member danced to their heart’s content.

SCORPIO was winning by a smidge, and the next part was the choreography round. It wasn’t long like the previous ones. Some groups of at least two or more individuals showcased what they had practiced. Sangwoo, Momona, and I did a strong krump routine. I lifted my shirt and smiled at the swooning screams.

I saw Yejun’s mouth gape open when he watched my abs flex back and forth.

As usual, Ha-rin and Donghyun’s duo routine was hot as hell. Their hands explored each other’s bodies. They received several whistles. Someone yelled to take off her horror mask. She replied by twerking at the complainer.

Before Ha-rin and I broke up, that sort of pair dance was our thing. Understandably, I told her she’d have to find a new partner for such intimate routines. I knew Donghyun was totally whipped for her, so he volunteered. And boy, did he love it.

It was a shame since I had a drop-dead-sexy idea I was dying to try out with a partner. There’d be a chair and a very teeny amount of lap dancing. Okay, maybe a lot of lap dancing.

By then, the crews usually knew who won depending on the spectators’ reactions. That night was a tie. Since SCORPIO finished the group round, Flamin Hot would decide the grand finale.

Solo? Duo? Group?

Then, they would choose someone on my team and compete until someone won. They chose their leader Joo-Young.

I guess we are soloing.

An R&B song played. He broke out into breakdancing. We watched him use the mat to his satisfaction. Flamin’ Hot clapped and cheered for him. It was what I loved about my hobby. There was nothing more exhilarating than dancing with your family, winning with your family, and being one with your family.

Joo-Young was done. We thought he’d choose me for a rematch. I stepped forward ready to give it all I had to defend my crew’s name. Instead, he pointed to one of the viewers on SCORPIO’s side.

Huh?

We all looked at Yejun.

“Jun’s not participating,” I told him.

“Aw, come on. I heard through the grapevine that he’s classically trained. Besides, there’s no rule saying I can’t challenge an observer.”

Ugh, I guess Joo-Young hasn’t changed at all.

It was bad etiquette. We normally challenged another who we knew was on the same level or higher. Yejun was unknown there. For all Joo-Young knew, he could be freaking amazing and beat the marbles out of him or be so bad that he couldn’t show his face again.

But Yejun was inexperienced at that game. I think Joo-Young suspected it. What a downright dirty thing to do. Unfortunately, he was right. There wasn’t a rule saying he couldn’t.

Well, there goes the battle. Should I just call it and wave the white flag now?

No. Yejun needed to be taught a lesson for blackmailing me. He wanted the experience, no? Perhaps that would change his mind about practicing with SCORPIO.

“Jun,” I called out.

He flinched when I called his name. I could tell he was freaking out. His eyes were screaming for help. I gave a small shrug to signify it was out of my hands. He had to be the one to determine the winning outcome. Some of the spectators on our side went over to Flamin’ Hot. They seemed to know too.

Donghyun gently pushed Yejun on the mat.

What are you going to do, main dancer of SATURN?