The workday had ended. Aziel was in his small dressing room, trying to take off his complex dance costume, when the door suddenly burst open. Sojin lunged inside. He looked like a wild animal that had been stalking its prey for a long time and had finally caught it. Without saying a word, Sojin attacked Aziel, pinning him against the wall and beginning to kiss him fiercely. Aziel was confused, trying to push against Sojin’s rough chest with his hands, but with every movement, the ornaments on his dance costume jingled, making a loud noise in the silence.

​— "Stay quiet," Sojin whispered, his breath hot near Aziel’s ear, "otherwise everyone will hear."

​Aziel was about to say something, but Sojin’s hand slid down sharply and firmly squeezed Aziel’s penis. The boy’s mouth fell open from surprise and the instant eruption of pleasure.

— "The door... isn't locked," Aziel managed to utter, "people could walk in."

— "Even better," Sojin smirked, "let everyone see what a spoiled boy you really are."

​Aziel began to moan softly. Sojin caught his nipples with his teeth while simultaneously beginning rapid, masturbation-like movements on his genitals with his hand. The passion was becoming unbearable. Sojin lifted Aziel and threw him onto the makeup table, tossing aside the grooming supplies sitting there. He spread Aziel’s legs, and the boy’s already fully hardened member appeared under the light.

​Sojin looked at him with the gaze of a cunning fox:

— "You’re so bold, Aziel. Aren't you even ashamed to be in this state in front of your Hyung?"

​Sojin leaned down and began to stimulate him with his tongue and lips (fellatio), driving him to madness with every flick of his tongue. Aziel was already ready to scream, his voice breaking, barely breathing:

— "Stop... I'm going to spill... Sojin..."

And at that very peak, Aziel jumped up.

He was in his room. Morning was just breaking, and silence reigned in the room. He felt that his underwear was wet and sticky. It had happened again. A week had passed since the trip to the sea, and every night Aziel woke up from these sexual and crazy dreams involving Sojin. He sat up in bed, flushing with shame; his subconscious would not give him peace.

​Inside Aziel, there was real chaos. He had never been in love and certainly never imagined that he could like boys. He was confused, had no one to share this with, and was terrified that his feelings were not "normal." But as soon as he heard Sojin’s name or saw his silhouette from afar, his heart would start beating with wild speed. He remembered the sea, then those burning dreams, and a wave of arousal would wash over his body. He tried to convince himself that the reason was simply his being a virgin or Sojin’s overwhelmingly attractive appearance.

​Several times, Aziel tried to "save himself" by going on dates with girls. But every time it reached the moment of a kiss, he would pull back in disgust, pretending he was in a hurry or had forgotten something important.

"But Sojin made the first move," he told himself, "that means something; it's not worth rushing into someone else's arms."

​In the meantime, Sojin seemed to have disappeared. He didn't even have time to think about Aziel, as dark family problems had pulled him right into the center.

​Aziel had overheard Sojin’s phone conversations with girls a few times, but his jealousy finally "exploded" when he saw Minho hugging Sojin and kissing him on the cheek.

Aziel froze. Out of anger, he wanted to kill Minho, kill Sojin, start a fight... but then he suddenly calmed down. Cold logic suggested: Sojin is a free man, and that one kiss probably meant nothing to him. He fled to the restaurant’s back entrance, curled up against the wall, and began to cry. He felt extremely alienated and lonely in this city.

​— "Aziel...?" came Kang Sera’s voice. She had come out to smoke and saw the boy in that state.

Aziel quickly wiped his tears and looked into her eyes.

— "Sera, does Minho... prefer boys?"

Sera was surprised for a moment by such an honest question.

— "Yes, Minho is gay and doesn't hide it. But what does that have to do with your crying?"

— "Nothing... my cat just died," Aziel lied and rushed inside to prepare for his next dance. While dancing, he thought of only one thing: Sojin had simply taken advantage of his weakness; he was just a womanizer. "I wonder if Minho knows that Sojin is cheating on him... but that’s none of my business."

​That night Aziel cried again, and in the morning, with swollen eyes and a readiness to fight, he went to work. However, Sojin was not there and was not coming. During the break, Minho approached him.

— "Shall we talk?" he asked gently. Sera had told him about yesterday.

​Aziel looked at him and thought: "Poor Minho, he is so good, and Sojin is treating him badly." He asked Minho how he realized his orientation and if it was normal. Minho smiled:

— "I’ve known since I was little. If you love, gender doesn't matter."

— "You must love Sojin very much," Aziel said, "I saw how you were hugging and kissing."

​Minho started laughing loudly.

— "Aziel, I love and respect Sojin only as a friend. Nothing has ever happened between us. And yesterday was his birthday; I was just congratulating him."

​Aziel felt like the stupidest person in the world. All the hatred he had accumulated toward Minho vanished in an instant, giving way to a kind of relief and, at the same time, shame. He hung his head, trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

— "I... I thought there was something between you," he whispered.

Minho smiled gently and sat next to him, placing a hand reassuringly on Aziel’s shoulder.

— "Aziel, not everything in this world is as it seems. Sojin is my best friend; he is like a brother to me. We have both walked through hell, but in different ways. You know, sometimes people are so afraid of pain that they hide behind icy walls."

​Aziel looked at Minho with anxiety still in his eyes.

— "But how do you know... that it's 'that' feeling? That it’s not just curiosity or... wrong? I feel very guilty that I like a boy. In my country, in my family... this could destroy everything."

​Minho’s gaze turned serious; he understood Aziel’s inner battle.

— "Listen to me, little one. Love has no gender; it’s just energy between two souls. If your heart beats faster next to that person, if their absence makes you feel a lack of air, then it is real. And being 'normal' is relative. Normal is what makes you happy, not what society expects from you. Don't be afraid of your feelings; be afraid of killing them."

— "But what if he doesn't take me seriously?" Aziel asked, thinking of Sojin and the girls. "What if I am just one of the many people he uses and throws away?"

​Minho smiled slightly but looked into the distance.

— "If your love is real, pure, and strong—if you are sure he is the one—then don't give up. Even if it seems right now that you are just another person to him, try to get what you want. Otherwise, you’ll regret it your whole life for not being strong enough at the moment your heart was burning with love."

​This conversation felt like an oxygen mask for Aziel. He felt the heavy burden fall from his shoulders. The shame that had been suffocating him for days began to give way to confidence. He realized his feelings were beautiful and that he was ready to fight for his love, whose name he still did not say out loud.

​Aziel’s eyes sparkled. He stood up, straightened his back, and gave Minho a grateful smile.

— "Thank you, Minho. You helped me see what I was afraid to accept."

He returned to the stage, more energetic and passionate than ever. He was dancing for his feelings. Aziel had decided: the next time he saw him, he would no longer run away.

​But he didn't know yet that at that very moment, Sojin was surrounded by blood and coldness...