ii. Their backs faced each other. With another forlorn glance, they held hands momentarily before separating.

Tick tock, tick tock.

By the time the clock hit 10, Yuna arrived at the entrance of Dance High School just an hour before its dance seminar's actual starting time. As usual, her black backpack and ballet shoes followed her lead.

Dance High School? Is this the end of humanity's creativity?

Apparently, the founding principal's imagination had reached their limits when they were naming their school and had, instead, took the easy way out by settling with such a simple and unoriginal name.

How ironic when dancing is all about creativity...

But perhaps, Yuna shouldn't mock the founding principal for their poor name choice since Dance High School still excelled as one of the best dance academies in Korea either way.

Even if the name I give can be quite innovative, that still won't save my school from collapsing into disaster so long as I'm the founding principal of the school...

Well, that is just a 'what if'. In actuality, Choi Yuna had zero intentions to become the principal of a dance academy or even think about founding one, simply because she already had a dream in mind. And every day, she was making slow but steady progress in her journey towards that dream. The dance seminar that Dance High School was hosting might just be another boost to her advancement.

That was why... Even though she lived in a small neighbourhood situated at Gyeryong, she took a taxi all the way to Daejeon, the metropolis where the school was situated at just so that she could attend its annual dance seminars.

Let me see... The transportation time just to get here is around 15 minutes. So I will pretty much spend 30 minutes travelling to and fro. That time which I can actually use to practise all wasted just like that... Oh well, I guess I should be glad that this school isn't located at Seoul. That'll be even further!

Even as she entered the building, she continued to brood over the remnants of time that she wasted away. The building was jam-packed with foreign faces whom she didn't recognise, but even though the realisation that she was alone dawned on her, it didn't really linger in her mind as much as her wasted time did.

Amidst the group of people, she thought she saw a pair of eyes that were shaped very strangely like two hands on a clock. However, that face was distant and blurry. In a second, it disappeared before she could even squint.

Oh, whatever.

She shrugged and headed to the seminar room she was assigned to.

Well, that was an enriching experience.

A satisfied grin curled on her delicate lips. The mere few hours were a whirlwind of discussion, demonstration and dancing. It drived her breathless, but at the same time, it was fertiliser to the budding young sprout that she was.

With such a thought in mind, she stepped out of the building and somehow came face-to-face with a very familiar figure whom she might or might not happen to see just a few hours ago.

10:10... Is he really that guy?

His hair didn't look like a haggard bird nest like it did before; in fact, it was actually combed down in a straight and neat row. Judging from his sneakers, Yuna presumed that he was here to attend the dance seminar as well.

The ballerina peered at the street dancer and the street dancer peered back at the ballerina. Silence hung over the air for a moment.

"It's you," he blurted, interrupting the once still air.

Wow, it's been a few months and he still remembers me even though I'm just a random passer-by? I don't know if I feel creeped out or flattered.

She nodded and repeated flatly, "It's me. Nice to see you again. I don't think I've seen you since that last time-" Upon realising what she was uttering, she cut her sentence short. Her lips hung open in the air in an awkward posture.

What was I saying? Poking my nose into other people's business is never my hobby, isn't it?

The dancer's expression remained placid. It didn't seem like he picked up that momentum dilemma which Yuna was having back then.

Even if he did, he sure didn't show it.

"Well, as a street dancer, I move around frequently. So even if you look out for me, you probably won't see me at that spot again until a few months time," he responded with a slight smirk surfacing on his round face. The slits of his eyes curved to form tiny little crescents. On the other hand, Yuna emitted a very forced, high-pitched laugh as she rubbed her head sheepishly. She was nearly on the verge of budging her limbs out of embarrassment, but if she did that, she was sure she would flush more than she already did.

Ah, how embarrassing... I just wish there really is a portal that can teleport me back to my dance academy!

For a moment, sunlight shined through the dancer's eyes as he asked, "By the way, the last time we met, you left before I could even ask you this question. So now, I just want to ask... You said I wasn't relaxed enough. What do you mean by that?"

Yuna deliberated over her answer; the gears in her mind fumbled about, attempting to recall the exact words that her dance teacher once said within the realms of her memory.

"You're stiff. I don't know if it's because of the pressure, but you need to try to loosen up. After all, when you get too tense, you can't display confidence that a dancer should showcase. Besides..." she paused, recollecting her memories before she continued on, "You may also get injured like this. A dancer is all about their body. As a dancer, you should always take care of your body before performing." 

