The evening came and the festival finally began. We were in the backstage, stretching before our performance.

"Alright girls. Let's go out there and kill it. And remember to have fun." Lisa's voice was calm even though she was as nervous as we were, maybe even more nervous. "If someone makes a mistake, that I hope won't happen, just pretend it was a part of our routine, alright?" She finished her encouraging words with a smile.

We stood in our circle holding hands for a little bit longer until we heard the MC's voice through the speakers.

"And the next performance is by a rising dance crew - BLACKPINK!" He shouted our name as the crowd applauded.

We walked in with confidence, finding our places with ease. I slowly breathed in and out to calm my nerves. Being in front of an audience made me excited and even more nervous at the same time.

The moment we were waiting for came, and I poured in all the energy I had as we danced to the remix of " Better Have My Money". The cheering of the crowd made my heart beat even faster, giving me the extra pump of energy. I couldn't see them because of the lights and stage effects, but the sound proved they liked what they saw.

After our performance, we bowed and quickly left the stage so that other performers could perform. We could still feel the excitement and the adrenalin in our systems even after our performance, but it all died down as we watched the rest of the performers. There were lots of amazing dancers, musicians, and even a few magicians. I was busy with my phone when Rose nudged me with her elbow.

"Isn‘t that the cute guy with ice cream?" I looked up at the group on the stage, to see who Rose was talking about.

"Yeah, that must be him!" Jisoo looked at me with excitement. "Jennie, he is really cute!"

I raised my eyebrows at them. "Guys, seriously, stop trying to hook me up with every guy that I make eye contact with." I hissed at them already annoyed with this thing they like to do. "He just kindly wiped my shirt, that he covered in ice cream when he ran into me because that is a decent thing to do." I sighed.

"Get ready? Showtime! Hello everyone, we are IKON!"

The crowd was cheering, they even had fangirls cheering their names. It was fun to watch, but it made me question why I don't know anything about them.

I listened to them talk on stage. "So they are going to sing and dance at the same time? Interesting." I murmured to myself.

"I'm sorry, did I hear that right?" Rose turned to me with a sly smile on her face. "You said that the ice cream guy is interesting?"

I sighed. Please, someone, control my friends. "No, I didn't say that. Please be more affectionate." I shoved her face away from mine, just far enough for me to have some personal space.

When IKON's performance ended, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Hey, they are not bad at all. I didn't know ice cream guy could dance and rap!" Jisoo looked at my direction with a quirk of her brows. I just laughed at her silliness.

"And they're handsome!" Rose exclaimed and threw her hands in the air, making big movements.

My laughter died down as I slowly slid down the chair and covered my face with my hands. They are making me feel so embarrassed for both myself and them.

♦ ♦ ♦

The night's performances were over and everyone was gathered back in the gymnasium. The lights were turned off and it was almost quiet as most of us were sleeping. I could hear someone snoring on the other side of the room, some people were rolling over on their mattresses. I could also hear some murmuring.

Usually, I am a person, who can fall asleep anywhere and at any time, but tonight my body didn't seem to want to cooperate with me. So I quietly sneaked out and went to the canteen.

Being a loner I am, I sat in the middle of the canteen, scrolling through my phone. It was dark outside while the canteen was lighted in dim lighting where it was quiet enough for me to hear my own breathing.

I´ve been sitting here for a long time and was beginning to feel thirsty. I looked around the canteen, trying to spot a water dispenser. Just when I began making my way over to it, someone else sat down on the sofa next to it.

Seriously though, there is plenty of seats for you to choose from, but you chose the one next to the water dispenser? I continued with my task of quenching my thirst.

As I was filling my cup with water he spoke up. "You're a good dancer." He said without even looking at my face.

I stopped what I was doing and looked to my left, to the guy sitting there. The lights were dimmed, but I could see him clearly. He was wearing Adidas sandals without socks, grey sweatpants, white t-shirt and a Nike sweatband. His eyes were on his phone as he didn't bother to look at me.

"Uhm... thanks?" I said as I raised my cup to my lips and drank from it. Well, this is awkward...

"Don't you remember me?" He finally looked up from his phone and I met his familiar eyes. 

"Oh, yeah! You're the guy who smashed his ice cream on my shirt earlier today, right?" I smiled at him, my words soaked in sarcasm.

The guy laughed and gave me a sincere smile. "About that, I'm still sorry." He apologized again, ruffling his fluffy hair with one hand while the other still held his phone.

"Don't worry about it... You said it yourself, it was an accident." He nodded his head at my words. "Anyway, why are you still up? You're not allowed to be outside of your room at this hour, you know." I said matter of factly.

"Then what are you doing here, wide awake, though?" He put his phone next to him on the sofa and turned to face me.

"I asked you first." I said not letting my eyes down from his.

After a few moments his lips let out a quiet laugh. "Fierce." He whispered to himself, but I could hear him. "I couldn't sleep and I miss my bed." This time his words were louder.

I found him entertaining enough for me to stay leaning on the water dispenser while he sat on the red sofa.

"Oh, by the way, we saw your crew perform as well. You were pretty good."

"Thanks." He smiled at my compliment. "What's your name? My first impression wasn't very welcoming, was it?" He stood up and extended his hand for a handshake.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not worry about it?" I laughed at him. "I'm Jennie." I said shaking his hand. He smiled at me and I realized how much taller he was compared to me.

"You can call me Hanbin, nice to officially meet you."

Chapted edited by co-author LimElla