Jongin was sure that time had come to a standstill the moment he saw her. He stood there rooted, staring at her as she moved her body to the rhythm of the song. Her movements varied - from quick and precise to slow and groovy. She was the only one in the studio yet she filled the entire place with her presence. His eyes averted their gaze to the slot next to the small window of the door.

Booked by: Im Da Rae

That’s Im Da Rae? He didn’t think he’d see her that soon. Being a new addition to his dance crew, Exo, he still had a lot to learn about. s weren’t ones to force information down his throat but they were quick to tell him about her and how talented she was. Despite both Exo and Da Rae’s group, HOM, being under the same management, the two teams would seldom come across each other. That was mainly due to their differing practice schedules. Apart from that, they also had differing busking slots at Hongdae. However, the few times Exo got to watch HOM were enough for them to speak highly of the latter, especially their leader, Da Rae.

Jongin was pulled out of his reverie upon hearing a thud followed by a soft groan. His eyes found Da Rae on the vinyl floor, clutching her knee. His eyes widened and his hand automatically reached for the doorknob. Before his hand could act without his approval, Jongin drew it back and watched as Da Rae pulled herself up. Plopping onto a seat, she pulled out a pain relief spray from her bag. The expression she had on told Jongin that all of what’s happening was a norm. Da Rae heaved a heavy sigh before scanning the room, looking almost in deep thought. From the corner of her eye, she saw something moving through the small clear glass on the door. Quickly shifting her gaze, she frowned upon seeing nothing there.

“That was odd,” she muttered before grabbing her phone. It’s screen lighted up and Da Rae’s finger hovered over her inbox yet something else grabbed her attention.

“Huh, it’s October already. 2016 sure goes by really quick.”

Meanwhile, Jongin is outside the studio, hiding from her view. He puts his hand over his heart and recollects himself after his mini heart attack.

“That was close.”

Everything was well and dandy for Jongin until the elevator doors opened to reveal her. She had her eyes on her phone and she was turned slightly away from the elevator, so he was sure she hadn’t seen him yet. Using that to his advantage, he scurried out and right past her. Realising that the elevator doors were open, Da Rae tucked her phone into the pocket and stepped in. Selecting the level, her nose crinkled upon being hit with a strong cologne scent.

Was there someone in here? Da Rae thought to herself before shrugging to herself, not putting much thought into it.

“Yah, are you working on Christmas?” Jongin looked up from the table he’s wiping. He turned to his colleague, Taemin, shaking his head as a grin made its way across his face.

“Sorry buddy, big boss said I wasn’t required,” Jongin shrugged.

“What does he mean you’re not required? I’d die without you,” his colleague exclaimed. Jongin chuckled. Fortunately, it was already nearing their closing time thus no customers were around to witness Taemin’s dramatic self.

“You have the other part-timers to help you out,” Jongin said but even he himself wasn’t convinced. The two of them were the only full-timers in the cafe they were working at - also known as Dalkomm. Despite Jongin only having been working there for about two months, he was a fast learner and eventually became on par with Taemin. There were plenty of part-timers working there but none of them could match up to the duo’s working speed.

“I’d die without you,” Taemin repeated, adding more emphasis to the word ‘die’. Jongin rolled his eyes, telling the fellow to quit being so dramatic and that he’d do fine without Jongin. Ignoring Taemin’s complains, Jongin headed to the back to place the dishes into the dishwasher. As he did that, the ringing of their entrance’s bell echoed.

“Oh hey, Da Rae.” Jongin froze. Closing the dishwasher, he silently peeked at the counter.

It’s her. His heart beat faster, knocking against his ribcage as he looked at the scene without a single peep.

“Here for the usual?” Taemin asked, receiving a nod.

She’s a regular? Jongin thought to himself.

“Sorry for coming so late, I know it’s already nearing closing time,” she sheepishly said, flashing him a grin that hid her eyes. This sent a flutter in Jongin’s way, his ears unknowingly turning red.

“It’s fine. What held you up though? Usually, on Thursdays, you’d be here in the afternoon,” Taemin pointed out as he made her drink.

“You memorized my schedule?”

“You’d only ever come on Thursdays and within the same time frame - it’s hard not to remember,” Taemin replied, shooting her a smile.

“I guess you’re right. Unfortunately, something came up at work today so I couldn’t drop by earlier on. Even after this, I’ll need to pull an all-nighter. Thus, the need for caffeine,” Da Rae sighed.

“Damn, that ,” Taemin paused, handing her her drink. “Here you go and don’t worry, it’s on the house.”

“Thanks, Taemin,” Da Rae beamed, earning a wink from Taemin. Bidding the guy goodbye, she left the cafe. The smile on Taemin’s face lingered, muttering a ‘what a cutie’ under his breath. Realising that Jongin had been pretty silent the past few minutes, Taemin turned towards the back door. Seeing the younger’s shaken state, he raised a brow.

“What’s up with you?”

“Nothing,” Jongin answered, shaking his head before returning to the dishwasher.

She usually comes here on Thursdays. My off days have always been Thursdays but now that my schedule has been changed and my off days are Mondays...that means…

Da Rae shut her eyes, inhaling a deep breath. Releasing it, her eyes fluttered open. She was amazed by the fact that time had flown by in the blink of an eye. She took in the view from her room - how the headlights of the cars lined the highways, how the lights that decorated the city added a glow to the scenery, how the stars filled the sky in all the right places. She had never seen a day of Christmas that beautiful. Even the cooling temperature was just right. Grabbing hold of her coat, she was out the door within a minute. A stroll was something she had been needing for the past few weeks.

Thoughts filled her mind. She had accomplished so much - every minute in the past year had been spent productively. Yet a huge part of her still felt empty, and she knew why. She wasn’t where she wanted to be. She had other goals in life, other careers she wanted to pursue - yet there she was stuck with a job she didn’t want. She was only twenty yet in her hands were the responsibilities of a thirty-year-old. When she was younger, she made it a thing to constantly remind herself never to get a job she didn’t enjoy, never to give in to people’s demands, never to stop working towards her passion. Yet there she was, years later, doing exactly that.

It wasn’t easy for her. When torn between family and passion, which one was she supposed to sacrifice? Over the years, she had ultimately chosen family - where would she be without them? Yet a part of her was always saying, “You became the person you always told yourself never to be.”

As Da Rae was kept preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn’t notice a pair of eyes staring right at her as she walked by the figure. It’s been their third meeting yet she has never noticed him once.

Da Rae stared directly at the guy standing by the entrance of the bridal store she partially owned. She scanned his features - gelled up hair, long elongated nose, full lips that formed a natural pout, a crisp jawline. The smell of his cologne filled her veins and something about it felt so familiar. His intense gaze was what drew her in the most.

Wow, he’s beautiful. She thought to herself.

“So Miss Da Rae, I was informed that you will be handling Jongin’s suit?” The future groom asked. Forcing herself to look away, Da Rae averted her gaze to the groom and nodded.

“That’s right,” she confirmed, smiling. The name Jongin rang in her head as she met the guy’s eyes once more. He had on a smile yet the expression in his eyes were a mixture of everything else. In her mind, she had marked their first meeting. He, on the other hand, had nothing on his mind other than her smile.

With that, two young souls were brought together - only it was so much more complicated than that.

A/N: And here's the first chapter. Looking forward to hearing from you~