She smiled wistfully as she thought of how she danced for the first time she wore her pair of ballet shoes. She remembered how her shoulders stiffened reflexively when she first stretched. Her limbs were frozen like rigid pipes, and they creaked whenever she bended them. After performing pirouettes for a few weeks, her back lamented by aching in protest. Nevertheless, the avid ballet lover that was Choi Yuna continued to persist on with the training despite her whining limbs.

Somehow, her dance teacher realised that fact and chided her, "Of course, I have no words to say about your passion for dancing, Yuna. But you need to relax if you truly want to excel as a dancer. A dancer merges with dancing to become one and abandons all scrutinising stares. Also, a dancer eases up so that they can move with ease. Just look at you now... You're throbbing all over. If you go up on a stage with such a body, then no matter how much effort you've put into training, it'll be all to the garbage chute. You'll ultimately just deliver a mediocre performance."

Those words were engraved and repeated like a mantra in Yuna's head over and over again. What she never wanted was to deliver a less than stellar show and disappoint everyone who was pining all their hopes on her, that including herself. Never would she ever do that.

And right then, she didn't want the guy in front of her to repeat her same amateurish mistake.

After all, even if he was a stranger, he was also a fellow dancer. A dancer who strived to be at his utmost best during the stage.

"I see. I've realised that," he noted with a wavering voice.

What's wrong?

Yuna's eyes softened, but she didn't pursue the matter further, not because they were strangers.

Everyone probably has had been drenched by rain before, and they are certainly not obliged to share their soppy moments with anyone else.

Anyway, it didn't seem like her intervention was necessary since the dancer perked up a few seconds later and joked, "Well, since we've met two times by coincidence, we must have affinity. Therefore, we should probably exchange numbers."

Wow, this guy is really shameless. To think I almost fell for his act just now! Seriously, what kind of logic does he have?

Yuna frowned and questioned, "Is that how you pick up girls?" 

The aforementioned guy shook his head in a frantic manner, but he never once dropped his cheeky grin.

"Oh no, how can you mistake me for that kind of guy? I just need advice, that's all. And you seem to be a good advisor."

He says this, but face is not convincing me otherwise! Oh, whatever. I just need to find a way to turn this down...

Yuna didn't have much experience with guys or people in general, but from whatever experience she had, she knew just one thing: People always like to make excuses. She knew that was definitely true because sometimes, she was one who fancied to make excuses herself.

I don't know what your real intention is, Mr. 10:10, but I don't have time to be tutoring a young brat. I need all the time I can get for practice!

"Don't judge me right off the bat. I'm a horrible advisor. I just kinda repeated what my teacher said before."

While that was an attempt to shut the dancer's mouth, it wasn't exactly a lie. Yuna's own explanations were so confusing that they confused herself.

"Oh, believe me. I've heard a lot of instances where people say they're bad at something, but they turn out to be pretty good. It'll be up to me to decide whether you're good or not," he casually dismissed her excuse with a brazen stare that screamed 'I am not buying into it'.

For a second, Yuna's heart almost wavered, but she stubbornly shook her head. She glanced at her watch.

It's 4pm. I seriously need to hurry back.

"...And why should I say yes? We're technically strangers," she stated matter-of-factly.

The dancer pouted a little as he remarked, "Ouch. You're not very friendly, aren't you?"

Now that I think about it, that's kinda true...

For the entirety of her life, Yuna had been marking the people she came across with labels like 'stranger', 'friend' and so on so forth. There were many labels of 'strangers', but rarely any of 'friends'. But still, it never seemed to tick at her head, merely because she was actually fine with being alone.

Friends don't matter. Because the truth is... I don't have time to make friends. I need all the time I can have for dancing. That's why dancing has now become my whole world, and it has made me dance around it like a blind puppet.

When all she could be immersed in was the floating melody of the song and her rhythmic twirling, nothing else seemed to matter. It didn't matter, as long as she was contented, right?

"That's true. I'm not. Now, if you excuse me, I have to leave."

Before Yuna could even turn her head and escape, a voice sounded from the very same guy in front of her.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Now he's pulling the 'fate' card. This guy sure has a lot of tricks hidden up his sleeve.

"What's with that random question?" asked the wrinkled Choi Yuna. She was getting ticked off by the second.

"I'm just curious. Don't you ask things when you're curious?" he retorted with another question.

Ugh, he has such a way with words. During moments like these, I really wish I studied on Debate just so that I can stop feeling so stupefied.

"...Well, I believe in what's realistic," she reluctantly replied, intentionally ignoring the question which the dancer had posed. Thankfully, he was too distracted by her answer to care.

There was a reckless grin crafted on his face when he proposed, "Then, I'll propose a challenge. If we meet again, you shall give me your number. How about that? But well, if you're still not keen on it, then feel free to go ahead. I wouldn't want to bother a pretty girl. So you can keep that frown of yours and smile a little."

It's too late, Mister! You've already bothered me!

His words didn't seem to ease that ugly frown plastered on Yuna's face; in fact, they seemed to intensify her frown further. The dancer erupted into fits of hyena-like chuckles upon catching a glimpse of her widening frown. 

"Should I use reverse psychology and tell you to keep frowning instead?"

She scoffed, "If you're even intending on using reverse psychology at the first place, you shouldn't even be breathing a word about it." 

Once again, he burst into continuous laughter which further grated on the then wrinkled Yuna's nerves.

"...You seem to enjoy laughing a lot, huh?" Yuna shot a dead-panned look at the person who was still in his own world of hyenas.

"C-C-C-Cut me some slack! It's been m-my old habit until now," he stumbled over his words, for his laughter was unpredictable and burst through during random moments in his sentences.

Yuna didn't want to laugh at first. She really didn't want to. But she was struggling to suppress the energy that was attempting to burst through , and the laughter that was originally ticking her off was gradually and subtly tempting her inner childishness to join in the guffawing.

The end result? The two stood there and chortled about in unison for a few straight seconds, ignoring all the judging glances that the passers-by were sending them. 

By the end of it, both the street dancer and the ballerina were gasping for air while clutching their stomachs which were aching from the pressure of laughing.

"Ah, my stomach..." Yuna breathed. Then, she abruptly realised something very important.

It's already 4:15pm. Seriously, have I wasted 15 minutes just talking to and laughing like a mad woman with this guy?

By the time Yuna had regained her sanity, the dancer in front of her seemed to have already recovered.

He flashed her an eyesmile as he asked again, "So, I presume you're up for the challenge?"

Was that a tactic to get me to say yes? Or was it not? I seriously can't tell at this rate!

She could still say no, but for some reason, her heart leaned towards the answer that the boy favoured. She didn't know why... Her heart was drumming against her chest, signalling to her to say yes instead.

She could almost see it but she couldn't...

The reason why she wanted to succumb to the pressure and nod.

It's fine, Yuna. It's not like a coincidence will happen anyway. Once makes sense. Twice is enough. But thrice? No way. Impossible. Even if you say yes, nothing will happen. So either reply doesn't matter anyway, right?

...Besides, even if it happens, I think I won't mind it so much. I think.

Fate was just an imaginary word created by humans who desperately clung onto any threads of hope that could allow them to see light again. That was what Yuna believed.

And maybe, in her heart, she was also bewitched by that temptation.

Why?

"You're on a whole new level. Fine then. If the fate you believe in grants us another meeting," she left her final words and finally turned away with her ballet shoes trailing behind her.

That was the second time.

A/N: Woohoo! We're done with the introductory phase! I know these two chapters have been lacking romance, but be patient all YujuxHoshi shippers~ There'll be plenty of interactions next chapter. These chapters are here to develop the first stages of their relationship and also develop Yuna's character. However, updates will be slower for the next few chapters since I'm starting school T_T.
This chapter may sound ridiculous to you if you're not someone who believes in fate. I'm not an entire fate believer, but I believe that there is a reason why some of us have been brought together, although our actions do lead us to the end result. It's not entirely impossible for Soonyoung and Yuna to meet one another anyway. In the first chapter, Soonyoung lives in Gyeryong so he performs every morning in different places. He just happens to set up at a place where Yuna would pass by everyday for once. In this chapter, Dance High School's dance seminars are widely known of, so it's not surprising that two people who are interested in attending them will meet one another. Although it sounds intentional (well, it kinda is since I wrote this story lol), it's definitely possible concerning the circumstances. Whether it's because of fate or because they're just two dancers who happen to live around the same neighbourhood, I leave it all up to you to decide. :) Now, you may ask, what about the next coincidence? Well, we'll see the next round e u e 
*P.S. Did you get that Cherish reference? It's more obvious than the Glass Bead one last chapter lol. 
**P.S.S. The random crazy laughing scene is inspired by the videos below and myself lol, because I can laugh like crazy at the unfunniest things sometimes e u e Hoshi's laughter is really adorable HAHAHA, especially you put it on repeat for 5 minutes! And Yuju is a dork, so I had her join in the fun. :) (Although SinB is probably a more fitting partner-in-crime if someone needs a laughing partner xDD)